Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Mother of 6-Year-Old Boy Who Shot Teacher Sentenced to Two Years in Prison; Melania Trump Speaks at Naturalization Ceremony; Politico: Lead Contamination in Applesauce Pouches May Have Been Intentional; "Homebirth Journey: Saving Black Moms" Airs Sunday. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired December 15, 2023 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: This just in to CNN. The mother of a six- year-old child who brought a gun to school and shot his teacher has been sentenced.

CNN's Brian Todd has been tracking this story from the very beginning. So, Brian, what's the latest?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very surprising ruling, Boris, in state court. This judge, Chris Papile, has just handed a sentence of two years in prison to Deja Taylor, the mother of that 9-year-old boy who shot his teacher earlier this year at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News.

The Commonwealth of Virginia had recommended only six months sentence on this charge. This is a state charge of child neglect. But according to Deja Taylor's attorney, James Ellenson, who just spoke to me on the phone, the judge, Chris Papile, believed that the state charge of child neglect was more serious than the federal charges that she had been pleaded guilty to.

The federal charges were unlawful possession, unlawful use of a controlled substance while possessing a firearm and making a false statement while purchasing a firearm. Well, this judge believed that the state charge of neglect was more serious and he wanted his sentence to reflect that. Two years she gets for that.

That will be tacked on to the 21 months she got for the federal charges there. So, she could spend maybe up to close to four years in prison, maybe a little less for good behavior. She was apparently very emotional, cried in the courtroom.

And this is a quote from her attorney, quote, I think it was excessive and harsh, the sentence.

SANCHEZ: We'll see if they appeal.

TODD: And he actually said that they would not appeal it. So, it's that's interesting as well. And she is at the Newport News City Jail right now. She may be transferred in a short time.

Brian Todd, thanks so much for the update -- Pamela.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: All right. Thanks, Boris. So today, former first lady Melania Trump made a rare appearance at a naturalization ceremony in Washington, D.C. Melania has largely avoided the public eye since she and her husband left the White House back in 2021. But today we got a rare glimpse into the more private side of the former first lady as she shared her personal story of life as an immigrant in America.

Let's bring in CNN's Kristen Holmes. It's so interesting, too, that this was a collaboration with the National Archives, given that relationship with her husband. What was Melania's message today?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Pam, this is a deeply personal and uncharacteristically personal message. We never really hear from Melania Trump. Even back in 2016, she didn't really campaign with the president.

She doesn't now with the former president. I mean, even when he's out there on the road, she's almost never by his side. Didn't go to any of the court appearances. And she told her story. She said that she was tremendously proud to be a citizen. But I do want you to listen to one part in specific when she talks about how hard this journey was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELANIA TRUMP, FORMER FIRST LADY: The experience of traversing the challenges of the immigration process opened my eyes to the harsh realities people face, including you, who to try to become U.S. citizens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And now, while this is a very touching message, it doesn't talk at all about the fact that her husband is currently running for office and he has pledged if he is reelected to make it harder to become a U.S. citizen. To also expand on his administration's hardline immigration policies that would be more restrictive to both illegal and legal immigrants.

BROWN: Yes, there is a lot against this backdrop, right?

[15:35:00]

You have that and you have the fact that this comes nearly two years after the National Archives asked the Justice Department to look into her husband, Donald Trump's handling of White House records. Do we know what his reaction was to her speaking today? Did he give his blessing?

HOLMES: I mean, I'm told by people close to the former president that he gave his blessing, he was supportive of it.

Now, I will note one thing. The archivist now is not the same archivist that was there when they referred Donald Trump to the Department of Justice, when they asked the Department of Justice to look into his mishandling of classified documents. What we have heard is that this new archivist, Colleen Shogan, was actually the White House Historical Association at the same time, Melania Trump was in the White House, and they got to know each other. They worked on a couple of events together, and she actually reached out and invited her. Because Melania Trump herself who became a citizen back in 2006. So, she thought she would be a good fit.

But again, it does not escape irony here, given the fact that the entire reason, or at least part of the reason that propelled this, was because the archives asked the Department of Justice to look into this. Now Trump has been indicted and is facing a trial.

BROWN: Yes, you can't escape that reality. All right, thanks so much, Kristen Holmes.

