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CNN NEWSROOM

Joan Rivers Remains Hospitalized; Ezell Ford, Another Michael Brown?; How Will U.S. Respond to ISIS Threat?; Fighting Sexism in the Senate; Ukraine Crisis Worsening?; Teens Need More Sleep; 92-year-old Told She Can't Vote; Hitting the Track with Danica Patrick

Aired August 30, 2014 - 13:00   ET

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


MURPHY: Yes, once you have an agitated flying public. My gosh, it's going to cost 100 for this flight that I didn't anticipate. Then you get on the plane, a full flight. There are no open seats. You're jammed in. People bringing the kitchen sink on to avoid that first checked bag fee.

They are jamming stuff in the overhead. They are hitting you with backpacks as they go by. Flying used to be a decent experience, now it's a point A to point B, but I got to tell you, that's driven by the consumer because the consumer wants the cheapest price, so you've got airlines like Spirit that have seats that, quote, "don't recline", and they're bragging about the fact that their seats don't recline, that that's the good thing, because of this whole knee incident and I think their CEO is saying they've been kind of tongue in cheek because he can't even keep a straight face when he's -- when he's telling people that it's a good thing.

They've already -- they've already locked your seat in flight, so you don't have to worry about that new stuff.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: OK. I know that really gets under a lot of people's skin.

All right. That was travel expert, Mark Murphy's point of view on that one.

We've got much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM and it all starts right now.

All right. Hello, again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Thanks so much for sharing your Labor Day weekend with us.

All right. We begin this hour with a sudden health crisis confronting legendary comedian, Joan Rivers. Rivers has been in a medically induced coma since Thursday and that's when she stopped breathing during a procedure at a clinic. She was rushed to a New York hospital where she has been closely monitored ever since.

CNN's Alexandra Field is at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

Alexandra, what is the latest? ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fredricka. Earlier this

week, we heard from Melissa Rivers that Joan Rivers was here at Mount Sinai resting comfortably, as she put it. We have a new statement from Melissa Rivers. I'll share it with you now.

She says, "My mother would be so touched by the tributes and prayers that we have received from around the world. Her condition remains serious, but she is receiving the best treatment and care possible. We ask that you continue to keep her in your thoughts as we pray for her recovery." And Melissa has been by her mother's side since Joan was rushed to the hospital on Thursday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD (voice-over): A health crisis for legendary comedian, Joan Rivers. The 81-year-old remains hospitalized two days after she stopped breathing, going into cardiac arrest during a throat procedure at an outpatient clinic. Rivers was then rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital where, according to the E! Network she's in now stable condition. The iconic comedian's daughter, Melissa, says her mom is resting comfortably.

Rivers, in fine, feisty form the night before, doing an hour-long standup event in New York. The Emmy-winning comedian showing no signs of slowing down.

JOAN RIVERS, COMEDIAN: Grow up.

FIELD: According to her Web site, Rivers had 27 scheduled standup shows in the fall along with co-hosting E!'s "Fashion Police."

RIVERS: And the legs go on and on and on and on and on. Like Gwyneth Paltrow when someone her about kale.

FIELD: Promoting her own jewelry line on QVC.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sleep on the plane, talk on the phone. It was phenomenal.

RIVERS: And everyone talks on the phone. Do you know in the old days someone is walking down the street talking to themselves, you crossed over, and you --

FIELD: And a weekly talk show on YouTube called "In Bed with Joan."

RIVERS: What would you do if you had a really hideous child?

FIELD: Rivers never want to mince words since her debut on "The Johnny Carson show" in 1965.

RIVERS: I never cooked when I was single because I figured if the Lord wants a woman to cook he'd give her aluminum hands. And --

FIELD: The Tony-nominated funny woman and red carpet ruler has been in the spotlight for her controversial jokes ever since.

RIVERS: And you look at this, and look how nice -- I mean, my legs look good. The breasts are in the right place.

FIELD: Now a serious turn for a woman who says she never wants to stop making people laugh.

RIVERS: Only time I'm truly, truly happy is when I am on a stage.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD: Joan Rivers had a lot of people laughing during her performance on Wednesday night. CNN has spoken to some of the people who were in the audience. They say that Joan made a lot of jokes about her age. That is of course a well-known part of her routine.

But even at 81 years old, Fred, it really has to be said that this comedian is still very much at the height of her career. You know, still doing a reality show, her "Fashion Police" show on the E! Network. Her red carpet commentary --

WHITFIELD: Yes. Endurance.

