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Princeton Tries to Stop Meningitis Outbreak; Insurance CEO Talks "Productive"; Toronto City Council Strips Some Power; Toronto Mayor's Shocking Comments; Democrats Feel Pain on Obamacare; Obama Struggles In Second Term; Desperate Search After Typhoon; Alec Baldwin's MSNBC Show Suspended After Actor Yelled Gay Slur; Where To Find The Best Jobs In America; Arrest Made In Quarterback Beat Down; Championship Game Canceled After Attack

Aired November 16, 2013 - 11:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We've got a lot on tap all day long. It's 11:00 eastern time right now. The Newsroom starts right now.

Hello, everyone. Here are the stories that we're watching right now.

Princeton University is facing an outbreak of a rare type of meningitis. Hear what the federal government is doing to help stop the spread of this potentially deadly disease.

The Toronto Mayor has admitted to smoking crack, buying drugs and drinking himself into a stupor. Now Rob Ford is dealing with the political consequences of his shocking behavior.

And in this country -- revolt within the ranks? Dozens of House Democrats vote with Republicans to gut a major part of the President's signature health care law. Find out how the President tried to head off the embarrassing defection and what he may have to do to repair the damage to his second term.

All right.

First up: the CDC, the FDA and the state of New Jersey all working together to contain an outbreak of a rare type of meningitis on the campus of Princeton University. Officials have confirmed seven cases of Type B meningitis at the Ivy League school. There is no vaccine for that strain here in the U.S. and that's why the federal government is stepping in to help.

Alexandra Field is live for us right now at Princeton University. So Alexandra, what are government officials doing to make this vaccine available to the university?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred. Well, the FDA has given the CDC the clearance that it would need to bring the vaccine into this country under in exploratory drug program. As you mentioned, the United States does not have an approved vaccine to protect against Meningitis B but there is a vaccine called Bexsero and it's used in Europe, it's used in Australia.

But now it's up to trustees here on the Princeton University campus to decide whether or not they want to make that vaccine available here where there have been seven confirmed cases of Meningitis B. The trustees are scheduled to decide that sometime this weekend. So we asked students whether or not they would be interested in using this vaccine if it came here. And here's what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAUREN SONG, PRINCETON SENIOR: I think I would first see what they decide and then try to do some more research on my own.

TYLER TAMASI, PRINCETON JUNIOR: I trust the vaccine as long as it's approved in Europe and Australia. It gives me confidence in like the fact that it works I guess. I probably wouldn't get it at the moment. Like that I'm not too worried about the whole meningitis outbreak yet.

So if Princeton starts activating students, I don't know if I'd be first in line for it, but I mean it's an interesting option.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FIELD: If Bexsero comes to Princeton University, it would be made available to all 8,000 students on campus. Of course the vaccination Fred would not be mandatory.

WHITFIELD: And so Alexandra what about the seven people who have gotten sick? What are their conditions? Have they recovered what's next for them?

FIELD: We know that one is still hospitalized. That's the most recent case diagnosed just a week ago. The first case was back in March. And those six cases are people who have all recovered we're told. We're told that six of them are students and one was a visitor to this campus.

Health officials have been trying to figure out what the link is between these infected people so far they say they haven't come up with one specific link that would connect the seven cases of Meningitis B.

WHITFIELD: All right. Alexandra Field, thanks so much from Princeton University.

All right now to the health of millions of Americans under Obamacare. The President met with insurance companies' CEOs yesterday to discuss his proposed fix to the Affordable Care Act. The tweak would temporarily reinstate policies that were dropped because they didn't comply with Obamacare regulations. The White House calls the meeting productive but hasn't released any details about possible solutions.

On the same day the President suffered an embarrassing setback when dozens of House Democrats voted for a Republican plan that would gut his signature health care law.

Our chief congressional correspondent Dana Bash has that.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, the prospect of losing this vote in a big way is what drove Democratic leaders earlier in the week to plead with Obama officials to do something to fix the canceled policy problem. The President's mea culpa and his new plan softened the blow but for the White House it still stung.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASH (voice over): Thirty-nine House Democrats, one-fifth of the caucus, defected and voted for a Republican bill allowing people to keep canceled health policies. Democrat Ron Barber in a tough re- election campaign next year was one of them.

