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10,000 Feared Dead in the Philippines; Typhoon Haiyan Hits Northern Vietnam; Christie's Presidential Aspirations?; FDA Proposes Ban On Trans Fat

Aired November 10, 2013 - 16:00   ET

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

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FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A look at the top stories that we're following this hour, the death toll from a monster typhoon soars and survivors are in desperate need of help. See the horrific conditions on the ground and find out why the government response hasn't been faster.

The NFL lineman accused of bullying gives his first television interview since the scandal broke. Hear what Richie Incognito has to say about his relationship with teammate Jonathan Martin.

And a bizarre bet between husband and wife. The loser gets shocked by a stun gun. And the winner? Goes to jail.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN breaking news.

WHITFIELD: And this breaking news right now concerning that typhoon. Typhoon Hiyan has just made landfall now in northern Vietnam. It is substantially weaker than when it hit the Philippines, equal to about a category one hurricane.

Meantime, in the Philippines, the international committee of the Red Cross says it is very realistic to believe that 10,000 people have been killed by super typhoon Hiyan. Bodies are littering the streets, entire communities are leveled. There's very little food or water. And then medical supplies are simply running out.

The president Benigno Aquino toured some of the hardest hit areas today, including the coastal city of Tacloban. He's facing growing outrage over the government's slow response to the disaster. Aquino was blaming a breakdown at the local level. The town's mayor says he hasn't spoken to one person who hasn't lost a loved one in the storm.

Our CNN crew actually captured terrifying moments when that super typhoon gripped through their hotel in Tacloban. People prayed as the wind howled outside. Listen.

CNN producer Tim Schwartz and CNN international anchor Andrew Stevens helped rescue people trapped in the hotel rooms. They used mattresses to push them to safety in waist-high water. Just a desperate situation there. Joining us now from Manila, CNN's Kristie Lu Stout. Christie, do officials fear the death toll indeed will be about that 10,000 mark?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Indeed. In fact, there's that new line of reporting saying from the ICRC saying that it believes it's quite possible the total death toll across the storm zone will reach 10,000 which is a staggering and a grim number. It is 5:00 a.m. in the morning here at the Philippines. It will be daybreak in about 45 minutes.

And at that moment, that is when the aid flights can resume. No aid flights during the night because on the ground, in places like Tacloban, there's no power to light up the runway. So we're waiting for that moment later this hour when the flights can resume and to bring aid to the people who so desperately need it. The survivors, they just need the essentials. They need food, water, medicine, shelter. And because of the reports of lawlessness and looting, they need security, as well.

You just mentioned it there, Fredricka, the president of the Philippines, Benigno Aquino, he visited on the ground there in Tacloban City yesterday. He pledged that there would be food as a top priority for the survivors as well as shelter for tens of thousands of the families who need it. If terms of the scale on the need on the ground, the government here in the Philippines has said four million people have been affected. In terms of the number displaced? It's startling. Well, over a quarter of a million.

The need here is immense and people are also helping out including the U.S. government, USAID, World Bank and others. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: And so, you know, you talk about these aid flights that will be landing while they may create space or there is space for the landing of those aircraft. And then you've got to get to people. How in the world is that going to be orchestrated.

LU STOUT: That's right. The logistical challenge here is immense and one thing that no one anticipated when the storm hit because there was a lot of preparation advance to the storm as 2.8 million people were evacuation. No one anticipated the storm surge.

The storm surge was that tsunami-like wave of water that came through and just wiped out communities, that took lives and also wiped out the key logistical links. Of course, wiping out roads and of course, wiping out the power of the runways. So it's very, very difficult for all these aid agencies to get to the ground.

Where I'm based here, here in Manila. There's a number of AID groups that are mobilizing, (INAUDIBLE) across the region. But the problem is they may have the aid, the pledges are coming in. They can't reach the survivors because of these logistical roadblocks. And the government has said that they are trying to clear up the roads. Fortunately, the airport will be functioning again in about 45 minutes at Tacloban City. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kristie Lu Stout, thank you so much from Manila. Keep us posted.

