Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl Released After Five Years; Seven Killed in Plane Crash Outside Boston; Donald Sterling to Sue NBA; Cincinnati Archdiocese Wants Morality Clause for Teachers

Aired June 01, 2014 - 17:00   ET

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


RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Randi Kaye in for Don Lemon. Glad you're with us.

We begin with the mission that saved an American's life thanks to a quick and highly secretive plan. U.S. army sergeant Bowe Bergdahl is safe and out of the five-year grasp with his Taliban captors. The U.S. government secured his freedom in exchange for five Taliban members detained at Guantanamo Bay. The five are now in Qatar.

Bergdahl arrived at a medical center in Germany today to be checked out medically and go through an integration process. Defense secretary Chuck Hagel said quick action was needed to free Bergdahl because his health was deteriorating.

Just a short time ago, Bob and Jani Bergdahl spoke to the media from their home state of Idaho, expressing their love and support for their son. They also said they haven't spoken with him yet. We have reporters covering all angles of the story.

Nick Valencia is in the family's hometown of Hailey, Idaho. And Erin McPike is at the White House. But first let's hear from Bowe Bergdahl's parents who spoke just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANI BERGDAHL, BOWE BERGDAHL'S MOTHER: I love you, Bowe. I'm so very proud of you. And, of course, all of your very large family would also like me to tell you that they love you also and are also very proud of you.

We've been working very, very hard for your release these last five years along with the whole of our government, even other governments, and most especially, of course, Qatar. Never losing hope in you or for you.

Right now so many people are in place to assist you in all the aspects of your recovery to full health. Trust them. It's OK. And give yourself all of the time you need to recover and decompress. There is no hurry. You have your life ahead of you. We continue in our minute-by-minute prayers for you as you go through this healing process, and we praise God for your freedom.

BOB BERGDAHL, BOWE BERGDAHL'S FATHER: We're talking like this because we haven't talked to Bowe yet. We haven't called him on the phone, although you all know we have the capability to do that with satellite technology. There's reason for that, and that's because Bowe has been gone so long that it's going to be very difficult to come back. It's like a diver going deep on a dive and has to stage back up through recompression to get the nitrogen bubbles out of his system. If he comes up too fast, it could kill him. And we're pretty resilient. Jani pointed out, Bowe is still very resilient. He's passed through all the checkpoints with flying colors. But this is very well organized.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Let's move about 150 miles east of Boise where that news conference took place to where a bigger celebration is happening. Nick Valencia is on the road in Hailey, Idaho, today. Nick, tell me what's happening there.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This community is overjoyed. I think that's the understatement of the year, Randi. When I came here, when I first got here, our crew drove down main street. And you could see yellow ribbons on every single tree lining main street. Signs in every window of the local businesses here. Just so happy, mission accomplished, read one of those signs. We're in front of Zaney's coffee house. This is where U.S. army sergeant Bowe Bergdahl worked for two years on and off and between his big outdoor trips. He has a big outdoor's man.

I want to bring in Sue Martin. Sue was Bergdahl's boss and also a friend, close friend of him and the family. Sue, what's this day like for you?

SUE MARTIN, OWNER, ZANEY'S COFFEE SHOP: It's a wonderful day. As well as yesterday. They're all good days from here on out.

VALENCIA: Were you when you heard the news?

MARTIN: I was traveling to take my grandkids fishing, two of my grandkids fishing for the first time. And I got a call from my daughter. She said you might want to turn around and come home and hear the good news.

VALENCIA: Tell me about Bowe. Give a sense to our viewers at home what kind of person Bowe is.

MARTIN: He's a compassionate person. He's a man with an intro perspective air to him. He's enjoyable. He's pleasant. All of my customers just adored him when he worked here. And I have gotten all good reports about Bowe. Everybody liked him. All of the employees liked him. We were all close friends.

VALENCIA: What are you going to say to him when he comes back?

MARTIN: Well done.

VALENCIA: Thank you so much, Sue.

I also want to bring in Stephanie O'Neill. She was one of the main co-organizers of the bring Bowe back.

You guys committed for a handful of years of really keeping this story in the media. What's this all like for you to hear this great news?

