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Nine Wildfires Burn Across Southern California; Coal Mining Disaster Sparked Protests in Turkey; New York Dedicates 9/11 Memorial Museum; V.A. Secretary to Testify on Wait List Scandal; G.M. Recalls 2.7 Million Vehicles; LeBron: "Shouldn't Be a Need for A Strike

Aired May 15, 2014 - 09:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I am. Thank you, Chris.

NEWSROOM starts now.

And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. It's not getting any easier in southern California as firefighters scramble to keep thousands of homes from going up in flames. It's a dangerous combination. Record high temperatures hovering around 100 degrees. Bone-dry conditions and gusty winds. It's all fueling nine separate wildfires. Already there's a state of emergency declared in San Diego County.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god. Oh, my gosh. Oh (END VIDEOTAPE).

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COSTELLO: OMG is right. Nearly 10,000 acres have already burned. Tens of thousands of people have been told to leave. Wildfires don't usually hit southern California this badly this early.

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CHIEF MICHAEL DAVIS, CALIFORNIA FIRE DEPARTMENT: This is something I have not seen in my career. I've been in this fire service for 27 years. I haven't seen it this dry, this hot for this long in May before. And we've had extraordinary numbers of started fires, and each fire will be treated as a crime scene until it's proven tore accidental.

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COSTELLO: Akiko Fujita is in San Diego County. You just heard that fire official say, is this a criminal act? Is an arsonist to blame for these fires?

AKIKO FUJITA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, I can tell you we just got an update from officials here on the ground, and there is some good news. 60 percent of the fire contained here in Carlsbad. But I want you to take a look to the east of me here. We're going to go down the driveway, behind all the camera crews, behind those trees you see the plumes of smoke.

That's the city of San Marcos where crews are scrambling to gain the upper hand on this blaze that has spread overnight. Now right behind me, you see this home completely destroyed. This is the kind of scene we're seeing all across San Diego County. Residents say they have seen fires before but never this early in the fire season, and it's not over yet.

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FUJITA (voice-over): Breaking overnight, at least nine fires now spreading rapidly, erupting one right after another, already destroying dozens of homes. You can hear the roar of massive flames engulfing close to 10,000 acres across San Diego County. The governor declaring a state of emergency.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're doing mandatory evacuations.

FUJITA: Tens of thousands now fleeing their homes in jeopardy. Even Legoland, one of the county's popular amusement parks, forced to close along with the university campus, a nuclear power plant and Camp Pendleton, one of the largest military bases, partially evacuated.

CAPT. BUZZ MILLER, SAN DIEGO FIRE DEPARTMENT: We have erratic winds, we have low humidity down into the single digits.

FUJITA: Attacking the blazes from the air and on the ground. Thousands of firefighters working around the clock, stunted by 100- degree heat and wind gusts close to 30 miles an hour.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, the wind can change and all of a sudden, it just seems like we're going to be safe and we're not, so we just packed everything, and we're out of there.

FUJITA: The unpredictable winds producing terrifying fire tornadoes like this one. Just watch the spinning vortex caused by intersecting wind patterns, scattering fire debris, further complicating efforts to douse the flames.

The blazes so out of control, the military now intervening, battling the infernos with seven tankers and over 20 aircrafts including a DC- 10 plane mounted with tanks that can hold up to 50 tons of water.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're getting help. But the fight is far from over.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FUJITA: And there's a lot of speculation out here about just why so many fires started. Seven fires that started on Wednesday alone. Officials out here say they are not ruling out arson, but crews say they first just need to get an upper hand on the flames -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Akiko Fujita reporting live this morning, thank you.

Let's go to Turkey now where anger is boiling over as hundreds of families suffer the anguish of the worst mining disaster in that nation's history. Nearly 300 miners now confirmed dead. More than 100 others missing and feared dead. Anti-government protests are erupting at the scene and across the country.

Protesters calling for the prime minister to resign, saying he brushed off complaints that his government failed to enforce mine safety. The president visited the site just a short time ago.

CNN's Diana Magnay has more from Soma.

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DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Families in agony, devastated by the loss of more than 280 loved ones in the Soma coal mine in western Turkey. It's here at the bottom of this mine shaft that a power transformer exploded, sparking an electrical fire on Tuesday. Hundreds of miners trapped nearly a mile underground.

This woman screams, "Let this mine take my life, too," as relatives' lifeless bodies were recovered. The cause of death, carbon monoxide poisoning according to the Turkish Energy minister. At least 88 people found alive, but the incredible loss of life makes this Turkey's deadliest mining disaster.

