Sets Sights on DirecTV; "The New York Times" Dealing with Fallout From a High Profile Dismissal; Investigators Suspect Arson Involved in Some California Fires
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. These are the stories that are topping our news this hour. AT&T; sets its sights on America's biggest satellite TV provider. A merger that could affect tens of millions of you and your cable auction. And thousands of Californians who have been forced from their homes for days because of raging wildfires finally get a break while the battle against the flames takes a turn. And private moments suddenly becoming very public, not just for the celebrities but everybody. It's happening to an increasing number of high profile people in particular and ordinary citizens. Privacy rights, what you need to know in this age of high-technology and social med media. A huge merger is in the works today and it could involve your cable provider. Telecom giant AT&T; is expected to meet to finalize a deal to acquire satellite provider, DirecTV, according to a source who knows about the meeting. And if it goes through, that deal will be worth about $50 billion. AT&T; and DirecTV are both staying quiet on this for now but sources say the announcement could come as early as this afternoon. So, cable customers are wondering, how does this affect me? For more on that, I'm joined now by Brian Stelter, the host of CNN's "RELIABLE SOURCES." Good to see you again, Brian. So, how is this potentially going to affect customers?</s>BRIAN STELTER, CNN HOST, RELIABLE SOURCES: Well we're talking about so many people that would be affected by this. One in four people who are watching us right now have DirecTV or AT&T; television. About a hundred million households in the United States that have some form of cable or at light. About 20 million of those are DirecTV subscribers all across the country, particularly in rural areas where you might not be able to get a wired cable subscription in the ground. Another five million or so have AT&T; television service. AT&T; though hasn't had a very strong time expanding its television service. This is going to let them do it. Now they're going to own one out of four households that have their TV service.</s>WHITFIELD: That's incredible. All right. So for folks who are ready, say have cable, how might this kind of open up options for them? Because, you know, a lot of folks will complain that cable prices are so high. And now with another option like this, what could it mean?</s>STELTER: Well, you know, what we're seeing is a trend toward consolidation, towards viewer options, Comcast and Time Warner cable are in the process of merging. The government is reviewing possible mergers now. And the government will also have to review this deal between AT&T; and DirecTV. But in cases like this, the companies don't go forward unless they believe they're going to get it through the government regulators. I was able to take a look at the portion of the internal presentation for shareholders in this deal. I was able to get my hands on it this morning. And it make clear, they believe it will pass muster. Let me read you this most interesting quote from this internal document. It says the transaction will create content distribution leader across mobile, video and broad band. What is that mean? What that mean is that you can get your AT&T; wireless phone service, you can get your television subscription and you can get your internet access all from the same company. AT&T; is thinking about that in the same way that the same way Comcast is because everything is merging into an internet pipeline. We're going to get all of our content, a phone call or a video program like this via our internet connection and AT&T; is trying to look down that road and be prepared.</s>WHITFIELD: So, the consolidation could be a very good thing for customers but is there a downside to this potential merger?</s>STELTER: When you a case like this you never expect price to go down. Comcast has actually been pretty honest about that in their efforts to merge with Time Warner cable. There is nothing about that deal that would imply prices will go down. I don't think there's anything in the AT&T; DirecTV deal that would imply that either. But what you have to hope for in a merger like this, the pro-consumer view would be it would make more television available in easier ways that ever. The negative side, the anti-consumer point of view would be fewer option to get your internet, to get your phone and get your TV. And that is will right to look at. By the way, I think we'll get an announcement about this in coming hours, maybe this evening, definitely no later than tomorrow morning. And like I said, $50 billion, it will be a very big deal.</s>WHITFIELD: Huge. Very big. All right, Brian Stelter, thank so much. Good to see you again.</s>STELTER: Thanks.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, now to southern California where firefighters are making big leaps in their battle against several raging fires. Four are still spreading in San Diego County. But cooler temperatures in</s>JENNIFER HULSE, RESIDENT: There was just smoke coming up over the wall and we grabbed the computer and a couple pictures, the dogs and took off.</s>HALEY HULSE, RESIDENT: It's been hard. It's like moving back and forth and back to one place and then to another.