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"The Fastest Two Minutes In Sports"; Stiviano: Sterling Is Not A Racist; Ukraine Military Clashes With Separatists; Shocking Revelations In Flight 370 Report; Sterling's Legal Options To Battle NBA; Sources: VA Tried To Cover Up Long Wait Times; 278 Nigerian Girls Abducted By Militants

Aired May 03, 2014 - 12:00   ET

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

FRANCESCA CUMANI, CNN HOST, WINNING POST: Thank you, Fredricka. The one jockey, Rosie Nepravnick. Now she is bidding to become the first female jockey ever to win the Kentucky Derby. She has had the best results for a woman in fifth last year. If you consider there are 750 licensed jockeys in the United States. That 10 percent are women, she's doing well to have a ride. Her horse, his assistant trainer is Rosie's husband, they'll be crowd favorites. Talking of the crowd, they're here for the racing, but also for the fashion, channeling their inner southern belles, the ladies are looking wonderful today.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: With mint juleps in hand, of course, as well. All right, Francesca Cumani, we will see you again later on this afternoon. Thank you so much. You look smashing.

We have much more straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM and it all begins right now. All right, hello again. I am Fredricka Whitfield. We are following several big stories this hour. First, embattled L.A. Clippers owner, Donald Sterling hears words of support from the woman who recorded his racist rant. V. Stiviano comes to his defense in her first television interview and speculates on Sterling's motives, his mind set and describes the nature of their personal relationship.

And the crisis in Ukraine intensifies. Troops face off with pro- Russian militants in several cities. Russia says residents are pleading for Moscow's help. We'll take you there.

Plus, fallout from a scandal at a veteran's hospital that CNN's investigative team exposed. Details on that this hour.

The woman who describes herself as Donald Sterling's wing man is breaking her silence on his racist rant that she recorded. V. Stiviano is weighing in on the offensive comments that got Sterling in so much trouble and describing her personal relationship with the L.A. Clippers owner.

Our Ted Rowlands joins us live now from Los Angeles. So Ted, Sterling said repeatedly on the tape he didn't want Stiviano to bring black people to the Clippers games or post pictures of herself with them. So what was her reaction to those comments when pressed on the issue?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the interview was very revealing, Fredricka. We haven't heard from Donald Sterling and speculation was I wonder if he's mad at her, if they're even talking. A lot of people figure he was probably not talking at all to V. Stiviano, but it turns out that they are still in communication and she talked to Barbara Walters as you mentioned in an interview yesterday. She said that she doesn't think Donald Sterling is necessarily a racist, but that he just says things and that he does need to apologize.

She also described him as a father figure type person, saying that yes, I love him like I would love a father figure, not in love with him. Take a listen to what she said to Barbara Walters about whether or not he should apologize.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA WALTERS: Do you think that Donald Sterling should apologize?

V. STIVIANO: Absolutely.

WALTERS: Did you discuss this with him?

V. STIVIANO: Yes.

WALTERS: Will he apologize?

V. STIVIANO: Only God knows.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROWLANDS: Meanwhile, the L.A. Clippers tonight, Fred, are playing the Golden State Warriors in game seven in their playoff series here at the Staples Center here in Los Angeles. A lot of people will be watching that game as they monitor what's going off the court with Donald Sterling and his ownership, of course, the owners are trying to push Sterling out. Thursday of this week, a ten-member committee met and voted unanimously to move forward with that process, they're expected to meet again next week.

WHITFIELD: But everyone who knows Donald Sterling has said he is a very litigious person and he certainly wouldn't go down without a fight. It will be interesting to see what happens after that meeting and what kind of pressure he may or may not respond to. Ted Rowlands, thank you so much outside the Staples Center. Again, game seven tonight.

Coming up in the 1:00 hour, we'll talk to sports radio analyst and former NBA star, Cedric Cornbread Maxwell. He played with the L.A. Clippers after years on the court with the Boston Celtics. He will weigh in on the Sterling controversy that's coming up next hour here in the NEWSROOM.

Violence in Ukraine is pushing that divided country into a deeper crisis. Video posted on YouTube shows a bus burning in a city where people were warned to stay off the streets today. In that same city, Ukrainian forces seen rolling in. CNN cannot confirm the authenticity of either of the videos, but our crews on the ground report at least two people died there today.

