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Thousands Gather at Maya Angelou's Memorial Service; Oprah Winfrey Speaks at Maya Angelou's Memorial Service; Actor Tracy Morgan Hospitalized After Car Crash; Program Helps Women Reenter Workforce After Having Children
Aired June 07, 2014 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the big stories we're following in the CNN Newsroom.
Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan is in critical condition in the hospital after a terrible crash on the New Jersey Turnpike. Morgan had just performed a comedy show in Delaware last night, and he was in a limo bus driving in Mercer County, New Jersey, early this morning. Police say a tractor trailer hit the limo bus from behind in traffic and the limo flipped over. Another tractor trailer, an SUV, and two other cars were also involved. One person on the limo bus was killed. Police say he is 63-year-old James McNair. Seven people, including Morgan, were hurt. The NTSB is investigating the crash along with the New Jersey state police. Morgan's publicist says his family is with him at the hospital, and they don't expect his condition to change.
Family and friends of legendary poet and civil rights icon, Dr. Maya Angelou, celebrated her life today at a memorial service in Winston- Salem, North Carolina. It was a very moving service full of emotional words and songs.
(SINGING)
WHITFIELD: Country singer Lee Ann Womack singing "I Hope you Dance." Angelou has said that that was her favorite song. And former president Bill Clinton also spoke about Angelou. And you'll remember she became the first African-American and first female inaugural poet when she recited her poem at his inauguration back in 1993. Clinton told the audience how much he loved Angelou.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I loved Maya. The last time we were together was just a couple of weeks ago at the LBJ Library in Austin. They were having -- Andy was there. They were having a 50th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act. And they had an all-day conference. And I gave my little talk, and we went into this lunch, and it was like a political version of the Antiques Road show.
(LAUGHTER)
CLINTON: The Pope, Bill Russell, came up and hugged me and reminded me of how short I was. And I looked over and there was Maya. I went over to here and I hugged her and I said I cannot believe that you have gotten yourself here. And she said, "Just because I am wheelchair bound doesn't mean I don't get around."
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Oprah Winfrey also giving a very emotional speech about Angelou, and you'll hear from her in about 10 minutes from now.
Three minutes of sheer terror outside a courthouse in Georgia.
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(GUNFIRE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right. What you're hearing is a gunfight between law enforcement officials and Dennis Marx. Marx wore body armor and a gas mask. Police say he had an assault rifle and grenades and even used his SUV to attack a police officer. Forsyth County sheriff says Marx appeared intent on taking over the courthouse where he faced 11 felony charges that day. But Marx assault plan was foiled. He never made it inside after police and a SWAT team moved in. Marx was killed in the firefight. The sheriff says the situation was very close to being a major catastrophe.
Weeks after being reelected, South Africa's president Jacob Zuma has been admitted to the hospital for fatigue. His spokesman says after a long election season, the president is simply exhausted. A statement from his office says doctors are satisfied with his condition. The 72-year-old leader was reelected to a second term last month despite economic problems, a deadly mining protest and corruption allegations. He became president back in 2009.
And doctors say Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl is getting better every day. The former POW is recovering at Landstuhl Military Medical Center in Germany a week after he was rushed on to a black hawk helicopter by U.S. special forces and flown to safety. Now, Karl Penhaul is joining us on the phone from Landstuhl. So, Karl, what are doctors saying about his recovery process?
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, doctors citing patient confidentiality and giving little away about what specific physical and psychological illnesses Bowe Bergdahl may be suffering from right now, but in general terms, as you say, they do say that his condition is stable, that he continues to improve. They do say that he is being able to rest much better than he did when he first arrived in Landstuhl, and he's also taking a keener interest in the program that his doctors have ready for him to prepare him for his reintegration into society, showing that he is more alert.
And each day as this process goes on, a team of physicians and psychologists get together and amongst themselves will discuss when he is ready to go back to the United States. But so far, right now, the doctors have decided that he isn't ready to go back just yet, and this period of psychological what they're calling decompression must continue.
Now, when you ask the army psychologist what does this period of decompression mean they say, well, compare this, when you come home after a bad day in the office, want a little time out before you go back into your family, and tell them about your day. Well, of course, Bowe Bergdahl has had a gut-full of bad days in the office. And so that is why this process of decompression both psychologically and also the physical aspects of that, could take some time, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And, Karl, what, if anything, is being said about his ability to, you know, verbally communicate, whether indeed he's had a difficult time being able to speak English as has been reported?
