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CNN NEWSROOM

White House Watches North Korea; Texas Officials Crack Down On Threats; NCAA Final Four Takes Over Atlanta; A-List Big Dance Concert For Final Four; North Korea A Nuclear Threat?; Sheriff Shot Dead, Wife Takes Over

Aired April 6, 2013 - 14:00   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. A look at our top stories we're following right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

North Korea may have two missiles loaded on launchers on its east coast that's after a week of threats getting more and more intense. What the White House is doing as it keeps a very close eye on this.

A small town sheriff gunned down just steps from the courthouse. I am talking to his daughter in a CNN exclusive interview. Does she think her dad was targeted because he is a law man?

It symbolizes a city jail in need of serious reform. Inside prison, an inmate fooling around with a gun and this is just the beginning. We'll take you inside.

North Korea is taking aggressive action putting missiles in place for a possible launch. It may just be a test or is it something more? North Korea's allies and enemies are watching closely.

Foreign affairs reporter Elise Labott is joining me now from Washington. So, Elise, how is the White House responding to North Korea's latest moves?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS REPORTER: Well, Fred, they're really trying to dial back the rhetoric, kind of tone things down, and you have been seeing this for the last few days.

Secretary of State John Kerry, the State Department spokesman saying this does not need to get any hotter. At the same time what the U.S. expects is that North Korea will take some kind of action, Fred.

The White House said it wouldn't be surprised if North Korea launched those missiles. They're hoping that these actions that they're expecting from North Korea won't be so dramatic that they can't find a way back to the table with North Korea.

And that's what Secretary Kerry will be talking about when he goes to Asia later this week. He'll be visiting South Korea, Japan, China, talking about a diplomatic way forward, how can they entice North Korea to stop these threats and curve its nuclear program? WHITFIELD: Now China is one of North Korea's few allies. What kind of reaction is coming from Beijing? What kind of directive perhaps is coming from Beijing?

LABOTT: Well, it is really interesting. They have been kind of quiet. You have seen the United States moving stealth bombers to the region. Ramping its rhetoric with North Korea and you really haven't heard anything from China.

You know, China is really concerned about the U.S. exerting its influence in Asia over the last couple years, but I think it reflects a growing frustration on the part of the Chinese. They're North Korea's biggest economic and political backer, diplomatic support, but they really don't seem to have a lot of influence on North Korea at this time.

We understand there has been kind of little communication between North Korea and China and I think there is a growing debate right now that officials and experts are pointing to in China about whether it is time to abandon its unequivocal support for North Korea that perhaps this unabashed support for North Korea's epithetical to its interest.

WHITFIELD: All right, Elise Labott, thanks so much from Washington.

All right, in Texas now, police are taking every threat seriously following the killings of two state prosecutors and the wife of one. Someone called in a bomb threat the night before hundreds gathered for a funerals of Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia. So far police have arrested two men for allegedly threatening public officials.

Our Martin Savidge is in Texas following the case. So Martin, are the men arrested being further investigated for any possible links to the murders?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right now, no, Fred, according to authorities they say these two men have been taken into custody because of the threats that they made. One of them did it over a telephone and the other one did it over the internet.

The charge is pretty serious, making a terroristic threat and they are currently being held in jail under a $1 million bond each. So it's likely they could be there for a while. But it shows you that they take it very seriously here any threats and obviously so.

They have now three people, two of them officials for this county that have been murdered in the last two months. As for the investigation, it is pushing forward, but so far no arrests directly tied to the murders have occurred -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And, Martin, you know, any more from officials there whether they're looking at this spate of violence involving law enforcement officials, any connections being made directly between Texas, Colorado, and now West Virginia? SAVIDGE: Right. We do know that at least in the cases of what happened in Colorado with the shooting of the prison chief there and then with the investigation that's going on here that the investigators in both states have communicated.

It is not like they talk every day and isn't necessarily suggesting that there is a link. It just suggests that it is probably pretty smart police work that the two departments with these kinds of murders on their hands dealing with officials would communicate.

