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Waiting for Birth of Royal Baby; Five Suspected Heat Deaths in Milwaukee; Drivers Stranded on Flooded Streets; "Nightmare" Ride on Roller Coaster; A Future Fit for a Prince or Princess; Report: Limo Driver on Phone During Fire; $35 Million in Cocaine Seized; Armstrong Rejoins Annual Iowa Bike Ride; For Sale: Trayvon Martin Merchandise
Aired July 22, 2013 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, Kate's in labor. Kate's in labor, the royal bundle of joy about to arrive.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Prince William is under strict instructions to telephone the queen as soon as the birth has happened.
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COSTELLO: The first to know the queen on a specially encrypted phone, the second, you. Also --
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of a sudden this little Corvette comes bobbing down the water. The water was so high that you couldn't see the vehicle.
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COSTELLO: Raging flood waters in Arizona as firefighters plucked people to safety with harnesses and ropes.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is pretty bad. I think the worst I have seen so far.
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COSTELLO: Plus --
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She rolls up like this. When it drops to come down that is when it released.
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COSTELLO: Terror at Six Flags.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were screaming when they came back and they're trying to get out of the restraint. And they were screaming, my mom, my mom. We got to get my mom.
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COSTELLO: A woman plunges to her death from a roller coaster and expert tells us why. And --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why does God let bad things happen to good people?
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COSTELLO: Evangelical actor, Kirk Cameron, versus Facebook users. They vote Cameron's Christian movie off of Facebook. Wait, can they do that?
You're live in CNN NEWSROOM.
Good morning. Thank you so much for being with me. I'm Carol Costello. A dull building in London now one of the most watched attractions in the world, inside Kate and a baby that can someday sit on the British throne. Overnight, we learned Kate Middleton had gone into labor and the now the world waits for news of the royal birth.
CNN royal correspondent Max Foster at St. Mary's Hospital in London and at Buckingham Palace, we have Erin McLaughlin. But Max, I want to start with you. Any word?
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: No words, this really reflects the fever. The royal baby is on its way. We know the labor is progressing normally so talking about the early stage. The pregnancy has been really healthy and well. She's been glowing so we are pretty confident that everything is going well inside. Certainly she couldn't be in better hands. She has two royal obstetricians. Team consultants from what is a teaching hospital, a very well known hospital.
So the crowds are really sort of gathering and filling out the area. They are expecting something to happen. The next we'll see is a palace official coming out of the doorsteps with the official notice. We are told we will get a slight warning about happening. We will let you know as soon as we expect that to happen. There are helicopter shots and everything ready to be shown.
COSTELLO: I was just going to ask you. I hear so many voices around you. So do the reports outnumber the number of people waiting?
FOSTER: Afraid so. Yes. There is a huge number of media here. This is just one of the locations, of course. They are also at Buckingham Palace. COSTELLO: And that's where we're going right now. So Max, you stay right there. Erin McLaughlin is at Buckingham Palace. So are the crowds growing larger?
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It seems pretty mall, people watching and waiting obviously for the announcement of this birth notice once it makes its way from the hospital, driven by a police escort to the gates of Buckingham Palace where it will be displayed on the easel, the very same easel that was used to announce the birth of Prince William over 31 years ago.
It will include crucial information including the sex of the baby, the weight, the time of birth. We do not at this moment according to a source at Kensington Palace expect it to contain the name of the baby. Once that has been posted then we expect a gun salute, two simultaneous gun salutes at various points of the city announcing to the world that the royal baby is finally here. Carol, it's very festive, everyone here wishing Kate a very healthy delivery.
COSTELLO: I know she has been in labor for nine hours. So let's hope it happens soon for her sake, right? Erin McLaughlin, thanks so much.
Stay with CNN for all the latest on the royal birth. Our crews are in place as you saw ready to bring you all the details as we get them. But for now let's turn to some other stories making news this morning.
