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What's Next Step in Finding Kidnapped Girls?; Can the V.A. Defend Itself This Week?; Who Will Own the Clippers?; What If Michael Sam is a Draft Bust?; Former Soldier to Receive Medal of Honor; Barbara Walters Retiring; Will Fast Food Workers Go on Strike?

Aired May 11, 2014 - 18:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: We'll take a look at all the stories that you'll be talking about and hearing about this coming week.

So, let's begin with our five questions for the week ahead.

Question number one, what's the next step in finding the kidnapped girls?

Today, we're getting a taste of just how frightening living in the presence of the Boko Haram terror group can be. One of the girls who made a heroic escape from her captors was brave enough to tell her story to CNN, recalling the night that she and more than 200 other schoolgirls were taken from their beds.

Nima Elbagir joins me now live from Abuja. She is the first international reporter to reach the eastern Nigerian town where the girls were kidnapped.

Nima, I guess, first, the question is -- why did this young girl decide to share her story with you?

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's definitely a sense for those of us outside of Chibok, outside of Nigeria, this seems like something that everybody is working on. Everyone is talking about.

But when you get to Chibok, you really finally understand how little of that is trickling down to them. They almost a month later after those girls were kidnapped, they really haven't seen anything tangible. And you can only imagine what that's like for a mother and father who's waiting for their girls, their daughter to come home.

So, she agreed to speak to us, but you can still hear the terror in her voice. Take a listen to this, Randi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELBAGIR: Can you describe the men that came and took you? What did they look like? Were they wearing civilian clothing or military uniforms? What were they wearing?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't understand. ELBAGIR: What was their dress? What were they wearing?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel afraid.

ELBAGIR: Did they look like soldiers?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) afraid.

ELBAGIR: You're still afraid?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

ELBAGIR: You don't want to talk about what they look like.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

ELBAGIR: That's OK. I understand. I understand. I'm sorry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELBAGIR: The fear of retaliation has stopped her from answering that question of ours, Randi. That's a very real fear.

Even just a day before we drove down to Chibok, a police officer was wounded in shootout with the militant group that is still very much at large in that area, Randi.

KAYE: And certainly, Nima, in terms of trying to find these girls and where they are, certainly a lot has been said about this hashtag diplomacy as it's being called. Do you think that is helping or hurting the situation there?

ELBAGIR: Well, it's definitely -- it's putting resources at the Nigerian government's disposal, which can only be a good thing. But also, it's putting pressure on the Nigerian government because what really -- what we found really shocking when we finally got there is here in the Nigerian capital and I guess also for you back there in the States, you hear a lot about the promises that are being made to help find these girls.

Then, we arrived at the town and there was very little military presence. The girl that we spoke to, she hadn't even been interviewed by authorities to try and get any details from her story. It just seems really slow coming.

Everyone we were speaking to said please keep these girls in your thoughts, please keep talking about them, please keep tweeting about them. You know, this is really important that they are not forgotten.

The Nigerian government is not let off the hook on this one, Randi.

KAYE: That is just incredible that all this time has passed and she's yet to be interviewed until you, in fact.

Nima, thank you. Appreciate your reporting. We'll check back with you later on. Now, question number two, can the Veterans Administration answer very direct questions this week to America's satisfaction? The head of the V.A. testifies before a Senate committee Thursday. That's after allegations came to light that treatment for some veterans came too late to save their lives.

A little while ago I spoke to our investigative correspondent Drew Griffin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Randi, this could be a very, very big week as this V.A. wait list scandal continues to just get bigger and bigger. We know that investigators are on the ground and we believe a half dozen states. There is going to be this nationwide audit that has been ordered and we're already seeing some of that develop as investigators fan out across the country to find out why not only are veterans waiting so long for care, but why there's an apparent systemic problem with hiding that fact?

All of this is going to culminate on Thursday when General Eric Shinseki, who is the Veterans Affairs secretary, will go before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, which is interesting. He, of course, had been shunning our interview requests and he's been reluctant to appear before the House Veterans Affairs Committee. He'll face a much friendlier reception in the Senate, but still by his own accounts, there are big, big problems with the V.A. and he is going to face some very tough questioning.