STEPHANIE O'NEILL, NEIGHBOR, FAMILY FRIEND: It's absolutely overwhelming. It is the best news of my lifetime and one of the happiest days of my life except when my kids were born.

VALENCIA: Was there ever a period -- I know that the parents talked about just how difficult this process will be for him to come back and really just how difficult it was for them throughout these years, not knowing his whereabouts. Was there ever a moment, Stephanie, that you guys gave up hope? Tell us about that.

O'NEILL: I think as a community, we had our ups and downs, as did the rest of the country. There were times where we wondered, but Jani and Bob Bergdahl never once gave up faith their son was coming home to them. They knew. It was never if Bowe comes home. It was when Bowe comes home.

VALENCIA: You guys got that news that you had all been waiting for, Stephanie and Sue martin, thank you for joining c CNN.

Randi, you can tell, there is so much happiness here. Lots of tears of joy, excitement for news this community of about 7,000 people, Bowe Bergdahl's hometown, news that they've all been waiting for -- Randi.

KAYE: Yes. A lot of determination over the years and finally some relief.

Nick Valencia, thank you.

And now to the White House where President Obama met with Bowe Bergdahl's parents yesterday, just hours after informing them by phone that their son was to be released. The president had high praise for the diplomats and special ops forces that worked to free sergeant Bergdahl. And today members of the president's staff faced questions about who made those decisions.

Erin McPike is at the White House for us today.

Erin, there's lots of voices in Washington today critical of the deal made to free that U.S. soldier. What are they saying?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN GENERAL ASSIGNMENT CORRESPONDENT: Randi, Republicans are starting to haring the administration for, quote, "negotiating with terrorists." National security adviser Susan Rice was on "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley earlier this morning, and Candy asked her that question directly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN RICE, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: We negotiated the with the government of Qatar to who we owe a great debt. But the point is, he was being held by the Taliban. We had an opportunity to bring him back. He's back safely in the hands of the United States and that's a great thing.

When we are in battles with terrorists and terrorists take an American prisoner, that prisoner is still a U.S. servicemen or woman. We still have a sacred obligation to bring that person back. We did so. And that's what's to be celebrated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCPIKE: But the concern is that it sets up a bad precedent. And is it going to encourage terrorists to take more American hostages? Well, defense secretary Chuck Hagel was on "MEET THE PRESS" this morning, and here's how he responded to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHUCK HAGEL, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Well, first of all, we didn't negotiate with terrorists. As I said and explained before, sergeant Bergdahl is a prisoner of war. That's a normal process in getting your prisoners back, that's first.

Second, as to your bigger question, we are dealing with terrorism and hostage taking all the time everywhere. I think America's record is pretty clear on going after terrorists, especially those who take hostages. And I don't think what we did in getting our prisoner of war released in any way would somehow encourage terrorists to take our American service men, prisoner or hostage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCPIKE: Now, President Obama is traveling overseas this week. He'll be in Europe. And generally when he travels abroad, he does do some press conferences. So we may hear directly from him again this week. He may be taking questions, and I am certain that this will come up for him then, Randi.

KAYE: Erin McPike, thank you for the update there from the White House.

Members of Congress are reacting to the release of five Taliban detainees from Guantanamo Bay, and many of them are not happy. We'll hear from some of them.

But first, who exactly are the Gitmo five who are now free? A closer look at their resumes and the new risk they could pose to the U.S. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: This sounds like a list of bureaucrats. A former interior minister, former governor, former army chief of staff, a former intelligence officer and a former chief of communications. They're all members of the Taliban in Afghanistan and were traded in exchange for Bowe Bergdahl. They are seen here in the photos obtained by Wikileaks that matched the names released by the defense department.

Now, U.S. lawmakers are demanding more details about their release. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: It is disturbing that these individuals would have the ability to reenter the fight, and they are big, high-level people, possibly responsible for the deaths of thousands.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The deaths of thousands?

MCCAIN: Absolutely. One of them was a chief intelligence person who they killed a lot of Shiite Muslims. They are -- these are really the toughest of the tough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

The Qatari government has assured the U.S. that measures will be put in place to protect national security. Let's take a closer look now at who these five men are.