REP. RON BARBER (D), ARIZONA: I've been home and meeting with constituents. This has been a topic of concern in conversation. So I wanted to vote yes to let my constituents know that I heard what they had to say.

BASH: That despite warnings from Democratic leaders that the GOP bill would dismantle Obamacare by not only allowing consumers to keep canceled policies but also letting people sign up for new policies that do not meet new benefit requirements.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), MINORITY LEADER: That idea that it was helping consumers was sort of the Trojan horse whose underbelly is poisonous with -- in terms of the health and well-being of the American people.

BASH (on camera): Your leadership says that your vote would undercut the entire Obamacare law.

BARBER: Well, I don't see it that way. I mean I think any fix that we can make, particularly when a problem arises, is good for the people back home. And the truth of the matter is look, I'm accountable to the people who sent me here.

BASH: The prospect of this GOP vote is the main reason the President came out a day earlier with his own plan to reinstate canceled insurance policies. Democratic sources admit without that, many more Democrats would have defected. But the GOP bill still got the significant bipartisan support and Republicans were eager to pour salt on the President's political wounds.

REP. FRED UPTON (R), MICHIGAN: Ask not what your country can do for you. The only thing we have to fear, tear down this wall. And our current President will be no different. If you like your health care plan, you can keep it, period.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: The President issued a veto threat but it probably won't get that far because in the Senate, although there are a fair number of Democrats who also want to push legislation to show their constituents they're fighting to fix their problems, Democratic leaders who run the Senate are holding off for now because they want to give the President's plan a chance to work -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right thanks so much Dana Bash on Capitol Hill. All right now the latest on the Mayor of Toronto. The city council said it has had enough. Members voted to strip Mayor Rob Ford of some of his key powers an unprecedented move in that city. This comes after Ford admitted to smoking crack and going on drinking binges and even though he's accused of associating with prostitutes and even made lewd sexual comments in front of television cameras this week, Ford's wife is standing by him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (inaudible)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think he should make a leave of absence.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's why we have elections.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think he should at least take some personal time? Should he at least take a little bit of personal time?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ok, no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Ok so what's next for Mayor Ford? Senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is in Toronto today. So Nic, you spoke with Rob Ford's brother who is also a Toronto city council member. What does he have to say about all of this?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well one of the things that's important for the family at the moment is just how much is being brought up about the Mayor and how much that discredits the family. So the family's always looked up to the father who had a short but fairly popular political career here. That's the family's legacy. And I asked the Mayor's brother, Doug, what is all of this doing to the family's legacy?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUG FORD, TORONTO MAYOR'S BROTHER: I think our legacy is going to be pretty solid based on how Rob performs. You're going to look at a family that doesn't need to be doing this, that has actually sacrificed massive amounts of time, money, their business to serve the people.

ROBERTSON: Are you worried about his health with all this additional stress? Not just the public, not just the counselors, but the families they're inviting here too.

FORD: Yes well, I'm confident that the people that actually know us understand what we've done for our community.

ROBERTSON: This is your brother's health.

FORD: That's right. The priority -- the priority obviously is health. Health comes first over anything. You don't have your health, you have nothing. So we're confident that Rob's going to move forward and only time will tell. If I sit here and tell you 100 percent Rob Ford is going to be perfect, I can't tell you that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: And that's a -- and that's a very telling comment coming from his brother Doug who has advised the Mayor to step back, that he's not sure at this stage if the Mayor will be able to pull through. There seems to be a lot of concern in that family about Mayor Rob Ford right now -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And then, Nic, looking ahead to Monday, are there more special council sessions planned?

ROBERTSON: Oh, you bet. The council isn't done stripping powers from the Mayor. Friday they took away his power to sort of rule during a state of emergency; his powers to hire and fire senior staff. On Monday, they're going to take money away from him, give more powers to the deputy mayor and even take some of his staff away from him and put them under the deputy mayor. It's not going to be left with much more than a vote at the moment here, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right Nic Robertson, thanks so much. And of course we're not done talking about Mayor Rob Ford. Later on this hour, much more about how in the world he is planning to recover from all of this.

