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Massive Earthquake Strikes Nepal; FBI Investigating Possible ISIS Plot in U.S.; Protesters Vow To "Shut This City Down"; Bruce Jenner Explains Transgender Identity; Expanded NBC Probe Finds Misstatements by Brian Williams; Cecily Strong to Host White House Correspondents' Dinner. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired April 25, 2015 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:01] POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Poppy Harlow joining you from New York, it's 5:00 here on the east coast. And happening right now, thousands of protesters are descending on Baltimore's city hall, they are demanding the immediate arrests of any officers involved in Freddie Gray's fatal spinal cord injury. We'll have more live from Baltimore in just a moment.

Also ahead, Bruce Jenner in his own words, the father, Olympic champion and reality TV star opens up about a part of his life that he's kept away from the cameras until now. Why he said he's been living a lie and why he's coming forward right now?

But we begin with this. First, the city turned disaster zone, Katmandu, the capital of Nepal literally from one minute to the next earlier today the city of one million people turned upside down. A massive earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 suddenly struck at midday. Buildings, homes and temples crashed down and the death toll still early, very early on here in the rescue operation. The death toll is more than 1400 and 50 people.

Joining me on the phone right now, Dr. Dietric Hennings, a surgeon from Tulane University who has faith would have just arrived in Nepal today. He was going there on a humanitarian mission. Can you hear me, Doctor?

DR. DIETRIC HENNINGS, SURGEON (on the phone): Yes, I'm here.

HARLOW: Thank you for being with us. Describe the scene on the ground to us where you are right now.

HENNINGS: So right now it's nighttime and actually people are resting easily here on the open ground. The hotel where we were staying is actually open the doors for people to go ahead and stay inside in their rooms while most people, you know, area have found it advisable to stay in an open area underneath the night sky.

HARLOW: And that is because there have been so many aftershocks and people are afraid that another big quake could hit. I know that you have been helping some people on the ground there including a man who had a large gash. Someone who is lucky enough to survive this earthquake. Who have you been treating and what kind of injuries do they have? HENNINGS: That's correct. We actually ended up with a gentleman with

a large gash in his side. It's very close actually to communicating with his lungs. Did not however which was nice, we went ahead and fixed him up. He actually went to the emergency department, went to the hospital and got sutures and has returned to the hospital in good condition. Additionally there have been people with broken bones, which have been stabilized, as well as people basically just in the extremists, that have received water and been stabilized here.

HARLOW: We're seeing images, as you and I are talking, of one of the hospitals there where doctors are trying to treat the survivors. What are the conditions like where you're working, where you're treating people out of?

HENNINGS: Conditions here are pretty intense. There's a lot of people, there's a lot of uncertainty and really we're kind of taking all comers at this point, we're taking everybody who needs help and trying to get them that help. As I said, it's kind of the middle of the night right now. Things have calmed down a little bit, but we're expecting a very busy day tomorrow here in a couple hours when some light comes up.

HARLOW: We have heard that the United States government is sending $1 million in aid. Also people, humans to go and to help as well. What is it that you can tell in the early stages here, the people there need the most?

HENNINGS: Well, right now the people here need some organization. They need to understand that the worst is behind them and I think the biggest thing we need right now is some clearance of all the rubble and all the disaster that has happened. And getting back to the rebuilding process because we all know that that's what happens next.

HARLOW: Doctor, thank you very much for joining us. Good luck on the ground there. They are lucky to have you on the ground helping out. I appreciate it very much. Stay safe.

Jonathan Gilliam is here with me in New York, he's a former Navy Seal with training in large scale crisis management and emergency response. When you look at a situation like this, it's just 12 hours in since this happened. What is the most important thing right now?

JONATHAN GILLIAM, FORMER U.S. NAVY SEAL: I think the most important thing is now that they are into 12 hours, they actually need to pause, if they haven't done that already, and coordinate this rescue. Because they will simply go in and research and search and research an area and if they are not doing it in a coordinated fashion, eventually people will start to die just simply because they are missing them. And also the people that are actually responding to this can get very tired, very quick and then you deplete your resources.

