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CNN Sunday Morning
Storm Claims 12 Lives, Leaves Millions Without Power; Temperatures in Triple Digits; New Mississippi Law Could Force State's Only Abortion Clinic to Shut Down; Interview with Governor Rick Scott; Stockton Largest U.S. City to File Bankruptcy
Aired July 01, 2012 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: From CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, this is EARLY START WEEKEND.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was a storm that obviously came upon us very quickly without a great deal of notice.
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KAYE: The storm that has left millions without power has now claimed 12 lives. Temperatures are still in the triple digits. What could the blackout mean for your safety?
An abortion-free state. A new law in Mississippi takes effect today. It could force the state's only remaining abortion clinic to close.
The highest court has made its decision. But one governor says he won't comply. I'll talk with Florida Governor Rick Scott about why his state is ignoring the health care ruling.
And super guppy has landed. Carla, the hologram, is ready to help you. And Chicago has a new taxi law for your stomach as coming up in "Cross Country."
KAYE: It is Sunday, July 1st. Good morning, everyone. So glad you're with us. I'm Randi Kaye. We start this morning with a state of emergency. Strong storms are now being blamed for at least 12 deaths across the east and into the Midwest. People killed by downed trees and loose power lines. Three states have declared emergencies -- Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio. At last count, around 3 million people were without power.
And in Indiana, lightning may be to blame for this scene in Noblesville. Two duplexes were badly damaged by the fire. No one was injured.
Storms, fires, and heat, extreme heat. Karen Maginnis is in our severe weather center this morning. Karen, good morning to you. So first, are we going to see more record high temperatures or is there some relief? KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It looks like we're going to see minimal relief. And it looks like the next one day to two days, this is when we'll see still some of those triple digit readings. I want to take you out toward Colorado Springs. And this -- because we're looking at the Waldo Canyon fire. The temperatures are still expected to remain in the low to mid 90s. However, for today, there is a red flag warning that is in effect because we could see wind gusts up to about 30 miles an hour. That could hamper what happens with firefighters there. They kind of got a little better grip on the fire yesterday. It's about 45 percent contained. High park fire, 100 percent contained. You may remember just about seven, eight days ago, this was really the one that we were looking at. And then now we have started looking at that Waldo fire.
But it looks like firefighters are really kind of managing that situation right now. Down here across extreme southeastern Colorado, the red flag warning meaning we're going to see low humidity, high temperatures, gusty winds. And that could fuel those fires once again. Yesterday, record high temperatures. Up and down the eastern seaboard, across the southeast, into the central U.S. with Columbia, South Carolina, reaching 109 degrees. A lot of these have tied or exceeded the records for the date. Nashville yesterday, 109. And we did see 107 degrees for the afternoon on Saturday. Friday was 109 degrees. All right. Look at those heat indices and record high temperatures expected all the way from St. Louis to Atlanta, into the Carolinas. So those people who were suffering as far as the storms were concerned, as we saw on Friday -- as a matter of fact, I'll go ahead and show you that right now.
This is referred to as a duratio. That means a strong line of storms that moves very, very quickly. It moved from Indiana and Ohio and raced toward the eastern seaboard. There you can see these waves that moved in advance toward the Virginia and into Kentucky regions where we saw widespread damage. Let's go ahead and show you some of the video. This coming out of Arlington, Virginia. Between Virginia and Maryland, they had six fatalities. Some of the winds were estimated up to about 80 miles an hour. Downed trees, downed power lines, and Randi, as I said yesterday, still millions of people without power. They are really going to be suffering over the next several days as the heat is not going to be abated any time soon. It will get knocked down, but nothing significant.
KAYE: All right, Karen Maginnis, thank you very much.
And now to the fires in Colorado where people forced from their homes by the wildfire near Colorado Springs. We'll get their first real look at the damage today. As he has been for the past week, Rob Marciano is in Colorado Springs for us again this morning. Rob, first of all, where do we stand on the fire right now? It sounds like they made some progress overnight.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. A lot of progress just the past couple of days, Randi. We're up to 45 percent containment on these things, 17,000 acres burned. It really hasn't expanded, the boundary of that. And from what I'm told the inside the fire lines, really more of a smoldering. There are some spot fires, and even some intentional controlled burns to burn off some of that fuel. But the -- talking to firefighters, there is an air of confidence about them. The assault will continue today. Some people will be allowed back. Some evacuation orders lifted. But still, a good 10,000 and change of people will remain out of their neighborhoods for the time being. Some cool video I want to show you striking, actually. The time lapse, the past five days that somebody shot looking at the fire from -- just east of the front range. You kind of see the life cycle of this thing, the different areas that it burned. And the different ways that the smoke and flames made their way in different directions. And yesterday, you know, the focus now is obviously toward the victims. And how they start to recover. And yesterday we caught up with the family that not only had to evacuate, but now they're also volunteering at their church that's giving away hundreds of thousands of dollars of supplies. And the mother and wife of that family had this to say about that video.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I saw the time lapse video last night of what's been going on since Saturday. And I've just been like a mess because, you know, those are people's lives, and we're watching it. And so, yeah, my heart just goes out to them.
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MARCIANO: As -- as you mentioned, some folks will be allowed to go see their homes on a bus tour today and tomorrow. But they won't be allowed to get out because it's still an active fire zone. There are some evacuations that have not been lifted. Interestingly, Randi, because there's actually been a couple of neighborhoods where bears have kind of invaded the area. Obviously they're confused, their habitat being burned. Their food supply, as well. So just one more obstacle that these people have to overcome.
KAYE: Wow. It sounds never-ending. Rob Marciano. Thank you very much.
And now here's a rundown of some of the other stories that we're working on this morning. It is the last abortion clinic in Mississippi, and it's under attack, but not by protesters. The state could force it to close its doors tomorrow.
Health care is the law of the land. So what's next for states like Florida wanting out of Obamacare? We'll talk with Governor Rick Scott.
Plus, how many of us can swim 103 miles? A 49-year-old grandmother attempts to swim from Cuba to the Florida Keys, but can she pull it off?
And speaking of swimming, some welcome news for 14-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Phelps.
