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One Killed, One Injured in Attack on Police; Ray Rice's Fall from Grace; Interview with Stanley McChrystal; Obama's Plan to Defeat ISIS; Interview with Yamma Brown; Getting Ready for Triathlon

Aired September 13, 2014 - 13:00   ET

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

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Thanks so much for joining us this afternoon. I'm Deborah Feyerick and here are the big stories we're following in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Any moment, police are set to release new information about two state troopers gunned down in an ambush. One trooper is dead, the other shot, in stable condition. A massive manhunt underway.

And who else is going to help America destroy ISIS? Secretary of State John Kerry pushing for international support this morning in Cairo.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: The bottom line is that terrorists like ISIL have no place in the modern world. But it's up to the world to enforce that truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Plus, some fans say NFL star Ray Rice deserves a second chance. But a lot of women disagree. One woman who knows a thing or two about domestic violence is James Brown's daughter. That famous musician. She was a victim. She joins me this hour.

And we start this hour with an urgent manhunt in Pennsylvania, for whoever ambushed two state troopers late last night. One trooper was shot and killed, another was wounded. Police say that they're searching for a suspect or suspects, they're not quite sure now. They do not have a description yet. They do say that the attack was directed at Pennsylvania State Police.

Joining us now is CNN's Nick Valencia. And on the phone is CNN law enforcement analyst, Tom Fuentes.

Nick, let's start with you. First of all, is there any indication that there were surveillance cameras outside of this police barracks?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That question was asked at a press conference earlier this morning. But the head of the police department unwilling to comment on that. We know right now interviews are ongoing surrounding the case, no arrests have been made, but police continuing to search for the suspect or suspects surrounding the shooting. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA (voice-over): The manhunt is on for a cop killer.

FRANK NOONAN, PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE COMMISSIONER: The individual who perpetrated this heinous crime is still at large. We do not have a description or any real information on their identity.

VALENCIA: Whoever it was, the person or persons shot and killed one Pennsylvania State Trooper and injured another. In an ambush on state police barracks overnight. The shooting occurred around 11:00 p.m., about 35 miles outside of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Investigators say they're following a number of leads, but do not have a motive. The names of the troopers have not been released. The injured officer was hospitalized. Doctors overnight performed emergency surgery and he remains in stable condition.

NOONAN: This attack seems to be directed, particularly at the Pennsylvania State Police. And we are putting every resource available to the Pennsylvania State Police or law enforcement in Pennsylvania, in action.

VALENCIA: And it's not just Pennsylvania officers involved in the search. Hundreds of officers from multiple agencies, including New York and New Jersey, are involved in the hunt. On the ground and in the air.

NOONAN: We're all so focused on our investigation, I'm sure that this is going to be a very difficult time for them as it is going to be for all of us, when we're done working, to get this terrible crime solved.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA: The massive manhunt underway in that rural area. There is no shelter in place order. So far the police tell the public and the media that they don't believe there is an ongoing threat to the public. But they do believe that these officers were targeted. They didn't elaborate on why they thought those officers were targeted.

And last hour, Deb, we got a statement from the governor of Pennsylvania. I want to read part of that to you now. It says, "Every attack on an officer of the law is an attack on our state, our country, and civilized society. The incident in Blooming Grove shows once again that our first responders face constant danger in order that the rest of us may live in peace and safety."

A terrible tragedy there that they're dealing in the Pennsylvania State Troopers -- Deb.

FEYERICK: All right, Nick Valencia.

And Tom Fuentes also on the phone with us.

And Tom, I want to ask you a couple of questions. The nature of this attack, for somebody to go up to a police barrack and actually open fire, what does that suggest about the motive? Is this somebody who has a hatred for all police? A hatred for these police in particular? What does it tell you?

TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, it says that either one is possible, Deborah. It could be some type of a vendetta against one of the two officers and then the other officer just happened to be around and got caught up in being shot or it could be just a general, you know, for the police department as a whole or for any police regardless of what department it is.

