life. >> wow. cnn legal analyst kelly phelps. thank you so much. and "early start" continues and "early start" continues right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com apologetic but on the attack. donald sterling lashing out at magic johnson. the l.a. clippers owner was trying to explain the racist remarks that got him banned into the nba, but instead launched into a tirade by why children shouldn't look up to magic. that's ahead. the search is intensifying for the hundreds of nigerian girls kidnapped from their school by armed militants. u.s. investigators are flying manned missions over the country, of course, hoping to track down the terrorists and find the girls. we're live with what's happening right now. and ukraine on the brink of breaking into pieces. eastern provinces having declared independence now asking to join russia, but is that what the majority of the people there really want? we are live on the ground with the very latest. good morning, everyone.

so glad you could start your day with us. "early start." i'm deborah feyerick. >> i'm victor blackwell. good to be with you this morning, tuesday, may 13th, 5:00 a.m. in east. we're starting this morning with donald sterling and the shocking, new comments made during this anderson cooper interview, an exclusive interview. sterling is apologizing for the racial ly charged remarks that got him banned from the nba for life, but also is blasting magic johnson, the very person he was talking about when he told v. stiviano she shouldn't be seen with black people. listen to part of what sterling said. >> i embarrassed the league. i humiliated them. i don't know how -- why i did it. i mean, it's so terrible. and i -- >> so, you don't believe, though, that the owners would vote to have you removed as owner? >> i don't think so. the players don't hate me. the sponsors don't hate me. >> you don't believe the players -- >> the fans don't hate me. the media hates. the media. it's all the media pushing it. >> honestly? you really believe that this is

just the media? >> i believe it 100%. i believe it 100%. people call me by the thousands and give me support. >> magic johnson, you know, has made a public comment. do you have something to say to him? >> what can i say to him? it doesn't matter. here is a man who -- i don't know if i say this -- he acts so holy. i mean, he made love to every girl in every city in america and he had aids. and when he had those aids, i went to my synagogue and i prayed for him. i hoped he could live and be well. i didn't criticize him. i could have. is he an example for children? what has he done, can you tell me? big magic johnson. what has he done? >> well, he's a businessperson, he -- >> he's got aids. did he do any business? did he help anybody in south l.a. some. >> well, i think he has hiv. he doesn't have full-blown aids.

>> well, what kind of guy goes to every city, makes love to every girl and then catches hiv? is that someone we want to respect and tell our kids about? i think he should be ashamed of himself. i think he should go into the background. but what does he do for the black people? he doesn't do anything. >> a lot of reaction to that also, including nba commissioner adam silver. we've got the response, a statement here. he writes, "i'm just reading a transcript of donald sterling's interview with anderson cooper, and while magic johnson doesn't need me to, i feel compelled on behalf of the nba family to apologize to him that he continues to be dragged into this situation and be degraded by such a malicious and personal attack. the nba board of governors is continuing with its process to remove mr. sterling as expeditiously as possible." now, magic johnson, for his part, tweeted overnight that he'd rather be talking about the nba playoffs than donald sterling's interview, but we will hear magic johnson in his

own words tonight on "ac360." he's sitting down with anderson cooper for an exclusive interview, tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern here on cnn. and this morning, ukraine's interim prime minister is in brussels holding talks with european officials over what's next now that separatists say two provinces have voted to leave ukraine and annex their region with russia. but it comes as a new poll conducted for cnn finds that most ukrainians feel more loyal to europe than they do russia, and actually, approve of sanctions against vladimir putin's allies. atika shubert is live in donetsk, ukraine, right now. and atika, there is going to be another referendum in a couple of weeks, a presidential referendum. is that going to trump this particular vote, or have they now become completely separate? >> reporter: well, as far as the self-dlanld donetsk people's republic is concern, they consider this area now completely independence of ukraine, but of course, kiev doesn't see it that way, and

kiev believes that the general election on may 25th is the only way to resolve this crisis, so they're going to push ahead with the vote. but it's not clear, and it seems impossible to hold a vote under these conditions here. the regional administration building, which would normally be the hub of any vote, is now under barbed wire and barricades, taken over by masked men carrying arms. and there's checkpoints all across this region set up by pro-russian groups and ukrainian troops driving from here to another city can take hours longer now. so, in terms of actually getting a vote out on may 25th, it seems virtually impossible, but kiev says that's the only way to move ahead. >> it's fascinating, because what you have there is, essentially, a hostile takeover by these pro-russian rebels. a lot of the rest of the world considers this vote illegitim e illegitimate. what is vladimir putin doing? has he accepted the fact that this area and another province also wants to be annexed? they were able to annex crimea.

