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CNN Saturday Morning News

Millions Lose Power; Hundreds of Homes Destroyed; Flight Attendant Loses Cool; Wildfires Torching Colorado; Mean Girls Aren't Cool; Devastating Fires in Colorado; Interview with Cyndi Lauper

Aired June 30, 2012 - 11:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. It is 11:00 on the East Coast, 8:00 out West. A violent storm system leaves millions without power as a dangerous heat wave scorches the central and eastern U.S.

Parts of Colorado on fire 17,000 acres burned, more than 300 homes destroyed and now two dead. Will firefighters get any help from the weather?

Plus, it's high anxiety on board a passenger jet when a frustrated flight attendant starts yelling over the intercom, and it is all caught on video.

Three major stories we are watching right now. Record heat, millions without power and a massive wildfire in Colorado. We've got it all covered.

Rob Marciano is in Colorado Springs, meteorologist Karen Maginnis is watching the heat and Athena Jones is keeping an eye on the outages on the East Coast, which could be a very dangerous combination with the heat for people hours from now.

This all after a violent line of thunderstorms swept across the East Coast. You're looking at the fierce winds and heavy rains that pounded Indiana. And in Virginia, falling trees killed two people and over a million people are without power. There are widespread outages from Indiana to New Jersey.

Athena Jones is in Rockville, Maryland this morning, where the power is out and triple-digit temperatures are expected. Athena, what kind of progress are crews making to try and get this power back on?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Randi. It's happening slowly but surely. The utility companies tell us that their workers are out assessing the damage. They can't yet give estimates on how long it's going to take them to restore power to people around here.

In this county in Rockville, Maryland, Montgomery County, about 200,000 people are without power. That's about two-thirds of the customers around here, and it's going to be difficult for these crews to get out and assess this damage and get the power up and running. They say that the first places they're going to hit are going to be critical infrastructure points like hospitals, fire stations, police stations, water filtration plants.

Some of the businesses behind me got power back just a short while ago, but some of the folks around here living in the houses around here say they're still without power and they're still concerned. One gentleman I spoke with said that he's going to have to move his sister who just had a serious operation to a location that actually has working air conditioning so that she can survive this day where we expect the numbers to reach really high.

I can tell you a few other things anecdotally. People have told us that they weren't able to sleep last night because of the heat with the power out. I can tell you that some jurisdictions around here are having problems with their 911 calling systems like in Fairfax, Virginia which is just outside of Washington, D.C., in northern Virginia on the other side.

So a lot going on around here as workers try to get out and quickly restore this power safely and securely -- Poppy.

KAYE: And tell me, Athena, it's actually Randi speaking with you, Poppy is coming up on the next hour.

JONES: I'm sorry.

KAYE: But it's supposed to get over to 100 degrees there today. Are there fears that this heat is just going to be too much? And are people going to make use of these cooling stations there?

JONES: Well, that's the key issue here. As you know, this heat wave is continuing, is expecting to continue over the next several days. Temperatures are expected to top 100 degrees in this area.

I can tell you that in Washington, D.C., the metropolitan police are opening cooling centers. They're also extending pool hours, public pool hours. They're opening emergency centers for the homeless and for senior citizens.

Here in Rockville, I spoke to Montgomery county officials here. They said that, in general, the residents here are usually able to make their way to a shopping center or a library, a place that has a generator that can provide power, and therefore, air conditioning. And so, they're going to continue to make assessments as the day goes forward and gets hotter, frankly, and figure out if they're going to have to open some of these cooling stations.

But that's certainly the key issue here. A lot of the -- the people we've talked to, that's their main concern is staying cool today -- Randi.

KAYE: All right, Athena Jones, thank you very much.

And now to Colorado and the deadly wildfire near Colorado Springs. The Waldo Canyon fire has killed two people and destroyed nearly 350 homes. Thousands more are threatened. Rob Marciano is in Colorado Springs.