You know, we had an expression when I was a young police officer, that you're not concerned about the bullet that has your name on it, you're concerned about the thousands of bullets that are addressed, "To whom it may concern." And so right now -- you know, right now we don't know whether either one is the case.

GRACE: And so Tom, you know, some of these barracks, they're sort of -- the barracks are usually positioned on very highly trafficked venues. Whether it be a highway or whether it be sort of a cross -- you know, a cross-street. Is this possible that this was simply a crime of opportunity? You know, two people or one person, we don't know how many, but somebody just figured, why not? Let me do this?

FUENTES: Well, it's possible, but, you know, normally the barracks are, you know, situated in a way that they're somewhat protected. They are off an interstate exit, but are, you know, fairly accessible, except for maybe having a fence around them. But it certainly looks in this case that somebody went after the police deliberately.

We just don't know whether it was the individual officer or just any officer from the Pennsylvania State Police, or whether it was any police officer in general, and because the barracks are sitting out there, probably, you know, unprotected to a great extent, maybe just a chain link fence around it. In that sense, it was an opportunity for someone who wanted to shoot a police officer.

FEYERICK: And finally, very quickly, absent any sort of surveillance video. How will police end up catching whoever did this?

FUENTES: Well, certainly they'll be looking at, you know, they're going to be trying to get information out of the individual that they've been interviewing all day, who they're declaring a person of interest. I think it's interesting that the, you know, head of the state police has said to the public that they don't need to lock themselves down. I mean, he indicates that they have to be vigilant and concerned, but it doesn't seem like the level that he's asking them to be as concerned as they ought to be.

If you have an armed gunman out at large, you know, anything's possible. A home invasion to seek refuge. A carjacking to have a transportation to get away from the area. Any number of possibilities would pose an extreme danger to members of the public. So, you know, I'm not sure why -- you know, why he's essentially dialing down the level of threat unless that they maybe have good enough leads and information at this point that they think it's somewhat contained.

FEYERICK: All right. Well, Nick Valencia, Tom Fuentes, thank you very much. We want to remind all our viewers that in fact there will be a 2:00

press conference coming up, perhaps then authorities will have a little bit more information, either as to the status of the injured officer, as well as perhaps the person or people that they're looking for.

And we turn to the NFL. He was a star and he seemed to have it all. Baltimore Ravens number 27, Ray Rice. But after that video of him punching his wife in an elevator went absolutely viral, his world is now falling apart.

CNN's Alexandra Field reports on how two minutes changed absolutely everything.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At 27 years old, number 27 had it all and he knew it.

RAY RICE, FORMER RAVENS PLAYER: When I got a call from the Ravens, it was the best day of my life. You know, I knew my mom's situation would be different. I knew my living situation would be different.

FIELD: A high school football standout, a college record smasher. Ray Rice made it to the NFL with a team of supporters, who were blindsided by what happened behind closed elevator doors.

STEVE BISCIOTTI, BALTIMORE RAVENS OWNER: We love Ray, so we have a tendency to hear what we want to hear and see what we want to see.

FIELD: Rice's football career took off at New Rochelle High School where he was first team all-state. The running back went on to Rutgers University, becoming a Heisman Trophy prospect. By 2013, he was a Super Bowl champion, a star on the Baltimore Ravens roster, earning the respect of players and coaches for his talent and his work ethic.

But the recent release of this video showing Rice attacking his then- fiancee, Janay Palmer, led to his indefinite suspension from the NFL. Major sponsors dropped him this week. Some say his promising career most likely over.

BOB KRAFT, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS OWNER: I don't think he'll play another NFL game. I'll be shocked if some team would pick him up.

FIELD: Rice's actions caught so clearly on tape sparked outrage and national dialogue on domestic violence. But still not everyone has turned their backs on Rice.

TORREY SMITH, RAVENS WIDE RECEIVER: Ray is still a great guy, you know? You know, he made a mistake. You take away those two minutes of his life and you look at a model citizen, a model man. And you know, obviously he made a huge mistake and I'm sure he regrets it.

