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CNN NEWSROOM

U.S. Evacuating Special Forces from Yemen; Machete Wielding Man Storms Airport Security; Brooklyn Fire Kills Seven Children; Bloodied Student Arrest Stirs Outcry; White House Sharpening Tone Toward Netanyahu; Attorney: Durst Has Serious Medical Problems; Dayton Prevents NCAA Tournament History. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired March 21, 2015 - 11:00   ET

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


[11:00:33] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. We are tracking a lot. It is the 11:00 Eastern hour of the NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The hour starts right now.

We're tracking breaking news out of Yemen. The U.S. is evacuating about 100 special operation forces from the Al Anad Air Base. Sources are telling CNN that it's all because of deteriorating security situations in that country.

CNN correspondent Jomana Karadsheh joins us now from Baghdad with more on this. So you've got these marines that are now being pulled out, does this mean there will be no more U.S. personnel in that country?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, according to U.S. officials, Fred, these are the last of U.S. troops, these 100 Special Forces, are the last of U.S. troops in the country. But, of course, it is a counterterrorism operation there and it has been surrounded with mystery. So at least publicly these are thought to be the last of U.S. forces there.

There's been a lot of concern about the impact of the chaos and the deteriorating security situation we've been seeing in that country over the last few months and what impact this has on U.S. counterterrorism operations there. As you know, the U.S. military there has been targeting the leadership of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, AQAP that has used Yemen as its base.

And we saw last month the U.S. embassy there, shutting down and pulling out the staff. That has also had an impact, of course, on the operations. But officials have said that they will continue this -- these counterterrorism operations remotely, but it was believed that the shutting down of the U.S. embassy would have an effect and an impact on the fight against terrorism there in Yemen -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And then, Jomana, there were the mosque bombings earlier in the week. Is there a connection?

KARADSHEH: Well, what we're hearing from our colleague Barbara Starr from her reporting, that this evacuation of these hundred troops was because there was a prison break, a couple of prison breaks on Thursday and Friday, where al Qaeda prisoners were on the loose. Now, of course, there's also the deteriorating security situation as you mentioned, those devastating attacks that we saw taking place in the capital Sana'a on Friday targeting a Houthi mosque, the Houthi rebels, a Shia group that have taken control in recent months of the capital there and an attack that is said to have been claimed purportedly by ISIS.

Of course a very dangerous development in that country where we know that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has had really the upper hand there when it comes to operating terrorist groups in that country. So this latest attack, Fred, has many people concerned about what this

means. Is this the start of a new, dark chapter in that country? The emergence of ISIS possibly there, before thought to have very limited capabilities, still in that country and also the possibility of trying to drive Yemen into a sectarian war. ISIS and al Qaeda, of course, Sunni militant groups attacking here, what we think as the Shia rebels in that country, driving it to a conflict very similar to the one we've seen in Iraq and Syria, this sectarian violence.

So a lot of concern about this and now this happening with the evacuation of what is believed to be the last of U.S. forces there as the fight against terrorism in that country is really a main focus right now -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jomana thank you so much from Baghdad. Appreciate that.

Let's talk more about this breaking news out of Yemen. CNN's intelligence and security analyst Bob Baer joining me now; he's also a former CIA operative.

So that this would be the last of U.S. forces as we're hearing Jomana say, Bob, does that mean there is no U.S. intelligence representation still in Yemen likely?

ROBERT BAER, CNN INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY ANALYST: It's virtually zil at this point. You may have travelers going in occasionally, but it's rare. We are blind in Yemen except for satellites and intercepts. This is a huge setback.

And as the civil war progresses there, and it is getting worse, you've got the Houthis, they're moving on Taz (ph) today. You've got al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has taken over a couple of towns.

[11:05:07] You know, the chances of avoiding a full-on civil war in Yemen I think are also zil and our intelligence correspondently will get worse by the day.