[17:05:13] HARLOW: This is the largest quake we're hearing in this region in 81 years.

GILLIAM: Right. HARLOW: You have a death toll over 1400 already. That is no question going to rise. You have said that sometimes you actually have to step back more and wait. And the initial urge is to help immediately but step back and wait.

GILLIAM: You immediately want to rush in there. And that's also where people get hurt. Especially if there's another quake that happens. But what we find when we do rescue operations or recovery operations is that first of all preplanning is the biggest thing. And they have, I was just reading up on this. They have a magnitude 5.0 earthquake every year in Nepal pretty much. And they have had several big ones before, so I don't know what their, you know, response is if it's coordinated already, but typically if you have -- especially when bigger countries start to come in, if you have good coordination between the U.S. aid and all the different groups that are coming in, you'll going to start to see a little bit better of a recovery. And you can just tell that this is a lot of chaos in there right now.

HARLOW: When you're dealing with an area, I mean, this is not as remote as it could be. Right? This is 50 miles outside of Katmandu. It could be even more remote. But you have even got people who reported who have died at the base camp of Mount Everest. What is the biggest challenge when you're dealing with some of the remote areas? Because we know that this earthquake was felt by some as many as 200 miles from the epicenter.

GILLIAM: I think they are looking at a couple of things here. I think the altitude in some of these places is going to be too great for helicopters to even work in effectively. And I think the other thing is just the structure of these buildings, as you see it's just pure rubble. And that is very difficult when you're actually moving stuff are the other buildings secure to where they are not going to fall over as well. It's just, in this type of operation, there has to be coordination and there has to be a pace set where you're going in and searching these things otherwise you just get overwhelmed.

HARLOW: All right. Thank you very much, Jonathan, I appreciate it. And if you're watching and you want to help, you can go to CNN.com/impact. CNN.com/impact. You can find out ways you can help the people of Nepal as well.

Also this just into us here at CNN. The FBI is investigating an ISIS- inspired terror plot right here in the United States. We'll bring you the details, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:10:36] HARLOW: All right. This is in to us here at CNN. The FBI is conducting an investigation into a possible ISIS-inspired terror threat right here in the United States.

Our Justice Correspondent Evan Perez joins me now on the phone with the details. Evan, you have been working your sources and this is obviously significant because they are telling you about it and it has to do with some areas in California I understand. EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: At this point, you know, they

are not telling a lot about what's exactly the threat is but at this point they know that it's an ISIS-inspired or related threat. They are taking it seriously and they're trying to make sure they alert law enforcement agencies around the country and especially in California because of the possible threat. Now at this point, you know, they believe it is something that arose from chatter and other intelligence information that the FBI, another intelligence agencies were able to get. But again, they are not being very specific about it and they are still trying to figure out about it. There's no arrest that have been made but they are trying to figure it out.

HARLOW: And Evan, one of your sources has said that this focuses on parts of California where officials have stepped up security. Are we talking about big cities here? Are we talking about northern or Southern California or frankly do we just not have those details?

PEREZ: We're trying not to -- we're not saying at this point. That we do know -- we know they have increased some security. But at this point, you know, officials have asked us not to reveal too much about it.

HARLOW: Okay.

PEREZ: They do believe it's serious enough that they have asked local police agencies to make sure that they are aware of it and they increase their vigilance.

HARLOW: Also I know that some of the officials told you and made a point of telling you Evan that this potential threat and they don't know if it is a real threat or an aspirational threat is, they're saying it's not necessarily aviation related.

PEREZ: That's right. I mean, one of the first things we think about in this things is whether or not there's a threat to perhaps aviation. And as you know, Poppy, TSA has increased security in recent months particularly within domestic flights just to make sure that nothing could get by. We know that terrorist groups have been looking for ways to hide explosives in ways that are hard to detect. And so that's one of the things that is at work here. But, you know, they are being very couscous in providing details because I think there's so much to the investigation at a very sensitive stage.