Checking those top stories at 5 minutes past, the heat wave may be to blame for five deaths in Milwaukee. A 64-year-old woman was found inside a home over the weekend where the inside temperature was 93 degrees. Officials say the woman and her sister kept the windows closed because they feared shots being -- they feared shots were being fired in their neighborhood.
The heat also suspected in the death of four Milwaukee men. In Southern California, rain has brought some relief to firefighters battling a massive wildfire near Palm Springs. The mountain fire is now 68 percent contained. Evacuation orders have been lifted for the communities of Idyllwild and Fern Valley. But the situation is still quite delicate with the threat of thunderstorms causing flash flooding and mud slides.
Speaking of flash flooding, heavy rain in the Phoenix area has been keeping emergency workers pretty busy. They have had to rescue several people stranded in their cars from flash flooding. Apache Junction has seen some of the worst flooding and that's where we find CNN's Stephanie Elam this morning. So it is weird to see cactus and think of torrential rain.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know. It is exactly what is happening here, Carol. They said that it happened very quickly. That it rained up into the mountains here, the foothills and it came down those washes just tore through here. Busted over the seams and then flooded some of the street. As you can see we are standing here in what is left of this little bit of a muddy area. It is very thick and gooey and nasty. Just really took over the street. There is a lot of street like this, a lot of cleanup still going on out here as I try not to fall on live television. They are out there cleaning up, getting the streets back open. As you can see over here, this fence over here just completely pushed open by the storm, they said it was actually locked when the storm came through here and the mud, water and everything just pushed that gate right open -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, but the good news no one was terribly hurt, right?
ELAM: No one was injured at all. I hear that there were no reports of injuries. They did rescue these people, some of them very dramatic, pulling them out of rushing water, standing on top of cars, running to just little pieces of land to get to some sort of safety. In all of that no one was hurt. One neighbor saying it was an hour and a half when the water started coming, when the rain started coming to when it all washed away pretty much leaving this messy muddy mess here that we see.
COSTELLO: We did see. Stephanie Elam, thanks so much.
Also this morning a roller coaster at Six Flags over Texas remains closed as investigators try to figure out what led to the death of a rider, this woman. Witnesses say Rosy Esparza believed she may have not been properly secured when she boarded the 14-story tall roller coaster. Those witnesses say she fell during the ride as her family was sitting next to her.
Last hour I spoke to an accident reconstructionist about the investigation. Here is what he said.
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ROBERT SWINT, ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTIONIST (via telephone): I would say that a bar position is dependent on the size and the weight of the individual. You can have a device like that bar fit over a woman that has certain size that would be 95 percentile and wouldn't get to the further lower position because of the restraint of the body. This all has to be looked at and understood as this ride was appropriate for a person that size.
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COSTELLO: Ed Lavandera joins us now from Arlington, Texas. So what's Six Flags saying about this?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they are not saying much at all, quite frankly, Carol. We have been talking to them throughout the weekend. They've asked for any questions that we might have to be put in writing and they usually respond with a statement that we've heard that they vow to conduct a full investigation to get a sense of what caused this tragedy and that they do not want to engage in any kind of speculation and put the family through that.
So obviously with the threat and the looming perhaps litigation that Six Flags over Texas will face over this I spoke with a family member briefly over the phone of the woman who was killed in this. They have been in communication with an attorney. I know that much. We will see how this continues to play out.
But clearly with the threat of looming legal action here this is an investigation that Six Flags over Texas will handle itself. There are no outside agencies that have control of the investigation. Six Flags itself will conduct the investigation and is by no means under any kind of pretense that it needs to share that publicly. So that's where we stand right now.
COSTELLO: Are there weight restrictions placed on this ride, Ed, that you know of?
LAVANDERA: Not that I know of. I haven't been on that ride in quite some time here at Six Flags. It is one of the signature roller coaster rides here at the amusement park. I don't recall seeing restrictions there. Mostly I remember seeing are height restrictions.
COSTELLO: So, you know, witnesses said that when this woman put the bar on which the safety bar came up from the floor they just heard one click instead of the usual three or four and she was actually concerned about that before the ride began.