So, in this week ahead, we will finally see what General Shinseki has to say, if he'll defend his work at the V.A. or if he will admit that mistakes have been made and big things need to be changing -- Randi.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Drew, thanks so much.

Now, question number three, what's a suitable final resting place for 9/11 victims who cannot be identified? Some family members of people killed in the World Trade Center were not happy at this sight yesterday. A procession of fire and police vehicles taking human remains to the new National September 11th Memorial and Museum. The plan is to permanently house the remains there below ground.

People who are against it say it is disrespectful.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSEMARY CAIN, SON KILLED IN 9/11 ATTACKS: I waited months for my son to be recovered out of that hell hole. And now they're putting him back in there. What's respectful about that?

MONICA IKEN, HUSBAND KILLED IN 9/11 ATTACKS: They're not in a dungeon. They're not in a basement. They're in a beautiful space that is reverent and respectful. (END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: The September 11th Memorial and Museum officially opens later this month. And families of those unidentified victims will be able to visit their loved one's remains in the days before the formal opening.

Question number four now: will chunks of eastern Ukraine break away from the Ukraine's fragile government? Right now, a tense vote count is underway in eastern Ukraine. The U.S. has said today's vote is illegal and blames Russia for meddling in Ukraine's politics.

Our Nick Paton Walsh will join us later in the hour with the answer and an update on what's happening there.

Question number five: who is going to own the L.A. Clippers? Big question.

The NBA has banned owner Donald Sterling for life, but now, his estranged wife says she wants to keep her portion of the team.

So, let's ask Terence Moore, CNN.com's sports contributor and columnist for MLB.com.

Terence, wow. So, Shelly Sterling telling Barbara Walters that she wants to keep the Clippers and that she also plans to eventually divorce her husband. So, what is the answer? Will Shelly Sterling hold on to ownership of the L.A. Clippers, do you think?

TERENCE MOORE, CNN.COM SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, the NBA got this, OK? It started out everything was fine. The NBA had this all under control in the sense that they just figured since the majority of the owners or all the owners wanted Donald Sterling out, that was it. But when Shelly did what she did, it just kind of pushed things back a little bit. But now, the NBA has found a loophole and the loophole is this, that Donald Sterling is the controlling owner of the franchise, which means that he is the guy that they voted to be in charge of this franchise back in 1981, not Shelly.

So, in their opinion, the NBA's opinion, that because it's Donald Sterling that is the controlling owner, that this is irrelevant what she's saying. And you've got to remember now, the NBA is a private club. It's very much like the old Flintstones, the royal order of buffaloes, anything that they want to do and declare, that's the way it is.

If they declare that we want you as a controlling owner, then that's it. They don't want her the controlling owner. So, they've got say in this franchise more so than Shelly Sterling does right now.

KAYE: I think she's trying to sell them on her heart and what she claims to be feeling. She talks about the passion and legacy in her family. She says quite frankly that, you know, why should she be punished for something that her estranged husband did?

MOORE: Well, Randi, I'll tell you why, because LeBron James just came out today and said that all of the players are against any member of the Sterlings being associated with this franchise. If she continues to go down this road, she's going to lose anyway, but if she did, there would not be another NBA player ever wanting to play for the L.A. Clippers. And it's very hard to have a franchise with no players on the court.

KAYE: Yes, well, now -- so, now we have not one but two Sterlings it seems refusing to go quietly. So, we'll see how this shakes out. Terence, I'm sure we'll talk more about it. Thank you.

And just to let you know, our Anderson Cooper just sat down with L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling. A lot to say in that conversation, I'm sure. You can see that in his exclusive interview on "AC360" tomorrow night 8:00 p.m., right here on CNN. If you can't wait, we'll show you a snippet, a sneak peek tomorrow morning on "NEW DAY". "NEW DAY" starts at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

The Clippers and the Thunder playing right now in L.A. They two teams are just a point apart, with just a few minutes to go. By the way, one potential owner of Clippers, Magic Johnson, happens to be at the game.

Up next, we'll talk about Michael Sam's future in the NFL. What happens if Sam's performance on the field is a bust after all the fuss about his pioneering role in the league?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back, everyone. President Obama is among those congratulating football player Michael Sam.

