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Show and Ice Threaten Holiday Travel; Four U.S. Service Members Injured in South Sudan; Reality TV Star Suspended; What's Dennis Rodman Up to in North Korea; Interview with Greg Louganis; Pain Doctor Investigated for Patient Deaths; Toymaker Sends Christmas in a Shoe Box
Aired December 21, 2013 - 13:00 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 Frederica Whitfield. Here are the top stories we're following in NEWSROOM. Millions of people hitting the roads and the sky to get home for Christmas, but the first true blast of winter is creating an icy, windy mess to snarl those holiday plans.
Under fire in South Sudan, U.S. service members take a hit as they try to rescue dozens of Americans trapped in an outbreak of fighting. We're live from the Pentagon.
And "Duck Dynasty" star, Phil Robertson anti-gay comments got him fired from the show but fans are fighting back between the network and the show. Can anyone win this one?
All those stories in a moment, but right now we're following today's spacewalk. Two NASA astronauts are trying to fix a critical cooling system pump on the International Space Station. Without the system, they've had to turn off some of the station's important electronics. So the two astronauts were scheduled to spend about six hours outside the station today. But that has been extended.
They're getting so much accomplished. NASA says the astronauts are getting more done than expected. They're way ahead of schedule already. And they actually could finish it all by Monday.
And now the fierce storm here on earth. That's hitting much of the U.S. on this first official day of winter. And it couldn't come at a worst time. More than 94 million people are expected to travel for the holidays. The forecast is a virtual smorgasbord of treacherous weather. Rain, damaging winds and possible tornadoes threatening the south. One twister already touched down in Mississippi.
And in the Midwest, snow and ice are turning roads into ice rinks and forcing airlines to cancel or delay flights.
Our Nick Valencia is in the frigid city of Kansas City, Missouri.
So just how bad is it, Nick? Now we've added a scarf. It is getting bad. It is worsening. I'm convinced.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Frigid is the objective word. Frigid is the objective word when we're talking about Kansas City right now.
As the morning has progressed, Fred, yes, I've had to add layers. It's a little colder than we'd like it to be here. But this is a serious issue. We've seen light snowfall here. Check out the sleet that's sort of gathered here on top of our camera case.
We took our crews just outside of the airport to see how the weather was affecting travel conditions. We're seeing people drive slower than normal, taking their time out on the slick roads and in places like Iowa, it's really caused a mess there. The severe weather. Take a look at this video that we had to show you.
Slick roads causing some even police cruisers to slip and get out and lose control a little bit. Sending some people to the hospital.
This severe weather, Fred, is really affecting the midsection of the country. We've seen a lot of damage in Oklahoma, downed trees, freezing rain there, people waking up to colder than -- colder temperatures than what they're used to.
Here just a few days ago in Kansas City, people were wearing shirts and T-shirts, grilling outside. Now it's a lot colder than they want it to be -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my -- hey, if they weren't convinced about the first day of winter now, they are. It is here and it's going to be a brutal winter. That's -- just as my prediction.
But, Nick, you just stay bundled up. Next live shot I want to see the foot wear. I want to see what's on your feet because something tells me you're layering there now, too.
VALENCIA: You can see my eyes the next live shot.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: That's right. That's all we're going to see right there. OK, Nick, stay warm.
VALENCIA: All right.
WHITFIELD: Not making light of it. It's a bad situation and it is likely to worsen, especially it's the holiday weekend and here we go, again, Jennifer.
Folks are trying to get to grandma's, to mom's, anywhere and then you've got ice and you've got wind and rain, all of it in the way.
JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, and on top of that, we've got the severe component to deal with, possible isolated tornadoes, damaging winds, as well. The ice is a big problem, though. Right now especially through northern Oklahoma, stretching into portions of Missouri and we are seeing a little bit of a change over, though, behind it. You can see a lot of that turning into snow in central and northern Oklahoma. So that's going to continue. Plan on I-35, especially, and 44 to be very dangerous over the next couple of hours. We're starting to see a little bit of a change over into rain, though, where we were seeing ice just a few moments ago.
The severe threat, though, is real. And it is stretching anywhere from Houston all the way to Ark-La-Tex, northeastern Louisiana, even into portions of, say, Tennessee, Memphis, you're included in this, as well.
You can see two different boxes. This box on the bottom, that is a tornado watch in effect until 6:00 East -- Central Time, and then this box up on top is just -- was just issued and that goes into effect until 8:00 Central Time. So we have two tornado watches that we're dealing with. These showers and storms will continue to fill in and they are going to be pretty dangerous as we go through the afternoon hours.
Moderate risk of severe weather across the Ark-La-Tex into Tennessee, Memphis and Nashville, you are continued in this. And as the storm continues to develop it will track to the east. And so places like Atlanta will wake up with some strong storms by the wee hours of tomorrow morning.
So through Memphis, as we go through the afternoon and then during the overnight hours, it does set up over on the East Coast.
WHITFIELD: Oh boy.
