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Some 9/11 Families Upset Over Gift Shop; Colt's Mathis to Miss Season; Marine to Receive Medal of Honor; Mother Gets Letter from Deceased Son; Man Face to Face with Great White.

Aired May 20, 2014 - 14:30   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE DANIELS, PRESIDENT & CEO, 9/11 MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM: We know it's the right thing, that when visitors come here, they want to take a keepsake away. This is the United States of America. And the number- one thing is, if you don't like what we're selling, don't buy it.

The number-one seller in our gift shop is a book called "Place of Remembrance," which talks about the building of the memorial.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Let me bring in 9/11 first responder and former NYPD patrolman, James Ryder.

James, it's an honor to have you on. Welcome.

JAMES RYDER, FORMER NYPD PATROLMAN & FIRST RESPONDER: Thank you, Brooke. It's an honor to be with you.

BALDWIN: Just hearing from that official with the museum, the need for keepsakes, just out of the gate, do we as a nation need keepsakes from that day?

RYDER: You know, I've been tossing this in my head. I had a terrible feeling that day and I assured myself I would not return until this issue was addressed. There are no bodies buried at the Vietnam Memorial or World War I or World War II Memorial also. This is a grave site that they decided without the input of the families. So that is not like any other place. And it is not a war memorial. Don't tell me that terrorism is war. Terrorism is very different. They go after our families, they go after our children, and they go after our souls. This is not like any other place, and should be treated that way.

BALDWIN: You know, I read this article, one reason I'm having this discussion with you, I read this poignant piece by Steve Kendall. His sister died that day. He reluctantly along with you and others visited the museum in the last week. The title of his piece is entitled "Worst Day of My Life" is now a tourist attraction. You went to the museum last week. But you say you will never go back. Tell me why.

RYDER: I will not. It's a place of business. It's a conglomerate, a corporation. It is not a place of memory or solace and a place to go show regard. It's run by civilians who are business people. People who had nothing to do with running into the fire. They were probably hiding under their desks while we were down there swapping buckets for days, weeks and months on end to try to find people and struggling to call it a rescue site as long as we could. This gentleman doesn't deserve to be making these decisions.

BALDWIN: We as a nation will forever mourn those lives lost and will be forever grateful to you and so many other first responders.

RYDER: Thank you.

BALDWIN: But at the same time, you have to hear it from the other side, that this is a place where people want to pay their respects, can pay that $24 and go to that museum, and do so. Not to mention that, you know, the museum officials say they need that money. They're not profiting. They need the money just to run the museum. What's wrong with that?

RYDER: Well, that money is going to, what, $300,000-plus salary. There are a lot of different arguments and issues here. But for those of us down there that day, we have the perspective nobody else has. If you're going to profit from 9/11, that money should go to the families. I understand running a museum. I understand it's a business. Maybe the park police or the Parks Department should be running that place, or maybe the parks around that place and have the ability to save money. I don't want to call it what you're calling it. From now on, I'm just calling it that place, because it's disrespectful.

BALDWIN: Would it matter if that place didn't sit in that place? What I mean is, that is hallowed ground, where thousands of lives were lost. If that place sat elsewhere in Manhattan, would that make a difference for you?

RYDER: Absolutely. And I don't think anybody would disagree with me. My assumption is respectful. But it doesn't belong in there.

Let me make another point about the business aspect. Mayor Bloomberg is a multibillionaire. He gave $50 million. He has their ear. He has a seat on the board. I can give you $50 out of my pocket right now. And after my wife yells at me for giving you that 50 bucks, it doesn't mean all that much to me. $50 million doesn't mean a lot to me. So he has their ear. The responders that are still alive, suffering much more than I am, are sitting in a corner waiting for somebody to listen to them. That's what they're doing down there.

BALDWIN: I don't have Mayor Bloomberg here with me to respond to what you're saying. But I do know that he has been there. He has spoken with Jake Tapper inside the museum. And I am sure he has heard questions and criticisms such as yours. This is something that he will have to deal with as it begins to open to the public.

James Ryder, thank you so much for your perspective.

