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Survivors Struggle Among Corpses; 3,621 Dead, 1,100 Plus Missing In Typhoon; Homeowner Charged In Detroit Woman's Shooting; China To Ease One-Child Policy, Abolish Labor Camps; Martin Meets With NFL Investigators; Incognito Files Grievance Against Dolphins

Aired November 15, 2013 - 14:30   ET

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

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: In the Philippines, survival is a battle waged every second. A wife keeps her husband alive by manually pumping air into his lungs at a Tacloban hospital. His leg was amputated days ago. The hospital doesn't have electricity and that's a week after Typhoon Haiyan slammed in. The husband is one more than 12,000 people injured, so many of them clinging to their lives.

ROSA FLORES, CNN ANCHOR: It's just such a tough story, folks. Crews are still collecting bodies from the streets and the rubble, and putting them in trucks. Many corpses are headed for mass graves. The death toll now stands at 3,621. The collection trucks have yet to reach some of the parts of the city. A grief-stricken mother knows three of her children are dead. She's keeping their bodies in luggage on the street. CNN's Anderson Cooper talked to survivors keeping watch over relatives' bodies.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, CNN "AC 360" (voice-over): A body covered in a sheet, another in a makeshift coffin. There are flowers but no names. No one seems to notice anymore. To survive, the living are told to forget the past, forget the dead, but that of course is impossible. Juan Merto tries to stay busy. His child is missing. He still doesn't use the word dead. Juan's father lays in their shack. His back injured in the storm. His family has suffered more than anyone ever should.

(on camera): How high was the water? The water was as tall as that tree?

(voice-over) Janet's two children slipped from her grasp and drowned. I did all that I could, she says, but I let them go. What can you say in the face of such sadness? Jovelyn Taniaga is trying to keep busy. She's collected old dishes and is cleaning them up. We first met her on Tuesday. She showed us the bodies of three of her children. She placed them in a piece of luggage under a sheet. She was searching for her three other children.

(on camera): Has anyone come to help you?

(voice-over): I really want to see them, she says, even if it's just their bodies. Two days later, and she still hasn't found her three other children. (on camera): Has there been any help since we saw you?

(voice-over): None, she says. My children are decomposing.

(on camera): They're still there?

(voice-over): No help, no local government officials, no city officials, says her father. Nobody is showing themselves. His injured son, Jericho, sits silently listening. Jericho's mother is dead. So is his aunt and nine of his cousins.

In a daze, he asked me, when is my mother coming back? He never ever says she's missing. He still thinks she will come back. We didn't know there was a tsunami, he says. We thought it was just a storm.

(on camera): You didn't know there would be this storm surge of water?

(voice-over): We have been through so many storms, he said, there were many times before our house gets destroyed and we just hide behind a tree, but there's no water. It's just wind. It's the water that killed us.

(on camera): If somebody had told you it would be like a tsunami, you would have left?

(voice-over): Yes. He says. We would have left right away. Jericho wants to leave now on a C-130, the kind of plane he sees every day overhead, flying evacuees to Manila. His father tells him they have to stay. They have no money, just each other. That's all that's left.

(on camera): It's been almost a week since the typhoon hit. And the initial adrenaline of the storm and its aftermath has faded and the grim reality of what life is now has taken its place. People are trying to kind of rebuild is too strong a word, just trying to survive as best they can. People have hung up some washing on a shack that they put together out of scraps of corrugated tin that they have been able to salvage.

You see women doing washing of plates and clothing, whatever they can find. Whatever they can find that they used to own that's been spread out throughout all this area. You see people walking around, trying to find their possessions, trying to find family photographs and plates and all the little things that make up a person's life.

(voice-over): Survival is still a struggle, for some more than most. Two days ago, we met this man sharing rice with his neighbors. He desperately wanted to call his mother in Manila to let him know he was alive, but his wife and two of his three children were not. We dialed her number for him on the satellite phone. They're all gone. They're gone, he says. They're all gone. We're the only ones who survived. Just the two of us survived, he says. I don't know why this happened to me.

We found him again today. How are you? His grief is still overwhelming. He can't stop thinking about seeing his family drown in the storm. The first one that I saw was my youngest, he says. She fainted and then she drowned. The water was so fast and then my wife, when I tried to grab her, I missed her, and then she drowned. And then I never saw her again.

He admits he often thinks of killing himself, but hasn't because he still has one child who needs him. It's like I don't want to live anymore because of what happened to my family, he tells me. All of us here lost our loved ones, but all I'm saying is people have different ways of dealing with how we feel, and in my case, I can't handle it.

