pull the curtain back on a whole world i didn't know existed. >> something's existed for donald sterling there. "early start" continues right "early start" continues right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com breaking news this morning, california on fire, thousands of people evacuated, dozens of homes destroyed, flames burning this hour through san diego county. we're going to show you the latest from the ground and track how hard firefighters are going to have to work today. happening now, a devastating mine disaster, hundreds of people killed, hundreds still missing. this morning a frantic rescue effort to save any possible survivors. we are live with the latest. more revelations from donald sterling, on the record in a cnn exclusive. the l.a. clippers owner opening up about his marriage, his affairs and why he believes he may not be forced to sell his team. good morning. welcome to "early start." i'm christine romans. >> i'm john berman. great to see you today. it is thursday, may 15th. it is 5:00 a.m. in the east.

up first, we have breaking news. northern san diego county on fire and no relief in sight, at least not soon. nine separate wildfires torching 9,000 acres so far. schools, businesses forced to evacuate. homes have been torched. one firefighter said it is like a scene from armageddon. so, let's get the latest now from paul vercammen. >> reporter: john, christine, call it the devil's pitch fork, because you had humidity less than 10%, you had these winds and you had hot temperatures. the evacuations included legoland, a nuclear power plant, parts of a military base and untold residences. and behind me, the fire burning right above cal state university san marcos. not only have they canceled the rest of the week here, they had to postpone the graduation ceremonies. and we watched the firefighters doing the very best they could to stay in front of these flames. at one point, there was an inmate crew that was digging line, and it came so close to us

that i had to race out during a live shot and grab my camera man's battery bag and get it out of there. it was surprising to me just how quickly it shifted. and of course, multiple parts of san diego county burning. and the overarching theme, as i talked to a federal fire official, he says they are most concerned right now about almost all of california, almost all of oregon and parts of nevada. the drought, of course, playing a big role in these multiple fires. back to you now, john and christine. >> all right, our thanks to paul vercammen on the scene there at fires. back here, we have indra petersons tracking the conditions those firefighters will be facing, really, over the next several hours. >> hi, indra. >> this is the concern. we knew we had exceptional drought conditions all over california, the dry brush. drought conditions are still there. typically we see the peak fire system towards fall, but unfortunately, notice what we're already seeing in the region. we're talking about fires ravaging early in the season. even today they're still looking at a critical fire danger out there.

there are red flag warnings throughout the san diego region. conditions yesterday, john wayne airport had the warmest temperature in the entire country yesterday at 106 degrees. if you're not familiar with this area, it is close to the coastline. unbelievable. look at long beach, 101 out towards san diego, talking about those temperatures into the 90s today. definitely a difficult concept. a lot of people don't get it, but you have the cold air, remember the cooldown towards the midwest? the cold air comes down the mountain passes and canyons, and by the time it gets to the coastline, you get the extreme heat and very dry conditions. those humidities, they drop. you're not even seeing the recovery this morning. temperatures and humidities very low. typically, you want to see the recovery at least up to 50% in the overnight hours. still dry in the afternoon, expected to stay dry. here's the one piece of good news we have. high pressure's currently in place. it's allowing all of the canyon winds to be out there. eventually towards friday we will start to see more of the onshore flow and that marine layer return, which will bring up the humidities and temperatures down, but unfortunately, today looks like it may be rougher than yesterday temperaturewise. >> thanks, indra. indra petersons. now more of cnn's exclusive

interview with donald sterling, including parts of his conversation with anderson you have not heard before. sterling insisting he's a giver, not a hater, showing remorse for what he's done to his estranged wife, shelly, and seemingly in complete denial about his chances of keeping his beloved los angeles clippers. >> you believe you will be able to keep the team, though? >> well -- >> because the advertisers certainly, you know, they were pulling -- >> the advertisers are all coming back. let's not be crazy. the fans will all come if you have a good team. if you don't have a good team, the fans won't come. >> even if you're owner? >> what am i, a frankenstein? what am i, some kind of an ogre? i'm a good person. i'm a warm person. i say hello to everybody who comes to the team. >> there are some players, though, who have talked about a boycott of the season. >> well, that's talk. the media pushes that. why would they do that? if they get their salaries, they're going to play.

