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Deadly Cyclone Batters Nation of Vanuatu; New Leads in Manhunt for Cop Shooter; Coalition Battles ISIS for Ramadi and Tikrit; New Question about White House Incident; New Russian Threat to the U.S.; Can Police and Citizens Heal Ferguson; Baby Lily Survives Hanging Upside Down in Utah River; New Problems Revealed at L.A. Veterans Hospital; Prince Charles and Wife Camilla Visit America

Aired March 14, 2015 - 13:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The dreaded cameras. Well, tonight those dreaded cameras go inside to let you see the rest of this rare sit-down interview conducted by our own Max Foster.

Don't miss "SPOTLIGHT: CHARLES AND CAMILLA" tonight, 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

We've got so much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM, and it all starts right now.

Happening right now in the NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Looks like an absolute bomb has hit. It is devastating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Packing 150-mile-per-hour winds, Cyclone Pam is churning in the South Pacific. So far at least six people killed and an island nation devastated.

And some who served this country are still not getting timely care at America's V.A. hospitals. CNN's Investigative Unit found many are still waiting months just to see a doctor.

Plus --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go, guys. Come on. Don't get squished. Come on.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here, pass her up, pass her up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Amazing. Trapped for nearly 14 hours in a ravine after a terrible car crash, 18-month-old Lily survives and her entire rescue is caught on camera. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Hello, again, everyone, and thanks so much for joining me, I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We start this hour with destruction in the South Pacific after deadly tropical cyclone Pam struck the island chain nation of Vanuatu. Vanuatu's president has declared a state of emergency and is pleading to the world for help.

And just minutes ago the United Kingdom pledged nearly $3 million in relief. Cyclone Pam is the fourth most powerful storm ever to make landfall. It took direct aim on the capital city of Port Vila, killing at least six people and injuring 20 others. Wind gusts of up to 200 miles per hour tore houses apart and knocked down trees. The Australian Red Cross says shelter, food and water are urgently needed now.

An official with the emergency aid group World Vision told CNN that it looks like a bomb hit Port Vila and some villages are simply decimated.

Earlier I talked with UNICEF's Andrew Parker who is in Vanuatu and witnessed the destruction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW PARKER, ACTING CHIEF, UNICEF: I've seen many emergencies, Fredricka, and many cyclones, typhoons. This is as bad as any. Certainly the situation here is very grim. I would estimate that at least 90 percent, if not more, of all housing and buildings in Port Vila have been heavily affected.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Horrible. Very horrible, situation.

Let's bring in now CNN's Ivan Cabrera with more on this.

So is it likely that the greatest threat from Cyclone Pam is over? Is there another mainland or chain of islands that could be hit?

IVAN CABRERA, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No.

WHITFIELD: In its path?

CABRERA: It's actually moved out of the way here, I think. I think we're now going to move in to what is going to be a long process for the recovery for those folks out there. And let's just bring you up to date on what's going on, a recap here.

Made landfall our time March 13th yesterday, 9:35 a.m. here on the East Coast. So sustained winds at 165 miles per hour. Again, that's the equivalent of category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic basin, which is why we're covering this story. That is the strongest landfall globally, planet-wide since Typhoon Haiyan back 2013 and it is the strongest ever to hit Vanuatu.

And the other reason we're covering this story is because those islands, an island chain nation, is very vulnerable to these storms. We have not had a strong one like this hit them and they are not prepared for this. Some of the villages, some of the pictures that I've been looking at, literally we have people that are living on trees. So I must imagine there are some villages that are just going to be completely wiped out on the back side of this storm now as we take a look at the winds at 150 miles per hour.

Still a formidable storm. So yes, Fredricka, thankfully we've run out of islands right here to deal with. So now it's over open water. As it continues to move on to the southeast. But we do have a land mass now and it's New Zealand. And we're going to watch this closely because it does have a potential to bring some very strong tropical storm-force winds, perhaps even getting to hurricane-force wind gusts in about 48 hours as it heads off to the south. But nowhere near what they're going to have to deal with in Vanuatu over the next several days.

