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Search And Rescue Continue To Look For Missing Malaysia Airlines Flight; Bob Levinson's Family Holds Out Hope For His Safe Return; Former NBA Star Organizes To Bring Bae Back; Insight On Phil Jackson's Potential Return; Suspicious Death In Back Of Louisiana Patrol Car Handed Over To State Police

Aired March 09, 2014 - 17:00   ET

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

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Deborah Feyerick, in for Don Lemon today.

Well, we start oversees right now, another day is dawning with the men's frustration for search crews and then it is heartbreak for hundreds of families. We are talking about the commercial airliner that just vanished this weekend somewhere between Malaysia and China. The airplane is missing. They say 239 people onboard is unknown. There is no other word for this except a mystery.

Before the sun went down the first and only physical crew cropped up. A search crew saw what they think was a piece of debris. Several boats are on the scene now and it will be light again soon while time passes with no answers, airline officials and expert pilots can only guess what happened. Did the Boeing 777 come apart in flight, in mid air? Did the flight crew turn away from its flight path?

And the confirmation that two passengers got on that flight with stolen passports. That is forcing investigators to put together a possible terrorisms scenario. That they are unknown people on that plane. Well, emergency centers are up and running at Malaysian airline flight schedule destination Beijing. It is also where it departed Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. That is where Malaysia's national aviation chief spoke to reporters not long ago.

CNN's Jim Clancy is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AZHARUDDIN ABDUL RAHMAN, DIRECTOR GENERAL, CIVIL AVIATION: We have in fact intensified our search in the area. Initially, it was radius of 20 nautical miles from the (INAUDIBLE). We have increased it to 50 nautical miles. We have included to search also -- and the outcome so far there is no sign of aircraft (INAUDIBLE).

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Officials here say they have clues. One is a new indication that the jet liner may have attempted to reverse course and return home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have looked at the recording and there is an indication, civil indication, that the aircraft may have turned back. But we are still looking for areas from the international agencies. One of the possibility is coming back to life.

CLANCY: The Air Force chief told us more time and help was needed to analyze the radar data itself and pin point the aircraft's location. Another front the two men who boarded with stolen passports, officials say they should have set off alarm bells. And they have launched an investigation into why it did now. Interpol maintains a database of stolen passports that are easily used by airlines and airlines security.

Meantime, more planes, 34, from multiple nations have joined in the air search while some 40 searcher ships are in the Honda's (ph) wealth. Malaysian officials say they want answers, the media wants answers and grieving family members too long to know where Malaysian airlines flight 370 went down. The search begins anew at dawn.

Jim Clancy CNN at the briefing center near Kuala Lumpur international airport.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: And several theories are emerging into how this aircraft seemingly just vanished during its flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Was it engine failure? Was it pilot error or it was something more sinister involving those fake passports and the people holding them.

Jim Tilmon is a former commercial airline pilot and an aviation expert. He joins me now from Phoenix.

And Jim, you have decades of experience in the cockpit. You see this, a plane just vanishes. How do you process that, what do you make of it?

JIM TILMON, AVIATION EXPERT: It is very difficult to process because it kind of goes against everything that you have known about aircraft and flying with an airline. I can tell you that whatever happened in my view, had to be very catastrophic. You are talking terms of engine failure, literally if both engines had blown up, the airplane would have been able to fly more than likely. And certainly, that would have been time for a distress signal to get out.

There is term that has being spoken about since last night is a real puzzle. Why would the crew (INAUDIBLE) make that turn if the crew was in fact in control. There are questions like that, that really plague all of us that really are looking for some kind of answer to what happened.

FEYERICK: Yes, there has always been a concern that possible terrorist, and we are not saying that this is the situation, but would use somebody else's passport, use a fake identity to get onboard a plane. How significant do you see this? Is there a possibility that this is a coincidence that both were seemingly lost in Thailand?

TILMON: I find that interesting information. But I'm not sure that I find it to be really relevant to what exactly what happened to this airplane. We have yet to discover more about those people and their passport use at all. The thing is you have to realize that getting past the cockpit door is what a terrorist would have had to do to threaten their cockpit and get them to turn around or whatever else. It is reinforced. They can't do it from the cabin unless somebody allows you to do it. And then of course that means someone had to coerce the crew to do something that they didn't want to do.

