apologetic, yes, but also on the attack. donald sterling lashes out at magic johnson as the l.a. clippers owner tries to explain the racist remarks that got him banned from the nba and instead he launches a tirade on why kids shouldn't look up to johnson. that's ahead. the search intensifying for hundreds of nigerian girls kidnapped from their school by armed militants. u.s. investigators flying manned missions over the country, hoping to track down the terrorists. we're live with what's happening right now. is ukraine on the brink of breaking into pieces? eastern ukraine, the provinces there have reportedly voted for

independence. some want to join russia, but is that what the majority of the people really want? we're live on the ground with the very latest there. good morning. good to have you with us. welcome to "early start." i'm victor blackwell. >> and i'm deborah feyerick. it's 4:00 a.m. in the east. we begin with donald sterling and his shocking comments to anderson cooper. he is apologizing for his remarks but also is blasting nba legend magic johnson, the very person he was talking about when he told v. stiviano she shouldn't be seen with black people. listen to part of what sterling said. >> i embarrassed the league. i humiliated them. i don't know how -- why i did it. i mean, it's so terrible. >> so, you don't believe, though, that the owners would vote to have you removed as owner? >> i don't think so. the players don't hate me. the sponsors don't hate me. >> you don't believe -- >> the fans don't hate me.

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

did he help anybody in south l.a.? >> well, i think he has hiv, he doesn't have full-blown aids. >> well, what guy goes to every city, has sex with every girl and then catches hiv? is that somebody we want to respect and tell our kids about? i think he should be ashamed of himself. i think he should go into the background. but what does he do for the black people? he doesn't do anything. >> well, nba commissioner silver reacting to the interview overnight, writing in a at the same time "i just read a transcript of donald sterling's interview with anderson cooper, and while magic johnson doesn't need to, i feel compelled on behalf of the nba family to apologize to him that he continues to be dragged into this situation and be degraded by such a malicious and personal attack. the nba board of governors is continuing with its process to remove mr. sterling as expeditiously as possible." magic johnson tweeted overnight that he would rather be talking about the nba playoffs than

donald sterling's interview, but we will hear magic johnson in his own words on "ac360" tonight, sitting down with anderson cooper for an exclusive interview, 8:00 p.m. eastern time here on cnn. let's go to nigeria, where this morning u.s. planes are helping in hunt for more than 200 girls abducted by terrorists. the u.s. is searching from the sky and sharing satellite images, of course, in hopes of figuring out just where the girls are being hidden and whether these girls in this video are the girls who have been abducted, pu eed purported. this video is put out by boko haram, who wants prisoners set free. vladimir duthiers is joining us on the phone. vlad, are searchers any closer to finding the girls? are they even sharing that information? >> reporter: hey, victor. well, a couple of things. if this video is legit, it's going to be the first time that these parents have had some sign of life, some sign of hope as

they desperately wait for any news of their missing children. a couple of interesting things. we chased down the nigerian government when we saw this video to get their response. a couple of blockbuster moments that came out of a press conference we attended. first of all, the director of the state security service telling us that the man in that video with those girls -- he doesn't appear with the girls, but he is in that video -- she said that is not the leader of boko haram. she tells us that man was killed. when we pressed her for details on the circumstances of his death, she refused to reveal that, she said because of national security reasons. the other thing that's interesting is we talked to the military yesterday and they said in response to abu bakar saying he wants to trade them for members of boko haram in prison, they'd be willing to negotiate with them. so, a couple interesting things. as far as the search, they've shown us video of aerial searches they're doing, but quite frankly, victor, even the president admitted he doesn't know where these girls are. >> yesterday, new york

congressman peter king told our erin burnett that if the president decided to send special forces to nigeria to help in the search, that would be something he would not oppose. do we know that, although the nigerian government has asked for assistance, that they will ask for those special forces? >> reporter: that's a tough question. i think that the nigerian government has welcomed the assistance of the international community, but putting boots on the ground would be a very, very difficult situation, not only for the united states, but also for the nigerians. it would really prove to the world that they, as hillary clinton said, have been derelict in their responsibility to protect their people, their citizens, and to now call in military troops to conduct this search would really be an admittance of failure on their end as they try to put themselves on to the world stage. they want to be members of the u.n. security council. they are the largest economy now, but it would really be a black eye for them. >> vladimir duthiers from abuja, thanks. this morning, ukraine's interim prime minister is in