WHITFIELD: Gosh, it's going to be very tough trying to recover for that. And then, of course, finding anyone else who may be injured.

CABRERA: Some of those tiny villages, it is going to be so difficult to get to them.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

CABRERA: And there may not be much left when they get there.

WHITFIELD: Gosh. All right. Ivan Cabrera, thank you so much. Appreciate that.

All right. If you want to help the people of Vanuatu, head to our "Impact Your World" Web site at CNN.com/impact.

And CNN's Bill Weir was just in Vanuatu just weeks ago filming the premier of his show "THE WONDER LIST" and it gave him a very unique perspective of the island nation's people, its beauty and its fragility.

Well, earlier today he told me how difficult it will be for Vanuatu's people to handle this kind of natural disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL WEIR, CNN HOST, THE WONDER LIST: We spent some time in this Yakel village where people live like it is 100 B.C. It's literally grass skirts in the woods, banyan tree houses. And you know, they're perfectly content. They know what the modern world has to offer, but, you know, we're so used to in the West, go to an interior room, get in the bathtub. There are no interior rooms, much less bathtubs. These are hardy folks. They've survived this part of the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Bill weir's new show "THE WONDER LIST" airs tomorrow night at 10:00 right here on CNN, 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

All right, now to our other big story today. The manhunt in Ferguson, Missouri. Authorities say they have new leads in their search for the person or persons responsible for shooting and injuring two officers at the end of a Wednesday night protest outside the Ferguson Police Department.

CNN's Stephanie Elam is in Ferguson with an update on the investigation.

Anything new in their search?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they continue to search for whoever is behind the shooting of those two police officers late Wednesday night, just as the protest was winding down. What they are saying is that this is not a cold case, that they continue to work around the clock. Investigators are looking to find any clues. They've done plenty of interviews and they continue to interview people.

There is a $10,000 reward out there, and they're considering increasing that if they think it will help them get any answers. But as far as where the investigation stands and what they think happened, here's what the chief of the St. Louis County Police Department had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF JON BELMAR, ST. LOUIS COUNTY POLICE: This is really an ambush, is what it is. I mean, you know, you can't see it coming. You don't understand that it's going to happen and you're basically defenseless from the fact that it is happening to you at the time. And that is something that is very difficult to guard against when you have a group of officers standing in a large group, and then, you know, you have gunfire -- certainly gunfire directed at them.

It's a tragedy either way because it undermines everything that everybody is trying to do in this. It really does. Now I won't walk away from the fact that it is not beyond the realm of possibility that having all those officers standing there together and the fact that two of those officers were hit, that these officers weren't targeted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM: And there are people from the community, surrounding communities, coming out to support the police officers, even last night in the driving range, standing outside to say that they are behind the police officers, showing their support from that, as well as people from -- who have been protesting, saying that this is not the way that they want to go about things -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And, Stephanie, is there a feeling there that people think these actions may have undermined any hope they had for moving forward, especially after the most recent DOJ report?

ELAM: Well, that's a huge part of it, is finding out how this community is going to go forward after that DOJ report. And one constant thing that has come up is one of the resignation of the police chiefs of Ferguson. Well, now that's happened. He is going to be departing next week. There is also calls now for the mayor to leave. The mayor saying -- telling our Sara Sidner that he's not going anywhere. He's going to stay here.

And if the people of Ferguson want him to leave, then there are ways to go about that. And we know that some people are saying that they're organizing to make that happen. But others are saying that they just want to continue to see change.

You've seen a lot of people out here protesting throughout the time, since Mike Brown was killed on August 9th. They have been out here, and it's been quiet. And one thing we did see last night as well is some video of law enforcement, folks from law enforcement speaking with people who are out here protesting. And they were having a calm conversation where they perhaps did not agree on everything, but they were sharing ideas back and forth.

