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President Obama Proposes Reforms at NSA; Special Committee Investigating the Bridge Closing Scandal in New Jersey Issues 20 Subpoenas; Former First Lady Barbara Bush's Message for Jeb; Three Dozen Nuclear Missile Launch Officers Caught Cheating on Proficiency Exam; "Wall Street Journal" Reporter David Byrd Missing; Philadelphia School Shooting Suspect in Police Custody
Aired January 18, 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: The national security agency will keep saving records on your phone calls, e-mail, at least for now. President Obama made that clear yesterday as he laid out a number of proposed reforms at the NSA. Wikileaks founder Julien Assange ridiculed the president's modest proposal as quote "embarrassing."
CNN national correspondent Sunlen Serfaty joins us now from the White House with more on the president's reformed proposal.
So Sunlen, what's the reaction been like in Washington?
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fred, President Obama was really under a lot of pressure to make some big changes to this program. And what we saw in his proposals is, he left many of the details up to Congress to really hammer out and fine tune those details.
Now, first of all, effective immediately, now NSA analysts have to go before a court and get their approval before they can tap in to all of these phone records. As you know, this has been one of the most controversial aspects of this NSA program, that metadata that been collected, that phone calls, then phone number, how the length of calls, all of that data President Obama proposed moving out of control of the government's hand and putting it into a potential third party, maybe even a phone provider.
Now, the president talked about this proposal, but, again, it's up to Congress to work out the details. And we spoke yesterday to the ACLU. Let's take a listen to what they said about this proposal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY ROMERO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ACLU: The president understood the concerns around such bulk data collection by the government. But he didn't walk away from it. He talked about mending the surveillance programs, but we think that the president ought to end the bulk data collection surveillance programs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SERFATY: And they said there's really no guarantee there that the surveillance program is only going to focus on snooping when it's about a national security concern, Fred. So clearly, they are going to keep pushing for that program to be completely disbanded.
Back to you.
WHITFIELD: And so Sunlen, you know, the president has proposed a creation of a blue panel of independent advocates to argue against the government. So, what more can we say about that?
SERFATY: Well, this is really interesting. Basically the way it works now is the government goes in front of the secret vice accord when they want to tap into the phone records and make the case. But more or less, it's been rubber stamped for the most part in the past. But now, this proposal President Obama brought forwarded, he proposes a new panel. They will be independent outside voices that will argue against the government, bring that other side to the table.
Now, the ACLU isn't happy about this. They say having more horses in the room, they could be among them, is of course a good thing. But the other side and many people say that this just adds one more layer when we are talking about national security. It concerns that really potentially has the ability to slow down the process and potentially making our security, us all less safe.
So, it will be interesting to see if this is one of the proposals that does get approved by Congress -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Sunlen, thanks so much at the White House.
Journalist and blogger, Glenn Greenwald, dismissed a proposed NSA reforms as they quote "PR gesture." He says the president should adhere to the U.S. constitution.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president --
GLENN GREENWALD, REPORTER, THE GUARDIAN: The oath that the president takes when they get inaugurated is to protect and defend the constitution of the United States. One part of which is the fourth amendment that says that we are suppose to be safe from being search and seize by the government without probable cause and not having all of our communications data, collected, monitored and analyzed even though there is no evidence of wrongdoing. That's the responsibility and the oath of the president according to the constitution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The NSA's authority to gather up phone calls and e-mails records expires March 28th.
All right, Governor Chris Christie is in Florida raising cash for his fellow GOP governors. It is part of his new role as head of the republican Governors' Association. But the scandals in his state of emergency might still upsurge his visit. Christie's entourage came and left in Orlando fundraiser earlier today. And he kept himself from the media's cameras driving off without talking to reporters as well.
He has more events, however, in south Florida even as he remained under the cloud of suspicious in New Jersey. It follows the alleged political retribution by his top aides for closing access lanes to the nation's busiest bridge back in September.
All right, there are a lot of people who have been subpoenas in this bridge controversy. Coming up, what the list tell us about the direction of the investigation. That is in about five minutes from now.
AND Philadelphia police say the suspect in a school shooting is in custody. They say the minor turned himself in today after an arrest warrant was issued. This comes day after two students were shot in the school gym. Investigators say the 18-year-old girl has been released from the hospital, and the 17-year-old boy remains in stable condition.
A group of passengers who were onboard an Asiana airlines flight that crashed last summer at San Francisco's airport are suing aircraft maker Boeing. The suit claims pilots got inadequate low air speed warnings due to equipment installation errors and the effect that it says Boeing knew about. Boeing declined CNN's request for a comment.
