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CNN Sunday Morning

Winning Powerball Ticket Sold in Florida; More Severe Weather Expected Today; Report: North Korea Fires Another Missile; Digging Through Train Wreck Damage

Aired May 19, 2013 - 08:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): From CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The intruder, Mr. Smith, has the last remaining female in a head lock and is taking her downstairs with a gun pointed to her head.

HARLOW: A chilling account of a young student shot to death in a home invasion. But it wasn't the suspect who killed her. A very sad story. We'll tell you how this ended.

Tornadoes, floods and baseball-size hail, there's a severe weather watch today. We'll tell you what's coming.

And we have a winner. The Powerball drawing is over, now the search for the new millionaire has begun. We're tracking the winner down. And we'll tell you where the lucky ticket was sold.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Good morning, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow. It is 8:00 out here on the East Coast, 5:00 a.m. out West. So glad you're with us this Sunday morning.

We have a winner. Lottery officials say a single ticket sold at a public supermarket in Zephyrhills, Florida, that one right there, matched all six numbers in last night's $591 million Powerball drawing. In case you missed it, those numbers 22, 10, 13, 14, 52, Powerball 11. The jackpot, it is the largest ever for Powerball.

Now, the winner has a tough, oh, such a tough choice to make. Do you collect the money over 30 years, or take a lump sum of $377 million? Tough question I suppose.

Who is the country's newest millionaire? Everyone wants to know.

CNN's John Zarrella is live for us this morning in Zephyrhills, Florida.

John, good morning.

I'm assuming we don't know yet who this winner is?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, not yet. The person has not come forward to our knowledge. Of course, they could notify Tallahassee, you know, which is ultimately where they'll have to go within 60 days to claim their prize.

I can tell you, Poppy, we've seen a lot of activity in front of the ATM this morning. So, my philosophy on that is if you're going to the ATM, you're probably not one of the winners although my photographer Dominic Swan's (ph) theory is, maybe they needed the gas money to go to Tallahassee to collect their money. So, that's a possibility, too.

But we don't know who the winner is -- at least not to this point. Again, 60 days to show up in Tallahassee. And, of course, the wise wisdom out there is what you need to do is get your affairs in order and make sure you have an attorney lined up, make sure you have an accountant lined up so you know what you're going to do with all of that coin. And there's plenty of it.

HARLOW: You know, John, I wonder. I know it's early still, but what are people going into the Publix there saying? I'm kind of wondering if that big chain of grocery stores is going to get any of this prize money, because I know, typically, some of those mom and pop stores do.

ZARRELLA: Yes, they do. They do. And Publix will get something. I'm not sure yet. We're trying to check to see exactly how much they'll get.

But people we've talked to, for instance, we talked to a couple guys coming in and they asked us, what's up? I said, well, you know, the Powerball ticket winner was bought in here.

And one of the guys said, I bought my ticket here. I said, well, do you have it with you? No, it's at home. So he's got to go home and check to see if he maybe had it.

There's a couple other people who just came up and they're here on a softball tournament out of south Florida and they're staying at a hotel across the street with the team and they all got together and pooled their money. And they think they bought the ticket here, but they don't have the ticket with them. The guy that's got it is still asleep in the hotel across the street.

So -- but they're all excited. They're going to go into the Publix, but they don't have the number. So I'm not sure what they think Publix is going to be able to do for 'em.

But you -- there's quite a bit of activities, you know, and a lot of frenzy here already in the town in Zephyrhills, Florida.

HARLOW: It's so great, the psychology behind it all. I always just saying, yesterday, I look at my ticket and get disappointed that I didn't win as if I had any chance at all.

But great news for whomever it is down there, John. Thanks so much.

ZARRELLA: Sure.

HARLOW: All right. Folks, severe weather, we've been telling you about it really for all week. Violent storms are in store for the Plains and Midwest today and bring damaging thunderstorms and tornadoes right along with them, like this one. This touched down in Roselle, Kansas, yesterday. Millions of people right now are in the storm's path.

Our meteorologist Alexander Steele's in the CNN severe weather center.

Alexandra, you've been following it all. How are things looking today?

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, a pretty quiet morning compare today where things are going to go. So, let me show you -- these are the tornadoes that touched down yesterday. Reports between about 14 and 17. Those will have to get flushed out. Maybe there's some repeaters there.

