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Manslaughter Charge in Boating Accident; Man Kills Six in Florida Hostage Standoff; Egypt Wracked By Deadly Protests; Engineer Accused in Spain Train Crash; Anthony Weiner Wants to Talk Issues; Risk V. Rewards of High-Speed Rail; Bob Filner Subpoenaed for Deposition; Elon Musk's New Way to Travel
Aired July 27, 2013 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, it's the top of the hour. Welcome, I'm Don Lemon. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. We want to give you what's going on in the country because a lot is happening right now.
We'll going to begin with this -- bride-to-be found dead today after a pre-wedding boat party turned into disaster. Now the driver of the boat is charged with manslaughter. Hours ago authorities found the bride's body in the Hudson River about 25 miles north of Manhattan. She was on a speedboat that slammed into a construction barge last night. Crews are still searching for the best man. Four other passengers, including the groom, hospitalized right now.
I want to get straight to CNN's Alina Cho, who is covering this tragic story for us. Alina, what about these charges, what's going on?
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, stunning, really, Don, there has been an arrest in this case of this boating conference. In fact, a news conference going on still right behind me. Here's what we know a 35-year-old New York man who was a friend of everyone on board that boat has been charged with vehicular manslaughter and vehicular assault for driving that boat while intoxicated.
Now, as you mentioned, searchers earlier this afternoon did recover the body of one of the two people missing from this accident, she is believed to be 30-year-old Lindsay Stewart, a bride-to-be who was set to be married exactly two weeks from today. A woman really with her whole life ahead of her. We've also learned from this news conference that the search for the second missing person has been suspended for now as of 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. That search will be resumed again at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow.
Now, here is what we know about what happened last night at about 10:00, a small speedboat carrying six passengers left a nearby marina just minutes after that struck a construction barge along the Tappan Zee Bridge behind me. Two people were ejected. Four people survived, including the groom-to-be who apparently suffered massive head injuries, was knocked unconscious at the time of the accident, and then somehow came to and called 911.
Now, this barge we are told was lit both in the front and in the back, but we are also told by officials that it was a very dark night on the water. And that is apparently how this happened. I did also speak, Don, to the stepfather of the bride-to-be, Lindsay Stewart. Obviously in a state of shock. He was about to speak to the coroner, but, remember, this is a young woman just 30 years old, about to marry a man she has known since she was 10 years old. Spent a lot of time in church together. Apparently started dating three years ago, and again, as I said, had their whole lives ahead of them -- Don.
LEMON: All right. Alina Cho covering this breaking news story for us, Alina, if you get any more information, we'll get back to you, thank you very much.
In the meantime, in suburban Miami, six people are dead after a hostage standoff at an apartment building last night and so is the gunman, Pedro Vargas, police say he set fire to his apartment then shot the two building managers who responded plus four others. CNN's Nick Valencia has more now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Scary moments for this quiet South Florida neighborhood, witnesses call 911 after hearing multiple gunshots at an apartment complex in Hialeah.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHAMIRA PISCIOTTI, DAUGHTER OF VICTIMS: I heard about 15 to 20 shots and so I went outside, and my neighbors were screaming that my parents had been shot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: Shot and killed. The first two victims in Friday night's shooting spree were a husband and wife who manage the apartments.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Great people. You know, great grandparents. They just flawless --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: In an interview with CNN, police describe the chaos as they cornered the shooter, barricaded inside an apartment, he took two other people as hostages.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. EDDIE RODRIQUEZ, HIALEAH POLICE DEPARTMENT: They coordinated with SWAT and eventually they went in and they rescued both hostages that were inside and the subject was also killed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: That's CNN's Nick Valencia. Police say the gunman had no criminal history and no history of irrational behavior, a Hialeah Police Department spokesman said, quote, "We don't have an explanation."
In Egypt now, the optimism that followed the Arab Spring revolution has been replaced by a new emotion, fear and a deep anxiety at the violent protests of the past few days can't be stopped. More than 60 people were killed today in clashes between security forces and supporters of deposed President Mohammed Morsi, as CNN's Ben Wedeman explains now, the situation is growing more chaotic by the hour.
