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U.S. Citizen Detained in North Korea; Fisherman Speaks about Rescuing Students from Sinking South Korean Ferry; Chicago School Teacher Talks about Public Education Amidst Gang Violence; Interview with Liz Dozier; Catholic Church Prepares to Canonize Two Popes
Aired April 26, 2014 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Fredericka Whitfield. Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM. We're tracking a threat of possible deadly tornadoes and storms. And 20 million people could be affected this weekend. A separate storm system produced several violent tornadoes just last night in parts of North Carolina, shredded and leveled homes. Folks there are now cleaning up and trying to salvage what they can. A relative of a man who lost his home says this is heartbreaking.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I understand we got through it OK. As you can see, this house isn't. But it's heartbreaking. I feel for him and --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just glad he wasn't in it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll do everything we can to help him. He's a part of our family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Meteorologist Jennifer Gray in the CNN Severe Weather Center. Jennifer, this really is just the beginning, isn't it?
JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, really just the beginning. It's going to affect a large area of the country, possibly 20 million people affected as we go through the entire weekend. And you can see these different colors on the maps. This is Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. So, Fred, it basically just marches across the country. This is a life-threatening situation. We haven't seen too many tornado outbreaks. This is the most significant of the season so far.
Right now the radar is staying pretty quiet. Not much going on, a few showers out in the Rockies. But things will change as we get into the next 24 hours and especially the next 48. That high is going to push to the east. We have this upper level low in combination with the dry line, a front behind it. It's going to be the triggering mechanism for this, and we're going to see showers develop all across the middle section of the country. And these are going to march to the east in the coming days. So that warm moist air providing enough instability and combination with this dry air to the west is going to create a slight risk of severe weather. For today, this is basically from the Texas panhandle all the way up through portions of Kansas, Nebraska, that threat moves to the east tomorrow including with a moderate risk of severe weather. This includes the Mississippi River Valley. And then as we get into Monday, we're going to see a moderate risk still in the Mississippi River Valley, and this is going to include the Ohio Valley as well. Fred, this is even going to go on until Tuesday affecting the east coast, so a multi-day event.
But if you look at the tornado averages, this is really when we start to ramp up and we start to see more severe weather across the country. So we do need to be on the lookout and especially this weekend, Fred, it could get pretty nasty out there.
WHITFIELD: Sounds like just the start of what could be a very potentially dangerous season. Thanks so much, Jennifer Gray, appreciate that.
All right, overseas now. North Korean media reports a 24-year-old American man is being held in the country, and in a bizarre twist, a western diplomat says the man appeared to go willingly with North Korean guards. And he apparently tore up his visa. Foreign affairs correspondent Elise Labott has more.
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ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: The 24-year-old American was picked up by North Korea for his, quote, "rash behavior." North Korean state media didn't release a picture but identified him as Miller Matthew Todd. They say he tore up his visa and promised to seek asylum as he passed through customs. U.S. officials tell CNN they first learned about his detention days ago but are not confirming it publicly.
JEN PSAKI, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: We are, of course, aware of the reports that a U.S. citizen was detained in North Korea.
LABOTT: The news of the detention seems timed to President Obama's visit to South Korea, part of a campaign by North Korea's reckless young leader Kim Jong-un to steal the spotlight.
HAN PARK, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA: I think it is carefully measured. World attention is there, especially an American youngster seeking political asylum. And that is a very useful self-esteem booster.
LABOTT: New satellite images also show increased activity at North Korea's main nuclear site, suggesting to some officials Kim is on the verge of another nuclear test.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In light of what we expect to be further provocative actions from the North Koreans, whether in the form of long range missile tests or nuclear tests, or both, that it's important for us to look at additional ways to apply pressure. LABOTT: Even as Kim ratchets up the saber rattling, Pyongyang featured the softer side of its leader this week, featuring rare baby photos and images of him being swarmed by female soldiers in tears as he visits their military unit.
North Korea is still holding American Kenneth Bae. The Christian missionary is serving 15 years in a North Korean labor camp on charges of trying to topple the government. News of yet another American being held by the North Koreans could further complicate U.S. efforts to deal with North Korea's nuclear threats.
Elise Labott, CNN, the State Department.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Russia says its foreign minister and secretary of state John Kerry have talked on the phone about the crisis in Ukraine. Russian officials issued a statement saying Sergey Lavrov stressed the need for the Ukrainian military to cease operations against the pro- Russian separatists in the eastern part of the country. Those groups have seized land and government buildings and they refuse to leave. Meanwhile Ukraine's prime minister says Russian military aircraft crossed into and violated Ukrainian airspace last night. Russia has denied violating the airspace.
Back in this country, the NRA finds itself in a dogfight this year. It's being challenged by a new antigun lobby backed by billionaire Michael Bloomberg. But the NRA and about 70,000 supporters meeting in Indianapolis this weekend aren't flinching. Executive Director Wayne LaPierre says the organization faces a do or die challenge.