Rob, any relief today for firefighters, do you think?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, we're hoping for winds that won't be as erratic as they have been in past days. That's certainly what helped them. It's helped them for the past day and a half. Containment lines are about 30 percent now, so that's -- that is a slow improvement.

Sunshine will bake down on these mountains you see behind me. It's not very smoky or fiery right now, but throughout the afternoon as temperatures heat up, those fires will become more active and you'll see plumes of smoke.

There are neighborhoods they're still protecting. There are still tens of thousands of people that are still evacuated because this is still an active fire zone, even though folks who have been evacuated so badly want to at least go back and look at their homes.

The fire-fighting effort continues, as you would imagine now that the sun is up, the air assault will begin once again. We are a stone's throw from the airfield at the Air Force Academy where helicopters are taking off and landing there. And some amazing pictures that we got yesterday, both stills and video of what it's like to look underneath one of those air cranes that has the -- the nozzle and the snorkel to suck up and dump 2,000 or 3,000 of water -- gallons of waters or fire retardant on top of these fires.

I did catch up with one of the pilots and specifically asked him, you know, what are some of the challenges and struggles that he's dealing with, with this fire?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO (voice-over): This thing looks funny. I mean, it looks like an elephant sucking up water.

HELICOPTER PILOT: It just does a good job. It -- we can (inaudible) 18 inches of water, so I can lift out of just about any source, and it's been swimming pools to small creeks, streams, and stuff like that. So weather (ph) retardant tanks those are real nice to have on the fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: And what he also said was when he -- when he has that full tank of over 2,000 gallons of water and he tries to get up and over those -- that 10,000-foot ridge, that is a struggle, that is difficult to manage, especially when the winds get gusty like they were in the very beginning of this fire.

This has become a huge story, Randi. As you know, the President was here yesterday encouraging firefighters and talking to evacuees who tomorrow will finally, some of them at least, will be able to at least look at their neighborhoods. They'll get about 3,000 or 4,000 people over the next two days on to buses and let them get a visual tour. They won't be able to get out of the buses because those same neighborhoods are still in the active fire zone. So this is a bit unprecedented, certainly unusual to get a fire to come down out of the mountains and get into the city limits of a city as large as Colorado Springs, Randi and that itself has posed a number of problems here.

KAYE: Yes.

MARCIANO: Back to you.

KAYE: I'm sure, just trying to get a handle on that is a tough one. Rob Marciano, thank you.

And to find out more about how you can help those affected by the wildfires, go to CNN.com/impact. You'll find organizations that are working with the victims and ways that you can help. Once again, it's CNN.com/impact.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will not face criminal prosecution in the "Fast and Furious" case. Holder was held in contempt of Congress Thursday for not turning over documents from the failed gun- tracking sting in Mexico. Legal experts say the President's assertion of executive privilege in the case protects Holder from prosecution.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and several other world diplomats are meeting in Geneva today to discuss how to end the violence in Syria. Russia and China have yet to agree to a plan for a transitional government, but special U.N. Envoy Kofi Annan says he hopes there will be quote, "an appropriate outcome." Meanwhile, the bloodshed in Syria continues with activists saying at least 33 people were killed today.

An historic day for Egypt. Mohamed Morsi, seen here in the middle, was sworn in as Egypt's first democratically-elected president. The ceremony took place amid tight security and was overseen by Egypt's military rulers. Morsi promised to respect the Constitution and look after the interests of the people.

Passengers aboard an American Airlines commuter jet couldn't believe their ears when they heard this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you have balls (ph) --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you have balls? Is that what he said?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is your time. Otherwise, you're going to have to fly with Jose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Very, very strange. We'll tell you what led to this bizarre rant.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Many of us have spent time sitting on an aircraft waiting for it to take off. It can get claustrophobic, no question and sometimes just plain frustrating. But when thunderstorms held up an American Eagle jet, it was the flight attendant who lost his cool.

