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Raging Wildfires Chase Thousands From Homes; Clippers Bounced From Playoffs; Sterling Vows To Fight NBA Fine; Hernandez Faces Two New Murder Charges

Aired May 16, 2014 - 10:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts now.

Happening now in the NEWSROOM, raging infernos, firenados, and now comes the first arrests as firefighters scramble to save thousands of homes threatened by this growing wildfires.

Fighting back, Donald Sterling is not about to walk away from the Los Angeles Clippers just yet, but everything could hinge on his wife and a trip to divorce court that could put a stop on the NBA's full court press to kick the Sterlings out.

And if you think a political debate can be boring, you have not seen what's going on in Idaho.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have your choice, folks, a cowboy, a curmudgeon, a biker, or a normal guy. Thank you very much. We're leaving it up for you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: A debate for the ages. NEWSROOM starts now.

Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. In California every inch of that state is in drought and in danger. In San Diego County winds have whipped up nearly a dozen wildfires and chase thousands of people from their homes. At least one person has died. The "L.A. Times" quotes one terrified homeowner as saying the approaching wall of flames looked like Armageddon. And countless residents simply cannot believe their eyes.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow, there it is right there. There it is right there. It's right there. Let's close the store and come back.

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COSTELLO: Scary, right? CNN's Dan Simon is in Escondido. Good morning, Dan.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Well, it was a very long night of fire fighting. Some very dramatic moments. This was the latest area to get hit. This is Escondido, California. This is one of the homes in this neighborhood that was leveled. You can still see some flames back there. We believe that was either a bedroom or a living room.

You know, the flames obviously very dramatic, but, you know, the smoke is tough as well. Everywhere you go, basically in San Diego County, you feel the smoke. In terms of the firefighting effort today, fortunately it's a bit cooler, humidity a little higher. So hopefully that will enable firefighters to get the upper hand.

Still, eight wildfires out of there. So many burning at once, they immediately turned to arson. Two teenagers were taken into custody for being accused of starting brush fires. They're going to question them to see if they're involved with some of the bigger fires, but the immediate course is getting fires under control.

The most worrisome fires in San Marcos, California. They had to cancel graduation ceremonies. Still trying to put out hot spots and still dealing with the situation in Escondido, California. It seems like out of nowhere this community got hit as well -- Carol.

COSTELLO: It's unbelievable. Dan Simon reporting live for us this morning.

My next guests is among thousands of people who have fled their homes as those flames closed in. Elisha Exon joins us from San Marcos. Good morning, Elisha.

ELISHA EXON, EVACUATED HOMEOWNER: Hi. How are you?

COSTELLO: I'm good. Do you have any word on the condition of your home?

EXON: My home is fine. We're evacuated Wednesday. We tried to get back into our house yesterday. My husband is there with the dog. My kids and are still evacuated in Carlsbad. Right now things don't look to bad. We just -- it's hard to know as a homeowner. You're just look for the black smoke and trying to decide how things are based on whether or not you see black smoke near your home or not. Unfortunately, that's the best we can do with nine fires. News crews are spread everywhere. Our house is standing fortunately.

COSTELLO: Good. That's a good thing. I know you've lived in California for years. Have you ever seen a California wildfire season like this one and this is just the start, right?

EXON: Yes. You know what? We have lived through -- just in ten years we've lived through apocalyptic firestorms, and right in this area, some of the places that are burning have burned before. So this isn't something new, and residents who have lived here lie myself for a long time, unfortunately it's something you grow accustomed to.

And when you're in a severe drought like we are right now, this isn't something they anticipated. My husband works for SG & E. We don't know what's caused all the fires, which is kind of the buzz going around right now. Everybody's wondering -- at least on the street, how are all the fires starting.

When you look behind our crew here, there's just a line of firemen, firefighters. We've got L.A., we've got Santa Monica. These guys have been working all night. They're sitting on the sidewalk just waiting to hear what's next.

COSTELLO: Let me ask you this question.

EXON: We're so grateful.

COSTELLO: I bet. Elisha, let me ask you this question. There have been two arrests. Police have arrested two teenagers for setting brush fires alongside the road. When you hear something like that, what goes through your mind?

EXON: I can't even tell you what goes through my mind. I can't articulate it, partly because I'm so tired right now. This city, San Marcos, we are -- we just have so much. We have a new high school, we have tons of communities of families. This is just -- we're desperate to keep our city intact, and one thing I just want to point out is these -- these men and women who have been fighting the fires, picking up with helicopters, all of that water.

And the drops and the fearless work, they have saved thousands and thousands of homes. So if this is an act of arson, someone has not clearly thought through how many lives are affected, in particular the families who lost their homes, but these men and women who are working on their feet. It's -- it's unbelievable.