All right. Part of a mystery solved. More than three years after being reported missing, the bodies of a couple and their two children have been found. So many questions, police say Joseph and Summer McStay along with two bodies believed to be their sons were buried in a shallow grave in the desert near Los Angeles. Officials say all were killed but didn't give any more details than that.

The McStay family vanished from their San Diego home in 2010, leaving bowls of popcorn out in the house. Their car was found near Mexico days later.

All right. Lewd public comments, admissions of crack smoking and binge drinking -- all by the Mayor of Toronto.

So is there any way this Mayor and the city can salvage their reputations? I'll ask the man who wrote the book on crisis public relations.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. After admitting to drinking binges and smoking crack, you'd think Toronto Mayor Rob Ford would have a hard time shocking people again. Well, guess what, he has.

Our Paula Newton looks at what he said on live television that caught a lot of people off-guard.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ROB FORD, MAYOR OF TORONTO: That is outright lie. That is not true. You know what? Whatever hurts my wife when they're calling a friend of mine a prostitute. Cowan is not a prostitute. She's a friend and it makes me sick how people are saying this.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): What he says next in the most vulgar of ways hit like a bomb live on Canadian TV. The mayor denying he ever said he wanted to oral sex with a former staff member.

R. FORD: Olivia Gondek says that I want to (EXPLETIVE DELETED) I've never said that in my life to her. I would never do that. I'm happily married.

NEWTON: His crudeness shocking too for his wife Renata who made a rare appearance at his side just hours later as her husband tried to make amends.

R. FORD: Ladies and gentlemen, I want to apologize for my graphic remarks this morning.

NEWTON: Mayor Ford then disclosed that yes, he's getting help.

R. FORD: I have been under tremendous, tremendous stress. The stress is largely of my own making. I have apologized and I have tried to move forward. This has proven to be almost impossible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. That was Paula Newton -- thanks so much. With incidents like that, can Rob Ford ever save face? Can Toronto regain its reputation as a city of polite Canadians?

I'm joined now by Fraser Seitel, he's a crisis management expert and the author of the book "Rethinking Reputation". All right, Fraser, so Mayor Ford, you know, remains defiant. Can that kind of boldness actually help him rebound from this colossal embarrassment?

FRASER SEITEL, CRISIS MANAGEMENT EXPERT: Well, I will tell you, Fredricka, he has violated every rule in my crisis management handbook. The thing he should have done six months ago, people like me would say, "Resign immediately. Seek help. And then if you want to come back after you're rehabilitated, come back and do it."

What he's done instead is he's lied, he's covered up. He smoked crack. He paid for crack. He's vulgar, and he is now on top because he's become a sympathetic figure and as you say, it's the city of Toronto that's suffering the credibility problem. It's absolutely astonishing.

WHITFIELD: Except in the end he still has the advantage. He can't be fired. Yes, they've removed certain powers but he continues to be mayor and that's exactly what he wants. He says that you know what -- I have apologized and that he has tried to move forward, but other people won't let him move forward. So what next for him? I mean it seems as though there's either a lot of forgiveness in that town or perhaps it continues to be that there's a lot of fodder for entertainment. How do you see this playing out from this point on?

SEITEL: Well, part of it is that he has become a cult hero. He's a rock star. He got his own TV show on Friday. He's been on Jimmy Kimmel. He's now a household name in the United States. His bobblehead doll is selling for $400 on eBay.

I mean, in terms of public relations, he is, you could argue, he's winning. However, what he has to do, what I would say right now, what his brother has alluded to -- he has to take a leave of absence. That would be acceptable to Toronto. The spotlight would be diminished. He needs help -- obviously.

WHITFIELD: But I guess, if he were listening, wouldn't he ask why? He does seem like he's winning. He gets to keep his job. Yes, some of the powers are taken away. He's already done his sort of mea culpa. But why would he disappear?