>> do you think your wife, shelly, should also be removed as an owner? >> if for some reason i can't have the team, i think that she should have her interest. i mean, she didn't do anything. i brought all this on her, the poor girl. i don't know how she can live and deal with this. i guess i was bad committing all those terrible -- i don't even want to say it. but, you know, people say, how do you commit adultery? you justify things. you say, well, every man in paris or france has a mistress. i mean, it may make you smile, but when you're so old, you don't think it's wrong anymore if you have a little bit of fun. you don't have much time. if you have a little bit of fun. you can't do what you did before, and nobody expects -- but you want to be cared for.

everybody wants to be cared for. i made such a mistake. >> just add that to this mix already. all right, five minutes after the hour right now. hope is fading that any more survivors will be found in the aftermath of the deadly mine explosion in turkey. a grim scene in the city of soma. smoke, fumes still rising from that collapsed mine, hampering the rescue. there are 282 people now known dead, 120 others still trapped under ground, at this point believed likely gone. i want to bring in diana magnay live from that scene in turkey this morning. diana, give us a sense of the latest. >> reporter: it is an incredibly sad place to be when you speak of the numbers and you know and talk to the people who are waiting and watching and find out from them that they really have no hope that any more will be pulled out alive.

the rescue workers are still continuing with their efforts, but the work has to be halted for periods of time because the fire deep under ground is still burning and because some of the chambers fill with carbon monoxide, which is what killed most of the miners who lost their lives, who have been brought out. people here are now waiting for the president to arrive. yesterday, the prime minister, recep tayyip erdogan, came and made a really surprising speech which has been widely criticized for its incredible lack of sensitivity. he said that we should just accept these kinds of accidents as par for the course in the mining industry, that this is what happens, and started reeling many, many examples, going as far back as 19th-century britain as illustrations of how people can die in mining accidents. and there has been widespread anger across this country. more demonstrations planned for today in response to what people

see as the government's lack of regard for safety standards. this was, of course, a mine that was privatized, but people feel that the government, too, is to blame. and these protests in istanbul yesterday, in ankara yesterday, have been met with a very heavy-handed police response, john. and you can only expect this depth of anger as people's anguish turns to anger and a desire for answers to get stronger as the days go by, john. >> you have family tragedy, personal tragedy that is going to turn to political turmoil, already has, as you say. diana magnay in soma for us this morning. thanks so much. in nigeria, the president there declaring there will be no exchange of boko haram prisoners for hundreds of kidnapped schoolgirls. meanwhile, violence is erupting in northern nigeria, where the terror organization operates. villagers are reportedly ambushing the extremist group, killing and detaining dozens of them. let's get the latest from vladimir duthiers, live from abuja, nigeria. those attacks in the northern

part of the country, those are sanctioned, really, by the government? >> reporter: that's right, christine. this comes under the aegis of the joint task force, rooting out boko haram in northern nigeria. they've empowered a civilian task force. the group doesn't necessarily have authority, other than that provided by the police, but this is how people in northeastern nigeria have been living since 2009. they feel that the military themselves are unable to do the job that is required, and so, they themselves have been taken to protecting themselves and their loved ones. the problem with that, obviously, christine, is that the united nations, human rights watch, amnesty international, has already accused the nigerian military of committing extrajue judicial killings, forced and illegal detentions. it gets worse when you have civilians undertaking the task of what should be the police and the military. but there have been inroads made with boko haram in the last couple of days, christine. we know that the state security services have said that they have captured several people who

were responsible for the bombings here in abuja, one that left 71 people dead, another left dozens dead here. this man here, aminu sadiq ogwuche, was captured in sudan. he along with this man here, rufai abubakar, are seen as the masterminds of the abuja bombings. so, still a lot farther to go to find where the girls might be, christine. >> vladimir duthiers live in abuja, nigeria, thanks. ten minutes after the hour. murder charges filed against the captain and three officers of the south korean ferry that capsized and sank last month, killing more than 280 people. the other 11 surviving crew members have been indicted on negligence charges. prosecutors say many members of the crew scrambled to escape that sinking ship before the passengers had a chance. 23 of those passengers are still listed as missing. embattled veterans affairs secretary eric shinseki is set to testify before a senate committee this morning. he's under fire following a cnn

