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Tornado Warning at Daytona; Brooklyn Nets Signs Jason Collins; Ukraine's Search for New Leader; Carbon Monoxide Poisoning at NY Restaurant; World's Oldest Known Holocaust Survivor Dies At 110 Years Old; Yulia Tymoshenko's Hair: A Purposeful Statement; 3-D Printer Fashion - The Next Possible Trend

Aired February 23, 2014 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Hello, again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

These are the top stories this hour. The NBA will never be the same after tonight. In a few hours Jason Collins could take the court as the league's first openly gay player.

And the Olympics comes to a close in Sochi with no terror attacks, plenty of odd stories and a closing ceremony that pokes fun at how it all began.

And the unrest in Ukraine has settled down, but the country's future is very much in doubt.

Let's begin with a tornado warning that threatened the Daytona speedway and has now been lifted within the last 30 minutes.

Now, there are two new tornado warnings, but they don't include the speedway. Earlier track officials had started to evacuate nearly 250,000 people there. The race was stopped in lap 38 because of bad weather and got increasingly worse.

CNN news editor John Newsom is on the phone with us from the track in Daytona. So John, is everyone being allowed back in? What's going on?

JOHN NEWSOME, CNN NEWS EDITOR: Fredricka, it's hard to hear here that a lot of people here inside the front entrance and here on the track, on the main (INAUDIBLE) in the Roberts Tower. A lot of people here, (INAUDIBLE) mood is still very calm. Everyone is just trying to wait out the storm. Obviously, as soon as they can get the track dry and the rain stops they'll go back to racing here. But I would say there are still a good number of people here who are trying to wait out the storm.

WHITFIELD: And, so, I think I heard you correctly. You said a number of people there are trying to ride out the storm, but I couldn't quite understand you at the very top. Are people making their way back into the stands or it's still coming down?

NEWSOME: It's hard to hear you, but, yes, there are a number of people, I spoke to a number of people who attended the race. They recommended that everyone leave when that tornado warning was still under affect (INAUDIBLE). Now trying to wait it out. (INAUDIBLE) just sort of a pop-up shower and now everybody is just trying to wait it out. And the jet driers will have to come out to the track and (INAUDIBLE) fan and other materials down. Everybody still hoping to get the race in today, obviously. But the rain is still falling right now. People are just standing under the main grandstands and gone to some of the restaurants along the main stretch (INAUDIBLE) some people have decided to go ahead and depart. But I would still say that a good number of people here that still want to see the race today.

WHITFIELD: Got. All right. John Newsome, thank you so much. Be safe there. Will check back with you.

NEWSOME: All right. And this historic moment in the NBA today. The Brooklyn Nets have signed the league's first openly gay player. Jason Collins went public with the news last April that he is gay but he hasn't played in the league since then and now he is about to become a pioneer as the first gay player in one of the major sports leagues.

CNN's Lara Baldesarra joining me now with more on this.

OK. It is official now.

LARA BALDESARRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is absolutely 100 percent official -

WHITFIELD: And he's going to play tonight?

BALDESARRA: Well, he can suit up and he can be in uniform. He's in Los Angeles and he could be on the court playing tonight.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

BALDESARRA: I know, but before all that, he actually had to sign his contract and they did, they tweeted a picture of Jason Collins signing his contract. I like when you see pictures like this. You know, it's pretty neat there. Piece of paperwork.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Be excited about an NBA contract, 10 days, 10 years. Whatever. That's wonderful.

BALDESARRA: Exactly. The Brooklyn Nets - they released a statement shortly after and they emphasized this was really a basketball decision, which is the way that it should be. The game that gets factored into this decision (INAUDIBLE).

WHITFIELD: Now, this is a return to the Nets, though, for him. He played long ago with.

BALDESARRA: He did and he is going back there and he is going to be coached by Jason Kidd, who he was formally a teammate with.

WHITFIELD: That's neat. BALDESARRA: He has a huge support system there, you know, and the NBA commissioner, he's commented on the social implications of this and the social side of this. They released a statement and it said that "Jason told us that his goal was to earn another contract with an NBA team today. I want to commend him on achieving his goal. I know everyone in the NBA family is excited" and you can hear it in our voices, we're excited. This is historic. Yes.

