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North Korea Frees Elderly U.S. War Veteran; Ice Storm Slams Dallas Area; The Legacy of Nelson Mandela; Economic Indicators Show Big Growth; Huge Ice Storm Slams Several States; SEC Championship Has National Title Implications; GOP Trying To Woo More Women Voters; Poet Maya Angelou Remembers Nelson Mandela For His Remarkable Courage; Experts: Stranded Pilot Whales May Be Dehydrated; Willie Nelson Cancels His SeaWorld Show

Aired December 07, 2013 - 11:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It is the 11:00 Eastern hour of NEWSROOM, and it begins right now.

Hello, everyone. An American held in North Korea since October is now a free man, his surprise release coming overnight. We'll hear what he had to say after being freed and follow his journey home to San Francisco.

And a big ice storm sweeping the country, hundreds of thousands without power, lots of flights grounded. We'll go live to Dallas, one of the hardest-hit areas.

And South Africa prepares to bury Nelson Mandela. We'll talk with Martin Luther King III. He'll tell us about his memories of meeting Mandela and the shared legacy with his own father.

All right let's begin this hour with Merrill Newman, an elderly U.S. war veteran who was dragged off a plane and then locked up in North Korea and is now free after six weeks held without any real explanation. He was suddenly released overnight by the communist country. North Korea calling it a, quote, "deportation".

Joining me now, CNN correspondent Dan Simon. He's at the airport in San Francisco awaiting Newman's arrival, about when he is expected to arrive and this is some journey, isn't it?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It really is, Fredricka. And it's really important that we remind our viewers of the nature of the situation. This is an 85-year-old with a heart condition who had been held in North Korea since October and no one knew what was going to happen to him until he was suddenly released by the government last night.

He is expected to land in about an hour from now. Behind me is where he would clear -- come out through customs and greet his friends and family, unless the State Department has special provisions for him, which wouldn't be terribly surprising given the situation.

Now, this is what Mr. Newman had to say before boarding his plane to the United States. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MERRILL NEWMAN, RELEASED BY NORTH KOREA: I'm very glad to be on my way home. I appreciate the tolerance the DPRK government has given to me to be on my way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you feel now?

NEWMAN: I feel good. I feel good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What will you have to do, first thing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First thing, what would you like to do?

NEWMAN: Go home and see my wife.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: Newman had lived most of his life in Palo Alto, following his military service. He was a high schoolteacher and later became a successful Silicon Valley executive. He is said to have been a world traveler, was a scuba diver, had sailed around the world.

So even given his age, again, 85 years old, it wasn't terribly surprising to people who knew him that he would want to go back to North Korea -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And so Dan is there a better explanation as to why he was quote/unquote "deported" now?

SIMON: It's a very good question. You know, he did give that, what can only be characterized as a stilted apology when he was in Korea and perhaps that's why the government decided to release him. Their official statement is that he was released for quote/unquote "humanitarian purposes" -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dan Simon, thank you so much. Let us know when that -- when he gets through customs there.

All right. Newman's release coincides with a visit by Vice President Joe Biden who while touring Asia visited South Korea to lay a wreath for victims of the Korean War. Biden, however, insists he had no direct role in Newman's release.

Joining me now is our foreign affairs reporter Elise Labott. So Elise what are the U.S. and North Korea saying about why he was suddenly released?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well Fred, you heard Dan saying and, you know, as a result of this apology and everyone kind of believes that the North Koreans actually wrote this, themselves, where he admitted that he you know his veteran status and that he worked in the Korean war against the North Koreans, they say that he's admitted his crimes and he feels bad about it and because of his poor health they're releasing him on humanitarian grounds. U.S. officials telling me that there has been direct contact between the U.S. and North Korea over the last month. The North Koreans called the Obama administration yesterday, said they're releasing him. They said they did not explain why. And this -- they can only -- really you never can know with North Korea, Fred very unpredictable. No one really wants to get in the head of the North Koreans, but obviously, everybody very happy that Mr. Newman is on his way home.

WHITFIELD: So lots of joy that Newman has been released. However, there's another American being held, and the U.S. is calling for the release of Kenneth Bae. What will it take in order for I guess his demise to end up very similar to Newman, a return home?