But where they were, western Nebraska and into Kansas as well. Also, a baseball-sized hail. So big hail with this, 70-mile-per-hour winds with this.

So here's where they were. Let me show you what the radar looks like right now. Whether in Minneapolis, Macon, Georgia, or Montgomery County, Maryland, it's a wet day. The severe aspect though is here in the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest.

There's the line of showers and thunderstorms moving through. No tornado warnings, no tornado watches as of yet. But that will change because it's been a very benign severe weather season. Haven't had a ton of tornadoes and a lot of days with numerous tornadoes. Today looks like that will change because now all the ingredients are coming together.

What we got -- check with the jet stream dip. It's advancing east. We've got these frontal boundaries, the cold front, the warm front and what's called the dry line, which is where the two different air masses converge and thus begin their spinning and their rotation.

And also, ample moisture, and that's what we've been lacking as well.

Finally, dew points in the 70s. A dew point, all you need to know the higher it is, the more available moisture there is and thus more potent the storms could be. Large hail, again baseball-size saw yesterday, bigger than that potentially, 70-mile-per-hour winds, tornadoes likely and strong ones.

And some bigger cities than yesterday. Kansas City, Wichita, Oklahoma City, and then for tomorrow, this threat pushes eastward and gets towards Chicago and even St. Louis.

So, keeping an eye on it, Poppy, as we head towards today and as these watches and warnings kind of unveil themselves.

HARLOW: Yes, I hope it's a quieter day than what we've seen all week. Alexandra, thank you.

STEELE: Sure.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

HARLOW: All right. This just into CNN, some breaking news to tell you about having to do with North Korea.

North Korea firing off another short-range missile today, happening some time Sunday afternoon in that time zone. This is according to a report out of the South Korean news agency Yonhap.

The missile was fired away from South Korea, we're told. This comes on the heels of yesterday we told you North Korea launched three missiles, all of them today's, yesterday's falling into the sea. Again, yesterday, it was presumed that it was a test, but no warning was given about that test.

As soon as we have more information on this, of course, we'll bring it to you live.

Let's go to Connecticut now where a go-team of federal investigators is working around the clock to pore over the wreckage of two commuter trains. Those trains collided during rush hour on Friday evening. The train line handles more than 250,000 passengers every weekday. It's going to cause major headaches for commuters. A lot of injuries in this as well.

Our Susan Candiotti is live for us this morning in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Susan, you have been there through it all. You were there all day yesterday. Any indication at this time of the latest in the investigation and how long it could take?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Not yet, but they are making progress. All night long, Poppy, investigators have been meticulously prying apart each of these train cars from each other and rolling them down the tracks so that they can clear the area so that repairs can begin.

They have already recovered the black boxes from both of the trains that jumped the track. And they'll be trying to figure out a timeline from that. For example, how fast each of the trains was going. They have that information and expect to be revealing it to us later today.

But they're also paying special interest to one particular area, take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Measuring tracks and twisted rails, climbing into and on top of damaged train cars, National Transportation Safety Board investigators are dissecting every possibility to find out what went wrong. For one thing, they're taking a closer look at a rail fracture below the New York-New Haven bound train that jumped the tracks before a second train plowed into it from opposite direction.

EARL WEENER, NTSB BOARD MEMBER: It is of substantial interest to us. We'll be sending a portion of that track back to the laboratory in Washington, D.C. for analysis.

CANDIOTTI: For Friday night commuters, it was a scare they'll never forget. Suddenly, a rocky ride, screeching brakes and a violent impact.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody was just kind of flying around the car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was sitting down and I actually lifted up. And you can see the dust like coming from like the other side.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Babies crying and everything. Had to go pick them up and everything, they was on the floor.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody started screaming. We saw smoke. We didn't know what to expect.

CANDIOTTI: These photos taken inside the cars somehow some belongings strewn on the floor, some seats intact with a wall coming down. And through a window, a look at the second train crushed alongside. Senator Richard Blumenthal called it staggering.

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D), CONNECTICUT: The sides of cars are thrown away like ribbons of cloth. Tons of metal tossed around like toy things. Insides of the cars are shattered.

CANDIOTTI: As bad as things were, Connecticut's governor suggests they could have been worse.