And that's something that does happen out here in Ferguson. And it may not get as much of the attention. But still, you can see that the people who are out here protesting, a lot of them do not want to be associated with someone who would hide out in the shadows on a hill and shoot at two police officers.

So you do see these two different ideas out there, and it's very, very clear that people do not support that.

WHITFIELD: Yes. A situation that makes everybody nervous.

Stephanie Elam, thank you so much, in Ferguson.

The U.S.-led coalition led 10 air strikes against ISIS in the last day, and eight of them took place across Iraq and the other two were in Syria. In the strategic city of Tikrit combined Iraqi forces have taken -- have certainly been taking a battle from ISIS fighters. They have managed to take back about 75 percent of the city so far. But not all battles against ISIS are going as well.

CNN's Jomana Karadsheh is in Baghdad right now.

So, Jomana, there is also a fierce battle going on in the nearby city of Ramadi. What is happening there right now?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, according to senior officials, local government officials in Anbar Province, that's to the west of Baghdad. That's Iraq's largest province, predominantly Sunni, and is mostly under the control of ISIS.

Now according to these government officials today, two suicide bombers driving bulldozers attacked a building that is used as an outpost by the Iraqi Security Forces there. It's an eight-story building. They use it really for monitoring and also sniper positions.

And according to the official, what the bombers did was the first attacker detonated the explosives by the concrete barriers, opening the way for the second suicide bomber also driving a bulldozer to strike the building. And according to the senior official we spoke to, it flattened this building. At least two members of the security forces were killed, and five others were wounded.

The concerning thing here for Iraqi officials, Fred, is that this is the fourth consecutive day of attacks that we are seeing taking place in Ramadi. ISIS on Wednesday launched an offensive, a very complex and coordinated attack using multiple suicide car bombs and also more than 150 mortars, also striking the city. And we have seen this taking place yesterday, the day before. More attacks taking place with a focus on Ramadi.

For months now, the group has been trying to capture what remains of Ramadi. Officials that we've spoken to there say that as they come under pressure, as ISIS is under pressure in Tikrit by the Iraqi forces there, it is trying to strike back there. And the strong message there from the group that it is still capable and able carrying out such deadly attacks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: My goodness. All right, Jomana Karadsheh, thank you so much from Baghdad.

All right. Still ahead, the U.S. Secret Service has a new boss, but the latest incident at the White House is calling into question whether anything is changing at the agency.

We'll talk about that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. CNN has learned that some of the details surrounding the latest U.S. Secret Service scandal are now being questioned. Law enforcement continues to investigate what happened at the White House involving two agents. Sources tell CNN allegations about drinking and driving may not be true.

Joe Clancy, the new head of the U.S. Secret Service, is expected to appear on Capitol Hill next week to discuss in part this incident.

Joining me right now from Washington is former CIA operations officer, and a former counterterrorism adviser, Joshua Katz.

All right. Joshua, good to see you. Do you --

JOSHUA KATZ, FORMER COUNTERTERRORISM ADVISER: Nice to see you, too.

WHITFIELD: Do you think that there is a big misunderstanding here or does this have the makings of a cover-up?

KATZ: Well, I think the investigations are going to be ongoing, there are going to be investigations from the Secret Service, DHS. Congress is going to launch its own investigations. So it's really too early to tell. But we do know that there has been a culture of integrity issues, a culture of doing the wrong thing, and at times thinking that they're above the law. So that's why I think --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: For a long time? This culture is deep-rooted or is this a new thing?

KATZ: This is -- this is not a new thing. You know, I think one of the more popular or well-known instances is the Cartagena, Colombia incident. But the incidents have been going on for a while and it's ingrained in the culture. And when I was on the Hill, we talked about this. And I think that, you know, Mr. Chaffetz has a daunting task ahead of him, because the jurisdiction here on the Hill is very, very complicated.