GRAY: So this is going to cause travel troubles for today and tomorrow. It does get better, though, as we get into tomorrow afternoon.
WHITFIELD: OK, good.
GRAY: I also want to mention record-breaking temperatures. It's warm on the first day of winter on the East Coast.
WHITFIELD: Oh my god. In some places. Yes, oh, my goodness. OK, well, all the more reason why folks need to be, you know, together indoors.
(CROSSTALK)
GRAY: Be on the look --
WHITFIELD: Just try to stay out of the elements.
GRAY: Yes. Exactly.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Jennifer, appreciate that.
GRAY: All right. WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk more about this developing story out of Africa now. A U.S. aircraft in south Sudan came under heavy gunfire this morning during a mission to evacuate American civilians there. Four service members are injured.
The country has been in turmoil since the president accused the former vice president there of attempting a coup last week and a lot of people have been killed in the clashes ever since.
Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joining me now.
So, Barbara, tell us more about this evacuation mission. Not a rescue, but just simply trying to lift these Americans out of a very difficult section of south Sudan.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Fredricka. The American civilians, 20 to 30 of them, in this area of south Sudan working for the United Nations have no other way to get out to escape the violence. So the U.S. military had gone in to try and evacuate them.
Three U.S. V-22 aircraft were trying to land at Bohr in south Sudan. All three of them came under fire. All three of them took damage. One more severely than the others. Four service members wounded. They are now in Nairobi, Kenya, getting medical treatment. But the question now for the Pentagon is what to do. How to get the Americans out of there. Because the feeling is when all three aircraft are hit that they were deliberately targeted by rebel forces and this is the violence and the terrible situation going on there now.
Thousands south Sudanese trying to escape get to U.N. compounds get to any safe area that they can. But as we talk here now, the situation for the United States is how to get the Americans out of there.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, General Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, talking to commanders, trying to come up with a new plan, we are told.
WHITFIELD: All right, a very volatile situation. Thanks so much. Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.
All right, it is one of television's biggest hits. Millions of people are watching. Are you among them? But will some racially insensitive and homophobic remarks by the show's star hurt the show's brand.
And a U.S. delegation will soon be heading to the Winter Olympics in Sochi, complete with several high-profile gay athletes. So what message are they sending to Russia.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: When a magazine article said actor Tom Cruise had cut off all ties with his daughter, Suri, Cruise sued for $50 million. Well, today according to Bauer Publishing the lawsuit has been settled but the terms are confidential. Bauer publishing along with "In Touch" and "Life and Style" magazines say they never intended to say Cruise had abandoned his daughter. They say they regret if anyone inferred that from anything they published.
And they made their fortune selling duck hunting products and then got a reality TV show called "Duck Dynasty." Well, this week some racially insensitive and homophobic remarks from the show's star have created an uproar.
And Nischelle Turner has more on the growing controversy and how it's damaging the multi-million dollar "Duck Dynasty" brand.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Talk about rocking the boat. Just a day after A&E suspended the backwoods Louisiana star Phil Robertson from his hit reality show "Duck Dynasty" for making anti-gay comments, a firestorm erupted.
Now as his critics and supporters are lining up, getting their ducks in a row, Robertson's family has addressed the controversy for the first time saying, "While some of Phil's unfiltered comments to the reporter were coarse, his beliefs are grounded in the teachings of the bible. Phil would never incite or encourage hate."
But now surfacing a video from 2010 showing Robertson in a Pennsylvania pulpit preaching morality.
PHIL ROBERTSON, CAST MEMBER, "DUCK DYNASTY": Women with women, men with men, they committed indecent acts with one another and they received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. They're full of murder, envy, strife, and hatred. They are insolent, arrogant, God haters.
MATTHEW BREEN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "THE ADVOCATE": He has the right, of course, to say what he likes to say. But A&E I think made a very -- a good decision when they decided that those views are not American views, those views do not represent their brand as a network and they pulled him.
TURNER: But now, coming out of the woodwork are Robertson supporters, even pledging their support on Twitter with the #standbyphil. Republicans like Texas Senator Ted Cruz and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin taking a stand behind the boys from the bayou as well.
Palin saying on her Facebook page, "Free speech is an endangered species. Those intolerance, hating and taking on the 'Duck Dynasty' patriarch for voicing his personal opinion are taking on all of us.
GOVERNOR BOBBY JINDAL (R), LOUISIANA: The left keep saying they're for tolerance except for people that disagree with them. You know, it's stunning to me, after all those antics that Miley Cyrus would still be on TV and Phil's the one getting kicked off.
TURNER: Robertson supporters say they're fighting the good fight. But critics say it's an old fight, likely to lose in a new world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Thanks to our Nischelle Turner, our entertainment correspondent for that report.
So who is most hurt by all of this? The network? The stars of the show? And what are the ramifications?
Howard Bragman is vice chairman of Reputation.com and one of the country's foremost PR executive. We saw him in that, you know, kind of milei (ph) of voices talking about the "Duck Dynasty." Joining us now from Los Angeles.
