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U.S. Issues Global Travel Alert; U.S. Issues Global Travel Alert; Victim Returns To Castro's House; Hernandez Claims He Is Innocent; Fan Sells Hernandez Letter; U.S. Closes Embassies After Al Qaeda Threat; Ninth Accuser For San Diego Mayor; Republican Bickering Erupts In Public; Tiger Woods Is On Fire; A-Rod: "I'm Going To Keep Fighting"; Cleveland Kidnapper's Words Stir Outrage

Aired August 03, 2013 - 12:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. A look at the top stories that we're following right here in the CNN NEWSROOM, nearly two dozen U.S. embassies getting ready to close their doors amid fears of a terror attack. A former U.S. ambassador says this move is unprecedented. The threat is impacting U.S. travelers everywhere. The message to Americans around the world, next.

And one of the Cleveland women abducted by Ariel Castro goes back to the home where she was held prisoner for 11 years. We have neighbors' reaction to Michelle Knight's incredible strength.

A global travel alert is now in effect for all Americans around the world after sources say there's growing intelligence that al Qaeda is planning an attack, possibly in the Middle East or North Africa. As a precaution, the U.S. is closing 22 embassies and consulates tomorrow, mostly in that region and the threat is expected to last until the end of August.

Emily Schmidt is live for us right now from Washington. So, Emily, we're still learning more about the threat and response. Give us the latest details.

EMILY SCHMIDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, we're also learning more about what's happening, the U.S. response right here in Washington. A White House official now says the president was updated this morning about the threat. He's going to continue to be updated throughout the weekend.

Meanwhile, he's continuing with his routine weekend schedule, golfing, going to Camp David later today to celebrate his birthday. Officials have said that the embassy closings are officially only for Sunday, but that they could be extended to more days and there could be more closings.

Just yesterday, we were talking about a number at 21. It was updated overnight to 22. That now includes the U.S. consulate in Basra. These stretch all across North Africa and Middle East. Germany and Britain have said they plan to close their embassies in Yemen Sunday and Monday. And now this morning, France has said it plans to do the same. All of this coming from the terrorist chatter described by officials as credible and something they're taking seriously, yet nothing that's specific, so a former U.S. ambassador to Iraq explains how he views this response to the threat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS HILL, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ (via telephone): Well, there have been incidents where they've closed down a number of embassies in the Middle East because the information is not specific enough to say that embassy x will be closed as opposed to other embassies, but I think closing all of the embassies in the Middle East to North Africa is in fact unprecedented.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHMIDT: He worked with the State Department for more than 30 years and we talk about the State Department itself saying it does not recall this kind of a response to a threat in the past -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And so, you know, Emily, how much has this reaction now you know, I guess been impacted by what happened in Benghazi? Is there a direct correlation here?

SCHMIDT: It's one of the questions everybody's asking because you look at timing and this is what's happening. The threat comes only a few weeks before the first anniversary of that deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi. Of course, that's where four American were killed including Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

After that point, the Obama administration was criticized for not responding strongly enough to that threat. This time, officials say they're acting out of what they call an abundance of caution. Something else that's interesting that happened as a result of Benghazi. We know that the Pentagon approved a Marine contingency combat force team to be in the area to respond if there's a crisis.

Roughly 1500 Marines on ships in the Red Sea, around 500 Marines were told that are split between Italy and Spain. Now, they are posted there full time, not just during times responding to a threat like this to respond if something happens in the area. That's something different than what happened when that attack in Benghazi happened just about 11 months ago.

WHITFIELD: Emily Schmidt, thanks so much from Washington.

The travel alert will impact Americans all over the world for the next month possibly. Nick Valencia is live for us now at Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson Airport, the busiest airport in the world. So, Nick, you've been talking to passengers today. Are they saying anything unusual about their travel day?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred. If you're traveling domestically this weekend, you probably won't notice a change at all. We just got back from inside the terminal there. It's business as usual. And as it relates to this travel warning, there aren't any longer delays, longer lines, nothing like that.