BEN WEDEMAN, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There are wildly conflicting accounts about what happened early Saturday morning in Cairo that left so many people dead. According to the Egyptian Interior Ministry, the supporters of the deposed President Mohammed Morsi made their way to the October 6th Bridge. This is a major thoroughfare in Northern Cairo.
There they say the supporters of Mohammed Morsi tried to block the road, lit a lot of tires on fire. This angered local residents who clashed with the protesters. According to the Interior Ministry, they intervened to break up those clashes and in the process were fired upon by supporters of Mohammed Morsi. The government insists they only used tear gas and that they did not fire any live ammunition. However, the morsel camp says that they were fired upon without provocation. And the death tolls seemed to vary as much as the narratives do.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, more than 60 people were killed in these clashes. The doctors at the field hospital where the sit-in is located for the supporters of the deposed president they say more than 120 people were killed, more than 4,500 wounded, many of them with live ammunition. Meanwhile, Saturday, the Egyptian army announced they'll be holding -- they'll be launching a 48-hour offensive in the Sinai Peninsula with the stated goal of eradicating terrorism in the area.
Since the fall of Hosni Mubarak, two-and-a-half years ago, the Sinai has become increasingly lawless and violent. It's become a refuge for extremists' elements who have escaped from prison during the revolution. This operation interestingly enough is being dubbed "Desert Storm." I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN reporting from Cairo.
LEMON: All right, Ben, thank you.
Turkey's embassy in Somalia came under attack today from three suicide bombers. The three were in a car loaded with explosives that ran the gate at the compound. One Turkish security officer was killed and three others injured, a spokesman says, a Turkish foreign ministry is closely monitoring the situation.
Pope Francis met with politicians and clerics in Brazil today and urged them to close the gap between the countries's rich and poor. The pope celebrated mass at the Rio de Janeiro cathedral before meeting with the country's leaders. Tonight, the pontiff will join young programs and a prayer on Rio's Copacabana Beach. He's been encouraging Brazil's youth to help change the world.
Reckless homicide, strong words aimed at the driver of a high-speed train in Spain. But could there be something else to blame? That's next.
And later imagine being able to travel 400 miles in just 30 minutes on your own schedule and on the cheap. Why the Hyperloop may soon be a reality.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: President Obama today led a special ceremony on the National Mall specifically at the memorial to Korean War veterans.
Sixty years ago today, the Korean War technically ended, although a peace treaty was never signed. American troops have remained stationed in South Korea ever since. The President told Korean War veterans that people who believe the war ended with no clear winner are wrong.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. BARACK OBAMA (D), UNITED STATES: When our allies across the Asia-Pacific know as we have proven in Korea for 60 straight years that the United States will remain a force for peace and security and prosperity, that's a victory. That's your legacy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Up above the DMZ, the North Koreans marked the anniversary, too. They called July 27th victory day in Pyongyang and today, they rolled out the military fire power and soldiers in a parade past North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. And speaking of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, he did something today that was very out of character.
So, at first this doesn't look too unusual until you consider that Kim Jong-un, he never, and I mean, never gets close to non-Korean media and television cameras, never. And there he was walking right past CNN cameras in Pyongyang while the crowd applauded him. He didn't say anything, but his bodyguards did allow photographers and video cameras to get closer to him than ever before. He was opening a memorial to North Koreans who died in the Korean conflict.
Operator error, that's what police are blaming for Wednesday's deadly train derailment in Spain. The train's engineer has been accused of reckless homicide in the crash that killed 78 people and left many others in critical condition.
CNN's Karl Penhaul is on the story for us.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Throughout the course of the afternoon, relatives of some of the victims of Spain's deadly train crash have been coming here to pick up luggage that was left behind, luggage that has been picked up from the rail tracks. It's a poignant reminder of the human scale of this tragedy. I think rarely do we think of what happened to the belongings of the dead or the badly injured in an accident of this type.
