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Storm Coverage; Bracing for More Obamacare Attacks; Severe Weather Threatens 26 States; Sheriff Stunned By Filth In House; Hanks On JFK's Death: This Doesn't Happen; Crack Mayor To Get His Own TV Show; Concerns Grow Over Holiday Shopping; Preview Of Ted Turner: The Maverick Man

Aired November 17, 2013 - 14:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Karen Maginnis is tracking the storm from the CNN weather center.

Let's start with you, Karen. What is the latest on the information that you are getting?

KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: As you mentioned, this is an extremely dangerous situation. It affects millions of people. Tornado watches have been issued all the way, from Michigan, extending down towards Cape Girardeau, Missouri. These are the areas that just in the past few hours have erupted with strong to severe storms. And certainly, we've had reports of a number of isolated tornadoes.

The most recent one that I saw was a report coming out of Centralia, Illinois. They had reports of structural damage there and some minor injuries.

Also, earlier in the day, about 11:55 local time, we had reports of damage being reported in Pecan, Illinois. And that was just several hours ago. As you can see, there are some images that we're showing you there right now, and the eruption of these tornados is still occurring as we go throughout the afternoon hours.

Right now, you can see, we're primarily looking at Illinois now. Chicago is way up here. So, just to the south of Chicago, we are looking at a tornado warning, a very dangerous situation which is across this region. Here is Interstate 57, much of these storms or many of these storms are moving towards the northeast as 55 and 65 miles per hour. If a warning is issued across your area, you need to take shelter immediately.

Let's move this a little bit farther to the south and show you what's happening in Missouri. There are appears to be quite a bit of activity taking place here now. And the Storm Prediction Center is just about ready to issue a tornado watch. And I'm sure that we have a number of areas that are under the gun for tornadoes, going into the afternoon.

Fred, we'll keep you updated on that. We'll show you images and keep you on top of this very dynamic and very dangerous situation. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: And one more time if can you give the distinction of the warnings versus the watch, especially the folks who are in those areas that you pointed out?

MAGINNIS: Yes. Watch means conditions are favorable. And we have prime, ideal conditions for tornadic activity.

When a warning is issued, it means there has been a report of a tornado on the ground. There is a Doppler radar indicated possibility of a tornado. So, warning is more dangerous. But if you are in the watch, that means that you could, at any time, see the potential of tornadic activity.

We've had numerous reports of hail, numerous reports of very high winds. But these tornado warnings, Fred, are being issued time and time again. We've seen them issued a number of times every hour.

I want to show you the area that we do have right across from Chicago to Indianapolis, this is encompasses the 19 million people. It is only the sixth time for the last 20 years in the month of November that they have seen this high of an area ever.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, let's zero in on Chicago there. Karen, thanks so much, because Gary Schenkel is there. He is executive director for the Chicago Office of Emergency, management and Communications, joining us right now by phone from Chicago.

So, I understand that Soldier Field was evacuated but now soon, Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears will be resuming their game.

Are you saying now that the threat is over, or at least the perceived threat is over in Chicago are from your vantage point?

GARY SCHENKEL, CHICAGO OFFICE OF EMER. MGMT. & COMMUNICATIONS (via telephone): Well, for right now, the immediate threat is over. But we don't take anything for granted. We stay and monitor everything that's been going and watching the field right now. It looks like the folks are starting to kind of filter back from the beer stand to the field.

But everything is under control right now. Everyone is doing a good safe place for now. We duck the more severe weather but we are continuing to monitor all around us.

WHITFIELD: When that evacuation order was in place for Soldier Field, where did you direct people? You mentioned folks were coming back from the concession stand. But in general, where were they evacuated to? What was the safe place? Surely not to their cars in the parking lot.

SCHENKEL: No, absolutely not. What we have is we have safe areas designated in Soldiers Field itself. As you know, it's a very old and historical, but very well structured building, that gives a great advantage. Plus, the fact that we have been able to practice these plans multiple times. We have a positive relationship with the Bears. We have a very positive relationship with the NFL and the city works extremely well together.