HARLOW: Okay, Evan Perez, thank you for the reporting. As you learn more, please keep us posted. And we'll bring it to you our viewers. Thank you for that.

Let me bring back in a former Navy Seal, former FBI official Jonathan Gilliam here with me in New York. You know, one thing that Evan has also been reporting, U.S. officials telling him that right now when you look at ISIS operating trying to recruit people here in the United States, there are more open cases than closed cases. Meaning, they are having a very hard time getting a handle on this. What do you make of this latest threat?

GILLIAM: Well, I can tell you, this right here is where the JTTF, of the Joint Terrorism Task Force really shines. Because we have been able to develop this task forces all over the country in major cities. And so, you have a standing joint terrorism task force that has representatives from all the federal agencies in that area and all the local and state agencies. So, wherever this is actually going to be located if it's in California, they are probably I'm sure standing up a joint operations command and you're going to have representatives from all the law enforcement entities there. And what that does is it allows them to coordinate things so much faster than they were ever able to.

HARLOW: And you think very quickly they come out publically with something like this without a lot of details just to make the public more vigilant?

GILLIAM: I have said this a thousand times and I think on this show before. Eyeballs are the greatest tools that we have in securing this country. And for them just to come out and release this, it just tells everybody that, hey, just look around and see if you see anything that's out of the norm.

HARLOW: Yes.

GILLIAM: Unfortunately, we're under a constant threat, but knowing threats heighten it up and amp it up quite a bit more. And as they should because they know specifics but right now they are probably just telling the public to be aware.

[17:15:06] HARLOW: Yes. Jonathan Gilliam, thank you very much. As we learn more about this, we'll of course bring it to you right here on CNN.

Coming up next, the Baltimore Police Union calling out the city's police chief. The details of what he said and why there's this divide within the police department there. Also hear what the protesters are demanding today on the streets of Baltimore.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:19:06] HARLOW: Thousands of protesters have gathered in Baltimore. They are marching through the city and calling for the immediate arrest of any officer who played a role in the death of Freddie Gray.

Joining me now CNN correspondents Polo Sandoval and also Miguel Marquez. Miguel, I want to begin with you. You marched with these protesters. What's the sense that you're getting from them on the ground? I know they've been protesting all week. What's it like today?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was, you know, loud and angry, but peaceful. There were thousands on the streets. This is city hall here where probably 45,000 people have gathered. And the Police Department I want to show you is just behind here. You can see just beyond this traffic here the number of police officers there blocking off the road. Police going into complete defensive mode over the last couple of days. And certainly today. They went completely behind barriers and kept individuals from getting to different, the police station or any sort of facilities that they were concerned about. The only point in these protests where there was problems were at Orioles Park at Camden Yards here in Baltimore where there were police guards out front. When the protesters saw the police along the barricades there, they've changed direction, went there, yelled at them for a while. It was the first time they've seen police and then they moved on. But that was the only point. They have been very keenly aware that the world is watching -- Poppy.

HARLOW: Miguel, what about the fact that yesterday the police commissioner there came out and for the first time it made it that they didn't handle this properly. That there were mistakes made saying there's no excuse, period, for the fact that Freddie Gray was not buckled up in the back of that carrier van. And arguably more importantly that he should have gotten medical care immediately and he didn't. How are people reacting to that admission?

MARQUEZ: Well, look, I think they are satisfied to hear the police going part of the way. They want to see charges against those officers though. There's great unhappiness with the way the police have treated citizens over the years. This police commissioner is under great pressure. The mayor is under great pressure. Clearly they are moving further towards the concern of the people in this town trying to basically have it both ways. Keep their officers happy, not make waves within the police ranks but also not set off the people of Baltimore, especially in these poor and very tough neighborhoods that are demanding justice and have a long controversial history of the police here.

