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State of Emergency in Missouri; Hot Air Balloon Accident; VA's Shinseki in Hot Seat; U.S. Steps in for Search of Missing Nigerian Girls

Aired May 11, 2014 - 16:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. We're following big stories this is hour including the governor of Missouri declaring a state of emergency in response to severe weather. People in the town of Orrick are spending this mother's day cleaning up after a tornado hit yesterday and they're facing the possibility of more storms.

The National Weather Service team is now investigating the damage and gave a preliminary rating of an EF-2. The state highway state patrol estimates about 80 percent of the town which is east of Kansas city was affected. Let's bring in CNN meteorologist Jennifer Gray. What more should people expect?

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, more of the same today, unfortunately. We do have that area of severe weather threat we're watching. In fact, we have a tornado warning right now. And this is the same cell we've been tracking over the last couple of hours. Still there. The threat is still there.

Packwood and Richland, those cities really need to be on the lookout. This is traveling in your direction. And so get into the safe spot in your home. That small interior room away from windows until the threat passes. Ping-pong size hail also has been reported with this one particular storm. So, we have watched something called "Velocity" and that's what tells us if there's an actual tornado.

Pretty good signature has been with this one particular cell and we're basically looking right here in this direction and these storms are traveling to the east and northeast. So that's what we're going to be watching as we go forward in time over the next couple of hours.

So the severe thunderstorm also for Fairfield and Hendrick. Those cities. About 11,000 people in the path of that so we do have some really nasty weather dealing with, guys, over next couple of days. This is today and tomorrow. We have all the ingredients in place that warm air coming in from the south, cooler air coming in from the north. We have that dry line that's going to be sparking off storms. We have that cold front all of that, that upper level energy to spark off some storms and some pretty nasty ones most likely.

Wichita, Kansas City, Des Moines, all of you in that main threat. About three million people but anyone from Chicago all the way down to the whole country of Texas need to be on the lookout because thunderstorms and strong thunderstorms could be headed in your direction as we go through the late evening and overnight hours. Of course, the severe threat will last again tomorrow, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh.

GRAY: We're talking about today and tomorrow. Dealing with this.

WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness. Here's that potentially dangerous spring weather now finally coming upon us.

GRAY: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jennifer Gray, appreciate that.

All right. Crews have found the third victim of that deadly hot air balloon crash near Richmond, Virginia. Two other bodies were recovered yesterday. The balloon burst into flames after hitting a live utility wire Friday night.

Alexandra Field joining us live from New York. OK. What more can you tell us about the finding, the location of this third victim?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, this is a really difficult search. More than 100 people involved. The issue is that this is a very heavily wooded area, a third person was found today just this morning, located about 100 yards from another body that was recovered yesterday. Investigators have now found all three people who were in the basket of that hot air balloon.

I spoke to the father of the pilot, the pilot was Daniel Kirk. His father said he was an experienced flyer, had more than 30 years of flight experience. The two gone up together more than 50 times and now he wants to know what happened here, what went wrong.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD (voice-over): One of their last pictures posted on Instagram, two friends smiling in the basket of a hot air balloon ready for what might have been a great adventure. Another snapshot from their tethered practice flight Friday morning. It was hours before this fateful ascent in the blue balloon. Tried it at 6:30 a.m. but was too foggy. Will go up this evening. Hashtag #anxiety writes Jenny Doyle, a basketball coach for the women's team at the University of Richmond.

Hours later, spectators at the Mid Atlantic Balloon Festival in Doswell, Virginia see a balloon burning after hitting a power line.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) visual, the airborne hot air balloon. Appears to be still smoking, still pretty high in the air.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Got a report that the basket has come off and that we're trying to find that right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Advise all units, the airborne balloons aren't the issue. We need to locate the basket. FIELD: Doyle and her co-worker, Natalie Lewis, were on board the balloon with their pilot.

CORRINE GELLER, SPOKESWOMAN, VIRGINIA STATE POLICE: He was taking every effort he could to manage the situation and extinguish the fire.

FIELD: But after a small explosion, the basket and the balloon separated.

HEIDI MOATS, NTSB AIR SAFETY INVESTIGATOR: During the investigation, we'll examine the man, the machine and the environment.

FIELD: Witnesses say as the balloon burned, they saw two people jump or fall.

CARRIE HAGER BRADLEY, WITNESS: And you could hear them screaming please, dear god, sweet Jesus, help us. We are going to die. Oh my god. Please help us. Please help us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD: And now that all three victims have been found, investigators say they will not begin the search for the wreckage of that balloon. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much. Alexandra Field.

All right. The U.S. defense secretary is weighing in on the scandal surrounding a long secret waitlist at a VA hospital. A story CNN uncovered. What Chuck Hagel is now saying about Veterans Affairs chief Eric Shinseki, next.

But first, here's today's "CNN Hero."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love the crispy feeling of the air. The sound on my skate crunching on the ice.

