Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Firefighters Starting To Gain Upper Hand Against Wildfires In San Diego; Donald Sterling Fighting The NBA; Michelle Obama Delivers High School Address In Topeka, Kansas; Supreme Court Puts Halt To Same-Sex Marriages in Arkansas; Russia Threatens To "Ground" American Astronauts And Satellites; NCAA Grants Boise State Permission To Provide Immediate Assistance To Football Player; Another Patient Diagnosed With MERS Virus

Aired May 17, 2014 - 15:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. The next hour of the NEWSROOM starts right now.

Hello again, everyone. I am Fredricka Whitfield.

And here are the big stories that we are following right now in the CNN NEWSROOM.

A possible turning point. Crews fighting raging fires in southern California get a major break while investigators try to find out how so many fires started at the same time.

And marking a milestone. The first lady, reflects on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision that the segregated the nation's schools on this 60th anniversary of that landmark ruling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Brown is still being decided every single day, not just in our courts and schools but in how we live our lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Plus, the NCAA bends a rule to get a homeless football player off the streets. And on his way to realizing his dreams.

All right, first up, those raging wildfires in San Diego County, a six are burning right now. Dozens of homes and businesses have been destroyed, many more are at risk. And firefighters say this could be a critical day for them on the front lines.

Indra Petersons is live now for us in San Diego.

So Indra, the weather has been key today. Where does this battle stand?

INDRA PETERSONS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly what we were hoping for today, Fredricka, just to see that marine layer return. It has been four days, and resident across the area did not knowing whether houses were OK. And unfortunately, many people say will be coming home to sights like this one.

So hard to tell where even we have the living room or the bathroom, even the kitchen. I'm trying to look around and see any resemblance of anything that could be left in this home. And in fact, even at this hour, just a few minutes ago firefighters were here just behind us digging through what was left in his home looking for hot spots. Because although that humidity has returned, there is still the concerns that the gusts of winds that are out there today still ignite some of these fire lines.

Now, take a look in the distance here behind me. I'm going to walk over here. There is something that we typically see in May. Most people hate it if you're from southern California. It's the marine there, what we call May gray.

Today, it's the saving grace. It is what everyone in Southern California has been waiting for. It kind of see that invergence (ph). That ring there, it means the humidity went un. That is what the key was today to getting these fire lines more contained. It is not only the temperatures. As much as it is getting that humidity back.

But keep in mind, there is two problems with here. the humidity is great. It helps you with fire lines. But what you're also going to be talking about a wind shift. So what does that mean? The fire lanes that are going in one direction, will now be moving in the other direction. Any ash on the ground, people that weren't expose previously, now are in the line of the fire and those ashes.

And I want to show something else, Fredricka. If you take a look at the hillside here. You see all of these charred hillsides and you see that community right below? These are communities that were spared. But having been here in southern California on these fire lines for years, you have to remember, this is going to be El Nino year. That means more rain is expected in the following rainy season. So any of those homes below this charred hillside are going to have that danger and that concerns that they are going to be seeing a mud flood barreling towards their homes in just a few months. That is the fear going forward for anyone that was soared at least to this far -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: My goodness. OK, that is a lot, Indra. Thank you for that perspective. Appreciate it.

Well, one California homeowner did everything he could to save his house from the wildfires, even when the fire department wasn't around. His neighbors fled, but marine James Harkins refused to leave his home, and there he is. A photo of him in the "L.A. Times" went viral. He says he was shocked when a photographer actually showed up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES HARKINS, HOMEOWNER AND MARINES: And I see that the flames are coming up this way and the fire department's there doing their job, and the fire department leaves to go do something else. So I grab the hose and I just 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 off these pictures. Because I thought he was from the sheriff's department or the fire department and they are going to say well, you can't be here, whatever, so forth.

