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North Korea Releases Merrill Newman; Dallas-Forth Worth Area Hard Hit By Winter Storm; Jesse Owens' Medal Up For Auction; Celebrating Nelson Mandela's Life; American Vies for Arab Talent Title

Aired December 07, 2013 - 15:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: How long will it last? We'll tell you next.

And after six weeks locked up in North Korea, an elderly U.S. war veteran is suddenly freed. We're going to take you to California live for the latest on his whereabouts.

And Nelson Mandela. You know him as an antiapartheid revolutionary, a prisoner, and as South Africa's first black president, but what about an athlete? We'll take a look at his love of sports coming up.

A major storm is moving across the central part of this country. The Dallas Forth Worth area is one of the hardest hit places. An ice storm is knocked out power for thousands and canceled hundreds of flights. Much of the state has now been plunged into bone-chilling cold. The city even cancelled its marathon scheduled for tomorrow.

And in Tennessee, a state of emergency has been declared by the governor because of the weather.

CNN's Indra Petersons is joining us live now from a very chilly Memphis.

I mentioned Dallas had a marathons that been canceled for tomorrow. What's the status of the Memphis marathon that was also scheduled?

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, unfortunately that was canceled as well, but it was really an important decision when you think about 20,000 people were expected to come into the city of Memphis and you think about that commute time during the highest point of that ice storm. So, that was the concern and then, of course, as they were expected to leave today from that marathon. They were looking at another threat of an ice storm expected to be in the region tonight. So, that was one of the concerns.

The other concern here is also these frigid temperatures. You're talking about this arctic air mass that has plummeted all the way down to the south. The temperatures now, especially this morning, felt like they were in the single digits. They were concerned for the runners. They were also concern for the volunteers that would have been standing out here for hours. So, that was kind the big thing of it from that right now. I think the biggest concern here is yes, there's still some ice on the ground, definitely just north of us, I mean, a large amount of ice. You are going to inch yourself, really kind of shut down those cities.

At this point in time only got 500 people are left without power, big change from $5,000 that we saw this morning, so much nicer conditions here.

But caveat here, there's another storm expected to make its way through tonight. More chances for ice. And keep in mind, even if we don't get half an inch of ice here, that's the threshold that brings down the power lines if we already have a quarter of an inch on the power lines on the previous system. And you add another quarter of an inch, you still have the threat of the power lines to go down again tonight and look at more devastation in the region.

WHITFIELD: All right, Indra. Thanks so much.

And all of this, a couple of weeks before winter officially begins, Alexandra Steele is in the severe weather center.

So Alexandra, wait, fall is that quite a bite in the air.

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: (INAUDIBLE), right, especially on this climate. All right, thanks, Fred.

Well, I want to talk about what Indra was saying about that ice. Now, this ice storm we're going to see develop. Tomorrow, it's a Sunday affair, will be farther east. So, though Kentucky will get into it a little bit as will Tennessee.

Want to time it out and show you who will see what and when. This is tomorrow morning. Here's the mid Atlantic in Washington. Bulk of the action south and west, notice where the pink is -- Roanoke to Richmond. That really will be the biggest ice headache on the i-81. And then by tomorrow afternoon, D.C. gets into it. And then it moves towards the northeast and toward New York and Boston. Monday morning and then it all pushes out but the good news with this storm unlike yesterday's, temperatures on Monday across the board here on the eastern seaboard will be in the 40s. So whatever ice we see will be over by Monday.

So here's the timeline for Washington. They are the only big city that does have a winter storm watch. Tomorrow morning it will start as snow and then sleet. Then the afternoon change over to that freezing rain and sleet. That's really the biggest problem, the freezing rain, potentially, one to two inches of snow and a quarter an inch of ice. So at the city, they will see the most of any other city.

In Philadelphia afternoon, that's when it starts to snow and sleet. And then at the nighttime of rain movement because temperatures are going to go up, rain, snow, and sleet around an inch of snow and sleet. And then to New York City, really late Sunday night, maybe an inch of snow and sleet for them. But again, the big story and certainly the good news with this ice storm will be by Monday all the temperatures will be in the mid 40s. So we will not see the lingering effects like we have had here in Memphis and Dallas.