It's unfortunate, seeing al Qaeda mini state in Yemen is not a good turnout for this of events there.

WHITFIELD: This is a significant blow, is it not, because the U.S. invested so much? There had been some milestones that the administration had boasted about that it appeared as though Yemen or at least keeping an eye on terrorist activity was clear in terms of advances the U.S. intelligence was able to make. How undermining is this?

BAER: Well, very, Fred. I mean the President has described Yemen as a success story. It's clearly not. I don't think the United States or really anybody understands this virus of the Islamic state, Sunni Takfiri fundamentalism, whatever word you are using, seems to be spreading in areas where there are power vacuums -- whether it's Libya, Iraq or Syria. And it's unclear to anybody how to stop this right now.

WHITFIELD: Let's also talk about Tunisia and what took place there. ISIS claiming responsibility for the attacks that happened there and in large part ISIS being able to say and demonstrate that its reach is growing. What does this tell you about the reach of ISIS and how it is able to infiltrate, if not set up camps like we've heard in neighboring Libya, but actually carry out threats?

BAER: Well, for Tunisia, this is an enormous setback because you look at the border between Libya and Tunisia it's porous, people cross it, a lot of weapons in Libya. There is a civil war going on there now. You know, how do you seal a border like that in the desert? Virtually impossible.

But I don't really think the Islamic state is controlling these attacks. The United States has the ability to close down their communications, monitor them. I think the Islamic state is simply claiming victories it's not really in control of, so I'm not that worried about that. What I'm worried about is just general chaos because people facing chaos like this, the default position, is radical Islam and that's what should concern us.

WHITFIELD: When do you suppose counterterrorism officials can learn from say the most recent attack that took place there in Tunisia in terms of how to anticipate the next plan?

BAER: If I were a Westerner I wouldn't set foot in the Middle East anywhere -- Beirut, Tunisia, Iraq, Libya -- the obvious places. It's just not safe. State control and the Middle East is deteriorating by the day and it's just wise to stay away and certainly don't go to public places like the Bardo Museum in Tunisia.

WHITFIELD: All right. Bob Baer, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

BAER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: This story out of New Orleans, Louisiana, this morning. Police shoot a man threatening TSA agents with a machete and bug spray. Travelers were sent scrambling as 62-year-old Richard White stormed a security checkpoint. At one point an agent fought White and used a piece of luggage to block the machete. That's when a police officer opened fire shooting White in the leg, chest and face.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A chaotic scene at New Orleans Armstrong International Airport. An injured TSA officer is wheeled away on a stretcher after police say a machete wielding man who also used wasp spray attacked security staff at a concourse checkpoint.

NEWELL NORMAND, JEFFERSON PARISH SHERIFF: He walked down the TSA pre- line, encountered the TSA officer who was checking the boarding passes with the scanning machine to be scanned. He was challenged at that point in time by the TSA officer. The response was, he pulled a can of wasp spray and sprayed the officer in the face.

WHITFIELD: Police say the suspect identified as 62-year-old Richard White, then encountered two more TSA agents and started swinging a machete. The incident apparently continued through the security area until the suspect was shot three times by a Jefferson Parish sheriff's deputy. White was taken to a hospital for surgery.

Police say a shot from that sheriff's deputies also hit a TSA officer who was being chased by the suspect. Her injury was not life threatening. The incident sent passengers and airport workers scrambling to safety and closed the airport for a short time. Police do not have a motive in the attack.

NORMAND: We don't know whether or not this individual was a member of the traveling public. We suspect not. He has been a taxi driver. He's recently received a chauffer's license. Has little or no criminal history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:10:05]WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk more about this.

Joining me right now Jonathan Gilliam -- a former air marshal and FBI agent. So in your view how do you suppose the suspect got so far with this kind of weaponry?