So, Howard, what is the impact of this on A&E network on the show, on the "Duck Dynasty" itself? Who wins? Who loses?
HOWARD BRAGMAN, VICE CHAIRMAN, REPUTATION.COM: Well, I don't think -- I don't think we know the impact yet until this is, quote-unquote, "resolved." We know Phil is going to be in most of the shows that are going to air next year. We know they're airing a "Duck Dynasty" marathon over the holidays. So it's not like he's going anywhere.
But if Phil disappears, the show is in real danger and this is not just the biggest show on A&E but the biggest show in cable. It's huge.
WHITFIELD: Fourteen million viewers.
BRAGMAN: So a lot of viewers -- yes. I know it's crazy.
WHITFIELD: Yes. So --
BRAGMAN: Networks would be happy with those numbers.
WHITFIELD: Yes. So speaking of networks, that network, you know, is it doing the right thing by suspending Phil Robertson because, you know, it's the politically correct thing to do, at least that's the point of view of the network. Or is it more about you know, protecting its profit margin?
BRAGMAN: Number one I think --
WHITFIELD: With other shows.
(LAUGHTER)
BRAGMAN: Right. I think A&E is doing the right thing but I don't think they're doing it because it's the politically correct thing to do. I think they're doing it because he made some very vulgar, insensitive, homophobic and racist remarks. And I want to be clear on that. Most people think that they just let him go because he doesn't agree with the network's view on gay rights issues.
WHITFIELD: But then --
BRAGMAN: You've got to read the whole interview to really understand.
WHITFIELD: But isn't the -- the argument. But then isn't the argument -- you know, if you're talking about reality TV show and you're talking about a show that the premise is, here are the characters and this is who they are, you know. Flaws, foibles, perfections, all of that wrapped into one, and people are watching them because this is, quote-unquote, "real TV."
So then why does someone get penalized for being real, being who they are, presenting all of who they are whether you like it or not?
BRAGMAN: Well, a couple of reasons. Number one, reality TV is not always reality. A lot of it is what I would call semi-scripted. Number two, America as a country has turned the corner, Fredricka. We will not tolerate, you know, we can tolerate somebody disagreeing on gay rights, but the vulgar homophobia and the things that he said. We're not tolerating any more.
And a lot of people talk about the biblical shroud he wrapped himself in and there are a lot of people that argued after the civil war that the bible said slavery was OK. If he said that today, he'd be off the air.
WHITFIELD: So then -- so then quickly --
BRAGMAN: And gay rights are sort of one of the last places. Sure.
WHITFIELD: So then quickly I wonder how might this change the parameters of reality TV? I mean, my -- all networks now kind of reconsider or think about, you know, the boundaries of the behavior of the characters on reality TV shows. And this being an example of that or spring board of that.
BRAGMAN: I'm not sure it will change reality TV. If they had an argument on the air, it would have been more interesting. Having this argument in a national magazine was downright offensive and the network doesn't have any control over that. And, you know, he wasn't -- it's not a free speech issue, it's a contractual issue. If he hadn't broken his contract, they wouldn't have suspended him.
Let me make one last point.
WHITFIELD: All right. OK.
BRAGMAN: While we've been arguing -- while we've been arguing about this and discussing this vigorously for two or three days a lot of people failed to notice that New Mexico and yesterday Utah allowed gay marriage. So this is a battle, but the war is essentially over in my mind. Once Utah allows gay marriage, one of the most conservative states in the union --
WHITFIELD: Yes. It's an incredible milestone.
BRAGMAN: We're really changed as a country.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Howard Bragman.
BRAGMAN: We've really changed.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much.
BRAGMAN: Thanks, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Love your point of view. Appreciate it.
All right, former basketball star Dennis Rodman is back on the courts, but far from the NBA. Rodman's on a controversial trip inside the reclusive country of North Korea. What he says he won't be doing any diplomacy while he's there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, in this day of high technology, North Korean leaders choose to use a fax machine to launch its latest threat to their neighbors to the South. They sent a fax to South Korea Thursday. Threatening to, quote, "strike mercilessly without notice," end quote after a protest against the secretive regime earlier this week in Seoul.
The message warned that North Korea would strike if, quote, "The provocation against our highest dignity is to be repeated in the downtown of Seoul," end quote. South Korea sent back a response saying if the North provokes them, they would retaliate.
And even as the tension rises in the Korean peninsula, former NBA great Dennis Rodman is back in North Korea. He's been there before and he calls Kim Jong-Un his friend.
CNN's Brian Todd tells us why Rodman is back for a third visit and what, if anything, the U.S. government has to say about it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's had his uncle executed, purged other top officials, hasn't met with any foreign dignitaries, but he's warmly receiving, for the third time, an eccentric ex-basketball player nicknamed the Worm.
The latest strange chapter on North Korea's Kim Jong-Un? Another visit from former NBA star Dennis Rodman.
