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Storm Creates Holiday Travel Nightmare; Four U.S. Service Members Injured In South Sudan; Kerry Sending Envoy To South Sudan; Four Arrested In Deadly New Jersey Carjacking; ISS Emergency Spacewalk Under Way; "Duck Dynasty" Star Suspended; "Walking Dead" Creator Sues AMC; Kasem's Kids: We Aren't Allowed To See Our Dad; Many Insurance Companies Dumping Senior Patients; Obama's Approval Ratings Plummet; Will Ferrell Gives Scoop On "Anchorman"

Aired December 21, 2013 - 12:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the top stories we're following in the CNN NEWSROOM. More than 94 million Americans are on the move this holiday weekend and so is a brutal winter storm. It's coating parts of the Midwest in ice and snow and across the south, tornados are the big threat. What you need to know before heading home for Christmas.

And U.S. troops come under fire while trying to evacuate Americans from South Sudan. We're learning more about the attack and the conditions of the injured service members.

And making a critical repair 220 miles from earth, NASA astronauts are doing that right now. We'll show you live pictures of the spacewalk and tell you why their work is vital to the future of the ISS.

First up, that dangerous system that is barreling across the U.S. right now, it's threatening multiple states with snow, ice even tornadoes and it's hitting on the same weekend that tens of millions of Americans are heading home for the holidays. In the south, tornadoes are rare in December, but right now, it's the biggest threat.

And that risk became a reality last night in Mississippi. A twister touched down there levelling trees, but so far no injuries have been reported. And in the Midwest, snow and ice are creating treacherous conditions on the road and forcing airlines to cancel and even delay flights.

Our Nick Valencia is in the icy city of Kansas City, Missouri. So Nick, just how bad are conditions there?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just in the last few minutes, Fred, it started to sleet pretty steadily here. It's about 23 degrees, but feels much colder, more like 13 degrees. You could see sleets sort of collecting here on top of our camera case. A lot of the country's midsection is really going to see some severe weather this weekend. It's going to make the brunt of the severe weather is going to hit the midsection.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) VALENCIA (voice-over): From cars skidding on frozen roads and some flipping over to flight delays at the nation's airports and expected power outages, it is beginning to look a lot like a holiday travel nightmare.

NANCY WHITE, AAA: It could, indeed, be the perfect storm with an increase in travelers and an increase in the amount of distance travelers are going.

VALENCIA: Here is the wild forecast, ice storm warnings in Oklahoma, severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes across the south and heavy snow and flooding in the nation's midsection. Who is going to be impacted, more than 94 million Americans traveling this week, already dangerous driving conditions this morning in Kansas and Iowa.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just tried to stop. I couldn't. My car went out.

VALENCIA: If you are flying, watch out for possible flight cancellations in the Midwest and up to two-hour delays in Kansas City, Chicago and Dallas with more delays expected up the east coast on Sunday. Travel experts say it is best to check ahead before leaving home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We really recommend that travelers be smart. Plan ahead. Take advantage of smartphone technology by keeping up to date on travel and road conditions.

VALENCIA: And while the weather can be a pain for millions around the nation, for some football fans in Green Bay, Wisconsin, it is providing a $10 an hour job for sweeping Lambeau Field for Sunday's game.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You get the chance to get out and meet people, and get some good exercise and enjoy the cold.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA: And we just checked win the airlines, Fred. No cancellations or delays just yet, but conditions here are expected to worsen throughout the afternoon. We're expecting freezing rain and snow. So, bundle up out there.

WHITFIELD: Yes, but like that last gentleman said, enjoy the cold, Nick. Are you enjoying the cold?

VALENCIA: Yes. I'll try. It's really cold out here for California. I'm progressively adding more and more layers. It will be OK, though.

WHITFIELD: Keep adding those layers. You're making it look really easy. Thanks, Nick, appreciate it.

Let's go now to the CNN Weather Center where Jennifer Grey is keeping an eye on the dangerous storm system. We laugh, but it is potentially dangerous.

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it really is especially the severe component to it. This is going to be affecting millions especially people in the south. It's not something on the top of their mind as they're heading out doing Christmas shopping, but they may have a tornado threat this afternoon. So it is something you really don't want to let your guard down.

We do have the ice, as well. That's stretching from Oklahoma all the way through Missouri and even portions of Illinois. The tornado watch, though, has been issued this morning and this goes into effect until 6 p.m. Central Time and this affects places like Shreveport, Alexandria, Lake Charles even Beaumont and Houston you're in this, as well.