In Tacloban, there is no time for grief, little chance for comfort. Between death and life, the line is thin. Sometimes there's no line at all. Anderson Cooper, CNN, Tacloban.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FLORES: Tough pictures and tough stories. Tonight, Anderson shows you an emotional reunion in the Philippines. A family separated by the typhoon comes together again. As you know, "AC360" airs tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

Tens of thousands of people are homeless. Some hungry people surviving on coconut juice, and we know there's a lot of very generous people out there. If you want to help typhoon survivors, go to cnn.com/spec cnn.com/specials/impactyourworld for more information.

BERMAN: A terrific resource.

Coming up for us next, it's the middle of the night. A woman knocks on the door of a homeowner. Moments later, he shoots and kills her. As protesters get impatient, prosecutors are revealing whether the homeowner will be charged. Also, will the woman's toxicology results play a role in the case?

Plus, for the first time, we're seeing video from inside the mall where a man terrorized shoppers and fired shots before killing himself. We'll show you more of these pictures coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Major developments today in the case of a young Detroit woman who police say was shot and killed on a front porch of a Michigan home this month. A short time ago, a Wayne County prosecutor charged homeowner, Theodore Paul Wafer, with second degree murder, manslaughter, and possession of a firearm. Wafer had claimed he accidentally shot and killed 19-year-old Renisha McBride in the early morning hours, thinking that she was trying to break into his home.

Lawyers for McBride's family claimed she knocked on his door simply looking for help after getting in a car accident. Police say she was unarmed. Now McBride's toxicology report says she has marijuana in her system with a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit. Does that matter? We'll get to that question a little bit.

I want to bring in HLN host, Vinnie Politan and CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin. Sunny, I want to start with you here. The charges apparently mean that police didn't buy the notion that there was a self-defense reason behind this. How do you think they came to this conclusion?

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: You know, we know that this was a very thorough investigation, 13-day investigation, and the police wanted to bring these charges, at least brought them to the prosecutor's office before today. And the prosecutor's office said, you know what, wait a minute. Let's get more evidence. They certainly waited until the toxicology reports came back and then made the decision.

I will say that I know Kim Worthy, the prosecutor in Michigan. We went to the same law school. I met her several times. She's extremely thorough and it's very clear that based on the totality of the investigation, the prosecution, the prosecutor's office felt that he does not -- this defendant did not act lawfully in self-defense. I think it's a result and a credit to the type of investigation that's obviously taken place here.

FLORES: Now, we have to talk about the toxicology report because when you talk about blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit and marijuana, the question is obvious. Does that really matter? Is it relevant in this case?

BERMAN: Vinnie?

VINNIE POLITAN, HOST, HLN: Yes, that will be relevant, relevant to the defense. You bet you can believe it. They're going to make a big part of their case based upon her actions, what she did. Now she left the scene of an accident, she was driving while under the influence, and what was happening on that front porch?

If they're going to allege self's defense, which means I have a reasonable belief my safety is at risk here, they're going to try to paint the actions of her as being aggressive, unreasonable. How was she acting when she was under the influence? So from the defense perspective, they want to make it a huge part of the case in trying to paint the picture of what was happening on the porch that night.

BERMAN: Now, one of the reasons I think this case has received so much national attention is because the victim here was black and the shooter was white. Yet the police when they issued these charges today, they say race does not factor into their charges. They don't see it as a role, Sunny.

HOSTIN: You know, they certainly did say that. But I think this harkens back to the Trayvon Martin case, this harkens back to the Jonathan Davis case. People don't want to talk about it, but this homeowner has to show he was an honest and reasonable fear of great bodily injury and imminent death. I've got to tell you, the fact that this victim, an African-American woman, was at his door, may have somehow led to his belief that he was being threatened.

It's that insidious racism, that sort of racial profiling that may be a part of the case, that was a part of a lot of the other cases like Trayvon Martin. I think, of course, the police are saying, you know, race wasn't a part of our decision making, but perhaps it was a part of this defendant's decision making.

It's something that people don't want to talk about but that we have to talk about. You look at the facts of the case and you have someone who was secure in his home. Why not call 911 and instead go to your front door armed with a deadly weapon and shoot someone in the face? What made this woman appear to be such a threat to him and perhaps race was one of those factors, unfortunately.

FLORES: Vinnie, you want to get the last word?

POLITAN: Yes, I think the real factor here is going to be from the defense perspective is going to be how she was acting, what she was doing. I don't know it has to do with race. It may have to do with the time of day, maybe he can lawfully have his gun, but problem is, is it reasonable what he did? Was she trying to break into the house? Was there a threat or just someone knocking on the door in the middle of the night, and ultimately, that's a fact question for the jury to figure out. This is not going to be an easy one for either side.

FLORES: And it's definitely going to create a lot more conversation. That's for sure. Vinnie Politan and Sunny Hostin, thank you so much.

BERMAN: Thanks, guys.

