today is truly a dark day. 19 firefighters were killed late yesterday trapped while battling a fast moving wildfire that suddenly turned on them. >> they were called the hot shots, the best of the best, sent into the most dangerous situations. the president traveling in africa released a statement this morning saying they were heros who put themselves in harm's way to protect the lives and property of fellow citizens they would never meet. the community of prescott, arizona waking up to the devastating news this morning, 19 of their own gone. >> the crew was digging barriers around the yarnell hill fire in central arizona which has burned through 6,000 acres just since friday. cnn is in arizona with more. >> reporter: the yarnell hill fire began moving at a ferocious pace on sunday, suddenly changing direction, claiming the most firefighter lives since 9/11, trapping 19 firefighters with no way out.

>> we just lost 19 of some of the finest people you'll ever meet. right now we're in crisis. >> reporter: the firefighters were part of the prescott fire department hot shot crew, getting their name because they worked in the hottest parts of the wildfire, setting up barriers to stop the destructive spread. >> these are the guys that will go out there with 40, 50 pounds of equipment and walk five miles, they will slaep out there. these are quality people. >> reporter: the crew was tasked with digging a fire line and creating an escape route. the flames hadn't even touched prescott. but like many other firefighters across the state, the prescott team jumped into help fight the blaze. the fire which began friday has burned at least 6,000 acres and at least 100 structures destroyed. forced to evacuate, some residents had only minutes to grab their belongings. others witnessed their homes burn as they fled the scene. >> i went up to get the wife because the fire was getting close. and i woke her up and got the

evacuation notice and we had no time. we got the dogs. we got the wife. and it's gone. >> reporter: officials believe lightning may have sparked the fire. the area has been experiencing severe drought conditions. >> as the fire moves, positions have to move, as well. to on give you you some perspective on just how terrible this loss is, this wildfire is the deadliest arizona has ever seen. wiping out more than 20% of the prescott fire department's man you power. right now i want to bring in arizona house speaker andy tobin. he joins us on the phone. thank you for coming to us during such a difficult time. these aren't just statistics to you obviously. these are men. and people fighting for property and for lives there.

and you knew some of these fallen heros, is that right? >> this is a very close knit community. we know them, we know somebody who knows them. the police officer that dwroef drove me to i can't remember medical earlier today leaned over to tell me that his friend was in the fire and killed. so nobody here in in community will go untouched by this. >> it doesn't make sense when you hear about this number of first responders being lost until you start to understand exactly what the hot shots do. help us understand how deeply they have to go in, how urgent the situation is that they face. >> these are the best of the best, these are the most special first responders we have. it's almost unbearable to even think that these things happen. no one is trained better. no one works like a family better than they do.

no one is as brave and goes into these situations to defend life and to protect our homes like these guys did. it's almost undescribable what's happened here. >> we're being told that they faced the worst combinations of situations. very difficult and fast moving fire, very dry conditions. a lot of heat whipping wind. they had a tough trek into where they were. what do you understand about the situation that took them? >> well, what's being explained to us last night was we were in yarnell is that these winds took a 180 degree turn without any notice at all. so in the middle of -- it looks as if the getaway path was immediately cut off and that it's extremely unusual, but the winds are so unpredictable. that's probably what you'll hear in the next several days is you how the winds shifted almost owe

a right degree angle, almost right backwards. so it was a terrible accident is all we can say. but it's dark here now. there will be a lot of investigating going on tomorrow. there will be -- this will hurt for a very, very long time. >> and we understand, mr. tobin, the fight is far from over. thank you for coming to us this morning. let us know if we can help in any way. we're very sorry for your loss. >> send all the prayers you can and we thank you for your concern. >> we will, sir. thank you for joining us. tough situation. not over. >> you can hear the strain in his voice. so let's get straight to indra in the weather center. this seems to be an out of control fire. >> there are three ingredients with fires that make them bad. we've already been talking about the record heat out there. but those three ingredients, oxygen, heat, and fuel. unfortunately, we've had all three of these ingredients in the wildfires this weekend. the heat we already know.

temperatures record breaking heat out there. humidity, very dry conditions. down to about 15% at times within the fire itself. and then we have the drought conditions so the fuel is all out there. very, very dry conditions that have persisted for some time. and then the most interesting thing that we keep talking about is the monsoonal thunderstorms that have been picking up in the afternoon. so you can see how quickly in the afternoon the thunderstorms pick up. when that happens, you see very quick change in the wind direction and it that is the heat. once you get that, that's the most variable element of that triangle. it impacts everything within that equation. you get one of those three things out of balance and everything changes. just to take a look how quickly things shifted, you have winds at 8 miles per hour and after even 30, 40-mile-per-hour gusts. so things rapidly changing out there and that was one of the biggest things that we're hearing at this time played a factor here. of course they have those fire tents they can put over them,

but in this case the winds were too strong. >> such a risky job and the winds completely unpredictable. >> and the heat literally allows the wind to almost have a turbo charging effect. so it winds up driving a fire like what's going on in arizona right now. it has been the heat, historic heat wave, literally roasting the west with triple digit temperatures. it's so hot in some places, sneakers are melting on the sizzling streets. in death valley, the pmercury could top 130 degrees. that's where tory dunnan is trying to stay cool. what's the latest from there? >> reporter: that will be a very difficult task trying to stay cool because it is 3:00 in the morning here in death valley, the thermometer is already reading at 102 degrees. and the day far from over. a deadly heat wave broils from texas to the western seaboard.

>> it's too hot. >> reporter: scorching through southern california where a hiker died and the death of an elderly las vegas man. and dozens of shawl plane small groundsed. >> the thinner the air, the less lift on the airplane. >> reporter: animals are also feeling the burn. monkeys turned to to cup size popsicles. this death valley, the wind is more like a hair drier than a cool breeze. >> the high today being sunday was -- >> was 128. >> but very beautiful. >> reporter: tourists are flocking at the chance to witness record-breaking temps. describe how you're feeling. >> very hot. >> reporter: but down here, it's not all it too hot to handle. these two put the phrase hot enough to fry an egg to the test. >> doesn't taste bad. >> reporter: did you really just

eat that? >> i really did. it's not bad. >> reporter: the west coast has turned into a life like oven. all right. so today people are going to be checking out this thermometer here in death valley because temperatures as you mentioned will be soaring close to 130 degrees. and there is only one way to describe that after feeling it yesterday. absolutely brutal. >> i can only imagine. hopefully they get some relief out there. but also hopefully people learn how to be safe, including you, tory. take it easy out there. the heat can get you when you least expect it. >> sun's not even up and it's 102 right now. a tough week for many. let's get straight to some of the other top news we're following this morning. in less than two hours, president obama will arrive in tanzania, the last leg of his three nation african tour. but he's not the only u.s. president in africa this week. george w. bush and his wife, laura, are in zambia on a humanitarian mission helping women there fight cancer.

and robin is joining me from south africa. what did the former president have to say? >> reporter: well, as president mandela spends his fourth week in this hospital, i asked president bush and mrs. bush to reflect on what he means to them. >> sometimes there are leaders who come and go. his legacy will last for a long time. >> he is i think really an inspiration to people around the world and to a lot of americans. a figure that we watched from afar from the united states, and i have a lot of respect for him of course. >> he was quite tough on you. he criticized you publicly about the iraq war. >> he wasn't the only guy. it's okay. i didn't look at him any differently because he didn't agree with me on an issue.

>> reporter: now, after 9/11, the bush administration stepped up surveillance programs. about that in mind, i asked president bush his reaction to the edward snowden leaks. do you think he's a traitor? >> i know he damaged the country. the obama administration will deal with it. >> reporter: do you think it's possible for one man to damage the security of the nation? >> i think he damaged the security of the country. >> reporter: and when it comes to surveillance, there can be real time understanding of what you're googling -- >> i put the program in place to protect the country. and one of the certainties is civil liberties were guaranteed. >> reporter: so you don't think there is a compromise? >> i think there needs to be a balance and as the president described, there is a proper balance. aren aren >> reporter: you don't want to criticize the obama administration? >> it doesn't do any good.

it's a hard job. he has plenty on his agenda and it's difficult. former president doesn't need to make it harder. >> reporter: because in the polls you're -- >> could care less. >> reporter: whether people think you're favorable or unfavorable? >> only time i really cared was on election day. you know, i guess it's nice. let me rephrase that. thank you for bringing it up. >> reporter: you like the idea that people perhaps are looking at you differently? >> you know, ultimately history will judge the decisions that i made. and i won't be around because it's going to take a while for the objective historians to show up. so i'm pretty comfortable with it. i did what i did. i know the spirit this much i did it. >> reporter: comfortable in retirement, president bush and mrs. bush open up that clinic today. it helps diagnose and treat cervical cancer. they hope thousands of lives

will be saved. kate, back to you. >> you hit on many important topics with the former president and former first lady. robyn curnow, thanks. you can watch the full interview with president bush tonight on the situation room with wolf blitzer. >> we have the news in africa, wildfires back here, things happening all over the globe this morning. >> good morning. happy monday. making news, european union officials angry over alleged spying on friendly eu diplomats, citing do documents provided by edward snowden. the website for germa an making sooez reports the agency hack fld toits computer network. in the meantime, ecuador saying snowden's fate is up to russia. venezuela's president saying he'd consider granting snowden asylum. in egypt, deadly clashes.

at least five killed. more than 600 others injured. protesters taking to the streets demanding morsi's resignation. his supporters also rallying in mostly peaceful demonstrations. officials are urging citizens to cancel travel plans to go to or within egypt. a sight seeing ride over new york city turns quite scary for a group of swedish tourists. their helicopter had to make an emergency landing will in the hudson river. four suffered minor injuries. a local tv station reporting two adults and two kids were on board. the helicopter lost power. folks in the san francisco bay area, chaotic commute this morning. the first b.a.r.t. strike is on. there will be no train service today. transit workers and management have not reached an agreement on pay. now, in order to ease the morning and evening rush, more

ferries will be so-called to run. buses will also be beefed up despite their own labor dispute. those workers could go on strike tomorrow. a tornado took an oak what woman's home and the life of her family's dog back this may, but michelle says out of nowhere she received a big dose of hope. a woman who fou a big white ball of mess came to her and asked her if she knew whose it was, it was michelle's wedding dress. she says for her finding the dress symbolizes power of true love and how much one can overcome with the right person by their side. take that to the cleaners and be as good as new. >> that's he a good story. thanks so much. coming up next respect t, t set to rule on a criminal piece of evidence in the george zimmerman trial. will the jury get to see videotaped statements he made in

the hours just after shooting trayvon martin. and take a look. how did this happen in poland? it was supposed to be a car show. obviously went terribly wrong. more than a dozen people hurt. mine was earned in djibouti, africa. 2004. vietnam in 1972. [ all ] fort benning, georgia in 1999. [ male announcer ] 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 military members, veterans, and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. (girl) w(guy) dive shop.y? (girl) diving lessons. (guy) we should totally do that. (girl ) yeah, right. (guy) i wannna catch a falcon! (girl) we should do that. (guy) i caught a falcon. (guy) you could eat a bug. let's do that. (guy) you know you're eating a bug. (girl) because of the legs.