Royal Caribbean says over 60 passengers were infected with a stomach bug during a recent cruise. The majesty of the sea returned Friday to Miami after a four-day getaway to the Bahamas. More than 2,500 people were onboard. Cruise officials suspect noro-virus is to blame, very contagious and can be strike through a food, water or contaminated circumstance.
Two Americans and two British citizens have been killed after a suicide bomber and gunman attacked the restaurant in Kabul, Afghanistan today. The Taliban took responsibility and said it was payback for an air strike this week that killed civilians. The U.S. state department calls it quote "despicable targeted attack on innocent civilians. Terrorists continue to demonstrate blatant disregard to life," end quote.
Government forces in South Sudan have retaken the key town of bore from rebels according to the town's mayor. The mayor fears even more civilian casualties than the hundreds killed when rebels held the town was previously in December.
Former first lady Barbara Bush says she thinks her son Jeb would make a good president. But she really doesn't want to see him in the White House.
And before she accepts her lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild, Rita Moreno reveals to me details about her love life off-screen.
Plus, live to the red carpet. We will get the lowdown on all the arrivals and, of course, the dresses. What are they wearing? It's one of the big nights in Hollywood.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The special committee investigating the bridge closing scandal in New Jersey has issued 20 subpoenas. Among them, Governor Chris Christie's chief -- deputy chief of staff, his former deputy chief of staff, and even his pick for the state's next attorney general.
So, what does the witness list tell us about the direction of the investigation? Former federal prosecutor and independent counselor Michael Zeldin joins me now from Seattle.
Good to see you. He is the special counsel for the Buckley Sandler Law firm.
All right, so Michael, you'd expect the two fired staffers, but this is very, a very long list of Christie insiders. What does this say to you about the investigation?
MICHAEL ZELDIN, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: It's very broad-ranging. If you look at the subpoena itself, what it says is, they want all information about the finances, operation and management of the port authority, which suspected two things. First, the access to the bridge from Fort Lee which is what we're all talking about. But then they said any other thing that involves the potential abuse of power.
And then if you look at who got the subpoena, the 20 people. They're really everybody in the Christie inner circle. There is political people, there is communications people, there is fund-raising people, there is people in the port authority.
So this is taking shape at the outset of big net in the pond. Let's see what comes in through the documents. Then we'll go to the witnesses and see where it goes there next.
WHITFIELD: So that his inner circle has been subpoenaed, then what kinds of evidence, besides whatever testimony, eyewitness accounts they could get, what kind of information are they trying to pluck besides e-mails, even texts?
ZELDIN: Well, they want to know, how did this plan originate? Who knew about it? What role did anyone in particular have in it? With respect to the subpoena asking for finances, they want to know whether financial quid pro quos were exchanged. Nothing we've seen evidence of at the moment. You have to note. But they're asking about that. So they really want to know the who, what, why, where questions about all of this, because if you look at the e-mails that we saw, which says time for a little traffic congestion in New Jersey, and then they got it, you realize that that's the middle of a conversation. Something had to precede that see that that cryptic conversation would be understood, and then something had to post date it because they close out the bridge. They want to know the back end and front end of that little bit we've seen so far.
WHITFIELD: But then potentially, what kind of charges would you see, you know, being penned in this investigation? ZELDIN: Well, that's a little bit tricky. It used to be, you know, one of these ironies. When Governor Christie was U.S. attorney, he brought charges against a lot of politicians for the lack of honesty in government. It was a male fraud, wire fraud type of case, but the Supreme Court has since said you can't bring that denial of honest services, unless there's a payment's which is why I think the superior has this question in it.
So, unless there's a payment of money, I don't see that as a charge. But you do have the possibility of state charges. Interfering with first responders, I'm sure it's a crime in New Jersey. Some malicious use of office is a crime in New Jersey. So, I think you're going to see a lot of state crimes that involve the muddling up of life in Fort Lee as some form of maliciousness or public corruption that the state is going to criminalize. Federally, it's not yet clear.
WHITFIELD: And as a former prosecutor, how would you approach this case, if you were on it?
ZELDIN: Well, similar to the way that the legislature is. And, of course, Fredricka, we have to remember two things. One is, this is sort of Watergate in a sense. Not in its seriousness module but in his structure. That is we have the legislature of New Jersey looking in to this. They have no power to indict or charge anybody with a crime. And then you got Paul Fishman, the United States attorney for the district New Jersey looking into it, much more quiet. I mean, we haven't seen his subpoenas. We don't know whether he's convene add grand jury yet. We don't know his scope of interest, but he's the charging authority. He's the person who can bring people to criminal justice.
