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Fires Raging on Southern California; Michelle Obama Speaks on Segregation; Evidence Shows Delays at VA Caused Deaths; Donald Sterling Fights Back against NBA; Children Pick Tobacco Legally; Pregnant Christian Faces Death Sentence
Aired May 17, 2014 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Lolo Jones is proud of her three Olympic experiences.
More of my face-to-face interview with Jones at 2:45 Eastern today. She reveals how failures and successes are shaping her decision and preparedness for Rio 2016.
All right. We've got so much more straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM, and it all starts right now.
Hi. Hello again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the big stories we're following right now in the CNN NEWSROOM. Nerves are on edge in Southern California as raging fires move closer to homes and businesses. And for some it's too late.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was absolutely gorgeous. Now it's all gone. All gone. What can I say? Yes. It's absolutely all gone, finished.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And the chief of Veterans Affairs in the hot seat, facing tough questions about the growing scandal over wait times at VA hospitals. Hear what Eric Shinseki said about those alarming accusations and the move to get him out of office.
Plus, toiling away on tobacco farms in dangerous conditions for up to 18 hours a day? Who is suffering through that? Children as young as 7 and it's happening right here in the U.S.
We begin with those ferocious fires burning right now in Southern California. Thousands of acres are in flames in San Diego County. Dozens of homes and businesses have been destroyed. And many more lie right in the fire's path. Dan Simon joins us now from San Marcos, California, right in front of what used to be someone's dream home.
What else is happening there today?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This pretty much tells you everything that a destructive wildfire can do. Take a look at this house. It is a charred mess. You can still see in certain parts smoke smoldering there in the ruins. But things are looking better in San Marcos. This was deemed to be the most worrisome fire of all the fires we've seen in San Diego. Right now we are told that it is contained. About 70 percent contained.
But even though things are looking better, it's no consolation for people who go to a local university here, the Cal State University, San Marcos. They were supposed to have a graduation ceremony this weekend, but it has been cancelled. No word yet if those commencement ceremonies are going to be rescheduled. But a really unfortunate timing for those folks.
In terms of the overall fire scene, we are told that there's still six active fires, but most of them are nearly fully contained at this point, Fred. It matters because the weather has gotten much better and it's enabling firefighters to get an upper hand on things. That said, there are still a lot of firefighters on the ground just in case there are some flare-ups. And we're told that aircraft can deploy if necessary, but at this point we haven't seen any of those helicopters in the sky dropping water -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: And then, Dan, there have been some arrests and one person has actually been charged, right?
SIMON: One person has been charged. We know that two teenagers were arrested, accused of trying to start a small brush fire and then you have a man in his 50s also accused of essentially trying to do the same thing.
At this point they haven't been charged with trying to start some of these bigger fires, but because you had so many going at once, you had eight going essentially within the span of 24 hours, speculation immediately turned to whether or not arson may be at play. So that's certainly something that authorities are investigating -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Dan Simon, thanks so much in San Marcos, California.
Firefighters battling those California wildfires could get a break today. Meteorologist Alexandra Steele says the conditions have been perfect for terrible fires like this.
ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, absolutely. You know, the recipe for wildfires is there no matter who sets it or how it does get set, dry conditions, check. We have that. Last year, one of the driest years on record in California. This year already usurping that.
Also hot temperatures, these are record heat, days and days and months and months. Last month alone in San Francisco, into the 90s. A higher temperature than they were the entire last year. Also of course the strong Santa Ana winds, these very hot compressional winds that we see that come like this, bring this hot, dry air in.
We've seen a change of that. So when a few (INAUDIBLE), we're seeing improving conditions. One, the winds changed direction. Temperatures have come down as well. Los Angeles today in the 80s. But we're going to watch those temperatures move into the 70s away from the 90s this last week.
Also, the important thing on this map is the direction from which the wind barbs come from the cool ocean. So finally an onshore flow, certainly helping to kind of eradicate some of that dry air.
And also, Fred, we're going to see this humidity come up higher than it has been in days as we head towards the next couple of days.
WHITFIELD: All right. A little bit of hope there. Thanks so much, Alexandra Steele.
STEELE: Sure.
WHITFIELD: All right. Across the country today people are commemorating the 60th anniversary of "Brown versus Board of Education" decision. It was the 9-0 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1954 that outlawed segregation in public schools. The case rose from a complaint about the school system in Topeka, Kansas.