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welcome back. it is monday time. chris ttine romans is here. student loan, rate goes up while politicians are on vacation? >> that's right. >> who will be hit by this and why? >> about 7 million students who use the stafford loans, if you already have them right now, this is not you. but if you're borrowing money for college starting this fall, this is you. the rate will go from 3.4% to 6.8%. it is double because congress cooperate decide on how to fix it. so now it's going to double. this is real money. it's maybe up to 5 grand more it will cost you to go to school. >> why is this happening? >> it's happening because part of the budget process, the

student loan interest rate issue has been tied up in the in-at of washington to get anything done quite frankly. so what has probably consistently been pushed off it keep the rate low because students scream and their parents scream, this time congress wasn't able to do it. we think that both members of the house and the senate really want to push after the fact to try to fix this. maybe there could be something retroactive. but financial planners are saying prepare for the worst. you need to run the numbers now like you're going to pay 6.8%. >> but it's time to push your leaders because they can push this. >> absolutely. but just like the air traffic controller. they wait until people actually feel it and scream and then they're fixing things one thing at a time. >> and of course your priorities. you help the banks in an instant. but the students, no the not soy for them. critical day for prosecutors in the gormg zimmerman case.

the judge is expected to rule whether to allow statements made by zimmerman in the hours after he shot trayvon martin. it gives the prosecution a chance to use zimmerman's own wores against him. george howell in sanford, florida with the latest. >> reporter: good more thaning. so we have been able to hear george zimmerman in the 911 audiotapes. now the jury could get a chance to see him in a video reenactment walk through the events of the day letting attorneys analyze his every word. >> all i could think about is when he was hitting my head, it felt like my head was going to explode. >> reporter: it's george zimmerman in his own words walking investigators through the incident less than 24 hours after shooting and killing trayvon martin. and it's this video along with two audio statements and a written statement he gave police that could become critical new evidence in the case.

if judge nelson allows it in court, the jury could examine zimmerman's demeanor and possible inconsistencies in his statements. prosecutors are also expected to call on more pivotal witness this is week including the lead investigators from the sanford police department who found that george zimmerman acted in self-defense. jurors ended the week on day five hearing from the only eyewitness to the struggle between zimmerman and martin. john good told police he saw two people on the ground, the person on top was wearing darker clothes. and the man underneath he says seemed to have a lighter complexion like george zimmerman. >> what you saw the person on top an mms style straddle position? >> correct. >> reporter: the testimony is important to the defense because it contradicts the testimony of two key witnesses for the state. selma moore told the jury she heard yelling, stepped out of her home and saw a man who

appeared to be george zimmerman on top. >> the person on top did not respond to the first two times that you kaled on to him, correct? >> reporte >> correct. >> third time he said just call the police. >> correct. >> reporter: another important witness for prosecutors, rachel jeantel who was on the phone with martin moments before he was killed. through more than four hours of questioning, she maintained that it was george zimmerman who was the aggressor. >> i thought in fact that you said that it could have been for all you know trayvon martin smashing george zimmerman in the face is what you actually heard. >> what? >> yeah, just earlier today. >> by who? >> by you. >> you got that from me? >> reporter: court is expected to start at 8:30 a.m. eastern time. that is when attorneys and this judge will decide whether those statements, the video statement and the audio recordings, whether the jury can hear them

in this trial. >> all right, george, thanks so much. let's bring in an attorney with the law firm representing tray gone martin's parents. she's been in the courtroom during week one of trial and has been in close touch with the family. jasmine, thanks so much for coming in. >> thanks for having me. >> i want to talk about week two and look ahead, but first i want to ask you about week one. what have trayvon's parents said about how week one went? how do they think it went? >> the parents are very pleased with the performance of the prosecution. i think the prosecution made a very poignant comment in their opening statement. what they said is that george zimmerman killed trayvon martin for the absolute worst reason, not because he had to, but because he wanted to. and certainly this past week has been difficult for the parents. sybrina has said she'll have to see things she doesn't want to

see and hear things she doesn't want for hear, but she'll be there to bring justice for her son. >> and we're seeing images, they were both very emotional and understandably so at points, even sometimes leaving the courtroom when difficult things were happening. what have they said is most difficult for them going through this trial? >> i think obviously the photographs and the 911 call. and what's different for tracy and sybrina than for other parents is that they actually have to hear their son screaming for help over and over and there is nothing that they can do to help him except bring justice and try to get the conviction of george zimmerman for the murder of their son. >> no matter where you you stand, any parent can empathize with having to sit through something like that. i want to ask you looking into week two, some of the commentary that i've been reading and some of the people talking about this trim trial so far is that week one went pretty well in terms of the

defense. looking in to week two, do you think your colleagues need to change strategy? >> no, i think the prosecution performed exceptionally well this past week. i think that the testimony from the witnesses is consistent with the process could you go's theory of the case. and they started out telling us that they will show us george zimmerman's tangled web of lies. and this week when we speak with the investigators and the police department, i think it will be evident just how many lies zimmerman told. >> and one big question heading into this second week is will trayvon's parents take the stand. do you think they will testify? >> they will testify if they need tond at prosecuticeto, buts not confirmed whether or not they will call trayvon martin's parents. >> jasmine, thanks so much for coming in this morning. >> thank you. a lot of speculation obviously is can you identify the voice on the tape. and maybe trayvon's parents would be able to do that.

and then you have zimmerman's family who would try to say no. so it goes back and forth. >> hard for the family and if they take the stand, everyone will be glued to the television screens. >> absolutely. that's why it's important to watch. we'll unpack it for you. but coming up next, a cirque du soleil acrobat falls to her death in front of a live audience. the latest on this terrifying accident next. and hot air balloon coming down on a freeway in san diego. we'll tell you what went wrong and also what went right. la's known definitely for its traffic, congestion, for it's smog.

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thanks for coming back to "new day". >> it is monday, july 1. wow, july 1. you can believe it? coming up, horror 50 feet in the air. an acrobat killed during a live cirque du soleil performance. how safe are these shows? everybody knows we get angry on the road, but this turned deadly. why? we'll take you through it this morning. a lot of news to get to. >> breaking news and tough news to report this morning. an elite team of 19 firefighters most of them from the very same unit killed in the yarnell hill fire northwest of phoenix. an arizona forestry official says they were part of a hot shot crew that dug fire lines, but he said the safety zone they created was not big enough to keep the fire away. the fire has burned 6,000 acres and destroyed some 100 structures. more rain could be on the way in the southeast after heavy rain led to flash flooding a and water rescues in north carolina.

one man who dropped off his daughter for her first day of school had to be rescued. he said there was so much water, his car was floating. some businesses in the area resorted to sand bags to try to keep the water out. gay pride events around the country celebrating last week's supreme court decision on on doma and proposition 8. biggest turn out ever at the gay pride parade in san francisco. there were also newlyweds on on hand. not something drivers in san diego were expecting to see. hot air balloon shaped like a giant panda came in for a crash landing. not sure what caused to deflate as it headed for a freeway there, but the pilot was able to bring it down safely in a ravine andances stole the show.

justin timberlake and stevie wonder took part in an all-star tribute to mr. charlie wilson who earned a lifetime achievement award. drake led the field with 12 nominations. video of the year for starting from the bottom. those are the headlines. >> i'm not anti-drake, but i was loving the rendition of charlie wilson's song. >> and life time achievement. isn't that something? >> making me feel a little old. a good time to move on. let's get to the tragedy at cirque du soleil. the show is canceled at the mgm grabbed in las vegas after one of the acrobats fell to her death during a performance. 31-year-old sarah guyard was being hoisted in to the air on a wire.uring a performance. 31-year-old sarah guyard was being hoisted in to the air on a wire. dan same imon has more. >> reporter: first of all, anyone who has ever been to a show can tell you about the

incredible stunts these performers do. what happened at the mgm appears to be nothing more than a tragic mishap. it also happens to be the first death in their 30 year history. it's an edge of your seat show that features an incredible array of acrobatics, pyro tech ticks and larger than life sets. performers are highly skilled and intensebly trained. but an accident claimed the life of a 31-year-old performer, sar are a guyard featured in this show died while performing in the production of ka at the mgm grand in las vegas. the las vegas sun quotes witnesses that say guyard was being hoisted above a vertical stage like the one seen here. when the acrobat fell into the hollow pit 50 feet below. according to those accounts, some audience members thought the fall was part of the show until they heard screams from the stage. >> you could hear people crying. all the actors were basically

looking down. >> reporter: guyard reportedly a mother of two pictured here at a camp taught physical fitness and circuit skills to kids. in a statement, the founder says i'm heartbroken. i wish to extend my sympathies to the family. we're devastated with the news. the accident is an unfortunate reminder of the dangers of performing in high flying shows. just last week, a performer in the cirque du soleil production of michael jackson 1 suffered a concussion after falling. and a 2010, a stunt man fell 30 feet off the stage in the broadway production of spiderman. he suffered numerous injuries, including a fractured skull, broken rib, and broken vertebrae. back here in las vegas, guyard was born in paris and spent more than two decades as an acrobat. and as you might expect, performances of ka will be z

suspended until further notice. >> it's amazing they don't get hurt more often. but coming up, we'll hear from a woman who performed with circumstance due so he what i if nearly ten years and she'll tell us why she would not perform today. >> we'll have that ahead p. but still ahead next, the abortion battle simmering in texas. lawmakers will be back in a special session today trying to push through a sweeping bill. will it pass, though? we're live in the texas state capitol. and take take look at a car show in poland. sports car out of control. look how many people it takes out. why do things go so wrong?

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welcome back to "new day". texas lawmakers are preparing to do battle once again today. they're taking up the state's controversial abortion bill in another special session after it failed in dramatic fashion last week. democratic senator wendy davis, you remember this, kept up a some 12 hour filibuster to help shut down the bill. but republicans say they're certain this time the bill is going to pass. any g miguel marquez is live in austin today. it will be a dramatic day for sure. >> reporter: oh, my goodness, it certainly will. this is at full political boil. protesters from both sides whether descend on austin as the entire country watches to see how it plays out. it was a filibuster heard round the lone star state and beyond.

