Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Outbreak of Meningitis Strain at Princeton University; Philippines Devastated by Typhoon; Toronto Mayor Stripped of Most Powers; Five-Year-Old Granted Wish To Be Batman

Aired November 16, 2013 - 14:30   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, I'm Fredericka Whitfield. Welcome to the CNN Newsroom. The federal government isn't taking any chances with a meningitis outbreak on the campus of Princeton University. Seven people have gotten sick form a rare strain of the bacterial disease. But there's no approved vaccine here in the U.S. So the FDA is green-lighting the use of a vaccine only used overseas. Now officials at Princeton University are deciding whether or not to offer it to students. We get more from Jessica Schneider with our affiliate WCDF.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CORRESPONDENT, CNN AFFILIATE WCDF: Health concerns on the Princeton University campus are growing. Another student was diagnosed with meningitis this week, the seventh since March.

KRISTIE SCHOTT, PRINCETON STUDENT: I think a lot of people are concerned for the fact it didn't go away over the summer after everybody left.

SCHNEIDER: Now, the Food and Drug Administration is coming forward with a war for the school to combat the serious health scare. It's offering a vaccine called Baxsero. The meningitis vaccine has been approved in Europe and Australia but it is not used in the United States. In fact, no vaccine is available meant to fight the type b bacteria which caused the cases at Princeton. Students are relieved the Ivy League university is being proactive and considering using this newly available vaccine.

SCHOTT: I think it's smart to consider precautions because there definitely have been other deaths at other colleges. And we're lucky we haven't had a death yet here.

SCHNEIDER: In the meantime, the university is telling students to wash their hands and cover their coughs and not to share drinking glasses or eats utensils. Meningitis can be spread by kissing, coughing, or lengthy contact. And symptoms include headache, fever, vomiting, and rashes.

RAJ PATEL, PRINCETON STUDENT: They've been warning us. They've been really good telling us what to do to prevent it.

SCHNEIDER: Princeton University officials are considering using this vaccine. They're telling us it's something to discuss with the trustees this weekend.

In Princeton University, Jessica Schneider, CBS 2 News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Overseas now, the tiniest survivors of massive typhoon Haiyan don't have any idea what has happened. But they are fight New York lives. And they don't even have a hospital to help. Ivan Watson takes us inside of an unlikely neonatal ICU.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're in one of the main hospitals in Tacloban, and I'm going to take you into the chapel now to show you something that I've if he ever really seen anywhere in the world before. Come take a look.

For the past week, this has been the neonatal intensive care unit. There are now 27 babies who are in this chapel right now, almost all of them were born after the typhoon. Over here, this is the ICU, the intensive care unit.

Now, this mother is taking turns with the father manually pumping oxygen into their daughter's lungs because their daughter's not breathing. Normally, are if there wasn't a storm, this would be done by machines. But there's no electricity right now. So not only are there no breathing devices, but there are no incubators, and thermal regulation is a problem for these children, the doctors say, for these infants.

This is a preemie, born premature, six weeks early. And the doctors say that this is not an optimal situation. In fact, tragically, six infants have died here in this chapel in the last six days. The healthy babies are staying here in the pews.

And we do have some positive news to report. When we came in here, there were five infants in intensive care. And in the last hour, one of them, has been moved from intensive care over to here with his mother Catherine. Hello, Catherine. And Sian James who was born on Monday is now considered stable, which is wonderful news for Catherine and Sian James.

But this has been a very, very difficult week for the doctors here, for the families here, and for some of the infants. Again, all of these children, almost all of them born after the storm, these are storm babies, typhoon babies in a chapel turned into a neonatal ICU ward.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Tacloban in the Philippines.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: And to find out how you can help those babies and the rest of the people in the Philippines, go to CNN.com/impact.

On to Toronto now. This afternoon, protesters demanding the resignation of the mayor, Rob Ford. The protest followed a move by city council to strip the mayor of some of his key powers. Ford admitted to drinking binges, smoking crack cocaine, and has been accused of harassment. Ford's brother, also a city councilman, defended his brother to CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUG FORD, BROTHER OF TORONTO MAYOR ROB FORD: I think our legacy is going to be pretty solid based on how Rob forms. They'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.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Are you worried about his health with all of this additional stress, not just the public, not the counselors, but the families, too?

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

ROBERTSON: But your brother's health that you worry about?