SEITEL: Here's the answer. The answer is twofold. Number one, what I would say to him, look, Mayor, in your own behalf, the pressure is unbelievable on you. Nobody likes to be the center in a spotlight like that. Get help. Go out for 30 days or whatever. Then come back. For the city, who you purport to represent, this would be the best thing because if he stays in power, make no mistake, as long as he has a mouth and the reporters have cameras, Toronto will continue to be a circus.

WHITFIELD: All right, Fraser Seitel. Thanks so much. We'll see if maybe he was listening to you and is going to take your advice. Something tells me not. All right, thanks a lot, Fraser.

SEITEL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. President Obama, he seems to be dealing with one crisis after another these days especially when it comes to Obamacare, right? Now, members of his party are siding with the GOP on one issue. How defecting Democrats could affect the President's plan for the next three years, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: President Obama apologized for the rocky rollout of Obamacare this week saying, quote, "It's on me." But he said he knows all Democrats feel the blow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There is no doubt that our failure to roll out the ACA smoothly has put a burden on Democrats, whether they're running or not. Because they stood up and supported this effort through thick and thin.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: Yesterday, 39 house Democrats crossed party lines to vote for a Republican proposal. It would let people keep their insurance plans through 2014 even if they don't match the Obamacare requirements. And, of course, it doesn't have much of a chance in the senate. And the President says if it does make it to his desk, he will veto it.

But the big question remains, can the president recover. I'm joined now by political commentators Will Cane, Marc Lamont Hill and CNN senior political analyst David Gergen. Good to see all of you gentlemen.

Ok. So David, you first, you know. How damaging is it for President to have some Democrats revolting? Can he recover?

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: It's devastating but it may not be fatal. We've seen other presidents in the past, Ronald Reagan notably in his second term had Iran Contra. He recovered from it because he had an extraordinarily good team working on damage control. Bill Clinton had Monica Lewinsky, got impeached but he came back and had several balanced budgets in a row and got other things done, he got welfare reform done and other things.

So you can come back. But it's a long road. It's uphill and it's something very precious has been lost for President Obama now.

WHITFIELD: What's that? That whole credibility thing, trust?

GERGEN: Yes, the trust. Trust is a precious, precious asset for a president. Even if people disagree with you, as long as they think you're telling it to them straight, then they're more likely to go along with you or at least say ok, it's ok. If you really want to do this, I don't like it but I'll do it.

But if they think they've been bamboozled, and that's what Americans feel today, then they get really angry and it's really hard to regain that trust.

WHITFIELD: And so Will do you agree with that? You know, devastating but not necessarily fatal. Do you think that people in general, are they blaming the President or are they blaming the President and those around him who helped craft this health plan?

WILL CAIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I can't agree with that, Fredricka, for one big assumption we're baking into the question. First of all, I think it's amazing, by the way, to hear David compare this, by the way, to Iran Contra or Monica Lewinsky. The difference is in this situation, why I have to take exception to an assumption and the question is that we're not done with this crisis yet. You can't recover from something that is not yet over.

The President has used the analogy of fumbling the football. It's wrong and it's the wrong analogy. A better one is investing. Warren Buffett described compound interest as the eighth wonder of the world. It means your investment compounds upon itself and gets larger. We have here in the ACA, in Obamacare, a compounding problem. You know, the Web site compounds into this problem of people getting kicked off their plan. They're not directly connected but the fixes then compound another problem and that is skyrocketing premiums and a higher risk pool. And we'll do the same thing a year from now when you have the employer mandate. This isn't over. It will continue to be a problem for President Obama.

WHITFIELD: Marc, do you agree?

MARC LAMONT-HILL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I agree partly. I mean part of this certainly isn't over particularly if we see legislative solutions or responses to this crisis which sot of pushed Obamacare further and further into the margins by incentivizing young insurance holders to stay with their private or small group plans, yes.

CAIN: Exactly.

HILL: Obamacare is going to be cut off at the knees. That's going to be dangerous. That part's not over.

But the part that David talked about is essentially over. And that's the trust piece of this. When I say it's over, I mean that's a finite period of time. The President has an opportunity to recover from that. The Web site can be fixed. Even skyrocketing premiums can be addressed. But the fundamental question of did the President tell us something that simply wasn't true is something that's already happened and now he needs to get into damage control mode.