CNN's Tim Lister reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TIM LISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These photographs posted by a Taliban spokesman purportedly show the five Guantanamo detainees arriving in Qatar. They've all been held by the U.S. for more than a decade after being captured in Afghanistan or Pakistan during the invasion that ended Taliban rule.

Khirullah Said Wali Khairkhwa is possibly the most important, a former interior minister alleged to have been associated with Osama bin Laden.

Mullah Mohammad Fazl was the Afghan army's chief of staff. The U.N. accused him of being involved in a massacre of thousands of Shiites during the Taliban's rule.

Number three is Mullah Norullah Noori. He was governor of two Afghan provinces but always claimed he was not a senior Taliban official.

U.S. intelligence allege that Abdul Haq Wasiq is the number two in the Taliban's intelligence apparatus with links to Al Qaeda. He always denied that.

And finally, there's Mohammad Nabi Omari. According to his Guantanamo reviews, he also had links to Al Qaeda, but he claimed he had actually helped the U.S. to try to track down the Taliban's shadowy leader, Mullah Omar.

Two years ago, then director of national intelligence James Clapper told Congress all five had been assessed as both too dangerous to release and too difficult to put on trial.

JAMES CLAPPER, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: I don't think anyone harbors any illusions about these five Taliban members and what they might do if they were transferred. LISTER: But even then, the Obama administration was considering a halfway house in Qatar for the five as part of a deal that might bring the Taliban to peace talks.

Tim Lister, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Let's bring in CNN national security analyst Bob Baer. He is also a former CIA operative.

So Bob, why does the Taliban want these five men freed so badly?

ROBERT BAER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, Randi, the key leadership of the Taliban, they're from the old Taliban. They played a major role in the takeover of the government in the '90s. They are key figures. But I think at the same time, what we have to realize is they don't have American blood on their hands. Yes, I'm sure they had some association with Al Qaeda, but there's no evidence they participated in the attacks on 9/11 or any other major attacks.

KAYE: The U.S. government seems to be putting a whole lot of faith in Qatar. I mean, how will that nation monitor these guys, and what security measures are we really talking about here?

BAER: You know, I think this is very much a fake lead, they'll go to Qatar. They will spend, you know, I wouldn't say house arrest, but they'll spend some time there before they go back to Afghanistan. You know, can we be assured that they won't leave and go back to Afghanistan? No. But keep in mind, these five men are not fighters. The Haqqani network, the ones that had Bowe Bergdahl, is much more important and still very active. I just don't see any direct relations that we'll have more battlefield casualties if these guys are released.

KAYE: So all the concern that they would rejoin the fight with the Taliban, I mean, what do you think the likelihood of that is?

BAER: Well, first of all, they're too old to go out in the field, you know, basically. I just don't see them as that much of a threat. They're not going to reenergize the Taliban. It's not going to change the political equation in Afghanistan. They're just not that important for the current fight.

KAYE: Already, though, I read today that the Afghan foreign ministry is already saying that it was illegal for this whole negotiation to happen and to send these guys to Qatar and that they belong in Afghanistan. What do you make of that?

BAER: Well, I think the Afghan government was very much undercut in this. And this is what they're so angry about, especially the current leadership. And, you know, should they be? Yes, I suppose so. But the point is, this country is going to come to some sort of settlement, and our main interest now is that Al Qaeda or Al Qaeda- like organization does not reappear there again. And if it means opening channels to the moderate Taliban, I just don't see a choice. KAYE: Do you think the U.S. could have done or should have done anything differently in terms of going in and getting Bowe Bergdahl?

BAER: The American intelligence didn't know where it was precisely. Yes, there was some reporting he was in such a compound, but they didn't know where, and they couldn't launch a rescue mission. And plus he was being held in Pakistan with almost 100 percent certainty. It would have been too risky. No, they did the best they could.

KAYE: So was this the only way, and do you think they handled it well?

BAER: I think they handled it well. I don't see a problem. He's a prisoner of war. We're fighting a war in that country. And I think by classifying these people as simple terrorists, you could never talk to them directly or indirectly. You're really cutting off your options. Sometimes you do have to make compromises. And this is one that's acceptable.

KAYE: Bob Baer, appreciate your expertise, as always. Thank you.