We have OEMC, Chicago fire, Chicago police personnel on the scene, helping direct and work directly with Soldier Field and we are all here monitoring as well and coordinating from the operation center.

The mayor has been very, very supportive on this. We stand at a 24/7 watch every day, as opposed to when severe weather comes through.

WHITFIELD: And so, Gary, in general, for those in the Chicago area, what are you advising them to do?

SCHENKEL: The most important thing to do is pay attention to those in charge that have the wherewithal to give the right direction. That's one of the things we emphasized prior to the game, beginning, we have a very strong proactive approach to prepare this year in the city on our Web site. We tell people what to do and have a plan for themselves and continually emphasize that.

And, again, we have a very good, positive working relationship with all of our first responders and our city services.

WHITFIELD: Gary Schenkel from the Office of Emergency Management and Communication there in Chicago, thanks so much. Keep us posted. Stay safe there.

So, let's check out a little bit more about what people are doing in the Chicago area, how they're bracing for this tornado watch. Let's check in with George Howell who is there.

George, you're in the phone there. From where in Chicago are you coming?

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): And, Fred, yes. So, we are on the ground here south of Soldier Field. We were trying to get a live signal.

The issue here is the cloud is too thick, called rain base. We are not able to get that life picture to you. That's really how intense this storm is.

Here in this location we are seeing the storm edge into the Chicago land area. We are feeling the heavy rain come down. Up north we can see the globe of Soldier Field. The fans have been told to leave the stadium.

And the other thing, when we were coming down to this area, you could see all the (INAUDIBLE). You know, big games happen here in Chicago, tailgating is always a big thing. That is a concern. But we do understand that people are taking shelter.

I'm looking at a live picture from one of our affiliates right now, and it seems that the streets are clear, so people are not on the street, just waiting and watching as the storm is passes through.

WHITFIELD: All right. George Howell, keep us posted their from Chicago, as folks take heed to the severe weather, very threatening, dangerous, potentially dangerous weather now sweeping the area, good portion of the Midwest. Chicago right now in the bull's eye according to the weather radar as well as Detroit and Indianapolis and many cities in between.

All right. Now, let's talk about some nasty weather and nasty results overseas. Brand new video showing the storm surge from Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

WHITFIELD: Incredible storm surge, you heard from a lot of victims there who said they thought it was a tsunami. At least the effects are very much like a tsunami. That video shows why many people felt that. Houses destroyed, everything in its path just simply toppled.

An aid worker who was right on the coast got this incredible video. We'll have more stories from survivors coming up later on this hour.

And new details right now coming about the health of former South African President Nelson Mandela. His wife saying that he is not able to talk anymore due to tubes in his mouth that help him to breathe. She says she uses facial expressions to communicate with him. We told South Africa's "Sunday Independent" newspaper is Mandela is still quite ill, her words, but he is not in critical condition and he is not on life support.

The 95-year-old civil rights icon is under 24 hour medical care, in his home in Johannesburg.

And this programming note, be sure to watch tonight for "The Assassination of President Kennedy." This film part of CNN's special look at the '60s, airs at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

And then later on this hour, you'll hear from Tom Hanks, the film's producer, as he shares his he memories of the day JFK was killed.

And we'll have much more from the NEWSROOM right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. We are keeping a close watch on a weather system that could seriously impact 26 states across the country, particularly in the Upper Midwest. Cities like Chicago, and Detroit soon to be under warnings and watching involving tornadic activity. Even in Chicago at Soldier Field there was an evacuation there. But momentarily, the game between the Ravens and the Bears is set to resume and folks soon to return to their seats. But, of course, still severe weather impact the area. And, of course, we'll keep a close watch for you and update you throughout the afternoon.

All right. Let's go to Washington with the clock ticking for the Obama administration to get its health care Web site fixed. The president is facing more and more criticism. Thirty-nine members of his own party broke ranks and voted for a GOP plan that guts Obama's health care law.

CNN's Erin McPike is in Washington. So, more from you, Erin. Are we expecting more blowback from the White House this week?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. We sure are and that's because we are learning more about what's going to happen and what's going on with the fix. Well, a new "Washington Post" report out just this morning, claims by the end of the month, when healthcare.org is scheduled to be with fully fixed and operational, it will still only about able to service 80 percent of users.