But right now they have not drawn a direct link to any of those three that you outline. That said, the investigation here is sort of going in multiple directions. There are a lot of people working this case. You have local. You got state, and of course, you got federal help as well.

They're looking at the possibility of maybe it was white supremacist group involved because there is a prosecution going on in this region involving such a group. It could be that it is something to do with drug trafficking cartels.

There is a lot of that going on in North Texas or could be just somebody who acted on their own, that had a beef with the officials. They don't know. They aren't saying. Quite frankly, authorities are very tight lipped on this -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Martin Savidge, thanks so much from Kaufman County, Texas.

All right, time for some final four action right here in Atlanta. Four hours from now the first semi-final game of the NCAA tournament kicks off. Number one seed Louisville against ninth seed Wichita State. Live pictures right now of a huge free concert under way at Centennial Park just steps away from the Georgia Dome.

And in fact right outside the George Dome that's where we find our Joe Carter. All right so, Joe, soon all of the people at the stage are going to be heading your way for the game this evening.

Louisville is a clear favorite, at least a sentimental favorite to win the final four and tug at America's heartstrings this week with Kevin Ware. So what is the feeling in terms of how these teams are getting themselves ready to really come out on top?

JOE CARTER, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, in that first game as you said you have the number one overall seed in Louisville. A lot of people feel like they could win the championship, the sentimental favorite because of Kevin Ware this week and some say the Cinderella, the team that sort of flew under the radar thanks to Florida Gulf Coast University, of course, we gave them all the attention.

But now here comes Wichita State, the Shocker is not so shocking because of how they got here beating teams like number one seeded Gonzaga and number two seeded Ohio State. You know, we've really seen a lot of these majors or small schools make their way into the final four over the last few years. You have George Mason, VCU, Butler and now it is time the feeling is to get over the hump and finally win a championship for these mid- majors or smaller schools and Louisville, of course, Vega says is the big favorite, the 10-point favorite.

They're back in the final four. They have the great coach in Rick Petino. They got all the great potential NBA players on their roster. So in a sense it is David versus Goliath in that first game, Fredricka, just after 6:00 Eastern Time.

WHITFIELD: All right, and second game Michigan versus Syracuse. All right, all eyes are I guess folks really want to see Syracuse come out on top.

CARTER: Yes, I think a lot of people are speculating that this could be Head Coach Jim Boeheim's last hurrah, if you will, especially if they cut down the nets on Monday night. He has been at this thing for 37 years. He has won over 900 games with Syracuse.

They have that really suffocating zone defense. They make it boring for the basketball viewer to watch because they don't allow the other team to score many points. They played Indiana, the most efficient offense in the country, they held them to 50 points and then they held Marquette to 39 points.

There is 40 minutes in a college basketball game. Syracuse definitely great defense and you have Michigan, finally back to dominance in college basketball. Remember, 20 years ago, the Fab Five, the infamous time-out, the shorts, the attitude, the program took a dip for a while and now they're back.

Here is Michigan. A lot of people looking at that game, the Michigan-Syracuse game as being really even and even battle between the two teams, very competitive, so it should be great, again, 6:09 the tip-off between Louisville and Wichita State and then it follows with Michigan and Syracuse.

We're going to get into it. We'll go all access, Fredricka, before we hit those games tonight, 3 p.m. Eastern. We're going to show you the emotion of these big games. We're going to go into the pregame speeches.

We're going to give you the victory celebrations, the tears when the teams lose. It's going to be hosted by Rachel Nichols as well as hall of fame basketball player Reggie Miller. That's 3 p.m. Eastern on CNN. So we'll see you, Fredricka, in just a few minutes with that.

WHITFIELD: That's right, less than -- just over 50 minutes away. All right, thanks so much, Joe Carter. Appreciate that.

