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Snow and Ice Causing Cancellations; Millions in Wintry Storm's Path; Paul Walker Tribute in California; Newlywed Couple Killed for the Thrill; Congress Goes It Alone on Budget Deal; GOP Trying to Fix Its Women Problem; Nelson Mandela Honored in Day of Prayer; Sheriff Won't Lower U.S. Flag for Mandela; Newlywed Bride Heads to Trial for Husband's Murder; The Job of a Train Operator; Cancer Treatment Prolongs Boy's Life; Actress' Big Honor

Aired December 08, 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: We have much more straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM and it all starts right now. Hello again. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. These stories topping the news this hour, temperatures across the U.S. plunge. A dangerous ice storm put millions at risk. What it means for your travel plans.

And he was the star of a movie that has generated over $2 billion in ticket sales around the globe. Today, thousands of Paul Walker's fans gather for an unforgettable tribute.

Killing just for the fun of it? That is what investigators say a newlywed couple did. We'll tell you who confessed.

Check out these images from the Eagles-Lions game in Philadelphia. Almost white-out conditions. The snow began falling about an hour before the game and guess what, it's still coming down. Forecasters there are calling for three to six inches of snow and sleet before the system moves out.

And then on to the Dallas area. Ice and snow continue there. And it continues to cause major problems. Tractor trailers lined up. Bogged down by icy and slick highways there.

We have team coverage of this storm. Erin McPike is checking on airport delays and cancellations across the country. Tory Dunnan is keeping an eye on the road conditions and then meteorologist Alexandra Steele will show us where the storm system is and where it just might be headed next.

So this snow and ice not just causing problems in the northeast, things are backed up across the country.

Erin McPike is covering that part of the story at Reagan National Airport in Washington.

So lots of delays there?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred. There actually are a number of delays now. Some of the airlines just started delaying flights and cancelling flights within the last hour so we've seen a lot of people come out of their flight who had just checked in. I actually talked to one woman who just got to the airport at 2:00 for a 9:00 flight that has already been delayed.

There are delays up and down the Eastern Seaboard. What we're seeing the worst of is in Philadelphia. The average wait time there is an hour and 43 minutes. It's close to an hour in Newark but the three airports that service the New York area, LaGuardia, Newark and JFK are all seeing -- starting to see more delayed flights.

The problem has been with a lot of inbound flights. And as the storm continues to get worse throughout the night and we're seeing more delayed inbound flights that's an obviously slowdown the Monday morning commute and get business off to a slower start for the work week.

The worst of it so far has been in Dallas, of course, about half of those flights were cancelled yesterday. They're still seeing about an average 45 minutes delay time. It's also affecting Chicago's O'Hare Airport not in so much as they've seen a storm but -- it's a united hub and a lot of the inbound flights there have been delayed as well. So a lot of our major airports up along the East Coast and in Chicago and Dallas, lots of hubs, are seeing some serious delays -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Very miserable conditions. All right, thanks so much, Erin McPike there at Reagan National Airport.

So the cold temperatures and snow not just affecting air travel, the roads are also becoming quite the mess.

Tory Dunnan is checking on the conditions in Virginia.

So how are things looking?

TORY DUNNAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, Fred, first of all, it's all decorated like Christmas here in downtown Roanoke. This is really the historic district but it doesn't have the Christmas spirit because there are actually not a lot of people out here for a Sunday in the weeks leading up to Christmas. And that's because there've been a lot of cancellations today. People are being told to stay home. That the roadways are icy in some sports.

But they've also cancelled many church services and to kind of put things into perspective for you here. It is hovering around 30 degrees. So it's below freezing. And to give you an example of what they're worried about, it's accumulation throughout the day. Possibly freezing rain later on.

Just scenes like this, we're seeing sort of left and right. Frozen windshields and the likes. They are putting down salt on some of the sidewalks and roadways. And according to the Department of Transportation officials here in Virginia they're telling us that the roadways for the most part are wet, although there are some spots that are slick in some of the bridges and overpasses.

It's been sort of tough going for cars here and there, but, Fred, you know, so far not so bad in this area, although, they're saying this isn't over yet. Officials are telling people, really, don't drive later on this evening tonight because that's when they say things could get especially icy. So for now we'll just think about some thoughts in the hope to get through this.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: You put a little hot cocoa maybe or, you know, hot coffee. Anything will help.

DUNNAN: I like it.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Tory Dunnan.

DUNNAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate that.