The NFL's St. Louis Rams made Sam the first openly gay player in yesterday's draft. He's a media sensation, but ultimately, he will be judged by his play on the field.

Which begs the question, what if Michael Sam is a bust? Let's hope not. But let's talk it over with CNN commentators Ben Ferguson and Marc Lamont Hill, and CNN.com sports contributor Terence Moore is back as well.

All right. So, Marc, I'm going to start with you.

Michael Sam, great college career, but so-called "experts" have said maybe he's not a perfect fit for the pros. Will it matter, do you think, if he doesn't measure up on the field?

MARC LAMONT HILL, CNN COMMENTATOR: I mean, obviously, in the Disney- fied world that we like to imagine ourselves living in, you want the breakthrough player to be extraordinary, you want everybody to be the Jackie Robinson-type, right, where you break a barrier and you're also phenomenally talented. But the truth is Jason Collins is just an average basketball player at best at the end of his career. And Michael Sam could be the average NFL player at best. We don't know yet.

But I don't think that's the biggest point here. The question won't be how great a player he is or whether or not he makes the Hall of Fame. The question is, will he be accepted in the locker room, will fans cheer for him? Will he prove to the world that an openly gay player is no different than anyone else in terms of their performance on the field? If he does, I'm happy.

KAYE: And Ben, Michael Sam, already, we know, he had endorsement deal before he was even drafted. I mean, has he made his point, has he broken the barrier as it were already regardless of how this all pans out?

BEN FERGUSON, CNN COMMENTATOR: Well, I think he's already an overachiever. Anybody that gets drafted is an incredible athlete and an overachiever. The question is, can you hang with the big boys in the NFL?

I mean, he played in the SEC. There's some phenomenal players in the SEC that did not get drafted. Some did. And a lot of them are going to be cut afterwards. Guys that were drafted before him will be cut, guys that were drafted after him are going to be cut.

So, you know, yes, it would be awful if he didn't make it maybe because it's not the happy ending that he wants, but he's also going to be in great company if he doesn't make the team or he doesn't have a long career.

I mean, you're dealing with the NFL, the average player is a couple years plus some months is your average NFL career time span. So, if he gets a season or two in based on his ability, I think that would be above and beyond success based on his talent.

KAYE: Yes.

Terence, your thoughts, how do the Rams benefit, do you think, from having Michael Sam on the team?

MOORE: Well, I mean, the Rams are going to benefit a lot because you got to remember that last year, they were second from the bottom in the NFL and total attendance. So, this is partly a gimmick for them to try to get more fannies in the seats. Because you got a University of Missouri star coming to play -- forget the gay thing -- and they need all the bodies they can get.

But, Randi, to answer your previous question, if Michael Sam does not play a down for the Rams or for the NFL, he's already won for his cause. And I'll tell you why.

You look at what happened since he announced that he's openly gay, you've got Derrick Gordon who is a basketball player, starting basketball player at the University of Massachusetts who came out and announced that he's openly gay. You had another football player at division III in Orange County saying the same thing. So, he's already done that.

And everybody talks about Jackie Robinson, but who was the first NFL black player? Who was the first NBA black player, OK? Most people don't know that answer, but they are the ones that open the door and that's essentially what he has done for his cause right here even without playing a down.

KAYE: Yes, he certainly has a side story to his incredible story. But that is not what he wants to be known for. This guy wants to play football, no question about it.

Thanks, guys, appreciate it.

Coming up, an Army paratrooper receiving the nation's top honor. Sergeant Kyle White will be only the seventh living recipient of the Medal of Honor. Hear about his extraordinary and selfless actions in his own words right after this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, mom. Just wanted to say I love you a lot and I miss you so much. I will be home very soon. Love you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Some news to tell you, this just in to CNN: the L.A. Clippers have won. They beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 101-99. Once again, the L.A. Clippers winning their game tonight.

All right. Right now, a large, dangerous tornado rolling through Nebraska. Our Jennifer Gray is watching this.

So, Jennifer, bring us up to date.

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, very, very powerful storm. Large tornado on the ground right around Beaver Crossing. This tornado warning is going to be in effect for the next 30 minutes or so. Most likely extended this storm, this very dangerous storm is rolling parallel pretty much to I-80. So, Beaver Crossing, Milford, Denton, and look here, Lincoln, Nebraska, needs to be on the lookout. This storm, if it holds together, could be right on top of you within the hour or so. Very dangerous storm.