He says, no, no, no. Just taking pictures, I'm from the "L.A. Times." I said, OK, fine. I'm going take time. I'm just going to do my job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And his job was to save his home. Firefighters battling those California wildfires in fact as you heard Indra say, could get a break today.

More now from meteorologist Alexandra Steele.

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes Fred. You know, Indra really put into perspective. We saw visually the dry condition. Bad temperatures, the strong Santa Ana winds. And of course, you know, this has been the recipe for these incredible wildfires we've seen. One of the driest years in California on record. Incredible heat we've seen and a strong Santa Ana offshore winds blowing this and compression. But now, we have seen this very warm conditions. But now we have seen a change.

And then Indra talked about with that wind shift, we are going to also shift that fire around. But we are going to see a few things in terms of the temperatures. We've gone from the 90s, upper 90-degree temperatures, now down to the 70s. So temperatures certainly coming in the right direction.

In addition, Indra talked about the marine layer. And finally, we have dense fog advisory and certainly as she said, you know finally, the good news of a dense fog advisory, because it brought all the moisture in.

What's the fog? It is a cloud on the ground. What's the cloud? It's moisture. So that's what we've seen. So again, we're seeing some wind gust, but really these wind barbs, the direction from which they're coming is the key. And this is the Pacific Ocean. This is the cold Pacific Ocean. So bringing this moisture, importing it from the water here inland and bringing the moisture with it.

So in at few fronts, we really have some good news. Relative humidity, we are going to watch this throughout the day and watch these numbers go up from the 30s to the 40s and to the 50s. So we are seeing that moisture increase as well.

So, again, we are still seeing this outlook be rough, especially inland where we're having a critical fire danger, where the temperatures are still in the upper 90s to low 100s. But as an aggregate on the whole, we are really seeing some improving conditions. So the weather forecast is certainly favorable. Why? Temperatures are going down. The humidity is coming up. But the fire forecast is less so. Why? Because this year we are already at the five-year average, and we've doubled it.

So, you know, Fredricka, in terms of the short term, we're seeing improving conditions for these fires. But the long term certainly doesn't look that good, because the stage has been set with the drought that we've seen with the heat. So everything we have, really stays in place, and, of course, drought begets drought. So certainly far from out of the woods yet with this fire season.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. All right, Alexandra, thank you so much.

STEELE: Sure.

WHITFIELD: Donald Sterling, apologized for making racist comments, and then days later, he threatened to sue the NBA. Has he damaged his image beyond repair?

And later, what the first lady had to say about an event that changed the nation 60 years ago.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Donald Sterling is fighting the NBA saying he won't pay his fine and is rejecting the lifetime ban. And he went even further than that. In a letter to the NBA, Sterling said he will sue if the NBA doesn't take back the punishment.

Well that comes just days after he told CNN's Anderson Cooper that he's sorry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD STERLING, L.A. CLIPPERS OWNER: I made a terrible, terrible mistake. Am I entitled to one mistake after 35 years? I made a mistake. I hope it's in their heart to forgive me for that mistake. I'm a good member who made a mistake, and I'm apologizing, and I'm asking for forgiveness. It's a terrible mistake and I'll never do it again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: But then in that same interview, Sterling also criticized Magic Johnson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STERLING: Can you tell me, big, Magic Johnson, what has he done?

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, he's a business person.

STERLING: He's got AIDS. Did he do any business? I'd like -- did he help anybody in south L.A.?

COOPER: I think he has HIV. He doesn't actually have full-blown AIDS.

STERLING: What kind of a guy goes there is that he has sex with every girl, then catches HIV? And is that someone we want to respect and tell our kids about?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Magic Johnson responded saying he feels sorry for Donald Sterling and that the interview was sad and disturbing.

I'm joined now by crisis management expert Mike Paul who is known as the reputation doctor, and also sports agent and attorney Leigh Steinberg.

Mike, let me begin with you. Can we take Sterling's apology seriously? When he ends up being very critical of Magic Johnson in that same interview and then now fighting the NBA? What do you make about all that's taken place in the last week?