WHITFIELD: So when you say it's in the culture, I'm just trying to understand specifically what. Like, overstepping one's bounds, feeling of, you know, an overabundance of kind of, you know, security in the job, and so whatever goes is fine, or is it a code of silence? What is it that is demonstrative of a culture? What's happening?

KATZ: It's a great question. And I think the answer is very complicated. The answer is all of the above and more. Unfortunately, you know, the -- the very proud men and women at the Secret Service are being overshadowed by a few that really believe that they're above the law, that the rules don't apply to them. That they can basically get away with whatever they want.

And in this instance, whether it turns out to be true or false, I think the new director has a daunting task and really needs to restore that integrity, that honor, back to the core in the Secret Service. That's what the -- you know, the men and women --

WHITFIELD: How would he do that?

KATZ: Well, I think in this case, if this turns out to be true, the director has to be very swift and he has to act very decisively, and the punishment needs to be severe. But he also needs to go throughout the organization and start cleaning house, and make sure that this culture is rooted out and really plucked out of the Secret Service, because at the end of the day, the American public I think is losing trust in their ability to actually protect the president.

WHITFIELD: And then I wonder, you know, that seems pretty daunting. I mean, the cleaning -- clearing house, as you put it, because to be a Secret Service agent, I mean, we're talking about elite forces here. You just don't, you know, advertise we're looking for a few, you know, folks here to fill the gaps, you know, since others have now been asked to leave.

I mean, how difficult is it to replace people? Is it more difficult to remove a culture or change a culture than it is to, you know, have a new rank and file?

KATZ: Well, it's very challenging to replace the culture. I think in this case, the culture that we're talking about, this -- this above the law culture is not throughout the organization. So the organization is not -- we don't need to throw the baby out with the bath water, so to speak. But the director does have a daunting task. And he's got to cut out that cancerous culture. And he does have to start recruiting.

They need to bring in new blood. And they need to be a little bit more transparent, and I think that the director working with both Congress and DHS has an opportunity here to do that and to do that for the sake of protecting the president.

WHITFIELD: Interesting.

All right. Joshua Katz, thanks so much. A pleasure having you.

KATZ: Thank you very much.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still ahead, tensions between Washington and Moscow are at their highest level since the Cold War in the view of many. And now growing concerns about a new Russian cruise missile that officials say could reach the U.S. That's next.

But first, here's this week's "Fit Nation" challenge.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: How important for you is this to do together?

You know, accountability is huge. And I feel like we would hold each other accountable.

We have the same goals. Like, if you don't want to work out one day, and -- but I do, let me help motivate you.

GUPTA: Is this going to be more supporting each other, or is there going to be some friendly competition?

EUGENE SMOOKLER, FIT NATION PARTICIPANT: I'm a little better swimmer, just a little.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's awesome.

SMOOKLER: But -- no, yes, right. You know, I think I really just want to support each other. I just want to make it fun for both of us and help one another.

GUPTA: Your husband. What are you most concerned about?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm concerned for us to stay on track, to make sure we really stick with it. I think having that team support and knowing that four other members are doing it with us, too, that's a pretty cool thing.

GUPTA: Many doubt right now that Joe is going to have a -- any difficulty crossing the finish line?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, you know, I'm concerned because she's had a little back surgery last year, disk bulge. And you know, because she's delivering babies all the time. That's not easy. And I was a little concerned. But she has the strongest work ethic I've ever seen. So I don't doubt at all she'll finish. We may have challenges, but there is no one that can outwork her. So I'm really excited. I know she'll finish.

GUPTA: We're going to cross that finish line together.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That sounds good.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The Cold War may have ended a quarter century ago but tensions between Moscow and Washington have spiked amid Russia's involvement in Ukraine's armed conflict. And now officials warned that Russia's military advancements could pose a threat to the U.S.

CNN's Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Defending against Vladimir Putin's Russian military aggression is about to get harder. The head of NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, warning a new generation of Russian cruise missiles could strike critical military radars and missiles inside the United States.