All right, so what are the thousands upon thousands of people here in Atlanta doing before and after the games? How about going to free sting or Dave Matthews band concert, the party is only beginning. CNN's Nischelle Turner has details now.

NISCHELL TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, Fred. Greetings from Centennial Park where me and a few thousands of my closest friends are here enjoying the big dance concert series. Take a look at the crowd.

I mean, everybody is out here having a really good time. It is a beautiful Saturday. There are a lot of final four fans, but there are a lot of just music fans. Have you a big smile. Having a good time?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Great time.

TURNER: I don't have to ask you who are you going for today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Cuse, baby.

TURNER: The Cuse, baby. All right, this guy is going for Syracuse today, but there are a lot of people out here listening to a lot of great music. Listen to who is in the lineup today.

We've got Flo Ride going to be on stage. Ludacris is going to be on stage and Muse is going to take the stage. They have the anthem that really fits the final four and the music that gets you pumping.

That will be a lot of fun to see and the biggest thing about this concert, Fred, three days of the biggest name in music free. Yes, I said it, free. I will spell it f-r-e-e, free.

Tomorrow, there will be more great music. Sting, Dave Matthews band, Grace Potter, and Centennial Park will be the place to be. All of this is free. Yes, I see folks walking behind me.

That's what happens when you do shots out here. They dance and they -- do you want to dance? OK. It's the big dance concert series at Centennial Park. Can you say, Fred, back to you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: OK, that's some kind of dancing there. I like that. Thanks so much, Nischelle and friends there at Centennial Park.

All right, North Korea talks a dangerous game claiming to test nuclear weapons. How much weight is really behind those threats? A closer look at North Korea's nuclear capability.

And a daughter loses her dad in a shocking act of violence. Now her mom is taking over as sheriff. We have an exclusive interview with this brave young woman coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: North Korea is flexing its muscles and putting the international community on edge. A U.S. official said yesterday the country had two missiles ready to launch. That's after a long range rocket test in December and in February, a nuclear test that triggered tough sanctions.

Joining me now is Jim Walsh with MIT Security Studies Program. He's travelled to North Korea and hosted delegation from there. Good to see you, Jim.

JIM WALSH, MIT, SECURITY STUDIES PROGRAM: Good to see you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: A whole lot of uncertainty about what's going on in North Korea. Is this new leader bluffing or is it for real? So what's your gut feeling?

WALSH: Well, I don't think the fundamentals have changed. By that I mean what is true today was true a year ago, true five years ago, which is North Korea is really a weaker country. If there were a war, they would lose, which means they would lose power.

Most countries don't like to commit suicide, and so I don't think they're looking to start a war they are going to lose. But they are trying to create as they have in past cycles a crisis atmosphere either for domestic reasons.

Because they have a new leader who is consolidating his position or for an external audience for whatever reason and they are making I think mostly bluffing. I will say this, Fredricka. It feels different this time.

WHITFIELD: Why does it feel different?

WALSH: It seems as if every day there is another announcement of some little thing that they're doing, you know, telling the embassies to prepare to evacuate, possibly launching a missile, shutting down Kaesong Industrial Complex. I mean, just every day there is something. The rhetoric is tougher and harder, but the fundamentals haven't changed.

WHITFIELD: And the fundamentals meaning the kind of weaponry, the mothball kind of missiles that are now being displayed and whether they really are viable, whether they really are dangerous?

WALSH: Exactly. I would put it more in this way. You know, if there is a war, who wins and who loses. The answer to that question, who loses, is obvious. It is obvious to all the parties. North Korea loses, and so are they going to start a war that they don't want to -- that they're going to lose?

I don't think so. That's the cold logic. I will say, though, that a deliberate war is not the only path to war and as you and I have discussed in the past, they're playing this game of brinksmanship and a provocation.

But if someone messes up, there is an accident, or someone miscalculates, something small could grow to be something big in a short period of time. So I am still nervous about it all.

