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Another Patient with MERS; Fire Crews Gain Ground In Battle; AT&T and DirecTV Merger Underway; Devin Walker Graduates; Nigeria Stepping up Efforts to Find Kidnapped Schoolgirls; SNL Spoofs Beyonce, Solange, Jay-Z; Measles Virus Treated Woman's Cancer; Will "California Chrome" Race At Belmont?

Aired May 18, 2014 - 14:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A huge merger is in the works today and it could involve your cable provider. Telecom giant AT&T is expected to finalize a deal to acquire a satellite TV provider, DirecTV, according to a source who knows about the meeting. And if it goes through, that deal will be worth about $50 billion. AT&T and DirecTV are both staying quiet on this for now. But sources say the announcement could come as early as this afternoon.

So cable customers are wondering how does this affect me. To answer that I'm joined now by economic analyst, Stephen Moore.

Stephen, I'm losing my voice. Stephen, how is this going to impact customers who may have DirecTV or AT&T?

STEPHEN MOORE, WALL STREET JOURNAL EDITORIAL BOARD: Hi, Fredricka.

You know, this is one of many mergers that are going on in the telecom industry right now. And of course, you know, most people get their -- not most, but many people get their telephone service from AT&T and there are millions of people who are DirecTV for their television contact and linkages.

And it is interesting. This, there was some word of this merger happening as of about a week ago. It looks like it's going to be official on Monday. And already the Internet is alive with complaints from DirecTV customers saying wait a minute, I don't want to be part of AT&T. You know, they've had service problems and they have customer relation problems. So, there is some concern out there, no question about it, among people who have DirecTV.

WHITEFIELD: OK. And then what about customers who don't have DirecTV or AT&T? The flip is side, will this open up some option for potential customers?

MOORE: Yes. Well, good question. First of all, let me say. I think some of these fears are overblown. In fact, you know, one of the reasons you're see this consolidation going on among some of the big telecommunications companies is because it's now the Wild West out there, Fredricka.

I mean, you've got so many different companies, a lot of startups that are kind of biting at the heels of the big companies. You've got, you know, You Tube out there, Netflix and then, you know, literally scores of other companies that are providing content, that are providing linkages.

And so, the idea that somehow this is going to raise prices for consumer, that's one of the big concerns, by the way, Fredricka. Are my cable costs going to go up? And my costs for TV, which I don't think so.

WHITEFIELD: They are already very high. It's insane.

MOORE: They are high. But you know what's interesting to think about it, you've got a telecommunications company, a telephone company, essentially, buying a TV content company. This fits with what's going on right now. I don't know about you, Fredricka, but millions of people now get their TV on their telephone and that's going to probably accelerate if that deal goes through.

WHITEFIELD: OK. So, what's the appeal, you know, for AT&T? Why does it want DirecTV?

MOORE: Because it is vertical integration, precisely for the reason I just said. They want to be able to, not only provide telephone service to their customers, but also video. And DirecTV obviously has that market largely.

You're going to see all sorts of this kind of vertical integration going on. Again, I don't think there's a lot of people saying oh my God, monopolies are developing. Not in this industry. I mean, you've got so many startups that are doing incredible things. You know, You Tube now, by the way, a lot of people get their TV on You Tube.

WHITEFIELD: Right. It's amazing. How acceptable really everything is and programming is. And now, we see yet another evolution of, you know, what it is going to be at our fingers.

MOORE: $50 billion is one of the biggest mergers in American history.

WHITEFIELD: Yes, that's huge.

Stephen Moore, thanks so much for breaking it down for us. Appreciate it.

MOORE: Thank you.

WHITEFIELD: All right, let's go to southern California where this is the big concern. Firefighters are making big leaps, though, in their bat battle against raging fires. Four are still spreading in San Diego County. But cooler temperatures and higher humidity are helping crews make tremendous progress putting the flames out. Firefighters say they're going to do as much as they can while conditions are still good.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. CARLOS GUERRERO, GLENDALE CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT: We have crews still in all areas of this fire that are cleaning up areas where there's hot spots. We had some infrared flyovers that were mapping out as far as the areas of great concern. Obviously the winds can pick up at any moment and what we quantity to do is get it while the winds are calming down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITEFIELD: All right, many people who had to evacuate the fire zone are being allowed to return to their homes today.