WHITFIELD: OK. That's not bad. A nice little fall shortly thereafter.

All right. Thanks so much, Alexandra.

STEELE: Sure, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Merrill Newman, how the 85-year-old American captured and locked up by North Korean authorities earlier this fall is now home on U.S. soil. Accused of alleged crimes during his time fighting in the Korean War, North Korea detained Newman for six weeks. The U.S. war vet was mysteriously released, however, overnight. North Korea state media say that it's because of this video where Newman appeared to apologize for his alleged crimes.

Joining me now, CNN correspondent Dan Simon just outside Newman's condominium complex.

So Dan, he was asked a number of questions when going through customs. He had a statement but he refused to answer questions. Now where is he?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, I think he appears to be in good health and in good spirits. He has not made his way here to this retirement complex. Apparently, there is some alternative plans that were in place. The bottom line is he is home, he is safe, and this is what he had to say just a couple hours ago.

Apparently we do not have that sound for you. But Mr. Newman was somebody who was in the -- fought in the Korean War. He served in an intelligence capacity. He had this burning desire to go back to the country, people who know him say he had this adventurous personality that traveled around world. He had studied Korean -- the Korean language to go back to the country in anticipation for this trip.

Apparently, Fredricka, he said the wrong thing to someone and that is why apparently the Korean government took him into custody.

Let's now go ahead and listen to what Mr. Newman had to say after he landed in San Francisco.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MERRILL NEWMAN, RELEASED BY NORTH KOREA: Good morning. I'm delighted to be home. I want to thank the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang and the American embassy in Beijing for all their help. It's been a great, great homecoming. And I'm tired, but ready to be with my family now and thank you all for the support we got and very much appreciate it.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SIMON: And just to put this in context, Fredericka, this is an 85- year-old with a heart condition. And obviously his friends and family were very worried for him. Without explanation, as you said, the North Korean government just decided to let him go. The official word is that they did it for, quote, unquote, "humanitarian purposes" -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dan Simon, thanks so much. Keep us posted if Mr. Newman decides to reappear.

All right. And the mysterious release of Merrill Newman is giving hope to another American family, that family of Kenneth Bae, imprisoned at a labor camp in North Korea for over a year. His family is desperate to see help free, releasing this statement saying, quote, "we are pleased to hear that Mr. Newman was released from DPRK. We believe that our Kenneth should also 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."

Unlike Newman, Bae was actually sentenced for his alleged crimes, given 15 years of hard labor for, quote, "hostile acts."

President Barack Obama says he's keeping his options open when it comes to maintaining national security. We'll go live to Washington where he just wrapped up a discussion about the Middle East with Israeli leaders.

And, a singer with an all American look is trying to win the title of "Arab's got talent."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: President Barack Obama says he's not taking any options off the table when it comes to maintaining national security of U.S. and its allies. The president made the remarks during a visit with the Saban forum at the Brookings Institution. It was a discussion with Israeli leaders on U.S.-Israeli relations, Iranian nuclear negotiations and the Syrian civil war.

Let's bring in CNN's Elise Labott live from Washington right now.

So, the president spoke about several issues to this group of Israeli leaders and U.S. leaders. Were they comfortable with his answers about Iran and the recent deal to curtail Iran's nuclear program?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, in some ways, Fred, I think he said exactly what the audience wanted to hear in terms of the fact that no option is off the table. He said he wasn't sure if this agreement with Iran was going to work, but if it didn't, he would still keep that military option on the take.

But he also, you know, laid out some very strong red lines for a possible deal with Iran. Let's take a listen to what he had to say about the need for everyone to be realistic about what's possible.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One can envision an ideal world in which Iran said, we'll destroy every element and facility and you name it, it's all gone. I can envision a world in which Congress passed every one of my bills that I put forward. I mean, there are a lot of things that I can envision that would be wonderful. But precisely because we don't trust the nature of the Iranian regime, I think that we have to be more realistic and ask yourself what puts us in a strong position to assure ourselves that Iran's not having a nuclear weapon and that we are protected?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LABOTT: So what he seems to be saying, Fred, is listen, this zero option that Iran destroying its whole nuclear program, we're way passed that point. But he did layout some very tough constraints under which Iran would have to follow if it wanted to have some kind of small enrichment program. And I think that those are the kinds of things the Israelis are looking for.