Mary Snow picks up the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On a flight that was delayed for several hours and never got off the ground, an American Eagle flight attendant loses his cool, taking it out on passengers.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't want to hear anything. We will not hear anything. Once we close the door. So --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you getting the sound on that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So if you have balls --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you have balls? Is that what he said?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is your time. Otherwise, you're going to have to fly with Jose.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

SNOW: What's not on the tape, passengers describe the flight attendant also saying something about this being his last flight. David Abels who is with his 9-year-old daughter --

DAVID ABELS, AMERICAN EAGLE PASSENGER: Well, people were shocked. And then, you know, bravely, some people got up and walked out, and I wish I could have, but I had to get my daughter home to her mother, you know? And yes, she was frightened, the kids were crying.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP):

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This guy is the one doing it. He ranted out multiple people in this aircraft.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

SNOW: This is what it looked like when the flight attendant confronted passengers after he made his announcement. By then, American Eagle flight 4607 had been delayed for about five hours. It was supposed to go from New York to Raleigh, North Carolina. Rain prevented passengers from even boarding until several hours after the flight was scheduled to leave. Once on the runway, there were more delays, and then the plane had to turn back to refuel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unfortunately, our hands are tied. We cannot leave until that -- that release is obtained.

SNOW: Passengers deplaned, and by the time they got back on, things came to a boiling point. Police were called. But passenger Jon Wurster, who was sitting in first class, says it wasn't just the flight attendant to blame. He faults passengers as well.

JON WURSTER, AMERICAN EAGLE PASSENGER: I did feel some of the passengers overreacted.

SNOW (on camera): How so?

WURSTER: I didn't feel any kind of threat coming from him. I felt when he went to the back of the plane -- you know, you've got to remember, this is one guy against, you know, 100 or so. And yes, he -- he by no means chose his words properly, and so, he -- he's definitely at fault, and I think some of the passengers are also.

SNOW (voice-over): Not something David Abels agrees with.

ABELS: For any passenger who was on that plane to say it was the passengers' fault -- it was the flight attendant, the captain, they're supposed to reassure everybody and calm everybody. Do you think he did that?

SNOW: As for American Airlines, it apologized, saying "We do not believe that the passengers' frustrations were met with the level of service that we expect from our people, and for that, we are truly sorry."

(on camera): Police made no arrests, and the flight wound up being canceled. We did try to reach out to the flight attendant through the airline. The airline says the incident is under review and that it doesn't discuss personnel matters. And the FAA says it, too, is investigating.

Mary Snow, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: The wildfires continue to rage in Colorado. We'll talk with a photographer on the ground who's getting some dramatic pictures at this massive destruction.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Those are some incredible photographs of what's happening in Colorado. It is really hard to gauge the destruction of Colorado's massive wildfires unless you're there on the ground to see it for yourself.

So, take a look at these pictures taken by a Denver-based photographer. He has been risking his safety to share these incredible images.

Trevor Brown joins us live now from Denver, Colorado, where you are on safe ground this morning. These are incredible pictures, some intense pictures that you've witnessed some really terrifying moments this week as well. Any particular situation for you, Trevor, that really stands out?

TREVOR BROWN, PHOTOGRAPHER: Well, Tuesday, when the fire rolled down the mountain into the Mountain Shadows neighborhood was particularly terrifying. Just, I was standing there by the Loafing Jug that's at about 30th Street and Garden of the Gods road. And seeing the fire come down the mountain as the helicopters were going back and forth from a nearby reservoir to dump water on houses and to protect the structures was just, it was something like I've never seen anything like it before in my life.

KAYE: We have been showing some of your pictures, but let's look at one in particular. And as you look at it with me, tell me what was going on here. We see the helicopter in the road really just black out. I mean, how difficult is it to get around in something like that?

BROWN: They do have a lot of road blocks set up. You know, they obviously don't want you getting anywhere near the fire. So, just about anywhere you try to go to get a good shot of it, they are there to stop you.

KAYE: Let's look at another one. Obviously, there's been a lot of coverage of this story, but in one particular picture, there are crowds of people taking in this unbelievable sight. Does it surprise you that they will stick around and take this all in?

