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Remembering Nelson Mandela; Positive Jobs Report; Radiation Poisoning in Mexico

Aired December 06, 2013 - 15:00   ET

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

(WEATHER UPDATE)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk economy.

The new government jobs report has turned out to be an early holiday gift for the country, with the unemployment rate at its lowest since 2008. There it is, right there in red, 7 percent. Last month, 203,000 jobs were created, beating many economists' expectations, and the markets are happy.

We have been watching the Dow Jones fluctuating not too much here. Here it is still up just about 200 points with about an hour left to go of trading, the White House also happy.

But Republicans, Republicans refer to the 11 million Americans still without work. Here we go, Congressman Pete Sessions here. This is what he says. "While any job creation is welcome news, today's jobs report serves as a reminder that far too many Americans continue to be unemployed or underemployed."

And this from House Speaker John Boehner -- quote -- "Today's report includes positive signs that should discourage calls for more emergency government stimulus. Instead, what our economy needs is more pro-growth solutions to get the government out of the way. That is why the House has passed dozens of jobs bills" -- Speaker Boehner.

Let's talk to Candy Crowley, our chief political correspondent and host of "STATE OF THE UNION."

And, Candy Crowley, the spin, the spin. Let me show you the shock face. Not shocked. Not shocked at all.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Is it possible ever for -- and this would go either way, depending on what party is in office here, but the Republicans just not giving President Obama any credit, are they?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, no, and probably won't, but I have to say that Democrats, including Senator Harry Reid, who is the majority leader in the Senate, also noted that unemployment is still too high; 7 percent is still not great. It is better. It is better.

And, largely, Democrats have said, hey, this is the -- I can't remember what month it is, but there have been many months where jobs have been created instead of going away. So they put that out there. And they use it -- remember, budget talks are going on right now.

BALDWIN: Yes, yes, yes.

CROWLEY: And whether's the -- yes, what's the struggle? The struggle is, you know, how much money are you going to spend on what and whether any revenues are going to be raised.

So, both sides have used in their press releases about this, used it as a way to say, see, we need more job creation. To Democrats, that means maybe some more spending or investments, as they call it.

And to Republicans, that means, no, we don't want to spend any more money. We want to let the private sector loose. You see it on both sides.

BALDWIN: Let's look at the pulse of the nation, if I may. This is a recent CNN/ORC poll. This is what it found; 59 percent of those surveyed thought things were going -- quote, unquote -- "badly in the country."

And I'm curious if part of that has to do, and I was talking about that with Rana Foroohar from "TIME" magazine yesterday. I'm curious. She was saying, hey, listen, I think a lot of this, maybe some of the skepticism, is just because of how people feel about Congress. That government shutdown still is not too far. That is recent memory for a lot of people.

CROWLEY: Exactly, and I think that's one of the reasons even further than just you and I thinking, whoa, I wonder what Congress is going to do. There's also companies that look at that and they don't want to make big decisions and lots of hires if they think the economy is going to be stalled.

So, yes, there's some of that that goes on. But there's also, I think this -- all this sort of new talk, although it's a very old issue, about the income gap certainly plays a part in the right track-wrong track as another way to put it.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: President Obama just talking about it the other day.

CROWLEY: Yes, and -- but the fact is the situation's gotten worse in the last three years. More than 90 percent of the income increases over the past three years have gone to the top 1 percent.

So it's possible that you have -- look, these are great numbers. But the fact is that a lot of people are not feeling it, even if they have a job. So I don't think that it's just the jobless rate that people look at, because only jobless rate that counts is the one in your household.

A lot of people may have a job, but it's not enough of a job, or it doesn't pay enough, or it's only part-time, whatever it is, and I think that's why you see the differential between, hey, look, the jobless rate is going down, and people going, oh, I think we're on the wrong track.

BALDWIN: Absolutely. Absolutely.

Candy Crowley, the brilliant Candy Crowley, thank you for joining me.

And make sure we all tune in for Candy, "STATE OF THE UNION" Sunday morning at 9:00 Eastern. Candy, thank you.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BALDWIN: Here's breaking news we have to get to now.

As we reported a couple minutes ago, as many as six people taken to a hospital in Mexico for radiation poisoning. Think of the timing here, because this happening days after that truck was stolen carrying that radioactive material. We're hearing about this after a lead from Twitter.

So Rafael Romo joining me here.

And people were wondering, we can't say conclusively these are the bad guys in the hospital, but timing is maybe not a coincidence.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: This is a major development, Brooke, because what Notimex, the state-run news agency in Mexico, is saying that out of the six people, two are in custody of the federal police...

BALDWIN: They are.

ROMO: ... which might indicate -- we have no confirmation yet, but it might indicate that those two are the suspects described by the driver of that vehicle that on Monday morning was stolen from this location near Mexico City, about 44 kilometers north.

Now, in total, six people, all six showing symptoms of radiation, all being treated at the same hospital. But, again, the question is, are those two in the custody of the Mexican federal police the two people who stole the truck on Monday and are they going to eventually face charges for this?

