. >> paul vercammen joins us. it's amazing how little you can actually see.ibility is basically nonexistent when you're that close to it. what's the latest on the fire? >> reporter: well, the good news is they have not lost any houses. they've had outbuildings burn here. the acreage, 6,500, that's going to go way up. as we speak right now, you can see up on this hill, another edge of flame, firefighters up there right now with hoses trying to get this out. they've done a very good job all day long. you can see it -- defending the houses. they've also commended the homeowners because they cut back brush. and another area, if these were wood roofs, many of these would gone up in flames and the embers would've skipped on from place to place to place. they've gotten about 600 firefighters on the line defending these neighborhoods and also attacking it by air. if we're so fortunate, you might see a water drop as we're live. the helicopters have been circling and just dousing this hillside. the idea right here is to let it burn all the way almost down to the street

, i understand we lost our signal with paul vercammen. one quick observation of this case versus the case i covered extensively years ago in 2008, this was a american who stood in front of journal jackie glass, put his hand up and said, i'm okay with not testifying. he did so under either, he did so with his lawyer beside him. every grownup has that opportunity to do so. to come back and make that claim that i wasn't allowed to testify, i think a lot of people, including this judge, who knows the drill might question that. but there are other claims you heard that may have more merit. it remains to be seen. our paul vercammen with back with us, outline the o.j. in that court compared to the o.j. of trials past. who has he become now? >> reporter: well, he's still inessence the same o.j. who looks to be the storyteller the smiling guy who has had a lot of hollywood training. he was in some of the movies we talked about, "the naked gun." we saw him harken back to that, being jovial, as he told that tale of how he thought he got such a raw d

paul vercammen in newbury park. how are things looking now?> reporter: they are looking so much better. we have smouldering hot spots and no active flames anymore. they say the fire has not grown. that's a great sign. then a short time ago they told us this. predicted 100% containment. for monday if there is no change in the temperature. that's super good news. what's leading this? moisture is in the air for the first time in a long time. it's 38% humidity now. better than single digits on thursday and friday. residents are keeping an eye on everything that's going on wanting a complete sigh of relief. imagine what it's like for children in the area told they b might need to evacuate. we talked to brothers and listened to what they had to say about their fire experience. >> this was probably one of the coolest but saddest things ever. so many plants died and stuff. >> it's been kind of scary. we were getting packed up to be ready for evacuation. when we were dismissed from school there have been ashes coming down and the sun's all different co

paul vercammen in las vegas, thanks so much, paul.> attorneys for james holmes will ask a judge today to change their client's plea to not guilty by reason of insanity. the suspect in the aurora movie theater massacre is facing possible death penalty. a mental evaluation could take weeks or even months. holmes accused of opening fire in a crowded theater, killing 12 people, wounding 70 others. >>> and coming up a mother's day surprise in the form of an eight-foot alligator. saying good morning on her front porch. >> happy mother's day. [ male announcer ] this is bob, a regular guy with an irregular heartbeat. the usual, bob? not today. [ male announcer ] bob has afib: atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem, a condition that puts him at greater risk for a stroke. [ gps ] turn left. i don't think so. [ male announcer ] for years, bob took warfarin, and made a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but not anymore. bob's doctor recommended a different option: once-a-day xarelto®. xarelto® is the first and on

paul vercammen. i want to switch to the other proceedings we're following live. it is an extremely busy today on the legal front. because jodi arias, her case is back up and running. and, in fact, now we're looking at penalty phase. it is a sentencing phase broken into two distinct areas. she was guilty, she was found guilty of shooting her ex-boyfriend, travis alexander, and stabbing him 27 times as well as slitting his throat and not just a little, a lot, ear to ear. and now the jury has one more very big decision to make. actually two. first they got to decide how cruel that killing was. how cruel arias was. her actions when she did this on june 4th of 2008. this is what you call the aggravation part of the sentencing phase. and you're watching it transpire live right now in phoenix, arizona. in the last hour, miss arias began to cry. this was as the prosecutor juan martinez began explaining the kind of pain and suffering that travis alexander was enduring as arias stabbed him over and over again. >> as he sat there, the defendant, took a knife, a knife she br