Perhaps if you're traveling internationally, there's something different though you may not notice it. The State Department says that there will be no visible changes in security. When we talked to travelers at the international terminal, we asked them about the State Department warning. Some of them were oblivious to it. They had no idea that there was a worldwide warning in place. Others though were very, very well aware.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We called ahead and they said stay away from the embassies right now and you'll be OK. But we are aware of it, but I still got to make a living.

VALENCIA: With the travel warning, does that give you pause at all to give on a plane today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It gives me a slight little pause, I guess you would say. It makes you think about it.

VALENCIA: Is the change at all the way you prepare to travel or what you might do when you're in a foreign country?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, sir. We trust they've got everything under control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: Hartsfield Jackson Airport serves about 240,000 passengers a day. Now for those airlines that do fly internationally, they tell us that there have been no changes in flight schedule and no cancellations. You may be wondering also at home, if you're planning on traveling abroad and maybe a little weary about traveling this weekend because of the warning, they're saying no refunds and waivers at this point. That policy perhaps could change, Fred, based on the information that the airlines get from TSA and the State Department -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And Nick, there is some advice that the State Department is disseminating to travelers who are going abroad in the next month.

VALENCIA: Yes, absolutely. They're encouraging travelers to register with the U.S. Embassy depending on what country you're going to. If you're going to one of these countries that is under the alert, they encourage travelers to register with the U.S. embassy. Let them know how long you're going to be in that country and why you're there. They also tell travelers to register with their Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.

That allows travelers to get updates about crisis situations, potential emergencies and of course, they're updating on the State Department web site, so you can take a look there regularly and they'll be posting updates. There are others as well. The Airlines for America, that's an industry trade group. They're also monitoring the security situation and will be posting updates on www.airlines.org -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Nick Valencia, thanks so much, Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson Airport. Thanks.

A day after she bravely faced the man who held her captive for decade, Michelle Knight went back to Seymour Avenue, that home where she was forced to stay for years. She thanked neighbors for helping rescue her, Gina Dejesus and Amanda Berry. Ariel Castro was sentenced to life plus 1,000 years in prison for keeping the three captive. Neighbors were in awe of her strength.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was surprised and I gave her a hug and she was really nice.

HENRIETTA BELL, NEIGHBOR: She inspired me a lot because her attitude, her demeanor and all that, she is a very strong person.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: As part of Castro's plea deal, his home will now be demolished.

All right, let's talk sports and where sports and crime collide, Aaron Hernandez saying in a letter to a fan that he is innocent. The former NFL player is in jail for allegedly killing the 27-year-old friend of his, who also was the boyfriend of his fiancee's sister. The fan actually sold the letter to a sports memorabilia sports member, who then in turn sold it to TMZ.

In the letter, Hernandez says this, quote, "The world just makes things out of accusations and it will all die down especially when they say not guilty." Alina Cho is now joining us live from New York. This is an extraordinary case that continues to make all kinds of new twists and turns. Hernandez apparently didn't want this letter to be made public. Tell us what else was being said in this letter.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, as you said, it's really a remarkable story and Hernandez essentially as you said, declared his innocence in this letter. Let me tell you how this all happened. Basically, a fan who we're calling Karl wrote a letter to Hernandez about two weeks ago. Apparently, this fan was also incarcerated in the same prison about 15 years ago. He wanted to show Hernandez support.

He never dreamed that the former football star would write him back, but according to TMZ, that's exactly what happened. The letter is exactly a page long. Among the highlights and you read part of them. Here's some more. I know there is a reason I'm going through this and I will figure it out through my relationship with the Lord. I fell off, especially after making all that money. But when it's all said and done, God put me in this situation for a reason.