My concern for the President is that he doesn't always play defense well.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: And I guess the question is how does that happen?

How does that happen? How would this president, how would this White House try to recover, retain, recapture that credibility that according to the polls is long lost now -- Marc?

HILL: You pick the football up -- you pick the football up and you keep running. I mean he's offered the mea culpas. He said this stops with me. He didn't throw anyone in his administration under the bus. All of those things are admirable.

Now he must move forward and as David said, I mean balanced budgets help things out. You know, putting forth welfare reform helps things out if that's your position. He needs progressive policy that makes Americans satisfied.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Yes. I wonder, David, do people want him to throw somebody under the but? Is it Kathleen Sebelius? Is it somebody else, someone does have to be blamed besides the President. We've heard it a lot but the President says the buck stops with me. It's on me.

Are people fatigued of hearing that? Do they want to see this President say you are accountable or this person is to blame and it's not just the buck stops here?

GERGEN: I'm not sure they want to fire somebody, but they sure as heck want the government in better hands. And they want some serious adults who are in charge of things who are accountable that they can look to with some sense of ok, we're in a much better place.

Let me go back to the Reagan example. You know, he brought in a whole new team after Iran contra. He brought in Howard Baker as his chief of staff with Ken Duberstein as a deputy; brought in Colin Powell to be his national security advisor. He brought in a new lawyer for it who was well respected.

In that case, the President understood -- it's not a question of firing people. It is a question of showing that the government, you can trust the government. He's got a fresh team. I think this president needs to bring in a couple of people, one who's got the managerial capacity and the technical knowledge you know, has done startups, the kinds of things, David Cutler, the economist who was an architect for the plan was recommending all along. And I think he needs someone who's really trusted by the congress. I believe Tom Daschle would be a good candidate.

WHITFIELD: All right let's leave it there. Will, I know you have a though on that. We're going to take a short break.

CAIN: I do. Ok.

WHITFIELD: On the other side, you can give us that thought on that. Will Cane, Marc Lamont Hill, David Gergen all back with me. We're going to talk about President Obama's second term. What is next? We know it hasn't been smooth sailing but what does this do to his legacy?

More when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The Affordable Care Act was supposed to be President Obama's big legacy, but now it seems like it's a big nightmare. The president didn't even mention it in his weekly address today, despite a week of problems. So will this ruin his second term?

Our experts are back, CNN political commentators, Will Cain, Marc Lamont Hill and CNN's senior political analyst, David Gergen. All right, Will, you first because I know you want to comment on what David was saying. Perhaps a new team in the White House could help repair some of the damage done?

WILL CAIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Here's the problem again with the comparisons to Reagan and even Clinton. We are treating the aspect of the ACA as though they were a mistake and the problem is what the public is revolting against is the intended aspects of Obamacare. People were suppoed to get kicked off their plans and pushed in the exchanges.

Marc understands this, as well. You to have a risk pool that evened out. So what President Obama is dealing with is the unpopularity of a plan working as intended, outside of the web site. Now, the question then is, you asked about Democrats in your first question to David. What were they voting for?

This is working, that biggest controversial aspect as intended. So what are they revolting against? What were they voting for three or four years ago?

WHITFIELD: Marc, you know, this is I guess a moment. This is a moment -- I'll let you comment on that and I'm wondering too if you think it is fair to make comparisons that President Obama's handling of this situation to President George W. Bush's handling of Hurricane Katrina. There have been some parallels that people are making.

MARC LAMONT HILL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Absolutely not. Even if we take the worst case scenario and Obama's kind of in the ignoble position of having to decide to say he was either dishonest or simply unaware of what was going on. Neither is a great place to be. But even if we take the worst case scenario and say that President Obama was dishonest, he was dishonest in getting people in terms of encouraging people to go into a new health care plan, which would likely have better benefits, will meet consumer protection standards and in the long-term better for the financial vitality of the nation.

That's a different circumstance than President Bush's indifference to the people in New Orleans, which led them to lose their homes, culture and livelihood. This is very different than Iran contra which led a national scandal. This is very different than Monica Lewinsky, which is a personal matter but still a matter of ethical turpitude.