ADM. WILLIAM GORTNEY, COMMANDER, NORAD: The development of the cruise missiles that they have that have a very long range, that from the Russian -- from eastern Russia they can range critical infrastructure in Alaska and in Canada that we rely on for homeland defense mission.

STARR: This is the missile, the KH-101. It's a nonnuclear, long- range cruise missile now in the final stages of Russian development. Its 2,000 mile plus range gives the Russians the ability to fire from near their own coastline. It's highly precise, flies low, and is difficult to detect.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we don't have the ability to detect it we can't defend against it.

STARR: That means not just Alaska is at risk but even the eastern United States from potential missile launches in the Atlantic.

Russia already doubled its long-range air bomber patrols around U.S. coastlines in the last year. Now 10 a year, more than 100 around Europe, the most flights since the Cold War.

In the last month several U.S. officials publicly sounding warnings.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) ARIZONA: Russia's provocations are only more worrisome in light of Vladimir Putin's intense focus on building up and modernizing Russia's military forces.

STARR: The top U.S. commander in Europe even raising nuclear weapons concerns.

GEN. PHILIP BREEDLOVE, COMMANDER, U.S. EUROPEAN COMMAND: There are those dual use weapon systems that could very easily be nuclear or non-nuclear, and our ability to tell the difference between one and the other is very tough. And this is very worrisome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: That's CNN's Barbara Starr. She tells us NORAD also believes Russia is doing this to see how the U.S. military responds.

In Ferguson, Missouri, tensions are high after the shooting of two police officers. Can police and citizens there come together to heal their town?

We'll talk about that with a retired police detective and a St. Louis alderman.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A slight drop in your mortgage rates this week. Take a look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Hello, again, everyone, and thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

It is day three of the manhunt for the suspect or suspects who shot and wounded two police officers during a protest in Ferguson, Missouri, this week.

It is just the late troubling event in a city deeply scarred by the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager by a white police officer last summer. And this week, the police chief quit and so did the city manager and the top court clerk was fired for sending racist e-mails, and the long-time city judge also stepping down. And there are calls now for the mayor to resign, as well.

So what is the future for policing in Ferguson, Missouri?

Joining us right now, Antonio French, a St. Louis alderman in Ferguson, and joining us via Skype from New Jersey, Tom Verni, a retired detective with the NYPD.

Good to see both of you gentlemen.

TOM VERNI, RETIRED NYPD DETECTIVE: Good afternoon.

WHITFIELD: Can I start with you, Mr. French? The state and county police taking over, protest security in Ferguson. The state has taken over the city court.

What is the feeling right now about what can and should be done to kind of fix so many things there in Ferguson? ANTONIO FRENCH, ST. LOUIS ALDERMAN: Yes. You know, people have their

plates full right now. It is a lot to be done. The resignation of the chief and the city manager were the first steps, a long journey of steps that must be taken. We sincerely hope that the police are successful in tracking down that individual that shot the police officers the other day.

I think that was a potential setback. But what we have seen is that people have stayed focused on trying to repair the system of injustice that was described in the Department of Justice report. And so it's not just a few resignations that people are looking for. It's really a change of a system that exists not just in Ferguson, but in neighboring municipalities, as well.

WHITFIELD: And do you feel like a change in the system means that, say, the Ferguson Police Department would need to be overhauled? The police chief already stepped down. But would there have to be a next step, such as starting anew with all personnel?

FRENCH: Well, I think it's required to have change in leadership. So those folks that were responsible for the culture that is described in the DOJ report, that allowed that culture to fester, they need to go. And so we've seen two resignations of high-ranking officials so far. There may need to be more. But as far as the future of the Ferguson Police Department, that is a decision that the people of Ferguson are going to have to make.

We have some elections coming up in Ferguson in a couple of weeks. Hopefully new voices will be added to the city council. And they'll have to take a hard look at what direction the city wants to take.