JONATHAN GILLIAM, FORMER AIR MARSHAL AND FBI AGENT: It's not hard to get to the point where he got. You know, the fact is, in the airline industry, we've taken the bureaucracy of government and a private company and put them together. And when they make their security in all these airports the policy that they have, they basically have created bottlenecks and all their security is in one location.

You literally could walk up to the security checkpoint with a marching band. There's nobody that's going to stop you before you go in those doors.

WHITFIELD: As far as you're concerned, it seems as though response was really quick and it avoided something far worse?

GILLIAM: That is true. But had it happened in another area in the airport, the response would not have been the same. The fact is, that, you know, there's armed police officers, you have a massive amount of TSA people, but they're all in that area. Had somebody snuck something through or had they done the same attack outside on the curb, it -- the response time would have been a lot slower and potentially there could have been a lot more injury and even death.

WHITFIELD: And what does this tell you about the preparedness at this airport, which, you know, is a sizable airport given that you have so much tourism, but it's not considered one of the largest ones. What does this tell you about the security in place, TSA response, sheriff's deputy who was nearby, how people work together?

GILLIAM: Well, I'll tell you Fred, when Bob Baer was just talking a minute ago about the Middle East, that attack that was in Tunisia, for instance, that was outside of a museum but they didn't attack the museum. They hit the bus -- the bus that was pulling up to the museum. These were unsuspecting tourists.

WHITFIELD: Right. Completely vulnerable.

GILLIAM: Exactly. When you go to an airport, you know, anywhere that there's a soft target is a place where people congregate and they let their guard down. The thing that's going to always save you and in the case of the fact that it happened where it happened here, is that the officers are prepared mentally for that to happen. You know, civilians that are walking around in these areas, you need to start preparing your own self, your mind and your awareness to look around and see what's going on so you can avoid it.

WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness. Ok, meantime I want to ask you about another story involving the TSA at a U.S. airport last summer. The agency apparently let a convicted felon and former domestic terror group member through a TSA pre-checkpoint and the passenger had convictions for murder, explosive offenses, one officer even recognized the felon but the TSA supervisor said to let the individual board anyway. And a homeland security inspector said it highlights the need for modified pre-check procedures. What in your view needs to change?

GILLIAM: Well, in my view, I'm not even sure how they identified who this guy was, you know. I mean there's no records check when you go through there. If, you know, somebody has been convicted and they're a felon and they have certain types of --

WHITFIELD: It almost seems like it was face recognition by saying that this one officer recognized that felon.

GILLIAM: That's a one in a million chance too, you know. You know, when somebody is a sex offender they have to register as a sex offender. It might be time for us to start looking at certain types of crimes and people if you're a felon you have to register as, you know, a certain thing.

Like in the case of any type of crime with using a weapon or using a bomb-making material, something that you have to sign -- be on a list and when you present your credentials, it's known that you're in that airport.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jonathan Gilliam -- thanks so much. Good to see you. Appreciate it.

GILLIAM: Good to be here, thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Straight ahead, a horrific fire in Brooklyn, New York -- a very costly fire for one family in particular. Our Shasta Darlington is following that story this morning.

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. A terrible tragedy when a fire swept through a family home here in Brooklyn. The mother and a teenage daughter were able to survive when they jumped out of second-story windows but seven children between the ages of five and 15 were killed with New York officials calling it the worst fire tragedy in seven years. More details after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:17:44] WHITFIELD: A horrible tragic story out of Brooklyn right now. Seven children are killed when a fire rips through a house -- you can see in the video right here, the house is nothing now, but a burned out shell. There were two survivors. The mother believed to be mother of all of the seven children who died and her older 14-year- old daughter. They had to jump out of the window to escape those flames.

CNN correspondent Shasta Darlington is joining us now from Brooklyn with the latest on the horrible situation -- Shasta.

DARLINGTON: Well, Fredricka, we've heard from the fire commissioner that the fire started slightly after midnight in the kitchen due to a malfunctioning hot plate. These are used commonly by Jewish families here to keep food warm on Sabbath and it just ripped through the house, went up to the second floor.