>> reporter: well, that's exactly it. crimea is the precedent, and that happened very quickly, very smoothly. they had a vote on the referendum, a few days later a vote to join russia that was quickly accepted. that's not the case here. here, the donetsk people's republic has declared independence and have put out an appeal to join the russian federation. but the answer has been nothing from moscow that we've seen so far. the kremlin has said they accepted the preliminary results. they were happy to see the referendum going ahead without much violence. but they haven't said whether or not they're going to accept donetsk and luhansk, these two portions of eastern ukraine, as part of the russian federation. in fact, the kremlin said that they should sit down to the negotiating table to come up with a solution, but nobody seems to be doing that yet, deborah. >> absolutely, and clearly the destabilization of that country and that region continuing. thank you. now to nigeria, where this morning u.s. planes are helping

hunt for hundreds of girls an ducked by terrorists. the u.s. is searching the sky and sharing satellite images in hopes of figuring out just where those girls are being hidden and whether it's them in this new video, purportedly put out by boko haram, which is promise not to release them unless prisoners from that terror group are set free. vladimir duthiers is live in abuja, nigeria. vlad, are the jie northeasterns, the nigerian government, are they at least considering this swap, essentially? >> reporter: hey, victor. well, they are indeed considering that. in fact, yesterday when we pressed nigerian government officials for a response to this claim made by supposedly the leader of boko haram, abubakar shekau, where he says that he is willing to exchange some of these girls in return for his "brothers" being held in nigerian prisons, government officials said to us that all options are on the table. they're willing to consider anything and everything to bring these girls home. now, you have to realize that

for the parents that have been waiting for almost a month now, victor, for some proof of life, some sign of hope that their daughters and their children are alive, this video, if it turns out to be legit, is that proof of life, victor. >> we see this leader of boko haram in this video, vlad? >> reporter: we do see him, and he doesn't appear, victor, with the girls, which is very interesting. he appears in a separate portion of the video. now, yesterday, when we also pressed nigerian government officials about this tape, we asked the deputy director of state security services here in nigeria about the man claiming to be abubakar shekau in this video. and she forcefully told me that this is not abubakar shekau, that this is another man, that abubakar shekau was killed. now, the nigerian government has in the past made these claims. a lot of people who are experts at studying boko haram say it's simply not true. in fact, we have one man here who's negotiated with boko haram in the past and said it's an out

and out lie. victor? >> vladimir duthiers in abuja, nigeria. thank you. happening today, international officials are set to vote on setting a new standard for tracking flights, using satellites and other methods to keep a closer eye on jets, this in the wake of the disappearance of malaysia airlines flight 370. officials from around the world are expected to endorse the move but stopped short of requiring formal changes. this morning there's word another va hospital is being investigated for possible improper scheduling practices. two employees at the durham, north carolina, va hospital have now been put on leave, making it the fourth va facility facing allegations that lists were manipulate manipulated to make it seem veterans were not waiting months for appointments. va policy states that no vet is supposed to wait more than 14 days to see a doctor or some other medical professional. and the nsa is allegedly installing spyware and back doors on american-made routers, servers and hard drives.