WHITFIELD: And Tom Verni, what do you think is needed for our Ferguson Police Department? Is it an issue of an overhaul, and then how hopeful should people be at that juncture? They wouldn't be certain of who would be coming in and what that would mean for the city. Would it promise better -- a better relationship between the community that it would serve?

VERNI: You know, I think the steps that they've already taken are good steps. I mean, I don't think anything less would have been acceptable to the community. So, you know, the chief -- I mean, we talk about this chief had a very long, successful career. And that can't be ignored, either. You know, the DOJ report did, you know, have a number of findings that showed some sort of systemic issue there in Ferguson, which, you know, to what part he played in that, you know, is up for debate.

But now that he is leaving, the new chief coming in is going to have their hands full trying to put that place back together in a more positive and productive light. And that will take a lot of input from the community, as well.

WHITFIELD: And what do you mean by that, the input from the community? Is there promise that community policing could -- I mean, has room for improvement there, particularly in Ferguson?

And how much of the onus is on community, in your view, Tom?

VERNI: Well, I think there's work to be done on both sides. I mean, you clearly have a community that does not trust their local police department, right? And then you have the police, especially in light of the two recent shootings, don't trust the community. So that's -- let's call it what it is. There's a large level of distrust there. So there needs to be a repair of mutual trust between the police and the community and vice versa.

And I think when the community -- when the new chief comes in and some systemic changes are made, maybe improvements in training, I mean, you have policing in that area for quite some time. So I don't know if a complete wipe of the police department is necessary. I think some reforms and procedure need to be potentially made. Some reforms in training, some new and improved training.

WHITFIELD: And --

VERNI: And I think that will start the ball rolling.

WHITFIELD: OK.

VERNI: Maybe some programs, some community relations programs that will get the community more involved with the police would definitely be helpful. That's what we did in New York City over the last couple of decades. And that's -- you know, the crime reduction in New York City is not an accident. You know, the community had a large degree to play with that because of the close relationship that was built with the NYPD.

WHITFIELD: So, Antonio French, real quick then, you know, restoring trust. There's a lack of trust on both sides. So who makes the first move, in your view, on trying to restore trust? The community, or the police department in Ferguson?

FRENCH: Well, I think it's key that the next leader of the police department making the effort, number one, to make the police department more reflective of the community. And so it's unacceptable that you have a 70 percent African-American population but a police department that has almost no African-American officers. That creates a problem. So you should have a department that reflects the community. I think that will help.

It would also help to have a leader that does a much better job than the previous chief of being able to maintain that connection with the community. So there aren't two sides. And that eventually you get to the point where there is one community, not two sides of a community.

WHITFIELD: All right. Antonio French, Tom Verni, thanks to both of you, gentlemen. I appreciate it.

VERNI: You're welcome, thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Straight ahead, police body cameras have been in the news a lot lately in terms of ideas about helping and crime- fighting. But those cameras can also capture something pretty amazing. Like this. Rescue of an 18-month-old little girl. The dramatic images, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Baby Lily, the so-called miracle girl, made national headlines after rescuers found her hanging upside down in a car seat in a submerged car in Spanish Fork, Utah. She had been stuck there in freezing temperatures for 14 hours and now we can see the actual rescue, thanks to a police officer's body camera.

CNN's Shasta Darlington joins us now from New York with more on this.

So, Shasta, this was quite the dramatic rescue indeed with a very happy ending for the baby.

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It really is. It really is, Fredricka. I mean, she was being called the miracle baby, so you get the idea. But when you just watch this video, you hear the urgency in the voices of the rescue workers. You see they didn't give up. And you realize how amazing it truly is that she survived.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DARLINGTON (voice-over): New body cam video from one of the Spanish Fork officers as he rushes to the overturned car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What have you got? What have you got?

DARLINGTON: You can hear their desperation as they try to flip the car. They soon discovered 25-year-old Lynn Jennifer Grossbeck, dead in the driver seat, but they do find a survivor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello.