What the commissioner said is they haven't found any evidence that there were smoke detectors on the first or second floor. The mother and the daughter as you mentioned, they jumped out of the second-story windows and escaped, but seven children between the ages of five and 15 were killed. Firefighters rushed to the scene, obviously hoping to scoop these children out of their bed and save them. In the end the commissioner is saying this is the highest death toll in a fire accident in the last seven years.

Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL NIGRO, NEW YORK FIRE COMMISSIONER: Seven children lost their lives this morning at this occasion, this very tragic occasion. It's a tragedy for this family, it's a tragedy for this community, it's a tragedy for our city.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DARLINGTON: Now, the other -- another detail from the commissioner is that they have not been able to reach out to the father yet. He was at a conference and they haven't been able to reach him. This is a very difficult moment for this community. A lot of people, because it's Sabbath, it's a tight knit Jewish community, they haven't been watching their TVs. They haven't had their computers on so they're finding out about the accident on their way to and from the synagogue and it's just a terrible shock. People are really feeling this.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. So, Shasta, just trying to envision here, so clearly all the children, perhaps kind of dispersed throughout the household. You said the mother and the 14-year-old were in that second level, right, and they were able to jump to their safety.

[11:20:04] But is there any detail from officials about where the other kids were in the house and why it was that I guess that no one could try to retrieve them and how it was that the mother and the 14- year-old were able to survive by jumping out?

DARLINGTON: Well, Fredricka, the whole family that was on the second story, but a lot of the children who didn't survive were in the back of the house. And the mother and the teenager, the 14-year-old who did were in the front of the house and so they were able to jump.

Again, just part of the problem, according to the commissioner, is that they just didn't have the smoke detectors. I imagine we'll discover soon how much of a role the smoke inhalation had in this. But the commissioner said this was devastating for the firefighters to not be able to save these children -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: This is just heartbreaking. All right.

Thank you so much -- Shasta Darlington. Appreciate that.

Straight ahead after that bloody takedown by police a demand for answers now, but it may take weeks to find out what happened to this Virginia college student.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In Virginia, officials say it may be weeks before they get to the bottom of the investigation of that violent arrest. A national outcry erupted after video surfaced showing alcohol control agents arresting 20-year-old Martese Johnson. He needed ten stitches and has since been re-admitted to the hospital because of some swelling on his head.

[11:25:06] CNN's Brian Todd reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, his head is bleeding. His head is bleeding

MARTESE JOHNSON, STUDENT: I go to UVA, (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop fighting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) racists.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The arresting agents described him as agitated, belligerent and intoxicated. But Martese Johnson says he did nothing wrong, that Virginia's Department of Alcohol, Beverage Control agents used excessive force. His attorney says Johnson had a valid Illinois state I.D. but when asked for his zip code Johnson gave his mother's current address, different from his I.D. card.

MARTESE JOHNSON, STUDENT: How does this happen, you (EXPLETIVE DELETED) racists.

TODD: Johnson suffered a head injury requiring ten stitches.

On the University of Virginia campus outraged students press top law enforcement officials on the Johnson arrest. Martese Johnson was at this forum but didn't speak. Neither did senior ABC agents who were there.

Virginia's top public safety official, who oversees ABC says he doesn't know if this is about race. He says the accusation of excessive force is being investigated and --

Any of the officers involved in that arrest have any disciplinary measures taken against them in the past?

BRIAN MORAN, VIRGINIA SECRETARY OF PUBLIC SAFETY: We're allowing the investigation to -- that type of information is important to gather and we've asked the state police to gather that information.

TODD: Now a top Virginia legislator is putting immense pressure on this alcohol enforcement agency.

DEL. DAVID TOZCANO: They are not appropriately trained, they don't have the proper protocols and they don't implement them appropriately. And here is another example of them being overzealous in their enforcement.