MIKE PAUL, THE REPUTATION DOCTOR: He's tripping all over himself, you know. Fredricka, it is good to see you and my good friend Leigh. How are you doing?

You know, one of the things that is important for any true apology is to have three components. No ifs or buts in it. It needs to be authentic. And it needs to be repentant. And he's failing with all three areas. And as a result, we don't believe him. He need more than words. We need to have actions. And his history also doesn't put him in a good place for us to trust him.

WHITFIELD: And, Leigh, you know, Sterling has threatened to sue the NBA now if they don't take back the fine, take back the ban. How does this assist him, help him, maintain his team?

LEIGH STEINBERG, SPORTS ATTORNEY: It doesn't at all. Remember that when an owner buys a franchise in professional sports, they are not buying a private business as you might think of it. They agree to a whole set of rules. He agreed to abide by those rules.

The argument about due process doesn't really make any sense. Commissioner Silver saw the tsunami, saw the damage, saw the NBA was actually threatened in terms of its TV contracts, its sponsors, its international image, and he went ahead with due diligence talking to the union and everyone else in the world, and he acted, and he has the power to go ahead and do that, and Sterling gave him the power.

And so, there really is not a great due process argument, and we're still having due process. Any lawyer can argue anything. It doesn't mean there's any merit to it. The NBA has moved with all due caution, and they're continuing to move with all due caution.

And just remember this. He agreed to a clause that said that if he violated certain sections, the NBA had the right to go ahead and revoke his franchise. And if the revocation occurs that he would accept the decision and it is final and binding, and would not go to court to challenge it. So he's agreed to all of this. And, again, when he went to hire a lawyer, his first group went out, because of a conflict. Evidently, he tried to hire other firms in Los Angeles who wouldn't take the case, and, again, anyone can argue anything.

WHITFIELD: So, Mike, I wonder, you know, is it just, you know, Sterling's reputation that's on the line? Or is the NBA's reputation on the line as well? Meaning, how they handle these continued steps?

PAUL: Well, you know, you just heard Leigh talking about things from a contract perspective, and from the court of law perspective. You know, this thing is really being led, with all due respect in the court of public opinion. The pressure that's coming from it, all the eyes on it, the accountability for the league and for Mr. Sterling and for the Clippers and everyone involved, even Magic Johnson has reputation thrown into it. And each of these people, by the way, not only have to be concerned about their own reputations, but all of the stakeholders that surround them.

It's absolutely a reputation problem. It is a PR problem at the highest order and it is leading from that perspective. It is not following from that perspective. That's why it's important for most people to understand. The court of law is important, but the court of public opinion many times is even more important.

WHITFIELD: OK. And then, gentlemen, can I ask you about something else? You know, Leigh in particular. Let's talk about Michael Sam for a moment. He had a deal about a documentary or, you know, kind of a real life, you know, TV show on the Oprah network.

PAUL: Docuseries, yes.

WHITFIELD: And then it was announced that, you know, after talking to the team that project has been postponed. Would you have advised, you know, a rookie on the NFL, you know, to do something like that while it may be considered very bold in some corners, at the same time, he hasn't quite made the team yet and he's still trying to transition?

STEINBERG: It would be suicidal. You know I've represented 60 first- round draft picks in the NFL and eight players first picked. The first thing a rookie has to do is establish himself in the eyes of the owner, the coach, and his teammates and the fans of the city, as someone serious and prioritizing football first. There will be enough cameras anyway, surrounding everything he does.

First of all, I don't think the Rams would have let him do it. Second of all, he can be a compelling spokesman for the gay movement by making the team. Seriously, it would have undercut his relations with virtually everyone, and seriously impacted in negative ways his chance to make the team.

PAUL: I agree.

WHITFIELD: All right, Mike, you agree. Anything else to add to that?