DARLINGTON: They pull a tiny body from the wreckage and run up the hill.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's definitely hypothermic. She is freezing.

DARLINGTON: Patting her back and willing her to live.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, sweetie.

DARLINGTON: They perform baby CPR and rush her to the hospital. Eighteen-month-old Lily was submerged in the car in the frigid Spanish Fork River in Utah for about 14 hours. She'd survived hanging upside down in freezing temperatures in the upper 20s with no food or water.

BOCK ROYALL, DOCTOR, MOUNT VIEW HOSPITAL: If anything had been different, she might not have made it.

DARLINGTON: Bock Royall was the emergency room doctor who saw Lily when she was rushed in.

ROYALL: You can see just how pale she is, and how cold and stiff her arm is. DARLINGTON: Four days later, baby Lily playing along as her father

sings "Old MacDonald" in the hospital, the best reward possible for those who fought so hard to save her.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DARLINGTON: And you know, there was a time during those rescue efforts when they actually couldn't feel a pulse.

We've talked to the Spanish Fork Police Department since then. And they told us that Lily has now left the hospital. We can see how happy and healthy -- that she is. They visited her, saw for themselves. She is temporarily living with her aunt and uncle.

Just a really happy story, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yes. That is amazing.

All right. Thank you so much, Shasta. Thanks for bringing that us to us. Appreciate it.

All right. Straight ahead, with a new chief at the helm, Veterans Administration hospitals say they have been cleaning up their act. But Drew Griffin found that may not be the case in at least one VA hospital.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. There are new revelations that at least one VA hospital may be failing its patients again. A CNN investigation last year revealed that some veterans were being put on secret waiting lists.

President Obama visited the Phoenix VA Medical Center on Friday, a place where, as you reported, at least 40 veterans died while waiting for appointments. Well, the president went for a status report of sorts, meeting with the new VA secretary, veterans and employees there.

And while much has changed at the VA, CNN's Drew Griffin has uncovered evidence that the VA in Los Angeles is still making veterans wait for their first appointment, hiding wait times and possibly misleading Congress on exactly how long veterans are being forced to wait for care.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's still happening. Thousands of patients at the Greater Los Angeles Veterans Medical Centers have been waiting more than three months, just for an appointment. The detailed evidence comes from the VA's own documents obtained by CNN, and confirmed by medical and administrative sources inside the Greater L.A. VA hospital system.

New patients seeking care are forced to wait the longest, sometimes months to see a doctor. Records show this January 15th, more than 1600 veterans who were new patients were waiting 60 to 90 days for an appointment, another 400 veterans have been waiting up to six months. And the documents provided to CNN show the lengthy wait times are still happening.

All of this comes 10 months after the head of the VA, General Eric Shinseki, was forced to resign because of mismanagement of the exact same issue.

Now listen to what one VA official from Los Angeles told Congress just last month.

REP. DAN BENISHEK (R), MICHIGAN: How long is the average wait time for a new patient at the Greater L.A. Medical Center?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The average wait time for a new patient right now is about four days.

GRIFFIN: That statement is simply not true.

According to these VA documents, and a half dozen doctors and administrators within the hospital who spoke to CNN, the average wait time is 10 times greater. It's not four days. It's 44 days.

The delays are even taking place at the Los Angeles Clinic for Mental Health where documents show more than 300 veterans seeking mental health care have been waiting 30, 60, even 90 days.

Specifically asked about mental health wait time, that same VA official, Dr. Sky MacDougall, told Congress the wait time is no different. She said just four days.

BENISHEK: And is that true for mental health patients as well.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's true for mental health as well.

GRIFFIN: Again, according to VA documents and a half dozen sources interviewed by CNN, that is not true. This chart shows as of March 1st, new mental health patients in Los Angeles are waiting an average 36 days just to get an appointment.