So yes, as the tough temperatures dip this evening that means some of that, you know, wetness on the road will certainly freeze over.

Alexandra Steele with more on what could happen after that.

We really have our fingers crossed for Monday because that's when you say there might be a little of a thaw.

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Temperatures will be in the 40s. Don't need to cross your fingers. Meteorologically we're going to see it.

So here's a look, you know, in Roanoke, the pictures you were just seeing, getting a little bit of a path, because see, here's Roanoke down here. A little bit of ice to the west about to move in. But you can see a lot of this breaking up and when you look at radar, it's kind of called bright standing where you see the darker white. That's where the snow is coming down more intense.

And the bulls eye ominous here really is right in the mid-Atlantic From Washington all the way to Philadelphia.

Here's a pretty shot, a nice live shot from Washington. You can see the cars moving, snow coming down there. Yes, beautiful. They will pick up a couple of inches, no question about it. But I want to show you where the heaviest snow is.

Baltimore, Washington, we're talking a little bit about the roads, here's where the worst of it is. I-70 in northern Maryland, 65, I-65 around Baltimore, and also 95 between Baltimore and Philadelphia. Very heavy snow coming down and a lot of issues on the roads there.

So here's the forecast. By 4:00 you can see the snow potentially changing already some sleet. Not in New York yet. It will get into New York by about 4:00 tonight. It's just to the west. It's just kind of trying to moisten the atmosphere and then begin to come down.

10:00 tonight you can see it is in New York. Washington changing over tonight to sleet and freezing rain. And while we will see some accumulations, it looks as though Philadelphia will see kind of the greatest in terms of accumulation.

Here's the (INAUDIBLE) timeline this afternoon. We're seeing snow changing over sleet. Tonight changing over to freezing rain. And overnight, it will be rain. One to two inches of snow and sleet. Maybe two-tenths of an inch of ice. That's the D.C. story.

Philadelphia, the only place with a winter storm warning, the bigger cities. Afternoon we're seeing the snow right now coming down quite heavily. Overnight we're going to see a change over the rain after mixing with sleet. Three to six inches of snow and sleet, a rain game on Monday as temperatures warm up into the 40s.

And here's New York City the snow just west will make its way in within an hour or so. Evening to changing over to sleet. Overnight to rain. Maybe an inch or a little bit less of snow and sleet, Fred. And then Monday rain for them as well.

WHITFIELD: Wow. OK. That's quite the full bag of tricks there.

(LAUGHTER)

STEELE: I tried to delineate it so you can kind of know what's cooking in wet city when but --

WHITFIELD: That's everything, you know --

STEELE: Yes.

WHITFIELD: -- in less than a 24-hour period.

STEELE: There's a test coming up in about 20 minutes.

WHITFIELD: All right. Sounds good. Thanks so much, Alexandra.

STEELE: All right.

WHITFIELD: All right, happening right now on the West Coast. Santa Clarita, California, a tribute to "Fast and Furious" star Paul Walker and his friend Roger Rodas. Walker's fans organized this. They use social media and then came up with a way to honor the two men.

Walker and Rodas died last week after a Porsche that Rodas was riding crashed into a light pole and burst into flames.

I want to go to CNN's Paul Vercammen now who is near the scene of that crash in Santa Clarita where this memorial of sorts is taking place.

It's looks like a pretty sizable turnout.

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A very turnout. Fred, we've got more than 1,000 people up and down the street right now. And part of this is sort of a -- we'll call it a makeshift rally and car show. Instead of these barricades here and you're going to see classic cars, souped-up cars of all sorts, even motorcycles sometimes will come by and rev their engines. Huge crowd has gathered here. They say well over a thousand people. Some of them going over a memorial there and paying their respects, and of course looking at the pictures and laying down candles. And even further down the street another part of the memorial. One man from Bakersfield who's got some advertising background built a huge poster board that people could sign to pay their respects to Paul Walker.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like losing a friend or a really close family member, you know. I mean, even though he's an actor, we never really met face-to-face but, I mean, sitting there bringing his movies into your house and watching this stuff on TV. I mean, it's like getting to know somebody. It really -- it really hurts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was a very genuine person with a big heart. He wasn't like every other celebrity. He didn't care what -- materialistic things were not important to him. Helping people. He was -- he was just an amazing person.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERCAMMEN: And a very emotional here. Just many people saying how much of a genuine person that they felt Paul Walker was. And people coming from far and wide. One man behind me from Phoenix, Arizona. All of them talking about their favorite cars, saying that he's am '86 Mustang driver. So this memorial, if you will, that's not sanctioned by the sheriff or anything, just keeps continuing to grow -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: It does indeed.