President Obama may have lied and I don't defend that at all. Overall, this is not a -- I'm saying the project itself was not dysfunctional at the core. Ninety five percent of the people who are connected to the health care issue are benefitting from it, getting cheaper premiums, better coverage, getting covered longer.

They're benefiting from this, and even the people ticked off getting their policies canceled most likely have a better alternative in the health care market.

WHITFIELD: So David, regardless of what parallels there may be, this White House to any other, we do know that at least based on some of the recent polling, trust, he's lost a lot of trust. That was perhaps one of his biggest assets of his presidency. Now we're talking about 52 percent of those who are polled say they don't believe this president is honest or even trustworthy. So given that he may have lost his most, you know, important asset right now, how damaging might this be for the next three years of him trying to accomplish anything else?

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Look, I think it can be very damaging. Let's go back to -- these analogies of the past do matter. I'm sorry. History does matter. You learn something from it. You can ignore it at your peril. Ronald Reagan essentially lost the trust. It snapped something in his presidency. Bill Clinton was seen as lying. George W. Bush's administration was seen about lying about weapons of mass destruction. Can you come back? Yes, you can.

It's an uphill fight. All these presidents especially Reagan and Clinton did come back. This president has other things going. He's got an economy strengthening more than people thought just a few weeks ago. That could help him. If he gets a deal with Iran, that could help him. If he can get this thing up and running and muddle through on health care, maybe it won't be such a disaster.

I tend to agree with Will that this is going to be an ongoing problem because there are some real flaws in this program. I want to go back to one thing. Let us not excuse what the White House did because, well, they've put people on a better plan. Therefore, it's fine.

Look, this bill passed the Congress and got -- it was signed into law based on a fraudulent set of representations about what would happen under the bill. Had they told the truth in the beginning, it might have been a much closer call. So it does matter that there was this misleading quality about it.

WHITFIELD: We're going to keep it right there for now. David Gergen, Will Cain, Marc Lamont Hill, thanks so much gentlemen. Good to see you on this Saturday. Appreciate it.

Carrying on her famous father's commitment to public service, Caroline Kennedy takes up her new role as U.S. ambassador to Japan. She tells us why it's such a special honor for her right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Caroline Kennedy starts her new job as U.S. ambassador to Japan. She is the first woman to serve in that post and her father's legacy is part of what she brings to her new challenge. Our Ralitsa Vassileva has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RALITSA VASSILEVA, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The daughter of one of the most famous U.S. presidents arrives in Tokyo to become the first woman to serve as U.S. ambassador to Japan. It comes half a century after Caroline Kennedy's father, John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Before heading overseas, Kennedy was sworn in by Secretary of State John Kerry.

CAROLINE KENNEDY, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO JAPAN: I'm also proud to carry forward my father's legacy of public service. He had hoped to be the first United States president to visit Japan. So it's a special honor for me to be able to work to strengthen the close ties between our two great countries.

VASSILEVA: Kennedy has no formal expertise on Japan, but she has President Obama's ear, having supported him in key moments during his campaign for president. For Japan, her closeness to the U.S. president is an important sign of Washington's commitment to the country.

YOSHIHIDE SUGA, JAPANESE CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY (through translator): Her father is certainly one of the most famous and anticipated U.S. presidents in Japan and as new ambassador, she has also said she wanted to further tighten our bilateral relationship. So we, too, are looking forward to her.

VASSILEVA: The 55-year-old will manage Washington's relationship with the key ally as the administration looks to assert its military presence in Asia and as Tokyo faces a host of challenges including territorial disputes with regional power China.

KENNEDY: Japan and the United States share a commitment to freedom, democracy, and the rule of law.

VASSILEVA: At her Washington swearing in, Kennedy was accompanied by her 20-year-old son who closely resembles her late brother. Many Kennedy watchers are wondering if he will be the next to carry on the Kennedy political legacy. Ralitsa Vassileva, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And be sure to watch tomorrow night for a CNN film "The Assassination Of President Kennedy." This film is part of CNN's special look at the '60s ayers at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Survivors of a deadly typhoon in the Philippines are desperately trying to find food, medicine, and their loved ones. The nightmare touched a family in the U.S. who couldn't reach their brothers in the Philippines for three days. Anderson Cooper has the story of how they found him in this "American Journey."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, CNN'S "AC 360" (voice-over): For 72 hours after Haiyan struck, the Philippines siblings, Paulette and Cesar barely slept.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I saw the pictures of what happened, I assumed the worst.