Confirmed tornado on the ground. Could be a very large tornado. You need to immediately get into your safe spot, small interior room, no windows, lowest level of your house. In Nebraska, Beaver Crossing, Milford, Denton, Lincoln state off I-80 for the next hour or so. If you are in this area, this is a very powerful storm. You can see the greens and reds right next to each other right around Beaver Crossing, that's an indication of exactly where this tornado is. That's the signature of the area of circulation.

This is all part of this larger system. We have severe thunderstorm warnings all across of the country's midsection just to the west of Kansas City. Of course, if these hold together they'll be in your neck of the woods in the next hour or so as well.

Here are the tornado warnings in effect -- the areas that need to be on the lookout the most as we go through the next several hours. The ones to the west will be in effect until 10:00 Central Time, then the one on the east will be in effect until about 7:00 Central Time.

But, Randi, these are dangerous, powerful storms especially that storm just to the west of Lincoln. If you're in Lincoln, points west right along I-80, you need to be in your safe spot immediately. Very dangerous situation.

KAYE: Sounds like it. Good advice to stay off of I-80. Jennifer, thank you very much.

Will chunks of eastern Ukraine break away from the fragile government? Right now, a tense vote count underway in eastern Ukraine. The U.S. has said today's vote is illegal and blames Russia for meddling in Ukraine's politics.

Joining me on the phone now, senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh. He is in eastern Ukraine.

Nick, I guess -- I want to know how the vote is going, but do you think that parts of eastern Ukraine now will splinter away from their own nation?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): In many ways, Randi, they tried to splinter away at this stage.

We're in a town called Slaviansk. I'm talking to you on the phone because actually there's a crew in place, and this is a town controlled by pro-Russian militant. It had been the case for weeks.

But it's been encircled by the Ukrainian military. They have tried to stop this vote. They haven't forced their way in, as many said they might do today.

But that whole climate obviously affects how people are able to vote here -- and when I say a vote it's not the kind of collection that you expect to see in the United States. There are no posters. There's spin doctors, there are no hustings. This is people being asked to endorse the unrest that's already being here.

So, there's a real sense of a city under siege in some ways. And, of course, the results have been trickling in, suggesting an 80 percent turnout at this point. And, of course, the results I've heard from the self-declared mayor of this city, over 1,200 votes count, a mere 40 were against the referendum idea.

So, we're going to see a very obvious pro-vote here, suggesting this part should become an independent state. The question is does Russia then accept into the Russian Federation as some would like to happen or Kiev the capital of Ukraine today actually move to try and somehow send their military in to keep this part of the country as part of Ukraine, Randi.

KAYE: And, aside from the vote, Nick, you've been in this town for a number of weeks. In terms of the violence, have you seen an evolution of the violence, an escalation even perhaps? WALSH: Yes, freefalling we're not talking about death tolls or injured every day. The problem now in this part of the Ukraine is if the Ukrainian military tried to move into many places but found a lot of hostility, a lot of reticence from the pro-Russian militants. They have to increase the amount of violence they're waiting to use to move further. In this town, Slaviansk, there was an intense shoot-out four or five days ago that has now subsided.

People are really wondering where are the Ukrainian military, what is their next move? And that's why people are very nervous about tomorrow. Now, it's clear the referendum has passed and it's likely in the new days head, they'll make some sort of proclamation of their desire to be independent from Ukraine -- Randi.

KAYE: Nick Paton Walsh, appreciate your reporting there. Thank you very much.

Up next, will a controversial execution take place under secret conditions in Texas this week? The death row inmate is being denied information on the drugs that may be used to kill him.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: The state of Texas plans to put to death a convicted murder on Tuesday. Now, if they go through with it, it will be the first execution in this country since an execution went horribly wrong in Oklahoma last month.

HLN's Jane Velez-Mitchell is with me now. And we're going to talk about this here.

First thing is, though, Jane, I'd like to know what you think. I mean, do you think they should have put this execution on hold anyway?