RYDER: Thank you. Thank you very much. BALDWIN: William Kyle Carpenter lost most of his jaw and an eye when he fell on a grenade to shield a fellow Marine from a blast. Now he will receive the nation's highest military award for his bravery. The White House announced he would become the eighth living veteran of U.S. combat in Iraq and Afghanistan to receive the Medal of Honor. He will receive that medal June 19th. And in a Defense Department video, Carpenter talks about overcoming death. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CPL. WILLIAM KYLE CARPENTER; TO RECEIVE MEDAL OF HONOR: At 21, my body was torn apart by an enemy fire. Upon arriving at Camp Ashton, I was labeled PEA, patient expired on arrival. The enemy killed me. I came back. I ran a marathon, and jumped from a plane. I won't ever quit. I am just getting started.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Carpenter medically retired from the Marine Corps last year as a corporal. He's now a student at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.

Coming up, an NFL player gets in trouble over taking a fertility drug. The Indianapolis Colt said he wanted to be a dad for the fourth time. Now he's going to miss a quarter of the season. How did that happen? And is the NFL being unfair?

Plus, the moment a diver came face to face with a great white. See what happened. And the whole thing is caught on video.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: An Indianapolis Colt has taken a huge hit, and I'm not talking about on the field, but to his season. Robert Mathis is banned from the team's first four games after he admitted to taking this drug Clomid. It's specifically a fertility drug to help him and his wife conceive. It is also banned by the NFL for being a performance-enhancing drug.

Mathis admits on Twitter that, yes, he made a mistake. He tweeted, "I specifically asked the doctor if the medication he prescribed for me would present a problem for NFL drug testing and, unfortunately, he incorrectly told me it would not." He goes on, "I made the mistake of not calling the NFL or NFL P.A. to double-check before I took the medication at the end of last season. I am a man of integrity who would never intentionally circumvent the policy agreed to by the NFL and my union." He says he is blessed. A baby is on the way.

Monday an NFL executive explained to ESPN Radio why Mathis was suspended.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADOLPHO BIRCH, NFL SENIOR VIEW PRESIDENT OF LABOR POLICY & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS: The player had the opportunity, several sources that he could have contacted, all of which would have advised him not to take this substance. And in doing so, his failure to do so has certain consequences.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Joining me now, Drew Rosenhaus, a sports agent with multiple clients in the NFL; and our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen.

Elizabeth, on the medical end, I've heard of this drug Clomid, having girlfriends, women who wanted to take it to try to get pregnant. But I never heard of something Clomid that a man could take. Can you explain how this would help someone? And if this could also help him on the field?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, I spoke with fertility doctors, Brooke, who said it's very common to give Clomid to men if they're having issues with sperm production. We think of Clomid as being for women, but they said it's commonly given to men. The doctors I talked to said it was not on an NFL banned list. They said it will not enhance your performance. The way that it's used illicitly is men will use steroids illicitly and just balance out the action of those steroids, they will take Clomid. The Clomid isn't making you big and strong, it's to help balance out the steroid. The doctors who I talked to are furious that here's this man, all he wants to do is help get his wife pregnant, now he's been suspended from playing.

BALDWIN: That's the one side.

Drew, the other side, we just heard the official on ESPN Radio saying, listen, he knew better. He should have gone to a team doctor, someone affiliated with the NFL, instead of going to maybe their family physician, or pediatrician to figure out what he needed to take and to get the green light to take it. Can you see that side?

DREW ROSENHAUS, SPORTS AGENT & ATTORNEY: I understand the NFL's argument, and they are correct that those are the rules. But at the same time, this is a business that involves people, families, exceptional situations. This is an exceptional situation that I believe the NFL could have shown some leniency. Certainly Robert Mathis made a mistake. Certainly you've got to follow the rules in the NFL. But this seems like an excusable one. The explanation really seems plausible. And I think in this case, based on everything involved, the right thing would have been for the NFL to give Mathis a warning and to let him know if this ever happened again, that, of course, he would face a suspension.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Four games --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Four games is a chunk of a season. You say that's not quite fair.