So the typhoon survivors say they do need that help right now. Their homes are in shambles. They're desperate for food and water. Paula Hancocks picked up the story from here.

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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Carrying all they could from their devastated lives, a steady stream of typhoon Hiyan keeps arriving at Tacloban airport. Looking for food, water and escape.

Regina Fernandez lost her home and business. She is desperate to leave on the next military plane.

MAGINA FERNANDEZ, TYPHOON VICTIM: Get international help to come here now. Not tomorrow, now. This is really, really, like, bad, bad - worse than hell. Worse than hell.

HANCOCKS: As the president of the Philippines Benigno Aquino arrives to assess the damage, Fernandez passes on her anger.

FERNANDEZ: We need to get the word out because (INAUDIBLE) can't do this alone.

PRESIDENT BENIGNO AQUINO III, PHILIPPINES: There's also a breakdown especially in the local government level. There are necessary first responders and too many of them were also affected and did not report for work. That also contributed to the slow delivery.

MAYOR ALFRED ROMUALDEZ, TACLOBAN, PHILIPPINES: People here were convinced that it looked like a tsunami.

HANCOCKS: The mayor of Tacloban almost lost his life in the storm surge. He admits a death toll as high as 10,000 is possible.

ROMUALDEZ: I have not spoken to anyone who hasn't lost someone, a relative or close to them. Now, we're looking for as many as we can. We're still trying to retrieve so many people.

HANCOCKS: Faces here tell a story of horror.

(on camera): Many of the people here have been working for hours through the devastation to get here, to get food and water from the military themselves. Many of them just say that they were too desperate to wait for help to get to them.

(voice-over): The young, the old and the injured all board a military C-130, leaving death and destruction behind them.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Tacloban, Philippines.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Aid agencies are mobilizing to help the victims of the typhoon. Find out how you can help, go to CNN.com/impact. Police in Houston are hunting for two suspects after gunfire at a party left two people dead. 22 people were injured as people ran for their lives after hearing gunshots. Some people in the house broke windows and jumped from the second story to escape. It's not clear how many shots are fired. The police are looking into whether alcohol was served at that party.

NFL player Richie Incognito is fighting back against allegations that he bullied a teammate on the Miami Dolphins. Incognito opened up to Fox Sports about his relationship with Jonathan Martin. He insisted the two men were friends and he never meant to hurt him. Incognito also said that he wished he had known how Martin felt.

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RICHIE INCOGNITO, NFL PLAYER: John never showed signs that football was getting to him, that the locker room was getting to him. My actions were coming from a place of love. No matter how bad and how vulgar it sounds, that's how we communicate. That's how our friendship was. Those are the facts and that's what I'm accountable for.

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WHITFIELD: Incognito also said despite how he has been described over the past week, he is still a good person.

All right. Straight ahead, more - one of the most powerful storms to ever hit the planet. One of our reporters who was there when it hit shows us exactly what happened.

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ANDREW STEVENS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: All around us, you hear the sounds of windows breaking, you hear the sound of large objects falling, crashing to the floor. Underfoot, it is now just a deluge. If you look behind me, I don't know if you can see it. The staircase behind me is now basically a waterfall.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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WHITFIELD: Welcome back to the "Newsroom." I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Typhoon Haiyan just made landfall. Again, this time in Vietnam. Its winds have died down since pummeling the Philippines, killing thousands. A CNN crew covering it in the Philippines ended up being a rescue team while there. We showed you a few minutes ago, anchor Andrew Stevens and producer Tim Schwartz helping people out at their hotel. And then they went back to cover the storm and its aftermath.

Andrew has the latest developments now from Tacloban.

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STEVENS (voice-over): It struck with terrifying and deadly force. The aftermath, Tacloban City's shattered landscape. This was home to thousands. It was not the wind that did it, it was a storm surge. Reports of a five meter wall of water that engulfed the coastal strip and spread through the city.

Even where the CNN crew was sheltering about a kilometer from the shoreline. The surge was waist-deep and powerful.

