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New Day Saturday

Egypt Braces for More Bloodshed; Soggy Weekend Ahead; Dow Drops for Second Week; Hannah Anderson's First Public Appearance; Bodies Recovered from Sunken Submarine; Canada Warns Parents of Online Predators; U.S. Olympian Speaks Out

Aired August 17, 2013 - 06:00   ET

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

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Egypt erupts into chaos as the world watches in horror. The question now, what can America do about it?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And get ready for the rain. Rounds of it rolling into the already soggy south. There's fears of flooding and they're very real this morning.

SAVIDGE: And baseball might never be the same. The big decision that could change America's favorite pastime as we know it.

KEILAR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Brianna Keilar.

SAVIDGE: And I'm Martin Savidge, in for Victor Blackwell. It is 6:00 a.m. and this is NEW DAY SATURDAY.

That's the unmistakable sound of heavy gunfire ringing out. Egypt, a critical ally of the United States, is bracing for more unrest after a very bloody and violent Friday. Dozens of people are reported killed in clashes between the security forces and Muslim Brotherhood supporters in what was called a day of rage. Hundreds are under arrest. We're also hearing that some people have left a mosque in central Cairo where they have taken refuge all night long. Let's go right now to Reza Sayah. He's in Cairo.

KEILAR: Hey there, Reza. Can you tell us about the latest situation there at the mosque?

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Incredibly, after 17 hours, the siege and standoff still continues. Some dramatic images coming to us from state media about a couple of hours ago. Some of the protesters who were holed up inside, women, coming out, escorted out by armed security forces who were firing in the air in an apparent effort to disperse angry crowds who had gathered around.

This particular mosque is in an area in Cairo that was supposed to be the final destination for tens of thousands of supporters of the ousted President Mohamed Morsy and the Muslim Brotherhood who were marching against the government yesterday. During these marches, there were clashes. Scores of people were injured. Scores of people were hurt. Many of the fatalities and casualties were taken to this mosque. Also racing to this mosque were protesters who wanted to take cover from the gunfire. Then came 7:00 p.m. The curfew went into effect. These people, these protesters were effectively trapped inside. Armed security forces surrounded the mosque. Also surrounding the mosque, unknown gunmen. At some point, state media aired video of these protesters attacked the mosque. These were apparently anti-Morsy protesters.

Throughout the evening, security forces were apparently trying to negotiate with people to come out, but apparently they were too afraid to come out. But during the overnight hours, at least some of those protesters have come out, some have stayed in. And that's why, at this hour, remarkably, this intense standoff and siege of the mosque continues in Cairo.

SAVIDGE: And, Reza, the Muslim Brotherhood's calling for a week now of protests starting today and urging supporters to go back on the streets.

SAYAH: Yes, there's no question about it. And this is further indication that these two sides are digging in. The Muslim Brotherhood insists that they're not going to stop demonstrating. And there are all sorts of indications that this interim government, backed by the military, has no intentions of including the Muslim Brotherhood in the political landscape. And that's because increasingly you're seeing them use aggressive tactics to get them off the streets. Hundreds of these protesters, many of them unarmed, have been killed. Over the past six weeks, international human rights groups have condemned security forces of using excessive force. And again, yesterday, we witnessed with our own eyes, security forces using gunfire on protesters who were unarmed. And when you take a step back from this conflict, what's most alarming, is there's absolutely no indication that this conflict is going to end anytime soon.

KEILAR: Reza, we'll be checking in with you throughout the morning. Reza Sayah for us in Cairo. Thank you very much.

Now, President Obama has condemned the crackdown on Egyptian protests and the White House has canceled next month's joint military exercises with Egypt. An international peacekeeping force is in the Sinai Peninsula. This includes 700 American soldiers. CNN's Wolf Blitzer spoke with Senator John McCain about concerns for their safety.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF BLITZER, ANCHOR, CNN'S "THE SITUATION ROOM": What worries me, senator, I don't know if it concerns you as much, the 700 American soldiers who right now are in Sinai at a time of growing al Qaeda presence in Sinai, part of that multinational peacekeeping force in Sinai that's been in place quietly all of these years since the Israeli/Egyptian peace treaty was signed in 1979. How concerned are you about these American troops who are lightly armed in Sinai?

