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300,000 Don't have Clean Tap Water; Ariel Sharon Dies at Age 85; Police Hunt for Road Rage Killer; Christie Trying to Get Out from Scandal; Rodman Apologizes For North Korea Rant; Fan-Induced Earthquake At NFL Playoff Game?; Who Will Lindsey Vonn's Olympic Absence Hurt?; Deadly Fighting Intensified In Iraq; Hunters Club Says Money Will Help Rhinos; National Zoo's Panda Cub To Debut Next Week; Which Stars Will Win Golden Globes?
Aired January 11, 2014 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. It's the 11:00 Eastern hour of the CNN NEWSROOM and it begins right now.
Two days with no clean water. Hundreds of thousands of people can't wash their hands, drink, or cook this morning with their tap water. This, after a potentially dangerous chemical leaks into their water supply. The wide spread impact of the crisis and the government's response, straight ahead.
And damage control: newly released documents shed new life on how appointees of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie shut down lanes to a busy bridge and what they did afterward to stem the growing outrage.
Plus, Israel mourns the loss of one of its most controversial leaders. We'll take a look back at the life and legacy of Ariel Sharon coming up.
We begin in West Virginia where 300,000 people still don't have access to clean tap water two days after a chemical used to wash coal leaked into the water supply. Huge tractor trailers loaded with bottled water have begun arriving in the nine affected counties. But for the unforeseeable future drinking, cooking, or even bathing with tap water is out of the question for everyone in those areas.
We have correspondents covering the story from all angles. Let's start on the ground in Charleston, West Virginia, that's where we find Alina Machado. She's talking to people who have been dramatically impacted by this crisis. So Alina -- what are they saying?
ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, as you could imagine, they are very frustrated. This is a very situation here. Imagine not being able to wash your hands using tap water or brush your teeth or even just cook something with regular tap water. Restaurants are closed here. Most businesses are closed. Again, residents here are getting very frustrated with the uncertainty of all of this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now it's utter chaos now. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I see people just grabbing every ice bag they got here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. It's about gone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh it's hard. I've got to use bottled water.
MACHADO (voice over): There is growing outrage and concern in West Virginia where at least 300,000 people are without usable running water thanks to a chemical leak at freedom industries.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are very, very sorry for the disruptions.
MACHADO: Gary Southern, the president of the chemical company, offered few details during his first press conference more than 24 hours after the leak was discovered.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So can you give us an exact timeline as to how this all happened?
MACHADO: Southern says his employees found the leak Thursday morning. The chemical is typically used to clean coal and can be harmful if ingested. State officials say they were alerted to the problem when residents of Kanawha County reported a foul smell, similar to licorice, in the air. The leak was traced to one of Freedom Industry's 35,000 gallon storage tanks along the Elk River -- about a mile from the water plant.
GOV. EARL RAY TOMBLIN, WEST VIRGINIA: We're doing water tests on an hourly basis. And the chemical level is declining but we're just not sure exactly how long it's going to take until it's acceptable to lift the "do not drink" ban.
MACHADO: The warning has rattled those who live in the nine counties where a state of emergency has been declared.
MAYOR DANNY JONES, CHARLESTON WEST VIRGINIA: It's a disaster. And it's caused us -- it's caused us more problems than you can ever imagine. Not only can we not wash dishes, we can't wash our hands after we go to the bathroom, you can't wash your clothes, and you can't drink the tap water, you can't cook with the tap water.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACHADO: Now, this company has been ordered to empty out its remaining above ground tanks and also to cease operations until they can prove that these tanks are safe. Meanwhile, the U.S. Attorney's office has launched an investigation and they have said that even if this was a negligent act there could still be some criminal violations -- Fredericka?
WHITFIELD: All right. Alina Machado, thank you so much. I know folks are very frustrated there. They want some answers right away.
The federal government is of course responding to this emergency on several fronts as Alina underscored. Erin McPike now is covering that aspect of the story. She's joining us now from Washington -- Erin.
ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka because President Obama signed that emergency disaster declaration there in West Virginia, it means that FEMA can deliver aid directly to the residents in West Virginia there affected by this leak. So you will see there that FEMA is bringing in water to those residents. 75 trucks carrying about 4,900 gallons of water each going into West Virginia this weekend.
On top of that, Homeland Security, you'll see there delivering 16 tractor trailer trucks of bottled water so that residents have water to drink there because obviously that is affected as well. Now as far as the investigation is concerned, the U.S. Attorney there in West Virginia is Booth Goodwin and he was on CNN yesterday talking about the investigation that they will launch.
Take a listen.