Russia is responding to the violence, blaming Ukrainian troops. Putin's spokesman says they're getting calls from people in the Ukraine pleading for help. Reuters says according to Russian officials, Sergei Lavrov called on Secretary of State Kerry to tell Ukraine's government to stop military operations.

And we also learn western military observers were released today about a week after being abducted by pro-Russian separatist. This comes after days of violence escalating across Ukraine, and one big question now is what will the U.S. do, what can it do? Chief national security correspondent, Jim Sciutto, examines that.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the situation on the ground in Eastern Ukraine is deteriorating rapidly. Helicopters shot down, more armed clashes between Ukrainian security forces and pro-Russian militants and now the U.S. administration has set a new standard for sector wide economic sanctions against Russia and that is continuation of disruption like this to the point it would impede elections set in Ukraine for May 25th. Right now, the outlook for any improvement is not good.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO (voice-over): Every day Ukraine looks more and more like a country at war. Here, residents cheer after two Ukrainian helicopters are shot down. Both pilots were killed. And here, pro-Russian militants crash with Ukrainian police. The new violence comes as Ukrainian forces launch the most intensive effort so far to push pro- Russian militants from one more eastern city that slipped from their control.

But ethnic Russians resisted, blocking Ukrainian tanks, demanding they not advance any farther. Still struggling to device a policy to de- escalate the crisis, President Obama met with Angela Merkel in Washington. Together they set a new trigger for broader sector based sanctions against Russia. Any interference they say with crucial elections later this month.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: If in fact we see the disruptions and destabilization continuing so severely that it impedes elections on May 25th, you will not have a choice, but to move forward with additional more severe sanctions.

SCIUTTO: Until now, such penalties against Russia's energy, arms, banking sectors have been reserved for a full scale invasion. Russia however remains undeterred. Russian officials say the Ukraine's military operations in the east effectively scuttle a deal reached in Geneva last month to diffuse the crisis and they called for an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council to highlight alleged threats to Russians inside Ukraine.

To reassure the west increasingly nervous Eastern European allies, they're considering expanding and extending military exercises in the region. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said all members of the alliance, not just the U.S., must share the burden. CHUCK HAGEL, DEFENSE SECRETARY: We must not squander this opportunity or shrink from this challenge. We will be judged harshly by history and by future generations if we do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: U.S. administration also hitting back hard at this narrative you're hearing more and more from Russian officials and that is the ethnic Russians inside Eastern Ukraine are somehow under threat and that armed militants are peaceful protesters. The president saying, quote, "That generally local protesters don't possess missiles to shoot down helicopters" -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Jim Sciutto in Washington. This situation shows no signs of calming down any time soon and sanctions on Russia officials don't seem to be doing the trick. Next, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine gives us his take on what the U.S. might want to do next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, live pictures we want to show you inside Kiev. We understand the Ukrainian prime minister is commenting on release of people that were taken custody for quite a while there. Of course, the unrest is still very volatile in that region. We're going to expound on that right now. The crisis there just seems to be getting worse by the day. People are dying and Russia and Ukraine blaming the other for the escalating violence.

President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in fact said yesterday that Ukraine needs to stabilize before elections this month or Russia could face harsher sanctions. I am joined by William Taylor, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine who was in the role from 2006 to 2009. Mr. Ambassador, good to see you.

So am I right in saying that sanctions so far don't seem to be making much of a difference and now you've got the White House and you've got Germany and other members of the European Union who are threatening more sanctions. How might that really impact the situation there?

AMBASSADOR WILLIAM TAYLOR, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: Well, sanctions need to do two things. One, they need to punish the Russians for the actions that they've already taken in annexing Crimea, illegally, totally unprovoked. The second thing they need to deter the Russians from further action. The Russians have already gone beyond Crimea. They've already sent their special forces into Eastern Ukraine to stir up trouble, and that's the trouble you're seeing now in Eastern Ukraine.

It is only in Eastern Ukraine where the Russians sent in their special forces that there's any difficulty around that country, around Ukraine. The rest of the country is calm. So the sanctions, which should go into effect now, the elevated sanctions, the harsher sanctions are necessary now, not waiting for two more weeks.

WHITFIELD: The U.S., President Obama had been meeting and talking with Angela Merkel. Germany has some leverage in all this, doesn't it? It seems to be the country that has the most leverage. To what degree and why is that?