>> i intend to speak for an extended period of time on the bill. >> reporter: a texas sized protest scrambling politics here setting the stage for today's legislative battle. a test of political will. >> these are matters of personal liberty. in texas we hold very dear to intrusions against our personal liberty. >> reporter: and cat tacat take putting her on a national stage. >> the eyes of the country are watching. >> reporter: the fight over strict limits to abortion vanlt. imabove posing rules on clinics. the fight now intensely personal. >> she's the daughter of a single woman. she was a teenage mother herself. it's just unfortunate she hasn't learned from her own example. >> reporter: the state senator and her now famous pink tennis

shoes versus texas governor rick perry. >> what's offensive to me is that he's made this very personal to texans overall. >> reporter: the political brawl energizing democrats confounding republicans now whispers that a fell l filibuster could came a political avalanche. >> are you going to run against him for governor? >> i don't know. i have to go to work on this bill for a little while. >> sounds line a maybe to me. >> reporter: a democrat in the governor's mansion here? unthinkable a week ago. a maybe today. now, there is almost no doubt that this bill will pass at some point. the question is when. today we expect to see rules hearings. we expect to see the bill go back through the committee process and to the floor of both the house and senate. it could be a done deal in as few as nine days. back to you. >> miguel, thank you so much. coming up, a fatal shooting

on a florida highway all captured on a 911 call you have to hear. a manhunt is under way and the question, why police now think it may be a case of extreme road rage. and take a look at this. this toddler making her way across a pool. look at that little thing. should she be swimming alone? the viral video that has many parents scratching their heads this morning. the great outdoors... ...and a great deal. thanks to dad. nope eeeeh... oh, guys let's leave the deals to hotels.com. ooh that one! nice. got it! oh my gosh this is so cool... awesome! perfect! yep, and no angry bears. the perfect place is on sale now. up to 40% off. only at hotels.com wi drive a ford fusion. who is healthier, you or your car?

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welcome back. police are hunting this morning

for a gunman after a driver was shot to death on a florida highway. it happened during a frantic 911 call for police. he was saying another drive are was threatening him with a gun. the deadly shots captured on the call.r are was threatening him with a gun. the deadly shots captured on the call.are was threatening him with a gun. the deadly shots captured on the call.re was threatening him with a gun. the deadly shots captured on the call.e was threatening him with a gun. the deadly shots captured on the call. was threatening him with a gun. the deadly shots captured on the call. holly ferver reports. >> reporter: he was gunned down on interstate 4 in tampa. yet another unexplained incident of road rage. turner called 911 as he left a store. he told police a man he did not know was following him. >> we know that at one point in time this person did pull up beside him and showed him a hand gun. >> reporter: police say they didn't know why turner was being followed. he told the authorities he had not done noticing provoke the man but while still on the phone, he was killed. >> during the time he was on the call with the highway patrol, they actually heard the shooting or series of shots. >> reporter: his death, the

latest incident connected to road rage, another example of an alarming number of such cases being reported. june 9th in maryland, an off duty police officer allegedly shoots and kills another motorist. june 17th in southern california, a fight between two businessmen breaks out in rush shower traffic. and is caught on a cell phone video. in fact according to aaa, there were 1300 road rage incidents last year alone. in 300 of those, someone died. manyhe country wonder what is going on. studies show aggressive driving can be blamed on many factors. including traffic delays, the anonymity of being shielded in a car, to increased commuting distances and durations. when the temperatures rise, tempers can flare. the summer months show an uptick in the number of incidents. as 34 million americans are expected to hit the road this fourth of july holiday week and record temperatures expected in parts of the country, officials

are hoping that cooler heads will prevail. >> road rage and then you have homicide. that's what this is. >> this is an interesting one, yeah. road rage -- i don't know about that. coming up next, we'll have the very latest of the heartbreaking tragedy in arizona. almost an entire team of elite firefighters lost on the front lines. 19 men in all. and in the video you just have to see, watch the car slides into a crowd at a rally in poland. what happened there? why were those people standing so close? la's known definitely for its traffic, congestion, for it's smog. but there are a lot of people that do ride the bus. and now that the busses are running on natural gas, they don't throw out as much pollution to the earth. so i feel good. i feel like i'm doing my part to help out the environment.

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we're kicking off 30 minutes of commercial free news. let's start with our political gut check. all the stories you need to know coming out of washington. >> congress has taken off on their week long fourth of july recess, but they have left quite a lot of unfinished business behind on capitol hill, including student loan rates that are set to do double today. jake tapper, cnn's chief washington correspondent, host of "the lead," here to talk more about this. chris and i keep talking, this is the story in washington that people are not talking enough about. we have immigration, nsa leaks, but the student loans could double today, will double today. it could be thousands of dollars more for each student. how can congress let this happen? >> typical washington, d.c. dysfunction is the short answer to that. everybody knew this date was coming and yet no compromise was able on to be achieved. i do have some decent news, though, which is that according to the administration and

congressional sources with whom i've spoken, there is some optimism that this will be taken care of next week or the week after that. and that the lower rates will be retroactive. so that ultimately students will not have to pay the higher rate. i do have reason to believe that there is the basis for a compromise to come together. so i do think people will be able to get together on this. >> great having you on the show. thanks for doing it. what is your best sense on why her and he letting the students fall into the hole like this? they wouldn't do this to the banks. >> probably not. i think there is an impasse about whether the rate should be kept at 3.4% or should be tied to the economy. there is a disagreement between democrats and republicans on that. there is also a question of if they do go -- if they're tied to the market, whether or not they should be capped so they never go above, say, 8%. and there is a lot of

disagreement between republicans and democrats on that. there is grounds for a compromise like i said and i do think that ultimately with the knowledge that they would be able to fix this retroactively, members of congress went on their vacations and decided they would deal with it later. >> speaking of things that they left to deal with later, voting rights act following the supreme court decision, there has been some discussion that congress should quickly take up to kind of rework the formula in order to have some of these restrictions and limitations that the voting rights act had put into place, kind of fixeded a put back into place. candy crowley had chairman of the house jew addition air committee on and he made it clear that you shouldn't get your hopes up.addition air committee on and he made it clear that you shouldn't get your hopes up. is there any chance that a congress this polarized could try to take on something so sensitive and really controversial at this point? >> there is a chance this they could deal with this, but i do think this is something that is much more of a longer term project, the department of justice is just now meet being and discussing what formula they

would suggest. remember what the supreme court struck down was the idea that these states that were judged to have had voting problems in 1965 should continue to have to submit their changes to voting before they're done. the president when he was giving a comment on on this, a response to this in africa, talked about how there could be remedies that are not based on jurisdiction, meaning not necessarily the same southern states that were in the voting rights act to begin with. this is the kind of thing one republican on capitol hill told me that benefits from taking place on a long methodical away from the spotlight. >> jake tapper, thanks for wake up early. >> congratulations on the new show. very exciting.

>> see you on the lead 4:00 eastern. don't miss it. the music means it is time for the quick roundup of the stories you'll be talking about today. >> good morning. first up in "usa today," one run for boston close to the finish line, hundreds of runners have participated in this gigantic coast to coast relay race. in the "wall street journal," a judge rejecting an appeal to dismiss conspiracy charges against dozens of atlanta educators. and from the "washington post," gettysburg marng the 150th anniversary of the battle that helped determine the outcome of the civil war. sunday crowds came out to see an enormous re-enactment. >> look at those crowds. >> really getting down to details. time for christine romans who has all the business news you need to know. it's canada day. it's the first day of a new quarter. that was for you. this is perfect reason to have a

rally. >> absolutely. half the year is gone, right? the dow and s&p 500 both up 13% in that first half. and despite all that worrying last week, markets ended with gains last week. dow and s&p up about 1%. nasdaq up more than that p. there is a recovery in housing, but first time home buyers are missing out. in may, first time buyers ask theed for only 28% of existing home purchases. that's down from 34% a year before. starting this week, there may be relief for struggling homeowners. borrowers with mortgages at the least 90 days behind will start receiving offers from lenders to lower their mortgage payments. watch the mail. >> christine, thanks. indra peterson is in the weather center with what you need to know. >> once again we're still dealing with these blocking highs. they're literally blocking all other weather from entering those areas. so we have huge domes of high

pressure. east coast and west coast so hot and so try, all that sink air bringing temperatures a good 10, 15 degrees above normal. still looking at those temperatures good 15 degrees above normal in the east coast. we're talking about more rain. if we could only get the rain where it's hot and the heat where it's raining, a lot better. but can't do that for you. >> indra, thanks so much. now top of the hour which of course means times for the top news. we just lost 19 of some of the finest people you'll meet. >> overnight, 19 firefighters gone. trapped while battling a fast moving wildfire in arizona. the worst loss of life for firefighters since 9/11. we're live with the latest. shocking scene. an acrobat plunges to her death all in front of a more filed

audienand you had horrified audience. and the videotaped statement from george zimmerman describing what he says happened that night. will it be admitted? the verdict may hinge on it. >> your "new day" starts right now. what you need to know, what you just have to see. this is "new day". good morning and welcome back. it is monday, july 1st. >> michaela pereira is here. and we're in the middle of 30 minutes of commercial free news. this morning we're covering breaking news out of arizona. 19 firefighters killed in the line of duty. battling an enormous wildfire north of phoenix. the fire burning through 6,000

acres since just sunday. it's all in this area around yarnell that you see there on the map. the disaster the worst loss of firefighter life since 9/11. senator john mccain said their sacrifice will never be forgotten. we're learning more about those fallen heros. they were members of an elite hot shot crew making their loss of experience and knowledge incredibly detrimental to this firefighting community. they are the best of the best this crew, these hot shots were digging a fire line around the yarnell hill wildfire. they were trying to starve the fuel for the fire. very dangerous. that's when they were overcome by flames. we're live in prescott, arizona. >> reporter: good morning. the winds here are the key. they have been extremely erratic. in the words of one firefighter, like a monsoon. low humidity, extremely hot here. and what it's all added up to is it's a deadly combination for

this elite team of firefighters. the yarnell hill fire began moving at a ferocious pace on sunday. suddenly changing direction claiming the most firefighter lives since 9/11 trapping 19 firefighters with no way out. >> we're devastated. we just lost 19 of some of finest people you'll ever meet. right now we're in crisis. >> reporter: the firefighters were part of the prescott fire department hot shot crew getting their name because they worked in the hottest most dangerous parts of the world fire, confronting wildfires up close and setting up barriers to stop the spread.fire, confronting wildfires up close and setting up barriers to stop the spread. >> they will go out there with 40, 50 pounds of equipment, walk five miles, sleep out there. >> reporter: the crew was tasked with digging a fire line and skra creating an escape route. like many other fire departments across the state, the prescott team jumpged in ed into help fi