Los Angeles VA officials wouldn't talk to CNN about the discrepancies, instead sent a statement explaining the report given to CNN does not include same-day appointments or in some cases saying week appointments for those veterans who need care quickly. New patients the VA told us typically account for less than 10 percent of all veteran appointments and are not representative of the whole patient population.

The VA also is sticking by its own man, that new vets waited just four days for appointments in January, just eight days in March. The real truth say that doctors and administrators CNN has interviewed is wait times for patients at the Los Angeles VA Medical Centers extends into weeks and months and are a serious problem.

(END VIDEOTAPE) GRIFFIN: What is so disappointing about all of this, Fred, is even after a $16 billion bill that Congress passed and the president signed to try to fix the VA, and even after a lot of the managers responsible at the one out in Phoenix were fired or some of them have resigned, we're still facing the same basic problem. You just can't seem to trust the numbers coming out of the VA bureaucracy. And that is what has now congressional investigators looking into all of this -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Extraordinary. Thank you so much for our Drew Griffin there and his reporting.

Up next a very candid Prince Charles talking about his wife Camilla in an exclusive interview with CNN.

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CHARLES, PRINCE OF WALES: She's, I think, brilliant in the way she's tackled these things.

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WHITFIELD: More on Prince Charles, Camilla, and their trip to America next.

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WHITFIELD: On Tuesday Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, arrived in the United States. And the royal couple planned to meet with President Obama and attend various events in Washington and Louisville, Kentucky.

Their four-day visit comes just a few weeks before their 10th wedding anniversary.

And CNN's Max Foster got an exclusive interview with the prince. And you'll see it in a CNN special airing tonight and he asked how Camilla has handled the spotlight.

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MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: People cannot believe it's been 10 years, and in that time the Duchess of Cornwall has defined her own public role, as well, hasn't she? Is that being a challenge?

PRINCE CHARLES: You can imagine it is a real, a real challenge. But she's I think been brilliant and -- in the way she's tackled these things.

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WHITFIELD: CNN's Max Foster joining us now live from London with a preview of tonight's special.

Good guests there, Max, but I know, you and the prince are like this. So tell me about what did he share in his view of America and his journey right around the corner. FOSTER: Well, it's interesting. I mean, they visited America for the

first time as a couple right after their wedding. And at the time, she was very unpopular. America, like the rest of the world, is in love -- was in love, is in love with Princess Diana. And there was a real issue there. Camilla was the other woman. She faced placards when she visited 10 years ago. Really vicious words in them.

And it wasn't a very pleasant experience for her but somehow over the last 10 years, certainly Brits have warmed to her as she sort of, you know, the spin machine around her. It calmed down and they've allowed her just to be herself.

And I think Prince Charles felt that now was a good time to start talking about his wife. He very rarely talks to anyone, but let alone about personal feelings. And that's what he was doing here. That's the exceptional bit, really. He also looked back at all those other U.S. tours, and he's very, very fond of America.

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PRINCE CHARLES: I must admit a quite a lot of the presidents of the United States.

FOSTER: And quite often those encounters have taken place at the White House. During Charles' tours of the United States.

(On camera): This is a country that you've visited many times officially and privately. It must be a country you're very fond of.

PRINCE CHARLES: I think I've been 20 times or something the last 45 years. And then to share (INAUDIBLE).

FOSTER (voice-over): As Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall prepare for their upcoming four-day tour of the U.S., he granted me an exclusive interview. And he shared memories of past visits.

PRINCE CHARLES: I remember the first time. We were invited to stay, my sister and I, in 1970 at the White House by President Nixon for the weekend. That was quite amusing. That was a time when they were trying to marry me off to Tricia Nixon.

FOSTER: Ten years ago Camilla joined Charles. Their first official overseas visit.

(On camera): In 2005, a first joint overseas tour with your new wife, the Duchess of Cornwall. What are your memories of that visit?

PRINCE CHARLES: I remember we had a very, very jolly time in California, I seem to remember. And they were all so friendly there.