Skating relieves me from everything.

I just want to fly. I just don't want to stop.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard that there were some girls who wanted to figure skate in Harlem. Growing up I was a competitive figure skater. And I knew that skating (INAUDIBLE) there was not access for kids in low income communities. They looked so eager to get started. I started to teach them and it was really inspiring to me.

Ready? And, slow.

Now, we serve over 200 girls a year. You did it. Best part of skating is gives you qualities you use the rest of your life. They gain discipline, perseverance.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Step cross, step cross. Excellent, girls. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They fall down and get back up and can do that in anything. It is a building block.

Skating's a hook but education comes first.

Before they even get on the ice, they have to get their homework done. They get tutoring to get a minimum of three afternoons a week.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That means -

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Algebra was not my best subject. And I feel that Miss Sharon hired me a special tutor for me. I felt like hey, you have to get back up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was that simple.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, I'm doing way better in school.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ladies and gentlemen, Harlem Ice.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want girls to believe and know they can be anything they put their hearts and minds to.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not all about skating.

Miss Sharon is teaching us to be the best we can be in life.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said today the potential for problems with patient backlogs at the country's VA hospitals began before General Eric Shinseki took over as secretary of Veterans Affairs. But Hagel says accountability is paramount. This week Shinseki will have to answer tough questions on Capitol Hill from lawmakers who want to know how and why some veterans died after being put on secret waitlists at VA hospitals.

Here's CNN's Erin McPike.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Revelations that veterans hospitals from Phoenix to San Antonio tried to hide signs of a growing backlog for care has turned into a major Washington controversy forcing Veterans Affairs secretary Eric Shinseki to the Hill to explain how it happened.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: If these allegations are true, they're a violation of law and it's not a matter of resignations. It is a matter of whether or not somebody goes to jail or not.

MCPIKE: Already several Republican senators want him to resign.

SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R), TEXAS: But I agree with the American Legion that General Shinseki's time as secretary of Veterans Affairs has come to an end. MCPIKE: NBC News asked would he consider the option?

ERIC SHINSEKI, VETERAN AFFAIRS SECRETARY: I would say I serve at the pleasure of the president.

MCPIKE: So far, the White House insists the president "still has complete confidence in Shinseki" but deciding whether to hold on or let go of a top ranking official is tricky territory for the president. When former General Stanley McCrystal and his team were described in a "Rolling Stone" article as criticizing the president and vice president he was out immediately.

But Kathleen Sebelius stayed put through the rocky Obamacare rollout in the face of repeated calls for her to leave by the GOP.

MARIA CARDONA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Getting rid of a cabinet secretary is actually very, very rare. Presidents, whether Republican or Democrat, are really going to think twice before they do that. And having the opposition call for a resignation is not really going to be something that they take into their real calculus at the end of the day.

MCPIKE: And not everyone is trying to push Shinseki out the door just yet. Even House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday -

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: I'm not ready to join the chorus of people calling for him to step down. The problems at the VA are systemic.

MCPIKE: As in, complicated and not so easy to politicize. As Illinois Republican congressman Aaron Schock told CNN -

REP. AARON SCHOCK (R), ILLINOIS: The one thing that brings Republicans and Democrats together is veterans and making sure that our men and women when they get back get the benefits and the services that they deserve and are delivered in a respectful manner and clearly that didn't happen in this case.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Erin McPike joining us now live from Washington. So Erin, this could be tricky, politically speaking, for the Obama administration, couldn't it?

MCPIKE: Fred, that's right. As you heard there it is complicated for them because leaders in both parties believe that some problems within the VA system, really throughout the country, may not be coming from the leadership and it could in fact run much deeper and Senate Republicans, for example, are split on Shinseki's future at the VA and some of those who had question him Thursday at the hearing that you mentioned there at the top have told CNN that they're reserving judgment until they hear his answers and I would also point out that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was on ABC this morning and said that he doesn't think that it started with Shinseki's term at the VA and that they should have looked at it years ago. He says he thinks they missed it, Fred. WHITFIELD: All right. Erin McPike in Washington, thanks so much.

Hundreds of kidnapped schoolgirls still have not been found in Nigeria. We'll tell you who's helping in this desperate race to find them, next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, I'm Sgt. Zachary (INAUDIBLE), assigned to the 548 CSS (INAUDIBLE) in Afghanistan. I would like to say hi to my mama, Linda Cheek (ph), located from St. Joseph, Michigan. Happy mother's day. I love and miss you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Happening right now in Nigeria, officials from several countries including the U.S. are racing to find hundreds of schoolgirls who were kidnapped by a terror group. U.S. officials are helping Nigeria's government plan rescue missions and offering advice on ways to take out Boko Haram and it's notorious leader.

CNN's Vladimir Duthiers is in Nigeria's capital. So Vladimir, what are you hearing about this active search?

