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CNN NEWSROOM

FIFA Indictment Originated in U.S.; What Russian Officials Say about FIFA Charges; No End in Sight for Heat Wave in India; Texas Copes with Flooding, More Storms on the Way; Rick Santorum Announces Run for Presidency; Rubio Says Supporters of Gay Marriage Could Cast Christians as Hatemongers; Freedom Tower Observation Deck Opens Friday. Aired 2:30-3a ET

Aired May 27, 2015 - 02:30   ET

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


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[02:31:20] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: A warm welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and of course around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

Let's update you on the top stories at this hour. Former and current top FIFA officials among 14 people facing U.S. charges of racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering. The Justice Department accuses them of taking more than $150 million in bribes for media and marketing rights for futbol tournaments over the past 24 years.

Texas is bracing for more bad weather as residents try to clean up and crews search for people missing after days of severe storms. At least 35 million have died in tornados and flooding in the southern U.S. and northern Mexico. Most recently, authorities found a boys' bed on today on the banks of a river in a hard hit town in Texas.

Two dozen U.S. military personnel are undergoing precautionary treatments after possibly being exposed to anthrax, 22 at Osan U.S. military base in South Korea. Live samples of the dangerous bacteria were inadvertently sent there and to labs in nine U.S. States. They say there is no risk to the public. So far no one has shown any signs of exposure.

And now, more on the FIFA scandal. One significant aspect is that the 47-count indictment originated in the United States. And there are Americans tied to the allegations.

Our Jonathan Mann looks into that part of the story.

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JONATHAN MANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It may be hard to believe but you can trace the big FIFA busts all the way to Brooklyn, New York. That's where the charges were made in court. Well, it just so happens that Attorney General Loretta Lynch, the top law enforcement official in the United States, used to serve as U.S. attorney in Brooklyn overseeing federal investigations and prosecutions there. That's where the feds were looking into FIFA, over $150 million worth of suspected bribes related to futbol tournaments in the U.S. and Latin America.

It just so happens that Michael Garcia was also a U.S. attorney before he was brought in to conduct FIFA's own internal investigation of Russia and Qatar's winning bid for the World Cup in 2018 and 2022. Critics were questioning the bids. His confidential 350-page report was given to FIFA. They chopped it into a 42-page summary for public release that cleared themselves of any wrongdoing, which Michael Garcia called incomplete and erroneous.

It also just so happens that the feds had another way to find out about FIFA. Charles "Chuck" Blazer, U.S. representative on FIFA executive committee, from 1996 to 2013, who secretly pleaded guilty to corruption charges in 2013. He did more than that. He became an informant, provided documents and wore a wire recording meetings with FIFA colleagues. If there was wrongdoing, and the feds can prove it, remember, Lynch, Garcia, and Blazer and the worldwide case that began in Brooklyn.

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CHURCH: Jonathan Mann, thank you.

FIFA's president calls this period a difficult time. And in a statement, Sepp Blatter also says -- and I'm quoting -- "It should be clear we welcome the actions and the investigations by the U.S. and Swiss authorities and believe that it will help to reinforce measures that FIFA has already taken to root out any wrongdoing in futbol," end of quote there.

Well, the FIFA corruption scandal points a harsh spotlight on some of the recently named World Cup host countries, including Russia, whose bid for the 2018 World Cup is now under investigation.

CNN's Matthew Chance has more on what Russian officials are saying about the charges.

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[02:35:10] MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Everyone at the moment is insisting Russia will host the World Cup in 2018. But there has got to be growing concern that might change. Swiss investigators say they hap opened that criminal investigation into suspected money laundering and mismanagement in the process of awarding the World Cup tournaments to Russia in 2018 and to Qatar in 2022.

A source close to the investigation told me that Russia's sports minister will be one of those questioned, although, he said he has absolutely nothing to hide. One Russian lawmaker here slammed the investigations into FIFA practices as politically motivated, an attempt by the West, he said, to discredit Russia and to take away the World Cup.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: More than 1,400 people have died in India's brutal heat wave. Temperatures have hit as high as 48 degrees Celsius, or 118 degrees Fahrenheit, with no sign in sight of the ending.

Mallika Kapur reports from India where people are trying to survive with hardly any resources to do so.

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MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We travel just outside the Hidrbad (ph). More than 70 people have died from the heat here. One of them, 38-year-old Vancotation Badula (ph). His father, Malea Badula (ph), says his son had gone out to get medicines. He was on his way home and collapsed. He never recovered from the sunstroke.

He says the entire village is suffering. Malea is 76 years old. He says he has never experienced a heat wave like this before.