brussels holding talks with european officials over what's next now that separatists say two provinces have voted to leave ukraine and annex their region with russia. but it comes as a new poll conducted for cnn finds that most ukrainians feel more loyal to europe than they do russia and actually approve of sanctions against vladimir putin's allies. atika shupeert is live in donetsk, ukraine right now. and atika, you think about this, the u.s., nato, european union have all condemned this referendum as illegitimate. what is the mood of the people there? >> reporter: well, i think that doesn't matter to the donetsk people's republic, the pro-russian group that's taken over the regional administration here. they, frankly, don't care what the rest of the world thinks. they're looking to moscow for answers. and we saw that yesterday when the official referendum results came in. just within hours, they had officially declared independence from ukraine and appealed to russia to become part of the

russian federation. but perhaps what's most revealing about this is the fact that moscow hasn't answered their appeal yet. there's been deafening silence from the kremlin, so it's not clear exactly what's going to happen next. >> atika, russia annexed crimea. now they're saying, look, we're not interested in other parts, we don't want donetsk. they want a constitution with more policy-making decision for these sort of pro-russian regions. is that a possibility? it's still a united country, allegedly. >> reporter: well, from kiev's view, it's still a united country, and this is why they want to have a general election that sorts out these issues. and as far as kiev's concerned, that's the only way to resolve this crisis. but the pro-russian groups who are in control of the government buildings here now say that's not the case, and they feel that they are independent. and here's the problem, kiev cannot seem to gain control, full control over eastern

ukraine. now, russia, it has got obviously a pivotal role in this and has indicated that the eastern region needs to sit down with kiev and come to some sort of solution, but there's been no indication so far that anybody is willing to sit down at the negotiating table. instead, you have men lined up protecting the region. >> a lot of armed people. thank you, atika. happening today, international officials are scheduled to vote on setting a new standard for tracking flights using satellites and other methods to keep a closer eye on jets. now, this, of course, is happening in the wake of the disappearance of malaysia airlines flight 370. officials from around the world are expected to endorse the move but stopped short of requiring those changes. and this morning there's word yet another va hospital is being investigated for possible improper scheduling practices. two employees at the durham,

north carolina, va hospital have now been put on leave, making it the fourth va facility facing allegations that lists were manipulated to make it seem like veterans weren't waiting months for appointments. va policy states no vet is supposed to wait more than 14 days to see a doctor or other medical professional. the nsa is allegedly installing spyware on back doors of servers and hard wears, then repacking the equipment before it's shipped overseas in order to conduct international surveillance. that claim is coming from documents provided by edward snowden. the u.s. admits that using u.s.-made hardware to protect american interests but will not comment specifically on the allegations. political bickering is preventing a senate vote on the k keystone energy pipeline project. the bill was voted down by senators, meaning the pipeline project is likely to not get further consideration until after midtermed in november.

senate majority leader harry reid promised a separate vote on keystone if an unrelated energy efficiency bill supported by both parties passed. well, it failed over republican attempts to add on amendments. clay aiken is suspending all campaign activities after the sudden death of his opponent in a north carolina congressional race. did you hear about this? authorities say 71-year-old keith crisco died monday at his home. the democratic primary race in north carolina's 2nd congressional district had been too close to call with aiken ahead by just 369 votes. well, after the results are certified today, it's expected the state democratic party will choose aiken as its official nominee. severe storms tearing through the middle of the country, tornadoes, flooding and even snow. we're tracking what you can expect for today coming up next. every day, people fall. from a simple misstep, to tripping over a rug, to just losing their balance. and not being able to get up from a fall can have serious, lifetime consequences.

