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A-Rod Suspended For 162 Games; Neiman Marcus Faces Hacking Problem; New Jersey Bridge Scandal Growing; Still No Clean Water For West Virginia's Citizens; Dennis Rodman Apologizes For Bizarre Interview; Dallas Safari Club Faces Criticism For Rhino Hunting Bid

Aired January 11, 2014 - 15:00   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 am Fredricka Whitfield. We have much more straight ahead in the Newsroom. We're getting a restart right now.

No safe tap water, but plenty of health complaints. A West Virginia poison center is inundated with calls after a chemical taints the water supply. Details are moments away.

And damage control. Newly released documents shed new light on how appointees of New Jersey governor Chris Christie shut down lanes to a busy bridge, and what they did afterwards to stem the growing outrage.

And a new ruling today on the career of New York Yankees' star, Alex Rodriguez, an arbitrator decides on his punishment for allegedly violating major league doping rules, that decision, and A-Rod's decision, straight ahead.

No season, no playoffs for baseball great Alex Rodriguez. An arbitrator reduced the suspension for the New York Yankee slugger to 162 games. Major league baseball had suspended Rodriguez for 211 games for allegedly violating major league baseball's anti-doping rules.

A-Rod's Yankees are saying they quote "respect Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment program, the arbitration process as well as the decision released today by the arbitration panel."

Jason Carroll is following the story for us from New York. So what are the fans saying?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, obviously fans are weighing in on this issue, but the man himself, Alex Rodriguez, talking about it as well, Fredricka.

This is a decision that was not entirely unexpected by Rodriguez and his team. Alex Rodriguez releasing a statement earlier today saying, the number of games sadly comes as no surprise as the deck has been stacked against me from day one. I've been clear I did not use performance enhancing substances as alleged in the notice of discipline or violate the basic agreement or the joint drug agreement in any manner. And as in order to prove it, I will take this fight to federal court. I will continue work hard to get back on the field and help the Yankees achieve the ultimate goal of winning another championship.

Now Fredricka, you know, I'm told that throughout this entire process, the Rodriguez team would have been willing to accept perhaps a 50, even a 65-game suspension. There would not have been any sort of admission of guilt, but that is something that they could have lived with and moved on, but that was not the case.

Also, Major League Baseball weighing in on this as well. As you know, they initially wanted that 211-game suspension to stand. They weighed in saying, well, we believe the original 211-game suspension was appropriate. We respect the decision rendered by the panel and will focus our continuing -- and will focus on our continuing efforts to eliminate performance enhancing substances from our game.

But as you can imagine, as you said from the top, a number of fans are weighing in on this particular issue. I had an opportunity to hear what fans are saying now about Rodriguez and this 162-game suspension.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm from Boston. I thought the penalty was also too strong. So I'm good with the 162.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you hand out 162-game ban to one person and not give anything to all of these other people doing the same thing? Yes. I guess it is. If you talk about just A-Rod, yes, it's too harsh.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's ridiculous. They gave him anything it should be 50 games, at the max.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole career should be out. Not enough.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he deserves it. I don't think there should be doping in baseball. It's America's pastime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Well, here's the deal. As you know, Fredricka, Rodriguez was allowed to continue playing during this whole arbitration process. The question now is, will he be allowed to play as he now takes his legal fight to the federal level? When I spoke to a representative from MLB, this person told me, look, the arbitrator's decision is binding and final. He will not be able to play. He will not see him in spring training, et cetera, as he continues on with this. But I'm told that what will happen, in all likelihood, his attorney, Joe Tacopina, a tough guy, anyone who knows this attorney knows that, he knows his stuff. He'll get in there and ask a judge for a federal injunction to allow Rodriguez to continue playing while he continues to fight.

WHITFIELD: Because he's hoping that maybe a federal court would take on this case, but we've heard it from so many experts and even people you've talked to that say that's not likely, that a federal court will even want to -- take on --

CARROLL: It's a tall order.

WHITFIELD: The arbitration panel. Tall order?