paul vercammen is "outfront" in one of the main locations here, new bury park.hat can you tell us? it is impossible to even imagine the speed with which that fire spread. >> reporter: erin, you're absolutely right because we were in the middle of it. it was just a firestorm, and it came blazing through newbury park. look up over here, and you can see these are very upscale homes. you can see some smoke back there, fire burning. but they used fire to fight fire, and they cut off the advance by burning that hillside. if we wheel over here, you can see another massive plume of smoke right there, and you can see fire cresting up this hill. they plan to also attack fire with fire and burn right up that hillside. fire burns very quickly uphill. that's the strategy that's going to happen soon. these are $1 million homes, $2 million homes. as you know from your business reporting, erin, amgen is headquartered in newbury park. great neighborhood. a lot of white-dollar jobs. right now they're breathing a sigh of relief in this neighborhood because it was absolutely so hor

cnn's paul vercammen has more for you. >> reporter: these are the last images of o.j.led out of an l.a. courtroom to prison. shefs he was convicted of kidnapping and armed robbery for leading armed men into a hotel room to try to settle a dispute over sports memorabilia he wanted back. >> we were just robbed at gun point by o.j. simpson. >> reporter: simpson was secretly recorded which became a part of the trial testimony. simpson's if you lawyers will argue their client was ohorribly represented in that kidnapping trial, he deserves a new trial and freedom. >> we afarmly believe he did not receive a free trial. i think that will bear out in the hearing. we want the judge to take a fresh look. what was presented. what was said, what wasn't said. >> reporter: simpson is expected to take the stand, something he never did in the las vegas kidnapping trial or his sensational trial in 1995, where he was adewited of murdering his ex-wife nicole brown simpson and her friend ronald goldman. other witnesses are now retired prosecutors in the las vegas case and yale galanter. he

paul vercammen is in moore, oklahoma he joins us live now with the latest on this devestating storm. ul? >> reporter: 24 hunter homes damaged to a dozen people directed by this master twister. the devastation spans for miles piles of rubble to those details of the storm that ripped through the community. >> so i'd kill lifted the house up and said that down. >> reporter: president obama called the storm the tornado one of the most destructive in history. at least 100 people have been pulled out alive and hospital are treating thousands of victims. >> basically ran from pile to pout and waited for someone to scream. >> community is coming together to help people this hard to put it into words of how this has affected so many people. >> pam: in putting together this story it was difficult to match before and after images because the tornado reduced so many buildings to rubble with no real identifying marks, but i did find a few matching pictures. >> reporter: i would find this downright eerie this house is in pretty decent shape and they come over here very quiet no one is rummaging thr

we have c-n-n's paul vercammen with us.n, missouri, >> that's right very strong tornadoes exceeding 2 billion in a $3 million range one devastating tornado. a lot of people out of power everyone working believe hard to get oklahoma back on its feet. >> reporter: reality is setting and in more oklahoma homes. the nightmare is far from over although the storm has passed. memories of monday's tornado is vivid and painful. >> ahead 19 year-old with me in storage closets and my seven year-old with another teacher exxon and the bathroom and there was a father in their had clung to the toilet and told the boys to cling on to him. he (crying) he's the one that kept our children alive. >> reporter: she was a beautiful little girl with a beautiful smile and she was 4. >> reporter: efforts are on the way to clean the past damage. calling for volunteers to clean up the cemetery and church. communing residents pulled up in droves. >> we are one committee every time that something like this comes up we will always be there for everyone.

my colleague paul vercammen is watching this in las vegas. of why o.j. thinks he got a raw deal. >> reporter: among other things, o.j.'s new legal team is saying, one, he was not informed of the

. >> paul vercammen, live from las vegas, thank you so much. >>> still ahead in the "newsroom " a callulture of sex and r. you will hear a congresswoman and retired major general are trying to change that culture. ♪ [ male announcer ] start with a dodge dart. now give it a "tiger shark" engine and 41 mpg. good. now add some of this. and that. definitely him. and her. a little more of her. perfect. time out. how we doin'? [ car accelerating ] okay, let's take it up a notch. give it a heap of this, one of those, and that. got anything with grappling hooks and a plane? [ explosions ] yeah, that'll work. ♪ [ sneezes ] [ male announcer ] if you have yet to master the quiet sneeze... ♪ [ sneezes ] [ male announcer ] you may be an allergy muddler. try zyrtec®. it gives you powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin® because zyrtec® starts working at hour 1 on the first day you take it. claritin® doesn't start working until hour 3. [ sneezes ] [ male announcer ] zyrtec®. love the air. [ female announcer ] this week only, save up to $17 on zyrtec® products. see sunday's new