We're already seeing some pretty strong storms starting to fire up. We have actually seen some severe thunderstorm watches, as well. Here's where the severe threat is. We have a slight risk stretching anywhere from Houston all the way to Pensacola, pretty much. That stretches up into portions of Ohio. The moderate risk is more centered around the Arklatex and that heads into Jackson, Memphis, Nashville, you're included in this, as well.

We could see isolated tornados, damaging winds, as well. So as we track the storm system late this evening, it is going to be right around Memphis, Jackson, Little Rock, you'll see the showers and storms a little earlier, as well and then just continuing to track to the east as we go through the overnight hours.

Atlanta, we could see some pretty strong showers and storms during the overnight hours tonight into tomorrow, as well, and then it just sort of sets up along the east coast. This is mainly a rain event. We have seen a lot of winter storms already this year, but this is mainly a rain event.

The reason is, very warm air has been pumping into the southeast and over the east coast. Washington, D.C. has already set a record for today and they set that around 11:00 this morning.

WHITFIELD: A warm record?

GRAY: Yes, a record.

WHITFIELD: Wow, my goodness.

GRAY: Very warm. They were around 62 degrees at 11:00 and the record was 61.

WHITFIELD: Wow, OK, well, something tells me people were very excited about hitting the malls then. That means no icy roads are standing in the way of them getting in that last shopping weekend at least in the mid-Atlantic. Thanks so much, Jennifer, appreciate that.

All right, now, to this developing story out of Africa. A U.S. aircraft in South Sudan came under heavy gun fire this morning during a mission to evacuate American civilians. Four service members are injured. The country has been in turmoil since the president accused the former vice president of attempting a coup last week and a lot of people had been killed in the clashes since then. Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr joins me now from Washington. So Barbara, this was -- was this like an attempted evacuation, not necessarily a rescue mission, but just to lift many of these Americans out of this hard to get place in Sudan?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fred. About 30 Americans or so are in this town of Bur in Southern Sudan. We're told mainly working for the United Nations. Here's what happened. Three U.S. military aircraft were trying to land at the airfield and they were going to evacuate these Americans. There is no other way for them to get out of this area right now because of the violence, because of the ongoing war that has erupted in this region.

So, they start to approach the airfield. They are flying low and slow on that final approach and they come under fire. Three V-22 aircraft flown by U.S. troops took gunfire. One of the aircraft we are told was seriously damaged, possibly with a fuel leak. Four U.S. troops wounded by this gunfire from the ground, thankfully, all three aircraft made it back t to Uganda. The wounded were flown onto Kenya where they are getting military -- getting medical care.

But make no mistake this is a very serious situation because those Americans that they were trying to get out of there, they are still there. So, the military now reassessing, we are told, how to go back in there, how to evacuate these American citizens out of this region. The feeling is that the American aircraft were definitely targeted mainly perhaps, perhaps by the rebel forces in the region. This is a town that just fell to the rebels a day or so ago. So, this is a very tense situation.

WHITFIELD: Indeed it is. All right, Barbara Starr, thanks so much.

Let's find out more on how this is shaping up on the ground there in Sudan. In fact, Secretary of State John Kerry is sending a special envoy to South Sudan. Let's find out if that would make a difference in any way. Nima Elbagir from Khartoum, Sudan right now. So, what is next realistically?

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, as you said, not being called a rescue mission yet. But that does not belie the seriousness of this situation -- a second town slightly further south from there also falling to the rebels. This isn't one unified rebel faction. This is a number of different groupings that seem it be taking the opportunity that's been posed by the recent disarray in the past few days.

The concern has always been with South Sudan. Was there enough infrastructure, to stand independent of North Sudan and the U.S. at the time believes very much, yes, there was some very definite champions. Susan Rice, former ambassador to the U.N. was one of them and she put out a very emotional message on Friday, she is someone who has been very much at the forefront of the U.S. very close relationship with South Sudan.

This is a relationship that has spanned the entire 21-year civil war between north and south. She is calling to choose peace. She says that they have their independence. They should try and keep their country together. But at the moment, no one is particularly hopeful. We don't even really have a sense of how many people have died on the ground.

Even aid agencies don't really know. The U.N. says they believe it could be between 500 and 600 people. This is a very, very tense situation and the attempted evacuations. Aide workers saying that's not going to help the situation, the civilians on the ground -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Nima, thanks so much. Keep us posted on that situation there, very tense.