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, meteorologist Alexandra Steele back with us monitoring the conditions. How is it looking?</s>ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well are going to see an improvement. It's short term. Weather wise we'll see an improvement. What has happened, an area of low pressure here has developed off the California coast. This counterclockwise flow now changing the wind direction from what we have seen in the past couple of weeks. Southwesterly winds bring in that moisture in off to pacific and increasing the humidity. So finally we're seeing some increased values. Here is in the state today and into tonight, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, so check on the humidity value. Dew points is coming up, humidity is coming up. And notice too, we've had this ridge in place. We haven't had any rain. Now with the ridge eradicated we're seeing some rain begin to come in. See that? That's in northern California. That's not going to get quite as far south as southern California, it is kind of the battles of the fire, but certainly moisture is coming in. Also temperatures have been exuberantly high, in the 90s. Now temperatures have dropped in the 70s. So temperatures coming down, humidity values coming up. So the weather forecast in the short term is certainly favorable. Bu the problem is the fire forecast. It's let so. Because this year alone, we've doubled the five-year average for fires. Last year California had its driest year on record. This year, last Thursday, first time in an entire century that the entire state was in a severe drought or worse yet. So Fred, short term it's OK. We're going to see some changes, but the longer term, the stage is set. We've had three very dry winters. So the wet season hasn't been wet. So drought begets drought. We're in a hole here.</s>WHITFIELD: That really underscores the worry. All right, thanks so much Alexandra.</s>STEELE: Sure.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, "the New York Times" is now dealing with the fallout from a high profile dismissal, the publisher of the times is disputing claims that sexism fueled the firing of his executive editor saying Jill Abramson was dismissed for performance issues and nothing else. Abram sob hasn't spoken publicly about it. This is also opening up a conversation about women in media and in executive level positions. Here's Jean Casarez.</s>JEAN CASAREZ, LEGAL CORRESPONDENT, IN SESSION (voice-over): In one day, proof of how far women have come and how far some say they still need to go on the job. TV trail blazer Barbara Walters retiring after over 50 years in broadcasting. But as the first female network co- anchor, she wasn't always welcome.</s>BARBARA WALTERS, BROADCAST JOURNALIST: I had great difficulties and it was a very difficult and unhappy experience.</s>STELTER: She's talked about how she was the flop as the first female co-anchor of Nightly News cast and how the mail co-anchor undermined her every chance he got. Those kinds of barrier that she was breaking down decades ago.</s>JILL ABRAMSON, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, THE NEW YORK TIMES: I'm honored to be the first woman to serve as executive editor.</s>CASAREZ: At the same time another female pioneer gets the ax. Jill Abramson, executive editor of the "The New York Times" since 2011. The speculation as to why. A national conversation with some wondering does America have a problem with powerful women and female bosses? It turns out to female CEOs are forced out of their jobs more often than their male counter parts. A recent study found 11 percent more. The "The New York Times" says the decision was made because of an issue with management. NPR's media reporter said some who worked with her found her to be brusque, even to the point of rudeness. And close associates are telling the New Yorker that she confronted top brass after finding out that she was making less money than her made predecessor. The speculation became so rampant, the publisher of "the Times" issued an internal memo saying, compensation played no part whatsoever in my decision that Jill could not remain as executive editor. Abramson isn't talking publicly about her ouster, but her daughter posted this picture of her on Instagram, referencing criticism of her mother's character with the hash tag pushy. Another female first. Hillary Clinton close to clinching the Democrat nomination for presidency in 2008 but not close enough. In her concession speech she referenced the struggles even the most powerful women face.</s>HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Although we weren't able to shatter that highest hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you it's got about 18 million cracks in it.</s>CASAREZ: But cracks in the glass ceiling may be replaced with the glass cliff for women who do break through, begging the question whether for women getting to the top is only half the battle. Jean Casarez CNN New York.</s>WHITFIELD: And coming up, social media, drones, surveillance cameras. We'll look at why you don't have to be a celebrity to wonder whether you have any privacy left at all. And then in Ukraine, the pro-Russian separatists are putting out a call for more man power as violence heats up. We'll ask an expert what the U.S. could or should do now.