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KAYE: In Mississippi, women seeking an abortion may have to travel to another part of the country. A new law that takes effect today may force the state's only abortion clinic to close its doors. But some are asking, is it really about protecting women's health, or is it just plain politics? George Howell has the story from Jackson, Mississippi.
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The owner of this women's clinic closed the doors after being open this weekend, and what happens next really is anybody's guess because of a new state law here in Mississippi that could effectively force this clinic to shut down.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: The signs are hard to miss outside the only clinic offering abortions in the state of Mississippi. And now the director of the Jackson Women's Health Organization is gearing up for a legal fight to keep the doors open.
(on camera): Will this clinic be forced to shut down?
DIANE DERZIS, DIRECTOR, JACKSON WOMEN'S HEALTH ORGANIZATION: I want to say over my dead body, but I'm afraid -- I'm afraid. Hopefully not. We're going to do whatever it takes to keep servicing the women of Mississippi.
HOWELL (voice over): Despite the letter she got in the mail ...
DERZIS: We are licensed until June the 30th of 2013.
HOWELL: Diane Derzis says the paper could be worthless if she fails to comply with a new state law effective July First. Doctors who perform abortions in Mississippi must be board-certified ob-gyns and also have privileges with local hospitals to admit patients if necessary.
DERZIS: So, we have all the applications in. We have called these hospitals almost daily, haranguing them. But again, it's a process. It takes a while for an answer.
REP. SAM MIMS (R ), MISSISSIPPI: The clinic has had over 70 days to be compliant with this legislation. So they should not be surprised.
HOWELL: State representative Sam Mims insists the law is meant to protect women's health, not to ban abortions. He sponsored the bill, signed into law by Republican Governor Phil Bryant.
GOV. PHIL BRYANT, (R ), MISSISSIPPI: I think it's historic. And today you see the first step in a movement I believe to do what we campaigned on, to say we're going to try to end abortion in Mississippi.
MIMS: We intend to lead. But this is not an example we're trying to show the other country -- other states look at what we've done.
HOWELL (on camera): But if it eliminates the one abortion clinic in the state ...
MIMS: Well, I'm very pro-life. I believe that life begins at conception. And I think a lot of Mississippians do as well.
HOWELL (voice over): In a socially and religiously conservative state, some say political pressure may be a reason hospitals haven't signed on to help the clinic.
W. MARTIN WISEMAN: A lot of facilities like hospitals and so forth no doubt don't want to from this standpoint look up to be labeled as the one facility that is hospitable to providing abortions.
HOWELL (on camera): So, come Monday, if this clinic does not have what it needs to be compliant with this law, what happens?
MIMS: If this clinic cannot get in compliance with this legislation, sure, I think, again, if we reduce the number of abortions, it is a positive result for Mississippi.
DERZIS: This is not about safety. This is about politics. And politics do not need to be in our uterus.
HOWELL: People here at the clinic say they filed a lawsuit and a temporary restraining order against the law to try to get a little more time to become compliant. State officials say that there is also an appeals process. But keep in mind, every day this clinic is open after July First and, again, after Monday, the day that the clinic is supposed to open, employees here, the nurses, physicians, and management could face civil and even criminal penalties. George Howell, CNN, Jackson, Mississippi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: And a reminder here. Coming up in our 8:00 hour, we're going to explore this issue even further. What impact will this have on women? Will other states adopt similar laws? We'll talk about that and much more with Dr. LeRoy Carhart, he is an abortion doctor. And we'll get his take on all of this.
And we also want to know what you think about this -- is Mississippi's new abortion clinic law too harsh? Is it about health, or is it really about politics? I'd love to know what you think on this topic. You can tweet me at randikayecnn. And I'll be sure to read some of your comments later on the air, so send them my way.
A bomb blast at a funeral. It is the latest attack on the streets of Syria. But could a solution be in the works as world leaders work to come up with a peace plan?
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KAYE: Voters in Mexico are going to the polls today to pick a president. Whomever they pick will have a tough road head battling the drug violence that has plagued that country. Four candidates are running for office. But because of Mexican law, we aren't allowed to talk about them or even show them. We just thought you should know. In Israel, former prime minister Yitzhak Shamir has died. Shamir succeeded Menachem Begin as prime minister in 1983 and served in several capacities in the government over the next decade. Yitzhak Shamir was 96.
A horrific attack in Syria caught on tape. Anti-government activists say a car bomb killed at least 85 people and injured 300. The blast came in the middle of a funeral procession. Meanwhile, leaders meeting on the Syrian situation have come up with a new peace plan, sort of. CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom is live in Abu Dhabi for us this morning. Good morning, Mohammed. So what plan did the leaders actually come up with in those Geneva meetings?
MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Randi. Well, the agreement calls first and foremost for the recommitment by all parties in Syria to Kofi Annan's six-point peace plan that was first proposed over three months ago. It also calls for all parties involved in the crisis in Syria to implement fully the cease-fire that Kofi Annan has been wanting to implement for quite some time now. Now, throughout the day yesterday, Kofi Annan stressed just how dire the situation was in Syria right now. Here's more of what he had to say.
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KOFI ANNAN: And the messages are clear. Everyone here is gravely alarmed of the situation in Syria. We strongly condemn the continued escalating killing, destruction, and human rights abuses. Today the international community has taken its cooperation to a stronger level by being clearer and more specific.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JAMJOOM: And Mr. Annan went on to stress -- that what was really important about yesterday's meeting was that all the parties involved agreed that the key point in this agreement is that Syria must create a transitional government as soon as possible. Randi?
KAYE: But the question is, how will that work? I mean do we know how a transitional government would actually be implemented?
JAMJOOM: We don't. There's a lot of points in this agreement. And it is somewhat confusing. Because while Annan had said specifically that this is something that Syrians must create and that members of the current Syrian regime could actually be part of a transitional government there, you also heard from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday that said that everybody there was aware that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had no part in the future of Syria, and that he could not be part of any future government. So still a lot of details to be worked out. All of this happening at a time when the violence is escalating there. We've heard new figures from opposition figures in Syria saying that now it's over 14,200 people killed in Syria since the start of the crisis. And that over half of those killed have been killed just in the last four months. Randi?
KAYE: Mohammed Jamjoom, thank you very much.