COOPER: Assumed the worst because while they were safe in San Diego, the last time they heard from their brother, Jim, he was in Tacloban. Days earlier, Jim had e-mailed them not to worry as he, his wife, and three kids planned to ride out the storm in their two-story house. But as the storm devastated the city, all communication was lost. Paulette and Cesar's imaginations began to get the better of them.

PAULETTE KHOURY, SISTER OF TYPHOON SURVIVOR: It's a really difficult time just kind of thinking what's happening. We tried calling. We tried texting. We tried e-mailing and there was no response so it was really difficult. It was a difficult time for us just not knowing and just thinking the worst things.

COOPER: Jim was alive, but shaken. He watched from the second story of his house as the water rose quickly. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now we're a riverfront resident.

COOPER: His travel agency on the ground floor was destroyed. Over four days with barely any food or water, he and his family made their way to the Tacloban airport and got on a flight to manila. He eventually got word to a relative who replayed the good news to his desperate family back in San Diego. But it wasn't until Wednesday night when everyone could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

KHOURY: Jim.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jim.

COOPER: Paulette and Cesar were able it see their brother for the first time and made sure everyone was safe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How is the family?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The family's good. Julia's here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you get some -- is she awake? Julia.

COOPER: And Jim told them about how he had survived the deadly storm surge that flattened Tacloban.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we didn't have that house, we would have been, you know, flushed away. The water was like 10 feet high. It was like a tsunami.

COOPER: Although a face-to-face reunion might not happen for weeks, Paulette and Cesar are doing what they can to help, shipping boxes full of supplies to those who lost everything.

KHOURY: My brother had told us that his worst experience there was at night time, there was like no light. So we're trying to get a bunch of glow sticks and flashlights and gathering as many. Like mosquito nets and basic survival equipment to go there as soon as possible.

COOPER: For Jim, anything helps. They'll go back to Tacloban, determined to rebuild, refusing to give up. Anderson Cooper, CNN, The Philippines.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: A new study says there are great jobs still to be had in America. In a minute, we'll tell you where you should start looking.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Actor, Alec Baldwin, apologizing for shouting a gay slur at a photographer this week, but that apology wasn't enough to keep MSNBC from actually suspending its Friday evening show for two weeks. On Thursday, just hours after a Canadian actress was found guilty of stalking Baldwin, he simply lost his cool outside his Manhattan apartment almost like he did during a confrontation yesterday. Baldwin shouted a guy slur at a photographer who just got too close to his wife and baby. He apologized last night, saying, quote, "What I said and did this week as I was trying to protect my family was offensive. This undermines hard thought rights that I vigorously support.

The economy, well, it is still tough out there. But apparently there are some great jobs out there, and they're actually hiring. Christine Romans says CNN Money has a new survey that helps you figure out where to start looking.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, in a weak economy with 7.3 percent unemployment, millions still out of work, the list of best jobs in America takes on even more importance. These are jobs with big growth, great pay and satisfying work, all appearing on cnnmoney.com.

Some of the sectors that dominate the list, health care. Traditionally does well in any economy, weak or strong, and good paying jobs make of six of the top 25 of the best jobs this year. Tech makes up 10 of the top 25. Remember, you have Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, other big companies going public in the last few years. They are doing a lot of hiring. There are talent wars in tech.

Also talent wars in oil and gas, a strong showing on this list, three of the top 25 slots. So what are the top three jobs? The top three best jobs in America, number one, biomedical engineer 61 percent job growth expected between 2010 and 2020, $87,000 a year for median pay, these are people who design and create pacemakers, MRIs, artificial joints.

Number two on the list, clinical nurse specialist, big story here, nearly three and a half million jobs in this field, $86,000. Why are they so important? One word, Obamacare and the push to control health care costs. These nurses figure out how to make health care systems more efficient. You need post-graduate level training in a nursing specialty.

