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New Day Saturday
Usher Gets Custody; DiMaggio on the Run; Tiger Woods Sluggish at the PGA
Aired August 10, 2013 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: The next hour of NEW DAY starts right now.
Good morning, everybody. I am Brianna Keilar.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I was just throwing that away when they caught me. I am Victor Blackwell. 9:00 here on the East Coast, 6:00 out west -- this is NEW DAY SATURDAY.
And we begin this morning with flood watches and warnings in at least parts of 13 states.
KEILAR: That's right, rising waters have claimed another life actually -- this time near Colorado Springs. Flash floods are being blamed for deaths in Oklahoma, and Missouri as well, and forecasters say that even more rain is on the way.
BLACKWELL: Our Zain Asher is in Hollister, Missouri. Zain, tell us what is going on there and how the people are doing this morning.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's all about the cleanup right now. So much devastation, so much unprecedented rainfall here in such a short space of time; and as I mentioned, it really is about all rebuilding efforts.
Just to remind you of what this town of Hollister had to deal with just this week alone. Over there, right behind me, I'm not sure if you could see it through the trees but that's Turkey Creek. On Thursday, just a couple of days ago, that creek rose 15 feet in the space of 25 minutes -- no warning whatsoever -- completely washing away entire homes.
Case in point, right here, just take a look. Walk with me for just one second. All you see here is just soil. Believe it or not, there was actually a mobile home here. My colleague George Howell actually spoke with the owner of the home, Nick Ramirez. He has absolutely no idea where his home is. Imagine that.
And other parts of the country are seeing similar devastation. Colorado, for example, Highway 24, there is flooding there as well. One person reported dead outside of Colorado Springs. Also when you talk about Oklahoma City, a death reported there and at least two deaths reported in Missouri.
And I wish I had better news, guys, in terms of what we can expect, in terms of the weather for the rest of the weekend, but we are expecting more torrential downpour at least until Tuesday.
KEILAR: And so Zain, what are authorities telling folks? I mean, obviously they realized the threat is very real at this point and hopefully they are being very vigilant, but are they getting any sort of guidance from authorities on how to stay safe?
ASHER: Yes, absolutely. I mean the idea is if you get that flash flood warning on your cell phone, it is very important that you go to higher ground immediately. Authorities have already evacuated at least 50 people from this mobile home park where I am standing and they are in a local church about six minutes away, and they will stay there for at least a week, if not several months until they rebuild their lives. Guys.
KEILAR: People really need to respect the danger that water poses, and we have been seeing that so much from the pictures that have come in.
Zane Asher, thank you so much for your report from Missouri.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Our George Howell has reported that there is a fear of looting in that area. Because, you know, there are some people -
KEILAR:: Really?
BLACKWELL: -- who rush in and try to pick apart things that are left when there is so little that is left.
KEILAR: That's a shame.
BLACKWELL: They have authorities there watching for that as well.
Now let's go from these floods to the raging wildfires. This is southern California, almost 30 square miles have gone up in flames, and Riverside County is now under a state of emergency. Let's bring in meteorologist Jennifer Delgado in the CNN severe weather center. Please tell us something's going to change for them, at least.
JENNIFER DELGADO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, you know, weather conditions are not so bad out there right now as we look at the conditions across the region. We are seeing humidity roughly right around 69 percent, but as we go through today as well as tomorrow we do have a chance for some of those wind gusts to peak up to about 25 miles per hour, but no rain is in the forecast.
Now of course, we have been following this fire since it broke out on Wednesday. Let's go to some video to show you what firefighters are dealing with. Now, we do know that the fire containment is now up from 25 percent to 40 percent, and you can see burning there more than 1,400 firefighters are on the frontline in southern California. They brought in helicopters, of course, water trucks as well as bull dozers. Bull dozers are back up and already 26 homes and one business has been destroyed and 1,500 people have fled their homes due to the fire. Of course, we will continue to follow that and of course the devastating flooding that's hitting parts of the midwest, as well as even into regions like Colorado a little bit later on.
KEILAR: All right. Jennifer Delgado, thank you for that.
DELGADO: Welcome.
KEILAR: Now police may be one step closer to catching a suspected killer. Authorities warn that this man, Joe Dimaggio, is dangerous. Also that he could be armed with explosives. There he is. You see him right there. He is accused of killing a California mother and her eight-year-old son and then kidnapping 16-year-old Hannah Anderson.
Now police are turning to a remote forest in Idaho after a possible sighting there. Miguel Marquez is there right now. Miguel, what's the latest?
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the latest is the search for Hannah Anderson and Jim Dimaggio gets underway today in earnest. There are hundreds of investigators pouring into this area. It's a massive area here, the river of no return wilderness area, their car was found on Friday morning, and they had last been seen about 48 hours before that when a horse back rider saw them, and so it has been some time since they have been seen by that horse back rider, about 72 hours.