HARLOW: Yes. Miguel, thank you for the excellent reporting on this throughout. You'll going to stay on top of this. I do want to get to Polo and ask you this Polo because we heard something very different today coming out of basically the head of the police union saying this about what the police chief said last night about the lack of that medical care saying, quote, "These comments appear to be politically driven and in direct contrast to the commissioner's own request not to jump to any conclusions until the entire investigation is complete." Polo, are you seeing a divide now within the Police Department there?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we have seen that divide, Poppy, but mainly between the union and the police department clearly from that statement that you just read there is there seems to be this consensus especially from the President of that union that they wanted this investigation to run its course, which is really what we've heard from the police commissioner early on. And it was a message that he said not only to the police union but also to the thousands of protesters that have gathered here outside at least at the foot of Baltimore City Hall which is to have patience as the investigation continues to run its course.

As they still have not determined exactly what happened in that police van nearly two weeks ago today. However, we have to look back 24 hours ago when the police commissioner and some of this top brass made that statement in which really was their first admission saying the procedure was not followed the day of Freddie Gray's arrest. Not only that they not strap him into his seat there after he was placed in custody, but also that he did not get that timely medical care that he was asking for. Of course, that statement has clearly fuelled concerns here, Poppy. And I can tell you this crowd continues to grow in what is now the largest demonstration since those events happened two weeks -- Poppy.

HARLOW: The largest demonstration you have seen. I don't know Miguel or Polo if either of your photo journalists are able to pull out at all so that our viewers can see how many people are there. I know it's hard to make an estimate, but do you have any sense of how many people have gathered?

MARQUEZ: Well, I'd say 45,000, look at the crowd here.

HARLOW: Miguel, go ahead.

MARQUEZ: I'd say 45,000. I mean, if you look at the backside of the protests here on the far end of the park from city hall and the number of people who were marching, it was a long march. They did probably five or six miles snaking through the city and have ended up here. So, it is a very sizable crowd. Certainly the biggest we have seen so far -- Poppy.

[17:24:15] HARLOW: Good to see that it has been for the most very peaceful throughout these two wee weeks. Guys, thank you very much. We appreciate it. We'll going to take a quick break. And coming up on the other side, we'll going to talk about another big headline Bruce Jenner who has now lived in the spotlight for years. But decades after winning that Olympic gold medal, he has made a stunning statement saying, quote, "I am a woman." The details on that, next.

But first, this. Get. Ready for brand new season of "ANTHONY BOURDAIN: PARTS UNKNOWN." The fifth season debut, Sunday night, 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN. First stop, South Korea. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY BOURDAIN, HOST, "ANTHONY BOURDAIN: PARTS UNKNOWN": Everything you learned painfully in college about drinking, don't mix, you know, try to avoid raw shellfish in access while drinking. They do all of those things.

Correct me if I'm wrong here. M&Ms and mixing your alcohols?

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Yes.

BOURDAIN: Modern Korea has over the course of the last decade or so invested so heavily in an official way in their culture. You know, not just infrastructure, not just industry. We have spent a lot of money promoting their music, their films, their television, their general pop culture to spectacular results.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:29:04] HARLOW: It's a new beginning for Bruce Jenner. The Olympic gold medalist ended months of speculation on Friday when he announced during an ABC interview that he's making the transition from male to female.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUCE JENNER, FORMER OLYMPIAN AND REALITY STAR: Yes, for all intents and purposes, I am a woman. People look at me differently. They see you as this macho male, but my heart and soul and everything that I do in life, it is part of me. That female side is part of me. That's who I am. I was not genetically born that way. As of now have all the male parts and all that kind of stuff, so in a lot of ways, we're different, okay, but we still identify as female. And that's very hard for Bruce Jenner to say. Because why? I don't want to disappoint people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Next, Bruce Jenner is going to be the subject of a Reality TV series for the E! Network. It's going to be eight episodes all about his life.

Kyung Lah looks back at Jenner's fascinating life in this spotlight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Strength, speed and stamina powering Bruce Jenner in the 1979 Olympics. Gold medal decathlon winner, but then world-record holder. And as he told CNN's Larry King, ready to launch into stardom.

JENNER: I knew once the games were over with, win, lose or draw, I'll pick the pieces up and I'll go on with life.

ANNOUNCER: Wheaties is the breakfast of champions.