cnn's paul vercammen is live in las vegas with the details on this. >> good morning, john. o.j. simpson is now 65 years old, almost 66. he'll walk into the courtroom in his prison uniform. and there's a legal fight going on right now to try to get the handcuffs also removed. these are the last images of o.j. simpson in public, being led out of a las vegas courtroom to prison in late 2008. simpson was convicted of kidnapping and armed robbery for leading armed men into a hotel room to try to settle a dispute over sports memorabilia he wanted back. >> we were just robbed at gunpoint by o.j. simpson. >> reporter: simpson was secretly recorded during the confrontation, which became part of the 2008 trial testimony. >> [ bleep ] still [ bleep ] out here. >> reporter: simpson's new lawyers will argue their client was so horribly represented in that kidnapping trial, he deserves a new trial and freedom. >> we firmly believe he did not get a fair trial. i think that's going to bear out during the hearing. we want the judge to take a fresh look at this, what sh

cnn's paul vercammen live in las vegas for us. we've seen him.hear from him. >> absolutely, christine and john. they say simpson could be on the witness stand for up to two full days and the strain of prison time seemed to show on his face, but he is no doubt thrilled to be having his day in court. heavier and grayer, disgraced football legend o.j. simpson slowly stepped into a las vegas courtroom after 4 1/2 years in prison for kidnapping, assault, and armed robbery. the new simpson legal team is presenting 19 claims they say showed he was so poorly represented in the 2008 kidnap trial by yale galmentor that he should get a new trial. new lead attorney patricia palm argues simpson was never told about an offered plea deal and should have taken the witness stand. gabe grasso assisted galanter in 2008, and emphatically told the court monday he wanted simpson to testify then. >> o.j. is a very eloquent person. and he can explain himself very well. and so i thought he would be a great witness. >> reporter: simpson's lawyers also tried to show the fo

paul vercammen, thank you so much. >>> the latest on o.j.e, nancy grace was not impressed. >> i think in his own mind he thought he was charming and did a great job. the reality is that i don't find him even remotely charming or attractive. you know, every time i look at him, i see the two murder victims with their heads nearly chopped off lying in the front yard, that ruins the whole attractive former star thing for me. but what he said actually has no legal merit. he tried to explain to the judge that he was drunk out of his gourd off jack daniels and coke and bloody marys. voluntary intoxication is not a defense your honor the law. you can't pull a pistol and say, oh, i was drunk, sorry. it doesn't work that way. >> don't forget to watch nancy grace "behind bars," a two-night special event coming soon on hln. goes behind bars to talk to female inmates at the same jail where jodi arias awaits her fate. >>> the trial under way for the model strangled in her southern california home. the prosecution and defense made opening statements. we'll

this is -- it's pretty incredible when you're able to see where our paul vercammen is when we come back. bloonk blank oh, boy. [ groans ] ♪ ♪ [ engine revs ] ♪ [ engine revs ] >> this week, they're applying some of their most powerful voices to confront senators face-to-face. dana bash is out front with the story. >> she's been trying unsuccessfully to see her sfat tor suns since she voted against it last month. this time, inviting cameras. >> i want him to look the mother in the eye who's lost a child. this week's senate issue to keep the gun control alive. earlier this week, the same group sent erica lafferty, daughter of don hurks, mpsbrunk to new hampshire. >> supporters need to charng some half a dozen senate minds, going after republicans and democrats. >> montana's max baukus one of four senate democrats to vote no. a liberal group is trying to pressure him with this new ad, featuring a gun-owning grandmother. >> aimed my handgun at the door and waited. >> the nra isn't taking any for granted, pushing just as hard to keep those senators in their corner. >> gun control groups insi

my colleague paul vercammen is watching this in las vegas. paul, lay out the core issues of why o.j. thinks he got a raw deal. >> reporter: among other things, o.j.'s new legal team is saying, one, he was not informed of the possibility of a plea deal. two, they say yale galantra had a huge conflict of interest and other things they are delving into also talking about alcohol may have clouded o.j. simpson's judgment. let's see what he looked like as he entered the courtroom yesterday. heavier and grayer disgraced football legend o.j. simpson slowly stepped into a las vegas courtroom after 4 1/2 years in prison for kidnapping and assault and armed robbery. the new simps legal team presenting 19 claims they say he was so poorly represented in the 2008 kidnap trial that he should get a new trial. new lead attorney patricia paum argues simpson was never told about an offered plea deal and should have taken the witness stand. gabe grassoo told the court on monday he wanted simpson to testify then. >> o.j. is a very eloquent person and -- and he can

