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Young Diplomat Among Dead in Attack; North Korea May Test Missile This Week; Famous Pastor's Son Commits Suicide; Free Big Dance Concert During NCAA Championship; What It's Like Inside North Korea; Breaking Down the Final Two

Aired April 07, 2013 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

A young American diplomat is dead in an attack on a U.S. convoy in southern Afghanistan. A civilian and three U.S. service members were also killed. We'll have details.

The family of mega church pastor Rick Warren is in mourning following the suicide of his 27-year-old son. Matthew Warren battled mental illness all of his life. Coming up, we'll go live to Warren's church in Southern California for reaction.

North Korea could be days away from testing a missile. Tensions are so high on the Korean peninsula, it's creating quite the ripple effect. A U.S. missile test is being delayed so as not to send conflicting messages to North Korea.

Back to Afghanistan now where six Americans were killed in two separate attacks yesterday. One of those killed has now been identified as 25-year-old diplomat named Anne Smedinghoff. She was in the military convoy delivering books to schools in southern Afghanistan. Four other State Department workers were injured in the attack. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke about her today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: When I was in Afghanistan, she was part of my team and she was someone who worked hard and put her life on the line so that others could live a better life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Athena Jones is now at the White House for us.

So have we heard anything more from her family, Athena?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Fredricka. We have. You know, this was a young woman who joined the foreign service straight out of college three years ago. Her family has put out a statement. I'll read just part of it. They said, "The world lost a truly beautiful soul. She particularly enjoyed the opportunity to work directly with the Afghan people and was always looking for opportunities to reach out and help to make a difference in the lives of those living in a country ravaged by war."

And you heard from Secretary Kerry. He had a chance to meet this young woman less than a month ago. So this is certainly something that he expressed deep sadness over it today -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And the handover of power. This attack comes at a very critical time. And I understand there are a number of people on Capitol Hill once again who are calling attention to the handover and the publicized dates.

JONES: That's right. The agreed date is 2014. The handover of responsibility for security in Afghanistan to the Afghan government and if you talked to someone like Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, he says he's always been concerned with the handoff and that the U.S. is sending signs that we're leaving. Not that they're winning -- that we're winning, but that we're leaving.

I also had a chance to speak to Republican Senator Lindsey Graham about this today. Let's listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: We would be crazy to leave Afghanistan without an insurance policy force. Somewhere around 10,000 to 13,000 troops post-2014 with American combat power available would end the Taliban's hopes and dreams of retaking Afghanistan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: So that number that you heard Senator Graham mentioned, that the number of troops that would be left behind in 2014 to help out with the Afghan -- with protecting Afghanistan, that's still being debated. We heard from a top U.S. commander in the region who mentioned a number around that number, 13,600 last month. But that will all be worked out. We can certainly expect to hear, though, from senators like Senator Graham and McCain as we get closer to determining those forces -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Athena Jones, thanks so much from the White House. Appreciate that.

All right. North Korea could test a missile this week according to South Korea. Seoul based, the assessment on the North urging workers to leave an industrial complex near the border by April 10th.

Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is live for us from Washington.

So, Barbara, you know, we know that U.S. has delayed a planned missile test in California has been postponed. What's the latest on that mission?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, that test indeed has been delayed. That's a pretty extraordinary event for the Pentagon, an extraordinary decision for them to take to cancel a long- planned missile test. That's how concerned they are that the North Koreans not misconstrue anything.

Next week also there was supposed to be a major bilateral military meeting here in Washington, South Korean and U.S. military officials. That is now off for right now. The top U.S. commander in Korea saying he won't travel to the United States right now because of the rising tensions. He thinks it's better to stay put.

So you're still seeing a lot tension, a lot of rhetoric and a lot of pressure on North Korea to take a deep breath and step back -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And the international community is also looking toward China to put some pressure on North Korea because it seems as though that's the only country really that can do so. Just have a listen to what John McCain said on CBS's "Face the Nation" this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: China does hold the key to this problem. China could cut off their economy if they want to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So how important is China in this equation?