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HLN: Absolutely. They should put it on hold because Texas is saying, well, it really has nothing to do with us because we use one drug and Oklahoma used three drugs, but it's way beyond just the drugs. It's the entire procedure.

What happened that day has been described as a fiasco, an attorney who saw this botched execution called it torture. This man is writhing and convulsing and trying to speak and there are so many unanswered questions. Was he tasered earlier in the day? Did he cut himself? Did those things, if they happened, impact what happened later? Why did they have such a hard time finding his vein?

KAYE: Which they admit to.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. And then they go to the groin area and use the I.V. in the groin area, but then they cover it with a sheet for privacy which some critic say prevented them from seeing problems with the vein and the I.V. when they were unfolding.

Why did they close the curtain on the witnesses not allowing the witnesses to see what was going on when things started going south? And perhaps the biggest question, what really happened in the 10 minutes between when they decided to call off the execution and when this man died of an apparent heart attack?

So this goes way beyond drugs. This is an entire procedure that needs to be re-examined from head to toe.

KAYE: Well, I guess the question is always, why is there such secrecy surrounding it? I mean, Texas, why -- and Oklahoma, why don't they just say what they use?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, one of the things that I've heard is they're afraid of talking too specifically about the manufacturers because they feel that death penalty opponents might target them somehow, which I find a ridiculous argument because people who are against killing are not going to engage in violence as a matter of course. So that seems to me like smoke and mirrors.

KAYE: I mean, do you think that this changes the whole conversation about the death penalty and about execution?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I really think this is an opportunity, this botched execution, for us as a society to look at whether or not we really want to be doing this in the 21st century. The European Union has banned the death penalty. So in a sense, we are really in a disconnect with the developed world. And of course there are critics who say, look, it's racially biased in this country, there are many critics who say it's not really a deterrent to crime, and that they have found more than a hundred people who are innocent on death row who have been exonerated as DNA technology gets better and things of that nature.

So I really think that to take something that is a fiasco and being watched by the world as a global, global story and use it as an opportunity to decide well, as Americans, do we really want to try to solve violence with more violence? Now that being said, I have to say it's easy for me to say that hypothetically. I think I have not been the victim of a violent crime, I haven't lost a loved one to a violent crime. And that is a totally different experience on this subject.

So my heart goes out to those who lost loved ones in vicious crimes. And all of these cases we're talking about are really vicious crimes. The botched execution case the man was convicted of murder.

KAYE: Right.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: A 19-year-old girl who shot and buried alive.

KAYE: And in this Texas case, he robbed, raped and murdered a young girl.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.

KAYE: So -- but I guess you made an interesting point, you said that this is really about, in some way, all of our protections.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Sure. Because constitutionally, we have protection against cruel and unusual punishment. And when one of the lawyers who's witnesses this execution says, hey, what I saw was torture, if you allow that to pass without examining it, it opens a Pandora's box that could threaten all of our constitutional rights. So it's really about a lot more than just this one case.

KAYE: So what do you think? The execution that's planned for Tuesday now in Texas, I mean, do you think there's a chance it could still be stayed or do you think it's going to go ahead regardless of the drug situation?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: No. Texas is really pro-death penalty. They lead the way. So I would doubt it but never say never. You never know what's going to happen in Texas.

KAYE: And the judge who said that -- who stopped the -- who rejected the Texas inmate's stay, he actually said that we do need to reconsider previous rulings that upheld drug secrecy. So do you think that we might see a change?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I think transparency is always good. We should have no secrets when it comes to something this life and death -- emphasis on death.

KAYE: I got your point.

(LAUGHTER)

All right, Jane, nice to talk to you, as always. Nice to see you on a Sunday.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you, Randi. Thank you for having me. Thank you.

KAYE: All right. Coming up next an army paratrooper receiving the nation's top honor. Sgt. Kyle White will be only the seventh living recipient of the Medal of Honor. Hear about his extraordinary and selfless actions in his own words right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello, my name is Staff Sgt. Bon Reybirth Albana, currently serving at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. I'm here to say thank you to my family and say Happy Mother's Day to my mother, (INAUDIBLE) Albana. Thank you for your support and hope to see you soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: In two days President Obama will hang the highest military honor around the neck of a former Army sergeant for something he did more than five years ago far away in the mountains of Afghanistan.