Coming up, an FDA official is now telling Politico that the lead contaminating some, sorry, lead, I should say, contaminating some applesauce pouches may be intentional. Stay with us.

[15:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Just into CNN, we now know the names of all three Israeli hostages mistakenly killed by IDF forces. We just learned the name of the last victim, Alon Shamriz. He was kidnapped from a kibbutz by Hamas on October 7th. The other victims, Yotam Haim, he's described as a gifted musician and dedicated metal music fan. Then there's Samer Talalka. He was described as an avid motorcyclist who loved to ride around the countryside and spend time with friends. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says that President Biden has been briefed. He called the news tragic and heartbreaking.

Obviously, we're going to stay on top of this story and figure out the latest details on exactly what happened. The IDF, again, confirming that they mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages in Gaza -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Well, the lead contamination that's been detected in cinnamon applesauce pouches sickening dozens of young children may have been an intentional act. That's according to an FDA official who was interviewed in a new report from Politico.

CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard joins us now with more. So, Jacqueline, how does this change the FDA's investigation into this lead contamination?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Well, Pam, if the FDA can confirm that this was, in fact, intentional, that would certainly escalate things. What we now know, based on this exclusive interview that was in Politico, FDA's deputy commissioner for human foods, his name's Jim Jones, he said this, quote, we're still in the midst of our investigation, but so far all of the signals we're getting lead to an intentional act on the part of someone in the supply chain and we're trying to sort of figure that out, end quote.

Now, why would someone intentionally contaminate these cinnamon applesauce pouches? Well, what we do know, it may come down to how the cinnamon itself in the applesauce, when you look at how spices are sold, they're typically sold by weight. When you add metal, that can make it heavier.

Now, this is still an ongoing investigation. But so far, as of this week, Pam, the FDA says it has received at least 65 reports of adverse events linked to these cinnamon applesauce pouches. All of the events have been in children under the age of six.

And some of these products, they have been voluntarily recalled. We're talking about applesauce pouches under the brands WanaBana, Schnucks, and Weis. But this is still, like I said, an ongoing investigation. There are many questions left to answer. And right now, we do know the FDA is conducting an inspection at a facility located in Ecuador. But again, we're still waiting for more updates on this investigation -- Pam.

BROWN: So, in these cases where children were exposed to the contaminated products, what have their symptoms been?

HOWARD: Well, sometimes children don't show symptoms. What we do know, of course, lead is toxic for anyone at any age. But kids are more susceptible. And short-term exposure can be associated with symptoms like headache or vomiting. Long-term exposure is associated with more serious health problems like developmental delays. But the big takeaway here, if you think your child has been exposed to a contaminated product, or just in general, make sure your child is getting regular lead screenings.

This is specifically for young kids ages one and two at their pediatrician's office. And call your doctor if you do think your child was potentially exposed -- Pam.

BROWN: Yes, that's really important information. Thank you so much, Jacqueline Howard.

Well, in the U.S., Black women are nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy complications than white women. Ahead, why more Black women are now choosing birth centers over hospitals.

[15:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Well, black women in the U.S. are two to three times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy related complications. That's according to the CDC. Faced with these statistics, many black women are choosing to opt out of hospital births.

SANCHEZ: On this week's episode of "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER", CNN anchor and new mom, Abby Phillip, goes on a personal journey to understand why so many black women like herself are scared to go to hospitals and what alternatives they're turning to instead. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP (voice-over): Elaine chose her home with her husband and with Kimberly at her side.

ELAINE: It was the most incredible feeling.

KIMBERLY: It was beautiful. And also, sometimes complications happen. And that's part of our training.

Elaine had more bleeding than we like to see after a birth. And we call that a postpartum hemorrhage. And the cool thing was Elaine was not quite aware of what was happening. We were able to stop the bleeding and give her lots of IV fluids.

PHILLIP: I had exactly the same experience.

[15:50:00]

I delivered my daughter and I had a postpartum hemorrhage. And I lost a lot of blood. And they managed it. And it was like it never happened.

ELAINE: You didn't walk away from your birth experience with birth trauma because you had a hemorrhage. You felt cared for.

PHILLIP: I was totally fine. I mean, I was fine. My baby was fine. I felt great.