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the weather today could be dangerous and stormy for millions. heavy rain expected from texas

to the great lakes after days of intense severe storms. >> and look at this. look at these pictures. these are from wisconsin. heavy rains, winds, just knocked over the trees here, even taking off parts of buildings. this one in watertown had to be demolished because of the storm damage. much of the same story in illinois, this where strong winds took the roof off this motel in joliet. officials say it's not salvageable, so crews now will have to tear that building down. >> same story in iowa. strong winds dropping a tree right on this car and pulling a roof right off a home in the town of penora, about 40 miles west of des moines. >> oh, boy! >> okay, that is probably why they say you should not be out driving during a possible tornado. storm chasers got hit by a piece of farm equipment on a nebraska road while they were out tracking a twister. no one was hurt, but the man behind the wheel says it is the closest call he's had in 16

years chasing storms. severe thunderstorms to blame for flash flooding near cleveland. look here. the roads overtaken by water. parts of a major interstate had to be shut down for hours. police are urging people to stay at home. while the calendar says may, some parts of colorado are digging out from several feet of snow. skiing, everybody. upwards of 29 inches fell in the north-central part of the state. >> that's the bright side of it, skiing. >> exactly, one more run. >> but snow in may? let's look at what we can expect today. jennifer gray is keeping an eye on the forecast. >> deborah and victor, we'll see the focus move more towards the mississippi river valley. we've had a lot of severe weather in the plains. now we'll see spotty showers and storms move a little farther to the east. we'll even see some scattered activity on the east coast. still a very high fire threat in the southwest, southern california. we are going to see high pressure stay in control in the pacific northwest. huge contrast in temperatures, though. 82 degrees in memphis, 87 in atlanta, 91 degrees in d.c.

staying warm in los angeles, but it is only going to get warmer as we go forward in time. the fire threat will remain very high again tomorrow with very hot temperatures. we'll also see severe storms start to pick back up again right around the mississippi river valley, anywhere from mississippi, alabama, all the way up to kentucky with scattered showers across the eastern seaboard. look at the temperatures, though, tomorrow in l.a. as we go through tomorrow afternoon, 94 degrees. that fire threat will remain very high. we'll see temperatures a little cooler across the country's midsection, and then warm in the southeast, 86 degrees in atlanta. victor and deborah? >> thanks, jennifer. and this morning, fire crews north of amarillo are battling a huge blast that's now destroyed more than 90 homes. efforts to contain it are moving slowly. it's up to 65%, but there are cautions that the flames could shift again. right now, more than 400 people remain evacuated, but a cold front is raising humidity, and it is hoped containment may grow today. turn and look at your screen. here's the story.

authorities in new hampshire investigating the shooting death of a police officer after he responded to a domestic dispute at a home that caught fire. and then look, exploded. the brentwood, new hampshire, officer is identified as steven arkell. police say the suspected shooter is michael nolan, the son of the homeowner. it's believed he died in that fire. that video, unbelievable. >> dramatic. and porsche is now being sued over the crash that left actor paul walker dead. the widow of driver roger rodas says the 2004 porsche cera gt lacked some safety features that would have saved both men's lives. christine rodas also says her husband was driving 55, not the 90 miles per hour that investigators say. she's seeking unspecified damages. it's all over social media, an alleged family feud going viral this morning after the release of a surveillance video reportedly showing rapper jay z being attacked by beyonce's sister, solange. cnn cannot independently confirm the video, but according to tmz,

it happened in an elevator at new york standard hotel and a woman who resembled beyonce is just standing there as the conflict lasts for more than three minutes. the hotel says they are investigating the leak of the video. and last night, the first couple of pop, they were picture perfect, once again taking in a nets game. a new twist in the oscar pistorius murder trial. the olympic hero now claiming an anxiety disorder led him to shoot and kill his model girlfriend. was he so terrified of intruders that he shot through a closed bathroom door fearing an intruder, or was it outright murder? we are live in south africa with what's happening right now. hey, razor. check this out. listen up, thunder dragons, it's time to get a hotel. we can save big on killer hotels with priceline express deals. somewhere with a fitness center? hey you know what man, these guys aint no dragons. they're cool. these deals are legit. yeah, we're cool. she's cool. we're cool. i'm cool.