WHITFIELD: Yes. He has been working out, playing with them. This is all news to us, but he's been working out and playing with the Nets, so, that's why he could potentially play tonight. He actually has a uniform that fits him and everything.

BALDESARRA: Absolutely. He does. Yes, he hasn't been just sitting at home watching television or anything. He's been working out and, you know, they wouldn't have given him the contract if they hadn't worked him out, as they say. They've seen him play and he's in shape and hopefully now we'll see him play tonight against the Lakers.

WHITFIELD: OK. All right. We'll be looking for that. That would be very exciting if it happens. It's going to be exciting when it happens, period. But then even more so getting the news today and then possibly hours from now they'll be playing.

BALDESARRA: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: That's cool stuff. Lara Baldesarra, thanks so much, appreciate it.

BALDESARRA: Of course.

WHITFIELD: All right. Stefan Bondy has plenty to say about Jason Collins' news. He covers the team for the "New York Daily News." He's in Los Angeles. So is it your feeling, Stefan, that you're going to see him on the court tonight playing against the Lakers?

STEFAN BONDY, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS" (OVER THE PHONE): I absolutely think that he's going to play tonight. I think it's going to be a historic occasion at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. I'm looking forward to it. You know, they sign him because they needed him and they signed him because they need a frontcourt player. They're kind of depleted in that department. He doesn't have overwhelming stats, but he's a guy that can plug a hole for them and I fully expect him to play tonight.

WHITFIELD: Stefan, we heard this question being asked of Michael Sam yesterday during the NFL combine, but how do you think this will play in the locker room in the NBA?

BONDY: I think they are very open to it. We talked to players already about it. And they all said they would welcome him with open arms. Joe Johnson, who is the lone all-star on the team this year said everybody's comfortable with their own skin. They just want somebody that is going to help them win a championship. They are a veteran group. I think the only thing that is concerning is the media distractions that will come with it. Everywhere they go, every city they go they are going to be asked the same question.

But, you know, they're a group that can handle it. They're one of the oldest teams in the league, if not the oldest team in the league. So if any team can handle it, it is the Brooklyn Nets.

WHITFIELD: You know, you talked about the potential media distractions and the questions constantly being asked about, you know, Jason being a gay player. If his teammates are OK with it, can they handle it, what is going on in the locker room, et cetera? The Nets have clearly talked about that and clearly by them signing him on this 10-day contract it doesn't seem to worry them. Or is it a feeling it's a sign of the times. What has been the response from the Nets on this and the evolution of them offering a deal?

BONDY: Well, I think the basic sentiment is that this is 2014 and 10 years ago this might have been a bigger issue. But as a society, we progress so far in this area. As a league, I think as well. Like I said, they're really open in the NBA. And you got to remember a lot of these guys were already teammates with Jason Collins.

They've been around the league, he's been around the league. Kevin Garnett who plays on the Nets, he played with Jason Collins last season on the Celtics. Joe Johnson played with Jason Collins, the coach Jason Kidd played with Jason Collins from many years in New Jersey. They know him and they know what he's about. They might not have known he was gay when they were playing with them, but just, you know, that just speaks to their character that they're able to understand that they're friends and, you know, being gay doesn't make you who you are.

WHITFIELD: All right. Stefan Bondy, thanks so much for your time.

Again, if you're just joining us, the news being Jason Collins signing with the Brooklyn Nets. Ten-day contract, potentially playing tonight in Los Angeles against the Lakers.

All right, moving on now to Ukraine where the country looks to an uncertain future with no clear leader. Former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, a hero for the opposition announced today that she does not want to be the next prime minister. She rallied the crowd in Kiev last night hours after being released from jail.

It ended a stunning day of events that included parliament voting out President Viktor Yanukovych. He apparently tried to leave Ukraine last night but then was stopped. Nick Paton Walsh is live for us now in Kiev.

