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Ukrainian Parliament Votes Ukrainian President Out of Office; Arizona Congress Proposes Controversial Gay Discrimination Bill; Winter Olympics Continue; Federal Government Denies Help to Drought Stricken Areas of California; Photographer Helps Woman with Sick Infant; Leader of LGBT Conservative Group Leaves Republican Party in Protest; Travel Spots in Atlanta Profiled

Aired February 22, 2014 - 10:00   ET

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

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: CNN Newsroom starts right now.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Those are people in Arizona who are ticked off about a bill that would allow some businesses not to serve gay people. But defenders say its purpose is to protect against discrimination.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: A noose around a statue, racial slurs hurled at a student. These two incidents have thrown Ole Miss into the national spotlight, and now the FBI is involved.

And oh what an incredible rescue on a Miami highway. An infant stops breathing. We're talking to the photographer who captured these dramatic moments.

You're in the CNN Newsroom. We are so glad to have you with us. Welcome to Saturday. Take a nice little breather, you made it. It feels good. I'm Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. The Saturday air actually moves through my lungs much easier than the Monday air. It really does.

(LAUGHTER)

BLACKWELL: We're going to get to Arizona which everybody is talking about, also to Ole Miss in just a moment. But we have to start with the fast-moving developments in Ukraine.

PAUL: You're looking at pictures here we're going to pull up, there they are, of Ukraine's chapter Kiev. Protesters are still at the city's Independence Square there. And they're saying they're not going anywhere until their president all out resigns.

BLACKWELL: President Viktor Yanukovych has been speaking live on Ukrainian television to part of the country, and he's vowing he will not resign. He's reportedly comparing the situation to Nazi Germany, and he says his car was shot at.

And take a look at what happened. This happened in cities all across Ukraine overnight. Protesters yanked down statues of Lenin who, of course, led the Russian revolution. And they accused President Yanukovych of wanting too close of ties with Russia.

PAUL: We want to bring CNN foreign affairs reporter Elise Labott. Elise, the Ukrainian president, we know, has left Kiev. He's reportedly saying he will not resign. He's digging in. What does all of this mean at this point?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, he may be digging in, Christi, but it's really unclear whether he can maintain his grip on power, because you see in the last couple of days about a third of his party in the Ukrainian parliament has resigned. There are a lot of votes in the parliament that are looking to show that they have support for the protesters.

President Yanukovych is traveling through the eastern part of the country. That's really where his political base is, so obviously some of these things that he's saying are to speak to that constituency. And we know that this country, even though you look at these protests in the square, obviously there's a very strong anti President Yanukovych sentiment. In the east, there's a lot of pro-president, pro-Russia stance. And so this is what the country is going through right now. Clearly this deal calls for elections by the end of next year. But it's far from clear whether the president can hold on that long.

BLACKWELL: What does that mean for the peace deal that was broken, because there was this truce midweek? That didn't last at all. Then, of course, the deal was signed. Are we expecting this to hold now with the president away from kind of at least the residence?

LABOTT: Well, you have to look at what the president is doing and what some of the other things in this deal, this power-sharing deal. You're going have a national unity government. You're going have people coming in that are more leaning towards the opposition, and trying to all work together. There's also going to be a call for election and many other things that protesters want.

However, it's unclear whether the opposition can get the protesters, especially some of these more radical elements, out of the square. And even you've seen some of these radical elements of the opposition do not want this deal. And so there's been a little bit of calm over the last 24 hours, at least not any violence. We just have to see whether if this deal is implemented if those protesters will stand down and move the country forward, even getting rid of the violence. There's still a lot that this country has to do. The economy is really in shambles. They need to start working with the international community. The U.S. is sending in an envoy. Deputy Secretary Bill Burns should be going in the next few weeks. So there should be a lost intense diplomacy on trying to implement this agreement.

BLACKWELL: And this situation has changed all morning. Elise Labott for us in Washington, thank you.