CARROLL: Yes, it is definitely a tall order. But once again, Joe Tacopina and anyone who knows this man's reputation knows that he's a tough attorney, knows the law, knows this particular situation, and perhaps if there's anyone who can get a federal judge to listen and see their sides of things, it might be Joe Tacopina, but he has a tall order ahead of him.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jason Carroll, keep us posted. Thank you so much.

CARROLL: You bet.

WHITFIELD: All right, looks like another retailer has been hacked. Neiman Marcus said today it is working to contain a cyber breach at the company. That took place last month. This follows the revelation that nearly twice as many Target customers had their data stolen as originally thought.

Let's bring in Jennifer Mayerle.

So Jennifer, Neiman Marcus is style trying to contain this and really don't know how widespread or how far back this breach goes, right?

JENNIFER MAYERLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're right. You know, we know the credit card information was taken. The unknown is, how many credit card numbers were compromised, and what the time frame is of when this security breach happened.

So let's take a look at what we do know. This all started in mid- December when Neiman Marcus was alerted that there was a potential security breach. After that, they contacted police. They began working with secret service. They began working with a forensic team and it took until January 1st for that forensic team to determine that there, in fact, was a breach. We know that credit card information was compromised, but we just don't know how widespread that was.

Neiman Marcus has said they will contact customers who they believe their information has been fraudulently used already. They've also issued this statement today saying in part, we have begun to contain the intrusion, and have taken significant steps to further enhance information security. And, Fredricka, the importance in that is especially great right now, given that target also had a recent security breach.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and a very big one.

MAYERLE: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Everyone thought it was big with 40 million, but now, huge.

MAYERLE: Yes. It doubled in size. Even maybe more than that at this point, we just don't know. And originally we thought it was credit card numbers, debit numbers, pin numbers, expiration dates. And now, that's expanded to include your personal information.

The information we're talking about is your name, mailing address, phone number, and e-mail addresses. And the reason why that can be crucial is that people could use that information to then contact you and kind of dupe you in to thinking that they know more about you than they should.

WHITFIELD: All the ingredients of identity fraud.

MAYERLE: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Stealing your identity.

MAYERLE: It sure is. And you know, there are ways to protect yourself. And as we talk about this, talking about it with Target, seems kind of basic, that kind of obvious, but these are the steps want to take to make sure you protect yourself.

And some of the steps are, monitor your bank statements. If there is anything on the statement that seems out of the ordinary, even if it is a $1 charge, contact your bank and make sure that it's legitimate. Don't click on strange links e-mailed to you. As we mentioned that target, you know, they got your e-mail address. So, don't click on anything that you don't know. Be aware of fishing scams for people looking for extra information about you and you can contact a credit monitoring service if you'd like and target is offering that to their customers for a year for free. And people still have a chance to sign up for that.

These are things that are good to do whether it's a security breach with Target, Neiman Marcus or any other time that you may think your information has been compromised and you could be a victim of fraud.

WHITFIELD: All scary stuff.

MAYERLE: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: No matter which way you look at it. Thanks, Jennifer. Appreciate that.

All right, the scandal involving Governor Chris Christie and his office are growing. New document s are out that reveal some of his aides tried to stonewall the media about plan to close lanes of the Washington bridge. It was closure in September caused massive traffic jams on the Jersey side of the nation's busiest bridge. And a trail of internal e-mails indicates the closings were done to punish the mayor of Fort Lee for not backing Chris Christie's re-election campaign.

Let's bring in Margaret Conley in New York.

So, what more are you learning from these documents, Margaret?

MARGARET CONLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, about 2,000 pages of documents have, and e-mails, have been released appearing to show that those in Governor Chris Christie's inner circle were part of a cover- up. His closest allies made it seem like closing down lanes to the George Washington Bridge back in September was part of a traffic study for four straight days there was gridlock, major inconvenience for commuters and delays for emergency responders. Now it seems the stunt was allegedly part of a political plot for retribution against the democratic mayor of Fort Lee for not backing Christie for re-election.