CNN's Erin McPike have more on this.

So, Erin, tell us about then-Sergeant Kyle White and why he'll receive the Medal of Honor on Tuesday? ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he endured really several hours of gunfire, part of a three-pronged attack, to try to save other members of his unit on what the Army calls a dark night, and he did save a life.

And Randi, in almost 13 years since 9/11, only 13 other Americans have been awarded the Medal of Honor.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYLE WHITE, WILL RECEIVE MEDAL OF HONOR: I can close my eyes at any moment and be right back there on that trail. I can feel the temperature of the air and smell the gunpowder in the air.

MCPIKE (voice-over): Almost seven years ago in northeast Afghanistan, shortly after this photo of Army Sergeant Kyle White was taken, his unit, along with a squad of Afghan soldiers, were ambushed.

WHITE: It was just one shot, then two shots, and then the whole valley erupted.

MCPIKE: White, briefly knocked unconscious by the blast of a rocket- propelled grenade, got up and spent hours under fire, risking his life to treat and protect his wounded comrades.

WHITE: To me it was never a choice. I told myself from the beginning of that ambush that I was going to be killed. You know, just the amount of fire. I just -- I'm not going to make it through this. So if I'm not going to make it through this, I'm going to do what I can with the time I have to help the guys to the left and right of me.

MCPIKE: But six of his friends died including White's best friend Sean Langevin.

WHITE: You know, he was my best friend. And we had a lot of good times together. I miss him every day.

MCPIKE: He wears a bracelet with the names of all those killed.

(On camera): You wear it every day.

WHITE: I can look down at their names and kind of snaps back to reality.

MCPIKE (voice-over): President Obama called him in February.

(On camera): Tell me about when you found out about this.

WHITE: When I found out it actually was happening, it was a relief. It's also a chance to get the names of those that were killed out there out into the world and make sure people know what's happening over there and what these guys did for their country.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCPIKE: Sergeant White is now a bank analyst in Charlotte, North Carolina, and he told me the biggest lesson he learned from his experience was to never take anything for granted. And he wants to help others who have come back from tours of duty to adjust by setting goals like he did, which was going to college -- Randi.

KAYE: It's a great honor. A great man.

Erin McPike, thank you very much.

Barbara Walters prepares to sign off. She's retiring this week but not before scoring an exclusive interview with the woman at the center of the Donald Sterling fallout.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On May 16th, legendary journalist Barbara Walters will make her last televised appearance on "The View." Miss Walters has been a big part of our show since the very first season. But tonight we thought we'd honor her by taking a look back at some of our favorite Barbara Walters moments.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good evening and welcome to "Not for Ladies Only. I'm Barbara Wawa.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you were a man I'd be all over you like butter on beans.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was in a hot tub with Henry Kissinger and Juliet (INAUDIBLE). We speculated about our nation's future. Listened to some Harry Chapin, and then made sweet love until the morning sun.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And now please welcome Barbara Walters.

BARBARA WALTERS, LEGENDARY JOURNALIST: What an honor it was to see my ground breaking career in journalism reduced to a cartoon character with a ridiculous voice.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So Barbara, you're stepping down after over 50 years as a TV journalist. I mean, do you have any tips on how to achieve that kind of success?

WALTERS: OK. Do not be afraid to ask the tough questions like if you're a tree, what kind of a tree would you be? Or your place or mine, Brokaw? But the real money is in making them cry. Nothing brings in the viewers like seeing a celebrity reduced to tears. You may think I'm really feeling bad for them, but all I'm thinking is ka- ching.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: And we have all learned so much from Barbara Walters. Nice to see her poke a little fun at herself.

The TV legend officially retires this week. And she's going out with a bang. Walters scored a big get with Shelly Sterling. She's the estranged wife of L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling.

The NBA banned him for life after his racist rant was caught on audio tape. The exclusive interview with Shelly Sterling airs tonight. Walters' career spans, as you know, more than 50 years and she's excited about retiring.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALTERS: You know, I haven't really thought of what it's going to be like when I no longer have a schedule. I've always worked. I don't know what it's going to be like to get up and not have a list of things to do, but I look forward to it. It's been a long and exciting and sometimes difficult road. So it's time. It's time.