BOOTH GOODWIN, U.S. ATTORNEY: It's really too early to tell. That's the purpose of an investigation. I mean, we -- we have already been on the ground. We're looking at what actually occurred here and, you know, really too early to tell whether criminal charges could be brought.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCPIKE: But again, just negligence alone could, in fact, be a criminal charge as Alina mentioned there a little bit earlier. So this will obviously take a little bit of time as the investigation gets under way. But we'll be following that for you -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Erin McPike in Washington.
All right. Now to new documents that are shedding more light perhaps on the bridge scandal involving New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and his office. Late yesterday more than 2,000 pages were released by a state legislature. They show angry back and forth e-mails and confusion over the lane closures and that officials close to Governor Christie tried to cover up political motives and block the media from learning more about it. They also give insight into the resignations that took place in the wake of the controversy.
Alexandra Field is in Fort Lee for us. Alexandra, so far the documents don't seem to show Governor Christie played a direct role but what else has been discovered?
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Fredricka, nowhere in those 2,000 pages do we see any evidence that would link Governor Chris Christie to this. But what we do learn is that e-mails sent out by the Port Authority back in September reached one of Christie's (AUDIO GAP) around the bridge. And it also raised concerns about whether or not this was really related to (AUDIO GAP) e-mail. And there is no indication that the aide had any role in the alleged political retribution against the mayor of Fort Lee.
In those pages though we do also learn the reaction of the executive director of the Port Authority, Patrick Foye, when he learns about the lane closures. He sends out a scathing e-mail to other port authority officials. It reads in part, quote, I will get to the bottom of this abusive decision which violated everything that this agency stands for. Later in those documents we see that that e-mail prompted a response from one of Governor Chris Christie's appointees to the port authority. Baroni. Baroni writes back to Foye stressing the need to keep things quiet. He says in part, quote, "on way to office to discuss. Can be no public discourse." We do know now that Bill Baroni has since resigned his post with the port authority. And Fred, you'll remember of course, that Governor Chris Christie did --
WHITFIELD: All right. That was Alexandra Field. Obviously it's not your television sets. We're having a signal problem there from a very windy and stormy Fort Lee. Thanks so much, Alexandra.
All right. Meantime, overseas, former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon died today. He was 85. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his deep sorrow over his passing and called him a great warrior and military leader.
Our John Vause has more on his life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For better or for worse at almost every major event in the history of modern Israel, Ariel Sharon was there. The man Israelis turned to when they thought they had no other choice.
ARIEL SHARON, FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: I can talk and I can look into the eyes of the citizens of Israel and convince them to make painful compromises.
VAUSE: They called him the bulldozer, a fearless leader to his supporters who got things done.
RA ANAN GISSIN: He was always worried about the investing of the Jewish people and it was clear that for the Jewish people to survive in this world, you have to stand up and fight.
VAUSE: A bulldozer in a China shop to his critics.
HANAN ASHRAWI, PALESTINIAN LEGISLATOR: Sharon was the bloodiest of Israeli leaders. No compassion. Killing people -- men, women, children -- destroying homes, destroying trees and crops, stealing land.
VAUSE: Born on a farm outside Tel Aviv, the son of Russian immigrants. He took the lessons from working the land to the highest office in Israel. He served bravely during Israel's war on independence and quickly rose through the ranks.
MICHAEL OREN, FORMER ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: He was well liked by Israel's founding fathers. He was tall, he was handsome, he was blonde and he was thin at the time. And they looked at him and this is what we have produced in this land -- this new Jew. VAUSE: But controversy was never far away. In 1953, after a wave of guerilla attacks from Jordan, he led the infamous unit, one on one on a raid into the border town of Tibia (ph) blowing up 45 houses killing 69 Arab villagers. Sharon said he thought the houses were empty.
By June 1967, he was back at court, now a general leading his tank battalion to a crushing victory, over the Egyptians in the Sinai during the six-day war. But what he considered his greatest military achievement came in 1973 in the Yom Kippur war. He defied orders and surrounded Egypt's third army. It was a turning point in the war.
Sharon, the war hero, turned politician. One of the founders of his conservative Likud Party, he was the father of the settlement. Jewish communities built on occupied Palestinian land, condemned internationally and seen as an obstacle to peace by many within Israel.
SHARON: This is part of the land of Israel and we are going to stay there forever.
VAUSE: As defense minister he was the architect of Israel's disastrous war in Lebanon. He ordered the invasion to stop the PLO from using Lebanon as a base for attacks on Israel.
DAVID HOROWITZ, POLITICAL ANALYST: This was a misadventure and an ill-fated invasion and Sharon was trying to play sort of super power here and rearrange the region in a way that he thought would better help Israel.