Now, the man leading the charge is New Jersey Assemblyman John Wisniewski, a Democrat. He says the charges could be criminal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASSEMBLYMAN JOHN WISNIEWSKI (D), NEW JERSEY: I'm not a prosecutor but I do think laws have been broken. Clearly, it was said on September 13th and public resources, the bridge, the police office, the people who move the coverage all used for a political purpose for some retribution. That violates the law. Law enforcement ought to look at this as well to make sure any violations of law are addressed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONLEY: Now, I suppose with Mr. Wisniewski too and he said that they've been looking into this for four months now and that their committee wants all documents and e-mails surrounding this made available. Chris Christie, and of course, he is front and center in all of this, because he could be a potential presidential candidate in 2016, his has long denied his involvement in any of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: I have come out here to this office where I've been many times before, and I come out here today to apologize to the people of New Jersey. I apologize to the people of Fort Lee, and I apologize to the members of the state legislature.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONLEY: Now, Christie's been out there. He has been doing damage control. He said that this is quote "embarrassing and humiliating." He fired his deputy chief of staff. There were e-mails showed he was involved. And he says he is going to do an internal investigation.

On Thursday, Christie held a press conference and he answered questions for nearly two hours. He also went to the mayor of Fort Lee and apologized.

There are still lots to come out of this investigation, a lot of questions. Did Governor Christie know about any of this? So far there are no documents showing that he did. And why did it take so long for all of this to come out -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Margaret Conley, thanks so much. Keep us posted.

Former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon died today after eight years in a coma. He was 85. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his deep sorrow over his passing and said this. Quote "the state of Israel bows its head on the passing of former prime minister Ariel Sharon. Ariel Sharon played a central role in the struggle for the security of the state of Israel over all its years."

A-Rod suspension for steroid use has been reduced, but that's not good enough for the Yankee's star. The battle over his future, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A-Rod won't be playing baseball this season. Just hours ago, an arbitrator reduced the suspension of baseball great Alex Rodriguez to 162 games. Major league baseball banished the Yankees' third baseman to 211 games.

Well, joining me on the phone, Dan Levy, he is the national league writer for the Bleacher Report.

OK. So, Dan, I guess, is this much of a surprise, in your view? That the arbitration panel would reduce what MLB had given him in terms of suspension?

DAN LEVY, NATIONAL LEAGUE WRITER, THE BLEACHER REPORT (via phone): No. This is about exactly as everyone expected because the original suspension would have taken him through the end of last season and the entire 2014 season. All this does is to calibrate his appeal. He is now still suspended through 2014 league. The football side expected that.

WHITFIELD: So A-Rod, in his statement, says he is going to try to involve a federal court. But in the meantime, what does this mean for the Yankees' team? What does it mean for his payroll for the next year, since this 162 games means he's out for at least a year?

LEVY: I saw you had people, some fans reacting. The Yankees' fans should be high-fiving because it's about $27 million that Brian Cushman can go out and spend on other players. I mean, A-Rod was an enormous weight on that team when they're trying to get under the luxury tax. If they can get under the tax and still make their team better. They do have a hole at third base, their best option at third base. But $27 million, you can spread over four, five players without having to pay A-Rod in 2014 is great for the Yankees.

WHITFIELD: And does it mean the Yankees have a little wiggle room to try and get out of the remainder of his contract which ends in 2017?

LEVY: Yes. And people have talked about that. I think that they hope A-Rod retires. Honestly, I don't think he will. I think is worth $61 million after this year. I think he is going to try to collect every dime possible just to prove a point. They'll probably try to get out of it. I don't think there's too much legal room with the collective bargaining.

WHITFIELD: And what about his legacy? I mean, you mentioned him as one of the best, you know, third baseman ever. But now what? What does this do to his legacy? LEVY: Well, I don't think it changes it based on this decision. I think his legacy has already been sort of tarnished, if you will. It's interesting though, because of what happened a few days ago at the hall of fame. Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds didn't get in. It doesn't look like they're get enough votes anytime soon. Now, you have A-Rod. Manny Ramirez will be up soon.

These are some of greatest players of the last 25 years, not just in that time, but of all time, if you look at their numbers and they are all tainted by this. So, I really think at some point we're all going to have to look back, all of us who write about the sport and figure out what this means. It's not just a blanket, we control everyone. All of them are cheaters. Like never honor them again. It is a very very confusing time in sports.