Well, First lady Michelle Obama delivered a high school commencement address in Topeka yesterday evening and she said some segregation remains.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: So today by some measures our schools are as segregated as they were back when Dr. King gave his final speech, and as a result many young people in America are going to school largely with kids who look just like them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Earlier I spoke with Dr. Steve Perry who founded a magnet school in Hartford, Connecticut, and he says the disparity problem lies with our leaders.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE PERRY, FOUNDER, CAPITAL PREPARATORY MAGNET SCHOOL: School of choice would allow a child, regardless of their color, to go to the school that best meets their family's desires, and there are about a million children on waiting lists to go to public school choices right now, and the reason they're not going is not because of resources, it's because the Democrats have been working against many forms of school reform for about 30 years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Let's bring in Erin McPike at the White House.
So, Erin, the first lady's comments have provoked a whole lot of discussion about, you know, disparities in public schools. Did the White House expect this was going to happen?
ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, not necessarily, but you're right. Her comments have inspired a lot of talk today, but as you'll hear her describe in these comments, she believes the -- the problem is more cultural.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Many young people in America are going to school largely with kids who look just like them, and too often those schools aren't equal, especially ones attended by students of color, which too often lag behind, with crumbling classrooms and less experienced teachers. And even in schools that seem integrated, according to the numbers, when you look a little closer, you see students from different backgrounds, sitting at separate lunch tables, or trapped into different classes, or separated into different clubs or activities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCPIKE: And numbers from the Pew Research Center do bear this out, some of the numbers we have seen today say that just 15 percent of white students are in schools where more than half of the students are from minority groups, but she didn't really have a policy prescription in her remarks last night. She encouraged students to take action on a more personal level. Listen here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Now our laws may no longer separate us based on our skin color, but nothing in the Constitution says we have to eat together in the lunchroom or live together in the same neighborhoods. There's no court case against believing in stereotypes or thinking that certain kinds of hateful jokes or comments are funny. So the answers to many of our challenges today can't necessarily be found in our laws. These changes also need to take place in our hearts and in our minds.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCPIKE: And, Fred, she also talked about how integration in "Brown v Board" helped her own life, and helped her go to Princeton and Harvard, and have gotten all the way to the White House herself -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Erin McPike at the White House, thanks so much.
Children as young as 7 years old are harvesting tobacco and this isn't a third world country. It's taking place right here in the U.S. coming up later.
Plus, Eric Shinseki finally speaking out about allegations that veterans died while waiting for care at VA hospitals. He says he is working on solving the problem, but is it enough? That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: It's nothing short of a scandal, the U.S. promised them health care, but it wasn't always delivered. Sick veterans across the country have died while waiting for care at the VA. Finally, the head of the VA answered questions from lawmakers.
CNN's Drew Griffin broke this story and tells us what Eric Shinseki said.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Fred, Eric Shinseki was on the hot seat up on Capitol Hill, many calling for his resignation, but he says he is staying and will stick out the mission.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN (voice-over): Despite evidence that suggest there is a systemic, widespreading wait time scandal in the VA health care system, the retired Army general who runs the VA, as far as he can tell, cooking the books to hide the truth about veterans waiting for care is rare.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that in fact a problem within the health care system?
ERIC SHINSEKI, VETERANS AFFAIRS SECRETARY: I'm not aware. And other than a number of isolated cases where there is evidence of that. But the fact that there is evidence in a couple of cases behooves us to go ahead and take a thorough look.
GRIFFIN: That seemed incredible to some senators who have been reading for months now about secret lists, whistleblowers claiming they were instructed to fudge numbers and case after case of veterans dead because of delayed or denied medical treatment.
Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, a former prosecutor, says he believes it's time to call in the FBI.
(On camera): Should some federal law enforcement from DOJ be brought in at least to preserve the evidence that is there, if it is there?
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D), CONNECTICUT: The failure here is more than just an isolated or aberrant kind of instance or wrongdoing. It involves the system itself and involves potential criminal wrongdoing. There is more than allegations, there is evidence.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): He is right, there is, and CNN has been reporting for months on it now. In Phoenix, retired VA physician Dr. Sam Foote and other sources insist there is a secret wait list at this hospital. And administrators, he alleges, are covering it up.
(On camera): We've heard as many as 40 veterans here in Arizona, in the Phoenix area, could have died waiting for care.