LABOTT: Again, we really don't know, now that Mr. Newman is home, U.S. officials are telling me that all attention now is on Kenneth Bae. He's been in North Korea for over a year, he's a Christian missionary and the North Koreans say that he was trying to subvert the government.

His family just issued a statement about the release of Mr. Newman. Let me read a little bit of it for you. "We're pleased to hear that Mr. Newman was released from the DPRK" -- that's the name for North Korea. "We believe that our Kenneth should come home soon. We have faith in our government to bring Kenneth home and we dearly wish that we will also have joyful holidays with Kenneth."

And so obviously, the Bae family as this has been going on with Mr. Newman they have been you know sympathetic to his case but they were worried that there would be a little bit of diverting attention from getting Kenneth Bae out, so they're hoping that they could use this momentum to try and push for his release.

WHITFIELD: All right, Elise Labott, keep us posted. Thanks so much.

All right. Let's talk weather. Well it may officially begin a couple of weeks from now, but you wouldn't know it from the weather hitting parts of the country right now. The Dallas-Fort Worth area is among the hardest hit. An ice storm has knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of people. Much of the state has been plunged into bone- chilling cold. The nasty weather also forced the cancellation of almost 700 flights of the Dallas-Fort Worth airport. And as the storm swept into Arkansas, trees and power lines were also down. The governor has declared a statewide emergency and the police spent the night helping drivers stuck on ice and snow-covered roads.

So the weather is now moving into the Ohio Valley, and roads are already icy and snow has already started to fall in some places, triggering a winter storm warning for Central Ohio. All right so, Dallas hard hit.

Let's go there now and see how Ed Lavandera is fairing and oh my goodness, a little dusting of snow. That's an unusual sight for Dallas.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know what, Fred, I wish it was snow. It looks pretty. But it is hardened ice. WHITFIELD: It is now snow? That's ice -- wow.

LAVANDERA: I mean yes. That is -- that is ice and that's what makes this so, so scathingly painful in many ways, because it's even just kind of hard to enjoy what looks like a pretty scene here. But this is just hardened ice and it is causing problems from the -- from the airlines to on the roads. It has been a painful couple of days, and it will continue to be like this throughout most of the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA (voice over): It's a nightmare of ice, sleet, and wicked cold. This winter storm has inspired the most haunting descriptions -- ice apocalypse and north Texas ghost towns left entombed in ice. Trees encased by freezing rain are buckling under the sheer weight of the ice, bringing down power lines and leaving more than 250,000 homes without power across Dallas-Fort Worth. Crews are trying to salvage the lines that are still working, and the roadways are a hazardous mess.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go slowly, watch out for the person in front of you, and make sure that you are ready for the road conditions ahead of you.

LAVANDERA: There have been hundreds of accidents across the region. Cars slipping and sliding off roadways, three people in Texas and Oklahoma killed in weather-related crashes. On this lake north of Dallas, the ice crushed this marina, collapsing the roof onto boats floating underneath.

And the winter storm has cancelled about 2,000 flights across the region, including about 90 percent of the flights scheduled to depart Dallas-Fort Worth airport on Friday.

Just two days ago, this same area was basking in the glow of 80-degree weather, but it all disappeared in a matter of hours after the sun went down. The Polar Express Arctic blast swooping in, leaving behind layers of ice and crunching sounds of slush. (on camera): So right about now, you probably wish you could escape the frigid temperatures by jumping into that "Back to the Future" DeLorean, taking a trip back in time. We actually don't even need to go back that far. Just a few hours, like 3:52 on a Wednesday afternoon here in downtown Dallas, a beautiful day for a walk in the park, sunglasses on, not a cloud in the sky.

Well, Ed Lavandera from the past is here to tell you that everything is going to be ok you will be warm once again in the future, I hope.