GOV. DAN MALLOY (D), CONNECTICUT: These are new cars designed to the latest standards. To the best of our knowledge, it's the first time that a car like this has been involved in this kind of incident. And by all appearances they responded well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: And, Poppy, nine people remain hospitalized in area hospitals here. One of them in critical condition, but when it initially happened, 70 people were injured as a result of what happened here. We can also tell you as you're looking at all of this work going on that these train cars are the first ones that were built to new safety standards and now have been involved in a crash.

So they're also going to be taking a look at how well these cars stood up including the seats for example inside. And do you know that not one of these cars flipped as a result of this collision, this two- train collision? So we'll see what happens. Now, the bigger question is what's going to happen come tomorrow morning in particular when a lot of people that normally use this train line will be commuting from work. They'll have to go around all this work that's going on, for example taking buses to work their way around it.

So, they'll probably need a little more time to get to work in the morning -- Poppy.

HARLOW: Absolutely. Susan, and our thoughts with all of those. About 70 people injured in that collision.

Susan Candiotti live for us this morning. Thanks, Susan.

Well, Hofstra University faces tragedy on graduation weekend. Students mourning a classmate shot to death in a home invasion, but it wasn't the suspect who killed that beautiful young woman.

And, later, one man lost his home and just about everything he owns during those deadly tornadoes in Texas. But out of tragedy comes a sweet reunion.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Investigators are looking into the death of a Hofstra University student killed by an officer's bullet, an officer who was trying to save her from an intruder who broke into her home late on Friday night. You see her picture right there. Her name is Andrea Rebello. And friends say that she was fun-loving and friendly, just 21 years old. Her death has led to questions about how police handled a very dangerous situation that turned into a tragedy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW (voice-over): Authorities say it was a bullet fired from a police officer's gun that led to the death of Hofstra University student Andrea Rebello.

COMMISSIONER THOMAS DALE, NASSAU COUNTY POLICE: Let me start off by giving my most sincere and heartfelt condolences to the parents of Andrea and Jessica Rebello.

HARLOW: It happened Friday morning during a home invasion robbery at an off campus house the 21-year-old shared with her twin sister and two others. Police went there after a 911 call from someone claiming the gunman ordered them out of the house to get cash from an ATM. When police arrived, they say the suspect was holding a gun to Rebello's head.

LT. JOHN AZZATA, NASSAU COUNTY HOMICIDE SQUAD: The officer eventually fired eight rounds in total. Seven of those rounds struck our subject. One of those rounds struck the victim.

HARLOW: Police say Andrea Rebello was shot in the head and died. Also killed was the suspect identified by police as 30-year-old Dalton Smith (ph) who they say had an extensive rap sheet and was wanted for jumping parole.

Rebello was a junior at Hofstra University and was majoring in public relations. The news of her death is extremely hard for the people who knew her.

JOVANA ALEJANDRO, STUDENT: She was like really popular. Like everybody loved her. She was sweet.

CAROL CONKLIN-SPILLANE, PRINCIPAL: What an all-around nice young woman she was and how she was looking forward to getting an education and going off to college and making something wonderful out of her life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Absolutely. Well, Hofstra University's president released the following statement. He said, "A young member of the Hofstra family has been taken from us in a senseless act of violence. Our hearts and minds and our thoughts and prayers are with her, her family, her friends and her classmates."

Up next, a lot of tail wagging and face licking for this 6-year- old pup now reunited with his owner after those deadly tornadoes in Texas. The emotional story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Well, in north Texas recovery efforts continue after a series of killer tornadoes. Just take a look. You've seen this devastation over the past few days. The area Rancho Brazos sits at that neighborhood. It was hit by as many as 16 tornadoes, six people died in the storm.

But there are some wonderful and dramatic stories of survival. Our Randi Kaye caught one unexpected reunion on tape.

Hey there, Randi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Poppy.

All over town here there are signs for people who lost pets in the tornado directing them to animal shelters and even for those who lost their homes, finding their pets is top priority.

(voice-over): When the winds picked up, Granbury resident Jerry Shuttlesworth knew he was in trouble.

JERRY SHUTTLESWORTH, GRANBURY RESIDENT: And I watch the tree start to buckle over and I said, oh, God no, please, don't let this happen. The wind got so strong. At that point I said, Junior, we're in trouble.

KAYE: Junior is Jerry's 6-year-old pit bull, his baby. Jerry grabbed him and ran for cover in his mobile home's laundry room. SHUTTLESWORTH: I was praying, I said, Junior, it will be OK, it will be OK. And I was praying, and the house went together, vacuum in and then blew out. The only thing I can figure out is I went upside down holding onto him and he was no more.