They went about six miles from the time that they dropped - they ditched the car to where the horse back rider saw them, and it has been about 72 hours since so they could have gone another six or 10 miles or so and the investigators basically creating a cordon around this enormous wilderness area, and today they start moving with helicopters, horses, vehicles, trying to focus in their search and catch this guy. Back to you.
KEILAR: All right. Miguel, can you talk a little bit about exactly maybe how far maximum do you think authorities think these two may have been able to make it? The horse back rider spotted the pair, and you are assuming they are on foot?
MARQUEZ: It is extraordinarily rough territory, very steep, very rocky. So they can't get very far. Look, in a day or two, they got about six miles as the crow flies, and in 72 hours they could probably get eight, maybe 10 miles, but there are - it's 300 miles of wilderness out there, but if they have fresh water, they can find some shelter, and they apparently had at least some light camping gear, and it does get cold in the 40s here at night, so you could get hypothermia, and they have to stay warm somehow and so all of those things authorities will be looking for.
They will be looking for places that they might be going to, trying to guess, basically, where they are, because they cannot cover this entire area. Back to you.
KEILAR: Miguel Marquez, thank you very much. You know, last hour we spoke with Marissa Chavez, she is a good friend of Hannah, and she described a close but kind of tense relationship between Hannah and Dimaggio.
Here's what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARISSA CHAVEZ, FRIEND OF HANNAH ANDERSON: We were driving home and he just said that he had a crush on her, and we both just kind of really didn't look at each other or want to make a big deal about it. And then he said "Don't think I'm weird or creepy Uncle Jim, I just want you to know that if you were my age I'd date you." He just, I guess get jealous over little things if she was ever on her phone. She said that when he would ask her questions, she would take a second to respond or something, and he just got frustrated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: That was from my interview last hour with the friend of Hannah Anderson. But also another big story that happened this week, listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is very difficult.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ridiculous. This is ridiculous!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Step down.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: A mother in pain. Tamika Foster Raymond, raw emotion, and even eventually hugs at the end of a custody battle between Usher and his ex-wife, where a judge ruled that the music mogul could keep custody of his two boys after one of them almost drowned this week.
KEILAR: CNN's Alina Machado has more on this.
ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, Victor, this was a hearing full of drama, and it was only supposed to last an hour, it ended up being two hours long. And Tamika Foster Raymond became emotional after they played the 911 call from Monday's near drowning incident. She held her head down, Usher's aunt, Rina Oden, was also in court.
I was sitting in the same row and she - and saw her crying. You could tell it was very difficult for her to relive that moment, and then there was Usher, who was very calm and in control, and he answered questions about the pool incident and explained what happened that day. In the end the judge ruled in his favor, and dismissed Foster- Raymond's emergency motion, requesting temporary custody of their two boys. And after the decision was issued, Usher seemed very relieved. He hugged his attorneys, and then he walked over to his ex-wife and hugged her. Here is what they each had to say after the hearing. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you think about the judge's ruling? Give us one minute.
USHER RAYMOND: What's most important s I need to get back to the hospital.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Excuse me.
TAMIKA FOSTER RAYMOND, USHER'S EX-WIFE: (INAUDIBLE) revisit all of these. It was only a very small amount of evidence that was allowed because it was an emergency trying to get something changed immediately, but for a long-term, I will see him on the 27th.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACHADO: So this custody battle have been going on for years and is nowhere being over. Foster-Raymond making it clear that she will continue to seek physical custody of the children, and by the way, the five-year-old who nearly drowned this week is doing well, and Usher testified that the boy could be out of the hospital as early as this weekend.
KEILAR: (INAUDIBLE) Did you see them hug? It seemed like they actually did have an exchange, didn't it?
MACHADO: They did say something to each other, and we did ask them about that but they would id not say what it is that Usher told her and what her response was.
BLACKWELL: Yes. I think that was probably surprising for people in the courtroom, the divorce was contentious. Of course, this came and I'm sure Usher's camp didn't expect it, and then at the end, a hug and a few words, and goodbye. I understood she also got a phone number to get in contact with him in case there is something that comes up.
KEILAR: Because that was one of her complaints, right? Where she said I never know where the kids are, and she is also coming off the fact that her son - Usher's step son died last year.
BLACKWELL: Yes, Kyle.
MACHADO: Yes. Eleven year old.
KEILAR: Last year -
MACHADO: Yes, just last year in a watercraft accident.
KEILAR: Yes, exactly.
BLACKWELL: All right. Alina Machado, thank you.
KEILAR: Thank you so much.