TAYLOR: The Germans have a special relationship with the Russians and have for -- since World War II. This is an opportunity for Chancellor Merkel to influence the Russians in their behavior in Ukraine. The Germans, like the rest of Europe, care about stability in the heart of Europe and Ukraine is in the heart of Europe, and the Germans don't want to see violence, they don't want to see invasions, they don't want to see violations of sovereignty, of cross border military action. This is not in the German and European interest. The Germans have a great opportunity to put pressure on the Russians to change their behavior.

WHITFIELD: And what in your view can or should the U.S. do at this juncture, what more can the U.S. do in an influential way, if possible?

TAYLOR: Two things they can do, we can do. We can provide additional defensive equipment, supplies to the Ukrainians as they act as they are now to reassert control, law and order, in their southeast. We can provide the communications equipment, the mobility, the trucks that they need in order to have that effect of settling down that part of the country in preparation for the elections, as you've talked about earlier.

But the second thing we can do is put on very harsh sanctions now, not wait for three weeks, to demonstrate to the Russians that they're paying a price for their sending in their special forces into Eastern Ukraine.

WHITFIELD: And we talk about elections, those elections, May 25th. At least that's the scheduled date so far. Mr. Ambassador, thank you so much. William Taylor, appreciate it.

TAYLOR: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And shocking revelations in that preliminary report on Flight 370's disappearance. Why did it take four hours for the official rescue operation to begin? A panel weighs in next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: New details and seemingly stunning mistakes. Malaysia's Transportation Ministry released its most comprehensive look yet at the disappearance of Flight 370. Our Nic Robertson shows us what it reveals.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fred, stunning details in a document attached to that interim report laying out precisely what was done when the plane was first noticed missing. Malaysian Airlines Operations Center confuses the search for the first two hours, misreading the computer data, interpreting a projected flight plan with the real flight, telling air traffic controllers they were in touch with the aircraft that it was in Cambodian air space. Also in that report, the cockpit to air traffic control recordings detailing the last hours, the last minutes that the flight was in touch with the ground.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOWER: MAS 370 is cleared to Beijing Via PIBOS A departure six thousand feet squawk two one five seven.

PLANE: Beijing PIBOS A departure six thousand feet squawk two one five seven MAS 370, thank you.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): At 12:41:00 a.m., Saturday, March 8th. Flight 370 takes off from Kuala Lumpur to what was supposed to be a six-hour flight to Beijing, 227 passengers and 12 crew members are on board the Boeing 777. For the next 38 minutes, all seems normal. The plane climbs to cruising altitude and is on direct path to the Chinese capital.

At 1:19 a.m., Kuala Lumpur air traffic control instructs Flight 370 to make contact with Vietnamese controllers. The crew confirms in what would be the final transmission from the cockpit.

TOWER: Malaysian 370 contact Ho Chi Minh 120 decimal 9, good night.

PLANE: Good night Malaysian 370.

ROBERTSON: Two minutes later, at 1:21 a.m., the plane's transponder stops responding and Flight 370 disappears from the Kuala Lumpur radar. Seventeen minutes pass before anyone asks about the now missing plane. At 1:38 a.m., air traffic controllers in Ho Chi Minh City contact their counterparts in Kuala Lumpur who ask controllers in Singapore, Hong Kong and Phnom Penh, if they've heard from Flight 370. None of them have.

Meanwhile, we now know the plane made its mysterious turn, flying over the Malaysian Peninsula, changing altitude, disappearing at times from radar, only to reappear. Almost four hours pass before Malaysia mounts a search and rescue operation at 5:30 a.m. But the plane is still somewhere in the air.

Finally at 8:11, nearly two hours after it should have landed in Beijing, a satellite picks up a final transmission from the plane. Then Malaysia Flight 370 vanishes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: Not clear what those first two confusing hours trying to figure out where the plane was when it was first noticed missing, not clear what impact that had, but since the plane disappeared into the ocean, not a trace of it found -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Nic Robertson, thank you so much. Let's bring back our panel now. CNN's safety analyst, David Soucie, sonar expert, Arnold Carr, and CNN aviation analyst, Jeff Wise. So Jeff to you first. What stood out to you most about this report?

JEFF WISE, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Well, certainly that four-hour gap was interesting. There was a lot in this report that was quite interesting. For instance, they released a chart that showed where they thought the plane went. They showed it cutting over the north western tip of Sumatra, a couple weeks ago had a report that the plane had gone around the Indonesian radar, and looks like that was not the case based on their current ping analysis.