The country already embroiled by political unrest. As unions now threaten to strike, angry because opposition leaders flagged underground safety concerns just last month. Now of interest, Turkish government officials say the Soma mine was inspected twice just this past March, but no health nor safety issues found.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the disaster zone on Wednesday, vowing to investigate its cause. But even after canceling a foreign trip to visit the site, citizens booed him in the streets, calling for his resignation. Now as families line hospital fronts for news of their loved ones, protesters lay symbolic black coffins in front of government buildings. The Turkish word for murderer etched in coal.

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MAGNAY: And there have been protests across the nation today against the government that this kind of an accident on this kind of a scale could have happened, protests that have been met with a very heavy- handed police response. We have pictures from Istanbul where you see them using water cannons, something that has become almost par for the course here in Turkey. It was almost a year ago now that the first anti-government protests started in Geti Park in Istanbul, and it is terrible that that anniversary should be remembered with a national tragedy such as this -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Diana Magnay reporting live for us this morning, thank you.

If you want to help victims of Turkey's mine disaster, we've compiled a list of worthy causes and organizations. It's easy. Go to our Web site, CNN.com/impact. Here at home in New York City, a somber day lies ahead as President Obama will join other officials at the dedication of the September 11th Memorial Museum. The mostly underground museum which officially opens to the public next Wednesday will tell the full story behind the attacks from their planning to the aftermath. Inside visitors can see remnants from that terrible day including an elevator motor from the World Trade Center, a charred FDNY ambulance and the remains of the buildings' original foundation.

Joining me now from the scene, CNN's Deborah Feyerick.

Deborah, tell us what the ceremony will be like today.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's going to be very moving and very powerful. The president, obviously, will be there, a number of family members and a lot of them have had a lot of input in how they wanted this museum to be. You're going to hear songs like "Somewhere," which is a beautiful song, beautiful rendition. There will be fanfare for the common man. But really for the families, this dedication ceremony is about them coming together.

You know, I walked through the museum yesterday, Carol. It's breathtaking. And it's more than breathtaking. It's actually living. You feel as though it has a heartbeat almost because as you walk in, you hear the voices of people and how they heard that the planes had crashed into the towers. You continue walking and you see images, the shock and the horror on people's faces. Of what they are witnessing. They know they are witnessing something significant. There are still beams at the point of impact where Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower.

And you can even see the corner of the North Tower. You're standing where it was. You mentioned before the foundation. There was argument as to whether they should cover that up. Families fought incredibly, incredibly hard to make sure those remained intact. Take a listen.

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FEYERICK: Anthony, when we first met, we met a number of years ago. And it was crucial to you to save these footprints. There was a disagreement as to whether, in fact, they would simply be erased. Why was it so important for you to keep these -- the bedrock?

ANTHONY GARDNER, LOST BROTHER IN SEPT. 11 ATTACKS: The box beam columns are the last traces of the towers on earth. I mean, they will tell people long after we're gone that the twin towers were here and that something historically significant happened here.

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FEYERICK: And what's also incredible, Carol, is the head of the museum said something very actually profound, that this museum is not just about 9/11. This museum is about 9/12 and all the other days that followed, how people responded, how people reacted, how people united and came together. And Mayor Bloomberg -- and you'll probably hear this when he speaks later today -- he said this is our commitment to the nation and to the souls that died on 9/11, that we would never forget that loss.

And it took a lot of money. It took a lot of energy. But what you will see and what visitors will see when they come here is really a labor of love, really of something in recent history -- Carol.

COSTELLO: We kept seeing that body of water, Deb, with the waterfall down the sides. What does that signify?

FEYERICK: Yes. This is such an incredible structure. And I was -- I was able to walk through it when it was first being built. And the vision of these waterfalls is about loss and absence and a void that really can't be filled. And so you have this reflecting pool that people can look into, and they hear the sounds of the water, which is such an alive sound when you think about it. And around the railing, you can't quite see it from the picture, but all the names of the people are etched in there.

And they were able to connect the firefighters and the police and people, how they knew each other, this incredible algorithm, bringing people together to show that these individuals and these families will forever be united. But it's -- when you walk along that plaza, the sense that something profound happened is really incredible. And you know, there's a quote downstairs. It's a wall with individual pieces of blue paper reflecting all of the people who died on that day. And there's a quote, a Virgil quote, that says, "No day shall erase you from the memory of time."