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I am concerned about that. I'm concerned about the safety of American citizens. Under Mubarak, as you know, there was a tremendous amount of anti-Americanism and anti- Israel, which was fostered by the Mubarak government. This government is fostering that to an incredible degree. Pictures of President Obama in the street and our fine ambassador there, Anne Patterson. They accused me. The leading newspaper in Cairo said that John McCain had hired Muslim Brotherhood on his staff. The intensity of the anti- Americanism, which is being stoked by the military junta, makes a lot of our American citizens unsafe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Although the U.S. has condemned the bloodshed in Egypt, it has not decided to suspend the nearly $1.6 billion of annual aid to Egypt. The U.S. has carefully avoided calling the ouster of President Morsy a coup and because that is something that would require suspending aid by law. Remember, most of the money to Egypt comes in the form of military aid. And complicating matters, that aid is typically used to buy tanks and aircraft produced in the U.S. So conduct aid would also impact American companies. And only four other countries get more American aid than Egypt. Israel gets double what Egypt gets. And then there's Afghanistan, $2.3 billion, then Pakistan with $2.1 billion, then Iraq, nearly $1.7 billion and then Egypt.

SAVIDGE: All right, turning to weather now. We'll take a look at a live shot of the sun coming up over Boston. The Northeast finally drying out after a week of heavy storms, but it is a very different story across much of the Southeast. Let's bring in meteorologist Jennifer Delgado in the CNN Severe Weather Center.

Jennifer.

JENNIFER DELGADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Martin.

And you see that live shot coming out of Boston. Well, it's a new day for you there. We're expecting high temperatures, 76 degrees, and a lot of sunshine in Boston. But rain is going to be heavy across parts of the southeast. Once again, we're expecting in some of these locations to pick up a couple more inches of rainfall today, as well as tomorrow. And some of these areas don't need it. We're talking four to six inches has already fallen in parts of Georgia, as well as into parts of Florida.

In fact, we have some video coming out of Alabama. This is just to the west of Montgomery. You're looking at people driving through flooded roadways. And Martin and Brianna, we say this all the time, don't drive through flooded streets. It doesn't take much to lose control of your car. And, of course, that could certainly be deadly.

Back over to our radar here. So the rain is really starting to work its way onto the coast. You can see from the Florida panhandle, and for areas including southern parts of Alabama, Birmingham, you're going to seeing rain coming down later today. But look at these totals. We're talking six or more inches anywhere in this area in orange. And that's why we do have flood watches and warnings in place for this big rainfall event.

And, of course, we still are talking about the tropics. We're watching an area of low pressure, you can see right in the Gulf of Mexico. The convection is to the north of it. Not very well organized. Right now it has about a 40 percent chance for tropical cyclone development. And then all the way out into the ocean we have another storm. This is Tropical Storm Erin. Erin is what we're going to call a fish storm. It doesn't look like it's going to be a threat to land. That's good news.

It's going to be interacting with some dry air. But for today, it's not all bad out there, as I said. The Northeast, sunshine and cool. Cool in the south because of rain. And look at these high temperature, guys. We have a lot of 80s out there for today and they're going to stick around tomorrow. But we will see a warming trend, but that's not coming in till late next week.

SAVIDGE: All right, we'll keep an eye.

DELGADO: So you get the good and the bad, Martin. Good morning to you.

SAVIDGE: Yes, we'll keep an eye on the Gulf, apparently.

DELGADO: Yes, we will.

SAVIDGE: Jennifer, thanks.

DELGADO: Uh-huh.

KEILAR: Well, police in Denver have detained a man that say set at least two booby-trapped propane tanks in the middle of a quiet street and then blew up one by shooting it. Police say the suspect shot and killed one woman and injured another. "The Denver Post" reports that Daniel Abyeta was shot and critically wounded by police. No one was hurt when that propane tank exploded and the other tank was dismantled.

SAVIDGE: To New Jersey where Governor Chris Christie appears ready to sign a medical marijuana bill if the legislate making two key changes. Christie signaled he wants lawmakers to make edible pot available only to kids. A pediatrician and a psychiatrist would have to sign off on a child's prescription. Christie's under pressure from the dad of an epileptic toddler who says that medical marijuana would help his daughter.

KEILAR: Now, in money news, it was a second week of declines on Wall Street.

SAVIDGE: Yes, some investors fled the markets after two companies posted earnings that failed to impress. And others are worried about the Fed pulling back on its massive stimulus program.

KEILAR: Alison Kosik has more on your week on Wall Street.

Alison.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Brianna and Martin.

Wall Street is zero for two. The Dow fell for a second week in a row. August has certainly been a rough one for stocks. Until this month, the Dow was up for six weeks in a row. Analysts say there's an eerie calm settling over the market, so we could be in for a bit of a slowdown.

It's normal to see weakness in August, though, but some of the economic data that came out this week was concerning. Big names like Wal-Mart and Cisco rattled the market when their CEOs called the global economy, quote, "challenging." Wall Street watches these companies for clues on how the entire economy is doing because millions of people shop at Wal-Mart and because Cisco sells technology equipment to businesses, the government and to main street. Cisco also announced its cutting 4,000 jobs.