FEYERICK: I want to talk more about that. What would cause pilots to turn the way that they turned. Would it have been an atmospheric problem, something in the air? Would it have been some sort of mechanical failure? What do you think would cause a plane to veer that way?

TILMON: Well, none of those things that you mentioned would be things that would also eliminate the possibility of getting a distress call no matter what. All right, of those things are possibilities, they are scenarios. But you know, you are trying to make sure that maintain some king of contact with the people who can really help you, the ground control people.. And you want to keep them advised as much as possible. And then when you consider the fact that you have radio equipment onboard the airplane the sends information realtime, even if you failed to make that call, there would be information going to the ground letting the ground know that there was a change that was taking place that was not planned before. The return is one thing, but then there is more information to that we need to verified.

FEYERICK: And so, the fact that they were not able to get off any sort of a distress call, the fact that there was that sort of turn, it suggests that there was catastrophic event that essentially eliminated even the ability to get off that kind of call. That would mean the plane disintegrating in mid air, no?

TILMON: It certainly sounds that way. And of course, the debris field that we will established after this investigation goes little further, would give us some indication about whether or not it goes up before it hits the water. Because it makes a very wide debris field. If it is more concentrated, it means likely that the airplane was intact when it hit the water. So, there again, we are waiting and hoping.

FEYERICK: Yes. Everybody is waiting. Everybody is hoping. And obviously, a lot of prayers for the people who have loved ones onboard that flight.

Sir, thank you very much. We appreciate your joining us.

Jim Tilmon, former pilot and expert, thank you so much. We appreciate your time.

Well, President Obama will meet face-to-face with Ukraine's interim prime minister as they both scramble to keep part of Ukraine from slipping further into Russian control. The two leaders will talk Wednesday at the White House. And that is just days before Crimea set to vote on possible secession to join Russia. Both leaders have planned the referendum calling it illegal. Meanwhile, Russian president Vladimir Putin descent into Crimea's oath in calls today with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British prime minister David Cameron.

I want to bring in CNN international's Michael Holmes in Kiev.

Michael, how are people in Kiev, the nation's capital reacting to this upcoming Crimea vote which would essentially make Crimea its own country?

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it to make it under that the wording of the referendum Putin making part of the Russian federation. The extraordinary thing I think that caught everyone off guard was the wording of the referendum choices. Essentially, it boils down to stay in Ukraine or go to the Russian's federation. The people down in the square behind me when they had their revolt that forced the president out and brought in an interim government, they didn't expect that it would also lead to one of their region, Crimea, perhaps leaving the country to the people here. It is quite extraordinary and in many ways, unthinkable.

I spoke to one man who said how can you have a referendum under the barrel of a Russian ground because you got all those armed men doing searches and roadblocks in Crimea now. There is pro-Russians fighting with pro-Ukrainians. It is a very tense and very uncertain as seen in Crimea. And here, the people in the rest of Ukraine are quite stunned that came to this point -- Deb.

FEYERICK: Yes. And what you are referring to, I mean, clearly, it must have been just sort of a complete turnaround. Here you had protesters who wanted to align himself more closely with the west, wanted a better trade, wanted a different kind of political system. Technically, they got it. But now, they are facing something very different. And that is what could be new boarders drawn in their country. What is the mood there? And especially economically because the Russians are now threatening to cut off natural gas and the bad pork imports. So they are really putting the choke on Kiev economically.

HOLMES: Yes, the complex. And what it about speaks to is the complex make up of this country in the east of the country and down in the southeast where Crimea is. You have a large ethnic Russian population, people with close ties to Russia. Some of them hold Russian passports as well. And they see what was happening here in Ukraine with the revolutions. It has moved towards Europe as being threatening in a way. And Vladimir Putin was certainly not shy in stoking those flames. And now, we see a situation where Crimea could both become part of the Russian federation.

