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CNN Saturday Morning News

Oklahoma Devastated by Tornadoes; U.S. Military Suffering from Sexual Harassment Charges; Boy Scouts Vote to Accept Openly Gay Members; Fox News Correspondent's Emails Searched by Government; Face Blindness Condition Explored; Homeless High School Student Becomes Valedictorian; NBA Playoffs Continue; Teen Who Dies of Cancer Leaves Behind Inspiration Story

Aired May 25, 2013 - 10:00   ET

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

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Tune in and I'll explain. That's today at 2:00 p.m. CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues, though, right now.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: From CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My son might be in a tent with a gay kid. The kid was going to be gay regardless. It's just he might actually tell you now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: The vote is in, but the controversy is stronger than ever. Why the Boy Scouts new policy has some people threatening to leave the group all together.

We now have a confirmation that the decision to apply for a warrant for a FOX News reporter's e-mails came from the highest levels. But it may surprise you how high.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZACH SOBIECH: I want everyone to know. You don't have to find out you're dying to start living.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: A powerful message from a teenager who lost his battle with cancer this week. But he left behind a story of inspiration and a song that helped make him known around the world. I'll talk to the filmmaker who captured this amazing story of the boy in the clouds.

Good morning. I'm Poppy Harlow. Thank you for joining us. It's 10:00 on the east coast, 7:00 out west. Glad you're with us.

First up, we are following a developing story out of Missouri. Two freight trains have collided causing flames you see there in those pictures. It happened in the middle of the night. They hit an overpass which then collapsed. Both trains were on the overpass at the same time. The collision left seven people injured. But what we can tell you at this hour is that all but one of those injured people has been treated and released from the hospital. We're also told the scene is now under control and the flames have been extinguished.

We're also getting a sense of the terror that people felt in Moore, Oklahoma. More of a sense as that deadly tornado just tore through on Monday afternoon. The Oklahoma department of emergency management has released 911 tapes from frantic callers as the tornado struck.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Moore, 911. What's your emergency?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where's the tornado at? Last we heard was 19 and western. Oh my god.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you can take shelter, you need to.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Moore 911. What's your emergency?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We got hit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is anybody injured?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Any of you guys injured? A bunch of stuff on top of us. I'm able to get out. I don't know if they'll be able to.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. They're trapped or injured? Can you get up?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you guys trapped?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're trapped?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think they got it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can they get out at all, ma'am? Ma'am, are they trapped or can they get out?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can we get out of this in any way? We've got several places hit. This is very important. I need to know this now. I understand it's crazy. We can possibly get out if we can find a way out. Everything in front of us from what we can see is wiped out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just try to get out if you can. If something happens and someone can't get out and they're trapped, call me back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Be very careful where you walk, OK. Make sure everyone has shoes on.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, hon. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 911.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's people down. We're stuck under rubble.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will get them out there as soon as they can.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please hurry. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Moore, 911.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have a day care full of babies. We need help bad. We need help bad. We got a day care that just got cremated.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Moore 911. Where is your emergency?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's stuff on top of us. We can't get out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you injured?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just can't breathe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Moore, 911.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just got a call from a gentleman that lives in Moore that his house has collapsed on his kids.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Unbelievable. That is what it sounded like on Monday when that deadly tornado struck. Today it will be a very different sound. Silence and tears as the community lays three more of their neighbors, their friends, their loved ones to rest. Two of the funerals being held today are for nine year olds, nine-year-old students who died in the rubble of Plaza Towers Elementary School.

Rene Marsh is in Moore, Oklahoma, for us this morning. Good morning, Rene.