Strong words from one member of Congress on CNN, reacting to the release of five Taliban members detained at Guantanamo Bay. You'll hear from him coming up.

But first, we're talking about protecting your privacy, and the odds are pretty high that you have been hacked.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Today marks the launch of the new CNN money and one of the hot topics they'll be focusing on is hackers. Millions of Americans have their personal information exposed d every year. A new tally says as many as half of all U.S. adults have been hit with this.

Let me bring in CNN tech correspondent Laurie Segall. So how exactly are the hackers getting our information?

LAURIE SEGALL, CNN MONEY TECHNOLOGY REPORTER: Unfortunately, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it's getting easier and easier because much of what we do is online. We're shopping online, we're sharing more of our information on social networks. And what we've seen as CNN Money, in general, is hackers are just getting smarter. And they're collectively organizing. And so that's why we want to focus on cybersecurity and putting out this information out there.

And one story we're going to have coming up this week is a hacker who was actually able to hack a traffic light. I kid you not. Check this out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CESAR CERRUDO, IOACTIVE: So I just press this button. I shall start sending fake data. Here you can see in the detections column, there's a number that's increasing. That's the amount of cars. They are supposed to be detecting. SEGALL: So essentially you can make a traffic light believe that there are more people on the ground and potentially change to one color or another color because of that?

CERRUDO: Right. It's like in one direction, there is more traffic. So we put the green light faster in that direction and stay green more time, for instance.

SEGALL: This is all it takes to stop traffic?

CERRUDO: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEGALL: As you mentioned, he was showing this kind of right outside the capitol building. So, this is obviously an important story and we have that coming. And another one, think about --

KAYE: I'm still amazed by that. Was it just for fun? I mean --

SEGALL: What they want to do is shed light on this. And they want to make positive changes. You know, they don't want to put this out in a bad way. Another security guy that is doing that. He is also a security researcher, but he took a look at what we do on our phone. We do so much. We browse all types to that. And we unknowingly share a lot of information, even with permission that we don't realize. He took all of that information and he put it together into a very crazy scary profile called stalker. Check this out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEGALL: So in ten minutes, you can create almost a digital profile of personal information I unknowingly shared using my phone.

ALEX MCGEORGE, SENIOR SECURITY RESEARCHER, IMMUNITY INC.: Exactly right. And I think people don't necessarily realize all the stuff that goes on, all the little bits and pieces of it. And the reason that we're able to do this is because you and I are sharing the same network.

We got your profile photo, right? We can see you're Sally Jones. Sally stick figure. We also got your name as Sally Jones. We were able to tell that you're a 24-year-old female. We were able to grab the address that you're at. We're able to see some of the different applications that you are using. So we can see you're using Pandora. We can see you're using Instagram. There's Amazon one in there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEGALL: You know, obviously, that's very scary. And I really should emphasize that these guys are doing this to show the vulnerabilities so we can learn how to protect ourselves. And we are going to have that rolling out this week as part of our (INAUDIBLE).

KAYE: And from what I understand, I mean, you can't -- you're not just getting hacked out in the public, right? I mean, they're getting, they are reaching you in your own home.

SEGALL: So this is where things get very scary. You know, the whole connected home has been a theme for the last year or so where we could control our homes with our smartphone and unlock the doors. Well, you know, we went to a hacker conference where they were saying hey, this is a really cool trend, but guess what. We're not being secure about it. And they had a very scary example of how. Check this out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL CROWLEY, SECURITY RESEARCHER, TRUSTWAVE: I can tell it, please unlock the door.

SEGALL: And you just did that in a click.

CROWLEY: That's right.

SEGALL: What are you doing that enables you from afar to break into this and unlock this?

CROWLEY: I can send commands to this that don't require using any password. I can actually run code on the Vera light and compromise it, just set up a back door or control any device hooked up to it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEGALL: It's pretty scary when you think about the fact that hey, we can unlock our doors with our smart phones. And then you have a hacker show, hey, I can unlock that door.

KAYE: I can do that, too.

SEGALL: That's increasingly important because coming out tomorrow Apple might be announcing home automation software. So this is something that could be in the news. I'm going to have more on that in the next hour.