Meteorologist Alexandra Steele is monitoring the conditions in the fire zone and beyond. So, will this good weather? Stick around for them.

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, I mean, good is relative. Short term good, long term not so good.

But you know, Speaking of breaking down, we've broken down the ridge of high pressure. Area of low pressure has now developed over to off the California coast. The clockwise flow around it, this is the key for success for these winds.

We finally see the direction from which these winds are coming, the cool ocean water. So, a southwesterly trajectory increasing the humidity and increasing the dew point and much more beneficial.

And here are the relative humidity to show you throughout the day. Watch the numbers, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s. So, we too actually even have a dense fog advisory in the morning. Dense fog? What's fog? It's a cloud on the ground. What's cloud? Well, the cloud holds water molecules. So finally, some moisture is there.

What's happened, the jet stream has dropped south. Before it was farther north and all of the rain went with that farther north. Finally, it's dropped south from moisture is coming in specially into northern California. It really won't get, you can see quite as far as southern California. But it is hot, try and it is dry.

So there are a few good things happening here. The moisture is coming in, temperatures are coming down. They were inordinately high, in the 90s in southern California. But now down to the 70s. So improving temperatures, that's for sure. Increasing humidity values, that's great as well.

So the weather forecast is favorable in the short term. Temperatures coming down, humidity is coming up. But the fire forecast is less so. Why? This year alone we've doubled the five-year average for fires. So an inordinate amount of fires taking shape.

Drought comparison, last year, Fred, 2013, the driest year on record in California, this year for the first time in a century, the entire state of California in a severe drought or worst, the first time. So, this is the third dry winter in a row we've had. It's drought -- we get drought and it is just getting exacerbated.

WHITEFIELD: Oh, my God. STEELE: The short term, the winds are changing. The longer terms is that it.

WHITEFIELD: Yes. So that tells me, yes, more potential danger on the horizon.

STEELE: Absolutely. Right.

WHITEFIELD: Conditions are there.

All right. Thank so much, Alexandra. Appreciate it.

STEELE: Sure.

WHITEFIELD: All right, now to the potential fatal MERS virus which the world health organization says is an urgent problem. MERS stands for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. There are three confirmed cases in the U.S., but 18 countries are treating patients. That has prompted the CDC to post warnings about MERS at airports around the country.

The challenge now is containing the virus. CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen gets a rare look at the CDC where the battle is being fought.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: We're here at the CDC's emergency operation center. It is the nerve center where they're tracking the MERS virus. Off to my right there are people making phone calls to passengers on the plane with the MERS patients in Florida. They want to know in did anyone else get sick.

(voice-over): On this monitor, a map displays the 34 states where the passengers live.

DR. MARTIN CETRON, CDC, DIVISION OF GLOBAL MIGRATION AND QUARANTINE: We're basically trying to reach everybody. We're administering a short questionnaire, making sure they're well.

COHEN: So, what kind of questions are you asking?

CETRON: Have you had a fever with a temperature greater than 104? Have you had a cough?

COHEN: The passengers likely aren't sick. They didn't have closed and prolonged contact with the MERS patient. Most at risk, family members and health care workers. That's why this box was rushed here. It contains specimens from health care workers who came in contact with the MERS paint.

That box of specimens arrived here at the CDC's viral disease lab. Now, we are not allowed in because this is bio-safety hazard level two and that means no visitors. But all day inside here they worked on two MERS specimens from Florida.

So two people fly from the Middle East to the United States and bring MERS here. And look at the response that it generates.