PAUL: Well, one of the things that is going on with this story is that he was not only led by his agent, he was also led by his PR person. I think they made big mistakes and think that this was going to be approved. I agree with everything that Leigh just said.

WHITFIELD: All right, Mike Paul, Leigh Steinberg, good to see you, gentlemen. Appreciate it.

PAUL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, it was a landmark Supreme Court decision that changed the nation. And 60 years later, the first African-American first lady is speaking out about Brown versus Board of Education. You'll hear what she had to say to high school graduates, coming up.

But first, here's this week's "CNN Hero."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I initially got hurt 2005. And I had 46 surgeries and attempts to salvage the leg. I finally decided on amputation. A lot of people view it as loss, but I got my life back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very often people are saying, OK. I survived, but now what? And we want to be that "now what?"

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good job!

I was a world-class adventure racer. In the world championships, I hit the deck, and the doctor said you are never going to run again. I've had four hip replacements. After, I said I'm putting something on my calendar so that I'm still training for something. It just makes you realize it's about the comeback. So I thought, let's do that for other women.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Athena!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I started an organization that helps survivors of medical or traumatic setbacks live an adventurous dream as part of their recovery.

Being an Athena, you're not just a survivor, you're an adventurer. We give them a different label to put on themselves, and it's something they become on their way to the finish line.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A decision by the U.S. Supreme Court 60 years ago changed the nation.

In its 9-0 ruling, the court led by Chief Justice Earl Warrens in segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. First lady Michelle Obama delivered a high school address last night in Topeka, Kansas, the city where the Brown versus board of Education case originated.

Let's bring in now Erin McPike at the White House.

So Erin, the first lady had a lot to say and people around the country are taking note of her comments about school disparity and inequalities.

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN GENERAL ASSIGNMENT CORRESPONDENT: Fred, that's right. And most of the reason why people are taking such note of this speech is because Michelle Obama really spoke in personal terms about how Brown v. Board impacted her own life.

And, of course, last night President Obama was meeting with the plaintiffs in that case. Well, listen here to Michelle Obama describe the change she has seen from then until now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Those folks had to go all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States just to affirm the principal that black kids and white kids should be able to attend school together. And today 60 years later, that probably seems crazy to all of you in this graduating class. Right? You all take the diversity you're surrounded by for granted. You probably don't even notice it, and that's understandable, given the country you have grown up in, with a woman governor, a Latina Supreme Court justice, a black president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCPIKE: And she also suggested that there still needs to be some cultural change. That these students need to drag her generation and her parents' generation along with them. Well, here is one suggestion she made for how they go about doing that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Maybe that starts simply in your own family. Grand Patels (ph)that off-colored joke at thanksgiving, or you got an aunt that talks about those people. Well, you can politely inform them that they're talking about your friends.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCPIKE: So this speech was, of course, uniquely Michelle Obama. She casts herself as mom in chief. Well, you can hear that come through in these remarks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, indeed. Erin McPike, thanks so much.

All right. We're also learning brand new information about the Mers virus. A big announcement, coming up, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Here are the top stories crossing the CNN news desk right now. In Arkansas, the state Supreme Court has put a halt to same-sex marriages in that state. Last week, a circuit court judge struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage. More than 400 same-sex couples got marriage licenses after that ruling. But now the legality of those marriages is in limbo.

Cornell William Brooks has been selected as the president and CEO of the NCAAP. Brooks is a long time lawyer and human rights activist. He will officially be introduced to NAACP members at their Las Vegas convention this summer.

The Pennsylvania state archives has released never before seen video of president Franklin Delano Roosevelt shows FDR who was paralyzed by polio walking. His legs are supported by braces as he walks up a ramp at the 1937 major league baseball all-star game.