Well, an administration official told CNN's Jim Acosta within just the last hour or so that they would be happy with that 80 percent efficiency by the end of the November. That official told Jim, "We expect that by the end of the month, most users would be able to smoothly navigate the marketplace, from account reaction, to the completion of their application, to plan selection."

But, Fred, that official also warned that this Web site is no different than any other major site. They expect more glitches to pop up after December 1st. Well, of course, because of that, Republicans doubt the Obama administration will be able to recover from this fumbled rollout of the Affordable Care Act. So, they're still working to push their own kind of fix.

Well, this morning, John Barrasso, who's a member of the Senate Republican leadership, went further on CNN "STATE OF THE UNION". Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN BARRASSO (R), WYOMING: It is time to start over. This health care law is broken and has failed the American people because they are losing their insurance, they're losing their doctor, their premiums are going up. I think there is going to be a massive taxpayer bailout needed just to deal with the impact of this health care law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCPIKE: And, of course, the fix that the president offered, well, Barrasso said that that's really just a Band-Aid and one that the administration has said that they will extend policies for one year that were cancelled under the plan. Well, President Obama is going to be holding a conference call today with some of his supporters to try to get more support on this, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Erin McPike. Appreciate that from Washington.

All right. So with the health care debate sucking up so much air in Washington, other programs the president was hoping to get passed had fallen by the wayside perhaps. Well, joining me now from New York to talk about it, Buck Sexton, a national security editor at TheBlaze.com, and Bernard Whitman, a Democratic strategist.

Good to see both of you.

So, Buck, you first. Is this making it difficult? Will it make it nearly impossible even for the president to get anything else done in his second term, from immigration reform, to green energy, environmental -- other environmental issues, and even federal appointments?

BUCK SEXTON, THEBLAZE.COM: Well, I hope so. But the truth is this. It has shifted the ground, the sort of architecture of a much broader discussion which has been should you pass very large bills, bills that you have to pass to find out what's in them? That now seems to be something in dispute.

It seems that there is a better argument to be made for example on immigration to pass things in piecemeal fashion. Part of the problem with Obamacare is that it's so large and so unwieldy that it wasn't possible to actually meet their own deadlines, the administration. So when you look at some of the other issues on President Obama's agenda, one I think it gives the Republicans an opening to pass things in slower, smaller fashion, to slow down, if you will, the legislative mechanism.

And also, on top of that, I think they're just going to dig in, because they want as much as possible 2014 to be about the roll out of this disastrous law, not just the rollout by the way, the application of this disastrous. It's only going to get worse --

WHITFIELD: So, you are saying there is an advocacy to not get things done?

SEXTON: Yes, when it comes to comprehensive immigration reform that might have --

WHITFIELD: That doesn't sound productive no matter what side of the aisle you are on.

SEXTON: Well, it depends on what you think is productive. If you think it is bad legislation and you don't want it to go through. And when you see, for example, on comprehensive immigration, the one thing that both sides always agree on is that they want border security. Republicans, the GOP in the House, they've said, yes, let's do that. Let's get through border security first.

WHITFIELD: All right.

SEXTON: President Obama says no, let's have a huge bill. So, the notion of passing everything at once, I think that is going to be a harder sell given what was seen with Obamacare.

WHITFIELD: How do you see the landscape, Bernard? BERNARD WHITMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Buck just outlined the Republican strategy which is to not pass anything at all, to obstruct, to delay, to point fingers and to blame. The truth of the matter of is, all of these things are connected -- health reform, economic reform, tax reform, immigration reform.

And the best thing is to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Why? Because we've got 11 million undocumented workers that contribute a huge amount to the economy. If we could get comprehensive immigration reform passed, that would add $1.5 trillion to the economy over the next 20 years. It would cut the deficit by $1 trillion.

And, clearly, what John Boehner, who has very little control over his caucus, has decided is I'm going to sit this out. I'm going to sit out tax reform, I'm going to sit out immigration, and, unfortunately, the American people will suffer.