BROWN: Yes, there was definitely a lot of people who were curious and wanted to see it. When I was at the intersection of 30th and Garden of the Gods, there was a lot of people there watching what was going on. But as soon as the fire started coming down the mountain, you could see that there's definitely some urgency in the air and people started getting out of there because the smoke was getting so bad.

KAYE: How close were you actually able to get to the fire and the smoke?

BROWN: As it came down the mountain, I was right there. It got to the point where the smoke was so thick that I just decided to leave because my eyes were burning, my throat was burning, I was having trouble breathing, because it was just billowing right at us. All of a sudden, it was literally 60-mile-an-hour winds coming right in our face.

KAYE: Do you know anyone who's lost their home? Do you have friends or family in that area?

BROWN: I don't. I know some people who live down there who are in evacuation areas, but as of this time, I don't know anybody who's lost their home.

KAYE: Our thanks to Denver photographer Trevor Brown for the insight and those amazing shots.

We're more aware than ever about the traumatic effects of bullying. I'll talk with a young victim of bullying who's doing some really creative work to make things better for others.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Mean girls aren't cool, it's true. And that's the name of a program and a Web site created by Kelsey Jackson, a college student who was bullied in high school. Her mission is to raise awareness about the problem and empower victims.

I was able to sit down with Kelsey as well as teacher Lori Thompson, and ask her about her work.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: How much of a difference is there between how girls bully or how girls are bullied versus the boys?

KELSEY JACKSON, FOUNDER, "MEAN GIRLS AREN'T COOL": Well, I think that girls are more psychological and emotionally bullied; while boys, you know, they can go outside or wherever, in the parking lot of school, get in a fight and be best friends the next five minutes. Girls, they could hold a grudge with somebody forever, and it just tears your self-confidence apart because it's, you know, more psychological rather than physical.

KAYE: Why do you think it's so important, Kelsey, to draw attention to those being bullied?

JACKSON: Because with girls, it's harder to recognize the bullying because they're secretive most of the time, and those victims, you know, are sometimes scared to reach out for help. And so, getting the education for people to acknowledge it and how to realize that somebody is being bullied is very important for schools.

KAYE: Kelsey, you were bullied when you were younger. Tell me about that and its impact on you.

JACKSON: It had a huge impact on me. I was bullied starting probably in the fourth grade. And you know, I never got to really eat at the same lunch table with the girls in my class, never got to go to spend- the-night parties. It was exclusion.

I had, you know, huge self-confidence before I was bullied, and because I was bullied, I just lost that completely. I turned shy, and it just really affected me. I would always go sit up in my room by myself, you know, and my parents always wondered what was going on because my grades dropped.

And you know, it took me a while to tell them because I was really scared. I was scared, you know, if I told somebody at the school or told my parents, I knew they would go to the school, and I figured you know, it would just get worse if I told somebody.

KAYE: Did you tell someone at the school? And if so, how did they respond?

JACKSON: I did after a while, and at first, you know, they just kind of brushed it off and they thought, well, it can't be her, she's my best student, you know, because she was a popular girl, and they just kind of brushed it off. They didn't figure it was her because they never saw it. It was always in the bathroom or outside or at lunch, you know, when the teachers aren't right there in your face in a classroom.

KAYE: And you started your own anti-bullying program.

JACKSON: I did.

KAYE: As a result of what happened. What's that about? Tell me.

JACKSON: It's just really, I go -- I started in the ninth grade, and I go to schools and I talk about my story. And I let the girls know I've been through this, I'm ok. You're going to be ok. And I really talk about things that I didn't do that I should have done that really helped.

I educate them on, you know, what to do, how to get through it, and sometimes I'd talk to teachers, me and my mom, a presentation together when we talk to adults and teachers about how to handle it in schools and things like that.

KAYE: And the name of the program is?

JACKSON: Mean girls aren't cool.

Ka: I love that. That is just the greatest name.

So, Lori, your play about bullying, Bullycide, it's very moving.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a play about bullying.