It is one of the most moving tributes and one of the most moving museums I have ever been in. And you'll spend a lot of time there reflecting on what it all means -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I can't wait to visit. Deborah Feyerick, thanks so much.

CNN will bring you live coverage of the September 11th Memorial Museum dedication. That starts at 10:00 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

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FRANK SILECCHIA, CONSTRUCTION WORKER: My goal was try and help find one person alive. I found none. Not one. But what I did find was a symbol to help the families. As the buildings had fallen, the debris was like an atomic bomb.

Our job was to go in there and try and see if anybody was hurt or maybe we can save somebody. And I was damaged at that point. But I looked to my right. And there stood the cross. And that made me drop to my knees. For a short time, but it allowed me to become renewed. It gave me hope. It's something that came from the debris, from the devastation. Evil destroyed that building, and faith arose out of it.

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COSTELLO: Checking some other top stories at 17 minutes past the hour.

Fifty thousand gallons of crude oil now cover a Los Angeles street -- 50,000 gallons. A 20-inch section of pipe burst overnight, coating the ground. The fire department says the oil is knee high in some spots. They're now using sand to clean up the mess.

The captain and three crew members of that sunken South Korean ferry are now facing murder charges. Prosecutors say those charges were filed because the four didn't deploy life rafts or life vests to help evacuate the passengers. More than 280 people were killed when that ferry sank last month.

Today, the secretary of Veterans Affairs is in the hot seat on Capitol Hill. For the first time, he will be answering questions about what happened at the Phoenix V.A.

A CNN investigation found that managers there had a secret list to hide wait times. According to sources who say that at least 40 veterans died while waiting for care.

CNN's Drew Griffin has been reporting on V.A. delays for seven months. He joins us now live from Capitol Hill.

Good morning, Drew.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Morning, Carol.

We expect to see perhaps some fireworks, but in his prepared statement, Eric Shinseki has a rather bland response to the senators this morning, saying that he's waiting for an office of inspector general report to discuss that Phoenix issue in detail.

But there's a much, much bigger and wider -- I would call it a scandal here -- going on at Veterans Affairs regarding these wait lists. We are getting whistleblowers now from all over the country who are reporting to us that the V.A. is telling them -- their supervisors are telling them -- to hide these extensive wait lists that have led to delayed care and by the V.A.'s own admission, 23 deaths across the country.

The latest whistleblower outside of Chicago at the Hines V.A. facility there. Germaine Clarno heads up the local union, representing doctors and medical providers and professionals, she says the Hines V.A. is also working off two appointment lists, and she says it has terrible results.

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GERMAINE CLARNO, V.A. SOCIAL WORKER: But it's a very stressful environment. When you come in and you know ethically that there are things that should not be but that the director's office, the vision, the leadership in Washington and the V.A. do not seem to care.

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GRIFFIN: You know, shortly after Ms. Clarno came forward, we did get a memo that was apparently sent out by the director at the V.A. in Hines sort of admitting that this practice may exist. This is from the director in a memo saying there have been instances across the V.A. where staff has taken steps to make wait times look better.

Carol, that's what this is all about. Number one, the V.A. not owning up to the fact that veterans are dying because of delayed care. And number two, allegations now widespread, way beyond phoenix, that there were cooking of the books and hiding of these wait list numbers to try to keep it all secret or out of the public's eye.

COSTELLO: It's just unbelievable. Secretary Shinseki is going to begin his testimony at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. That's this morning.

And you say his comments are rather bland, which I find surprising since the V.A. itself admits that 23 people have died because of these wait times.

GRIFFIN: Yes, there's somewhat a disconnect, and I think the White House may be sending a signal that it's had enough with Eric Shinseki. They have assigned deputy chief of staff to work with Eric Shinseki.

That, to me, implies that either the White House does not believe that the V.A. is being -- that the White House is getting the truth out of the V.A., or that they don't believe that the V.A. has the manpower, if it will, to handle this crisis correctly.

I want to read you in prepared statements what Eric Shinseki supposedly is going to say, Carol. When he talks about how angered he is. He's going to say, "I'm personally angered and saddened by any adverse consequence that a veteran might experience while in a result of our care."

That, to me, implies that he is really not knowing what's going on at the V.A. by the V.A.'s own admission. This stuff is happening. It doesn't sound like Eric Shinseki is owning up to that.

COSTELLO: What was it, adverse what? What did he call it? Adverse?