then they're repackaging the equipment before it's shipped overseas in order to conduct surveillance on international networks and users. that is the claim coming from documents provided by nsa leaker edward snowden to journalist glenn greenwald. the nsa admits using u.s.-made hardware to protect american's interests but won't comment specifically on these latest accusations. political bickering is preventing a senate vote on the keystone xl pipeline project. a bipartisan energy bill was voted down by senators, meaning the pipeline project is not likely to get further consideration until after midterm elections in november. well, senate majority leader harry reid promised a separate vote on keystone if an unrelated energy efficiency bill supported by both parties passed, but it failed over republican attempts to add on amendments. clay aiken, the "american idol," is suspending all campaign activities following the death of his opponent in a north carolina congressional race. authorities say 71-year-old

keith crisco died suddenly monday at his home. the democratic primary race in north carolina's 2nd congressional district had been too close to call with aiken ahead by just 369 votes. after the results are certified today, it's expected the state democratic party will choose aiken as its official nominee. severe storms are tearing through the middle part of the country. tornadoes, flooding and snow. indra petersons is tracking what you can expect for today. and it's the fight everyone's talking about. is that jay z versus his sister-in-law? who's winning? we're going to take a look. mine was earned in korea in 1953. afghanistan, in 2009. orbiting the moon in 1971. [ male announcer ] once it's earned, usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection. and because usaa's commitment to serve current and former military members and their families

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heavy rains and winds downed trees. even parts of buildings simply sheared off. this one had to be demolished because of the storm damage. >> in illinois, strong winds took the roof off this motel. officials say it's not salvageable, so crews will have to just tear that building down. and severe damage as well in iowa. strong winds dropping a tree right on to this car and pulling the roof right off a home in the town of panora, about 40 miles west of des moines. oh, boy! >> can't say that's the word i would have chosen, but it works for television. you shouldn't be out driving in a possible tornado. and here's the evidence. these storm chasers got hit by a piece of farm equipment, you saw it, on a nebraska road while out tracking a twister. no one was hurt, good news there, but the man in this shot, he's driving, says it's the closest call he's had in 16 years chasing storms. and severe thunderstorms to blame for flash flooding near

cleveland. roads overtaken by water. parts of a major interstate had to be shut down for hours. police urging residents just to stay home. and while the calendar says may, look at this. this is colorado. they are digging out from feet of snow, more than 29 inches in the northern-central part of the state. indra petersons is here. and you know, looking at all this, it is actually crazy! >> that's the word i've been using, too. >> i'll go with that. >> literally cold. it's not like an inch of snow this late in the season, right? >> yeah. >> here's the problem, you have all the cold air that was right here and then the warm, moist air coming out of the gulf. so as soon as you saw the storm system move into the middle of the country, you literally saw all these thunderstorms explode. that's the problem. the other problem, looking at the next 24 hours, it's really not progressing east fast enough. it's a slow-moving system. so with that, talking about heavy amounts of rain and flooding. so, easy to see the heavy rain that's expected not only today, but as we go forward in time. we're going to watch that storm system still quite slowly progress to the east.

so with that, adding more moisture, especially when we start to see that low develop out of the gulf and pull even more moisture in there. you have the threat for more rain and flooding. that's the big story today, you start to see some of the big amounts. notice towards the mid-atlantic, we'll start to see heavy rain over the next several days. the other side of this is the big temperature contrast. we kind of talked about this, right? we know temperatures at least will rebound into the 50s. you're out of the snow, hopefully seeing that melt, but look, almost 90 degrees out towards atlanta. so, that's the big contrast across the country, but notice in the northeast, temperatures are actually going down. what a change! you actually need that forecast in boston today. if you were not paying attention, yesterday was 85 degrees. look at that temperature drop, down to 54 today. as a back-door cold front kind of slides in from the northeast, you'll start to see temperatures back off. new york city, only upper 60s. a lot is going on. that's what i'm here for, guys. >> i am not a meteorologist, but that temperature change actually frightens me. i'm like, oh, good, i'm not stepping over snow piles, but it's a little humid. >> it's kind of funny how 50s used to feel good.

now it seems cold. >> i'll take any of that over snow. >> exactly. >> 85, 54, i'm in. >> i'm thinking california's the place to be. >> thanks, indra. >> all right. this fire north of amarillo, firefighters are getting some help, because the humidity's going up. the fire has destroyed more than 90 homes now. efforts to contain it are moving slowly, 65% contained, but they're cautious the flames could shift again. right now, more than 400 people remain evacuated, but as we said, the cold front is raising humidity and it's hoped containment may grow today. authorities in new hampshire investigating the shooting death of a police officer after responding to a domestic dispute at a home that later caught fire and exploded, as you see there. dramatic. the brentwood, new hampshire, officer is identified as steven arkell. police say the suspected gunman, michael nolan, is the son of the homeowner. it is believed that he died in the fire. today, alleged terrorist abu hamza al masri is back on the