PAUL: OK, let's stick to that part of the world, going to Sochi, something a lot lighter, obviously. The U.S. and Russia neck and neck in the race to win the most medals at the Olympics.

BLACKWELL: That hand thing I just did was neck and neck, by the way.

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL: Look at this, U.S. and Russia tied at the top of the list with 27 total.

BLACKWELL: Yes, but Norway say close third, 25 medals for Norway. Canada is within striking distance, 24 medals. A gold medal handed out this morning in Sochi. It hurts for the U.S. in more ways than one. Andy Scholes, break it down for us.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORT CORRESPONDENT: First of all, we got to hit that spoiler alert.

BLACKWELL: Spoiler alert.

SCHOLES: Yes, the men's snowboard parallel giant slalom, we have the results from that. As you said, it hurts in more ways than one, because Vic Wild, the American-turned Russian, has won gold again. He's now the first man ever to win two snowboarding gold medals in a single winter games. This one hurts because Wild is from Washington, and he originally competed for the USA. But after becoming frustrated with the lack of U.S. funding for the sport, Wild was granted a Russian citizenship after marrying a Russian snowboarder. And now because of Wild, Russia, they own two gold medals which should really be around the neck of an American.

Team USA does have a chance to grab another medal today in the men's hockey bronze medal game against Finland. Even if the U.S. wins this game, it's going to be bittersweet. Yesterday, they lost to Canada 1- 0 in the semifinals. This is the second straight Olympics that Canada has crossed the USA's gold medal dream.

The fallout from yesterday's loss for the USA is pretty massive. A billboard in Illinois made a friendly wager for the two countries, saying the looser of the game has to keep Justin Bieber. Well, the billboard has since been updated it now reads "Worst bet ever," and the word "Belieber" on a bald eagle. This is definitely guys not what the founding fathers had in mind. Obama lost a case of beer, and now we find out the game also cost us to keep Justin Bieber.

BLACKWELL: In the words of Bieber himself, baby, baby, baby, no.

(LAUGHTER)

SCHOLES: That's pretty good.

BLACKWELL: Andy Scholes, thank you.

PAUL: I'm impressed that you know the words not that they're that difficult. Baby, baby, baby.

(LAUGHTER)

BLACKWELL: So imagine this, these farmers who are struggling out in California with this drought, they get the news from the federal government that there's no help for them. They can't give them water.

PAUL: And you wonder how are they going to move forward with this. But look at the pictures here. This is the latest reminder of this crisis here and what they're facing. It could translate into higher food prices for all of us here. This is not just a California problem, folks. Jennifer Gray has got more for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: The drought that is plaguing California and as a result hurting the nation's food supply could get a whole lot worse. Friday, the federal government said it will not provide any irrigation water to Central Valley farmers and only 50 of contracted water to surrounding urban area.

JOSE DEL BOSQUE, FARMER: Our rain is way, way behind, and we expected zero, and this just confirms it.

GRAY: Joe Del Bosque is the farmer who just a week ago gave President Obama a tour of his Central Valley operation. He grows almonds, spinach, cherries, and cantaloupe. But without federal help, California growers like Joe may have to leave a lot of land unproductive.

DEL BOSQUE: There's going to be a lot of crop reduction and a lot of food lost, a lot of jobs lost.

GRAY: With more than 90 percent of the state in severe drought conditions, there could be a big impact at your grocery store checkout line. There are 80,000 farms in California. More crops are grown there than anyplace in the country. It produces nearly half of U.S.- grown fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Experts say this could raise your produce prices 10 percent over the next few months. But Mother Nature could come to the rescue. Rain is in the forecast for California next week, and farmers say every drop will make a difference.

DEL BOSQUE: Will they capture that water? You know, and bring it -- bring it to the storage? Because if they don't, if they keep the pumps shut off, that water's going to go out to the ocean.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: All righty, Jennifer Gray, walk us through this, will you, how bad is it?