So, how did it get into the public's hands? It was never intended to. The fan, as you mentioned, Fred, sold the letter to a sports memorabilia store in Massachusetts for an undisclosed sum. The store's Sports World in turn sold the letter to TMZ for $18,000. What's incredible is I looked at letter and Hernandez says in it keep this off social media, please, so much for that.

Hernandez also signed the letter with his name, of course, his New England Patriots number, number 81 and said, I can't wait to sign this again when I'm playing again. Now, let me remind all of you that Hernandez remains in prison. He's charged with murder in the June 17th killing of a 27-year-old man named Odin Lloyd. So the chances, Fred, of Aaron Hernandez playing professional football again, pretty slim, at least for now.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Of course, that trial has not taken place yet. Who knows what the outcome is, but if you look at the words, you know, that Aaron Hernandez is using, he sounds pretty confident that he would be found not guilty. That he had nothing to do with this and this really is the first time we have heard his thoughts or read any words from him since his arrest.

CHO: That's absolutely right. And we should point out. Fred, that Aaron Hernandez' attorney has not confirmed to CNN that he actually wrote the letter. I can tell you this, however, and this is interesting. We spoke to the manager of the sports memorabilia store and he actually said I've done signings where Aaron before. So, we have a history of being around him.

We obviously authenticate signatures, so we knew it was his right away. We also spoke to the Bristol County sheriff who told us, listen, the envelope and stationery came from the Bristol County House of Correction where Hernandez is incarcerated. He can't confirm that he wrote it, but it came from his room number with his I.D. number. His name was on the outgoing envelope, so it appears that Hernandez did pen this letter.

WHITFIELD: Wow, so confirmation from a lot of folks, just not Aaron Hernandez' attorneys. All right, Alina Cho, thanks so much, fascinating stuff.

All right, fears of a terror attack lead to what's being called an unprecedented move, U.S. embassies around the world closing. A terror expert tells us why this threat is being taken so seriously.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The U.S. is very worried about the possibility of an al Qaeda attack in the Middle East and North Africa. Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King says the intelligence information is the most specific he has ever seen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPRESENTATIVE PETER KING (R), HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: It's been taken very, very seriously and so, nothing can be ruled out. I'm not saying that to panic anyone, but I think that because of the dimension of this, we have to say that, you know, nothing can be excluded. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Philip Mudd, a senior research fellow of the New America Foundation is joining me right now from Washington. So it's good to see you, Phillip. So we're hearing that there is very specific information. You heard Mr. King underscore that. Do you think it is beyond internet chatter, can it be any more specific than that?

PHILIP MUDD, NEW AMERICA FOUNDATION: In my view, it's got to be beyond internet chatter. Look, when you're in the business -- at the threat table every morning, you've got to assess quality of information. That is, what is the source? You say internet chatter might be an interceptable phone call. It might be a human source, but I think Americans would be surprised at the quantity of threat information you've got to weed through every day, so to decide as U.S. government official, you've got to get out and warn people. This has got to be pretty serious stuff.

WHITFIELD: OK, and when you hear that there are something like 22 U.S. embassies and consulates that will be closed on Sunday and even France and Great Britain and Germany are considering the same thing, do you feel like it's going to go beyond just one day? I mean, why are more inform a potential enemy that it would be just for a day?

MUDD: Look, this is a classic rock in a hard place decision especially in the wake of Benghazi. You've given a warning to the American people that's so vague that it's very difficult for them to take action, but if something were to happen and you hadn't issued that warning, I could tell you what people would say. Why didn't you tell us? So, you're stuck saying, I know it's vague, I know it's not extremely helpful, but we don't have much option.

WHITFIELD: And then we understand that al Qaeda's leader, Ayman Al- Zawahiri has appointed the head of the al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula as its kind of new number two person. How significant is that? Does that have anything to do with these threats?