blaze. the fire has burned at least 6,000 acres and 100 structures destroyed. some residents had only minutes to grab their belongings. others witnessed their homes bush as they fled the scene. >> went up to get the wife because the fire was getting close. and i woke her up and got the evacuation notice and we had no time. we got the dogs. we got the wife. and it's gone. >> reporter: officials believe lightning may have sparked the fire. the area has been experiencing severe drought conditions. we have learned that the firefighters did deploy the fire shelters. that is a move of last resort. this elite team knew the fire was coming straight at them. firefighters here in prescott are grieving, but, chris, they have a job to do. this is still an out of control wildfire. they have to get back on that

line. >> understood it's a life or death job for these guys. >> they take a lot of risks but they do so much for their communities. those 19 were members of an elite squad, the granite mountain hot shots. their website says our common bond is our love of hard work and arrest chew us adventure. their hard work indeed made them heros this morning.chew us adve. their hard work indeed made them heros this morning. let's go to a former deputy fire marshal who spent 26 years in the california fire service. robert is joining us from los angeles. a lot of questions for you about the work that these men and women do, but first just tell us really quickly about the hot shots. what exactly sets them apart from other firefighters? >> all firefighters across the nation have a very difficult job. the hot shots of all the jobs that the firefighters may have, that is the most dangerous job

that one could have as stated in previous interview, they hike up to seven miles right directly into the fire with 50 to 70 pounds of equipment on their back. they're in extreme condition. they exercise an hour and a half every day as they get prepared for these types of fires. so they're definitely the elite group and they are assigned specifically to face the fire directly. >> the risks that they take, it's almost impossible to understand how they do their jobs and how they do it so well. as you you heard in the piece previously, she said that they had deployed their fire shelters. it's almost like a silver sheet that they try pull over themselves. what does that tell you and what is that fire shelter supposed to do? >> well, the fire shelter is made of aluminum and silica,

which is basically a retardant. it separates us as firefighters from the fire itself. that is the last ditch effort that firefighters use in order to survive a fire should they be overrun by the fire. >> and what does that tell you? it means something unexpected must have happened. they're point to go probably the possibility of winds really turning in dramatic fashion. is that what you would expect to happen in the situation? >> yes, that's most likely what had occurred is that the wind did change direction and the fire turned on them as they were preparing to continue to fight the fire. and it was unexpected and so they deployed the shelters in order to survive the fire. >> when they get into a circumstance that they are forced to deploy the shelters, what are the chances that they were going to make it out? are these shelters deployed on a regular basis?

>> it's the last ditch effort in order to try to survive a fire. it's the only thing left that a firefighter will have in this condition in order to try to survive this. and it does not happen frequently because of the planning, but again, the winds are so unpredictable. and when you're in those situations and you're right on the fire line like these heros were, it just makes it very difficult to face the fire and expect to survive without the shelters. >> thanks so much for taking the time this morning. they are right there on the front lines. >> yeah, we've been with the hot shot. they're like special forces. but they have everything working against them. one of the big factor that's keeping the wildfires burning is

the dry intense temperatures with the wind. it's like a turbo charger for the fire.unpredictable. and the blistering heat expected to continue through tuesday. in death valley, the temperature hit 128 on saturday and sunday. that's just six degrees short of the hottest temperature ever recorded. cnn's tory dunnan is braving the heat for us in death valley. i'm talking about how dangerous the temperatures are and now how i put you there. but tell me about what people are doing on the ground. >> reporter: chris, it is dark out, but it is also extremely hot out at this hour. right now it's 4:00 in the morning here. it's 104 degrees. and the day hasn't even begun. a deadly heat wave broils from texas to the western seaboard. >> it's too hot. >> reporter: scorching through southern california where a hiker died, the sweltering temps may also be to blame for the death of an elderly las vegas man. it's even affected flights in

arizona and california where dozens of small planes were grounded. >> the air is thinner. the thinner the air, the less lift on the airplane. >> reporter: animals are also feeling the burn. at the houston zoo, monkeys turned to on cup size popsicles. in death valley, the wind is more like a hair dryer than a cool breeze. the high today be sunday was -- >> 128. >> but very beautiful. >> reporter: tourists are flocking at the chance to witness record breaking temps. describe how you're feeling. >> very hot. >> reporter: but down here, it's not all too hot to handle. these two put the phrase hot enough to fry an egg to the test. >> doesn't taste bad. >> did you really just eat that? >> i really did. it's not bad. >> reporter: the west coast has turned into a lifelike oven. death valley is home to the world record for the hottest

temperature ever recorded that was back in 1913 at 134 degrees. they're expecting temperatures today near 130 degrees. so i have to tell you while it may sound crazy, people are actually staying here in the area in opens hopes of reaching record. >> you can't control them sometimes. but do your best on stay cool. >> one record that i think i can pass offn ever experiencing. >> and the temperature is playing a role in devastating effects out there. the bottom line, always nice to have a record, but not this one, not now. is there any relief in sight? >> there's not really. one of the things we talked about is relief in the overnight hours. i want to show you you the current temperatures right now. you're still talking about temperatures near 100 degrees even in these overnight hours. that's what makes the situation as to tough. you can see where the dome of high pressure is because you can notice los angeles currently 67 degrees. that's what they should be feeling in these overnight

hours. that cool air. unfortunately, we have the domes of high pressure and they literally stay in place, like battling out the low pressure which would bring in the cooler air. as long as they're there, it will be sinking air that continues to bring stagnant warm dry conditions to the area and that's what will be remaining here for the next several days. is there relief? unfortunately not. a averages are in the hundreds. a good 15 degrees above normal in many locations.averages are . a good 15 degrees above normal in many locations. we are actually breaking records and we'll continue to break records out there today. we're talking about the temperatures a good again 15 degrees above normal. only thing we're seeing changing is the monsoonal moisture. it means the threat of lightning. you could have the dry lightning, so it's a mixed bag. the fire danger from just the lightning itself.

>> and they believe a lightning strike is what sparked the fire. >> when it comes to weather on the ground, anything wet they will take. president obama is arriving in tanzania about 30 minutes from now. but he's not the only u.s. president in africa right now actually. former president george w. bush is in zambia working on health issues there. and robyn curnow sat down with mr. bush and laura bush. robin is joining us live from pretoria. you hit on quite a range of topics, robin. >> reporter: yeah, hi. today we're in pretoria of course monitoring nelson handel la's health. yesterday in zambia with the former president and mrs. bush. but i just had to ask him about his reaction to those edward snowden leaks.

do you think he's a traitor? >> i know he damaged the country. the obama administration will deal with it. >> reporter: do you think it's possible for one man to really damage the security of the nation? >> i think he damaged the security of the country. >> reporter: and when it comes to surveillance, there can be understanding of what -- >> i put the program in place to protect the country. and one of the certainties is civil liberties were guaranteed. >> reporter: so you don't think there is a compromise between security and prprivacy? >> i think there needs to be a balance. >> reporter: you don't want to criticize the obama administration. is that something that you've made a decision -- >> it doesn't do any good. it's a hard job. he's got plenty on his agenda. and it's difficult. and former president doesn't need to make it harder. >> reporter: in the polls you are now sort of -- >> could care less. >> reporter: whether people think you're favorable or unfavorable? >> only time i really cared was on on election day.

you know, i guess it's nice. let me rephrase that. thank you for bringing it up. >> reporter: you like the idea that people perhaps are looking at you differently? >> ultimately history will judge the decisions that i made and i won't be around because it will take a while for the object testi objective historians to show up. so i'm pretty comfort with it. i did what i did. i know the spirit in which i did it. >> reporter: in retirement, he says he will still focus on africa a, that clinic opens today. on it tuesday, he and mrs. bush whether meet with african first ladies and michelle obama.t tue whether meet with african first ladies and michelle obama. tues whether meet with african first ladies and michelle obama. >> robin, great interview. and you can hear the full interview with george w. bush coming up on the situation room with wolf blitzer later today. mr. bush will tell us more about the work he's doing to improve

women's health in africa. very celebrated for the aid he september sent to africa. >> interesting he decided it talk about the nsa leak situation when that is making news this morning. >> making news, edward snowden's latest nsa leak is making european union leaders furious. a spokesman for angela merkel saying today u.s. spying on european countries would be, quote, unacceptable. she was referring to a report that cited documents provided by snowden that claim the u.s. bugged eu offices at the u.n., washington and brussels. and that the agency hacked into the eu's computer network. new this morning, at least 16 people killed in egypt where deadly clashes have marked president morsi's first anniversary in power. staggering 781 others have been injured across that nation. protesters taking to the streets demanding morsi's resignation. meanwhile supporters also

rallying in mostly peaceful demonstration. state department and officials in the uk are citizens to cancel travel plans. a b.a.r.t. strike is expected to cause chaos. transportation officials say there could also be an extra 60,000 cars on bay area roads this morning as a result of the first train shutdown since 1997. they're haggling over pay raises and benefits. a terrifying video in poland. you see no barrier. 17 people were hurt. four of them seriously. two of them children. we're told none of the injuries are said to be life threatening. that accident now under investigation. to texas now where an unusual pet makes a break for it. yes, that is a bouncing walaby.

they were eventually able to get the runaway. after taking lots of photos, wally was returned to his other than. no word on whether he ran away because they made him wear the t red t-shirt. he's into blue. >> kangaroos are one of thoefs animals that get an artificially good reputation. some are like those dogs are all mean. >> everybody thinks they're cute and friendly. but they will kick you. >> i'm fascinated by them. >> you can be into them, but i don't think they're into you. >> and we're getting the word wallabys don't want to be compared to kangaroos. >> they there size issues. that's why they're so nasty. think twice. coming up on "new day," could george zimmerman's own words come back to haunt him?

how this videotape could play a critical role in his murder trial. and find out why jennifer lopez is apologizing just for singing happy birthday to a world leader. [ male announcer ] this store knows how to handle a saturday crowd.