Here is the rub, we actually can point to a recent time in 2011 when the two parties did come together to pass a mixture of tax increases and spending cuts. What has happened? The deficit has been cut in half both in terms of real dollars and as a percent of GDP.

So, when the parties do come together, we absolutely can get things done for the country. Unfortunately, the speaker has made it clear he has no interest in doing so.

WHITFIELD: All right. Bernard Whitman, Buck Sexton, thanks so much. Good to see you both. We'll have to leave it there.

WHITMAN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. We are also getting another look into that devastating typhoon and what it did to the Philippines. The storm surge alone was so powerful and we have new images that we want to share with you right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Right now, extremely dangerous weather threatening more than 120 million people across 26 states. Tornados are already moving through central Illinois at this hour. You are looking at a live feed of a storm chaser in that area. And, in fact, we understand about hour ago, a tornado actually touched down in Pekin, Illinois. It's still unclear what kind of damage was done.

You are looking at images right now of a funnel cloud near homes right there. One person who lives in that Pekin, Illinois, area is actually on the phone with us right now.

Jack Lance is joining me.

So, Jack, what did you see? Were you looking out the window did you happen to be outside? Describe for me.

JACK LANCE, PEKIN, ILLINOIS (via telephone): I actually came down from a separate neighborhood and I saw sirens and lights, and me and a couple of friend went down and we saw a lot of wreckage, we saw trees down, we saw houses with their roofs really get torn off, power lines down. There were huge clouds, huge storm clouds.

When I was there, it wasn't the worst of what happened. I'm sure there were more trees down. The winds are very strong right now and it is not safe right now. What I saw was a lot of people the stress with their homes destroyed. Car windows were shattered. It wasn't a pretty sight.

WHITFIELD: And so, the images that we're looking that you took. We're seeing a lot trees down. Some of those trees are down on houses.

What about the people who live there? What if anything were they saying to you? Does it appear as though there were any injuries?

LANCE: I haven't heard of any injuries. I think people heard the sirens and they got to safe spots. But it was mostly just heads down and like people really worried about each other. Everyone was asking each other if they were OK. Neighbors were outside helping clean up.

I saw people with chainsaws trying to cut branches off the roofs, trying to get -- everyone was really helping each other and that was good part of it. It's really good to see the neighbors helping people meet.

WHITFIELD: Incredible. What are you doing to stay safe? How is the weather looking in your view?

LANCE: I'm staying at my house right now. I have a storm shelter. But I can hear the winds. They are really loud.

Like a boat flipped over in my yard and there's -- nearby towns got hit as well like Washington, Illinois, which is right by us. Their town got completely leveled. And I'm just staying inside and I'll probably go help people tomorrow clean up or anytime I need, I'm going to go check and see if they need help.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jack Lance, thanks so much for bringing your story. And these images, of course. Continue to be safe and we wish everyone in that community well. There in Pekin, Illinois.

Again, severe weather still in the area of Chicago, Detroit and Indianapolis. Our meteorologist Karen Maginnis reporting earlier that there were tornadic watches and warnings still in effect and will be for the good part of this afternoon.

We're going to keep a close watch. You can see the weather map right there as the system continues to cross really 26 states are impacted by severe weather. But in this particular case, with this tornadic activity, you are seeing the Upper Midwest states that are appearing to be in that bull's eye.

We'll have much more from the NEWSROOM right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: All right. We continue to keep a close watch on potentially dangerous weather threatening millions of people over a third of the country, Illinois, and down in Michigan and Ohio are at the highest risk. Several big cities in that area, including Chicago and Indianapolis, are all seemingly in the bull's eye of this dangerous weather.

Meteorologist Karen Maginnis is tracking the storm for us right now. So we suspect or know that a tornado has already touched down in the Pecan area. We saw some images earlier from a man who lives in that area. What more do we know about any kind of confirmation of what has just happened there?

KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We know that about 11:00 am local time that is Central Time. That there was a tornado that was recorded on the ground near Pecan, which is right near Peoria. Don't know how long that tornado was on the ground, but wide-spread damage reported there. We have seen other reports that maybe people were trapped. They have sent emergency crews to that area. This is still a very volatile situation, Fred.