GRAY: Yes, this is really bad. It's unprecedented. We're going continue to see the drought worsen before it gets better. It's going to take a lot of rain to start to reverse this. More than 90 percent of the state in a moderate drought, but this is what stands out. Just last week or the week before, 61 percent was an extreme drought. That has already jumped up to 68 percent. And so this is growing by the hour.

We aren't going to see much rain over the next couple of days, but relief coming soon. And it's not just a California problem. Look, this spreads all the way into Nevada. We're seeing portions of Colorado and other areas in extreme drought, 15 percent up from a little bit which was at 14 percent.

So a couple of storm system, guys, will start to push onshore, the first storm system on Thursday, one a little bit stronger Friday. This will give a little bit relief. But these are just baby steps. It's going to take a lot more rain to start to reverse the problem.

PAUL: Thanks for the heads-up, Jennifer Gray.

BLACKWELL: Coming up, another story folks are talking about this weekend, the outrage at Ole Miss. This comes after a noose and confederate flag were placed on the statue of its first black student. And now a second incident has students on edge there at campus. And now the FBI is getting involved.

PAUL: Plus, an infant nearly dies in the middle of a Miami traffic jam. Drivers are jumping out to save him. The entire thing is documented by a professional photographer. We are talking to him next. Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: It's 14 minutes past 10:00 right now. Wedding bells rang a little early in Chicago after a July ruled that same-sex couples in Cook County and only Cook County don't have to wait until June to marry.

BLACKWELL: That's when the state of Illinois will allow marriages between same sex partners. And couples rushed to the courthouse on Friday to get marriage licenses. The clerk's office in Chicago even stayed open two hours later to make sure that everybody got what they needed.

PAUL: Of course, this is happening as hundreds of protesters gathered at Arizona's state capital to demand Governor Jan Brewer veto this controversial bill that critics say would basically legalize discrimination against gays and lesbians.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know but I've been told, discrimination is getting old. Veto, veto, veto!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Arizona's Republican controlled House and Senate passed the bill which supporters say protects religious liberty. The bill would shield businesses and individuals from lawsuits if they felt doing business with a gay or lesbian customer violated deeply held religious beliefs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGLAS NAPIER, SENIOR LEGAL COUNSEL, ALLIANCE DEFENDING FREEDOM: This bill about is protecting people who want to freely live out their faith in business. And the government can't coerce them to violate their conscience as a condition of being in business. This is the like Obamacare abortion mandate cases that are out there right now where the majority of Americans say businesses shouldn't be forced to support a government program that violates their conscience. That's why we're taking the cases to the Supreme Court. This is no different. This is the same law that Congress passed in 1993, signed into law by Bill Clinton, supported by the ACLU. It's been passed by 26 other states.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Governor Jan Brewer told CNN she'll decide whether to sign it into law by Friday. Also she said this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JAN BREWER, (R) ARIZONA: I think everybody who owns a business, they can choose who they work with or who they don't work with. But I don't know it needs to be statutory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Joining us now CNN legal analyst Paul Callan. Paul, I watched part of the conversation you had with that attorney from ADF. It's interesting that he says this has been on the books since 1989 but there are major changes in the law. What are you hearing from Jan Brewer?

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, with all due respect to the governor, what I'm hearing is somebody who is playing both sides of the issue a little bit. If you look at that statement that she made, she said basically I believe people should be able to do business with who they want to do business with. And that doesn't have to be statutory, she says, which means we don't need a law.

Well, right now, the law is you can't discriminate against people based on the color of their skin, based on their religion and based on a whole bunch of other things. That's the law. So the law already says you can't necessarily exclude people just because of belief that you have. So, I can't figure out whether she's meaning against the law or for the law when you look at the context of the statement.

PAUL: But, when you look at this whole thing, Paul, who does the court normally view as the victim? I think that's where people are taking sides with this, too. Is it the gay couple who is denied service? Or is it a business owner who faces a lawsuit?