FIELD: Neighbors who knew Rice when he was a high school football star say he was a good person who was known to give back to his hometown.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I also feel like the image that's being portrayed of him is wrong and I feel like nobody is actually speaking up and no one is actually speaking of the good he's done. I don't condone what happened but we're all human, we all make mistakes.

FIELD: On Thursday night the Ravens faced off against the Steelers without Rice. A number of fans, some of them women, showed up for the game wearing his jersey, a show of support for their former star running back.

CARRIE BREEN, RAY RICE FAN: I believe that everybody deserves a second chance. This is a situation that is between his wife and himself. They're going to counseling. She married him for a reason and she's standing by her man. And I feel that everybody should leave them alone and let them deal with the situation.

FIELD: Fans who saw how far Ray Rice went, how quickly it all disappeared.

Alexandra Field, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: And building a strong, united front against ISIS, that's what Secretary of State John Kerry is trying to do right now in his travels to the Middle East. And today he met with the president of Egypt, a country that the U.S. considers key in fighting extremism.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: We're very grateful that both Egypt and the Arab League have supported this coalition every step of the way. And in each of the meetings that I had today, we discussed how we could better accelerate the efforts in bringing more nations on board and in dividing up the responsibilities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: And Egypt is Secretary Kerry's last stop in the region.

CNN's Elise Labott takes a look at the outcome of this trip.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS REPORTER (voice-over): Secretary Kerry came to Turkey seeking support from a pivotal partner in the fight against ISIS.

KERRY: Within the coalition, there are many ways that Turkey can help in this effort, and we will continue our conversations with our military and other experts, spending time to define the specific role that Turkey will play.

LABOTT: Bordering Iraq and Syria, Turkey would be an ideal place to base U.S. strikes. But with ISIS holding 49 Turkish government employees hostage, Turkey's foreign minister spoke only about, quote, "challenges and threats in the region." On Thursday, Kerry met with 10 Arab nations which ring Syria. The

U.S. wants them to join a global coalition to go after ISIS. After the talks, the countries, quote, "agreed to do their share" in the comprehensive fight against the militants, but few made specific commitments.

Neighboring Jordan already hosts a small CIA program to train Syrian rebels, but has been silent about requests to stage more operations there. U.S. officials say Saudi Arabia, which hosted Thursday's talks, has volunteered to train Syrian opposition on its soil, but when asked, the foreign minister was vague.

SAUD AL-FAISAL, SAUDI FOREIGN MINISTER: Saudi Arabia has always taken initiatives with regard to a firm position towards terrorists and against them. So there is no limit to what the kingdom can provide in this regard.

LABOTT: The U.S. also wants Arab states to cut financing to ISIS, which Secretary Kerry said was a focus of the strategy in an interview with CNN.

(On camera): You call Saudi Arabia a great partner in this coalition and praised the work of the kingdom. Yet Saudi support and financing for radical Islam over the years is widely seen as part of the problem.

KERRY: Have they supported a certain ideological point of views? Sure. But that's different from supporting overt terror and the kinds of activities here.

LABOTT (voice-over): Syria wants to take part in the coalition, even though the U.S. faults President Assad's bloody crackdown on his people as a root cause of ISIS rise.

BOUTHAINA SHAABAN, SYRIAN OFFICIAL: We are ready to be part of any coalition against terrorism.

LABOTT (on camera): It's also unclear what role, if any, Iran could play in this global coalition. There's been some talk that perhaps Iran could attend a meeting next week in France of coalition countries. Secretary Kerry said between Iranian troops fighting in Syria and Iran's support for terrorist groups in the region, Iran does not belong at that meeting, but the U.S. is also balancing that nuclear deal with Iran and trying not to antagonize Congress.

Elise Labott, CNN, Ankara.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: And from snow in September to deserts turning into raging rivers, it has been a very wild week of weather. And Mother Nature may not be done just yet.