So Nick, what happens now for Ukraine and what about for the president who tried to leave the country and was stopped? Where is he and what is his status?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, the question now really is who becomes prime minister. Because we know we have presidential elections in May and we know that the speaker of parliament will have presidential powers in the forthcoming few months or so. We're waiting to see who of the many different candidates put themselves forward from the opposition will take that particular job. It appears that as you said, Yulia Tymoshenko ruled herself out from that, her last word on the matter. The other question, of course, what becomes of Viktor Yanukovych. Now, those who previously supported him have made very swift job of deserting him now, including his ruling party, even, in fact, (INAUDIBLE) a lot of distancing from that man.

I think partly now because the images of his exorbitant wealth he amassed on the job are now being broadly played across Ukrainian television. Just come back from the house where he lived with his nine-foot ostrich and 1950s Bentley, an antique armored Soviet limo, a massive galleon party boat stuck out on the river, endless bottles of extraordinarily expensive wine. That you have to say no real signs of life (INAUDIBLE) enjoy those riches at all.

So, he does apparently have made an effort to leave the country. He may still be in Ukraine. He may have fled. We are still waiting to see what Moscow really have to say on this. They've been kind of silent so far and haven't offered much forthright backing and he was their ally and they were his sponsor for much of the time while he was in power.

So the key question certainly to be answered - the key one being this new government that's racing itself into power (INAUDIBLE) supporting itself in parliament is that actually going to be able to harness the whole country together and, more importantly, can it fix the urgent economic problems this country has that got into this mess in the first place. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Nick Paton Walsh, thank you so much.

The U.S. says it wants to extradite the Mexican drug lord arrested this weekend. How it went down and what's ahead of the House Homeland Security committee had to say about all this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The U.S. will be seeking the extradition of a Mexican powerful drug lord arrested this weekend. Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the alleged leader of the Sinoloa cartel, was captured in a Mexican resort town. He was reportedly found with guns and grenades with him, but the arrest happened without a single shot being fired. The chairman of the House Homeland Security committee told ABC News the arrest is significant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL (R), TEXAS: This is the largest, biggest drug lord we've ever seen in the world and, therefore, I think extradition to the United States where there are multiple indictments and multiple cities, San Diego and New York and Texas and Chicago where we could deal with them in a secure, safe way and bring them to justice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Nick Parker is in Mexico City for us. So, Nick, give us more about the circumstances of the arrest and if there is a feeling that this will make, in any way, a dent on his cartel.

NICK PARKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, I think the circumstances of his arrest really sent a shockwave through the country. I think many people were surprised that he was finally captured after being so elusive for so many years. If you look at some of the front pages of the newspapers today, one word, captured. And a photograph of El Chapo looking the camera directly in the eyes.

He was paraded at the airport in Mexico City yesterday. I think when you talk about the issue of extradition, many analysts are suggesting that current president, Enrique Pena Nieto, really is very sensitive about the issue of sovereignty and he may want El Chapo to face justice right here in Mexico.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PARKER (voice-over): One of the world's most notorious drug lords now behind bars after more than a decade on the run. Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman was paraded before the media in Mexico City, the first public glimpse in years.

The government says the investigation had been on-going for several months.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (through translator): There were several moments in which he could have been apprehended but prudence and common sense prevented us from making the arrest in the place where citizens could be affected. We decided not to endanger the public and wait for the right time. That precisely why with great efficiency and without a single shot fired. The arrest was executed by the navy team.

PARKER: Guzman was caught in a luxury condo development in the resort city of Mazatlan, a popular destination for U.S. tourists. Marines found more than 130 guns, 19 armored cars and two grenade launchers. 13 others were also arrested. U.S. attorney general Eric Holder is calling the arrest of the leader of the Siniloa cartel, a landmark achievement, but some analysts are skeptical about the real impact on the flow of drugs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First of all, the Siniloa cartel is not run by him exclusively. It's an organization that has at least three top leaders. Second, Joaquin Guzman was able to run his part of the cartel from prison before. So there's very little making us think that he will not be able to do that, again.