KAYE: Tell me briefly what it's about.

LORI THOMPSON, THE BULLYCIDE PROJECT: The Bullycide project is based on a book "Bullycide in America", compiled by Brenda High and set for mothers who have lost their son or daughter to suicide due to excessive bullying. And when I read the book, I could certainly hear the voice of the mother, but I could also hear the voice of their son or daughter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The lashing, the insults, and I didn't even know his name.

THOMPSON: And being a theater teacher, it became then for me, how can I go there to get there with my students? And that was then the premise for the Bullycide Project in taking these stories, bringing them back to life, so to speak, and educating young audiences who these people were.

KAYE: Kelsey, I know, while you're in town here in Atlanta, you've shot this music video, and also related to bullying. Tell me about that and who is involved with that.

JACKSON: That was awesome. That was my first music video, so it was a lot fun. The CNN Building is actually in the background, so that's cool. It was shot with a pop group "Remix" (ph). I grew up with them. They're from Mississippi as well. And we got a lot of people, kids, younger kids from Mississippi to come up. And the video is very powerful because it's called "Beautiful", and it's talking about you're beautiful no matter what people think, you know.

You don't have to look at the girls that are in the magazines and on TV to be them, you know. Just be yourself.

(MUSIC)

JACKSON: It was really powerful, and some of the kids that actually came up, they had been bullied before. So it was really great it was an awesome opportunity. I'm glad for it to come out.

KAYE: If there is a child who's watching this morning or a teenager or anybody who's being bullied right now at school and doesn't know what to do about it, or at camp this time of year, what's your advice to them?

JACKSON: My advice is something I didn't do for a long time, tell an adult. You have to. You can't go through this alone. Because you know, you're so scared.

And for friends, like, if you know anybody that is being bullied, stand up for them. They need your help. I know it's, you know, a very scary thing because you feel like, well, if I get involved, the bully might turn on me and bully me as well, but your friends really need you at this point. And so, just really tell an adult and take up for other people.

KAYE: Well, I think what both of you are doing is great, so thank you both.

JACKSON: Thank you.

THOMPSON: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: All of the devastation that the Colorado wildfires has created, it's not the worst tragedy four young brothers there have faced.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back. Top stories now. Millions without power on the East Coast after a violent line of thunderstorms swept through. You're looking at pictures from Indiana, where fierce winds and heavy rains pounded the state.

And in Virginia, falling trees killed two people and over a million people are without power. There are widespread outages from Indiana to New Jersey.

Firefighters in Colorado are making progress on a menacing wildfire that has killed two people. The Waldo Canyon fire is now 30 percent contained, but it has destroyed nearly 350 homes so far and thousands more are still threatened. Crews have been working around the clock to protect those homes.

All the devastation the Waldo Canyon fire has created, it is not the worst tragedy that four young brothers have faced. The Flowers boys lost their home this week and they now have to restart their lives for a second time. CNN's Jim Spellman explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For fire victims Susan Solage and her grandsons Justin, Connor, Brandon and Tyler, their pain and heartbreak began long before the flames hit their neighborhood. In the fall of 2010, Susan's daughter, Kim, the boys' mom, died in her sleep. Then just three months later, the boys' father, Nolan, died after a heart attack.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I spent a couple of months hiking them up, propping up their lives. I moved them here. Sorry.

SPELLMAN: Susan now had four grieving grandsons to take care of.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It kind of feels like sadness in my heart.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just miss them so much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most of the time, I think why me? But that's pretty much normal, because like, people that go through that think, because like, why me? Why does this happen to me?

SPELLMAN (on camera): Do you ever get an answer to that question?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, not really.

SPELLMAN (voice over): They managed as best they could.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's been a struggle. We've been in some counseling. We've gone up and down. But everyone's doing much better.

SPELLMAN: And then the fire came, forcing them to pack up what few things they could and head for safety.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And as we drove, we could see in our rearview mirrors the side of the hill just exploded. There had to be 40 fires, just bam!