WHITFIELD: You are. OK, so the international community in some respects has come together and imposed, you know, sanctions against North Korea. Is that enough? I mean, China really I guess has the strong arm in all or some of what North Korea does or doesn't do. Are sanctions in any way impactful long-term? WALSH: Long-term probably not. I mean, sanctions by themselves are not going to get the job done. If they were, we wouldn't be where we are now. North Korea has had sanctions on it for a decade or whatever.

Listen, the Chinese and the North Koreans don't love each other. They don't even like each other very much. China is a source of a lot of the fuel and economic investment, private economic investment coming from the mainland into North Korea, so, yes, China has leverage, but the Chinese have a dilemma here.

They don't want to let the -- they don't want North Korea to collapse and so they are not going to allow sanctions to cause that because if North Korea lapses, what happens? Refugees on the border, U.S. and South Korean troops moving up closer to the Chinese border, you know, so that's bad news.

When North Korea does this stuff and ignores China, it makes China look weak and gets all the other Asian nations, South Korea and Japan in particular very angry and nervous and they don't like that either.

So they're caught somewhat in a bind about how to deal with this. For now and certainly for the next period of time, I don't think sanctions are going to get it done because China isn't going to let North Korea collapse.

WHITFIELD: OK, and what kinds of leverage can the U.S. really have in this situation? Yes, we have a warship that's moved and another warship moved to the area. There have been continued, really annual kind of exercises with South Korea, but is the U.S. really in a situation where it has to just wait and see and do everything it can to not be blamed for anything pre-emptive?

WALSH: Yes. You know, the U.S. has done a lot, and it hasn't done everything it could do in my opinion but it has done a lot. It followed the right principles, the first principle to reassure your ally and reassure South Korea and Japan so they don't feel vulnerable and left alone and have to take action on their own or developed their own nuclear weapons.

The U.S. has done a lot of that over this past month and over the past years. They continue to do that. We saw that with the B-52s and the B-2s and the other moves made these past couple of weeks. They're reassuring the allies and trying to restrain South Korea so South Korea doesn't end up starting a fight on its own.

That's an important function. At the end of the day, the old policy of strategic patience has not worked, and we find ourselves in the cycle of sanctions, provocation, sanctions, provocation. I think we'll have to think about what is this end game look like? How is it this ends up a good story in the end? And right now I think what we're doing is sort of day-to-day management.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jim Walsh, thank you so much, always good to see you. WALSH: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: All right, it is pretty remarkable, inmates running wild in a prison and it is all caught on tape. They're doing drugs, drinking, playing around with guns. This is pretty unbelievable. We take you inside.

Up next, my exclusive conversation with this man's daughter, a small town sheriff gunned down just days ago. How the family is pulling together and keeping dad's mission alive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: There is a new sheriff today in Mingo County, West Virginia that's because the previous sheriff, Eugene Crum was gunned down on Wednesday as he ate lunch in his car near the county courthouse.

Police chased and caught the suspect who faces first degree murder and attempted murder charges now. A day later, Crum's widow, Rosie, was appointed sheriff to take her husband's place. She will serve the remainder of his term until next May.

Julie Hall is the couple's daughter and she is now joining me. In fact, she is at her dad's desk in his office. Julie, thanks so much for being with us. I know this has to be a very difficult time. A, how are you, and what is it like sitting at your dad's desk?

JULIE HALL, DAUGHTER OF MURDERED SHERIFF: I am doing as well as expected. We're still in shock. I am heartbroken, but I am doing OK.

WHITFIELD: So there is a memorial service for your father a little later on this afternoon. Tell me what you want people to know about your dad and how you expect him to be recognized and eulogized today.

HALL: My dad was a very loving man. He was a loving father and grandfather. He loved his community. He has done a great job in the short three months that he has been sheriff. What he's accomplished is just amazing.

WHITFIELD: So just three months, your dad was sheriff. How important was this job, this responsibility to be this public servant in your community?