One of the other fears here is in the east of the country when you have that ethnic Russian population as well. Although, not a majority, is perhaps you could see them also wanting to have a referendum. I mean, there was a demonstration in (INAUDIBLE), the east of the country here and also in Darnets (ph), where you have protesters taking over (INAUDIBLE) buildings and asking for a referendum for them too. They are not in Crimea. They are in eastern Ukraine. So, there is a lot of fear too of, you know, how this could spread and you know, what it could lead to in the long run. It is a very de-stabilized. There is no question -- Deb.

FEYERICK: All right, Michael Holmes for us there in Kiev. Thank you so much. We will touch base with you a little later on for the latest.

And coming up, you know him as the man who broke the water gate story in 1970s. Next, hear why Carl Bernstein, hear what he says about Vladimir Putin being scarier and we are getting him credit for and why his actions may be linked to World War II.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: President Vladimir Putin is now blinking his global pressure rises fir Russia to call it in Crimea. Putin has denied pro- Russian troops are even in Crimea. But Putin says Russia has every right to protect ethic Russian that are there. Appointing apparently made on us today with German chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Well, our next guest says Putin maybe scarier than we can even fathom.

Carl Bernstein have break the Watergate story at "the Washington Post" in the 1970s. The Pulitzer-prize winning journalist has focused on the used and abuse of power for his entire career.

Carl Bernstein joins us now. Thank you so much for being here.

CARL BERNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You can start by saying I'm not sure that I ever said anything like that that he is scarier than we can fathom. It doesn't sound like anything I'd say. I'm not sure where that came from.

So, let start not to over sequels by, what is it really a complex situation in Ukraine and go to what is factual and what we think we know and what is contextual. I think it is a hard journalistic story to get a handle on because there is so much happening so fast.

FEYERICK: Well, first of all, you have said that Putin has seems to be making this as he go is along. But let's consider the fact that Putin did this while all the eyes of the world were on Sochi, on the Olympics, and he did this under the vail of goodwill towards him and his country. Was this part of a larger plan?

BERNSTEIN: I'm not in Vladimir Putin's head. I'm told by people who are dealing with Vladimir Putin for the United States and for the western European. They are one of the things that has struck him is that he seems to be making this up as he goes along. That there is no sense that they have with President Obama has, that his national security council staff has, that he started with a real game plan.

Remember, about four days ago, he said that the Russian federation would not be taking Crimea again, then he changed that. He has been all over the place in terms of what he said and what is happening and what is really going on the ground. I think the thing that we need to focus on right now is that Putin, Obama, Merkel, from every available account that I can get. They are talking past each other. That they have totally different interpretations of history, of legality. Putin has obviously greatly angered and very agreed. That is one of the president's aide put it to me.

Why he was agreed has to do with he doesn't think that Russia's historical position in regard to Ukraine is being recognized. He truly believes, I think the White House is convinced with his, that they are factious elements of the demonstrators in Ukraine. That is not to say that we agree with that characterization and we have sought according to the White House and try and deep such people isolated.

But you know, there are two very indifferent interpretations here on what is going on. And at the same time, it is terribly dangerous situation because so far this so-called off ramp that Merkel, Obama, have been trying to get Putin onto, he is not driving up to it. And in fact, it is proved to bring Crimea into the Russian federation, as well as naval blockage and other aggressive actions is continuing.

Meanwhile, you have a situation where your correspondent rightfully said use the word destabilizing. Because one of Putin's goals here is to de destabilize the rest of Ukraine which he knows there is huge sentiment against him in Russia in the rest of Ukraine, but not in some places in the east.

FEYERICK: Sure. So he is playing to his audience. He is basically playing to his audience.

BERNSTEIN: I don't know if I would put it quite like that.

FEYERICK: I'm still uncomfortable with that. But I guess the question would be look, you say that he doesn't have a plan. But maybe he is simply being dishonest in everything he said. But you have a personal story. You were there back in the 1960s. Tell us about that.