WHITFIELD: And fails PED, you know, test., no real evidence of his use of substance performance drugs, however does this ruling, this suspension, mean that it now reduces his chances of ever being in a hall of fame?

LEVY: Well I think the people who don't vote for Bond and don't vote for Clemens, who either of them were suspended, neither of them suspended or failed tests. This is now the same process. Now they can look at A-Rod and say, he's in that category, a great player. There was so much overwhelming evidence outside of a failed test that they'll feel that he's unclean as well.

According to MLB, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence. A-Rod thinks it is all lies. So again, even in that, it is all fascinating to see how this will work out.

WHITFIELD: It is fascinating.

Dan Levy from Bleacher Report, thanks so much.

LEVY: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, waiting in long lines for bottled water. Clean water, period. Thousands of people in West Virginia are forced to do just that this weekend because they still don't have any clean tap water days after a chemical leak. The possible health impact of that spill, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: For two days now hundreds of people in West Virginia haven't had access to safe tap water. The water supply contaminated with a chemical used to wash coal. More than 1,000 people called in to a local poison center complaining of possible symptoms from that leak. Those symptoms include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headaches, rashes and sore throats.

Right now, it's unclear if their symptoms were caused by exposure to the painted water. And FEMA is sending 75 trucks filled with about 5,000 gallons of water each. They will be distributed across the affected areas. Erin McPike is joining us now from Washington.

So Erin, what's the latest? We do understand now that there have been five patients admitted to the hospital. And also saying they've been sickened by this water.

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN GENERAL ASSIGNMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, we've learned now that the president of West Virginia American water says that this problem may go on for days. West Virginia American water just released a statement to us about what things are looking like right now. They say the Kanawha valley treatment plant must consistently produce water samples indicating result at or below this level, which is one part per million of that chemical before the current do not use order is lifted.

At this time, there are inadequate numbers of samplings results to report. Even when water produce by the plant meets acceptable health levels, extensive testing must be conducted in the distribution system before the do not use order is lifted.

As we head, we are going to see this go on for days. So FEMA will continue to send in this water so that West Virginia residents have something to drink and to use.

Now, on top of that, one of the U.S. attorneys in West Virginia, Booth Goodwin, is launching an investigation and he says that even negligent could lead to a criminal charge, Fred.

WHITFIELD: My goodness. And then I understand that Erin Brockovich, the well-known environmental activist, is also speaking out about this situation, to what degree?

MCPIKE: Well, Fred, as you know, as a public advocate, she goes in to a lot of these situations and complains that this is something that is kind of systemic. NOW, she was on CNN last night and explained that she and her team may go to West Virginia to do some work there.

Take a listen to what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIN BROCKOVICH, ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST: When there's a disaster like this, I'm usually flooded with e-mails from the community. And so, our job is to go to assist, advise, help them in any way we can. We'll take a look at the site. See possibly how that breach did occur and then go from there. And so as the disaster unfold, I'm getting more and more e-mails. So we will get on the ground, work with those communities. Hear from those communities and begin an investigation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCPIKE: So we're looking at a couple of investigations essentially there in West Virginia. But, again, it's going to be a couple more days before that water is back to usable standards, Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK. Erin McPike, thanks so much in Washington. All right. Coming up next, he is the top scoring NBA player of all- time. Let me give you a couple seconds to think about it before you see him, right there, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He is also known for his sports diplomacy. He joins us live and weighs in on Dennis Rodman's trip to North Korea.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Apologies coming from Dennis Rodman, he is saying sorry to the family of American Kenneth Bae who was imprisoned in North Korea. Sorry to fellow retired NBA players who he took to North Korea and sorry to our owned Chris Cuomo who he blasted in a CNN exclusive interview.

Jim Sciutto has all the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Overnight former NBA player Dennis Rodman admitted in a statement to CNN that he was out of bounds.

I want to apologize. I take full responsibility for my actions. It had ban 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.

Rodman's apology comes in the wake of a wild week playing exhibition basketball in North Korea where he exploded in an interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo.