Ford: That's right. The priority, his 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)

WHITFIELD: The mayor says he will fight the city council in court.

All right, lawyers for James Holmes, the man accused of killing 12 people at a Colorado movie theater, are arguing that he should not face the death penalty. "The Denver Post" reports a sealed motion his lawyers filed recently indicates Holmes suffers from a chronic and serious mental illness and that's why he should not be executed. A psych evaluation was done in this case, but the details have not been released.

Part of a mystery solved after three years after vanishing, the bodies of a couple and their two children have been found. Investigators say the McStays were killed, buried in a shallow grave near Los Angeles. And Joseph McStay's brother Michael said this is not the news the family was hoping for.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL MCSTAY, JOSEPH MCSTAY'S BROTHER: It's been a tough road. So we would ask that you would, you know, give the family members their space. And let us go through the grieving process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The McStay family went missing from their home back in 2010. Their car was found near Mexico days later. All right, so how does a man convicted of rape not go to jail? That's what his victim wants to know. Hear from her next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Now to this troubling piece out of Alabama where a convicted rapist is not going to serve any jail time. Not surprisingly, the victim is shocked and outraged. Our Nick Valencia has been following this story and is here to tell us more about it.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, prosecutors are questioning this decision. They say that this community corrections is reserved for nonviolent offenders. Of course, rape is a violent offense. As far as the victim is concerned, she said she's scared for her safety and also the safety of this man's daughters, Austin Clem. He his little girls, all under the age of seven, and he's been ordered to house arrest to serve throughout his sentence with them. Take a listen to what she had to say yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COURTNEY ANDREWS, RAPE VICTIM: I just don't -- I don't understand. Like, I still can't even process it.

VALENCIA: Baffled -- Courtney Andrews says there's just no other way to describe how she feels after hearing the man convicted of raping her repeatedly since she was 13 years old will somehow avoid jail. This week an Alabama judge sentenced the attack, 25-year-old Austin Clem, to a total of 30 years behind bars, but he suspended that sentence opting to give Clem community corrections, equivalent to house arrest. Clem still has to register as a sex offender.

ANDREWS: And I just don't want anyone else the way that he hurt me. And he gets to stay home with his three little girls and that scares the crap out of me.

VALENCIA: You're scared for their safety?

ANDREWS: What's been done to me is done. I don't want anybody else being hurt.

VALENCIA: Clem has a history of sexual assaults, and according to his attorney, was sent to a juvenile facility for a sex abuse case before he was 15. "Frankly," the attorney said, "I think the judge's sentence was surprising to most everyone in the courtroom." But with his track record, Andrews was convinced that Clem would be sentenced to years in jail. Instead, Clem will avoid seeing the inside of a jail cell altogether if he following the judge's orders.

Even still, Dan Totten, Clem's defense attorney, says the sentence is who harsh. "It doesn't appear from her actions that she was saying no," Totten said of the victim, saying the relationship was consensual. This is a case with two sides to the coin. The evidence was not clear and convincing. Now 20, Andrews won't hear any of that. She said she was manipulated by Clem for over six years and stayed in his life because she felt threatened. ANDREWS: And I know the truth of what happened. And I have people that love me and they're going to support me and back me up. All those people who think that, then they have a problem of their own.

VALENCIA: Prosecutors say they're looking into options to get the sentence overturned. The defense is also considering an appeal. As for Judge James Woodroth, he did not return CNN's calls for comment on the ruling. Andrews says she needs an explanation.

ANDREWS: It's like saying it's OK to hurt people in Athens, Alabama, it's OK to rape someone and rape other people multiple times, and it's OK, you can still walk the streets.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA: Now, the defense attorney tells CNN that even though their client Austin Clem did receive community corrections, that decision could be superseded by the Alabama department of corrections which could decide in the end if he doesn't abide by the judge's rule. They could throw him in jail. He's sentenced to 30 years, but the judge decided to supersede that and give him community corrections.

WHITFIELD: So the case is not over yet.

VALENCIA: Case not over yet.

WHITFIELD: Nick Valencia, thanks.

VALENCIA: You bet.