DR. SAM FOOTE, RETIRED VA DOCTOR: That is correct. The number is actually higher.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): And while the Phoenix VA was reporting timely appointments on its phony lists, Dr. Foote says actual waits on the real waiting lists could last months.
FOOTE: When in reality it would have been six, nine, in some cases 21 months.
GRIFFIN: For six months now, CNN has been reporting on veterans dying, waiting for care. CNN has tried to get an interview with the VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and his administrative staff. The secretary has refused to respond to our requests. The director of the Phoenix VA ducked us for weeks until we finally tried to demand answers as she left work.
(On camera): Director Helman, can you talk to us please?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Off the property.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Off the property.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Off the property, both of you.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): A day later, the Phoenix director Sharon Helman denied any secret wait lists but also denied knowing what the investigation was about.
SHARON HELMAN, DIRECTOR, PHOENIX VA HOSPITAL: And they don't tell us what the allegations are surrounding their investigation. I can just confirm that yes, they were here.
GRIFFIN: Helman is now on administrative leave. And many on Capitol Hill are calling on President Obama to put her boss on leave permanently. Several senators and members of the House have called for the resignation of Eric Shinseki. Try as we might we couldn't get the secretary to answer our questions until finally he appeared before reporters after the hearing.
(On camera): General, these delayed deaths have been well documented since 2011. The wait lists all across the country have been well documented in OIG and Government Accountability Office reports for a decade. Why has it taken this crisis in Phoenix for the VA and you specifically to act?
SHINSEKI: Well, we have certainly worked with the IG and the GAO. Any time they come up with a report, we work to close out those actions.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: Fred, Eric Shinseki is basically saying wait, wait for the investigations to be completed, but some senators are growing very impatient with that kind of attitude. They want action now to help the veterans that are waiting now -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Drew Griffin on Capitol Hill.
The American Legion is calling for General Shinseki's -- resignation, rather.
Joining us right now to talk about this is Daniel Dellinger. He's the national commander of the American Legion.
Mr. Dellinger, good to see you. So what you heard -- I hope you can hear me because I did not hear you. OK. Are you there? There we go.
DANIEL DELLINGER, AMERICAN LEGION NATIONAL COMMANDER: Yes, I am here.
WHITFIELD: Now I hear you. Very good.
DELLINGER: All right.
WHITFIELD: OK. So your impressions of General Shinseki's testimony this week?
DELLINGER: Well, we were looking for more. I mean, as a leader of the VA, the secretary, cabinet level position, I mean, we expect him to step up like he did in the military. He was a great general and we were hoping the same thing at the VA level also.
WHITFIELD: What did you want him to say, especially since we heard from Drew's report, this -- there have been problems for at least a decade. He hasn't had that job that long. Is it more reflection of systemic problems as opposed to a problem with this VA secretary?
DELLINGER: Well, we were looking for accountability, we were looking for him to step up and say he has this well in hand and working towards a solution. But all we heard is he is going to start conducting audits. But there's been as many as 50 IG inspections. And he says he's been dealing with these as they go along, but we're still seeing the same problems.
How many veterans have to die before action is taken?
WHITFIELD: But it is true that the investigations are ongoing. Would it be your view that the investigation should be completed before it is determined who should lose their job over it?
DELLINGER: Well, I think there's been enough at this point prior to Phoenix. Phoenix is just the last straw. But this has been going on for a number of years and they have evidence, but especially, for instance, Pittsburgh, the Legionella outbreak in 2011, where six veterans died and over 20 were sickened, the director there got a $63,000 bonus and promotion basically. So we're not seeing that accountability. We are not seeing that ability to fire when the instance is there. And --
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: So I guess that --
DELLINGER: Of course --
WHITFIELD: That kind of speaks to and underscores the question, then, is this a General Shinseki problem or is this a systemic problem that is so engrained within the VA system that there are problems and, you know, layer upon layer, that it really means maybe a more sizable overhaul as opposed to just the removal of the head of the agency?
DELLINGER: Well, you have to look at accountability. Accountability starts at the top. And you would think that the culture definitely has to change. There's no doubt about it. An assessment has to be completed. But why does it take only when Phoenix came about that now we're going to start getting that assessment? This should have been going on for four years, five years previous to this to improve, to ensure that veterans get the best health care possible.