So, you have these two things going on in parallel. The legislature, like the whitewater and the Watergate before them, want to see everything and everybody. Fishman and the U.S. attorney may be much more narrowly focused in their investigation. We'll have to see how these two parallel lines proceed throughout the next couple of weeks.
WHITFIELD: We shall see. All right, Michael Zeldin, thanks so much for your expertise. Appreciate it. Thanks for joining us.
ZELDIN: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right, former first lady Barbara Bush has a message for her son Jeb. I hope you don't run for president. But will that affect the Bush brothers' future?
Brian Todd has more.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, in typical Barbara Bush fashion, she not mincing words. She said for the second time publicly she does not want Jeb Bush to run for president. The remarks are posted at a time when the political climate might actually be the most welcoming it's ever been for a Jeb Bush run.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) TODD (voice-over): With Chris Christie's problems in New Jersey, political observers say the door might be opening wider for Jeb Bush to seek the Republican nod for president in 2016, but the Governor Bush's mom is trying to push that door closed.
BARBARA BUSH, FORMER FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: I would hope that someone else would run, although there's no question in my mind that Jeb is the best qualified person to run for president, but I hope he won't.
TODD: In an interview with c-span, former first lady Barbara Bush took jab at America's political dynasties, including her own.
B. BUSH: I think the Kennedys, Clintons, Bushes, they're just, there are just more families than that.
TODD: Jeb Bush responded by tweeting what day a mother's day this year? Asking for a friend.
His office also pointed us to remarks he made in November. Responding to almost identical comments his mother made last year when she said, we've had enough Bushes.
JEB BUSH (R), FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: I love my mom, and I listen to my mom. But I don't always agree with her.
TODD: Why would Mrs. Bush discourage a run from Jeb so publicly twice? She gave a hint to c-span.
B. BUSH: I think he'll get all my enemies, all his brother's.
ANA NAVARRO, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: There's been a lot of Bush bashing, particularly of George W. Bush's presidency was difficult at the end. There are a lot of people that consider themselves enemies of anything related to Bush. I think she would like to avoid that. I think it's maternal concern.
TODD: CNN commentator Ana Navarro who knows the Bush family well says if Jeb Bush decides not to run, his wife Columbus influence might be greater than his mother's.
NAVARRO: She's not what we may perceive as a typical political spouse. I don't think she'd love the politics of it. I don't think she's somebody that would enjoy giving speeches.
TODD: I asked reporter Leslie Clark who covered Jeb Bush when he was Florida's governor about the mother/son dynamic.
Personality wise, he is kind of a kindred spirit with his mother, right?
LESLEY CLARK, REPORTED ON JEB BUSH IN FLORIDA: Yes. I think absolutely. He is the type of person who likes to get things done and not a ton of patience for people if they're not getting his idea and so standing in his way. He does not do this greatly.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: There may about split in the extended Bush family over a Jeb Bush run. Former president George W. Bush said recently he thinks his brother should run and Jeb Bush hinted last year that their father thinks he should run -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Hey, quite the family feud, then. We'll be watching. Thanks so much.
All right, the FBI joins the search for missing wall street journal reporter. What happened to him?
And a military cheating scandal why it's raising new security concerns about America's nuclear arsenal.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, now to a massive cheating scandal this week involving the people who command and guard the country's nuclear weapons arsenal. The air force says three dozen nuclear launch missile officer were caught cheating on a proficiency exam. Now, the big question is, how safe is America's nuclear arsenal?
Brian Todd has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): They stand ready to unleash a nuclear fury, a job with awesome responsibility and prestige. But there is a clear pattern of problems among the people who command and guard America's nuclear weapons arsenal, and there's not a single easily solvable cause. Why would several air force office entrusted with maintaining nuclear missiles at a Montana base cheat on a proficiency exam?
JEFFREY GREEN, FORMER AIR FORCE MEMBER: That 100 percent is the expectation. Perfection is the expectation here. So, there's certainly an amount of pressure involved.
TODD: Experts say different types of pressures can affect the junior and senior officers at nuclear commands. General Michael Kerry seemed to go off the deep end last year, removed from his post after going on a drinking and womanizing binge during an official visit to Russia. Kerry commanded the 20th air force which oversees three nuclear wings.
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), FORMER AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE OFFICER: That job is extremely stressful. Any general officer, especially numbered air force command position is an exceptionally stressful job because it's numbered Air Force is actually the war fighting element of the Air Force.
TODD: Separately experts say the junior officers the ones deep inside the silos illustrated here in our virtual studio, the people with the hands on their switches face the pressures of staying proficient, while at the same time battling long, drawn out periods of sheer boredom.