report revealing dozens of patients died waiting to be treated at a va hospital in phoenix. at least half a dozen va hospitals are now being investigated for allegedly cooking the books to cover up similarly potential deadly treatment delays, including the one in austin, texas, where staffers acknowledged they're overwhelmed. >> because of the, frankly, the overloading of the services and medical services they can provide, they're not able to see them, i want to say in a timely manner. symptoms could worsen. they could result to self-medication. >> they've always come through with at least within 30 days of, you know, of receiving that notice. >> reporter: and you're good with that 30 days? >> yes, i'm fine with it. >> cnn has obtained a copy of the statement secretary shinseki has prepared for today's hearing. he will say he is angered and saddened but won't say what his

department is doing to fix the problems and won't acknowledge there is a problem. president obama will be on hand later this morning for the official dedication of the 9/11 memorial museum at ground zero. this museum is filled with just remarkable remnants of the world trade center and objects from some of the nearly 3,000 people who died in this terror attack. the museum will be open 24/7 for the next week so families of 9/11 victims can visit it any time. these are live pictures right now of the memorial and the museum. it looks beautiful any time of day. it officially opened to the public next wednesday. an "early start" on your money. stocks in europe are hovering near the six-year highs. we just learned germany's economy grew 0.8% in the first quarter. france didn't grow at all. two very different stories. the european union, john, grew 0.2%. it's less than expected, but you know, it's recovering from its longest ever recession. you can see how uneven that

recovery is. remember, in the u.s., bad winter weather kept economic growth stagnant at just 0.1% in the same period. corporate earnings, though, telling a different story. 75% of companies in the s&p 500 have reported earnings that were better than wall street expected. two more companies to watch on that front this morning. jcpenney and walmart. investors watching for news on health of the consumer. i'm really looking forward to what walmart has to say about its paycheck-to-paycheck consumer, how well they're weathering this and whether things are getting better in the second quarter. >> then i'm looking forward to it. 13 minutes after the hour. happening today, hillary clinton officially on the campaign trail! intrigued? you should be. this as her husband fights back against accusations that mrs. clinton could have suffered brain damage. what bill clinton had to say, just ahead.

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campaign trail today. she's highlighting a fund-raiser to an old friend and newish family member. marjorie margolies is chelsea clinton's mother-in-law. she's fighting to win a pennsylvania house seat. she lost one of those in 1994. at the time, it was largely credited with her support of bill clinton's budget. her vote for bill clinton's budget. and the former president made news of his own wednesday, firing back at republican strategist karl rove, who suggested that mrs. clinton might be suffering from a brain injury after a 2012 incident. >> first they said she faked her concussi concussion. and now they say she's auditioning for a part on "the walking dead." now they say she's really got brain damage. >> do you think they're just trying -- >> well, if she does, then i must be in really tough shape because she's still quicker than i am. >> all right, so, that response has many speculating that the clinton machine is now in full swing. they're doing rapid response because, perhaps they're gearing

up for 2016. not that there already wasn't rampant speculation that they were gearing up for 2016. >> is there a joke in here about how all politicians have some form of brain damage? >> or personality disorders or both. >> that's a joke. that's a joke, everyone. >> sort of. >> that's -- it's a joke. same thing they say about news anchors. but we won't go there. a disturbing development in the immigration debate. a new report says more than 36,000 convicted criminals were released by immigration officials last year. among those released by the government, 193 killers and more than 400 sexual assault convicts. this comes as the white house conducts a review of deportation practices with the goal of making them more humane. critics, including the group that conducted this report, say what the u.s. needs is tougher immigration enforcement. in arkansas, same-sex couples are in a kind of limbo this morning. wednesday, the state supreme court upheld a ruling that overturned a voter-approved ban on gay marriage, but a separate law that bars county clerks from issuing these licenses, that