I just returned from Israel with secretary of state John Kerry and these are the kinds of things they're discussing with Prime Minister Netanyahu.

WHITFIELD: And there are also questions about the Israeli-Palestinian relations and the realities of peace and the president said, you know, consistently that he believes the U.S. can be a facilitator to help Israelis and Palestinians bridge gaps but he says they have to want to do it. Did he make any promises beyond that about how involved the U.S. is willing to be?

LABOTT: Well, this trip I just took with Secretary Kerry that was his ninth trip to the region working with the Israelis and Palestinians. On this trip, though, there was a lot more emphasis on Israeli security. General John Allen, he used to be the commander of forces in Afghanistan, now is working on a very detailed and specific plan for how to address Israel security needs in the event of a deal.

And a lot of that is talk about how do you secure the West Bank and what the president seemed to be saying today is to the Palestinians, you're not going to get everything you want on day one. You have to be prepared for a transition period where Israel is going to be very much involved in the patrolling of a future Palestinian state. And I don't think that's something the Palestinians want to hear, but I think it will give Israel a lot of confidence going ahead in terms of negotiating the borders of a Palestinian state.

WHITFIELD: All right, Elisa Labott, thanks so much from Washington.

A week of mourning under way for Nelson Mandela and he will go down in history as a man who changed the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A tremendous show of love outside a home of civil rights icon Nelson Mandela. Flowers, balloons, stuff animals, signs and notes have all been placed on the fence surrounding his house in Johannesburg. But the remembrances aren't all somber. Hundreds of people turned out to sing and dance and celebrate Mandela's 95 years. A memorial service for the former South African leader is set for Tuesday.

Here's something you might not know about Nelson Mandela. He was an amateur Boxer and long distance runner. And what's more, he learned in prison that sports can be a major weapon against racism.

Of course, Mandela didn't invent using athletic competitions to unite people, but he came close to perfecting it in 1995 when he brought his nation together through the rugby world cup. Despite fears, racial tensions could tear the country apart the nearly all white crowds cheered and chanted Mandela's name when he wore the team's green and gold jersey on the field.

And even back in 1990 on his first visit to New York, he rocked the crowd at Yankees stadium by wearing a Yankees cap and jacket there and fans went crazy, of course. And especially when he declared, quote, "I am a Yankee."

So much of what Mandela accomplished through the world of sports got him honor we'd an international athletic association award of a lifetime. And that was the Jesse Owens global award. Mandela won the honor in 1995 but didn't receive it until 1999 in Johannesburg. The award is given to those who have, quote, "made a significant and lasting contribution of enduring quality to society from a background of sports."

Jesse Owens exemplified that as one of the most iconic athletes of all time. In 1936, the 23-year-old from Alabama shocked the world winning four gold medals in track and field. His win disproved Hitler's claims of Arian (ph) superiority and broke barriers for generations to come.

Now, one of Owens' medals from those games is being sold on SCP auctions online. And last we checked, there were 24 bids. The highest bid is just over $595,000. Experts believe it could go for more than a million bucks.

So, I want to bring in Beverly Owens Prather, she is one of Jesse Owens' daughters. She's joining us right now from Chicago. Good to see you.

BEVERLY OWENS PRATHER, JESSE OWENS' DAUGHTER: Good to see you, too.

WHITFIELD: So Beverly, this is a medal that the family had possession of, right, but one your dad, Jesse Owens, gave to Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. What were the circumstances that your dad gave his medal away to a friend?

PRATHER: Well, you would have to understand my father and know him to know what a big heart he had. And at the time that he gave the medal to Bojangles, it was because Bojangles gave him a place to stay and a job.

WHITFIELD: And that's what's extraordinary and we're looking at some images right now, file tape of Bojangles. But what is extraordinary there because I think a lot of folks don't realize or understand that even after being overseas, winning these Olympic medals, representing this nation, the country that your dad and many others African- American Olympians came back to, it was still a nation of segregation. It was still very difficult to get a job. Your dad was unable to get employment, as was the case for my dad after his Olympic wins in '48.

So, your dad actually gave his medals in large part to Bojangles to actually help land him some employment, as well?