TODD: David Tozcano says it's time to consider taking weapons and the power to arrest away from ABC agents. Contacted by CNN ABC officials would not comment. This isn't the first time ABC agents have been accused of excessive force.

In April of 2013, a young University of Virginia student was swarmed by ABC agents outside this Harris (ph) theater in Charlottesville. They surrounded her car, at least one of them pulled a gun. They thought she was buying alcohol under age. Turns out all she had was some sparkling water and cookie dough. On the 911 call from inside the student's car -- fear and confusion.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't know if they're real police officers or not and we're freaking out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does somebody have a gun or something?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

TODD: Student Elizabeth Daily was arrested that night but she later got that taken off her record and settled a lawsuit for more than $200,000. After that incident the Virginia ABC Department disciplined those agents and reformed its practices. But there could well be another round of that in the weeks ahead.

Brian Todd, CNN, Charlottesville, Virginia. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And still ahead the White House takes a decidedly frosty tone towards Israel's Prime Minister. Erin McPike is at the White House.

[11:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:31:10]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Happening right now in the NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Did the prime minister tell the president that he believes in a two-state solution in his phone call?

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: That's something that -- you can ask my Israeli counterpart about what the prime minister said in his phone call.

ACOSTA: Don't you know what the president heard?

EARNEST: I'm not saying I don't know. I'm saying I will allow my Israeli counterpart to describe the views that his boss conveyed in that phone call.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: The U.S./Israeli relationship is tense. It doesn't matter how many times Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he still wants a two-state solution, the White House apparently not buying it.

And could millionaire Robert Durst be tied to other unsolved crimes?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The one that all eyes are focused on at this point is in Northern California.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The FBI is asking detectives across the country to dust off their cold case files.

Plus new details on Whitney Houston's daughter, Bobbi Kristina, sources are now telling CNN that she has been moved to a rehab facility. The NEWSROOM continues right now.

All right, good morning again, everyone. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Witfield. The White House tone toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is growing sharper. The anger over his pre-election flip flop on a Palestinian state is clearly evident. CNN's senior White House correspondent, Jim Acosta has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA (voice-over): If there's one thing that's clear after President Obama's phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu it's that a single conversation won't repair a damaged relationship.

Netanyahu has said in at least three interviews that he still believes in Palestinian statehood, despite his pre-election flip flop on a two- state solution and a desperate appeal for votes. I haven't changed, Netanyahu told NPR, but that's not good enough for the White House.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why not just take him at his word on that? Is there a reason the White House --

EARNEST: The question is which one?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His latest.

ACOSTA: White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest declined to say whether Netanyahu clarified his position in his phone call with the president.

ACOSTA: Did the prime minister tell the president that he believes in a two-state solution in his phone call?

EARNEST: That's something that the -- you can ask my Israeli counterpart about what the prime minister said in this phone call.

ACOSTA: Don't you know what the president heard?

EARNEST: I'm not saying I don't know. I'm just saying that I will allow my Israeli counterpart to describe the views that his boss conveyed in that phone call.

ACOSTA: Despite those tensions, House Speaker John Boehner plans to visit Israel at the end of the month while the speaker's office says the trip was planned before the prime minister's re-election, it will come around the deadline for an initial nuclear deal between Iran, the U.S. and other world powers.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: This moment may not come again soon. I believe that our nations have a historic opportunity to resolve this issue peacefully, an opportunity we should not miss.

ACOSTA: In a video message to the Iranian people, the president urged leaders in Tehran to come to an agreement and later leased a statement calling for the release of Americans either imprisoned or missing in the country.

Secretary of State John Kerry, who spent the week working on a nuclear agreement, sounded optimistic as he left the talks.

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: We'll be back next week. We made a lot of progress, yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: The White House had said before Netanyahu's victory that the president would not meet with the prime minister just weeks prior to that election, but with the voting now over aides to the president say they won't rule out a future meeting noting the two leaders have much to discuss. Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.