SPELLMAN: Grandma's house was destroyed. The boys would have to start over yet again.

(on camera): Connor, tell me how all this makes you feel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like a little kid.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like a little kid, he says.

SPELLMAN: Does it feel better when you're sitting with your grandma? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

SPELLMAN (voice over): They gain strength from each other and a few special possessions.

(on camera): What was the most important thing you got?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably my mom and dad's blanket. It makes me feel safer.

SPELLMAN: What would you say to them if you just could have them back for one day?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love them so much.

SPELLMAN (voice-over): Susan says when she needs strength, she gets it from the boys, even when it's hard to make sense of what has happened. She's not sure if she'll rebuild in her old neighborhood, but she knows that no matter how uncertain their future, they'll take it on together.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can't just walk around feeling sorry for yourself. You've got a lot of people to consider, and if you fall apart, what's going to happen?

So, it's like, you know what? We're all together, we're safe and it's just stuff. And you know, we can replace it. We'll always have the memories.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: And if you'd like to help families left homeless by the Colorado wildfires, please head to cnn.com/impact. And there is where you will find ways that you can help out and contribute.

Karen Maginnis is joining me now. Karen, that was a tough story, wasn't it?

KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, it was.

KAYE: So, a lot of people there need a lot of help. I guess the question is, will firefighters in Colorado Springs get any help from the weather today?

MAGINNIS: It's going to be a variable situation. We're not going to see any dramatic change coming up in the next 24 hours. This is a view of Google Earth of where that fire is. Right now, this is Interstate 25. This is the area that has already consumed just about 18,000 acres. And it has moved over these 14,000-foot peaks, and it ballooned on Tuesday afternoon more than doubled in size. Well, this is what we're expecting as we go throughout the afternoon. And in the vicinity of Colorado Springs, that's where we're looking at just about a 20 percent chance of some showers, nothing very dramatic at all expected across this region. As a matter of fact, a lot of times, you get dry thunderstorms. That's what firefighters do not want to happen. But certainly, it is a possibility, at least, at least a small one, in the forecast.

Well, as we take a look at what happens as far as the heat is concerned across the Eastern seaboard, but not just there, we saw it all across the Ohio River Valley, towards the Mid-Atlantic. Nashville, all-time record high, 109 degrees. When typically, a high temperature would be around 90, maybe low 90s. Some more high temperatures, records set in Knoxville, Tennessee, at 102 degrees. Even Atlanta, Georgia, saw 104 for the afternoon on Friday. Well, we do have a number of areas that are forecasting those temperatures to stay fairly high over the next three to five days. The gradual trend is downward, but millions of people affected. An estimate is about 100 million people, Randi, across the United States that will see this insufferable heat continue throughout the weekend.

KAYE: That is about the last thing they want to hear. Karen Maginnis, thank you.

What's happening to the animals driven from their homes by the Colorado wildfires? I had a chance to talk earlier with Jan McHugh- Smith, 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 filled up in one day. So immediately, we got on the phone and we were able to find donated space at an Expo Center on the 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: But 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 happen ...

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 have even had a chance to get into their homes when the fires 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 the 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: Next, she is a punk rock icon with a new cause.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CYNDI LAUPER, ENTERTAINER & ACTIVIST: It's time for things to change. America's next generation ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: We'll tell you what's got Cyndi Lauper all fired up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAUPER: So they can stand on their own. Get informed, get involved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back. She is a longtime champion for gay rights, but now Grammy award-winning singer Cyndi Lauper is really fired up. She's just launched the Forty to None Project. It's a campaign to battle the growing number of homeless gay youth, and the statistics are staggering.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CYNDI LAUPER: In America, up to 1.6 million youth are homeless each year. Up to 40 percent of them identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. Most of them have been thrown out of their homes or run away out of fear and rejection. It's time for things to change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: I sat down with Cyndi and asked her why she got involved.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAUPER: The numbers, you know, of how many kids are homeless and the proportion of homeless kids on the street who identify as gay or transgender or that the general population, it's only three to five percent, but yet up to 40 percent identify as gay or transgender on the street. That's a little, you know, that was surprising, alarming to me. KAYE: So what ...