KAYE: I'm sure they'll be looking very closely at security at this point now.

SEGALL: Absolutely.

KAYE: All right, Laurie, thank you very much. We'll see you next hour.

And while you wait for that story, be sure to check out the new and improved CNNmoney.com online and on your mobile device. CNN money brings you the best coverage of the money news that matters most to you.

A big financial player in the northeast among seven people killed last night in a plane crash outside Boston. Lewis Katz, a philanthropist and former owner of the New Jersey Nets and New Jersey Devils was among those on board the private plane which crashed on takeoff.

Just days ago, Katz struck a deal to buy "the Philadelphia Inquirer" and "the Philadelphia Daily News." Federal investigators say it appears the plane went down an embankment, then burst into flames. Witnesses say the impact shook nearby homes.

Turning to another tragedy, six people attempting to climb Mt. Rainier in Washington state are missing and feared dead. A park official says four hikers and two guides are believed to have fallen on Wednesday with no real chance of survival. The group set out on Monday and failed to return Friday. At last contact Wednesday, guides indicated bad weather was moving in. Tents and equipment have been found, and an air search is continuing. A ground search is considered just too dangerous.

The parents of freed American army sergeant Bowe Bergdahl back in their home state and sharing their joy this afternoon. We'll hear from them.

And members of Congress reacting to the Obama administration, trading five Taliban members for Bergdahl's release and a number of them, not so happy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Bowe Bergdahl, the American soldier whisked to freedom after five years of captivity in Afghanistan has a long recovery ahead of him. That's according to the army sergeant's father. Bergdahl is at a military hospital in Germany. Yesterday he was handed over to U.S. special forces in Afghanistan. Bergdahl still has not spoken to his parents. But back home in Idaho, his mother had some emotional words for her son.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J. BERGDAHL: Five years is a seemingly endless long time, but you've made it. I imagine you are more patient and compassionate than ever. You are free. Freedom is yours. I will see you soon, my beloved son. I love you, Bowe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Sergeant Bergdahl was freed yesterday in exchange for five Taliban detainees. They're seen here being greeted with hugs in Qatar. Under the deal the detainees have to remain in Qatar for one year.

Washington is enjoying a rare moment of agreement, bipartisan relief that the last American held captive in Afghanistan has been released. But the way his release was secured has already sparked plenty of inside-the-beltway debate. House intelligence committee chairman Mike Rogers was on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION," and he told our Candy Crowley that this deal could put Americans at risk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE ROGERS (R), CHAIRMAN, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: The methodology in what we used is very troublesome. Remember, Al Qaeda -- CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: And by methodology, you mean?

ROGERS; Negotiating with terrorists. Remember, he was held by a terrorist group in another country, Pakistan. We know that to be true. Across northern Africa, the number one way that Al Qaeda raises money is by ransom. Kidnapping and ransom. We have now set a price. So we have a changing footprint in Afghanistan which would put our soldiers at risk for this notion that if I can get one, I can get five Taliban released.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: I want to bring in our chief congressional correspondent, Dana Bash.

Dana, not only are critics saying Americans are now at risk, some are even calling this deal illegal. Tell us more about that.

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And they're calling it that because there is deep concern, frustration and downright anger among some members of congress, particularly Republicans, and Republicans who are in control in the house, that the administration didn't follow the rule of law, the letter of the law, which says that Congress has to come -- excuse me, that the president has to come to Congress 30 days in writing before that they release any detainees from Guantanamo Bay. And I actually spoke with the man who is in charge of the oversight committee of the Pentagon, Buck McKeon, house armed services chairman, about that earlier today. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. BUCK MCKEON (R), CALIFORNIA: The law states that before anyone can be released from Guantanamo, Congress should be notified at least 30 days before. You know, they're trying to parse words here and say that, well, they did let us know that something might happen. They're not following the law. They know they're not following the law. It's been a day now, and they still haven't told us details or anything that are going on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: And I pressed him on that, Randi. I said, you mean you still have not heard from the defense secretary? He hasn't picked up the phone and called you? Again, this is a man who is the chairman of the house armed services committee. He said no, they have not spoken.