HALL: My dad fought tirelessly against drug abuse. He just wanted to clean up the county and make it a better place to live for the children that are growing up here.

WHITFIELD: Do you feel like your dad was targeted because in large part because he would fight drug abuse and try to bring the prosecution of those who were bringing drug problems to the community?

HALL: Things are still under investigation at this time. So we really are unsure why this has happened. I think it is a very strong possibility. WHITFIELD: So now how concerned are you about your mom taking this position? She has assumed the responsibility that your dad had, and up until next year May. So over a year your mom will be sheriff. How worried are you for her?

HALL: I am concerned for her safety, but my dad had officers in place that took care of him well and I know they will take care of my mom very well.

WHITFIELD: Is this something you all talked about as a family, you and your mom, you know, to assume his responsibilities after he was murdered?

HALL: We did. My mother and I and my brother, we did talk about it. We did agree that my mom would be the best person to take his job. She is the one who knew him best. She knew what he wanted to accomplish and I think she can finish the job that he started.

WHITFIELD: So take me into that conversation. What were all the concerns that you and your brother expressed to your mom and how did she assure you?

HALL: Well, no one can be 100 percent sure of what's going to happen. Everything is in God's hands, and I just know that my mom is going to do a great job for this county. She loves this county as much as my dad did, and she will carry on his legacy.

WHITFIELD: What kind of impact did your dad make on you?

HALL: My dad was my rock. He was the very person that I could call for anything, and he always had my side.

WHITFIELD: And now as investigators continue to look into who is responsible for the death of your dad, can you help but draw some correlation or try to see whether there is a link between your dad being targeted and law enforcement officials in Texas and Colorado, all being targeted as well within the past two to three months?

HALL: Well, like I said, it is all still under investigation, and I haven't been told anything more than what everyone else has been told.

WHITFIELD: What does your gut say?

HALL: My gut says no.

WHITFIELD: Your gut says no, there is no link.

HALL: Right. I think this is something that is more local and something going on here in our county.

WHITFIELD: All right, Julie Hall, a message you may want to send to your community today, the day that your dad will be laid to rest?

HALL: I would just like to ask those who have abuse problems to please seek help from anyone, from your parents, your teachers, to even our law enforcement, and to do this in my dad's honor.

WHITFIELD: Julie Hall, thank you so much for your time and our deepest condolences for the passing, the murder of your father.

HALL: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, you will not believe your eyes when you see some of the video now being shared out of New Orleans. This to some may seem like a party scene going on, drugs, weapons.

It is taking place right inside a prison that is now closed, but videotape that is just now being revealed.

Plus, she is a warrior who made it through the toughest battle. Wait until you hear how this woman has answered cancer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Here is what's trending online right now.

Nelson Mandela is back home. South Africa's former president had been in the hospital for pneumonia. Now, the 94-year-old will receive care home.

The duchess of Cambridge reveals her due date. There she is on a royal visit to Scotland. Katherine Middletown may have slipped up that the baby is due in mid-July. She also said as she and Prince William have a short list of baby names for a boy or a girl.

And it is the most ever paid at auction for a baseball card. A rare Honus Wagner baseball card sold for a little more than $2 million today. The card is known as the Holy Grail for collectors. It sold online and the buyer's name has not been released.

All right, in another story that has been making headlines this week. It comes to symbolize the worse that may happen in prison. The video we're about to show you is simply shocking, total mayhem in prison.

Our Sara Ganim takes us inside.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An inmate with a gun in a cell packed with prisoners. Another appears to be shooting up heroin, all caught on video, on a cell phone smuggled into the jail. Inmates free to roam, even leave. This incredible footage was shown in a federal courtroom in a lawsuit over how to pay to fix horrifying prison conditions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No gloves on. No net over his head. That's how he feeds us.

GANIM: The footage is several years old and was recorded at the now closed house of detention in Orleans Parish. The southern poverty law center says the facility was not alone. Many others just as bad in Orleans parish are still open. They along with several former inmates sued the sheriff, Marlon Guzman last April. He is in charge of running the jails.