After more than 60 years on the radio, NPR newsman Carl Kasell is retiring this weekend. He started his broadcasting career when he was just 16 in North Carolina, a job he dreamed of doing when he was a young boy. Kasell spent years as the official scorekeeper on the NPR quiz show -- wait, wait. Don't tell me. He says you'll still hear him from time to time on the radio.

And we've just learned a third person in the U.S. has tested positive for the MERS virus according to the CDC. That's the Middle East Respiratory System.

Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins me now with more on this.

So what do we know about this new case?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a little different than the first two, Fred. So the first two cases were people who traveled from Saudi Arabia to the U.S. So they got infected in Saudi Arabia traveled here.

This is a little bit different. This is someone who got the virus here in the U.S. So this is the first case we know of who contracted the virus here. So it seems that this Indiana case that we heard about last month, that he had, he met on two occasions with this other person, on two occasions they met. And that now this other --

WHITFIELD: In Indiana?

COHEN: You know what, it's not clear, but it was in the United States. So now this second person who's from Illinois now has tested positive for the MERS virus.

WHITFIELD: Goodness.

COHEN: What's not clear and what I'm really hoping the CDC clears up is, what were those two meetings? Were they hugging? Were they kissing? Were the sitting this far away? Did they --?

WHITFIELD: Because initially, it had been said there has to be some close contact?

COHEN: Exactly. The way it was described initially is that you know, close and prolonged. Meeting someone twice doesn't sound very prolonged to me. And we don't know how close it was because they're not giving out those details.

Now, the CDC usually does in time give out more details. So we are hoping to hear more. Did they happen to sit next to each other at a coffeehouse for 30 seconds or were they hugging each other?

WHITFIELD: Yes. So when you say close and prolonged, yes, it could mean, you know, picking up a plate or a glass that you, you know, were handling or a hug?

COHEN: It can mean a lot of different things.

WHITFIELD: Sitting next to somebody.

COHEN: And this is a little bit fuzzy and concerning to get fuzziness, you know, with something like this. So we're going to be asking the CDC for more detail. But so this is the first case where someone in the U.S. contracted it here.

And I want to say that this man is now feeling fine. It's unclear if he ever felt sick. He never went to the doctor. So he never felt sick enough to bring himself to the doctor and is feeling fine now. So now, all three patients who have tested positive with MERS are all feeling fine here.

That's why it feels good. This is a disease that has a 30 percent mortality rate, right? So to hear that all three of these folks are doing well is a great thing.

WHITFIELD: So, is the medical community concerned or, you know, how do they classify this? Is it just, you know, awareness that it has been transferred? There is record of that? Or is there any real concern that there might be other people walking around who may have been exposed and they don't know it?

COHEN: It's possible. Because this gentleman was not sick enough to go to the doctor. You wonder, are there other people walking around?

WHITFIELD: God.

COHEN: And even if you, yourself, don't feel very sick, you can still transmit it.

WHITFIELD: The symptom again?

COHEN: The symptoms are cough, fever --

WHITFIELD: Like a cold?

COHEN: It does start out that way and eventually gets to pneumonia. I mean, eventually people feel so sick that they really have no choice but to go to the hospital. WHITFIELD: My goodness.

COHEN: So this Indiana patient was in the country for couple of days, two or three days, you know. You have to ask the question. How many people did he come in contact with and what kind of contact did he have before they said hey, you have MERS. You're staying in the hospital.

But the bottom line is that I think people should absolutely not freak out. Because it is one thing is clear. That this is not a disease that spreads like wildfire. This is not something from what we know that you're going to get by passing someone in a hallway or by waving at someone at the mall, you know. That that kind of contact is not going to do it. There does need to be some real contact, but this case makes us definitely, it brings up question marks. What kind of contact do you need to have?

WHITFIELD: Sure. All right, keep us posted on that.

Elizabeth Cohen, thank you so much.

COHEN: Thanks. Appreciate it.