FIELD: -- and criticism, along with all the shows, the books, absolutely.

WHITFIELD: She's amazing. She keeps an incredible pace, that's for sure.

All right. Thank you so much, Alexandra. Keep us posted on any updates on her condition. We of course wish her well.

All right. Now to the fallout from the shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri. CNN just learned three officers involved in the protest are no longer with their police departments.

St. Louis County Police say Office Dan Page has retired. You may remember him from a video that surfaced. It showed him ranting about President Obama, the Supreme Court and Muslims. Page was also caught on tape pushing, right there, our Don Lemon during a protest as he was reporting on the protests earlier this month in Ferguson.

And in Ferguson, this officer resigned after pointing a rifle at protesters a little over a week ago. And yet another officer was fired for posting inappropriate comments about the riots on social media.

Meanwhile, our affiliate KMOV tells us that private companies are donating body cameras now that Ferguson Police have already started to put to use.

And there are new developments in the shooting death of another unarmed black male. Ezell Ford was killed by Los Angeles Police just two days after Michael Brown was shot dead in Missouri and just like Ferguson, witnesses and police accounts of Ford's shooting are dramatically different. It's taken more than two weeks before the Los Angeles Police Department has finally released the names of the officers who shot Ezell Ford.

Stephanie Elam has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Ferguson, Missouri continues to grapple with the shooting death of Michael Brown by a police officer, another family and community is mourning a similar loss of yet another unarmed young black man.

EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON, LOS ANGELES URBAN POLICY ROUND TABLE: We've had our own Michael Brown. Ezell Ford gunned down right here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My son was a good kid.

ELAM: Neighbors say 25-year-old Ezell Ford was well-known in the south Los Angeles community.

ASHANTI HARRIS, WITNESS: Everybody in the neighborhood took care of Ezell Ford.

ELAM: An undercurrent of police mistrust has boiled over here before. The L.A. riots in 1992. Some residents are again on edge.

HARRIS: They're in fear of the police department.

ELAM: It was just after 8:00 p.m. on August 11th when two officers from the Los Angeles Police Department confronted Ford as he was walking in his neighborhood. Police say Ford made, quote, "suspicious movements," end quote, and looked like he was trying to conceal his hands before allegedly grabbing one of the officers.

EARL PAYSINGER, LAPD: A violent altercation ensued where the suspect actually attempted to grab the officer's gun.

ELAM: Police say Ford and the officer fell to the ground in the struggle before both the officer and his partner fired their weapons at Ford. Ford would later die at the hospital, but Ashanti Harris who allegedly witnessed the situation unfold from his apartment saw things differently.

ASHANTI HARRIS, WITNESS: The police jumped out on him with the guns drawn out. He put his hands up. They wrestled him down to the ground, one shot went off, and then two seconds went by, another shot went off and then -- another officer told him to shoot him again and they shot him again in the back while he was on the ground. He couldn't fight back. Two big cops were on top of him. They let Ezell die.

ELAM: Now more than two weeks after the shooting, the LAPD has named the officers. Twelve-year police veteran Sharlton Wampler and Antonio Villegas, on the force for eight years.

In the days since Ford's death, the community has organized marches to protest police brutality.

HUTCHINSON: How do you explain when you have this level of deadly force against those that are not even accused of committing a crime and are not even armed?

ELAM: But LAPD says the community should not rush to judgment as the investigation is ongoing.

PAYSINGER: It's important to us that we be transparent, that we be open, that we demonstrate as much as we can in terms of the viability of the investigation because the public's trust is at the forefront.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Justice. Justice for Ezell.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just want some kind of justice.

ELAM: Some kind of justice and answers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to know just why you do it.

ELAM (on camera): Several people in the neighborhood say Ford had a mental disability, but the lawyer for the family refuses to clarify if this is true. That lawyer who also represented Rodney King says he plans to file a federal wrongful death lawsuit against the LAPD on behalf of the Fords.

Stephanie Elam, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much -- Stephanie.

OK. It is Labor Day weekend and while that Ferris wheel behind me seems like a it's perfectly seasonal, it's there all the time in downtown Atlanta, but maybe you are planning a cookout or something special like that over the weekend and hopefully, it doesn't get rained out because I understand there will be some storms in certain parts of the country, but that's why we've got Jennifer Gray in the CNN Weather Center to help us plan better.