PRATHER: Not to land him employment, but to thank him for employment. So, you know, he was -- daddy was like a giving person. And that was his way, I guess, of saying thank you.

WHITFIELD: And so the estate of Robinson has put this medal on the auction block. As I mentioned, over $500,000 of the 24 bids so far is being offered for it. What does that make you feel, that one of your dad's four gold medals is on the auction block? Does it bother you at all or is that just the way it goes?

PRATHER: Well, it is disturbing that his medal is being auctioned off. We, as a family, just hope that if, you know, whoever gets it, puts it on display and holds it in high esteem.

WHITFIELD: And, you know, this week the world is also mourning the death of Nelson Mandela. And to learn that Nelson Mandela was awarded as the Jesse Owens global award and that your dad, Jesse Owens, and the name Nelson Mandela are being paired together and had been paired together, what does that make you think about the gravity of your dad's history and the gravity of that of Nelson Mandela's?

PRATHER: The kind of go hand in hand because they were -- I feel that they're basically the same kind of person, understanding, giving, but always for the right thing.

WHITFIELD: And the remaining then three gold medals of your dad, your dad winning those medals in the 100, 200 meters, 4 x 4 and long jump. This medal that is on the auction block, which event does that represent?

PRATHER: I think it was the 400 meters. I'm not sure.

WHITFIELD: OK. All right.

Thank you so much, Beverly Owens Prather for your time. Appreciate it.

Again you know, that medal on the auction block and I know the other three medals are close at heart for you and your family. Thanks so much for your time. Appreciate it.

PRATHER: Thanks for asking.

WHITFIELD: All right. Some in Dallas are calling it the icepocylis (ph). And ice storm knocking out power and grounding plight flights. We will go live to Dallas and here how the city is coping. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Today is the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was 72 years ago today. The Japanese surprise attack killed more than 2,000 American service members and brought the U.S. into World War II.

All right, let's talk more about the weather system and what is moving across this nation, particularly the central part of this country. Part of that system is an ice storm that hit Dallas Fort Worth very hard. Thousands are still without power and many flights are still grounded.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is live for us there.

So Ed, is there any thaw-out that you're feeling as yet? Just a little bit?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, at this point, no, at this point in the day, we are completely numb to any sensation of thawing out.

WHITFIELD: Sorry.

LAVANDERA: So, I don't think that's going to happen.

WHITFIELD: So how are people coping? My God. That's a huge ice chunk.

LAVANDERA: A lot of people are staying inside. You know, very few people are going outside.

This is Klyde Warren Park in downtown Dallas. On a day like this you would think this place is usually packed with people enjoying the weekend. In fact, we were here a few days ago and it was 80 degrees. And people were out here.

But you know, the streets are very quiet. A number of people out and about, but I think that's probably cabin fever setting in at this point. That's because we're dealing with this ice. I just plucked this off of a chair here in the park. And this is what's collected on that chair.

So, you can see ice this thick and, you know, probably collecting on the roadways as well. And that's part of the trouble we're dealing with. Obviously, power lines have gone down, still a let of people without power.

And this is a leaf I just pulled off the ground here, as well. This is a leaf that is completely hardened. I can't even break that apart, in the ice. What happens here is that it weighs everything down. The trees have been collapsing. They fall on power lines. That's why people have been left without power.

I also want to show you a good picture of the ballpark in Arlington, where the Texas Rangers play. Obviously, it's not baseball season but the police department out there in Arlington put out this picture which I thought was rather powerful and interesting to see, especially when you juxtapose that with just up the road here from where I am, the SMU, Southern Methodist University, football team is actually playing a game in these conditions against the University of Central Florida. So I would imagine there's probably like four people in the stands at that game -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yes, pretty miserable conditions.

All right. Ed Lavandera, thanks so much. Hopefully your toes get to thaw out a little bit later. Go and find some heat.

All right. Overseas, quite frankly, around the world, ten days of mourning are under way for the man many called Madiba. Nelson Mandela won't soon be forgotten. We'll take you live to Johannesburg to show you how people in South Africa are celebrating his life.