(voice over): Most schools and businesses shut down on Friday. The Dallas marathon and holiday parade were also cancelled. The first time those events have been called off. But still quite a few ventured outside. Better to slip and slide on a hillside than on the highway. It will take several days for temperatures to rebound, and for the ice to melt away.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LAVANDERA: And Fredricka, sadly, we are still seeing the slipping and the sliding, the dangerous, treacherous conditions on the roadways. That continues today. And we've seen this in the most tragic of ways, along Interstate 35, about 30 miles or so north of downtown Dallas in the city of Lewisville, which is a suburb of the Dallas area, a truck slid off the Interstate 35 and into the lake -- into Lake Lewisville, which the Interstate goes over.

Lewisville firefighters had to dive into the frigid waters to try to save the driver, but they were unable to do that. So that driver passed away after sliding off of the interstate. And that interstate has really been causing some problems for a lot of drivers over the last 24 hours. So if you're in that area, be extremely careful.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my God, that is horrible. Well, our hearts go out to his family. Thanks so much, Ed Lavandera.

So the conditions are very dangerous and if not dangerous now, potentially dangerous. Let's find out where the storm is headed next. Jennifer Gray, welcome Jennifer. This is our first time talking to each other on the air.

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is.

WHITFIELD: Welcome from sunny Miami. Well, so much for sunny skies here and everywhere else.

GRAY: I know, right? Temperatures around 82 there today and sunny.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

GRAY: A little different. But yes, we are seeing the system pushing out and wave number two is just on its heels. And this is going to impact mainly the northeast, mid-Atlantic and the Northeast as we go through the next 24 to 36 hours.

I want to take you hour-by-hour.

Now, this is Saturday 2:00 p.m., just in a couple of hours, but as we make our way tonight into tomorrow morning. This is noon on Sunday and you can see ice and snow already making its way into portions of the mid-Atlantic and this is including places like Washington, D.C. we could see half an inch of ice or more in places like that. And then, as it continues its track to the northeast, this is the wee hours of Monday morning. Then the system is moving in to places like New York City and Boston, and then leaving rain for a lot of the southeast.

So this system is not over yet, as it continues to track to the east. It will continue to wreak havoc across much of the nation. So we're going to see up to a half inch of accumulation of ice, we could see isolated amounts, even more.

And then, look at the high temperatures. They really take a dive between today and tomorrow. This is New York City, 41 today, high of 34 on Sunday. Average temperature around 46, Boston, you do about the same. And still, very, very cold temperatures across much of the Deep South and especially the north.

WHITFIELD: Ooh, all of this in our prelude to winter. Something tells me it will be a frigid winter no matter what corner you live in.

GRAY: I imagine so.

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right. Thanks so much, Jennifer. I appreciate that. We'll check back with you later on in the afternoon.

All right let's talk about something else that's rather uplifting, the latest job numbers and for a change, they are good with more people back to work. Later, we'll talk to former Labor Secretary Robert Reich.

Plus the world is mourning the death of Nelson Mandela. How the son of another civil rights icon is remembering a man who helped end apartheid.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton will join President Obama at a memorial for Nelson Mandela next week. As South Africa mourns its former president's death, crowds outside his Johannesburg home are singing their tributes. Hundreds of people of all ages and colors are leaving candles, flowers, stuffed animals and balloons at the home of the civil rights icon. Nelson Mandela died Thursday. He was 95 years old.

When you talk about civil rights icons, the conversation ultimately turns to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. While Dr. King never met Nelson Mandela, he did keep close tabs on the fight for equality in South Africa. Martin Luther King III said of Mandela, "Mr. Mandela's constant fight for equality personified what me -- and my father often said injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

Martin Luther King III joining me now. I'm quoting your dad there.

So, you know, this is something else because this is bringing so many people of all walks together to really reflect on a giant man's life and the mark that he left.

MARTIN LUTHER KING III, SON OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.: Yes, it is. He personified more than anything else and taught us the power of forgiveness. Love and forgiveness was the essence of Nelson Mandela. Dignity, a dignified presence.

I remember, for example, on one occasion there were a number of us in Atlanta at the King Center, and this was his second visit to Atlanta, and maybe a few thousand people outside. As he came outside, everyone was trying to get his attention. He went directly to a young kid, about 5 or 6 years old, because he understood the future is as it relates to young people and if I can make an impact on this young man's life -- and that's when he lit up. I mean, you know, he saw the people, and, like, nice to see you all, but I'm going to focus on the children. WHITFIELD: I've heard similar reflections like that, that he managed to look in a room, be in a room, see everyone, look them in the eye but find someone in the room who by some standards might not be as significant as some of the bigger names in the room, and would gravitate toward and would reach, and always have something poignant, if not very simple to say.