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

WHITFIELD: What's going on this holiday weekend?

GRAY: Yes. Well, the soggy focus is going to be the Gulf Coast. We have already seen seven plus inches of rain right around Lake Charles, Louisiana. Southwest Louisiana has been the bull's eye over the last 12 to 24 hours and more rain is continuing to come down. A lot of rain in southwest Louisiana, the rain is still coming. Central Louisiana as well. Alexandria included. The very heavy, heavy downpours kind of let up over the last couple of hours.

It's starting to move to the east, though. Baton Rouge, New Orleans, you are in on it now. Jackson, Mississippi, as well. That will just continue to migrate through the east over the next couple of days.

So in the meantime, we have flash flood warnings in place for Lake Charles all the way up through I-49. Flood warnings in effect of course elsewhere, or flood watches. We also are expecting anywhere from 3 to 5 additional inches of rain across portions of central Louisiana, two to four inches for northeast Louisiana so the flooding threat continues in the south.

Meanwhile, today, we do have a slight risk of severe weather across the northern plains, portions of the Dakotas, even portions of Montana included in that large hail, damaging winds, slight possibility of isolated tornado. That threat moves to the east tomorrow, including Minneapolis, Des Moines, Lincoln, Kansas City, Sioux Falls, and then even including Chicago as we go into Monday. So don't let your guard down through the holiday weekend.

Some of our cities here, Chicago, you will be in on the rain. A little bit today and then again on Monday, 82 degrees your high temperature. San Antonio, even possibly picking up some much needed rain by Sunday and Monday. Of course, it would happen on the holiday weekend.

I don't think anyone there is complaining about that. So Orlando, though, you could be dodging some afternoon showers during the Labor Day weekend. Beach forecasts, though.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

GRAY: If you're on the Gulf Coast, it's going to be pretty nasty with that low we were just mentioning. Rip currents of course. If you find a window of opportunity to get in the water, watch out for rip currents. The same across Florida beaches, Myrtle Beach, Nantucket, farther north you go, looks like the better it's going to be until you hit about Monday or so.

WHITFIELD: And Jennifer, you know, while I love being here Labor Day weekend, I really would love being at a beach, though. Why don't we go there?

GRAY: I'm with you. Let's go.

WHITFIELD: OK. Let's go. Hey, well, you mentioned Myrtle Beach with a beautiful, lovely 86 degrees.

GRAY: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Gosh, that's so inviting. Don't you love that?

GRAY: Yes. Great. Today, tomorrow, you know, rip currents are going to be a risk across the East Coast. The beginning part of the weekend. By Monday, though, looks like the rain is coming in.

WHITFIELD: Yes?

GRAY: So fire up your grill early in the East Coast.

WHITFIELD: OK. Let's head West now. How about a little Santa Monica, California?

GRAY: Look at that.

WHITFIELD: That's gorgeous, too.

GRAY: Let me --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Nothing can go wrong.

GRAY: This does not get any better.

WHITFIELD: Nice.

GRAY: Doesn't get any better. Beautiful throughout the weekend. It's going to be steadily cooling off, though. They've had really, really warm temperatures. The temperatures will be back in the 70s by Monday in Southern California.

WHITFIELD: Have you gone that boardwalk? I love that.

GRAY: It's gorgeous.

WHITFIELD: It is so great. My gosh. OK.

GRAY: You (INAUDIBLE).

WHITFIELD: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Let's go back to the East Coast.

(CROSSTALK)

GRAY: Getting caught up in sunny California.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

GRAY: Yes. New Jersey. Same story. Basically.

WHITFIELD: Gosh. Steaming with people.

GRAY: Look at that. All the people out there. We're going to see the temperatures continue to warm up in the northeast throughout the Labor Day weekend. Looks like we'll stay dry today and tomorrow, though, for the most part. And then the rain coming back in on Monday.

WHITFIELD: And if you're kind of looking a little mid-screen, that little patch of people that are kind of running around, I think they're trying to play volleyball without a net and I think it's working.

GRAY: Possibly yes.

WHITFIELD: I'm ready to join in.

GRAY: You know what, I would give it a try.

WHITFIELD: That looks fun. OK. Hey, so I've gone to the beach this weekend. I don't feel so bad now.

(LAUGHTER)

GRAY: There you go.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jennifer, thanks so much.