All right. Thank you so much. Sorely missed there.

Paul Vercammen, thank you.

All right, coming up. A newlywed couple charged in a brutal murder. Police say the husband and wife plotted and killed the man just for the thrill of it? We uncover the deadly scheme.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Police are investigating a bizarre murder case in Pennsylvania. A couple, married only three weeks or so, is accused of killing a man for the thrill of it. Investigators say the couple has confessed. They're facing several charges including homicide.

Alexandra Field joining us now from Sunbury, Pennsylvania.

So what do we know about the connection, if any, between the couple and the victim?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, we know that this newlywed couple was new to town. They had just moved here a few weeks ago from North Carolina. And police say they found their victim using the Internet. According to investigators, Miranda Barber and her husband Eliot Barber posted an ad on Craigslist offering paid companionship services, and that's how they met a 42-year-old married man Troy Laferrara. Miranda now tells police that she picked up Laferrara at a local mall on November 11th. And that once she got him in the car, she stabbed him repeatedly.

Investigators say her husband Eliot, of just three weeks, her husband was hiding in the backseat of that car and that he held a rope around Laferrara's neck. Both newlyweds are now charged with homicide. And here's what they're telling police.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF STEPHEN MAZZEO, SUNBURY, PENNSYLVANIA POLICE: She tells us that they intended to kill somebody together. They had tried to kill other individuals and failed. And this happened to be one that actually worked.

FIELD: What did she tell you?

MAZZEO: She told us that her husband was not involved. She told us that she did this alone. That she had blacked out during part of the process and she doesn't remember all of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FIELD: Laferrara's body was found left in a Sunbury backyard. Police say he had been stabbed 20 times -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh. So now what in this case?

FIELD: OK. Well, at this point the court case will move forward but the investigation won't stop. What we do know is that Miranda Barber has a 1-year-old child and that the father of that child is deceased and that death will now be investigated or will continue to be investigated and this investigation could move out of this state. As we do know the couple had just moved here -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK. Alexandra Field, keep us posted. Thanks so much.

All right. Here is something that you could probably relate to. Who doesn't fall asleep on a plane every once in a while? Of course most people do wake up within time. Well, Tom Wagner he didn't. And when his United Express flight landed in Houston no one even noticed him.

Hours later, when Wagner woke up in the cold in the dark plane, he called his girlfriend for help on the phone. Workers finally arrived to let him out asking him to keep all of this secret. Well, as you know now, he didn't.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM WAGNER, PASSENGER: I said don't put the blame on me. I said, I did nothing wrong here. They didn't sweep the plane? I mean, who shut the door? (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The airline did apologize and said it is now investigating.

In 38 days the federal government could shut down again. That is when the U.S. runs out of money for many programs like Head Start, free school program. Will Congress take action to stop it from happening or go home for Christmas break without a new budget deal?

Chief political correspondent Candy Crowley joins us next with the odds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Friday is the deadline for Congress to reach a new budget deal. If Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill don't, we could be in for yet another government shutdown.

Let's bring in our chief political correspondent and anchor of "STATE OF THE UNION" Candy Crowley.

So, Candy, earlier we heard talks between House and Senate key negotiators were making some progress, but no meetings are scheduled this week so far. So will there be a budget deal by Friday?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Probably not. And -- that wouldn't necessarily mean a government shutdown. They've got money until the 15th of January. I mean, there's a couple of things I know about Congress. One is that they tend to expand to use the time that they have. So that would say to me that they'd get a deal sometime in January.

And the other thing is, when they go silent they're actually pretty close to something.

WHITFIELD: How much of a difference does it make? The president will be out of the country, at the Nelson Mandela funeral and memorial services in South Africa. Will it appear that there is less pressure from the White House if the president is not physically there to have any kind of last minute deals or talks?

CROWLEY: He's pretty hands off with these things. He -- he has not wanted to touch what is often a debacle on Capitol Hill. And this is no exception. This has really come down to Patty Murray and Paul Ryan. They are chairwoman and chairman of their respective budget committees. They have left it to them to come up something they can get passed on Capitol Hill. They know the basic parameters of the president but his presence isn't need to let them know that they're under pressure. They are far more moved about the fact that it's an election year.