KING: Well, again, when you think about the fact that a person had an experience for 27 years, being confined in jail, could have harbored hatred but chose to relinquish and release that and lead a nation for all the people, he could have focused specifically just on black South Africans, because they were in the majority, but he focused on everyone in his country, making his country a better place for all South Africans. That's phenomenal.

WHITFIELD: At what point did you see parallels between your dad and Nelson Mandela? Because the world likes to make lots of comparisons. But for you, this is your dad, and then to see this man and what he was doing for the country of South Africa and how he touched people worldwide. What similarities or what parallels have you been able to make?

KING: Well, I think there are some parallels. For example, of course, they both won the Nobel Prize. Both of them, of course, worked for peace throughout the world. They also both worked in the struggle for liberation for people. They also both stood as had tremendous integrity. So I think there are a number of parallels.

And I'd say the final thing is that each of them -- not just -- I mean, in one sense, dad, because he was killed early, became an iconic figure. Mr. Mandela, over time, after he came out of jail, became iconic and once he became the president of the country.

WHITFIELD: And he was particularly meaningful in your family, too. I understand that in your -- I think in your mom's kitchen --

KING: In our home -- yes.

WHITFIELD: -- there are family pictures, or there had been family pictures and the one non-family member of a photograph in that kitchen was Nelson Mandela.

King: Yes, it was actually the night of the -- when they won, when the ANC won, my mom went to a party in South Africa, and he pulled her up on the stage, and you can see them dancing. It's a great picture.

WHITFIELD: Very nice. Martin Luther King III, thanks so much. Thank you.

KING: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: We appreciate your reflection.

KING: Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate that. And safe journey as you contemplate your journey there to say the final good-byes to Nelson Mandela.

All right. We're going to talk about the latest job numbers -- very encouraging in many circles. Pretty good news say some with more people going back to work, but is it a temporary fix, or are we seeing the end of a great recession?

I'll ask former Labor Secretary Robert Reich. He joins us next in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. When the markets closed Friday, they ended what was a pretty big week for the U.S. economy. Stocks high, unemployment low, and the economy growing better than anyone expected. CNN's business correspondent, Zain Asher is in New York with what it all means and how it all happened.

ZAIN ASHER, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, it was a big week for the economy. Car sales rose, new-home sales soared and Friday, the culmination -- unemployment rate dropped to 7 percent. That's the lowest since 2008. And it fell for positive reasons, because people are finding work.

Earlier this year, the unemployment rate declined because a lot of people got discouraged, gave up looking for work and weren't counted, but the opposite seems to be happening now. Also another milestone is job growth. The economy has added more than two million jobs this year, the best since 2005 and the gains are not just in low-wage sectors. There was a lot of hiring in health care, transportation, professional services. Those are jobs like accountants and travel agents. And hiring in manufacturing is the strongest since last years. Wages are also up and Americans are working more hours. The list goes on.

The report pushed the Dow up nearly 200 points Friday. Wall Street is thinking the Federal Reserve will reduce its stimulus program soon. Certainly a sign the economy is ready to stand on its own two feet. But remember, we still haven't gained back all the jobs we lost during the recession -- more than one million to go.

So, Fredricka, there is still a lot of work to be done.

WHITFIELD: All right, Zain Asher. Thanks so much in New York.

So is this a temporary bump for the U.S. economy, or is there some lasting power here? Here with me now is former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, who is also the star of the new movie "Inequality for All". He's joining us from Berkley, California, where he is professor at UC Berkley. Good to see you again.

ROBERT REICH, FORMER LABOR SECRETARY: Good morning, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Ok. So here are the numbers -- 203,000 jobs added in November. How much of this is an indicator that the recovery is either in full swing or about to be in your view? REICH: Well, we've had some false dawns before, as you know. There are a lot of good indicators out there. You can paint a very, very positive picture. But I'm not ready to pop the champagne corks quite yet.