STARR: Well, I think a lot of people will tell you Senator McCain is making a really good point here -- money. North Korea always cash strapped, always looking for cash. And so if the Chinese, which are their major, if not only, ally, in a true economic sense right now, if the Chinese are getting unhappy with all of this spinning out of control, it is possible that North Korea may react to that by tamping down.

The Chinese are after economic stability in the region. Make no mistake. That's what they want to see, the China, the Asia economic powerhouse. China wants to see that undisturbed. And if North Korea starts making trouble, that puts the whole region on edge, economically, financially, as well as from a security point of view. So the Chinese may indeed be the key to calming some of this down -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Barbara Starr, thanks so much from Washington.

Mega church pastor Rick Warren is mourning the loss of his youngest son. Matthew Warren died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Friday. His father says the 27-year-old Warren had a life-long battle with mental illness. In an e-mail to his congregation, Warren and his wife said, quote, "No words can express the anguished grief -- the anguished, rather, grief that we feel right now."

Nick Valencia is joining us live now from outside the Saddleback Church in Southern California.

So a man who has helped so many during tough times is now having a very difficult time right now himself. What is the community there saying and how are they reaching out to the Warren family?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they say that Saddleback Church is more of a family than a church. And you get the sense that even those that didn't know Matthew Warren, the 27-year-old, personally that they're also grieving and that their hearts and prayers are with the Warren family.

Coincidentally, Fred, today's service was the first in a series of sermons on how to survive tough times. Today's talk was how to survive your worst day.

Now according to the church, Matthew Warren was an important part of the church but he was more of a behind the scenes kind of guy. He played a very quiet role here. He worked at a Saddleback resources warehouse where they distributed books and DVDs.

Earlier the church spokesperson provided two people that knew Matthew. They talked to us about his legacy and what legacy he leaves behind. He was an extremely sweet person, a very compassionate person that was able to sense people's pain because he, too, was suffering from so much.

Earlier I asked one of his friends how Matthew Warren would have wanted to be remembered.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE CONSTANTZ, SADDLEBACK CHURCH MEMBER: He was one of those young men who even in his most challenging times, when other people kind of shared their problems, he would just enter into those times and express his concern for them and how he wanted to somehow try and help them and reach out to them even in some of his most challenging times.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: Even before his son's death, Pastor Rick Warren was not expected to be here at the weekend service. He gave a handful of services over Easter weekend and he caught pneumonia. He's battling that right now. His brother-in-law stepped in this today's sermon. But before -- on Saturday, earlier Saturday after the news of his death was surfaced, Pastor Rick Warren issued a statement. I want to read from here.

He said, quote, "I'll never forget how many years ago after another approach had failed to give relief, Matthew said, Dad, I know I'm going to heaven. Why can't I just die and end this pain?"

Pastor Rick Warren says it was one of those moments, the dark moments of despair, that Matthew took his own life. And a lot of people here in Lake Forest, California, are grieving his loss -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Nick Valencia, thanks so much for bringing that to us.

From 68 teams to two. It's Louisville and Michigan. They will square off in Atlanta tomorrow night for college basketball's national title. Last night Louisville knocked off Wichita State and Michigan ousted Syracuse.

So no game today, but that hasn't stopped the fans from flooding downtown Atlanta. A live look right now at a packed Centennial Olympic Park. A gorgeous day today. Free concerts all weekend long.

Our Nischelle Turner is at the park. We're staying in Dave Matthews Band are set to perform.

How are you doing? Well, it looks like you've got quite the party scene behind you there.

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, Fred, you know what a good music festival is all about. I know you enjoy coming out and going to live music festivals, too. So this is exactly what's going on here at Centennial Park right now. If you look, you can barely see up to the stage because there is a sea of people up there. We are waiting for Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. She's supposed to take this stage in just about 10 minutes.

And that is -- she's like number one on the bill today because you mentioned the other two big headliners, Sting at 6:00, Dave Matthews at 8:00. This is kind of like the appetizer to the big game. Because everybody on a Sunday, they don't have much else to do, they're waiting for the game tomorrow so the people have really come out here to Centennial Park for the big dance concert series.