There was some staff-level discussion which allows the White House to say that they did give Congress information, but they still don't have the details of how this went down. And most importantly, from the point of view of many in Congress, the assurances that the American government got by way of the Qatari government that these five detainees coming out of Guantanamo are not going to return to the battlefield, in the words of many members of Congress any time soon. KAYE: And Dana, in the past, Republicans have accused President Obama of sort of cherry-picking laws, that he will and will not enforce. I mean, is this argument going to resonate with Americans, or do the ends justify the means when it comes to bringing home an American held captive for almost five years now?

BASH: It's such a great question, and it's not clear what the answer is yet. Because you are seeing even those Republicans who are being really outspoken about their concern of how this went down, as you heard from Mike Rogers say to Candy, negotiating with terrorists from their perspective.

At the same time, they understand the credo of the United States, particularly the military, which is don't leave anybody behind. And they also, I'm sure, watched as we did the parents of Bowe Bergdahl, talking with such emotion about the fact that finally, their son, after five years, is going to come home.

Look, this is such a hard, hard issue. I spoke earlier today with the former U.S. ambassador from Israel to the United States because Israel is a democracy and, of course, which has terrorist acts on its land all the time. And they have had to struggle with this issue. And they have some famous cases negotiated with terrorists. They released over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners to get one of their soldiers back. So there's no cut and dried answer. It's not black and white. And it is something that is going to be debated for a very long time.

KAYE: Yes, we are hear a lot of "we're glad he's been released, but." So I'm sure we'll hear that for a while.

Dana bash, nice to see you. Thank you.

BASH: You, too, Randi.

KAYE: Coming up, teachers who can be fired for having in vitro fertilization treatments. At one school, that's just one of the house rules.

But first, a friend takes our Anthony Bourdain along to one of his favorite family-owned restaurants in Thailand. They find the answer to "where's the beef" in this week's "PARTS UNKNOWN."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY BOURDAIN, CNN HOST, PARTS UNKNOWN: It wouldn't look like that if they pounded it before they cooked it.

That's good. Chewy. Chewy. Still chewy. Still chewing.

And because Andy is a VIP and potential future son-in-law, dad sporting his 40 amulets of protection brings out the chef's specialty, a bitter soup with buffalo (INAUDIBLE).

That doesn't sound good. Right away.

Are you getting some of that heat? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

BOURDAIN: You know, we talked about once you experience some of the sensory pleasures of the east, your previous life just isn't adequate anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Tune in to see more of this spicy adventure on "Anthony Bourdain PARTS UNKNOWN" at 9:00 eastern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: In today's "HUMAN FACTOR," CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the story of one country music singer fighting to overcome multiple sclerosis and continue singing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DOCTOR SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nowhere does country singer Julie Roberts look more at home than on stage, performing for her fans.

JULIE ROBERTS, COUNTRY SINGER: I decided at a young age I wanted to be a singer like Barbara Mandrell. And I would pray every night when I was a little girl that I would get a record deal.

GUPTA: During college in Nashville, Roberts interned at Mercury Records. When she graduated, she was offered a job as a receptionist. Eventually becoming the assistant to chairman Luke Lewis. A demo without Roberts' name on it found its way to Lewis' desk. And her days of answering the phones were over. She got to work on her first record.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please welcome Julie Roberts!

GUPTA: CMT was there in the moment when Roberts' first single debuted on the radio. Roberts' album went gold. She was living the dream. And then one night on stage, a nightmare.

ROBERTS: The first time that I knew something wasn't right with my health, I was on stage.

GUPTA: Roberts kept on singing, but she knew something wasn't right. A few tests led to a quick diagnosis. Multiple sclerosis.

ROBERTS: And I was so afraid that I would all would be taken away from me if I told the world I had M.S.

GUPTA: Fortunately that hasn't happened. And these days, Roberts manages around that with three shots a week, plus a healthy diet and plenty of exercise.

ROBERTS: I will never miss a show because of this and I will never miss a show because of M.S. This is what I'm supposed to do. It's what I love. GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Next hour, get a jump on the top medical news you'll hear about this week including a closer look at this question. Could your birth control kill you? Don't miss a preview of my special investigation in the next hour of NEWSROOM.