GRIFFIN: He called it adverse consequence that a veteran might experience while in or as a result of our care.

COSTELLO: No, I think he -- I'm really very sorry, right, some veterans died because of these wait lists.

Drew Griffin, I know you'll be following these hearings. We'll check back. Thanks so much.

Still to come on the NEWSROOM, LeBron James and the Miami Heat move on to the playoffs, but will they move off the court next season?

Rachel Nichols talked with LeBron.

Good morning.

RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN SPORTS: Good morning, Carol. Big talk from the NBA players association, saying LeBron might lead a boycott. I sat down exclusively with LeBron to find out whether that's really going to happen.

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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

COSTELLO: Yes, we're just getting word about another setback for General Motors. And I would say it's bigger than a setback. The auto giant is recalling nearly 3 million more vehicles. We're talking about five recalls. And that has nothing to do with the original recall, you know, that involved those ignition switches.

CNN's Christine Romans joins us. She's following these developments.

They're going to recall 2.7 million cars in addition to the cars that they've already recalled.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol, this is five new recalls. Let me tell you about the largest of them. The largest of these recalls is 2.4 million for some wiring issues with the tail-lamp. Several hundred complaints, 13 crashes, two injuries.

What's interesting here, Carol, is G.M. knew of this issue back in 2008. It issued a technical service directive to the dealers way back in 2008, but did not issue a recall and is doing so today.

Many of these cars are things like the 2004 to 2012 Chevy Malibu, the Chevy Malibu Max, the Pontiac G8, we can show you some of those cars.

Some of these cars -- many of these cars are actually prior to the bankruptcy of General Motors. This is, Carol, a new, more aggressive GM in the wake of that recall that you're talking about, the recall that has gotten so much attention from that company because of the -- you know, the steering wheel, the ignition problem where suddenly you lose power on the steering wheel and it goes from run to the accessory position.

So, look, this is GM recalling a bunch more cars. The biggest of these are for tail-lamp malfunctions, 2.4 million of these cars. And again, GM, in its press release, saying that it did issue a technical service directive back in 2008 but it just now issuing a recall for that largest group of cars, Carol.

COSTELLO: So, if you want to know if your car is involved, where do you go?

ROMANS: You've got to go to gm, and gm will start alerting people. You know, they have very good records on who owns what and which car is yours. The company also saying it's going to take a couple of million dollar charge. There are going to be costs to the company related to this, to these recalls.

It will be a headache for some car owners. It will be a headache for some of the dealers. And it will cost GM some money, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Christine Romans reporting live from New York for us. ROMANS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Say it ain't so. In the middle of one of the most exciting NBA playoffs we've had in years, we're learning there could be a players strike next season. And you guessed it. You can blame Donald Sterling.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, like, LeBron, your guy, LeBron, you think he would not play if sterling were still in there when the season started?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was just in the locker room three or four days ago. LeBron and I talked about it. He ain't playing if sterling is still an owner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Hmm. There you have it. Rachel Nichols is host of CNN's "UNGUARDED." She joins me now.

Rachel, you also talked with LeBron just before last night's playoff game. What did he tell you?

NICHOLS: Yes, I actually sat down with LeBron, and he explained to me that his feelings aren't tied to a certain date the way Roger Mason Jr. suggested. It's not as if he's going to lead a boycott if conditions aren't met by the beginning of the season. It's more about having good faith in the NBA. And right now he does feel there is a good-faith effort by the NBA commissioner to remove Donald Sterling.

He explained to me that as long as that good faith continues, he's willing to stay put. Well, for now. Take a listen.

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LEBRON JAMES, NBA PLAYER: I think the most important thing that we understand is that Adam Silver is moving forward and that he's not just for the owners. He's for the players as well. And the direction that they're going in, we're all for it. You know, so we look forward to the next step, and we go from there.

NICHOLS: Is there a point where you feel like boycott could be an effective tool for the players?

JAMES: Well, I think at this position or at this point, the direction that Adam is going and the NBA is going, I don't think there should be a need for it. You know, we trust those guys, and we know that they're going to take care of what needs to be done for our league, and we understand it's not going to be, you know, tomorrow. You know, the system will not work tomorrow, but the direction that they're going in, we're all for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NICHOLS: You heard LeBron there say, we understand it's not going to be tomorrow.

There's been some concern among some players about the pace of this. The NBA has not yet even officially notified Donald Sterling that they intend to remove his ownership. Once they do that, that kicks off a timed process.