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WAYNE LAPIERRE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NRA: We trust in our freedom, and in an uncertain world, surrounded by lies and corruption, there is no greater freedom, believe me, than the right to survive, to protect our families with all the rifles, shotguns, and handguns that we want.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The NRA has invited pro-gun politicians to address the convention, among them Senator Marco Rubio and Governor Bobby Jindal. Tonight, Sarah Palin.
All right, police in Milford, Connecticut, are investigating the stabbing death of 16-year-old girl. Maren Sanchez died after being slashed in the neck, chest, and face in a school stairwell. She was set to attend her prom that night. A classmate is under arrest and faces a murder charge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. BETTY FESER, MILFORD SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS: We are obviously devastated by the loss of one of our students, Maren Sanchez. She was a 16-year-old junior, vibrant, very, very involved in Jonathan Law High School, an incredible contributor, someone who was loved and respected by both her peers as well as her students.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: In an emotional moment, students all in formal wear gathered around the prom dress Sanchez would have worn. They also released balloons in her favorite color, purple.
A fisherman in South Korea says he can still hear the screams of passengers from that sunken ferry. You'll meet the man who helped rescue people that day. He says the memories of vivid and haunting.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Divers are getting a break in the recovery of bodies from a sunken ferry. The search was canceled today because of stormy weather. Divers have talked about their grueling dark conditions, and one says he is searching for survivors like he would his own children. CNN international correspondent Nic Robertson talked with one fisherman who still has nightmares from that day the ship sank.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As desperate passengers are throwing themselves from the sinking ferry, a small blue boat rushes to the rescue. Its captain runs forward to help. Seconds later he is pulling people from the sea.
This is you here?
CAPTAIN KIM HYUN-HO, FISHERMAN: Yes.
ROBERTSON: Literally pulling people. There you are running forward.
"They were screaming for help," he tells me. "I can still hear their screams even today." He tells me he doesn't want to see it anymore. I close the computer.
Captain Kim Hyun-ho is from a tiny island of 100 people less than two miles from the disaster. Today his tiny blue boat is back to its more humble roots. He and his brother are fishermen as their family has been for generations. And today, as painful as it clearly is, he is telling his story.
"It was hell, agonizing. There were a lot of people and not enough boats," he tells me. "People in the water were yelling for help. The ferry was sinking fast." He says he has no idea how many he saved. "I was told 25," he tells me. "It sounds about right, but I don't know for sure."
Within 30 minutes of his arrival, the ferry sank, leaving only a tiny part of the hull above the water. "The people were trapped inside, couldn't come out anymore," he tells me. "They were sinking with the ferry. I set sad and frustrated. Even now I can't sleep very well at night because of that."
It wasn't until much later, he says, he learned from TV just how many passengers were lost. The father of two grown children, he says his heart is broken for all the parents. "If everyone was safe, maybe I would feel proud," he says, "but that's not the situation. I know there are a lot of grieving families. How can I feel proud? I just feel pain and sadness."
He is trying to fish again, but says he is a changed man, feels terrible, distraught. There are no words, he says, to say how bad he really feels.
Nic Robertson, CNN, South Korea.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And next in the CNN Newsroom saving children on the violent streets of Chicago -- next, how an educator whose kids go to school in the middle of a gang war is getting her kids to succeed.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: We learned this week that the homicide rate in Chicago has dropped by 18 percent. In 2012 there were 503 gunned deaths. Last year there were 415. Well, it isn't just police officers trying to win back the streets. Dedicated educators are reaching out to kids even in their off time. Here's a clip from the CNN original series "Chicagoland".
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LIZ DOZIER, PRINCIPAL, FENGER HIGH SCHOOL: What do you think about going away to college or to a training school?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wouldn't mind going away.
DOZIER: Give me your word we will meet up at some point next week. You know me, I'm 100 percent real. You know how I am. I don't want you to be hearing nothing bad happened to you. I don't want to be going to your funeral.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Well, that's the breakout star, one of them, of "Chicagoland" series, Principal Liz Dozier of Chicago's Fenger High School. She is joining us right now from Chicago. Liz, thanks so much for joining us.
LIZ DOZIER, PRINCIPAL, FENGER HIGH SCHOOL: Thank you so much for having me.
WHITFIELD: All right, so we just saw you in that clip. You're getting your hair done. You're doing your thing outside of work. But then you're talking to a former student trying to get him to continue his education. And in the show we see you trying to reach students in and out of the classroom. That young gentleman, he had his face sunken in his hands as though, you know, it's a real emotional tie that you guys have that you try to keep kids on the straight and narrow. So do you feel like some of the most valuable lessons that you are teaching are those that are taking place outside of the classroom?
DOZIER: Absolutely. It's about building students both in and outside of the classroom to become productive citizens.
WHITFIELD: And do you feel like it's working, or maybe a better question is, how do you know when it's working?
DOZIER: I mean, I think you can really easily see it working when students make better choices, and so when students go off to college, when they choose to participate in after school activities and programs, when they do things for themselves that matter, like at Fenger High School we offer anger management and grief counseling and things of that nature. When students participate in that and you can see them lighten the load, if you will, on themselves. You can definitely tell that it's working.