WHITFIELD: All right. And then let's shift gears just a little bit. The GOP tutoring their candidates on how to run against women candidates. How to, in general, even talk, you know, to women voters. I know you talked about this on your show today. Have they finally figured out that they can't win the White House without female voters?

CROWLEY: They have always known that. That the female voters, minority voters, there are problems across the spectrum for the Republican Party that they're trying to address. And having said that, the fact is that among married white women the GOP always wins. They have these, for instances, where somebody says something that tends to offend women and it sort of blankets the whole Republican Party.

John Boehner has said, yes, we've got a problem. There are just some people up here that don't know how to handle this. So they're giving tutorials. Now the question is what it's about. I don't think it's such a bad idea because in the end you have to be able to have people listen to you and they don't tend to listen to you if you think -- if they think that you're against them or don't understand their problems.

We did talk about this on the show this morning. So I want you to hear sort of the two different views going at this. The first from the Democrat and then the Republican.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MO ELLEITHEE, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: They still think it's about -- that their entire problem is about the rhetoric. It's not. It's really about the policies. It's about the fact that Republicans say they want to do more and better outreach to women while continuing to try to push greater restrictions on women's access to health care.

KEN BLACKWELL (R), FORMER OHIO SECRETARY OF STATE: Look, at the end of the day Republicans don't have a problem working and talking with women. We control 30 of the governorships, we control 26 state Houses and Senate chambers. You know, we in fact now how to speak to women on their policy issues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Lots on the agenda straight ahead. As you say, the clock is ticking toward that 2014.

Candy Crowley, thanks so much. Host of "STATE OF THE UNION."

CROWLEY: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Another world record setting performance for Jesse Owens, the co-owner of hockey's Pittsburgh Penguin's bought the champs' 1936 gold medal. The price more than $1.4 million. That's the highest price ever for a piece of Olympic memorabilia.

Jesse Owens was just 23 years old when he shocked the world in 1936 winning four gold medals in track and field. His wins disproved Hitler's claims of Arian superiority and broke barriers for generations to come.

I talked with Owens' daughter about the medal being up for auction yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: 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?

BEVERLY OWENS PRATHER, JESSE OWENS' DAUGHTER: 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And this was a medal that was no longer in the possession of the Owens family. This was a medal that Jesse Owens actually gave to his friend and so it is now -- that estate is now put on auction. So the proceeds of that auction, the sale of that medal, will now be donated to the Jesse Owens Foundation and we've got a call in to the owner of the penguin to see what he's going to do with that medal after winning that auction for more than a million dollars for the Jesse Owens gold medal.

All right, millions attended celebrations across South Africa to honor Nelson Mandela. It's all part of a special day of prayer. Coming up, we'll take you to Johannesburg where some of the biggest services were held.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: South Africans honored Nelson Mandela in a day of prayer today. Services were held across the country. Part of several events to celebrate the life of the former president.

CNN's Errol Barnett joins us now from Johannesburg where several services took place.

What have you seen today?

ERROL BARNETT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, today on this third day of 10 days of mourning for Nelson Mandela. We've seen a national day of prayer, the current president, Jacob Zuma, was alongside Nelson Mandela's ex-wife Winnie Madikizela and Nelson Mandela's eldest grandson at one service today, the Methodist Church. And surely throughout the country there were prayers for Nelson Mandela.

But, you know what, you didn't have to be inside a church today to take part in dance and song and honor of the former president. I mean, take a look at listen around me now and you're hearing late into the night on Sunday. People still turning out outside Nelson Mandela's home in this house in suburb, kind of affluent area of Johannesburg where he passed away late Thursday.

People still coming out to add flowers to a growing memorial here. Send well wishes and as you hear and see behind me, to dance and sing as well.

We're gearing up for what is sure to be a historic week in this country. The government confirming there are some 59 diplomats coming from various nations around the world including U.S. President Barack Obama and a number of former presidents, George W. Bush, President Clinton, former President Jimmy Carter have confirmed they will be here this week in what some are saying could be the largest gathering of world leaders in Africa ever.

So a massive logistical challenge ahead for the government. They have announced some more details of what would take place. A memorial service on Tuesday in Soweto. They will erect 90 big screen monitors around the country so people can take part. Train services will be free on Tuesday to allow people to get to that memorial service.

And, Fred, on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, when Nelson Mandela's body will be lying in state in the Union Building, the government has also arranged a kind of procession and publicize the streets so that each morning as Nelson Mandela's body goes from the mortuary to the Union Building South Africans can turn up there as well and pay their final respects.