PARKER: Guzman previously escaped from a maximum security prison in 2001 in a laundry cart. There is an outstanding extradition warrant for him in the United States where he was recently named public enemy number one in Chicago. But analysts say it's unlikely he will be immediately deported as the current administration has not extradited other drug lords wanted in the U.S..

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PARKER: Now, Fredricka, one crucial factor here is that Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman has an estimated fortune according to "Forbes" of $1 billion. So certainly a number of analysts concerned that he could use that vast fortune to potentially corrupt jails in the future, in the coming years. And that, I think, will certainly fuel calls in the United States, his extradition.

WHITFIELD: Nick Parker, thanks so much in Mexico City.

All right. Dozens in this country are exposed to carbon monoxide at a popular mall now a restaurant manager is dead. We'll tell you what caused this terrifying incident.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: New developments this afternoon in that deadly carbon monoxide leak last night at a popular mall in Long Island. A Legal Sea Food restaurant manager died and one of his employees remains in the hospital after inhaling the odorless gas. This sign now posted on the door of Legal Seafood at the Walt Whitman Mall - it says the restaurant is condemned as being unsafe.

Our Alexandra Field has more on the investigation and what caused the leak.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT ((voice-over): A deadly gas leak at a Legal Sea Foods in Huntington, New York, leaves 27 people sick. Investigators say they were exposed to carbon monoxide because of a leak in the flute pipe of the restaurant's water heater. During the busy dinner hour Saturday night, Legal Seafood and two other restaurants at the Walt Whitman Mall were quickly evaluated.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were eating dinner. Place was jammed, an hour wait, just very calmly the wait staff came and told us that we have to evacuate the building.

FIELD: There was no carbon monoxide detectors inside the Legal Sea Foods, according to Huntington town officials who say that under New York state fire codes they're not required in restaurants. Legal Sea Foods passed its annual town inspection last March with no issues.

But on Saturday night, emergency crews realized there was a problem when they, themselves, started to feel the symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure, nausea and dizziness.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They just told us to get out of the building that there are people who were passing out at the Legal Sea Foods.

FIELD: Originally, the crews had been called to treat a woman who had fallen in the basement of Legal Sea Foods and hit her head. That's when they found the restaurant 55-year-old manager Steven Nelson unconscious, also in the basement. He was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had to leave because I didn't want (INAUDIBLE) blow up or anything like that so - I didn't know how dangerous it was and they just told to stay outside. FIELD: More than two dozen people, including seven first responders were sickened by the gas and taken to local hospitals with non-life threatening symptoms. According to police, most of the patients are Legal Sea Foods employees.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD: Legal Sea Foods is speaking out on Twitter, sending a message saying they are devastated by the news of the leak and also offering condolences for the loss of their general manager, Steven Nelson. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Alexandra Field.

Something a lot of us have been talking about all winter long. The Polar vortex. Great name, but what exactly does it mean? Coming up, a quick lesson on the polar vortex.

And you may know actor Gerard Butler as the rough and tumble Spartan warrior from "300" but the star has a softer side. He showed in his work with a CNN hero's charity that works to help impoverished children in Liberia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERARD BUTLER, ACTOR: Please join me in honoring CNN hero and I'm proud that he's a fellow Scotsman, Magnus McFarlane.

I was actually a little bit star struck when I met Magnus. You are amazing.

Since then we become good friends. Now here I am in Liberia.

So we've been driving for about an hour now, (INAUDIBLE) right in the heart of (INAUDIBLE) country. We're passing little kids going to school where the feeding program is going on.

BUTLER: It should be me and Magnus against everybody else.

MAGNUS MCFARLANE: There's just a huge need here. There are so many children out of school and huge problems with malnutrition. We are providing daily meals so the children come to school.

BUTLER: All right. Who's next? Hello.

It's a great partnership going on here. The parents, the elders, the children, the volunteers.

MCFARLANE: When CNN heroes happened, we were feeding just over 400,000 children. Now we are well over 800,000 children every day. That's in the world.

BUTLER: Three plus four.

MCFARLANE: We've seen that enrolment in schools has increased.

BUTLER: What is this?

Lion.