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welcome back to "new day". today could be crucial for prosecutors in the george zimmer map tri man trial. the judge will decide whether to allow statement mass by zimmerman in the hours just after he shot and killed trayvon martin.by zimmerman in the hours just after he shot and killed trayvon martin. cnn's george howell is live in sanford, florida. what are we expecting this morning, george? >> reporter: good morning. so we've all heard george zip r zimmerman. now we could see him. the jury could see him in a video reenactment showing them every move he made step by step with attorneys analyzing every word he says. >> all i could think about was when he was hitting my head, it felt like it was going to

explode. >> reporter: gornl zeorge zimme walk investigators through the incident less than 24 hours after shooting and killing trayvon martin. and it's this video along with two audio statements and a written statement he gave police that could become critical new evidence in the case. if judge nelson allows it in court, the jury could examine zimmerman's demeanor and possible inconsistencies in his statements. prosecutors are also expected to call on more pivotal witnesses including the lead investigators from the sanford police department who found that george zimmerman acted in self-defense. jurors ended the week on day five hearing from the only eyewitness to the struggle between zimmerman and martin. john good told police he saw two people on the ground, the person on top was wearing darker clothes. and the man underneath he says seemed to have a lighter

complexion. >> you saw the person in top in mma style straddle position? >> correct. >> reporter: his testimony is important to the defense because it contradicts the testimony of two key witnesses for the state. selma told the jury she heard yelling, stepped out of her home and saw a man who appeared to be george zimmerman on top. >> the person on top did not respond to the first two times that you called to him, correct? >> correct. >> the third time he said just call the police. >> correct. >> reporter: another important witness for prosecutor, rachel jeantel who was on the phone with martin moments before he was killed. through more than four hours of questioning, she maintained that it was george zimmerman who was the aggressor. >> i thought in fact that you said that it could have been for all you know trayvon martin smashing george zimmer map man e face is what you heard. >> what?

>> just earlier today. >> by who is this. >> by you. >> you're getting that from me? >> reporter: we're expecting court to to start at 8:30 a.m.. that is when we expect attorneys to talk about the comments and judge nelson to decide whether they can be admitted as evidence. >> all right, george, thank you very much. very big division fecision for . let's start on friday day five. very big deal. why? good for which side? jonathan good was the set of eyes on the fight. but good to which side? because he says he described a man that seemed to be that zimmerman was on the bottom. again, the key distention is who was on top. this guy jonathan good says that trayvon martin was on top. what does that mean? it gives credence to the idea that george zimmerman felt he had to defend his life. but remember, there was a

witness last week who contradict that had. so when did jonathan good see the fight? because the fight understandably could have been changing. one guy rolling on top and on the bottom. another witness said she saw that after the gunshot, the man on top got up. the man on the bottom stayed meaning that would have been trayvon martin. but it seemed that good was actually a little better for the defense. now, the big decision that leads us to today. for the prosecution, it comes down it what to do with the interview assuming judge nelson allows in the videotaped interview with george zimmerman the day after. very rare. the day after the crime before he has a lawyer, he does a full interview with police taking them through the entire crime scene. do they use it? if they do, then they will try to impeach george zimmerman. if they don't, key thing that we'll talk about, they may force george zimmerman to interview

because he may have to use his own testimony. for the defense, if they use the interview and they feel the prosecution hasn't met its burden of a reasonable doubt, a so that's where we'll be in term of the analysis. do they even need to make their own case. and of course who has an advantage in the trial. i can't answer that. but luckily we do have two people who are more than smart enough. we have sunny hostin, our legal analyst. she's been a former federal prosecutor, she's been outside the court in sanford. and criminal defense attorney danny savalis. let's start with the determination. these statements and most importantly this video, sunny, do you see anyway that judge nelson says i'm not letting the video interview in of george zimmerman? >> no, no way. the rules of evidence allow for the statement to come in. we do see statements like this come in all the time. police interviews. we saw it in the casey anthony

case. so i don't think there is any question that it's coming in. i think the only question is should the prosecution put the statements in. >> let's jump to that. you're the prosecutor. you understand this very well. if urt prosecution, do you use this interview? >> you know, this is a strategy decision that needs to be made by the prosecution. and the prosecutors on this case know their case better than i know their case. but i would think in a self-defense claim you force zimmerman to get on the witness stand. you force him to tell his version of events and then impeach him. he not only gave the police interview reenactment, and we remember all the media interviews he gave. he sat with several people and also told versions of events.

so i think you put him on the hot seat. if it were me, chris, i think i'd force him on the witness stand. >> it's so rare you have something like this. so danny, you're sitting there, if you're defense counsel, if they use this taped interview, what does that do with your strategy? >> this is a very unusual case and the prosecution is in a tough place because this video is overall pretty helpful to zimmerman. it is the rare police interview that is helpful to a defendant. but in this case, this story is corroborated by witness good who we heard from on friday. it's overall a pretty good tape for the defense. so the prosecution can either, a, introduce it and introduce this evidence that is helpful to zimmerman, or, b, if they choose not to admit it or not to introduce it, then the defense can make reference to it in

cross-examination, they can ask the police officers, well, you took a video interview and leave that question for the jury. if there was a video interview, why did we never see it? will this is an unusual case because the interview again in this case, most interviews if you'd seen on tv, it's a defendant giving lies, getting caught in lies. i don't know that you you see that quite so much with this video and i've watched it. especially because there are certain points that corroborate almost exactly to what we heard from witnesses as early as friday. >> so sunny, the big calculation today. you're bringing in investigate informations. interesting after the initial investigation here, the police felt there was nothing to charge george zimmerman with. it was only later that he got charged. however, christopher serino one investigator did believe a manslaughter charge would be in order. so what does the prosecution have to get done with the investigators today? >> they certainly have to put it

them on the witness stand and if they to, i think the interview has to come in because that's the foundation of their testimony.o, i think the interv has to come in because that's the foundation of their testimony.do, i think the inter has to come in because that's the foundation of their testimony. so you get out what zimmerman told them and you don't necessarily have to get out the fact that one thought it was a manslaughter. because it's the government, the prosecutor's office that brings charges. police recommend charges all the time, but we know prosecutors are lawyers and they look at the law and determine whether or not the facts support certain charges. so i'm not so sure that the fact that serino thought it was second degree manslaughter was appropriate to come in. but you almost have to get into the videotaped statement. but i want to disagree with dwan a danny just a bit. he said he felt the tape was great for the defense. i didn't see it that way. i saw a lot of inconsistencies. usually when i'm looking at these case, i have my former prosecutor hat on. so i thought there are a lot of

inconsistencies here. his story didn't make a lot of sense to me. he was saying a lot of things like after he shot trayvon martin martin stood up and said you got me? that doesn't fit with a lot of the evidence. so i think a lot of embellishments in many of his statements. >> remember of a after they did initial investigation, they thought it was textbook stand your ground and they weren't going to bring any charges. danny, let me end on you. one word answer. at this point in the trial going in, you're defense down, do you put george zimmerman on the stand as things stand today? >> no. they have enough for a jury instruction on self-defense. the safe move is no. >> all right. thank you as always. so we head back here to the scales. based on what's going on right now and the huge decision that these prosecutors have to make about whether or not to use this video statement, what it will mean, right now it's a balance. a balance right now. this is a huge day. very important day to watch. now, we'll have a lot more coming up on the zimmerman

trial. we'll have hln's nancy grace to go through this. and that will be important. and we want to know what you you think. use twitter, facebook, today, big day to watch. >> a the lot more to discuss. but coming up next, a man takes a baby hostage at knife point inside an oklahoma walmart. and the terrifying moments caught on camera. we'll tell you what police had to do to get her out of danger. also jennifer lopez is taking heat for an overseas concert. some people aren't so happy with the guest of honor at j. lo's performance saturday night.

i'm joined by two of the best people i know. welcome back to "new day". it's just after 7:30 on july 1, monday. >> i'm kate bolduan.

we're here with made made kayla pereira. imagine your toddler grabbed in front of you you you and threatened with a knife. we'll tell you what happened coming up. and a little girl proving she's a champ in the pool. that kid isn't even a year and a half old. her parents getting a little backlash for this video. it will an opportunity for my co-anchors to gang up on me when we discuss it. a lot of news this morning here, so let's get to it. >> good morning. making news, it is the worst firefighting tragedy since september 11th. a team 19 elite firefighters considered the very best in extreme situations trapped and killed by the parnell hill fire northwest of phoenix. here's the latest. >> reporter: the hot shot crew is as their name suggests the

team that go there es in to the dangerous part of the fire. they dealt with erratic winds, monsoon type winds, low humidity, extreme heat in a place that hasn't burned in some 40 years. and they lost their battle. take a look at this team picture. 19 people, elite firefighters who put their lives in between the wall of flames rushing to innocent people's homes. these firefighters according to the fire department did tdeploy their fire shelters, a method of last resort. >> tough conditions certainly and tough time for that community. thanks for the report. other new, the coast guard search for a small plane that crashed in the water off ocean city, maryland has been suspended because of dangerous conditions there. the single begin aircraft crashed sunday afternoon about 500 yards from shore.aircraft cd sunday afternoon about 500 yards from shore.

police are not sure if anyone other than the pilot was actually aboard. the first same sex married couple to be approved for a green card. marsh was celebrating his birthday over dinner friday when they got word. he said it felt like winning the lottery. it comes less than a week after the supreme court struck down the defense of marriage act. in new york police bust a woman involved in a super bowl size scam. the woman stole nearly half a million dollars of jewelry from the miami hotel room of a new york giants player sean rogers. the woman was apparently part of a sophisticated ring that picked up men at high end night clubs, drugged them and robbed them. j. lo apologizing for serenading turkmenistan's dictator for his birthday. she said she wouldn't have performed had she known about human rights issues there. her publicist told the associated press the event was

hosted by the china national petroleum corp and was not a political event. >> not good to be caught in the middle of that. >> she was thinking she was doing something fun and got to do your research. coming up next, cirque du soleil is canceling shows in las vegas after an acrobat falls to her death during a performance. we'll hear from a former performer about the safety measures in place at these big shows. and look at this toddler again. look how precocious. whether or not you like that her parents with letting her do this, we'll get into it. but how is she able to turn around, take a breath and keep swimming? viral video. we'll take you through it. watch your head, little one. "i'm part of an american success story," "that starts with one of the world's most advanced distribution systems," "and one of the most efficient trucking networks,"