The Supreme Court has spoken, but that doesn't mean states have to listen. Florida Governor Rick Scott says Obamacare still doesn't play in his state. He'll join me live. And I'll ask what he tells the uninsured in his state that we're hoping they get coverage as part of the president's plan.
And you may want to think twice about getting in a Chicago taxicab. If you're not feeling so good, it could cost you $50.
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KAYE: Welcome back. Let's check some stories cross country. First, in Seattle, this massive cargo plane called the Super Guppy is carrying a full-size replica of the space shuttle. It is the training shuttle that every NASA astronaut trained in before going into space. NASA gave it to the Seattle Museum of Flight. The museum wanted one of the four retired space shuttles, but placed fifth in the competition to get one.
And if you're flying out of Boston's airport, you may see Carla. She's a video projected recording that gives passengers tips on security. The one you're seeing here was unveiled at Dulles Airport in Washington last month. They'll also start appearing in New York airports. Airport officials say they don't replace real staff, but they help remind passengers about the rules better than signs do.
And starting today in Chicago, taxi drivers can charge passengers a $50 cleanup fee if they vomit in their cab. Drivers have fought for the law since 2009. Apparently it happens more often than you think. I guess so. Especially with drunk passengers. These folks are boozing it up in Chicago.
You might not remember the name Hugh McCutcheon, but you might remember his story. Four years ago the U.S. volleyball coach led the men's team to Olympic gold. Shortly after the opening ceremony, a man attacked his family, killing his father-in-law while touring Beijing. But Hugh McCutcheon didn't allow that tragedy to end his Olympic ambitions. He hopes to make history in London.
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KAYE: Four years ago against a backdrop of tragedy and grief, Hugh McCutcheon led the men's volleyball team to gold. Now he has a chance to become the second volleyball coach in Olympic history to win gold with both a men's and women's team. And to be the first to lead the U.S. women to gold.
HUGH MCCUTCHEON: One, two, three ...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALES: USA!
MCCUTCHEON: Obviously it would be a great achievement for a group of athletes that, you know, has gone through a lot over the four years but has really dedicated their lives to the pursuit of being the best that they can be. KAYE: Hugh McCutcheon doesn't like to talk about the knife attack in Beijing that killed his wife's father and severely injured her mother at the start of the Olympics in 2008. But he will correct those who believe his U.S. men's team used the tragedy as a rallying cry.
MCCUTCHEON: I think it does that group a disservice to somehow think that anything that happened in Beijing was a positive factor relative to our result. You know, the group did what we trained to do. And so to me it's more of a thing where I think we won in spite of, not because of.
KAYE: Riley Salmon, a member of this year's team, also played on the team in '08. He sees the tragedy in a different light.
RILEY SALMON: Not that, you know, we weren't playing for anything to begin with, but, you know, it just kind of gave us a really central focal point. And kind of put all of our individual goals aside. And we just put our team in front of everything.
KAYE: Whatever the driving force behind the men's victory in Beijing, McCutcheon had reached the pinnacle. So it was time for a new challenge. Less than four months later, he was named head coach for the U.S. women.
MCCUTCHEON: I'm a big believer in the journey. And I just thought this would be a really different journey to go on. And it has been. It's been very hard. And then it should be, you know. We're trying to be the best in the world at what we do.
KAYE: Lindsey Burg who was on the women's team that won silver in Beijing was also a teammate of McCutcheon's wife, Elizabeth, at the '04 games in Athens. She's confident McCutcheon is the right leader at the right time.
LINDSEY BURG: For me, Hugh is -- he's calm, collected. During the games you'll see some emotion come out of him. But normally he's -- he's our rock.
KAYE: Make no mistake, while it would make history if the U.S. women's team wins gold in London, it shouldn't be a surprise. This team has been peaking under McCutcheon and is ranked number one in the world. So is there pressure?
MCCUTCHEON: I don't see there's a pressure thing. I think it validates all the hard work we've put into this. You don't try to be an Olympic champion without feeling like you're worthy of being an Olympic champion. So, you know, we have a chance. We're not ranked 38th in the world and trying to be gold medallists.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: And we wish him luck. The opening ceremony for London's Summer Games is just a few weeks away on July 27th.
A fast moving wildfire forced them to leave their homes. Today they're being allowed to return. But what Colorado homeowners will find remains to be seen.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back, and thanks for starting your morning with us. I'm Randi Kaye. It is half past the hour. Firefighters continue their battle against that monstrous Colorado wildfire. And bus tours begin for some of the 36,000 displaced residents who want to see their homes and neighborhoods. Nearly 350 homes have burned, and two people have died in the so-called Waldo Canyon fire. So far it's consumed nearly 27 square miles and is now 45 percent contained.
Millions of people are still without power this morning after deadly storms over the last two days killed a dozen people. Extreme heat continues to complicate the situation for cleanup and recovery.
Triple-digit temperatures are in the forecast for many areas today.
As a result of those storms, three states have declared emergencies -- Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio. And Maryland will likely do the same. The state's governor says the damage is on par with Hurricane Irene. The storm blamed for at least 20 deaths last year. Hundreds of downed power lines, trees, and damaged homes have been left in the wake of this weekend's storms.
Simply disappointing. That's how Florida Governor Rick Scott described the Supreme Court's ruling on health care. The court upheld President Obama's Affordable Care Act. Florida was one of the states challenging that law. So what's next for states like Florida that wanted out? Who better to answer that than Florida Governor Rick Scott himself. Good morning, governor. Nice to see you.
GOV. RICK SCOTT (R ), FLORIDA: Good morning, Randi. You know what is so disappointing is, you know, this is the issue we have in health care, it's a cost issue. It's not an insurance issue. This doesn't do anything to drive down the cost of health care. So we've got to rely on free markets to drive down the costs. This isn't going to do it. So we're not going to implement it. We're not going to ...
(CROSSTALK)
KAYE: Let me ask you about that. Because you -- the states still have options. And one of them is on health insurance exchanges, and the other is the Medicaid expansion. So you're saying that you're not going to implement either one of this. I'm curious as to why.