So really what we're seeing is this massive widespread message of appreciate for a man who is credited for bringing this diverse nation together.

WHITFIELD: An incredible week of mourning and celebration for his life. Thanks so much, Errol Barnett, in Johannesburg.

All right. Back in this country now, a sheriff in South Carolina refuses to lower the U.S. flag in honor of Nelson Mandela. Why would he do that?

Nick Valencia joining me now.

So what is the sheriff's argument?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rick Clark, some would say he's being very stubborn about this. But his argument is that it should be reserved for American citizens. Nelson Mandela, of course, not an American citizen. But Sheriff Rick Clark there in Pickens County, South Carolina, he laid out his argument to our local affiliate WHNS.

Take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF RICK CLARK, PICKENS COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA: It's a show of sign and respect for what Nelson Mandela has done, I have no problem with lowering it in South Africa, in their country. But for our country, it should be the people, in my opinion, who have sacrificed for our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP) VALENCIA: And Sheriff Clark went on to tell CNN that he doesn't have anything against the U.S. embassy in South Africa lowering their flag to half-staff. But here at home that shouldn't be the case and he's receiving an overwhelming support from his constituents in South Carolina.

Take a look at some of these Facebook posts that commented on his position about lowering the flag. Cheryl Miller Johnson saying, "Proud to have you in office, Rick. Thank you for all that you do." And Dana Kelly saying, "I appreciate working for you knowing that you're not a yes man. This country was founded with strong backbones and seems a lot of folks have lost sight of this. Thank you, Sheriff."

And I also just spoke to his chief deputy, Fred, and the chief deputy said that he is doing the right thing and he stands behind the sheriff.

WHITFIELD: And no response or no reprimand, no penalty that would come from the president's office on this?

VALENCIA: No. No official penalty. He's not facing any legal ramifications or any punishment. Because it's more of a guy. This code to lower the flag to half-staff. It isn't really something that he's breaking the law doing. He has every right and he's well within his jurisdiction to do this.

And to give some context to our viewers, this has been done before by presidents dating back to Lyndon B. Johnson the 1960s. As you see George W. Bush did it for Pope John II when he died. Bill Clinton did it for Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin when he was assassinated in the '90s. And Lyndon B. Johnson doing it for Winston Churchill, the then prime minister back in 1965.

So this has a history here in the United States and has precedent. But as far as Rick Clark is concerned and his county is concerned, he doesn't think it has any place there.

WHITFIELD: All right. Nick Valencia, thanks for bringing that to us. Appreciate it.

VALENCIA: You bet.

WHITFIELD: All right, a new bride accused of pushing her husband off a cliff heads to trial tomorrow. What do the prosecution and defense need to say to sway the jury. We debate the case with two of our legal experts next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The trial for the newlywed bride accused of pushing her husband to his death begins tomorrow. Prosecutors say 22-year-old Jordan Graham pushed her husband Cody Johnson off a cliff in Glacier National Park in July. They'd only been married for eight days. Graham is charged with murder and making false statements. Jury selection begins tomorrow. Let's debate this care with former prosecutor Wendy Murphy. She's also a law professor at New England Law in Boston.

Good to see you.

And CNN legal analyst Mark Geragos.

WENDY MURPHY, LAW PROFESSOR, NEW ENGLAND LAW BOSTON: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: He's also a defense attorney.

Graham says, you know, the couple got into an argument while off the park. Then she says he grabbed her arm, she knocked it over and then pushed him, and then he went over a cliff. So the defense says it was self defense.

So, Wendy, what did the prosecution have to lay out to establish that that's not the case?

MURPHY: Well, you know, the case is actually very easy, I think, for the prosecution because she confessed. She gave inconsistent stories but ultimately said I pushed him behind -- from behind with two hands and he went over the cliff.

She lied in the beginning, said I don't know where he went. He went off with some people and then it was like I pushed him, but it was an accident. And finally she said no, I pushed him with both hands from behind. That's an easy case.

Fred, the tough part from the prosecution here is who she looks like. She looks like the girl next door and the jurors are going to think to themselves that looks like my sister, my daughter, they're going to be hard pressed to --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Why should that matter --

MURPHY: -- wrap their heads around the idea that such a seemingly nice woman could be so evil.

WHITFIELD: But if like you said, there was the confession, Mark, why would that even make a difference? Or if you were her defense attorney, are you going to use that to your advantage?