WHITFIELD: President Barack Obama is weighing in on the delay over a Senate vote to confirm his nominee for attorney general, Loretta Lynch. In an interview with the "Huffington Post" and in his weekly address today, Obama accuses Senate Republicans of holding her nomination hostage.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says her vote will not be held until the Senate votes on a human sex trafficking bill. Democrats are filibustering that bill over abortion language included in it.

[11:35:11] CNN's Erin McPike is joining us now from the White House. So Erin, there was a dust up this week when some Democrats claimed the vote delay was racially motivated and what did the president have to say about that?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, he was asked about that in this interview with "The Huffington Post." Watch here.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Increasingly we hear Democrats saying that race is a factor. Do you share the concerns?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: I don't know about that. What I do know is that she is imminently qualified, nobody denies it. The Senate dysfunction is part of it. But part of it I think is just stubbornness on the part of Republicans to move nominees, period.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They say they've got -- they're holding up her nomination until they get to this human trafficking bill with a controversial abortion provision in it. Would you encourage Democrats to let the bill go through so you can get a confirmation?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: You don't hold attorney general nominees hostage for other issues. This is our top law enforcement office. Nobody denies that she's well qualified. We need to go ahead and get her done.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCPIKE: Now I would also point out that Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City said much of the same thing. He has been under some fire recently for comments he's made about President Obama, but he came out this week and told Senate Republicans to stop dawdling and he said that Loretta Lynch is overqualified to be attorney general -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: So Erin, has anyone else's nomination been held up under similar circumstances like this?

MCPIKE: President Obama did sort of talk about this a little bit in some of these interviews and Edwin Mees, who is the attorney general nominee under Ronald Reagan was held up about a year when there was a Democratic Senate.

But this has been a big problem for the Obama administration especially since Senate Republicans have taken over, that they can't get through their nominations in time. I would also point out, that the current surgeon general lasted in this process for more than a year. This has been a problem for things administration -- Fred.

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

All right, Pope Francis says people shouldn't let crime rob them of their hope. Barbie Naudeau is in Rome.

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Pope Francis visited a high crime area and talked about how corruption harms society. His decision about what to do with a high profile cardinal has many wondering if he's sending a mixed message.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:41:12]

WHITFIELD: Pope Francis wrapped up a large outdoor mass in Naples, Italy and his message today, society must clean up corruption. He said this after visiting a district known for its strong mafia presence.

CNN contributor, Barbie Nadeau is joining us now. So Barbie, you know, the pope delivered this very similar message last week talking about drugs and corruption. Does this tell you something more about how he's prioritizing issues?

NADEAU: That's right. This is classic Pope Francis today going out into the margins trying to reach people who feel left out, and feel very disenfranchised. He said in the past that crime bosses, especially those with the neopolitan mafia group, should not hide behind their religion.

They should not use religion as an excuse or as a point of forgiveness when they kill or use corruption to harm society. He made that point again. He actually used the -- made a comparison today to the stench of corruption to that of a human corps.

Those are the words he said. He was surrounded by followers, by faithful, by the sons and daughters of people who have grown up with organized crime in their doorstep for years and years. One of the most dangerous places not just in Italy, but in all of Europe he visited today.

WHITFIELD: So Barbie, the Catholic Church has also been dealing with the myriad of sex abuse cases, just yesterday, Cardinal Keith O'Brien of Scotland resigned after several priests and former priests accused him of inappropriate sexual behavior. But Pope Francis is allowing him to keep the title. Is this not sending a mixed message about cleaning up?

NADEAU: Well, there's a lot of disappointment I think that Cardinal O'Brien was not actually defrocked. That he was just stripped of his title. It's basically telling someone they don't have their job anymore, but they're allowed to stay on the payroll.