DR. TOM FRIEDEN, CDC DIRECTOR: We're all connected. A single plane flight can bring a virus or bacteria from any other part of the world to any other part of the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITEFIELD: All Elizabeth Cohen there at the CDC, thanks so much.

So as the world waits and wonders what happened to those kidnapped school girls in Nigeria, we'll tell you about those who want to see an American rescue mission take place.

And a high profile dismissal at "The New York Times." Why this could be the beginning of a very public and nasty fight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITEFIELD: "The New York Times" is now dealing with the fallout from a high profile dismissal. The publisher of the times is disputing claims that sexism fueled the claims of the firing of his executor.

Jill Abramson was the first female to have that title in the papers 160-year history. We've got complete coverage for you.

Brian Stelter is CNN's senior medial correspondent and the host of "RELIABLE SOURCES" and a former "The New York Times" reporter and Alexandra Field is following this story for us from New York.

So Alexandra, let me begin with you. There are reports that Abramson had complained to the Times that she was being paid less than the man who held the job before her. What is the Times is now saying about that?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred. The Times not sitting out on this one. They're addressing this with a lengthy new statement. And the statement comes from the Times publisher, Arthur Sulzberger Jr. And it gets personal, outlining some really specific reasons for why he says that Jill Abramson was dismissed.

In that statement, he point to a couple of different factors. Quote "arbitrary decision-making, failure to consult and bring colleagues with her, inadequate communications, and public mistreatments of colleagues." In that statement, the publisher, he goes on to say that in her final year on the job, Jill Abramson's total compensation package was actually 10 percent higher than ore predecessor, Bill Keller. The main point of this statement, though, is for Sulzberger to try and underscore the point that Abramson's dismissal had nothing to do with pay or gender.

I want to read to you some of this words. He says, quote, "perhaps, the saddest outcome of my decision to replace Jill Abramson as executive editor of the "The New York Times" is that it has been cast by many as an example of the unequal treatment of women in the workplace report rather than accepting that this was a situation involving a specific individual who, as we all do, has strengths and weaknesses, a shallow and factually incorrect storyline has emerged."

All right. So, why are we hearing all of this right now? Why is the times putting out this lengthy statement over the weekend?

Well, we spoke with a female media executive Sharon Waxman. She is the founder of the rap.com and she says that the times needed to take this risk because of the implications. The implications are so serious when you're talking about sex discrimination. Here's how she put it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHARON WAXMAN, FOUNDER, RAP.COM: It would only suggest that the publisher of the "the New York Times" is so worried about being regards as a sexist that he's willing to take the risk of legal liability here by detailing how terrible a manager Jill Abramson was.

I think that we're talking about Jill Abramson because she seems to symbolize something broader going on in the gender politics among high achieved women in our society. We're worried that there are not enough women. They're worried that there are not enough opportunities for women to rise to the top.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FIELD: That worry that Waxman pointed out there, that's being written a lot this weekend. It's the subject of another article on politico.com called while female. It takes on this question of why we don't see more women at the top of this industry and whether or not they're able to hang on on those roles and how long they're able to stay in the roles.

As for Jill Abramson herself, that's the person we all want to hear from report, Fred. We haven't heard her speak publicly yet. But we do know that she's scheduled to make a commencement speech tomorrow at Wake Forest.

WHITEFIELD: Yes. It will be interesting to see or hear whether she injects any of this into her planned speech for tomorrow. Thanks so much.

Brian, OK, I want to bring you into the fold here. You spent several years, more than six years at the "The New York Times" as a media reporter. So, what you hearing what's going on in the newsroom this week that pertains to this?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Sharon Waxman and I almost overlapped at the Times. And I left as recently last November. Jill Abramson was my boss for years. And a lot of the things that Arthur Sulzberger was saying in the statement ring true to me.

On the other hand, he talked about publicly mistreating her colleagues. Well, Arthur Sulzberger could be accused of doing that right now to Jill Abramson. The way this has happened, how ugly this has gotten is unprecedented for the "the New York Times." This is not the kind of place that abruptly fires someone. So I think people in the news room are shook up about it. And more importantly, because this isn't about one person. Down the line, the reason why this matters is because there are outstanding questions about women in the NEWSROOM at the "The New York Times" and elsewhere as well.