MARK GERAGOS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Look, the so called confession did not exactly carry the day with the judge in this case. The judge in this case let her out on bond. There has reports that it was not even tape recorded which I think is -- the defense will make much fodder about.

But the reality of it is Wendy is correct. You get a presumption of innocence when you're a pretty white female. I mean, that's the reality of what happens in a criminal courtroom. That's to be contrasted if you are an African-American male in this country where there's almost a presumption of guilt. So the prosecution I think has got an uphill battle in this case. I would not surprise me to see a lesser charge of a manslaughter or an involuntary manslaughter in this case.

WHITFIELD: Really? And so what does this --

(CROSSTALK)

MURPHY: Let me add --

WHITFIELD: OK. Go ahead real quick.

MURPHY: Yes, I was just going to say let me just make a point because Mark represented a rather good-looking dream date Ken murder defendant named Scott Peterson. And Mark used his looks to his advantage.

GERAGOS: He's the male.

MURPHY: He did it very skillfully.

GERAGOS: Yes.

MURPHY: But we know what the jury did there. They got over it.

GERAGOS: But there was -- he was a male. I've probably represented seven females in the last 30 years, charged with murder and not one of them has ever been convicted of murder. The worst that ever happened to any of the females I've ever represented was an involuntary manslaughter.

You get an edge when you've got a female --

MURPHY: You're right. Mark, you're right.

GERAGOS: -- especially if she is not of color.

MURPHY: And it's a form of sexism, it's a form of sexism that's appropriate, and it has to be as inappropriate when a woman is charged with murder as it is inappropriate when a rape victim is involved in a case. Sexism is all over the criminal justice system but defense attorneys like to use it to their advantage and that's wrong.

WHITFIELD: So now what is this about --

GERAGOS: Well, you know, prosecutors --

WHITFIELD: Go ahead.

GERAGOS: Prosecutors do the same thing. Prosecutors kind of play on your -- the prejudices or the biases of juries as well. So I wouldn't, by any means, say that this is something where defense lawyers have courted the market on playing on bias. I mean, the idea of creating the -- you know, this is a vindictive woman who after eight days decided to diabolically push this guy off of a cliff. You know, I just don't think -- I think that's a hard sell for the prosecution in this case. WHITFIELD: Wow. OK. Now apparently there is evidence where there may have been a blindfold or something found near this, you know, crime scene that maybe a game was being played, that maybe allegedly she may have put this blindfold on him. He didn't know it was coming and then push him off.

How or why or would that kind of evidence make a difference? How would it be used if that's the case, Wendy?

MURPHY: Well, it's a weird piece of evidence, let me put it that way first. But the reason the blindfold is even part of the story is because she told the cops that he walked to the edge of the cliff. By the way, his friends say he's afraid of heights and would never have done that. She said he walked to the ends of the cliff with the blindfold on to prove to her that he was brave enough to confront his fears or some such nonsense. So they went looking for the blindfold and reportedly found it. It's going to make her look more sinister because she's the one who introduced the idea and the evidence of the blind fold into this case.

GERAGOS: Or --

WHITFIELD: Mark, you see, this is a potentially, really compelling case?

GERAGOS: Well, I -- you never know what gains traction in the media on these cases. This has all of the elements, though. If you've got a pretty white female defendant who's charged with murder, that's usually something that gets into the axis of evil for a criminal defendant, which is the cable, the morning shows, and, you know, the cover of "People" or "Us" magazine.

WHITFIELD: All right. Mark Geragos --

MURPHY: And I agree, I agree with Mark.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

MURPHY: I was going to say I agree with Mark that that can -- that can translate into reasonable doubt. The desire to disbelieve that a cute white female could be a killer, that can translate into reasonable doubt. It shouldn't but it can.

WHITFIELD: All right. Fascinating stuff.

Mark Geragos, Wendy Murphy, always good to see you. Thanks so much.

GERAGOS: Thank you, Fred.

MURPHY: You bet.

WHITFIELD: All right. Again, jury selection beginning as early as tomorrow.

All right, when patients are diagnosed with cancer, they fear the worst. But coming up we have an amazing story of a young boy who's getting a second chance at life and his treatment may just answer the prayers of so many others fighting that same disease.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A week ago today a speeding commuter train derailed in New York killing four and injuring dozens. The rail company Metro-North has ordered all the trains to slow down and it is also ordering upgrades to signal systems. But more than anything else, the accident puts the training of locomotive engineers front and center.