DENNIS RODMAN, FORMER NBA PLAYER: I don't give a (bleep) what the -- I don't give a rat's ass what the hell you think. I'm sitting here with these guys. Look at these guys here! Look at them.

SCIUTTO: In his apology, Rodman explains his outburst.

I had been drinking. 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 ended his alarming North Korea trip with even more bizarre images.

Singing "happy birthday" to leader Kim Jong-Un and giving him a bow.

RODMAN: To you, sir, let me know, we going to get it --

SCIUTTO: Rodman sparked a firestorm with a seeming justification foyer the imprisonment of American Kenneth Bae from Chris Cuomo, leaving Bae's family back home shock and disappointed.

RODMAN: Do you understand what he did.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

RODMAN: Do you understand what he did?

CUOMO: What did he do? You tell me what did he do?

RODMAN: In this country. No, no, no. You tell me. You tell me. Why is he held captive?

SCIUTTO: But now Rodman is back pedaling saying I want to first apologize to Kenneth Bae's family. 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 am very sorry. At this point, I should know better than to make political statements. I am truly sorry.

Also, appearing to have regrets, one of Rodman's teammates, former NBA star Charles Smith. HE says he now questions whether they did the right thing going to North Korea. Perhaps in a birthday gift to Kim, Rodman lost along with his team of former NBA stars to the North Korean national team. Their loss, another apparent victory for North Korea's gargantuan propaganda machine, which has portrayed his visit as paying tribute to North Korea and its leader.

Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Rodman has called this trip basketball diplomacy. CNN caught up with former NBA player Charles Smith. He was part of that group that traveled with Rodman to North Korea. Smith says they accomplished their goal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLES SMITH, FORMER NBA PLAYER: We all sat (sic) out to do -- to use basketball as a bridge for cultural change. We accomplished that mission. All the players that were there, the American tourists. Even our documentary film crew. I think we can all agree that the trip was just simply incredible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Joining us now is former NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar joining us from Los Angeles. Kareem, were you appointed a cultural ambassador in 2012 by then then-U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton. So your thoughts on this trip? Mission accomplished or did it backfire?

KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR, FORMER NBA PLAYER: I think that it certainly backfired on them. I don't think they had a really good idea of what they could accomplish because there's so much that is not known about North Korea. It's a very unpredictable place. And the leadership there can do some very bizarre things. You know, caution is usually the best way to approach situations like that. And you know, when you have no idea of what's going to happen, it's usually a wise thing to do to stay away from those kind of situations.

WHITFIELD: And then, you know, Rodman, you heard in this interview with CNN. He said it in other ways, too, that he really thought that this trip would be opening a door, and that this really was about friendship. And even though this was not a trip sanctioned by the U.S. State Department, can you help people understand who may have a difficult time seeing how sports can be used as an avenue to bridge a divide? How, in your view, should sports diplomacy work?

ABDUL-JABBAR: Well, I think that sports diplomacy can be great for getting people to talk. Remember the ping-pong diplomacy during President Nixon's term of office?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

ABDUL-JABBAR: And also, you know, I have -- I made friendships with, let's say, a baseball player named Ernie Banks, who's in the Hall of Fame. He wants to take a team to Cuba to play baseball, just to play some games, hopefully to open up a dialogue. So sports can be very instrumental in doing those types of things.

But I don't think what Mr. Rodman did was thought through very carefully, and it was just ended up being an opportunity for the North Korean government to have a propaganda coup.

WHITFIELD: Would there have been a better way in which Dennis Rodman could have embarked on this? And while it may not have been sanctioned by the U.S. State Department, perhaps he would have had the blessings from many more, if, perhaps, there was a clear objective or perhaps some real consulting on how to craft this trip?

ABDUL-JABBAR: Yes. I think he just went into it with blinders on, so to speak. Not understanding the political implications. And then, you know, the outburst that he made was very unfortunate. It just -- started to compound all of the bad things that were happening as a result of the trip. I'm really -- I feel that the other players did the right thing in understanding and realizing that they were being used, and getting out of there.

WHITFIELD: And how, in your view, can sports be used as a uniter? Even when there may be some political differences that may stand in the way? How can sports still kind of bridge that gap, in your view?