. >> all right, paul vercammen in las vegas, not over yet. >>> a suspect in custody. orleans police arresting 19-year-old scott last night in connection with the mother's day shooting. three of the injured are still in critical condition. >>> coming up on "early start," the latest on those tornadoes that tore through north texas killing six people, injuring more than 100. the search is on, developing at this moment for 14 people still missing. >>> plus, one high after another after another. wall street breaking all sorts of records as stocks like google hit more than $900 per share. >> that's a lot. >> we're minding your business coming up next. [ male announcer ] someone said that it couldn't be done. but he with a chuckle replied that maybe it couldn't, but he would be one who wouldn't say so till he tried. ♪ somebody scoffed, that." "at least no one has ever done it." but he took off his coat and he took off his hat, and the first thing we knew he'd begun it. there are thousands to tell you it cannot be done, there are thousands to prophesy failure. there are thous

i want to bring in paul vercammen, who is covering the case liempblt as we watch yale galanter, he hasnd 35 minutes testifying. how is his mood? he spent a lot of years defending o.j. simpson, now he is having to defend himself. >> reporter: well, he does look visibly annoyed at the time about the questioning. of course, he is the prosecution's witness. i think yale galanter is saying now why am i having to address this? you alluded to this. this is the ultimate case of he said-he said. so far, galanter basically contradicted everything that o.j. simpson said on the stand this week, including o.j.'s claim that galanter and he consorted about this raid. he told o.j. just call the police. he also said, basically, he told o.j. it was a bad idea to testify then he told him repeatedly about a plea bargain in the works. he said-he said situation right here in las vegas, ashleigh. >> i heard the he said-she said a lot more in that town. judge hatchet, far be it for me to guess what a judge is going to do or what you had to do when you were wielding the gavel. in this particular case, there is

cnn's paul vercammen joins me live to set the stage. so, paul, i know his attorneys are there. i believe o.j. is even at the courthouse at this time. set me up as to just exactly what's transpiring and how soon he's going to take that stand. >> well, we think he's going to take the stand momentarily. don't forget he's now being held at the clarke county jail. he was transferred from the northern nevada prison down here on friday. he literally walks underground through a tunnel then into the courthouse through an elevator. and as you've seen he comes through a side door. i'm glancing at my monitor as well to see when indeed o.j. comes in. i did see o.j.'s attorneys walk in. they said his client is feeling pretty good. they were also talking about where this is going to go first. and it's all going to be about that relationship between galanter and o.j. after all, for years they were sidekicks if you will, galanter on o.j.'s side constantly representing him in a myriad of different legal ventures. and now basically o.j. is saying this is a case of sheer betrayal, galanter did not

paul vercammen is live in las vegas. conversation, you have a civil judgment against you in california, you better maybe do this in vegas instead? has that come up at all, paul? >> reporter: no, that has not come up. that's part of this he said, he said. o.j. says yale galanter advised him that he could, in a way, take his own stuff back. i have to tell you, ashleigh, inside the courtroom, it is the feel bad movie of the year as galanter seemingly shoots dagger at everybody on the simpson side of the gallery, if you will. and, of course, simpson's crew is looking back at galanter. one point that galanter also made, he said he did repeatedly inform o.j. simpson about a plea bargain and also he said he didn't think it was a good idea for o.j. to testify because in effect he thought o.j. would incriminate himself. that's the reason why o.j. didn't testify in the 2008 trial. >> i imagine the tension, there is always tension when someone is testifying against you, if you're sitting at the defense table or even if you're sitti

cnn's paul vercammen is live in las vegas. good morning, paul. >> reporter: good morning, john.ightly nodding in approval as his attorneys hammered away at witnesses. heavier and grayer, disgraced football legend o.j. simpson slowly stepped into a las vegas courtroom, after 4 1/2 years in prison, for kidnapping, assault and armed robbery. the new simpson legal team is presenting 19 claims they say showed he was so poorly represented in the 2008 kidnap trial by yale galanter that he should get a new trial. new lead attorney patricia palm argues simpson was never told about an offered plea deal and should have taken the witness stand. gabe grasso assisted galanter in 2008, and emphatically told the court monday he wanted simpson to testify then. >> o.j. is a very eloquent person. and he can explain himself very well. and so i thought he would be a great witness. >> reporter: simpson's lawyers also tried to show the former heisman trophy winner had been drinking alcohol, which impaired him from seeing his cohorts carry guns into the confrontation. the new simpson team argues that g