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Poppy. You know, the stories from the principal from hard hit Plaza Towers Elementary School are dramatic and amazingly descriptive. The principal got on the intercom and told everyone "It is here," referring to the tornado. She said just minutes before that tornado actually arrived it was so quiet. It was silent. And then as the tornado got closer it got louder. And listen in to what the teachers say they did to save the young lives inside of the school at the time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AMY SIMPSON, PRINCIPAL, PLAZA TOWERS ELEMENTARY: I want everybody to know that plaza towers did what they could do. The teachers covered themselves in debris while they were covering their babies. I believe that's why so many of us survived that day is because the teachers were able to act quickly, stay calm, and take literally the weight of a wall onto their bodies to save those that were under them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARSH: That teacher there, she will be in the hospital for a few more weeks. But you know, the thing is with this school, Plaza Towers Elementary School, it did not have a safety shelter. That's been the center of a lot of discussion here in Moore, Oklahoma. I spoke with two state representatives who say that they formed a bipartisan nonprofit to raise money just for the purpose of retrofitting the schools in this area with those safety shelters so that never again will these students and teachers not have a safe place to go in and when a tornado ever hits again. So far they've raised some $500,000 and they say that particular money will go towards the schools here in Moore, Oklahoma. Poppy?

HARLOW: We hope a lot more money heads their way, some $2 billion at least in damage there. Rene, appreciate your reporting. Thank you.

Let's go to Washington now where the Obama administration is again ready to put the emphasis on combatting bad behavior in the military. Last week the president addressed his military leaders and demanded action. Yesterday the president repeated that message while at the Naval Academy, and today, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, it's his turn. Our Athena Jones is at the White House this morning. Tell us a little bit about what we're expecting to hear today.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Poppy. Secretary Hagel is at West Point about to deliver the commencement address there. I believe we have pictures of that ceremony getting under way. We expect Secretary Hagel to echo the sentiments we heard from President Obama about this issue. The president has said that stopping sexual assault in the military is essential to make sure the military can continue to work effectively, making sure men and women in uniform can work together as a team. And so this is something that he's said they want his administration to double efforts on.

We don't expect Secretary Hagel to speak extensively about this matter but certainly to touch on it. Let's listen to what President Obama had to say about this at the naval academy commencement just yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Those who commit sexual assault are not only committing a crime, they threaten the trust and discipline that makes our military strong. That's why we have to be determined to stop these crimes.

(END VIDEO CLIP) JONES: And so the president says stopping these crimes goes to the core of the mission of the U.S. military.

And I should mention Secretary Hagel is making this commencement address there at west point which is facing its own scandal. Just a few weeks ago a U.S. army sergeant first class was charged with allegedly videotaping female cadets in the shower areas between 2009 and 2012. Army investigators are now reaching out to more than a dozen cadets who may have been caught on that videotape. And so this is certainly, while not a sexual assault case, certainly another kind of sex scandal happening there at West Point. This is a place that's supposed to have a code of honor. This is something that everyone wants to see come to an end.

HARLOW: Absolutely no question about it. When you look at the numbers, they are staggering the increase we've seen in incidents like this since 2010. We thank you. We'll keep an eye and monitor the comments from Secretary Hagel and bring you anything as soon as we get it.

U.S. soldiers have put flags in front of every grave at Arlington National Cemetery in preparation for Memorial Day. There are several hundred thousand graves at Arlington. The soldiers will remain at the cemetery throughout the weekend to make sure a flag stays in front of every single headstone.

It's a landmark vote by the Boy Scouts of America. They have overturned a long standing ban on gay scout members, but some people not happy about it. We'll get into that debate next.

Also, an inspirational story. This is something you're never going to forget. A dying teenager leaves behind a legacy of hope. We're going to meet the filmmaker who is keeping that message alive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: The Boy Scouts of America this week voted to allow openly gay youth members to join the organization. It was an historic move for the 103-year-old organization that is often affiliated with church groups. And 60 percent of the 1,400 member national council voted to approve this change. It's going to take effect on January 1st.

And as you can imagine, there are strong feelings on both fronts. Joining me now are two of those voices, John Stemberger, the founder of OnMyHonor.net and president of the Florida Family Policy Council, and Zach Wahls is author of "My Two Moms" and the founder of Boy Scouts for Equality. Thank you both for joining us this Saturday.

ZACH WAHLS, AUTHOR, "MY TWO MOMS": Absolutely.