still does seem to be in place. and justices offered little guidance on what should happen next. the licenses so far have been halted, but officials say the 450 couples who already have one, they're married. all right, deliberations expected to start today in the terror trial of abu hamza al masri. in closing arguments, prosecutors told the manhattan jury not to be fooled by the radical muslim cleric who took the stand this week, saying he knows how to work a crowd. al masri is accused of inspiring terrorists, including 9/11 hijacker mohamed atta, helping kidnap tourists in yemen, trying to start a terror training camp in oregon. he has pleaded not guilty. joran van der sloot is a new man. that's according to a woman who is five months pregnant with his child. also, she's planning to marry the convicted killer. van der sloot is serving 28 years in a peruvian prison for the 2010 murder of a local college student. after that, he faces extradition

to the united states in connection with the 2005 disappearance of american natalee holloway in aruba. van der sloot is set to marry the peruvian citizen next week. and i know you're wondering about this. in peru, they apparently have different visitation rights in prison than they do here in the united states. >> oh, my. >> know what i'm saying? >> yeah, i know exactly what you're saying. >> okay. >> thanks, berman. coming up, lebron james and the defending champion miami heat trying to knock off the new jersey nets and advance to the next round of the playoffs! brian mcfayden has details, in case you were asleep, in "bleacher report," next. 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 took a late rally against the nets, but the miami heat are going back to the eastern conference finals. >> brian mcfayden has more in the "bleacher report." good morning! >> good morning, guys. brooklyn gave miami all they could handle last night and looked like they would keep the series going until the very end. nope. about 30 seconds left, the ageless wonder, ray allen wide open for three. you just don't leave him open from out there. allen nails it, giving the heat the lead. last chance for the nets. lebron strips the ball away from joe johnson and the heat are going to their sixth eastern conference final in the last ten years. the spurs completely routed the trailblazers last night. it got so bad for the blazers. first, leonard went all m.j., double-pump slam. purrs win 104-82 and advance to the western conference finals. they'll play the winner of the thunder/clippers series. move over lindsay lohan. the oprah winfrey network will

have a docuseries following the life of michael sam. it will be broken up into six to eight segments. oprah said "we are honored that michael is trusting us with his journey in this moment that has not only made history but will shape it forever." sam took to twitter "looking forward to sharing my life and journey at own tv with my friends, family and supporters." trending to bleacherreport.com, does it make you a bad person to laugh at this video? a dodger fan going for a foul ball while holding up his child in the air and without thinking, he pushes her to the side and she falls back in the seat and she wasn't happy, either. she gave dad the business. by the way, the father didn't even get the ball. that's horrible! back to you guys. >> i have a question, are your sports instincts deeper than your parental instincts, john berman? >> no, i mean, he's in trouble. that dude is in serious trouble. >> if it were the red sox? >> he has two hands. that's what two hands are for,

right? >> i think he's sleeping on the couch. >> if he's allowed back in the house at all. that girl's never going to forget that. good luck with the therapy. >> especially since it's on tape. >> yes. >> thank you, brian. breaking news this morning, california on fire, thousands forced to leave their homes. the flames are moving in. we've got the very latest on san diego county on fire, after the break. [ male announcer ] they say mr. clean was born to help people clean better, and that he travels the world inventing amazing new cleaners, like his newest invention, liquid muscle, that lifts and cleans tough grease with less scrubbing. it's a liquid gel, so it's less watery and cleans more. and its cap stops by itself so almost nothing's wasted. ♪ no matter where he went or who he helped, people couldn't thank him enough. new mr. clean liquid muscle. when it comes to clean, there's only one mr.