GRAY: All right.

WHITFIELD: Something else that happened out in the West Coast, not really the best of times, we're talking about an earthquake. Remember about a week ago? It was a very costly loss for the wine country. Napa Valley's wine industry puts the loss at more than $50 million. And there are fears the magnitude 6 quake could trigger another one.

Labor Day weekend traditionally kicks off with the tourist season in wine country. Is it happening this time? Industry leaders are cautiously optimistic that the crowds will indeed come this weekend. Let's hope so.

All right. The terrorist group ISIS is not just a threat to Iraq and Syria. Still to come, Secretary of State John Kerry issues a strong statement for the entire world to hear.

And later, are teenagers waking up too early for school? Are they not getting enough sleep? What's going on? Some experts say it's a combination of all that. We'll talk to a mom, a teacher and a sleep doctor to talk more about the issue.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. As President Barack Obama weighs his options on how to confront ISIS militants in their Syrian stronghold, the Secretary of State has issued a stern message. In an opinion column for the "New York Times" today Kerry called the Islamic militants in Syria and Iraq a cancer that must be eliminated. But he said the U.S. should not take them on alone.

Erin McPike is joining us right now from the White House.

So, Erin, Kerry's op-ed is a lot stronger than President Obama's earlier statement this week saying that there is no strategy. Is there real strategy behind that move?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, what we do know is that the Obama administration is trying to buy some time. It does not mean that there is a strategy just yet. The Pentagon has presented President Obama with some options. They're weighing those options. There is no plan in place just yet. And one of the key lines from Secretary of State John Kerry's op-ed is a much cooler response is demanded from the world and he lays out how the United States plans to go about doing that.

And part of that is that President Obama will travel to Wales for the NATO summit next week and President Obama will confer with foreign leaders there. Also, Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel are going. They will meet with European allies of the United States to try to get them on board. From there, Kerry and Hagel will go to the Middle East to meet with Middle Eastern leaders to get them on board.

And then later in September, the United States is hosting the presidency of the U.N. Security Council and they will again apply more pressure and lobby them to help the United States. The United States is not asking unilaterally. They want a stronger response, not just on the humanitarian side of the crisis, but also for the stronger response needed to really eliminate ISIS -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And Erin, was there a change of plans for the president today that he had at the White House today and does it have to do with, you know, meeting with this National Security team or anything of that nature?

MCPIKE: Fred, President Obama was in New York City last night for a fundraiser and he is returning to New York City tonight for a wedding. He was going to stay. It may be about optics. You may remember when the president was on vacation in Martha's Vineyard, he did come back to the White House for a couple of days for some meetings and some other events that may have been on the schedule before today.

There may be some meetings. We don't have any confirmation from the White House just yet, but the White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest did say yesterday that the president wanted to be back here today to do a little work and meetings are certainly possible.

WHITFIELD: All right. Erin McPike, thanks so much at the White House.

We shift the focus next from the White House to Capitol Hill. A female senator says some of her male colleagues are making some very inappropriate and sexist remarks. We'll tell you what she says they said, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In the nation's capital, New York's junior senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, says sexism is alive and well. She says she has been the target of some very inappropriate sexist comments right in the halls of Congress.

Here's Dana Bash.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Chubby. Porky. Hot. Honey Badger. These are all words actually used by male members of Congress to address their colleague, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, to her face. The New York Democrat reveals this in "Off the Sidelines," a new book about what it's like to be a 47-year-old woman in politics in 2014.

Gillibrand is one of only a few women in history to give birth while in Congress. She talked to me about that several years ago right after her youngest son was born.

SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D), NEW YORK: There's a lot more interest in younger women beginning to look at public service earlier. And when we look at public service earlier, it means we have children while we're serving. It's good for the Congress.

BASH: She's open about struggling with weight gain after two pregnancies. As she was shedding pounds -- she lost 50 -- a male senator came up behind her, squeezed her waist and said, "Don't lose too much weight. I like my girls chubby."

Gillibrand makes headlines fighting for women's rights against sexual assault in the military, yet she says male colleagues didn't realize their comments were crass because they're older, in their 60s and up, but 74-year-old House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi who came to Congress when few females served is appalled.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), CALIFORNIA: It's absolutely ridiculous. It's disrespectful. Here's Senator Gillibrand, one of the great leaders in our country.