(on camera): All around us you hear the sounds of windows breaking. You hear the sounds of the large objects falling and crashing to the floor. And underfoot, it is now just a deluge. If you look behind me, I don't know if you can see it, the staircase behind me is now basically a waterfall.

(voice-over): But that didn't compare with what happened here.

(on camera): The storm surge was the most destructive part of this typhoon. We're about a hundred meters or so from the water here and you can see the damage caused these houses, these are all rough-built houses, completely flattened along the shore. Thousands of people live along a stretch of several kilometers. You can see behind me just how bad it must have been.

(voice-over): Authorities had pleaded with people to leave. Many did, but many stayed. This man was searching for his father, his brothers and his uncles somewhere he thinks under this rubble.

"We all tried to leave, but it was too late, I got separated when the water started rising. I don't know what happened to them," he tells me. The devastation across the entire city of 200,000 people is widespread. Winds upward of 250 kilometers an hour leaving a trail of destruction. This is now a city on edge. No power. Food and water running out and medical supplies almost gone.

St. Paul Hospital, we're told, is the only functioning medical facility in the city. They can't admit anymore patients. There's no room. Just first aid in the most difficult of conditions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have no more rooms, no more supplies.

STEVENS: "We hardly have anything left to help people with," the doctor tells me. We have to get supplies in immediately.

Just a block away from the hospital, the increasingly desperate search for food and water leads to looting.

(on camera): This is one of the few stores which is left open. As you can see, the crowds have been forming around these stores, taking anything they can. Food is the priority at the moment but airconditioning units, plastic toys, everything is coming out of these stores.

(voice-over): Another street away, people are climbing up a lamp post to get to a second floor of a department store to grab anything they can. It took a full day before help arrived. And even though the storm was predicted days in advance, the response, so far, has not been nearly enough. This was nature at its most frightening. A display of force that has smashed the lives of so many people. And this is just one city, there are countless towns up and down the coast where authorities are still waiting to hear word from.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: Fred, relief supplies are trickling in here. It's getting towards three days since this storm hit. And we are seeing more relief coming in but most of them are still coming in by helicopter. And when you see the extent of the destruction here, you get a sense of the monumental rebuilding task that is facing officials here.

WHITFIELD: Andrew, thank you so much.

And now President Barack Obama has issued a statement about the typhoon. He says "Me and Michelle are deeply saddened and the United States is already providing significant humanitarian assistance. We stand ready to further assist the Government's relief and recovery efforts. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the millions of people affected by this devastating storm." That from the president.

All right. Chris Christie says he's only focused on being governor and he's not thinking at all about the White House in 2016. Coming up, I'll ask our political panel if they buy that.

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WHITFIELD: After pulling off a landslide victory, every one thought he would, speculation has ramped up, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie could make a run for the White House in 2016. Christie even told ABC News that he didn't know if he would finish out the full four-year term as governor.

I want to bring in Hilary Rosen, she's a CNN political commentator. Good to see you and Rich Galen, he's a Republican strategist. Good to see you, as well.

RICH GALEN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: So Chris Christie says he is flattered about all the presidential questions, but is focused instead on the job of being governor. Who believes that, Richie?

Can I call you that?

GALEN: For sure. Two people in the world called me Richie, my younger brother and the former president of the United States, George W. Bush and now you.

WHITFIELD: OK. And now a third, me.

GALEN: Yes, I think - here's what they're doing, I guarantee you. If they haven't already hired a ghost writer for the book, the staff is currently vetting those writers to be able to write the book that will be available. Governor Christie is going to be the next chairman of the Republican Governor's Association. That means he gets to travel all over the country, including southern states and will be able to see how he is received there.

It also gives him access to a lot of big-time fundraisers and check writers. So I think, you know, he doesn't have to make this decision now. We're still a year away from the mid terms but I think he's probably putting the pieces in places so if he does decide to run, he just has to turn his -

WHITFIELD: And he's not going to be able to escape the fact that people will be evaluating him as he crisscrosses these states, country. Constantly looking at him to see if he is presidential. If he behaves in a presidential manner.