BERNSTEIN: I was truck today. There was a big demonstration in Kiev today at the statue of the Ukrainian national poet hero, Shevchenko, 200th anniversary of his death -- of his birth. And I suddenly remembered that in the 1960s in Washington during the thing called captive nation's week meaning captive by the USSR by the Soviet empire, I had covered a demonstration at Shevchenko's statue in Washington in which thousands and thousands of Ukrainian Americans have been bust into Washington, protest the Russian and soviet domination in the Ukraine. Then it just brought home to me that this thing that I had done when I was in my 20s covering this demonstration. We are seeing the same antagonism, this horrible antagon (ph). This is a remembered that many Ukrainians in World War II supported the Nazis. And that is one of the things that Putin keeps saying over and over and over. The Soviet Union lost, I think more than half a million, maybe 700,000 troops trying to -- at Ukraine.

This is a huge international danger flash point such as we've never seen since the fall of communism. And what has got the White House and the German's Merkel's office so concerned is there seems to be no way thus far to disengage and in fact both sides seem to be digging in deeper.

FEYERICK: There is no question about that.

Carl Bernstein, thank you very much. Always appreciate your intellect and your insights. Thank you so much. Appreciate you being here.

Well, a new blood test could predict your chances of developing Alzheimer's disease. Researchers and doctors are calling it a game changer for future treatment. The details coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: In a study released just hours ago, researchers say they found a way to predict have a person will get Alzheimer's disease and it is using nothing more than a blood test.

Here is CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There hasn't been a good way to predict who will get Alzheimer's disease. Whose brain will get the flacks entangled that destroy memory and concentration and who will be spared. But in the first of its kind study, a simple blood test was able to predict who will get Alzheimer's.

DR. HOWARD FEDEROFF, NEUROLOGIST, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: This is a really wonderful piece of science. It is the most significant observation that we've been able to report in my entire scientific career.

COHEN: The researchers looked at the blood of healthy elderly people, checking for ten fatty molecules called lipids. Those who had lower levels of lipids, were more likely to develop Alzheimer's or the memory problems that precede Alzheimer's.

On average, the change from healthy to sick took just two years. And the test was over 90 percent accurate. The researchers and the Alzheimer's association point out more studies need to be done to check and see if this test really works. And even if all goes well, the test won't be in doctor's offices for several years.

So who would want a test to predict Alzheimer's? After all, there's nothing you can do to stop it.

Dr. Howard Federoff, a researcher in the study, says he would want to know.

FEDEROFF: I would want to plan. I would want to work with my family to make sure that I attend to issues that are important to us.

COHEN: But some people might not want to know they are destined for a devastating disease.

(END VIDEOTAPE) FEYERICK: And CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins me now.

And Elizabeth, you know, it is fascinating you have a test that can predict that you are going to get it but nothing to prevent it from coming. That is going to be very difficult to a lot of people. Are we any closer to treatment from Alzheimer's?

COHEN: You know what, Deborah, unfortunately really, there aren't good treatments for Alzheimer's. And I spent the past couple of days asking people I know if you could get a test that would tell you whether you were pretty much destined to get Alzheimer's, would you want it. I really think people are in two counts. Some people like the doctor in our piece say, yes, I want to make some financial plans. I would want to go that family trip I have been postponing. But other people say I don't want that in the back of my head . Emotionally, it would be too difficult to live knowing that I was destined to, you know, for such a devastating disease.

FEYERICK: Correct. So for example, there is another issue and that is, would this in any way affect insurance? So for example, you take this test. You know that you got lower level of lipids. Would that affect the kind of treatment you get, again, we go back to this whole preexisting condition arguments or debate. What have you learned?

COHEN: you know, it is the same question has come up with genetic testing. We do have domestic testing for so many diseases these days. And insurance companies, for the most part, that are not supposed to, you know, discriminate against you because, let's say, you carry the breast cancer gene.

So I imagine you would have sort of similar kinds of discussions around this test. You know, what doctors tell me, Deb, was that was really important here is not so much for an individual can do, but what this means from medical science. Because they said look, we want to prevent Alzheimer's disease. But right now we don't know who to try a prevention out in because we don't know who is going to get it and who is not. They said if we had a group of patients that let's say a thousand patients who we knew were pretty much destined to get Alzheimer's, then we can try out our medicines or our treatments to try to prevent it.

(CROSSTALK)

COHEN: A little bit of hope there.