WHITFIELD: Here is General Shinseki talking to reporters after his testimony this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHINSEKI: This is a robust system, a good portion of it works. And what we are focusing on is scheduling as an issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And what do you interpret that to mean?
DELLINGER: I guess they're looking at it, but you know, they had this in the IG report previously. This isn't the first time. I mean, this goes back. I mean, we had deaths in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and all due to scheduling issues in the south. So this is something they should have been proactive instead of reactive on.
WHITFIELD: Has the American Legion received, you know, complaints from veterans that they were running into obstacles like this, wait lists, that just seemed unbelievably long? Had you ever heard of anything of this nature before Drew Griffin's report?
DELLINGER: Yes, we have. We have what's called a system --
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: What happened once you -- once you heard that then what? What happened from there?
DELLINGER: We -- well, actually we continue every day, we have boots on the ground, we have what's called a system where we go into the hospital, we have town hall meetings before we go in to each facility and do an assessment, and then we come back, and actually that assessment every year is published and given to both Congress --
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Well, did you -- and did you ran into obstacles when presented those reporters and you went to members of Congress, as you -- were there any results that came from your work, your observations?
DELLINGER: No, there -- there really hasn't been. That's why we need to get better oversight and better accountability for this entire issue.
WHITFIELD: All right. Daniel Dellinger, thanks so much.
DELLINGER: Thank you very much for having me.
WHITFIELD: Donald Sterling is digging in his heels. He doesn't want to leave the NBA, but if he stays, do the players go? What one of the best players in the NBA is saying about that next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling is fighting back against the NBA. In a letter to the NBA this week, Sterling said he won't pay the $2.5 million fine, and he's rejecting the lifetime ban. He also said he plans to sue if the NBA doesn't back down. That punishment was handed down after a recording was released of Sterling making racist comments.
So what can players do about this situation? There's been some talk that if Sterling sticks around, the players would walk out.
Rachel Nichols, host of "UNGUARDED", has more on that.
RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN HOST, UNGUARDED WITH RACHEL NICHOLS: Well, Fred, the vice president of the players' association went on TV the other night and laid down some pretty strong ultimate. He said if Donald Sterling still owned the L.A. Clippers by the start of next season there would be a player boycott. He then went further, noting he had spoken to Lebron, recently, and that if Sterling is still on the team this fall, quote, "Lebron is not playing."
Well, you can imagine what hysteria this set off, the idea that the NBA's best player would set a deadline on when he may walk off the court. So I sat down with Lebron to get the straight story. He said in fact that he doesn't have a hard date deadline, that it is more about his perception of whether the NBA is making good faith effort to get Sterling out. He is willing to give them the room to do that, as long as it is actually happening. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEBRON JAMES, MIAMI HEAT: I think the most important thing that we understand is that Adam Silver is moving forward, and you know, he is not just for the owners, he's for the players as well, and the direction that they're going in, we're all for it. And so we look forward to the next step and we go from there.
NICHOLS: Is there a point where you feel like a boycott could be an effective tool for the players?
JAMES: Well, I think at this position or at this point the direction that Adam is going, the NBA is going, I don't think there should be a need for it. You know, we trust those guys and we know that they're going to take care of what needs to be done for our league. And we understand it's not going to be, you know, tomorrow. You know, the system will not work tomorrow, but the direction that they're going in we're all for it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NICHOLS: Now you'll notice that Lebron did not say that there are no circumstances in which he'd boycott. And I've talked to several players who say that like Lebron, they're happy to give the NBA some room here, unless it starts to look like this effort is getting bogged down in politics or stalling. In that case, well, Fred, we could all be having this conversation once again down the road.
WHITFIELD: Something tells me that really could happen. Thanks so much, Rachel Nichols.
All right. Star athlete Lolo Jones is a veteran on the track, but it's been a difficult journey for her with some pretty big obstacles along the way. She told me how she's been able to overcome all of that in our face to face interview that's coming up at 2:45 Eastern Time today.