GALEN: Well, I'm not sure what that means. I'm sorry. Go ahead, Hilary.

HILARY ROSEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think it's more than whether he's presidential or not. I think, Fred, it's inarguable that New Jersey reelection campaign was much more style than substance and in many respects, when you get to his national positions, you really push him back into the sort of Republican conservative camp that he's not going to be able to come across independents and, you know, right leaning Democrats as a moderate. You know, he's anti-choice. He has vetoed planned parenthood funding. I mean this is a guy who is actually a conservative.

WHITFIELD: Rich, I'll let you talk.

ROSEN: There are a lot of folks in New Jersey who, you know, rightly were appreciative of his good handling of a really terrible time. I'm from New Jersey so I'm empathetic to that. But that doesn't mean that that same coalition of voters that he was able to put together in New Jersey are going to be interested in him being president.

GALEN: Hilary -

WHITFIELD: But Rich, what do you mean when you're not sure what it means (INAUDIBLE) presidential.

GALEN: Hilary just argued both sides of the same argument. On the one hand, she said this is style over substance. On the other hand, she said that people of New Jersey - I'm also from New Jersey, appreciated his handling of the economy, Hurricane Sandy and all the other things. So you can't have it both ways, Hilary.

ROSEN: Well, I can have it both ways, in this regard, which is that I think that when people really are campaigning for president, it's as much about the issues and it is about leadership, no question but I don't think that in a national campaign and in a primary, he's going to be able to get away with just being kind of the brash leader. He's going to have to come forward and differentiate himself on issues. Where right now, I don't think where he is on those issues is where the country is.

WHITFIELD: And here he is on the heels of this win, you know, reelection. And then you've got the "Time" magazine cover. So how does Chris Christie try to up stage that whole elephant in the room cover. The magazine, the reporter saying that that headline has more to do with his differences with conservatives in the party. But you know, does it instead say that his weight may be an easy target. Rich.

GALEN: Oh, yes, of course. It's crap to say it had nothing to do with that. By the way, they would not have done that if he were black, if he were a woman, if he were gay, if he were a - any other subgroup that you're not allowed to make fun of. But a white Christian male you can do that to. I think that was a disgusting cover and they should never have allowed it.

WHITFIELD: So how big of a problem is this likely to be? Does it really underscore that, you know, weight, his size, is inescapable? Hilary.

ROSEN: Well, I think Rich is right. It's a terribly rude and bad taste. I think he has dealt with this for several years. He has handled it on the campaign trail a lot. It clearly is going to continue to be an issue. I don't really know how it's going to cut with the American people. But here's the other thing about Christie that's kind of bugged me today, Fred.

WHITFIELD: What?

ROSEN: Which is, you know, he ran for re-election for months and months and months, coasted along, had a nice ride, was very cooperative. He always talked about how he likes to work with the other side, because, after all, New Jersey is a democratic-leaning state. And then one week after his re-election, he's on all of the TV shows today trashing President Obama. He never did that on the campaign trail in New Jersey. And it's just completely transparent.

WHITFIELD: What does that mean?

Why? Why was that necessary?

GALEN: Well, because -

WHITFIELD: He was on "Face the Nation," this week.

GALEN: As Hilary properly put - I'm sorry. Go ahead.

WHITFIELD: No, go ahead, Rich. I was saying he was on "Face the Nation," he was on this week and that was, of course, why? Why did he do that? Why does he need to do that?

GALEN: Well, because he is, as Hilary said, going to differentiate himself from democratic voters. He's going to run in a Republican primary before he ever gets to a general election. The president, by the way, is sitting at somewhere in the low 40s in popularity. So he's an easy target for somebody like Governor Christie. So there's really not much downsize risk to taking a shot, especially when it comes to the health care issue which has been just dreadful to handle by the administration. ROSEN: There might not be a downside risk, but I do think it says something about his personality and his willingness to sort of be a little bit bullying in all the right manipulative ways that may end up coming back to haunt him on the trail in the future.

GALEN: Or it may come back to help him if he can do that every day.