VLADIMIR DUTHIERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred, well we know that the United States has sent a team of United States military personnel to Nigeria, joining a team of 11 that was already on the ground. We also know that eventually that's going to grow to about 50 or 60 people just from the U.S.. We know that Britain and France have offered to lend their support and we are also learning today from President Goodluck Jonathan's office that the Israelis will be sending an anti-terrorism team to also assist in the search.

Now this won't be boots on the ground. This will be purely an advisory role, Fred. They're going to be offering assistance on reconnaissance, intelligence gathering and even, if it ever gets to that point, hostage negotiation but the area that they need to search is pretty significant and so with the U.S. intel reports saying that the girls may have been split up into neighboring Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria, talking about a significant challenge, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right Vladimir Duthiers, thank you so much. Keep us posted.

All right. Next, more from Nigeria. How the U.S. is helping and the limitations straight ahead.

But first, if you haven't heard of the tough mudder, you're going to want to see it. CNN's Sanjay Gupta has more in today's "Fit Nation."

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Fred, it was about four years ago this month when this phenomenon started catching fire of extreme endurance challenges. Nowadays, you got sort of different races, you got the Warrior Dash, the Spartan Race. But back then, there was just one. It was called the Tough Mudder. And funny enough, one of our producers Ben Tinker decided he was going to partake and we decided to go along for the ride.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys look really, really pumped up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Just here to enjoy all the people and like a true challenge (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have been talking about doing some sort of adventure race for a while now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have committed to doing this race. I'm not sure that's a good idea. When I signed up, I thought, you know, there would be all shapes and sizes of people here. Everyone here is in really, really good shape and I'm starting to wonder if I can cut it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. So we have reached the top of the hill. I have my number. Sophie says it's too late to turn back. So you're going to mark me up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it's too late now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go. Let's go! Come on, come on, come on!

It started out with those guys at the beginning of the race. They're ahead of me now. I hope they gave everything they have in the beginning and I can catch up now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tough mudder.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go, mudders.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got it. All right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get up there. Come on!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Almost at the end. How are you guys feeling?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Little tired.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. How about how?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fantastic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good team work.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's going to be something that tests everyone. For every different person it's something and it tests all of those fears in one place, all in one day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you on?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't stop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: I don't know, Fred. What do you think? You want to do that with me as well? I know you're doing the triathlon and that's going to be a lot of fun.

Sometimes it is nice to have the producer do some of the heavy lifting as Ben did in this case. But what you saw there was a lot of camaraderie and that's I think one of the big assets of these types of events. People really supporting each other. So grab a friend, get outside and try and get fit.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I'm looking forward to the camaraderie from Malibu and that triathlon. But now I got to catch up with Ben Tinker. What happened? How did it all end up for him? Because that's one heck of a mudder. All right. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Hello again. Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are several big stories we're following this hour. Same-sex couples lined up to get married for the first time in Arkansas this weekend after the state's same-sex marriage ban was struck down.

A judge on Friday ruled that the ban was unconstitutional. According to the Associated Press, Arkansas attorney general plans to appeal the ruling.

Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton got another diploma this weekend. She earned her PhD in international relations from Oxford. Her father, the former president, posted a photo on his Twitter feed yesterday and said, "couldn't be prouder of Chelsea Clinton today, congrats on your doctorate."

And the ex-wife of golfing great Tiger Woods made a rare public speech. Elin Nordegren spoke at the graduation ceremony at (INAUDIBLE) College Hamilton (INAUDIBLE) in Winter Park, Florida. The reason for the honor? She was named the graduating class's outstanding senior. The school's version of valedictorian. She didn't refer directly to her ex-husband but she did refer to the scandal that put here in the public spotlight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIN NORDEGREN, TIGER WOODS' EX WIFE: It was right after taking communication and the media, I was unexpectedly thrust into the media limelight. And I probably should have taken more notes in that class.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Nordegren receives a degree in Psychology.

All right. Back now to the search for hundreds of schoolgirls in Nigeria kidnapped by terrorists. The U.S. is there and advising the Nigerian government. CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The names of the missing schoolgirls go up for all to see.

REAR ADMIRAL JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: There's no question that we're racing against the clock here. They have been gone for a long time.

STARR: Three weeks after the kidnapping of more than 200 Nigerian girls, U.S. military advisers are on the ground being joined by FBI and other personnel. The Obama administration insists it's been pressing the Nigerians to act.

KIRBY: We had made repeated offers of assistance and only just this week when Nigerian accepted the offer of this coordination. You know, within 48 hours people were moving.

STARR: U.S. officials cautioned they are only offering advice. The Nigerian military will have to conduct any rescue mission. A rescue mission that may encounter Boko Haram militants armed with Libyan machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons grabbed hundreds of miles away in Libya after the fall of Moammar Gadhafi.

PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Boko Haram may have got hold of surface-to-air missiles including SA7s missiles. There is significant concern about that, not absolute proof that they've obtained these but -

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