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welcome back to "new day". performances of ka have been indefinitely canceled at the mgm grand in las vegas. the shocking death of one of its high flying acrobats is being investigated. sarah guyard fell to her death in front of a live audience. dan simon is following the story. >> reporter: those performers really do some incredible things. if you've ever been to a show, you know what i'm talking about. in this case it appears to be nothing more than a tragic mishap and also the first time a performer has ever died in the

show's 30 year history. it's an edge of your seat show that features an incredible array of acrobatics, pay row te pyrotechnics. they're highly skilled, but an accident saturday night claimed the life of a 31-year-old performer. sarah guyard featured in this show died while performing in the production of ka in las vegas. the las vegas sun quotes witnesses that say guyard was being hoisted above a vertical stage like the one seen here. when the acrobat fell into the hollow pit 50 feet below. some audience members thought the fall was part of the show until they heard screams from the stage. >> you could hear people crying. all the actors were looking down. >> reporter: guyard reportedly a mother of two pictured here at a camp taught physical fitness and circus skills to kids. in a statement, circumstance due

you so he lcirque du soleil's founder says i'm heart broken and extend my sympathies. we're all devastated. the accident is an unfortunate reminder of the dangers of purchasing in high flying shows. performing in high flying shows. just la week, a performer in the production of michael jackson 1 suffered a concussion after falling. and in 2010, a stunt man fell 30 feet off the stage in the production of spiderman. he suffered numerous injuries including a fractured skull, broken rib and broken vertebrae. guyard was incredibly experienced. she had been doing this for more than 20 years. and as we said, the performances will be on hold pending further notice. back to you. let's talk more about this tragedy with kristen wingfield. she performed with psych due so

he lcirque du soleil. you have a unique perspective on what it takes to perform this these amazing shows. i know of course your heart as ours does goes out to this performer's family as well as the entire cast. and this is the death in the show's 30 year history. but when it happens, it begs the question how safe is it. talk to me about the safety measures that are in place for these big shows. >> well, certainly i know firsthand that cirque du soleil takes every possible precaution to make sure that the artists are safe and that there are safe measures back stage. as an artist myself, i had multiple safety checks that i performed on my rigging and i know the crew were always putting safety first. so it's a top priority because there are risks in something like this. >> and as a performer, you

performed with cirque du soleil for ten years, how do you approach it every day, how do you make it as safe as possible for you and other performers out there with you? >> yes, it's true there is inherent risk. as a performer, as a professional, take yyou take thh the job. it's always in the back of your mind. as i say, i was always making safety checks. i had routines down write checked everything multiple times to make sure there would be no mistakes or technical mishaps. so it's something you live with, but you can't be scared of it. or you can't do your job. >> when cirque du soleil put out a statement, in their statement after the tragedy, it mentions our focus needs to be on supporting each other as a family. how difficult is it going to be for cirque du soleil especially the performers in ka to get back up and get back on the stage

once the show begins again? >> well, it's a devastating accident. and my heart goes out to her family and to everybody in ka. i don't know. i think it will take a lot of regrouping and they will have to support each other as they have said. it's a big incident and tragedy and it will take a lot of work to get beyond that. >> you have two young children i understand. and as i'm reading that this performer had young children herself, so you were not a mother when you were still with cirque du soleil. how do you balance that risk of your job and needing to to your job but knowing you have a family waiting for you at home? do you think you could do it now? >> well, i don't think i could. my children are quite young. i think it's very difficult for the mothers and the families to know they have young kids at home. and i think it just makes them even more concerned about the

safety and they're more aware of what they're doing and taking precautions. >> regardless, a tragedy for everyone. you can see the sadness in your face. thank you so much for speaking with us a bit about this. a pleasure to meet you. thank you. amazing that there aren't more injuries given what those people are doing up in the air there. coming up on "new day," let me set the stage for you. a terrifying hostage standoff at an oklahoma walmart. this man deranged takes that 2-year-old. holds her at knife point. starts a death countdown. how her life was saved. the hero when we come back. sharks in every ocean... but we still swim. every second, somewhere in the world, lightning strikes... but we still play in the rain. poisonous snakes can be found in 49 of the 50 states, but we still go looking for adventure.

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welcome back. i don't know that i've ever seen one like this. terrifying moments caught on tape inside an oklahoma walmart. he holds the little girl at knife point. to see it unfold on video, unusual and it could have been a horrible situation. >> unbelievable video. imagine going shopping with your children at a local souper markt and have your child plucked off. it all unfolded in the middle of the day at an oklahoma city walmart. >> reporter: store surveillance video show a mom wearing a white shirt shopping. seconds later while the mother's back is turned this stranger reaches in and grabs her 2-year-old little girl. her stunned 12-year-old sister

watches in horror. the man hands a cell phone to the girl's mother and demans she call a police officer he knows in dallas, texas. all while holding the knife to the little girl's stomach according to police. frightened shoppers call 911. >> he took this woman's kid and we need police here immediately. >> there's someone with a knife holding a little girl hostage. >> you can see the knife, baby, momma. >> reporter: terry parker watched the scene unfold and blocked wallace with his cart until police arrived. >> if that gentleman was to come my direction he had to come through me or our cart. >> reporter: moments later swat team evacuated the building and two police officers began to negotiate. it's not working. police say wallace was not responding coherently an he was acting unstable and making unreasonable demands. afraid for the child's safe they move the mother and daughter to

the front of the store. wallace starts counting down from 60 moving the child to the girl's neck. then while one negotiator distracts wallace another goes up an shoots him point-blank. >> he knew he had where you know chance. he made sure he was at point-blank range so there was no immediate harm the child. >> the police officer who shot wallace has been cleared by midwest police department and oklahoma district attorney who called his actions heroic. >> the wrong doing issue would come from whether or not the child was put in danger by the police's action while reasonable. >> he thought she was being harmed. >> why wouldn't he? >> the guy was talking about this crazy group like the illuminati.

>> she was counting down. >> that was not a small knife. this was absolutely life and death. >> it was interesting to see the strategy. they had him to sit down so he was in a more vulnerable position. >> think about doing that job as a police officer. there's a 2-year-old girl right there. what do you do? you have one shot. he took a life but he saved a life. >> thanks so much. coming up, 19 heroic firefighters killed while taking an fires. we'll bring you the latest a and the look at the protective shelters that weren't enough. a youtube clip going viral. a baby swimming alone in a pool. just look at her. >> little elizabeth. >> stoto making me carry your

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we had no time. we got the dogs. we got the wife, and it was gone. >> they were heroes. breaking overnight the worst loss of life of firefighters since 9/11. 19 killed while battling wildfires in arizona. we're live with the latest. key evidence. the trial of george zimmerman back in session this hour. will this video tape statement from him be allowed as evidence? the verdict could depend on it. little happlapper. the 16-month-old girl swimming by herself. the video going viral and causing controversy. your "new day" continues

right now. i put the program in place to protect the country. >> what you just have to see. >> where's daddy? >> too far. >> this is "new day." good morning. welcome back. it's monday, july 1st. just about 8:00 in the east. >> good morning. i'm kate baldwin. we're covering breaking news today. arizona is reeling this morning from the tragic loss of 19 firefighters, an elite crew killed while battling the wildfire north of phoenix. >> the men were digging out a fire line. they were trying to stop this fire when they were overcome by flames making it the deadliest day for u.s. firefighters since 9/11. jan brewer calling it as dark a

day as she can remember. the fire has burned through 6,000 acres since friday. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. as the sunrises we're expecting the winds to become more erratic. a condition that firefighters have been dealing with. low humidity, very high temperatures, fighting a fire in an area that hasn't burned in some 40 years. it was a deadly come bcombinati. the fire began moving on sunday changing direction, claiming the most firefighter lives since 9/11. trapping 19 firefighters with no way out. >> we're devastated. we just lost 19 of some of the finest people you'll ever meet. >> reporter: the firefighters were part of the prescott fire hot shot crew getting their name because they work in some of the

most dangerous fires. >> these are the guys that will go out there 40, 50 pounds of equipment and walk five miles that they'll sleep out there. these are quality people. >> reporter: they were digging up fire line. the flames hadn't touched prescott. the team jumped in to help fight the blaze. the fire has burned 6,000 acres and 100 structures have been destroyed. some residents had only minutes the grab their belongings. others witnessed their home burn as they fled the scene. >> i went to get the wire. i woke her up and got the evacuation notice. we had no time. we got the dogs. we got the wife and it's gone. >> reporter: officials believe

lightning may have sparked the fire. the area has been experiencing severe drought conditions. firefighters here say that team, the hot shot crew did deploy their fire shelters. that's a move of last resort. a tough day for the fighter here on the ground. they have to grieve but they've got to get back on that fire line because they have an enormous job ahead of them. >> absolutely. now they have lost some of their best. these are like the special forces. >> that's a great perspective. they are dealing with tragedy but still dealing with this fire. the death of these 19 heroes means over 20% of the entire prescott fire department is now gone. their friends, family, colleagues are just heartbroken this morning. we're joined by wade ward, he's the public information officer.

our hearts go out to you and everyone in the area. it must be such a horrible reality to be waking up to. 20% of the fire department just gone in one fire. i guess first i want to get your thoughts as we're looking at images of this team, just your thoughts on what your community is dealing with this morning. >> like you said it's not reality for us yet. it hasn't even set in. it's a tragic moment for in the only the prescott fire department but the entire city of prescott as well as the fire fighting community across the country. >> i want to ask you about the crew. i heard one person say when you ask about these firefighters you know them or you know somebody who knows them. that's how tight knit this community is. what can you tell us about this

team? >> i can tell you like you've heard. it's a very elite group of people that are highly trained, highly motivated, very fit. they know exactly what they're doing. they're situational awareness is at the highest at all times when they're on the line. we don't know what happened. obviously this fire is under investigation. the incident within the incident is under investigation. it's just a tragic thing no matter what. >> as you say the investigation will clearly continue. these people are so highly trained. their jobs come with so much risk. early on we're hearing it sounds like winds are real problem with this fire and that could have played a bit in putting them in such a precarious situation. is that your understanding this early on? >> to be honest we don't know what happened at this point. all we know is fires create their own weather. we also had monsoons that just started here in arizona.

they just started to accumulate here in prescott in the last three days and yesterday was the most severe winds we had along with lots of lightning strikes and wind. >> real quick, clearly you're dealing with this tragedy but you're also facing this fire that's just roaring uncontrolly at this point. what do you tell this firefighters that will have to head back out and now probably already back out there having to take on this blaze when they know they've lost 19 of some of their closest friends? >> right now the men and women have to do their jobs like we do every day. it's very difficult for me to stand here right now and communicate to you the best i can, but we do our jobs and we do the best we can. it's unbelievableunbelievable.