ABDUL-JABBAR: Well, you know, differences can never be bridged unless people start to talk. And a sporting match is a great way to initiate a conversation. You have something in common. Your love for a game or sport, and the ability to come together in that way can lead to people coming together in more ways. And it just -- it opens doors and gets people talking, and that's such an important key for any attempt at diplomacy.

WHITFIELD: And do you see that this trip in any way may have hurt or potentially helped, even though Dennis Rodman seems, says there may have been a door that somewhere down the line we'll see that has been opened? Do you see that this trip in some way may have helped somewhere downed line, or do you think it is a setback?

ABDUL-JABBAR: Fredricka, I don't know enough about it, but I was embarrassed. Just being a former NBA player, I was embarrassed. You know, just being a former NBA player, I was embarrassed that one of our guys did not take the time to fully look at this and think it through before he went and did something like that. Because, you know, he's on the world stage, and that's not the best place to be making mistakes.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Thanks so much. I said at the top, former NBA great, but you're still a great. It's the former NBA player part.

ABDUL-JABBAR: You're too kind, Fredricka. Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: All right. Always great. Thanks so much, Kareem, appreciate it.

ABDUL-JABBAR: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: Always good to see you.

All right. A hunter's group in Texas, you've probably heard it by now, is actually auctioning a permit to kill an endangered rhino. They say it's for a good cause. Hear how the Humane Society is reacting, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Tonight, a group of hunters 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 of others. Not surprisingly, their auction is drawing a whole lot of anger. Our Ed Lavandera reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Coming this close to a black rhinoceros is rare. There are only about 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 can do it to help provide for all the conservation needs that we know from 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 RHINO TRUST: I'm sitting in (INAUDIBLE) 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're doing this?

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 got to have a special ticket to get in. No cameras will be allowed inside, organizers say it's to protect the identity of the bidders. The Dallas Safari Club estimate the permit could sell to as much as $250,000, even up to $1 million.

(voice-over): The Dallas Safari Club says all of the money will be donated to Namibia's conversation efforts to save the black rhino and that the government has picked the handle of rhinos that can be targeted by the hunter who wins the auction. CARTER: They've already picked up two or three black rhino males that are old, not breeding males. They're not contributing to the population anymore. In fact, black rhinos are very territorial and they're very aggressive. And they actually are detrimental to the population when they get old like that. They are like a cranky old man.

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 how strongly enough how perverse this is to say that killing these animals is the best thing. 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, in Dallas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wayne Pacelle joins me now from Washington. He is the CEO and president of the Humane Society of the United States. Good to see you.

WAYNE PACELLE, PRESIDENT & CEO, HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes. Good morning. Good afternoon.

WHITFIELD: Okay. Clearly, we know your point of view. You're not going to be in favor of such an auctioned item, permit, to be able to kill a black rhino. So what, if anything, could you or other conservationists do to prevent this from happening? Maybe not stop the auction, but prevent the actual act of killing a black rhino in Namibia from happening?

PACELLE: Obviously, we'd have to convince the Namibian authorities, the ones that are allowing this to occur. But I think even more on point for those of us here in the United States is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is essentially allowing this to occur because there's an import permit. The hunter is only going to do this if the United StatesFish and Wildlife Service allows the trophy to be imported. This is a trophy hunt. It's not for me. It's not for population control. Precisely the opposite.

This, as you indicated in your piece there, it's one of the most endangered animals in the world, and therefore, comes under the protections of the federal Endangered Species Act. They're a foreign listed species. So the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is the federal regulatory authority, has to bless this. And we are asking the Fish and Wildlife Service to deny this, because where is this going to end? What if a bunch of wealthy elites wants to go shoot and orangutan or wants to shoot an Asian elephant, perhaps a Siberian tiger? Are we going to then allow some rich, wealthy hunter to shoot one of those because he's willing to pay a few dollars for it? I hope conservation doesn't rest on that sort of selfishness.

WHITFIELD: So what if there is no trophy involved here? What if the incentive, purely for the hunter who is the highest bidder, just for the sheer pleasure of being able to hunt and kill this black rhino overseas, is really the incentive enough? It seems as though the U.S. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would not be able to intervene, would it?

