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Tracy Morgan Critically Hurt in Crash; Remembering Maya Angelou; Obama Defends Sgt. Bergdahl Rescue; California Chrome Goes for Triple Crown; Interview with Susan Rice; The American Dream Out of Reach?; Crossing the Next Finish Line; First Robot to Learn Emotions

Aired June 07, 2014 - 13:00   ET

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Clinton reveals how she maintained her exhausting travel schedule that often left her jet lagged. "I drank copious cups of coffee and sometimes dug the fingernails of one hand into the palm of the other", she says.

And she gets personal about her daughter's 2010 wedding, calling it "one of the happiest and proudest moments of my life. So many thoughts went through my head," she writes. "Our family had been through so many things together. Good times and hard times. And now, here we were celebrating the best of times."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Clinton's book officially releases on Tuesday. It's already sold a million copies and another million on order according to her publisher -- Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thanks so much, Brianna Keilar, in Washington. And we have much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM which begins right now.

Hello, again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the top stories we're following in the CNN NEWSROOM.

A terrible crash in New Jersey killed one person and sent seven to the hospital, including a seriously injured comedian, Tracy Morgan. He is in the hospital right now and we are live with the latest on the victims and what led to this horrific crash.

Plus an emotional memorial service for poet Maya Angelou today. Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, and First Lady Michelle Obama all speaking. We have their touching words.

And despite the political fallout around the release of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, President Obama is sticking to his decision. What he is saying now, coming up.

Our top story, actor and comedy star Tracy Morgan is in critical condition right now after a serious crash in New Jersey.

You might recognize Morgan from the hit show "30 Rock" or from "Saturday Night Live." Police say he was in this limo bus on the New Jersey turnpike early this morning. State police say it was in a multi vehicle crash and flipped over. One person in the limo bus was killed.

Alexandra Field is live for us outside the hospital in new Brunswick, New Jersey.

So, Alexandra, what more can you tell us?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fredricka, he was in intensive care this morning, and right now hospital officials are saying that he remains in critical condition with at least two other victims who were hurt in the crash. Representatives for Tracy Morgan have also put out a statement. It says, in part, quote, "His family is now with him and he is receiving excellent care. We don't anticipate much of a change in his condition today."

This is a crash that left seven people hurt, sent to the hospital, another person killed that was a passenger in the limo bus with Tracy. His name James McNair, identified by New Jersey State Police as a 63- year-old man.

Six cars, we know, were involved in this accident which happened overnight, about 1:00 in the morning on the New Jersey turnpike just about a half an hour from here. Police tell us that they are still investigating the cause of this accident. They had pointed out that they believe that a tractor trailer rear ended the limo bus that Tracy Morgan was in. They have not identified why that happened, though there were at least six vehicles involved, two tractor trailers, the limo bus, an SUV, and two more cars.

We know that Tracy Morgan had performed just last night. He was at a casino in Dover, Delaware. A fellow comedian who had opened for him posted pictures on Facebook and Instagram which showed Tracy just hours before this accident.

And again, Fredricka, still in critical condition, but the hospital here in New Brunswick, New Jersey, is not giving us any details about the kind of injuries he has suffered or the extent of injuries.

WHITFIELD: All right. And the cause of the crash still under investigation.

Alexandra Field, thanks so much. Keep us posted as you learn any more information. Our prayers go out to him and the other victims in that crash.

Maya Angelou, she touched so many people around the world, and just a short time ago we heard just how and by how much. Angelou's family and friends held what was a very emotional memorial service for her in Winston Salem, North Carolina. Oprah Winfrey helped plan the whole ceremony. In fact she was in the front row with former President Bill Clinton and First Lady Michelle Obama. Each of them sharing personal stories about how Angelou impacted their lives.

We're going to play some of that for you right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT: Here is why I think she died when she did. It was her voice. She was without a voice for five years. Then she developed the greatest voice on the planet. God loaned her his voice. She had the voice of God. And he decided he wanted it back for awhile.

OPRAH WINFREY, TV HOST: The loss I feel I cannot describe. It's like something I have never felt before. She was my spiritual queen mother, and everything that that word implies. She was the ultimate teacher. She taught me the poetry of courage and respect.

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: Dr. Angelou's words sustained me on every step of my journey, through lonely moments in ivy covered classrooms and colorless skyscrapers, through blissful moments, mothering two splendid baby girls. Through long years on the campaign trail where at times my very womanhood was dissected and questioned. For me, that was the power of Maya Angelou's words.