But for a cardinal like Cardinal O'Brien, who is so prominent here in Europe, I think just being stripped of these responsibilities of the church here in Rome and all of these things really do imply that he is guilty and imply complicity in the sexual abuse scandal.

So that alone perhaps is enough for the cardinal, but it does send a message for people affected by the sex abuse problems, tells them that maybe this pope isn't being strong enough.

WHITFIELD: All right, Barbie Nadeau, thank you so much. Appreciate that.

There are some big March Madness games today including the overall number one team, Kentucky, they haven't lost a game this entire season, but will they have enough steam left in the engine to blow pass Cincinnati?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:47:26]

WHITFIELD: Yet another twist in the case of millionaire murder suspect, Robert Durst. He's already in custody charged with the 2000 murder of a friend but he could face charges in other states where officials are combing over cold cases.

And now his attorneys tell CNN's Jean Casarez their client isn't well and needs medical care.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Robert Durst sits behind bars this weekend at the Hunt Correctional Facility about an hour outside of New Orleans. He's in their mental facility there and his attorney tells me it is not because he's a suicide risk, he is not.

He does say he has a medical condition, that he needs to be in a hospital setting, but it's because of what we heard in open court, that recently he had neurosurgery or brain surgery because of a condition called hydrocephalus.

The attorney tells me that during that surgery they inserted a stent or a shunt, which is like a tube and when necessary for fluid drainage. The attorney tells me also in recent years, that his client had cancer of the esophagus and cervical surgery of his neck.

While Robert Durst is behind bars the FBI is asking local law enforcement to search all of their cold cases, their murder cases, that are unsolved in areas frequented by or lived in by Robert Durst. They're asking them to see if there are any time periods when Durst was in town living there or visiting and murderers that are yet unsolved. The one that all eyes are focused on is in Northern California, young woman by the name of Karen Mitchell, who went missing in 1997, when she was 16 years old.

There was a sketch artist that actually did a rendering of what a witness says was the last person who was seen with her, as you can see, a striking resemblance to Robert Durst. In looking through property records, however, what I see is that although he purchased property in that area, it wasn't until two years later.

The defense response to all of that is that law enforcement is just trying to pin something on their client because they just don't have a case in Los Angeles, and that is the issue on Monday. It is a bail hearing in Louisiana for local state charges.

But the big question, after that hearing, will Robert Durst then be extradited here to Los Angeles to face first-degree murder charges? Jean Casarez, CNN, Los Angeles.

WHITFIELD: By now you have heard about the muttered remarks picked up on a microphone Durst was wearing in the documentary "The Jinx," the "I killed them all" comment caught on tape. In about 40 minutes, I'll ask our legal guys if that apparent confession is enough to convict him.

[11:50:10]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:53:50]

WHITFIELD: All right, checking our top stories now. Police in North Carolina say the man arrested in connection with the grisly murder of a former food network contestant and her husband has admitted to destroying the victims' bodies.

Police they found human remains in a wood stove at the home of the suspect, Robert Jason Owens. Authorities say the victims, Christie Cod, a finalist on Season 8 of the Food Network Star and her husband, Joseph, had hired the man to work on their home. Christie was reportedly five months pregnant at the time of her death.

And Bobbi Kristina Brown has been moved to a medical rehab facility, according to a source close to the family. The 22-year-old daughter of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown is still in a medically induced coma after being found unresponsive in her Atlanta home in January. The extent of her injuries is still unknown and the police continue to treat her case as a criminal investigation.

And doctors in Pennsylvania are calling it a miracle after a toddler managed to come back to life after not having a pulse for more than 122 minutes. The 22-month-old Gardell Martin was in his backyard playing with his brothers when he somehow fell into an icy stream near his home and was swept away. [11:55:07] A neighbor found the boy a half hour later, lifeless, face- down in 34-degree water. He was rushed to a hospital and doctors say he had no signs of life, and was in a hypothermic state. The boy's body was slowly warmed, and his pulse and heart rate eventually returned.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I knew there was help on the way, and I just gathered the rest of the children around me and we prayed. I just can't thank him enough. We feel very unworthy and very grateful.