All right, back in this country now, four people have been arrested in connection with a deadly carjacking at a New Jersey mall. A man was killed last Sunday after shopping with his wife when he was allegedly confronted by the suspects with a gun. Alexandra Field is following this case for us out of Newark, New Jersey. So Alexandra, what is the latest now?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this morning, Fred, prosecutors are saying that all four men are being charged with murder and carjacking. It was a busy night for investigators. Overnight they made four arrests both in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. These arrests come less than a week after Dustin Freidland, a 30-year-old attorney from Hoboken, New Jersey, was shot and killed outside a New Jersey shopping mall.

Police say that the suspects were after his silver Range Rover. Prosecutors spoke this morning saying that carjackings reached epidemic levels here in Essex County, New Jersey, a couple of years ago since then law enforcement officials have been fighting to try to stop the problem.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL FISHMAN, U.S. ATTORNEY: You have the right to be safe and the expectation that you should be safe in this county in the state of New Jersey. And, in particular, you shouldn't have to worry that wherever you go, whether it's in downtown Newark or the Short Hills Mall or anywhere else that someone would put a gun to your head and take your car.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FIELD: The four suspects are all between the ages of 29 and 33. Along with murder and carjacking charges, they also face weapons charges. If convicted of all charges, they face a maximum sentence of life in prison and, Fred, each of the four men are being held on $2 million bail.

WHITFIELD: And what more was revealed, if anything, by investigators about the weapon or how this went from a carjacking to a shooting. What words may have been exchanged, any more details?

FIELD: Sure, Fred. What we know is that Freidland had just finished shopping at the mall with his wife. We are told that he had helped her into the passenger seat, opening the car door for her. Investigators believed that after that he walked around the back of the car and believe there may have been some sort of struggle before shots were fired. His wife jumped out of the car. Two of the suspects then took off that car. Police say the other two suspects took off in another and at this time, investigators say they have not recovered the murder weapon.

WHITFIELD: So sad. All right, Alexandra Field, thanks so much.

All right, way up in space, what's it like to float weightlessly and be a repairman, so to speak, at the same time. We'll ask someone who has actually done that, quite a few times, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Right now, as we speak, NASA astronauts are at the final stages of a seven-hour spacewalk. Look at the live pictures right now. That looks like frightening stuff but exhilarating, too. They are trying to fix a critical cooling system pump on the International Space Station. Without that system, they've had to turn off some important electronics on the station, quite a vulnerable situation to be in.

The two astronauts were scheduled to spend about 6-1/2 hours outside the station today, but that has been extended. NASA says the astronauts are making more progress than expected. How critical is today's spacewalk.

Let's ask someone who has actually done a few of these walks himself. So, Michael Massimino is with us. He is a NASA astronaut and also a visiting professor at Columbia University Engineering School. Professor, what, they're having so much fun. Things are going so well that they just decided why 6-1/2 hours, let's go beyond. Maybe even make it eight.

MICHAEL MASSIMINO, NASA ASTRONAUT: Well, you don't get paid any overtime, so not much advantage in that area. But, no, they're doing really, really well. I know both of those guys are both good friends of mine and doing a really good job. The control team down on the ground has been very, very busy and, again, doing a great job working with the astronauts. They're doing so well.

Try to be conservative. You don't want to plan for too much, but at the same time, you want to make sure you're getting what you need done. They've done so well that it looks like that they might be able to be ahead of where they want to be.

WHITFIELD: When in a situation like that, they're clearly kind of calling the shots. They're seeing it and making the progress and things are going along swimmingly and they figure, let's go ahead and ride this momentum and why stop now? Let's go as long as we can. Not an issue of weighing the vulnerabilities. Can you spend too much time, you know, doing this kind of work outside the space station?

MASSIMINO: Yes, you can. In fact, you've got to look at a few things. One is looking at what we call consumables. Making sure their oxygen is in good shape and carbon dioxide scrubber is working. That they're feeling good and you don't want to get into a situation where you start a whole new thing and then get into doing the new thing and then you don't have time to finish it. It's a very, kind of a fine line you want to walk here. You want to get ahead and ride the good work.

At the same time, you don't want to go overboard and get too tired, as well. These guys have to come back in a couple days. If you're listening to the transmissions they're discussing with the crew what else could they do? They take the crew's input on whether or not they thought they could get extra tasks done. So, we work together. You look at how the astronaut is feeling and how the consumables are doing and how things are working and what you want to try to get done the next day. A lot of people are working to make the right decision.

WHITFIELD: I mentioned at the top as we are looking at the live picture it's exhilarating. You've actually done it. What does it feel like to do this? Are you thinking about, you know, how potentially vulnerable you are? People think of the movie "Gravity" and you can't help to think of those things but at the same time, this is what you trained for. How exhilarating is it really?