But, first, CNN hero Dan Wallrath transforms the lives of wounded soldiers by building them mortgage-free accessible homes. And tomorrow night at 8:00 Eastern Time, we're airing a documentary on his work called "Operation Finally Home," a CNN heroes special presentation. In this sneak peek, we meet a young sergeant who lost his arm and legs in Afghanistan and is now struggling to move forward with his new civilian life.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN WALLRATH, CNN HERO: There's over 50,000 wounded veterans that we have now. One of the biggest challenges is transitioning from military life to civilian life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have my good days, I have my bad. Another first, there were a lot more bad than good. I can't change what happened. If I could wish everything back, I would, but I can't. So, why let it get me down?

I'm 24. I want to be able to live by myself and to be able to do everything I need to do by myself.

WALLRATH: I build custom homes for 30 years. In 2005 I did my first remodel for a wounded veteran. God put a passion in my heart to help these families.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This apartment that I live in, it's not set up for my needs. The doors are not as wide as they should be. The bathroom isn't as big as it should be. Some of the shelves are too high.

WALLRATH: You know, these young men and women need a lot of help. Unfortunately I don't know how to help in a lot of areas. But I do know how to build a home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kind of bugs me, won't go to sleep. Well, what's next is the big question.

To me, what's next is getting a house, going to school, and finding a career. Everything is kind of on hold right now until I get a place that is mine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow. He is amazing. You can see more of Dan's story tomorrow 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Memorials are growing and people in South Africa are celebrating the life of Nelson Mandela, the civil rights icon died Thursday at the age of 95.

CNN's Robyn Curnow is live for us outside Mandela's home in Johannesburg, where it really is a place of holding vigil, at the same time celebrating his life.

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. It's like a pilgrimage here. South Africans are doing what they always do, they sing in times of happiness and in times of hardship. And this noise, this celebration, this lament you hear behind me has been going on literally since Thursday night. People singing over and over again, "Nelson Mandela, Nelson Mandela, there's no one like you."

Now, many of these South Africans behind me felt like they had a personal, intimate closeness with Nelson Mandela. They owe so much to him. And he had that way with people.

His family saying today that he had time for everyone, kings and queens, rich or poor, great or small. And, in fact, one of those people was Bill Clinton, the former U.S. president. I spoke to him on Nelson Mandela's 94th birthday, in the hills outside Mandela's home and he asked him what Mandela meant to him personally.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT: Personally, he's been a wonderful friend to me. You know, when we were working together, we were both presidents of our countries. We actually had a lot of business to do. We often had to do it in telephone calls where it was very late in America and very early in South Africa. And I always tried to do the late side because out of deference to him.

But he didn't call me a single time, not once, when he didn't ask about Hillary and Chelsea and if it wasn't too late he would ask me to go get Chelsea, bring her to the phone, and ask about her homework, was she keeping up, you know? So I saw in him something that I tried not to lose in myself, which is no matter how much responsibility he had, he remembered he was a person first.

And then I learned a lot about living from him, about living with adversity, living with setbacks, living with disappointments, and living without anger. So quite apart from all the magnificent contributions he made to free his country and to inspire the world, I learned a lot about life from him.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CURNOW: Now, U.S. State Department spokesperson told me that Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and Chelsea will be at Mandela's state funeral in his rural home state in Qunu next Sunday.

Now, Clinton will be one of the few heads of state or former heads of state at the state funeral because South African authorities are actively encouraging leaders and royalties to come to Tuesday's memorial service instead. They say, the authorities here, having a funeral in such a remote location, in the tent in these remote hills, is going to be a logistical nightmare when it comes to security accommodation and transport.

So, most of the VIPs will be attending Tuesday's service and it's only those close friends and those who have a personal connection with Mandela, 4,000 of them we understand, will be attending that Sunday funeral.

WHITFIELD: All right, that will indeed be an incredible challenge. All right, thanks so much. Robin Curnow there in Johannesburg.

And coming up, meet a woman who has that all American look and plenty of talent as well, but you'll never guess what reality show title she could win.

But first, earlier this week, a federal judge ruled the city of Detroit is eligible for the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. It's a decision that could back the pensions of thousands of former public service including retired firefighter Brendan Milewski. Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has his story in today's "Human Factor."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: We need multiple EMS, multiple firemen down.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You're listening to the actual 911 call from August 13th, 2010.