HARLOW: John, I want to start with you. You have referred to this. You have said this being the Boy Scouts is the most influential youth program in America and you also said that it is turning a "tragic corner" and this will, quote, "destroy scouting as we know it." Why? JOHN STEMBERGER, FOUNDER, ONMYHONOR.NET: Any time you insert sex and politics into a youth program, it always makes it a risky proposition for parents. The Girl Scouts and the Boy Scouts, the Boy Scouts disassociated with Girl Scouts years ago because they allowed open lesbianism. They now promote Planned Parenthood and reproductive freedom. In their curriculum it has "Explore your Body" camp. It was very controversial. They pulled it back. It's just inappropriate.

Currently scouting does not discriminate against gays under this policy. It doesn't allow open homosexuality. When you have that -- scouting has no business. It's about camping and about swimming and canoeing. And to inject sexuality and politics into the veins of scouting it just not right. Parents will not like that. They'll take their kids out. I'm pulling my two kids out of scouting very sadly and very disappointingly because of this decision.

Whenever the BSA will put interest of gay rights activists over that of the safety and security of my two sons, that's a proposition that I can no longer support as a parent.

HARLOW: You think this outweighs the other benefits of scouting?

STEMBERGER: This is going to transform the program. Within two years the 17-year-old boy who turns 18 will become a plaintiff in the suit. You'll have open homosexuality throughout the entire program, not just young people, but adults too. I guarantee within two years, you mark my words, it will happen in two years.

HARLOW: I want to bring Zach in here. Zach, I would like your response to that. And I would also like you to tell me what happened when you heard the news. I know you were with a 19-year-old friend of yours who made a bold move. Tell us.

WAHLS: Poppy, I think it's interesting. I think John and I agree about more of this than people might expect. I think we both agree that scouting is absolutely one of the preeminent youth development organizations for young men. It's absolutely about camping and personal management skills and great family values.

I think the disagreement comes from the fact that we really disagree about what is actually going to change. When we found out that the ban was being lifted, a good friend of mine was able to finally call his counselor who was in his home troop in Wisconsin and have a conversation about who he actually was. Everybody kind of knew, but he was forced to stay in the closet and lie about the fact that he was gay, and the fact he was no longer forced to do that was something special to watch.

I was sitting there and saw firsthand the impact when a young man from the Washington, D.C. area realized that tomorrow was not going to be his last day in the Boy Scouts, that he's going to be able to get his Eagle Scout. It's not going to change anything for the other kids in his troop. They'll have another great eagle scout in their ranks and support the troop in everything that they do.

HARLOW: So at this point, even after this vote, the Boy Scouts will maintain the ban on openly gay adult leaders. There was not a vote on that. John, to you. So the first rule of Boy Scouting is that a scout should be trustworthy. If adult scouts who are gay are not allowed to be openly so, if they are not to openly talk about it, bring it into scouting, as you said, are they breaking that first rule?

STEMBERGER: No. Look, for a person that has the same-sex attraction to be discrete and appropriate and not loud and proud the way most things that are gay in America are, that is appropriate. That happens right now. It's not dishonest to be appropriate in front of kids, and to allow open gayness allowing sexually to be flaunted. It's inappropriate for kids. One of my sons understands homosexuality and the other one doesn't. And it's for me as a parent to determine when that happened. And I don't want it to be introduced to sexuality of any type around a campfire by an older boy instead of by me as a parent. That's the problem with this policy is it injects sex right into the veins of the Boy Scouts of America.

WAHLS: Poppy, both of my moms were in my scouting experience when I was a young kid in the Tiger Cub program. My mom, Jackie, was a den mother. My mom Terrie was the interim Cub master for a while. They were present at meetings together. They didn't have to lie about who they were. If someone asked, who was that, she wasn't going to say that's my friend. So would say it's my partner Terry or my partner Jackie.

So even though John is trying to scare people saying this is going to radically transform scouting, it really isn't so. The reality is that most of America's other major youth organizations whether Girl Scouts or 4-H, they have no problem with this kind of thing and have been accepting young gay people and gay leader for a very long time.