stand in new york after flatly denying providing any aid to terrorists and testifying that osama bin laden was a hot head. the egyptian-born cleric is accused of inspiring 9/11 attacker mohamed atta, helping kidnappers in yemen and trying to set up a terror training camp in oregon. al masri has pleaded not guilty. prosecutors are expected to begin cross examination today. >> yeah, he was actually from london there. appeal denied. an ohio teenager who shot and killed three fellow students inside his high school in 2012 will have to serve out his sentence of life without parole. attorneys for 19-year-old t.j. lane claim their client should never have received such a harsh sentence because he was just 17, a juvenile, when he opened fire, killing his classmates. but an appeals court says the sentence will stand because lane planned his attack for weeks without any sort of provocation. porsche is now being sued over the crash that left actor paul walker dead. the widow of driver roger rodas says the 2005 porsche carrera gt

lacked several safety features that would have saved both men's lives. kristine rodas also says her husband was driving 55, not the 90 miles per hour investigators said. she's seeking unspecified damages. and an alleged family feud going viral this morning. how come? well, because it's between two celebs. the release of the surveillance video reportedly shows rapper jay z being attacked by beyonce's sister, solange. yeah. okay, there she goes. take a look. something got her angry. cnn cannot independently confirm the video. according to tmz, it happened in an elevator at new york's chic standard hotel downtown. a woman who seems to resemble beyonce is standing right there to the side as the conflict lasted for more than three minutes. the hotel says they're investigating how this video was leaked in the first place. last night the first couple of pop were picture perfect once again, taking in a nets game in brooklyn. >> i don't know, looks a little icy there.

>> yeah. >> they're kind of just sitting there. >> you would think he might have his hand on her knee, but oh well. >> no. well, let's talk about the nets. not their night. no, monday belonged to king james, almost solely, all alone, leading his heat to a big victory. brian mcfayden has the details in the "bleacher report," next. (mother vo) when i was pregnant... i got more advice than i knew what to do with. what i needed was information i could trust on how to take care of me and my baby. luckily, unitedhealthcare has a simple program that helps moms stay on track with their doctors and get the right care and guidance-before and after the baby is born. simple is good right now. (anncr vo) innovations that work for you.

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the miami heat continue to roll through the playoffs with another win over the brooklyn

nets, and of course, it was lebron james once again leading the charge. >> brian mcfayden breaks it all down for us in this morning's "bleacher report." hey there, brian. >> hey, good morning, guys. that's right, lebron james was one point shy from scoring 50 points against the nets last night, tying his career high with 49. the game was actually pretty close, going back and forth, but lebron was unstoppable. well, he did stop for a moment to talk to jay z and beyonce, hey, girl, sitting courtside. he'd go on to win 102-96. they take a 3-1 series lead with game five in miami on wednesday. trending on bleacherreport.com this morning, the trailblazers keeping their playoff dreams alive. damian lillard led the way for the blazers, slashing to the basket with no answer from the spurs. super bowl winning coach pete carroll, he's enjoying this, rubbing elbows with paul allen. there he is. more nba playoffs action on tnt tonight. pacers have a chance to finish their series with a win over the wizards at 7:00 eastern. clippers and thunder get going at 9:30.

their series is tied at two games apiece. the nfl's first openly gay player, michael sam, picked 249th in the nfl draft, has more jerseys sold than number one pick jadeveon clowney, all according to the rankings track at the nfl sales shop. important to note fans won't get delivery of their jerseys until a number is assigned. michael sam sits second behind all rookies and behind new cleveland quarterback johnny football, johnny manziel. back to you guys. >> brian, i wonder what lebron leaned in and asked jay z and beyonce, like, hey, hey, hey, what happened in the elevator? >> can i get concert tickets? >> i would want to know what happened in the elevator, what set her off. >> he's probably like, it wasn't me. >> good choice. good choice of jay z music. thank you, brian. donald sterling in his own words about that lifetime ban from the nba, the possibility he'll be forced to sell his team, and now, why magic johnson is a bad role model. you will certainly want to hear this. everyone will be talking about it this morning.