SCOTT: No. Let's first off talk about the exchanges. The exchanges are not going to drive down the cost of health care. I mean, the issue is the cost of health care. It's going to do nothing to drive down the cost. With regard to Medicaid expansion, it doesn't work. It's about a $1.9 billion increase for our state. Our taxpayers will be paying for that. It's not doing anything to improve the cost of health care.
We need jobs in our state. We don't need another government program. Every government health care program runs out of money. They always over-promise. They always run out of money. They don't pay providers properly. Then there's no care for those individuals. We're not going to do that in Florida.
KAYE: But even without the exchanges and the Medicaid expansion, as far as I understand it, about close to a million people would be added to your Medicaid rolls there in Florida. But there are still hundreds of thousands of Floridians who will have to get insurance. Your state ranks second in the percentage of people without health insurance. And now they need it, and aren't going to get the help from you. So, what do you say to them, too bad, it's just bad policy? Or ...
SCOTT: Here's what we're doing to help people in our state. Step one, we've had the biggest drop in unemployment of any state but one in the last 18 months. It's what we're doing is making sure people get back to work so they can afford health insurance. Second, we're working with the free market to make sure the cost of health care in our state stays as low as possible so people can actually afford health care and buy their own insurance. Our focus is on getting people back to work. Don't put more people on a government program that will always run out of money and ration care. It's bad for -- it's horrible for the patient. It doesn't work.
KAYE: You used to work, though, in the health care industry. And hospitals are saying that they need the states to participate. States like yours to participate in Medicaid expansion. I mean, they were counting on those additional federal dollars. So they could be in financial trouble without that. So what do you say to them?
SCOTT: Randi, if you look at -- if you look around the world and you look at every -- look at America, look at every government health care program. What they do, is they say they're going to cover everything. Then they run out of money. Then they don't pay providers well enough. And then people don't show up. So it doesn't work. We -- I'm not going to put our citizens at risk of a program that doesn't work. So we're not going to implement this Medicaid expansion. These exchanges also don't work. If the exchanges worked, the private sector would have already be doing it. They don't work. I mean, think about what this is going to do -- it's got -- the program has guaranteed issue, which means that if you don't have to buy any of the insurance until you get sick, what do you think is going to happen to insurance rates? They're going to skyrocket. It just doesn't work.
KAYE: So, do you believe that you can actually bring insurance rates down in your state without this?
SCOTT: Well, you surely can't do it by implementing it. I mean, if you implement it, rates are going to go up. It just -- it doesn't work. I mean, we've already seen rates go up because of this. We -- we've got to rely -- look, here's what works -- what works is give individuals the choice, let them buy the insurance they want to buy. Don't tell them what insurance they need to buy. Two, make sure people know what health care costs are. Have providers disclose their prices. Give people the same tax breaks, individuals, as employers get. Buy your own policy so when you change jobs you don't lose your insurance. Finally, reward people for doing what they -- the things that would drive down costs. Don't smoke. Eat right. Exercise. You know, have more competition. Competition will drive down the costs. If we do those things, the cost of health care will come down. That's our problem. It's the cost of health care.
KAYE: Governor, I want to switch topics because I also want to ask you about a bit of a victory that you've been experiencing this week. A federal judge ruling against the Justice Department's effort to stop you from removing some voters from the rolls, voters that you say are on the rolls illegally in your state of Florida. What does this decision mean for Florida?
SCOTT: Well, it was a nice win. I mean, look, I don't know anybody that believes that non-U.S. citizens should be voting in our elections. So the Department of Justice sued us. A federal judge says, look, we -- our citizens will have irreparable harm if non-U.S. citizens vote in our races. I can't imagine why the federal government doesn't want to help us. They have a database, Department of Homeland Security has a database that would help us do this, and they haven't given it to us for whatever reason. But we want ...
KAYE: And you've been working for some time to try and get those names, correct?
SCOTT: Absolutely. We've been working for almost a year. I have no idea why the federal government doesn't want to be supportive. We want to have fair, honest elections in our state. But only U.S. citizens should be voting in our elections. Not non-U.S. citizens. No one thinks that way. This is not a partisan issue. This is not a Republican or Democrat or independent issue. No one believes that non-U.S. citizens should be voting in our races.
KAYE: So, how many people are you talking about? I mean how many have actually been found that were voting illegally?
SCOTT: Randi, here's what we know so far. We did -- because we couldn't get the Homeland Security database, we used our own Motor Vehicle database and we just looked at 2,600 names. We know over 100 people have registered to vote. They're non-U.S. citizens. And we know over 50 have voted in our elections. So, we know people are registering to vote that are non-U.S. citizens, and we know they're voting. That's not right. It's a crime. And it impacts our races.
KAYE: Florida Governor Rick Scott, great to have you on the program this morning. Thank you so much.
SCOTT: Have a great day.
KAYE: You too.
SCOTT: Bye-bye.
KAYE: The livelihood of more than a billion people depends on this -- we'll tell you what one hero is doing to help save the planet by solving its crisis in the underwater world.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: This week's CNN hero has watched the beauty of the sea disappear. But now, he's working to bring life back to an underwater world in crisis. Meet Ken Nedimyer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEN NEDIMYER, CORAL RESTORATION FOUNDATION: I grew up diving in the Florida Keys. And it was just the most magical place. The coral reefs were so pretty, and I decided that's what I wanted to do for a living, is dive on coral reefs.
In an area where there is live coral, there is always more fish. Reefs provide protection for coastal areas and recreational opportunities for millions of people.
I was diving for 40 years, and over time I saw those coral reefs start to die. Coral reefs worldwide are in decline. If coral reefs die completely, coastal communities would be bankrupt, tourism would be virtually gone. A billion people in the world will be impacted. I started thinking how can we fix this problem?
My name is Ken Nedimyer. My goal is to grow, protect and restore coral reefs.
We developed a system that's simple and something that we can train others to do.
We start with a piece of coral this big, and we hang it on the trees. And after about a year or two, it becomes this big. Then we cut the branches off, and we do it again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ken's coral nursery is one of the largest in the wider Caribbean. It is ten times larger than the others that are in existence.
NEDIMYER: In 2003, we originally planted six corals here, but now there are over 3,000 growing in this area alone.