So it went almost right over an Indonesian radar installation that raises questions. How come it wasn't on Indonesian radar? They also issued something interesting, a passenger seating chart. That's something you don't typically see in an accident investigation preliminary report, and it indicates that obviously they're interested in what role passengers may have had in the mystery.

WHITFIELD: And David, what is most perplexing or perhaps most hopeful to you out of this report?

DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: Well, what's hopeful to me is the fact that the Malaysians are trying or making attempt to try to give the impression that they have been honest and forthright in putting information out. As evidenced by the new international committee, trying to ask for help. They reached out to the safety community, other people I work with as well, to talk about how do we do the investigation? Where do we move forward? What can you do to help us? They're reaching out, opening up. It appears to be that they're trying to give the impression at least to the family members that they're working to get that trust back that they must have.

WHITFIELD: And Arnold, were you enlightened in any way from the report?

ARNOLD CARR, SONAR EXPERT: Well, I've heard about contractors and more assets and this just really complicates it much more. Initially if you were to put a search out after that turn, it would be difficult to say where because it would be so vast.

WHITFIELD: And now a top Malaysian official says they may send a ship to the Bay of Bengal after a report, an Australian ship says it thinks it saw something that could be any kind of debris or something from a plane. Jeff, are officials at a point where really everything has to be taken seriously, they spot something, turns out it was trash or otherwise, do they have to take this just as serious as they have in the Southern Indian Ocean?

WISE: Clearly they don't want to. I don't think there's any reason to lend credibility to this company, which seems to be a flat out hoax, but they have to because there's all of the public pressure. There's all this talk, it could be there, and who knows, maybe it is true, that nobody wants to leave a stone unturned.

So you're getting people coming out of the wood work with all sorts of claims and conspiracies. That's what happens in the absence of a dominant narrative from the authorities, all sorts of things are going to get expressed. Then there's pressure to send resources to check it out.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jeff Wise, David Soucie, Arnold Carr, thanks so much, Gentlemen. Good to see you. Our legal guys are going to weigh in next. They are going to talk about this man here, the L.A. Clippers owner, Donald Sterling. What's the legal road ahead for him? Straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. We are learning more about the woman that recorded L.A. Clippers owner, Donald Sterling's comments, the racist comments. V. Stiviano is speaking out in an interview with ABC's Barbara Walters, saying she doesn't believe Sterling is a racist at heart. She also says she's is not Sterling's girlfriend, but rather his, quote, "right-hand man," his wing man, that got paid sometimes off the books.

"Dejour" magazine says Sterling is also talking about V. Stiviano. It quotes the Clippers owner saying, quote, "I wish I had paid her off," end quote. Sterling has been banned from the NBA because of those racist remarks caught on tape. NBA owners are meeting next week about forcing him to sell the team.

Some are talking about a boycott until Sterling is out. But Donald Sterling is no stranger to the courtroom. He is widely regarded as one of the mostly litigious owners and he is likely to take action if they try to force him to sell. Our legal guys are here to talk about it. Avery Friedman, a civil rights attorney and law professor joining us from Cleveland and Richard Herman, a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor joining us from Las Vegas. Gentlemen, good to see you.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Nice to see you.

WHITFIELD: OK, Richard, let's begin with you. You say the NBA has set itself up for a battle royal in the courtroom with Sterling, why, because of his reputation of being very litigious?

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: No, because of the facts of this case, that's why, Fred.

WHITFIELD: What's there or missing in your view?

HERMAN: Right. The universal condemnation for racism should be applauded. What he said was racist. It was wrong. But this was said in a private setting, Fred. It was said in the private confines of his house.

WHITFIELD: Why does that matter?

HERMAN: Not expecting it be published to the world. If all our conversations were recorded and published, everyone is up in arms over the NSA. Isn't that similar to what's going on here? This Adam Silver in my opinion is a spineless, amateur puppet. They went overboard in this. If you took the secret recordings of every owner, player and coach in the NBA, I would be very interested to hear what their inner thoughts were. Stiviano got on Barbara Walters, lifted a bombshell. Said in her opinion he is not a racist.

FRIEDMAN: In her opinion.

HERMAN: These snippets were taken out of context. This is a mistake. You're going to see breach of contract, invasion of privacy, antitrust. Everything under the sun and he deserves to bring these lawsuits because it is outrageous.