But in this building also which is the headquarters of the National Police in Santiago de Compostela, here is the location where the train driver, Francisco Jose Garzon has been detained, in a press conference earlier today, the interior minister informed us that the police have formally accused the train driver of reckless homicide but, of course, it's going to be the judge who makes the final decision whether to press formal charges and he has until Sunday evening to decide to do that.
Earlier in the day the interior minister visited the crash scene and I had the chance to ask him what evidence he believed there was to -- that the train driver may have been responsible. And this is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSE FERNANDEZ DIAZ, SPAIN'S INTERIOR MINISTER (through a translator): Evidently he's been detained because there are rational indications that we used to think that he could be the main cause for what happened. But we will wait for everything to be passed to the judge and for the investigation to close.
PENHAUL: What are these rational indications?
DIAZ: I don't have anything else to say, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Don't ask me that question again. You asked me. And I answered right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PENHAUL: But also in the morning press conference, other members of the government and also of police said they were still trying to keep an open mind and the investigation was looking at other factors as well not just speculation that perhaps the driver was pushing that train too fast.
Also under consideration a technical factor and possibly even budgetary factors to see if the train tracks were being correctly maintained and also if certain security mechanisms were in place to, in fact, stop the train automatically from traveling too fast. Karl Penhaul, CNN, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
LEMON: All right, Karl.
Later, how fast is too fast? What experts are saying about the future of high-speed rail in the U.S.?
And it's a courtroom we all wish allowed cameras, the trial of Boston mob boss James Whitey Bulger. Well, former mobster and former Bulger protege John "Red" Shea joins us live and he never disappoints. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Bradley Manning's fate in the hands now of a military judge, the verdict against the man accused of the largest leak of classified information in U.S. history could come as early as Tuesday. Closing arguments in the Manning's court-martial ended Friday and Manning is charged with aiding the enemy which carries a potential life sentence in prison. He's already pleaded guilty to nearly a dozen lesser charges carrying a sentence up to 20 years behind bars.
A woman once accused of conspiring to have her husband killed outside their son's preschool will not be tried for murder. At the last minute, murder charges were dropped against Andrea Schneiderman whose trial is set to begin Monday. Prosecutors say there was not enough evidence to prove murder. Schneiderman will be tried for perjury, lying to police and obstructing the apprehension of a criminal. Her husband, Rusty Schneiderman was shot and killed in suburban Atlanta in 2010. Andrea Schneiderman's former boss and alleged lover Hemy Neuman, is serving life in prison for his murder.
Prosecutors have wrapped up weeks of chilling, raw, and at times gruesome testimony in the trial against reputed mob boss Whitey Bulger, the next phase will certainly come with its own fireworks with the defense taking over and considering putting Bulger himself on the witness stand. Now, that would be interesting.
And this is, too, because who better to talk about the latest developments here none other than that John "Red" Shea, welcome back, sir, how you doing?
JOHN "RED" SHEA, AUTHOR, "RAT BASTARDS": Thank you, Don. I'm doing very well. Thanks so much for having me this evening.
LEMON: Well, great. Red is a former associate of Whitey Bulger and the author of "Rat Bastards: The Life and Times of South Boston's Most Honorable Irish Mobster." So, John, again, thanks for joining me. The prosecution rested its case yesterday after calling 63 witnesses over 30 days, which witness will be the most memorable to the journey, you think?
SHEA: I'm going to say the two most probably will be -- well, I would say three, not just two, Don, I would say the three most witnesses would be John Martorano, Kevin Weekes and definitely the nail in the coffin as I call him, Stephen "Rifleman" Flemmi.
LEMON: OK. Well, let's talk about because Bulger's hitman Stephen "Rifleman" Flemmi, he testified, again, this week. This time he talked about how he took his stepdaughter, Debra Hussey, shopping before bringing her to Bulger to be strangled. How damaging was his testimony?
SHEA: I'm going to tell you right now, it was extremely damaging. I think that there was some discrepancies throughout all these witnesses that had testified, but, you know, in the end, the jury's going to see through some of these discrepancies because on the whole, he's going to be found guilty. And that's the bottom line on it. He's going to be found guilty for all, if not all, majority of the charges that he's been charged with.