HARLOW: I want to get to one more thing. John, you are speaking your mind. I don't know that you are trying to scare people or not. You can respond to Zach saying that. I want to get to this issue. You said the Boy Scouts officials didn't provide "honest information," and you said that they, quote, "hid information from the delegates prior to this vote." Can you explain that for our viewers what your basis is on that and what you know?

STEMBERGER: Absolutely. All of the messaging and this thing was completely controlled. It was never a debate. It was never a panel discussion. There was no legal opinion given to the delegates. There was no analysis on the risk to the young people about boy on boy sexual contact. All of that was put under the rug. It was completely guided.

As a matter of fact, my folks, we had a full page ad in the "Dallas Morning News" trying to distribute that ad, and my scout masters were put to the door of the hotel by two security guys with the BSA officials saying no, you can't distribute that. So no literature, no dissenting viewpoints were presented. And that is just wrong. Even when delegates spoke with dissenting viewpoints, it was just this blob of people coming out and mostly for the proposal and not against. It was disappointing the way they went about doing this. HARLOW: We're running out of time. I want a quick up or down from both of you on this. A lot of talk about what this is going to do with membership. Membership is down 20 percent since 1999. Zach, to you first, then John. Does this increase or decrease membership or do neither?

WAHLS: I think that we'll see some folks like John walk away from the program. We're not excited about that. We want Boy Scouting to be available to every young man. I think we'll start to really see the rebound once we have full inclusion in scouting.

HARLOW: And John?

STEMBERGER: Scouting's own estimates is between 200,000 to 400,000 boys will leave the program. That doesn't include adults, parents, scout masters, charter partners. This will devastate the program financially, legally and socially when the heart and soul of the human capital just leaves. It's a very sad day for the Boy Scouts of America and we mourn this day. It's a very sad thing for America, frankly.

HARLOW: I appreciate both of your time and the Boy Scouts announcement coming out saying "While people have different opinions about this policy, we can all agree that kids are better off when they are in scouting." This debate will certainly continue. Appreciate you both coming on with both of your perspectives and having this conversation for us today. Thank you.

WAHLS: Thanks, Poppy.

HARLOW: If you have an opinion, we want to hear what you think. Please tweet me @PoppyHarlowCNN.

And here is something else coming up. You may not know about a disorder called face-blindness. Actor Brad Pitt is making it more well-known because he thinks he has it. Dr. Sanjay Gupta will explain what it is and how to function with it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Actor Brad Pitt revealing he may have the disorder that is commonly known as face blindness. It's a condition where people have trouble remembering faces even of people they know. It is this week's human factor, and our Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a look and explains what this is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Oliver Sacks may be a world famous neurologist but there's one simple thing, something important, something most of us take to granted that he can barely do at all. That's to recognize a face, even a famous one.

DR. OLIVER SACKS, NEUROLOGIST: The owner of this face is looking tough. But I don't know who it is. Sometimes I fail to recognize myself. I occasionally will apologize to a very clumsy bearded man only to realize this is mirror.

GUPTA: He's face blind. It's a rare and incurable condition he's had since birth. He suspects it's genetic since his brother suffers from the same condition. He can see each facial feature just fine, but putting it all together, that's the problem.

How about this picture?

SACKS: That is very beautiful. A model. An actress. I suppose one thinks of Marilyn Monroe.

GUPTA: You are looking at me right now. Can you describe what you're seeing?

SACKS: You have beautiful white teeth. I would recognize you by your teeth.

GUPTA: He finds a way to adapt.

Would you want to be cured of this if you could?

SACKS: Yes, I think so. I think if I was suddenly presented with thousands of potential familiar faces, I think this might overwhelm me.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Coming up, a story you have to see. A teen spent her childhood homeless, in and out of shelters, but she just gave her speech as valedictorian. You'll hear it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Welcome back everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow. Here are some of the stories that we're watching for you this morning.

First, new surveillance video shows the collapse of an interstate bridge north of Seattle. Amazingly no one was killed when the I-5 fell into the Skagit River after it was struck by an 18-wheeler. The governor of Washington state where this happens says it will cost some $15 million to fix the bridge. He declared a state of emergency in three counties that rely on it for commerce. Meantime, the NTSB inspectors plan to spend as many as 10 days investigating that collapse.