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more drama this morning at the oscar pistorius trial after the defense put a psychiatrist on the stand, a psychiatrist who said the olympic sprinter suffered from an anxiety disorder, and she testified that those who have the condition could be a danger to society. now the prosecution is asking a judge to send pistorius for psychiatric evaluation as the trial over his shooting and killing his girlfriend nears its conclusion. cnn legal analyst kelly phelps is live at the courthouse in pretoria. so, kelly, this is so unusual. are prosecutors trying to subvert the defense plan to say, look, he suffers from post-traumatic stress because of the amputations of his legs. the prosecutors seem to really go at this, saying fine, you think he's insane?

let's figure it out. it was an interesting move. >> reporter: it's really completely unprecedented here to have a state prosecutor trying to force the court to consider a defense, and in this case, it's the defense of incapacity or insanity, that the accused himself is not choosing to rely on, and in fact, does not want to rely on. it is quite an unforeseen turn of events, and it could completely subvert the rest of the trial and the path that the trial takes. >> it's interesting, because this could also buy the prosecutors almost a month of extra time, if pistorius has to undergo this psychiatric evaluation. is the prosecution trying to say, look, this was not culpable homicide, this was not intentional by oscar pistorius, this was, in fact, outright murder? >> reporter: well, what's particularly interesting about the prosecution's attempt to get insanity or incapacity

considered is that, in fact, it would actually contradict their premeditated murder case. because in order for the insanity defense to be accepted by the court, that would be based on the assumption that pistorius's version of events is actually correct. so, in a sense, the prosecution are playing a number of cards here. they're saying, well, our first choice is premeditated murder and intention, but if you disagree with that, then we're trying a new option, the new route, which is the insanity defense, because at least with insanity, they could result in having pistorius detained involuntarily in a mental institution for as long as it takes for that disorder to be cured, which could be for the rest of his life, potentially. >> and this is not about oscar pistorius being sort of a danger to himself, correct? they're going all the way back to when he was a baby and had his legs amputated, to determine whether he does suffer from this sort of fight-or-flight instinct.

>> reporter: absolutely, and that is actually both very important and very helpful evidence for the court in considering the verdict in this case, because essentially, pistorius's defense rests on his version of what he was thinking, what was happening in his mind at the time, and it's this sort of surrounding evidence that a judge can use in order to subject that version to scrutiny and to decide whether she thinks it's likely that that is, in fact, what was in his mind at the time on that night in question. >> all right. kelly phelps for us there in south africa. thank you so much. we'll be checking in with you later on. donald sterling in his own words about his lifetime ban from the nba, a possibility he'll be forced to sell his team, and why magic johnson is a bad role model. you know, we use the word shocking, and right, some people are saying we use the word shocking in television a lot. >> oh, man! >> but the comments last night truly were pretty shocking. we have them for you next. >> a touch delusional, perhaps.

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

what people want? we are live. welcome back to "early start," everyone. i'm deborah feyerick. >> i'm victor blackwell. good to be with you this morning. >> good to be with you. >> good to have you with us. we're at the bottom of the hour now. he admits he embarrassed the league, but it's donald sterling's new comments about race and magic johnson in particular that are raising a lot of questions this morning. in an exclusive interview with anderson cooper, sterling says he's sorry for what he said about friend v. stiviano being seen with black people, but he insists he's not a racist, that his team loves him. and as for magic johnson, we'll let sterling tell you what he thinks in his own words. look. >> i embarrassed the league. i humiliated them. i don't know how -- why i did it. i mean, i feel terrible. >> so, you don't believe, though, that the owners would vote to have you removed as owner? >> i don't think so. the players don't hate me. the sponsors don't hate me. >> you don't believe the

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

did he do any business? did he help anybody in south l.a. some. >> well, i think he has hiv. he doesn't have full-blown aids, but -- >> but what kind of a guy goes to every city, has sex with every girl, then he catches hiv and, is that someone we want to respect and tell our kids about? i think he should be ashamed of himself. i think he should go into the background. but what does he do for the black people? he doesn't do anything. >> well, there have been lots of responses to this interview. we have a statement here from nba commissioner adam silver. he put this out overnight. "i just read a transcript of donald sterling's interview with anderson cooper. and while magic johnson doesn't need me to, i feel compelled on behalf of the nba family to apologize to him that he continues to be dragged into this situation and be degraded by such a malicious and personal attack. the nba board of governors is continuing with its process to remove mr. sterling as expeditiously as possible."