WHITFIELD: That's her story now that she doesn't believe he is a racist, but there was some impetus to recording it in the first place, whether she was an archivist or not, her recording a private conversation. Is that a problem? He revealed himself, but thought it was a private conversation. It is now potentially costing him the whole team?

FRIEDMAN: You know, unfortunately it really doesn't matter today. The fact is that most states don't even require consent of both parties. It doesn't matter. By the way, she's an archivist because of academic credentials, along with as she put it, his silly bunny. The fact is he should have anticipated it. He talks about I should have paid her off. What he really meant to say is I should have entered into agreement that provided her funds and this property if she kept her mouth shut. It didn't happen. As smart as the guy thinks it is, he let that happen. There's no basis for anti-trust or breach of contract. He may try to tie it up, but ultimately Donald Sterling is going nowhere.

WHITFIELD: You say he may potentially try to tie it up. Does this have something to do with divorce proceedings, possibly this is communal property between he and the wife, and if and until the divorce is resolved, no one can have ownership except the Sterlings.

HERMAN: Fred, this is unprecedented.

FRIEDMAN: There's an arbitration clause. Secondly, if he hooks up with his lovely wife and uses a divorce, no court on earth is going to buy that sham. It is a fraud. Ultimately while he may be able to jam it up in the short term, Fredricka, there's no way any of those claims are going to survive.

HERMAN: Fred.

WHITFIELD: Richard, go ahead with your point quickly.

HERMAN: I'm just saying, this is unprecedented in the history of the NBA, unprecedented.

FRIEDMAN: So what.

WHITFIELD: Meaning trying to force somebody to let go of their ownership, that's the unprecedented part.

HERMAN: First of all, a lifetime suspension is unprecedented for an owner in the NBA.

FRIEDMAN: But it is authorized.

HERMAN: To compel him to sell, you know, in the NBA constitution, there's not -- it is not authorized, there is not a morals clause for grounds for termination of an owner in the NBA constitution. It is not there. I am telling you, Fred, this is going to be hotly litigated and Donald, call me, Donald.

WHITFIELD: You're saying even if the owner, Richard, you say even if the owners say we vote he must sell, the NBA as a league does not have the legal right to actually force him to sell? They can't do it legally, it would be challenged?

HERMAN: I don't believe they do, especially in light of the interview. Half a century difference in age, archivist, got $1.8 million real estate, for her services, and she stayed there three years and different leave for racism. There are no allegations he was racist in ownership.

FRIEDMAN: That's not the issue.

HERMAN: Every one of his players are multimillionaires by him.

FRIEDMAN: Has nothing to do with the case.

HERMAN: His second lifetime achievement award by the NAACP.

FRIEDMAN: Which should properly be revoked.

HERMAN: They did not revoke his contributions, they kept those.

WHITFIELD: They're apparently returning that.

FRIEDMAN: Picking on the NAACP because of what Sterling did.

WHITFIELD: There are lots of directions this case is taking. Gentlemen, good to see you, thanks so much. Avery, Richard, I'm sorry we only have this. Then there's next weekend. Maybe we will see you again and have more time devoted to this.

HERMAN: See you soon.

WHITFIELD: All right, Gentlemen, thanks so much.

Top jobs are on the line at the Phoenix VA Hospital. You of course know about this story because of a CNN investigation. It exposed secret waiting lists and veterans dying while waiting for care. The latest on that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Now the latest on the exclusive CNN investigation into secret waiting lists and claims veterans died waiting for care at the Phoenix VA Hospital. The director at the Phoenix Veteran's Affairs Health Care System and two other executives are now on leave. CNN's Drew Griffin brings us up to date.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Fred, this is the report that aired one day before the Director Sharon Helman was placed on administrative leave. As you're about to see, it was our final attempt to try to get answers from her.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN (voice-over): After being stone-walled for two weeks trying to get answers from the Phoenix Veterans Administration Hospital, it finally came down to this.

(on camera): Director Helman, can you talk to us?

(voice-over): Surrounded by federal police that is the V.A.'s director of this Phoenix medical facility, Sharon Helman, who on Monday literally sped from our cameras.

GRIFFIN (on camera): Please talk to us, Director, Director Helman.

(voice-over): A short time later, a change of heart. The director and her chief of staff decided it was time to answer the allegations that have three Arizona congressmen now calling for her resignation. As we first reported, multiple sources tell CNN as many as 40 veterans died while they were waiting for medical care at this V.A. facility. Our sources tell us many were placed on a secret list designed by V.A. managers to hide the fact that veterans were waiting months to see a doctor.