WHITFIELD: Why not?

REICH: A lot of wages -- well, first of all, wages continue -- the median family and household income continues to go down if you adjust for inflation. So even though we have more jobs, the pattern has been people cannot afford to buy very much, and if they can't afford to buy very much, that means that consumer sales are going to be down, which they were in the third quarter, and if consumer sales are down, then employers are not going to continue to hire. That's the basic problem.

WHITFIELD: Ok. So when we talk about unemployment falling to 7 percent, the lowest in five years, there has been some pretty significant hiring in the areas of construction, manufacturing and professional services, but your feeling is the hourly wages are just not keeping up?

REICH: Hourly wages aren't keeping up. We also have a problem with the long-term unemployed. We have four million Americans who have been unemployed for more than six months. That's a record number. It's going to be hard to get them back into the workforce. Our poverty rate, even among working Americans who are in low-wage jobs, is very, very high. In fact, among the major job categories that are coming back are retail and restaurant and hotel and hospital jobs. Many of those jobs pay lower wages than the jobs that were lost during the great recession.

So I don't want to -- look, I don't want to rain on this parade. I think it's great news that things are looking up. I'm just warning everybody not to -- not to accept and assume that we're out of the -- out of trouble.

WHITFIELD: So you underscore there still these economic disparities, but then you look at the year, and there was so much concern over the government shutdown, the partisan gridlock over the national debt limit, and there was a feeling that all of that will kind of stop the momentum. Does this mean that it didn't?

REICH: Well, it means that the momentum might have been stronger if there hadn't been all of the gridlock. And indeed, you know, the government, the federal government at least -- state governments are starting to grow a little bit -- the federal government still is cutting back, and that means federal employment still is cutting back.

At the state levels, you have a little bit more employment, but they still -- you know, there are a lot of teachers, a lot of firefighters, a lot of social workers who were fired over the last five years. They are not nearly where they were before, classrooms are still overcrowded.

So we've got a long way to go back. We have about a million jobs short of where we were when the recession started.

And the other thing to keep in mind is that when the economy goes down, as far as it went down in the great recession, you expect and want much more economic growth to get back on the growth path where you were before the economy went down. And so, we have a very long way to go to get back on that growth path.

So, you know, the bottom line, Fredricka, is the news is very good, but we need much, much, much more good news to feel that we're -- that we're back on the right track.

WHITFIELD: All right, Mr. Secretary and Professor Robert Reich, thanks so much. I know the students at U.C. Berkley are so grateful and feel so lucky to have you as a professor. Do you feel like it's much more gratifying as a professor these days than in public service? In another way?

REICH: Well, I was -- I tried to be a teacher when I was in public service. You know, being a professor is a little bit more gratifying, yes, it is.

WHITFIELD: I bet it is. All right -- Professor.

REICH: And the students don't talk back as much.

WHITFIELD: They know how to behave huh? All right. Professor Robert Reich, thanks so much. Appreciate it and happy holidays.

REICH: Ok, Fredricka, bye-bye.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk about the nasty storm bringing ice, freezing temperatures to many parts of the country, but particularly Texas. In a minute, we'll head to Memphis, as well. Other parts of the country that are really under siege from this ice, a state of emergency has already been declared there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A major storm is moving through the central part of this country. It's already hit Tennessee and Arkansas. Both states have declared states of emergency. In Texas, ice and bitter cold forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights at Dallas-Fort Worth airport, and tens of thousands have been left without power in the Dallas area.

Nasty situation, potentially about to get worse, as I mentioned, the state of emergency has already been declared in Tennessee. CNN's Indra Peterson joins us live now from Memphis. Indra, has the state of emergency there been helping officials kind of clean up or deal with the impact of the storm?

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, that's actually kind of the thing. I don't know how much you can see here around me, but really it almost looks like they scathed the bullet. It doesn't look like we have much ice, but that's not really the case in the region around us, just west of us, in the West Memphis airport, they got about half an inch of ice. Downtown Memphis, it does looks OK this morning.

But last night, I mean, 5,000 people were without power from the freezing rain that really came after noon yesterday, or so, which is why they declared the state of emergency. We're still under the state of emergency though because there's another wave expected to go in tonight. One thing I want to point out, 20,000 visitors were expected here yesterday, thanks to the marathon supposed to be taking place this morning.