CALLAN: Well, the laws, of course, vary from state to state. But here's the normal law, and I think people will be very familiar with this. Let's say in the employment situation, you want to get a job. And the employer says, well, you know, I don't like women. So I'm not going to hire Christi Paul. And I have a conscientious religious belief about that. There are parts of the bible that says that women should stay home and obey their husbands, OK. And I believe that, so no women are going to ever get hired by my business.

Well, I think a lot of people would say that's discrimination. And we have laws in this country that say you can't discriminate on that basis. What this Arizona law will do, if you decide you want to discriminate against gay people, and it's based on conscientious belief, sincere belief, and I don't know how you judge that, that will be used as an excuse to discriminate. And I think this is a blue print for discrimination against gay people.

And why do we suddenly need this new law on the books in Arizona? There's only one reason, because people are upset about where the courts are going with gay marriage rulings. And they're trying to use this law to discriminate in a different way. So --

BLACKWELL: Hey, Paul --

CALLAN: Yes?

BLACKWELL: Do you expect a backlash or for this to be extended or expanded to other groups? As you said, I have a deeply held religious belief that women should not be -- I don't know, anyone could pick something.

PAUL: Working.

BLACKWELL: Working, or should not have hair done or makeup as the bible speaks of how a woman is adorned. Could that be extended to races? It seems like this is never ending?

CALLAN: Well, it is. And that's what frightens me about it. You know, you look at an extreme example of what the Taliban and what their view of Islam is. I mean, people get stoned to death for adultery and women are required to wear burqas. Now, let's say we've got a Taliban group in Arizona, and they certainly have conscientious beliefs. Obviously, we're not going to let them stone somebody to death, because in the United States, the way the law works is, you can believe whatever you want, that's protected by the constitution. But how you practice your religion is a very different matter. And if you violate somebody else's rights, that can be a violation of law in the United States, even if it emanates from conscientious religious belief. We don't allow human sacrifice. We don't allow the use of illegal drugs in religious ceremonies. There are a whole variety of things that we don't permit. You believe what you want, but you're not allowed to discriminate.

And I think what Arizona would do with this law is they would start us back down the road to selective discrimination based on biblical passages supporting your belief in the discrimination, a dangerous law, I think.

PAUL: Paul Callan, thank you so much for walking us through this.

BLACKWELL: Thank you, Paul.

PAUL: Christi, I think it's good that they hired you.

(LAUGHTER)

BLACKWELL: I do, too.

PAUL: I thought that was an interesting take. But I appreciate that, Paul. Thank you so much.

BLACKWELL: Thank you, Paul.

Next, this is serious, not only for the people on this campus, but for all the people who are fighting for civil rights and who fought alongside James Meredith. That's the statue of the man, the first black student at Ole Miss back in 1962. Well, a noose was hung on that statue, a confederate emblem on the statue as well, the "n" word thrown at a student there. Now the FBI is stepping in.

PAUL: Up next, why so many people are questioning whether the university has, quote, "a culture of discrimination."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: A racist and offensive stunt at Ole Miss has turned that into a criminal investigation. And this morning, the FBI is working with campus officials after a noose was placed on the statue of civil rights pioneer James Meredith. He integrated Ole Miss in '62. Three freshmen who are believed to be connected to the case have been kicked out of their fraternity. Meanwhile, a second incident has some students on edge.

CNN's Nick Valencia is in Mississippi. Nick, what are you hearing from the students there on campus?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor, good morning. I've spoken to a lost students here, and every single one of the students I've spoken to and the faculty are very quick to distance themselves from the actions of these three freshmen students, as well as the actions of whoever it was who threw alcohol and called Kiesha Reeves the "n" word. She's the African-American student who told us yesterday she was the victim of a racist attack just a day after the three freshmen allegedly desecrated the statue of civil rights icon James Meredith.