Before I felt helpless watching it die. Now I think there is hope. It's not too late. Everybody can help. I see all those corals and all those fish. So it's like this whole reef is coming back to life, and making a difference is exciting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: For a terminally ill Vietnam war veteran every day could be his last. But the one day he wanted to live to see was his son's graduation from Marine boot camp.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've done this trip a million times in my mind.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KAYE: You'll be touched by this family's heartfelt story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
A Navy vet who survived a year in Vietnam had one wish -- to see his son become a Marine. But after being diagnosed with a terminal illness, he thought he might not see it happen. Here's CNN's Sarah Hoye.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARAH HOYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was Thanksgiving for the Burns family on a sweltering Friday morning. Charles Burns had just one wish -- see his son Ryan graduate from Marine Corps boot camp.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've done this trip a million times in my mind.
HOYE: On Friday, his wish came true. The 65-year-old Navy veteran is dying, but not even a series of strokes, diabetes, and worsening heart condition would stop him from making the trek from Massachusetts to South Carolina to see his boy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ryan. He's an amazing kid. There isn't anything he's done or will do that he doesn't excel in.
HOYE: With his wife Lisa at his side, the proud parents endure the South Carolina heat wave to watch Ryan from the stands.
Charles even found the strength to stand during the national anthem.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just every- every child, whether it's a boy or a girl, when they say they want to be a Marine or want to be something other than just a civilian, that means a lot to me.
HOYE: Military service is a Burns tradition. Charles joined the Navy following high school in 1965. He served a one-year tour of duty in Vietnam. Ryan's grandfather served in the Army during World War II. And now it's mission accomplished for Ryan. Now an official U.S. Marine, and his terminally ill father.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Me and my dad had a bet when I came here from Parris Island. It was I'll finish boot camp as long as you make it to my graduation. So we both had mission accomplished. And we're here today. So I couldn't ask for anything more.
I saw you standing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
HOYE: Ryan says he doesn't know what keeps his father going. As for Charles, it's one day at a time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have a little pride in yourself, and stick to it. Whatever it is, don't let up even if you fail, tomorrow you can stand again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congratulations, dad. We did it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Together.
HOYE: Sarah Hoye, CNN, Parris Island, South Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: They're the often forgotten victims of the destructive fires sweeping across Colorado. I'm talking about our furry friends, dogs, cats, and other adorable little pets. The amazing rescue effort to help them, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. Welcome back. We've been talking a lot this morning about those Colorado wildfires. And a lot of you have been asking what's happening to the animals driven from their homes by those fires. Well, I talked with Jan McHugh-Smith of the local Humane Society who told me shelters are being set up wherever they are needed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAN MCHUGH-SMITH: Our shelter is on the west side, but we're down south, we also opened up a temporary shelter on the east side so we could take in more animals when Tuesday's firestorm happened.
KAYE: And tell me about the operation. I think what you've done was such a smart move. You actually opened shelters right when the fires began.
MCHUGH-SMITH: That's right. Exactly a week ago on Saturday. We saw the smoke, our staff jumped into action, and we put together a temporary shelter at our current facility along with our homeless animals and the stray animals. But that's filled up in one day. So, immediately we got on the phone and were able to find donated space at an Expo Center on east side of town. We went into action there. We were able to set up a shelter for emergencies, and we were taking in 165 animals.
KAYE: And how many animals -- that's how many you've taken in already, or you're still taking in more?
MCHUGH-SMITH: Well, we've taken in over 300 animals total. About 145 at our facility on the west side, and then another 165 on the east side. So we've had over 300 animals in our care. And people have been so grateful that we've been able to help them during this difficult time.
KAYE: What kind of animals are you getting? Is it just the dogs and cats? MCHUGH-SMITH: It's a wide variety of animals. The majority are dogs and cats. But we've also taken in exotics. Big birds, small birds. We even got in chickens last night.
KAYE: Wow. Do you have enough ...
MCHUGH-SMITH: Yes.
KAYE: Do you have enough volunteers? I mean, how is it going in terms of staffing and taking care of these animals?
MCHUGH-SMITH: Well, we've been on 24/7 since the fire started. And luckily we have very dedicated volunteers who have been assisting our staff night and day to take care of these animals, to assist the families that are in dire need of knowing how their animals are. Yesterday, our animal law enforcement officers went up into these mandatory evacuation areas, and they were able to pull out 76 animals that were left behind.
KAYE: That's what I wanted to ask you. I mean, are most families dropping them off, or are they leaving in such a rush that they're just abandoning their animals not for lack of love, but just because they don't know what else to do?
MCHUGH-SMITH: It was such a rush, many people may not even have had a chance to get into their homes when the fire started. A lot of people brought them to us. But we have been concentrating in the last two days on having our officers go into these mandatory evacuated areas and pulling these animals out of their homes. Yesterday morning, I had a couple come in. They were crying, they were just distraught over their three cats that they had to leave behind. Luckily we were able to get into their home and save those animals.
KAYE: And how are the animals doing in general?
MCHUGH-SMITH: In general everybody's doing great. Our staff and volunteers have been doing really well taking care of them. We've had local veterinarians coming in and doing health checks every single day. It's very stressful in the emergency shelter because of the noise level. But we are working very hard to keep everybody comfortable. And hopefully reunite everyone with their pets as soon as possible.
KAYE: And is that the plan? I mean, you do expect that these people weren't dropping them off for good, right? You expect that they will be reclaimed?
MCHUGH-SMITH: Yes. The plan is to have everybody be reunited with their animals at some point. But obviously, with 347 homes being lost and many more being badly damaged, there are some animals that will be remaining probably in foster homes for the long term while those families try to get situated and back on their feet.
KAYE: Yeah. We're just -- so you know, as we're talking ,we're looking at these pictures of these dogs and cats and the animals that you're now sheltering. I'm curious, though, how long can this go on? Because the U.S. Forest Service says that, you know, it could be mid- July before this fire is under control. Can you afford to do this?
MCHUGH-SMITH: Well, we're seeking donations to help with the cost of caring for these animals. Our community has jumped in and been very supportive, helping us with crates, blankets, food from our food donations, from Hill's Science diet has been tremendous. So we have the basic necessities. At this point financial donations would help us with the long-term extended care we think we're going to have to provide for some of these animals.