LEMON: I don't think you mentioned the developer, Boston developer, Richard Bouchard, he testified Bulger removed a shotgun from his mouth and put a gun to his head, demanded $200,000 saying, he would kill he and his family, if he didn't. Is this the Whitey Bulger you knew?
SHEA: It was very typical of Whitey Bulger to do that. That was his -- that was his m.o., Don.
LEMON: And that's all you'll say, that's his m.o., simple as that?
SHEA: Yep, that was his m.o., I mean, there's not much more to say than that. I mean, he is a guy that would -- that had done these things and that was his m.o., and that's what he preached and taught.
LEMON: Yes. So, John, you know, the big question looking ahead to next week is, will Whitey Bulger take the stand? I mean, if he does, that is going to be riveting. Do you think he has the guts to do it?
SHEA: Well, listen, Don, here's a guy whose defense says that he wants to take the stand and we're ready to take the stand. Now they are hedging hurrying in court and saying, well, you know, maybe he will or maybe he won't and the government said, well, put him on the stand. The government said that. Put him on the stand. As I told you in the last show, I challenge him to get on the stand. Don, no matter what, they'll eat him alive. The best thing he could do is not get on the stand and just -- and just keep the faith where it's going to go.
Because he would be made a fool of, trust me. He would be made a fool of by the government. There is just too much evidence against him. The guy's already committed and said that he's committed these -- a lot of these crimes already prior to the jury even getting to deciding the verdict. So, he has no chance, Don.
LEMON: He has no chance. All right, you heard it here from John "Red" Shea.
SHEA: No chance.
LEMON: Thank you sir. Hey, we'll have you back, of course, it's always riveting to talk to you, thank you very much again, John.
SHEA: Thank you.
LEMON: We want to move on now. And tell you, we've got some breaking news to tell you about.
And the breaking news, three people killed in a bus accident today in Indianapolis. Officials there just confirmed that to CNN. Are these live pictures? No? At least five others are reported to be critically injured here. These images coming from our affiliate WRTV, these are live pictures, I am being told. "The Indianapolis Star" reports that 12 more passengers have lesser injuries. Accident happened near interstate overpass.
Again, you're looking at live pictures now and this is also coming in here. I want to read some of the tweets from the Indianapolis Fire Department. It says, first passengers on bus were mostly teens from Colonial Hill Baptist Church returning from camp. Please pray for all involved. And then it confirms that 40 passengers on bus. Three killed. As a result of the crash. Five passengers, again, were entrapped. We're going to bring you the very latest as we get more information on this horrific bus crash in Indianapolis. Breaking news here on CNN right now.
Moving on, though, Anthony Weiner may be trying to move forward from his latest sexting scandal, but some New York voters aren't quite over yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Had I conducted myself in the manner in which you conducted yours, my job would have been gone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That's just the beginning. More from this rather tense situation, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The breaking news here on CNN. Three people killed in a bus accident today in Indianapolis. Officials there just confirmed that to CNN. You're looking at live pictures now of that accident on the interstate just near an overpass. At least five others are reported to be critically injured. "The Indianapolis Star" reports that 12 more passengers have lesser injuries. The accident again, happened near the interstate overpass and I'm going to read again some of the tweets from the Indianapolis Fire Department first.
It says, "Passengers on bus were mostly teens from Colonial Hill Baptist Church returning from camp. Please pray for all involved." Another tweet confirms 40 passengers on bus. Three killed as a result of crash. Five passengers were entrapped. Family and parents of passengers are asked to go to the church at 8140 Chapel Hill Road for information. We're going to bring you the details as we get them here on CNN. That is a horrible, horrible bus crash there.
A bride-to-be was found dead today in the Hudson River near New York City after a pre-wedding boating party turned into disaster. Now the boat's driver is charged with manslaughter. The boat slammed into a construction barge last night, 25 miles north of Manhattan. Crews are still searching for the best man in the wedding party. The groom is hospitalized along with three others. Details on that as we get them as well.