I'm watching this line of storms in each area where you see purple, that's where a tornado warning has been issued. If a tornado warning has not been issued along this line then a severe thunderstorm warning. Looking further to the south, here is champagne and it is sandwiched in between, very fast moving supercells. You can see heavy downpours, hail and very high winds.

We had a report of 86-mile-an-hour wind in Oclon that's one of the suburbs of Chicago and in Chicago itself we had a wind gust reported of 51. You may have heard that at soldier field they had asked people to leave the stadium because severe weather was in the area.

We go down towards the south. Couple of tornado warnings issued right around that Cape Gerardo area. That is near this boot hill region they are under a tornado watch, a watch means the broader area. The tornado warning means a smaller area. Perhaps a storm spotter or law enforcement means they have seen the tornado or it will occur.

The high risk area issued this only happened six times since 1980, in the month of November, it is a very dangerous and fluid situation and we are staying on top of it.

WHITFIELD: And you're saying because typically it would happen more springtime?

MAGINNIS: Springtime is the peak season and then we see a secondary peak and that is during the fall months. But this late in November is a little unusual. Temperatures will be in the 60s, upper 60s. Chicago tomorrow will struggle to be in the 40s. It is very vigorous, very fast moving, that's the other thing. But if a warning is issued in your area you need to take cover immediately. And it is up and down at Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley, the lower Great Lakes and it is moving very fast.

WHITFIELD: Wow, we are talking about 26 states and they are impacted by some type of severe weather system that you are going to help us stay tuned to. Thank you so much, Karen Maginnis. Appreciate that.

All right, we are going to get back to severe weather in this nation. First a very disturbing story coming out of North Carolina. Police in the city of Monroe were responding to a complaint about a hog when they stumbled on to a horrifying scene. An 11-year-old boy handcuffed to a porch with a dead chicken tied around his neck. Four more kids were eventually found living in filth. According to officials, their adoptive parents were arrested and charged with child abuse.

CNN's Nick Valencia is following this heartbreaking story from Monroe, North Carolina right now. So Nick, what more can you tell us about the conditions of these children were living in.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Gauging by what we saw outside, Fred, it was miserable. We saw piles and piles of garbage, abandoned and rusted cars, farm animals scattered everywhere, just running wild and the overwhelming smell of urine and feces just permeating throughout the property. And for as bad as it was outside, Fred, officials say it was much worse inside the home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF EDDIE CATHEY, UNION COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA: It was filthy. You know feces on the floor, holes in the wall, the bathroom you could see from the outside in the hall into the bathroom the sink was trashed no running water appeared to be. It's just an environment that wouldn't want to walk through much less live in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: The sheriff tells us that it was a regular thing for this 11-year-old to be handcuffed. As a matter of fact, new information released to us today he said there was a room inside that room where all the boys, the four boys, there were five children. The four boys were sleeping on the four on blankets in the room and that 11 year old was regularly handcuffed to railroad ties, just shocking information.

During the investigation officials talked to those children and they said that this 11-year-old had a tendency of running away and this was how his adoptive parents decide to discipline him - Fred.

WHITFIELD: This is extraordinary. Nick, further compounding this very peculiar situation is reportedly is it not true that one of the parents is actually a social worker?

VALENCIA: And that is the most shocking detail of this all is that the woman in the home was a supervisor at Social Services very well known in this county. In fact a number of deputies worked with her on a regular basis because she handled so many cases.

I spoke to neighbors on whether or not they had much interaction with the couple. They said they would see them come and go and often times they saw those children just left there at home by themselves. Fred, there's no one more disgusted and shocked about what happened than the neighbors.

I spoke to Steve Mills. He is the next door neighbor and he talked to me about this very disturbing interaction that he had with one of the children earlier this summer. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE MILLS, NEIGHBOR: This past summer, the littlest one was running up the street crying and hollering. He was panicking saying Mister, can I have something to eat, I'm starving. Can I come in please? We figured he's new. He is getting used to the area and being with a new family and new siblings so we thought nothing of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: And Wanda Sue Larson and Dorian Lee Harper, those suspects are expected to make their first court appearance tomorrow morning -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Gosh, this is heartbreaking for those children. All right, thank you so much. Nick Valencia there from Monroe, North Carolina.