BALDWIN: Let's just go back for a second, remind people. You touched on it a second ago, but here you have this truck carrying, what was it, cobalt-60?

ROMO: It's cobalt-60. It originated in the Mexican city of Tijuana. It traveled all the way to Central Mexico and it got stopped near Mexico City where it was stolen when the driver stopped to get some rest at a gas station there.

Immediately, the IAEA and Mexican authorities issued an alert saying we have some missing cobalt, which, as you know, it is very toxic. It is very dangerous. It's used for radiotherapy. It's also used for sterilizing food because it contains a high level of gamma rays, which have the property of cleaning the food but not damaging it.

And so there was an alert, an international alert, in essence, because the U.S. homeland -- the U.S. Department of Homeland Security also issued an alert, alerting all the checkpoint stations at the border, just in case that anybody tried to smuggle that substance into the United States.

BALDWIN: A truck with radioactive material stolen. There you go, six people now in the hospital. Rafael Romo, we will stay on it. We will get an update on those people. Thank you very much.

Coming up next, today, remembering an icon who shaped a country and a generation. From world leaders to folks like you and me, many are honoring Nelson Mandela and his legacy today. Next, I am honored to talk to a woman who has a unique perspective on Mandela's impact. She's Bernice King, the daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She has some amazing stories to share about Mandela's life, meeting Nelson Mandela, going to South Africa. We get to hear coming from her next.

Also ahead, a man arrested for something he allegedly did near the spot where Paul Walker crashed. We will you why he is now facing charges.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Today, South Africa is in mourning for an icon who changed his country and really the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The fact that he did it all with grace and good humor and an ability to acknowledge his own imperfections only makes the man that much more remarkable. As he once said, "I'm not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Nelson Mandela's message of reconciliation and not vengeance inspired people everywhere after he negotiated a peaceful end to the brutal segregation of black South Africans and urged forgiveness for the white government that oppressed them and imprisoned him.

World leaders, including President Barack Obama, they are making plans to travel to South Africa for the memorial. Mandela's body will lie in state at government buildings in Pretoria until his burial on December 15 in the village where he grew up.

And as a testament to Mandela's ability to touch lives, let me read you a quote. "Outside of Jesus Christ and my parents, he is the one" -- these words from Bernice King, the daughter of one of America's most influential figures of social change, Dr. Martin Luther King, a man whose struggles and accomplishments in a world away in a sense paralleled the life of Mandela's.

And Bernice King joins me now to talk about it. Bernice King, such a pleasure. Welcome to you. Nice to have you on.

BERNICE KING, DAUGHTER OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.: Thank you, Brooke. I'm glad to be here.

BALDWIN: Let's begin with when you were 27. It was 1990, and that was the year Mandela was released, and you had this realization as a 27-year-old that this man had been in prison your entire life.

KING: My entire life.

BALDWIN: Your entire life, and you decide to go to South Africa because you wanted to hear him speak. And what were you listening for?

KING: Well, I was listening for any traces of anger, any traces of bitterness, because I was still wrestling at that point with a lot of anger and bitterness in my own life because of my losses.

And I just knew this man had to have some.

(LAUGHTER)

KING: And so I told my mom, I wanted to go to the inauguration. And she said, well, she can't afford to pay for it, and I told her at that time, because I had been doing some public speaking, I said, well, I will pay for it.

BALDWIN: Your own money.

KING: And I did just that, my own money, and I went to the inauguration with my mom and my brother Martin.

And for me, it was so transforming. I mean, it was the beginning of my healing journey...

BALDWIN: Wow.

KING: ... because I saw a man that spoke from a place of love and harmony and peace. And, you know, I didn't hear, you know, behind any kind of anger, any kind of resentment. He was able to rechannel all that into a much more positive and a productive way to bring about this peaceful transformation, and healing a nation that desperately needed it and expeditiously needed it.

BALDWIN: Healing a nation, and is sounds like healing you a little bit as well.

You have said, Bernice, Dr. King, we all know, Dr. King is a hero to many, but Nelson Mandela is your hero.

KING: Yes. Yes.

BALDWIN: You were at the White House during the Clinton administration, and you have talked about -- you know, it's not quite the same, I suppose, hearing your father speak, with his booming voice and that of Nelson Mandela's. But their presence is similar.

(CROSSTALK)

KING: Their presence, their presence is very much similar. I mean, I remember when he was in my mom's office at the King Center.

BALDWIN: Wow.

KING: My mother hosted the trip that he took to Atlanta. And he came to the King Center, and our family had an opportunity to sit with him just a little while.

And I just remember that his peaceful presence filled that room. And he didn't have to say a whole lot, I mean, because his being just spoke so much. And then again when I was at the White House during the Clinton administration, you know, you want to hear what he has to say because it's like, this man has paid a dear price. And he has conducted himself, as my father would say, on the higher plain of dignity and discipline, and you can't help but want to hear what he has to say.