MUDD: I'm not certain it relates to the threats, but as a terrorism watcher, this is an extremely significant step. It tells me at least two things, number one, the organization is under such stress in Pakistan, the historic area where al Qaeda core operations have been conducted. It's got to look elsewhere, in this case, Yemen, to find a leader. The second is you're going outside the traditional Saudis that have run the organization into a Yemeni and that sounds nuance to an outsider, but I think it's pretty significant for al Qaeda watchers.

WHITFIELD: Wasn't there a feeling or there was you know, this confidence that perhaps al Qaeda was being dismantled, especially with the loss of you know, number one most wanted man in the world and other top lieutenants who had either been apprehended or even killed? But then there was a concern with Yemen and perhaps even Somalia as being places where al Qaeda may be restructuring or finding new identity. Is that what is happening here?

MUDD: It is, but I would take it a step further. Look, when you're looking at the al Qaeda organization, I think many people look at it as a group with affiliates in places like Somalia and Yemen. It's actually a revolutionary movement, an ideology. That movement is slowly dying, if you look at polling data across the Middle East. But we're going to have these episodic moments where a revolutionary who has decided that the only solution is to attack America is going to pop his head about trench say I'm coming after you. I would expect to see these for another five, ten, 15 years, because the revolution is harder to kill than a group.

WHITFIELD: Did what happen in Benghazi embolden extremists groups or if it's al Qaeda or whatever, organizations are being targeted or watched by U.S. authorities. Did what happen in Benghazi kind of embolden those two targets, embassies and consulates, and that's why we're at this juncture?

MUDD: I'm not certain I would say embolden al Qaeda. It might have been embolden militants who think there are al Qaeda members in places like Egypt or Tunisia or Libya. But the al Qaeda organization would have looked at that. When I was in the business and something happened like the sniper attacks in Washington years ago, they'll look at that and they might try to replicate it. But I'd be more concerned not about al Qaeda in terms of storming an embassy, but just disaffected local people who say they want to break through the walls of an embassy.

WHITFIELD: Philip Mudd, thanks so much for your insight today. Appreciate it.

All right, nine women now are accusing the mayor of San Diego of harassment. But he says it's the city's fault for not giving him any harassment prevention training. Straight ahead, our legal guys weigh on, on whether this defense has any credibility at all.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The accusations are mounting against the mayor of San Diego, now a ninth woman has come forward claiming Bob Filner harassed her and she and her husband will be here live in our 3:00 hour to tell us more of their story. Filner admits he has a problem and is about to undergo what he calls intensive therapy, but Jamie Chambers of affiliate KSWB says the latest accuser may not be ready to forgive so quickly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EMILY GILBERT, FILNER ACUSER: Hugged me a little too closely and then put his arm around me like this. And then he proceeded to slide his arm down and give a little grab.

JAMIE CHAMBERS, KSWB REPORTER (voice-over): Emily Gilbert says her first emotion was embarrassment, but --

GILBERT: When it's coming from the mayor, I didn't want to make a scene, really.

CHAMBERS: All of her life, people have told Emily that she's a dead ringer for Marilyn Monroe, so she's paid to sing and sometimes host political events as the iconic figure. Emily says she didn't want to feel the backlash from making these allegations, but --

GILBERT: Now that there's other girl, he's doing it to other people. I think probably he should really take a look at himself.

CHAMBERS: The accusation has a common theme starting with the mayor's aggressive grip now commonly referred to as the Filner headlock.

GILBERT: I usually try to laugh it off and move away, however, he hugged me a little too tight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody wants him to resign.

CHAMBERS: Retired Marine Major Jason Gilbert says when he found out what happened to his wife, he was livid, but felt helpless. Then he saw the mayor speaking.

JASON GILBERT, SAYS WIFE WAS HARASSED: He says, I admit it, I did it, I'm really sorry and the hell with everybody, I'm staying in office.

CHAMBERS: Emily and Jason said they don't any money, but they do want the mayor to donate to a women's charity to finally show some contrition.

JASON GILBERT: This is a chance for him to step up and do the honorable thing, number one, resign and number two, make the donation.