BLACKWELL: Next on "New Day," a federal judge recently ruled the state of Ohio must recognize the out of state marriage of two men even though the state bans same-sex marriages, so will this set some new precedent?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Now to Ohio where a judge has ruled that the state must recognize the out of state marriage of two men even though same-sex marriage is banned in Ohio. So what does this mean for the 35 other states with similar bans on same-sex marriages?
CNN's Alina Cho reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, let's all rejoice.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a 7-1/2-minute wedding ceremony in a plane on the tarmac in Baltimore, Maryland, between two people deeply in love who never even wanted to get married.
(on camera): And then one morning you were watching TV -
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Today, the justices ruled legally married same-sex couples are entitled to federal benefits.
JIM OBERGEFELL: And when the rulings came out, I JUST went over to John, hugged him and kissed him and said let's get married.
CHO: Only for Jim Obergefell and John Arthur, there were two problems, same-sex marriage in Ohio where they live is banned and John has ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease that eventually leads to death. Worried that every day could be their last together, the couple settled on Maryland as their destination wedding spot where they could travel by medical jet, and say their vows at the airport and return immediately to their home in Cincinnati.
OBERGEFELL: Getting married, it's like nothing changed, but yet everything did.
CHO (on camera): Do you feel the same way?
JOHN ARTHUR: Absolutely. It's - it's as if a void was filled in our lives.
CHO (voice-over): A few days after their wedding in July, John and Jim met with the civil rights attorney.
OBERGEFELL: He said, "Jim, do you realize that when John passes away, on his death certificate the state of Ohio will list him as unmarried and will not enter your name as his spouse?" It broke my heart and then made me really mad.
CHO: So mad the couple sued the state of Ohio, and won. A federal judge issued a temporary retaining order allowing the couple's marriage to be recognized in a state where gay marriage is banned. No federal or state benefits would apply. That could come later, but the decision would mean the two eventually could be buried together in John's family plot.
OBERGEFELL: I feel like it's the first chink in the armor.
CHO: But their fight is far from over. In a statement to CNN, a spokesman for Ohio's attorney general said "This is a temporary ruling at a preliminary stage, under sad circumstances." Adding that Ohio voters already decided in 2004 on a ballot initiative that gay marriage should not be recognized and are, "entitled to the choice they have made on this fundamental issue."
OBERGEFELL: It's ridiculous.
ARTHUR: It just makes me feel that there are many people who simply don't understand humanity. And love is love.
CHO (on camera): The temporary restraining order recognizing John and Jim's marriage here in the state of Ohio expires on August 19th, and what happens after that is still an open question.
Alina Cho, CNN, Cincinnati, Ohio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Alina Cho, thank you very much for that. You know why you guys have to stick around, right?
BLACKWELL: Because the good stuff is coming up next, and great stories like this 11-year-old who is spending his summer mowing lawns all to give away every penny, and we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Jurors in Boston get back to work on Monday trying to come up with the verdict in the trial of James Whitey Bulger. The repute mob boss faces charges of racketeering, money laundering and involvement in 19 killings. Jurors deliberated four days last week without a decision. Bulger is now 83 years old and spent 16 years on the run until his capture in 2011.
BLACKWELL: OK. He's back and embattled Yankees' slugger Alex Rodriguez made his return to New York last night and he was greeted with cheers and boos. His play didn't help silence the nay sayers, he went 0 for four, strike it out three times. Regardless, the Yankees went on to beat the Tigers, 4-3.
KEILAR: And two of the three Powerball winners have yet to claim their piece of the $448 million prize. We have a few hints to their identity. Reports say that 16 government workers in Ocean County, New Jersey, hold one ticket, and in other news, maybe Ocean County, New Jersey is having a government shutdown, maybe, right?
BLACKWELL: Yes.
KEILAR: Paul White of Minnesota came forward on Thursday to claim his share of the jackpot and White is getting $58 million after taxes.
BLACKWELL: Because clearly, whatever that office is, it's going to shut down at least for a couple of days.
KEILAR: Right. I think so. Office party meeting, maybe.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BLACKWELL: OK. Let's do some good stuff. Lots of kids mow lawns for a little extra scratch. Did you do it?
KEILAR: No. I mean, like if my parents forced me to, I would do it.
BLACKWELL: OK.
KEILAR: No. I did other things, baby sitting, I did baby sitting.
BLACKWELL: I started mowing lawns for money and then I realized I didn't like mowing lawns, and so I did something else. And that's how - mowing lawns, this 10-year-old Dyllon Orthman from Texas, is spending his summer, mowing lawns, as many as he can, but he is not keeping a penny, instead he is going to give all the money to Moore, Oklahoma, tornado relief.
KEILAR: Yes. Dyllon was moved to do something after seeing the destruction firsthand from that powerful tornado in May that killed 25 people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DYLLON ORTHMAN, MOWED LAWNS: At first I was actually a little depressed when we went. I almost cried when I seen the damage. Everybody could help. Little kids, big kids, and even grown-ups, and just one step at a time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: You hear that in your head, everybody can help.