Here's CNN Chris Frates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS FRATES, CNN INVESTIGATIONS UNIT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As passengers rush through their morning commute, Engineer Jeff Klein scales 12 feet into this locomotive and gets ready to take responsibility for hundreds of people's lives.

With a throttle and two breaks, Klein alone controls this one million pound behemoth during its three-hour run. And he's got a lot on his mind.

(On camera): What were you watching coming out of the station?

JEFF KLEINS, LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER, METRA: Signals, crossings, crossing protection, the gates, pedestrians, speedometer.

FRATES (voice-over): Piloting a seven-car train 100 miles through 18 suburban Chicago stations, Klein has to be able to divide his attention among signals, sounds and safety.

(On camera): About how fast are we going?

KLEIN: Sixty miles an hour.

FRATES: And how long would it take to stop?

KLEIN: Controlled stop, like coming into a station, probably take about four tenths of a mile.

FRATES: And that would take almost a full minute. Then there's the dead man pedal designed to stop the train if the engineer is unresponsive.

KLEIN: That was the dead man pedal. If you move your foot off of it just the wrong way it will start to sound that sound you heard and then it will stop the train.

FRATES: To get the feeling of what it's like to control these rolling caravans, we headed to MODOC Railroad Academy and talked to instructor David Rangel.

DAVID RANGEL, FOUNDER, MODOC RAILROAD ACADEMY: Today the passenger locomotive engineer is asked to do so much more than ever before. He is asked to do the job of two or three people.

This is the cabin of the locomotive.

FRATES (on camera): OK.

(Voice-over): But there's something no amount of training can prepare an engineer for -- fatigue.

RANGEL: We are dealing with humans in the cabs of those locomotives and we have frailties.

FRATES: Back on the rails, making the return trip to Chicago, Klein says he's got too much to worry about to be distracted.

KLEIN: Again, there's always something going on. The alert is going off. Everything that's happening in front of you -- for me it's not real easy to lose concentration.

FRATES: And now he'll grab some rest before doing it all over again in just a few hours.

(On camera): Every day, hundreds of engineers are traveling on thousands of miles of track and driving a train is a lot like playing chess. You have to think several moves ahead, only you have to do it at 70 miles per hour.

Chris Frates, CNN, Chicago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: For many cancer patients who have run out of options they know the end is inevitable, but there is a new treatment that is providing more than just hope. It's giving patients a real chance at living.

Here's Elizabeth Cohen with an amazing story about a boy's fight to live cancer-free.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Fred, researchers are calling this new therapy groundbreaking.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN WILKINS, NICK'S FATHER: So what is left for us to do as far as your learner's permit?

COHEN (voice-over): A year ago John Wilkins wasn't sure if he would ever get to teach his son to drive a real car.

NICK WILKINS, PERSONALIZED CELL THERAPY PATIENT: I really wanted to learn.

COHEN: Nick who's 15 has had leukemia since he was 4 years old. He tried chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant from his sister. Both failed.

J. WILKINS: There was a moment there where I -- I thought that was it. He probably wouldn't live much longer. COHEN: Nick's last hope was an experimental treatment, a clinical trial at the University of Pennsylvania.

J. WILKINS: When they start talking about doing clinical trials as the alternative that's when you are really throwing Hail Marys.

COHEN (on camera): How did it feel as a mom to know this is it?

LISA WILKINS, NICK'S MOTHER: Uncertainty. A lot of uncertainty. Just not knowing what was going to happen. It's hard.

J. WILKINS: Once day we're in his room, and I just wanted him to understand where we were at that, you know, this was probably the last treatment.

COHEN: Were you in effect telling him that if this treatment didn't work --

J. WILKINS: He could -- he could die.

COHEN (voice-over): In the treatment, Nick's doctors tweaked his immune system to make his own body rid itself of cancer. It's a groundbreaking approach that has captured the attention of cancer doctors but there were no promises.

Nick receives the personalized cell therapy in May. For a month, John and Lisa watched over their son.

(On camera): Do you remember that moment when they said hey, this appears to be working?

L. WILKINS: They came back and said we don't see any leukemia cells and so that was the point of -- you know, I think this is working. I think that, you know, we're definitely headed down the right path.

COHEN (voice-over): Exactly how the treatment works is complicated, but Nick is pretty good at explaining it, actually.

N. WILKINS: They took out T-cells out of my body and then they engineered them to kind of track down the cancer cells and kill them off.

COHEN (on camera): Did they get them?