And again what have we been saying this whole weekend. This is free. So I mean hello. This is a good time.

(LAUGHTER)

You know, yesterday Ludacris took the stage and everybody had their hands in the air. The place was rocking.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

TURNER: It was a lot of fun. Also Muse closed out the show last night. And they were really, really good. By the way, I got to talk to the guys beforehand. Now you know they're from England so they were kind of having a hard time figuring out this whole Final Four mystique and why everybody gets so crazy. I think we may --

WHITFIELD: But you schooled them.

TURNER: Yes, I think we may -- Yes, I think so and I think we've made a little ground with them. Check out and see what we did backstage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to tell you --

(CROSSTALK)

You say you can spin a ball. Can we just test this theory out? Can you still spin a ball?

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you do a spin a ball?

TURNER: Don't put it out there if you can't do it. Let's see. Let's see.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to be fun.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not bad, not bad.

TURNER: That was pretty bad.

(CROSSTALK)

I like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: That was on the first try?

TURNER: So the guys were -- that was on a first try.

WHITFIELD: Wow, impressive.

TURNER: The guys from Muse can spin a ball. Can you spin the ball on your finger? I'm going to see in my fans out here, too, can try it.

WHITFIELD: You put them up on the spot.

TURNER: Come in. Let's see. Oh, good job. Nice job.

WHITFIELD: All right.

TURNER: He did well, right, Fred?

WHITFIELD: Nice. I like it.

TURNER: His little brother, he -- yes, his little had to get here. He didn't want to be left out. All right. Fred, We'll send it back to you.

WHITFIELD: Good. Well, you all have --

TURNER: Thank you, guys.

WHITFIELD: Yes, having fun out there. I like it. All right. Thanks so much, Nischelle, and friends there.

All right. Of course, we're going to have in-depth coverage of the NCAA championship game.

CNN's Rachel Nichols joins me on set and Joe Carter will be live outside the Georgia Dome. Both will be with us momentarily. All right. Two little boys right now missing. And police think they were kidnapped by their own parents. The latest on the search in the Gulf of Mexico coming up.

And North Korea ramps up the missile threat rhetoric. They've done that before but this time many say it is different. Find out why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Philadelphia was about to honor two firefighters who died on the job when a third was firefighter killed. Captain Michael Goodwin fell through a third story roof while battling a fire in south Philly. Another firefighter was injured. Firefighters set up an honor guard outside the hospital where efforts to save Goodwin failed.

Searchers are looking through the Gulf of Mexico for two boys believed kidnapped by their parents. Joshua Haken, and his wife, Sharon, are accused of taking the 2 and 4-year-old boys from their grandparents' house in Tampa. The grandparents have custody of the boys.

Haken and his wife are believed to be anti-government and police say they may all be on this sailboat.

North Korea put world leaders on edge with escalating threats and now reports that a missile test could be on the way. But inside the country tour groups are running somewhat like normal. These pictures are from a British tour earlier this month. The operator told CNN it's continuing tours and people in the country were acting as they usually do. Embassies in North Korea are not pulling their people out just yet.

So I'm joined now by a man who was in North Korea two times last year. Han Park is a professor at the University of Georgia.

Good to see you, Professor. So give us an idea. We've heard a lot about the rhetoric and the threats, the fear. But we haven't heard much about the real lifestyle inside North Korea. You have visited that country. What have you seen -- how do you describe what living there, what visiting there is like?

HAN PARK, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA: Well, the people there, including the military, they're extremely supportive of the regime and the leader, as well of the government in general.

WHITFIELD: But they have to be, right?

PARK: Yes. But it's not really forced.

WHITFIELD: It's not.

PARK: Because the kind of culture they have created over the years and decades. It is in fact -- Kim Jong-Un, Kim Jong-Il, Kim Il- Sung's dynasty that have created it. Almost kind of paternalistic leader. So it's not like Egypt and Gadhafi's Libya. Any place like that. So there's absolutely no possibility in my view for regime change through internal implosion.