And as the Ray Rice saga continues to unfold, we're going to be talking with the godfather of soul, the daughter of James Brown, on how she survived domestic abuse. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: The fall starts a week from Monday. Here in New York, it actually feels a little bit cold already. Some folks are, in fact, feeling it in parts of the nation, like here in New York. Plus some people in the southwest are getting a relief after major flooding this year. We're going to go to Kim Quintero from our affiliate, KTVK in Phoenix.

And Kim, you kind of got hit with some pretty flash floods, right?

KIM QUINTERO, KTVK, REPORTER: Yes. This is not something that you would see in the desert typically. The valley of the sun today living up to its name. Sunny skies, a high of about 101. But it was a completely different story Monday, when Phoenix Sky Harbor received 3.3 inches of rain in a matter of hours. This marked the wettest day ever in the city of Phoenix. And we typically do see thunderstorms this time of year.

This is our monsoon season. But this was a completely different story. We actually had some moisture that was surging in from former Hurricane Norbert, and that was tracking into our state. And that basically helped create a couple of thunderstorms complexes. One in southwestern Arizona, one in southeastern Arizona. Those two merged together, and as they slowly tracked into the Phoenix metro area, they dumped torrential rain in a period of hours.

Starting at 2:00 a.m., we started to see flooding across our major thoroughfares. Interstate 10, the U.S. 60, State Route 51, and folks that were driving to work before sunrise did not know what they were driving into. They were driving into inches and inches of rain. We had dozens of water rescues, because the water just reached as high as hoods, even windshields of cars. And along with that, we had a number of school closures. Basically, the town shut down. You could think of a couple of inches of snow shutting down Atlanta. That's kind of what happened with us.

We had reports of roof collapses at one of the grocery stores, and we saw, before all was said and done, anywhere from 3 to 6 inches of rain that drenched cities all over the valley. But one of the hardest hit areas was probably the city of Mesa, which is just outside of Phoenix to our east. Within a couple of hours, the retention basins started to overflow into one specific neighborhood and more than 200 homes flooded. Water -- for these residents actually reached waste deep. And the Mesa mayor called it a mini Katrina.

The Arizona state governor, Jan Brewer, did declare a state of emergency along with the Phoenix city mayor. And so we continue our clean up, even a week later. Now we're keeping our eyes on what Hurricane Odeal could personally do to Arizona. Right now it's 500 miles south-southeast of the southern tip of Baja California, and it could potentially hit us come Wednesday, Thursday, from some of that moisture again, marching into Arizona.

FEYERICK: Right.

QUINTERO: Back to you, Deborah.

FEYERICK: Yes, you definitely do not anticipate seeing that kind of rain out there in the desert.

All right, Kim Quintero, with CNN affiliate KTVK, thanks so much. We appreciate that reporting.

And the terrorist group known as ISIS is a lot different and probably a lot more dangerous than even al Qaeda.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL, U.S. ARMY (RET.): One of the things that's frightening about ISIS now that al Qaeda had not really been able to do is they control terrain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: See more of our exclusive interview with retired General Stanley McChrystal with Erin Burnett. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: A former top commander of American and NATO troops in Afghanistan is weighing in on the threat posed by ISIS. In an exclusive interview, retired four-star general, Stanley McChrystal, talked to CNN's Erin Burnett about how why ISIS is unlike other terror threats.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCCHRYSTAL: I think they're a very significant threat on several levels. I think, first, they're a threat to the existence to the state of Iraq. They're clearly a threat to Syria. I think they're a threat to the United States, because they have the aspiration to be a transnational terrorist movement, establish a caliphate from which they can push ideas.

One of the things that's frightening about ISIS now that al Qaeda had not really been able to do is they control terrain. Now in one sense, it makes them vulnerable because they have something they have to defend and administer.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR, OUTFRONT: They have to protect it.

MCCHRYSTAL: On the other hand, when you have terrain, you have the opportunity to provide goods and services to a population to do all the things of a state. And if you can do that to a level that's accepted by the population, even if it's not loved, they have the opportunity to get legitimacy that they shouldn't have. And over time, that legitimacy could make them pretty difficult to root out.