GILBERT: He's very arrogant in the way he interacts with other people. You don't do that to people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, there's more on this. Let's bring in our legal guys, Avery Friedman, a civil rights attorney and law professor joining us from Cleveland. It's good to see you. Where are you?

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Hi, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: There he is. OK, Richard Herman, a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor joining us from Las Vegas. It's good to see you as well.

OK, hard to believe this latest twist, I guess, in this, but Avery, you know, you say the city, I guess, could be responsible in a way for Filner's alleged bad behavior?

FRIEDMAN: Yes. Actually, there are a series of United States Supreme Court decisions since 1999 that impose liability on an employer where there is no reporting system and no sexual harassment training and I'm watching this. You know, this mayor looks just strikingly like shaky from Seinfeld and the way he's responding sort of like that, too. It's unbelievable.

It's an over caffeinated argument in which he's facilitating liability against the city and it really comes out of a dispute between his lawyer and the city's lawyer about who should cover it, a terrible, terrible argument. You know what, the comment by the husband of this woman, you know what? He's denied it, but he could step up by stepping down. That really is the solution.

WHITFIELD: There are a few things here, so the mayor is saying, OK, I got a problem to an extent and I'm actually going to go to two weeks of therapy to try and fix that program, but by the way, the city is responsible. It never trained me, never helped me understand what sexual harassment is. And so, Richard, if you're talking about a legal case here, you've got a few things. He's admitting I've got a problem, something went wrong, I'm going to get help for it, but it's your fault, city, so you've got to help pay for my legal defense at the very least.

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes. That's because his lawyer is saying to get his legal fees covered. If there are nine litigations, it's going to be very, very expensive. But you know, Fred, it's like Tom Wolf wrote in that book is master of the universe complex that these politicians seems to have, a guy like Spitzer, like Weiner, now, like this guy.

They're just out of control. They think that they're above and beyond everybody. They can do whatever they want. They don't have to answer anybody and here, he says look, yes, I got a problem. There's probably going to be more women coming, but too bad I'm staying. I'm going to stay. I'm not leaving. It's ridiculous. It's just absurd.

WHITFIELD: At the same time, Avery, to what extent can the city be held liable for an elected official's actions?

FRIEDMAN: They may be fully liable at least in terms of compensatory damages because that's what these rulings under federal law and the California fair housing and employment act is very similar to that, so there are some you know, the liability issues seem to be if it could be established, quite solid. The question here is ordinarily, the boss of a company, in this case, the mayor, usually doesn't come forward to his lawyer and say you know what -- put this woman in a head lock, told her to get naked if I were to have gone through training. I mean that's really the argument and it is jaw dropping.

WHITFIELD: Is this unprecedented? I mean, this kind of defense, this kind of I guess the response to these allegations from the elected official. Isn't it unprecedented to say that the city has to, you know, bear the responsibility here?

HERMAN: Well, the city has -- they have an obligation this training and they did provide the training. He could have taken an online program, which he didn't take and I think that's what's going to kill him in this one and he's going to end up having to pay all these legal fees. It's coming out of his pocket. I don't think the city --

FRIEDMAN: Or the city will ask for contributions.

HERMAN: They've already -- against him and may very well be.

WHITFIELD: OK, so on the -- FRIEDMAN: What a mess?

WHITFIELD: Yes, it definitely sounds messy and seems to get messier almost every day so, you know, on the flip side then, how will these alleged victims especially ones by the city go about proving harassment. Often these cases are difficult because it's he said, she said, unless there are witnesses. How far would this kind of potential extra humiliation go, Avery?

FRIEDMAN: Well, you know, it is a credibility issue. In many instances you have nine separate events to the extent that they are corroborated. In other words a co-worker saw it or in some instances some employees actually record contrary to popular belief. Generally, that's permissible. We don't know what that is, but when you accumulate all these individuals that they will be supportive of other behavior as consistent with what they've seen with Mayor Filner and that is really a problem. The odds are this case is going to resolve, it will never go to trial.