KAYE (on camera): So he was sucked out of your arms?

SHUTTLESWORTH: Right. I never felt him leave my arms, I never felt -- I was over him like this and I'm upside down and he's nowhere to be found.

KAYE (voice-over): Jerry was thrown to the ground about 20 feet from his home.

SHUTTLESWORTH: And for five minutes that tornado was over me going counterclockwise. It was literally setting over me.

KAYE (on camera): Oh, my goodness, what did it look like?

SHUTTLESWORTH: You can't explain it. Let's put it this way, slow motion, everything, all the trash, everything just moving continuously, and I just laid there and prayed for Junior and I prayed, God, please protect my puppy.

KAYE (voice-over): When he managed to get up, he was in too much pain to look for his dog.

(on camera): Were you in any shape to go look for junior?

SHUTTLESWORTH: No, no. Because my foot was broke.

KAYE: And Jerry's dog wasn't the only one lost. As many as 200 dogs were left homeless after this storm. Most were brought here to this animal shelter, where volunteers are working hard to try and reunite them with their owners. But without cell phone service or access to the devastated areas, that is no easy task.

(voice-over): Jerry got lucky, though. When a shelter employee recognized Junior as one of the dogs whose pictures were posted on this Facebook page set up for Granbury's missing pets. Jerry got the call Friday morning and rushed right over.

SHUTTLESWORTH: Hey, buddy! Hey! Junior.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's daddy!

SHUTTLESWORTH: Hey, hey. You are going to have to have a bath. What happened? You fly through the air?

KAYE: Finally, the dog ripped from his arms was back in them.

SHUTTLESWORTH: Come here, buddy. Come here. Look what daddy's got.

KAYE: Jerry isn't sure where the storm took junior, but he wants his pup to know he's sorry. SHUTTLESWORTH: Nothing I could do, baby. It jerked you out of my arms. I think you flew through the air. You know, dogs weren't meant to fly. But I bet he had an angel with him.

KAYE: Junior was a bit banged up from it all. He has a few cuts and bruises, just like Jerry, who has a broken foot, a bruised skull and a face fit for a boxer.

SHUTTLESWORTH: You got scratched up, too, huh? Daddy got scratched up, too. Yes.

KAYE: But none of that matters now.

SHUTTLESWORTH: We're back together. We're back together. It's OK now. It's OK now.

KAYE: Jerry lost everything he owns in that storm. He lost 41 trees. He lost his home. All he has is Junior and his truck. For now, he's going to live in a motel with his dog, and, yes, it is pet friendly. And he also says that he hopes to continue to spoil junior by giving him his favorite meal at dinner, Kentucky Fried Chicken -- Poppy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: What a great story, Randi, thanks so much.

All right. So if you are not on the vegan train but thinking about stepping on, stay right here.

Coming up next, I'm going to be speaking to two of the leading experts, who know a thing or two about a plant-based diet, one was able to get President Clinton to go vegan, the other able to convince his entire firehouse.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Welcome back to CNN SUNDAY MORNING, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow. Bottom of the hour now.

Here are some of the top stories we're watching for you this morning. We have a winner -- a winner in the Powerball, the largest jackpot ever. Lottery officials say a single ticket was sold and was the winning ticket.

It was sold at this supermarket in Zephyrhills, Florida. It matched all six numbers ins last night's $591 million. And in case you missed those numbers, just waking up, here they are, 22, 10, 13, 14, 52 and the Powerball, lucky 11. No word yet on who that winner is, or if it's just a bunch of people on one ticket.

We'll move to Connecticut now where investigators will be back at work today. They are poring over the wreckage of two commuter trains that collided on Friday. They have ruled out foul play as a cause and sending a portion of the train back to the lab in Washington for more analysis.\ No indication yet on how long the tracks will be closed. Major commuter headache could be ahead. More than a quarter million commuters travel on that line every weekday.

Very sad story for us to tell you about this morning. Students at Hofstra University will get their diplomas today, but they will be mourning one of their classmates. Andrea Rebello was shot by a police officer who was trying to rescue her from an intruder. The gunman was holding hostage, holding her hostage. He was also killed.

Hofstra says it is offering counseling to students, Rebello, a junior is 21 years old.