Just a little while ago, Victor, I spoke members of a majority black fraternity, and they told me, listen, Nick the good old boys definitely are not gone in Ole Miss, but they represent very few people here and a very small minority. And when I spoke to the chancellor of the university he also said that. He did not deny that there is systemic racism in the United States and here at Ole Miss, but he says in recent years that this university has gone above and beyond to try to have honest conversations about the realities of this university historically being one of intolerance and historically being a lightning rod for race-related issues.

And despite the two very public events that happened here -- you know, some are calling them extremely racism events here at Ole Miss, he said that's not the case nowadays. That's what we're hearing from students and faculty as well.

BLACKWELL: Specifically, this student, Kiesha, that you spoke with, what is she saying about her experience there? Is she saying is this typical behavior, or is this just an anomaly? VALENCIA: She said the racism here at Ole Miss is subtle racism. She's heard about it, but she's never been a victim until Monday night when whoever it was threw alcohol on her and said a racial slur. She went on to highlight the very wonder experience she's had here at the University of Mississippi and she says she has no plans on transferring.

There are other students that we've spoken to. They do say they've seen the racism. But again, it's a very small group. I spoke to a tolerance organization, the Winter Institute. I and I want to play some sound about that interview just to give some context about why it's such a big deal that racial issues happen here at Ole Miss.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: Racial incident, racially fueled incidents happen throughout all of the country in all of college campuses. Why is it such a bigger deal when it happens at Ole Miss?

APRIL GRAYSON, THE WINTER INSTITUTE AT UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI: Because this university was founded on the principles of holding slavery.

VALENCIA: Have things changed here or is that just a PR thing?

GRAYSON: I think quite a bit has changed here. That is not to say that we still don't have a lot of work to do. But it's not the same university it was in 1962.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: And an update on those three alleged suspects. No arrest warrants issued so far but the university is definitely trying to get them arrested.

BLACKWELL: All right, Nick Valencia, in Mississippi for us, thank you.

Still to come in the Newsroom, gays are fighting for a spot at the Republican table. The leader of one conservative LGBT group is stepping down just as the organization gets an invite to C-PAC. We'll explain why next, and ask how the Republican Party can win over the gay vote.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN breaking news.

PAUL: Bottom of the hour now, let's talk about what's happening with this breaking news in Ukraine this hour. The Ukraine parliament, we are just learning, has just voted to remove President Yanukovych from office, a unanimous decision. What you're looking at here are live pictures, folks, of the Ukrainian parliament right now. Now, the president is in a pro-Russian stronghold, we understand, in eastern Ukraine. And in an interview on Ukrainian TV just a while ago, he vowed he wasn't going to resign. BLACKWELL: What we learned from our correspondent there Phil Black who is there in Independence Square is that President Yanukovych was not at the presidential palace, and that the opposition forces, their leaders, were standing around those government buildings. They had taken control of that building. And we learned that they actually, of course, believe that this government is corrupt, and they believe that there's evidence of the corruption on the documents inside the presidential palace, and they would not give up control of those.

We know that there was a truce that was ordered midweek but, you know, that truce went nowhere. But the deal was signed yesterday. Opposition wanted him out before December of this year, and now the parliament has voted him out today. Let's go to Phil Black there at Independence Square. Phil, give us the latest to kind of break down how this happened so quickly.

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sure, Victor. Well, in parliament today, a lot has been changing. It's really been redrawing the political landscape of this country. It's been sacking figures in the government that were closely aligned with president Viktor Yanukovych and appointing others. We heard that they voted to free the prime minister who was an enemy of the president. Now they've passed a resolution calling for his resignation, or really saying, without quite explaining why, he has unconstitutionally himself removed himself from office and calling for new presidential elections in May.

Now, just how legal this is, how enforceable, how realistic the results of this resolution can actually be put into practice is a little bit unclear at this moment. What we have confirmed, we are pretty sure that Viktor Yanukovych had left the capital of Kiev and has flown to near the Russian border. It's his political heartland. In a statement to the country he says he is not resigning. He is not leaving the country. He is still working to try and end the bloodshed and stop the country splitting in two. He said moves to kick him out of office today essentially equal to an attempted coup. So although parliament has voted him out, it doesn't look like he's ready to go just yet.