now, magic johnson's reality came on twitter. he wrote this -- "i'd rather be talking about these great nba playoffs than donald sterling's interviews," but johnson will sit down with anderson cooler tonight to address the comments head on in an exclusive interview. that's tonight on cnn's "ac360," 8:00 p.m. eastern right here. now to the search for hundreds of nigerian girls abducted from their school and held captive for nearly a month. this morning, manned u.s. planes are flying over nigeria, hoping to spot something, anything that could lead teams to those girls, that after boko haram is believed to have put out this video showing about 100 of the girls. the terror group is now pledging that the girls will not be set free until imprisoned terrorists are released as well. vladimir duthiers is live in abuja, nigeria. and vlad, you think about this, it looks like this terror group has changed strategies. they've done something that was so globally intolerant that now they're saying, well, we simply want our people released.

what is behind it? >> reporter: that's right, deb. startling proposition that the man claiming to be abubakar shekau in this video, the supposed leader of boko haram, makes in this video. he says that he will release these girls if the nigerian government will release his "brothers," in other words, boko haram members that the nigerian government has imprisoned. for their part, the government seemingly interested, or at least willing to negotiate with boko haram. they say yesterday in a conversation that i had with security services, they say that all options are on the table, they would be willing to consider anything and everything to bring these girls home, deborah. >> using a heinous act to their advantage, interestingly enough. when you look at that video of the young women, there is also a religious component to this. this was a heavily christian area. these girls have now apparently been forced to convert to islam. what about the other girls? we're looking at about 100 of

them, but where are the others? >> reporter: it's a great question. u.s. intelligence reports suggest that perhaps some of these girls may have been split up. it would be very difficult to hide 200-plus girls in any part of the world, but even in a remote area like the sambisa forest. so, they may be in neighboring cameroon, chad, niger. but for the parents, deborah, this for them will be the first proof of life, first signs of hope that they have that some of their children, some of their daughters are alive. >> yeah, and we understand also that this tape is being shown to the families just to identify these girls individually. vlad duthiers, thank you so much. we'll check in with you in a little while. the question this morning in ukraine is what's next, now that voters in two eastern provinces have approved a referendum calling for independence and an annexation with russia. but that vote is being called into question by the west and ukraine's own government. ukraine's interim prime minister is in brussels today holding

talks with european officials as a new poll conducted for cnn finds most ukrainians, even those in the east, do not want to become part of another nation. atika shubert is live in donetsk, ukraine. atika, so, the leader of the dpr or self-proclaimed leader of the donetsk people's republic says that now they've declared independence. are you seeing after this weekend's vote any tangible signs of this new independent eastern region? >> reporter: not really. it's much the same. they've taken over the regional administration building now for several weeks, several months, really, and they're sort of administering, if you were, behind barbed wire barricades. what we are seeing is an increasing tension on the streets here. even though life seems to be going on as normal, outside the city, across the region there are checkpoints being set up by both ukrainian troops and by pro-russian groups. wand that increasing tension, there is the fear that there could be more violence, more

lawlessness. just an hour and a half from here a few days ago, we saw a number of people killed in an outbreak of violence there. and the fear here is that with this declaration of independence, that violence could erupt again and is likely to erupt as we get closer and closer to the may 25th general election here. >> so, there's this cnn poll that i mentioned just a few moments ago, atika, that found that 37% of respondents wanted to join russia, but 47% wanted to remain independent, did not want to join russia, did not want to join the eu. what are you hearing from people there? >> reporter: i think a lot of people i spoke to on the day of the referendum said they were coming out to vote not necessarily because they wanted independence or even that they wanted to join russia, but because they were angry with the government in kiev, that they felt they couldn't gain control and sort of restore normal life here and they were unable to stop the violence. that was their biggest concern.

so, i think those poll findings really reflect that. a lot of people here don't feel that ukraine should necessarily ally with russia or the eu but needs to find its own standing in the world, and they're angry. right now the government in kiev is unable to do that. >> atika shubert helping us answer the question of what's next there in donetsk in eastern ukraine. thank you. well, it could be the first significant change for air travel in the wake of the disappearance of malaysia airlines flight 370. international officials are meeting today in montreal, and they're expected to endorse a new standard for tracking aircraft, keeping an eye on them using realtime technology, satellites, other methods, so jets simply cannot fall off the radar, as happened with flight 370. but the vote will stop short of requiring airlines and governments to adopt those changes. and more trouble this morning for the department of veterans affairs. the va has now put two more workers on leave amid allegations of improper scheduling practices.