Once in a while, you may see some people running by here because they did make it into town and they still want to run. It looks like, the concern was, the cold, frigid temperatures. We are talking about single-digit temperatures with wind chills. They're worried about the volunteers being out here in the cold arctic air, plus everyone would have been commuting into the city during the height of this ice storm.

Now, keep in mind during the wave that's expected late this afternoon. That was another concern that they would be trying to leave from the marathon during the second wave of the ice storm. One of the things I keep telling everyone is, a lot of places didn't lose power. But keep in mind, you just need half an inch on a power line for it to weigh 500 pounds.

Many places saw a quarter of an inch. Now that we have the second wave, it's still cold, you're still seeing ice on the power lines, there is the potential to add another quarter inch to the power lines, so the combination of those two systems together could still bring down these power lines as we have the next wave come through tonight, in through tomorrow.

And remember, I keep talking about this cold arctic air that is in place. It is so frigid. Anyone without power, we're talking about temperatures again here in the single digits right now.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks for that warning. Bad, and potentially to worsen, appreciate that.

So by the end of the day, we should know in the sports world who going to play for college football's national championship. Joe Carter is outside the Georgia Dome, site of the SEC Championship game, and he's joining us with more in this "Bleacher Report," and, look, it's looking frigid where you are, too!

JOE CARTER, CNN SPORSTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, it is, Fredricka. I'll tell you, the game here that I'm going to cover is the Auburn/Missouri game, 4:00 p.m. Eastern. The fans are kind of slow getting here. Obviously, the tailgating section empty because it's about 41 degrees outside, and yesterday in the 70s.

And I think that weather where Indra is, is moving over to us. Today is a huge day for college football, arguably the best Saturday of the entire season. Really, we have three match-ups that have national championship implications. Really the best match-up, you could say, is going to be that Auburn/Missouri game, that I'm going to cover at 4:00 p.m. You have Auburn coming in. Some people are calling them "The team of destiny." That's, of course, because they won two games in the last second, one against Georgia, and who could forget about the one against Alabama? And then, Missouri comes into the game quietly winning 11 games this season. Their only loss came in double overtime against -- South Carolina, and appropriately, the horn is blowing for us, because they're excited for college football.

But the winner of that SEC title game needs either FSU or Ohio State to lose. In the ACC Championship game, you got number one Florida State, believe it or not, they are a 30-point favorite over number 20, Duke. If FSU wins, it's simple, they are in. And the big ten, if number two, Ohio State wins, they beat Michigan State, they're in. So it's very simple for them. But watch out for that Ohio State/Michigan State game, because that one smells like an upset.

A little baseball news for you, Jay-Z, you know the rap mogul turned sports agent, he hit a home run yesterday for Robin Cano, the former Yankee is headed to Seattle, the Cano and the Mariners reportedly signed a 10-year deal, $240 million, and the third-richest deal in baseball history.

Only Albert Pujols and A-Rod have signed bigger contracts, Fredricka. But out here live, out in front of the Georgia Dome, where we're awaiting the Missouri/Auburn game, and we'll find out who will play in the national championship game in Pasadena, in January, Fredricka.

So that will be determined. Also, by the way, no more BCS standings. This is the last year a computer would determine who plays. Next year, of course, college football goes to a playoff system -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: OK. Jam packed. Thank you so much, Joe Carter. Appreciate it. And of course, you know, the trains there going by, they concur with the SEC lineup there on the championship. Thanks so much.

All right, the GOP party leaders admit that they have a problem, particularly attracting women voters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: -- a different take. Do not know how to talk to women, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have any number of Republican women in our conference who are real leaders on all kinds of --

BASH: But for -- is there a problem with men in the Republican Party, your rank-and-file, who don't know who you to communicate to reach female voters?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Boy, wait until you see what they're doing exactly to try to get women voters. Our Dana Bash goes behind the scenes next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. The GOP admits it has a problem attracting women voters. Now, the party is trying to change that and here's CNN's Dana Bash on how.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASH (voice-over): This is exactly what Republicans want to avoid in the next election --

TODD AKIN, 2012 Missouri GOP Senate Candidate: If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.