Jeffrey Green was a nuclear missileer (ph) for three years inside a silo in Wyoming.
GREEN: 24-hours or more underground. Days where it did can go to 48 or 72. You are literally locked in a launch control center, you are under the ground. , You know, there's no opportunity to go take a break or take a run. And it's a tedious nature of the job.
TODD: Aside from the disciplinary issues, morale could also be a problem. In a force whose cold war submission no longer perceived as a top priority.
ERIC SCHLOSSSER, AUTHOR, COMMAND AND CONTROL: If there is one area of the defense budget where we shouldn't be cutting costs it's in the management of our nuclear weapons, because the consequences of a mistake are just unimaginable.
TODD: With all of these problems, has safety been compromised? Top military officials stress it has not. The secretary of the air force says the Pentagon has quote "great confidence in the security and effectiveness of the ICBM force."
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And the FBI has joined in the search for "Wall Street Journal" reporter David Byrd. The 55-year-old father of two vanished last Saturday after going for a walk.
CNN's Alexandra Field joins us now from outside the "Wall Street Journal" offices in Manhattan. What's the latest Alexandra?
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, another search party has gone out today to try and find David Byrd. Certainly no one is giving up any hope here but his family is becoming increasingly desperate to find him. He was last seen before he headed out of his Long Hill, New Jersey, home last week. He said he was going for a walk but never returned. The family says that he is without his cell phone. He is also without medications that he needs to take daily following a liver transplant nine years ago. We spoke to his sister- in-law. She says the family is worried about his health and his condition now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS FLEMING, SISTER UN-LAW: He's a strong man. He has been through -- been through a lot before, and he's got -- we just think he's holding on, and we just want him back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FIELD: Byrd is a married father of two. He has been an energy reporter here at the "Wall Street Journal" for a number of years. And, Fredricka, his family insist that he would have no reason to take off willingly.
WHITFIELD: And is there any feeling that there might be a connection between the types of stories that he was covering and his disappearance?
FIELD: You know, it's a question that everyone has asked especially because this search hasn't turned up any answer. So some people have suggested over the course of this week that this energy reporter who put together stories on OPEC, the organization for petroleum exporting countries, they wondered whether there could be have kind of link here. We asked his sister-in-law if she thinks the disappearance could be related to any of his work here at the "Journal." And she said that is not a theory that makes any sense to the family, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Alexandra Field, thank you so much.
All right, students and parents are stunned after bullets flew inside the gym. The shooter allegedly was on the loose in Philadelphia until a few hours ago, the latest on the investigation, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The suspect in a school shooting in Philadelphia is now in police custody. Investigators issued an arrest warrant this morning for the minor. He has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault after police say two students were shot at school on Friday.
Nick Valencia has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The suspect in Friday's shooting at a Philadelphia high school has turned himself in to police. Philadelphia police tell CNN that the suspect turned himself in at about 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Now, because he's a juvenile, his name has not been released to the media.
Also, police are still looking for the motive behind the shooting. They have not ruled out that it could have been accidental. Initially, police were looking for two other suspects. They were questioned by police and later released. Police are confident now that the shooting suspect is in police custody. Now, the two students who were shot on Friday, they received non-life threatening injuries and are expected to make a full recovery.
Nick Valencia, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And it was a pretty interesting week on Wall Street.
Alison Kosik brings us up to date.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. It was a seesaw week on Wall Street. The Dow closed at triple digit move, three out of five days, and not all of the same direction. Showing investors were plagued with indecision. That's because of a mixed bag of earnings reports.
And with all that back and forth, stocks ended mixed. But the S&P 500 did hit a record high on Wednesday. A rough week for retailers, JCPenney announced 33 stores will close, and 2,000 employees will be laid off. The struggling retail has been trying to turn itself around for years but is still losing money.
Meantime, Best Buy shocked Wall Street with a surprise drop in holiday sales. Shares of the company had a 28 percent hit on Thursday. Good news on housing, foreclosures dropped last year to the lowest level in six years. Realty track says 1.3 million homes were foreclosed on. This as home prices rise and the job market recovers.
And finally, did your child use your iPhone to rack up charges and apps without you knowing it? You could get a refund from Apple. The FTC says Apple didn't tell parents that once they enter their password to approve the charge, it remains open for 15 minutes allowing more purchases to be made. One child made charges of $2,600.
That's a wrap of the week on Wall Street. Fredricka, back to you.
WHITFIELD: Wow. That is some bill. Thanks so much, Alison.