VAUSE: In 1983 an Israeli tribunal found him indirectly responsible for the massacre of hundreds of Palestinians at Sabra and Chinchilla refugee camps. It was carried out by Lebanese Christian militia as well as allies and Sharon was found to have done nothing to stop them.
The '90s would see his political rehabilitation. Eventually becoming leader of his party in 1999, and a year after that, came his visit to the Temple Mount, the holiest site for Jews but also claimed by Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, the noble sanctuary.
Violence soon erupted. Palestinians claim it was the start which brought about the intifada or uprising. In the violence which followed Sharon was elected prime minister. Israelis had turned to the bulldozer who promised to bring peace and security.
As a wave of suicide bombings rocked Israel, Sharon unleashed the Israeli military, sending tanks and troops into Palestinian towns ordering assassinations of Palestinian militant leaders. He ordered the construction of the barrier through the West Bank and confined Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to his compound in Ramallah, accusing him of encouraging attacks on Israel.
SHARON: No doubt Arafat is a (inaudible). You have to understand that --
VAUSE: Sharon said he always regretted not killing Arafat when he had the chance. Not long after, Sharon made an historic announcement. Israel would give up Jewish settlements in Gaza and part of the West Bank. It brought him derision and death threats from the settlers who once saw him as their champion. It earned him applause overseas but trouble at home especially from a small group of political rebels within his own conservative party and by the end of 2005, Sharon had had enough. He bolted from his party and established a new centrist party called Kadima.
Though the opinion polls showed Sharon on track for a third term in office, the man who many thought was unstoppable unexpectedly suffered a mild stroke in late December 2005. Less than three weeks after that he was back in hospital -- a major stroke this time. It left the prime minister in a coma, on life support, and struggling for his life.
John Vause, CNN.
WOLF: And violence is now boiling over in Iraq as al Qaeda-linked fighters battle Iraqi government forces in the city of Fallujah. We'll have more on that later on in this hour.
Plus, the hunt is on for a road rage killer. For police, the clock is ticking. They hope to catch him before he strikes again.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Three men led cops on a high-speed chase and it was all caught on tape. Check out this dash cam video. Speeds reached 130 miles an hour on Interstate 20 not far from Atlanta. Police were trying to catch up with three people who they say robbed a cellphone store. The driver says he was forced to do it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN BARNES, DRIVER: I never knew what they was doing. All that I knew is they came back to the car, running back to the car, jumped in the car and they put the pistol on my stomach and told me to drive. That's the only reason why I did any fleeing the law or any of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Wow. Officers tell our affiliate WSB they are looking into whether the three men are responsible for several other robberies.
And police in three states are looking for the shooter who they say ran a driver off a highway and then shot him to death. Officers are calling it a case of road rage. Jean Casarez shows us how the shooting has rocked a small Pennsylvania town.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN LEGAL CORRESPONDENT: Residents of this small community of Dillsburg, Pennsylvania continue to be on edge, following a deadly highway shooting of 28-year-old Timothy Davison.
The shooter is still at large. law enforcement says it was a case of road rage.
CAPTAIN STEVEN JUNKIN, PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE: We obviously have an individual out there who was so incensed that he continued to pursue Mr. Davison and took it to that next step. He murdered, you know, an individual for whatever slight that he perceived.
LARRY MORRISON, YORK COUNTY RESIDENT: Our daughter travels the highway every day and you think it could have been her. It's hard to think things like that can happen in this small area.
CHARENE MORRISON, YORK COUNTY RESIDENT: It's just scary. You're just driving along and all of a sudden, boom.
CASAREZ: It was 30 minutes away from this community on Interstate 81 where Davison was driven off the highway last Saturday morning, then shot at repeatedly by someone driving a dark Ford Ranger XLT pickup.
Police say Davison had made multiple calls to 911, saying he was being chased by a vehicle and that the driver was very aggressive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Be advised now, multiple gun shot wounds, as well.
JUNKIN: We're issuing an advisory to all body shops and dealerships in the area to be on the lookout for a Ford Ranger with recent damage seeking repair.
CASAREZ: Motorists in this part of southern Pennsylvania say they are keeping a closer eye on fellow drivers.
JEFF ZEIGLER, RESIDENT: Well, there are definitely concerns because they haven't been able to figure out who it is yet or that, you know, there might still be around. And if they inadvertently cut that person off or do something to make them mad, they might be the next one in the news.