All November 22nd, 1963 changed America. Actor, Tom Hanks, tells us what President Kennedy's assassination meant to him and how he tells us that story in the film he produced for CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We continue to watch severe weather sweeping across 26 states namely looking at the upper Midwest. They are really in the crosshairs right now of severe weather and threatening tornadic activity as well in Chicago, Indianapolis and Detroit areas. We'll keep a close watch on it for you. We do know reportedly that a tornado did touchdown according to eyewitnesses in Pecan, which is outside of Peoria.

All right, this week, this Friday marks the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's assassination. Now never before seen photos taken minutes before he was killed. The photo show him just moments before he was assassinated in Dallas. The photos were published in the latest issue of "Time" magazine and were only recently discovered after the death of an amateur photographer.

Kennedy's death still resonates with anyone old enough to remember. Actor, Tom Hanks, sat down with CNN's Christiane Amanpour to talk about what it meant to him and the film he produced for CNN about the assassination.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM HANKS, ACTOR: I remembered thinking that this doesn't happen in the real world. A president doesn't get shot in front of everybody the way John F. Kennedy was. At 7 years old, I barely even socially conscious being, but the over powering sadness of every adult I came across was rattling quite frankly. Everybody can remember where they were and what they were doing. I was in the second grade and my teacher started crying. I hadn't seen grownups cry ever and it was a time of confusion that we are still reeling from, ripples from that confusion.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What will the film show us?

HANKS: Well, the stuff we are doing for CNN is really taking how television covered these great moments in history everything from news reports to like the British invasion of rock bands. It was how this medium that was really just coming into its first great muscles and how it now looks so incredibly primitive that we almost wonder how we hung so much importance on the truth that television told us when really it was dictated by copper wire and innuendo almost.

You might notice how in some way despite all the fabulous toys and cameras and projections, it might not be governed by optic fibre and innuendo and it never seems to go away, but it becomes the record, always the record that is malleable, you can go back over and rejig it. But we've got Chad Huntly who was arguably one of the most trusted names in the world, in America or even better.

Let's take Walter Cronkite, the man himself, on the phone saying yes, yes, all right, well it's been confirmed, the president is dead. It ends up being this window that if it hasn't united us all television has empowered us to be able to have some vision beyond your teacher breaking down for reasons that you don't understand.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Be sure to watch tonight for the "Assassination Of President Kennedy." This film part of CNN's special look at the '60s airs 9:00 Eastern right here on CNN. Much more of the newsroom right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, could lose more powers this week. Tomorrow, the city council will vote to place the mayor's office and budget in the hands of the deputy mayor. They have already stripped Ford of his ability to govern during an emergency. Tomorrow, a television show starring the mayor and his brother starts airing. His brother, Doug, is also a member of city council. Luckily the show is being pre-taped and it will not be live. It will be called "Ford Nation."

CNN has an exclusive interview with Mayor Ford and you can see it first on "NEW DAY". The entire interview will be on "AC360" at 8 p.m. Eastern tomorrow night. So first start your day with "NEW DAY" and then later on "AC360."

All right after hitting more record highs last week, Wall Street's focus this week is shifting to what consumers have been up to and there are some concerns over this holiday shopping season. Here is Maribel Aber.

MARIBEL ABER, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, it is all about retailers this week. Best Buy, Home Depot, Gap and Target, report third quarter earnings. They are going to give Wall Street insight on consumer spending and that's what really drives economic growth. But the big concern, the holiday season, analysts aren't optimistic.

Abercrombie and Fitch which reports this week already said it won't be a merry December. Another interesting one, JCPenney, after pushing out its CEO, logging nearly two years of falling sales and then watching its stock price plunge 50 percent this year, JCPenny, it surprised Wall Street in October with a small increase in sales.