BASH: There are now 20 women in the Senate, an all-time high but it's still only 20 percent of the Senate and women make up more than 50 percent of the U.S. population.

Barbara Mikulski is the longest serving female senator in history. When she first came only 28 years ago, women weren't even allowed to wear pants on the Senate floor. Bathrooms were limited.

SEN. BARBARA MIKULSKI (D), MARYLAND: There's this place called the Senate gym. The locker room. That just couldn't accommodate me.

BASH: The good news is women can now exercise in the congressional gym. The bad news is, it's apparently a forum for inappropriate comments like when a colleague told Gillibrand, "Good thing you're working out because you wouldn't want to get porky," but she reports she gave as well as she got, responding, "Thanks, A-hole."

Dana Bash, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: My goodness. All right, well perhaps you need more of a political fix. Don't miss CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley, tomorrow 9:00 a.m. And this week she'll interview former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. He'll talk about 2016 and the indictment of Texas Governor Rick Perry.

All right, still ahead in the NEWSROOM, do you think your teenagers are getting enough sleep? A new report says they don't and it's time to do something about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Mortgage rates ticked down this week. Take a look. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the big stories crossing the CNN news desk right now.

In Texas, the federal judge has thrown out key parts of the state's new abortion restriction that would have forced the closure of more than a dozen clinics. The judge ruled the restrictions imposed an undue burden on women. Texas officials are appealing.

Malaysia Airlines is slashing 6,000 jobs or 30 percent of its workforce. It's been a difficult year for the airline. MH-370 was lost in flight and official are still searching for it and then MH-17 was shot down over Ukraine. The job cuts are part of a restructuring plan to save the airlines which lost nearly $100 million in the second quarter.

California could soon become the first state to ban the use of plastic grocery bags. The legislature passed the bill last night. It was heavily lobbied. The bill would force customers to pay 10 cents for paper and plastic or bring their own reusable bags. Governor Jerry Brown has until the end of September to sign the bill. He has not said what he'll do.

And it looks like singer Bruce Springsteen isn't just, as the song goes, born to run. Apparently, he is also born to write. "The New York Times" says he's working on a children's book called "Outlaw Pete" inspired by his 2009 song of the same name. Springsteen's publisher calls it a picture book for adults that they can also of course read to their children. And it's about a bank robbing baby.

All right, now to a situation in Ukraine which European leaders say has gotten significantly worse. A British government source tells CNN between 4,000 and 5,000 troops are now fighting in Luhansk and Donetsk. And Ukrainian officials fear Russia has its sights set on another eastern town. The port city of Mariupol.

Our Reza Sayah is live for us in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.

So, Reza, why is Ukraine particularly concerned about Mariupol right now?

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fred, Ukraine is concerned about Mariupol because if pro-Russian rebels take over control of that city, it's a big strategic gain for them and one that gives them some more momentum in this conflict. Mariupol is a sea port that sits in southeastern Ukraine, right between the Russian border and the Crimean Peninsula territory. The Russian -- pro- Russian rebels already annexed several months ago.

You'll recall on Thursday in a very surprise offensive, pro-Russian rebels in separatists in southeastern Ukraine -- towards Mariupol. They took over a town just east of Mariupol. If they take over that city, the next stop is Crimea, and if they continue to move in that -- they'll have taken over a piece of land that extends all the way from the Russian border into Crimea.

At this hour, the pro-Russian rebels are about 10 to 15 miles east of Mariupol. The Ukrainian troops are digging in, building fortification. The residents of the city are very scared. A lot of them are leaving, a lot of them are hunkering down as well. But it's important to point out that this hour, Fred, there is no indication that pro-Russian -- increasingly, it looks like that's going to be the next flash point in this conflict.

WHITFIELD: All right, Reza Sayah, thanks so much. Our apologies on the very dicey phone line, but given the condition, I think most people can understand why.

Thanks so much, Reza.

All right. Back in this country, are America's kids getting enough sleep? Some doctors say no and want schools to delay their starting times every day to give students the rest they need. We'll talk to a parent, a doctor and a high school teacher. In fact, all of them are parents. We'll have a good session, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK, you probably already know the answer to this. Do your teenagers get enough sleep? I'm hearing a resounding no.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Well, a new report says in fact you're right. They don't and it's time to actually do something about it. American Academy of Pediatrics released a new policy statement that says, quote, "Insufficient sleep in adolescents is an important public health issue that significantly affects the health and safety as well as the academic success of our nation's middle and high school students."