LAH: A life as a pitchman, from wholesome Wheaties --

JENNER: It's good tasting and good for you.

LAH: --to orange juice.

JENNER: Pure, pasteurized Florida orange juice.

LAH: Aerobics videos followed.

JENNER: Hello, everybody. I'm Bruce Jenner.

LAH: Then American's most famous athlete became the actor.

JENNER: You can't stop the music.

LAH: Not exactly Shakespearian roles.

(MUSIC)

LAH: Except in the tragedy of his choices. (SINGING)

LAH: The Olympian, who dazzled on the field, bombed on the screen again and again.

JENNER: You're on top.

LAH: In his personal life, Jenner's multiple marriages led to six biological children and four stepchildren. His third marriage to Kris Kardashian hatched the idea that turned the has-been back into a household name.

LARRY KING, FORMER HOST, LARRY KING LIVE: How did this start, Bruce?

JENNER: We just kind of looked at our family and ours was so much more interesting than what was going on in a lot of television shows.

LAH: "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," resplendent in its unabashed naval gazing.

JENNER: OK, here we go. Are you ready? I'm going to have to feed it to you. Oops.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Kyung Lah. Thank you for that, Kyung.

Joining me now to talk about all of this is CNN senior media correspondent and host of "Reliable Sources," Brian Stelter; also with us CNN commentator and ESPN senior writer, L.Z. Granderson.

Thank you for being here.

L.Z., let me begin with you.

You wrote this incredibly moving piece ahead of this interview saying why we need to thereon Bruce Jenner's story. You spoke really personally. You spoke when you were on a bus 15 years ago and a pair of transgender women boarded the bus and you mocked them.

L.Z. GRANDERSON, CNN COMMENTATOR: Yes, I did. One of the things that I try to hold true to myself when I write columns is to be as brutally honest with people as I possibly can and not to hold back. Especially when I talk about myself. I thought it was important that me, as an openly gay man, some one many people know as an LGBT advocate, talk about my own struggles in the conversation when it comes to transgender individuals. Only by putting myself out there and someone considers himself progressive has a lot of growth and learning to do. It was an important part of the conversation as we were getting ready to listen to Bruce talk about his journey.

HARLOW: Let's remember some of these statistics. You point one out in your article, L.Z. A recent Williams Institute study found 50 percent of respondents who are openly transgender have attempted suicide. This is not something to make light of, even if you don't understand it.

Brian, a lot has been said about the Kardashian family, the fact that they are in the spotlight. Bruce Jenner has been in the spotlight. He's going to allow E! to film him for this series, and some look at this and say, you know, is this coming out and making this public at all part of a publicity stunt?

He was asked that. Let's listen to his answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNER: Oh, no, we would never do that, Diane.

(LAUGHTER)

Are you telling me I'm going to go through a complete gender change, OK, and go through everything you need to do that for the show? Sorry, Diane, it ain't happening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

HARLOW: Very genuine response.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT & CNN HOST, RELIABLE SOURCES: I thought Diane was wise to ask the question because it is on people's minds. There will be this reality series. Seems ridiculous, but obviously, this is a family very wise about their publicity. They were even on Twitter after the special last night congratulating their father, talking about how proud they were. We're going to hear from Kim Kardashian, the most famous of all the Kardashians, on Monday morning on "Today." So there's a rollout plan here. Bruce Jenner also being smart and calculated about how and when he made this announcement. Even making clear to the media, for now, he still wants to be called "he." This is a story that journalists have to figure out and have to learn. I have had to learn how to talk about the story and what language to use. For now, people still calling Bruce a "he." A few months from now, maybe on this E! reality show, that will change.

HARLOW: But don't you think this could absolutely be an opportunity to educate the 17 million people that watched last night?

STELTER: I think it's already starting. It's starting right now, today. ABC started this conversation. No, really, Bruce Jenner started this conversation. He obviously grew glad. Has a great statistic. Only 8 percent of Americans say they know a transgender individual. Now we all do.

[17:35:22] HARLOW: Yeah. That's very, very true.