LAUPER: And also, because they're kids. And you know, even for a selfish thing, if you want to win in this world, and everybody's talking about, oh, we've got to do this and we've got to do that, and we've got to compete with the other countries, well, you can't throw a generation of kids away. That's our future, you know, and you don't know who the great idea is going to come out of.

KAYE: Absolutely.

LAUPER: So you've got to have your kids. You need legs, and legs are the people. You can't have an exclusive society and win. You want to win, you need inclusion and you need the strength of everybody to pitch in and make it happen, not half the people.

KAYE: So, what's the plan for Forty to None? Because obviously, this can't be fixed overnight. I know you have this five-year plan, but give me an idea of where you want to be in five years.

LAUPER: You want to have no kid on the street who is only on the street because they're gay or transgender. It's like throwing somebody out of your house because their hair is brown, and that's the education part. The thing is, is it's education. You have to know scientifically what the truth is, you know? So, I want to, well, not just me, my team, we want to -- we're going to educate the public and educate people, speak about it. We urge everyone to share your stories, speak, talk to each other. I'm going to advocate on behalf of the kids. I'm going to -- you know, a lot of these places that Gregory Lewis, who's the fellow that works for us that strong-armed this and went on the road for us, came back and said a lot of these places, they have great, you know, programs that actually work. So we wanted it -- we wanted to see the programs that actually work, the blueprints that work, and then help spread those blueprints, the ones that are working for the kids. And we found out from these providers that, one, they have no public support, and of course, the funding gets cut. But I don't know if a lot of people are aware of the centers, of the places, and they said nobody really talks about it. So, I figured, you know, I've got a big mouth, I don't mind.

So, what is your message to a gay or lesbian teen or youth who might be watching this morning, might be considering running away or might be dealing with rejection from their parents? What do you want to say to them?

LAUPER: Well, you know, hang in there, and there are people who are working for you. There is a future. Evolution takes time, but it will come. It will come. Step by step, it will come. And talk to your parents. Tell them you love them. You just explain to them. Go online, show them. Show them, educate them a little bit. You know, nobody ever reached out to them to help them. And if it's a bad situation, go online, and maybe there is services of people you could talk to that will help you. Go on 40tonone.org, www.40tonone.org, and you'll have a list of places and information that will help you.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KAYE: My conversation with Cyndi Lauper.

We're all sweltering under the brutal heat, and it's worse for those who are sick. Two groups in Tulsa, Oklahoma, are doing something extraordinary, though to help the ailing folks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: An intense heat wave is scorching many parts of the U.S. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, temperatures are hitting the 100 degree mark. But two groups are trying to help sick people to stay cool by distributing window air conditioning units. Dan Bewley of affiliate KOTV has that report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

DAN BEWLEY, KOTV CORRESPONDENT: The summer sun is pounding down on Tulsa. The view from Sky News 6 shows the heat and haze hovering across the city.

JIM LYALL, TULSA WEATHER COALITION: More people die in Oklahoma from hot weather than they do any other weather event.

BEWLEY: Jim Lyall is with the Tulsa Weather Coalition, the organization that has been distributing window air conditioning units to people throughout Tulsa. Since they started in May, 68 units have been delivered and installed. They expect to loan out around 150 by the end of September. Each one goes to a resident who does not have an air conditioner. And suffers from a health issue that gets aggravated in the heat.

LYALL: The air conditioner then becomes a health aid for them, almost more important than comfort, the health aid keeps their body temperature lower. And reduces the risk that they will be hospitalized or will die from the heat.

ERICK BELL, CATHOLIC CHARITIES: This brings refreshment to the family. And it can save lives.

BEWLEY: Catholic Charities is also leading a push to help residents in need. It's distributing fans and a/c units to people who are looking for a way to cool their homes. So far, Catholic Charities has handed out more than three dozen fans and air-conditioners. But, they say, the need is even greater.