As for the data, a regional manufacturing report showed activity slowed down last month. We got weak retail sales and housing numbers and consumer sentiment dropped. And there's the ever-present worry of when the Fed will stop pumping up the economy with stimulus. So, with so much up in the air, investors took the money and ran.

Brianna and Martin.

SAVIDGE: Alison, thanks very much.

And still to come, a Disney shuttle bus slams into a car near Florida's famous Epcot theme park.

KEILAR: Plus, Hannah Anderson out and about after last weekend's dramatic kidnapping ordeal. We'll take you to California.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Well, San Diego's embattled Mayor Filner refuses to step down. His critics are asking him to look up. Check this out. It's a sky- writing message saying "surrender, Bob." As in, you've been accused of harassment by 16 women and it's time to leave office. The sky-writing was a prank by a pair of San Diego deejays.

SAVIDGE: Yes, a little bit like a "Wizard of Oz" there.

Well, in Florida, police are investigating a bus crash outside of Disney World.

KEILAR: A 63-year-old woman was killed on Friday after a Disney shuttle bus rear ended her car near Epcot theme park. And witnesses say the woman had stopped in the middle of the lane.

SAVIDGE: The bus was carrying more than 30 passengers from Orlando Airport to the resort. Two people on that shuttle were injured.

KEILAR: Now, the California girl rescued after last weekend's dramatic kidnapping ordeal has been out and about. Sixteen-year-old Hannah Anderson made her first public appearance at a fundraiser just days after police rescued her and killed her captor, James DiMaggio.

According to a search warrant and affidavit obtained by CNN affiliate KFMB, police discovered incendiary devices, a gas can, rolls of duct tape, used condoms and ammunition at DiMaggio's burned home. CNN's Casey Wian has more.

Good morning, Casey.

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, Martin, Hannah Anderson looked uncomfortable, perhaps a little scared, as she hurt past more than a dozen cameras without speaking to reporters on her way into that fundraiser. Once inside, people who were there said she was much more comfortable at home with her peers and her neighbors. What she really wanted to do is thank all of those people who have been supportive of her during her ordeal and afterward.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WIAN (voice-over): Hannah Anderson's arrival at a fundraiser for her family came as a surprise to her relatives and friends.

BRANDON FAMBROUGH, HANNAH'S COUSIN: This night was an unexpected reunion, honestly. All her friends were here. It was like we haven't skipped a beat.

WIAN: The media were invited to Boll Weevil restaurant in Lakeside, California, but weren't allowed inside during Anderson's reunion.

BRETT ANDERSON, HANNAH's FATHER: Hannah sends her love. She's doing good day by day. And we'll just keep moving forward from here.

WIAN: Wearing "Hannah Strong" and "Pray for Hannah" t-shirts, neighbor, friends and the teenagers grandparents helped raise money for Anderson's mother and brother's funeral.

ANDERSON: I wanted to say thank you all for coming. This is a small community that we're a part of and the community came together, putting on this great fundraiser for Hannah and hopefully her future and healing.

WIAN (on camera): What has it meant to this community to have to go through this ordeal?

STEVE RYAN, LAKESHORE RESIDENT: It's horrifying that that guy did what he did. It's just sickening to me. And I just want to put them all to rest.

WIAN (voice-over): The fundraising event drew a large crowd. Raffle ticket sales, cash donations and 20 percent of the restaurant sales all donated to the Anderson family.

ANDERSON: We have a lot of expenses in front of us and right now we're just looking for her future and get her settled.

WIAN: A family hoping to help Hannah adjust after she was allegedly kidnapped by her father's best friend.

FAMBROUGH: And you keep hearing the term "Uncle Jim." He really was like an "Uncle Jim" to them.

WIAN: Meanwhile, we're still learning new information about what police discovered at DiMaggio's burned down home. This newly released search warrant, obtained by CNN affiliate KFMB, says that police discovered a "handwritten note" and "letters from Hannah." The detectives say proves DiMaggio had control over that house. Police also recovered "incendiary devices," leading them to believe the house fire was "caused by human actions."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIAN: Given what we now know about Hannah Anderson's kidnapping, some of the other items recovered during that search, quite chilling -- empty camping gear, boxes, a box that once contained handcuffs and lots of ammunition.

Martin. Brianna.

KEILAR: Casey Wian, thank you for that.