And in Alaska, an 8,000-foot volcano continues to gush ash, steam, lava hundreds of feet into the air. That's actually down from earlier in the week when the ash plume stretched thousands of feet high. The volcano has been erupting since Monday. Just stunning images there. Scientists aren't saying that that's going to stop any time soon.

It has already been a rough week of weather across much of the country and we could see another violent system firing up today for the plains and the Midwestern states. Let's bring in our meteorologist Alexandra Steele who is in the Severe Weather Center. Alexandra, how are things looking right now?

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Quiet, compared to where they're going to go this afternoon and tonight. So here's a look at the tornadoes we did see yesterday about 17 or so, some of those may be duplicates so somewhere between about 14 and 20. But here's where they were, as expected in Nebraska, Also here just west of Wichita and Kansas; also, baseball-sized hail, 70-mile-per-hour wind gusts. Expecting more of the same today, expecting the tornadoes to be more numerous though in numbers.

So here's the current radar picture. Wherever you are from Minneapolis to Montgomery Town in Maryland to Macon, Georgia, it is a wet day. In the south east there's flooding concerns of course here the tornadoes rest. You can see right now those thunderstorms are moving north and northeast.

No severe though as of yet. No tornado watches, no tornado warnings. We do have severe thunderstorm warnings, but nothing tornadic yet. But all the ingredients are there. We've got this jet stream that's deep in the jet stream advancing east, check one. We've got the frontal lines based here also the dry line where the air is converging that's this yellow line that's where with this converging winds, we see that spin accelerate.

Also of course ample moisture, the Gulf we say open for business. So kind of all these ingredients have the potential and create the atmosphere to be so right for tornadoes and with that very large hail. We saw it yesterday; again expectation is today.

Tornadoes likely and some strong tornadoes -- Kansas City, Wichita, Tulsa down to Oak City as well, that's the threat today including Des Moines and down to Joplin.

And then we bring in tomorrow as well that threat advances a little bit farther eastward. We pick in Chicago, also Peoria and down to St. Louis. So a big story today, the big picture of course is where we're going to see that severe weather. But in the southeast, in the northeast an inch of rain potentially, two to three inches here in the southeast as well.

So Poppy, flooding a concern. We've seen it over the last couple of days. And more rain coming here on the Eastern Seaboard as well.

HARLOW: I just hope for some relief for those flooded areas.

STEELE: Yes.

HARLOW: And people that have gone through all those tornadoes. Alexandra, thank you.

STEELE: Sure.

HARLOW: All right. Do you relish your prime rib, or do you just love biting into a juicy burger? If you do, the thought of going vegan might turn your stomach. But my next two guests might convince you even you staunch carnivores out there to convert to a plant-based diet, something they say could save your life.

Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn and his son, Rip they have been vegan for nearly 30 years. Dr. Esselstyn is a former Cleveland clinic surgeon. He's also author of the book "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease." You've probably seen that book. He argues for a no-oil, whole foods plant-based diet.

It was his book that helped convince former President Bill Clinton to go vegan and Rip Esselstyn, his son is the "New York Times" best-selling author popular "Engine to Diet", he's a former firefighter, also a triathlete, he just written this new book, "My Beef With Meat." They are both joining us live this morning; father and son here with us on a Sunday. Thank you both for coming in. I appreciate it.

DR. CALDWELL ESSELSTYN, AUTHOR: Thank you, Poppy.

RIP ESSELSTYN, AUTHOR, "MY BEEF WITH MEAT": Thank you very much.

HARLOW: Yes, of course, Rip, I want to start with you. You have -- you have this new book out. And you know you talk about the fact that there are so many misconceptions out there about switching to a vegan, a really a plant-based diet. Talk to me about the biggest misconception.

R. ESSELSTYN: Well, Poppy, right now the -- the disconnect between what people think is healthy and what we know to be is healthy is as wide as the Grand Canyon. And most people are being sent on a fool's errand when it comes to their greatest asset, which is their health. And so I wrote the book to basically set the record straight to answer all of the questions, bust all the myths so people can stand up for their most precious asset, which is their health. And answer questions like of where to get your protein, what about calcium, what about iron, what about children? What about the elderly? Everything in moderation. All of these questions are taken care of in "My Beef with Meat."