Meantime, the man known as America's toughest sheriff is facing tough justice. A federal judge on Friday ruled that Joe Arpaio has engaged in racial and ethnic profiling. As sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, the judge says Arapaio and his deputies have to quit considering those factors when they make law enforcement decisions. Arpaio calls his strategy tough on illegal immigration. He denies the claim, and he says his lawyer will appeal.

And 17-year-old Chelesa Fearce, she is the valedictorian of her high school class in suburban, Atlanta, and how she got there is incredible. She and her family were once homeless. For years they were living in shelters, hotels, even their car. And Chelesa studied every night by a tiny light from her cellphone. That's how dedicated she was. On Thursday it all paid off. Here she is giving the valedictorian speech at her high school graduation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHELESA FEARCE, CHARLES DREW HIGH SCHOOL VALEDICTORIAN: I was homeless. My family slept on mats on the floor and we were lucky if we got more than one full meal a day. Getting a shower, food, and clean clothes was an everyday struggle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: I said remember that name, Chelesa Fearce. Good for her. She's going to be attending college in the fall.

We now know the Justice Department's decision to seek a warrant to search a FOX News reporter's private e-mails went all of the way to the top. A justice official tells CNN that Attorney General Eric Holder vetted the application, which was approved by a federal magistrate.

So let's dig into this. Our crime and justice correspondent Joe Johns is here. This is absolutely fascinating because it has very broad implications.

JOE JOHNS, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: It certainly does have broad implications, quite frankly, Poppy. That justice official essentially tells us the department took great care, and, yes, it did go all of the way to Attorney General Eric Holder.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS: FOX News was almost poking fun at how much attention its reporter James Rosen got from the Justice Department for a story that said North Korea was going to test more nuclear weapons.

BILL O'REILLY, FOX NEWS HOST: So Rosen, when are you going to jail, because we're taking up the collection for the bail now. When are you going to jail?

JAMES ROSEN, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: I'm touched by your sentiments. But that's about all I would say.

JOHNS: What launched the controversy was a leak investigation and an application for a government search warrant seeking information about Rosen's personal e-mails. The government used words such as "aider or abettor," and "co-conspirator" to describe Rosen in a search warrant affidavit.

He hasn't been charged with anything. A Justice Department official confirmed Friday that deciding a search warrant was necessary involved vetting the decision at the highest levels of the department, including discussions with the attorney general. The statement said the department followed all applicable laws, and a federal magistrate judge made an independent finding that probable cause existed to approve the search warrant. It's a new worry for advocates of media freedom.

GREGG LESLIE, REPORTERS COMMITTEE FOR FREEDOM OF THE PRESS: It kind of changes the nature of what we've been understanding about this situation. At first it looked like something that maybe one agent did. But when it gets approval of the attorney general, it suggests it's more of the Justice Department's policy.

JOHNS: At his last news conference when the issue was only about subpoenas to the Associated Press, I asked the attorney general about the policy.

Given the fact that this news organization was not given an opportunity to try to quash this in court, as has been precedent, it leaves us in a position of wondering if the administration has somehow decided policy wise that it will go after us?

ERIC HOLDER, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I can talk about policy. That's certainly not the policy of this administration.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS: In a speech on national security, the president emphasized that he was a little bit concerned about the chilling effect of putting reporters in potential legal jeopardy.

HARLOW: So, the development here that we know that Attorney General Eric Holder now had personal knowledge was personally involved in the DOJ's decision to seek a warrant for these personal e-mails of FOX News reporter James Rosen, it begs the question, what if anything did the White House know?

JOHNS: A lot of people are asking that. The White House made it very clear that there's a firewall between the president, the White House, and the Justice Department. The White House doesn't ask for information about ongoing criminal investigations, and generally the attorney general doesn't volunteer. This is an extraordinary circumstance, but it's pretty clear that they are saying we're on different tracks.

HARLOW: We're all watching, journalist, everyone watching it very carefully. Joe Johns, thank you.