Words so powerful that they carried a little black girl from the South Side of Chicago all the way to the White House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Maya Angelou's son also spoke. He said, quote, "There is no mourning, now we're ready to celebrate her life."

Well, among those in the crowd celebrating her life, CNN contributor Donna Brazile. She was there at that service there, and in a column, Donna, on CNN.com, you really shared the joy of knowing Angelou and the pain of losing her.

You write this. Quote, "She was fixated on humanity and helping to bring love and kindness into this world. That's perhaps what I cherish about her the most. Like every great artist, she emerged from deep and sorrowful struggle to reveal a beautiful, confident, calm, and wise soul. She used that struggle to transform herself and made us believe that we, too, could transform ourselves as well." End quote.

That's from you, Donna, that you wrote on CNN.com. Your words are so beautiful. Tell us about your relationship with Maya Angelou, how it came about, and perhaps how it flourished over the years?

DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I was a very young activist myself, working for Coretta Scott King and so many others on the bill to make Martin Luther King's birthday a national holiday. I got a chance to meet Dr. Angelou, and she was just an incredible force in the universe. Later working with Dorothy Height on the Black Family Reunion.

Dr. Angelou was always available and whenever you came to the state of North Carolina didn't matter if you went to the Charlotte or Fayetteville or Wilmington, she said stop by at Winston-Salem and see me. She wanted to make sure you had something to eat, but she was just a gracious woman, a kind woman, and she was a joyful person. And what you saw today was a celebration of that joy, that rising joy that she brought out in so many of us and I think the whole world. Because the world today paid tribute to a remarkable human being.

WHITFIELD: It really was a beautiful ceremony. And to hear these words from so many who talked about how she touched them, you talk about, you know, just stopping by her home. She would say that to those. And you heard Oprah Winfrey there described just being in her kitchen and how she felt Maya Angelou was like her spiritual mother, her spiritual queen mother is the way she put it. And it almost sounds as though for all those who were privileged enough to know her firsthand that it was effortless to -- for Maya Angelou to be this kind of mother and sister figure.

Did you feel that way?

BRAZILE: I think she made everyone feel special. You know, her own family, Guy, his sons, his wife, her grandchildren, her great grandchildren, I mean, they had a large piece of her heart. But whatever she had left she shared it with everybody in abundance, and she was so welcoming. I talked to someone who was a neighbor who often brought over fresh vegetables and fresh fruit and other things from the garden, and he said before I could leave, she said let's get in the kitchen and cook it together.

That was Maya Angelou. She was somebody who wanted to share anything she had in life with other people so that they could not only receive her gifts but to share it with others.

WHITFIELD: You had your relationship with her, but when you heard her eulogized so to speak today, was there anything that you learned from a story told by someone who took that podium? Share something about Maya Angelou that you never know?

BRAZILE: No question, Cicely Tyson. Cicely Tyson, who is a phenomenal woman herself, telling us a story that she met Maya Angelou in 1960, but she said maybe it was '59, because that's when Dr. Angelou remembered, it was 1959. But she talked about they were in a play together and she heard this woman with this booming voice, and all of a sudden she looked up and she said oh, my god, and they became lifelong friends.

And she talked about when she was on Broadway just recently and she received a Tony Award for "A Trip to the Bountiful," and she called Maya Angelou every day, and said, you got to come, you got to come. And then one day they said we need you upstairs. And she's like, I don't want to go upstairs, and then she said, I went upstairs, and it was Dr. Angelou who had come by bus to see her good friend of 50 plus years on Broadway.

So, you know, just learning -- listening to all of those stories, the (INAUDIBLE) saying there, mainly listening to her son Guy talk about his mom, his mom. I mean, to all of us, she was someone special, but to hear from her own son and her grandchildren how special she was to them, it really was a very special day.

WHITFIELD: And that sounds very unique, too, because you think of Maya Angelou as this sister, this mother of phenomenal women. You know, I borrowed that from her 1995 "Book of Poems," and how she really has been that consummate leader for what it is to be a woman, and you forget until today, many of us who forget that she had a son. And so you do wonder how was she a mother to this son when she is so much, so many great things to so many women.