WHITFIELD: OK, all right, we're going to talk again about this case. This time, we're going to talk with the, you know, I guess alleged ninth victim, Gentlemen, at 3:00 Eastern Time. We're going to talk to this woman who says San Diego Mayor Bob Filner went too far. He didn't just ask her for her business card. She's a Marilyn Monroe impersonator, but he did something else. She'll describe a little bit more what he allegedly did.

Then we're going to see you again, 20 minutes from now. We're not done with you, Gentlemen. We're going to talk about the Ariel Castro case that's taken place in your backyard, Avery. It was a very interesting moment. For those who watched it and watched this convicted kidnapper and talk about what he did, didn't do, how he justified it, all that taking place in that sentencing hearing. We'll talk more with Avery and Richard about that straight ahead.

All right, Rand Paul, Chris Christie, well, they've been bickering very publicly lately. In a minute, our political editor looks at whether it could have anything to do with the 2016 possible run, presidential aspirations. We'll look into that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. Checking our top stories right now, the U.S. is warning American travelers around the world to be on alert with fears mounting of an al Qaeda terror attack. Sources say there is growing intelligence that terrorists are planning an attack in the Middle East or Northern Africa. The U.S. State Department is closing 22 embassies and consulates in the region starting tomorrow. Retired Army General Wesley Clark told Erin Burnett that step shows this is serious.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK, U.S. ARMY (RETIRED): My guess is that we know a little bit more than what's being said publicly. Obviously, if we've got lines on what the terrorists are saying, we may be able to deter it, that's good. Better if we can take the terrorists out. We don't know what the ultimate play is here, but I've got a lot of confidence in the people that have set this up behind the scenes in the State Department and in the Pentagon. I think we've got a lot better grip on this than we did during Benghazi. We're ready for it. I'm sure there's a lot more than just marines standing by.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Almost a year ago, four Americans were killed in the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. France, Germany, now Britain are closing their embassies in Yemen tomorrow.

All right, it is a very public fight between a couple of very high profile Republicans in this country. Political editor Paul Steinhauser explains why the squabbling between Senator Rand Paul and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie could be just the beginning.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hi, Fred. It's 2013, right? So, why does it feel like 2016?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOVERNOR CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: If Senator Paul wants to start looking at where he's going to cut spending to afford defense, maybe he should starting looking cutting the pork barrel spending that he brings home to Kentucky.

SENATOR RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: This is the king of bacon talking about bacon.

STEINHAUSER (voice-over): New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, two top Republican politicians who someday may be leading contenders for the next Republican presidential nomination, engaging in a very public war of words over the past week. It's hard to tell if this skirmish is over for now. The libertarian minded senator called for a truce.

PAUL (via telephone): I would suggest if he wants to ratchet it down, I'm more than happy too.

STEINHAUSER: And invited Christie to share some beers. The tough talking Republican governor seemed non-committal.

CHRISTIE: I'm running for re-election in New Jersey. I don't really have time for that at the moment. You know, I mean, if I find myself down in Washington, I'll certainly look him up.

STEINHAUSER: And this fight is far from finished.

ANA NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think we're going to end up with a Republican primary that looks a lot like a cage match.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEINHAUSER: Christie and Paul squabble over national security, civil liberties and federal spending is also a proxy for the bigger battle between the mainstream and grass roots wings of the Republican Party for the future of the GOP -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Paul, for that.

All right, coming up in the next hour, our political panel will talk about why this fight between Republicans has become so public.

Let's talk sports, Yankee star Alex Rodriguez says he will fight on. A-Rod talked to reporters about a doping scandal, something that could ban him potentially from baseball for life.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Checking sports headlines now, the old Tiger Woods again. Woods shot a 61 in the second round of the Bridgestone invitational in Ohio. That match is the best round of his career, which came back in 2000. The third round of the tournament is underway right now. Tiger tees off in about 20 minutes and he hasn't won however a major in five years, but some say it looks like he's getting his game back.