It looks like the L.A. Clippers are about to be sold, but the drama surrounding the team and owner Donald sterling far from over. We'll talk about what's happening now next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Morgan Spurlock looks at income inequality in tonight's "INSIDE MAN." He talked with our Don Lemon about his trip to New Orleans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: Some conservatives, not all, sort of think income equality is a talking point for the left. But it's real.

MORGAN SPURLOCK, CNN HOST, INSIDE MAN: I think it's real. It's like you can say that these people, just get another job. That's the answer. But that's not the answer. You know, there was a time when, you know, people used to be able to get middle-class jobs, take care of their families, save some money, buy a house, send their kids to college. All these jobs that we have been away with.

Now, granted, some of those manufacturing jobs have been shipped overseas. There's also been real massive union busting in the United States that's been done basically to on, bring back quote-unquote, "the idea of a free market" but also to limit what they have to pay employees.

LEMON: Did you know this before you did the story or did you go into it seeing where it takes you?

SPURLOCK: No. We go into all of our stories seeing where it takes us, you know. And so we go in saying I'm going to go in. We are going to start working with this groups of people, see what we can learn, and you make discoveries along the way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Be sure to catch Morgan Spurlock "INSIDE MAN" tonight at 10:00 eastern.

Donald Sterling's estranged wife has reached a deal to sell the L.A. Clippers for the unheard-of-price of $2 billion. But Donald Sterling plans to go down fighting. He's suing the NBA over a billion dollars over its decision to ban him for life and to force the team's sale. So what happens next?

Well, let's ask Terrence Moore, sports contributor to CNN.com and a columnist for mlb.com.

Terrence, nice to see you.

TERRENCE MOORE, SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR, CNN.COM: Thank you.

KAYE: So Sterling the suing the league, but one of his lawyers has told the NBA that he's agreed to the sale of his interest in the team. Is this deal going to happen, do you think?

MOORE: You know it, Randi. Everybody knows this is a done deal except for one person -- Donald Sterling! And Donald Sterling reminds me of that Japanese guy in the Philippines who didn't realize till 30 years later that World War II was over and that guy just died in January, by the way.

But you talk about Donald Sterling's lawyer. Deep down inside even Donald Sterling's lawyer realizes that that lawsuit they filed against the NBA for a billion dollars was frivolous. Because I mentioned this before. When you become an NBA owner it is similar to being an owner of any professional sports team in any league, it's like joining the royal order of buffaloes. You go by their rules. And their rules don't necessarily have to gibe with the U.S. judicial system. And surely, Donald still don't realized this when he looked at the paperwork back in 1981 when he signed the contract to buy the Clippers.

The other quick thing her as you talk about whether or not this is a done deal or not, if you're the NBA and you've got Steve Ballmer offering you $2 billion in cash, I think it's a done deal.

KAYE: Yes. They're going to make sure this one goes through. And speaking of that, though, so he's offering $2 billion for the Clippers. I mean, Donald Sterling paid what, like 12 million or something. I mean, is the team really worth as much as Ballmer is offering?

MOORE: Well, I was an economics major back at (INAUDIBLE), Ohio. And one of the first things they taught us in macro 101 is supply and demand. When you've got everybody from former NBA stars to Oprah Winfrey wanting to buy the Clippers, it will jack up the price, all right? Then you talk about the second biggest media market in the United States along with a franchise that in two years, the TV deal is going to be up, that's going to be more pennies.

And here is the big thing. This is a very attractive team. It is led by Chris Paul who is now in great on the court but off the court with these commercials. When you look at it you can almost make the case that Steve Ballmer is getting a steal.

KAYE: All right. So, let's talk about the real game. So, San Antonio win last night set for rematch with the Miami Heat. The Heat are headed for the finals for the fourth straight year. Certainly on the shoulders of Lebron James. I mean, can we now say that Lebron's once infamous decision to, in his words, take his talent to south beach, has been vindicated?

MOORE: Let me think about that. No. All right? You're referring to the decision, OK, that made-for-television silliness.

Let's go back in time here, OK? After the decision, there's a press conference. His first press conference, Lebron says when he's asked about how many championships Miami's going to win, he says not one, not two, not three, not four, he kept going right down the line. Well, if my math is correct, if they beat San Antonio again, this would only be number three. He's got a long way to go to get off the hook.