So, L.Z., do you think this is, A, is a watershed moment to educate everyone, also for the world of sports, a former Olympic gold medalist, and the fight of now, just like gay rights was the fight 20 years ago, and continues to be today, but is this sort of the new frontier for that?

GRANDERSON: And I appreciate what Bruce has done. I found myself crying several times during the interview with Diane Sawyer. It's important to remember that this, like every other civil rights movement in this country, is just one part of many pieces. One step of many steps that have been taken. Renee Richards was a former ATP player, became a transgender woman, and became a BTA player. So that person may have been the one that began the conversation in terms of everyone recognizing the name in sports and watching that person transition into a different gender. So Bruce, like many before him, it's just one step of many steps that still needs to be taken in terms of full transgender rights.

HARLOW: You write, L.Z., at the end, your last line is, "We think jokes are harmless because we're only paying attention to the people who are laughing." If you could have one wish coming out of this when the news headlines aren't about this anymore, what is your wish?

GRANDERSON: My wish is that we all understand that we're different. And to allow each other space to recognize their own differences and then have the patience with others to allow the time to process those differences with each other. What I mean by that is Bruce Jenner came out, at 65 years old. So it's taken him about 65 years to fully embrace his full self. We need to be patient with each other as we try to process this as well and not expect instant understanding of every aspect of what this conversation means.

HARLOW: Brian?

STELTER: I have loved seeing, on Facebook, people being critical of Bruce Jenner, people saying I don't want to hear about this. And then seeing people reply and try to change minds. I think there's some persuading and influencing going on even as we speak. People becoming more open and, overall, Poppy, I have been struck by how much positivity --

HARLOW: Yeah, me, too.

STELTER: -- how much love there is online. I'm not sure I expected so much support as there's been today.

HARLOW: Brian Stelter, thank you both very much. We appreciate it.

L.Z. Granderson, thank you for being with me, sir. Appreciate it.

Coming up next, the investigation into NBC News anchor, Brian Williams, is expanding. Were there more exaggerations? What we have learned, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:41:35] HARLOW: CNN has learned an internal NBC investigation has turned up at least 10 instances, so far, in which it is believed that "NBC Nightly News" anchor, Brian Williams, may have embellished his reporting. The investigation followed his February apology for claiming that a helicopter he was in during the Iraq war was hit by rocket fire. NBC has suspended him for six months without pay.

CNN senior media correspondent, Brian Stelter, back with me now.

You called all your sources and you got this information. This is your reporting. They haven't made a decision yet on whether Brian Williams is going to come back to the anchor chair. What do we know about these possible other exaggerations?

STELTER: This is an example of this personal drama the country is paying attention to. All of us can imagine being in a situation where, as an employee, you're suspended and you don't know if you can go back to work or not, yet this is playing out on national stage, with a contract worth an estimated $10 million a year at stake. It's been almost three months since Williams was suspended and it's died down for awhile, the attention died down for a little while, but it's now very much back with a vengeance. Partly because there's a new boss at NBC News, and partly because this investigation that's been going on seems to be getting to a point where they are reaching conclusion.

One of the new revelations we know about, according to "The New York Times," last night, is that Brian Williams reporting from Tahrir Square doesn't line up. What he said at the time on NBC and then the story he told to Jon Stewart --

(CROSSTALK)

STELTER: Yeah, in 2011. The Jon Stewart version of the story, the story he told Jon Stewart, seemed to be more dramatic. Maybe it was exaggerated. That's one example of the list of 10 discrepancies that we know about. The investigation still isn't over. Every day this investigation keeps going, it's a bad day for Brian Williams.

HARLOW: You analyze the media every day. I wonder, you think the big picture is of things like this leaking out. A little bit, a little bit, and what it means for Brian Williams when credibility is everything.

STELTER: It seems to a lot of people in the industry, the people that are texting and asking what's going on, they are assuming this is laying the groundwork for Brian Williams to leave NBC. They might all be wrong, but these leaks seem to contribute to a drum beat that says, how can he possibly return. That might be unfair to Brian Williams. We haven't gotten to hear his side of the story. He hasn't been allowed to defend himself because NBC hasn't allowed him to speak publicly.