WHITFIELD: And most of the North Koreans accept that. They honor that. And you're saying that when they salute the president or the military they really do mean it. They don't feel like they're forced to do so. But then what about the conditions of people? Once, you know, if are you visiting North Korea, do you get an opportunity to see --

PARK: Yes.

WHITFIELD: -- how people really do live or are you only getting to see --

PARK: Right.

WHITFIELD: -- what the government, what the leaders want you to see.

PARK: Yes. The thing is -- the thing -- no, no, no. I get to see economic hardships, starving children. They're not hiding that anymore. Because now they're capable of spinning it in a way that the responsibility lies with the external world, the sanctions over the decades that made that problem.

WHITFIELD: And in about 20 second or less, why do you most fear that Kim Jong-Un more than any of his predecessors.

PARK: Kim Jong-Un. Right now of course he is young and everything. I think he dug his hole, so to speak. He had cornered himself that he cannot retreat from what he promised the people and army what he would do.

WHITFIELD: There's a feeling he has to to deliver.

PARK: Yes. He has to deliver or he needs a darn good reason not to. So that scares me.

WHITFIELD: Han Park, thank you so much.

PARK: Right. You're quite welcome.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate your time. Thank you for your insight. Appreciate it.

PARK: Sure. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. You know it's down to two. Have you been following this, the NCAA action? You had to get through the parking and, you know, on the street so to speak, Mr. Park. So Michigan and Louisville facing off tomorrow night now. We talked to our Rachel Nichols and Joe Carter coming up next.

And a 7-year-old boy lives his dream and scores a touchdown. What makes him so special and why he is such an inspiration. And if you can't wait for the "Mad Men" premier tonight, I have got exactly what you might be looking for. I talked to a "Mad Men" star who says he likes playing bad guys.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. The big dance is not just on the court. They are dancing big time to free great music in Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park. Right now live pictures for you. In just a couple of hours from now, Sting and Dave Matthews Band. Pretty huge. I'd explain to you --

(CROSSTALK)

RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Too bad they couldn't get anyone good, right?

WHITFIELD: Yes. I know. Darn. They really had to pull from the bottom.

NICHOLS: Exactly.

WHITFIELD: Rachel Nichols with me now, covering the NCAA madness. Along with Joe Carter who's at the Georgia Dome as well.

All right. Let's talk about these two teams, Louisville, Michigan. For both, I mean, this really is historic to be part of this, you know, big dance, Rachel. You've been following the Louisville, you know, story, kind of the darling story of, you know, Kevin Ware. It's been a while since, what, '96 since they made it to this point? What are the strengths that Louisville has this go round that really makes them a serious contender up against Michigan?

NICHOLS: Well, what's so interesting, too, about this dynamic and this match-up, is first of all you've got two great teams, two offensive teams so we should hopefully get a really good basketball game tomorrow night. They're going to score a lot of points hopefully if they both play up to their abilities. So that'll be fun because the NCAA tournament so far this year has had a lot of sort of blowouts or defensive games so this should be more fun game even for non-sports fans. And then --

WHITFIELD: But it does feel different, does it? This go-round I -- maybe it just seems so much more electric and maybe it's because of Kevin Ware's story.

NICHOLS: Exactly. And Kevin Ware, of course, has done an amazing thing. Here is a team that is the number one overall seed. They're supposed to be the favorite, the big, bad Goliath everybody is rooting against. Instead because this kid had this horrible injury that we all him endure so gracefully and he's handled it so well, they've become this sentimental favorite and you're going to see this -- I brought a little present for you here.

WHITFIELD: I love it.

NICHOLS: This is good. This is kind of -- this looked in --

WHITFIELD: Yes. That looks really good.

NICHOLS: Maybe Kevin Ware can do my --

WHITFIELD: Kevin is in the house. Big time.

NICHOLS: My discussion for the rest of the time.

WHITFIELD: I like it. That's very cool.

NICHOLS: You can post this room for you.

WHITFIELD: Very cool.