MIKE GREEN, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: It's bizarre, and it raises serious questions about Kim Jong-Un's own judgment.
TODD: Rodman's visit is sponsored by an Irish online betting company, Paddy Power. It was Rodman's idea, a company spokesman says, and he's there only to talk about organizing a basketball exhibition that Rodman hopes will bring former NBA stars to North Korea next month.
The White House, CIA and State Department aren't commenting, saying he is there as a private citizen. But Rodman is the highest-profile American to ever meet with Kim Jong-Un. He once tweeted a call for Kim to release American missionary Kenneth Bae, detained in North Korea for more than a year. Rodman insists he's not dealing with Bae's case on this trip.
BOB BAER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: They will make gestures like this to a celebrity like Rodman. I've seen this over and over again. You know, we had Muhammad Ali going in and doing diplomacy back in the '80s.
TODD: And Bob Baer says, despite the no-comment from the CIA, the agency will likely want to ask Rodman questions after his visit about conditions there, conditions now prompting serious questions about the Kim family dynamic.
Why did Kim Jong-Un have his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, a former mentor, executed? The regime says it was for treason, but the plot may be thicker.
JONATHAN POLLACK, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Here's a guy who knows where all the bodies are buried. He knows everything about relationships in this system. And at the end of the day, that may be why he was shot.
TODD: A kind of palace intrigue consistent in this clan.
GREEN: The violence within the Kim family can be compared to Borgias, to Caligula. The oldest brother to the current leader, Kim Jong-Un, is named Kim Jong-Nam. He lives in Macau most of the year. He is protected by the Chinese from assassination because he has openly told secrets and even been critical of the regime and his family.
TODD: And there was another sibling who Kim Jong-Un leap-frogged to take power. The mysterious middle brother, Kim Jong-Chul, presumably seen here. Analysts say their father Kim Jong-Il found him to be too effeminate, timid, and not interested enough in politics to be the country's leader. He's rarely been seen in public.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. So what is Dennis Rodman thinking, really? Who would know? Who could be in his head? Is he practicing basketball diplomacy or is he being used by the North Koreans?
Let's bring in CNN political commentator Mark Lamont-Hill who also teaches at Columbia University, and he's a host on "HuffPost Live" on the Web.
So you actually did kind of get into his head, Marc. You interviewed Dennis Rodman, if that's possible at all. You know. Let's watch a clip of when you asked him about freeing detained American Kenneth Bae.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DENNIS RODMAN, FORMER NBA PLAYER: I'm not this, you know, diplomat.
MARC LAMONT HILL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes.
RODMAN: I'm not, and people quit looking at me as that. I can go over there and talk to him and guess what, and all I said, you know, I came but I said, he's my friend. You know, he's a friend of mine. I don't care what he does. And I said all I want to do is Obama to do one thing, if he can actually call Kim and try to have some type of relation. It could be basketball related, it could be anything other than, you know, war or, you know, anything like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: OK. So he says he's no diplomat. But what he you just now proposing is something that diplomats would do. He's saying why not, you know, the president of North Korea and the president of the United States have a phone call, talk. I mean, is he taking himself seriously? Does he feel like the North Korean president is taking him seriously as it pertains to that, Marc?
HILL: No, he absolutely is taking himself quite seriously and he thinks that both North Korea and the State Department here in the U.S. are taking him seriously. I pushed him on the Kenneth Bae thing, I said, hey, if he is your friend and you guys make talk, you know, why not mention that there's a hostage?
WHITFIELD: Why wouldn't you talk about this? Right. And he said?
HILL: Yes. And he said -- you know, he said you know what, I promise that I will ask for the release of Kenneth Bae. He said that. He said, I promise I will ask. I said, you have to ask. And he said that he would. In his mind, he said he has the potential of being the most powerful man in the world if he can get hostages released but he seems reluctant to jump into those diplomatic waters.
And as you said, we've -- as the package said, we've seen this happened before, where celebrities get quoted by a rogue government for the purpose of making the bigger nation look bad. So Dennis Rodman can come back and say, Kim Jong-Un is an awesome guy, North Korea is wonderful, and Obama just won't play ball. So it's a way of making Obama look bad and North Korea looking good, and Dennis Rodman feeling important.
WHITFIELD: Do you feel like after that conversation with Dennis that you got a better handle as to why he really is doing this? What is driving him to be a friend of Kim Jong Un? What is -- what is motivating him to make this third trip? What's behind it or is it --
HILL: Yes.
WHITFIELD: An issue of, you know, being paid handsomely? What is this all about?
HILL: It's actually all three. On the one hand, Dennis Rodman is a retired NBA star with nothing but time on his hands. And he's looking for something to do. It's financially lucrative.
WHITFIELD: Isn't he paid?