CASAREZ: Jean Casarez, CNN, Dillsburg, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And a week that started with polar temperatures in the southeast is ending with highs in the 60s in some places. Those highs are being ushered in with some pretty dangerous severe storms, however. The same violent weather that pushed through Atlanta this morning is now making a mess in Charlotte, North Carolina.
CNN meteorologist Jennifer Gray is here with more in the forecast. Jennifer -- it's a mess.
JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is a mess. It's hard to believe wind chills were below zero just a couple of days ago in the south and now we're in the 60s. We had this line of showers and storms come roaring through the southeast, through Atlanta. We had tornado warnings in Georgia, the Florida Panhandle, even South Carolina.
Now things are starting to look a little better but we still have that threat for severe weather all across the southeast and even the East Coast. So we're going to be zooming in on New York, Washington, and Boston where we're seeing rain. It is definitely not cold enough for snow and a lot of you will welcome the rain considering it is much warmer across the northeast.
Here are the storm reports we've been getting. Hail and very gusty winds have been the main ones all across the south. That slight risk still remains for the southeast and East Coast for damaging winds and isolated tornadoes through today.
We're looking at rainfall amounts anywhere from one to two inches. Isolated amounts even more as we go through the rest of the day. Look at the shot of Atlanta. This is as that storm rolled through earlier this morning. Time-lapse video and you can see it definitely came down very, very heavy across the city. Moving out -- now we're just seeing steady rain across Atlanta -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: Steady indeed. Terrible stuff. Especially if you're driving. So trying to stay inside. That's the best recommendation. All right Jennifer. Appreciate that.
GRAY: All right.
WOLF: All right. The governor says he knew nothing about it but now the feds are looking into possible criminal charges involving Chris Christie's administration and what many are calling Bridge-gate.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. He's been considered the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016. Well, now what for New Jersey governor Chris Christie? He may have laid it all out there in a two- hour press conference removing himself from any planning, orchestration, or execution of the closure of the Georgia Washington Bridge in September even firing his deputy chief of staff. Christie says blind sided by this revenge bridge closing apparently designed to punish the Democratic Fort Lee mayor for not backing his election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: I had no knowledge or involvement in this issue. There's no way that anybody would think that I know about everything that's going on. I don't know what else to say except to tell them that I had no knowledge of this.
All I know is I don't know.
I am humiliated by the fact that I did not know this.
The answer as of right now is I don't know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right. Kevin Madden is a CNN political commentator and Republican strategist who worked for Mitt Romney in Washington joining us now; and Ellis Henican is a liberal political commentator and a columnist at "Newsday" joining us from New York. Good to see both of you gentlemen.
ELLIS HENICAN, LIBERAL POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Hey Fred.
KEVIN MADDEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning.
WHITFIELD: All right. Ellis, you first -- so this just keeps growing, investigations, now release of more than 2,000 documents. Does this kill any aspirations Governor Christie might have had for 2016?
HENICAN: Well, it doesn't kill it yet but let's see what else comes out. The federal prosecutors have not even begun to squeeze some of the people who we know are involved in this thing. And you know, they will make an effort to try and get them to rat up, to say, no, someone told me to do this or other people were involved.
In order to believe Chris Christie's denial, essentially you have to believe that Bridget Kelly, deputy chief of staff, this mom of four from Ramsey, this nice lady, was some kind of rogue warrior in the New Jersey governor's office running this hit job on the mayor in Fort Lee. You know, maybe that's true, but I -- I have my doubts.
WHITFIELD: So I wonder, Kevin, if immunity is given to, say, his deputy chief of staff in exchanges for tell us everything you know, is that when, I guess Chris Christie or others, need to be worried about the what's next?
KEVIN MADDEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, we don't know. I mean, that's a hypothetical that's impossible to answer. What we do know though, and I think that's what Chris Christie and his team are looking at is what is it that they can control. And I think they started with that, they started off on the right foot with the press conference where they answered questions for almost -- where he answered questions for almost two hours. And also took on a level of accountability and also he had a level of contrition that I think resonated with a lot of people in New Jersey.
Now, it's not over. It's not going to be finished just there. Every step of the way, whether there's new information that comes out as part of the investigation or if there's new information that comes out as part of the governor's own investigation, he's going to have to have that same level of accountability, that same level of forthrightness, and that same level of contrition in order to really gain back the trust that he needs not only of the people in New Jersey but any potential Republican voters that are looking at him as a perspective 2016 candidate.
WHITFIELD: And you kind of wonder Kevin, you know, just for the sake of his leadership, saying that I didn't know, I mean, is that good enough? I mean he talked -- he's bragged and boasted about the fact that his administration, his office, they are like family. And now suddenly he's the one left out of a plot, a plan, something being executed. How believable is that?