A lot of them didn't eat at all in a day before they came to school. Now they are motivated to come to school. They can focus. You know, education suddenly becomes like a possibility.

Who would have thought when I gave Magnus the CNN hero award that I would be surrounded by the most amazing kids. It just shows you what one person can do when they show a bit of love.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And every week we'll be honoring a new CNN hero, an everyday person doing extraordinary things to help others. If you know someone who deserves this kind of recognition, go to cnnheroes.com and tell us all about them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Bottom of the hour now, welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the top stories crossing the CNN news desk right now.

A day of mourning and sadness in Ukraine following a day of huge change in that country. People laid flowers in Kiev in honor of those who died in protest last week. Yesterday, President Viktor Yanukovych was voted out of office and tried to leave the country and former prime minister and also a critic of that president, Yulia Tymoshenko, was released from jail. Today she said she does not want to be the next prime minister.

More on what is next for Ukraine in a minute.

And Apple has released a fix for security hole in its iPhone and iPad software. The whole effect in people trying to make secure connections like with a bank Web site. And it meant hackers might have been able to see personal information going between your phone and the Web site.

Another big showing for the Lego movie. For the third weekend in a row, the film led box office sales. It took in an estimated $31.5 million. That brings total box office sales to more than $183 million. A sequel is actually in the making set for May of 2017.

The Daytona 500 was interrupted today by a tornado warning. Officials told fans to evacuate the stands after they paused the race in lap 38, the tornado warning was lifted shortly after that. Forty-three drivers are competing in the Daytona 500. The race sets to kicks off the NASCAR season.

And what a surprise. In mid-air, a pilot got a huge surprise when a bird flew right into his windshield.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

WHITFIELD: Right there that bird came right through the glass and into the cockpit and right into his lap. Thankfully, the pilot kept his cool and was able to land the plane safely. Right there just so you can see it, again. Amazing. He was the only person onboard.

All right, so, for weeks now we've been talking about the polar vortex. It's a high-tech name for what most of us know as it's just freezing cold outside.

Jennifer Gray is here to explain what it all means.

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: OK, friends, let's talk. The term polar vortex has taken the country by storm this winter season. It's turned it to a national frenzy. But the truth of the matter is that it's not an alien coming to get you, it's not this big monster that is going to invade the globe, it's always there and it's nothing new. In fact, if you search the term polar vortex on twitter, there are countless tweets about it. Even former president of the American meteorological society, Dr. Marshall Shepherd, got into the action tweeting out the actual definition of the term polar vortex and adding and adding quote "it doesn't come and go visit Florida or bake cookies." Classic.

So, here's the deal, it stays around the pole, and actually, the mid and upper levels of the atmosphere. It's not even on the ground. It stays there all the time, 365 days a year. And when it weakens, it actually causes very cold air to plunge to the south. So, it's actually the affects of the polar vortex you're feeling, not the polar vortex itself. In fact, the arctic blast this week that some are referring to as the polar vortex isn't going to be as cold as the last. You have to keep in mind that as we approach spring, temps will gradually increase.

In Atlanta, for example, our high should be around 60 degrees this time of year. So, even with temps expected to get 20 degrees below normal, a high in the 40s is hardly scary. We're tough now. We survive snowpocolypse (ph).

So remember, the next time you're out with a party and a cubs fan walks up to you wearing this t-shirt, hit the pause button and give everyone a little meteorological dose of reality. It could go a long a way.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Jennifer.

All right, coming up, we'll go live to the White House. The Obama administration is revealing what it knows and where it stands on the upheaval in Ukraine.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The world's oldest known holocaust survivor has died. Alice Herz-Sommer was 110 years old and was imprisoned in a concentration camp in Germany during World War II. A short documentary about her extraordinary life entitled, "the lady in number six, music saved my life" has been nominated for an academy award.

The U.S. has been closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine and President Obama's national security adviser Susan Rice talked about developments there. CNN's Athena Jones is at the White House.