HILL: I asked him that directly off the record, he wouldn't give me a straight answer. But I suspect that he's not flying across the world for free. That's just -- that's the sense I get. But there is a sense of basketball diplomacy here. I think he believes and I think he's right about this. That basketball and sports in general can help people heal. It can help nation states come together. But you can't just have basketball. You have to release hostages, you have to stop procuring nuclear -- you know, you have to stop enriching uranium, you have to stop producing nuclear weapons and all those other things.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
HILL: So I think he's twisted on that and then the final thing here is that I think Kim Jong-Un is playing to Dennis Rodman's ego. He's letting Dennis Rodman feel important, being like he matters. He's still the leader of a powerful nation state. And Dennis Rodman can't go in the White House and watch the NBA Finals, but he can certainly do it in Pyongyang. That's a big deal. And they're friends. They actually like each other. That's the creepiest part.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
HILL: They actually like each other.
WHITFIELD: The creepy part. You know, and quickly then, does -- does Dennis Rodman feel a little bit used? Does he say anything about that possibility whether he's being used, acknowledges it or is OK with it even?
HILL: I raised that point to him and he said, no. He said Marshal -- he calls him Marshal. He says Marshal is my friend --
WHITFIELD: Marshal?
HILL: We -- we have the same background. We like -- whatever that is. We like talking about school --
WHITFIELD: What is the Marshal thing? OK.
HILL: We like talking about girls, we like talking about the old days. We just like each other and he's just my friend.
WHITFIELD: All right. Marc Lamont Hill.
HILL: Go figure.
WHITFIELD: Well, maybe we'll hear again from Dennis Rodman post-trip since he did, you know, make the rounds after the first trip. Maybe we'll get a chance to hear again whether his perspective is any different or more of the same. It is fascinating no matter which way you look at it.
Marc.
HILL: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much.
HILL: My pleasure.
WHITFIELD: All right. Also interesting the Winter Olympics, it is just a few weeks away. And the White House is extending a delegation to Sochi and that seems to be sending a direct message about Russia's anti-gay laws. We'll talk about it with Olympic champion Greg Louganis. Next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Same-sex marriage is now legal in Utah after a judge struck down a law banning it. Couples have been getting married since the judge's ruling yesterday. And voters passed a law in 2004 to ban same-sex marriage.
Three gay and lesbian couples filed a lawsuit trying to knock it down and a federal judge agreed with him saying the law was unconstitutional.
Earlier this week, New Mexico Supreme Court also decided to allow same-sex marriage.
The White House named the U.S. delegation for the Winter Olympics this week. And it sent a clear message about Russia's anti-gay laws. President Obama won't be going and neither will anyone from his cabinet, but he is sending openly gay athletes, including tennis star Billie Jean King, figure skater Brian Boitano and hockey player Caitlin Cahow.
So the International Olympic Committee has said gay athletes can't officially protest because that's against Olympic rules. But Christiane Amanpour asked King, should they do something symbolic like kiss or come out publicly?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILLIE JEAN KING, GAY RIGHTS ACTIVIST AND FORMER TENNIS PRO: Well, maybe it would be appropriate, but why not? I think the -- it's OK to say what you feel and think. (INAUDIBLE) are protected. But if you look back at the '68 Olympics, with the fist and whenever there is something they want to --
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The black power of --
KING: Maybe we should wave rainbow flags or something. I don't know. There's no reason as long as we're not being malicious, but we can show our feelings, I think that's fine. I think it's OK. But by even being present and not boycotting sends a very positive message.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Another openly gay athlete diver, Greg Louganis, has been very outspoken against the Russian laws. He's joining me now live from Los Angeles.
Greg, good to see you, again.
GREG LOUGANIS, OLYMPIC DIVING GOLF MEDALIST: Good to see you. You look great. WHITFIELD: So what did you think about what Billie Jean King said? That athletes if they feel the moment, if they want to show their feelings, have some sort of display that they should and it should be encouraged. Do you agree with that?
LOUGANIS: You know, I'm in total support of that. I mean, I was taking kind of, like an easier route, you know, because being an athlete and also being a part of an Olympic team, you know, you have the IOC looking at what you're doing, the USOC looking at what you're doing and so, what I was saying is, you know, whether you're straight or gay, to dedicate your performance to your gay family members or coach or teammates or -- and someone like that.
And that way the IOC couldn't take any sanctions against them. You know, we're pushing the IOC to really uphold their own charter in Principle 6. Principle 6 states absolutely no discrimination. And clearly Russia is in violation of that.
WHITFIELD: So what do you see potentially as the broader impact beyond the Olympic games whether it be from symbolic gestures, whether it be simply by the presence of athletes who are gay in Russia competing comfortably and winning, taking home medals, paying tribute. Any or all of those things that you and Billie Jean suggested, what do you believe might potentially be the greatest impact from all of this?
LOUGANIS: Well, my biggest concern is what happens after the Olympic games. I mean, when the world goes away, what's going to happen to a lot of these kids? My contention is there is a gay -- LGBT child born in Russia every day and who is protecting those children? And it's my opinion that all children need to be protected. Because who's going to be -- you never know who is going to be the next Chikovski, the next Nuryiev, the next Martina Navratalova. You know, you never know.