BALDWIN: Everyone knows, everyone knows who Dr. Martin Luther King is. But I tell you, Bernice, there are many young people who have no idea Nelson Mandela, let alone really what the apartheid was.

And I just would love to ask you, in speaking to this younger generation currently, how would you explain the situation that Nelson Mandela fought, to help young people understand why we're talking about him, why he's such an icon?

KING: Well, you know, I try to sum it up this way in the words of my mother. She said, struggle is a never-ending process. Freedom is never really won. You win it, and you earn it in every generation.

And even though they may not be able to identify with the particular struggle of a Nelson Mandela or a Martin Luther King Jr., there are particular struggles that we live in this generation of time, and that they need to draw strength from those in the past and lessons and examples from those in the past that they can utilize in their current life situation to make a difference in the world, because we have all been placed here to make a difference, to serve humanity, and make us into a greater nation and ultimately a greater world.

BALDWIN: Bernice King, truly a pleasure. Thank you so much.

KING: Thank you. I appreciate it, Brooke.

BALDWIN: You got it.

A horrific crash, you have seen the video of this mangled car. "Fast and Furious" star Paul Walker died, along with the driver. Now we're learning a man was arrested for what he allegedly did near that crash scene. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BALDWIN: Someone stole a part of the wrecked Porsche that "Fast and Furious" star Paul Walker was in when he died. And that theft happened Saturday as the car was being removed from the scene there.

Police arrested an 18-year-old man. They have identified another suspect who is expected to surrender to authorities. The two could be charged with theft and tampering with evidence.

And CNN is going in-depth tonight on the Paul Walker death investigation. Here's a clip now from "Paul Walker: A Life in the Fast Lane."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Outside of the Hollywood game, Walker was deeply involved in the world of fast cars and even raced with a Hollywood club.

PAUL WALKER, ACTOR: My name is Paul Walker.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It wasn't just "Fast and Furious" where he found his love of cars.

GRADY SMITH, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY": In 2010, Paul Walker started dabbling in semi-professional racing. He was a total auto head. He actually owned Always Evolving. It was a performance shop that really appealed to the car junkie that Paul Walker was.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But Paul was much more than a car junky. He was also deeply committed to humanitarian relief. In 2010, Walker took a team to Haiti, helping in the aftermath of the major earthquake that devastated the small nation.

WALKER: We asked a bunch of people what they thought we should bring.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He knew that you had to do something. No one knew what to expect, but all he knew was he was bringing medical equipment, water filtration, and he was going to do what he could.

When they got there, they did so much. For the first time, they were able to set up a hospital in an orphanage. And the experience that he came home with after that was, I have the opportunity to do something very special.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And Walker wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty.

You talked about the fact that he went to Alabama to help with victims of the tornadoes. Lots of people talk about things they care about. He actually did something.

SMITH: Paul Walker didn't just talk the talk. He walked the walk. He cared about other people and he went and helped them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Want you to watch "Paul Walker: A Life in the Fast Lane." That's tonight at 10:00 Eastern here on CNN.

Coming up next, a cold snap sweeping so much of the country, but the weather is not just impacting flights and the roads. California's $2 billion citrus industry is threatened. Next, we will hear from farmers explaining what steps they're taking to try to save their crops.

Plus, a new movie showcases the life of Nelson Mandela. And it doesn't sugarcoat some of the more controversial things he did during his life. How is his family reacting to that? You may be surprised. Stay with me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: You're watching CNN, bottom of the hour. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

And back now to the one-two punch of wintry weather that's just nasty and hitting the country today. This is an ice storm. It's a system that has moved from Dallas, where we have now learned Sunday's marathon is canceled. They have never canceled the Dallas Marathon in the city's history. So, that's something that's happening.

And in Memphis, nearly 5,000 customers are without power right now. And this thing, it's spreading to you, New York. We're told four people have died because of this weather, and this is just one storm.

Another winter storm system is hitting the West. It is threatening California's $2 billion citrus industry.

Casey Wian has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The first real blast of winter comes amid harvest season at Gless Ranch.

(on camera): So, what percentage of your crop would you say you have got harvested so far this year?

JOHN S. GLESS, VICE PRESIDENT AND MANAGER, GLESS RANCH: You know, we're probably close to 40 percent.

WIAN (voice-over): There's more urgency this year because freezing temperatures are threatening the family's 7,000 acres of oranges and other fruit and California's $2 billion citrus industry.

GLESS: It's not just how cold it gets, but the duration of time. We haven't lost anything yet. And I don't think we're going to. I think, if we do our frost protection right, get our water, get our wind machines, get everything, we got a good game plan. And, you know, we're supposed to get a little breeze here tonight off the Tehachapis, and I think we're going to -- we're going to beat it.

WIAN: Growers in California's Central Valley are on edge, staying up all night to monitor temperatures dropping into the 20s, when they spring into action.