HARLOW: You know I know you point to things like spinach, broccoli, lots of vegetables that have an equivalent amount or sometimes more protein than meat -- I think we just lost the shot for your father. So let me see, do we still have Rip with us, guys? Ok Rip so stick with me while we get your father hooked back up. But it's opening --

(CROSSTALK)

R. ESSELSTYN: Yes.

HARLOW: -- people's eyes to that. I have to tell you personal note here my brother a vegetarian for years and years working on becoming a vegan trying to convince me every time he sees me, something he's really passionate about. I'm not there yet.

But you know, you say that it was, you know, your father that really motivated you to do this. But what I think is so interesting you convinced your entire firehouse to do this. And I wonder, are they sticking to it?

R. ESSELSTYN: Right. Well you know what; great question. And let me -- let me backtrack for a second. You know a lot of people ask you know is this a vegetarian diet, is a vegan diet? And you know neither my father or myself feel that neither one of those terms are representative of kind of what it is we're talking about. Because for example, vegetarianism, you can be eating dairy products, you can be doing eggs, you can be doing a little of chicken, a little bit of fish, depending upon who you are and that's not going to get you to where you want to be.

When it comes to veganism, you can be a junk food vegan and you're still choking down all kinds of Coca-Cola, French fried potatoes and white bread and white sugar. So what we like is -- or my term is plant strong where we are now consuming whole plant-based foods as close to grown as possible.

So back to the firehouse, you know, we had this incident and these guys totally embraced this way of living. And these guys, the fantastic thing is it's rippled out beyond the Austin Fire Department to fire departments all over the United States. Most people don't know that the number one -- the number one cause of death of fire fighters on the job is heart disease. Most people don't know that --

(CROSSTALK)

HARLOW: Wow. R. ESSELSTYN: -- almost 80 percent of fire fighters across the country are either overweight or obese. So fire fighters are ripe for getting -- for getting plant strong.

HARLOW: That's -- that's so interesting. You're -- you're a triathlete. You know, your father a former rowing champion. So there often comes about --

(CROSSTALK)

R. ESSELSTYN: Yes.

HARLOW: -- the question that we address about where do you get your protein from, but I -- I wonder if you could also address the fact that obviously if people change their diet dramatically, what are the things that they have to be watch out or a supplement just to be aware of if they're really changing what they're used to?

R. ESSELSTYN: Well, I can tell you you're going to be getting everything you need from plants. Plants are the mother source when it comes to essential amino acids which are basically your proteins. Almost all of these vitamins and minerals actually come from plants. Most people don't know that baby spinach is almost 50 percent protein, that broccoli's 35 percent protein, that whole grain pastas are 15 percent protein. That oatmeal is 16 percent protein.

The only food that has fiber in it are rocking plants. Meat doesn't have fiber, it doesn't have antioxidants to fight on nutrients and it doesn't have complex carbohydrates. So meat, what I really want people to know is that meat, it clogs your arteries, it fuels cancer, it contributes to obesity and it trashes the environment. And plants you get everything you need.

HARLOW: Well I want to talk about immediate benefits because we are a society --

(CROSSTALK)

R. ESSELSTYN: Yes.

HARLOW: -- that likes to see things right away, right away. So talk to me about some immediate benefits that you saw.

R. ESSELSTYN: Yes. Well, it's amazing how in just 28 days your body wants to heal and restore itself. And what I found in the pilot study that I did for the (inaudible) diet was within 28 days, it didn't matter if you're a male or female, on average you lost between eight to 20 pounds. Your total cholesterol came down on average 30 percent. The LDL, which is the lethal cholesterol came down about 25 percent, increase in energy, better sleeping, acid reflux disappears, gastrointestinal distress gone. People are going to the bathroom regularly.

The number one gastro -- gastro intestinal issue that Americans have is constipation. And that's because 94 percent of America's calories are coming from processed foods, dairy products and animal products that have zero fiber in them. Plants -- the only food that has fiber in them.

HARLOW: Plant strong. Well I --

(CROSSTALK)

R. ESSELSTYN: Plant strong. All the way.

HARLOW: -- I am still a meat eater. A lot of people out there are, but I think it's fascinating to read about this, to learn about it. And I think it takes a lot of will power for people, but as you said some of the benefits are immediate.

I'm so sorry that we lost your father. Please thank him for us for coming in on a Sunday morning.

You know again, if you can hear me, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, thank you. And Rip, thank you very, very much. I appreciate your time.

R. ESSELSTYN: Thank you, Poppy.

HARLOW: You got it.