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breaking news this morning. wildfires raging through california. thousands of acres just torched. tens of thousands told to get out, leave their homes behind.

right now, firefighters battling these flames, trying to keep them from spreading. we will have the very latest, just ahead. happening now, a desperate search for survivors after a deadly mine collapse in turkey. hundreds of miners killed, hundreds more still missing this morning. we're live with what's happening right now. and new revelations from donald sterling this morning. the l.a. clippers in his exclusive cnn interview, new words you have not heard, on the record about possibly being forced to sell his team and what his affairs have done to his marriage. mm-hmm. >> and what the french have to do with it. >> exactly. now dragging the french into the whole thing. welcome back to "early start," everyone. glad to see you. i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. it's 30 minutes past the hour. let's start with california. it's like a scene from arm gedor, words from one firefighter battling one of the wildfires that's scored 9,000 acres of northern san diego. schools and businesses forced to

evacuate, homes in ashes this morning. residents are scrambling to get away from the danger. >> mandatory evacuation? >> it's the best thing, safest thing. i have kids. we have animals. we have birds, you know. we have to get out of here. >> it's been going like crazy over here. the planes are around us now. they weren't earlier, but they are now. nothing but black, and i saw the flames all the way up at the bottom of the hill here. >> let's get the latest now from our paul vercammen. paul? >> reporter: john, christine, call it the devil's pitch fork, because you had humidity that was less than 10%, you had these winds and you had hot temperatures. the evacuations included legoland, a nuclear power plant, parts of a military base and untold residences. and behind me, the fire burning right above cal state university san marcos. not only have they canceled the rest of the week here, they had to postpone the graduation ceremonies. and we watched the firefighters doing the very best they could to stay in front of these flames. at one point, there was an inmate crew that was digging

line, and it came so close to us that i had to race out during a live shot and grab my cameraman's battery bag and get it out of there. it was surprising to me just how quickly it shifted. and of course, multiple parts of san diego county burning. and the overarching theme, as i talked to a federal fire official, he says they are most concerned right now about almost all of california, almost all of oregon, and parts of nevada. the drought, of course, playing a big role in these multiple fires. back to you now, john and christine. >> all right, paul vercammen for us this morning. >> that's the scene on the ground. let's get a sense of what those firefighters will face over the next few hours. indra petersons tracking that for us. >> good morning, indra. >> good morning. this is something we knew was coming. it was such a deficit as far as the amount of rain over the winter season and now we're talking about exceptional drought conditions across much of california. so, instead of seeing the typical peak for fire season into the fall, they have all that dry brush out there. and notice how far, how many wildfires they're already seeing this early into the season. today another critical day for fire danger.

many red flag warnings for fire danger are out there. john wayne airport, 106 degrees yesterday. that was the warmest temperature in the entire country yesterday, and it is along the coastline. that gives you a sense of what's going on there. san diego looking at temperatures into the 90s yesterday. today expected to be possibly even warmer some locations. what is going on? typically, you have these winds, and right through the passes and canyons, they really get a lot stronger. and as that happens, you see the temperatures really warm up, you see dry conditions, low humidities out there, and that's how you're able to get those warmer temperatures at the coastline. just take a look at the overnight hours. typically when you see that marine layer, where you see the humidities rebound, unfortunately, they're only about 35% humidity in the overnight hours and it doesn't improve even through the afternoon. and of course, you get the heat in there and humidity values go down. so, dry conditions in the forecast today in addition to strong winds. they need the relief. when are they getting it? right now we're still talking about high pressure in place, the canyon winds still expected, although not as strong as yesterday. you'll still have strong gusts, 35, 40 miles an hour, but by

tomorrow, you'll start to see the onshore flow, the marine layer return. by saturday and sunday you'll start to see the relief. it's about the onshore and offshore flow in california. >> another really bad day for firefighters ahead. >> thanks, indra. >> thank you so much. about 35 minutes after the hour now. we have more now of cnn's exclusive interview with los angeles clippers owner donald sterling, including parts of his conversation with anderson cooper i do not think you have heard before. sterling remorseful for what he's done to his estranged wife, shelly. at least he claims to be. and seemingly in denial about keeping his nba team. >> you believe you will be able to keep the team, though? >> well -- >> because the advertisers certainly, you know, they're pulling -- >> the advertisers are all coming back. let's not be crazy. the fans will all come, if you have a good team. if you don't have a good team, the fans won't come. >> even if you're owner? >> what am i, a frankenstein? what am i, some kind of an ogre? i'm a good person. i'm a warm person. i say hello to everybody who