And tonight be sure to watch Anderson Cooper's special report "Kidnapped: The Rescue of Hannah Anderson." It will air right here on CNN at 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

Now, the same day that Hannah was kidnapped, August 3rd, this teen, Alexis Murphy, disappeared in Virginia. Despite helicopters, canine units and FBI search crews scouring the state, investigators still have no idea where she is or even if the 17-year-old is alive. We only know Alexis was last spotted on a surveillance camera at this central Virginia gas station and her suspected abductor, Randy Taylor, was at that gas station as well. He has since been arrested for her abduction. He denies knowing anything about Alexis' whereabouts. In three hours we'll be speaking to Alexis' mother and aunt about what they are doing to find her and how they're holding on to hope two weeks after Alexis went missing.

SAVIDGE: And still to come, a boat sinks in the ocean late at night. Now there is a hunt on to find the hundreds that are still missing at sea.

KEILAR: Plus, a U.S. Olympic athlete defies Russian law and speaks out in support of gays and lesbians.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Hundreds of people are missing after a ferry crashed into a cargo ship and sank in the Philippines. Rescue crews have found 26 bodies so far. More than 600 people had been rescued, but there are still more than 200 still missing. That crash happened late last night. Now the Philippine navy, coast guard and commercial ships are all desperately searching for more survivors.

And let's go to Brianna now with more headlines from around the globe.

KEILAR: Martin, thank you.

Let's start now in Mumbai, India, with an update on that submarine that exploded and sank earlier this week, likely killing everyone aboard. CNN's Mallika Kapur is in Mumbai.

Mallika. MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At least four bodies have been recovered from the damaged submarine. They are so badly disfigured and burned that they're unidentifiable. They've been sent to a local hospital for DNA testing.

The navy says it's continuing to work around the clock to reach the other 14 people who are believed to be still trapped inside, but they're not sure whether they will find other bodies because the heat caused by the explosion has caused so much damage it could have incinerated the bodies. But they are not giving up. They will continue to search every inch of the submarine until they find all the bodies, until they can firmly say there are no more left inside.

Brianna, back to you.

KEILAR: Mallika, thank you for that.

And let's go now to Canada where two high-profile teen suicide cases are highlighting the dangers of predators lurking online. CNN's Paula Newton has the update on this.

Paula.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After a few tragic cases in cyber bullying, Canadian Police now trying to track predators online are warning parents to be much more vigilant with their children. And this involves children of all ages. Young children, especially, should always be supervised and shouldn't really have access to the Internet and especially to those Internet cameras without having some kind of parental supervision.

And they are also warning teenagers who believe they are sending provocative pictures perhaps to their friends, that predators will be looking in and may be in a position to harm you.

Brianna.

KEILAR: Paula, thank you.

And now to Russia, where an Olympic athlete is speaking out against the country's crackdown on gays and lesbians. CNN's Phil Black is in Moscow.

Phil.

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Of all the athletes in Moscow for the World Athletics Championships, U.S. runner Nick Simmons has become the most outspoken critic of Russia's controversial anti-gay propaganda law. The law makes it illegal to tell children gay relationship are equal to straight. Simmons says that's discrimination and he says he's appalled by the level of intolerance with which he believes gay people are treated in this country. Simmons doesn't support a boycott of the winter Olympics in Sochi next year, but he wants athletes to show more support for Russia's gay community.

Brianna. KEILAR: Phil Black, thank you for that report.

Martin, over to you.

SAVIDGE: Thank you.

Coming up on NEW DAY, snakes in a motel room. Ahead, police found at least 40 pythons in a room along with two children.

Plus, more heavy rain on tap for the day. Yes, for the southeast. We'll tell you just how many inches are expected to fall.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: It is 29 after the hour now. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Brianna Keilar.

SAVIDGE: And I'm Martin Savidge. Here are the five things you need to know for your NEW DAY.

First this mornings, hundreds of protesters left the scene of a standoff against the Egyptian military at a mosque in Cairo. Seemingly nobody was hurt. That mosque was refuge to protesters and had become a makeshift morgue and a hospital for victims of the violence. An estimated 580 people have died in Egypt since Wednesday when security forces demanded protesters back down.

KEILAR: And at number two, this is a rather bizarre story from Brantford, Ontario. Police confiscated 40 ball pythons from a single motel room. The snakes were kept in plastic bins, you see there, some as long as four and a half feet. This was a room that was occupied by four people, two of them kids. And while it's against the law to own a python in Brantford, no charges have been filed.

SAVIDGE: Number three, the hunt's on for a black bear in Michigan after it attacked and clawed a 12-year-old girl in Wexford County. The young girl is recovering from surgery after suffering deep cuts in her thighs. Officials want to test the bear for disease.