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WHITFIELD: Wow, that's extraordinary. Doctors say they will continue to monitor the toddler, but at this point, there was every indication that Martin will actually make a full recovery. Wow.

All right, the highly publicized return of Serena Williams to a California tournament she boycotted for years, for more than a decade, cut short because of now a knee injury. Williams' first boycotted the Indian Wells Tournament 14 years ago when she and her family were booed by the crowd which they attributed to racism. Williams says she is looking forward to returning to the event next year.

From tennis to March Madness and your brackets, they may not be in the best shape since the openers were marked by upset after upset, but day two of the tournament was more predictable and for that we now have CNN sports, Coy Wire. Here we go.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS: Here we go. We had some interesting things happen. Since the NCAA tournament went to 64 teams 30 years ago, there has never been a day when all 16 games ended with the higher- seeded team winning but yesterday almost happened.

Fifteen games were played where the higher-ranked seed won, that tied a record set in 2000, and then on the last game of the day, the one and only upset. We have fist-pumping here in the studio, only six players on scholarships, Fredricka. Not one is taller than 6'6" but they were monsters against number six seed Providence.

They were scrappy, played with the heart of a lion even got under the skin of Providence Coach Ed Coolly. Coolly lost his coolly, he received a technical, and after that, it was all downhill. Dayton pulled away from Providence, 66-53 and advanced to the round 32.

WHITFIELD: Go scrappy.

WIRE: Now other than that upset, it was a pretty tame day yesterday. But Thursday, we had the close calls. We actually witnessed a new NCAA tournament record, five one-point games in one day, the bracket- busters, two of the upsets.

And the one everyone is talking about, Georgia State. Head Coach Ron Hunter led the squad from a chair with a torn Achilles injury that he suffered last week. And then this happened. His son, RJ, splash! Game-winning three-point upset Baylor.

WHITFIELD: I'm out of my chair. No, no, that was from before.

WIRE: He's got loved it. Out of his seat. He now has to get re- casted because his cast broke, but he said it's all good. I wouldn't change a second of it.

WHITFIELD: That's his kid. What?

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RON HUNTER, GEORGIA STATE HEAD COACH: This has been -- this has been an interesting, interesting week. We're winning, I'm getting banged up, I'm getting cut on, I'm getting everything. The players are absolutely just killing me with all of this right now.

I'm rolling around in not even a wheelchair, in a scooter, that's half broken. Just been an interesting week, but I won't trade this for the world.

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WIRE: He is just simply awesome. Speaking of awesome, Kentucky's march to perfection continues this afternoon. The Wildcats are 35-0 on the season. They are the tournament's top overall seed. If they're able to run the table, the first to finish with a perfect season since Indiana did it in 1976.

The next team on the Wildcats' path is the number 18, Cincinnati. It will be a fun one to watch. A lot of fun ones to watch, Fredricka. Actually, it started the 12:10 Eastern on CBS with UCLA and UAB. You have that Kentucky, Cincinnati game at 2:40 Eastern and Xavier-Georgia State. That will be one to watch at 6:10, true Cinderella story.

You can watch all the games, action, all day, into the night. There you go. It's all going to be on our Turner Sport sister station, TBS and TNT. I'll be watching.

WHITFIELD: Of course. And you'll be letting us know because I won't get a chance to watch.

WIRE: How is that bracket doing?

WHITFIELD: Work in progress.

WIRE: Good answer.

WHITFIELD: All right, Coy, good to see you. That was close. We'll have much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM, and it all starts right now.

All right, happening right now in the NEWSROOM, the U.S. pulling special ops forces out of Yemen after fears of deteriorating security.

Plus, chaos at the New Orleans airport.

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[12:00:03] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She pulled a can of wasp spray and sprayed the officer in the face.

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