So, Athena, what did Susan Rice say about the whereabouts of the Ukrainian president?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Well, there is a bit of a mystery surrounding the now ousted former president, President Yanukovych. Let's listen to what Rice had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN RICE, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: He left Kiev. Packed up in an orderly fashion. He took his stuff, his furniture with him. This is not fleeing in a very disorderly fashion. So, now he's in a place that will reveal itself. Yesterday, we know where he was and today we're not so sure. But the fact is he's not leading at the present.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: And so, here you go. It is not only does the U.S. know, but the Ukrainian government doesn't know where former president Yanukovych is now. There were reports he tried to flee leave the country. And Susan Rice mentioned that on Friday the state department said that they believed that Yanukovych had gone back to the east, the eastern part of Ukraine to where his base is after leaving Kiev.

But right now, this is just one more sign of the political uncertainty going on there in Ukraine despite the fact that their parliament (INAUDIBLE) is now named an acting president and acting prime minister. There's still a lot of unknowns going on in that situation -- Fred?

WHITFIELD: And Athena, you know, Susan Rice, no one will forget was really the face of the administration criticized initial response to the attack in Benghazi, Libya, that killed an ambassador and three other Americans. What, if anything, did she say about that today?

JONES: Well, this is interesting because this is the first Sunday show appearance that Susan Rice has made since appearing on all five of those shows back right after that incident in 2012, September of 2012.

She was asked by NBC's David Gregory whether she has any regrets about her involvement in that initial response from the administration. And she said then that she does not have any regrets. She was using the information, the best information they had at the time she made clear. She says on those talk show appearances that this information could change. Certainly, we know now that there were a lot of questions about that information. It was not 100 percent accurate. But she said the notion that she or anyone else who had been in the administration was misleading the American people is patently false. So, this is the first time we've heard from Susan Rice responding to this on a Sunday talk show -- Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right. Athena Jones, thank you so much.

JONES: Thanks. WHITFIELD: All right, here's a question for you. With all the news involving the Ukraine, it provoked a question like this. What is in a hairstyle for Ukraine's former prime minister? It is about much more than just style. Straight ahead we will explain why Yulia Tymoshenko's braided hair is a potent symbol to Ukrainians.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: For more than 20 years Dr. Jim Withers has spent his days like this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys going to stay here or use the shelter?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Operation safety net is looking for patients.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've seen people out here with all kind of things that should never be on the street. Catheters and tubes coming out of them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Safety net.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Working in these conditions is rarely easy. Dr. Jim Withers says turning his back on the homeless in Pittsburgh was never an option.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were sometimes when I was kind of scared. I had a guy point a shotgun at me and I had a guy threaten to cut my throat. But once you get to know people and they become real to you, it's hard to forget them. I dropped you off some fire wood.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: On days like this when the temperatures are below freezing the stakes are especially high.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When it gets below 15, somewhere in that range, everybody's at risk. We do extra patrols. Sometimes you sense when a person's giving up and I found that that is a pretty strong predictor about who might not make it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Withers says the payoff has been worth it. That's why he founded the Street Medicine Institute to bring his vision to cities across the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think there's just a sense that if we weren't doing this, there would be no one there for them. And it gives an incredible amount of meaning for everyday work. I wouldn't give it up for anything.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In the middle of the chaos of Kiev you might think a hair style would be the last thing anyone would be worrying about. But when former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko appeared on stage, the audience was thrilled to see her hair was still in her distinctive braid. Earlier this morning Christi Paul and Victor Blackwell spoke with editorial producer Nadia Bilchik about the symbolism of Tymoshenko's hair and why it's so important for Ukrainians.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST, All right, let's go now to the Ukraine where last night Yulia Tymoshenko took the stage after she was released in prison and she appeared exhausted, emotional, angry at point and encouraging the Ukrainian opposition to keep up the fight for independence.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN HOST: Now remember, she's been in prison for two and a half years but she was instantly recognizable to her supporters. That blond braided crown. You see that there that is her trademark. It is her calling card. But you know, it is just a hairstyle. This is very calculated. .

BLACKWELL: Editorial producer, Nadia Bilchik, is here to explain.

Nadia, why that hairstyle? Why that braid?

NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: To understand Yulia Tymoshenko's hair, you have to really to understand her background. So, she didn't start her career as a politician. She was a business mogul. In fact, she was known as the energy mogul of Ukraine. In 2005 when she ran for prime minister, she was considered "Fortune 500's" 100 most powerful women.

So, how do you transform the image of a tough, businesswoman into a prime ministerial candidate. So, she met with image consultants and brand experts who said let's make her look more like a country schoolteacher and that was the braid was supposed to represent four key things and that was, innocence, patriotism, royalty and provision (ph). So, by wearing her hair in this manner she conveyed a completely different image to this self-made millionaire.

PAUL: Has she really worn it that way ever since? I mean, was she wearing it like this every day that she was in jail?

BILCHIK: She was very consistent. When she went to jail in 2007 and a lot of the times she's been in a prison hospital, you've seen her with a long braid on the side which, you know, people often ask, is this her real hair. And in front of supporters once she said, look, I am a serious politician. You know, this is my real hair and she took down the hair. She's are my nails. I don't wear a lot of cosmetics and absolutely. In effect, if you've seen the images of her released yesterday. You'll notice that her hair, the top of her hair is quite a bit darker than the braid. So, obviously, having been in prison, there's not a good hair colorist in Ukrainian prison.

BLACKWELL: You know, I think it reinforces how important imagery is in politics. I think about Madeline Albright and those broaches. I mean, she wrote an entire book about how much --

BILCHIK: But this brand, braid brand (INAUDIBLE), has even taken us to the Olympics because Johnny Weir wore a Yulia Tymoshenko type braid in Sochi Olympics in solidarity with the Ukrainians who wanted to join the EU. So again, it's a statement.

PAUL: So, everybody is wondering if she will be the next president, you know --

BILCHIK: She hasn't said at this point. She actually has not said if she's going to run for president. Again, we absolutely don't know. Interestingly enough in terms of the hair braid, it's so popular that they even You Tube videos on how to braid your hair like Yulia Tymoshenko. But as we said, we didn't want to trivialize it because she is a woman who really wanted to change her image. Now, what is going to be interesting if Hillary runs for president in 2016, in terms of her image, what are her image consultants going to say? What are her brand specialists going to say? Because once they may won, they wanted to convey authority. It happens in the clothing. Three key things SPF, structure, proportion and fit.

What about this garment makes me look authoritative? What about my hair makes me look presidential? So it really, you know, brings an interesting debate and certainly we'll see more of Yulia Tymoshenko in the next while.

PAUL: Right. I just wonder if she will carry it over.

BLACKWELL: Yes, if she would. But I think when people immediately saw that braid we knew who she was. Because even the last two and a half years spending time in prison and the prison hospital, her look has changed. She was in a wheelchair because of her medical problems.

BILCHIK: She has very degenerative discs.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

BILCHIK: And you mentioned how much older she is.

(CROSSTALK)

BLACKWELL: By the signature hair, you immediately knew it was Tymoshenko. And I just want people to know that we're having this conversation about Tymoshenko and Clinton, this is also something men think about. I remember, Al Gore saying, if you see me say after the 2000 election, if you see my shave the beard and lose weight, then you'll know something is happening. Because men think about that, as well. Of course, political consultants look out for the candidates.

BILCHIK: The power of image and the brand braid.

BLACKWELL: All right, Nadia Bilchik. Thank you so much.

PAUL: Thank you, Nadia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, that was fascinating stuff. All right, coming up next, more fascinating stuff. A leap in technology that could revolutionize the world of high fashion. I'll show you how designers are using printers now to make clothes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. They're still not racing in Daytona right now. The great American race is in rain delay. They made it to lap 38 before the weather became a problem. A tornado warning was issued in the area earlier but it has been canceled. The tornado warning, that is. Fans were evacuated from the track, but we're told that they are slowly being allowed back in, but the race has yet to begin. They have to dry the track.

All right, outrageous high fashion shoes, dresses and even underwear. They are all part of a hot trend this fashion season. Haute couture made with 3D printers.