It is going to be a rainy Memorial Day weekend. Sorry, folks. So is it going to dampen your outdoor plans or be raining for a little bit of the weekend?

(WEATHER BREAK)

HARLOW: A transgender MMA fighter enters the cage for her first fight since coming out. Was it a victory? Find out, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARLOW: Transgender fighter Fallon Fox has won her first MMA fight since coming out. Fox beat Alana Jones in Coral Gables, Florida, last night. She used what's called a north south choke hold, putting her shin on Jones' throat to end the bout. Fox announced back in March she had undergone gender reassignment surgery in 2006 and has been on hormone therapy for about a decade. MMA fans are divided over letting Fox fight women.

Meantime, the Indiana Pacers have bounced back from a tough loss in game one to even their NBA playoff series with the Miami Heat. Bleacer Report's Joe Carter is here with more. Good morning, Joe.

JOE CARTER, BLEACHER REPORT: Good morning, Poppy. LeBron James we all know is the best basketball player in the world. He didn't have a bad game last night, but he did commit two turnovers in the final minute which ultimately led to a crucial road win for the Indiana Pacers. Game one and game two have been fantastic. So we're looking forward to the rest of the series. Indiana's Paul George, boy, is he a rising star. That dunk in the third quarter right there really set the tone for the Pacers that they're no pushover. They're not going away quietly.

LeBron James has played in a bunch of playoff games in his career, 125 to be exact. He's never turned the ball over twice in the final minute until last night. The Pacers capitalize on his two mistakes. They even the series one-one with the win. Heat fans were stunned last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEBRON JAMES, NBA PLAYER: The first thing I look on the stat sheet is my turnovers. I had two key ones in a big point of the game. So I was very disappointed in my judgment and my plays down the stretch. You know, I'll make up for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARTER: Just a few months ago, Robby Rogers told the world he was gay. At the same moment, he told the world he was retiring from soccer. According to "USA Today," Rogers is coming back to play for the L.A. galaxy. Rogers would be the first active openly gay player in professional soccer. He said he felt like a coward after he retired because he didn't use his platform and his voice to be a role model.

And finally, Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez just sold his Miami Beach home for $30 million. It's the highest purchase price for a home in the history of Miami Beach. It has nine bedrooms, 11 bathroom, and most impressive features in the back of the house, floor to ceiling windows that can be adjusted so anyone can walk straight outside. Some of his neighbors, actor Matt Damon, Miami Heat's Duane Wade Chris Bosch. Poppy A-Rod bought the land for just over $7 million, built the house for just over $7 million, sold it for $30 million, which means he turns a $15 million profit.

HARLOW: Not bad. Not bad at all. If only we could all do that. Joe, thank you.

CARTER: You bet.

HARLOW: All right, you know this. We all take things for granted from time to time, and we often need to be reminded that we don't need to be dying to start living. That is what 18-year-old Zach Sobiech said. That was his message before he died on Monday. But what he has left behind is a legacy that is larger than life. Coming up, we're going to hear the song he wrote that touched millions, and we're going to talk to the filmmaker who is keeping his story alive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Every once in a while someone special comes along whose energy, spirit, kindness, and compassion affect millions of people in a very profound way. Zach Sobiech was one of those people. Zach lost his four-year long battle with a rare bone cancer this week, which was just 17 days after his 18 birthday. In his own words, he went down fighting just like he wanted to. Zach was buried in Stillwater, Minnesota, on Thursday.

He was told by doctors last year that he had just months to live. Zach wrote a song, this song, to say goodbye, a farewell to everyone he loved. The video for his song is called "Clouds" and it has gone viral. More than 7 people watched it. And on Wednesday it hit number one on the iTunes singles chart.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: In response to Zach's song, a slew of celebrities made their own version, lip-synching to Zach's voice. Zach's reaction to first seeing that video, well, here it is. It was captured in the documentary, "My Last Days." It was directed by Justin Baldoni. And we're lucky enough to have Justin join us now to talk about Zach's life and to talk about this film. It's an honor to meet you. Thank you for doing this. Thank you for putting his story out there, and thank you for being with us.