So here with me now are Dr. Michael Lacey, a neurologist and sleep specialist at the Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine, Dana Zekri is the mother of three sons, two of them are teenagers, and Stephanie Clower has taught high school kids for years just outside of Atlanta. She, too, is a parent.

All right. Good to see all of you.

DANA ZEKRI, MOTHER OF THREE SONS: Thank you.

DR. MICHAEL LACEY, NEUROLOGIST AND SLEEP SPECIALIST: Good to be here.

WHITFIELD: So, I guess, you know, it's not the news flash that, you know, teenagers are not sleeping a lot. Because I think most parents will be able to concur that they can't get their kids to go to sleep earlier and they certainly can't get them to wake up in the morning.

But, Dr. Lacey, you know, the argument from the Academy of Pediatrics is really saying it's a great detriment physically, you know, to these kids. How important is getting more sleep? LACEY: It's incredibly important because really what's happening is

kind of the school system and to some extent even children's behavior at home is flying in the face of nature. Because they need nine to 10 hours sleep. And that runs up against the fact that it's harder for them to fall asleep.

WHITFIELD: And why is that? I mean, medically there is an explanation. Something about the melatonin in a teenager when they hit puberty. Help us understand that.

LACEY: Yes. The -- you have a -- there's a gland in the brand called the pineal gland which releases melatonin. And in children, it hasn't locked in yet and teenagers, it's very delayed. And so they don't start getting melatonin until -- between 11:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m.

WHITFIELD: My gosh.

LACEY: Whereas adults, it's between 9:00 and 10:00. So we fall asleep earlier in the evening without much trouble and to try to get a teenager to fall asleep is very difficult.

WHITFIELD: So Mrs. Zachary, does that assist you especially for your ninth grader and your senior because maybe all this time you've been thinking they were being defiant about not wanting to go to bed earlier, but now there's a medical explanation as to why they can't go to bed earlier. So what do you do as a parent?

ZEKRI: Exactly. That was the most striking point in that article to me. It's like, well, it's not that they don't want to go to sleep, they can't shut it down. And you know, so it just gave me a lot more knowledge and understanding as to why they -- you know, but they wake up fine. But according to them, they would be fine --

WHITFIELD: They're tired.

ZEKRI: Well, they wake up tired.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

ZEKRI: And you know, so they're delayed in the school hours. And you know, we kind of talked about that and they were all for, at least having that extra hour to fully wake up at home and not at school.

WHITFIELD: So this kind of sleep deprivation according to, you know, the Academy of Pediatrics is saying it could lead to obesity, anxiety, depression. It could lead to more caffeine use.

But, Miss Clower, what are you seeing in these teenagers when they come to school and they are tired because of this, you know, medical explanation that they just can't get to bed earlier, but they have to wake up early in order to get to school. What does that mean for you the teacher? What do you see in the kids as to whether they can pay attention, they can study? I mean, it seems kind of obvious, but you tell me what you're seeing.

STEPHANIE CLOWER, HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER, FULTON COUNTY, GEORGIA: It is -- it is obvious. And they are tired. They have so many other external factors that go on in their lives, but for me as a teacher, I have to engage these students. If I can't change whatever time school starts, if I can't change their brain, I have to be able to engage my students in other activities, to change my classroom. That's what I'm doing.

Individualized instruction for us is huge right now in the school systems. That's what I try to do. They need to stand up, walk around, go stand up, walk around. Come back when you're ready.

WHITFIELD: So there's got to be a lot more flexibility in the classroom.

CLOWER: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: What about the flexibility of the hours in which the school day begins? There's that argument that perhaps school is starting just too early. Maybe it needs to be more in the 8:00 hour, the 9:00 hour. An answer? Is that good or is that ridiculous to even think that's possible?

LACEY: Well, actually some studies have been done in different school districts that start at 7:30 versus 8:30 and what they found is that school performance is better. There are fewer fights. There are fewer -- there's a lower incidents of things like depression, anxiety. Academic performance is better and particularly for high school students, what they found was that their safety record for those who are driving to school and things were much better in the later starting school systems than in the earlier school systems.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LACEY: So it kind of -- it's a pervasive thing. It kind of spills over into other areas.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So, Miss Zekri, what are you seeing your 12th grader?