And it is threatening their homes, the California wildfires. The fight against the flames straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, now for an update on mortgages, rates dropped this week. Take a look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Firefighters are starting to gain the upper hand on a series of destructive wildfires near San Diego. So far, out of 10 wildfires, four are fully contained. Two are close to being fully contained, and four others vary in containment. But calmer winds are helping a lot. In total the wildfires have scorched 31 square miles so far. Thousands of people were told to evacuate but one man refused. 72-year-old James Harkin stayed behind in San Macros to hose down the area around his house.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES HARKIN, STAYED, SURVIVED IN FIRE: I see the flames are coming up this way and the fire department, they are doing their job, the fire department leaves to do something else, I grab the hose, keep everything wet down and so forth. So I'm down there about 6:30 I want to say. And this gentleman comes up and starts taking pictures. And I said I hope you're not going to get me in trouble taking all these pictures because I thought he was from the sheriff's department or the fire department, and they were going to say well, you can't be here, whatever, and so forth. He says no, no, I'm just taking pictures, I'm from the "Los Angeles Times." I said OK, fine. I am going to take time here and just do my job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Wow. And there -- this man is doing his job, trying to save his house. He lived in that house for more than 20 years. And it's -- and he made it through the fires.
All right. Time now for our "Science Behind" segment. It's our weekly look at the why behind the what.
CNN meteorologist Jennifer Gray shows us the source of the Santa Ana winds and how they help fuel the California fires.
JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Fred, we've been talking about these Santa Ana winds, these very strong winds coming from east to west, and coming in off of the desert, very dry, very hot air. Also down sloping off of those mountains is fueling these fires. It's also creating humidity in the single digits, very, very hot and dry conditions. Luckily this weekend, we'll get more of an onshore flow, that will increase humidity and moisture, and that's what you want when you're battling these blazes.
We really need the rain. We're not going to get it, though, any time soon. Look at Riverside, California, less than three inches of rain. They should have more than a foot. And this is since July in all of these cities. San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, all in a serious, serious drought situation. San Francisco, Oakland, and San Diego all only seeing half the amount of rain they should this time of year. Riverside, only seeing 23 percent of what they should see.
This is a normal year. Wildfire season is expected to peak around August, September, October. This year we have been so dry that we're seeing all these wildfires already. This is when California is supposed to be getting a little bit of rain. It is not supposed to be quite so hot. Temperatures have been 20 to 30 degrees above normal. So you can imagine as we get into California's normal dry and very hot season in the next couple of months, it is only going to get worse unfortunately.
Putting this in perspective, this is last year. 2013, 46 percent of Californians in severe drought, zero percent in exceptional drought. Look at this. This is now. One hundred percent of the state in severe drought, 25 percent in exceptional. California has never seen a year this dry. So you can only imagine, Fred, as go into the next few months, this is only going to get worse.
WHITFIELD: Wow. Indeed. All right. Thanks so much, Jennifer Gray.
All right. Carmaker Porsche is now being sued over the accident that killed actor Paul Walker and another man Roger Rodas. Rodas' widow filed a suit against Porsche claiming negligence was the cause of her husband's death. Rodas and Walker died when their high performance sports car hit a tree on a city street. Porsche says the police investigation showed there was no mechanical defect with the car.
And then in Georgia, police say a body found in Lake Oconee is that of an 87-year-old woman believed to have been abducted two weeks ago. The sheriff adds there were no obvious signs of trauma and she was likely transported to the area of the lake where her body was found. Her husband's headless body was found in their home around the time of her disappearance. Right now, police say they have no suspects and no motive in either killing.
All right. She was told to renounce her faith or face death. Now a 27-year-old pregnant Christian is caught between her religious beliefs and Sharia law.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Children as young as 7 years old are getting paid to harvest tobacco in America. And in many cases this is perfectly legal. Human Rights Watch interviewed young workers under the age of 17 in these tobacco producing states. You're about to see a map. The children describe hazardous conditions which often make them very sick.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The heat gets to you. When you're working in the field, you're, like, looking up, you get dizzy, because you get tired, your neck starts hurting, your shoulders are hurting, and you like your body wants to give up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you suffer an accident, you can even lose out. It is very dangerous.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When they spray, you can tell the chemical is very, very, very strong. I couldn't work at all. I couldn't even stand.
WHITFIELD (voice-over): They are the tiny voices few have heard before. But in a new report from Human Rights Watch, they're revealing stories about working in the tobacco fields of America are now out in the open. In the 138-page report, nearly 150 children across four states were interviewed over several months last year.
Some as young as 7 years old enduring 50 to 60-hour work weeks on tobacco farms. Under dangerous and deplorable conditions, including exposure to nicotine and toxic pesticides. Use of risky tools and machinery with limited use or no access to toilets and drinkable water.