Well, she is one of the most recognizable women on television. And Wendy Williams is known for speaking her mind. And believe me, she did. My sit-down interview with the talk show host who holds nothing back -- that's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: A packed week ahead in Washington in the world of politics. Let's bring in CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser for a look at what's ahead this week -- Paul.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey good morning, Poppy. More 2016 flirtations from Republican Senator Rand Paul. Tomorrow he headlines a GOP dinner in New Hampshire just a week and a half after doing the same thing in Iowa. Both states kick off the Presidential primary and caucus calendar. The Senator from Kentucky's the son of former congressman Ron Paul who ran three times for the White House.

The IRS controversy will stay in the spotlight this week. The Senate on Tuesday and the House on Wednesday hold hearing into the agency's targeting of conservative groups which applied for tax exempt status.

Voters in Los Angeles could make history this week by electing their first female mayor. Democrats Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti face off on a runoff election on Tuesday.

Chicago billionaire Penny Pritzker could be on a hot sit this week. Pritzker a major supporter of President Barack Obama has been nominated by the White House to become Commerce Secretary. Her Senate confirmation hearing is scheduled for Thursday -- Poppy.

HARLOW: All right Paul thanks so much. I appreciate it. Well, President Obama, his administration on the defensive of over a host of things. How is it all playing out with the American people? We're going to take a look.

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HARLOW: The uproar over the IRS just one of the problems on the President's plate this week. Let's just say it was a really big plate, maybe more like a platter -- it kept the White House, the President's team busy doing damage control. Candy Crowley, anchor of CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" joining me now ahead of her show.

Hey there, Candy, good morning to you.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST: Hey, Poppy. Same to you.

HARLOW: Talk to me about what this has meant for the President, his popularity, I know we have some new poll numbers coming up on the show.

CROWLEY: Well, popularity is one thing. This has always been a popular president. People tend to -- the majority of people tend to like this President. The key here is his job approval rating.

Because with a job approval rating, even for a president who has no more elections to look toward, speaks to his agenda -- will he be powerful enough to push forward what he wants to do? And this president has -- you talk about a big plate -- has a lot of things that he wants to do for this in his second term.

So the question is what's his job approval rating? We'll have some answers, at least the preliminary answers because this is certainly the IRS is a relatively new problem for the President as is the spying on the Associated Press phone records -- so both of those are still percolating. And Benghazi, Congress continues to look into it.

So further on down the line we'll take another look. But this is our first preliminary look at where the President stands in terms of that approval rating which is so key to his ability to push forward his agenda.

HARLOW: Yes. Absolutely. Even in the second term. Thanks, Candy, we all look forward to the show.

CROWLEY: Thanks, Poppy.

Harlow: All right. Of course stay here for "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley. We're going to have it live at 9:00 a.m. Eastern. She's going to have those new poll numbers on President Obama for you. Again, 9:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

Well, it has been 35 years since the last Triple Crown winner, will the slump continue? Results from the Preakness Stakes coming up.

And, she is one of the most recognizable women on television today; my sit-down with talk show host, Wendy Williams.

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HARLOW: How's this for a Sunday morning wakeup call? What is it like to be eaten by a bear? Here is what it looks like. You have to see this.

Brad Josephs set up this (inaudible) camera to capture footage of some young grizzlies. It did until one of the bears tried to eat the camera. The video has gone viral on YouTube. Incredibly there was no damage to this camera. Some of the clips appear in the film "Great Bear Stakeout". It's on the BBC and Discovery Channel. That is absolutely terrifying.

All right. Dreams of seeing another run at the Triple Crown this year spoiled yesterday. Orb, the colt who won the Kentucky Derby failed to come out on top at the Preakness.

Joe Carter is here with this morning's "Bleacher Report". Good morning -- Joe.

JOE CARTER, "BLEACHER REPORT": Hi. Good morning Poppy. I'm kind of bummed, we're not going to see a horse run for the Triple Crown but Orb the favorite yesterday was really never in the race, never really found his rhythm like he did at the Kentucky Derby. Basically he raced from behind the entire time and ended up finishing a disappointing fourth.

Now, Orb's loss means, no triple crown again, we're going to have another year to wait. That means the drought extends to 36 years by this time next year. And the horse that spoiled the party was Oxbow. Oxbow ran from first place from start to finish.

It was really great to see the horse's jockey Gary Stevens to win. Now, if you don't know, Stevens is a legend in the sport, a hall of fame jockey who actually retired back in 2005. He tried his hand at acting, tried his hand at being a TV analyst but still had that fire for racing. Here he is back at the age of 50 and back in the winner's circle.