KEILAR: And number four, General Motors says it will recall nearly 300,000 of its Chevrolet Cruzes because of a problem with the brakes. Cars from model years 2011 and 2012 are affected and the company says it knows of 27 possible crashes due to the problem, but so far no injuries have been reported. Owners can take their car to a dealership to fix the issue.

SAVIDGE: And if you live in the south, you probably wish we stopped at four because number five, it's going to be a very wet weekend from the Texas Gulf Coast all the way to South Carolina. Let's bring in meteorologist Jennifer Delgado in the CNN Severe Weather Center -- Jennifer.

DELGADO: Hi there, Martin. You're right. Certainly, a very wet weekend ahead. Let's start off this morning. And a good morning to you. If you're in Atlanta you're going to be waking up to cloudy skies as well as some rain and some drizzle out there. You're looking out at Centennial Park. And guys, you see the windshield wiper out there doing its job. But unfortunately, we're going to need a lot more than that today. (inaudible), graph, you're expecting more than six inches of rainfall on parts of the Gulf Coast. We'll talk more about this coming up. Plus, an update on the traffics shortly. Back over to you, too.

KEILAR: All right, Jennifer, thank you very much. You know, Martin, it's been almost three months since that monster tornado just tore through Moore, Oklahoma. It killed 24 people. That included seven kids in an elementary school. And it triggered emotional reunions for survivors and their parents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN (SOBBING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: This week, students across that area returned to their classrooms. And many obviously anxious about how school might be different after the tornado. Our Nick Valencia was there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are a lot of emotions when it's time to go back to school. Especially when part of that school isn't there anymore.

DYLAN ELLIS: See, look at that. That's destroyed. I don't know how we survived this.

VALENCIA: I first met Dylan Ellis nearly three months ago in the days immediately following the EF5 tornado that wrecked Moore, Oklahoma and left 24 people dead. The word "hero" got thrown around a lot during those days, but Ellis really was nothing short of one.

ELLIS: I see her start to go up, I jumped on her, laid on her and then grabbed on to the bottom of these lockers that were inside the ground. And then, once it's over, I pushed her out of the way and then all the debris started to hit me.

VALENCIA (on camera): How did you think so fast? How did you know to do what you did?

ELLIS: I just thought of her as my family. What would I do if - go up - I didn't think, just did it.

VALENCIA (voice over): Like most of the students who survived the tornado, Ellis had a lot of time over the summer to think about what happened. Excited, nervous, anxious, those are just some of the feelings he said he's had about starting eighth grade. And after everything that happened, he says he's just ready for things to be back to normal again.

ELLIS: It's going to be a process to get back. But it's going to eventually get the way it was before. VALENCIA: First grade teacher Waynel Mayes wishes it was that easy. Her school, Briarwood Elementary, took a direct hit from the tornado. She laid on her students and even played music to them as debris rained down on them.

WAYNEL MAYES: You hear the children that they don't want to go to school, and the ones that I had last year, they - I saw in this summer, they would tell me, I don't want to go to school, Miss Mayes, that breaks my heart. Because, you know, they kind of lost their innocence.

VALENCIA: And as she welcomes new students to their temporary building this year, she says the most difficult part for her will be making them feel that they are safe.

MAYES: A thunderstorm might scare me, but there's so much left in the world and that we're going to teach the children, too, that's the strength that we have to draw on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: And Nick Valencia joining us now in the studio. You stayed in touch with a lot of the folks that you met there. How are they looking forward to what is really an important day for them?

VALENCIA: It was absolutely an important day. And it's been back breaking, the recovery, both physically and emotionally for them. But, you know, I've got in touch as you mentioned - and they're just humbled by the outpouring of support. Strangers are paying attention to their community. It's been very humbling for Waynel Mayes. I was talking to her last night after the first day of school, and she said that's what she focuses on, is this - this support from strangers all throughout the world. So. They find their optimist in this very ugly recovery process.

SAVIDGE: Yeah, it's awesome what you see, the silver lining is how people come together.

VALENCIA: Yeah.

SAVIDGE: Thanks, Nick.

VALENCIA: Thank you.

KEILAR: I appreciate it.

Now, to Newtown, Connecticut, where a very different tragedy struck their elementary school eight months ago. While the 2012 mass murder at Sandy Hook sparked a national conversation about gun laws and regulations, gun sales in the small town itself are in fact skyrocketing.

SAVIDGE: And Newtown's on track for double the amount of (inaudible) permits it issued last year. Poppy Harlow reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm Nancy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: HI.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How are you doing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pleased to meet you.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: She's a grandmother who's about to become a first-time gun owner. This way is easier.