WHITFIELD: All right, tomorrow night, don't miss an all-new Anthony Bourdain "PARTS UNKNOWN." This week he travel south the Mississippi Delta where food and music are the backbone of the culture. And I asked him, how the two are connected?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY BOURDAIN, CNN HOST, PARTS UNKNOWN: The inability to enjoy good food makes it very likely that you could appreciate good music. They're connected. They're both appealing to important senses. But I think a lot of what we're talking about investigating in Mississippi is, look, this is a place much maligned by, you know, wise guys like me from the northeast who perhaps earlier in their lives had looked down or, at certain preconceptions about what Mississippi was or could be. This is the place where almost everything uniquely wonderfully American, our most powerful export, which is to say, rock 'n' roll, blues, R&B, soul, funk, rap. Everything distinctively awesome about our popular culture for the last century came out of Mississippi.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And how is it preserved there? Did you feel like a real, you know, a veil was kind of lifted on how people are able to preserve it there? Keep it as, as true and pure? As it's been for decades?

BOURDAIN: Well, we went to -- there are still old school joints there were you can go out on the edge of a cotton field and see -- go to the same place that's been the same way for decades, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that there's just no money coming in for the kind of capital improvements. And because there's no money, there's no boutique, hotels, or Starbucks or mini malls that kind of ruin it all. It stayed frozen in aspect in a really wonderful way. I mean, you could really get the pure, uncut stuff still in the state of Mississippi. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: OK. Set the table, don't miss "PARTS UNKNOWN with Anthony Bourdain in the Mississippi delta" tomorrow night, 9:00 eastern right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Firefighters are starting to gain the upper hand in a series of destructive wildfires in San Diego. So far out of ten wildfires, four are fully contained, two are close to being fully contained, and firefighters are making significant progress on four other blazes. Calmer winds are helping out a lot.

In total, the wildfires have scorched 31 square miles this week and more than 175,000 people were told to evacuate.

Joining me now from San Diego is commander Mike Barnett with the San Diego county sheriff's office.

So, Mike, your department is handling a lot of the evacuations. Where's does that stand right now? Are people going back home?

MIKE BARNETT, SAN DIEGO COUNTY SHERIFF COMMANDER: We've -- yes, it is. It's good to be with you this afternoon, Fredricka.

We have repopulated large areas of population in San Marcos and surrounding areas, in Escondido, but there are still areas that are under evacuation and we're working very hard to get the debris cleared and make sure everything is safe for residents to go back in as soon as possible.

WHITFIELD: I understand your department is also providing air support for the fire department. So what can you tell us about the latest efforts?

BARNETT: We do have some fire fighting aircraft. We have two super hooeys. They carry 400 gallons of water each and have made drops throughout the week on all the fires throughout the county. So that's our direct fire fighting support. but our main mission is protecting lives and property, evacuating the areas at risk, safeguarding those areas, and, of course, investigating the cause and origin of all the fires.

WHITFIELD: And how do you protect the properties of people who have been evacuated, haven't made it back to see, you know, how they are homes or properties fared or to collect any things. How do you assure thing?

BARNETT: Well, we have -- over the last few days, we've had hundreds of deputies in the area of the coco's fire up San Marcos and Escondido. In addition to manning the road blocks where we try to keep people out and other folks who have no business there out, we're activity patrolling neighborhoods both in Martinez in undercover cars. And anybody that is suspicious, we contact them and find out what they're doing there and deal with the situation appropriately. WHITFIELD: You probably worried most to about they, you know, people who have decide to kind of weather, you know, the situation, stay in their homes, you know, try to use water hoses to douse their roofs, you know, et cetera. How much of a concern is it that there are some people who just simply don't want to evacuate or they don't want to heed the warnings? They want to stay with their properties?

BARNETT: Well if they want to do that, that is a great risk that they're putting themselves under. And the problem that we encounter with that is eventually it gets to such a point that many of them do want to leave and they need assistance in doing so. And that puts law enforcement officers at risk when they have to go in and help these people in a dangerous situation and it hampers the ability of the fire service to put down the fire and really make the situation safe for everybody.