MASSIMINO: It's very exhilarating. The movie "Gravity" is a good movie, but you probably don't want to watch it when you're in space. But it's really a great experience for the astronauts. They would rather not have to go out to fix a problem because they'd rather have everything working fine, but once you make the decision you're going to go out there, you're in a position where you can do something to affect the space station and keep it going.

And at the same time, probably, I think, the best experience that any person could ever have which is getting a chance to work in a space suit with some really cool tools on a magnificent machine and magnificent spaceship, the space station and get a chance to view the earth at the same time, can't beat that.

WHITFIELD: I bet.

MASSIMINO: Just incredible experience.

WHITFIELD: And the close second is that we get to watch it live as it happens. Unbelievably hundreds of miles away, that's extraordinary. Professor Michael Massimino, thanks so much. Good to see you.

MASSIMINO: My pleasure, thanks for having me, Fredricka. It's been a pleasure.

WHITFIELD: Thank you.

All right, it is one of television's biggest hits and millions of people have been watching. You know what I'm talking about, but could a racially insensitive and homophobic remark by the star of the show mean the end to a cable TV dynasty?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: All right, the feathers are ruffled on thousands of fans on "Duck Dynasty" rallying behind the star of the hit cable TV show. Phil Robertson is known for speaking his mind on the backwoods A&E program, but as CNN's Anderson Cooper shows us it's what he said off camera has him in some hot water and suspended.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: The back woods of Louisiana is now home to a new breed of millionaire.

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, CNN'S "AC360 (voice-over): In 2012, this Louisiana family made their debut on A&E. "Duck Dynasty" is a reality show by the Robertson's West Monroe, Louisiana, who made a fortune off products for duck hunters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Forty years ago, my father, Phil Robertson invented a revolutionary kind of duck call that changed the duck in the industry and our way of life forever.

COOPER: The patriarch and star of the show, Phil Robertson.

PHIL ROBERTSON: My idea of happiness is killing things.

COOPER: Robertson is plain spoken, religious, traditional sort of guy.

ROBERTSON: Here's the deal, cell phones -- not for me. Shut it down. Turn it off.

COOPER: And the four seasons the show has been on the air, he has never been afraid to express his opinion.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Men are cooking, so it's not going to be ladies watching.

COOPER: That kind of unfiltered opinion that made "Duck Dynasty" the most watched reality program on cable, but it's what Robertson said off camera that landed him in hot water. In the January issue of "GQ" magazine, described in what he finds sinful, he said, quote, "start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there, bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men."

He also told "GQ," quote, "Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanders, the swindlers, they won't inherit the Kingdom of God." A&E suspended Robertson after the article came out saying, quote, "His personal views in no way reflect those of A&E Networks who have always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT community.

The network has placed Phil under hiatus from filming indefinitely. Robertson's comments on homosexuality weren't the only ones raising some eyebrows. Robertson also talked about his upbringing in the south before the civil rights era. He told "GQ," quote, "I never with my eyes saw the mistreatment of any black person. Not once," he told "GQ."

He also said about African-Americans, "pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say, were they happy? They were godly, they were happy. No one was singing the blues." The NAACP and the Human Rights Campaign wrote a joint letter to A&E expressing outrage over his remarks. But Robertson also has plenty of defenders.

Sarah Palin who spent time with the Robertsons blasted A&E's suspension, calling it a free speech issue on her Facebook page. And Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal issued a statement calling the Robertson family, quote, "great citizens." A change.org petition to bring Phil Robertson back to the show has more than 19,000 signatures so far.

ROBERTSON: You stay married to one for 45, 50 years, you learn to go with the quirks.

COOPER: "Duck Dynasty" has grown into a retail empire worth an estimated $400 million and though A&E says he's now in hiatus, it's not clear if he'll be in the premiere episode of season five which was less than a month away. Anderson Cooper, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: The Robertson family has called into question the show's future. In a statement the family said, quote, "We're disappointed that Phil has been placed on hiatus for expressing his faith, which is constitutionally protected right. We have had a successful working relationship with A&E, but as a family we can't imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm," end quote.

So "Duck Dynasty" isn't the only popular TV show that's facing legal troubles these days. The guy that helped create the "Walking Dead" is suing AMC. It's getting pretty ugly. I'm not talking about the zombies. Our legal guys, they are next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: AMC's zombie apocalypse show, "The Walking Dead," is a huge success, but behind the scenes of this wildly popular TV show, there's an ugly fight playing out right now and our A.J. Hammer explains.