FEYERICK: All right. Certainly people who are going to get it might be more willing to undergo different sort of trials if they thought the possibility of that at least taking it off were good.

Elizabeth Cohen, good job. Thank you so much. Certainly, good news and you are right. Gives us more to think about. Thank you.

Investigators including the U.S. Navy desperately trying to find Malaysia airlines flight 370. It disappeared more than 48 hours ago. The latest coming up on the search and what we are learning about the Americans who were onboard.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: The sun is rising now in southeast Asia. And that should help search and rescue crews who are still looking for any sign of a commercial airliner that suddenly disappeared. Air traffic controllers heard no distress call. Searchers have so far found no actual wreckage.

The fate of 239 people onboard is still unknown. The plane has been missing now for more than 48 hours. Many questions that still have to be answered. What happened to the plane? Why did it veer? How did it crash? Did it explode mid-air? Investigators are exploring the possibility right now of terrorism, and clearly you can see the grief of the families of all those who were onboard.

Well, those who were onboard the ill-fated flight are truly devastated, the family members, not knowing what happened to their loved ones or where they are now. The airline's manifest shows that the passengers were from 12 countries. You can see them: China, Malaysia, Australia, France, United States, New Zealand, Ukraine, Canada, Russia, Taiwan, Netherlands.

Our Nick Valencia is learning more about one of the Americans aboard that flight. Nick?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, as you mentioned, Deb, somber moments for everyone impacted and affected by this. 239 passengers onboard. And we are learning more about one passenger who was here from the United States from Oklahoma. A resident of northeast Oklahoma City. His name is Phil Wood. You are looking at his image right now. Phil was a humble man, a very kind man, according to his friends. They are holding out hope and prayers for his safe return. He was a graduate of Oklahoma Christian University. He got his degree in math and computer science, and he loved to travel the world.

His job with IBM took him everywhere, and that was a passion that was sprouted from a very early age when his family moved to Germany, taking him abroad. A lot of people there in Oklahoma City holding out hope and prayer for him.

Two more passengers that CNN can confirm that were on that plane are from Canada. One was Bai Shameau (ph) and her husband, Mukesh Murkashi. You're looking at a photo there of the beautiful couple. The couple there, 37 and 42 years old representatively. They have two young children. We don't believe they were on the plane, Deb. But they were originally from Montreal, Canada. They called Beijing home.

Earlier, our affiliate CTV caught up with the boss of the husband that called him a dear friend and colleague. All those that are affected by this, as I mentioned, deeply touched, very interested in this story, and everyone holding out hope. We're seeing lots of very devastated people there, family members at the airports.

And if you want to try to learn more about this, there is a Facebook page, Deb, out there. A lot of people (INAUDIBLE) RIP to the victims. We're calling them possible victims. We don't know exactly what happened to that plane just yet. But this page has nearly 1,000 follows so far. And you can see, these very -- rough to look at the images, to be very frank about it. Lots of news reports being posted on there as well as photos. Friends and family posting about their loved ones. Deb?

FEYERICK: All right, Nick Valencia, thank you so much. The uncertainty and the suddenness of it all, just so unimaginable and difficult to process. Thank you.

It is hard to imagine the agony of knowing your loved one is alive but unreachable. Captured and imprisoned abroad. And for the families of Kenneth Bae, detained in North Korea nearly 500 days ago, and Bob Levinson captured in Iran seven years ago today, this unimaginable suffering is their reality. Levinson spent more than two decades with the FBI before retiring, but he was working undercover for the CIA in 2007 when he disappeared in Iran.

CNN's Alexandra Field has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Seven years ago today, Bob Levinson disappeared in Kish Island, Iran. Tomorrow marks his 66th birthday.

DAN LEVINSON, BOB LEVINSON'S SON: This is going to be the eighth birthday that he has been away from us. He has missed so many family occasions and so many family gatherings. He now has three grandchildren that he doesn't know about.

FIELD: No one has heard from Levinson since his family received this video in 2010.

BOB LEVINSON, CAPTURED IN IRAN: Please help me get home.