Nancy Elis says the new gun laws passed in Connecticut, among the toughest in the country, are a big reason why she's buying her first firearm.

NANCY ELIS, NEW GUN BUYER: Our rights are being slowly infringed upon. And that this whole idea of controlling guns has not - has come to my back door. In other words, there could be a time when I may never be able to get a firearm.

HARLOW: Elis lived in Newtown for 28 years. Her desire to own a gun is part of a spike in the state. Newtown vividly remembered for one of the worst gun massacres in U.S. history is on track this year to double the amount of pistol permits it issued last year.

DAVID ACKERT, FOUNDER, NEWTOWN ACTION ALLIANCE: I'm concerned that it can get out of hand. Nancy Lanza had quite an arsenal, I understand, in her home. You only have two hands. How many guns can you fire at once?

HARLOW: Dave Ackert and Monte Frank are members of New Town Action Alliance, pushing to curb gun violence.

MONTE FRANK, NEWTOWN ACTION ALLIANCE: There's a perception that the government's going to come and grab all the guns or is going to not allow them to purchase certain guns.

HARLOW: Newtown resident Ryan Delp owns multiple guns, but did not want to show them on camera out of respect for the Newtown victims.

(on camera): You went out and you bought another gun after the shooting at Sandy Hook elementary, why?

RYAN DELP, NEWTOWN RESIDENT AND GUN OWNER: That was 100 percent driven by the legislation. I was anticipated being passed. It's my responsibility to take care of and protect my family.

HARLOW (voice over): It's hard for Gilles Rousseau to understand as he grieves the loss of his daughter Lauren killed at Sandy Hook.

GILLES ROUSSEAU, DAUGHTER KILLED IN NEWTOWN SHOOTING: It hurts in a different way. I had my first dream, it was my daughter was in the dream just about a week ago. And I said, Lauren is dead. And how can she be there? She's dead.

HARLOW (on camera): What do you think when you see these numbers? ROUSSEAU: It's sad. It's really sad. There's no other words to say it. It makes me sad to think that people -- they feel that they're protecting themselves. But they're just adding to the problem.

HARLOW (voice over): There was also a surge in gun sales in Colorado, following the Aurora movie theater massacre. And after the 2011 mass shooting in Tucson, background checks for gun purchases in Arizona spiked. While Nancy Elis grieves for the victims of the tragedy in her own backyard ....

ELIS: My heart breaks for them, it truly does.

HARLOW: For her, this is about protecting her rights.

ELIS: Did the guns caused the tragedy? No, it is the person behind the gun that caused the tragedy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Nationwide, FBI background checks for people wanting to buy guns have risen steadily over the past three years. And although the number of Americans who owned guns have actually declined for several decades, what we're seeing is more guns in the hands of fewer people. And that is something that really concerns Newtown residents Dave Ackert and Monte Frank who you saw in our story. Brianna and Martin.

SAVIDGE: Poppy Harlow, thank you very much.

And in an effort to increase their security in the wake of mass shootings, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore announced plans to purchase 200 bulletproof whiteboards. Yep, they actually exist. The 18 by 20-inch boards weigh less than four pounds. They're designed to protect your head and torso. The school says they paid $60,000 for the new boards which will be in classrooms from the -- or for, rather, the fall semester start, and that's next Monday.

KEILAR: I've never heard of those, did you?

SAVIDGE: No. I neither.

KEILAR: Well, you know, it is this summer's most talked about movie.

SAVIDGE: Now, Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker are hitting it big in the box office in "The Butler."

KEILAR: Up next, our Michelle Turner goes behind the scenes with the film's biggest stars.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: And good morning to you, New York City. A live shot. Coming up there over Lady Liberty. It's going to be a gorgeous day there. 81 degrees. Sunny up in the Big Apple today. Grab your blanket. Head out to the park. Maybe a little cheese. I don't know if you can take wine. Maybe you should try anyways, and enjoy yourself.

SAVIDGE: All right. You bet. We'll see. And the rest of you.

(LAUGHTER)

KEILAR: That's right. I'm not advising. I didn't condone that.

Well, you know, if you haven't heard, Oprah is back on the big screen and there's a lot of excitement about her role in the new movie "The Butler."

SAVIDGE: Oprah stars alongside actor Forest Whitaker who plays an African-American butler who serves in the White House for eight presidencies.

KEILAR: So, what did it take to put together this massy films? CNN Nischelle Turner joins us with the behind the scenes secrets. Good morning to you, Nischelle.

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Martin and Brianna, you know, Lee Daniels "The Butler" is one of the most buzzed about films this year, but just like many other movies, there are things that we don't see that go on while shooting, and this set was no different. Some of the stories lighthearted and laughable. Some heavy and heartbreaking. But here are the secrets from the actors themselves.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FOREST WHITAKER: I'm Cecil Gaines, I'm new butler.