Those -- all of those children are of value and need to know that they are of value and, you know, with the laws that are stated now, you know, it doesn't support that.
WHITFIELD: And this delegation that the White House is sending, you know, to Sochi, Billie Jean King, Brian Boitano, as I mentioned.
LOUGANIS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: What's your thought about the message that this White House is sending by selecting at least these three?
LOUGANIS: I think it's a wonderful gesture. I wish I had been on the list.
WHITFIELD: I bet. I'm surprised you weren't on the list.
(LAUGHTER)
LOUGANIS: But, you know what, one door closes and another door opens. So, you know, I think it's the right message but the thing that I think is so important that we keep an eye on this. And, you know, in talking with many of the LGBT activists from Russia, you know, what they're saying is support their events.
Now between the Olympics and the Parolympics is going to be the open games in Moscow, which is an LGBT sanctioned event. And so what the LGBT activists are saying is come support our events, come support our LGBT events. And that's how we can be of help to them. To keep an eye on what is happening in Russia.
WHITFIELD: Well, you know, Greg, your message and who you are resonates well beyond any U.S. delegation to the Olympics or otherwise, period. Worldwide. So, you know, you are always a living example and an inspiration anyway.
And then we also want to congratulate you to your recent marriage. You got married in October, right, to your handsome groom there, John Chaillot? Chaillot? Did I pronounce that right?
LOUGANIS: Chaillot.
WHITFIELD: Chaillot.
LOUGANIS: Yes, Johnny Chaillot. Johnny Chaillot Louganis. Yes, we got married on October 12th and it was a little touch-and-go there because the laws weren't supporting us at the time of our engagement. So our plan was, OK, we'll go up to Seattle, get married and then we'll still have the wedding because we already committed to the date. But, fortunately, things turned in our favor and we were able to get married --
WHITFIELD: Wow.
LOUGANIS: -- legally in the state of California, and I can't tell you, people have asked, you know, does it feel different? And I said, yes.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LOUGANIS: Because when you hear those vows and they say that you are legally married in the state of California, that just brought tears to my eyes. You know, because my mother was always afraid that I was -- I would always be alone. Because I didn't have -- I was a second- class citizen as a gay man.
And so she was afraid that I would be alone. And so I know that she's smiling down from heaven and Johnny's parents are smiling down from heaven.
WHITFIELD: That's beautiful.
LOUGANIS: On both of us.
WHITFIELD: Well, congratulations to you and Johnny. We're happy for you. And you're glowing.
LOUGANIS: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Per usual. LOUGANIS: I am.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: Greg Louganis, always great to see you. Many congrats.
LOUGANIS: Wonderful to see you.
WHITFIELD: Thank you so much.
And we'll be right back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. The United States is in the middle of an unprecedented drug overdose epidemic. That's according to the Centers for Disease Control. This is pretty scary stuff. Researchers say drug overdose death rates have increased fivefold since 1980. By 2009 drug overdose deaths outnumbered deaths from motor vehicle crashes for the first time in the U.S. Prescription drugs, especially those called opioid analgesics are increasingly involved in overdose deaths. They now outnumber overdose deaths involving all illicit drugs such as heroin and cocaine combined.
So we turn now to an anesthesiologist and pain medicine specialist who is considered a leading expert on how to safely prescribe powerful pain killers, including opioids but now he and his staff are under investigation after the deaths of multiple patients at his clinic.
Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has that story.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, we talk a lot about accidental deaths from prescription drug overdoses. And today we have a stunning story of this doctor who sort of a paragon in the world of pain medicine. He is the leader, in many way, but he's also someone who is facing a string of lawsuits regarding these very suspicious deaths at a clinic known as Life Tree Clinic.
What exactly is going on here? We decided to find out. Keep in mind as you watch this, this doctor, despite all these lawsuits, still has the prescription pad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (on camera): You don't want to answer any questions?
DR. LYNN WEBSTER, AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PAIN MEDICINE: No.
GUPTA (voice-over): Why is this man, Dr. Lynn Webster, walking away from our cameras? Refusing to answer our questions.
Webster is considered a leader in the field of pain management. He is president of the American Academy of Pain Medicine.
WEBSTER: We've got over 100 million Americans who are experiencing chronic pain. GUPTA: He's the author of a scoring system used by doctors to distinguish pain killer addicts from legitimate patients. And he's the founder of this pain clinic in Salt Lake City.
(On camera): What is his reputation?
DR. ANDREW KOLODNY, PHYSICIANS FOR RESPONSIBLE OPIOID PRESCRIBING: His methods are incorporated into almost every single educational program about prescribing opioids and even accepted by the FDA.
GUPTA (voice-over): But if you start to ask around a bit, you'll learn that his reputation among some former patients and their families is astonishingly different.
ROY BOSLEY, WIFE OVERDOSED REPEATEDLY ON PAINKILLERS: His reputation is he's known as Dr. Death.
GUPTA (on camera): He's known as Dr. Death?