MADDEN: Well, Fredricka, it's only good enough if it's the truth. That is the standard that he set himself. I think as he goes through this he's going to have to make sure that every single piece of new information that comes out meets that standard, that he didn't know.
I think it's a fair criticism that, you know, it's not good that he didn't know. But I think he actually in his press conference welcomed that criticism and he said he's going to go through, you know, a pretty detailed self examination of what he did to actually encourage this kind of behavior.
WHITFIELD: And so Ellis, you know, to Kevin's point, does it speak well for Governor Christie that he did allow himself to be thrown any question tossed, any question during two hours? He essentially gave this sort of "I'm an open book" kind of demeanor. You know, does that bode well for him ultimately, especially for those who might doubt his word, but they did see that he was willing to answer anything that he was willing to take it on?
HENICAN: Well Kevin is right. He has good political skills. He sounded good standing up there. But at the same time, he locked himself into a very ironclad denial. And so it leaves him vulnerable. That if any evidence to the contrary comes forward, if you have the chief of staff, Kevin O'Dowd or someone else says, well, maybe I mentioned it to the governor or maybe he overheard it in the washroom. It doesn't appear that he was cc'd on any of these e-mails that were dumped last night.
But he does not have a lot of wiggle room here. You just have to put a bit fat asterisk above that commentary that says, "He did well in the press conference."
MADDEN: Right.
WHITFIELD: All right. Ellis Henican, Kevin Madden -- thanks so much, gentlemen. I know we will be talking about this again.
MADDEN: Great to be with you both. See you guys soon.
HENICAN: Thanks.
WHITFIELD: All right. Perhaps you're ready for a little football. Well, it is playoff time in the NFL but will fans of one team get wild enough to register another earthquake?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, here's comes the apologies from Dennis Rodman. He's saying sorry to the family of American Kenneth Bae who was imprisoned in North Korea, sorry to fellow retired NBA players who went with him to that country and sorry to our own Chris Cuomo who he blasted in a CNN exclusive interview. Jim has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dennis Rodman is running away from his comments admitting in a statement to CNN that he was out of bounds. I want to apologize. I take full responsibility for my actions. It had been a very stressful day. Some of my teammates were leaving because of pressure from their families and business associates. My dreams of basketball diplomacy were quickly falling apart.
But he's not running away from North Korea. His apologies coming in the wake of a wild week playing exhibition basketball and exploding in an interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo.
DENNIS RODMAN, FORMER NBA PLAYER: No, I don't -- what the hell you think. I'm saying to you, look at these guys. Look at them.
SCIUTTO: In his apology Rodman explains his outburst. I had been drinking. It's not an excuse, but by the time the interview happened, I was upset. I was overwhelmed. It's not an excuse. It's just the truth. Rodman's alarming North Korea trip was filled with even more bizarre images. Singing happy birthday to leader, Kim Jong-Un, and giving him a bow.
RODMAN: Do you let me know --
SCIUTTO: Rodman sparked a fire storm with his seeming justification for the imprisonment of American Kenneth Bae to Chris Cuomo, leaving Bae's family back home shocked and disappointed.
RODMAN: If you understand what Kenneth Bae did, do you understand what he did?
CHRIS CUOMO, ANCHOR, CNN's "NEW DAY": What did he do? You tell me.
RODMAN: -- in this country.
CUOMO: You tell me.
RODMAN: No, you tell me. You tell me, why is he held captive?
SCIUTTO: But now Rodman is backpedalling saying I want to first apologize to Kenneth Bae's family and I want to apologize to my teammates and my management team. I also want to apologize to Chris Cuomo. I embarrassed a lot of people. I'm very sorry. At this point I should know better than to make political statements. I'm truly sorry.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, that was Jim Sciutto reporting.
So how does sports diplomacy usually unfold? NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar joins us in the 3:00 Eastern hour to talk about sports diplomacy and his reaction to Dennis Rodman's trip to North Korea.
All right, the NFL playoffs continue this weekend and there might be an earthquake. What do I mean by that? Well, the Saints take on the Seattle Seahawks and the last time New Orleans visited Seattle Century Link Field was rocking. Not just noisy but loud enough to register as an earthquake.
So now special monitoring equipment is in place to see if it happens again and one is in a maintenance room and another is actually in the stands to do as much monitoring as it can. All right, a big shake-up in the competition on the slopes at the upcoming Winter Olympic games. Ski star Lindsay Vonn announced this week that she's out still dealing with a knee injury, and that's not just a blow for her career. It's also a big blow to the U.S. team. She's one of the most recognizable winter athletes and rakes in upwards of $6 million annually in endorsement deals.