WHITFIELD: I want to take another look at how you really take your job to heart, how you walk right into the middle of, you know, gangs on the streets near your school as if it's, you know, no big deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOZIER: There's a larger ongoing gang conflict within the community. And like the school, we sit like in the middle of this.
Gentlemen! Gentlemen! Not going to happen! Not today. Not today! Keep it moving! Get out of the street. I'm not going to say it again. Get out of the street.
He's headed southbound on 112th and Emerald. Principal down, principal down. I broke my shoe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So what made you do this? What made you feel bold enough to be that confrontational and at the top of your lungs screaming get out of here. You're not armed. You don't have anything on your person that looks threatening. What brought you to that point?
DOZIER: I think violence is a symptom of a larger issue of education, health care, things of that nature. And so I know at the end of the day that people are people, and regardless of if you are in a gang or if you are doing the right thing, we are all human beings. And so you can approach people and you can have conversations with them and you can ask them to move and you can do things. And people are moved and motivated, I think, even people who make sometimes the worst decisions are moved and motivated by what they know is right in the long run. So people do listen. People sometimes who might make bad choices in other areas of their life they will listen. A lot of people in the community know me and know the work that we're trying to do at Fenger.
WHITFIELD: But at the same time it seems like there had to be that moment, you know, that you thought, before you opened your mouth, what happens if they don't listen to me, what happen it is they turn around and come toward me, what happens if my life, you know, is on the line, what happens if my plan of being confrontational backfires? Did that ever cross your mind?
DOZIER: Well, I -- it has crossed my mind but I try to look at it not so much as a confrontation as two human beings interacting. And so I don't -- I try to think too often about what happens if this goes awry. I have a great team that stands behind me. It's not just me out there in the community. There's also a great team and other community members who are supportive of the work, too.
And so I just try to always think of it in the positive and always know at the end of day what I always tell me is these are children. Even though they might make bad decisions and be involved in different gangs at certain points, these are children. And so I am the adult and we are adults and we need to be able to direct our students in a positive direction.
WHITFIELD: Do you feel like you're the anomaly here or do you feel like most principals or educators up against these same rigors at this point in Chicago are really doing the same thing, trying to take back your streets one block at a time, one kid at a time?
DOZIER: There are so many people across Chicago public schools, teachers, principals, staff members who just do phenomenal work that really -- you don't really hear much about. But there are people fighting for our kids every single day, people within Chicago public schools as well as our city leaders, the aldermen, people who really care, community organizations. You just don't hear about them, but there are people who are fighting for the lives of our kids every single day.
WHITFIELD: I'm glad we heard about you. Liz Dozier, thanks so much, and thanks to all that you are doing. And of course there are a lot of other unsung heroes that you speak of and that you can see, folks at home. Tonight, the last installment, the finale of the CNN original series "Chicagoland." You don't want to miss it, very compelling stuff. It starts at 8:00 right here on CNN.
All right, this historic moment for the Catholic Church. Upcoming, the faithful camping out and the Vatican is getting ready. We'll tell you why. A live report next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Catholics around the world are preparing for a historic event tomorrow. For the first time ever the church will elevate two former Popes to sainthood on the same day. Pope Francis will lead the special ceremony. CNN's Delia Gallagher joins us now from Rome where at least a million of the faithful are expected for the event. And Delia, it looks like people are going to be camping out all night tonight to make sure they get a good spot for early in the morning.
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: They are, incredibly, Fredericka, because it just rained a little bit earlier. They are here and they have staked out their place on the street. They've got sleeping bags. They've got chairs. They are young and old. And they are from all over the world. We see flags from the United States, from France, from Brazil, from Albania, biggest contingency by far is from Poland. They've all got the names of their towns on their shirts and jackets. There's a group that has run from Poland to come to this event here, and they've just arrived. So there were big celebrations in the crowds for those marathoners. Fredericka?
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. So we're talking about two Popes with two very different styles to be canonized. Was this intentional by Pope Francis?
GALLAGHER: Oh, absolutely. I mean, he is a big fan of John XXIII. John Paul II was pretty much scheduled to be canonized, and Pope Francis wanted to add in John XXIII. He has a lot of admiration for the Pope who started the Second Vatican Council, and I think, also, sees some similarity in his style. You know, John XXIII came in after Pius XII, and Pius XII was a very kind of regal, aristocratic, intellectual pope. And John XXIII is short and pudgy and the son of farmers. And he had that easy style that I think Pope Francis also has.
So, you know, in the 2005 conclave it was said that Pope Francis was a runner-up in the concave that elected Benedict XVI, and it said that Pope Francis at the time said to one of the other cardinals that had he been elected he would have chosen the name John. So aside from the fact that it's interesting to figure out what changed his mind, but that shows you that I think he's got great admiration for John XXIII. And I think that's part of the reason why he agreed to do this double canonization.
WHITFIELD: Almost so very fascinating. Thank you so much. And of course, there's much more just a few hours of way.
Delia Gallagher, thanks so much From Rome.
You can watch the ceremony as it happens live beginning at 4:00 a.m. tomorrow morning on CNN.