comes to the team. >> there are some players, though, who have talked about a boycott of the season. >> well, that's talk. the media pushes that. why would they do that? if they get their salaries, they're going to play. >> do you think your wife, shelly, should also be removed as an owner? >> if for some reason i can't have the team, i think that she should have her interest. i mean, she didn't do anything. i brought all this on her, the poor girl. i don't know how she can live and deal with this. i guess i was bad committing all those terrible -- i don't even want to say it. but you know, people say, how do you commit adultery? you justify things. you say, well, every man in paris or france has a mistress. i mean, it may make you smile,

but when you're so old, you don't think it's wrong anymore if you have a little bit of fun. you don't have much time. if you have a little bit of fun. you can't do what you did before, and nobody expects -- but you want to be cared for. everybody wants to be cared for. i made such a mistake. >> there have been other leaked phone conversations involving donald sterling, and now a man who says he is behind one of them, at least, is speaking out to cnn. we will hear from him in 20 minutes. you will want to hear this tape. all right, hope of finding more survivors quickly vanishing in the aftermath of that deadly mine explosion in turkey. it's a gruesome scene in the city of soma. smoke and fumes still rising from the collapsed mine. that's hampering the rescue effort. there are now 282 known dead. 120 others still trapped under ground.

they are likely gone, officials say. let's bring in diana magnay live from soma, turkey, this morning. and it's almost hard to fathom the scope of this disaster, the families who are struggling to find out if their loved ones were in that mine. diana, bring us up to speed on what they're doing now in the rescue. >> reporter: well, the rescue effort is very difficult because the fire deep under ground is still burning. so, for five hours overnight, the rescue efforts were stopped altogether because of the fire, the intensity of the fire, and because in some other areas, carbon monoxide was building up, making chambers impossible to access. and most of these miners who died did die of carbon monoxide poisoning as a result, possibly of poor ventilation down in the mine shaft itself. that is at least what one of the trade unions is saying, saying that this is akin to murder, and that is a sentiment that you will see across the streets of

turkey. today there have been numerous demonstrations scheduled in many of the mining areas around this country. there were protests in istanbul, in ankara yesterday, which were met with a very heavy-handed police response, police attacking protesters with water cannons, using tear gas and pepper spray, this while the prime minister of this country came here to the mine behind me and said that people should accept that mining is an industry where accidents happen. and he started to quote numerous examples, going back as far as britain in the 19th century of coal mining disasters. now, people here at the mine are waiting now for the visit of this country's president. he's more of a symbolic figure. let's hope that his words bring slightly more comfort to a town and a nation that is grieving for this national tragedy now. >> all right. diana magnay for us this morning in soma, turkey. thank you. in south korea, murder

charges have been filed against the captain and three officers in charge of the south korean ferry that capsized and sank last month, killing more than 280 people. the other 11 surviving crew members have been indicted on negligence charges. prosecutors say many of the crew scrambled to escape the sinking ship before the passengers had a chance to escape. 23 of those passengers are still listed as missing. va secretary eric shinseki set to testify before the senate veterans affairs committee this morning. he's been under fire following a cnn report revealing dozens of patients died waiting to be treated at a va hospital in phoenix. at least half a dozen va hospitals are now being investigated for allegedly cooking the books to cover up similar potentially deadly treatment delays, including the one in austin, texas, where staffers acknowledged they are overwhelmed. >> because of the, frankly, the overloading of the medical services and the other services that they can provide, they're not able to see them, i want to