So how big of an impact will her absence have on the games and the outcome of the U.S. team? Patrick Rishe, a contributor for "Forbes" magazine who analyzes the business side of sports joining me now from St. Louis. Good to see you.
PATRICK RISHE, CONTRIBUTOR, "FORBES" MAGAZINE: Good to see you, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: OK, so how big of a blow is this to NBC's coverage and Vonn's many sponsors and to her as an athlete?
RISHE: Well, first of all, I think if NBC is smart they're going to make sure that they make her part of the coverage team. She's obviously an expert. She's very photogenic. She is still brings eyeballs, but she was the biggest star of the U.S. team. So it is certainly a loss. I will say this. NBC, of course, now they have all of these platforms that they show live coverage, plus you can stream mobile a lot of the content as well. So it won't hurt as much as it would have maybe ten years ago.
WHITFIELD: OK. So what about this $6 million annually in endorsements and of course, a number of companies that were backing her in the lead up to the games, running promos, expecting that their commercials were going to be a home run during the Olympic games, but now what? Will they still run many of those commercials or campaigns?
RISHE: I believe that they will. Certainly they are disappointed. It's an interesting situation, Fredricka, because she's 29 years old and by the time the next Olympics comes around she's going to be 33, which God forbid that's old in the skier world.
WHITFIELD: That's sad. That's over the hill.
RISHE: It's very sad. It is very sad. So it really depends, these Olympians -- obviously the Olympics come around once every four years and so they really have small windows to make their shining moment and their gold medal moment so you look at Michael Phelps and what he was able to do. So I do anticipate that if she doesn't participate in the next Olympics and she doesn't come back to form and win world championships next year or year after, she will still be marketable because she's got the smile, she's got the face, she's got the per personality, but you won't see $6 million per year.
One thing I thought of, Fredricka, is of course, we have this Derrick Rose for the Bulls who unfortunately was injured again this year, but they did a huge marketing campaign about his comeback. Maybe some of these firms that sponsor Lindsey Vonn might do something similar with her trying to lead up to the next Winter Games. WHITFIELD: Thanks so much. Good to see you, Patrick. Maybe it means in Vonn's absence other athletes, you know, like Sean white, as if he needs more, but spotlight might be more on him and maybe Davis and there are a number of others. I guess Kelly Clark who is a snowboarder, who a lot of folks are watching. So it will be an interesting game, nonetheless. Thanks so much, Patrick.
RISHE: And Gabby Douglas, either.
WHITFIELD: Excellent. Thanks so much.
All right, we're going to shift gears quite a bit because there's a lot of deadly violence taking place in Iraq between al Qaeda-linked fighters and Iraqi forces. Details live from Baghdad next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Now to Iraq where there's been a stunning surge in violence. At least 60 people have been killed and nearly 300 wounded since December 1st. The city of Fallujah is at the center of the fighting where al Qaeda-linked fighters are battling government troops. Michael Holmes is live for us now from Baghdad. So Michael, tell us more about the situation there.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred. There's been a lot of sporadic violence off and on during the day in Anbar Province, as you said, Fallujah and also Ramadi are the two cities that have been at the center of this. Fallujah, of course, very familiar, resonating with Americans where a lot of Americans lost their lives fighting Islamists too.
Now, what has been happening there is that the tribes, the Sunni tribes, many of whom, of course, feel disenfranchised by the government of Nuri Al-Maliki. They've been opposing the government for some time. That also allowed a situation where al Qaeda-linked fighters, the Islamic state of Iraq and Syria, have come into that area and that's where we've seen this fighting start.
It all began actually when the government tried to shut down a protest camp in Anbar Province. It was protesting against the government. Well, today we have seen a various incidents inside Fallujah to Ramadi. It's been calm most of the day, but we've just been getting information there has been an Iraqi army strike on a guest house in Ramadi. This is according to Ramadi police, which hit this guest house owned by a Sunni tribal leader.
Three people killed, seven wounded. There was a clash between Ramadi and Fallujah on the road there between these fighters and the army. There was also another incident where, according to people inside Fallujah we spoke to, Iraqi army vehicles were heading towards Fallujah, only a kilometer or so outside of that city, when tribal leaders there attacked that convoy, according to them.
An Iraqi army tank, a Humvee were damaged or destroyed and there were injuries in that as well. So it's a very -- this all goes back to Sunnis feeling left out of governance in Iraq. That's sort of the origin of it all, but a lot of concern about where this could lead -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: Lots of concern indeed. All right, thank you so much, Michael Holmes. Stay safe there in Baghdad.