TURNER: What's in a name, that's what director Lee Daniels asked the Motion Picture Association of America when they told him his movie title was taken and he has to find something other than "The Butler."

LEE DANIELS: DIRECTOR, "LEE DANIELS THE BUTLER": We'll try to figure out something, so that says "Lee Daniels' the Butler." And I went ahh - you know, like, you know.

TURNER: You don't like that. You're not sure if you like ...

DANIELS: Ask me next week, but right now, I don't.

Actors, you need to feel like you've been here, you know, a little longer.

TURNER: Set secret number one, the director hates the title even though his name is written all over it.

DANIELS: I do my work for kids that are impoverished that come from where I come from, which is the projects. And I don't want them to feel that your name is more important than your work. So, it's about the work at the end of the day.

TURNER: What Lee did feel comfortable with at the end of the day, was the cast - but it didn't start out that way, set secret number two, Terrence Howard's dental dilemma. TERRENCE HOWARD, ACTOR "HOWARD": He called me, he's like - he's like T.T., I'm having trouble. I've got to figure out this thing, you know. I want to put you in this movie, but, you know, I can't now - I don't - all I got is this one character left and he's -- you know, but, you know, you're too pretty for him. And he's like, what can we do to me? Like cut your hair off or something? No, he's like - you know what, I got a crown on this front tooth. I can take that out. He's like don't you do it, T.T.

(LAUGHTER)

HOWARD: Don't you do it, T.T..

I'll set up the dentist appointment right away.

TURNER: It was this honesty and realness that endeared Howard and the rest of the cast to the project. The same honesty and realness that made shooting this film at time almost unbearable.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get all out!

OPRAH WINFREY: Everybody just ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry, Mr. Butler, I didn't mean to make fun of your hero.

OPRAH WINFREY: Everything you are and everything you have is because of that butler.

YAYA ALAFIA, ACTOR "CAROL HAMMIE": There are a lot of scenes that I really love. I think one of the ones that kind of stands out is the most difficult one. And it was the sit-in.

TURNER: Set secret number three, Yaya's real breakdown.

ALAFIA: It wasn't fun. It wasn't - did didn't feel good to do. But it was powerful. And it definitely had an impact on me as an actor. To do that, yes.

TURNER (on camera): Do you really get this ...

ALAFIA: To be able to do that. Ye. That was real.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Again and again and again.

TURNER: How was that?

ALAFIA: Oh, it was awful. It was degrading. It stunk. I wanted to vomit, you know. I got really, you know, the things that happened in the body when something happens like that in real life happened on set. You know, you're acting, it's make believe, but the lines get blurry in scenes like that, especially when you're using something like real saliva. Not fun.

TURNER (voice over): No doubt emotion overran the set on many days but there was a family feeling, too, that began from day one. Set secret number four - school bus fool fun.

DANIELS: It was a big ...

TURNER (on camera): Please talk about it.

DANIELS: It was a good time.

Cuba - on our opening party, on our opening party for the cast, Oprah was there, and everybody was there, Cuba decided to jump into the pool naked. Let's just say that was the beginning of "The Butler." Oh "Lee Daniels' the Butler"

TURNER (voice over): Set secrets revealed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TURNER: "Lee Daniels' the Butler." It's in theaters now. Martin and Brianna, back to you.

KEILAR: Nischelle Turner, thank you, she really gets the dirt, doesn't she?

SAVIDGE: She does.

KEILAR: I love it.

SAVIDGE: ....gets the inside story.

KEILAR: Now, next on "NEW DAY," the controversies around Alex Rodriguez just don't stop.

SAVIDGE: After facing another a night of boos and (inaudible) from a Boston crowd, the embattled third baseman spoke about the reports he actually implicated other players for using performance-enhancing drugs. We'll tell you what he said after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Before Alex Rodriguez heard the boos in Boston last night, he spoke to the media, and he strongly denied a "60 Minutes" report that an inner circle of his leaked documents implicating other players for using performance-enhancing drugs.

KEILAR: And Joe Carter has more on this in this morning's "Bleacher Report." Hey, Joe.