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donald sterling on the record and on the attack, defending the racist remarks that got him banned from the nba, trash talking magic johnson, and explaining what he thinks is wrong with the black community. a shocking cnn exclusive interview with the l.a. clippers owner, ahead. an intense manhunt to find the terrorists who kidnapped hundreds of girls from their school. what the u.s. is now doing to bring those girls home. we are live in nigeria with what's happening right now. crisis in ukraine this morning. the country could be ready to split into pieces.

eastern provinces requesting to join russia, but is that really what the people want? we're live. welcome back to "early start." good to have you this morning. i'm victor blackwell. >> and i'm deborah feyerick. it is now 30 minutes past the hour. well, he admits that he embarrassed the league, but it's donald's sterling's continued comments about race, and in particular, magic johnson, raising more eyebrows this morning. in an exclusive interview with anderson cooper, sterling says he's sorry for what he said about his personal assistant, v. stiviano, being seen with black people, but he insists he's not racist, that his team loves him. as for magic johnson, we'll let you hear from sterling exactly what he thinks of him in his own words. take a listen. >> i embarrassed the league. i humiliated them. i don't know how -- why i did it. i mean, it's so terrible. and -- >> so, you don't believe, though, that the owners would vote to have you removed as owner? >> i don't think so.

the players don't hate me. the sponsors don't hate me. >> you don't believe the players -- >> the fans don't hate me. the media hates. the media. it's all the media pushing it. i mean -- >> honestly? you really believe that this is just the media? >> i believe it 100%. i believe it 100%. people call me by the thousands and give me support. >> magic johnson, you know, has made a public comment. do you have something to say to him? >> what can i say to him? he -- it doesn't matter. here is a man who -- i don't know if i say this -- he acts so holy. i mean, he made love to every girl in every city in america and he had aids. and when he had those aids, i went to my synagogue and i prayed for him. i hoped he could live and be well. i didn't criticize him. i could have. is he an example for children? what has he done? can you tell me? big magic johnson, what has he

done? >> well, he's a businessperson, he -- >> he's got aids. did he do any business? did he help anybody in south l.a.? >> well, i think he has hiv. he doesn't actually have full-blown aids, but -- >> well, what kind of guy goes to every city, has sex with every girl and then he catches hiv, and is that someone we want to respect and tell our kids about? i think he should be ashamed of himself. i think he should go into the background. but what does he do for the black people? he doesn't do anything. >> and the sponsors that he claims who love him have actually left him. among those reacting to this interview, nba commissioner adam silver. he put out a statement overnight, writing, "i just read a transcript of donald sterling's interview with anderson cooper. while magic johnson doesn't need me to, i feel compelled on behalf of the nba family to apologize to him that he continues to be dragged into this situation and be degraded by such a malicious and personal attack. the nba board of governors is

continuing with its process to remove mr. sterling as expeditiously as possible." magic johnson's reaction came on twitter, where he wrote, "i'd rather be talking about these great nba playoffs than about donald sterling's interview." johnson will be sitting down with our anderson cooper tonight. he's going to speak about those comments and everything that's been said about him. that is going to be an exclusive interview tonight on "ac360," 8:00 p.m. eastern time here on cnn. and now to the search for hundreds of nigerian girls abducted from their school and held captive for nearly a month now. this morning, manned u.s. planes are flying over nigeria, hoping to spot something, anything that could lead them to these girls. that comes after boko haram is believed to have put out this video, showing about 100 of the girls. the terror group is now pledging the girls will not be set free until imprisoned terrorists are also released. vladimir duthiers is live in abuja, nigeria. vladimir, what's the left of, let's say the degree of

confidence that the girls in this video are, indeed, the girls who were abducted? >> reporter: well, victor, the united states says it has no reason to doubt that this video is legit, although we, cnn, have not been able to verify its authenticity. you have to think that for the parents who have been desperately waiting for some proof of life, some indication that their daughters are at least alive and well, and perhaps some of them not dispersed the way intelligence reports have suggested, this is something that they've been welcoming. but as we've been talking all along, victor, they're not very confident in the nigerian government's ability to bring these girls home, which is why the help that the united states and other international partners have offered, including surveillance, including intelligence-gathering, even hostage negotiation tactics, should it come to that. and in that video with abubakar shekau, he does seem to make an offer to the government that he'd be willing to release some of these girls if they release