Around to California now. Three years of a severe drought have resulted in the governor there declaring a state of emergency. As crops wither in the fields, the impact will be felt across the country in higher food prices. About half of all fruits, nuts and vegetables in grocery stores come from California.
Corey Knowlton says he cares about preserving black rhinos. So much so, that he's willing to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for the right to kill one. His argument -- the money is donated to black rhino conservation. But his decision is triggering outrage across the world. Here is CNN's Ed Lavandera.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, Corey Knowlton says he cares so much about the black rhino that he's willing to spend $350,000 of his own money which is being donated to conservation causes for the chance to hunt one. But still, to people around the world, this still seems totally illogical.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 350,000. 350,000.
LAVANDERA: This was the scene inside the Dallas Safari Club auction hall when Corey Knowlton dropped $350,000 for a hunting permit issued by the government of Namibia to hunt a black rhino. It didn't take long for Knowlton to get out it on social media and for the death threats to pour in.
COREY KNOWLTON, HUNTER: I had no idea that it would be this visceral. I had no idea that they would be attacking my two-year-old daughter and my seven-year-old daughter and my beautiful young wife and they'd want to kill us all and burn us.
LAVANDERA: Knowlton has hired a private security team while the FBI investigates the threats against him. But instead of hiding, Corey Knowlton says he wants to convince his critics that this hunt will actually help the black rhino population thrive in Namibia.
KNOWLTON: It's a belief in conservation from me.
LAVANDERA: Knowlton started hunting as a young boy.
KNOWLTON: God bless you, gentlemen. Thank you.
LAVANDERA: Knowlton hosts hunting shows on the Outdoor Channel and he also organizes high-end hunting adventures around the world. Corey Knowlton describes himself as a passionate conservationist and argues that old black rhinos that don't reproduce actually threaten to kill other younger rhinos.
KNOWLTON: They're actually the biggest killers of rhinos in the area, and so throughout - you know, they put this group of experts together. They went out there. They identified them as a problem, and they need to be, for lack of a better term, exterminated for the species to continue.
LAVANDERA: But Knowlton faces scathing criticism from other animal rights groups. Critics say the sanctioned hunts will only drive up the price of endangered animals.
JEFFREY FLOCKEN, INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE: The message it sends around the world, is that Americans will throw money to kill one of the last of species. It's saying that it's rarity of this animal means it's more valuable dead than alive. And that is not going to help conserve the rhino in the long-term.
LAVANDERA: Knowlton says he hasn't scheduled the time to hunt the black rhino in Namibia yet, but he says if the journey goes as planned it could be the most amazing experience of his life.
KNOWLTON: So, to that end, I'm a hunter. I want to experience a black rhino. I want to be there and be a part of it. OK? I believe in the cycle of life. I don't believe that meat, you know, comes from the grocery store. I believe that animal died and I respect it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: This black rhino hunt is authorized by the Namibian government. Every year that country auctions off up to five of these hunting permits and they say that since this has been done in the last 15 years, the population of the black rhinos have come back from the brink of extinction. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: Ed Lavandera, thank you so much.
All right, the stars come out tonight. Coming up, our preview of the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and -- fabulous at 50. Michelle Obama celebrating her birthday. We'll tell you about her big bash.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, first lady Michelle Obama is now 50 years young. Her birthday was yesterday but the party's tonight and early I asked "Washington Post" columnist Sally Quinn for details about the big bash.
SALLY QUINN, THE WASHINGTON POST: They're keeping it very much under wraps. Everybody's speculating about who's going to be there and who's not going to be there and talking about the fact that they've said eat first. I suspect that there's going to be plenty of food, knowing the Obamas and knowing the White House. So I don't think that's going to be an issue, but, you know, this is going to be a party of her friends. This is not official Washington. And they have never been really part of official Washington, and I think for her 50th birthday, it's probably the most appropriate way to celebrate, is with people that they are close to and that they care about.
WHITFIELD: Right. I guess, you know, and it's common knowledge, that, you know, she and her husband don't necessarily -- you know run around town with the Washington circles. I mean, every now and then you see the two of them going out to dinner, but I understand she does get out and about on her own, meeting up with her BFFs kind of at, you know, at favorite restaurants.
QUINN: Right. Right.
WHITFIELD: You know, even sometimes.
QUINN: Yes.
WHITFIELD: You know, showing up at Target, like everyone has seen, you know, in the past. She likes to find ways to have her "Me" time. And what does that say about her? Whether it'll be at this milestone or really just about this first lady, trying to make sure that there is room for "Me" time and just doing it my way?