NICHOLS: But you're going to see these. These were actually donated by Amare Stoudemire, the New York Knicks superstar, who's basically -- because you know they can't do anything themselves because of the NCAA rules.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

NICHOLS: So he donated these. And on the back it says "Win for Ware." So you're going to see a lot of these in the arena tomorrow night, people waving them around.

WHITFIELD: That's fun.

NICHOLS: And he's been a real presence for his team on the bench and actually went up on to the court last night to try to help them when they were down by double digits, root them on.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

NICHOLS: Continues to be (INAUDIBLE) the whole way. Oh, my goodness.

So, Joe, you know, here you are at the Dome. You know, you're going to have to pump it up for Michigan. I mean, they haven't, you know, been to this kind of dance since, what, '93? And you know they're really up against quite a bit of pressure when you talk about the sentimental favorite. Of course Louisville was the number one team but -- number one seed team, but now you've got this story. Michigan really has to bring it. How will they do that?

JOE CARTER, CNN SPORTS: Well, Fredricka and Rachel, perhaps it's the secret sauce that John Beilein's been able to put together by building a team around guys that have both NBA and college blood lines. When you look at Tim Hardaway, his father obviously an NBA all-star. Glenn Robinson, his dad played in the NBA for a decade, won a championship at the end with the Spurs. John Horford, his brother Al Horford, plays with the Hawks, won two titles with the Florida Gators.

It's that invaluable advice that the dads and the brother were able to give to these current players. You know, how to prepare, how to play, how to shine on the biggest stage. And that's right now. Not to get too high, not to get too low. I mean, you've got to think that these guys were around when their fathers were under this kind of pressure and this kind of scrutiny.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Oh my god.

CARTER: When Al Horford was playing for a national championship with Florida back-to-back years. As a matter of fact, he won one of those championships in the building behind me. So perhaps John Beilein and the NBA college bloodlines that he has on his team might just be the edge that Michigan needs in order to beat obvious a great Louisville team.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And interesting. You would think that, you know, kind of with those blood lines that that might bring additional pressure, too. But maybe that really does bring an advantage. There's a sort of comfort level that maybe we're seeing in these players.

NICHOLS: Yes, absolutely. And both these programs are such big- time programs.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

NICHOLS: These guys know how to be on this stage. I will say it has been a very lucky week for Rick Pitino.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

NICHOLS: His team is in the national championship tomorrow night. His son just got the head coaching job over at Minnesota and he has a horse that he is part owner of that just qualified for the Kentucky derby.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

NICHOLS: So if you're the betting person --

WHITFIELD: It's been a good week.

NICHOLS: It's the -- the luck right now is with Pitino but you guys know, a lot can change in an instant.

WHITFIELD: That's right.

NICHOLS: We'll see tomorrow night.

WHITFIELD: OK. We will. Thanks so much, Rachel Nichols, good to see you.

Joe Carter, there at the Dome, thanks so much for bringing all the NCAA action to us.

All right. The feds say there is a problem with iPhones out there. But you might not be too upset about it. Find out how your phone could be helping to protect your privacy. And I can't wait to see requested "Mad Men" tonight. Are you a big "Man Med" fan, Rachel?

NICHOLS: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Yes? OK. Well, then you're going to get a special preview coming up from the show's creator right here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right time now to take a look at what's trending online. DEA agents say they are having a hard time wire tapping iPhones. Apple's I message app. Allows two people to send messages to each other over their iPhones, problem is the messages are heavily encrypted making it hard for the agency to intercept and trace conversations.

And Michael Dell started Dell computers years ago before making it public. Now he is offering $24 billion to buy it back. But a large shareholder is trying to force him to pay out a big premium first.

And if you're thinking of buying a house, now is the time. 30- year mortgage rates dropped to 3.5 percent this week. Close to the all-time low of 3.3 percent.

All right. With Friday's tough jobs report behind the investors this week may turn their attention to more global issues. There is concern tensions in North Korea could impact the markets. Scott Bleier is a investment strategist and founder of Create Capital. He is joining me now from New York. Good to see you.

All right. So markets slipped on Friday because of the weak jobs report. But looking ahead to this week, how much are investors trading on rising global tensions?