(on camera): It is the middle of the afternoon. It is really hot. Temperatures are soaring and there is this hot wind blowing. It feels like I am walking into a furnace.

(voice-over): Air conditioners are out of reach of many homes in this village. They do have fans. The problem is, they barely work with three to four hours a day because of power cuts.

In this blazing heat, residents seize every little opportunity to cool off.

(MUSIC_

KAPUR: Hot and frustrated, villagers get together to pray for better days ahead. They say they're asking for health, for peace, and most importantly, for peace, and most importantly, for the rains to come quickly.

Mallika Kapur, CNN, India.

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CHURCH: Texas is coping with the aftermath of powerful storms that brought tornados and flash flooding, but all it not over yet. Authorities expect more rain over the next few days. This storm system has killed at least 35 people in Texas, Oklahoma, and northern Mexico. Several others are still missing. On Wednesday, a boy's body was found near a river in a town devastated by this weather. This is video of the powerful river breaking down the door and rushing into a home.

CNN's Ana Cabrera has the latest now from Texas where clean-up is under way.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, no. Got it?

ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rushing to the water's edge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 50. And the police are over there. They told us there was one live body in the water coming down this way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, OK.

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: A nearby worker prepares a rope to throw to someone believed to be in the still tumultuous Blanco River.

(on camera): Are you prepared to make a river rescue of some sort?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. I was in the Army for six years, combat water survival.

CABRERA (voice-over): Hoping for a rescue while bracing for a recovery. A scene playing over and over as the south copes with several days of widespread flooding. In the end, this one turns out to be a false alarm.

In the hard-hit town of Wimberley, the search continues. 74-year-old Dayton Larry Thomas is among them. Friends are fearing the worst.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah. It's tragic, just to know he died, too. We think he died. He's missing.

CABRERA: Gayla McNeal barely made it out of her house --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Careful.

CABRERA: -- as water raced inside, smashing furniture in every direction.

GAYLA MCNEAL, HAYS COUNTY RESIDENT: This time up to -- just nearly chest deep.

CABRERA (on camera): And you're trying to wade your way through the water?

MCNEAL: Yeah. Waded up to -- my husband's truck was already starting to go down, float down the river and my car was up a little higher so we got in that.

[02:40:03] CABRERA (voice-over): Her car was soon surrounded by water. Then the air bags went off.

MCNEAL: I couldn't get out. I was driving and my husband was able to get out on that side. And this man just appeared a pulled me out and -- because I couldn't get out.

CABRERA (on camera): Who was this man?

MCNEAL: His name is Chance. That's all I know. CABRERA (voice-over): McNeal, like so many others, the clean up and

little that is salvageable.

Texas officials say more than $$a000 homes may be damaged or destroyed. And Mother Nature isn't finished. A dam in Midlothian just south of Dallas is threatening to burst, holding tight for now, but more rain in the forecast.

(on camera): A flood watch remains in effect through parts of Texas and Oklahoma through the weekend. And some towns continue to have evacuations in place as rivers are still rising.

Ana Cabrera, CNN, Wimberley, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: We have a sad update to Ana's reporting. Se mentioned Dayton Larry Thomas hasn't been seen since the storms hit. Texas authorities say they have now found his body.

All right, turn to Derek Van Dam, our meteorologist, who joins us.

Of course, as we mentioned in the reports, there is more severe weather on the way. And how much can this region cope with?

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's right. There is in fact at the moment. 183 reporting stations on the signs of rivers and estuaries that lead to the Gulf of Mexico that are reporting some sort of flooding or flood stage at the moment. This is a significant event. Something we are going to be covering for days to come. We have obviously had the fatalities. And people's lives just completely impacted by this, Rosie. They really can't handle much more. A short amount of time. And put it all into context. 183 locations, Arkansas, east Texas, Oklahoma, all reporting light, moderate to severe flooding or at flood stage at the moment. We have had since the beginning of May, first part of the month, over 20 inches of rain and 500 millimeters of rainfall in the short period of time. You can see the rainfall that's, that's spread to Houston and Austin as well, 10 inches of rain. That's significant. As the rain continues to fall in the rivers, they eventually start to stream further and further south towards the Gulf of Mexico. That can have an impact, even if they've don't experience. The heavy rain in places like, Austin, Houston, for instance. And the river run-off will be a concern. Saturated from recent storms. You can see the computer models going forward through the weekend. At least another one to three inches of rainfall from this very persistent weather pattern that draws in Gulf of Mexico moisture. We have currently around 4.3 million people under a -- under a flood watch. We have roughly seven million people, under a flood warning. That's this bright shading of green. Just outside of the Houston area. There is a large population, density, under a flood warning at the moment. This is something we are going to be talking about for several days to come. See the computer models, more rainfall in the forecast.