HARLOW: Will he be allowed --

(CROSSTALK)

STELTER: We don't know what his side is.

HARLOW: No matter what's decided, will there be a point in time when you think we'll hear from Brian Williams, perhaps even on the "Nightly News?" STELTER: I don't know if it will happen on the "Nightly News." I do

think at some point we'll hear from him, even if it's outside NBC. You know, David Letterman wants him to be on his final late shows. I don't think NBC is going to allow that. But it does seem this drum beat is getting louder. It's like NBC is nearing a conclusion, nearing a decision about whether to bring him back on the "Nightly News" or not. That's why these leaks are so significant. The head of NBC Universal, Steve Burke, was in a meeting on Thursday at 30 Rockefeller Center, hearing about these findings, contributes to a sense they are nearing a decision. It's an incredibly tough decision. If you bring him back, there's credibility concerns for him and the network. If you don't bring him back, a lot of Brian Williams fans, some of whom are watching this right now, are going to be very disappointed and upset.

HARLOW: Right.

STELTER: I do wonder if we'll hear some jokes about this tonight at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. We're going to see Cecily Strong up on stage. We'll see the president up on state. And this is the big media story that folks in the room are talking about. I wonder if it will be addressed. It's the elephant in the room.

[17:45:00] HARLOW: We wonder.

Brian Stelter, thank you very much. I appreciate it, talking about Brian Williams there and his reporting on that.

Washington's so-called nerd prom is tonight. Reporters and elected leaders mix and mingle with Hollywood's elite. Ahead, I sat down with the woman in charge of the night's hosting, Cecily Strong, who has a very, very tough gig ahead of her, making fun of everyone in the room.

But first, this is a whole new year of "CNN Heroes." We need your help finding some of them.

Our own Anderson Cooper has more on how to nominate your pick for CNN Hero of the Year.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, A.C. 360: "CNN Heroes" is looking for everyday people who are changing the world. How do we find them? With your help. You can nominate someone right now at CNNheroes.com.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No one is going to do anything about it, I will.

COOPER: Maybe your hero is protecting the environment.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: I got it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, you got it.

COOPER: Helping those with disabilities get more out of life.

(SHOUTING) COOPER: Giving hope to children born into poverty.

(SHOUTING)

COOPER: Or opportunity through education. Or maybe they found a unique way to solve a problem wherever they live.

Whatever their cause, nominating a "CNN Hero" is easier than ever. First, go to CNNheroes.com and click "nominate." We ask for basic information about your nominee and you. But most important, we want to know what makes your hero extraordinary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you ready?

(SHOUTING)

COOPER: How is their work changing lives for the better?

It's really important to write from your heart because it's your words that will make your hero's story stand out.

And now you can nominate a hero from any device. Just go to CNNheroes.com from your laptop, your tablet or your Smartphone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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[17:50:47] HARLOW: Glitz and glamour come to our nation's capital tonight as the White House Correspondents' Dinner gets under way just a few hours form now. "Saturday Night Live," superstar, Cecily Strong, is set to host. She will just be the fourth female comedienne to headline this event in the dinner's 82-year history.

And I asked her how she's preparing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CECILY STRONG, COMEDIENNE, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE: I don't think I've ever been known as the real envelope pusher jokes-wise. I would hope not to hurt -- I don't want to be mean. I'd rather be funny and, of course, I'll have like a couple pointed remarks. But hopefully it's all funny. I would hope it's funny. It's funny to me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Sebelius says she's stepping down because she has so many more things she wants to barely accomplish.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Given the state of Washington these days, what's fair game?

STRONG: I mean, I think there's a lot going on that's a little bit silly.

HARLOW: Name one.

STRONG: Oh, gosh. Well, I think, you know -- right now we've got the presidential election coming up. That's an easy -- there's a lot of people that are really fun targets.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, THE COLBERT REPORT: Over the last five years, you people were so good over tax cuts, WMD intelligence, the effect of global warming. We Americans didn't want to know, and you had the courtesy not to try to find out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Even Colbert, back in 2006, right, I mean, really pushed the envelope.