So for more than 30 years, many families in China have been told they could only have one child. Today, that very well-known policy, China has announced it's going to change it. We'll have details on that straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FLORES: Welcome back. Thanks for sharing your afternoon with us. Historic changes announced today in China. The government there is relaxing its decade-old one-child policy according to the state media there. Now, China also is abolishing labor camps in an effort to improve human rights. CNN's David McKenzie has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Authorities released the news late on a Friday evening with simple statements, but they are about laws that have been around for decades. And some of the most hated policies in China. The one-child policy is extremely controversial, and the reaction on the streets was almost immediate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Since the policy now allows it, I will definitely have another child. It's too lonely for a single child.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): When I get married, I would prefer having two children because I'm the only child in my family. My childhood was a bit boring.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): The Communist Party introduced the policy in the late '70s to curb the population overgrowth, applauded by some, but heavily criticized by many for its often horrible consequences, forced abortions, involuntary sterilizations, and a huge gender imbalance. For years the party of resistant calls to relax the law, but faced with a shrinking labor pool and aging population, their hand was forced.

To accelerate growth, couples now can have a second child if at least one of the parents is an only child. But some human rights groups say it's not enough and want it abolished all together. The government has abolished another controversial policy, education through labor camps. Scattered across China, the prisons were used for decades to detain petty criminals, activists, and agitators for up to four years without trial.

A recent CNN investigation exposed widespread abused at one infamous camp. Many felt the brutal system was out of place in modern-day China. The bold announcement showed that the country's new leadership appears willing to shell all laws in a bid to protect its future. David McKenzie, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Big changes there.

Coming up for us here, if things are what they seem at the White House, why would anyone stand up and tell the president about bad news? That the web sites weren't working? We'll discuss.

FLORES: Plus, Anderson Cooper defends CNN's coverage out of the disaster zone in the Philippines. You'll hear the criticism and Anderson's blunt response. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Welcome back, everyone. Miami Dolphins lineman, Jonathan Martin is in New York City today meeting with a lawyer investigating the team's bullying scandal. What should we expect next in this ongoing story? Joe Carter here with a "Bleacher Report" update. Hi, Joe.

JOE CARTER, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Martin actually is meeting with Ted Wells today, he is the prominent attorney appointed by the NFL to basically get to the bottom of what led Jonathan Martin to abruptly leave the Dolphins back on October 28th. Our CNN cameras got Martin arriving at the Well's Manhattan office today.

You see there, he's sort of smiling, but he did not respond to any questions from the numerous reporters that were there. Now Martin is expected to hand over pages and pages of notes today detailing his side of the story and Ted Wells is expected to take those notes and head to Miami next for a meeting with Dolphin officials.

Now meanwhile, Richie Incognito, who has been suspended for his alleged part in the scandal, has filed a grievance against the Dolphins to resume his salary. Incognito believes he is due the $1.2 million the team could deny him if the conduct suspension lasts the maximum four games.

When Marlin's pitcher Jose Fernandez was doing an interview this week about being named National League Rookie of the Year, an incredible emotional moment was caught on camera when the Marlins surprised him and reunited him with his 68-year-old grandmother who he hasn't seen since he defected from Cuba six years ago. He calls his grandmother the love of his life and credits all his baseball success to her.

Very nice moment, his 68-year-old grandmother, of course, is his biggest fan. At her home in Cuba, she actually climbed to the top of the roof with a radio so she can listen to her grandson pitch.

After suffering a gruesome injury on national television, Louisville's Kevin Ware is back in the court, which is where Rachel Nichols caught up with him. Ware's return means the Lakers star Kobe Bryant is going to need to make his way to Louisville after losing a bet between the two.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN WARE, LOUISVILLE GUARD: Kobe is a competitive guy. The bet was whoever came back first. The other person had to come to their game. So I got a game because Kobe hasn't got into a game.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARTER: Catch the full interview on "UNGUARDED" with Rachel Nichols. That's tonight, 10:30 Eastern Time on CNN. That's your bleacher report update. Guys, back to you.

FLORES: Joe Carter, thank you so much.

BERMAN: All right, it's the top of the hour. I'm John Berman alongside Rosa Flores. We're live in New York. Right now, President Obama is meeting with the heads of health insurance companies. This confab follows the president's mea culpa over his botched promise that if you like your insurance, you can keep it, during which he proposed insurance companies re-up policies set to be canceled at the end of the year.

The meeting also comes hot on the heels of a House vote on a Republican bill to let people to keep their existing coverage. Our chief congressional correspondent Dana Bash is on Capitol Hill. Dana, the president is facing a pretty big sales job with these health insurance big-wigs this afternoon.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That is an understatement. I cannot even imagine how angry they are. I mean, we have heard what they have said in public to the media. I can imagine what they're going to say in private to the president and that is because they feel undermined.