BOSLEY: Yes.
GUPTA: That's how your wife's doctor was described?
BOSLEY: Dr. Death.
GUPTA (voice-over): Multiple overdose deaths at the Life Tree Pain Clinic which Webster ran for more than a decade now hover over him.
BOSLEY: He went unconscious.
GUPTA: There are allegations of irresponsible prescribing practices and in the case of one patient, influencing what was written as the cause of death.
BOSLEY: Here's the interesting part.
GUPTA: Roy Bosley's wife Carol Ann first went to the Life Tree Pain Clinic in 2008. Years earlier, her car had been broadsided.
BOSLEY: She did not have the seatbelt fastened and went through the windshield.
GUPTA: After several operations on her spine, she managed her pain with low doses of painkillers.
(On camera): She's still functioning doing everything she needs to do.
BOSLEY: Yes, yes.
GUPTA (voice-over): But that would soon change when a friend suggested Carol Ann go to the Life Tree Clinic. Within a few weeks of becoming a patient --
BOSLEY: Carol Ann was pretty much hooked.
GUPTA (on camera): And when you say hooked, you mean what?
BOSLEY: She was hooked on the pain medicine. She needed it.
GUPTA (voice-over): This is what Carol Ann was prescribed a year before her death, a painkiller and an anxiety medication, between 100 and 120 pills a month.
Now fast-forward one year. She was prescribed seven different drugs, painkillers, anti-anxiety pills, antidepressants. All told, about 600 pills per month. The same steep climb in medications allegedly was seen among other patients who died after getting care at Life Tree.
Like this case, described in a medical malpractice claim recently filed against Webster and Life Tree. A 42-year-old who was prescribed about 200 pills a month when she first started at Life Tree. That's a little more than six pills a day. Seven years later, just before she died of an overdose, she was taking 1,158 pills per month or about 40 each day.
At the Bosley home, a sad spectacle filled with denial and overdoses began unfolding.
BOSLEY: There were numerous times that we ended up in the emergency room for fear that she was going to die.
GUPTA: Bosley says he would regularly return home from work with Carol Ann unconscious and barely breathing.
(On camera): You took pictures of your wife essentially unconscious.
BOSLEY: Correct.
GUPTA: Must have been a hard thing to do.
BOSLEY: Very hard.
GUPTA (voice-over): Bosley says he tried to show the photos to Dr. Webster and other staff members and he tried calling the clinic to vent his concerns. He was shut down, with staff citing patient privacy or HIPAA.
(On camera): You weren't so much as asking for information as you wanted to provide it.
BOSLEY: I said, I am not asking for information. And I was given the HIPAA excuse and that was the end of it.
GUPTA (voice-over): So what does Dr. Webster have to say about the claims against him and his clinic?
Well, despite our best efforts, not much. He did, however, respond to lawsuits filed against him and his clinic and denied responsibility for the deaths. We called his spokesperson.
(On camera): We certainly want to give him an opportunity to comment and to respond to some of this. (Voice-over): But he declined our interview. So we decided to go straight to him.
(On camera): Dr. Webster? Sanjay Gupta with CNN. I'm wearing a microphone. I wonder if I could ask you a couple of questions. I've been trying to reach out to your team --
WEBSTER: I've got an appointment right now.
GUPTA: Will you -- will you sit down and talk to us afterward?
WEBSTER: I've got an appointment right now. Thank you.
GUPTA: After the appointment, will you sit down and talk to us?
WEBSTER: I've got an appointment.
GUPTA: Can I walk with you? Are you walking to your appointment here? Will you answer a couple of questions for us?
WEBSTER: No.
GUPTA: You don't want to answer any questions?
WEBSTER: No.
GUPTA: OK, all right.
(Voice-over): We did get a statement ultimately. In it, Dr. Webster says the clinic treated difficult and complicated people with pain, with the highest standard of care. He went on to call the deaths a tragedy of the worst kind for patients to die not from a result of treatment but in spite of it.
BOSLEY: She was doing great. She was up to walking almost five miles a day.
GUPTA: Several months after starting at Life Tree, Carol Ann Bosley kicked the opioids and she went to rehab.
BOSLEY: She had lost weight. She was managing her pain on Tylenol, only.
GUPTA: Soon afterward, he says Carol Ann got a call.
BOSLEY: She said, Dr. Webster has requested that we come down, both of us come down and meet with him.
GUPTA: To Roy Bosley's surprise, during the appointment, he says Webster suggested Carol Ann get back on narcotic painkillers.
BOSLEY: And my response to him was, my wife is addicted.
GUPTA: About a year after that appointment, after taking his advice, Carol Ann Bosley overdosed again. This time, it was fatal.
But Carol Ann's story does not end there. Weeks after her death, the medical examiner had ruled her death a suicide.
BOSLEY: I said, why did you label it suicide? And he says, well, I called Dr. Webster. He told me that she committed suicide. Why do you have to call Dr. Webster to get a diagnosis? Shouldn't the diagnosis be based on the evidence in front of you?