BASH: That comment not only cost Republican Todd Akin a Senate seat, it knocked all Republicans off message. Now, Republicans are training House candidates to communicate better with women and steer clear of such gaffes.

REPRESENTATIVE JOHN BOEHNER (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: Trying to get them to be a little more sensitive.

BASH: CNN is told that GOP media training sessions, first reported by "Politico," include tutorials on how to avoid foot-in-mouth responses when talking about sensitive topics like abortion and rape. Remember this Republican fate-sealing moment?

RICHARD MOURDOCK, 2012 INDIANA GOP SENATE CANDIDATE: Even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen.

BASH: Mitt Romney lost female voters by 12 percent, the biggest gap in history. This sure didn't help.

MITT ROMNEY, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And brought us whole binders full of women.

BASH: Part of the GOP problem in Congress? So few female GOP lawmakers, out of 232 Republican House members, only 19 are women.

BOEHNER: There are a lot more females in the Democrat caucus than the Republican caucus. Some of our members aren't as sensitive as they ought to be.

BASH: In an interview with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, he had a somewhat different take.

(on camera): Do you not know how to talk to women, sir?

REP. ERIC CANTOR (R), HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: We have any number of Republican women in our conference who are real leaders on all kinds --

BASH: But is there a problem with men in the Republican Party, your rank-and-file, who don't know how to communicate to reach female voters? CANTOR: You know, it is our policy -- policies that are going to appeal to both female and male voters.

BASH (voice-over): Still, to connect more with women, a GOP strategist tells CNN they urge men to humanize themselves, emphasize that they're husbands and fathers. With us, Cantor did exactly that.

CANTOR: I've got a daughter who's a senior in college right now. She's off now thinking about her next step in life. What kind of career, job opportunities are available for her. Well, I don't believe that racking up trillions of dollars of additional deficit and debt are good things for her.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And our thanks to Dana Bash for that, reporting on the GOP trying to woo more women voters.

All right, the FBI believes a letter was written and sent by a missing New Hampshire teenager, Abigail Hernandez. She was last seen in October on her way home from school in the town of Conway. Well, Abigail's mother received a letter a month ago. Police won't talk about details in the letter, but say they are concerned for Abigail's safety adding that it is possible that she is being held against her will.

And while you were sleeping, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was on a military transport headed for an unannounced trip to Afghanistan. He landed in Kabul earlier this morning. Hagel is there to thank the U.S. troops for their service and training Afghan national security forces. He'll also meet with his Afghan counterpart to see if Afghan troops are able to defend their own country.

As the world mourns the death of Nelson Mandela, tributes to South Africa's first black president are pouring in that could fill volumes. But poet and author Maya Angelou says one word really sums up his character and influence. We'll hear from her next.

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WHITFIELD: People around the world are remembering Nelson Mandela's remarkable life. Among them, renown poet Maya Angelou. In today's "American Journey," she tells CNN's Anderson Cooper that one word dominates her thoughts about Mandela, courage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, CNN'S "AC360": Dr. Angelou, I watched the poem that you wrote and recited in memory of President Mandela, and one of the things that struck me, that you said you refer to him as David, not just South Africa's David, but as our David, the world's David, and our Gideon.

MAYA ANGELOU, POET AND AUTHOR: The truth is we have many of our son, Davids, a man, a woman, we can all be that particular person who has enough courage to stand up and say, "I am one, I have enough courage that dares to love. Now, that's what Nelson Mandela was about. He had enough courage to say you may call me, I am a person that dares to care for other human beings.

And you see, one of the reasons I said this to you some time ago when I had pleasure of speaking to you, Anderson Cooper, I like the fact that you have enough courage to stand up. Courage is the most important of all the virtues.

COOPER: The thing about Mandela that I find so extraordinary in reading his history is from a very young age he had the courage to see beyond his own situation. I mean, he was born into a regal family. He had access to education. He could have stayed in his community, but he saw -- he started to see himself as an African, not just as a Hossa.