ZEKRI: Yes. And the benefits far outweigh the cons of starting school later. Again, the biggest factor is, you know, they're not eating breakfast at home. I would love for them to get a balanced breakfast, but it's too early.

WHITFIELD: What are they doing? You know, run?

ZEKRI: They're eating in school. You know, if they're eating at school. And, you know, so again, the point of being able to fully awake at home, you know, perhaps get a decent breakfast and then start their day at school prepared, you know, just mentally focused, you know, concentration level is greater. You know, hands down in my household, that's -- you know, the boys would enjoy that a lot better.

WHITFIELD: So, Miss Clower, do you feel like your job has evolved or have you had to make changes in your teaching methods based on the observations of, you know, kids being a little less attentive or, you know, like Miss Zekri was saying, they're having to eat breakfast at school, so they're really trying to get their day started while at school as opposed to coming to school ready.

CLOWER: Right. No, I think it's really important and I do see a change. I -- my school still started at, you know, 7:30 in the morning, so I get that. But now they have so many other things -- factors, external factors like technology that they don't have a chance to maybe start later. And they want -- I know my school district does start later and across the board has started later. You know, and that's also good, after 8:00.

That's a great thing, but me individually as a teacher and what teachers need to do is identify those students individually. Identify their needs immediately.

WHITFIELD: And you mentioned the whole technology thing.

CLOWER: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: That's a whole new dynamic. I love what you said, your school is BYOD. Bring your own device. So, kids are -- they're fueled by whatever's on screen.

CLOWER: Right.

WHITFIELD: And that impacts their sleep as well. Doesn't it?

LACEY: Yes.

WHITFIELD: I mean, you can't shut down -- your body cannot shut down if you're constantly looking at a screen and these kids are constantly looking at a screen.

LACEY: Right. And through the evening and into the night, kids are gaming, they're texting. They're on Twitter.

WHITFIELD: Should there be a cutoff point then? I mean, should you be telling your kids you can't, you know, text or be, you know, engaged in your technology or your devices, I don't know, an hour before sleep or what?

LACEY: Absolutely. At least an hour. Everybody needs at least an hour of wind down and the other side of the equation is that if they're looking at a computer screen that's real bright or a tablet that's real bright, the light actually delays the release of melatonin even more.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

LACEY: So they need to be either looking at something under very low luminescent or maybe to be just not doing anything at all for the last hour other than just kind of winding it down and chilling.

ZEKRI: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Do you have a hard time getting your kids to disconnect?

ZEKRI: Yes. (LAUGHTER)

ZEKRI: Absolutely. And I agree with you about, you know, just that whole hour. To just decompress. Because I do know about the radiating light from the computer, from your iPad. From your Kindle or whatever. It does delay you from, you know, just winding down, so I think the hour just, you know, cut everything off. Just have some meditation time.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

ZEKRI: Just relax.

WHITFIELD: Why do things change once you get to college? I mean, I think all of us remember, you know, staying up all night or, you know, sleeping a little bit throughout the day. But we were able to -- maybe the pressure was different. You had to perform, you have to do well in your classes. Even if they were early hour classes. Or is there a change in your body?

LACEY: Not so much. I mean, the evolution of kind of maturation continues into the early to mid 20s, and so even a college freshman or sophomore needs the same amount of sleep. The difference is that in college, you have flexible schedules. So kids that are not morning people don't start until 10:00, 11:00, and then they come home between classes, crash for an hour, and then go back. So they're getting the sleep that they need but they're not getting it all when one fell asleep.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Those college days. Wouldn't it be nice if your workday could be like that, too? Forget about that. Yes. You would come in the middle of the day and go home and crash one hour, too, and then pick it back up again. That's nice.

All right.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: All right, Dr. Lacey, Dana Zekri and Stephanie Clower, good to see all of you.

ZEKRI: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And happy holiday weekend. Thanks for coming in.

ZEKRI: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate it. Thank you.

LACEY: Thank you very much. To you as well.

WHITFIELD: Thank you. All right. Coming up next, a 92-year-old woman was told she would not be allowed to vote anymore. The story of how a family bible actually helped get her voting rights back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: All right. In her 92 years, Evelyn Howard has seen plenty of elections and plenty of politicians. She's seen them come and go. So she was pretty disappointed when she found that a Kansas law was going to prevent her from voting in this year's elections.