ELAINE: Look at us changing the face of home birth. We are those moms. Turns out we're those moms.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And seeing as Abby Phillip joins us now. So, Abby, every, you know, expecting mom has to make that decision. Where are you going to give birth to your baby? Such a momentous life occasion. How did you calculate the risk at home versus the hospital?

PHILLIP (on camera): I think it's totally individualized based on your situation, your health. For me, I saw a doctor actually for most of my pregnancy, 30, 32 weeks or so. And I made sure that I was in a pretty solidly low risk category. And then given that, I said to myself, I want an unmedicated birth. I want to be in an environment where I have the best chance of having that.

And it was clear to me, in my view, that the best place to be able to do that was not in a hospital. Where I was worried, frankly, about facing a lot of pressure to have interventions that I didn't want or didn't need. So that was my risk calculation. But I also don't want to frame it totally in a kind of negative framing.

I think it's also about wanting, in a positive way, a certain kind of experience. And I think you're seeing both things from a lot of the Black women that we talk to in this piece and who I know personally. There is a lot of fear here, and they're trying to protect themselves.

But they're also wanting to change the way that they approach pregnancy and labor and make it something that is more supportive, more positive, more empowering than what we are used to.

SANCHEZ: A vastly different atmosphere, being in a hospital versus being somewhere where, like you said, it's curated to your every need and warmth, right, in a moment that is so pivotal for so many women. How popular is this becoming?

PHILLIP: It is becoming surprisingly popular. Since 2019, each year, we've seen double-digit increases in Black women choosing to have out- of-hospital births. Now, some of that is because these statistics are really horrible. They are really horrible. And a lot of women are scared. Some of it is also the effect of COVID, when being in a hospital was not as safe as people are used to.

There was risk associated with it. There was less support available to a lot of women. There were limits placed on how much support you could have. You could only have maybe one person, maybe your partner, come in with you.

So, we've seen really a dramatic increase in Black women, in particular, utilizing these out-of-hospital options. And I think also we've seen the up growth of a lot of organizations that have come into existence to try to support more Black women in their communities with more holistic care.

BROWN: And you actually visited a hospital as part of this. What did you learn?

PHILLIP: Yes, I mean, this was so fascinating. We spent 24 hours at MLK Community Hospital in Los Angeles. This was a hospital that, in its previous iteration, was considered to be a somewhat dangerous place to be if you were sick or if you were pregnant.

They have totally transformed themselves. They're a new hospital now. And they have a labor and delivery unit that is staffed by midwives. It's led by midwives. And women who come in there, they see a midwife first. If they are low risk, they may never see a doctor.

And it takes some of the practices from the midwifery model, which is minimizing intervention, giving patients time and space to let their bodies do the labor. And they've found incredibly positive outcomes.

And we met one mom in particular. This was her sixth baby. She'd had five other babies in other settings and had had terrible experiences. She came into the hospital crying. She was so afraid. And when we talked to her, she was so relieved and happy by the care that she was getting. It really showed that there are options here for women to have better care that is more responsive to them in all kinds of different settings.

And I think the key here is that a lot of these complications, most of them are preventable. And sometimes they don't get caught because patients are not listened to. And one of the sad stories in this piece is a young woman named April Valentine. And she died during labor. She complained, according to her family, of pain. And that those complaints were ignored. And eventually it turned out to be blood clots, pulmonary embolisms that ultimately killed her.

BROWN: Wow. Such important reporting. A powerful story here, Abby. And we're looking forward to watching it this Sunday. Thank you so much.

An all-new episode of "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER", one whole hour, one whole story, airs Sunday at 9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, only on CNN. We'll be right back.

[15:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Well, file this under something you don't see everyday. We want you to meet Ricardo, a steer, which is a castrated bull, apparently. Who had a very big day yesterday. He began his morning causing quite the snag in commuters travel plans in New Jersey. This is that Newark's Penn station where Ricardo frolicked among the tracks, blissfully unaware his presence prompted train delays.

SANCHEZ: Yes, police were able to contain the Texas Longhorn in a fenced lot nearby without incident.

[16:00:00]

Our affiliate News 12 New Jersey reports that animal control officials believe he came from a meat market that was some three miles away. So, he fled, being turned into a steak. This is how Ricardo ended his day at his new home at the Skyland Animal Sanctuary, where he's going to live out the rest of his days. An escape that turns out well for everybody.