COSTELLO: Yes.

EXON: What they're going through right now, just trying to get a hold of all this. So I would really hope that's not what's going on. We're hoping's not what's going on. Yes, we just don't know. We don't know yet.

COSTELLO: All right, Elisha Exon, thank you so much and stay safe.

The L.A. Clippers became America's team for many people after the Donald Sterling scandal broke. Unfortunately for the team and their fans, there is no Cinderella finish this year. The Oklahoma City Thunder sent the Clippers into the off-season winning the second round playoff series last night, but no Sterling excuses from the Clippers players or the coach.

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CHRIS PAUL, LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS: To tell you the truth, we don't think about that, you know what I mean? That's the least of our woes right now is him. We just lost the damn series. I'm sorry, but we don't care about that.

DOC RIVERS, LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS COACH: We've gone through a lot of stuff over the last three or four weeks, and I don't think that was why we did win. I don't think we should use that as an excuse. We're a team in process. I believe we're good enough to win it this year. You know, Oklahoma City told us we're not.

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COSTELLO: There's more to come. Donald Sterling now says he will not pay the $2.5 million fine the NBA slapped on him last month. ESPN and "USA Today" reports that Sterling has hired a lawyer and vows to sue the league, but this is about more than just Donald Sterling. His wife's ownership in the team is also a factor. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux has more for you.

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SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Shelly Sterling has got the ball in her court.

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANANLYST: She drops the bomb when she files the divorce paper. And that's because the case, including all of the Sterlings' vast amount of money becomes the jurisdiction.

MALVEAUX: Because California is a community property state where things are divided 50/50, figuring out who gets, what including the Clippers, could take years, leaving Shelly Sterling in a strong position and she knows it. She recently revealed to ABC's Barbara Walters, while she want as divorce, she's strategically holding off.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wanted the divorce, I signed them, I was advised by my attorney and financial advisers now is not the time.

MALVEAUX: Not the time because analysts say delaying could give Shelly Sterling the leverage she needs to negotiate with the NBA to maintain some ownership of the team.

HOSTIN: I think the NBA will try to offer her as much as they can to get her to not file the divorce papers or get her to give up the interest in the team. They could certainly give her the opportunity to be a passive owner.

MALVEAUX: That would strip her of her rights to manage or deal in the day-to-day operations of the team. While Donald Sterling insists he does not want to sell the Clippers.

DONALD STERLING, LA CLIPPERS OWNER: Money is not what I'm interested in.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: What are you interested in?

STERLING: I want to show all the people who are associated with basketball and the world I'm not a racist.

MALVEAUX: He supports his estranged wife's fight to get something out of this mess.

STERLING: She loved the team and always helped me with everything. If for some reason I can't have the team, I think she should have her interest. She didn't do anything. I brought this all on her, the poor girl. (END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVAUEX: She wants to remain a passive owner and doesn't want to manage the team. As for the NBA, their spokesman, Mike Bass, put out a statement saying, "Under in the NBA Constitution, if a controlling owner's interest is terminated by a 3/4ths vote, all other team owners' interests are terminated. It's made clear here she doesn't have a standing. Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Washington.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, former NFL star, Aaron Hernandez awaiting his murder trial. He has something else to worry about. More murder charges. Susan Candiotti is following that story. Good morning, Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI: Good morning. That's right. Aaron Hernandez is charged with two more murders. If those accusations are true, it would mean he would have played the 2012 season after shooting two young men. More on that coming up after the break.

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COSTELLO: Checking some top stories for you at 15 minutes past the hour. Protesters are calling for Turkey's prime minister to resign. Resign over the mine disaster that claimed nearly 300 lives. A video has surfaced showing one man trying to confront the prime minister. It appears that man was then beaten by who is believed to be the prime minister's security team.

Six people now recovering from injuries after narrowly escaping an explosion in Indianapolis late last night. Firefighters aren't shoe assure what caused this apartment complex to blow up. Everyone is expected to survive, but the building is uninhabitable. All the residents need to find new places to live.

He did it for 13 hours last night or last year rather. Now he plans to do it again. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul says he will filibuster one of President Obama's nominees. Senator Paul opposes says David Baron's nomination to the appeals court. He says he opposes him because the Harvard law professor wrote opinions just fig use of drone strikes against American citizens.