his boko haram brothers in nigerian prisons, victor. >> vlad, this weekend on the weekend show, i had a conversation with cnn analyst bob baer, and he says his experience with the cia tells him that this will not be a rescue of these girls. that would only leave, i guess, this negotiating that the leader of boko haram suggests. do we know if nigeria is considering that, and do they believe that a rescue of more than 200 girls is possible? >> reporter: great question, victor. look, when we asked the nigerian government yesterday for the response to what this man claiming to be abubakar shekau said, the minister told me that all options are being considered, all options are on the table to try and bring these girls home. yeah, i think a rescue operation would be very, very difficult and challenging. the area where these girls are supposedly being held, if it's not cameroon, chad or niger, is this area called the sambisa forest, very dense, very remote, a boko haram stronghole. as you know, victor, any time

you mount an offensive operation against a strongly held defensive position, it's very difficult. in addition to that, you're talking about hostages. and so, once the terrorists feel as if they're under threat, they feel there's an attack coming, they may execute those hostages and try to escape. so, negotiation is something that may be the only option at this point going forward, given that it's been almost a month since these girls have gone missing, victor. >> if those teams find one of the small groups of two or three, that puts the safety of the 200-plus in jeopardy. vlad duthers in abuja for us. thank you, vlad. and the question this morning in ukraine is, well, what is next, now that voters in two eastern provinces have approved a referendum calling for independence and an annexation with russia. but that vote is being called into question by the west and ukraine's own government, some calling it illegitimate. ukraine's interim prime minister is in brussels today holding talks with european officials as a new poll conducted for cnn finds that most ukrainians, even those in the east, do not want

to become part of a different nation. atika shubert is live in donetsk, ukraine. and atika, what's interesting about this is that russia has not said that they will consider annexing these two provinces. they've already annexed crimea. all they really want is a new constitution that gives these pro-russians greater policy-making decisions. >> reporter: yeah, it's a stark contrast to what happened in crimea. it was very smooth, very quick. within a week crimea voted for independence and then was part of russia. that's not the case here. in fact, the kremlin has been putting out the message that luhansk and donetsk should sit down with kiev and figure a solution out. whatever it is, more autonomy, but something that resolves the situation. but as far as the donetsk people's republic is concerned, they're not going to sit down at the negotiating table. they have said very clearly that they want to be part of russia. and all they've gotten is silence in response, deborah. >> look, crimea is very

strategic. it's an opening to the black sea. it's where exports are being passed out. is it simply that for russia, it would be too much of a burden to annex these other areas because of the economic importance or lack thereof? >> reporter: i do think it is part -- that's part of the reason. it would be a tremendous burden to take on both donetsk and luhansk. it would take a toll on the economy, for sure, but perhaps even more complicated is really who's in control here. remember, vladimir putin just days before the referendum actually personally asked that the referendum be postponed, but the donetsk people's republic said, no, we're not going to postpone it, we're going to go ahead. so, it calls into question who's really in control of the streets here. we've seen the regional administration is surrounded by barbed wire and barricades. there is men toting guns, wearing balya clavas, and it just seems to be lawlessness

with nobody sure who's giving orders or who's actually taking those orders. so, right now, the problem may simply be who's in control. >> yeah, which obviously raises serious questions about the legitimacy of the vote. atika shubert for us there in ukraine. thanks so much. happening now, severe spring storms barreling through the country. millions in its path this morning. indra petersons is tracking what you can expect today after the break. woman: this is not exactly what i expected. man: definitely more murdery than the reviews said. captain obvious: this is a creepy room. man: oh hey, captain obvious. captain obvious: you should have used hotels.com. their genuine guest reviews are written by guests who have genuinely stayed there. instead of people who lie on the internet. son: look, a finger. captain: that's unsettling. man: you think? captain: all the time. except when i sleep. which i would not do here. hotels.com would have mentioned the finger. but with less energy, moodiness, and a low sex drive, i had to do something.