So this week, we'll find out if that help boost the full quarter or if it was just a flash in the pan. As for the economy, existing home sales, that is the biggest report out for the week. In just a few months ago, sales were at a four-year high. But as buyers rushed in, guess what, interest rates rose. So there are now fewer homes available for sale. Prices are rising, so that could mean another drop in existing home sales.

Fredricka, that is what is coming up this week on Wall Street.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Maribel. All right, Ted Turner set out to change the world. A new documentary takes us along for the ride and you will get a preview next.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Sloane Stephens is making a name for herself in the tennis world. You don't have to go too far to see where Stevens gets her athletic abilities.

SLOANE STEPHENS, TENNIS PLAYER: I mean, my mom was great (inaudible) a great football player. It is safe to say I got good athletic genes which I'm thankful for.

ANNOUNCER: Her family support has been vital. Sloane has drawn inspiration from her idols, the Williams sisters.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sloan's first athletic heroes were Venus and Serena before she even picked up a racket.

ANNOUNCER: Stephens knows that America is hungry for a new tennis star. She also knows the comparisons to the Williams sisters will only grow louder as she wins more matches, but for now, try not to confuse her with Venus or Serena.

STEPHENS: Are you Serena? I'm really do I look like Serena? Like, come on, seriously?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Ted Turner changed the way we all get our news. He built a media empire along the way and he also won sports titles and the heart of Jane Fonda. Then he watched much of his world collapse around him, but as Wolf Blitzer shows us. Turner's passion for philanthropy, business and the environment keeps him thriving today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, CNN'S "THE SITUATION ROOM": Who thought the world needed 24/7 news?

TED TURNER: I did.

BLITZER (voice-over): He changed TV news forever.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most of my colleagues thought Ted was nuts.

JANE FONDA, TED TURNER'S EX-WIFE: Sailing, media, environment, the United Nations.

BLITZER: You changed the world.

TURNER: Yes, I know.

BLITZER: They called him captain outrageous and the mouth of the south.

LARRY KING: There is no cut off between the brain and the mouth with Ted.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ted was a little unorthodox and a little unpredictable.

BLITZER: He built a media empire. He won the America's cup.

TURNER: You have to go as fast as you can.

BLITZER: The World Series.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He put the Atlanta Braves organization on the map.

BLITZER: And the heart of Jane Fonda.

FONDA: I will never love anyone like I love him.

BLITZER: Before his world came crashing down.

TURNER: It has been a painful experience obviously.

BLITZER: A journey like no other.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The fact that he was taken off that focus allowed him to go to the next important phase of his life, the third act.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow, a lot to admire. Wolf Blitzer joining me now. So Wolf, we both have had the pleasure of interviewing Ted Turner. You have been able to get to know him as your boss here. So that third act, what is in it and does it bring him as much gratification as birthing and running this network?

BLITZER: I don't think anything will give him as much pleasure as creating cable news, CNN back on June 1st, 1980 when no one thought, you know, he had a shot on changing world in effect. I think that was his great passion, his excitement. He loved CNN so, so much. But he is very passionate right now about his philanthropy dealing with eliminating nuclear weapons and trying to improve the environment.

He is one of the largest land owners in the world. He raises bison. He was out in Montana with him as he was raising his bison. He has these restaurants that he is doing. He has a lot going on right now. I don't think anything is going to excite him as much as CNN did.

WHITFIELD: He is always been open about the regret of losing CNN. Does it seem like he is trying to best that phase of his life or does it seemed like he is content?

BLITZER: Well, you know, he is very content, but he still loves CNN. He only lives a block or two away from the CNN Center in Atlanta. He has a beautiful apartment. I was there. You walk out on his balcony, you can see CNN. He looks at it all the time. He is proud of what CNN has created over these years and all these other cable news networks, local, national and international in dozen of languages all over the world.

You know, he was the first one to come up with that concept. I like to say he did for television news what Bill Gates or Stove Jobs did for the internet and computers. He really did change the world.

WHITFIELD: He did, incredible. All right, thanks so much, Wolf Blitzer.

And of course tonight you can see "Ted Turner: The Maverick Man" on CNN at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. You don't want to miss this extraordinary profile. We have so much more ahead in the NEWSROOM and it all begins right now.