BRAZILE: Well, you know, she became a mom at a very early age, and one of her last books, "Mom and Me," she talked about her own mother, Vivian Baxter, and all the lessons she learned from her own mother. She was like Mother Earth herself, you know, just spreading the joy, spreading the goodness. And that's what she was. We read her portrait, we read her books, I do when I was a young girl, and, you know, I heard Oprah Winfrey say, I thought -- I thought Maya Angelou was talking about me. And I heard Michelle Obama said, I thought she was talking about me.

Well, when I wrote my column, I said, I thought she was talking about me.

(LAUGHTER)

Because you read yourself, you read, you know, your childhood. I mean, we grew up in the south. Oprah talked about growing up in Mississippi, I grew up in Louisiana, Maya Angelou born in St. Louis but growing up in Arkansas, those stories, the stories of courage and Maya believed -- Maya Angelou believed that courage was the most important virtue of all because if you had courage, you could possess all of those other great virtues.

Again, I think for generations to come, they will be reading her memoirs, they will be reciting her poetry. Her life, her legacy, her words will continue to live on, and actions, especially those acts of goodness and kindness that will come from people who will understand what her life has meant to all of us, not just her family, her friends, her extended friends, but all of us, all of humanity.

WHITFIELD: Indeed, that continuing chorus of even in death, it lives on, that chorus that says she really helped me see myself, and we heard that from so many.

Donna Brazile -- and we read it from you as well. Donna Brazile, thanks so much. Good to see you, appreciate it.

BRAZILE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Straight ahead, the release of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl is stirring up controversy in Congress and beyond. Why members of both sides of the aisle say the president was wrong to make the high stakes trade.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: President Barack Obama is defending his decision to release five high-level Taliban leaders from Guantanamo Bay in order to free U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. But members of Congress from both parties aren't buying his reasoning.

Erin McPike is live for us now at the White House. So, Erin, are members of Congress planning to take some sort of

action?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, first what we know is that the House Armed Services Committee has called a hearing on Wednesday. And Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will be testifying at that hearing. That could be testy enough.

Now first, five administration officials will be briefing House members Monday afternoon. That will be led by Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken. And he'll be joined by two Defense Department officials and intelligence official and a State Department official, but whether members of Congress go any further and take actual action, that remains to be seen. But there are certainly things that they could do in the future that may embarrass the White House -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: So the Obama administration originally claimed that it was Bergdahl's deteriorating health that prompted the trade, meaning the timing of it all, and some of the lawmakers have actually seen the videotape of his condition, but what is it about their observations that they are disputing?

MCPIKE: Well, essentially, Fred, what we have here is that there have been some shifting stories and it's a little bit unclear. At first it was his deteriorating health. But then later in the week, we heard that there was this threat on Bowe Bergdahl's life, that if news of the deal leaked, then he may be killed. Now we've heard some different things from lawmakers who have been briefed so far in the White House, but that's what makes this story still murky, is that it changed somewhat over the course of the week -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And then the interpretation of this proof of life video, is that being, you know, further kind of examined? Is the White House saying anything about or better defining what was seen or observed in that video to I guess counter respond to some of those skeptical lawmakers?

MCPIKE: Not publicly yet. Of course, senators who were briefed on it are familiar with that video. It may be that the House members who get a briefing on Monday get more details about that, too, but it's still under discussion and up for debate, about whether they released that video publicly on a wider scale.

WHITFIELD: OK. Erin McPike, thank you so much from the White House. A very noisy White House. Something tells me there's a lot of activity going on outside the gates more so than on a usual when often people gather for protests or otherwise.

All right. Coming up, some candid comments from the president's National Security adviser about Bergdahl and beyond. Susan Rice talks with our Jim Acosta and says the critics need to step back. We'll have that interview for you in just about 10 minutes from now.

And two down, one to go. Can California Chrome pull off the Belmont Stakes and Triple Crown tonight? Only 11 horses have ever done it. We will go live to the track next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK. We are waiting to see if history will be made later on today at the Belmont Stakes. California Chrome, of course, is trying to win the Triple Crown. But there is more at stake in this race than just pride.

Chrome's owners could pocket roughly $800,000 for a win today. Not bad for a horse that cost just $8,000 for those owners to buy. And a lot less than the $130,000 it usually costs on average to buy a thoroughbred of this caliber. So there's some reports the horse could be sold for $10 million if he does pull off this win, that is in breeding and all of that, and potentially could earn more than $3 million in prizes for winning all three races.