this time at the va hospital in durham, north carolina. that's the fourth va hospital where workers are accused of manipulating wait lists so that it appeared that vets were getting appointments much quicker than they actually were. it's va policy that vets are supposed to get appointments within 14 days, but a cnn investigation showed some vets were dying waiting months for appointments. another story developing this morning, "american idol" alum clay aiken will likely be declared the winner in a democratic congressional primary in north carolina after his opponent suddenly died. 71-year-old keith crisco reportedly suffered a fall at his home monday. a primary race between aiken and crisco was too close to call. aiken led by just 369 votes. state election officials are expected to clarify the results and certify them today. and aiken says he's suspending all campaign activities to pray for crisco's family. happening now, severe spring storms barreling through the country, millions in their path this morning. what you can expect today coming

up. hey, razor. check this out. listen up, thunder dragons, it's time to get a hotel. we can save big on killer hotels with priceline express deals. somewhere with a fitness center? hey you know what man, these guys aint no dragons. they're cool. these deals are legit. yeah, we're cool. she's cool. we're cool. i'm cool. hey, isn't that razor's old lady? not anymore. priceline savings without the bidding.

16 minutes to the top of the hour and this morning, getting ready for potentially dangerous weather, heavy rain, possible flooding from texas to the great lakes, after days of intense storms caused major damage. and in wisconsin, it was heavy rain and winds that were responsible for this in watertown. part of a building simply sheared off. crews had no choice but to demolish it as a result. trees about toppled throughout the state. take a look at this from illinois. that was a motel, but now it has no roof. strong winds simply ripped it off. the damage so severe, that building has to be taken down. same story in iowa, where trees were pushed into cars like here where the roof came right off. >> oh, boy! >> yeah, it's not quite the

movie "twister." remember that scene where the cow hit the window? but this is what happened on the roads during a tornado. a piece of farm equipment smashed into the car, storm chasers in nebraska. no one was hurt, that's the good news, but the man behind the wheel says it's the closest call he's had in 16 years of storm chasing. >> not bad odds when you think about it. police in ohio are urging people to stay home after flash flooding near cleveland. part of interstate 480 had should be shut down, one of many roads overwhelmed by water. >> in colorado it wasn't rain, but snow. can you believe this? snow on the roads. some areas got up to 29 inches of snow, but the snow has now tapered off. >> i was walking outside in new york and it was just so nice to actually not be stepping over snow piles and snow banks. >> and i don't feel guilty, i really don't. i don't. >> i'm with you there. jennifer gray keeping an eye on all this weather for us this morning.

jennifer? >> we're going to see the focus move more toward the mississippi river valley. we've had a lot of severe weather in the plains, now spotty showers and storms will move a little farther to the east. we'll even see scattered activity on the east coast. still a very high fire threat in the southwest, southern california. we are going to see high pressure stay in control in the pacific northwest. huge contrast in temperatures, though. 82 degrees in memphis, 87 in atlanta, 91 degrees in d.c. staying warm in los angeles, but it is only going to get warmer as we go forward in time. the fire threat will remain very high again tomorrow with very hot temperatures. we'll also see severe storms start to pick back up again right around the mississippi river valley, anywhere from mississippi, alabama, all the way up to kentucky with scattered showers across the eastern seaboard. look at the temperatures, though, tomorrow in l.a., as we go through tomorrow afternoon, 94 degrees. that fire threat will remain very high. we'll see temperatures a little cooler across the country's midsection and then warm in the

southeast. 86 degrees in atlanta. victor and deborah? >> all right, jennifer, thank you. we've got new information this morning after a gun fight ends with an explosion on live television. we'll tell you what led up to this tragedy after the break. in pursuit of all things awesome, amazing, and that's epic, bro, we've forgotten just how good good is. good is setting a personal best before going for a world record. good is swinging to get on base before swinging for a home run. [ crowd cheering ] good is choosing not to overshoot the moon, but to land right on it and do some experiments. ♪ so start your day off good with a coffee that's good cup after cup. maxwell house. ♪ good to the last drop

it appears the weather is helping some people. fire crews in texas trying to knock down a huge wildfire north of amarillo. well, the fire is now 65% contained, but only after it burned through about 2,500 acres and destroyed at least 90 homes. roughly 400 people have been evacuated from that area because of the down power lines, and authorities say a cold front and higher humidity are helping that fight. questions this morning in new hampshire after a police officer's gunned down responding to a domestic disturbance at a home that later exploded into