All right, facing a possible lifetime ban from baseball for doping, Yankees star Alex Rodriguez is mow on the offensive. He told reporters he'll fight to keep his job as the highest paid player in baseball and he hopes to rescue his reputation.

CNN's Joe Carter is joining us now from Trenton, New Jersey. So A-Rod also made a statement with his bat playing in the minor leagues, but he says he wants to be back in the majors.

JOE CARTER, HLN SPORTS: Yes, he certainly did make a statement last night both on and off the field, Fredricka, and we'll get to that in just a moment. He is definitely trying get back with the New York Yankees. He said that he feels 100 percent. He says he feels the best he has during this entire rehab process, but as good as he says he feels, Major League Baseball is about to drop the hammer on Alex Rodriguez.

He has not directly spoken to the media in a couple of weeks and he did both of those last night and I can tell you he literally took a shot both figuratively and literally at the media and at Major League Baseball, and at the people that are trying to keep him from returning to the Yankees. Here's a little bit of that from last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX RODRIGUEZ, NEW YORK YANKEES: There's more than one party that benefits from me not ever stepping back on the field. That's not my teammates and the Yankee fans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who is it? Who benefitted --

RODRIGUEZ: I can't tell you that right now and I hope I never have to. He didn't answer it. So he was under the mic. I'm not sure. I think it's pretty self-explanatory. I think it's the pink elephant in the room. I think we all agree we want to get rid of PEDs. All the player, we feel that way, but when all this stuff is going on in the background and people are finding creative ways to cancel your contract and stuff like that, I think that's concerning for me and it should be for future players. There is a process. I'm excited about the way I feel tonight. I'm going to keep fighting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARTER: Now, Fred, there has been plenty of speculation out there that the Yankees front office would not mine if he was suspended rather than rejoining the team. If he's suspended for performance enhancing drugs, the Yankees don't have to pay him. They're on the hook to pay him a guaranteed $100 million in salary through 2017.

Now the way the timeline breaks down according to Major League Baseball and the reports we have heard, a number of players that are involved in this scandal and that deadline is around 5:00 p.m. Eastern on Sunday. Players have to decide whether or not they're going to appeal or accept the suspension and then on Monday, Major League Baseball is expected to make an announcement that's going to be a blanket statement saying here are the players accepting the deal and going to sit out and here are the number of players that are going to appeal the deal.

Now Alex Rodriguez in entirely different situation, we've heard anywhere from 50 games to a lifetime ban and he said to us yesterday that his plan is to play again tonight. He's going to play seven innings instead of five and he's going to have a short workout on Sunday afternoon, then he plans to absolutely, his word, join the New York Yankees team on Monday when they play the White Sox in Chicago.

WHITFIELD: All right, a very confident A-Rod, that he's going to come out OK after a decision is made tomorrow. Just over 24 hours from now. Keep us posted. Joe Carter, thank you so much.

Coming up next, our legal guys are back and they are going to be looking at the Ariel Castro case, and Ariel Castro's future and the quest to find the person, the prison rather where he just might be serving the rest of his life plus a thousand years.

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WHITFIELD: The Cleveland kidnapper will soon find out where he'll be spending the rest of his life. CNN has learned that Ariel Castro's first stop when he leaves county jail will be the Lorraine Correctional Institution in Grafton, Ohio. Officials there will evaluate him and decide which prison he'll go to. Castro was sentenced Thursday to life in prison plus 1,000 years and no chance of parole.

The punishment was part of a plea deal and it was expected, but what a lot of people were really surprised about was Castro's 16-minute statement, a rambling speech in which he blamed childhood abuse and a sex addiction for his horrific acts. At time, he even tried to minimize thing nightmare that his victims suffered.