As shocking as it is to watch this video, reading the details in the lawsuit is just as disturbing. Mental health patients denied care, inmates beaten by staff, and raped by other prisoners, guards instigating fights. This father lost his 32-year-old son to suicide in the prison two years ago.

JAMES HITZMAN, FORMER INMATE'S FATHER: Hearing some of the testimony and looking at some of the video of the jail itself, I cannot imagine the conditions of any human being living in those conditions.

GANIM: Southern poverty law center and the sheriff's office reached a settlement in December. It was agreed changes would be made to make the prisons more safe, but change costs money, money the city says it doesn't have. That's why the case is still in court.

The city's mayor says taxpayers are already investing more than $200 million to build new facilities. In a statement to CNN the mayor said, quote "I cannot in good conscience cut vital services or raise taxes to put even more money into an office where waste, fraud, and abuse run rampant." Instead, he wants the federal government to step in and take control from the sheriff.

PAM HITZMAN, FORMER INMATE'S MOTHER: He has been aware of these conditions since 2008, and the conditions have gotten worse.

GANIM: All of this takes us back to a disaster the New Orleans area can't seem to fully recover from, hurricane Katrina. In a statement, the sheriff said, these were temporary facilities he was forced to use after the storms flooded parish prisons and eight of those temporary jails still house inmates today.

Sara Ganim, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, and the NCAA fever sweeps the nation. It is now down to the final four.

Also, if you are choosing a college, this is for you. Get an inside look at all kinds of different schools without ever leaving your home. We will show you how.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, you know those portrait studios in stores? Well, many are now a fading memory. More than 2,000 portrait studios in stores like series and Walmart are going out of business. The company that operated the studios says digital photos cut into the sales and workers that ran the studio said they had no choice. But they took notice that they would be losing their jobs.

All right, college admissions season is here. High school seniors and parents hit the road to visit college campuses and research their top choices. That takes time and money. One Web site may change all of that.

Our Laurie Segall is here to tell us about it.

So Laurie, tell us about the Web site. How does it work?

LAURIE SEGALL, CNN MONEY TECHNOLOGY REPORTER: It is called Unigo and honestly, Fredricka, I was going through this and I wish this were around when I went to college. I mean, is it you can go on there and put in any college you are interested and it has so much content about the college. And not just about the courses and that kind of thing, but it has user generated content, so students are uploading videos because everyone has smartphones and so it is you really can go to the site and get an inside look at what the college you want to go to is like. And you mentioned it is really expensive, and a lot of people are getting those acceptance letters and getting rejection letters right now and trying to figure out where, am I going to go? What am I going to do and they may not be able to afford to go to all of these different campuses.

I spoke to the founder, Jordan Goldman, and I asked him about how the site helps you save money in your college search. Listen to what he had to say, Fredricka.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEGALL: Right now is the time when the college acceptance letters are coming in and people have to decide which college they want to go to. I mean, a lot of people can't afford to physically go to the schools. How does this really change that?

JORDAN GOLDMAN, FOUNDER OF UNIGO: I mean, that's exactly what's key. On average, to go and visit schools, to visit four, five schools will cost you two or $3,000 because you have to drive around the country, you have to stay in hotels and it is not inexpensive proposition. And the problem is when you get to a campus, you mostly seeing this prepackaged campus tour, you are seeing the view that the university wants you to see. They are not going to take you where students hang out or show you what an actual Saturday will be like.

So here, from your home you can read all of these reviews of schools and see photos and you can see videos and you can talk to actual students. You are actually going to get a better sense what it is like to attend than you would if you spent all of this money.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEGALL: And it pretty interesting and, Fredricka, also, you can actually Skype with students and for students who are in college, they can make money because when you Skype with these students you pay money and so it is kind of a win-win situation which you can see the site is doing well and you can kind of get an idea why.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. Well, usually you think you have to be on the campus to get the flavor of a place, but, yes, we know it does cost money. So, this saves you some money, but how real does it really feel for the candidate who is thinking about that college experience on that site?