SCOTT BLEIER, FOUNDER, CREATECAPITAL: Well that's a great question. You would think that markets would suffer a little bit with what's going on in Korea. So far the only market that's suffering is South Korea down about 4 percent this year. Japan up 25 percent this year, Philippines up 15 percent this year and our market up 9 to 10 percent this year. So if you go back 63 years when the Korean War began, our market went down about 6 percent in the first day and by the end of the war, in three years, it was higher by 30 percent.

WHITFIELD: OK. So what else will investors be concerned about this week as it pertains to the world economic flow? Europe perhaps, is that still a viable contender of being disruptive for the markets?

BLEIER: This is a busy week. It is not a week for economic numbers thou earnings are going to begin for the first quarter. This week is a bunch of Federal Reserve governors and the Fed heads out talking and jawboning trying to stabilize markets and get economies growing. Now the Fed here is pumping $85 billion a month into our markets and on Monday Bernanke speaks, Friday Ben Bernanke speaks. He's the chairman of the Federal Reserve. On Wednesday the Federal Reserve releases its Fed minutes. That's what they're thinking about, what they've talked about over the last month and Chairman Lou, the new Treasury secretary, is going to be meeting with his ECB counterparts in Europe. On Wednesday there's a g-8 meeting and on Friday secretary of state Kerry goes and makes a whirlwind tour to our allies overseas -- Korea, Japan and China.

WHITFIELD: Big week. We're watching that money. All right. Thanks, Scott Bleier. Appreciate it.

BLEIER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Was Jodi Arias an abused woman or a jealous one? The jury in her murder trial is back at it again tomorrow trying to figure all of that out. I'll tell you who is going to be on the stand likely.

And he's the man behind "Mad Men." Find out what he's planning for this new season coming up in THE NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Beyonce and Jay-Z celebrated their wedding anniversary in Cuba. But did they break the law? The power couple in Havana, we got pictures of that right? All right. There you go. Waving to fans last week. Well guess what? Two Florida Republican lawmakers want the Treasury Department to look into whether the trip was legal. Last year the Obama administration lifted some of the travel restrictions to Cuba. U.S. Citizens can now go to Cuba but strictly for educational purposes.

And someone paid $231,000 for a piece of "Star Trek" memorabilia. Actor William Shatner who played Captain James T. Kirk carried the phaser rifle in only one episode in the popular '60s television series. Well the auction housed thought it might bring in between $50,000 to $70,000 right there, that rifle.

AMC's award winning series "Mad Men" is back on the air tonight. The popular drama is a retro look at the lives of advertising executives in New York in the 1960s. CNN's Jake Tapper sat down with the creator Matthew Weiner to talk about the show and its much awaited season premier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE): Are you alone?

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's been a long ten months since we left Don Draper at the bar. For this Sunday billions will return to offices of Sterling Cooper Draper Price for the season six premiere of "Mad Men" on AMC. Series creator Matthew Weiner invited us to come early. So this is goings to be the second to last season?

MATTHEW WEINER, SHOW CREATOR, "MAD MEN:" Yes.

TAPPER: It is going well? Doesn't seem any compelling reason to end it any time soon. For me anyway.

WEINER: I feel like - first of all, it is exhausting. I need a break. But the reality of it is that the show has a life span. It is mortal. You really want to end it before you have exceeded the ability to tell a story.

TAPPER: Heavy drinking, heavy petting and heavy drama have kept viewers tuned in to a buy gone era of boys clubs.

How worried or concerned or aware are you when you're writing for your women characters about them not just being Joan and Megan and Peggy but them being symbolic of women in general.

WEINER: That's a really good question. I don't want the characters to ever be symbolic in general. Did women have it harder? Yes. Were there women pioneers? Yes. Were there exceptions to every little rule? Yes.

How did someone succeed in that world? I think the show resonates because things are not that different. I don't want to give a history lesson; I want people to know that these people could be their mothers.

TAPPER: But the dark heart of "Mad Men" is mysterious womanizing ad man Don Draper.

Is He? Is Don Draper alone? Is this what the show is about?