KAYE: By the way, though, what was the deal with the pacers player who kept trying to annoy Lebron. That strategy seemed to backfire, didn't it?

MOORE: Yes. You talk about Lance Stephenson of the Indiana Pacers. And you know, I tell you. Every time Stephenson took the court during the series, you thought you would see elephants and clowns and big top. This is ridiculous. And it is not to say that Stephenson is antics cost Indiana the playoff series because Miami is simply the better team, but it went a long way toward that.

And Stephenson is a very talented player and he's up for free agency right now. But I tell you, the odds of him coming back playing for Larry Bird, the straight-laced Larry Bird and the Indiana Pacers are pretty close to zero.

KAYE: All right, Terence Moore, we'll leave it there. Thank you very much. Nice to see you.

MOORE: Thank you.

KAYE: Up next, if you're a teacher at a catholic school in Cincinnati, you can't voice support for gay marriage even if you're not catholic. The so-called morality clause on steroids has some teachers pretty upset.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Should catholic school teachers be allowed to have sex outside of marriage? Or what about simply voicing support for abortion right ors gay and lesbian issues? In Cincinnati the archdiocese is trying to force teachers to sign a strict morality clause banning such behavior, but some teachers are fighting back.

CNN's Susan Candiotti has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Molly Shumate loves teaching first graders at the same Cincinnati area catholic school where she and her two sons attended.

MOLLY SHUMATE, LEAVING JOB IN CATHOLIC SCHOOL: Being a catholic teacher, you know, you're not in it for the money, most definitely.

CANDIOTTI: But a newly revised morality clause in next year's contract, covering 2200 teacher in Greater Cincinnati is throwing teachers for a loop, including Shumate. She's walking away from her dream job after 14 years.

SHUMATE: It's sad, and my spirit is broken.

CANDIOTTI: The new contract now has a litany of "thou shall nots" including no sex outside marriage, no in vitro fertilization, no remarriage without an annulment, no homosexual lifestyle, and no public support of any of those. For Shumate, that homosexual ban is a slap in the face. Her son Zach is gay.

SHUMATE: This isn't the religion that I was raised with telling me that I can't support my son.

Re CANDIOTTI: When the archdiocese says this doesn't mean that any relationships should be severed within one's family --

SHUMATE: I don't believe that. You know, I don't think you can separate the two.

CANDIOTTI: There have been protest rallies and billboards asking would Pope Francis sign the new catholic teacher contract?

43-year veteran language teacher Roger Rosen did sign but held his nose.

ROGER ROSEN, CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER: I signed it because I'm cowardly and I like to be able to have a check at the end of the week. Isn't that terrible?

CANDIOTTI: There's also worry that students will suffer.

TIM GARRY, PARENT, ATTORNEY: The students cannot feel comfortable coming out, if you will, to teachers, even trusted teachers, and that's a shame.

CANDIOTTI: What's behind the so-called morality clause on steroids? Mainly an increasing number of teacher lawsuits. Last year in Cincinnati, a federal jury ordered the archdiocese to pay this unmarried teacher $170,000 after she was fired for using in vitro fertilization.

We asked the archbishop to meet with us and explain the new contract. Ask him some of the same questions that teachers and their supporters have been asking us, but through his representative, he said no. And instead gave us a copy of an open letter written by his school superintendent.

It states in part, the contract is not an excuse for some type of witch hunt but merely a clearer verbalization of what it means to be a Catholic school teacher. But at what cause?

FATHER BERNARD BECK, CNN RELIGIOUS COMMENTATOR: The direction that Pope Francis is moving our church is against these divisive social issues. And so, it is interesting that there are certain diocese that seem to be going in the opposite direction.

CANDIOTTI: For Molly Shumate, enough is enough. SHUMATE: Thank you for standing up for your son.

CANDIOTTI: After supporting her son, Shumate is getting support from others.

SHUMATE: I know in my heart I'm doing the right thing.

CANDIOTTI: Praying her diocese will have a change of heart.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, Cincinnati.

(END VIDEOTAPE)