Lots at stake. But it has been 36 years, after all, since a horse has actually won all three races. Will it happen today?

CNN's Richard Roth joining me from the track at Almont, New York, for the Belmont Stakes.

So, Richard, you know, people are, I guess, going to be plunking down a lot to see if California Chrome is the one that can pull it off. Do people have a pretty good feeling that this is the day that history will be made?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I have been here for seven other attempts which failed so you always get that euphoria, whether it's -- whether it's Smarty Jones, Sunny Side, I'm sure many of our viewers remember the names. Real quiet, getting mythical. So I've seen all these attempts. But in a few hours, California Chrome will try to become the 12th Triple Crown winner ever.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Affirmed got a nose in front, come on the wire.

ROTH (voice-over): Affirmed won horse racing's most prestigious prize, the Triple Crown. At the time, winning the Triple Crown seemed easy. Secretariat was one of three horses in five years to take the Triple Crown. However, it's been 36 years since a horse won the Triple Crown. That's the longest gap ever between crown winners. Only 11 horses have done it since 1990.

Now it's 2014. And California Chrome could be the horse. A Triple Crown is made up of three elite races. He took the first leg on the first Saturday in May.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: California Chrome shines bright in the Kentucky Derby.

ROTH: And triumphed two weeks later in the second jewel in the crown.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: California Chrome has won the Preakness.

ROTH: The Belmont Stakes in New York is the final hurdle before Triple Crown glory.

(On camera): You expect him to win Saturday?

STEVE COBURN, CO-OWNER, CALIFORNIA CHROME: Yes, I do. Yes, I expect him to win Saturday. I really do.

ROTH: Three-year-old race horses face challenges to bring home the crown.

JERRY BAILEY, FORMER JOCKEY: So you have to have speed to win the Derby and Preakness, the stamina to win the Belmont. And usually it's very rare to have that packaged in one horse.

ROTH: The Belmont is called the test of a champion because of its rare mile-and-a-half distance to cover.

(On camera): Here at the finish line at Belmont, the frustration has grown every year. Since 1997, seven different horses have been on the verge of winning the Triple Crown, but something went wrong.

(Voice-over): There is a bit of a rags-to-riches aura since the mother of California Chrome was purchased for a meager $8,000.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we could win the Triple Crown it'd be a dream come true for me.

ROTH: The horse racing industry has been battered for decades by gambling competition and changing entertainment taste.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If California Chrome wins, I think it will bring a whole new generation of fans to this great sport.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROTH: I can tell you, it feels like generations of fans are already here. It's getting very crowded in the grand stand and clubhouse, with a lot of anticipation, women in their summer finest, everyone anticipating the big race.

California Chrome was on the track hours ago, just sort of jogging around, practicing. So we'll find out. Look, nothing is guaranteed. If you know in horse racing, Espinosa, his jockey has already lost on two races. Again, a lot depends on the quality of the horse he has under him. So we'll see.

WHITFIELD: But we heard from the former jockey in your piece, he says the horse needs both speed and endurance. It's the mile and a half track, it's that last turn that's the trickiest and very deceiving. And it's up to that jockey to know how to hold back, you know, a horse. In the case of California Chrome, is there a feeling there is that real marriage between Victor Espinosa, the jockey, and California Chrome where he can really read that horse?

ROTH: Right. Once he got on the horse hasn't lost, but again with the Belmont, it all depends for the jockeys on when they move and sometimes they moved too soon. WHITFIELD: Yes.

ROTH: And the owner of California Chrome even called it and the trainer said this is the jockey's race, it is a rare distance. You have to conserve your horse and be able to have enough at the end.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. Well, that's a lot of pressure indeed. And you have to wonder, I mean, horses are incredibly intelligent. They're very emotional. Does the horse feel the pressure like this jockey is feeling the pressure?

ROTH: I thought you were talking about correspondents there for a moment.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Yes, I was like -- and I know you've had conversation with the horse. But you know what I mean.

(LAUGHTER)

ROTH: The horse seems to be handling things well. He was brought before people and cameras sort of as a drill in the morning to prepare him for the big scene in the paddock later today, so everyone seems to praise the horse for being composed and poised, loves the camera on him. It seems like (INAUDIBLE). The owners have been very -- look, they've been busy, ringing the bell of the stock exchange, the jockey and one of the trainers throwing out the first pitch at the Yankee Stadium. The jockey on Letterman.