BURNETT: You talk about ISIS as a threat to the United States. What makes you sure and what makes you so concerned about that threat?

MCCHRYSTAL: Well, you can never be 100 percent sure, but the number of foreigners, typically people of Middle Eastern decent, who'd gone from Europe, the United States, other places back into Syria or Iraq to join ISIS creates a pool of people likely to go home. So that's one. That's the most obvious ability to go back into to strike America or other parts of the world. I think that's a very real problem.

But I think the wider problem is, with stability in the region matters to us on many levels. We used to think about just the flow of the way of the Persian Gulf, but it's much more complex now. We're in an interconnected world when what happens anywhere, essentially matters everywhere. And so I think the idea that ISIS can grow so fast, be so violent, be pushing for the establishment of a very extreme caliphate could create instability in a region that is going to have huge effects in the world. So I don't think it's something that anyone in the world much less the United States can allow.

BURNETT: So this is as significant of a threat as any you faced while you were in Iraq fighting an insurgency?

MCCHRYSTAL: I think so.

BURNETT: Absolutely, so this is -- this is that serious?

MCCHRYSTAL: ISIS is a serious threat.

BURNETT: So the United States has conducted more than 150 airstrikes in Iraq. Of course, the president says he's going to start striking in Syria. There are 1700 U.S. troops in Iraq. But the administration right now seems a bit torn on what word to use to describe all of that.

I want to play for you what Secretary Kerry had to say as well as the spokesperson for the Department of Defense, John Kirby.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LABOTT: Is the United States at war with ISIS? It sure sounds from the president's speech that we are.

KERRY: I think that's the wrong terminology.

REAR ADM. JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: Make no mistake, we know we are at war with ISIL.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Is this war?

MCCHRYSTAL: Well, I mean, you can trip over and argue about whether it's a war for congressional purposes. If you're on the ground and people are getting killed, to a soldier it feels like war and to the population it feels like war. So it's a struggle.

BURNETT: Is the United States willing -- I mean, the end, at least as I understand is, is to degrade and destroy ISIS. MCCHRYSTAL: We have identified ISIS as a United States enemy now, and

so people are asking that question. We no longer have it simply as a threat to Iraq or a threat to Syria, we've identified it as a separate enemy, and so people are making that calculation.

I think our credibility in the region and in the world is probably less than it was in 2001. And that's not unexpected and it's no one person's fault. So if we start to point fingers, I think that's way oversimplifying.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: So what are the American people saying about the threat from ISIS?

We're going to find out. We're going to hear their views of the president's plan to destroy the terror group. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: And now for an update on mortgages, 30-year rates dropped this week. Take a look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Now to the United States' plan to defeat ISIS. President Obama used his weekly address today to reiterate his strategy to destroy the terror group.

Erin McPike joins us now live from the White House.

And Erin, did the president get any new details today about the international coalition against ISIS?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Deb, vaguely. Simply by saying that more nations are joining the coalition. He also said that Arab nations are agreeing to strengthen their support for the new forming Iraqi government, and also that they will assist in any sort of military effort. But what really stood out about his weekly address this morning is that he called what is needed against ISIS a, quote, "targeted, relentless counterterrorism campaign." He didn't say war. And that's at odds with what some administration officials said yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our objective is clear.

MCPIKE (voice-over): But as the president and his team pieced together a strategy to fight ISIS, they are getting tripped up by one word.

Is this war?

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The United States is at war with ISIL in the same way that we are at war with al Qaeda, and its -- al Qaeda affiliates all around the globe.

MCPIKE: Whatever it's called, concern about terrorism has shot up in recent months. We asked Carroll Doherty from the Pew Research Center why American public opinion is increasingly volatile.

CARROLL DOHERTY, DIRECT OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, PEW RESEARCH CENTER: It's a moving target at this point. I think there's -- you know, ISIS has gone from not being on the public's radar to front and center for the public in a very short period of time.