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: We need everybody here now.

GUPTA: It's a day that began like any other, but one that would change firefighter Brendan Milewski's life forever.

BRENDAN MILEWSKI, RETIRED DETROIT FIREFIGHTER: I remember we were working on the facade of the building, and somebody had yelled some sort of caution. And the bricks were kind of raining down in front of my face. And you're taught in a collapse situation to run towards the collapse, but your human instincts take over. I thought I had it beat has what caught to me and hit me on the back.

GUPTA: Brendan knew right away his career as one of Detroit's bravest was over.

MILEWSKI: You see these war movies like "Saving Private Ryan" when these guys are in combat, and you lose sound. You can't hear anything and it was exactly like that. I tried to place my hands on the ground in front of me and do a push- up, and when I did that push-up, I couldn't slide my knees to my chest. And I knew instantly what had happened, I was paralyzed and had a spinal cord injury.

GUPTA: Brendan now spends three hours a day, three days a week here at the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan working to make the most of what muscles he still has control over.

MILEWSKI: It's perfect.

There are days when I question whether or not I'm OK mentally, but to me, it's simple. I learned early on that I have a voice through this, and I have something to say, and I have a message.

GUPTA: Doogie, as he's known to his firefighting family, because he joined the department when he was just 20 years old, was even featured in the award-winning documentary "Burn" from executive producer Denis Leary.

DENIS LEARY, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "BURN": Well, what happened to Doogie in the movie is something that I think a lot of people would consider tragic. His response to what happens to him is heroic.

MILEWSKI: As much as I hate that it's me and my story, I think it's something we need to open up people's eyes to.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A new experimental cancer therapy shows promise as a possible cure. It has already saved 15-year-old Nick Wilkins' life. He was diagnosed with leukemia at age 4 and his doctors had run out of options. But after using this new immunotherapy, Wilkins is now cancer free.

Here's how it works. Doctors take a patient's own cells and modify them so that they target and kill the cancer cells.

CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta will have more on this and other medical stories in the next hour on "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." Here he is with a preview -- Sanjay.

GUPTA: Fred, it's a statistic that I talk about all the time. Someone dies every 19 minutes in this country from an accidental prescription drug overdose and most of these deaths, Fred, involve painkillers, so we're going to be exposing one prominent physician who some say was writing these prescriptions with reckless abandon, we got that ahead at 4:30 Eastern.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Sanjay.

"America's Got Talent", it's a reality show staple, right? Well, the Arab world has its own version. This time, though, an American woman could win the title. The final show is happening right now and when we know the winner, we, of course, let you know. But the American already has lots of people talking and listening.

Here's Mohammed Jamjoom.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She's the all-American girl with the very Arab voice. Meet Jennifer Grout, the 23-year old from Massachusetts, who may just win the biggest televised talent contest in the Middle East, "Arabs Got Talent."

(on camera): Jennifer, how did you first get interested in Arabic music?

JENNIFER GROUT, SINGER: I came across an article online about the famous Lebanese singer, Fairuz, and I was just really mesmerized by her singing. It was like nothing I had heard before.

JAMJOOM (voice-over): Jennifer, who'd studied opera and classical music, turned her attention eastward. In three short years, she learned to sing Arabic before she could speak Arabic.

GROUT: I just really wanted an audience to perform Arabic music for.

JAMJOOM: During her audition, many thought she'd flop. She couldn't even understand the judges, making for an awkward moment.

GROUT: OK.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

JAMJOOM: But then they were stunned into silence.

This American novice chose to cover an Egyptian diva, legendary songstress Umm Kulthum, revered throughout the region.

To everyone's surprise, Jennifer was a huge hit.

GROUT: When I finished, everyone was just shocked and all the judges said really nice things. Actually, when the judges were giving their comments after my performance, I didn't understand then, either.

JAMJOOM (voice-over): But not all viewers are fans. Many critics say an American shouldn't be competing on a reality show for Arabs.

During rehearsal, she shows me how difficult the songs are, even for a native speaker like me.

JAMJOOM (on camera): Wow, that is a tough song to sing. OK. That's impressive.

(voice-over): Now Jennifer's become a sensation, singing the most unexpected of melodies, crossing musical cultures while defying cultural expectations.

Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN, Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Fascinating stuff.

Hey, casinos paying big bucks to secure exclusive rights to your favorite music artists. We'll tell you which stars have stopped going on the road and are letting their fans instead come to them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The nominations for the 56th Annual Grammy Awards are in and the hottest song of the summer is up for record of the year.

(MUSIC)

WHITFIELD: Robin Thicke and T.I. performing their Grammy-nominated song "Blurred Lines" last night during a nomination special on CBS, joining them in the category for record of the year "Get Lucky" by Daft Punkand Pherrell Williams. "Radioactive" my Imagine Dragons. "Royals" by Lorde. And "Locked Out of Heaven" by Bruno Mars, don't forget.

And Jay-Z, however, he led all nominations with nine and trailing right behind him hip-hop duo McLemore with seven.

All right. Now, to a growing trend where big name artists stop going on the road and then let the road come to them.

Here's CNN's Jake Tapper.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bette Midler, Celine Dion, Elton, and Cher, once they happen in Vegas, they often stay in Vegas. It's called a residency. Casinos pay big bucks to secure exclusive rights to a performer for weeks, even years. In turn, the headliners get to build the show of their dreams, complete with all the Vegas pop and plumage money can buy.

Tuesday night Sin City pulled out all of the stops for its newest recruit, Britney Spears. Starting on the 27th, Spears will perform for two years at Planet Hollywood, nearly 100 shows total, for a reported $30 million.

KURT MELIEN, VP ENTERTAINMENT, CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT: For Vegas, we're always looking for top entertainment, right? So, the value really is having big name artists in the city, at our property - you know, promoting the hotel and the casino.

TAPPER: Kurt Melien, the vice president of Caesars Entertainment helped negotiate the deal.

MELIEN: The residency business is great for tourism for these cities because people are making a specific choice to choose Vegas over another city or destination because they want to see their favorite act.

TAPPER: OK, so Spears has the strip, but it isn't great for everybody. As hit songs grew, Billy Joel is more of an East Coast kind of guy.

Joel has played at Madison Square Garden 46 times.

BILLY JOEL: Playing at the Garden is an experience that never gets old.

TAPPER: Now, the piano man will make it a monthly tradition, for as long as his tickets keeps selling.

JOEL: A month at the Garden as long there is a demand means more opportunities to connect with music fans and to provide a unique and memorable show every night.

TAPPER: New audiences without the hassle of new cities is a big draw for musicians.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We kind of look at the audience and we get their energy and people come from all over the world to see us.

TAPPER: In 2008, Donny and Marie Osmond settled into the Flamingo in Las Vegas where they marked 50 years in show business.

Cher celebrated her fourth decade on stage by getting off the road.

CHER, SINGER: That's where I retired from, just having to just haul myself all over the world.

TAPPER: She like other big names opted for the Coliseum at Caesars instead.

MELIEN: You're finding artists that are making this decision because they don't want a tour. It's a lot of work, right? It's a lot of time to have to spend nights in a hotel room away from your families.

TAPPER: It's a safe bet for promoters too if they play their cards right. Elton John's first Vegas show, "The Red Piano," was so successful Caesars invited him back for a second stint.

Carlos Santana show sales were so nice, he also did it twice -- first, at Planet Hollywood, then at the Hard Rock Cafe.

But the undisputed queen of Vegas success is Celine Dion. Her original five-year residency earned a reported $400 million. Her second show began in 2011 and has just been extended to 2019.

As for rolling the dice on Billy Joel, well, he's sold out his first four shows already.

JOEL: Thank you.

TAPPER (on camera): Billy Joel's first show rolls out in January.

Jake Tapper, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. That sounds like a lot of fun. Time to go to Vegas.

That's going to do it for me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM begins right now with Deb Feyerick.

Any chance you've seen any of those shows in Vegas?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: You know, I've never been to Vegas.

WHITFIELD: What?

FEYERICK: I've been a lot of places, but I have never been to Vegas.

WHITFIELD: You got to do Vegas at least once.

FEYERICK: At least once.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

FEYERICK: And I hear what happens there stays there, so that's what I'm counting on.

WHITFIELD: Oh, yes, that's so not true. Just be careful when you go.

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