When I look at the young women today who are doing everything in front the cameras and behind the cameras, I remember when I was only allowed in interviews to come in on the fifth question. I remember when I wasn't allowed to do the so-called hard news. So I am very proud of the women today. The men do OK. You're all right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we do all right.

WALTERS: But the women today, if I helped in any way, that's my legacy and it's a wonderful one to have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: On Friday, Walters will sign off from her daytime show "The View." The show will celebrate her career with a special tribute including surprise guests all this week.

And just minutes ago the Clippers won a thriller over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Erasing a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter. The series now tied if you're keeping track at two games apiece.

Magic Johnson, who you may remember, was attacked in those recordings by Clippers owner Donald Sterling, was at tonight's game. Shelly Sterling meantime said that she's going to divorce Donald Sterling soon and she has big plans to fight for control of the clippers.

And one more note here, our Anderson Cooper sat down today with L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling. There's a picture of the two of them chatting. You can see his exclusive interview on "AC 360" tomorrow night 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. We'll also have a sneak peek tomorrow morning on "NEW DAY" at 6:00 a.m. Eastern.

And don't miss the exclusive interview with Donald Sterling tomorrow night right here on CNN.

You may have trouble getting fast food later this week. Will fast food workers go on strike Thursday? That's next.

And -- aiming for the major leagues in million-dollar arm. Actor Jon Hamm changes the game of baseball. The inspiration behind his character coming your way next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back, everyone. Will fast food workers across the U.S. go on strike this Thursday? Those workers are demanding higher wages, $15 an hour. And workers from dozens of countries banded together this week to take the push to a global level.

I want to bring in Vani Hari, creator of foodbabe.com.

Vani, hello to you. So what do you think? Do you think that fast food workers are going to go on strike come Thursday?

VANI HARI, CREATOR, FOODBABE.COM: Well, I hope so because honestly that's the only way to get through to these big fast food giants that take profits over people. Not only do they take profits over the health of several Americans and people all over the world with the junk that they sell, but it's also the workers that they employ and they continue to exploit these low wages.

You know, the McDonald's CEO makes close to $10,000 an hour and paying people that work in his stores $15 an hour doesn't seem that reasonable when you look at it that way.

KAYE: So if this movement does go global, I mean, how would you say that increases the pressure on the owners of the fast food companies?

HARI: Well, you know, when I -- you know, when I go after companies to change a certain ingredient, I usually like to ensure a boycott. And what that does is people will stop buying a product. Well, the same thing will happen when these workers decide to protest or go on strike. They won't be in the stores that day. So the people who are going to buy those different fast food items won't be able to.

They might have to close some stores. So these companies are going to be hit where it hurts the most and that is the message that we have to send when we want change in this country.

KAYE: So do you think that these people who go on strike and these workers, do you think they have the power to accomplish something?

HARI: Absolutely. You know, Margaret Mead said that never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. It's the only thing that ever has. So I definitely think that -- and I love protests, because it really shows that, you know, when people come together and create a momentum around a certain cause things can really start to change.

And plus the big fast food companies don't like this negative publicity that's happening right now on CNN. They don't want to see this, you know, on all the newspapers come Friday morning. So they want to do something. I think they will.

KAYE: Yes, I was just going to ask you how they're reacting. I'm sure they're going to not act very well to all of this. I mean, they've seen it before, right? But now it seems like it's growing.

HARI: Yes, it is. And with the momentum of social media and everyone sharing, you know, their status on like what they're doing that day, I think will even increase the momentum.

KAYE: All right. Vani, appreciate it. Nice to see you. Thank you.

HARI: To you too.

KAYE: From a Western drama to a sports movie based on a true life story. They are just a couple of the new films to hit the box office this week. In "Million Dollar Arm" a sports agent searches for baseball's next great pitcher. John Hamm who started in the movie talks about the inspiration for his character.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN HAMM, "MILLION DOLLAR ARM": It's called "Million Dollar Arm." We find the first Major League Baseball players from India. Such an improbable story. I knew J.B. a little bit personally before he went on this journey, you know, with the idea of finding or staging a contest and then finding two boys that you want to then bring back to the United States to then train for a tryout with a pro team is, you know, I laughed at him then and I didn't laugh at him once he got the boy signed.