WHITFIELD: Coming up next in the Newsroom, the NFL hazing scandal. Miami Dolphins lineman Jonathan Martin meets with the NFL investigators. Here from him next

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, a whole lot of controversy in the world of sports this week. Miami Dolphins player Jonathan Martin speaks to NFL investigators be being bullied. NBA great Charles Barkley defends a player using the "n" word. L.Z. Granderson is a commentator and senior writer for ESPN. L.Z., good to see you. Let's talk about the Dolphins first. Lawyers for the NFL spending seven hours with Jonathan Martin. He claims that Richie Incognito harassed him. What is likely to happen now, Richie Incognito also saying he wants some compensation for his suspension. So, first, let's talk about Jonathan Martin, what should happen, you know? And what kinds of next moves should the NFL be taking?

L.Z. GRANDERSON, CNN COMMENTATOR: Well, you know, first of all, I'd hate to see the lawyer Bill for a seven-hour meeting with a lawyer. That seems like an awful long time to be sitting down and chatting.

Jonathan has expressed that he wants to play again, though he didn't say specifically with the Miami Dolphins. And certainly, since we haven't seen very much public support from the Miami Dolphins locker room, I can't say that I necessarily blame him. Will he play again? Probably. Because let's face it, he's 24, 6'4" and 300 plus pounds. There's a lot of upside. Oh, by the way, in college he was a protector of one of the best quarterbacks in the NCAA at the time, Andrew Luck. So there's talent there to be had. I just don't think he's going to be back in the Miami Dolphins locker room.

WHITFIELD: Yes, well, the ability is there, no question. But I guess there have been conversations about whether he's ratted you out and the culture of the NFL. And would another team take a chance on him if the whole issue of his toughness was, you know, at the core of this alleged bullying and if he revealed too much about what takes place in the locker room.

GRANDERSON: You know, I've been covering sports a long time. And every so often, a player would do something, and we in the media and the fans will say this player can never go and play again. This player is now done. I remember when Michael Vick was done, would never be back in the NFL.

And so I don't buy this notion that Jonathan Martin has crossed some sort of line. I think there will be people who will be uncomfortable. But at the end of the day, if a guy has tremendous upside, if a guy can help you win, whatever offense that he's had in the past, players have shown time and time again they're willing to look that if he can get to a victory.

WHITFIELD: And what about Richie Incognito. He's a veteran, considered a veteran of the sport. Would he be picked up by any other team, or is it kind of hands off?

GRANDERSON: No, it's been reported, and I've also done some of my own reporting. There are teams that are willing to pick him up as soon as he gets cut, assuming he gets cut by the Dolphins. He's big, he's tough. He's 30, true, so he's older than Martin, but he can help a team trying to make a final playoff push. With the public support he's received but in the locker room and around the league, there's no reason to believe even with the allegations that he wouldn't be embraced in the locker room trying to win.

WHITFIELD: From the NFL to the NBA, let's talk about this latest controversy. Los Angeles Clipper Matt Barnes using the "n" word in a tweet after Wednesday game with the Oklahoma City Thunder. There was a brawl between the players, and he described his team members. And the league fined him. But Charles Barkley defended the use of the "n" word. In fact, here is Charles Barkley.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLES BARKLEY, FORMER NBA PLAYER: I'm a black man. I use the "n" word. I'm going to continue to use the "n" word with my black friends, with my white friends. They are my friends. This debate that's going on with the Miami Dolphins thing about bullying and racial slurs, hey, Ernie, in a locker room and when I'm with my friends, we use racial slurs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So this was appropriate to tweet this out? Is.

BARKLEY: No, no.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

BARKLEY: Understand, he should not have made it public.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: OK, OK. Now, this is an issue of whether everybody hears it or not, and based on that, is it appropriate or not? I mean, what's going on here? How does this, I guess, open up new dialogue about the use of the "n" word, and you know, in what confines it is appropriate?

GRANDERSON: You know, I have a lot of different perspectives or just opinions about that entire conversation. You know, the first thing that comes to mind, I happen to really love Charles Barkley. I think he's one of the few voices we have in the media that's willing to speak his mind. With that being said what he has to say isn't what is said in the most eloquent of ways.

I don't think he's necessarily defending what is said with the "n" word in the setting of twitter. I think what he was saying that Matt Barnes was using it as a term of endearment. I personally do not but this notion of the "n" word being used as a term of endearment. I think there is no way to detach the history from that word. But for a lot of African-Americans they do feel that way, and I do feel it's only fair that we recognize that. I think that is what Charles Barkley was saying. But with that being saying, Charles Barkley also appeared on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" looking like a runaway slave.