CNN Money tech correspondent, Laurie Segall explains how technology and fashion are coming together.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAURIE SEGALL, CNN MONEY TECHNOLOGY REPORTER (voice-over): This might look like your typical fashion show. But here's the catch, we're not here to see designers like Oscar De La Renta or Versace. The designers we are seeing today have names like (INAUDIBLE) and Adobe. And the items you see on this runway, they were 3D printed.

FAITH ROBINSON, 3D PRINTSHOW: It can actually be a revolutionary turning point about the way clothes are. Not only images and worn and made.

SEGALL: The garments and accessories you're looking at weren't sewn, they were printed.

JULIAN HAKES, ELITE DESIGNER: I think the crossover between materials and technology is happening right now.

SEGALL: 3D printing is a technology that lets you digitally scan a design and then print a physical object layer by layer. The items are generally made of plastic.

HANNAH SOUKUP, DESIGNER: They can be so much more intricate and they have the potential to be so much more intricate material-wise and shape-wise when you're able to design it.

SEGALL: This season, designers sent their models strutting down the runway in 3D printed gowns equipped with 3D printed undergarments. But, let's be honest, no outfit is complete without shoes.

HAKES: I think the really exciting thing about this is kind of like it is little that I choose of your feet, but maybe five years before it's there. So, at some point, yes, you'll be able to put your foot size in and choose a pair of shoes or a garment or a hat that will be exactly the right size just for you. SEGALL: The clothing came from computers. Some of the people ling the runway were wearing them, as well. It's a growing trend. Recently a Victoria Secret model got 3D printed angel wings for the company's annual fashion show. The technology allows designers to try new ideas on their computers before printing the actually physical clothing.

ROBINSON: A whole couture outfit is very exclusive. But what if with a body scan you can have your own individually custom made item of clothing.

SEGALL: It's part of a trend designers call computational fashion.

ROBINSON: Computational fashion is already quite a developed field of practice. But we want to show that this is more than a method of design.

SEGALL: For designer's experimenting with 3D printing, the technology is a canvass for creativity.

HAKES: It allows you to do things that you couldn't do to standard fabrication (INAUDIBLE). So, things that are too intricate for the hand, you know, down to tenths of a millimeter in size and things that are, have too many undercuts which are the technical term for trying to make something from mold.

SEGALL: Laurie Segall, CNN Money, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow, creative indeed.

All right, money, politics and dog sledding. All part of the week ahead.

On Tuesday, we'll get a look at how everyone's feeling about the economy when the consumer confidence numbers are released.

Tuesday is also a big day for the greatest of all-time, it's the 50th anniversary of one of boxing's biggest fights, Cassius Clay to beat Sonny Liston for the world heavyweight title. Clay later changed his name to Muhammad Ali.

Could the market reach new highs this week? Some say it could happen Thursday when new fed chair, Janet Yellen speaks before the Senate. Stocks soared a couple weeks ago when investors liked what she had to say before the house.

By the end of the week, the so-called bridge gate 911 calls are expected to be released. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is trying to recover from the scandal surrounding the closure of lanes on the George Washington Bridge. But investigations into the incident are ongoing.

And Saturday is the start of the Iditarod. The most famous dog sled race in the world starts in Anchorage, Alaska, and ends in Nome. This is the 42nd running of the race. Last year's winner was the oldest ever at age 53.

And one more that's happening on Saturday Justin Bieber turns 20 years old.

All right, before we go, you have see this little girl. She is one of the smartest 3-year-olds on the planet. Alexis Martin is the youngest person in Arizona accepted as a member of Mensa. She has an IQ of over 160, the highest number possible. And just after her first birthday, Alexis could already recite entire books from memory. And by the time she was two, she was reading and taught herself to speak Spanish by using her parents' iPad.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

WHITFIELD: Now, Alexis reads at a fifth grade level. Doctors who tested her say her IQ is so off the charts, they can't even assign a number to it.

Wow. That's incredible.

All someone else I know who is really, really smart coming up next in the NEWSROOM. Don Lemon, my colleague in New York.

Hello, Don.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm not as smart as that kid. Are you OK? Do you need a little water?

WHITFIELD: Yes, I got it. But it's not working.

LEMON: It happens.