WHITEFIELD: Right.

STELTER: People say, the people there wonder if there are pay disparities not just at the top but in the middle and at the bottom as well. And I think that is going to continue to be talked about, even after a year from Jill Abramson.

WHITEFIELD: And it's interesting because she's been credited and bringing up a lot of women, poising, you know, poising them for potential managerial roles.

And so Brian, you know, Abramson has been described as, you know, brusque, immaterial. But, you know, since when is a newspaper editor anything but? I worked in the newspaper business as well. And I don't remember them being touchy feely. I mean, t was intimidating going up to an editor with your story. So, how can that be a reason to let her go?

STELTER: It may have been an accumulation of a hundred slights, a hundred fights inside the newsroom and inside the executive suites. And I think this might have been the case of the "The New York Times" publisher doing the right thing the wrong way.

Like it or not, if you're going to fire the first female executive of the "The New York Times," you have to do it the right way. You have to do it as gently as possible because you know gender dynamics are going to be a part of it.

WHITEFIELD: Right.

STELTER: On the other hand, you know, so that is something that I feel has been so badly handled the last few days.

WHITEFIELD: And its weird. How can the "The New York Times" not anticipate, not have been prepared that this would be a fairly, you know, highly publicized firing, especially since, you know, she made history. And it seems like they've been caught flat footed. Do I have that right in?

STELTER: And by the way, the new editor, the editor that's replacing Jill Abramson, he's the first African American at the "The New York Times." Also, a historic appointment just like Abramson was. And unfortunately, that's been foreshadowed by this talk.

On "RELIABLE SOURCES" today, one of my guests even said it is possible, she could file a suit against the Times. That's how this has discussed.

WHITEFIELD: Yes. We know this is really just the beginning, isn't it? Brian Stelter, Alexandra Field, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it in New York.

All right. Straight ahead, Nigeria stepping up its efforts to find the kidnapped school girls after the security summit in Paris. Nigeria said it will accept technical help from nations and share intelligence with four neighboring countries. France's president calls the kidnappers the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram, a throat beyond Nigeria. What should the U.S. do? Someone as see American Boots on the ground in a rescue mission.

Here now is CNN's anchor, Jack Tapper.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some, the way to help the more than 220 school girls still being held hostage in Nigeria seems obvious, bring back our girls with force.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would like to see special force deployed to help rescue these young girl.

TAPPER: Beyond the hash tag activism online, senators such as Susan Collins and John McCain are calling for boots on the ground.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I think the people of Nigeria would welcome the rescue of these young woman.

TAPPER: McCain recently told the "Daily Beast," he would send in troops regardless of what quote "some guy named Goodluck Jonathon thought." That's Goodluck Jonathon, the president of Nigeria.

The message from the Obama administration is more cautions, but nothing has been ruled out.

REAR ADM. JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: There's no plans for U.S. military operation right now. You have to remember that Nigeria has arm forces, arm forces that we have held training counterterrorism now for the list couple of years.

TAPPER: Those calling for special operations might have victories on their mind, the triumph of (INAUDIBLE) in the bin Laden raid.

The bloodless recue of Captain Phillips from Somali pirates. It might make it seem like a simple decision. Have sent home, talked to (INAUDIBLE), catch a plane and send in a SEAL team six-like crew.

Easy, right? It is anything but. Several questions remain, where are the girls? How do you get them out? Might they be killed at the first sign of U.S. troops or any troops? Could that lead to a longer term commitment in the area?

History has shown rescue missions involve significant risk and uncertain success. There is just in Africa still the spector of the black hawk down incident in Somalia where 19 U.S. soldiers were killed. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Iran rescue and eight American died because of insufficient planning.

TAPPER: The U.S. operation to free American hostages in Iran in 1980 ended tragically for the team and the captain of Americans remained held until the following year.