ROSENHAUS: Yes. The NFL has a strict liability policy when it comes to their performance-enhancing. And I don't know that Clomid should even be in that. You know? That's a fertility drug. Of course, you can get an exemption for it if you go about it the right way. Procedurally, Robert Mathis didn't handle this the right way, but should he be suspended four games? Not in my opinion. I heard the union's comments. I agree with the union. They thought it was too strict.

BALDWIN: You also, though, have the camp that says, hey, this was Robert Mathis' best season last season. He led the league in sacks. Kind of skeptical this was used for fertility.

ROSENHAUS: Robert Mathis has been a great player for almost a decade in the NFL. He's one of the best defensive linemen in the game. To assume that he's cheating, or that this is some kind of cover-up, I don't think it's fair at all. I wouldn't be one of the people that would point the finger in that capacity. Again, I'm more forgiving. I believe that the union is correct, that this is a very strict penalty, that there's a good explanation here. And there should be an alternative to suspending him. If you want to fine him for the mistake, maybe you could work something out where there's a fine. But to suspend a guy for four games for taking a fertility drug, whether he got the exemption or not, for a first time offense, that is a heavy-handed penalty, in my opinion.

BALDWIN: Let me end with this, with your lawyer hat on, Drew. And that is, this is pretty egregious if this guy, with his mother ill, and he wanted to have this fourth child, if this is all wrong and he just wanted to have a kid and needed a little help, could he sue his doctor for giving him bad advice?

ROSENHAUS: Well, I don't think so. But, you know, I'm not sure that the doctor is responsible for knowing what the NFL policies are. The NFL and the NFL P.A. do a great job of notifying the players, what the policy is. You can't blame the doctor. The point is Robert made a mistake. But he shouldn't be suspended four games. That's my point. And certainly, I wish the NFL in the future would maybe take a more flexible look at these kinds of cases.

BALDWIN: Well, wish baby number four, well. The bottom line here.

Drew Rosenhaus and Elizabeth Cohen, thank you both very much.

And just ahead, some awesome video we had to share with you, and bring in my favorite guy, Chad Myers, to talk about what the heck this is.

Also ahead, a powerful story that absolutely forever touched me this time last year. A mother lost her teenage son in an accident. Just recently, she got a letter from him in the mail. She will join me live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Breaking news on here on CNN. A federal judge in Pennsylvania ruling the ban on same-sex marriage in that state is unconstitutional. He said the ban violates the 14th Amendment and the gay couples should be able to marry. The case involved nearly two dozen gay and lesbian couples. And this comes just one day after a federal judge in Oregon struck down the ban on same-sex marriage in that state, a ban that had been approved by voters.

Now a year after a Tennessee mother lost her son in a car accident, something pretty amazing happened. She got a letter in the mail from him. When Cameron Sharp's mother opened this envelope and she found a letter he wrote back in middle school. It was a school assignment, write a letter to your future self. That was seven years ago. His teacher had planned to mail the letters to the students in the month of their high school graduation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DALE CALDWELL, HARRIS MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER: When I ran across this, for just a moment, I paused. And asked myself, do I mail this. I knew that probably it would really be special to this mother.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: The 17-year-old high school senior died in January 2013, after the car he was riding in hit a truck.

And joining me by phone is Cameron's mom, Gail Sharp.

Gail, thank you for being on.

GAIL SHARP, MOTHER OF CAMERON SHARP (voice-over): Thank you for having me.

BALDWIN: I am so sorry about the loss of your son. But we get to talk about this surprise. Because from what I understand, Gail, this was just before Mother's Day. Can you just tell me about the moment your husband handed you this letter with a very younger version of your son's penmanship on the outside of the envelope?

SHARP: I was very confused. He said we had gotten a letter from Cameron Sharp. And I thought that we had -- maybe somebody named Cameron Sharp had written to us. I didn't know what he was talking about. And when he handed me the letter, the envelope, I looked at the writing on it, and I knew instantly it was Cameron's handwriting.