KAYE: Well, I don't know how you could look at these pictures and not want to help -- and reach out to your group. Jan, thank you very much. I appreciate what you're doing, certainly to help save these animals.
MCHUGH-SMITH: Thank you very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: And speaking of animals, we're not the only ones trying to stay cool. Let's check out our smart little friend here (inaudible) Chicago. Parts of the country are baking this weekend, this guy has got it right. No question. All you need to know about the heat wave, coming up, in our next hour.
And here's a quick look at what's coming up on "Sanjay Gupta, M.D." in about half an hour.
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Randi, today we break down what the Supreme Court's decision means for your health. A lot of people have questions.
Also, when a woman struck with lupus couldn't find the support she needed, she started looking to other patients like herself.
And $5 doctor visits? They still exist, but where? We'll tell you about all of this coming up on "SGMD" at 11:30.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back, everyone. Here's a look at some of the big stories coming up in your week ahead. It sounds like the plot of a movie, but on Monday -- Monday, yeah, there we go. Monday, a group of road-tripping nuns arrives in D.C. They've been traveling across Middle America the last few weeks to protest Republican federal budget proposals that they say hurt the poor. Now, Wednesday, of course, that's a big day. It is the Fourth, Independence Day, the perfect day to watch fireworks. Now, conversely, it's probably the most hated day of the year by dogs. On Thursday, a big day for the president, he'll be hitting the road on his first bus tour of the general election campaign. He'll be visiting western Pennsylvania and northern Ohio. And the president may have had a big win last week with health care, but Friday's job report could be crucial to his re-election. Make sure to watch us here on CNN to get those numbers. And Saturday is the extradition deadline for Julian Assange. The WikiLeaks founder has been hiding out at the Ecuadorian embassy in London waiting to see if the South American country will grant him asylum. Thanks for starting your morning with us. We've got much more ahead on CNN's "Sunday Morning" which starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, this is CNN "Sunday Morning."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was a storm that obviously came upon us very quickly, without a great deal of notice.
KAYE: The storm that has left millions without power has now claimed 12 lives.
Temperatures are still in the triple digits. What could the blackout mean for your safety? Plus, an abortion-free state, a new law in Mississippi takes effect today. It could force the state's only remaining abortion clinic to close. And bankrupt, not a company, an entire city will tell you where and why it happened later this hour.
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. It is 7:00 on the East Coast, 4:00 a.m. on the West. Thanks for starting your morning with us. Happy Sunday.
We start in Colorado where firefighters gained a little ground on a fast-moving wildfire near Colorado Springs. The Waldo Canyon fire is now 45 percent contained. That's up from 25 percent at this hour yesterday.
Still, the fire has destroyed nearly 350 homes, thousands of homes are still being threatened. We'll take you there live in just a couple of minutes.
Now to the strong storms that knocked out power to millions. At least 12 deaths are being blamed on the storms. Those deaths caused mostly by falling trees and some power lines.
Athena Jones is live in Fairfax County, Virginia, this.
Virginia is one of three states declaring emergency. Athena, do we know how many people are still without power there?
ATHENA JONES, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
Well, hundreds of thousands of people are without power still in Virginia and across the D.C. metro area. We're in Springfield, which is just outside of Washington, D.C.
If you look behind me, you see an example of why so many people still don't have power. This is a major series of lines delivering power to the homes and businesses around here. You can see a large tree fell along these lines, bringing many of them down. Actually it killed a 27-year-old man on Friday night who was in his car when the tree fell on it. You can see here the transformer came down when the utility pole it was on snapped into three pieces.
So, this is an example at what the workers are confronting as they try to get the power back on. We've seen utility workers out this morning at work, early this morning on the way here.
Across Virginia, the latest numbers, 477,000 people still without power. That's way down from the million or so immediately after the storm. So, progress is being made. And one more number in Maryland, 350,000 people are without power in the Washington, D.C, and area around Washington, D.C.
So, a lot of work still to be done, Randi.
KAYE: Yes. And certainly a lot of questions about the cleanup. How is that going?
JONES: Well, in some areas, it's happening rather quickly. In others, not so much. I mean, there's a lot to be done, as you can see behind me. But yesterday in Rockville, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C., on the other side, there were already people out clearing some of the debris, putting trees and chopping them down and clearing the way. So, it's going to depend on where you are.
The real issue here for many people who are still without power is going to be the fact that we're expected to reach 100 degrees once again, not counting the heat index. So, it's not too hot just yet, but it's very early, Randi.
KAYE: Athena Jones, thank you very much for the update from there.
One of the biggest problems for the millions without power is, of course, the heat. Imagine no air conditioning with temperatures hitting 100 degrees.
Meteorologist Karen Maginnis is here this morning with an update on what we can all expect. Any relief?
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No. That's the short answer. We're going to see just a little bit as we go into the next three days -- three to four days. Some areas though are going to swing upward.
Look at the forecast coming up for this afternoon. Minneapolis expecting about 92 degrees. New Orleans, 94. Take a look at Atlanta, Georgia. Expected high temperature once again, sizzling at 104 degrees.
Well, coming up in the forecast. Here's the temperature trend for Atlanta, downward, 104 today. By Wednesday, about 91. Is that going to feel different? Probably. But significantly not so much.
Take a look at St. Louis. They go from triple digits down a little by Wednesday. We're back up to 102 degrees. Louisville, Kentucky, pretty much staying in the mid to upper 90s. today,. Washington, D.C., sizzling.
A lot of those people, a million without power. It is going to be insufferable. Make sure you check on the elderly. Also for animal, make sure you have extra water for them, someplace where they're in the shade or indoors.
Take a look at these temperatures we saw on Saturday. Record high readings from Columbia, South Carolina, with a sizzling h 109 degrees. Athens, Georgia, yesterday was 107. The day before 109 degrees. It was also 109 degrees in Nashville, Tennessee. Athens, Georgia, Atlanta, Evansville, everybody in extreme heat with indices making it feel like 115 degrees, up to 115 degrees.
Randi, that's the heat and the humidity in these orange and pink shaded areas. That means the heat is on. And it looks like no significant relief in the next couple of days.
KAYE: That is not what we wanted to hear.
Karen, thank you very much, though.