ADMIRAL JAMES L. HOLLOWAY, CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS: It really failed in our view mainly because of bad luck and unforeseen circumstances.

TAPPER: As of right now, U.S. drones have been added to a team of more than a dozen American advisers and military advisers in Nigeria trying to find the girl.

CROWD: We want our girls back.

TAPPER: And as the world urges action, the U.S. must weigh the options and the consequences of intervention.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITEFIELD: All right. Jack Tapper, thanks so much.

Realizing your dream no matter what the obstacles, a former college football star who was paralyzed on the field did just that. His two amazing milestones achieved in one day. Next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITEFIELD: Graduation ceremonies are taking place all across the country this weekend and one in New Orleans was especially noteworthy because of one of the graduates.

Devin Walker was a star safety at Tulane University until he was paralyzed on the field. But he refused to allow that devastating injury to end his dreams.

Here's Lee Isaacson for our affiliate WBUE.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEE ISAACSON, WBUE REPORTER: Of thousands of students graduating in Tulane University this year. President Scott pointed to one. Devin Walker whose dedication serve as inspiration to the rest.

SCOTT COWEN, PRESIDENT, TULANE UNIVERSITY: He represents who we are and who we hope to be.

ISAACSON: It's now how the former Tulane safety pictured his graduation day in a wheelchair paralyzed from the neck down. But it's the culmination of more achievements than he could have ever imagined he could set out to accomplish.

DEVON WALKER, TULANE UNIVERSITY GRADUATE: I'm very excited, just very excited. For all of us may just been an aspiration, always this day (INAUDIBLE) and optimism was just relentless.

ISAACSON: Walker's friends and fellow teammates adjust hi cap, readying him for graduation as they are helped him do for two years.

WALKER: They've been wonderful, through my classing, through my therapy, helping me do what I need to do and pushed me to be better than you know, just average. They'll all be a help to me.

ISAACSON: But it's the determination of Walker that his friends say kept him on track.

KYLE DAVIS, DEVIN WALKER'S FRIEND: He's come a long way. I'm very proud of him. To be able to come here and put on a smile, and get there, everyday. I'm proud of him.

ISAACSON: An effort inspiring the like of Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Devin Walker, congratulations.

ISAACSON: After being honored at Tulane's commencement, Brees recalled the visiting rocker in Atlanta seen after his injury.

He is one of those guys that so special and so inspirational. You know, that he is destined for so many great things in his life. And just blessed to know him.

ISAACSON: A future with a molecular biology degree, the goal of going to medical school and a will to keep pushing forward in every way he can.

WALKER: Never give up hope, and no matter what. If you have a goal and I don't get shutdown, discouraged yourself not to , go out there and shoot for the skies.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITEFIELD: Oh my God. And then there's more. That same day turned even more special when Devin Walker got a visit from New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton. But he wasn't there the just congratulate Walker.

The saints signed the former safety to the team. The coach called Walker an inspiration, you have all of the qualities the Saints look for in a player.

Here's Walker reacting to his new contract.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: It's one of my dreams come through. I've been a Saint since I was, before I was walking. You know, just to be a part of the team and just to be around, around the players is just more than I could have hoped for. SEAN PAYTON, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS HEAD COACH: Even in his role, you see the leadership and I think it permeated through the team. Coach Johnson, those guys, I think all of them became better for having been around Devin and the inspiration he's given.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITEFIELD: Wow. Congrats to Walker and to the Saints.

All right. Firefighters out west work to seal the deal to put out all of the fires still burning in San Diego County. They're attacking the flames on the ground and in the skies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're here at Camp Pendleton, the planes are hundreds of feet away. We're going to go on board this marine chopper and they're going to show us how they take hundreds of gallons of water and drop them directly on the fire lines. Come aboard with me. We're going to show you how the marines fight the fires from the air right on their own base and in their own community.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Firefighters in Southern California are making major headway in the battle against fires that have scorched more than 27,000 acres. They're working to put out the remaining four fires today. Many people living in the fire zone who evacuated are returning to their homes. Fire officials say the fight will go on until all of the fires are out. Our Indra Petersons got an up close look at the battle happening high above the flames.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

INDRA PETERSONS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the airstrip that the Marines use to battle the blazes. In all they dumped a half a million gallons of water in 150 round trips and we just went along for one of them.