WHITFIELD: What?

GRANDERSON: Oh, yes, a few years ago, look it up.

WHITFIELD: I missed that one.

GRANDERSON: So there's a lot of things he's done in the past in terms of racial sensitivity that has bristled people, including me. But again, I think Charles at the end of the day is trying to come from a good place.

WHITFIELD: OK, because you're so smart, you talk all things sports, culture, all of that stuff. Let's talk about Barneys, New York. Recently, there were two shoppers who said they were subjected to kind of shopping while black. They made purchases at Barneys, New York, expensive purchases -- well, it's all relative as to what's expensive at barneys. And then after the purchases, they can accused of either having phony credit cards, stolen credit card, that they were not deserving of the purchases.

So there was a lot of pressure from some of the shoppers, one in particular who said Jay Z who had a financial interest and partnership with Barneys should think about relinquishing that partnership. Then Jay Z comes out and he has an official response now saying he's going to maintain his business partnership with Barneys, and he thinks he can be an instrument to help that store talk, have dialogue, kind of right their wrongs.

So what's your thought about how Jay Z was pulled into this, because that was initially his question -- there are a lot of black artists who have interests with Barneys, why am I being singled out?

GRANDERSON: Because you're Jay Z, Jay. You're one of the most recognizable figures, not only in hip-hop, but in pop culture, one of the most recognizable ones we've had in the past 20 or 30 years. I think his last eight CDs have debuted as number one on the billboard charts. So you're going to get attention.

My question really is, how come we don't have the same amount of pressure on the white artists and celebrities who also have dealings with barneys, as well as Macy's, who have been accused of racial profiling while shopping. If racism had occurred, if racism is an issue, then it should offend the white artist as well as the black artist. It should be a broader question, and should all the artists be boycotting because of it.

WHITFIELD: All right, and this is why we pose these questions to L.Z. Granderson.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, L.A., always good to see you, talking all things, sports, culture, you name it.

GRANDERSON: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. It took just one afternoon for a five-year-old boy to capture the nation's attention. You'll see more after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Time now for the good stuff, stories that will simply make you feel good, leave a smile on your nice. Five-year-old Myles Scott got his make-a-wish dream fulfilled yesterday. He wanted to be Batman, and the city of San Francisco made it happen. Our Dan Simon was there when the city's newest superhero jumped into action.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He has the cape, the mask, and that famous car. And though he may not be old enough to drive this custom- made bat mobile, today this five-year-old is teaching an entire city what it means to be a superhero.

His name is Myles Scott, and while he's never fought crime, it turns out he knows a thing or two about putting up a good fight. He was diagnosed with leukemia at just 18 months. He's been battling it ever since. Well, today, he's in remission, and that seemed like a pretty good reason to celebrate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yea, Myles!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your wish is to be batman? MYLES SCOTT: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why do you like batman so much?

SCOTT: Because it's my favorite superhero.

SIMON: What started out as a request to the Make-A-Wish turned into something far closer to a dream.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There have been plenty of superheroes wishes that Make-A-Wish has had over the years. Nothing like this has happened.

SIMON: The organization's request for volunteers snowballed on social media. Twitter caught fire. More than 10,000 people signed up. Even more showed up to transform San Francisco into Gotham City. And over several hours, this adorable little guy lived out his enormous dream. He rescued this damsel in distress from the city's famed cable car tracks. He was summoned by the police chief.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bring the bat kid!

SIMON: There was even a bat signal. And with the citizens of Gotham cheering him on, little Myles set off to save the San Francisco giant's mascot Lucille, but the evil clutches of the speed, the penguin.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nicely done, dynamic duo, you saved the city.

SIMON: The San Francisco chronicle printed a special copy, bat kid saves the city. The president gave him a shout out on by.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Way to go, Myles, way to save Gotham.

SIMON: The justice department put out a press relief saying, quote, "if wasn't for bat kid, I guarantee you that these two villains would still be at large.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That kid at Gotham city by the bay.

SIMON: 5-year-old Myles even got a key to the city at a special ceremony. But the people here got something more. They didn't leave their hearts in San Francisco. They gave them to a little boy who proved what it really means to be a superhero.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good job, bat kid.

SIMON: Dan Simon, CNN. San Francisco.

(END VIDEOTAPE)