SHARON HELMAN, PHOENIX VA DIRECTOR: Those were the allegations that we've asked the Office of Inspector General to review.

GRIFFIN: But those are the allegations I assume that you two would know direct knowledge of.

HELMAN: Again, those allegations are ones that the Office of Inspector General are reviewing right now. When we heard about this during the House Veteran Affairs Committee it is the first time we've heard about those allegations and that is why we've asked the Office of Inspector General to come in and do a thorough and impartial review.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): That is an odd statement considering that as early as last fall the V.A.'s Office of Inspector General had already been pursuing the allegations of a secret waiting list and veterans dying while waiting to see the doctor. Helman's explanation, yes, she said, investigators questioned her back in December, but she did not know what the questioning was about.

HELMAN: They don't tell us what the allegations are surrounding their investigation. I can just confirm that yes, they were here.

GRIFFIN: Multiple sources inside this hospital tell CNN under direction of management a secret electronic waiting list was created and paper evidence of when the patients first went to the V.A. seeking care was shredded. And those sources say Sharon Helman and her medical chief of staff knew about it because it was their plan.

(on camera): So I'm asking you, maybe you directly, Sir, did this or did this not happen? DR. DARREN DEERING, PHOENIX VA CHIEF OF STAFF: I think what we have here, Drew, is I think there is some confusion among our staff. When we came on as a leadership team in 2012, the practice at that time was that they would schedule new veterans that were coming in for care way out into the future. Sometimes a year, sometimes 14 months. So what we do is took those patients scheduled way out into the future and we put them on this national tool and this EWL, the electronic waiting list.

So that when we had an appointment that came open, so if a veteran called next week and cancelled their appointment we could pull a veteran off this list and get them into the slot. So it actually improved the probability of these veterans getting an appointment sooner. I think there are some folks who did not understand that and I think that is where these allegations are coming from.

GRIFFIN: So when I'm talking to these sources inside this hospital who literally in tears are telling us that patients have died waiting on these lists, those people are confused?

HELMAN: Drew, what we're saying is that we implemented the electronic wait list and any concerns that staff have, I share in those same concerns.

GRIFFIN: Have you found cases where veterans are on the waiting list and have died?

DEERING: Yes. And that is in the course of health care delivery, we have patients who unfortunately pass away. We have found veterans on the list who have died, but we have not been able to connect their death to the delay in giving their care.

GRIFFIN: It just seems cut and dried to me. Whatever happened, happened, and the people who know what happened are right before me.

HELMAN: I think that is a question for the Office of Inspector General.

DEERING: We have never instructed our staff to create a secret list, to maintain a secret list, to shred a secret list. That has never come from our office as far as instruction to our staff.

HELMAN: It has not come from me.

GRIFFIN: Are you kidding?

(voice-over): Dr. Sam Foote is the person who first became public on CNN with accusations. He is a physician recently retired after 24 years with the Phoenix V.A., who along with several sources inside the V.A. says there is no confusion. The secret list existed and veterans died.

(on camera): So you're not backing down at all?

DR. SAM FOOTE, RETIRED VA PHYSICIAN: No, sir.

GRIFFIN: So what they're telling us, false?

FOOTE: I would say so yes.

GRIFFIN: Director Helman, even the president of the United States has spoken out about this issue. Three congressmen are calling for your head, they want you out of here. Are you leaving?

HELMAN: I'm telling you right now the Office of Inspector General is here reviewing all of the allegations and as a leader of this organization I'm going to continue to provide the best health care that these veterans deserve and earned.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): CNN has learned the investigation may now be expanding, no longer just on veterans who died waiting for care, but now veterans who died waiting for return care. Follow-up appointments that they could not get.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: Fred, one day after that report aired, less than a day, Director Sharon Helman and two staff were placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of this big investigation taking place at the Phoenix VA. The Veterans Affair secretary said if these allegations are true, they are absolutely unacceptable -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Drew Griffin, thanks so much. Since November, CNN has reached out to Veteran's Affairs Chief Eric Shinseki for an interview. So far, no response. You can read more about this story on cnn.com. We will have more in the NEWSROOM right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It is happening a half world away, but catching attention in the U.S. Talking about the kidnapping of 276 school girls in Nigeria. These are live pictures now of a rally now in New York. Demonstrators demand more be done to rescue the girls abducted by militants more than two weeks ago. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Ethiopia today says the perpetrators must be brought to justice and urge supporting the Nigerian government in finding the girls. Police say 53 of the girls managed to escape.