Already waiting on trial for a 2013 killing, former NFL star, Aaron Hernandez is now facing two more charges from a separate case. He's expected to be arraigned next week. Six weeks after that shooting Hernandez signed a $40 million contract with the New England Patriots. CNN's Susan Candiotti is in New York to tell us more. Good morning, Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. It's investigating harder and harder to understand how such a promises player could fall so far. He stands accused of stalking and ambushing two young men, complete strangers after a chance encounter in a Boston nightclub. The 2012 uninvolved murder coming together only after a murder of another man. Hernandez pleaded not guilty in that case, but Lloyd's death led to a tip that the two cases might be linked, and now the families of the two Boston victims are struggling to make sense of it. Investigators promise answers.

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DANIEL F. CONLEY, SUFFOLK COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: This case was never about Aaron Hernandez and his notoriety. This case was all about all our cases, about the victims, accountability, and getting justice.

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CANDIOTTI: After those two murders in July 2012, Hernandez signed a new contract telling the reporters he was promising to change his ways. Now he's accused of three murders, the attempted murder of three others and being sued for shooting a man in the face -- Carol.

COSTELLO: That's unbelievable. Do you expect to learn more about the motive behind the double murder?

CANDIOTTI: We do. We expect to hear more details during an arraignment next week when Hernandez will appear and in this case, authorities say they have surveillance video we are told of Hernandez stalking the two men in his SUV and they recovered a murder weapon. Unlike the murder of Odin Lloyd where there is no murder weapon that has been recovered so far and no solid motive -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Wow. Susan Candiotti. Thanks so much.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, these are not the kind of people you expect to be running for governor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't like political correctness. Can I say this? It sucks. It's bondage. And I'm about as politically correct as your proverbial turd in a punch bowl.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Why an epic debate in Idaho suddenly has the whole country interested in who wins the primary race?

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COSTELLO: It started off as a typical political debate, but the battle over the issues quickly turned bizarre in Idaho as some shall we say colorful candidates for governor presented their platforms. Bill Weir broke down the epic debate on "CNN TONIGHT."

BILL WEIR, CNN HOST, "CNN TONIGHT": We are many months away from the midterms, but when it comes to entertaining debates, I will bet you a mortgage payment nothing will top what happened last night in Boise as candidates for the governor of Idaho squared off and it started predictably enough with an opening statement by the incumbent, Butch Otter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GOVERNOR C.L. "BUTCH" OTTER, IDAHO: We have a clear path before us and I'm committed to following that path.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, Governor Otter. Senator Fulcher, your opening remarks?

RUSS FULCHER, IDAHO STATE SENATE: Thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Russ Fulcher. I'm a fourth generation Idahoan from a dairy farm family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WEIR: Good to meet you. Those are two main politicians leading the polls, but to the credit of Governor Otter, he insisted that all candidates get to debate, including a gentleman named Walt Bayes.

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WALT BAYES (R), IDAHO GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I went to jail for home schooling. My kids turns out pretty good.

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WEIR: Then there is Mr. Harley Brown.

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HARLEY BROWN, IDAHO GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: You know, I was filling out my taxes a couple of months ago and I thought to myself, thank God we don't get all the government we pay for. Anyway, I got out of the service and several hours later I was at the low point of my life. I mean things were bad. And I cried out to God. I said, God, how about putting me back on active duty request and making many a battalion commander. Long story short he said, no, son, I've got a higher rank for you, I'm going to make you commander in chief. I stagger at that, I promise. Don't think I'm crazy because I'm not.

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WEIR: No, no, no, we would never, please. Go on.

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BROWN: I don't like political correctness. Can I say this? It sucks. It's bondage. I'm about as politically correct as your proverbial turd in a punch bowl.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WEIR: That's when I knew it was going to be good. They debated Obamacare, federal land use and wolf hunting and gay marriage, which seemed to form a consensus against.

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FULCHER: When you start redefining marriage is you start impacting other laws throughout the state.

OTTER: When you redefine marriage, you redefine the whole idea of family.

BAYES: And likewise, men, burned in their lust, one toward the other.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WEIR: That's Waltz reading from a very, very tiny bible. And next up, Harley "punch bowl" Brown. Let's see where he comes down on gay marriage.

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BROWN: I used to drive taxis for 20 years at night and I picked up my share of the gay community. They have true love. I tell you they love each other more than I love my motorcycle. They're just as American as a Medal of Honor winner.

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WEIR: Did not see that coming. Bravo.

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BROWN: You have your choice. A cowboy, a curmudgeon, a biker, or a normal guy. Take your pick. Thank you very much. We're leaving it up to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WEIR: There you go. We have a new version of the Village People and they live in Idaho.

COSTELLO: I don't know what to say after that, but I did enjoy it. Still to come in the NEWSROOM, the Department of Transportation announces a huge settlement with General Motors over the faulty ignition switches. We'll have a live report from Washington right after the break.

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