A lot of pressures. One of the owners Steve Coburn complained they got me moving all around, but he is a more public, loquacious one who seems to enjoy it, though he didn't like some of the license (INAUDIBLE) just to get -- to become a trainer/owner here at the track. He's been complaining since they won at the Churchill Downs Kentucky Derby.

I asked him, you know, it's New Yorkers who are supposed to be cranky, you're about to maybe win the Triple Crown, why aren't you happier? But he said no, we're glad to be here, but you know, they're from out west, and he's a small business owner, who -- these are hard working guys. This is the American dream about to unfold here, especially if he wins.

WHITFIELD: Right. Well, you are the cool cucumber. If anyone is a good leader and instructor on how to stay cool under pressure, it would be you, Richard Roth. Thanks so much again, in Almont, New York. Appreciate it.

All right. Coming up, National Security adviser Susan Rice talking to CNN about Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, why she says critics need to give him a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Now for an update on mortgages, rates rose this week. Take a look.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: President Obama is not apologizing for his choice to trade five Taliban operatives for captured U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. In an interview with NBC News, President Obama stood by the move saying, quote, "We saw an opportunity and we seized it," end quote.

After spending five years in captivity, Bergdahl's doctors say the army sergeant is progressing and he's starting to speak English again. So far Bergdahl has not spoken to his family back in Idaho. And when he is well enough to travel, Bergdahl is expected to be flown from Germany to a military hospital in San Antonio.

A member of the Obama administration is also staunchly defending Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, and in some very candid comments, National Security adviser Susan Rice told our Jim Acosta those who are demonizing Bergdahl need to step back and let him recover and give him a chance to tell his side of what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: L Let me ask you about some comments you made last Sunday on one of the Sunday talk shows. You said that Bowe Bergdahl served with honor and distinction. It's come out since then that some of his fellow soldiers say he was a deserter. He may have wandered off the post there in Afghanistan. Did you misspeak? Did you get that wrong?

SUSAN RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Jim, I realize there's been a lot of discussion and controversy around this, but what I was referring to is the fact that this was a young man who volunteered to serve his country in uniform at a time of war. That is itself a very honorable thing. And --

ACOSTA: But honor and distinction.

RICE: Jim, really. I mean, this is a young man whose circumstances we are still going to learn about. He is, as all Americans, innocent until proven guilty. He's now being tried in the court of public opinion after having gone through an enormously traumatic five years of captivity, his parents the same. I think what we need to care most about is his health and well-being and recovery.

There'll be an opportunity and the military has committed to review the circumstances of his capture. If there is a consequence that results from that, that will be -- that will be delivered, but in the meantime, let's remember this is a young man who volunteered to serve his country. He was taken as a prisoner of war. He suffered in captivity. He's now trying to begin the process of recovery.

Let's let that happen and then let's know the facts including his side of the story and then we can make a judgment.

ACOSTA: OK. And do you know based on the latest information, was he a deserter?

RICE: We don't have reason to come to that conclusion yet. Obviously he needs to be debriefed. His side of the story matters, too. Let the military work in the first instance to bring him back to health. We'll have a full and comprehensive review of what happened and then we'll be able to make that judgment.

ACOSTA: And after Benghazi, you blamed that attack on an anti-Muslim video. And of course you know you've become a GOP lightning rod. You've been accused by Republican critics of being fast and loose with the facts during some of these Sunday talk show appearances. Are you being up front with the American people? Are you being guided by talking points too much when you go on these programs?

RICE: Jim, I'm upfront with the American people. And I always do my best on behalf of my country and I do my best until the facts as we know them. In the case of Bowe Bergdahl, for me to condemn him without any opportunity for him to have the chance to tell his side of the story, without any due process that we accord any American, that would be inherently unfair.

Similarly with Benghazi, as has been recounted on many occasions, I provided the best information that the U.S. government had at the time. Parts of it turned out to be wrong. I regret that the information I was provided was wrong and that I delivered to the American people. That doesn't make me a liar. That makes me a public servant trying to say what we knew at the time and when I gave that information I caveated it and noted that it was what we knew then and there, but it could well change.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: National Security adviser -- Susan Rice, rather, talking to our White House correspondent Jim Acosta about the Bergdahl release and again on the Benghazi consulate attack.