BROWN: For he didn't get turned into, you know, gad, hamburger. I mean that's good for Ricardo for fleeing three miles. Wow.

SANCHEZ: Good for him.

BROWN: "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.

END

[15:30:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: This just in to CNN. The mother of a six- year-old child who brought a gun to school and shot his teacher has been sentenced.

CNN's Brian Todd has been tracking this story from the very beginning. So, Brian, what's the latest?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very surprising ruling, Boris, in state court. This judge, Chris Papile, has just handed a sentence of two years in prison to Deja Taylor, the mother of that six-year-old boy who shot his teacher earlier this year at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News.

The Commonwealth of Virginia had recommended only six months sentence on this charge. This is a state charge of child neglect. But according to Deja Taylor's attorney, James Ellenson, who just spoke to me on the phone, the judge, Chris Papile, believed that the state charge of child neglect was more serious than the federal charges that she had been pleaded guilty to.

The federal charges were unlawful possession, unlawful use of a controlled substance while possessing a firearm and making a false statement while purchasing a firearm. Well, this judge believed that the state charge of neglect was more serious and he wanted his sentence to reflect that. Two years she gets for that.

That will be tacked on to the 21 months she got for the federal charges there. So, she could spend maybe up to close to four years in prison, maybe a little less for good behavior. She was apparently very emotional, cried in the courtroom.

And this is a quote from her attorney, quote, I think it was excessive and harsh, the sentence.

SANCHEZ: We'll see if they appeal.

TODD: And he actually said that they would not appeal it. So, it's that's interesting as well. And she is at the Newport News City Jail right now. She may be transferred in a short time.

Brian Todd, thanks so much for the update -- Pamela.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: All right. Thanks, Boris. So today, former first lady Melania Trump made a rare appearance at a naturalization ceremony in Washington, D.C. Melania has largely avoided the public eye since she and her husband left the White House back in 2021. But today we got a rare glimpse into the more private side of the former first lady as she shared her personal story of life as an immigrant in America.

Let's bring in CNN's Kristen Holmes. It's so interesting, too, that this was a collaboration with the National Archives, given that relationship with her husband. What was Melania's message today?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Pam, this is a deeply personal and uncharacteristically personal message. We never really hear from Melania Trump. Even back in 2016, she didn't really campaign with the president.

She doesn't now with the former president. I mean, even when he's out there on the road, she's almost never by his side. Didn't go to any of the court appearances. And she told her story. She said that she was tremendously proud to be a citizen. But I do want you to listen to one part in specific when she talks about how hard this journey was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELANIA TRUMP, FORMER FIRST LADY: The experience of traversing the challenges of the immigration process opened my eyes to the harsh realities people face, including you, who to try to become U.S. citizens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And now, while this is a very touching message, it doesn't talk at all about the fact that her husband is currently running for office and he has pledged if he is reelected to make it harder to become a U.S. citizen. To also expand on his administration's hardline immigration policies that would be more restrictive to both illegal and legal immigrants.

BROWN: Yes, there is a lot against this backdrop, right?

[15:35:00]

You have that and you have the fact that this comes nearly two years after the National Archives asked the Justice Department to look into her husband, Donald Trump's handling of White House records. Do we know what his reaction was to her speaking today? Did he give his blessing?

HOLMES: I mean, I'm told by people close to the former president that he gave his blessing, he was supportive of it.

Now, I will note one thing. The archivist now is not the same archivist that was there when they referred Donald Trump to the Department of Justice, when they asked the Department of Justice to look into his mishandling of classified documents. What we have heard is that this new archivist, Colleen Shogan, was actually the White House Historical Association at the same time, Melania Trump was in the White House, and they got to know each other. They worked on a couple of events together, and she actually reached out and invited her. Because Melania Trump herself who became a citizen back in 2006. So, she thought she would be a good fit.

But again, it does not escape irony here, given the fact that the entire reason, or at least part of the reason that propelled this, was because the archives asked the Department of Justice to look into this. Now Trump has been indicted and is facing a trial. BROWN: Yes, you can't escape that reality. All right, thanks so much,

Kristen Holmes.

Coming up, an FDA official is now telling Politico that the lead contaminating some, sorry, lead, I should say, contaminating some applesauce pouches may be intentional. Stay with us.