MCPIKE: In August, a Pew poll showed 67 percent consider ISIS a major threat. A new CNN poll shows 76 percent of Americans want more airstrikes over ISIS targets. But Dohery, Pew's political research director says --

DOHERTY: The public does set limits, even with the rising concern about ISIS, the rising concern about terrorism, 60 percent or so in CNN's poll said, no ground troops.

MCPIKE: Like Gary Warren from Boca Raton.

GARY WARREN, BOCA RATON RESIDENT: I'd be OK with them having to drop bombs. Boots on the ground is not OK.

MCPIKE: Teresa Cullins from Pittsburgh.

TERESA CULLINS, PITTSBURGH RESIDENT: I think they need to get involved. I don't know to what extent, but that's kind of a touchy subject.

MCPIKE: And Thomas Gage from Washington.

COL. THOMAS GAGE, U.S. AIR FORCE (RET.): I go along with Obama. I agree, no boots on the ground. I don't think there's a direct threat from ISIS now, but I think there will be eventually.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCPIKE: And one big concern I heard over and over from people yesterday is this concern about Syrian foreign fighters trying to enter either Canada or the United States. And to that end, we did hear from Homeland Security Secretary Jae Johnson, earlier this week, he said he's working with his foreign counterparts to track some of those people, to make sure that does not happen.

Now also, domestically, Secretary of State John Kerry will be testifying on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, President Obama will travel to Tampa, where he'll meet with the leadership of CENTCOM, and that is where the Pentagon -- houses its operations that deal with the Middle East -- Deb.

FEYERICK: All right. Erin McPike, thank you so much for that great report. Appreciate it.

And coming up next, we're going to talk with the daughter of the late James Brown and get her take on the Ray Rice situation and what women should do to escape violence at home. She grew up watching domestic violence and she says she, too, has been a victim.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Time now for the "Science Behind," basically where we look at the why behind the what. Well, the last of two solar storms is hitting earth now and solar radiation is raining around our planet. So what exactly are in these storms and how can they possibly disrupt our high-tech lifestyle?

Chad Myers joins me now with the "Science Behind" solar flares -- Chad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Now, the sun has always been out there, there`s always been a solar wind, there`s always been solar flares, but now that we're so dependent on satellites, on GPS, on the power grid, now we`re worried about what the sun is doing out there.

Well, the solar flare comes out very quickly and it can really disrupt radio communications, especially high latitude radio communications. But a coronal mass ejection, when it comes toward the Earth, it is sending plasma, electrons, protons, the big solar wind that will energize the magnetosphere and possibly even energize the Earth itself and that's what we're concerned about.

Obviously, solar flares and CMEs have been hitting the Earth for billions of years, but we have now the technology in place that can be damaged by these CMEs, the satellites in place, the power grids in place. With a big CME or coronal mass ejection, we could lose the power grid. We could lose satellites, we could certainly lose GPS.

You know, we think of geomagnetic storms as being fun because we get to see the northern lights, the aurora borealis, but there`s more to it than that. It can power the grid, it can make brown-outs in our electrical grid. It can turn our satellites off and maybe we even have to manually turn them off if there is too much energy coming at them. So think of a world at least temporarily without satellites, without GPS, without communication. A lot of things could shut down with a big CME earth directed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: All right, Chad Myers, interesting, thanks.

And coming up next, we're going to talk with the daughter of the late James Brown and we're going to get her take on the Ray Rice situation and what women should do to escape violence at home.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Well, some fans say that NFL star Ray Rice deserves a second chance. Many women are having none of that, including a bipartisan group of 16 women in the U.S. Senate. They sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell saying that they were shocked and disgusted with the elevator video showing Rice hitting his then fiancee, and that the league originally only suspended Rice for just two games. They also called on the league to institute a real zero tolerance policy in such cases.

Well, one woman who knows a two or thing about domestic violence is James brown's daughter. The author of the book, "Cold Sweat," Yamma Brown recalls growing up watching her father get physical with her mom and she, too, has been a victim of domestic violence. And Yamma Brown is at the CNN center in Atlanta.