A senior Taliban official reportedly told "TIME" magazine the Bergdahl exchange will likely inspire the Taliban to kidnap more Americans. The Taliban official says, quote, "It's better to kidnap one person like Bergdahl than kidnapping hundreds of useless people. It has encouraged our people, now everybody will work hard to capture such an important bury," end quot.

He also said the magazine the scarf Bergdahl wore during the release was a parting gift because they, quote, "wanted him to return home with good memories," end quote.

Maya Angelou was a close friend and mentor to Oprah Winfrey. And today, we saw how much she touched her life. Hear Oprah's emotional words next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Maya Angelou is remembered as a poet, author, and a singer, and for many other achievements throughout her career. But to Oprah Winfrey, she was the, quote, "ultimate teacher." Oprah broke down in tears a short time ago at a memorial service for

Angelou. She helped planned it for her mentor. Well, Winfrey told the world that Angelou is the greatest woman she has ever known, and we learned why she says that through a few personal stories that she shared.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WINFREY: The loss I feel I cannot describe. It's like something I have never felt before. She was my spiritual queen mother and everything that that word implies. She was the ultimate teacher. She taught me the poetry of courage and respect. Many a day I'd ask her for advice while trying to navigate the pitfalls of fame, of a public life, when somebody had written or said something hurtful and untrue.

And she'd say baby, you're not in it, you're not in it when they wrote it, when they sat down at the typewriter -- that's how long we've been talking.

(LAUGHTER)

She'd say, those people can't hold a candle to the light God already has shining on your face. Can't you see it?

(APPLAUSE)

She'd say look up, look up and see the light. When I was on trial in 1998 in Texas for saying something bad about a burger --

(LAUGHTER)

Yes, for six weeks, I was on trial sued by the Texas cattlemen. Momma Angelou came to Texas with a prayer posse.

(LAUGHTER)

And we all know that Maya was a force all by herself, but the force came with backup. They prayed all day and all night long, and Maya would sit in the courtroom while I testified. The prosecuting attorney didn't know what hit him. Warrior mom had arrived in Amarillo, and it was at the same time that I met Dr. Phil who was coaching me how to behave in the courtroom. And he'd say look in the jurors' eyes. And Maya said no, look above their heads.

(LAUGHTER)

Look above their heads. She'd say look above their heads and stand still inside yourself and know who you are. You are God's child, she told me, and in God you move and breathe and have your being.

Of course we won that trial.

(APPLAUSE)

And every other one I faced, she was always there, holding me up, holding me up to know myself, to see the light that God already had shining on my face.

Yes. I will miss her. Stedman, Gayle and I recently came and visit and just sit and be with her. And when I walked into the room, her eyes lit up and she greeted me as she always did in person or on the phone and she said hello, you darling girl. She'd taken a liking to the iPad I gave her, and I love that all of her notes began with "oh, deario," and ended with "love, mom, Maya Angelou."

When her mother Vivian Baxter told her at age 17, you know, baby, you may be one of the greatest women I've ever known, she didn't know that she was prophesying what we all now know to be true.

Maya Angelou is the greatest woman I have ever known.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. The economy hit a key milestone this week. We've now erased the number of recession era job losses, and added even more on top of that.

We've learned on Friday that 217,000 jobs were added last month and the unemployment rate held steady at 6.3 percent.

Let's talk now about the American dream. Is it money? Is it happiness? However you define it, a new CNN poll finds most believe it's out of reach.

Here's CNN's Alexandra Field.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD (voice-over): From Los Angeles.

ANN MARIE CHAPMAN, LOS ANGELES RESIDENT: My name is Ann Marie Chapman. I am 20 years old. I am a full-time mom and part-time student.

FIELD: To Phoenix --

KAVE VALERIE, PHOENIX RESIDENT: My name is Kave Valerie. I am 13 years old and I'm in eighth grade.

FIELD: To Atlanta.

ANDY SHELLY, ATLANTA RESIDENT: My name is Andy Shelly. I'm 50 years old. I work for United Parcel Service.

FIELD: Wherever you live, whoever you are, it's what meant to define us, however, we define it. The American dream.

VALERIE: The American dream? It means that we go towards a better life and we'll be able to achieve more than other countries. CLAY TURNER, ATLANTA RESIDENT: I guess the American dream is, if

there's something that you really want, you're able to go get it.