JUSTIN BALDONI, DIRECTOR, "MY LAST DAYS, MEET ZACH SOBIECH": It's an honor to be here. I've got to be honest, I haven't heard all of that in a while. So I'll try to keep it together on camera here.

HARLOW: I'm right there with you. You know, it's interesting. In the documentary, you talk about Zach and you say you went there to meet a great kid but instead you met someone who changed your life. Tell us about Zach. Tell us about the time you spent with him.

BALDONI: Zach is one of the oldest souls I have ever met. He's 17 years old. But when you meet him and you look into his eyes, you feel like he's lived for thousands of years. His kindness, his generosity, his compassion for people, and his aura was just unlike anyone I ever met. We went there for a week, and we left feeling like we had read every inspirational book on life you could ever pick up at a bookstore, feeling like we wanted to be better human beings and better people. And I have never had an experience like that in my life.

HARLOW: I believe it.

I want to play for our viewers Zach's opening line in your documentary. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SOBIECH: I am 17 years old. I have been told I have a few months to live. I still have a lot of work to do. I want everyone to know you don't have to find out you're dying to start living.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: How struck were you by that, seeing Zach live out some of the last days of his life?

BALDONI: Zach knew he didn't have much time left when we went to him. But yet he gave us a week of his life to do this documentary and his family gave us a week of his life and what we got to see was a 17- year-old care more about everyone else in his entire life than himself. He cared about making us and our crew happy. He cared about if our needs were being met. He wanted us to have a good time.

Everybody was vying for attention from him because they knew he didn't have a ton of time left. And his ability to think of other people when he's in physical pain, when he knows he's not going to do things all his friends are going to do, like graduate high school or get married to his girlfriend, it was one of the most heartbreaking but inspiring things I ever experienced, like I said earlier.

HARLOW: You bring up his girlfriend. He had this wonderful girlfriend who knew he was sick and was there with him by his side through all of it, planned this special surprise picnic for him in Mall of America stadium in Vikings stadium because he's a Vikings fan. He was so close to Grace, his mother, his father, his family is amazing. Our Ed Lavandera, one of my fellow reporters, interviewed Zach last year. I want to play for our viewers what he told him about dying and about leaving loved ones behind.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SOBIECH: In all honesty, I'm sorry for them. I get to leave. I don't have to deal with any of this. But they have to keep on living. They have to deal with it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: What's your reaction to that?

BALDONI: Besides the fact that you're trying to make me cry right now.

(LAUGHTER)

HARLOW: I'm not trying to. Take your time.

BALDONI: Zach, he meant it when he said that. He had this peace about him with dying. When he would talk about his friends and talk about his mom or his girlfriend, he always said that he was going to be fine, that he was worried about them.

And one of the things that was also so special about Zach is aside from being worried about friends and family, he took on the role of wanting to cure cancer. He took on the role of knowing these other kids that have his rare type of cancer, he didn't want them to have to suffer like he did. And he wanted his death to be something that inspired people to live better lives but also he wanted to change the lives of the people suffering with this disease so before he died he set up a fund, because he would bunk with kids that were his age and that were younger that had missing limbs that were dying at seven years old and 11 years old and he would get really close to them.

He just didn't want -- he didn't want kids to suffer the way he did. He told me one day in private, he said, man, I would love to see this fund hit $1 million, because I think it could really change the lives of kids with my illness.

HARLOW: Well, you know, I was just going to say to that, his mom described her son as someone that was incredibly compassionate, empathetic, always looking for the good in people. And you portray that so well in this film. Thank you so much for coming onto talk to us. Zach, I was looking at the computer to make sure we can get up for people exactly where they can donate money to help.

It's childrenscancer.org/Zach, right, that's where people can go to help.

BALDONI: And all of the proceeds from "Clouds" number one on iTunes right now, that also goes to his funds. So with your help I think that we can really do what he wanted.

HARLOW: Thank you for bringing us the story.

BALDONI: Thank you for having me on.

HARLOW: Of course. Our heart is with Zach's family during this very, very difficult time.

All right, we have much more ahead in the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING. We're going to bring that to you right after a quick break.

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