BLACKWELL: Phil Black there in Kiev for us. We'll keep an eye on what's happening in Kiev and wherever the soon to be former president is right now. As we get more developments of course we'll bring Phil back.

We're going to turn now to domestic politics here in the U.S. And for the first time ever, the conservative conference CPAC will include the conservative LGBT group GOProud at this year's event.

PAUL: This invitation we should point came with stipulations. GOProud would only be a guest. No official sponsorship. No booths. That agreement angered GOProud's co-founder Chris Barron so much that he actually left the group.

BLACKWELL: Just weeks ago the groups other co-founder, Jimmy Lasalvia, he left GOProud as well and the Republican Party. He said he could no longer tolerate bigotry in the GOP. So joining us to discuss is Jimmy Lasalvia, the co-founder of GOProud, its former executive director. It's good to have you with us.

JIMMY LASALVIA, FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GOPROUD: Thanks for having me, Victor, Christina.

BLACKWELL: So tell me, what do you think of your co-founder's announcement that he left after this deal was brokered, I guess, for GOProud to at least attend CPAC?

LASALVIA: Well just to correct something you said, GOProud was a sponsor of CPAC for a couple of years. We were sponsors. And the forces of intolerance and bigotry in the conservative movement boycotted CPAC and GOProud was banned from sponsorship. So now that they are asked to come back as guests to me is just really treating the organization as three-fifths of a group. And that's just not OK in America in 2014, and it's just evidence -- and the fact that this is even a story is evidence that the conservative movement and the Republican Party are simply out of touch with life in America today.

PAUL: So, what do you say to the people who assert this year it's the first step, that this year, you're going to be a guest, next year we get a booth, does it all have to come at once? What do you say to that?

LASALVIA: Let me just say, GOProud was a sponsor of the event, had a booth. I spoke at CPAC. And it was the forces of intolerance that boycotted, that caused GOProud to be kicked out because they're gay. And the truth is that if I were still leading GOProud today, I would not allow it to be treated as three-fifths of an organization. That's just not right today.

And that's one of the reasons I left the Republican Party because that cultural disconnect, that being out of touch with real life in America today, is going to keep Republicans from ever winning a national election again. And -- yes?

BLACKWELL: Let me ask you, what happened to GOProud? From what I've read and I'm glad that you are going to correct the record if it's wrong, but two interns made this deal between GOProud and CPAC. What happened to the organization that the interns are now making these deals?

LASALVIA: Well, I'll just say it was reported correctly that they started out as my interns years ago, and they're no longer interns.

BLACKWELL: OK.

LASALVIA: So they were my interns. And they're young guys. And they took over when I left last year. And I wish them well with the organization. It's just that I would not allow the organization to be treated this way, because it's just not right.

PAUL: OK, so let me ask you, do you think there's anything that the Republican Party can do to win you back now that you've left?

LASALVIA: Well, I think that the purpose of political parties is to win elections. And I think that the forces of intolerance in the Republican Party and conservative movement now are going to keep Republicans from ever winning the presidency again. So what's the point? I mean it would be like if Michael Phelps tried to win an Olympic medal with a ball and chain around his ankle. That's never going to happen, no matter how good the candidate, no matter how good the policy and message, as long as this -- there's this cultural disconnect. And that's going to take generations to change.

BLACKWELL: Jimmy Lasalvia, part of our job here is not only to push the story forward and to learn new facts but to clean up some of the misconception of the past. Thank you so much, Jimmy.

PAUL: Thank you.

LASALVIA: Thanks.

PAUL: What would you do if you saw a woman giving CPR on the side of a very busy highway? Several drivers jumped out of their cars to help when this happened.