WEINER: I think it is a big part of his life, yes. And the ambiguity of that statement after we've seen this man having found love and seeming less alone, I think, you know there's a quality in him as a hero.

TAPPER: I don't even know how Don Draper dies but if the show is about this existential question, am I alone, can I ever be happy? Those questions. There needs to be like a hint at the end about --

WEINER: I am going to try to use the machinery of my show to give a satisfying ending.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: Of course we can't talk about the new season of "Mad Men" without mentioning the worst kept secret in town. Part of the new season will include scenes shot in Hawaii featuring actors Don Hamm and Jessica Pare. Let the speculation begin.

Jake Tapper, CNN, Washington.

WHITFIELD: Season six of "Mad Men" begins this Sunday, well that would be today. It begins tonight. And you can also catch "The Lead" with Jake Tapper weekdays at 4:00 right here on CNN.

More there is more "Mad Men" talk. My conversation with the star who plays one of the newest breakout characters actor Ben Feldman says he was a big fan of the show before being taxed. And a 7-year-old boy who is battling brain cancer got to play on the field with his favorite football team. Jack Hoffman suited up with the University of Nebraska for a scrimmage game yesterday. He's met some of the players before and he won their hearts so they called him out on the field for a play. You have to see what happens next.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): He's got blockers out in front. Listen to this crowd. As Jack Hoffman, the young man that as I mentioned has really been adopted by this football team has scored a touchdown.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. That's too, too sweet!

Both teams rushing to the end zone lifting him up on their shoulders! A Nebraska player told us the Omaha World Herald that the team came up with the play 30 seconds before it actually happened. He said he's pretty fast for a little guy like that.

All right. A big decision in the Michael Jackson wrongful death trial. I'll tell you what the judge said and we'll look at which side may have a better case.

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WHITFIELD: The Michael Jackson civil trial will not be televised. The judge made that ruling before the weekend. Jackson's mother is suing his concert promoters for billions. Katherine Jackson blames AEG Live for hiring the pop star's doctor Conrad Murray. Murray is now in prison for involuntary manslaughter. The case finally comes down to whether Murray worked for the promoter's AEG Live or for Michael Jackson. Let's bring in my next guest, Diane Dimond. She wrote "Be Careful who you love, inside the Michael Jackson Case," about Jackson's molestation trials. She's covering this trial as well for "Newsweek" and for "The Daily Beast." Good to see you, Diane.

DIANE DIMOND, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, "NEWSWEEK/THE DAILY BEAST:" Thanks, Fred. Nice to see you.

WHITFIELD: All right. So first off, what ground did the judge base the decision -- no cameras inside the court?

DIMOND: Well, and it was completely up to her. In the state of California, that's one of the states that do allow cameras in the courtroom but it is at the judge's discretion. There are 19 reasons she could have chosen not to do it and she didn't make it clear which 19 reasons she chose but CNN and some others had put on a lively defense, a reason why there should be cameras in the courtroom. There's a lot of public interest in this case and, boy, I was rooting for it. Because it is a really teeny, tiny civil courtroom. It is not like the criminal trial where there is a big courtroom where we all fit in. There's going to be very few members of the press there.

WHITFIELD: OK. Now let's talk about the case. The family is saying AEG Live is responsible in large part for Michael Jackson's well being because it's AEG Live that did the hiring of Dr. Conrad Murray. But AEG will say Michael Jackson said he wanted this doctor, period. So what kind of evidence do we have that's going to go back and forth here on who might be able to build the best case?

DIMOND: I think it is pretty clear that Conrad Murray came from Michael Jackson. Michael had met him years and years ago in Las Vegas where he had come to treat his children. Had the flu in a hotel room. That's where Michael Jackson first met him and he liked him and that's the doctor he wanted.

There is some evidence that AEG wanted a London-based doctor. Because that's of course where the concert tour was going to be. But Michael insisted it be Conrad Murray. The question here is who actually hired him and then who actually was paying him. Well, the answer to the second question, Fred, is nobody ever paid him and there was never --

WHITFIELD: He never got paid a dime.