BELL: We need a lot more than 30 or 40. We can probably easily give away triple that. We'll have that many requests the next several weeks.

BEWLEY: IMSA (ph) says those fans and AC units go a long way to protect residents. Anything to keep the air moving to keep the residents away from danger.

(END VIDEOTAPE) KAYE: That was Dan Bewley of affiliate KOTV. CNN "Newsroom" starts at the top of the hour. Poppy Harlow is here for that today. How are you?

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to be with you, Randi. Great to see you. I'm well. We have got a big show coming up. First we, of course, are going to address the historic health care ruling from the Supreme Court, our legal guys as every Saturday are here with us. Also a live report from Jackson, Mississippi, you know. Really interesting story. The first abortion clinic, the only abortion clinic in the state could close its doors on Monday due to a new law that's going to take effect on Sunday. We're going to have a live report from Jackson. An also, of course, a big focus on Syria. A lot more coming up on Syria. Thursday, 150 people were killed there. You've got talks going on in Geneva right now between Kofi Annan the special envoy to the U.N., Secretary Clinton and representatives from the five members of the U.N. Security Council. So we're going to focus on international news and also what's happening right here in the United States and, of course, as you've been doing all morning, this huge heat wave ...

KAYE: Yes.

HARLOW: And the fires in Colorado just devastating.

KAYE: Yeah, I'm just going to stay inside with you and stay cool all afternoon.

HARLOW: No tennis for you today.

KAYE: No. No tennis. I'm going to take it easy. All right, Poppy, we'll catch up with you just a couple of minutes.

HARLOW: All right.

KAYE: Most grandmothers wouldn't be planning to do this. But this courageous woman is trying to set a record by swimming from Cuba to Florida. We'll tell you how it's going.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: A marathon swimmer is attempting to swim from Cuba to Florida. What makes her try even more remarkable is that she is 49 years old and she's a grandmother. This morning she was already half way to her destination. Patrick Oppmann was with her Friday when she started out from Havana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a beautiful morning in Havana.

PENNY PALFREY, SWIMMER: So you got me on Monday.

OPPMANN: You couldn't blame Penny Palfrey for slathering on the sun block or for the butterflies in her stomach.

PALFREY: Good morning. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, good morning, how are you feeling?

PALFREY: Excited, nervous. Beautiful day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nice day for a swim.

OPPMANN: The swim, if Palfrey completes it, will take her from Cuba to the Florida Keys. And it would break Palfrey's own record for the longest unassisted swim. No flippers, no wet suit. And here's the really crazy part, no shark cage. Before leaving, Palfrey told reporters she was as ready as she could be.

PALFREY: It's a really big challenge to swim 103 miles. (inaudible). I expect it to be very challenging.

OPPMANN: Challenging may be an understatement. Last year, endurance swimmer Diana Nyad tried twice to cross the straits, but was stopped by asthma and jellyfish attacks. In 1997, 22-year-old Australian Susie Maroney completed the epic swim, but from the safety of a shark cage. Palfrey will be much more exposed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How will you stay safe?

PALFREY: This is the shark tooth (ph) here. I have four of these devices. They actually last four to six hours. And we attach these to the kayaker and the boat. And they emit an electric pulse (ph) in the water, which we -- a shark comes to the (inaudible), it ticks up their sensors on the snout. It doesn't harm them at all. They don't like it and they swim away.

OPPMANN: What worries Palfrey the most are not the sharks, but the weather conditions, which for the moment are cooperating.

Palfrey will be traveling in the wake of Tropical Storm Debbie, which she says should make way for smooth seas. And if all goes well, she will emerge from the waters in the Florida Keys after 40 to 60 hours of swimming. Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: That is one brave grandma, wouldn't you say?

HARLOW: I was saying I'm scared to get even halfway in the ocean.

KAYE: I hear you on that one. Well, that will do it for me today. CNN NEWSROOM continues with Poppy Harlow.