FIELD: When it was publicly revealed last year that Levinson, a retired FBI agent, had been working undercover for the CIA, his family told CNN's Susan Candiotti that they had known that all along.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Why didn't you say what you knew at the very start?

CHRISTINE LEVINSON, BOB LEVINSON'S WIFE: The risks to Bob. I didn't know what the risk would be.

FIELD: At the time, the Levinson family provided CNN with paperwork given to them by a source in Iran. They believe it proves Levinson was arrested there in 2007. According to an FBI translation given to the family, it reads in part, "since his spying activities have been established, arrest him immediately." CNN cannot verify the authenticity of the documents. The name on the paperwork, Robert Anderson, is only partially correct.

DAN LEVINSON: We think the number one priority of the U.S. government regarding any relations with Iran right now should be bringing my dad home. Because it's been seven years. And seven years -- one day is too long for him to be away from us.

FIELD: A $1 million reward is still up for information that leads to Levinson's safe return, and his son is back in the region.

DAN LEVINSON: I'm a one-hour flight away from where my father disappeared. We are planning to go back over to Iran. We're going to be applying for our visas.

FIELD: U.S. officials continue to say bringing Bob Levinson home is a top priority, but they have publicly denied that he was working for the government when he disappeared.

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: We have raised the issue of his whereabouts on a continuous basis. I have personally raised it with the Iranians in the course of our discussions.

FIELD: Seven years later, Iran's leaders say they don't know where Bob Levinson is.

Alexandra Field, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: And just ahead, a former NBA player who recently returned from a trip inside North Korea has taken up a cause. His goal: to try to bring the jailed American Kenneth Bae back home.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: So, I'm going to put something up on screen that I'd like you to see. Take a look at this. This clock that you see right now has been counting the days since an American traveling in North Korea grabbed by police, charged with trying to bring down the government. Kenneth Bae was sentenced to 15 years hard labor. And that was 491 days ago, 17 hours, 41 minutes.

Those days have not been easy for Bae. His health is reportedly deteriorating, and North Korea has denied all U.S. diplomatic efforts seeking his release. Dennis Rodman and a group of NBA stars, you may remember, recently were invited to North Korea for the president's birthday. They weren't part of the diplomatic mission to free Kenneth Bae or even to improve relations between the two countries. They traveled there simply to play basketball.

But one of those former players, Kenny Anderson, told our Don Lemon that when he got back to the U.S., he was inspired to again a new effort to bring Bae home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNY ANDERSON, FORMER NBA ALL-STAR: I didn't do my due diligence before going over to North Korea. I didn't know what was going on with Kenneth Bae. I'm not a politician; I'm an ex-NBA player. So when I came back home from North Korea, I wanted to do my research. I did my research on the whole situation, the Kenneth Bae situation, and I thought I wanted to do something. And my partner, David Sugarman, we came up with a great idea to make people aware, bring Bae back. Because a lot of people just like myself, do not know what is going on with Kenneth Bae. And you know, just trying to be an ambassador on (INAUDIBLE) -

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Well, awareness is key. But you said you didn't realize until you got back. But didn't the feelings start when you were in North Korea, it started to click for you?

ANDERSON: After the CNN interview with Dennis Rodman when he you know had the meltdown on CNN. I was like wow, you know and then I got some calls about 24 hours before the game and everything from my wife, my family back home. We couldn't get no TV over there. We didn't know what was going on. But my wife was giving me feedback. And I just didn't feel comfortable, and I was like wow.

I wish I would have did my due diligence. Things would have been different. So when I got back, I did my research, and now I'm aware of what is going on.

LEMON: There were many things that you could have done when you got back here stateside. There are many charities that you could have aligned yourself with. What made you choose to team up in this effort to help Kenneth Bae?

ANDERSON: Because of the backlash that I received from going to play there, I wanted to reach out to the Kenneth Bae family and to just in general let them know, that no, I didn't want no harm, no foul, I wanted to do something and make it positive. And I think -- I didn't know with my ignorance and not doing my due diligence, I didn't know about the whole situation.

LEMON: I'm going to turn to David now. When you heard Kenny, when he came home and he said he wanted to get involved, what did you think?