LAVANDERA: Yes. One of the people who were in line there getting ready to ride the next wave of the roller coaster had told local news media on Friday that she had been voicing some concern and that she was told everything was fine. Obviously that will be something that will be followed up on in getting the sense of exactly what was said and interviewing that park employee will be crucial, as well. Imagine, behind the scenes a lot of that is already in full swing.
COSTELLO: Ed Lavandera, live from Arlington, Texas, thanks so much.
It's the day much of the world has been waiting for. Kate is in labor, could give birth at anytime to a brand new prince or princess. We are live from Buckingham Palace for reaction that's coming your way next.
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COSTELLO: A world in waiting right now. A crowd is building outside of Buckingham Palace as the former Kate Middleton enters another hour of labor. I think it's nine hours now. Once the child arrives at anytime he or she could someday sit on the British throne. Want to look more closely at that future from a historical perspective and more.
Our next guest is the author of books on both Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria. Kate Williams joins us from Buckingham Palace, as CNN's royal historian. Good morning.
KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL HISTORIAN: Good morning.
COSTELLO: Before we look into the future or back into the past let's concentrate on the present. What does this day mean for the people of Great Britain? WILLIAMS: It is a big day. We have our heir to the throne. We might have he or she might born today or maybe tomorrow. This will perhaps in 70 years or in the 22nd Century this will be our future king or queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. So it's pretty exciting. It's a day a lot of people have been waiting for. People have been buying plates and decorations, but haven't known whether or not to decorate in pink or blue because you just don't know, boy or girl.
COSTELLO: So inside that hospital room only Prince William and Kate and a team of doctors I would presume. Is that the usual kind of thing when royals have babies?
WILLIAMS: Previously royal babies before Diana the baby was born at home. Before Elizabeth II had Charles in 1948, they were always attended by the home secretary. In the 17th Century it was public affairs. It was a great honor to attend the royal birth. We don't have a home secretary. And we don't have a whole team just hanging around. It is just William and the team of doctors. The gynecologist has delivered plenty of royal babies. As we have heard it is a natural birth. It is progressing well.
COSTELLO: I know. I hope she has that baby soon because she has been in labor like nine hours now. Protocol still must be followed. The very first person who will hear the news would be the queen.
WILLIAMS: That's exactly it. William will witness the birth. The first thing he will do is call the queen who we are expected to see back at Buckingham Palace quite soon. He will call her first of all when the baby is born on a specially encrypted phone and say hello granny it is a boy or a girl. He will tell her the weight, the sex and the time of birth. After that the information is disseminated to the prime minister. It will be written down, the time of birth, the sex and the weight to be written down and that information taken to Buckingham Palace and put on the easel to be shown to us all, to all the public. We look to see a gun salute, as well, pretty exciting. Once the baby is born we will absolutely know it is here.
COSTELLO: So I'm betting that if it is a girl -- I'm betting it is a girl, that Diana will be in the name somewhere.
WILLIAMS: We are looking at Diana for one of the names. Royals have lots of names. They don't have one or two. They have four or five. I think we are going to see Alexandra and Elizabeth and also the queen coming here at the moment and Diana are going to be there in the name, maybe four or five.
COSTELLO: That was exciting. People are running after the queen there. We'll get back to you.
WILLIAMS: Here she comes.
COSTELLO: I want to see a little bit. I see the people running behind. She is going to wait by the phone for word. Kate Williams, thank you so much for joining us. Of course, we'll bring you the baby news when the baby is born as soon as we know. Taking a look at top stories now at 18 minutes past the hour, the wife of the driver involved in that deadly limo fire in California says he was arguing with her on the phone at the time. The wife tells the "San Jose Mercury News" Orville Brown had music blaring in the background to keep the bride and friends from hearing his conversation in the back. That raises details to whether the driver was too distracted. The bride and four women were killed, three others escaped. Brown has no comment on these new details yet.