[15:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Just into CNN, we now know the names of all three Israeli hostages mistakenly killed by IDF forces. We just learned the name of the last victim, Alon Shamriz. He was kidnapped from a kibbutz by Hamas on October 7th. The other victims, Yotam Haim, he's described as a gifted musician and dedicated metal music fan. Then there's Samer Talalka. He was described as an avid motorcyclist who loved to ride around the countryside and spend time with friends. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says that President Biden has been briefed. He called the news tragic and heartbreaking.

Obviously, we're going to stay on top of this story and figure out the latest details on exactly what happened. The IDF, again, confirming that they mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages in Gaza -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Well, the lead contamination that's been detected in cinnamon applesauce pouches sickening dozens of young children may have been an intentional act. That's according to an FDA official who was interviewed in a new report from Politico.

CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard joins us now with more. So, Jacqueline, how does this change the FDA's investigation into this lead contamination?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Well, Pam, if the FDA can confirm that this was, in fact, intentional, that would certainly escalate things. What we now know, based on this exclusive interview that was in Politico, FDA's deputy commissioner for human foods, his name's Jim Jones, he said this, quote, we're still in the midst of our investigation, but so far all of the signals we're getting lead to an intentional act on the part of someone in the supply chain and we're trying to sort of figure that out, end quote.

Now, why would someone intentionally contaminate these cinnamon applesauce pouches? Well, what we do know, it may come down to how the cinnamon itself in the applesauce, when you look at how spices are sold, they're typically sold by weight. When you add metal, that can make it heavier.

Now, this is still an ongoing investigation. But so far, as of this week, Pam, the FDA says it has received at least 65 reports of adverse events linked to these cinnamon applesauce pouches. All of the events have been in children under the age of six.

And some of these products, they have been voluntarily recalled. We're talking about applesauce pouches under the brands WanaBana, Schnucks, and Weis. But this is still, like I said, an ongoing investigation. There are many questions left to answer. And right now, we do know the FDA is conducting an inspection at a facility located in Ecuador. But again, we're still waiting for more updates on this investigation -- Pam.

BROWN: So, in these cases where children were exposed to the contaminated products, what have their symptoms been?

HOWARD: Well, sometimes children don't show symptoms. What we do know, of course, lead is toxic for anyone at any age. But kids are more susceptible. And short-term exposure can be associated with symptoms like headache or vomiting. Long-term exposure is associated with more serious health problems like developmental delays. But the big takeaway here, if you think your child has been exposed to a contaminated product, or just in general, make sure your child is getting regular lead screenings.

This is specifically for young kids ages one and two at their pediatrician's office. And call your doctor if you do think your child was potentially exposed -- Pam.

BROWN: Yes, that's really important information. Thank you so much, Jacqueline Howard.

Well, in the U.S., Black women are nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy complications than white women. Ahead, why more Black women are now choosing birth centers over hospitals.

[15:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Well, black women in the U.S. are two to three times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy related complications. That's according to the CDC. Faced with these statistics, many black women are choosing to opt out of hospital births.

SANCHEZ: On this week's episode of "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER", CNN anchor and new mom, Abby Phillip, goes on a personal journey to understand why so many black women like herself are scared to go to hospitals and what alternatives they're turning to instead. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP (voice-over): Elaine chose her home with her husband and with Kimberly at her side.

ELAINE: It was the most incredible feeling.

KIMBERLY: It was beautiful. And also, sometimes complications happen. And that's part of our training.

Elaine had more bleeding than we like to see after a birth. And we call that a postpartum hemorrhage. And the cool thing was Elaine was not quite aware of what was happening. We were able to stop the bleeding and give her lots of IV fluids.

PHILLIP: I had exactly the same experience.

[15:50:00]

I delivered my daughter and I had a postpartum hemorrhage. And I lost a lot of blood. And they managed it. And it was like it never happened.

ELAINE: You didn't walk away from your birth experience with birth trauma because you had a hemorrhage. You felt cared for.

PHILLIP: I was totally fine. I mean, I was fine. My baby was fine. I felt great.

ELAINE: Look at us changing the face of home birth. We are those moms. Turns out we're those moms.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And seeing as Abby Phillip joins us now. So, Abby, every, you know, expecting mom has to make that decision. Where are you going to give birth to your baby? Such a momentous life occasion. How did you calculate the risk at home versus the hospital?