PACELLE: Well, that's correct. But there really isn't a lot of fun going on in hunting a rhino. It's like shooting a parked bus. I mean, these are enormous, prehistoric-looking animals. This is essentially a guided hunt to kill a specific animal. How anyone can think this is sporting is beyond me.

And really, if we care about the conservation and protection of these animals into the next generation, we have to do everything we can to stop additional human-caused killing. The fact is in South Africa, right ot the south of Namibia, nearly 1,000 rhinos have been poached. These animals are under siege for their horns because of the international trade for that product, just like elephants are under siege for their ivory.

The last thing these animals need is more human-caused killing for frivolous purposes whether it's a trinket or a little potion or someone mounting their head on a wall thousands of miles away for their own ego.

WHITFIELD: So Wayne, the real perplexing thing here is, whether it be the Dallas Safari Club or whether it be Namibia as well, who was offering the permit, the dialogue that is coming with this auctioned item is you kill one rhino. This money that was gained from the auction is going to help in the conservation of the populous of the rhino. And so somewhere along the line, there are many who are buying that selling point.

So what do you say, you know, to that selling point? And how do your words, you know, try to make a difference, or prevent or stop this from happening in the first place? PACELLE: Well, there are lots of us involved in rhino protection conservation, whether it's the Humane Society of the United States or the African Wildlife Foundation or others. None of us are contributing to the cause of rhino conservation and demanding the opportunity to shoot one of the animals. If one of these folks in Dallas really cares about the rhino, they'll give the $200,000 or the $300,000 that they'll donate for the auction and just decouple that from the idea of killing the animal. Why do we have to say that, well, the only way we could get money for rhinos, which is so false, because millions of dollars are now going to rhino protection from people who just want to help the rhino, not get something out of it.

WHITFIELD: Wayne Pacelle of the Humane Society of the United States. And we did reach out to any representative of the dales Safari Club. You did see a representative who was in Ed Lavandera's piece. But we did try to reach out to have a live discussion with the representation of those who are supporting this auction as well. Wayne, thanks so much for saying yes.

PACELLE: Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: You know him as the rough and tough patriarch of the Orange County Choppers family, but what you may not know about Paul Teutul Sr. is that he's a recovering addict. Dr. Sanjay Gupta brings you his story in this week's "Human Factor."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Grinding, blowing things up and building bikes. It's what Paul Teutul Sr. star of the show "Orange County Choppers" does best.

But there was a time that Teutul's future didn't seem so bright.

PAUL TEUTUL SR., "ORANGE COUNTY CHOPPERS": Back in the day I kind of started early drinking and getting high and -- you know back then, you think that that stuff is going to go away as you get older and what it does it gets progressively worse.

GUPTA: As a younger guy Teutul and his buddies hit the sauce early and often.

TEUTUL: I could drink a Korda (ph) Whiskey at lunch time and then go back to work.

GUPTA: And after years of giving everything to alcohol he realized it all came down to a simple choice, live or die.

TEUTUL: I was pretty fortunate that you know, I was able to get in a 12-step program. I went nine years straight and I was afraid to miss a meeting.

GUPTA: And that's why Senior who's now been sober for 29 years continues to share his story.

TEUTUL: After 12 years of TV being myself everybody knows how (EXPLETIVE DELETED) crazy I am. So it's no secret. It's kind of like I always look at it, if I can get sober, anybody can.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Now to Iraq, where there has been a stunning surge of 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, and that's where al Qaeda-linked fighters are battling government troops. Our Michael Holmes is live from Baghdad. So, Michael, tell us more about the situation there.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, What's interesting, Fred, is two cities at center of all of this, Ramadi and Fallujah, a name very well-known to Americans, of course. The locals there say the tribal leaders, the tribes are charge inside those cities. But I got to tell you there's been a lot of incidents around and between those two cities. They are not very far apart.