DIMOND: Not a dime. He was supposed to make $150,000 a month. Can you imagine? And he never made a dime.

WHITFIELD: Well what happened there?

DIMOND: Well, Michael kept insisting apparently that it was AEG who was supposed to pay him and AEG said well we haven't signed a contract and Michael this is the one you wanted, you pay him. There was some internal squabbling going on. In California though, a verbal agreement is pretty solid and AEG had written up a contract for Conrad Murray but it just wasn't quite signed yet.

WHITFIELD: So that there is no proof of payment then, might that mean that there's some real difficulty for the Jackson estate to be able to say that AEG was in any way complicit?

DIMOND: You know Fred. This was a case that was about this big when it first started. Then the judge whittled down all the charges. Now it is just negligent hiring. They have to prove Katherine Jackson's side has to prove that AEG negligently hired Conrad Murray. OK.

But then further they have to prove that AEG knew that Conrad Murray was taking steps that were detrimental to Michael Jackson's health. Well, how did they know about the propofol (ph)? However, they did know what bad shape he was in. Everybody was talking about that. There were a lot of e-mails back and forth. So you know, I can't sit here and tell you who I think might win this because in California the juries are really different. They do things that you would never, ever expect.

WHITFIELD: We're going to see that unfold. All right. Diane Dimond, thanks so much. Good to see you.

DIMOND: My pleasure. WHITFIELD: All right. The world is on edge waiting to see what North Korea will do. Will they carry through on threats to launch a missile? We go live to Washington for some answers.

But next, he survived a Nazi death camp. Now he's using social media to search for his twin brother. A brother he hasn't seen in over 60 years.

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WHITFIELD: Tomorrow is Yom Hasboah, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day. People around the world will honor the 6 million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered by Hitler and his followers. One survivor of the death camp was Menachem Bodner, he last saw his twin brother as a 4-year-old in 1945 in Auschwitz. Now 68 years later Menachem has taken to social media to find his missing brother. Atika Shubert has that story.

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MENACHEM BODNER: This is my father.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is Menachem's Bodner's earliest memory at just 3 years old.

BODNER, (via translator): I remember my mother when she was wearing a green skirt with white flowers and white blouse," he says. On the left was a bag and my brother was sleeping. I remember I had a brother." Until a few months ago, Menachem, now 73, had no idea his brother even existed. Menachem is a survivor of Auschwitz. He was 4 1/2 when the camp was liberated. In the chaos and confusion he does not remember how he was separated from his brother. His adopted father took him to Israel and named him Menachem.

Over the years his father searched for his adoptive son's birth family but without success. Menachem began to wonder if his memories were simply dreams. Last year he started the search again with genealogist Ayana Kimron. He showed her two photos including a family photo that was in his pocket the day Auschwitz was liberated.

Ayana took one look and knew it was not his. There was no brother in the photo. At first, Menachem was crushed. One of the few clues he had was a false start. Ayana reminded him he had another lead. One he would never forget. The numbers are faded but the Auschwitz I.D. tattooed on his arm is still visible.

BODNER: 87733.

AYANA KIMRON, GENEALOGIST: You're looking for -

BODNER: "34."

SHUBERT: Through this number Ayana discovered Menachem was Eli Gustsom from what is now Hungary and he did have a brother, an identical twin named Yeno, last seen by allied doctors in Auschwitz. KIMRON: We know that he was declared healthy. On the 9th of February, 1945 by a medical staff, there was -- this is really the last.

SHURBERT: Together they set up facebook page a-7734 now viewed more than a million times. Each time the page is shared; Ayana hopes it brings them one step closer to finding Yeno. But Menachem knows even if he finds Yeno, it may be too late. He says, "I closed a circle. It is just good to know that what I was dreaming was real and not my imagination."

Menachem is still searching for his twin brother, but along the way he has also found himself.

Atika Shubert, CNN, Tel Aviv.

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WHITFIELD: Coming up in the next hour, singer and actress Rita Moreno, tells all about her life, her loves and her career. What she says about her romances with Marlon Brando and Elvis right after this.

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