STRONG: Yes.

HARLOW: Some people loved it, some hated it.

STRONG: I loved it.

HARLOW: You loved it.

STRONG: I will not do that, though, because it's different circumstances. I think he's incredible, and I don't -- I think everything's just different. But I was a big fan and thought that was incredible.

HARLOW: You've said some people encouraged you not to do this. Why?

STRONG: I think -- no offense -- it's sort of known as a tough room. When it was made public, a lot of people, very nice, were like, congratulations. I think I would just go like, "Uh-huh."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Like it or hate it, the White House Correspondents' Dinner has come to be known as the, quote, "nerd prom," the night that Washington meets Hollywood.

Joining me from the big dance, the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, is Ken Walsh. He's not only chief White House correspondent for "U.S. News & World Report," but he's also the author of "Celebrity in Chief, A History of the Presidents and the Culture of Stardom."

Thank you for being with me, sir. You look dapper in your tuxedo. Everyone is glammed up.

This is your 29th White House Correspondents' Dinner. Is this indeed the nerd prom? KEN WALSH, CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT &

AUTHOR: Yes. Well, it's actually become a celebration of celebrity now.

HARLOW: Yeah.

WALSH: I started going to this dinner in the mid-'80s errand ran the dinner one year when I was president of the White House Correspondents' Association. Boy, has it changed since then. It's really become a spectacle in some ways but it's an example of our celebrity driven culture. And President Obama is the perfect example of how presidents can intersect with this. He understands popular culture. He participates in it. And tonight, we'll see him participate in this top-of-the-line dinner in Washington now celebrating celebrity.

HARLOW: What do you expect will be the focus of the president's jokes tonight? What or who will take it the hardest?

WALSH: Well, President Obama has shown a willingness over the years to zing not only members of his own party and the opposition party, the Republicans, but to zing the media. I think you'll see a lot of that. I think you'll see a lot of his making fun of the media in many ways and the Republicans, particularly the Republican presidential candidates, the 19 or so candidates who want to succeed him. So I would imagine he would do a lot of that. But he has a very good touch on it. He knows how to come right to the edge of maybe going too far and not being offensive but still making the point. So you'll see the audience I think reacting very favorably to this. Because that's what this audience likes. They like edgy humor, and they like humor that comes right to the edge of perhaps not being appropriate but not going over the edge. President Obama understands that very well and knows how to do that.

[17:55:01] HARLOW: I think we see Madeleine Albright over your shoulder, am I right, sir, the first female secretary of state.

WALSH: Yes.

HARLOW: So there are still some politicians going. This is not all Hollywood yet.

WALSH: Sure. Yeah, the politicians are here. Like you said, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, members of Congress, members of the cabinet, advisers to President Obama.

What really draws the attention, as you see here on the red carpet, myself excepted really, because I'm not really a celebrity, is the Hollywood folks, the actors, actresses. Actually, that troubles some of the journalists who are here, because they feel it used to be a journalists' dinner and now it's really not so much anymore, as you can see.

HARLOW: Very quickly, before I let you go, let's remind people when this was started. It was started for the sole purpose of holding on to access for journalists to the White House and to the president. WALSH: It was back to the 1920s. It was started because the White

House correspondents in those days felt in that time that they needed one evening or one occasion a year to they could get to know their sources better. That was the tradition for many, many years, until about 20 years where it became more of an occasion to see and be seen, and when Hollywood discovered the dinner and decided they wanted to participate. So it's much less a dinner for reporters and their sources now that it's become a celebrity dinner.

HARLOW: Ken Walsh, have a good night, have a lot of fun. Thanks for being with me, sir. I appreciate it.

Just a reminder for all of our viewers, our live coverage of the White House Correspondents' Dinner, special coverage on CNN begins at 7:00 p.m. eastern. We'll have all the glitz, the glamour, the jokes and the politics from the red carpet right here on CNN.

Before that, though, "Smerconish" begins right now.

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