BLACKWELL: And one was a photographer who recorded the entire scene. He'll tell us in just a moment what it was like. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: It was a genuine life or death situation that was unfolding on a highway in Miami Thursday. A woman jumped out of her car, holding an infant and screaming the baby was not breathing.

PAUL: A "Miami Herald" photographer Al Diaz was behind her. He didn't know CPR, but he did know how to help.

BLACKWELL: He ran out on the highway until he found help. And after he found help he snapped these incredible pictures of the drama. Al Diaz joins us on Skype from Miami. Al, it's good to have you. We look at these pictures we're happy that woman was there and she knew what to do. What was your first thought when you saw this woman jump out of this car with this baby?

AL DIAZ, "MIAMI HERALD" PHOTOGRAPHER: Oh, well, it was pretty dramatic? I wanted to help her so bad, and, you know, I feel bad that I didn't know CPR, you know, I wasn't going to sit there and leave. I think knew she needed help. And I went trying to find someone that knew CPR.

PAUL: So I'm wondering, what was their reaction, you know, the people in these cars? Did you just go up to cars and stick your head in the window and say, do you know CPR? How did that all play out?

DIAZ: I guess -- I'm sorry, someone's ringing on my door.

PAUL: At your door. Do they not know you're on CNN right now? I'm kidding.

DIAZ: I went to the first car. This woman popped out of her car, Lucilla, she went and rendered aid. She asked Pamela, the aunt, if the baby had eaten, if she was choking. And so, when at that point, I got more help, which is where I came across the Sweetwater police officer which came to the aid. And then there were other police officers that were stopped in traffic, and they came along and helped as well. And then at that point, once there was that bit, things start to calm down. And at that point, I wanted to leave. But I said, no, I better do my job. I went and got the camera. That's when the baby stopped breathing and I started to photograph that.

BLACKWELL: That's an important point in the story, but as reporters, we're often asked when we're covering storms, tragedies. When do you make the decision to help the person in need or to report, pick up the camera, pick up the microphone, how did you make that decision and when did you make it?

DIAZ: Well, there was no question that I needed to help her. That was the decision made in my mind years ago. I cover live trauma situation that I'm usually not involved in it. But I witness a lot of stuff as a photojournalist for the Miami herald. That's parallel with the Miami International Airport. So when you're traveling along your mind wanders. And there's plenty of time where I visualize something like this occurring. So my mind's always been clear to be a humanitarian first and a photojournalist second.

PAUL: Your pictures are captivating. We want to point out there are other pictures shown of the family. We understand that baby, we're just getting an update, is in stable condition, very possibly in part out to you, Al Diaz. Thank you for sharing that experience with us.

BLACKWELL: Thank you, Al.

DIAZ: Thank you. Appreciate it. Thanks for the call.

PAUL: Look at that, so sweet.

OK, it has been one of the hot topics in Washington this week. A lot of talk about closing that wage gap, right? Guess what, the Gap, as in the store, is now getting involved.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Here is the raging debate. And I know you have your opinion. Is raising the minimum wage to $10 an hour helpful or does it hurt in some way? This week a new report helped answer that.

BLACKWELL: The answer from that report is that it might do both. But President Obama is calling on businesses to do the work. CNN's Alexandra Field is live in New York. So tell us about this huge business now that has, I guess, done what president Obama's asked.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there's a lot of mixed reaction already, Victor. We're hearing from minimum wage workers who say they're very encouraged by this news this week that Gap will voluntarily raise its minimum wage. But, of course, smaller business owners are speaking out, too. We spoke to one business owner who said she's already feeling squeeze by a minimum wage raise in her own state.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is not just good policy, it also happens to be good politics.

FIELD: President Obama pushing a top initiative raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 and now heaping praise on Gap, Inc., a company he hopes will be a trendsetter. Gap, the parent company of Banana Republic, Old Navy, announced this week it will raise the minimum wage for 65,000 employees to $9 by June of this year and $10 a year later.

LUIS VASQUEZ, MCDONALD'S EMPLOYEE: They're still not paying me enough to be able to survive.