(voice-over): A wall of flames closing in on a Marine air strip, a military base under siege.

COL. WILL HOOPER, THIRD MARINE AIRCRAFT WING: I watched at this thing marched from half a mile away almost to 200 meters of us. And I could feel the heat on my face as this thing approached.

PETERSONS: And to the 3rd Marine aircraft wing and 22 helicopters ready to battle the flames. On this flight, we're headed for a lake on the base with a 300-gallon bucket in tow. Our chopper is guided by a crew chief manning a door in its upper floor known as the hell hole. From our window you can see the delicate balances other choppers lower toward the lake, our pilot does the same, lowering the bucket until it's submerged. Once it's full, we head for the fire line.

Right now we're flying directly over the fire line. Again using the hell hole and a lot of precision, the crew chief spots the right moment the make the drop. On his signal the water is released. In all these choppers made over 900 drops. The fire's peak, Captain Bradley Gibson pulled it off with zero visibility.

CAPTAIN BRADLEY GIBSON, PILOT: You don't know if he's going straight ahead, you don't know if he got his bucket dropped off or not. The best you can do is hope.

PETERSONS: The smoke so intense it cut off the main water supply on the base forcing the crews to look elsewhere. This video shows a Marine chopper hovering over the Pacific Ocean.

ERIC LANDBLOM, PILOT: Actually reassuring to see my neighborhood.

PETERSONS: These Marines don't just fight fires on Camp Pendleton but in nearby communities. In some cases, water drops like this are there to protect even their own homes.

LANDBLOM: I can call home and call the wife, the neighborhood looks good.

PETERSONS: Their water drops these Marines couldn't make in 2003 when the massive Cedar wildfire killed 20 people. Today new policies have united the Marines with local firefighters.

HOOPER: So rather than having to go back to Washington, D.C. to launch aircraft to fight these fires, the local commanders here can make the determination that there's immediate threat to life and property and we had our aircraft airborne inside of hours.

PETERSONS: Immediate action helping Marines safe property and lives. In this case, those lives were their own. So you just went along on one ride, but in all these Marines have spent 250 hours in the air fighting these blazes and helped them get the upper hand on this fire and the cooler weather is only expected to help even further.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, that's good news. Thanks so much, Indra Petersons.

All right, investigators suspect that arson might be involved with some of the fires. Three people are under arrest and one of them has been charged.

It may be the largest ever dinosaur discovery. Do you believe it? A museum in Argentina has unveiled what they're calling seven dinosaurs, each one was about 130 long and weighing 180,000 pounds. That's about the weight of 14 elephants and as long as two tractor-trailers. The discovery dates back to about 95 million years ago. Wow. Those bones are in really good condition. That's why so many people are so suspicious, but they say it's real.

All right, "Saturday Night Live" has decided to poke a little fun at the whole Jay-Z-Solange elevator fight and they did it right off the top of the season finale last night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now that I have you alone, I've been waiting to do this for a long time. As God is my witness, I would never do anything to hurt you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know what? And to prove it, we got an exclusive leaked video this time with the audio included.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a completely different story. Look. Man, what a great party.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My God, there's a spider on you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What? Get it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It keeps moving.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kick it. Great job. I love you, Solange.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love you, too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks again for that help with that spider.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know what? No problem.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go back to the party.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, that would be fun. My God, the spider is back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get it. I have Iraq phobia. I love you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Love you too.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: My gosh, OK. Guess what, it gets even better than that. Big sister, Beyonce shows up. She was played, of course, by SNL alum, Maya Rudolph.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did somebody say my name? It's me, Beyonce. Yonce. Queen bay. Bay. Baby. Baby back. Ba. Ba humbug, and it's my turn to talk. Last week, we was all at the ball having a great time. We'd been drinking watermelon. But the next morning we woke up and saw that people had posted a picture of us and I was like, so if you think I condone this invasion of privacy, then you must not know me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: OK, that's too funny. There's more. Just roll it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A woman who had an incurable cancer is now in remission after getting 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 and it ended up killing her cancer. Elizabeth Cohen has more on how this might affect the medical world.