A horrible scene in South Florida too report to you. A gunman sets fire to his apartment and then shoots two building managers who responded. The killing didn't end there. Police say, Pedro Vargas shot and killed four others before a SWAT team stormed the building where he was holding two hostages and killed him. The hostages survived. Police have no motive for the shooting.
Anthony Weiner having trouble getting people to change the subject now. He wants to talk about mayor stuff. And everyone he runs into wants to talk about, well, that other thing. You're about to see a good example of that. Watch candidate Weiner trying to get through a crowd in New York City, past a woman who will not let him go without some answers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: As a former New York City Department of Education employee with 21 years as a teacher and nine years as an assistant principal, had I conducted myself in the manner in which you conducted yours, my job would have been gone.
ANTHONY WEINER (D), NEW YORK MAYORAL CANDIDATE: In the privacy of your home?
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: In the privacy of my home.
WEINER: I respect your views.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: And standing there, it wouldn't have mattered if one year went by or five years went by, I don't quite understand how you would feel you would have the moral authority as the head administrator in this city --
WEINER: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: -- to oversee employees when your standard of conduct is so much lower than the standard of conduct that's expected of us.
WEINER: Are you not voting for me?
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I would not vote for you, sir.
WEINER: OK. I certainly understand that. I want to let other people make the decision for themselves, fair enough?
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I understand that.
WEINER: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: But you didn't answer the question.
WEINER: Listen, you basically stated that that's your position. My position --
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: My question to you is --
WEINER: Yes. Let me answer the question. Let me just answer the question.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Go ahead. I'm listening.
(CROSSTALK)
WEINER: I want to let your neighbors make their decision for themselves based on the information they have. You've made your decision. You wouldn't deny them the right to make their, would you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I wouldn't. But I don't --
(CROSSTALK) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But, Anthony, you're not answering her questions. She thinks she would have lost her job and you're running for mayor, that's the question.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're not answering that.
(CROSSTALK)
WEINER: I hope you would --
(CROSSTALK)
WEINER: I thought I was being very considerate.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You weren't.
WEINER: I apologize.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My second question to you, though, is how -- how do you stand there and present yourself -- and I know this is going to sound a little crass, sir -- but how do you present yourself to people on a public stage and when you turn around and you stand there and --
(CROSSTALK)
WEINER: Madam, it's very clear, it's very clear, that you're not supporting me and that you have problems with my background. I understand that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
WEINER: But here's my position.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go right ahead.
WEINER: I am not trying to get one person's vote. I am trying to get many people's vote.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are trying to get the middle-class vote.
(CROSSTALK)
WEINER: Madam, let me finish my thought.
(CROSSTALK)
WEINER: Madam, let me finish my thought.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go right ahead.
WEINER: I meet people all the time who say to me, I don't like you, Mr. Weiner, because of something in your background, because of a vote you cast or your idea book. That's the way elections are, politicians, people running for office, sometime they meet people that like them and sometimes they meet people that don't. That's the way the process works. But that does not mean that I stop running because I run into a person who respectfully asks me a question and they disagree with me. I don't stop running. I keep plowing ahead because the things I care about -- I care about the schools. I care about you. My mother's a schoolteacher for 31 years. I care about here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think you care more about your ego than anything else.
WEINER: Yes, I understand. You and I disagree. And that's what America is all about.
Thank you very much, madam.
And you as well.
Thank you for the questions.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anthony --
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Now, that is a New Yorker. That happened yesterday on Staten Island. Weiner said he's fed up with people asking him about his online messaging activities, things he calls wrong, hurtful and embarrassing. He said he's near the point of refusing to talk about it altogether. Stay tuned.
Next, that high-speed train crash in Spain. It's impossible to take your eyes off this video. But does this scene spell doom for high- speed rail here in the U.S.?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: 1,000 people packed a church today to mourn victims of the runaway train disaster in Canada's Quebec Province.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(BELL TOLLING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Thousands more gathered outside the church to watch the memorial. Dignitaries, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper, joined them. The names of the individuals who died in the derailment were read from a card created by a local artist. 47 people were killed by the explosion that destroyed part of the small town after the train derailment three weeks ago.