DAVID SUGARMAN, FOUNDER, BRING BAE BACK: Nothing good actually came out of these guys going to North Korea. And Kenny and I spoke and we said, we have to turn what is a negative into a positive. Who better to do it than Kenny Anderson?

LEMON: Kenny, what's next? What do you have planned to help the family and to help bring Bae back, besides lending your name and personality and trying to bring awareness, how do you plan to help here?

ANDERSON: Basically we are trying to get as many people as possible to sign a petition. Bring Bae Back. Like I said, just be a ambassador for the sports industry so I can educate these guys so we can keep this story, keep it relevant. I'm not a politician by no means, but the platform, who I am and what I have done in my career, playing in the NBA, being an all-star, I might can get some people aware of what's going on with the Kenneth Bae situation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: And again, our promise to the family of Kenneth Bae, we here at CNN will stay with this story as long as it takes to learn what you can do. To help, go to Twitter @bringbaeback. Well, he has 11 NBA titles, and he may be ready to come out of retirement. A coaching legend may be coming back to the NBA. Insight on Phil Jackson's potential return, ahead.

But first the Paralympics Winter Games are happening now in Sochi, Russia. One of the athletes competing was born in Russia, then adopted by an American family. Sanjay Gupta has this woman's remarkable Backstory.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Overcoming obstacles is nothing new for Tatyana McFadden. She was born with spina bifida. That's a birth defect that prevents the spinal court from properly closing while the baby is still in the womb. As an unwanted disabled child in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tatyana was immediately sent to an orphanage after her surgery.

TATYANA MCFADDEN, 2014 PARALYMPIAN: I didn't have a wheelchair, so my legs were atrophied behind my back, and I walked around on my hands all the time.

GUPTA: Six years later, a chance visit by an American to the orphanage changed her life.

MCFADDEN: I immediately knew that she was my mom.

GUPTA: Adoption gave Tatyana an instant family. Her mom pushed Tatyana to participate in sports.

MCFADDEN: Getting involved with sports, you know, saved my life. I wrote down my goals and I said I really want to be a Paralympic athlete and be a medalist someday.

GUPTA: At 15 year old, became the youngest member of the USA track and field theme, at the Athens Paralympic Games. McFadden won four more medals in Beijing. And in London, she finally won gold. In 2013, McFadden won the Grand Slam title for marathon wheelchair racing, and then traded her wheelchair for a sit-ski (ph).

Now, McFadden is back in Russia where she's competing in the Sochi Paralympic cross country Nordic skiing event.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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FEYERICK: A coaching legend may soon come out of retirement in the Big Apple. The biggest name in golf has a breakout round. We're bringing in Terence Moore, a sports contributor to CNN.com and a columnist for mlb.com. Terence, the one and only Phil Jackson apparently very close to joining the New York Knicks. He's had plenty of offers before. Why this time? TERENCE MOORE, CNN.COM CONTRIBUTOR: Well, this time it's a front office job. He's never going to going to come back as a head coach. That's out because you're talking about a guy who's 68 years old with bad knees, bad hips and a bad back. So, physically he can't do it on the court. But he can do it in the front office.

And you know, even though he has this strong relationship with the Detroit Pistons ownership group, this Knicks thing makes a lot of sense. You're talking about a guy who was a legend as the New York Knicks even as a player. Played there for 10 years. The last time the Knicks won a world championship, Deb, was 1973. Phil Jackson was on that team.

The problem here, though, the fact that the Knicks are horrible. You're talking about a franchise, they've only had one playoff series victory in 13 years. You're talking about Phil Jackson, a guy that's got 11 NBA world championship rings. So, it's still not a sure thing. But possibility.

FEYERICK: So just very quickly, as somebody in the front office, is he going to be in charge of looking for talent? In Chicago, he had Michael Jordan. In L.A., he had Kobe Bryant. Is that what his goal is going to be? Just seeing who the players are who can at least invigorate or bring some life to the Knicks?

MOORE: Well, his first goal would be to try to keep Carmelo Anthony there. Because Carmelo Anthony is by far the best player. But he's a free agent so he can easily go. All right. Now, having said that, even if Carmelo stays, Carmelo is no Michael Jordan. He's no Kobe Bryant. Those guys cared about world championships. Carmelo cares more about statistics.