>> i think that's the only way to say it. wade ward, thank you so much for taking the time and again condolences to you and all of the families in prescott this morning. thank you so much. >> you're welcome. >> they're not even dealing with the reality at this moment. >> you see it on his face. the pain, exhaustion and the task ahead of them, they have to keep going. right behind you could see the purple, that's the smoke mixing with the air. we know the hot shots had to go to their fire shelters and they didn't work this time. they're saying fire shelter. explain to us exactly what this is. >> this is something we're trained to do especially when we cover wildfires. it looks almost like an aluminum blanket. you put this over you at the perfect timing. the reason i talk about timing

is if you put it on too soon it's so warm inside it's hard to breathe. you can only hold your breath about 15 seconds. fp you put it on too late you can be overtaken by the planes. 100% of that, you feel how hot it is inside this blanket. you're laying down on the ground. the ground is the only thing keeping you cool and holding you down. if you don't wear gloves you can burn your hands. the radiant heat, that is affected. think about the timing. it's so hot in there one of the things you're taught is tho matter how hot do not lift it up. it's that smoke and chemical, it's way worse on the outside. it's suffocation if you time this out wrong or if you lift it up that you ingest all those x

toxins. >> you have to imagine what they were facing to take that drastic last step. >> give me bit of a segue next with the temperature. we heard the firefighter say the monsoon is coming but we're getting the wind. we're not getting the wetness. temperature, wind, what does it mean. >> you have these thunderstorms the the, but it's so dry that the rain is not reaching the all you're dealing with is winds and lightning. >> heat is a huge factor. the temperatures are hammering much of the western u.s. not a lot of help. in many areas it's never been hotter. death valley already one of the hottest places on earth reached 128 degrees. that's a world record. tory is live in death valley this morning. >> reporter: the heat hits you

like a ton of bricks. it's just after 5:00 in the morning here. temperatures 107 degrees and it's only expected to go up. a deadly heat wave broils from texas to the western seaboard. >> it's too hot. >> reporter: scorching through southern california where a hiker dead. the temps may be to blame for the death of an elderly las vegas plan. dozens of small planes were grounded. >> when it's 110, 115 degrees the air is thinner. the thinner the air the less lift on the airplane. >> reporter: animals are feeling the burn. at the houston zoo monkeys turn to cup sieze popsicles. in death valley the air is like a hair drier. >> the high today is. >> 128. >> reporter: touristics are flocking at the chance to

witness record breaking temps. >> describe how you're feeling. >> hot. >> reporter: these two put the phrase hot enough to fry an egg to the test. >> it's not bad. >> reporter: the west coast has turned into a life-like oven. chris and kate, in just a few hours death valley park rangers will be checking the official thermometer which is not far from here. they'll try to get reading. it's clear they are look for the record temperatures but at the same time they are looking to get that important information out there so people know how hot it is and what their limitation should be. >> we started doing hits with tory at 6:00 this morning. it was 102 degrees. it's 107 right now. other stories we're watching, president obama is in

tanzania. these are live pictures that we're looking at. tomorrow he'll be joined by his predecessor george w. bush. they will take place in a wreath laying ceremony. robin was able to speak with them in an "outfront" exclusive. tell us more. >> reporter: we hear because we are still keeping an eye on nelson mandela's condition. we did get to speak to president bush. as the former commander in chief during 9/11 i had to ask him opinion on the edward snowden leaks. >> do you think he's a traitor? >> i know he damaged the country. the obama administration will deal with it. >> do you think it's possible

for one man to really damage the security of the nation? >> i think he damaged the security of the country. >> when it comes to surveillance there can be realtime understanding of -- >> i put the program in place to protect the country and one of the certainties is civil liberties were guaranteed. >> you don't think there's a compromise between security and privacy? >> i think there needs to be a balance. >> don't want to criticize the obama administration. is this something you really made a decision? >> i don't think it does any good. it's a hard job. he's got plenty on his agenda. a former president doesn't need to make it harder. >> in the polls you're now sort of -- >> could care less. >> you don't care? >> no. >> the only time i really cared was on election day. i guess it's nice. let me rephrase that. thank you for bringing it up.

>> you like the idea that people perhaps are looking at you differently? >> ultimately, history will judge the decisions i made. i won't be around because it's going to take a while for the objective historians to show up. i'm pretty comfortable with it. i did what i did. i know the spirit in which i did it. >> reporter: he's comfortable with his legacy. we know that in the last hour that clinic has been opened in zambia. it's to treat and diagnose cervical cancer. they are hoping the clinic will help save thousands of lives. back to you. >> thank you for bringing that interview to us. you can watch more of robin's interview with president bush on the situation room wi.

there's a lot of news developing this area. >> good morning to you at home. surging violence in egypt marking president morsi's first anniversary in power, at least 16 people killed. 781 injured. protesters taking to the streets demanding morsi's resignation giving him one day to step down. if he doesn't leave they'll begin a civil disobedience movement. earlier they stormed the headquarters that helped morsi win. massachusetts building their murder case against aaron hernandez. three other people are being held in the shooting death of odin lloyd. his former team is telling fans they can trade in their aaron hernandez number 81 jersey for a new patriots jersey with another player's name and number. house representatives is the next battleground for immigration reform bill.

house republicans are set to hold a close door meeting next week to discuss the way forward. one high ranking gop lawmaker is promising to rewrite the plan. a group of swedish tourists in new york city did not have this on their itinerary. they were treated at a hospital for minor injuries. the pilot says the chopper lost power. how about this. a dog almost caused a cycling daiser. check it out. video toward the top of your screen. white dog darting out. a man considers grabbing the pup but it's too late. a huge group of cyclists close in and just misses the dog. so far the tour de france has

gone two for two. a bus got lodged under the banner. somebody wish they brought their tape measure. >> they're energetic. >> even the guy that ran out it's a pretty good pivot move. >> he was like me or you. it's going to be you. george zimmerman in his own words. will jurors in his murder trial get to hear what he had to say to police? nancy grace will break it all down. a baby in a pool. that's not unusual but this baby is. adorable and swimming. >> watch her go. >> on her own. >> taking a breath. >> why this video is leading to quite a bit of concern. >> i can't swim like that. ♪ [ girl ] there are man-eating sharks in every ocean... but we still swim.

every second, somewhere in the world, lightning strikes... but we still play in the rain. poisonous snakes can be found in 49 of the 50 states, but we still go looking for adventure. a car can crash... a house can crumble... but we still drive... and love coming home. because i think deep down we know... all the bad things that can happen in life... they can't stop us from making our lives... good. ♪ ♪ ♪ i dbefore i dosearch any projects on my home. i love my contractor, and i am so thankful to angie's list for bringing us together.

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choose 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase every day. told you i'd get half. what's in your wallet? [ male announcer ] this summer, savor every second of vacation. but get your own cookie. enjoy a fresh-baked chocolate chip cookie at check-in and more, with rates as low as $99 per night at a doubletree. book now at doubletree.com/getaway. welcome back. the judge will decide if the jury gets to hear george zimmerman's words hours after he shot trayvon martin. that evidence could help make or

break the prosecution's case. good morning to you nancy. thank you for joining us. >> good morning. >> i'll answer this first one because it's too easy for you. the judge is going to let in this interview that george zimmerman did with the police. there's no reason for her to keep it out. it will be there. there's two big issues to struggle with. one a question of fact and the other a question of law. do you believe the jury has enough to determine who started this fight? who was in control during it? >> i don't think it's that simple. i'll tell you why. the law is this. if you are pursuing someone, you are the aggressor and they have the right to defend themselves. here it's blurred because we know zimmerman was the initial aggressor. he got out of his car to go pursue trayvon martin. they told him not to do it. he did it any way with a loaded gun. now, this is what the defense is

banking on. they're banking on the fact that they will claim zimmerman then backed off, quit pursuing and trayvon martin came on him, attacked him, beat his head into the ground and he had to defend himself. >> legally that would restart the analysis? >> exactly. absolutely and if that happens then zimmerman is no longer the aggressor as was first thought. the state suffered a blow at the end of the week. one of their own witnesses and they knew this was coming. it was basically they put the witness up knowing the defense would if they didn't. he said he saw trayvon martin clearly pummelling zimmerman. he called it a mixed martial arts move on zimmerman. the defense will claim he was getting his head beaten into the ground. of course he shot trayvon martin. the state will argue he followed

a defenseless, unarmed high school junior and now he's dead. don't be so fast on those statements. i agree with you, they'll probably come in but the defense will be arguing one was zimmerman in custody. two, did he get his miranda rights? if either of those fall short, the statement may not come in. i think they will be looking at other statements he gave to show they were inconsistent with the statement to police. there's a big legal foundation you've got to lay before inconsistent statements can come in before a jury. >> say they come in. we left the fact analysis thing for the jury. jonathan good thought it was zimmerman on the bottom. he went back inside to make call and who knows was on the bottom. the prosecution, if they're allowed to use the interview the interview that zimmerman used

with police. what is their strategy play? do you use that or force zimmerman to take the stand? what do you do? it's a key decision. >> let me tell you something. go for broke. you can't guess what the defense is going to do. my theory when i was prosecuting was give it all to the jury, everything i've got. if other people like defense lawyers want to prop up on tv and claim overkill, overkill, they don't have a dog in the fight. who cares what they say. you put your case up for both sides. give it everything you've got then pray. >> it get tricky because if the defense watches what they do with this interview and say i don't think they are meeting the burden, i'm not putting him on the stand, this trial is over at the middle of the week, at the latest next week. >> it may be that way. i think the defense will put up something, somebody. even if it's somebody to say

that's zimmerman on the phone call screaming for help. when the defense puts nobody up very typically the defense gives the final closing statement which is very, very powerful. i predict they will put up witnesses. i also predict we're going to see inconsistent statements made by zimmerman. the defense may be able to explain those away but here's the problem with that. a lot is riding on whether this jury believes zimmerman was in fear for his life. otherwise, you got to explain a grown man out walking around with a gun loaded, live ammo looking for some kid who was going home to his dad. another thing we got to look at is the race issue. let's reverse the race. if it was a black male following a white boy in fancy neighborhood and then the kid got gunned down, would there be as much drama around this.

remember, lady justice is blind. she doesn't care what color anybody is and neither do i. i want justice. >> i understand the point. to be fair i've never covered case like the one you just described which tells you something about whether or not they get the attention it does in this instance. >> tell it. tell it. >> i'll make my witness on that. thank you for helping us all including me understand the case better. i look forward to talking to you. you want more nancy grace? of course you do. you with watch her on hln weeknights at 8:00 eastern. the trial begins this minutes. we'll be bringing it to you live. coming up next, this video has many parents asking what. that baby is 16 months old going for a swim all by herself. what her father has to say about this baby. a little bit of controversy surrounding it. wi drive a ford fusion. who is healthier, you or your car? i would say my car. probably the car. cause as you get older you start breaking down.

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welcome back. just a few ticks after 8:30.