WHITFIELD: All right. Hilary Rosen, Rich Galen.

ROSEN: We'll see.

WHITFIELD: We will see. Thanks so much to both of you. We appreciate it. Happy Sunday.

GALEN: Thanks, Freddie.

WHITFIELD: All right. A 2,000 pound satellite runs out of gas. And now it is set to crash to earth within the next few hours. Will it happen? And, if so, where. Details ahead.

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WHITFIELD: Now, back to that destruction caused by super-typhoon Haiyan. The storm made landfall in northern Vietnam. Its winds are now 75 miles and hour, equivalent to a weak category 1 hurricane as we know it in this country. That's much weaker than when the storm slammed into the Philippines on Friday with 195 mile an hour winds. The destruction in that country is overwhelming in the Philippines, as we just said, up to 10,000 people have been feared dead and thousands of survivors are going without food and water

Joining me now from Los Angeles Thomas Tighe with Direct Relief a nonprofit organization that provides medical help to people in need around the world. So Thomas, what is your group able to do right now? How are you able to help the typhoon victims?

THOMAS TIGHE, PRESIDENT & CEO, DIRECT RELIEF: I think what Direct Relief does is we mobilize medical material recourses and make sure that they get to the right people who need them. Obviously, what's going on right now in the Philippines, you had this situation where you had a massive need increase in the need for health services at the same moment where you had a big destruction of an existing infrastructure and loss of supplies and personnel.

So trying to make sure that the information is solid that with we are getting the materials there. And, thankfully, we had a 1.5 ton shipment that was en route that will arrive tomorrow with kind of an all-hazards emergency module for wound care, infections and the types of things that we're most concerned about.

WHITFIELD: So while that plane might be able to land, do you worry about how those supplies will be disseminated, how they will get to those, you know, in greatest critical need? Because it's a logistical nightmare.

TIGHE: Yes, and this is not uncommon. I think the clogging of the distribution artery is something that's often the case in emergencies. So we're working very closely with our partners in the Philippines. We've been asked by the Philippine Red Cross, we are working with the Department of Health and the Minister of Health in South to make sure that not only that we can bring in material, but it's the right material that they understand and have asked for it. And it will get to where it needs to be used.

So I think all of those pieces need to be put in place. We've been working throughout the weekend, day and night, I think the time difference is making a bit of a challenge, but a team is leaving today this evening from a group here in southern California, Team Rubicon, there are other teams that enroute so we will have better information coming from specific sights and trying to coordinate at the national and international levels as well with hundreds of health care companies that we work with on a routine basis.

WHITFIELD: And so what are your friends and partners on the ground there in the Philippines telling you about the situation, the need, you know, the -- really, what it's going to be like to try and get to people to help them?

TIGHE: Well I think the indication as you have seen it; I think the big challenge is getting good information on which you can act. I think as your producer was reporting in just the sheer devastation, tsunami-like. Injuries that have occurred, the potential loss of life and I think that you can project that over the entire sloth of the storm path you can understand that there are a lot of communities that no one has been able to get to yet, are inaccessible at the moment. So the deep concern I think at the first phase is always the search and rescue to find the people who can be saved. So that takes the priority for the first three or four days. Which is really, the priority is on now and at the same time trying to mobilize the relief efforts to scale it to the right side of how much medical material, how much shelter support, how much food and water. All of those things have to be brought into these areas through a very narrow distribution channel which is kind of a triage of an entire system not just the medical material and the patients themselves. So I think what they've found has been, you know, very alarming and suggestive of a much bigger situation then a need as you can see from the imagines from one or two cities so far.

WHITFIELD: Thomas Tighe thank you so much and all the best in your effort.

TIGHE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: So to find out how you at home can help the victims of the typhoon, go to CNN.com/impact.

So here's a very perplexing scenario. A man wins a bet with his wife. What's the reward? A stun gun is involved. But police disagree with this one and now they are involved and now the husband can get six years in prison. Is that fair? We'll ask our legal experts to weigh in after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: After weeks of testimony, Dr. Martin Macneil has been found guilty of murdering his wife, Michelle, in 2007.