Calling it a big fisher which is an understatement, the Coast Guard says it has confiscated $35 million worth of cocaine headed to the United States from South America, but the smugglers did not give up their stash easily. The Coast Guard says it had to shoot out the engine of the drug smugglers' boat and seize the 2,300 pounds of cocaine.
In the first public appearance since talking to Oprah, disgraced bicyclist Lance Armstrong is back on the bike in Iowa. This is his fifth visit to the great bicycle ride across Iowa. Armstrong admitted doping was eventually stripped of his Tour De France titles.
T-shirts, cell phones, cell phone covers and pins, money for those items go to the Trayvon Martin Foundation. Are these organizations profiting off of Trayvon Martin's death? We'll talk about that next.
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COSTELLO: The death of Trayvon Martin has sparked anger, outrage and protest and now the tragedy has also inspired a range of retail products. Visitors to the official web site for the Trayvon Martin Foundation can buy items with the slain teenager's image, everything from posters and buttons to cell phone covers. A foundation link that urges people to, quote, "support the movement with official merchandise" takes you to this web site. It is called fortrayvon.org. The web site wants buyers to represent Trayvon in the form of especially designed t-shirts.
Actor Jamie Fox wore one of those t-shirts to last month's BET Awards. Michael Skolnik joins me now from Los Angeles. He is the editor and chief of globalgrind.com and a board member of the Trayvon Martin Foundation. Good morning.
MICHAEL SKOLNIK, BOARD MEMBER, TRAYVON MARTIN FOUNDATION: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: So tell us about this merchandise and where the money goes.
SKOLNIK: Certainly. So just to be very, very clear, the Trayvon Martin Foundation was founded by Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, the parents of Trayvon Martin in 2012. It is the foundation a 501C-3 not for profit foundation. The work of the Trayvon Martin Foundation is so significant because the parents want to make sure a Trayvon Martin never happens again. We are going to do work on family advocacy bringing families together across this country. We're going to repeal the stand your ground type of laws in 25 states across the country and finally building an education program that teaches about conflict mediation.
COSTELLO: Do you know how much money has been made so far?
SKOLNIK: So money has not been made. Money has been raised. This is a not for profit foundation. The money we have raised is a little less than $100,000 and prior to that about $150,000. Just to put this into perspective, Carol, for a moment. George Zimmerman and he was allowed to do this and has his right to do this, raised about $450,000 for his legal defense fund. No questions asked.
The Trayvon Martin Foundation has raised just less by $250,000. All of the work that we do I am proud to be a part of this organization because these parents are important to the conversation we are having about race in this country, the conversation we are having about gun violence and certainly they never, ever want to see any parent in this country have to go through what they have gone through.
COSTELLO: Let me ask you about this. Yours is a non-profit site. There are other sites that are not associated with your foundation that are selling t shirts like the one I am going to show you here and they are covering a gun covered with Skittles. Those are things that bother a lot of people because these are sites seemingly just making money off the tragedy and who knows where the money goes to.
SKOLNIK: Certainly. We have had a lawyer look at any person using Trayvon Martin's image for profit. We urge anybody who wants to support the family to go to the Trayvon Martin Foundation web site, the official website. Anybody who is using Trayvon Martin's image for profit we are 100 percent against.
COSTELLO: I know that Trayvon's mother, Sybrina Fulton, filed applications to trademark in an attempt to stop websites like this. Did she manage to trademark those phrases and what are you doing to stop other sites from selling merchandise?
SKOLNIK: I believe the application for trademark is still in process. These things take some time. The reason for trade marking them was precisely this, to stop anyone from profiting off the death of her son. We certainly want anyone who wants to donate money to go to the foundation and not go to other websites of folks selling t shirts and buttons for profit, 100 percent of the proceeds are tax deductible.
COSTELLO: All right, Michael Skolnik, thank you so much for being with us this morning. We appreciate it.
SKOLNIK: Thank you, Carol. Thank you.
COSTELLO: You're welcome. The royal baby is coming. We are now waiting to find out if the baby will be a prince or a princess. What it could be like growing up royal.
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