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strong winds simply ripped it aw away, the damage so severe that the building had to be taken down. same story in iowa, where winds pushed trees into cars. look at this in the town of panora, not far from des moines. the roof also came right off a home there. >> bet he wishes he had parked someplace else. >> oh, boy! >> not quite the movie "twister," but, well, that's what happens when you're told to stay off the roads and you don't during a tornado. a piece of farm equipment smashing into this car full of storm chasers in nebraska. no one was hurt, thankfully, but the man behind the wheel says it's the closest call he's had in 16 years. >> wow. >> chasing storms. police in northeast ohio are urging people to stay at home. severe thunderstorms caused this flash flooding near cleveland, and part of interstate 480 had to be shut down, one of many roads overwhelmed with the rain there. in colorado, snow fouling up the roads. some areas got up to 29 inches

of accumulation, more than 2 feet! the snow, now it's tapered off. post mother's day, and you've got 2 feet of snow, indra petersons! >> what month is it, seriously? >> come on. >> should i be answering this question right now. >> if any of us, you should be answering it. >> i should be, right? well, let's take a look at what's going on across the country. that is such a rare cold system, so late in the season. i love this map. this is a map of the last 24 hours, the satellite picture, because we know it's warm and humid around the gulf, right? then you have the cold air that brought that snow, and look what happens when the system went to the east. it literally blew up. you can see the thunderstorms that were building yesterday and the reason we had all of that severe weather. here's the problem, it is so slow moving. that's what it looked like the last 24 hours. look where the same system is. it is still right here, guys. this is the problem. we're talking about more heavy rain in the same place. so, with that, that flooding concern is still going to be high out there again today. there goes the system. let's watch it take its time as it progresses off to the east over the next several days. as it does so, a low pulls more

moisture in and even the threat for severe weather will be out there tomorrow, moving closer to the mid-atlantic. looking at heavy amounts of rain especially around the gulf, around texas, it 2 to 4 inches and eventually 2 to 5 inches in towards the mid-atlantic by the time it makes its way there. the other side of this, the temperatures. notice where it's cold and where it's warm. look at this, in the northeast, suddenly temperatures are going down. we have a back door cold front making its way in and with that, 30-degree temperature drop for boston today, new york city down to 69. that may feel better in new york city. i'm not going to complain, because i'm okay with the heat, but 85 was a little hot. >> a teeny bit hot. i'm now complaining about the humidity. what's wrong? >> it's all better than snow. all better than snow. >> i kind of like the snow. anyway, all right, let's look at what's coming up on ne"new day." kate bolduan joins us now. good morning, kate. >> good morning, guys. we'll have more of the shocking cnn interview with donald sterling. the clippers owner tries to apologize in his interview with anderson cooper for making racist remarks, but that seems to be completely overshadowed when he blasts nba legend magic

johnson, saying kids shouldn't look up to him, among other things. you'll want to hear and judge for yourself. we'll also talk to one of mag magic's friends and former teammates for his take and response. and the u.s. is now directly involved in the search for the kidnapped nigerian schoolgirls, flying surveillance planes over the country looking for any sign of the girls or their captors, quite frankly. does the new video give rescuers any clues, or really, the clues that they need to try to finally find these girls after a month? a military expert will be joining us to break it down. what they can gather from that video and what more they need. >> yeah, so many countries just offering their help, really a show of support for these young girls. >> yep. >> kate, thanks. appreciate it. see you in a little bit. well, an "american idol" one step closer to becoming a congressman. his opponent in a nail-bitingly tight primary election, died unexpectedly. we're breaking down what comes next for clay aiken in this bizarre political tale, live after the break.