PENHAUL: Again, we're hearing very little about the specifics of what he is going through, but just this very fact that in a press release put out by the Landstuhl Medical Center, they say that he is conversing with doctors and the medical staff around him about the kinds of treatment, about the kinds of care they're putting him through. So that just indicates that he is speaking to them, communicating to them, one would guess in English to find out about this. He is showing an interest.
And so there doesn't seem, from the information we're receiving right now, either to be any language problems there, or really that he's too withdrawn simply to speak to people. It seems he is awake, he's alert, and he's taking a keen interest in what's going on around him, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Karl Penhaul, thank you so much from Landstuhl, Germany.
And now in this country we're just a few hours away from the Belmont Stakes, and that's where California Chrome is going for that Triple Crown. It has been 36 years since the last horse won it, and only 11 horses have ever taken the title of Triple Crown winners. Right now California Chrome is the odds on favorite to win the race.
And General Motors has recalled millions of cars this year. Up next, the story of one family which has taken the company to court over their daughter's death.
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WHITFIELD: All right, more recalls from General Motors to tell you about. The company announced four recalls covering more than 100,000 vehicles in the U.S. that includes some late-model vehicles which have a problem that could cause the air bags not to deploy in a crash. The company has recalled almost 16 million cars and trucks so far this year.
GM was also out with a scathing internal report this week. CEO Mary Barra revealing a pattern of incompetence and neglect that allowed the company to wait more than a decade before revealing to the public a deadly ignition flaw that caused some cars to switch into accessory mode. That change can cause a car to simply shut off, disable air bags, power steering, and brakes. GM says 13 deaths have been caused by the faulty ignition switches, but there could be more. One Georgia couple believes their daughter's death was caused by this defect. Before the recall, they settled with GM, but now they're trying to take the auto giant to court over that, claiming they were deceived. Here's Poppy Harlow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY BARRA, GM CEO: The pattern of incompetence and neglect.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: GM CEO Mary Barra admitting the auto giant's failures.
BARRA: In short we misdiagnosed the problem from the very beginning.
HARLOW: But those words aren't enough to the parents of Brooke Melton, who died driving a 2005 Chevy Cobalt on her 29th birthday.
BETH MELTON: I kept thinking that this is not possible. It's her birthday. It can't -- this can't have happened that she died.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I touched her hand it was cold. I knew in my heart and gut there was something wrong with the car, that it wasn't her fault.
HARLOW: It was here that Georgia State Patrol says Brooke Melton's 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt hydroplaned on a rainy evening four years ago. The car spun out and was struck by another vehicle and then dropped 15 feet into this creek. The accident report says Melton was driving too fast for roadway conditions, causing her to lose control of the vehicle.
She was driving 58 and the speed limit was 55. Do you believe that that could have caused the accident?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. I believe that she lost power.
HARLOW: It's now known the ignition switch on her Cobalt was defective. This analysis of the car's data report provided by the Melton's attorney shows the switch was in the accessory position at the time of the crash, shutting the engine off and disabling the air bags, power steering, and anti-lock brakes.
LANCE COOPER: We believe the evidence is overwhelming that the defects in this key system resulted in Brooke's loss of control and her death.
HARLOW: GM would not comment on the data recorder information. The defect led GM to recall 2.6 million cars, but before the recall the Melton's settled their case with GM for an undisclosed amount. Now they are fighting an uphill legal battle to reopen it.
COOPER: They thought they had the truth when they settled their case. We now know they had some of the truth but not all of the truth.
HARLOW: In a new lawsuit, the Meltons allege that GM hid key documents from them and say a GM engineer lied in a sworn deposition.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were you the design release engineer for the ignition switch in the '05 Cobalt?
RAY DEGIORGIO: Yes, I was.
HARLOW: The Meltons attorney gave him part of the deposition of Ray Degiorgio, who denied approving any changes to the ignition switch.
DEGIORGIO: There was never a work order that I saw outlining this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So if any such change was made, if was made without your knowledge and authorization?
DEGIORGIO: That is correct.
HARLOW: But in 2006, Degiorgio signed this form authorizing a fix to the ignition switch making it harder to turn inadvertently.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This subcommittee will come to order.