FIELD: Luis Vasquez makes $8 an hour at McDonald's in New York City. Fast food workers and the unions that support them have publicly lobbied for a much bigger pay hike, $15.

VASQUEZ: And $15 an hour would allow me to move into my own place and be able to pay my own bills.

FIELD: But in New Jersey, Dolores Riley says if her payroll costs go any higher she could be forced to shut down her daycare business.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know if I can make it. I really don't think I can afford it.

FIELD: When New Jersey raised its minimum wage to $8.25 an hour in January, Riley says out of fairness, she felt she had to increase every employee's salaries, not just the lowest earners. Riley estimate she'll pay an additional $10,000 to $15,000 in payroll this year.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Which is a lot of money. I'm not a rich company. I'm certainly not the Gap.

FIELD: The president has urged those to follow Gap's lead along with action from Congress.

OBAMA: I'm going to be speaking Republicans who are game and to work with us.

FIELD: This week, the Congressional Budget Office raised its minimum wage report, one that adds fuel to both sides of a national debate.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: To Republicans, the CBO hammers home the hope that if you raise the minimum wage, you kill a lot of jobs. Democrats in the White House reject that argument and they point to a different part of the report that says nearly a million people would be raised out of poverty.

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FIELD: Republicans and Democrats both closely scrutinizing that CBO report, take a look at those estimates as well as the job losses and the potential number of people lifted out of poverty. But it is worth pointing out right now, Christi, Victor, that 21 states do have a minimum wage that is higher than the current federal level of $7.25.

BLACKWELL: Alexandra Field for us, thank you.

Still to come, do you live in the happiest state in the nation?

PAUL: Or the most miserable? There's a new list out. We're going to show you.

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PAUL: OK, for those of you at home right now thinking I need a getaway.

BLACKWELL: Got something for you. Travel writer Trey Butler tours some of the coolest spots in Atlanta on this week's "Travel Insider."

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TREY BUTLER, TRAVEL WRITER, AUTHOR: Hi. I'm Trey Butler, a travel writer and author, Atlanta, which is my city. Here we are in the Atlanta beltline's new eastside trail. Atlanta has never been known as much of a pedestrian city, but I think that's changing rapidly.

Tell me about the history of the beltline.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Atlanta beltline is really for corridors. They were built around the time the city was starting to come into being. It's sort of a unifying force that the city's never had.

BUTLER: You have a little bit of everything, places to jog, ride bikes, even a skate park and delicious brunch spots. Let's check it out. Atlanta's definitely a town that loves a long, leisurely brunch. I love this patio for the sun and doing people-watching. It's also a great place for getting a new twist on southern classics. I love beignets.

Here, at Sister Louise's church, the emporium, one of my favorite spots in town. The walls are covered by artwork by Grant Henry, who is a local artist. The art is a little bit on the edgy side.

Can I leave with it today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can do that or I will trade you for something.

Everything from thrift shops to antique stores.

BUTLER: Even though it is an art bar and it is a bar filled with art, it's not a pretentious crowd. It's always a good time. There's no comparison.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: All right, so if you are thinking of taking a trip why not go to the happiest place in America? Gallup ranked them all. North Dakota, you are a winner!

BLACKWELL: Yes, North Dakota. The Midwest state topped last year's winner Hawaii, who actually dropped to eighth this year.

PAUL: North Dakota followed by what else, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Montana.

BLACKWELL: I need some of those Dakota secrets.

PAUL: Hey, get happy today.

BLACKWELL: Yes, find a reason to be happy.

We have a reason -- our colleague, Fredricka Whitfield.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, because you're out of here.

BLACKWELL: Yes. You're taking it over. That's the reason.

WHITFIELD: I'm happy -- I'm happy that you're all with me at this very moment, and hey, I'm happy that you're at home -- at home with me, yes I'm happy. All right, it's good to see you guys.

BLACKWELL: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Right -- continue to be happy.