QUINN: Well, I think, first of all, the Obamas have never been part of Washington, and they're very much to themselves. They have their own friends who come to the White House. She goes out a lot with her girlfriends, and pals and has dinner, but you don't ever see them on the circuit at all. But I think the most important thing I would say about Michelle Obama right now is that there's incredible sense, and she's imported this to women all over the country, all over the world, really, of liberation. She talks a lot about balance, and in her "People" magazine interview she talked about how she started doing more yoga, because she wants to stay balanced. She doesn't want to lose her balance when she gets older and break a hip, but I think that you could - you could talk about that in terms of her life as a whole. That she has really managed to balance being a mother, being a wife, and also being involved in issues that she cares about, and nothing to excess. She's balanced everything in a way that, she's saying to women everywhere, look, this is what I'm doing with my life right now, and this is just fine. And whatever you want to do with your life is also fine. You know, there have been a lot of criticism about her, why didn't she take some big job? Why didn't she - you know, she's got all this education. She went to Harvard Law School. But what she's doing, I think, is more important than that, which is that she's showing people that this is my life. This is what I want to do. I want to spend this time, precious time with my children. I will never get back. I need to support my husband. He's got the most powerful and stressful job in the world. I can be a great helpmate to him. WHITFIELD: Wow. And just look at all of those pictures. She looks amazing. Just totally ageless over the years. OK, well, big thanks to "Washington Post" columnist Sally Quinn for that preview of the first lady's big, old bash tonight.
No mother would consider giving marijuana to a small child, right? Well, a mom in Florida says her three-year old needs it. So, you'll hear her story coming up.
All right. But first, Olympic veteran Julia Clukey is very passionate about the luge. She didn't even let a serious brain disorder keep her off the track. CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has her story in this week's "Human Factor."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As she jumps into her sled, Julia Clukey has one focus. Getting down that track as fast as possible.
JULIA CLUKEY, 2010 OLYMPIAN, 2014 OLYMPIAN ALTERNATE: The speed is definitely a big adrenaline rush.
GUPTA: Clukey says her life experiences helped give her perspective, which is on the track.
CLUKEY: I think anytime something happens to you, you have to decide what you're going to do to get there and then stick to the plan every day.
GUPTA: And Clukey has had plenty of life obstacles. Her father passed when she was 19. She's had training injuries. Her knees, torn meniscus and ACL to herniated discs in her neck. But she overcame them all to make her first Olympic team in 2010.
CLUKEY: It was a great honor, you know, for myself and for my family. You know, they've seen all the good and bad days. Highs and lows.
GUPTA: But her Olympic high was short lived.
CLUKEY: I was diagnosed with Arnold-Chiari syndrome shortly after the 2010 Winter Olympics games.
GUPTA: Chiari is a disorder, in which the fluid around her brain doesn't circulate properly.
CLUKEY: A lot of the symptoms that I was having were severe headaches and pressure, you know, in the lower part of my skull, and a lot of problems with the right side of my body.
GUPTA: For her, surgery was the only option.
CLUKEY: They go in and they removed a little under a centimeter of my skull bone to create access for the spinal fluid to flow freely.
GUPTA: She didn't let that stop her, though. Just 14 months later, she was back on a sled.
CLUKEY: I never lost sight of where I wanted to be after my surgery and that was back competing in the sport of luge.
GUPTA: While Clukey fell short of making her second Olympics by just a fraction of a second, she's staying sharp as the team's first alternate.
CLUKEY: I wake everyday knowing that I'm going to fly, knowing that I training for something I love. I think it's a big gift.
GUPTA: And it's that gift that Clukey wants to make sure other young girls like her also get to experience.
CLUKEY: There's a ten-day camp that focuses on self-confidence, understanding stereotypes, you know, breaking down barriers, just being proud of who you are and going after your dreams.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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WHITFIELD: Imagine your child suffers hundreds of life threatening seizures each day. If medical marijuana was your best hope, what would you do? CNN's Adriana Hauser brings us a story of one Florida mother who is fighting to get the drug for her young son.
ADRIANA HAUSER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred. Well, here are some interesting statistics. According to a November Quinnipiac poll, 82 percent of Florida voters approve legalizing medical marijuana. But in spite of an effort to place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot to legalize medical marijuana in the state, it is not clear that this overwhelming support will translate into victory at the polls. I had the opportunity to talk with a supporter of medical marijuana, and she told me her reasons for backing it.
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HAUSER: On call 24/7, that's how Jacel Delgadillo describes her life for the past two years.
JACEL DELGADILLO, MOTHER OF ELILEPTIC SON: I had to stop teaching. I used to go out, and I stopped. I can't just leave him anywhere. I sleep with him holding his hand.