Is that right, 82 with that motion?

These two kids were given a tremendous opportunity, taken out of this sea of 1.8 billion people and given an opportunity. And you know, the opportunities for kids in India, if you're not born into a lot of money, a lot of privilege, there's you. And so both when given this opportunity they decided that they were going to work as hard as possible to make the most of it.

RINKU SINGH, LEFT-HANDED BASEBALL PITCHER: I was a track and field heard from one of my coach, he was telling me there's some kind of million dollar arm TV show reality. You know, you've got to go there and whoever going to throw hard you're going to win some money.

I went there, still kind of thinking it's a joke. Who's going to give you that much money just throwing a baseball?

BILL PAXTON, ACTOR, "BILLION-DOLLAR ARM": You're not ready for this kind of pressure.

HAMM: This is business.

PAXTON: This is a sideshow.

These guys literally thought that a baseball glove was there to keep their bowling arm or their bowling hand warm. In other words, they came from a culture of cricket.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've never seen the baseball game. Everything was new for me.

HAMM: You got a major league trout.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you messing with us? HAMM: No, I'm not messing with you. You got a tryout.

J.K. BERNSTEIN, SPORTS ANALYST: Baseball is the context for telling the story. And I think it's five people who go through an amazing transformation as a result of their journey. For me, you know, I was a serial bachelor. I thought marriage was a scam. This probably came three or four years too late. You know, I'll never get to use the line in a bar, hey, ladies, Jon Hamm's playing me in a movie.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who's that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's my neighbor.

HAMM: Not my type.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why? Because she's not a model. Yes, stay away from that.

HAMM: I get to play kind of a not-so-savory character for six, seven months out of the year, it's nice to play somebody who has a little heart.

All right, go ahead. Say it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you kiss Miss Bernham?

HAMM: No, she kissed me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: That one looks pretty good. Well, right now Nebraska is under a tornado warning. Jennifer Gray is watching this all for us. So what area specifically, Jennifer, are in danger right now?

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, areas just to the west of Lincoln. This is that same storm we cut in and told you about just a few moments ago. Still holding together, that tornado warning now affecting Malcolm and Seeward. These are the cities that are on -- in the direct path of this. It was just to the south of I-80, now it's kind of hot to the north.

Do not need to be on I-80 just to the west of Lincoln right now. It's a very dangerous place to be. And if this holds together, could be knocking on the doors of Lincoln or just on the north side of the city in the next half hour or less. So be on the lookout, Lincoln. Get to your safe spot. Have a plan, stay in tune because this is a very dangerous storm.

This has been a confirmed tornado on the ground for the past 30 minutes or so, maybe off and on but it is still a very dangerous storm and has the capability of producing a tornado. So we're going to move on. We have another tornado warning to tell you about. This one in Ohio, actually, just on the west side of Columbus.

So Columbus, you could be in danger if this storm holds together. This is a radar-indicated tornado, nothing is confirmed on the ground but it is very powerful indeed. This is just to the north of Springfield and this tornado warning will be in effect until 7:00 Eastern Time. Morefield and Springfield in the path of this. And so be on the lookout for this storm as well.

These are not the only two storms out there. We have a lot of storms setting up. It's a very dangerous situation as we go through the afternoon and evening hours. We are now back in Nebraska, you could see pushing towards Kansas City. We are going to see the line of storms continue to push through as we go through the overnight and evening hours.

Tornado watches in effect for a large portion of the country's midsection as we go forward in time. Until about 10:00 p.m. Central Time, these on the west, the ones on the east until about 7:00 Central Time.

So Randi, still very dangerous out there. That tornado warning Lincoln Really needs to be on the lookout.

KAYE: Yes. And how fast would you say some of these storms moving? Are they fast moving storms or are they sitting on top of each other.

GRAY: Not really. These storms are hour. They're not moving very quickly miles per hour so, they're not moving very quickly. The good news about it is we can give you enough time to really warn you, prepare you for it. So be on the lookout for those, especially Lincoln in the next 30 minutes.

KAYE: All right. Jennifer Gray, appreciate that. Certainly a lot of areas need to take cover and heed those warnings that you made very clear.

Jennifer Gray, thank you for the update. Appreciate that.