And Yamma, you saw your mom dealing with it for a long time. What would you say to Janay Rice, Ray Rice's wife, right now if you were talking to her?

YAMMA BROWN, VICTIM OF DOMESTIC ABUSE: Right now, if I was talking to her, I would let her know that she has support. I'm sure she has the support of her family, but she definitely has the support of the community. I don't know specifically what's going on in their household, but I would say that when she is ready, because I know that sometimes it takes a while for people to get to that point, that she knows that she can just -- she has the wherewithal, she has the fortitude to come forward, to get out of any abusive situation, and she needs to be in a healthy relationship.

FEYERICK: You know, you look at Ray Rice. He -- worked so hard to get where he is. You know, Janay Rice was benefiting from that. She said -- she tweeted, "This is our life. What don't you all get, if your intentions were to hurt us, embarrass us, make us feel alone, take all our happiness a way, you've succeeded on so many levels."

Is this the classic behavior of somebody who's trying to protect the life she has and saying, let me fix this from within before people start condemning it from outside?

BROWN: Absolutely, Deb. She is still a victim, I believe. I mean, I don't think because this video has come out that she's not. She's still dealing with it. She's in denial about what's going on. And she's going to make sure she -- you know, she doesn't want anybody to attack her husband. She's going to try to control the sanctity of her home and try to keep it as calm and quiet as possible to not make things, you know, any worse.

And you know, we continue to victimize the victim, you know? We point our fingers at her, because of what she said when she came out, but, again, like I said, you are not going to be able to pull anyone out of a situation like that until they're ready, and she just needs to know that she has support. And that's why it's so important for different domestic violence centers and places like that to have the resources, so when she's ready, she has a place and the support to get help.

FEYERICK: And I want to talk about you, because you grew up watching your father beat your mom. You say, "It probably would have helped if someone had warned me that children who live with abuse often either become abusers or they become victims themselves."

What was the long-term impact on you? BROWN: Oh, man, the long-term impact has been -- I mean, I can

definitely sit up here today and say I'm a survivor, because I'm no longer a victim and I've come out of it but I'll tell you, in some kind of way, you feel like it predisposes you because you don't get a chance to break those cycles. You kind of see it and thinks that that's healthy love, and it is unhealthy. And you -- and I just got whisked into that same situation. I was insecure from the beginning and I'm, you know, not ashamed to say it, but you know, you find yourself in this continuous cycle of abuse.

And you know, I got right in it and dealt with it for a long time before I left, and it's something that you really -- it's hard to deal with, but, you know, you try to get out of it, and then when you finally do, you realize how much support you have had along the way.

FEYERICK: And sometimes that support comes in the form of sort of condescending suggestions like, get out, get out, get out.

BROWN: Right.

FEYERICK: Which you can't do because you love the person. But what would you tell one of your children if they came to you and said, mom, I'm in this situation, but I don't want to leave. What would you say to them?

BROWN: Oh, gosh, I would say, well, you know what, if you don't leave, you could be the next victim of death, you know. and that's the thing that we always want to protect people because they think, oh, I can handle the situation. You can't handle the situation because you don't know the next time you may not be able to have a cry for help. So let's get the help you and maybe that person needs right now to have a stronger, healthy relationship.

FEYERICK: All right, Yamma Brown, author of "Cold Sweat" in which she writes very powerfully about her relationship with her father and also of the abuse that she witnessed.

Yamma Brown, thank you so much. We really appreciate your joining us and shedding some light on this. Thanks.

BROWN: Thank you so much for having me.

FEYERICK: Of course.