>> this is a live look right now at the florida courthouse where week 2 of george zimmerman's murder trial will get under way in just minutes. the judge is expected to decide whether the jury will see a key video that shows zimmerman describing what happened hours after he shot trayvon. a lot of headlines to get to at this hour and a somber one to begin with in arizona. they are mourning the loss of 19 hero firefighters. the nation joining in that mourning. an elite hot shot team killed. this group was on the front lines outside of phoenix. setting up barriers in efforts to stop the flames from spreading. the out of control fire has burned nearly 6,000 acres. one member of that 20-person team was in a different location and survived pm. a performer in las vegas paz died after falling 50 feet. the show at the mgm grand has

been suspended. witnesses say it appeared they flipped free of a safety wire. the mother of two had been performing for more than 20 years. texas lawmakers meet this afternoon to consider an abortion law that if enacted would be one of the strictest. before today's session begins davis will lead opponents in rally at the state capital. college students and your parents you're about to get case of sticker shot. the rates double starting today. that's because congress left for vacation without reaching a compromise that would have left student loan rates alone. there's hope. they'll come up with a plan retro active to july 1st. let's introduce you to little elizabeth. she's swimming across the pool.

she takes lessons through a program designed to teach swimming to young children. we spoke to her father who said that safety is always her priority. >> when i watched her in there every time she went face down i was like she can't breathe. i was worried to death. the instructor assured us she was just fine. the instruction is not teaching them how to swim but rather engaging their reflexes. there are a lot of aspects where people are worried like for example there's nobody in the pool with her. if you watch life guard you'll notice they are not in the pool because it's easier to jump in to save somebody rather than wading through the water. they tell you do not use flotation devices. the whole point is to get them to play back. flotation teaches them to stay up right. if you're up right you sink down to the bottom. we didn't teach her ourselves.

we want add professional to do that. we're still able to recognize warnings signs when they are fatigued. she's not coughing or choking. she's gasping but that's normal. she's trained. she knows all she have to do is flip over. i love my little girl. i wouldn't force her to do anything that she does not want to do. >> dad says she loves the water swimming two to three times a day and now dives four to five feet under water to pick up toys. she swims with her eyes open. >> my friends with kids are all over my about i wish my kid could swim like that. amazing stuff. let's get over to kate now. >> enough about our opinions. let's talk to a doctor about this. is it safe to let a 16-month-old swim on her own. here so weigh in is dr. jennifer.

the video is amazing and clearly he elizabeth looks fine what is your take on this. she was trained by a certified swimming instructor. what do you think of these survival swimming skills for children at that age? >> the question about is this child safe to be doing this really has to do with the individual child. if the child didn't know how to swim, they weren't properly trained, clearly this is not a good idea. we see this little one swimming across the pool so she can swim. babies and infants can have amazing talents and skills. we also have to take into account the parents did say on the video, one is a nurse, one was trained in life guard skills. they have cpr training. we have to look at that entire context and that whole picture to determine if this is right for a child or not. >> do children at that young age have that instinct to come up to

grasp for air? >> they can. this depends on the personal child, how they are trained. i watched that video. it's quite amazing and compelling. as a physician i always like to air on the side of caution and safety. this is the thing i think about. i would like a parent or guardian to be very close to that child just in case. safety is utmost to really evaluate we have to look at the entire picture. >> every family has to be careful. the enjoying it very much. i want to move onto another topic. the first fda approvaled n hormonal drug. what's your take? >> if i had a for every woman who said hot flashes was the most horrible thing in world, i would be very rich. >> i think i was having them

yesterday. >> 75% of women who are in menopause have hot flashes. they can make women sweat. they can happen during the day or nighttime. >> what's this drug going to do? >> first of all in terms of drug treatments we've only been limited to hormonal treatments. the only medications are based in memorials. estrog estrogen, progesterone. or both. >> that's caused concern. >> the drugs work very well but there are these risks. risks of increased cancer, heart attack, stroke even blood clots. the fact that we have a nonhormonal treatment is a big deal. a safer alternative or an alternative that's appropriate for more women. it's about finding the right drug for the right woman. >> good news if many women

today. great to see you. we're going to take a quick break. when we come back we'll be live in florida for george zimmerman's murder trial. this is an unusual piece of video you're seeing now. the day after the crime, before george zimmerman had a lawyer he gave a full interview to police going through the crime scene. did the police do everything right? could be the biggest piece of evidence h this case. i think farmers care more about the land than probably anyone else. we've had this farm for 30 years.

we raise black and red angus cattle. we also produce natural gas. that's how we make our living and that's how we can pass the land and water back to future generations. people should make up their own mind what's best for them. all i can say is it has worked well for us.

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day 6 of the george zimmerman trial beginning in about 20 minutes.

the lawyers have been in conference with each other. they have finished negotiating a key piece of evidence which will be this taped interview george zimmerman did the day after the crime. very important. why? it's immediate after. he takes them to the crime scene. he hasn't been lawyered up yet. very powerful. we'll bring in our experts to discuss what may be going on. thanks to all of you for being here. you hear what kate and i can discussing. this are had to be a big issue. sonny. >> i suspect so. again, we've been talking about whether or not the prosecution should put it in. obviously the lawyers have agreed on whatever issues there

were and it's possible it will come in. >> anybody disagree? anybody think the lawyers could have come to a meeting of the minds and agree it doesn't come into the trial? >> probably not. i'm going to guess probably not because. >> go ahead. >> in this case each side has parts of this tape that they want in. the prosecution wants it because any time someone gives a statement there will be inconsistencies no matter how clear it is. on the defense side there's exculpatory elements to this tape. it's not a tape where the defense steps on al land mine. it's highly likely that the tape or part of it is coming in. it's likely they can both concede at person points. some can come in. >> clearly they were arguing at

one point for it not to be in. what is the argument, danny, for not putting in if it's such a key piece of evidence? >> well, there's assuming just for now the defense did not want it in. the argument would be his constitutional rights are violated. it's important to know the m miranda rights only apply to custodial interrogation. they don't need you to say i had a gun in my pocket. they observed you with gun in my pocket. the question will be was he in custody and did they read him his rights. often police officers will consider a person not a suspect. when you're not a suspect the miranda rights may not apply. you're just talking. >> they didn't charge him with anything. you're bookended by former

prosecutors there. let's bring in wendy murphy. this is the meat of the matter. if they are going to use this tape or not. if you're the prosecution, this is your big call, what do you think they do with this tape? >> i think that the only thing they can do is just play it as is and let the chips fall where they may. i think this tape is excellent for the defense. the thing that matters most to a jury is who is putting it on. when the prosecution puts it on the jury is maybe going to be predisposed to see it add something to the prosecution. if the defense puts it on they will hear it differently and perceive it as good for the defense. the most important thing about this tape is not even the content. it's the fact that man without a lawyer was so willing to go

through the details right after the crime and spill everything and seemingly willing to say whatever the police wanted him to say. that carries a tremendous amount of credibility because most people who kill a human being clam up, lawyer up and don't go on video tape. >> strong point but as sonny has made, did he keep his story straight and maybe he didn't and becomes an asset for the prosecution. thanks to all three of you. the trial starts in about 15 minutes. >> we'll bring it straight to you. first, other news, lost and found. a good issamaritan uses the pow of social media to return a precious keepsake to a boy.

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mpb mpblt today's edition little noah. >> where is daddy? >> afghanistan. >> too far. they have their own daddy dolls with their father's face on it. they take it everywhere they go. he left his behind in a shopping cart. here is the good stuff. the person who finds it knows what type of doll it is. goes to facebook and it gets

shared 26,000 times. word gets back to his mother and. >> somebody did the right thing and so many people who cared enough to share it and want to actually get it back to us. >> faith and humanity restored. that's the truth. you saw the little picture of the face. that's daddy's face. they got their doll back. that's the closest thing to daddy while he is serving the rest of us and our freedoms in afghanistan. thank god he's returned. he's supposed to return this fall. that's what the boys are waiting for. they got their doll back. >> that's very sweet. good job. >> those jobs mean so much. that was so great that shall be brought it back. you got good stuff, bring it to us. go to facebook or twitter. >> we'll be right back. >> wasn't that nice? >> very good. systems," "and one of the most efficient trucking networks,"

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that's it for "new day." time for newsroom. you have the arizona wildfires. you have the biggest day in the zimmerman trial. lot of news for you. good morning. have a great day. good morning, everyone. "newsroom" starts now. we begin this special early edition with breaking news. the tragic deaths of 19 elite firefighters in the arizona mountains. thanks to much for joining us. an out of control wildfire killed the entire crew last night. they were part of large fire fighting effort battling the fire between phoenix and flagstaff. this elite group from the city of prescott was responsible for digging a fire break and creating an escape route when the fire overtook them. the fire has burned more than 6,000 acres and destroyed more than 100 structures and this tragedy has decimated the

prescott fire department by 20%. >> the families are in terrible shock. fire departments are like families and so the entire fire department, the entire area, the entire state is being devastated by the magnitude of this incident. what happened, kyung? >> reporter: that's what they are trying to figure out. firefighters say it was very tough conditions. winds erratic, monsoon like and it basically, the firefighters were overcome, overtaken by those flames. the reaction here in this town is extremely strong. take a look at this morning's newspaper here in this region. it's summed up in one word, tragedy, as this region tries to cope with this loss of this elite team of firefighters. the fire began moving at a fast

pace on sunday, suddenly claiming direction, claiming the most firefighter lives since 9/11. trapping them with no way out. >> we lost 19 finest people you'll meet. >> reporter: they were part of the hot shot crew. getting their names because they worked in the most dangerous, hottest part of wildfires. >> these the guy that is will go throughout with 40, 50 pounds of equipment and walk five miles. they will sleep out there. >> reporter: they were tasked with creating an cape route. the flames hasn't touched prescott. the fire has burned 6,000 acres and at least 100 structures destroyed. forced to evacuate some

residents has only minutes to grab their belongings. others witness their homes burn as they fled the scene. >> i went up to get the wife because the fire was getting close and i woke her up and got the evacuation notice and we had no time. we got the dogs. we got the wife and it's gone. >> reporter: officials believe lightning may have sparked the fire. the area has been experiencing severe drought conditions. firefighters here say that the members of this hot shot crew did deploy their fire shelters, those small tent-like shelters they can dive in. this is a move of last resort. this community now trying to not just cope with the loss of these firefighters but also an out of control wildfire that's still

nearby. >> thank you. kyung mentioned the shelters they took them. they can protect them only for a short time. they don't last long. they look like little tiny tents. they individualized. when you're inside you can with stand temperatures up to 200 degrees but the fire was so hot the firefighters were overcome. you've trained with these shelters before. tell us about them. >> when you cover a lot of wildfires we train with these shelters. they look like a blanket that you put over you in last minute defense. keeping in mind that timing is everything. if you put it on too early, it heats up so quickly inside and the oxygen when it's warm is so spread out. you can only hold your breath too long. you put it on too late and the

flames can overtake you. the only thing that's keeping you cool here is the actual ground. we're trained to dig a hole right by your mouth to try to breathe through the ground where it's cooler. there's two types of heat. the radiant heat about 95% of that is reflected. you can imagine how hot it is. you have gloves on your hand. once your hands burn you can't hold it down. >> why do you suppose they didn't survive? >> unfortunately, one of biggest things is suffocation. a lot of times you don't have enough oxygen, you can't hold your breath long enough. we're trained not to lift it up. if you lift it up you get the toxins and that can be fatal as well. : just past the top of the hour. the first witness is about to take the stand of the george zimmerman trial. our coverage