Alan Shope of our affiliate KCTV in Kansas City explains what happened and how a family heirloom saved the day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALAN SHOPE, REPORTER, KCTV: It's a new law that began last year in Kansas. For folks moving to the state you have to be able to show proof of United States citizenship. If you can't, you can't vote.

EVELYN HOWARD, 92-YEAR-OLD VOTER: It's been so long ago, I forgot about it.

SHOPE: At 92 years, Shawnee voter Evelyn Howard has voted in 18 presidential elections.

HOWARD: I just thought I would vote for the one that I thought was best for the candidate, you know.

SHOPE: Evelyn says it's a privilege to vote. That's why when she moved from Missouri to Kansas, she was shocked when told she couldn't because she didn't have a birth certificate.

HOWARD: Got to be some way because I'm still a United States citizen.

SHOPE: Enter this family bible, from the 1920s.

HOWARD: And this was my grandmother, her mother's bible, which had in it the part where she was born and where she was born.

SHOPE: Simple notes, written by her mother, in a bible from nearly 100 years ago, and approved by the Kansas Election Board. Allowing one woman to keep on voting.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This has her parents and when they were married, and where they came from.

SHOPE: The bible had recently sold at her estate sale. The buyer contacted daughter, Marilyn, and thought the family should have it back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It makes her happy to know that she's going to be able to vote.

HOWARD: It's an obligation. We're citizens of the United States and we should do the best for our country.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow. What an extraordinary woman. And that was Alan Shope reporting from our affiliate, KCTV in Kansas City. All right, next, let's hit that racetrack with our own Christi Paul

right there in the passenger seat. Having a good time there. She's with Danica Patrick for a high-speed ride-along the terrifying turns when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. CNN's Christi Paul got a chance to hang out with Danica Patrick at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. The two talked about Tony Stewart and his race tomorrow, track safety, and a cause that has become important to Danica, breast cancer awareness. And then, of course, there was the terrifying trip around the track. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: OK. So talk to me about why this breast cancer awareness campaign is so personal to you?

DANICA PATRICK, NASCAR DRIVER: Well, I've been fortunate enough, and I really mean that, to do this at Atlanta every year where I get to meet a bunch of guys and girls that have been -- either had breast cancer or been affected by it. And they're just such a -- they're such a positive group. It's so amazing how something that is trying to take your life and make you miserable can make them so happy. They really are.

They're such a positive group. There's such a community around them, and this is one example of the things that they do to create community around breast cancer.

PAUL: We know they have these new regulations out that you can't get out of the car anymore after the whole thing with Tony Stewart. I was shocked because we were on the anchor desk that weekend, and we had a gal from radio come on and say, that happens all the time, that they get out of the car.

PATRICK: That's true.

PAUL: How is that?

PATRICK: Well, I mean, I think that, you know, you get out of the car when the car is stopped and you have time to get out, but, you know, NASCAR has implemented rules to try and make it -- give the EM -- give the emergency vehicles more time to get there.

PAUL: Have you talked to Tony? How's he doing?

PATRICK: I heard from Tony last weekend, told me good luck, and that was the first time I had heard from him. And you know, going through what he's had to go through, you know, the incident, the tragic accident was -- who knows how long it takes to digest it, to work through it, and I'm sure it will always, to be honest, something that he will deal with the rest of his life.

PAUL: Do you think this is a good move that they mandated these changes?

PATRICK: I think that anything that -- anything that's done with our best interest at heart is a good thing for the sport.

Buckle up, baby, buckle up.

PAUL: All right, here we go. Oh, lord have mercy. I am scared to death. You have no idea how --

PATRICK: Are you?

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL: Yes. How totally -- I don't know how you do this. Oh, my god. Holy crap, that wall is close.

Danica, that was -- my kids -- OK, this would have been my kids. Yes, go faster.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, good times, good times, there. Thanks so much, Danica, for taking Christi for a ride there.

All right, well, whether you hail from the "Planet of the Apes" or a galaxy far, far away, you are either in Atlanta this weekend or you wish you were here. For 28 years now the huge Dragon-Con convention has drawn people from all across the country and the world. And this year organizers expect a record crowd of 62,000. I think they are there. It may be very late into work today. Traffic is gridlocked as a result of all the parading things from other places. They're gamers, they're comic book readers, and they are pop cultural fans. And they are all in costume, and boy, do they have a lot of fun. A big tradition.

All right, hello again and happy Labor Day weekend.