GUPTA: The Utah medical examiner's office say that Webster didn't have any influence over Carol Ann's stated cause of death, which makes what happened next even more puzzling.
BOSLEY: Maybe five weeks later, I get a revised autopsy report. Cause of death, undetermined.
GUPTA (on camera): When it came back undetermined, was there an explanation? They just changed it?
(Voice-over): It's been four years since Carol Ann Bosley died. Her husband still wonders why his pleas for help to the staff at Life Tree and especially Lynn Webster fell on deaf ears.
(On camera): You blame Dr. Webster for your wife's death?
BOSLEY: I do. To this day, I regret that I did not go down there and find him. I would have pinned him to the wall, and I would have made him listen, and then I would have warned him with his life. Leave my wife alone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Now, Fred, I should point out, obviously, as you saw there, he did not want to talk to us, but he has previously acknowledged that there's been some 20 deaths at the Life Tree Clinic while it was open, although he says the vast majority of them were suicides. We also -- he gave us a statement, part of which you saw there in the piece.
But he also went on to say basically that chronic pain has become this urgent national crisis and that a directed honest dialogue is not happening and that we need safer therapies which should replace opioids ultimately.
But again, Fred, there, it's just remarkable, 600 some pills a month some of these patients we're taking. And again, the tragic story, we may never get full answers here, Fred, but it's a little bit of an example of the toll these prescription drugs can take.
Fred, back to you.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much. That is an extraordinary story to hear. So many pills in such a short amount of time.
Hey, you don't want to miss Sanjay Gupta's show this afternoon at 4:30 Eastern Time. He'll be speaking with mega pastor Joel Osteen about the power of prayer as well.
And speaking of prayer and faith, Christmas spirit is being delivered around the world in the form of a shoe box to children in need. One Kentucky man is adding love to those boxes, one wooden car at a time.
Kate Bolduan has more in this "Impact Your World" segment.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, ANCHOR, CNN'S NEW DAY: Six days a week, 73-year-old Clyde Fogle heads to a workshop in his backyard to make a little magic.
CLYDE FOGLE, TOYMAKER: They are primarily toys with wheels. I've got some cars, I've got some animals.
BOLDUAN: Fogle has been making toys for Operation Christmas Child for close to a decade. The program is run by the charity Samaritans Purse and gives gift-filled shoe boxes to children in need around the world.
FOGLE: I see the joy on their faces when they get these boxes. It captures my heart.
BOLDUAN: Wood working has always been Fogle's hobby.
FOGLE: After I retired, I was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, which limited me and my physical abilities. I wanted to give of myself and I saw in a catalog where I could buy a kit to make 100 cars.
BOLDUAN: Fogle has donated around 100,000 toys to Operation Christmas Child.
FOGLE: I've got a map in my shop. I have a pen for every country that I know my toys have been. If I get tired of doing this, I look at that map. That's why I'm doing it and I keep going.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Attention, Wal-Mart shoppers, forget the last-minute Christmas bargains. Shoppers at a Massachusetts Wal-Mart got a big surprise from a superstar. Uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, who is that?
(LAUGHTER)
Yes, you don't want me singing. You know what I mean, though. Beyonce showing up last night to spread a little holiday cheer, purchasing 750 $50 gift cards for everyone in the store. She also did some holiday shopping of her own, picking up her latest album and some toys for her daughter.
Earlier this week, by the way, retail giant Target refused to sell Beyonce's self-titled album because it was released online first. The new album has already sold more than a million copies. So she says, take that Target. Hello, Wal-Mart.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: "YOUR MONEY" with Christine Romans is up at the top of the hour. Christine has a look at what's ahead.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. It's taper time. What does it mean that the Federal Reserve is slowing down its stimulus measures? I'll tell you what it means for your job, your health payments, your savings, you car loan.
Plus, what would you pay to sit on a plane and not hear someone talking on the phone? What would you pay? Think about that for a minute.
That's all coming up at 2:00 p.m. Eastern on an all new "YOUR MONEY."
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: All right. We'll look forward to that. Thanks so much, Christine.
All right, be sure to stick with us to catch "YOUR MONEY." But wait, there's more, this afternoon, in the CNN NEWSROOM. You've probably already heard all about the Target credit card hacking, right? So what do you do if you're a victim? Or what do you do to make sure you're not going to become one?
An expert tells us what steps you can take to ease the pain.
And Edward Snowden making the headlines leaking classified information from the NSA. Is he a traitor or hero? Former CIA director James Woolsey and a former NSA whistleblower going head-to-head on the issue of whether Snowden should get amnesty in the United States.
Plus, it's the most outrageous excuse we've heard about calling in sick. Sorry, I'm busy with my other job doing secret work for the CIA? And it wasn't the only outrageous lie one EPA worker got away with for years.
That's all ahead in the NEWSROOM.
But right now, stay tuned, "YOUR MONEY" with Christine Romans begins now.