A.J. HAMMER, HOST, HLN'S "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Well, Fred, if you think the zombie battles you see on "The Walking Dead" are bloody listen to this monster lawsuit filed against AMC, which is the network that airs "The Walking Dead." It was filed by the show's creator, Frank Darabont, who claims that AMC cheated him out of tens of millions of dollars in profits from the smash hit show.

Now Darabont was best known for writing and directing "Shaw Shank Redemption" and he was the one who adapted the "Walking Dead" graphic novel into a TV series, which of course, has been a huge smash for AMC ever since it went on the air back in 2010. Right after the show's successful first season, AMC mysteriously fired him. It is not often that you see the creator of a hit show just dropped like that. Darabont claims that AMC canned him so they wouldn't have to pay him. He also claims that AMC engaged in pretty tricky accounting to make sure "The Walking Dead" never turned a profit, which the network would have had to share with him. All very complicated but one thing is clear.

With the show as big as the "Walking Dead" and the tens of millions of dollars at stake, this fight could actually be nastier than anything we see on the show, and that's pretty nasty -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Nasty it is. All right, thanks so much, A.J. Don't forget you can catch "Showbiz Tonight" at 6:00 and 11:00 p.m. Eastern Monday through Thursday. Let's talk more about this big fight over big bucks. I want to bring in our legal guys, Avery Friedman, a civil right attorney and law professor in Cleveland. Good to see you.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Hi, Fredricka. Nice to see you, too.

WHITFIELD: And Richard Herman, a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor joining us from Las Vegas. Good to see you, as well.

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Hi, Fred. Did you say we were zombies?

WHITFIELD: As the words left my mouth, I was like, let me clean it up. No. You're not zombies. OK, well, let's talk about this case. This is very interesting. It's very complicated, as well. We're talking about Frank and his agency, CAA accusing AMC of setting up this Sham transaction specifically he says to deprive them of tens of millions in profits.

So Avery, you first, even if AMC or if Darabont was fired, wouldn't he still, as the show's creator, still be owed profits wouldn't that be in the paperwork, in the contract somewhere?

FRIEDMAN: Yes, this is an amazing thing. It happened kind of quickly although it started out in 2005, 2009, the first contract and second contract 2010 and then another one in 2011. This is really kind of inside entertainment baseball. At the end of the day, Frank Daramont is a hero. You may not know the name. "Shaw Shank Redemption" super star and he is claiming he is out tens of millions of dollars.

At the end of the day, the question is licensing fees. Instead of working out a separate company, AMC created its own licensing entity and fancy accounting and, so, what AMC is saying is there isn't one nickel of profit when, in fact, this is generating tens of millions of dollars.

WHITFIELD: He agreed to that, but he didn't know it or CAA wouldn't have done it.

FRIEDMAN: That's the claim and he had CAA, which is an enormous agency negotiating this. So, if somebody is walking dead, we're going to find out who it is and it's not the zombies in this case.

WHITFIELD: So, Richard, is there some precedence to this? Would this kind of agreement be commonplace in Hollywood?

HERMAN: It is, Fred. We've seen instances with the cases "Smallville" and "Will & Grace" where they try to pull similar shenanigans. This show has taken on tremendous popularity. I mean, one of the highest rated shows on television that includes some of the football, the weekly football that are making a lot of money here. They never anticipate they'd be making this much money and they're getting fat and playing games with the accounting.

It's all going to come out in the wash. This case will be settled. There's no way they're going to go to a full-blown trial and take a verdict on a case like this. They will resolve it. They will pay him. You're right, he is the creator and contract law will apply contract law is so important, Fred. The most important area of law --

WHITFIELD: There it is a contract dispute.

HERMAN: Going to be in for a big pay day, Frank.

WHITFIELD: You're in agreement on this?

FRIEDMAN: We're actually, we're actually agreeing, we're agreeing.

WHITFIELD: Different ways about going about it.

FRIEDMAN: Yes, right. It's all accounting and all contract interpretation. Why this issue wasn't addressed in the original contracts about how much for licensing, frankly, is going to be an issue in the case. But, again, people aren't going to care. Just like "Duck Dynasty," they're looking for the entertainment. They don't care about these disputes and they don't care about what's going on in the background with walking zombies, either.

HERMAN: Frank Darabont cares because when the principal plays rules with the accounting, you have problems like this. It is all going to come out with forensic accounting and we know a very good forensic accountant. There will be a big pay day, not only the talking dead, walking dead, anything that will arise from these series.