say in a timely manner. symptoms could worsen. they could result to self-medication. >> they've always come through with at least within 30 days of, you know, of receiving net notice. >> reporter: and you're good with that 30 days? >> yes, i'm fine with it. >> cnn obtained a copy of the statements secretary shinseki has prepared for today's hearing. he will tell senators that he is angered and saddened, but he does not say what his department is doing to fix the problems and he is not expected to acknowledge, really, that there is a problem. president obama will attend a somber ceremony this morning at ground zero here in new york. this is the formal dedication of the 9/11 memorial and museum. remnants of the world trade center and objects from some of the nearly 3,000 people who died will be on display at this museum. it's a remarkable vision. you're looking at live pictures right there of the museum. it is a beautiful, beautiful, somber site, really, any time of day. opens next wednesday, i should

say. >> opens next wednesday. great. "early start" on your money this morning. dow futures show the market opening about 100 points below the record set this week. three companies to watch. jcpenney and walmart report earnings this morning. also, "the new york times." executive editor jill abramson is out, replaced by her deputy. "the new yorker" reports abramson was fired after discovering she was being paid less than her male predecessor and she confronted her bosses. on average, women make 77 cents for every dollar men make, but abramson should know it might not get any better in retirement. new census data shows 65-year-old women make an average of $16,000 a year, $11,000 less for men, showing years of working less adds up to a smaller nest egg for women. interesting change at the helm of the "the new york times" and how it's stirring up discussion again about the pay gap between men and women. some of the reporting this morning is that it was more about management style and

differences of opinion in the newsroom, not about gender. >> no, but it's controversial and you could feel the tremors in the media landscape the minute this happened. it is still shaking this morning. >> yeah. all right, 41 minutes after the hour. severe storms barreling across the country. this morning millions are in their path. tornadoes touching down and the threat is not over. indra petersons tracking what you can expect this morning. that's right after the break. sea captain: there's a narratorstorm cominhe storm

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then as soon as i come out, i seen all of the metal everywhere and knew that the barn was tore up. >> let's get an early look at your weather and these severe storms in the forecast. indra petersons here again. >> good morning. >> good morning. one of the biggest concerns we'll have today is going to be flooding. take a look at the threat for flooding that's out there today, really stretching from new york all the way back down through florida. look at the position and where we do have flood watches in effect. now take a look at where this cold front is. this is the same system we've been tracking for days. it is so slow moving. that is the concern here. now, again, notice the position where we're talking about the frontal system. now look at all of the available moisture that is out there. this is the concern. that's the reason we had this high threat for flooding. into the mid-atlantic over the next several days, we could see 3 to 5 inches of rain. that's the high concern there, eventually spreading into the northeast where we could see about 2 to 3 inches of rain into the region. so, with that, of course, the concern not only for flooding, but also we have that severe weather threat out there today. heavy thunderstorms, heavy amounts of rain in short periods of time could be out there. roanoke back through charleston

is the threat for severe thunderstorms through the afternoon. then the frontal system brings showers to the northeast tomorrow. finally clearing out by saturday, which is good news. of course, also bringing milder temperatures into the northeast, bringing some of the cooler air to the northeast. flooding potential incredibly high today with that system so slow moving. >> thank you, indra. breaking overnight, radio icon casey kasem found hours after his daughters filed a missing person's report. he was located in washington state, where he's reportedly with his wife on vacation. now, kasem is suffering from a form of dementia that has left him barely able to speak. his daughters had accused their stepmother of kidnapping him. the hotel employee who leaked video that appears to show solange knowles assaulting her brother-in-law, jay z, in an elevator, well, that employee has now been fired. new york's standard hotel says it plans to hand over all available information to the criminal authorities. tmz posted the video on its website. the incident took place following an after party for the

metropolitan museum of art, their gala last week. so far, there has been no comment on the video from jay z or solange or beyonce. the video, however, speaks for itself. >> and there's been plenty of comments from everyone else. >> exactly. a new twist in the donald sterling saga. a man who secretly recorded and distributed phone conversations with the l.a. clippers owner explains why he tricked his friend after the break. all stations come over to mission a for a final go. this is for real this time. step seven point two one two. verify and lock. command is locked. five seconds. three, two, one. standing by for capture. the most innovative software on the planet... dragon is captured. is connecting today's leading companies to places beyond it. siemens. answers. when salesman alan ames books his room at laquinta.com, he gets a ready for you alert the second his room is ready.