Tears of relief from his daughters after the guilty verdict was read. They've been fighting for justice since their mother died. CNN legal correspondent Jean Casarez sat down with one of them, Alexis Somers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXIS SOMERS, DAUGHTER: I thought I knew him. Now we've really come to understand who he really is. He's a calculating collated, cold murder.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN LEGAL CORRESPONDENT: What will you tell your children about their grandfather?

SOMERS: I don't know. I don't want -- I don't know if I want to tell them about him. He doesn't deserve to be a person in their lives.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow, incredible. Let's bring in our legal ladies Mo Ivory host of the "The Mo Ivory Show," and Carrie Hackett criminal defense attorney. All right, good to see you ladies. It is heartbreaking. It's just hard to envision what it would be like to be the daughter in that situation. But, clearly, their testimony was very compelling and very credible because, in large part, Mo, that's what led to his conviction, right?

MO IVORY, HOST, "THE MO IVORY SHOW:" Sure, I'm very proud of this jury because I'm glad that they took which was some sketchy evidence, that none of the medical examiners said that she was murdered, you know it was hard. For a minute I wondered are they going to really be able to sit through all of this and come back and find without a reasonable doubt that he was guilty. I'm so glad that they did, I think that the daughter's testimony was so important to that. That emotional connection to look what he did to my mother. I thought it was impactful and I think it made all the difference in the world.

CARRIE HACKETT, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I agree. And I also think actually that the prisoners that he was housed with, their testimony, for me, was more persuasive and credible than most prisoners' testimony just because those prisoners were separated in time and space, they were prisoners that were at different facilities with him. And they had pretty much the same story.

WHITFIELD: And at least one testifying that Dr. Macneil said I got away with murder.

HACKETT: Right, I got away with murder. And another prisoner testified to exactly how Dr. Macneil said he killed his wife. He said that he held her underwater.

WHITFIELD: Despite those powerful testimonies does it still worry you that this was a case in which a conviction came about from circumstantial evidence it was the jurors who had to piece together, fill in the blanks and in so many other jurisdictions that leads to a not guilty.

IVORY: Oh, sure, it's very troublesome. I mean the first thing I started thinking about of course all the cases this past year where you know Travon Martin, all the cases that I thought, wow, what made this jury get into that jury room and decide that they could take this piece and this piece and this piece without any sort of, you know, just big thing that was the bullet -- the thing for them. And put it together and find them guilty.

HACKETT: I think because he was so unlikable. His family turned on him and said this guy was a murder. He was our father. We believe he's a murderer. Testimony came in that showed that he was in prison prior to this trial. This was a guy that shipped his daughter off to the Ukraine after he adopted her, turned his back on his family. I think that the unlikability of this guy really led to his conviction.

IVORY: Agree.

WHITFIELD: And then the what's next. We're talking about sentencing scheduled for January. Is it likely Carrie that we might hear from Dr. Macneil?

HACKETT: Absolutely. He can certainly speak in sentencing.

WHITFIELD: Why would he want to?

HACKETT: Well, I don't think that in his case --

WHITFIELD: Or even need to.

HACKETT: The defense attorneys are going to urge him to speak necessarily. A lot of times the defendant will speak to try to show that there's some aspect of their character that he rehabilitated or that people sympathize with in some way.

IVORY: I think it will be hard for him.

WHITFIELD: Eighteen years to life is what he's facing.

IVORY: Sure. Life.

WHITFIELD: OK. Let's talk about something else. We saw the tease video of the taz out of Wisconsin. A man looking now at possible prison sentence of six years all because of a bet that went wrong maybe. Went wrong and now the middle of a criminal investigation. This was a pack between husband and wife they were betting on a Packers Bears game last Monday, the winner would get to use a stun gun. You are seeing video tapes now of the stun gun being used on the loser which was the wife. But when the husband did just that bystanders then called police, so he was arrested, charged with felony possession of an electronic weapon. So now what? When you're talking about a consensual deal between husband and wife, why should there be charges Mo?