COHEN: This is such an exciting study. Doctors are really excited about the research that's going on here. So this was done at the Mayo Clinic. There was a 50-year-old woman with a terrible kind of blood cancer called multiple myeloma. Doctors had tried everything and nothing worked. So they said, you know what, we need to try something experimental and boy was this experimental.

What they did was they gave this woman massive amounts of the measles virus right into her blood stream and what they found was that the cancer went away. It was really pretty amazing. It did come back nine months later, but they were able to treat it with some pretty simple radiation and the cancer has remained out of her system.

Now I do want to say one thing, which is that they tried this treatment in five other patients and it didn't work very well. But the success with this one woman definitely has made doctors think, could this possibly be a treatment for other people? So now they need to do more studies and try to find out. This isn't something that oncologists are going to start offering any day soon, but if they do more studies, they may find that this could be a treatment for some people with cancer -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, there's much more to this study. We're going to talk to the woman who was at the center of this study when we come right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, after a monster dose of the measles, a woman with incurable cancer is now in remission. We just told you about her right before the break. Elizabeth Cohen brought us her story. Now I'm joined by that lucky woman, Stacy Erholtz from Minnesota. Stacy, I know you've got the phone to your ear as well as having you on Skype just in case we lose our Skype signal.

So first, Stacy, you know, what was your first thought when they told you that you were going to get the measles to try to cure or make some sort of interruption in your cancer?

STACY ERHOLTZ, CANCER PATIENT TREATED WITH MEASLES VIRUS: Well, I was just overjoyed. I had been tracking the news of it for a couple of years. My doctors and his colleagues were working on such a study. And so when it was my turn, I was more than excited and, yes.

WHITFIELD: And we described it as a real mega dose of the measles. So this treatment actually made you very sick at first, right? Did you think this isn't going to work or this is just what I have to get through in order to get to the other side, so to speak?

ERHOLTZ: Well it really was a very intense dose. I received enough to inoculate 10 million people. I didn't know those terms until after the fact, which is good. I had a horrific headache during the process, spiked a high fever and had nausea. But those symptoms or side effects are short lived. Today, I was able to walk across the street to my hotel.

WHITFIELD: And then the doctors told you were cancer free at least temporarily. How did that news hit you?

ERHOLTZ: Well, it was very exciting. I had a built in monitor on my forehead. I had a plasmacytoma, which my family named Evan. In 36 hours, it disappeared.

WHITFIELD: Amazing and so at that point you knew?

ERHOLTZ: I knew.

WHITFIELD: It was working.

ERHOLTZ: The tests were telling us that it was working.

WHITFIELD: And so it did come back, but temporarily, right? Now you're in remission?

ERHOLTZ: I am in complete remission, I am.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And how are you feeling?

ERHOLTZ: I'm feeling great. I have not felt this energetic for ten- plus years. It's been the easiest treatment I've done by far.

WHITFIELD: My goodness, OK. Well, I know the hope is in the medical community that this will work for many more because apparently you really are the anomaly in which this has helped you.

ERHOLTZ: I am. And I'm so looking forward to others joining me on this journey. We just do need to get this moving faster.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Well, congratulations on it working for you and thanks so much for being with us and all the best to you.

ERHOLTZ: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, we're going to shift gears quite a bit and take you to the racetrack. The horse racetrack. Well, the first horse in 36 years with a chance to win the Triple Crown even be allowed to race? It could become an issue in the Belmont stakes have won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, California Chrome's owner says he'll keep his horse out of the race if it's not allowed -- the horse is not allowed to wear a similar breathing strip. There it is, a tighter shot.