Let's go live to New York where CNN's Rosa Flores is covering that rally. Rosa, a kidnapping in Nigeria, but voices being raised right there.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Fred, this is just a parent's worst nightmare. Imagine your daughter goes to school one day and then never comes back because they have been kidnapped by known militant group. This group has been recognized by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization, so take a look around me.

This is what this group of people are protesting today because they're asking the world to pay attention to these more than 200 girls who have been kidnapped. So you'll see there's a lot of people here. There are several hundred people. If you listen to what they're saying for a second, that's the exact message. They want these girls back.

This is a worldwide conversation that's been going on, not only here in New York, but in other cities around the country and in other cities around the world, and on Twitter and on social media. The message has really flared. I want you to take a look around. You'll be able to get a sense of what we are talking about.

There's a lot of people here in New York City that are uniting to deliver this message. Fred, with that, I'm going to toss back to you and let you know that not only is this conversation happening here in New York but around the world.

WHITFIELD: It is indeed. And we're going to continue that conversation here. Rosa Flores, thank you so much there in Manhattan. Joining me right here in the studio is Frida Ghitis, world affairs columnist for the "Miami Herald" and "World Politics Review." You wrote a strong column about all of this two weeks ago. Many of us heard about it two weeks ago and the message being sent at the time was that all the girls had been located.

Now two weeks down the line we're talking about 200 girls are still missing and it is believed the Nigerian government feels like it knows who has them, but now we don't know where they are exactly. What is going on here?

FRIDA GHITIS, WORLD AFFAIRS COLUMNIST, "MIAMI HERALD": This is such an outrage what happened. Almost three weeks since the kidnapping took place. First thing we heard from the Nigerian government within 24 hours of the kidnapping is that they rescued most of the girls. That was just not true. Today, we don't even know exactly how many girls have been kidnapped. A couple days ago we heard from the police there it was more than 300 taken and that about 276 are still being held. There's so much lack of information, so much lack of action, and only now starting to get interest.

WHITFIELD: What's the explanation as to why the Nigerian officials said we have this under control, we have the girls, they have been rescued, and then to find out they have not been rescued, the girls that were abducted and are free are free because they escaped.

GHITIS: That's exactly right. The fact that they escaped tells us that the Nigerian authorities could have garnered a lot of information from speaking to the girls. They escaped, they walked to freedom. They knew where they were and who the captors were. The Nigerian government has a horrible track record dealing with this group. They claim they killed the leader of the organization, Boko Haram, and that was not true.

WHITFIELD: Is there a feeling the government is complicit with Boko Haram. That it wouldn't be more aggressive about this investigation and about the capturing of those responsible and the rescue of the girls?

GHITIS: I wouldn't say they're complicit. They have a key role to play in having them freed. Nigeria is a complicated country, with a lot of internal division, with complicated political system, incredible amount of corruption. The important thing is that these girls today right now are still being held, they're being sold off into basically sexual slavery.

WHITFIELD: They may have been taken across borders.

GHITIS: Possible they're in Cameroon and Chad. It is an international problem. The Nigerian government needs to feel the pressure from the international community. I am so glad to see we're having rallies in New York, the secretary of state is speaking about this.

WHITFIELD: And to what extent do you think the U.S. would be involved. John Kerry says we're going to help, but to what degree?

GHITIS: There are many ways that U.S. can help and rest of the world can help. The United States needs to pressure Nigerian government to take action and then needs to help it. We can use perhaps drones to locate Boko Haram rebels, the terrorists really. We need to focus the attention of the Nigerian government, give them tactical assistance, intelligence assistance, help them get these girls. Every hour that passes, they're farther away, more difficult to find. They may never come back.

WHITFIELD: Two weeks, I mean, you know, you can't imagine what kind of experience these young girls may have had in the two weeks now that they have been away from safe place, their school and loved once and family. Frida, thank you so much. Keep us posted on the ongoing search for these young ladies. Appreciate it.

Coming up next hour, what former NBA star, Cedric Cornbread Maxwell, thinks could happen to his former team, the L.A. Clippers, and its owner, Donald Sterling, straight ahead.

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