WHITFIELD: All right. Commander Mike Barnett with the San Diego county sheriff's office. Thanks so much. All the best to you and your colleagues who are putting in serious hours trying to help out people there.

BARNETT: Thank you very much.

WHITFIELD: All right, oversea, the crisis in Ukraine is escalating tensions between the U.S. and Russia. Why that is now posing a threat to America's space program.

But first, the story of Eric Jordan. He's an opera singer who had a soaring career is with the metropolitan opera in New York. Then a stroke nearly upended his career.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the story about how the singer fought back in this week's "Human Factor."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIC JORDAN, OPERA SINGER: Every time I sing my soul is bared.

DOCTOR SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When he had a stroke a year and a half ago, opera singer Eric Jordan's ability to bare his soul to sing was stifled.

5:30 a.m., the morning of the stroke. 18-month-old Gabrielle crawls into bed with his parents then everyone goes back to sleep except Dan.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought he was trying to settle down again and get comfortable. He never stopped kind of moving around and jerking around. Then I realized there's something wrong.

GUPTA: Then the jerking around stopped abruptly.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I slapped him. He wouldn't wake up. He couldn't open his eyes.

GUPTA: Later at the hospital a doctor revealed three large blood clots in Eric's brain. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I explained to him that Eric was an opera singer. I urged him to do whatever it took to get the clots out of his brain especially in the speech area of his brain.

GUPTA: Doctors removed the clots, saving Eric's life and against the odds, his ability to sing. Only eight weeks after his stroke, the bass was back onstage at New York's metropolitan opera.

JORDAN: This is a very magical house.

GUPTA: Singing again somehow came easy. Speaking is still difficult. So is memory loss.

But those are minor challenges, considering he's alive. And it's not lost on him that one reason why is Gabrielle, crawling into bed with his parents that morning.

Jordan: He saved my life, and --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We look at him and we just reminded of our blessings, right?

JORDAN: Yes. Every day.

GUPTA: Eric says that the incremental nature of his recovery has taught him to slow down., to savor life's small blessings.

JORDAN: I can say it's better to be thankful for the little things. All these little victories add up.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: General Motors told employees to avoid using words like problem and safety when talking about issues with cars that have now been recalled. The information was just released as part of GM's agreement with the government which included a $35 million fine for the delayed recall. The confidential power point presentation was from 2008. And warned workers not to use words like death trap, widow-maker, rolling sarcophagus, Hindenburg or titanic and powder keg.

GM responded to questions about the presentation with this statement saying, quote," we encourage employees to be factual in their statements and will continue to work with NHTSA to improve our safety processes."

For decades the U.S. and Russia have put aside their differences to cooperate in space. But now the crisis in Ukraine and rising tensions between the two nations could cause big problems for the U.S. space program.

Jim Sciutto joins me from Washington with more on this -- Jim. JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Fred, this is an example of how what's happening in Ukraine has impact far beyond the internal politics of eastern Europe. We forget the U.S. space program relies on Russia to get to the international space station and to launch some satellites. Now Russia is threatening in effect to ground American astronauts and satellites in retaliation over economic sanctions over Ukraine, scuttling decades of what has been a very promising U.S.-Russia cooperation in space.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO (voice-over): They were all smiles in the international space station this week, but could this be one of the last times that American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts journey together through space.

Russian officials are taking the battle over Ukraine into orbit, vowing to abandon the space station four years early in 20.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And liftoff.

SCIUTTO: And banning Russian-made rocket engines to launch U.S. military satellites. The deputy prime minister even suggested astronauts instead use a trampoline.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The final liftoff of Atlantis.

SCIUTTO: And this is no small problem because since NASA retired the shuttle in 2011, American astronauts have no other way up or down than hitching rides on Russian rockets.