HAUSER: When Bruno was three months old he was diagnosed with Dravet syndrome, a condition described by experts as a rare and intractable type of epilepsy.
DELGADILLO: It's hard to manage with medication. A good day, it's 30. 30 seizures a day. That's a good day for us. A bad day will be 300 seizures a day.
HAUSER: Delgadillo says she has tried every treatment legally available in Florida, but nothing has worked. She now centers her hopes on medical marijuana.
DELGADILLO: I've heard it has helped other children. Why can't it help my child?
HAUSER: The constitutional amendment effort to legalize medical marijuana in the sunshine state is being led by a group calmed United for Care. The group believes it has collected more than 683,000 signatures needed to get on the ballot.
DELGADILLO: You know, we're not asking to -- to let marijuana be a recreational use here. We're asking for medical marijuana. We're asking for help.
HAUSER: Although Delgadillo is convinced that medical marijuana could help Bruno, experts say there is still not evidence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The CBD, which is a derivative of the plant, of the marijuana plant, is thought to treat seizures based on anecdotal evidence. Right now we don't have scientific evidence that that's the case, and we want to obtain it.
HAUSER: The initiative to legalize medical marijuana has yet to clear another hurdle. Florida's Attorney General Pam Bondi took the proposed amendment to the Supreme Court arguing that the language in it is too vague. That it could turn Florida into the most permissive state in the U.S. and would give immunity to the doctors who prescribe it.
DELGADILLO: I have a feeling we're going to have a tough fight.
HAUSER: And for this devoted mother, time is of the essence.
DELGADILLO: A seizure could take away his life any minute.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAUSER: In the event that the proposal is not approved in Florida, Jacel Delgadillo is ready to move to Colorado. A state that recently approved the sale of recreational marijuana in a place where she believes Bruno will have access to a treatment that may just may help him live a better life. Fred?
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Adriana Hauser, all right.
And tonight, is another pretty big one- pretty big night in Hollywood of the Screen Actors Guild awards being handed out. And our Nischelle Turner is live on the red carpet. Will she have her running shoes on? We'll go there next.
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WHITFIELD: All right, tonight for the first time in more than six years, a black female cast member joins "Saturday Night Live." Just a few weeks ago, Sasheer Zamata was relatively unknown, but tonight, all eyes will be on the former Upright Citizens Brigade theater comedian. She's making her big debut, along with two new writers who are also black.
In Hollywood, the stars are coming out tonight for the 18th annual Screen Actors Guild awards, and let's get right to Hollywood where our very own shining star, Nischelle Turner, is on the red carpet. So, Nischelle, I wonder, high heels or tennis shoes tonight? Last week, you showed me your sneakers.
NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: But you know ...
WHITFIELD: Forget it.
TURNER: I am going to put -- I am going to put some heels on eventually. But right now, what you see is what you get. I mean, this is like -- we're having rehearsal, because we're doing this big 90-minute live CNN red carpet special starting at 6:30, right here on the network. So we just got done with the dress rehearsal. I know I'm not dressed for the dress rehearsal, but I did it from the neck up. But this is the red carpet here. And if you see our position, you look right over there, you see those two monitors, those two screeners, that's where the celebrities will be walking in, and we are right here. So all of your favorite A-list celebrities will be coming right here to our spot, and we'll be talking about their movies. We'll be talking about what they expect tonight it's a fun night. The SAG Awards, you know, it's television and movies, but it's actors honoring actors. So, it's a big party. They have a sit-down dinner, maybe a couple of glasses of wine or two, and they honor each other and just really have a good time. You know, some of the people that will be here tonight -- because I did sneak inside yesterday to see the seating chart, the arrangements -- Brad Pitt will be here. But Angelina Jolie did not have a placard next to him, so she may or may not show up. Oprah Winfrey will be here. She also is presenting. Forest Whitaker, the rest of the cast of "The Butler" who virtually shut out from the academy, but they are nominated tonight. So, I'm anxious to see what they think about that. Also, all of your favorite television shows, "Big Bang Theory," "Game of Thrones, "Carrie Washington's nominated for best actress in a TV series for "Scandal." She'll be here tonight. And the table that she's sitting at, I can give you a little taste, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
TURNER: A great table that I would love to sit at for dinner. It's Kerry Washington, Matt Damon, Michael Douglas, and Mindy Kaling. Such a fun group. And that's what they love to do at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. They love to kind of mix and mingle and put everybody in different areas and sit them next to people that they may not know. So it becomes a party. I have to tell you something, though. It's really hot in southern California.
WHITFIELD: Ah.