And across the Atlantic, Spain is still deep in mourning for victims of its own rail disaster. At least 78 people died when a high-speed train flew off the tracks.
CNN's Brian Todd looks at the risk versus reward of high-speed rail.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In an instant, a gasp- inducing moment of destruction. Spanish media quotes sources within the investigation as saying the driver reported going more than twice the speed limit around that curve.
The deadly accident in Spain now raising serious questions about the safety of high-speed passenger trains.
PETER GOELZ, FORMER MANAGING DIRECTOR, NTSB: You really have to monitor your track.
TODD: When he was managing director of the NTSB, Peter Goelz, investigated more than half a dozen serious train accidents, none of them were high speed. There's no high-speed rail travel in the U.S. But Goelz knows what can go wrong on the tracks.
(on camera): Not much margin for error coming around the corner at high speed?
GOELZ: No, you got to follow the posted speed when you're coming around. In fact, if you don't, you're putting the whole train in jeopardy.
TODD (voice-over): But factors other than excessive speed can cause accidents.
GOELZ: High heat can distort rail and it can cause what they call heat kinks. And particularly in a welded track, it can separate just slightly.
TODD: A slight separation of track, all that's needed to cause a deadly accident. Though, Goelz says that's rare.
Goelz and other experts say high-speed rail travel is very safe. They say one reason it hasn't made it to the U.S., the infrastructure doesn't fit in the areas where it would be most needed, like the stretch between Boston and Washington. There are too many structures, too close to where the tracks would go. Experts say for high-speed rail, buildings have to be dozens of yards from the tracks.
(on camera): Another reason? Junctions like this, what experts call at-grade crossings, where roads go right over the tracks. There are hundreds of thousands of places like this in the U.S. And safety experts say you can't have them on high-speed lines.
(voice-over): In the U.S. alone, a person or car is hit by a train about every three hours.
GOELZ: The force is enormous. And if you multiply that speed to 150 miles an hour, you have a real disaster.
TODD: Is high-speed rail worth these risks? Safety expert, Richard Beal, a former train engineer, says absolutely.
RICHARD BEAL, SAFETY EXPERT & FORMER TRAIN ENGINEER: If you need to get from point "A" to point "B" and you go a high-speed train, I'll be on it every single time, even above airplanes, because by the time you get to the airport and park and do all the things you got to do, I can hop on the train and be there in no time at all.
TODD (on camera): In the U.S., the debate over high-speed rail isn't just about safety, but it's also over policy. The Obama administration has been pushing a network of high-speed rail lines but, so far, states like Florida, Wisconsin and Ohio have rejected the idea, partly because of cost. In California, though, there is a plan to put a high-speed rail line between L.A. and San Francisco with trains that can go over 200 miles an hour.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right, Brian.
We are following the breaking news out of Indianapolis for you. I want you to look at the pictures now. A bus crashes carrying teens on their way home from a church camp. Three people are dead. Many more are hurt. A live report next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We're going to get back to our breaking news in Indianapolis here on CNN in just a moment. A horrific crash there killing at least three people. Again, we'll get back to that in a moment.
But we want to move on to the mayor of San Diego. Some explaining to do. Now he's been called to a deposition. Bob Filner has been subpoenaed to appear to a deposition on August 9th, relating to charges from several women that he touched them, groped them and kissed them inappropriately. The mayor has already agreed to attend a two-week clinic.
One of his accusers was on CNN just a couple of hours ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA FINK, ACCUSED MAYOR FILNER OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT: You run into other women who indicate that there might have been something and, eventually you end up talking about it. So I have heard a number of stories over the years, some of which I know have been reported to the sheriff's hotline in this investigation, others who are considering coming forward.
So, I know that just from my exposure to women -- and these are community leaders. These are political candidates for office seeking his endorsement. There are a number of women, yes, that have -- have been on the receiving end of this behavior.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: I should tell you that many of the mayor's fellow Democrats have called for him to resign. Bob Filner says that he won't do it. Imagine being able to travel 400 miles in just 30 minutes on your own schedule and on the cheap. Why the Hyperloop may soon be a reality, next.