WHITFIELD: Anything dead is soon to be living. So, in your neck of the woods, or something like that, whatever, in your neck of the woods there, Richard, not where you are right now in Las Vegas, but in New York, smoking is banned in all public places, restaurants, et cetera. Now with these e-cigarettes some are feeling that that has a place in these public places, but we know Mayor Bloomberg is likely to sign this legislation that's been passed. What, what, if any, recourse do smokers have, what is the argument that perhaps e-cigarettes should not be considered the same as traditional cigarettes?

HERMAN: We don't know the medical effects of this. So, it's vaporizing. It's not smoking. You know. It's nicotine and does it cause harm to anybody around you? I don't know if it does or it doesn't. But it can be confused with real cigarettes and that's the ban they're trying to enforce. And I don't know, could children get excited about this? I don't know. The nanny state is coming to an end in New York City. Mayor Bloomberg is leaving, things will change.

WHITFIELD: Avery, why does it not matter? What do you mean?

FRIEDMAN: It doesn't matter because it's a public health issue. We saw obesity and we saw guns and we saw --

WHITFIELD: What is the detrimental effect of this?

FRIEDMAN: City council had hearings on it. Good for Mayor Bloomberg, he has 11 days left. I know a lot of people disagree, but we're dealing with public health issues. Good for him, I'm glad they're trying to get it through.

HERMAN: There is no articulated detriment.

WHITFIELD: Maybe the argument is it's not clear there is any detriment.

FRIEDMAN: That's correct.

WHITFIELD: All right, still to be resolved on that. All right, gentlemen, thanks so much. Have a great holiday season. Our legal guys you can catch them every weekend about this time every Saturday. We always love seeing them. Zombies, no way. They are living. Living, handsome and very smart men that we love to have every weekend. Thanks, gentlemen. Good to see you.

We have this case closed to tell you about. A jury says actor, Ryan O'Neal can keep that Andy Warhol painting of his one-time love, Farrah Fawcett. It's actually one of two paintings that Warhol did back in 1980. Fawcett died in 2009 and left one of the portraits to the University of Texas. The school sued Ryan O'Neal trying to get the other one, which was hanging over the bed in his home, but the jury sided with O'Neal, agreeing that he is the rightful owner of that other Warhol painting, which Ryan O'Neal says will go to his son, their son.

Another celebrity legal fight, Casey Kasem's kids say they're not being allowed to see their own dad who suffers from Parkinson's disease. Hear their emotional story when we come right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The children of radio legend Casey Kasem are still fighting to see their father and they're talking to CNN about it. Kasem is 81 years old and suffers from advance Parkinson's disease. His kids say they're being blocked from seeing him by his wife, Jean Kasem. They reached a visitation agreement, but the details are confidential. Two of Casey Kasem's other children talked to our Piers Morgan about the pain of being kept away from their father.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PIERS MORGAN, HOST, CNN'S "PIERS MORGAN LIVE": This is an awful story. I have four kids. I'm one of four kids. My mom is one of four kids, big family. The idea that somehow I wouldn't be able to see my father if he was as ill as your father is would be heart breaking and, yet, that is the position you find yourselves in. Kerri, what is going on here? Why does your stepmother, Jean, have such a resistance to you seeing your father?

KERRI KASEM, CASEY KASEM'S DAUGHTER: There has been a resistance for so long ever since my father married her. So, it's been a very long time. We saw this coming. This isn't, we weren't blindsided by this. This is a man we saw every single week, talked to him every single day on the phone until he lost his voice. We are extremely close knit family, extremely. His family means more to him than anything. Why she is blocking us is it's the only --

MIKE KASEM, CASEY KASEM'S SON: It's dumbfounding, really.

MORGAN: Utterly cruel. Your father is suffering from Parkinson's, is that right? He's been deteriorating and having treatment and so on. You were allowed to see him briefly last week. Your stepmother, Jean, arranged for at a location. We're not allowed to say where it was. Part of these absurd legal barriers we face here, but how was your father when you saw her?

KERRI KASEM: We're not allowed to say that also. Visitations could get pulled.

MORGAN: You're his children.

MIKE KASEM: It's so important for us to see him and especially, you know, I just came in from Singapore where I worked and I didn't know if I would be able to see him again. I was so happy to just even get that 20 minutes I got. And, so, to see him was just the most special thing to me because I was able to quickly, actually, I only got 5 minutes at that point and I was able to tell him all the things that I needed to say just in case that was the last time I'd ever see him. So, that was very special, but just to only get that much time --

MORGAN: It's horrendous. Now, Kerri, in terms of the law, the law protects your stepmother in her home, which is where your father predominantly spends his time. Therefore, you can't actually go inside her house without her permission, is that right?