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this morning, clay aiken has put his congressional campaign on hold after the death of keith crisco, a north carolina businessman who was battling aiken for the democratic nomination in the 2nd congressional district. this morning, the race remains too close to call. aiken leading by just 369 votes. here to talk about the race and what this all means is cnn political editor paul steinhauser. and paul, you would think that now, clay aiken is the de facto winner, that he's the democratic nominee. >> deb, victor, it sure appears this way. it's ironic that as early as today, election officials down there in north carolina's 2nd congressional district, they could have put out the final vote tally, one week after the election. they were doing a final count. they were looking at the absentee ballots. as you mentioned, crisco was waiting to see those final results before deciding whether he was going to ask for a

recount. that's all very moot now. there is a third candidate in the race as well. she trailed far behind aiken and crisco. clay aiken put out a statement last night, saying "i am stunned and deeply saddened by keith crisco's death. he was a gentleman, a good and honorable man and extraordinary public servant. i am suspending all campaign activities as we pray for his family and friends." now, the state board of elections, they also put out some condolences as well, but they didn't say specifically how this would affect the race. but yeah, it seems pretty obvious now that aiken will advance and now face off in november against the republican. guys? >> so, what are his chances, paul? i mean, this is a republican stronghold, and he's going up against an incumbent. >> he is going up against an incumbent, renee ellmers. she was elected in 2010 in that tea party wave. this is her second term. she's going for a third term right now. she won the district, taking 56% of the vote in 2012. and mitt romney also won the district, winning 58% of the vote back in 2012.

that's better than he did statewide. i talked to a senior house republican campaign aide, and you know, very hon creest with saying, listen, this will be a tough race. it's not out of the realm of possibility, but it will be a tough race, for sure. the district is located in the central part of the state. this is known as north carolina's piedmont. again, a difficult race ahead for clay aiken. guys? >> and certainly one to watch. kind of interesting. "american idol" to the halls of congress. we'll see. >> potentially. >> potentially, possibly, maybe, allegedly. new information this morning after a gun fight ends with a deadly explosion broadcast live on television. what led up to this tragedy? that's coming up. you're going to want to stay tuned. okay, listen up! i'm re-workin' the menu. mayo? corn dogs? you are so outta here! aah! [ female announcer ] the complete balanced nutrition of great-tasting ensure. 24 vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and 9 grams of protein. [ bottle ] ensure®. nutrition in charge™.

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it appears the weather is helping fire crews knock down a huge wildfire north of amarillo. the fire is now about 65% contained but only after it burned through some 2,500 acres and destroyed at least 90 homes. some 400 people remain out of their homes, have been evacuated because of downed power lines.

authorities say a cold front and higher humidity are now helping with this fight against those flames. cross examination is set to begin today for accused terrorist abu hamza al masri. the fiery egyptian-born cleric testifying in his own defense for a third day at his trial in new york, steadfastly denied he aided terrorists. al masri also took shots at al qaeda and the taliban. he said they have let down the afghan people, and he called osama bin laden a hot head. he's accused of inspiring terrorists, aiding kidnappers and trying to set up a terror training camp in oregon. al masri has pleaded not guilty. "new day" starts with our friends, kate, chris and don, right now. big magic johnson, what has he done? he's got aids. >> cnn exclusive. you have to hear it to believe it. donald sterling digging in deeper as he takes on several controversial topics and then bashes magic johnson for having

hiv and for failing his own community. did he dig his own grave with the lead? breaking overnight, a massive explosion at a home in new hampshire just moments after a deadly shoot-out with police. one officer is dead and now police are trying to piece together what happened. caught on tape, the video everyone is talking about. beyonce's sister allegedly attacking her husband, jay z. the music stars and their images have been untouchable. so, just how did this get out? >> your "new day" starts right >> your "new day" starts right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good morning. welcome to "new day." it is tuesday, may 13th, 6:00 in the east. now, if donald sterling was looking for a second chance from the nba, he probably saw it vanish last night. in his exclusive sit-down with cnn, sterling arguably makes things worse and goes off on nba legend magic johnson.

you'll recall, it was a photo of johnson that johnson for having hiv around accuses him of not doing enough to help the black community. take a listen for yourself. >> here is a man who -- i don't know if i say this. he acts so holy. i mean, he made love to every girl in every city in america, and he had aids. and when he had those aids i went to my synagogue and i prayed for him. i hoped he could live and be well. i didn't criticize him. i could have. is he an example for children? because he has money he is able to treat himself. but magic johnson is irrelevant in this thing. what has he done? can you tell me? big magic johnson, what has he done? >> yes. he's a businessperson. >> he's got aids. did he