All right, tonight a group of hunters in this country will bid on a permit to kill one of the world's most endangered animals. The Dallas Safari Club says killing one black rhino will help save dozens others. Their auction is drawing a whole lot of anger and attention by the FBI. Our Ed Lavandera reports.
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ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Coming this close to a black rhinoceros is rare. There are only 5,000 left in the world. In the country of Namibia in Southern Africa there are only 1,700 still alive. Thousands of miles away in this convention hall in Texas, the Dallas Safari Club says it has a way of helping save this ancient beast. The group will auction off a permit from the Namibian government to hunt and kill one black rhino. The club's executive director, Ben Carter, says sacrificing one animal for the greater good is smart conservation.
BEN CARTER, DALLAS SAFARI CLUB: It's going to be able to raise more money than any other way you could do it to help provide for all the conservations needs that we need for the black rhino.
LAVANDERA: The auction has sparked death threats, which the FBI is investigating along with a vicious debate over how to save this endangered species. Critics call the auction a sad joke.
(on camera): Marcia, tell us where you're joining us from.
MARCIA FARGNOLI, SAVE THE RHINOT TRUST: I'm sitting in Namibia in Africa.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Marcia Fargnoli is CEO of Save The Rhino Trust and works with the Namibian government to protect the rhinos.
(on camera): Do you agree with this tactic, the way they are doing it?
FARGNOLI: I personally don't agree. This is actually saying that one rhino is worth dead much more than it is alive.
LAVANDERA: The black rhino hunting permit will be auctioned off Saturday night. It's a closed event. You have to have a special ticket to get in. No cameras allowed inside. Organizers say it's to protect the identity of the bidders. The Dallas Safari Club estimates the permit could sell for as much $250,000, even up to a million dollars.
(voice-over): The Dallas Safari Club says all of the money will be donated to Namibia's conservation efforts to save the black rhino and that the government has picked a handful of rhinos that can be targeted by the hunter who wins the auction. CARTER: They've already picked out two or three black rhino males that are old, nonbreeding males. They're not contributing to the population anymore. In fact, black rhinos are very territorial and they are very aggressive. They actually are detrimental to the population when they get old like that.
LAVANDERA: But animal conservation groups say it would be better to keep the rhino alive and raise money through tourism, selling the opportunity to see these animals up close in the wild.
JEFFREY FLOCKEN, INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE: I can't state strongly enough how perverse this is to say that killing this animal is the best thing for these animals. It is a critically endangered species.
LAVANDERA: The black rhino is in the crosshairs of controversy and both sides say they're doing what's best for this wild beast. Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: The Consumer Electronics Show is often where you find the next big thing in gadgets. We've got the best and worst of what the future holds, next.
But first, Bao-bao, the baby panda getting ready to enter the spotlight, the public will get to see her at the Smithsonian National Zoo starting next week. Here's Tom Foreman.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's so warm.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At just 17 pounds, 5- month-old Bao-bao is already a heavyweight in the world of conservation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's 58 centimeters.
FOREMAN: A rare success in the long fight to preserve the giant panda.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pandas are notoriously difficult to breed.
FOREMAN: Laurie Thompson tends to Bao-bao and says there are many reasons. Pandas are naturally solitary and usually don't mate well in captivity. Artificial insemination is uncertain and even when new ones are born, they often don't make it.
LAURIE THOMPSON, NATIONAL ZOO BIOLOGIST: Unfortunately, they are very -- sort of in the first month or so, they are very fragile and you often don't know that there is anything wrong.
FOREMAN: The panda's American journey, however, has been key to the species' survival.
THOMPSON: So this is the crate that Ling-ling was shipped in in 1972.
FOREMAN (on camera): The first panda.
THOMPSON: Yes.
FOREMAN: U.S. scientists have helped the panda along ever since the first bears were sent here from their native China following a visit by President Nixon. Researchers in the National Zoo are now among the top authorities in the world for breeding them. Yet births like this remain rare.
THOMPSON: Every year you kind of hope for it and every year it's been a disappointment since 2005.
FOREMAN: Habitat loss has left only 1,600 pandas in the wild, some 300 in captivity. Small wonder, then, that this new arrival, this rare bear, is being treated with such care. Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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WHITFIELD: The big Consumer Electronics Show rolled out in Las Vegas this week. More than 3,000 companies lined up showing off the latest gadgets and technology. CNN's Samuel Burke is there tracking the best of it for us.