SHELLY: Successfully raise a family. No debt. And so, yes, I've reached the American dream. Am I rich? No. But I have peace of mind.

FIELD: Peace of mind that more Americans today can't seem to find.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Guns and violence.

SHELLY: Job security, crime, becoming a statistic.

FIELD: Some reasons a growing numbers say the dream is slipping away.

A CNN Money American dream poll finds about six out of 10 Americans believe it's out of reach. The numbers are more alarming among Millennials. They were badly battered by the economic downturn. More than half say the dream can't be attained. And if the next generation was always meant to be better than the last, 63 percent of people surveyed don't buy it. They now believe children will be worse off than their parents.

JAKE AHLQUIST, NEW YORK RESIDENT: It's not something that people can always achieve. It's not something most people can achieve, I don't think, in their life. It's too hard. It's crazy.

CHAPMAN: I am most definitely afraid for this next generation because money is already tight with the government at my age, for me. That the population is only growing. You know?

FIELD: Uncertainty fueling fear that the dream might not be reality.

VALERIE: For right now, I believe that I could be able to achieve better than my parents. But then for the time being, we don't know.

AHLQUIST: In the future, I mean, with the circumstances that we're in currently, it doesn't look like that's even a thing that's remotely achievable for most.

FIELD: Alexandra Field, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: 2:00 Eastern Time, CNN MONEY and Christine Romans will have more on the pursuit of the American dream.

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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For 52-year-old Connie Sievers, staying in shape was never a problem.

CONNIE SIEVERS, FIT NATION PARTICIPANT: When we got married just shortly after college, and then we had three children. It was still not a problem.

GUPTA: That is until her 3-year-old daughter Emily was diagnosed with leukemia and Emily passed away just three years later. Throughout the ordeal, Sievers gained more than 70 pounds and it's weight, she says, she was never able to get rid of.

SIEVERS: I knew that I needed to make a change.

GUPTA: So she applied to our Fit Nation challenge. And she got in. Connie joined the team in Atlanta back in January. Uncomfortable in the water, not having been on a bike in almost 20 years, and unable to run.

Now just four months later, she is a new woman. With the help of her coaches and her sassy six teammates, she conquered four swims in the Pacific Ocean, rode 45 miles on the bike and jogged seven miles this week alone.

SIEVERS: It's just incredible that we started from zero and now we can make it work.

GUPTA: Down 35 pounds already, Sievers is looking forward now to race day, and also beyond.

SIEVERS: I'm really excited about when the cameras turn off to have the next finish line to try to cross and try to work for, and it's my better time or a little longer distance. There's just always a next something.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, San Clemente, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow. That's an inspiration. That's fantastic.

All right. So this might either excite or scare you. A Japanese company says it has built the first robot to have human-like emotions.

Will Ripley is in Tokyo to show us this new technology.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Say hello to Pepper. The world's first robot that can actually read human emotion. He stands 120 centimeter so under four feet tall but there's a lot of technology packed in this little robot body. The latest facial recognition technology, he has cameras and sensors all over his face here. And what they do is they read my facial expression. He listens to my tone of voice and he tries to figure out how I'm feeling and then he tailors a conversation with me, depending on what he's reading.

It's amazing technology. The project leader actually shows us how it all works.

KANAMI MAYASHE, SOFTBANK: We try to make people happy. He's also really recognizing your face. Sensing fear or feelings. Watching your eyes. So eyes connecting.

RIPLEY: He makes eye contact.

MAYASHE: Eye contact.

RIPLEY: You see a day when a robot in your house will be as indispensable as your cell phone?

Exactly. Exactly.

RIPLEY: Wow. He's talking to me right now. I thought I'd get down closer to his level here. Pepper is programmed to speak 17 languages and the developers are really hoping that this technology will evolve into a sort of household companion. Imagine having a robot to take care of a senior citizen when their children couldn't be around? Someone who could interact with them, perhaps call for help if there was an emergency.

That's where this technology is heading. Next year, he will go on sale to the domestic market. The price tag for a base model just under $2,000 U.S. dollars. This is the future. You're looking at it right now.

Will Ripley, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: OK. I don't know if I'm excited about that or not.

All right, that's going to do it for me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. We'll be back at the bottom of the hour. But first, "CNN MONEY" starts right now.