KERRI KASEM: That's right. We'll be arrested and we did try, we tried everything to get her to let us see him when she stopped bringing him over to the house. She had an assistant bring him over to the house so we could see him every weekend. She stopped. My sister went there and knocked on the door and he was escorted off the property.

MORGAN: And you have grandchildren, as well, any children between you?

MIKE KASEM: Our sister has children.

MORGAN: And they can't see their grandfather?

MIKE KASEM: They will probably never see their grandfather.

MORGAN: If she's watching tonight, what would you say to her?

KERRI KASEM: Wow. I mean --

MIKE KASEM: It's so tough because when you know somebody or know them just a little bit you know how to approach them. I don't think she knows us.

MORGAN: Giving her nothing has worked so far. Now is your chance. You're live on CNN. What do you want to say to this person to try to make her see sense and let two, obviously, loving children see their father.

KERRI KASEM: Piers, we said everything we needed to say to her whether it's to a camera or whether it's to you or to a judge or to our lawyers.

MIKE KASEM: What it is about, more than us, our dad, and him having just some stimulation and love and care around him provided by, you know, everybody including us, his children.

KERRI KASEM: It's not just us. We need to say this. We need to say it loud and clear. It's not just the kids, his brothers, his cousins, his best friends. Everybody has been blocked from seeing my father.

MIKE KASEM: We are talking about people he has known since the '40s.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Jean Kasem's lawyer has told a judge that his client wants to bring peace to the family, but that having the older kids in the state, she shares with Casey and their 23-year-old daughter was quote/unquote "toxic."

Remember President Obama's promise if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. Well, for many people across the country, that's just not the case. Some insurance companies are dropping doctors. Who are the doctors blaming? Find out next in THE NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, put yourself in this situation. Serious health issues, but your insurance company says you can no longer see the doctor who has cared for you for years. Some doctors are blaming Obama care. Here's CNN's Chris Frates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm decorating and making curtains.

FRATES (voice-over): Jody Sabatino is like many seniors. She sees multiple doctors and takes lots and lots of medication.

(on camera): How many prescriptions do we have here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. One, two, three, four --

FRATES (voice-over): Last month the 79-year-old got some jaw-dropping news. Her insurance company, United Health Care, is cutting four of her six physicians from its Medicare advantage plan, including her most trusted doctor, Dr. Lawrence Mitchkowski or Dr. Mitch to patients like Jody. The cardio specialist will be unceremoniously dumped from United's Medicare advantage network January 1st with little explanation or as United put it in a letter --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: United Health Care is amending your agreement referenced above to discontinue your participation in the Medicare advantage network. This amendment does not require your signature.

FRATES: But the doctor thinks United is trimming physicians from its network because under Obamacare it's harder to drop patients.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let those high cost patients move out of the United Health Care Medicare advantage plan over to Anthem or Humana and let those poor suckers so to speak pick up the cost.

FRATES: United's decision left Jody and her 94-year-old husband, Nick, facing a tough choice. Do they stay with United and find new doctors or try to keep their doctors by finding a new insurance plan?

JODY SABATINO, PATIENT: Dr. Mitchkowski has been my doctor for 20 years. No one knows me any better than he does and it's silly not to continue to go with him.

FRATES: So Jody went shopping.

SABATINO: This was expensive. This was expensive.

FRATES: And the plan she bought is going to cost her much more.

(on camera): Do you have any sense how much more that will wind up costing you?

SABATINO: These will be double.

FRATES (voice-over): Jody and Mitchkowski are not alone. The American Medical Association says United and other insurers have taken similar actions in at least a dozen states. In Connecticut for example, United cut about 20 percent of its doctors according to the State Medical Society and here in Ohio the insurance giant dropped hundreds of doctors affecting thousands of patients.

TODD BAKER, OHIO STATE MEDICAL ASSOCIATION: The patient costs a lot and United is going to those patients' doctors and dropping them and therefore, getting rid of the patient.

FRATES: United concedes it is reducing the size of its network, but declined an on camera interview request. In a statement to CNN, United said, many health plans are making changes to their networks to improve quality and keep health insurance affordable. These changes are necessary to meet rising quality standards in an era of Medicare funding cuts. The Insurance Industry Trade Group argues that the changes are a direct result of Obamacare. To help pay for health care reform, lawmakers included $200 billion in cuts to the Medicare advantage program and a new tax on health insurers.