BALDWIN: And the moment you opened it, and see that he's writing about this movie, "Night at the Museum," and this is a younger, much younger version of your son. What was that like to see that?

SHARP: I was so happy that we had gotten it. Of course, we cherish anything that we hear about Cameron, or anything that somebody has that had belonged to Cameron before. So to get this in the mail, in his own handwriting, was really special. And to see what he wrote about to somebody else, you know. It may not mean anything to anybody else, but he was best friends with his brother. So that was special to him that his brother was graduating from middle school. And one of his favorite things to do was watching movies. That's what was important to him at the time.

BALDWIN: Wonderful. That's wonderful to hear. And for this to sort of -- it was a surprise. And this could have gone much differently. This teacher, Dale Caldwell, he took a risk sending your son's note to you. What would you say to this teacher about his choice to send it?

SHARP: I'm so glad he did. I think he made a wise choice by doing that. I think any parent who has lost a child, the worst fear is their child is going to be forgotten. And Mr. Caldwell knew that Cameron had passed away. And we're a small community. And I think he felt in his heart that we would love to have the letter, and love to receive it. like we did. And the timing was really perfect for us receiving the letter.

BALDWIN: Ahead of Mother's Day.

Thanks to Mr. Caldwell, and thanks to you, Gail Sharp, for sharing that, coming on a couple of minutes. I often say this to myself, it's often the little things that matter the most.

Thank you so much for calling in.

SHARP: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Coming up, he has starred in "Forrest Gump" and "The Shield," but today, this man is behind bars, accused of killing his wife at their home with their kids inside. But it's what he told a 911 operator that could make this case.

Plus, primary day in many states across the country. Will tonight's results show what could lie ahead in the crucial November elections? Stay right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: When it comes to scuba diving, most people are looking for a beautiful fish, maybe colorful reefs to explore. Some are actually hoping -- yes, there are those people, maybe like you -- who want to swim with great white sharks. Of course, they're in cages. But that's not what Jimmy Roseman found himself face-to-face with a great white just off the coast of Florida. And all he had was a little spear gun. Here is the view from his Go Pro head cam. There's the shark. He was hiding behind a rock. He manages to fend this thing off. There he is behind the rock. A little too close for me. He talked to Anderson Cooper about this close encounter just last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY ROSEMAN, SCUBA DIVER WHO FOUGHT OFF SHARK: I've had other shark encounters, and you poke them with different types of sharks and they leave right away. I noticed this one didn't want to leave. It kept getting more aggressive. So there at the last, I really -- I hit it pretty hard. And it left long enough for me to get away and get to the surface. So I was glad about that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Roseman got out of the water safely. Went down about three or four miles down the reef. He said he had a complete dive that day and no more shark sightings.

Now to this awesome picture we just had to share. Imagine you're driving down the road and you see this out your window. This is what storm chasers call a supercell forming in Wyoming.

Chad Myers, I mean, it's awesome pictures. But what is this?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Take a look at the bottom. There's no rain coming out of it, or very little. You can see right through it. It's a low precipitation L.P. supercell rotating --

(CROSSTALK)

MYERS: -- mesocyclone thunderstorm. This is typical out west. You'll see these a lot. By the time it rains, the air's so dry, it evaporates on the way down. But the hail falls out of it. This thing had hail the size of baseballs as they were looking at it. It was a time-lapsed event.

Let me show you how this looks and how it looks on a map and what you're seeing there. Picture, if you will, that same cloud right here on my map. The exact same map here, the base of the cloud. Look right through the bottom. The entire storm is rotating. It's moving along, and the hail is falling from one side. Cool air on one side, the moist warm air going up. But there's not enough warm moist air with a storm called an L.P. usually to make a big tornado. A lot of humidity. Speaking of tornadoes, Brooke, I don't know if you realize this, 365 days ago, you and I sat right there looking at Moore, Oklahoma, get destroyed by an F-5 tornado.

(CROSSTALK)

MYERS: That was one year ago today.

BALDWIN: We had more from Moore in an interview I'll never forget.

Chad Myers, thank you so much.

MYERS: You're welcome.