SEGALL: You know, it is a good question because you think, all right, you should go and be on the campus, but sometimes you really just can't afford to do it. But because we have smartphones now, because we have all of this user-generated content, you can actually really get the idea. And when I said, you know, Jordan said you may see exactly everyone - when I visited the University of Michigan, you see exactly kind of what they want to you see in the big things because sometimes you don't see the inner workings and the student halls. And you can also get to know students and you can also talk to guidance counselor on the side. I mean, it is really -- there is a lot of content and so many students are using it and you can really kind of get the flavor of the campus.

WHITFIELD: Nice. All right. Very neat stuff.

Thanks so much, Laurie Segall. Appreciate it.

SEGALL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, in today's human factor, a tough disease versus a tough woman. Doctor Sanjay Gupta, on one woman's fight to survive colon cancer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLORIA BORGES, COLON CANCER PATIENT (voice-over): On September 19, 2010, I received news no healthy 28-year-old expects to hear. I didn't cry, panic or feel sorry for myself.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gloria Borges is a fierce opponent, calculated, competitive, unrelenting.

BORGES: I joined a gym in the joining of 2010. I lost about 30 pounds of fat, put on about ten pounds of muscle. And so, I thought that my body was going through changes in general and so the GI issues were tied to those changes.

GUPTA: Ads the year progressed, Gloria's symptoms got worse. She toughed it out until one day she got fouled in a basketball game.

BORGES: She put both hands on my gut area and didn't slap me hard. It was just trying to kind of throw me off balance, and the pain was excruciating. And I remember hobbling over to the free-throw line and realizing there is something very serious here.

GUPTA: Gloria finally checked herself into the hospital, bloated, and vomiting ferociously, and emergency operation uncovered a large tumor in her colon.

BORGES: My mom told me initially it is stage 4 colon cancer and it is very aggressive. And I said, well, I am an aggressive girl, so what do we do? GUPTA: Doctors told Gloria she had one to two painful years left at best. She was undaunted. Here she is a chemotherapy round one, sporting a rocky t-shirt, then came round two, round three, and round 45. She had beaten the odds and decided to have a little fun.

Today, Gloria is checking into USC's cancer center for round 46.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cancer is tough and I am tougher.

BORGES: Do you like that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is a good one.

GUPTA: With her husband, Will, and her parents by her side. Together with Doctor Lenz, they launched a foundation to find a cure for colon cancer within the next decade.

BORGES: I said, all right, if you had all the money in the world, could you cure it? Do you and your team of doctors know what to do? And he said yes.

GUPTA: Their goal, $250 million.

BORGES: My answer to cancer was no. This is not going to happen.

GUPTA: Doctor Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow. She is quite remarkable.

All right, it started with 68 teams. Can you believe it? Here we're already. Now we are down to the final four of the NCAA tournament. Our Rachel Nichols has your all access pass at the final four.

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WHITFIELD: All right, the countdown is on. In just about ten minutes back, we are giving you an all access pass at the NCAA final four with our Rachel Nichols as she has been behind the scenes all week long.

But right now, she is joined by an NBA hall of fame we are an inside peek.

RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Fredricka. I am Rachel Nichols joined by basketball hall of famer Reggie Miller and we're coming up at 3:00 on CNN.

Reggie, excited to be on CNN?

REGGIE MILLER, NBA PLAYER: I am the black Anderson Cooper, of course. NICHOLS: You should be so lucky. He should be so lucky, one of them anyway. It is all access it he final four coming up at 3:00 eastern and we are taking you inside the locker rooms, talk to all four coaches, hear from the reporters on the ground taking in the sights and sounds of final four weekend in Atlanta. So, check us out, 3:00 p.m.

Now, let's go back to CNN center.

MILLER: What about Wolf Blitzer?