And across the U.S., 2.7 million grandparents are raising their grandchildren. This week's "CNN Hero" is addressing their unique needs as retirees are unexpectedly forced to become parents once again.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One day, my daughter came to my door and she handed me three kids. She says here, mom, I'll call you later. It's seven years already. It changes your life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything changed. At 60, wow. I have to raise this baby. How am I going to do it?
SILVIE DE TOLEDO, CNN HERO: Does anybody have a crisis they want to talk about?
For many grandparents who are taking in the children it does wreak havoc because many are living on fixed incomes and they were not prepared to take on one or multiple children.
I've Silvia de Toledo, and I help grandparents who suddenly have to take in their grandchildren.
This is my sister and she was pregnant here.
When my sister was 27, she committed suicide and left an 8-year-old.
This is Kevin when he came to live with my parents.
My parents were my inspiration. From a family tragedy something wonderful has happened.
I know it may not feel like it but you are going to get passed this.
When a family calls whether it's help with the school, finding a pediatrician, resources, we'll find a way to help you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of a sudden, I had things coming, clothes, food. They're like my therapy.
She was able to walk me through everything. They helped me get on my feet where I could help myself.
DE TOLEDO: Everybody, I want to introduce you to a new mother.
It's the relatives that are doing this that deserve the recognition.
I have never gotten up once and said I can't do this anymore. I just love what I do.
(END VIDEOTAPE) LEMON: Breaking news here on CNN, out of Indianapolis. You're looking at these live pictures now from our affiliate, WRTV. Look at that. You see there's a bus there on its side. Three people have been killed in this crash of a bus returning from -- teens from camp. The bus flipped onto its side near an interstate.
And I want to get now to Michael Hewitt. He's from the police department.
Mr. Hewitt, are you there?
MICHAEL HEWITT, INDIANAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT (voice-over): I'm here, but I can barely hear you.
LEMON: OK. And I'll speak as clearly as possible and hopefully you can hear me.
We have three people who were killed, as many as 40 injured on this bus, is that correct?
HEWITT: Well, no. We have three people who have been confirmed deceased here on the scene. It's my understanding that there's a total of 37 passengers.
LEMON: 37 passengers, 17 injured -- pardon me -- three dead. I misspoke there. Three dead, 17 injured, and we were told 40 passengers, but you're saying 37 passengers, correct?
HEWITT: Yeah. That's the preliminary number that I was given, that there's 37 passengers. Three deceased on the scene. Two have been Life-Lined to area hospitals, and eight other people involved in the crash have been transported to area hospitals by ambulance.
LEMON: OK. Are these all people who were on the bus, who were deceased and who are injured?
HEWITT: That's my understanding. However, it is under investigation right now.
LEMON: OK. We're looking at this bus on its side here. We're told it happened near an overpass. Did this bus -- is this -- was this bus going down this interstate that we see it on, or did it flip off of the overpass? What happened?
HEWITT: We're not -- we're not really sure right now exactly how the accident occurred. Our Team 6 has arrived on the scene to reconstruct what happened, and hopefully we'll have some definitive answers coming out later this evening.
LEMON: And so we don't know if this -- it appears that this is -- this bus is the only vehicle, to your knowledge, involved in this crash right now, correct?
HEWITT: That's my understanding, that the bus is the only vehicle that was involved, yes. LEMON: OK. They're asking people who may have loved ones or know people on this bus to go to a church. Where is this church? Do you know where this church is?
HEWITT: That's information that I do not have available right now. I'm not aware of the passengers or a church or anything right now.
LEMON: We're being told this church is at 8140 Chapel Hill Road, if they want more information.
But these were all teens that were returning from camp? That's what the fire department is reporting.
HEWITT: OK. That might be what they have. I'm not quite sure. I know from the police side that it's under investigation as far as the ages and where they were coming from right now.
LEMON: Yeah. We're also being told that there's a HAZMAT crew on the scene because there's a large amount of diesel that was spilled. Was this a diesel bus, and do you know about that?
Mr. Hewitt, are you there?