So far the New York Gaming Commission says it hasn't been asked to allow it and if it is the commission will consider it. So stay tuned. Anything could happen as always the case on the horse racetrack. But Chrome's impressive winning streak leads our "Bleacher Report" right now. Here is Kristen Ledlow.

KRISTEN LEDLOW, "BLEACHER REPORT": Fred, it's been 36 years since a horse has won the Triple Crown. Now California Chrome is just one win away from joining that exclusive club. The three-year-old colt notched its sixth win with an impressive victory in the Preakness stakes. California Chrome becomes the 13th horse to win the first two legs of the Triple Crown since the last Triple Crown winner in 1978. Now all that's standing between California Chrome and history is a victory in the Belmont stakes in just three weeks.

Here's Johnny pro-football participating in Cleveland's rookie mini- camp this weekend along his fellow draftees and unsigned free agents. The Browns did pass on Manziel early in the NFL draft before selecting him in the first round at number 22 overall. Manziel has been promised an opportunity to fight for a starting role at quarterback. And while yesterday's practice was restricted to local media members only, today's practice will be closed.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Kristen. A road trip down south. Anthony Bourdain hits the road down south and surprises even himself in the Mississippi Delta. He's telling that story up next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Roland Garros is the crown jewel of Clay Court Tennis. It's a grand slam tournament every French player dreams of winning. The French men are performing and winning and it's showing up in the world rankings. But while hasn't France produced a grand slam champion in more than 30 years? Patrick Moratogo coaches world number one, Serena Williams and runs a large tennis academy outside Paris.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think most of the French players lack ambition because they have a nice life, a lot of money. Since they're young, if they're good, in a way things are too easy for them. Maybe it's not in the culture of France to have very, very high ambitions. Grand slam winners are people who have very high expectations, who have simply the mentality of champions. I'm not sure that too many French players have that mentality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Anthony Bourdain admits he had pre-conceived notions about life past and present on the Mississippi Delta, but then he went there for his latest episode of "PARTS UNKNOWN" and he shares his discoveries with Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "AC360": You went to the Mississippi Delta. My family comes from Mississippi. My dad's side of the family were farmers there. Why did you go there?

ANTHONY BOURDAIN, CNN HOST, "PARTS UNKNOWN": I like to challenge the misconceptions, during a world and time where Mississippi was looked down on, and looked at contempt and derision. It was the place where, I grew up thinking Mississippi. They shot Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda there, I'm not going there. They're all racists and hicks, but it is such a deeper story. So when you're -- when you grow up with a prejudice like that it is increasingly interesting to me to challenge that.

COOPER: In the wake of Katrina I went to Biloxi, to Mary Mahoney's, it has been there a long time. And the owner came out and said, welcome back, Anderson, you were here with your father when you were 7 or 8 years old. He showed me the table where I sat with my dad. There is something about Mississippi that -- I don't know, there is a memory there. There is a history there.

BOURDAIN: It is beautiful. Physically, it is a beautiful place. And look, I like going to a place where I sort of blunder about, a Yankee that surely has nothing to learn from.

COOPER: How was the food?

BOURDAIN: It is great.

COOPER: I was down there, and somebody said everything is covered in sugar and fried.

BOURDAIN: That is not true also, where did the food that we call southern down home food? Where did that come from? Who created that food? What we're calling southern food on TV? How is that different? Is -- is it the real thing or a mutation? The traditional, southern cooking in its pure form and over time was a very different and often healthier thing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Healthy is not one of the things I would think about but tasty, yes. Watch tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern as Anthony Bourdain "PARTS UNKNOWN" heads to Mississippi. And then at 10:00 Eastern, Morgan Spurlock "INSIDE MAN" explores the world of UFOs from Roswell, New Mexico.

We've got much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM and it all starts right now.