The Miami Heat finally having an opponent for the Eastern Conference Finals. The Indiana Pacers are heading to South Florida after eliminating the New York Knicks in six games. The Knicks did put up a fight last night. Carmelo Anthony scored 39 points. But in the end they could not match the intensity of the Pacers. All of the Indiana starters scored double digits led by Lance Stevenson's career- high 25 points.

Game one of the Eastern Conference Finals will be in Miami on Wednesday night.

David Beckham, one of the world's most famous athletes played in what was likely his final game. He is no longer with the L.A. Galaxy. He's actually playing with Paris St. Germaine and 40,000 fans there chanting his name over and over.

When the game came to an end, you can see Beckham had the tears flowing, his teammates thanks him. They hugged him. They actually hoisted him up on their shoulders at one point and tossed him in the air over and over again. It was a really fitting send-off for one of the sport's true legends.

And on the European tour golfer, Nicolas Colsaerts found himself in a situation, if you will, after his tee shot landed behind a public restroom. Now, rules officials determined his ball was unplayable from behind the building, so he had to drop at the closest playable position which happened to be inside that bathroom right next to the toilet.

Now, a line next to the toilet as you can imagine is an impossible shot, so the rules officials allowed him to drop once again outside on the grass and guess what he would do -- he would go on to par the hole. Just in a day's work, right. And we've seen guys, Poppy, hit balls from trees, we see them hit something from the top of another structure, from water, without their pants. This time I've never seen someone hit next to a toilet. So it's pretty funny.

HARLOW: That's exactly how I golf. I'm just that good.

CARTER: I know. I always end up in the house too.

HARLOW: Yes, right. All right, Joe. Thank you, appreciate it.

Well, you know, when it comes to advice, television host radio queen Wendy Williams holds nothing back. You're going to see the good, the bad, the uncomfortable. If you have a question for Wendy, she always has an answer. That's exactly why she decided to release her newest book, "Ask Wendy". And I had a chance to sit down with her to speak about life, the book, her 12-year-old son, the women's movement -- all of it. Take a look.

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HARLOW: "Ask Wendy", sixth book --

WENDY WILLIAMS, TALK SHOW HOST: Yes.

HARLOW: Why write it now? You said it's the easiest book you've written.

WILLIAMS: Easiest book I've written because the book is made up of letters that Wendy watchers have sent me from all over the country. They sent me their toughest questions and I answered them in the book and it's been my fave because it comes from the heart.

You know, my talk show, "The Wendy Williams Show", is in its fourth season. I always knew that I would write an "Ask Wendy" book. I used to do "Ask Wendy" for a full hour in my radio career, once upon a time. So here it is, the book.

HARLOW: I think there's this very interesting debate going on with children and teens and the millennium generation about should parents be friends or should parents be parents?

WILLIAMS: My take is that 93 percent of the time I'm his mother and I want to be respected that way. And 7 percent of the time I'm his friend because I think that particularly in this generation in order to find out more about our children, we have to massage them through the Jedi mind trick, you know.

And sometimes that means you've got to instead of standing over them, you've got to sit down in the middle of the basketball court with them, so, "What's going on, buddy? What's happening?"

HARLOW: Yes.

WILLIAMS: It's a fine line. I don't know that I'm doing it right. He's only 12. I hear those teen years are the killer years.

HARLOW: Yes, get ready. "Get ready" coming from someone who doesn't have kids yet. Who am I to say?

A little more serious here -- you've called success scary.

WILLIAMS: Yes.

HARLOW: Why?

WILLIAMS: Because if it comes too early, it changes you and everybody around you. If it comes a little later, it's -- my great success -- and I've had great success in my career, but it's been a stair step. And having this talk show, I wouldn't be -- I like to think of myself as a pretty grounded person. I'm the same Wendy that I was, you know, but everyone else around me has changed.

HARLOW: Are you always scared you might fail?

WILLIAMS: No. Because I've succeed so much now that if I failed at this particular point, I've still out-succeeded anything that I possibly thought I would growing up as a young girl in New Jersey.

HARLOW: That fulfillment.

WILLIAMS: Yes.

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HARLOW: All right. Our thanks to Wendy for that.

Thanks so much for spending your Sunday morning with us, guys -- nice to be with you.

"STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley starts right now.