ROBERT ZIRKELBACH, AMERICA'S HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS: Washington can't cut and tax the Medicare advantage program this much and not expect seniors in the program to be harmed.

FRATES: Even though Jody was able to find a plan that included Dr. Mitch, she is still going to lose two other doctors.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're walking away from people we've known and trusted and counted on for over ten years. That's hard.

FRATES: Chris Frates, CNN, Dayton, Ohio

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And don't forget, Dr. Sanjay Gupta will look at America's dangerous addiction to prescription on CNN in the NEWSROOM at 1:30 and then "SANJAY GUPTA MD" airs at 4:30 Eastern. He'll explore the role religion plays in medicine.

All right, the smell of rich mahogany is back. "Anchorman 2" of course that's what I'm talking about in theatres and you'll have to hear Will Ferrell's hilarious take on making the film.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: President Obama is in Hawaii for a 16-day vacation, time for a little R and R. After what's been a rather rough year. He talked about it in his news conference yesterday. Here's what he had to say about the health care website.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT OBAMA: The fact is, it didn't happen in the first month. First six weeks in a way that it was at all acceptable and since I'm in charge, obviously, we screwed it up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The president's troubles have also hurt his approval ratings. CNN political editor, Paul Steinhauser is here with a look at those numbers.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hi, Fred. Fourteen points, that's how much President Barack Obama's approval rating has dropped in CNN polling over the course of what's been an especially tough year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That I will faithfully execute. (END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: At his second inaugural in January, soon after his re- election victory, Mr. Obama's approval rating stood at 55 percent. Now, after the NSA and IRS controversies and the deeply flawed rollout of the health care law, the president is at 41 percent in our new CNN/ORC poll, which matches the all-time low he fell to just last month. Mr. Obama's disapproval stands at 56% an all-time high, which he first hit last month. While the president says there have been disappointments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT OBAMA: If I look at this past year, there are areas where there have been some frustrations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: He doesn't obsess over polling results.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: If I was interested in polling, I wouldn't have run for president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: How does Mr. Obama's approval ratings compare to immediate two-term predecessors as they finished up their first year in their second terms. George W. Bush stood at 41 percent, Bill Clinton was at 56 percent and Ronald Reagan was at 63 percent. The president said polling isn't the best gauge of his presidency.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: If you're measuring this by polls, my polls have gone up and down a lot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: But that said, the approval rating one of the best rating of a president standing with the public and clout right here in Washington -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Paul Steinhauser in Washington.

One guy that has no trouble with his popularity hit the big screen this week. You know who I'm talking about. Ron Burgundy is back in "Anchorman 2." It opened on Wednesday and it's doing pretty well so far, just edging out "The Hobbit" in Friday's early Box Office estimate. Experts predict that "The Hobbit" will probably win the weekend, but it just might be rather close.

So, Will Ferrell has been everywhere in the character of Ron Burgundy to promote the movie. He's in commercials, on local TV news sets and even appeared with our own Wolf Blitzer. Take look at Wolf and Ron. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, CNN'S "SITUATION ROOM": "Anchorman 2" you are no longer in local news.

WILL FERRELL, ACTOR: No.

BLITZER: You work for a 24/7 cable news network, is that correct?

FERRELL: That's exactly right. We work for GNN.

BLITZER: No relation to CNN.

FERRELL: No relation to CNN. So, we find Ron and his lovable team of misfits thrust into the world of 24 hours.

BLITZER: The whole concept of Ron Burgundy. People associate you with Ron Burgundy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Ron Burgundy. You stay classy, San Diego.

FERRELL: Ron is getting more famous than I am which that's OK. I can live with that. Ron's thrilled. He's finally getting his due.

BLITZER: He has that red jacket, very impressive jacket.

FERRELL: The mustache. Did you ever go with a fuller mustache?

BLITZER: Do you see any Ron Burgundy here, any similarities? I do have a little mustache.

FERRELL: You have that, but you'd really have to let it go.

BLITZER: I was going to wear a red --

FERRELL: But I think you have your established look.

BLITZER: But you notice the red tie.

FERRELL: I do, very nice touch.

BLITZER: Little Ron Burgundy.

FERRELL: And your hair looks great.

BLITZER: Obviously, yes.

FERRELL: That's the most important factor.

BLITZER: When I get my makeup and you know we all have to get makeup, they never touch the hair. You know that.

FERRELL: Don't touch the hair or you're fired.

BLITZER: That's it.

FERRELL: Yes.

BLITZER: Very sensitive.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wolf, you are untouchable.

And we've got much more straight ahead, Ron Burgundy or not in the NEWSROOM. It all begins right now.