SAMUEL BURKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, we are here at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and it feels like the booze go on for miles and miles. So without a doubt you are going to find some good and some bad. But Adrian, what were some of the best ones that stood out to you this year?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was really impressed with Sony's Playstation now service, which is essentially game streaming. It was like anyone connected to the internet and you can use the Cloud to play video games so you don't need a console in your home. So it's not a new idea, but Sony is definitely the biggest company to try it and their service works really well and I think it offers a promising glimpse at the future of gaming.
BURKE: Speaking of the future, one of the best ones I saw were the curved televisions. You kind of feel like you're in the picture. I think it would really hurt my wallet if either me or you bought it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was particularly impressed by LG's curve display, which is going to have an interesting Smart TV interface in it, which is powered by Web OS so I'm looking forward to that.
BURKE: And what about wearables? I saw great wearables all around. I'm still wearing some of them. What were the wearables that stood out for you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was really impressed by the activity tracker this is year, which take the functionality out of devices like the fuel band, which are very simple, very minimal, just track your activity. But they took some of the better parts of smart watches, like passing along notifications from your phone when you get a text or when you get a call and they are putting that in there. Companies like Sony, LG and Razor are all doing that with their products. I'm impressed by those.
BURKE: One feature I really liked was on this fit bit, it also has a silent alarm, so that the person next to you won't wake up into crazy hour that is many of us at CNN get up. This isn't quite wearable, but I think it's in the same vein because all this wearable technology connects with your smart phone. This Basketball 9450 even connects with your smart phone and the app is kind of like a coach and it can tell what's going on inside the ball and help you improve your dribble.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I mean, just like wearables that are getting smaller and smaller, sensors are getting smaller and smaller, and require less power so you can definitely stick them in products like this and they make them better so it's cool.
BURKE: There was one that I didn't see, but used Maker Box?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, so what Maker Box is doing is with their replicator mini, they're making the 3D printer smaller and cheaper. It's their cheapest one yet and what's important about that is even though it costs nearly $1,400, it's more and more accessible to someone who just wants to play around with a 3D printer as a hobby and really it's an important step forward towards the mass adoption of 3D printing and getting that in the mainstream culture.
BURKE: Would you shell out the money for it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not yet personally, but I really do like the idea for those who are into that type of thing.
WHITFIELD: And those are some of the best gadgets coming out of the Consumer Electronics Show. Coming up in the next hour, Samuel Burke will be back and we'll take a look at some of the clunkers that he found at the show.
All right, it's one of Hollywood's hottest nights, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, hostesses of the Golden Globe Awards Sunday. So, who will take home the top prizes?
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WHITFIELD: Anticipation is high ahead of one of Hollywood's hottest nights, the Golden Globe Awards. The show airs tomorrow, 8:00 Eastern Time and everyone's already buzzing about which movies and stars might win big. A.J. Hammer has a preview.
A.J. HAMMER, HOST, HLN'S "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Well, you know, Fred, the Golden Globes is a Hollywood party like no other and there are three things you can basically always count on, on Sunday night. The champagne is going to be flowing before the celebs even sit down. The show will end when it's supposed to and there will be some seriously fierce competition in between.
Now, this year, one of the biggest Golden Globe showdowns is the battle between the outer space extravaganza, "Gravity," and the searing historical epic "12 Years a Slave." The two are vying for best film drama. My guess is that the sheer spectacle of "Gravity" could push it over the top.
In the lead actor category, you've got an all-out war this year between a living legend and an incredible newcomer. Robert Redford's performance in "All is Lost." He's a sailor, fighting to stay alive at sea, really a stunning portrayal. Also, a free man who becomes enslaved in "12 Years A Slave." His performance unforgettable and this is the first time Robert Redford has ever been nominated for Golden Globes.
So it will be certainly nice to see him take it home, but I got to say I think whoever ends up taking the Globe for lead actor, that's a tossup at this point. The buzz is big about the big face off for lead actress. It's really all about Kate Blanchet in Woody Allan's "Blue Jasmine" and Sandra Bullock in "Gravity."
Blanchet already a two-time Golden Globe winner. I'd actually be surprised if she didn't take home another trophy and then there is one more powerhouse movie. I've got to mention it, "American Hustle." It tops the Golden Globe nominations with seven nods, along with "12 Years A Slave."
Fred, the word in Hollywood is that "American Hustle" is pretty much a shoe in for the Globe for best motion picture comedy or musical. It's going to be a pretty terrific night on Sunday.
WHITFIELD: It sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun. Thanks so much, A.J. Hammer. Watch A.J. on "Showbiz Tonight" Monday through Thursday, 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time on HLN.
We have much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM and it all restarts right now.