Crews have been busy clearing trees from the famed Congressional Country Club just outside of Washington. A storm tore through the course late Friday night, toppling about 40 trees. That forced organizers to delay the start of the third round of the AT&T national tournament by almost six hours yesterday. Fans also weren't allowed on the course because of safety concerns.
But the weather didn't stop Tiger. Tiger woods made his way up the leader board and is tied for second, going into the final round today.
And at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Nebraska, Michael Phelps proved once again why he is the king of the pool. The big question was if Phelps could beat his rival, Ryan Lochte. Well, he did. Phelps won the 200-meter individual medley and qualified for today's final in the 100-meter butterfly.
But another swimmer likely has some mixed emotions this morning. Just hours ago, endurance swimmer Penny Palfrey gave up her quest to swim from Cuba to the Florida Keys. She broke the record that she set for the longest unassisted swim.
The 49-year-old grandmother swam more than 86 miles. It was just it 20 miles more to land. Her team says she had to be pulled out of the water because a strong current made it impossible to continue.
Victims of the Colorado fires now finding ways to help their neighbors, even as they mourn the loss of their own homes. We'll take you live to Colorado Springs.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back.
Let's get back to the fires in Colorado. Thousands of people have been forced from their homes near Colorado Springs. Today, some of them will get the chance to go back. A bus tour will actually take them through the burned out neighborhoods to see what's left of their homes.
Rob Marciano is in Colorado Springs.
Rob, tell us a little about what those evacuated families are dealing with and going through right now.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, they've been dealing with waiting for one thing. They've been dealing with having to see pictures of their homes and neighborhoods and guess whether or not their homes are OK. Most of them have -- don't know whether or not their homes have been destroyed. You mentioned they're going on bus tours later on. They won't be able to get out because it's still an active fire zone.
But we're outside a huge church, a huge church is giving away hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stuff. We ran into a bunch of evacuees. One evacuated family actually volunteering here while they're staying at somebody else's house. That's kind of how the community's coming together.
This video of five-daytime collapse has been running. It's pretty striking stuff showing life cycle of it and the wife and mother of this family spoke about that and what it's being like being an evacuated victim.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER BRUMM, EVACUEE: Saw the time lapse video last night of what's been going on since Saturday. And I've just been like a mess because those are people's lives. And we're watching it, and so yes, my heart goes out to them.
And that night as -- from our friends' house in (INAUDIBLE), we could see the flames on the mountain. And we really didn't know if we'd have a house the next morning or not -- really whether we had a house or not, we were going to be OK. We were together, we're safe. And there's more important things than your stuff.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: We are standing outside that church this morning, one of many churches that will be holding special Sunday services in honor of the victims and what this town is going through.
Forty-five percent containment as you mentioned earlier. So, they've got a fairly good handle on it still, over 10,000 people will remain evacuated until further notice because the fire is still close --
KAYE: Yes.
MARCIANO: -- to these communities, Randi.
KAYE: And, Rob, last hour, you mentioned that people are being warned about bears. I need to know more about this.
MARCIANO: Yes. I mean, you know, there's all sorts of reasons why they're not letting people back. One, they're too close to the fire. But one thing you don't think about are utilities. You know, water, gas leaks, electricity, that all has to be restored before people can even go back to neighborhoods that are fine. But, yes, there's been reports of block bears invading some of the neighborhoods that are OK. Obviously, their habitat's been burned. Their food source has burned. They're probably confused. So, now, they're filtering back into communities.
And that's one more reason that people can't go back just yet. They're trying to figure out how to deal with that in a humane way, getting back to where they need to be. But a lot of their forest is now gone.
KAYE: And have you been able to follow up on reports that some of these homes that have been evacuated were actually burglarized?
MARCIANO: Yes. There was some 20 or 22 reports of burglary. A couple of people have been taken into custody. I think a lot of that happened early on in the chaos. The blockades that have been put up since then have been pretty strict.
But unfortunately, that kind of happens in disasters across the country. There's always a few bad apples that take advantage. On this Sunday morning, folks here certainly won't be thinking of that. They'll be thinking about the community coming together and trying to move forward now a week into the disaster.
KAYE: Yes, that's certainly good news and good news that they are making some real progress there.
Rob Marciano, thank you very much.
Flat broke at city hall.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The decisions that you're making tonight are effectively throwing a grenade in my life and destroying everything that I've worked for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: What bankruptcy means for an entire city in California.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Bankrupt, dirt poor, on the rocks -- whatever you call it, Stockton, California, has filed for Chapter 9, making it the largest city in U.S. history to do so. The city of nearly 300,000 is hundreds of millions of dollars in debt, and the mayor says that she sees no other solution to the problem.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's heart wrenching t think about the implications for all of you sitting in these chambers. Unfortunately, we're running out of cash.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Definitely not a good situation.
Clyde Anderson is here with us this morning to talk about this.
So, exactly how much money are we talking about?
CLYDE ANDERSON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, you know, different their have been different reports. We're looking at around $500 million to near the billion-dollar mark. So, a lot of money, a lot of debt. They're listing the city's assets somewhere around a billion dollars. So, a billion dollars in debt, assets, you're pretty much a wash.
KAYE: Yes.
ANDERSON: They've got a lot of contracts out there, a lot of these union contracts. Big pension accounts. And a lot of people with big health care plans that have retired now. So now they're looking at cutting contracts to go ahead and even out the budget a little bit.
KAYE: So, the retirees aren't going to get their pensions and their health care benefits and all of that?
ANDERSON: That's what's on the table right now, what they're looking at. They have to cut some of the large contracts that they have in place to reduce that debt.
KAYE: So, when Stockton was doing well, talk about going from boom to bust, right, they were pretty -- they were living pretty high. What exactly caused this? I mean, how did they get here?
ANDERSON: Well, you can look at a lot of things. One thing you can look at from the standpoint of doing things as far as investing in things that may not have had a return. Things that cost them a lot -- new centers and new things and construction, building. But also you had the housing boom that, you know, the crash, the recession after the boom.
So now you've got taxes that hurt a lot of people for the most part. With all the foreclosures, people aren't having property taxes. That was big hit to the budget from that stand point and then you've got large pensions and these large contracts that you're paying union employees. That's hurting, as well.