Sam is just 9 years old.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: There's no one to baby-sit me while my mom, my brother, my sister are working. And I first went out to the fields, I didn't know what to do. We were in tobacco. I cut the weeds with a knife or a machete.
WHITFIELD: Most children of tobacco workers go to school full time, but when classes are over, there are few restrictions to keep them out of the fields. Extra hands to help put food on the table at home, but at an extreme cost.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You feel nausea. Your head starts hurting. You get a fever and it's just the chemicals really getting to you. You feel like you're going to die in there.
WHITFIELD: One major tobacco company, Altrea, tells CNN it intends to work with other companies to further discuss the topics in the Human Rights Watch report, saying it does not condone the unlawful employment or exploitation of farm workers, including those under the age of 18. And although it may be a crime in the United States for children under 18 to buy cigarettes or other tobacco products, it is not illegal for minors to work on the tobacco farms of America.
(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: And today I spoke to Margaret Wurth, the lead researcher and co-author of the Human Rights Watch report, "Tobacco's Hidden Children." She told me she wants Congress to pass new laws to stop this kind of child labor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARGARET WURTH, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: We are going to continue calling on Congress to change labor law and we're calling on U.S. regulatory agencies to establish regulations to get kids out of dangerous work. But we also want to see tobacco companies establish clear policies to keep kids out of dangerous work on farms and their supply chains.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: This week, one of the young men who grew up working in the tobacco fields in North Carolina told his story to lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Erick Garcia was 11 years old when he started. And I asked him what it was like working in the fields at such a young age.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERICK GARCIA, TOBACCO WORKER: It was difficult at first. But then when you do it like for -- like me, I've been doing it for six or seven years already, so I'm used to it now, but it's really hard when you first get into it.
WHITFIELD: What has been hard about it?
GARCIA: Well, the temperature, like it is really extreme because the temperature could be 98, and then in the field it's like 105, 110 degrees in there.
WHITFIELD: This kind of work has made you sick, to what degree?
GARCIA: Yes, because when the tractors, the owner like sprays on pesticide, like can be spraying it beside us in the same field we're in. And we're exposed to that chemicals and stuff. So we inhale all that, and like one time I got really dizzy and light headed, I thought I was going to like faint right there.
WHITFIELD: Did you or any other children or workers ever say hey, that makes me sick, don't do that?
GARCIA: Well, like they're not going to listen to children, and the older people are afraid if they say something, they're going to get fired or something, so they don't do it. They just keep silent and don't do nothing.
WHITFIELD: And so now you have been talking to lawmakers. What have you been sharing with them, and what are you hoping will change?
GARCIA: I will share my story, me and another girl, we share our story and stuff, and we're hoping to better the conditions for the children and to take children out of the field, because that is not a place for them to be in. It's very -- it's hard and dangerous work. WHITFIELD: And what do you want to do when you are old enough, you know, when you're older to work? What kind of career or what kind of job -- do you want to do?
GARCIA: I am interested in the medical field.
WHITFIELD: And what do you want to do with that degree in medicine?
GARCIA: I want to -- my thing is getting a physician degree, like a general doctor, and going into a poor developed country and start my own clinic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Erick Garcia, he's now 17 years old.
As the school year comes to an end, more young people like Erick will be heading back to the tobacco fields for another summer of work.
You can read much more about this issue on CNN.com. And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: World outrage over a situation in Sudan. An 8-month pregnant Christian woman is facing the death penalty for refusing to renounce per faith.
Meriam Ibrahim seen here with her husband considers herself a Christian but a court says she is Muslim and convicted her of renouncing her faith and also found her guilty of adultery because her marriage to a Christian man is not recognized under Sharia law. For that the court sentences her to 100 lashes.
The government in Sudan is defending the verdict, though it says this is just preliminary. Under Sharia law the death sentence can't be carried out until two years after the birth of a child.
So what happens next for Meriam Ibrahim? Amnesty International and some western embassies are expressing alarm. But what, if anything, can be done?
Here to help answer some of those questions is law professor Robert George at Princeton University. He is also chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. That is the U.S. government's bipartisan body that works to defend the universal right of religious freedom overseas.
Good to see you, Professor.