IVORY: Well I understand that from a philosophical point of view. They're both real stupid to make a bet like this. But it's still illegal. So even if you make a bet and you both consent to it, it's still illegal. So what happened was they got caught. Doing something illegal, he now faces in Wisconsin it's illegal to have a tazer gun. He had no license. Like Carrie and I were talking earlier.

WHITFIELD: What if the wife says, you know what I don't want to press charges against my husband? That is not the issue here, not at all.

HACKETT: You know what it can be. I've had defense cases that involve domestic violence where the wife says look I'm not going to press charges and the prosecutor does not think that they can move forward with the case without that essential witness. But that's not the story here because he's actually been charged with violating the law by having a stun gun without a license. And there's nothing that the wife can say about whether he has a license or not.

WHITFIELD: Only some people are allowed to have that, law licensed those who are licensed in that state. It is not the same in every state but that is the case there.

IVORY: But not for a lay person just to have a stun gun and decides to make a dumb bet.

WHITFIELD: That's a good way of putting it.

All right. Thanks so much, Mo, Carrie good to see both you ladies. Appreciate it.

IVORY: Thank you.

HACKETT: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: We will see what happens.

All right. The FDA now taking major steps to remove trans fats from the food you eat. And professional chef Jeff Henderson has the pain about that. He's joining me right here in the studio next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A big announcement from the FDA that could soon affect the food that you love to eat. The FDA has proposed a ban on artificial trans fat. Regulators say a major source of trans fat is no longer recognized as safe. Trans fats can be found in many processed foods including deserts, frozen pizza and coffee creamers. They have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease.

A very special guest joining me now for more on this subject, New York Times best-selling author and professional chef. They call him Chef Jeff, Chef Jeff Henderson with us now. He is the author of "If you can see it, you can be it, 12 street smart recipes for success." That is his latest of four books.

Chef Jeff found his passion and gift for cooking when he was actually locked up in federal prison. When he got out of jail, a famous chef gave him a job as dishwasher. And then from there he continues to make history and what an incredible story, soon to be in movie form. Chef Jeff is here to talk about trans fats, your new book and your movie project about your life that you're looking forward to. Good to see you.

JEFF HENDERSON, CHEF & AUTHOR, "IF YOU CAN SEE IT, YOU CAN BE IT:" Likewise Fred. Glad to be here.

WHITFIELD: Well first let's talk about trans fats.

HENDERSON: Yes.

WHITFIELD: This is something that you eliminate from your recipes from your kitchen, your household period. But help us understand. What is it, really, what is this thing that ends up in donuts, frozen pizzas, etc. that seems to be unavoidable for many of us?

HENDERSON: Trans fat is a hydrogen that is a scientific term for a compound that's infused with liquid vegetable oil. So you'll find it in many of your fast food restaurants, frozen pizza, foods that have a lot of preservatives. Its added flavor, it is inexpensive, they don't have to change their oil as often and is terribly not good for you.

WHITFIELD: But you can have fast food, you can have frozen food without trans fats and it still tastes good or has the shelf life or is fresh?

HENDERSON: Well, you know, many restaurants, instead of using the trans fat, they're infusing a lot more spices and herbs to bring that flavor. So we just have to really begin to look at labels when we're shopping, when you go to restaurants.

WHITFIELD: What are we looking for in the label?

HENDERSON: You're looking for trans fats; you're looking for anything that --

WHITFIELD: Will it say that? Because you look at these labels and sometimes they just go on and on.

HENDERSON: Yes. Well they'll say hydrogenated oils. So what does that mean? So it is a scientific term so many times there's terms and then terms under those terms. So that is what you need to get down and find out about.

WHITFIELD: OK. Now your book, "If you can see it, you can be it." Twelve street smart recipes for success.

HENDERSON: Yes.

WHITFIELD: It is really a play on words with these recipes of success. What is the key ingredient that you feel has really led your life to success?