FEYERICK: Yes. Well, maybe Phil Jackson will be able to turn that around. He certainly had such an impact on his players' psyche. So, we'll see.

Switching gears, Tiger Woods. He has been MIA on golf's leader boards in recent months. He stormed into contention yesterday at the PGA tournament in Miami. His best round of the year, a 6 under par, 66. Is he going to be a force at the Masters next month?

MOORE: Well, I'd say, just like that old phrase, ignore that man behind the curtain, ignore what Tiger did today. He's hurting physically. There was one point today, by the way, Deb, where the opposing guy's caddie had to reach in the cup to pull out the ball, his back was hurting so badly.

That being said, Tiger is obsessed with the Masters. We know that because of what you just said. He had eight birdies yesterday. To put that in perspective, you're talking about a guy who didn't practice at all coming into this tournament because of that bad back. Remember, Donald Trump bought this golf course, turned it into like a U.S. Open toughness. It was a brutal win. The old Ttiger will still be able to be the old Tiger. So, I guess you got to say this guy has got Georgia on his mind as in Augusta, as in the Masters. He'll be ready. FEYERICK: Right. All right, well, Terence Moore, thanks so much. Always interesting to have you on. Appreciate it.

MOORE: Thank you.

FEYERICK: Coming up, a handcuffed man shot in the back of a sheriff's car. Now there are calls for the Justice Department to get involved.

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FEYERICK: A Louisiana man allegedly kills himself while in custody at the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office. It happened while he was handcuffed in the back of a patrol car. The investigation is now in the hands of state police. And the man's family is asking for justice.

Rosa Flores joins me with the chain of events leading to this death. What do we know for sure?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I just finished talking to Victor White's father. He says their family is devastated. They are hoping to get the autopsy results pretty soon. He says that his son did own a gun but it's not in his nature to shoot himself in the back of a patrol car.

Now, here's what we know from state police. Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office responded to a fight. Once they arrived on the scene, they arrested 22-year-old Victor White for allegedly possessing drugs. They handcuffed him in the back, they say, and put him in the back of a patrol car and drove him to processing. Once there, he didn't want to get out of the vehicle, the officers say. So the officer called for backup. Moments later, the gunshot went off. Officers say White shot himself in the back of that patrol car. He was transported to the hospital where he later died. Now, here is what his family had to say.

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VICTOR WHITE II, FATHER: I can't see him -- they said being uncooperative. I can't see him in the light in which they're trying to paint him. You know, because that's not how he is. He'll give someone his last. That's all he is. He'll give you his last even though he may suffer from it.

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FLORES: Now, all this is under the investigation of state police at the moment. We talked to the superintendent of Louisiana State Police. Here's what he had to say.

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COL. MIKE EDMONSON, LOUISIANA STATE POLICE: But we'll take whatever time it takes us to make sure that we can separate rumors and innuendos from fact. Because that's what we want, to deal with facts themselves. We'll take those facts as quickly as we can and report them to the district attorney.

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FLORES: Now, Deb, one of the things that really stands out, I did talk to the sheriff in Iberia Parish. He tells me that one of the things they did do, they bagged the hands of both Victor White and the officers. And you know that's an important piece of evidence.

FEYERICK: Absolutely.

FLORES: They'd be looking for gun powder in this case. The results of that have not been released or have not been released yet. But it's going to be an important, key piece of evidence.

FEYERICK: One thing even more important is that the deputies did find drugs, but they didn't find any gun. So how did he get this gun that he allegedly shot himself with?

FLORES: You know, I asked the sheriff that question. I said, how can you frisk someone and find drugs, yet not find a gun? He said he's troubled by that as well. It's not something that he's obviously comfortable with. He said those deputies should have done a better job at doing that, is what he's alleging.

FEYERICK: Been a little bit more thorough.

FLORES: Right. We're going to have to see the results of the investigation and see where it all ends.

FEYERICK: Certainly want to keep an eye on it. Thank you so much, Rosa Flores, for that report. Appreciate that.