For example, police say Ramadi say that the Iraqi military hit a guest house there owned by a tribal leader. Three dead, seven wounded. It's those sort of a tick, tick, tick deaths that have been building up. There were seven civilians wounded later on. Got some videos, too, that have been surfacing. Which of course, as usual, we can't independently verify a showing those extremists, as you say, from the Islamic state in Iraq and Syria. They were taking on the government forces outside of Ramadi.

And also we saw evidence of what the opposition say the tribes say they destroyed five Humvees. This happened at a place called Deguma (ph). Now this is just about four miles northeast of Fallujah.

So, the fighting is still very much going on. It's sporadic and it's in pockets. So, it's still a very concerning thing for Iraq. Fred?

WHITFIELD: OK. Michael Holmes, be careful there in Baghdad. We'll continue to get your reporting over the next few days. Thanks so much.

All right, next, a young man born to lead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson thrills crowds with equal parts smarts and flair, which is pretty good for a guy who was told he wasn't good enough to play in the NFL. His inspiring story is coming up right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A victory tonight would propel the Seattle Seahawks into the NFL championship. Quarterback Russell Wilson is leading the team. Wilson comes from a long line of accomplished family members. Some people say he was simply a born leader. Here's CNN's Rachel Nichols. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICHOLS (voice-over): He has a Colgate smile, stars in national commercials alongside his beautiful wife. And oh, yes, he's the starting quarterback for the top seeded Seattle Seahawks, a favorite to reach next month's Super Bowl. But Russell Wilson is aware, according to the experts, he wasn't supposed to be sitting here.

(on camera): If I had asked outsiders in Vegas what the odds were that you would be in this position right now, what do you think they would have given me, one in 10,000 more? I mean --

WILSON: Yes, probably something like that. Being a 5'11" quarterback, not too many people think you can play in the National Football League.

NICHOLS (voice-over): Wilson comes from a family of high achievers. His grandfather was a university president. His grandmother earned a doctorate on her way to becoming a college dean. And then there was his father, Harrison, an Ivy League graduate, president of his law school class, And a two-sport star who attended training camp with the San Diego Chargers.

Harrison raised Russell in his image.

(on camera): Your dad, I hear also, prepped you for moments like these.

WILSON: He's also always asked, Russell Wilson, you just got -- won the Super Bowl, you're playing in the Super Bowl, what's next, what are you thinking? Those type of questions all the time.

NICHOLS (voice-over): Wilson enrolled in North Carolina State after the school promised to allow him to play both football and baseball.

WILSON: I've just always been motivated to do something different, something unique. You know? And so, I want to be uncommon in that fashion.

NICHOLS (voice-over): There was only one problem -- his father, Harrison, was sick.

WILSON: My dad had diabetes his whole life pretty much. So fast forward to my junior year in college. He had a breathing mask on, he wasn't doing well at the time. I ended up getting drafted by the Colorado Rockies on June 8, 2010 and the next day, my dad passed away, in June 9, 2010.

So I'm at the biggest high of my life on June 8, 2010. And the next day, June 9th, he's gone.

My dad always thought I would play shortstop for the New York Yankees or something crazy like that. But at the same time, I knew I had this passion, this fire to play the quarterback position. My dad loved football so much. Now he gets the best seat in the house. He gets to see every game. It's a special thing for. NICHOLS: Wilson fell he had his father's blessing to return to football. In 2011, he transferred to the University of Wisconsin for his final season of college eligibility, taking the Badgers to the Rose Bowl. After being drafted in Seattle, he shocked the pundits by taking the Seahawks to the playoffs in his rookie season.

WILSON: It was just the right team, right place, amazing fans, the (INAUDIBLE) fans. It was something that was really in tune.

NICHOLS: If your dad got to hear those words somewhere that Russell Wilson, Super Bowl-winning quarterback. If you win the Super Bowl, are you going to save that first interview in your head for your dad?

WILSON: Oh, yeah, definitely. I will be answering him just like I did in the car, in the BMW when I was 14 years old.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Aw, cute as can be. What a great story, life story. You can catch "UNGUARDED WITH RACHEL NICHOLS" on Friday nights, 10:30 Eastern right here on CNN.

Hey, that's going to do it it for me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM with -- ba dum boom -- Kyra Phillips.