JOE CARTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, good morning, guys. Yes, this "60 Minutes" report is basically saying that Alex Rodriguez and his close people basically leaked the names of Ryan Braun and even his Yankees' teammate Francisco Cervelli. And they leaked it Yahoo! sports back in January right after the Biogenesis investigation started. Now, Rodriguez was in the dugout last night before the game in Boston and he basically denied the report and said that he expects more accusations like this to keep coming out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ALEX RODRIGUEZ: We're all going to have to get ready for a bumpy road. It's going to get worse every day. I would expect bigger and bigger stories to come out every day. It's frustrating for the game because the game is going so well. This is such a big series, team is playing relatively well. I think we're excited about playing, you know, obviously one of the best teams of baseball in Boston.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARTER: All right, speaking of baseball, last night was A-Rod's first game in Boston since the 2011 game suspension, and as expected he got no love from the Red Sox faithful. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(BOOING)

(END VIDEO CLIP))

CARTER: There you go, I think that sign says it all. And A-Rod in the game had a couple of singles, but it was Alfonso Soriano who had the big bat. Soriano now has five homeruns and four games, this guy has driven an 18 RBIs in those four games. That ties in MLB record.

Speaking of the MLB, they are planning to change the game next season by expending instant replay. Right now, umpires can only review boundary calls like whether a home run is fair or foul. But under this new proposed system, managers are going to be able to challenge calls for reviews. Now, balls and strikes cannot be re viewed, but plays at bases or fair or foul balls, or trap catches or legitimate catches, those are the types of plays that can be reviewed. Now, before this is implemented in 2014, the umpires and players are going to have to vote on it and then owners will have to approve it.

One last story for you real quick, Zach Hodskins, the one-armed basketball player from Alfredo, Georgia, he just got an offer to play college basketball at the University of Florida. Now, Billy Donovan, the Gators head coach offered him a walk-on spot next season. He said he'll have the chance to earn a full scholarship down the line, but this is unbelievable. Because despite being born without his left hand and his forearm, he's been touted as one of the best high school players in the country. Now, he did get two full right offers from smaller schools guys. But, obviously, University of Florida, Gators basketball, that is a legendary program. That is a top - ten top of T- program every year, so that'll be excellent if he can make the team there, I guess.

KEILAR: That is a big deal. Congratulations to him.

SAVIDGE: And right down the road from where I live. So, yes, big, big congratulations.

KEILAR: You'll go watch.

SAVIDGE: I will.

KEILAR: Joe Carter, thank you for that.

Well, Egypt is on edge this morning following days of running street battles, a crackdown by troops and bloodshed.

SAVIDGE: Defying any government protesters' (inaudible) that they will stay on the street, CNN's Ian Lee is in Cairo. Ian?

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'll let you guys know about the violence yesterday and what we're expecting here in Egypt today and later this week when "NEW DAY SATURDAY" returns, after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Have I got a joke for you, Martin?

SAVIDGE: Oh ...

KEILAR: Are you ready for this? When is a lion not a lion?

SAVIDGE: When?

KEILAR: When it barks like a dog.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[barking)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: I'm here all week, people.

SAVIDGE: Take a look at this.

KEILAR: Yeah, that is a dog.

SAVIDGE: Yeah, a Tibetan mastiff to be exact. And its best rating as a lion in eastern China zoo.

KEILAR: Yeah, the zoo says that the real lion was off mating and so the dog was placed in the cage as a stand-in. Which maybe you could believe if the zoo hadn't pulled the similar stunt at least a couple of times before.

(LAUGHTER)

SAVIDGE: Yeah, the kangaroo has got to be wondering -- well -- here we go.

KEILAR: Now, it is time for the good stuff. So, if you live in a big city, you know it can get a little dreary sometimes, lots of concrete, not too much landscape.

SAVIDGE: But here in Atlanta, there's a plan to change all of that. It is called living walls. A project to put up murals in urban areas. The latest neighborhood to get a makeover is Summer Hill.

KEILAR: Yeah, that's the neighborhood right near Turner Field, so you can stop on by before you head up to see the Braves.

All right, this is today's "must see" moment. This was the reaction when 52-year-old Kevin Lewis learned that he was going to get $1 million as part of a promotion at the horseshoe casino in Cincinnati. He is the man in the red hat right there.

SAVIDGE: The only problem is, he is not the right Kevin Lewis. The real winner was home on Saturday night. He's also named Kevin Lewis, and he also lives in Cincinnati. And he is 50 years old. Both men have entered the contest and they are both the casino regulars.

KEILAR: Oh, so mad. Casino officials blamed human error for the mistake, both Kevins will get a million bucks. All right, so - all good.

SAVIDGE: Wait a minute - wait ...

KEILAR: Look, I made a mistake. A million dollars for you, sir.

SAVIDGE: Thanks you very much.

(LAUGHTER)

SAVIDGE: Well, thanks for starting your morning with us.

KEILAR: The next hour of your "NEW DAY" starts right now.

SAVIDGE: Check's in the mail.