TURNER: So, I know the rest of the country that's suffering from sub- below temperatures, are, like, OK, come on, you know, give us a break. But it's so hot, that I just want to show you, I'm not a diva. But Graham and Topher are here.
WHITFIELD: Really? Be a diva, it's all right.
(LAUGHTER)
TURNER: So I don't melt, they're so sweet, and I love them for it. They've been giving me a little cool breeze, because it's 87 degrees out here. But, like, it's really, really hot.
WHITFIELD: Well, that's cool. You know, they're fanning you or it's kind of, like, you know, we're not worthy. One or both. Who knows? All right.
WHITFIELD: We'll take it.
WHITFIELD: OK, I say take both. All right, Nischelle Turner, thanks so much. We'll be watching for the 90-minute special this evening. Very fun stuff. And something tells me if you went to Michael Douglas' table, they'll make room for you. No problem.
So tonight, Rita Moreno will also receive a lifetime achievement award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. I had a chance to talk to the actress about her career, her life, and her relationship with actor Marlon Brando.
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RITA MORENO, ACTRESS: My relationship with Marlon Brando was really chaotic and turbulent and tempestuous, very sexy -- very fun as the kids would say now. But it was also - we were addicted to each other. We were obsessed with each other. If you know anything about obsession, it is like addiction. He was my drug. I was his. And we were not good for each other.
WHITFIELD: You write that he was actually very cruel. He could be very cruel with you.
MORENO: He was -- he was abusive, emotionally abusive, yeah. But, you know, I was the kind of girl or child who was brought up to believe by my very Latina mother that you had to please everyone, and especially men.
WHITFIELD: It's a very personal memoir, but there's a little bit of the kiss-and-tell. You know, you talk about Marlon Brando. You talk about your, you know love interests. --
MORENO: But I had to talk about Marlon Brando, because, you know, that goes beyond -- that's not even kiss-and-tell, because ...
WHITFIELD: Yeah.
MORENO: He played a huge part in my life. He changed my life.
WHITFIELD: Was shaping.
MORENO: We were together almost eight years, so that's hardly just the old kiss-and-tell. There were a couple of dishy other things there, no question. WHITFIELD: So then, even though you describe him as being, you know, cruel, very abusive, what did you learn? How did that relationship, that eight-year affair, really shape you, make you stronger, more resilient? What would the words you would use?
MORENO: I became -- I became much more resilient, and eventually, I -- but I've always been resilient. That's so much a part of my DNA. I knew if I get, you know, tossed over on the floor, I get up, and as they say, dust myself off and go on and move on. That's just so much a part of my nature. My mother was like that, also. And it's something you learn when you come into a different country where you don't speak the language, and you have to put up with some very bad behavior on the part of many, many people. You just -- I don't call it tough. I call it resilient, because tough implies that you get a very hard shell about you. I've never had that. But I am able to bounce back, and I did learn that from my mom. But, you know, the way I got even with Marlon was kind of terrific, because at the time that I was really having a hard time with him, one of the many times, Elvis Presley let it be known through a gossip columnist that he would love very much to meet me.
WHITFIELD: And he did.
MORENO: Of course, I read that, and the colonel called me up. I love this conversation. Ms. Moreno, this is Colonel Parker. No kidding? And he said, my client, Elvis, would like to meet you. Would you like to meet him? And at the time, I was so angry at Marlon for finding somebody else's clothing in his house, and I thought, why not? And I said, yes, I would.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: And what was that relationship like with Elvis?
MORENO: Well, it was interesting, because it was -- it was very surprising in many ways. Number one, I don't really think he was handsome. I think Elvis was almost pretty. He was kind of beautiful.
WHITFIELD: Yeah.
MORENO: And I don't mean that in a derogatory way at all, but it was just very different kind of looks. He had the most gorgeous profile I've ever seen. Perfect teeth. This gorgeous, shiny, thick, black hair. And a very sweet fellow. He was, you know, that snarly look he had when he sang, nothing even remotely like that. He was bashful. But he didn't have a whole lot to say. When you've been with Marlon Brando for a long time, as I was at the time, I found it kind of dull.
WHITFIELD: Really?
MORENO: Well, yeah. I mean he's country boy. I'm just - I was a little Puerto Rican spitfire, and we didn't have a whole lot to say.
WHITFIELD: Gosh, all handsome people, Rita, Elvis, and Marlon. OK. Well, that's going to be it for us. Hey, don't miss this, though. The Screen Actors Guild Award right on the red carpet tonight at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
So Rita Moreno, she's getting a lifetime achievement award. All that. There is so much more straight ahead. My colleague Martin Savidge is going to kick it from here. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. See you again tomorrow. Martin, have fun.