So, when you have all these things mixed with the recession and what happened, you've just got a recipe for destruction at that point.
KAYE: Yes. And Stockton apparently didn't put money away. They didn't have that rainy day fund for the retirees and all of these other benefits. ANDERSON: Like a lot of other Americans.
KAYE: Exactly, exactly.
So, could this happen, though, in other cities?
ANDERSON: Yes, it can happen and has happened in other cities.
We have Vallejo, California. We had Jefferson County in Alabama. And that was probably the next largest that we've seen in history. So, it can happen, especially in this type of economy.
So if the city hasn't prepared, they haven't done due diligence and things they need to like saving, like cutting spending, not necessarily vesting in a stadium and things like where it wasn't necessary or they don't have a plan to get the return, you can see it happening.
Now we're seeing people get the idea that we need to cut some of these big contracts. We need to make sure that we don't have these big health care plans that -- it's going to actually be damaging to a lot of people as far as city workers.
KAYE: Right.
ANDERSON: People that want to go to see a city, you know? Who want to live in the city where the police department has been cut, or the fire department's being cut?
KAYE: Right, which is a big safety concern. But a lot of people, no surprise, they're not happy about. This listen to what one guy told the city council.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have appointed you and we put our faith and trust in you. You have disappointed us and let us down. The world is watching, thank God. So, they can see that we are victims of a society that's failing us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: So, you listen to that. I mean, it's not surprising, but is there anything that citizens can do to prepare for something like this?
ANDERSON: Well, he's right. The citizens really didn't do anything. I mean, you think about it -- you do your job, you work every day, you pay your taxes, you think you're doing what you're supposed to do. So, from that standpoint, you as a citizen can't do anything. It's not something that the citizens necessarily did. It was people that were running the city and how they manage the city.
KAYE: So, can any of these cities recover?
ANDERSON: Yes. There's always a recovery, but how long is the question. It was bankruptcy. Chapter 9 is really kind of a pause button, so they can get out of debt that they were entitled to pay or were entitled to pay. They can start, push pause, a lot of these creditors just won't get paid.
A lot of these contracts can be renegotiated. They don't have to carry through with them. So, at that stand point, you know, you look at it, it's going to be hard for recovery, because who wants to move to a city with prices like this?
KAYE: Right. Certainly not a whole lot of folks. Clyde, nice to see you.
ANDERSON: Pleasure to be here. Thank you, Randi.
KAYE: Thank you.
California's not such a bad place to be today, with their temperatures topping out in the 70s. But the rest of us are running from a heat wave.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: One last check of stories that we're keeping an eye on for you today. Some of the 36,000 displaced residents in Colorado will have a chance to visit their homes today or what's left of them. Crews continue to battle the blaze that has destroyed nearly 350 homes in its path and killed (AUDIO BREAK). So, far it has consumed nearly 27 square miles and is 45 percent contained.
And if you have outdoor plans today, well, you might want to check the temperature before you head outside. Fourteen states have been issued excessive heat warning by the National Weather Service. Triple-digit temperatures are in the forecast again for many states that hit record highs yesterday.
And millions of people are still without power this morning after deadly storms that killed a dozen people. Hundreds of downed power lines, trees, and damaged homes have been left in the wake of this weekend's storms. Three states have declared emergencies -- Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio. Maryland now will likely do the same.
Imagine no air conditioning with temperatures hitting 100 degrees.
Meteorologist Karen Maginnis is here to tell us if there's any relief in sight.
MAGINNIS: And, Randi, it's misery for those folks. Here it is, the beginning of July, and we're looking at triple digits. That doesn't sound contradictory. But, in fact, these are exceptionally hot temperatures. We've shown you this graphic over the last couple of days. The high temperatures are in the mid to upper 90s to the low 100s.
We were looking at similar temperatures in Atlanta as we were looking in the Desert Southwest. Just about 105 for Atlanta. Well, take a look all the way from St. Louis through Nashville, to Memphis, extending from Birmingham and Atlanta, as well for Charleston, South Carolina, and Charlotte, North Carolina.
(AUDIO BREAK) for the day. But then we think the temperatures are going to be knock down just a few degrees. But look all the way at Minneapolis, 92 degrees in store for them, 99 in Kansas City. And along a frontal boundary through the Ohio River Valley, we might expect a couple of storms to pop up along that boundary. Just kind of moving through north and to the south just a little bit.
Well, for Atlanta, triple digits and we'll make it down midweek to the low 90s. A little bit of relief, but that was a widespread area impacted by the huge storm. We're keeping those temperatures hot in Raleigh, in Louisville, Washington, D.C., Memphis, St. Louis, Chicago. I think your tempera actually get bumped up a little bit.
How about Columbia, South Carolina? Yesterday, record high 109 degrees. Comparable to Phoenix, Arizona.
Atlanta, 106. Evansville, Indiana, 106 degrees. Well, for tomorrow, Chicago, 94 expected. Denver, 99. We do have red flag warning for the critical area.
The Waldo Fire in Colorado Springs, Randi, could see some gusty winds expected there for the rest of the day.
KAYE: All right. Karen Maginnis, thank you for the update.
Well, Mississippi as we've been telling you this morning could soon be without any abortion clinics at all. A new law that takes effect today may force the state's only abortion clinic to close its doors.
Now, earlier this morning I asked for your thoughts on a law which would among other things require doctors at clinics to also have privileges at hospital. So, what do you think? Is it too harsh, or is it more about politics than women's health?
Joseph Hale tweeted, "I feel the new abortion law is all about politics. Strange how this happens just after Obamacare is passed."
And this tweet from Zuri Rush, "As a lifetime resident, it is clear the ideologies of ancient times exist in the culture and politics of Mississippi."
And on the other side, Robert Barrett says this, "It's about stopping killing babies with heartbeats. Living human beings."
So, certainly keep the tweets coming. There were a lot of them, a lot of strong opinions on this issue. We're actually going to speak to an abortion doctor coming up in our 8:00 hour and get his thoughts on this story.
But you can find me on Twitter, weigh in, I'd love to read some comments. You can find me there, @RandiKayeCNN.
I'll be back with more headlines at the top of the hour.
"SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." starts right now.