However, there is some good news as we look towards the extended -- six to 10 day outlook. After we have -- our next round of ran through the course of the weekend. It does appear, Rosie, that we have at least a drying trend, heading into the first half of June. Something to look forward to. Something that we can, really just hope, really actually materializes.

CHURCH: At least there is good news there. It is still a long way.

VAN DAM: Still a ways away. And we still have more rain to come this weekend.

CHURCH: Derek Van Dam, many thanks to you.

VAN DAM: Thanks.

CHURCH: Getting us up to date on that.

Well, former U.S. Senator, Rick Santorum, declares his running for president, again. And he says he knows why he is already trailing in the polls. We'll have that for you in just a moment.

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[02:47:08] CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Former U.S. Senator, Rick Santorum told supporters he will be a little busy in 2016.

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RICK SANTORUM, (R), FORMER SENATOR: I am running for president of the United States.

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CHURCH: Santorum won the Iowa caucus in 2012, you recall, ultimately lost the Republican nomination. And for 2016, he is dead last in the polls already.

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JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Obviously, you are not the front-runner like Mitt Romney was four years ago. Why do you think it's different? Why do you think that Rick Santorum being the runner-up four years ago doesn't make you the front-runner this time?

SANTORUM: Well, if you look at what I had to do when I left the race -- I have seven kids. I had to go to work. I had to provide food for my family and, I wasn't in front of your TV very often over the last three years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Santorum has appealed to a Christian conservative base of supporter. He's been criticized for comparing same-sex marriage to polygamy.

Now another Republican presidential candidate is re-affirming his stance on gay marriage and taking it a step further. Senator Marco Rubio, of Florida, is warning that proponents of gay marriage could begin to try to cast Christians as hatemongers.

He spoke to the Christian Broadcasting Network earlier this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARCO RUBIO, (R), FLORIDA & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We are the water's edge of argument that mainstream Christian teaching is hate speech. Today we reached a point in society where if you do not support same-sex marriage, you are labeled. What's next after going after individuals, the teaching of mainstream Christianity, catechism of the Catholic Church is hate speech. A real danger.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Rubio told CNN if the U.S. Supreme court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage, quote, "That would be the law of the land that we would have to follow until it is somehow reversed," end of quote.

Rubio often refers to his Catholic roots. His comments come on the heels of a statement on gay marriage from a high-ranking Vatican official. The Holy City secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Periland, called Ireland's vote to allow same-sex marriage, a defeat for humanity. You may remember shortly after Pope Francis took office, the Catholic leader was asked about homosexuals. At that time, he said, "Who am I to judge." Many gays worldwide applauded that comment.

There is a new eye in the sky over New York City. We will have a preview of the Freedom Tower's new observation deck.

We will be back in a moment.

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[02:53:47] CHURCH: This week thousand of tourists will get a look from the top of the Freedom Tower. The observation deck on the 100th floor opens Friday.

At 17,076 is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.

Clare Sebastian went on the grand tour to take in the incredible view.

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CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The numbers tell part of the story. 1,250 feet above the ground. Views stretching 50 miles on a clear day. Almost a decade of rebuilding.

(on camera): And yet, once you are up here even on a cloudy day, those numbers give way to feelings which are quite frankly difficult to describe. Rumor has it that you can see the curvature of the earth from this point. And it's true you can feel the weight of recent history. DAVID CHECKETTS, CEO, LEGENDS: The construction of the building and

the observatory are a fist pump for going forward, for moving forward, for saying, there is a future and we embrace it.

SEBASTIAN: David Checketts is the man in charge of the day-to-day running of the observatory. Architect T.J. Gottesdiener helped design the structure itself.

T.J. GOTTESDIENER, ARCHITECT: It pulls at you. When you are up there, you look down, you can see the memorial. You have that sense of remembrance.

[02:55:08] SEBASTIAN: It's not just about the views. The 47-second elevator ride comes complete with a 500-year time-lapse of the New York skyline.

CHECKETTS: Now you get a brief view of the World Trade Center on this side, just for, just for a moment. And then it disappears.

SEBASTIAN: Then the view itself is revealed gradually behind automatic screens.

In a city crowded by skyscrapers, One World Trade Center has serious competition.

(on camera): How many visitors a year?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last year we had 4.3 million.

SEBASTIAN (voice-over): The Empire State Building's observatory brought in revenues of $111 million last year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: New York City has represented to so many people in the world by the Empire State Building.

SEBASTIAN: Few would dispute One World Trade Center now shares that status. And with a predicted 3.8 million visitors a year to the observatory --

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