ROBERT GEORGE, CHAIRMAN, U.S. COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: Thank you, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: So --
GEORGE: It's good to be on the show. This is a very, very sad story. WHITFIELD: It really is. And I mean, can anyone or any other government really intervene here?
GEORGE: Well, all the governments of the world need to be speaking out and bringing pressure on the Sudanese regime, which is a terrible violator of religious freedom and other human rights, but even regimes like the Sudanese regime will respond to international pressure. The United States to its very great credit has spoken out, so has the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Canada, but now we need all the nations of the world including the Muslim nations.
It's very important for other Muslim nations to bring pressure on the Sudanese to live up to their own basic commitments under international law, various treaties and conventions to respect the religious freedom of its citizens. So we need to join together in a chorus that will finally break the will of the Sudanese to carry out this atrocious horrific murder, really is all it can be called and judicial member.
WHITFIELD: And if Muslim nations were to speak out what would they be saying and that what you're about to carry out is not in concert with Sharia law? I mean, what would be the argument especially since the government or the court has said that she is Muslim, whereas she says, no, she's Christian?
GEORGE: Yes. She was raised by a Christian mother. Her father was Muslim. He left the family when she was 6 years old. She has never been anything but a Christian and she now refuses, as any good Christian would, or any good religious person, to renounce her faith, even under pressure from the state.
So what Muslim nations should be saying is that all nations including the Sudan should live up to their own requirements, their own obligations under international law. Treaties and conventions that Sudan itself has signed on to, and there's a religious argument as well, that should be made. Muslims often point out rightly that the Koran teaches that there is no compulsion in religion. Well, this is a case where compulsion is being exercised in the name of religion, to prevent this woman from speaking the truth about the beliefs in her heart and to force her to proclaim what she in fact does not believe.
That's not true faith at all. A forced faith cannot be a faith. No one should want that. No Christian, no Muslim, no Jew, no member of any faith should want that.
WHITFIELD: And how worried are you about who is able to convey how she's doing? She's 8 months pregnant, and apparently the government says, one concession they're willing to make is that if there are the lashings to be imposed on her it will come after the child's birth?
GEORGE: Well, that's cold comfort. Of course, we care deeply about the child as well as the mother. There are two lives at stake here. And that's very important to remember. Now they have said that they will not carry out the death sentence until the baby is born, or even the lashings, but honestly, how can anyone in conscience imagine that the mother of a small child could be lashed? She has a child to take care of. I mean, the lashing is horrific and unjustified quite apart from the existence of the child, but to do this to a young mother who's taking care of a young baby is just an atrocity almost beyond belief. So we are very worried about her fate, even after the baby is born, and this is why -- why the whole world has to unite including religious leaders.
I'd like to hear from religious leaders as well as nation state leaders from around the globe calling on the Sudanese to do the right thing here, to live up --
WHITFIELD: Yes.
GEORGE: Up to their own obligations, under international laws.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
GEORGE: I've repeatedly said.
WHITFIELD: Well, Professor George, it is a very troubling and very worrisome -- it's a horrible situation.
GEORGE: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Thank you so much for your time from Princeton.
GEORGE: Thanks for calling it to the world's attention.
WHITFIELD: Curing cancer with a virus? It may sound crazy, but for one woman it actually worked.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up in a few minutes, "YOUR MONEY." Christine Romans has a preview for us -- Christine.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN HOST, "YOUR MONEY": Hi, Fredricka. The freaks are back with a new book. I'm going to find out how the "Freakonomics" authors would solve America's education crisis.
Plus, Donald Sterling's attempted apology was a swing and a miss, but was it the worst business apology of all-time?
And outspoken NBA owner Mark Cuban. Mark Cuban on the death of privacy and what the tech billionaire is doing about it, that's all next on "YOUR MONEY."
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Christine.
Hey, a woman's cancer is in remission after she got a huge dose of measles. It's an experimental new treatment that doctors at the Mayo Clinic tried. They gave the woman enough measles virus to vaccinate 10 million people. Researchers do not know if the highly concentrated doses could help other patients or be effective on other types of cancer.
We'll talk to the woman who was helped, live tomorrow, 2:00 Eastern Time.
Track star Lolo Jones, a versatile Olympian. Two summer games and one winter games. Coming up face-to-face, she tells me how bobsledding helped her get back on track.
I'm Fredricka Whitfield. See you at 2:30 Eastern Time. "YOUR MONEY" starts right now.