It appears we have lost Mr. Hewitt.
Control Room, you can't hear him, right? Because I can't. OK. Yeah, we can't hear.
Again, I want to tell you, you're looking at these pictures. Look at this, a horrific crash on the interstate in Indianapolis. Carrying, we are told, 37 passengers at least. Three of them have died. And the rest taken to area hospitals. 17 injured so far. It happened near an intersection. They're not sure if the bus was traveling on this stretch of intersection that you see right now or if it possibly flipped off of the overpass. They're not exactly sure. He said there's a team on the way to investigate now. We'll update you as we get it here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We are launching a new segment here on the weekends called "The Science Behind," where we hope to teach you the "why" behind the "what." And recently, we have seen several terrible, sometimes deadly tragedies involving mass transportation, like the train crash in Spain that killed dozens of people on Wednesday. A few weeks back, a train crashed in Quebec, Canada, and left nearly 50 people dead. And this close call on Monday. A Southwest Airlines jet skids nose down on the runway after a landing gear collapse.
Now a billionaire entrepreneur says he's got a new, better way to travel. I wonder what that is.
Let's ask Laurie Segall. She's here.
This idea is called the Hyperloop. If it came from anyone else, most people wouldn't give it a second thought, but this is a brain child of Elon Musk, right?
LAURIE SEGALL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. You are absolutely right. If this came from anyone else no one would be able to believe it. But Elon Musk, let me just give you a quick history. He is the cofounder of PayPal. He also completely transformed Tesla Motors. He's the cofounder of Tesla Motors. He also is an innovator and has helped with space travel. So he's got a very good track record. But now he is ready to really introduce us to the fifth mode of transportation. He calls it the Hyperloop.
Listen to what he said at a recent conference -- Don.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELON MUSK, COFOUNDER, TESLA MOTORS & COFOUNDER, PAYPAL: So --
UNIDENTIFIED SHOW HOST: Plane? Automobile?
MUSK: No. It's a cross between a Concord, air gun and air-hockey table.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. So what does that mean? What is this going to be?
SEGALL: Well, that's the big question here. Essentially, it's almost a super-powered vacuum tube. So think about when you go to the bank and there's the tube that the banks use at the drive through windows. Essentially, it would be like that but it would almost be able to shoot a train at thousands of miles per hour. We're talking 4,000 miles an hour, Don. So high speed. And he said the idea, let's see if we can get from San Francisco into L.A. in 30 minutes. Well, if you look at the implications, let's get from America to China, an hour. How is he going to do that is the big question. Everybody is waiting to hear how this mind is going to put this out there.
He tweeted that on August 12th he is going to publish some of the designs and he is going to put it out there. You're looking at that tweet right now. He'll look for feedback and people in the community to comment and get a better idea. But if anyone can do it they say Elon Musk is the man.
LEMON: Then what are the odds this Hyperloop is going to become a reality, Laurie?
SEGALL: You know, I think obviously this is going to be a tough one but, as many people say, this guy has a very good track record and we'll see. I think we'll all be waiting for August 12 to see what he's got in mind.
LEMON: All right. Laurie Segall, thank you very much. Appreciate that. Following a developing story out of New York. A bride-to-be tossed from a boat in the Hudson River after an accident. Her body has been found. The search for the best man continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Live pictures now here on CNN. Look at that. It is a horrific bus crash in Indianapolis. We're told by investigators that at least 37 people were onboard that bus. 17 were injured. Three of them dead. The injured taken to local hospitals. We're getting the very latest information for you on this. We don't know exactly how this bus crashed. We are told that an investigative team is on the way in Indianapolis. As soon as they have more information, they will update us here on CNN. So we'll keep an eye out for that for you.
Also I want to tell you about some severe flash flooding today in North Carolina near Charlotte.
(VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: A state of emergency was declared in Catawba County where officials called the flash floods some of the worst they've seen in decades. A storm system stalled over the region dumping more than a foot of water. Some bridges and roads in the area were flooded out or washed right out entirely. An emergency management official in Lincoln County says his crews conducted five roadway rescues.