N. WILKINS: I hope so. I'm feeling good now, so I think they did pretty well.

COHEN (voice-over): Watch as this gray cancer-killing cell on the left attacks the green cancer cell which gets smaller and eventually dies. Doctors tried this in 59 patients, 25 are now cancer-free.

L. WILKINS: Our hopes are that, you know, eventually we'll, you know, he will be cured that he can kind of put aside this and just kind of start moving forward.

J. WILKINS: I just want him to be able to enjoy a normal kid's life. L. WILKINS: His biggest thing right now is he is looking forward to getting his learner's permit.

COHEN: And soon, instead of playing with toy cars John will get the chance to teach his son how to drive a real one.

(On camera): You went from having cancer to now they can't even find it. How does that feel?

N. WILKINS: Really great.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN: Fred, it's so wonderful that Nicholas' cancer is in remission, but of course there is a chance that the cancer could come back. His doctors, though, are cautiously optimistic because when they look in his system they still see those hunter cells, those attack cells are alive and working -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: We are, of course, wishing the best for him and his family.

Thanks so much, Elizabeth.

All right. You might know Shirley MacLaine, best for her acting and singing. Well, now she's diving into some pretty deep questions in her latest book and getting a Kennedy Center Honor on top of that. You'll hear from her next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Shirley MacLaine is an actress and singer and tonight she'll be a Kennedy Center honor. She sat down with CNN's "NEW DAY" to talk about her new book and the really deep questions that she tries to answer in it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHIRLEY MACLAINE, KENNEDY CENTER HONOREE: With the world in the state it's in and, you know, I've been aware of that for some time. I thought I'd take a little experiment and see what it would be like to sit and basically, I would have to say channel my questions. You know, some great authors have told me when -- in my conversations with them that they don't write their books. Something else writes their book, and I -- that's up my alley, so I want to know what does that mean.

And that's what I did. Last year I sat down and I said OK, just whoever you are, whatever you are, I'm going to -- I want you to write you as me. That's what I did.

MICHAEL PEREIRA, HOST, CNN'S "NEW DAY": And so it is sort of stream of consciousness. If you open the book each page, sometimes it's multi-pages, asking a question, what if, correct? So did they come to you? Did you sort of hear them in your head? Hear them in your gut? Hear them in your heart? MACLAINE: Heard them in my heart, would love to know myself, honestly, where they came from. I think they're good questions. I think they're relevant. I was surprised how they came out.

KATE BOLDUAN, HOST, CNN'S "NEW DAY": Very.

MACLAINE: And I let happen. It's such an experience to sit there and not do it yourself, just let the questions reveal and I don't know where it came from.

BOLDUAN: Did you get any answers after all of these questions that you ask in the book?

MACLAINE: Not really.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN: But I guess that's the point, right? Right.

CHRIS CUOMO, HOST, CNN'S "NEW DAY": It's part of the beauty of it. I mean, look, you know, we're in the interview business so it's always --

BOLDUAN: The one answer.

CUOMO: -- about the art of the question and why do you want the right question because you believe that it's going lead to more thought, the question itself. And that's what you believe, as well, right, that often questions lead to more questions.

MACLAINE: Absolutely.

CUOMO: But more productive thought.

MACLAINE: Right. That's all questions are for. Springboards for more questions. I don't even think I'm interested in answers, to tell you the truth. I'm more interested in questions and the circumference of what that means because each question has a huge implication to it.

PEREIRA: Has it always been that way? Would you say that in your 20s and 30s --

MACLAINE: Absolutely.

PEREIRA: -- you wanted answers?

MACLAINE: No. Since I'm 10.

PEREIRA: Really?

MACLAINE: I've been a mystic since I was 10. I really have.

BOLDUAN: What's the reaction to the book so far?

MACLAINE: People are entertained by it. I don't know what that means.

BOLDUAN: You've been good at doing that for years now.

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: Entertaining and getting people's attention.

MACLAINE: I think the thing I'm most interested in with me and all the things that interest me is how I've navigated the last, what, 14 books? I didn't even remember it was 14 but --

(LAUGHTER)

You know how I -- I don't think people are asking oh, god, she's wacky anymore. I think they're beginning to see, there could be something to this. How can you go through what we're going through in this world economically, weather wise, everything, without asking some of these questions.

CUOMO: I love this.

BOLDUAN: Where do you get the energy to write all of these books?

MACLAINE: I told you, I'm not writing them.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: She's got the universe of spirituality funneling through her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Congrats to Shirley MacLaine on the Kennedy Center Honors tonight among five who will receive.