HENDERSON: Well, you know, Fred, you know after spending ten years in federal prison, I knew I had to reinvent myself, discover self worth and figure out my greatest gift. And coming out of prison, I knew I had to make the felony stigma go away. So I discovered these things about myself in prison. I combined 12 street smarts over the 17 years I've been out of prison to help people kind of find their place and way of life.

WHITFIELD: And that prison sentence involved your involvement with trafficking of drugs, right?

HENDERSON: Yes, there was a part of my life when I was young I got caught up in dealing drugs and grew up in prison.

WHITFIELD: And too often, what happens is, someone gets caught up in the system things happen you go to jail, you have a conviction hanging over you. It is difficult to ever leave that. It's difficult for you to ever get a job. People don't want to trust you, etc. So what was that thing that helped you breakthrough all of that? That allowed you to find someone to trust you to give you a job to earn a job to earn your way to where you are now?

HENDERSON: Well you know it was a process, growing up in prison, discovering my strengths, understanding my weaknesses. I had had to identify what it was that I wanted to do when I got out of prison and that was become a chef and be successful. I always knew that I wanted to be successful but I knew the key was reinvention. And what I talk about in the 12 street smarts in my book is reinventing yourself. Discovering what you do best that extraordinary thing about you. I had to defuse a prison stigma, I had to clean shave my face, I took my wife's make up covered up my earring hole up, straightened up the way I walked.

I mean all of these things about me had to say brand, brand, brand in order for me to reintegrate back into society.

WHITFIELD: And now we look forward to seeing your life story on the big screen. Sony Pictures you already signed a deal with them. Now they're trying to come up with a script for you, along with Chef Jeff. Good to see you.

HENDERSON: Likewise.

WHITFIELD: We will be looking for your story. Nice to see you.

All right, each week, we're shining a spot light on the top ten CNN heroes of 2013, as well. You can vote for one who most inspires you at CNNheros.com. This week's honoree is a surgeon who devotes his personal time to bringing medical care to the remote jungles of his homeland of Cameroon. And he's doing it for free.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE BWELLE: For a country of mine, people like to drink, to dance, to enjoy the life. But they cannot enjoy their life. If I can help two or three people, that would be great.

I saw my father ill for 23 years. Before he passed away I said you see how people suffer. We should get together to help people.

My name is George Bwelle. I bring free surgery and health services to people of Cameroon. They can live 60 kilometers around.

And in afternoon, they are the least efficient. We address all of the decisions. If there's any problem, they can come back to us. I help people so they are happy. I'm giving back to give the opportunity to restart.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Tomorrow, we take time to honor all of those who served this country as we celebrate Veteran's Day. And that's where we start this look at the week ahead.

The origin of Veteran's Day lies in World War I, it ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11 month, 1918. In 1954 President Eisenhower signed a bill officially proclaiming November 11th as Veteran's Day. Sea World is appealing a ruling that bans trainers from being in the water with killer whales during performances. The ruling went into effect after trainer Dawn Brancohe's death in 2010. Tuesday a public hearing on the ban at George Town University.

On Wednesday, a judge will sentence James Whitey Bulger in Boston. The 83 year old convicted mob boss could spend the rest of his life in prison. He was found guilty on 32 counts, including involvement in eleven murders.

Ron Burgundy fans listen up, on Thursday; the museum in Washington opens anchor man, the exhibit. You'll be able to see the iconic Burgundy business suit worn by the fictious news caster in the 2004 comedy. Plus his mustache, brush, jazz flute and license plate which reads I'm number one. The Ron Burgundy movie comes out next month.

On Friday, Play Station four goes on sale. And this is huge for gamers, but there's more. Users will have access to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, instant video and Red Box instant streaming.

All right. A big week ahead. That's going to do it for me. Martin Savidge is in for Don Lemon tonight, taking to the helm here. Much more in THE NEWSROOM. You're a big gamer.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I am. I live vicariously through my son. He will probably get it first and then I'll share it with him.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's fun. Good to see you, too.

SAVAGE: Thank you very much. Get out there and enjoy what is a beautiful day.

WHITFIELD: I know, it is.