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welcome back, everyone. a man who claims to be donald sterling's friend and former escort provider says he is the one who taped some of those explosive phone conversations with the l.a. clippers owner that we heard last week. listen to part of one of them. >> you think i'm a racist? you think i have anything in the world but love for everybody? you don't think that!

you know i'm not a racist! >> rapper maseratimet says he was on the other end of that phone call with sterling. maseratimet tells cnn he once ran an escort service in las vegas and donald sterling was a client. he says he felt compelled to tape their conversations after hearing sterling in taped conversations with v. stiviano. >> i'm hearing this tape with him and her on the phone. i'm like, that threw me off. and it's like, you know, i'm just, well, that threw me off, so i had to call him. it's like, you know, you always dated, i know you -- i've known him to always want a woman of color. and then to say what he said just, it just threw me off big time. when i first called him, it wasn't recorded. and then when he started dwelling, just drilling me, i hit the record button. i don't know, i hit the record button, and i didn't care at the time. i mean, this guy, he said some

stuff that i got offended to and then he's talking about magic johnson. i mean, i look up to magic johnson, so you know. clearly, you know, it just really ticked me off, so that's what made me hit the record button. >> maseratimet claims he wasn't paid for releasing the tapes and says he no longer considers donald sterling to be a friend. >> should change your name to like john bentley berman. makes you sound -- >> bentley met berman is what i'm going to go by. >> some sort of cooler, hipper, less -- >> couldn't possibly get more hip than this already. >> so true. so true. all right, coming up, are sanctions against russia hurting u.s. companies? why firms like john deere, dupont, even mcdonald's say russian sanctions, they're feeling the squeeze. 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®.

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all right, welcome back. let's get you an "early start" on your money this morning. u.s. stock futures are down slightly, the dow about 100 points below the record high it set this week. two companies we'll be watching this morning, jcpenney and walmart. did bad weather keep the consumers at home for those two

companies? and is jcpenney's turn-around working? is it bringing back sales and getting customers back in stores? we'll watch both of those. u.s. companies say they're feeling the pinch of sanctions on russia. according to "usa today," john deere says it will sell less farming equipment to ukraine, russia and the former soviet bloc. deere isn't the only company warning the situation there could hurt sales. even mcdonald's warns it's having to close stores and shorten hours. if you missed your chance to buy google glass next month, you're about to get another chance. google says even though the glasses are still in development, they will be available to buy online while supplies last. a pair will run you about $1,500. so, john, you can wear that, put the bluetooth in your ear, you can put a couple of blackberry things on your belt and you will look so cool. >> cooler. >> cooler. >> but why do i want the google glass? i mean, what is it going to do for me? >> you're going to have to try it and find out.

>> can i get like digital readouts and look at people like terminator things? >> you can have a romantic dinner with your wife while reading your e-mail. >> hmm, now i'm interested. >> not something i recommend! >> all right, "new day" starts right now. the flames all of the way up at the bottom of the hill here. >> breaking overnight. out of control wildfires tear tlug southern california. thousands vac wevacuated, schoo closed, even the marines forced to flee. and this, a fire tornado in the middle of it all. not letting go. a cnn exclusive, donald sterling on what happens next. is he going to give up the team? and what he now says about his wife and mistress. battle of the great lady, was the head of the "new york times" forced out because she discovered she was paid less than ore male predecessor and less than one of her male

employees? your "new day" starts right your "new day" starts right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good morning. welcome to "new day." it's may 15th, 6:00 in the east. thousands of people leaving everything behind, their home, their belongings, just to save themselves and loved ones from epic wildfires in southern california. crews are stretched to the breaking point as they struggle for control of lines of burn that keep popping up even through the night. right now, nine fires, 10,000 acres scorched. and a perfect storm of bad elements for fighting a fire. meteorologist indra petersons has the latest. >> as much of the state is sitting in extreme drought conditions. now, on top of that add record-breaking heat, low humidity, and a horrible santa ana wind event. breaking overnight at least nine