PHILLIP (on camera): I think it's totally individualized based on your situation, your health. For me, I saw a doctor actually for most of my pregnancy, 30, 32 weeks or so. And I made sure that I was in a pretty solidly low risk category. And then given that, I said to myself, I want an unmedicated birth. I want to be in an environment where I have the best chance of having that.

And it was clear to me, in my view, that the best place to be able to do that was not in a hospital. Where I was worried, frankly, about facing a lot of pressure to have interventions that I didn't want or didn't need. So that was my risk calculation. But I also don't want to frame it totally in a kind of negative framing.

I think it's also about wanting, in a positive way, a certain kind of experience. And I think you're seeing both things from a lot of the Black women that we talk to in this piece and who I know personally. There is a lot of fear here, and they're trying to protect themselves.

But they're also wanting to change the way that they approach pregnancy and labor and make it something that is more supportive, more positive, more empowering than what we are used to.

SANCHEZ: A vastly different atmosphere, being in a hospital versus being somewhere where, like you said, it's curated to your every need and warmth, right, in a moment that is so pivotal for so many women. How popular is this becoming?

PHILLIP: It is becoming surprisingly popular. Since 2019, each year, we've seen double-digit increases in Black women choosing to have out- of-hospital births. Now, some of that is because these statistics are really horrible. They are really horrible. And a lot of women are scared. Some of it is also the effect of COVID, when being in a hospital was not as safe as people are used to.

There was risk associated with it. There was less support available to a lot of women. There were limits placed on how much support you could have. You could only have maybe one person, maybe your partner, come in with you.

So, we've seen really a dramatic increase in Black women, in particular, utilizing these out-of-hospital options. And I think also we've seen the up growth of a lot of organizations that have come into existence to try to support more Black women in their communities with more holistic care.

BROWN: And you actually visited a hospital as part of this. What did you learn?

PHILLIP: Yes, I mean, this was so fascinating. We spent 24 hours at MLK Community Hospital in Los Angeles. This was a hospital that, in its previous iteration, was considered to be a somewhat dangerous place to be if you were sick or if you were pregnant.

They have totally transformed themselves. They're a new hospital now. And they have a labor and delivery unit that is staffed by midwives. It's led by midwives. And women who come in there, they see a midwife first. If they are low risk, they may never see a doctor.

And it takes some of the practices from the midwifery model, which is minimizing intervention, giving patients time and space to let their bodies do the labor. And they've found incredibly positive outcomes.

And we met one mom in particular. This was her sixth baby. She'd had five other babies in other settings and had had terrible experiences. She came into the hospital crying. She was so afraid. And when we talked to her, she was so relieved and happy by the care that she was getting. It really showed that there are options here for women to have better care that is more responsive to them in all kinds of different settings.

And I think the key here is that a lot of these complications, most of them are preventable. And sometimes they don't get caught because patients are not listened to. And one of the sad stories in this piece is a young woman named April Valentine. And she died during labor. She complained, according to her family, of pain. And that those complaints were ignored. And eventually it turned out to be blood clots, pulmonary embolisms that ultimately killed her.

BROWN: Wow. Such important reporting. A powerful story here, Abby. And we're looking forward to watching it this Sunday. Thank you so much.

An all-new episode of "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER", one whole hour, one whole story, airs Sunday at 9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, only on CNN. We'll be right back.

[15:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BROWN: Well, file this under something you don't see everyday. We want you to meet Ricardo, a steer, which is a castrated bull, apparently. Who had a very big day yesterday. He began his morning causing quite the snag in commuters travel plans in New Jersey. This is that Newark's Penn station where Ricardo frolicked among the tracks, blissfully unaware his presence prompted train delays.

SANCHEZ: Yes, police were able to contain the Texas Longhorn in a fenced lot nearby without incident.

[16:00:00]

Our affiliate News 12 New Jersey reports that animal control officials believe he came from a meat market that was some three miles away. So, he fled, being turned into a steak. This is how Ricardo ended his day at his new home at the Skyland Animal Sanctuary, where he's going to live out the rest of his days. An escape that turns out well for everybody.

BROWN: For he didn't get turned into, you know, gad, hamburger. I mean that's good for Ricardo for fleeing three miles. Wow.

SANCHEZ: Good for him.

BROWN: "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.