Number three on the list, software architect. The first six figure salary on the list of best jobs, the median pay here, wow, $121,000 a year, a lot of opportunity because pretty much every sector of the economy has software architects. They're software engineers that also understand business. They get a company's problem and solve it with technology.

There are a lot of other jobs on the list, Fredricka, video game designer, hand therapist, but if you like to know, the highest paying job with median salary $288,000 a year, I am going to send you to cnnmoney.com to find it -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: That's one heck of a cliff hanger. Thank you so much, Christine. Appreciate that.

Let's talk sports coming up, the action is supposed to be on the field, right? Well, in Miami, the spotlight is on what's happening off the field. The NFL is asking Dolphins players about harassment in the locker room. Investigators talk to Jonathan Martin for almost seven hours. Find out what he said next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A college football conference is calling off its title game after a brutal attack on a quarterback at a pregame banquet. Joe Carter has more in his "Bleacher Report." This is nasty.

JOE CARTER, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: This is a weird story. We're hearing basically at least two to five football players from Virginia State University allegedly beat up Winston-Salem State's quarterback in the bathroom at a football luncheon yesterday.

WHITFIELD: Why?

CARTER: So this happened during a football luncheon.

WHITFIELD: That's kind of ridiculous.

CARTER: Maybe because the two teams were supposed to play today. Since the incident happened yesterday, they decided the two teams that would play in Division II conference championship they cancelled that game and cancelled a volleyball game between the two schools as well. A lot of people missing out on what would be a big day today.

WHITFIELD: Sending a message.

CARTER: Yes. One player from Virginia State has been arrested on criminal assault charges.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NANCY YOUNG, WINSTON-SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY: You've got players, you've got families, you've got fans that are in town that were looking forward to what they thought would be an exciting weekend, and those plans have all gone awry now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARTER: Now the person that got beat up in the bathroom is Rudy Johnson. He is the quarterback and he has been treated and he has been released from the hospital so certainly more details are going to emerge from this story.

Now obviously the biggest story in the NFL is the Jonathan Martin- Richie Incognito sage and lawyers spent seven hours with Jonathan Martin yesterday. Basically, Martin detailed the abuse that he says he suffered in a locker room for a year and a half that he is with the Dolphins. Now despite all of the controversy that surrounds him, he did say yesterday in a written statement he does want to play football again.

He told reporters in the written statement that was prepared, you see him in the video, he is committed to cooperating with the NFL investigation. That he will speak directly with Steven Ross, the owner of the Dolphins, and the Dolphins organization and plans to do it soon. He is looking forward to working through the process which we expect to be a long process, but he plans to resume his career somewhere in the NFL very soon.

Then you have Richie Incognito. What's going on with him obviously right now? He is suspended for his alleged part in the scandal, but he has filed a grievance against the Dolphins to resume his salary. Basically what's going on, Incognito believes he is due $1.2 million salary. That would be the pay he would receive while suspended.

The Dolphins could suspend him a maximum four games for misconduct behavior. He is saying I want to get my money for the time I am suspended because I don't understand why you're suspending me. The Dolphins say we can deny that because your conduct was detrimental to the team. That's why he filed a grievance.

WHITFIELD: Post suspension, we don't even know how long the suspension will last. For Richie Incognito, we know that -- the players wanting to play for another team. What about Richie Incognita, what are his chances of playing for another team if the Dolphins say we don't want you playing for our team any more.

CARTER: He is 30 years old, his last year of a contract with the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins have a decision to make as of December 2nd. Cut him or release him. As far as Jonathan Martin is concerned, highly unlikely he will play with the Dolphins this season, given the circumstances, he is probably not. We heard scenarios of going to the Indianapolis Colts and rejoining Andrew Luck or going to the 49ers and rejoining Jim Harbaugh so unknown futures at this point and a lot more to come.

WHITFIELD: Both young players, one a veteran, Incognito and Martin clearly a rookie. Hopefully they can both rebound, but still a lot of unanswered questions, right? Thanks so much. Joe Carter, appreciate it.

CARTER: You bet.