BLACKWELL: Yes, that's going to end up on a t-shirt somewhere.
KEILAR: Beautiful thought.
BLACKWELL: Dyllon mowed, he mowed and he mowed some more until he got to 87 lawns and that was in two months. He reached his goal of $2,000, and then he raised his goal to 3,000, and then he hit that, too, and then so many people were so moved by Dyllon's gesture, that their donations took him to $16,000 for Moore.
But whatever you do, do not tell Dyllon that his mother put him up to do. KEILAR: Oh, no.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ORTHMAN: A lot of people said my mom is making me, but I actually decided to mow for Moore, Oklahoma, and I worked in 104 degrees, and that didn't stop me. I am still going on my feet. And my dad always says, "You are going to work me to the bone, Dyllon."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: 104 degrees and he loves doing it. You can tell he is just really proud to have helped, and I mean, $16,000, that's a ton of money that really goes towards something really productive.
BLACKWELL: And I'm sure, his parents are proud too.
KEILAR: Oh sure. What a great little boy.
So next up to a story out of Canada, that all started a few days ago, when a man talked into a (INAUDIBLE) coffee shop in Edmonton and he bought cups of coffee for 500 people behind him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One customer coming and then he said, "Oh, I want to buy 500 coffees," and I said, "Why?" He said, "no reason."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: So that could be the end of it, right, and he would still raise the good stuff. But no, since those first 500 cups, the feat has been repeated by different people again and again at Tim Horton's all across Canada. 500 cups purchased in (INAUDIBLE), 500 in Ottawa, and hundreds of cups in Calgary, (INAUDIBLE) and High River, thousands of cups given out in all, and before you think that this is some sort of promotional stunt by Tim Horton, they say No, it's not, this is just random people offering to buy coffee for strangers."
BLACKWELL: Here's the best part, Tim Horton says the people getting the free coffee are overwhelmingly taking the money they already have in their hand, ready to pay for their coffee and dropping it into the donation box at the register for underprivileged children.
KEILAR: So great and so paying it forward.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
KEILAR: You know, and inspired by a good act and doing a good act themselves.
BLACKWELL: And you know, it's interesting that one person can see that good thing happen and then put that into someone else's pockets and then who knows what will happen once this money gets to the kids and they realize how it got to them. KEILAR: It's so inspiring, and it gives me a warm fuzzy, and I need some of that amid all of the news that we cover, some of it not always good, it is nice to hear these really positive stories.
BLACKWELL: And that's why we offer "The Good Stuff."
Coming up on "New Day," we're talking Tiger Woods whose chances of winning his first PGA championship in five years? It is looking bad, really, really bad and we'll tell you why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: All right. It's time to talk about the PGA championship in New York.
BLACKWELL: Yes, that's where Tiger Woods is, to put it lightly a long shot to win his first major since 2008. He is 10 strokes back and starts the day tied for 38th. CNN's Rachel Nichols is live in Rochester.
What is going on with Tiger, Rachel?
RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN SPORTS: Yes, it's perplexing, right? This guy has played so well all year. In fact he has played better than any golfer on tour all year, and we know he is the greatest golfer of his generation, we know how talented Tiger is and yet he can't seem to win at the majors anymore.
I got the chance to spend some time with him this week, and we talked about that and just how badly he wants to win. Again, take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIGER WOODS, 14 MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS: Well, there are the biggest events, and, you know, it's neat being part of golfing history, you know, and I have won 14 of them, and they are so unique and different. I mean, you're playing against the best fields, and you are on the most difficult venues, and the pressure is just fantastic, it's fun. That's why there is a rush and that's why we play and that's why we love them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NICHOLS: That fantastic pressure is something Tiger is still chasing here, guys and he was out on the driving range late last night after his round, trying to find some way to get this right. He is 10 strokes back but he thinks that he can make a move today, and he will have to see. He's going to have to be expressly aggressive and some of the guys in front of him are going to have to fall.
BLACKWELL: All right. Rachel Nichols, thank you so much.
KEILAR: And don't miss CNN's "All Access" at the PGA Championship, a CNN Bleacher Report special, that is this morning at 10:30 a.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
And thank you so much for watching "Today," and we will see you at the back here. I can speak, right?
BLACKWELL: Go ahead.
KEILAR: We'll see you back here at the top of the hour, but first -
BLACKWELL: Yes, forget the studio. Spike Lee wants your help in funding his movie, so what do you get in return?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPIKE LEE: Sit with me, maybe you don't know basketball, but sitting with me, courtside in my seats, that's the experience.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: What is the price tag? Well, "YOUR MONEY" right starts now.