HARLOW: GM's CEO was questioned by Congress about this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know he lied under oath.
BARRA: The date in front of me indicates that, but I'm waiting for the full investigation.
HARLOW: That full investigation came out on Thursday, and Degiorgio is among 15 employees dismissed from GM. He did not return CNN's calls. GM declined an interview with CNN but denies the assertion that it fraudulently concealed relevant and critical facts in connection with the Melton matter, and GM denies it engaged in any improper behavior in that action. The automaker admits 13 people died as a result of the defect but won't release those names. GM's list only includes frontal crashes where airbags didn't inflate.
General Motors says 13 deaths, 47 crashes.
BETH MELTON: And they're playing with numbers that they don't count Brooke's death, and she's dead because of that ignition switch.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why is General Motors only counting frontal where air bags did not deploy?
DAN AMMANN, PRESIDENT, GENERAL MOTORS: What we've done is analyzed all the information available to us based on one specific definition, as you describe, we've counted 13 people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Her death is not being counted, it means like it doesn't matter.
HARLOW: Poppy Harlow, CNN, Marietta, Georgia.
(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: And some of the country's most powerful and influential people are paying tribute to legendary poet and author Maya Angelou, one of them, a tearful Oprah Winfrey. Hear why she calls Angelou her spiritual queen mother.
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WHITFIELD: Maya Angelou is being remembered as a poet, author, a singer, and for many other achievements throughout her career. But to Oprah Winfrey she was the ultimate teacher. Oprah broke down in tears earlier today at a memorial service for Angelou. She told the world Angelou was her spiritual queen mother.
OPRAH WINFREY, TV HOST: 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 said, Baby you're not in it. You're not in it when they wrote it, when he sat down at the typewriter. That's how long we'd been talking.
(LAUGHTER)
WINFREY: 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)
WINFREY: She's 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)
WINFREY: Yes, for six weeks I was on trial sued by the Texas cattlemen, Mama Angelou came to Texas with a prayer posse.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
WINFREY: And we all know that Maya was a force all by herself, but the force came with backup.
(LAUGHTER)
WINFREY: They prayed all day and all night long, and Maya would sit in the courtroom while I testified. The prosecuting attorneys didn't know what hit them. Warrior mom had arrived in Amarillo.
And it was at the same time that I'd met Dr. Phil, who was coaching me on how to behave in the courtroom and he'd say, look in the jurors eyes. And Maya said, no. Look above their heads.
(LAUGHTER) (APPLAUSE)
WINFREY: Look above their heads. She said, 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)
WINFREY: 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 -- I will miss her.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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WHITFIELD: It's pretty hard for many women to find a balance between work and kids. And it can be pretty scary to jump back into corporate life after taking time off to raise a family. Now, it just might be easier to make that transition with what's being called a "returnship." Here's CNN's Alison Kosik.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. After taking a big chunk of time off from work to raise kids at home, getting back into the working world can be really tough, especially in a male dominated field like finance. But Wall Street is leading the charge in helping with the transition.
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KRISTEN MARX, VICE PRESIDENT, MORGAN STANLEY: Today's my first day of my new job.
KOSIK: Kristen Marx is now a vice president at Morgan Stanley, but a year ago doing a very different job -- stay at home mom. After working her way up to VP of Goldman Sachs, Kristen took a 10-year career break to focus on her kids.
MARX: Days turn into week turn into years, and kids ages and stages, there is always something to focus on with them at home, and it never feels like it would be necessarily an easy thing to come back and work 40 hours a week.
KOSIK: Marks isn't alone. More than 40 percent of women take a break from the workforce to take care of family, and in a field like finance, that can feel lying it's filled with wolves.
CROWD: One, two, three!
KOSIK: But Wall Street is trying to change that, running paid internships for people who have left the workforce, usually moms.
JEFF BRODSKY, HUMAN RESOURCES CHIEF: It gives us an opportunity to see where they would sort of set in back in the organization. And for them it's a real opportunity to figure out if they really do want to re-engage on a full-time base.
KOSIK: It's not just Morgan Stanley. Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, and JP Morgan also run programs, and it's spreading beyond Wall Street.
CAROL FISHMAN COHEN, CO-FOUNDER, IRELAUNCH: Prior to 2004 we could only identify nine programs, and now we have 105 programs.