this is -- it's pretty incredible when you're able to see where our paul vercammen is when we come back. oh, boy. [ groans ] ♪ ♪ [ engine revs ] ♪ are proven to be effective pain relievers tylenol works by blocking pain signals to your brain bayer back & body's dual action formula includes aspirin, which blocks pain at the site. try the power of bayer back & body. man: how did i get here? dumb luck? or good decisions? ones i've made. ones we've all made. about marriage. children. money. about tomorrow. here's to good decisions. who matters most to you says the most about you. at massmutual we're owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. ready to plan for your family's future? we'll help you get there. dana bash is out front with the story. >> she's been trying unsuccessfully to see her sfat tor suns since she voted against it last month. this time, inviting cameras. >> i want him to look the mother in the eye who's lost a child. this week's senate issue to keep the gun control alive. earlier this week, the same group sent erica lafferty, daughter of don hurks, mpsbrunk to n

paul vercammen is live in moore, oklahoma, where damage is expected to hit one-billion dollars.oking at the pictures, and definitely heartbreaking what is it like there on the ground? >> reporter: pam, it does absolutely heartbreaking. this is not something that is right behind me now the entire neighborhood after neighborhood after neighborhood blasted by the e f five tornado. >> >> reporter: the devastation source for mile piles of rubble tells the tale as the tornado ripped through the neighborhood. >> felt like a roaring train the lifting of the house and sent it back down. >> there in the spaces where there used to be living rooms, bedrooms and classrooms. in time we would need to rebuild those bases with love laughter and communing. >> we to school boards and trashed everything away and waited for people to scream ample sum up from there. we ran from moss the mouse waiting on screams pulling people ought we went. ran 4 mi.. >> reporter: and now that your lives is nice and clear right now the weather has been pretty awful with heavy rain which went which hindered seek effor

cnn paul vercammen has the latest. >> residents are returning home only to find that while the storm has passed, the nightmares far from over. >> it is a war zone because it is just, everything, homes you have seen so many times and not there no more. >> memories of monday's tornado is vivid and painful. amy is a counselor who rode out the storm with students at briarwood elementary school. >> i have my tenure olds with me in the storage closet. my 7 year olds with another teacher. in the boys' bathroom. there was a father in there and he had clung to the toilet and told the boys to going onto him and he, he is the one that kept our children alive. >> one of the 10 children killed was in the school's pre k program. >> she was a beautiful little girl with a beautiful smile. she was 4. efforts to knock on the way to clear the fthat damage. >> community members showed up in droves rigging up garbage and clean up debris by hand. it is just like joplin. the united states has come together. >> the trucks roll through oklahoma as the cleanup continues. oklahoma would a special visit from pr

reporting from newbury park i'm paul vercammen. back to you. >> thanks very much. we'll have much more on these fires threatening southern california right now. this is dramatic stuff coming in. stand by. we'll go back to the scene. paul is on the scene for us and we'll check in to get the latest information. there's other news we're following here in washington including gun control supporters who aren't giving up on the fight for tougher laws despite a major defeat in the senate on a proposal to expand background checks. this week they're deploying some of their more -- most powerful voices -- the family members of gun violence victims to confront some senators face to face. our chief bash has been working this story for us. it's a whole new twist in the battle over tougher gun control laws. >> that's right. the strategy is very simple. it is to try to get senators to change their minz by publicly shaming them. >> hello. is the senator in today? >> reporter: karen teevs' son was killed in the colorado movie massacre. >> can you let him know karen teevs was here un

thank you, paul ver ma'amen. >>> -- vercammen. >>> in miami, i am joined by jose bias. i watched as yale galanter was in lead care and his local council, we seen gabe grasso get on the stand and effectively support some of the things in a certain way that o.j. simpson is claiming in this courtroom. how common is it for this to happen between a legal team where one actually testifys against the other? >> reporter: you eknow, unfortunately, i think it happens quite often. you have big egos in the room whenever you have a defense team. sometimes you have to realize you have to check it at the door. you have to put the client's best interest first. so really here is going to be the inner determination by the court who had this client's best interest, mr. grasso or mr. galanter. but it happens very often especially when you have these large egoes at play and cameras watching. >> i know you know about cameras watching. i don't have to remind anyone, you were casey anthony's tomorrow. there is massive fascination on o.j. simpson, maybe not why he is serving or why he may get a