And still ahead, Fredricka Whitfield is not in the anchor chair this weekend. See what she's doing right there? She is putting her money where her mouth is and competing in a triathlon in Malibu, California, for a good cause, and we'll explain next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: So Fredricka Whitfield would normally be sitting right here in the anchor chair today, but instead she is in California participating in the Malibu triathlon along with CNN's Fit Nation team. Apparently, I'm not on it. But it's all to raise money for Children's Hospital Los Angeles, and training for all that swimming, biking, and running, it wasn't easy, but Fred did an incredible job -- Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Malibu, California. A picturesque Malibu. Home to Hollywood stars and the Nautica Malibu Classic Triathlon. I am here. I am so excited to do this race this weekend. At the same time, I have butterflies. I have wanted to do this race for so many years and along the way had so many excuses, until this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Nearly everyone on our 2014 team has been through a major health crisis.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): Inspiration and a nudge from CNN's resident Superman Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

GUPTA (on camera): Anyone can get more fit, whether you're training for a triathlon or just training for life.

And, Fred, maybe you can join us. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: OK, Sanjay. Yes, I am in. Plunging in all the way. Swimming countless lapse -- from pool to open water. Running at all hours between work and family time.

(On camera): Maybe next time, I will take you biking with me.

(Voice-over): Biking.

(On camera): Whew. We're going uphill. You are trying to kill me. We are going another hill. I just have to talk myself through it the whole time.

(Voice-over): None of it easy but eventually feeling a thrilling adrenaline rush.

(On camera): I feel great when I get to the top of the hill. Whew, we're going up it, killer.

(Voice-over): So this is what I have signed up for.

Thousands of people at the start line, together in giant mass, into the Pacific Ocean, jockeying, elbowing, kicking for position; swimming a half mile, fighting waves, each other, possibly cool water cramping and any other psychological hang-ups. Crazy, we can put that way. Then transition to an 18-mile bike, followed by a four-mile run.

What in the world have I gotten myself into? Training on my own, and sometimes with others. Am I nuts?

(On camera): Before the big race, I have been training with the pros in the pool, the Atlanta Triathlon Club, for about two and a half months now. The whole idea is to work on my strength and of course my endurance, which I am going to need the most. Wish me luck.

(Voice-over): In one-hour sessions, up to 1900 meters in drills and mock races. (On camera): Of the three disciplines, biking, running, swimming,

this is my least favorite. And, this is why. I feel like people are passing me like I am standing still and I am putting all this effort into it. So what I have had to work on is my gear shifting. I hope this course is flat.

All right, it is just after 9:00 and my three kids are now asleep and this is the only time I have to get a nightly run in. So this is me time. Me and the cicadas and an occasional bat.

(Voice-over): Making time for training, sometimes a challenging as the training, itself.

(On camera): This is my fourth sprint triathlon, but what is different here is, of course, that ocean swim and I have an Achilles injury. I hurt it running earlier this year and then made worse snow skiing. I have been in physical therapy ever since. So if I am really hurting in that run you will see me race walking like this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Back to Malibu. So I will modify my run if I have to and I will step up my bike because I must. Now what am I to do about that out there? How do I navigate this ocean? Well, that's where triathlon coach Mary Kane comes in so, Mary, how am I going to get out there without those waves controlling me?

MARY KANE, TRIATHLON COACH: Well, you've got to control the waves and the way to do that is to either, one, go over them, or two, cut through them when they're big waves, and the third one is when wet waters dive under and go beyond it. And then start swimming.

WHITFIELD: My other big worry, rip tide.

KANE: Rip tides. Rip tides cannot -- first, rip tides won't kill you. Panic will. Looking out the wind, you're trying to some in on a rip tide, just swim either right or left parallel to the beach and then try and come in and rip tide won't have you.

WHITFIELD: And then I'll have your credo in my head which is?

KANE: Move, move, move. Get out there.

WHITFIELD: Let's go.

KANE: Let's go.

FEYERICK: And good luck to Fredricka and all those who have trained for this and who are participating in this. We wish them well. Again, donations raised by the marathon will benefit the Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Go to our CNN page, CNN.com/FitNation to make a donation. And as Fred was prepping, help a kid, pray for me.

Be sure to tune in at 4:30 for "SANJAY GUPTA M.D."