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WHITFIELD: "Mad Men" is often called one of the sexiest shows on television, and one of the best. It won the Emmy for best drama four out of the first five seasons and now it is back.

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WHITFIELD: Maureen Ryan joining me now, as she is a TV critic "at Huffington Post."

All right, so before "the Walking Dead" was, you know, AMC's big hit show, we are talking "Mad Men" on six seasons on now. It is still an event, a big event when "Mad Men" premieres?

MAUREEN RYAN, TV CRITIC, THE HUFFINGTON POST: I think it is an event. I think it is probably a little smaller event than it was in years past, you know. It was really on a roll there as you said with the Emmy wins and so forth and last year there was a year-and-a-half between seasons and seemed like some really insanely long time. This year I think it is a little less of an event but still for the fans they're very excited and people are paying attention to the return.

WHITFIELD: What is it about this show and what is it that most of the fans or viewers are anticipating in this season?

RYAN: I think that to me it is about the home stretch, you know, there is no official confirmation, of course, but Matthew Weiner, the creator said there is only this season and the next most likely. So, for me it is bittersweet because I love the characters. I love the world they have created over time and now we're kind of entering that phase where we will have to think about it ending. And I think what's great about "Mad Men" is that, you know, the day after an episode airs you can read 15 different interpretations by different critics of what it was all about, and they will all be right, you know what I mean? Like everyone can get out of it kind of what they're going through or thinking about.

WHITFIELD: OK. And you know what, I spoke with actor Ben Feldman. He plays Michael Ginsburg in "Mad Men" and he talks about how he was such a fan for so many years before he got a lucky break and now he is cast and tomorrow, we will show that interview to why he thinks the show has great appeal.

All right, I also want to talk about another show that is coming back, "Arrested Development," very quirky comedy with a cult following. It was canceled in 2006 and now it is coming back with a new season but only on Netflix. How is that going to work?

RYAN: Well, they are going to actually put all the episodes out there over a holiday weekend all at once so you will go to a computer or your TV and really gourd yourself. And that is really kind of smart move in one sense by Netflix because people are used to doing that with Netflix. You know, it is 2:00 in the morning, but you still want to watch one more episode of whatever you are watching.

But at the same time, you have to wonder how it is going to work when it is not a well known property like "Arrested Development" or like "House of Cards" which starred Kevin Spacey a couple months ago. How are they going to get people to pay attention when, you know, a lot of what we in the media do is pay attention to like OK, there was three months where we were talking about "Mad Men" and so it gives it a buzz over time.

That is not really the strategy, but I think the commissioning things that people are already in love with like arrested development is a very smart move to make sure that people want to keep paying that monthly fee.

WHITFIELD: And "American Idol," what in the world has happened? Why is it flopping? People are tired of it or what?

RYAN: Yes, there is two things going on. There is the aging of a -- the natural aging of a show, and then I think some of these wounds are really self-inflicted. They are really not freshening up the format. I mean, we are still getting, you know, '60s night or, you know, Motown night.

WHITFIELD: Even though they changed the judges, that's just not it, people are not watching because of the judges?

RYAN: You know, you can get really famous people to be judges. I don't know that that necessarily makes people want to watch them. That thing, you know, "the Voice," there is so many other competition shows out there where the judges chemistry, the judges were poor in joking around is really happening. And I think the judges they have now, sure, it made a big splash for the show when it was announced and when it first began. I just don't know if over time they are that good as judges.

WHITFIELD: Bummer. All right, I know they are bummed.

All right, Maureen Ryan of "Huffington Post," thanks so much. Appreciate it.

RYAN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, here is a question for you out there. What do a possible Hillary Clinton run for presidency in 2016, Hollywood legend Rita Marino and Justin Bieber's monkey all are have in common? Well, they are all part of our show at 4:00 eastern time. You want to get updated on all of these things. But, right now CNN all access at the final four with Rachel Nichols starting right now.

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