JIM LEWIS, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: The Russian announcement really means we need to rethink our reliance on them because it shows we were dependent on them in ways that might have made sense ten years ago but doesn't make sense anymore.

SCIUTTO: The U.S.-Russian space partnership has thrived for decades. One of the most visible symbols of detente during the cold war and the new peace after the fall of the Soviet Union. And it was very much a win/win. The U.S. saved billions on the shuttle. Russia made billions as a high-tech taxi service.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, copy that.

SCIUTTO: U.S. officials express hope the Russian threat is just bluster.

JEN PSAKI, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESWOMAN: We've had a long cooperation on our space program with the Russians, and we're hopeful that will continue. We still continue to cooperate on a range of issues.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: It is most likely that the U.S. will depend on private space companies such as SpaceX to develop new space vehicles to fly American astronauts to the space station. And as for the Russian engines use to launch the U.S. satellites, the U.S. has stockpiled engines that supply good for about two years of launches. It's some coverage but many agree that NASA will need to develop a new, reliable longer-term plan to replace Russia in space -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jim Sciutto. Thanks so much in Washington.

All right, next, a college football recruit living out of his car is now getting some financial help. Why the NCAA is allowing it to happen.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Dr. Sanjay Gupta has a preview of "SG MD" next hour. What do you have, Sanjay?

GUPTA: Fred, you hear more and more about Lyme disease these days and there's a reason for that it's spreading. I'm going to show you where it's about to become a bigger problem, "SG MD" 4:30 eastern.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much.

Hey, a college football player who was living out of a car is finally getting the help that he needs, all because the NCAA bent some rules.

Here's CNN's Brian McFayden.

BRIAN MCFAYDEN, CNN SPORTS: Thank you, Fredricka. The NCAA forbids boosters from giving money to student athletes, but they turned down the request from one school trying to bent the rules in the name of common sense by helping to get a homeless college football player off the streets.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get in shape. Let's go.

MCFAYDEN (voice-over): It's a movie in the making.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wake up, survive. Go to sleep, survive. Wake up, survive.

MCFAYDEN: Such is the story of incoming Boise state football recruit Antoine Turner. Turner told CNN affiliate KTBB that after his mother died with cancer when he was four, he lived with various family members in New Orleans, only to be left homeless after hurricane Katrina ravaged his lower (INAUDIBLE) home killing his uncle.

He told KTBB that he dealt drugs for gangs in New Orleans. But he never had a steady roof over his head. Just trying to survive, the only solace Antoine seemed to have was escaping to the football field. He played for a junior college team in California while living in parks and in his girlfriend's car.

ANTOINE TURNER, BOISE STATE FOOTBALL: Had no blanket or nothing like this I could sit under it like this and put my head down. MCFAYDEN: He got his big break when he was recruited by Boise State as a defensive tackle, but he was still homeless. Boosters pledged to help but the school let them know if they insisted it could affect his eligibility. But that all changed on Wednesday.

The NCAA granted Boise State permission to provide immediate assistance to Turner. Now at the age of 21, Turner said he had a long way to go on his journey from homelessness to division I football player.

TURNER: I understand it's not over. I'm bringing all the pain, all the things that I have with me, I feel like I owe Boise, and I'm hungry.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCFAYDEN: Tonight, ending to this story for both Turner and the NCAA. The NCAA has taken a lot of criticism recently with the way they handle student athletes and you have to believe that played a role in the positive outcome of this case and the speed at which it was handled.

Fredricka, back to you.

WHITFIELD: That is a nice story. Very inspiring, thanks so much.

All right, that is going to do it for me. I'm Fredricka Whitefield. Thanks for hanging out with me throughout the day.

The next hour at the CNN NEWSROOM begins right now with my buddy, Miguel Marquez.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hello there, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Have a good evening.

MARQUEZ: Thanks very much. Have a great afternoon.

WHITFIELD: Thank you.