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ARIEL CASTRO, CONVICTED KIDNAPPER AND RAPIST: I just don't think -- because we had a lot going on in that home. The YouTube video of Amanda -- that right there in itself proves that that girl did not go through torture because if that was true, do you think she would be out there partying already and having fun? I don't think so.

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WHITFIELD: All right, that was just 30 seconds of Ariel Castro in court. He talked for another 15 and a half minutes. Our legal guys are back, Avery Friedman in Cleveland and Richard Herman in Las Vegas. OK, gentlemen, this was pretty extraordinary, but Richard, you first, how unusual is it that a judge will let a convicted criminal, sex offender make a statement like that during the sentencing phase.

HERMAN: It's not unusual for a defendant to make a statement at sentencing, Fred, that's usually done all the time. It's a dicey proposition when their appellate rights waiting, but I never want my client to say anything because there's appeals pending. I've never seen it come to fruition for a client, but what puzzled me and which I had never seen in my years of practice, when the judge was actually sentencing him. I mean, they were having a conversation.

During the conversation, Castro says I didn't commit murder. I don't know what you're talking about. When you hear things like that, this is the reason you don't want that conversation. Because now, there's an issue, did he plead guilty to something he didn't do because that's a crime? So he can't do that. So, are there appellate rights here now? Are they going to have to take an appeal on those issues?

It was a revolting, revolting scenario to watch yesterday. Watch his minimize his actions and as a defense attorney, when you hear a victim impact statements, you shudder in your seat and the statements that were read in court and the people that came in to testify were just, it's just earth shattering and to watch this guy minimize it is just devastating.

WHITFIELD: So Avery, this is taking place in your backyard and I guess the better question is it's not so unusual so see this kind of statement coming from a defendant who is fighting for his or her life, but in this case, we're talking about a plea deal, and so this statement came about. What was likely I guess the point of view of the judge who thought this was appropriate? Admissible, this was necessary? Was this more of a hope of some kind of moment for the victims? This person has entered this plea. He's pled guilty and so now, he want to I guess punctuate it with a statement. I guess nobody expected this.

FRIEDMAN: There was no expectation of a 16-minute ramp. The judge to his credit was understated. He showed judicial temperament, but this defendant went on and on. Almost four and a half hours. I have never seen anything like this. The strange thing was that after a plea deal for 437 counts, he then and I agree. He then raised the issue well. I didn't kill anybody and torture anybody. He waved his appeals rights and there was an issue in the middle of the sentencing, whether or not there will be an appeal. Even if there is, I'm satisfied the judge built -- and a larger issue, this was on the world stage and it showed how America, no matter how heinous the crime, follows dictates of American constitution. We don't shoot people in a public square. We are a civilized nation and so, to that extent, Castro will be in the correctional institute. I think from there, to the Mansfield facility and he will spend the rest of his life there. Prosecutors said yes, he'll leave prison in a pine box or ashes if he's cremated.

WHITFIELD: Avery, Richard, thanks so much for helping to pinpoint that sentencing hearing of four hours. I think you encapsulated it for many. Most people walked away thinking the courage displayed by these young ladies that were victimized for so many years and then Michelle Knight encouraged what it is that she said.

Richard, Avery, thank you so much. Always good to see you and we'll catch you next weekend because our legal guys every weekend. They always break down the most intriguing cases of the day, the week, the month, you name it. Thanks so much. And we will be right back.

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WHITFIELD: Welcome back. A look at some of the stories we're following for you this hour. It's as if something took a bite out of the Kansas prairie. Look at this giant, I mean, giant sinkhole. It just opened up in Wallace County in the western part of the state. No nearby homes. We're told these things are rather common in Western Kansas. Huge, people were driving by. They can't believe what they see there.

Then in Montana, a man trapped in his car for three days is rescued. His late model Chevy Impala was found upside down in a shady ditch. Some fire crews actually found it. The man was pinned inside. They got him out with the Jaws of Life and thank goodness for him. The next hour starts right after a quick break.

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