He started to see himself and see how the white regime was dividing people by stressing ethnic differences and he was able to overcome that. I think that's such an extraordinary thing.

ANGELOU: It's true. It's true. He was a courageous human being and full of the idea that he was on a journey, and he had something to do, he had a place to be, and it's fabulous to realize that there's an old spiritual, old gospel song which is I'm on my journey now, Mount Zion, on my journey now, Mount Zion, and I wouldn't take nothing, Mount Zion, from my journey. Mount Zion.

He was on the journey and he knew it and he had something to do. And this is what each of us has, if we have enough courage, we can say I'm on a journey, I have a charge to keep.

COOPER: You were living in Cairo with your husband, South African freedom fighter when you first met Nelson Mandela. I understand your husband and Mandela were something of rivals, but that didn't matter to Mandela. Tell us about that experience.

ANGELOU: They were rivals. But when Nelson Mandela came to visit, he never joined the argumentative people. He was simply kind to everybody.

COOPER: When you heard that he was gone, what first went through your mind?

ANGELOU: Well, I felt lost in a way. We've been friends so long, from the early '60s, and I felt lost. I didn't know quite what to say. I mean, it was a piece of news that we've known would come, but it threw me, and I don't know if I'm over it quite yet.

COOPER: Dr. Maya Angelou, I appreciate you spending some moments with us tonight. Thank you so much.

ANGELOU: I thank you very much, Mr. Anderson Cooper. Thank you. God bless your heart.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: That was Maya Angelou remembering Nelson Mandela. Country music legend Willie Nelson known for making music to make a statement, but now he is sending a message by not singing at SeaWorld. We'll tell you why next!

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WHITFIELD: All right, an update on those pilot whales stranded near the Florida Everglades National Park earlier this week, scientists spotted 20 of the surviving whales Friday in deeper water. They say the whales were swimming in a disorganized fashion, which could suggest exhaustion, dehydration or malnutrition. They originally spotted a pod of 51 whales Tuesday. Several of them had already beached themselves, 11 died. Crews are monitoring conditions of the remaining whales.

And country music legend Willie Nelson says he will not perform at SeaWorld Orlando, mainly because he agrees with his fans and a petition that accuses SeaWorld of mistreating its animals. Nelson was set to perform in February. After some 9,000 people signed a petition asking nelson not to sing at SeaWorld in light of the CNN film "Blackfish" he cancelled the show. Nelson spoke to Brooke Baldwin Friday about his decision.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIE NELSON, MUSICIAN (via telephone): I had a lot of calls from people asking me. I understand there are petitions going around with thousands of people's names on it, you know, I had to cancel. And also I don't agree with the way they treat their animals. It wasn't that hard a deal for me to cancel.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Tell me about that. Tell me about how you feel of the notion of these animals, these whales being held in captivity and performing for audiences. Does that bother you?

NELSON: I feel the same way about all animals in the zoo. I have been to zoos where the monkey in the zoo, I don't blame them wanting to throw stuff at you. All of that stuff is hard on animals, it is cruel, and I understand there are some natural habitat zoos out there, which is probably OK, but what they do at SeaWorld is not OK.

BALDWIN: Willie, I know you've got grandkids. Have you ever been to SeaWorld, taken those kids to SeaWorld before?

NELSON: No, I haven't, but I also have had one of those petitions was from one of my great grandkids that had about 250 names of people that she knew asking me not to play the venue.

BALDWIN: Wow, great grandkid. What was SeaWorld's response to you because it was a couple days ago we learned about another band, The Barenaked Ladies, they pulled out because of the same reasons. So apparently, you know, SeaWorld offered to them, come to our facility let us show you a tour. We would like to show you that nothing nefarious is happening. Is there anything, Willie Nelson, that SeaWorld could do or say to you for you to change your mind.

NELSON: No, not really. I have already been convinced this is not -- I don't want to play there. That's the end of the story.

BALDWIN: End of the story. Willie Nelson, thank you so much for calling in. I appreciate it.

NELSON: Thank you, Brooke. It's good talking to you.

BALDWIN: Good talking to you as always.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: We have much more of the NEWSROOM straight ahead and it all starts right now. Hello again. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the top stories we're following in the CNN NEWSROOM.