flames. authorities say officer steve arkell was shot as he entered. the suspected gunman is the sob of the -- son of the homeowner, who reportedly died in the fire. a neighbor said she saw police arrive at the home and heard "rapid gunfire." prosecution is expected to begin today for accused terrorist abu hamza al masri. the fiery egyptian-born cleric testifying in his own defense for a third day at his trial in new york, steadfasted denied aiding terrorists. al masri took shots at al qaeda and the taliban, saying they have let down the afghan people and he called osama bin laden a hot head. he's accused of inspiring terrorists, aiding kidnappers and trying to set up a terror training camp in oregon. al masri has pleaded not guilty. oregon teenager t.j. lane will have to serve out a sentence of life without parole for shooting three classmates to death in 2012. attorneys for lane had asked an appeals court to overturn the sentence, claiming it was too harsh because their client was only 17, a juvenile, when he

opened fire on his classmates at chadron high school. on monday, the court turned down the request, citing the serious nature of the crime. actor paul walker's death should have been prevented. that's the claim in a new lawsuit filed by the widow of roger rodas, who was driving at the time of the crash. christine rodas is suing porsche, saying the 2005 er carrera gt lacked safety features that would have saved the two's lives. she also disputes an investigation that found her husband was driving more than 90 miles per hour. rodas is seeking unspecified damages. well, the music world still questioning what's going on here after the release of shocking surveillance video reportedly showing rapper jay z being attacked by his wife, beyonce's sister, solange. cnn cannot independently confirm the video, but according to tmz, the over three-minute confrontation happened in an elevator at new york's standard hotel. a woman who appears to be beyonce is standing right there to the side.

the hotel has opened an investigation into just how this private tape was leaked. appearing unruffled by the tape's release, jay z and beyonce were courtside at the nets game last night. >> where is the audio? >> exactly. all right, so, the oscar pistorius trial is continuing now. and is his childhood responsible in some part for reeva steenkamp's death? the surprising, new testimony on why he killed his girlfriend and what it could mean for the case, after the break. at any minute... ...you could be a victim of fraud. most people don't even know it. fraud could mean lower credit scores, higher mortgage rates... ...and not getting the home you really want. it's a problem waiting to happen. check your credit score, check your credit report, at experian.com. america's number one provider of online credit reports and scores. don't take chances. go to experian.com.

happening now at the oscar pistorius trial in south africa, the defense and prosecutors are fighting it out over whether the sprinter should face a psychiatric evaluation. you see, a psychiatrist is testifying for the defense that pistorius suffers from an anxiety disorder and that people with that condition could be a danger to society. cnn's legal analyst, kelly phelps, is live at the courthouse in pretoria. kelly, what is this psychiatrist attributing this anxiety to? what's the source of this anxiety? >> reporter: well, actually, she

led very detailed evidence yesterday, tracing it back from the earliest moments in his life, in order to display to the court how pistorius's entire life history, starting from his double amputation at a very early developmental stage in his life, where she says he would have experienced that amputation as a traumatic assault, laid the foundation for the development of this generalized anxiety disorder throughout the rest of his early childhood, teenage years and going into adulthood. >> how likely do you think it is that the judge will order this psychiatric evaluation? >> reporter: it's almost impossible to give a forecast on that because this is such a wholly unprecedented situation. you've essentially got a state prosecutor trying to force the hand of the court to consider defense, which is the defense of incapacity or insanity, despite the fact that the accused himself does not want to raise this defense, and that relies on a proper interpretation of the

specific piece of legislation. both legal teams have put forward different views on that interpretation. and depending which one the judge finds to be more persuasive, that will determine the outcome of this application. >> what would this mean if this were to be ordered for the timeline of this trial. >> reporter: well, it could radically alter the timeline. because essentially, what would happen is the trial would be immediately halted, he would be sent for about 30 days of psychiatric evaluation. they would come back to the court. now, if the finding of that evaluation is that, in fact, that mental illness was operative on his mind at the time when he committed the conduct, then the trial is finished. a verdict of not guilty by reason of mental illness is declared, and the accused is then potentially subject to involuntary detainment in a mental institution for as long as it takes to cure that affliction, which, of course, could be for the rest of his life.

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