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Hostages Taken in New Hampshire Clinton Headquarters; Trains Collide in Chicago
Aired November 30, 2007 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters here in Atlanta.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Don lemon.
As you can see, we're following breaking news here in the CNN, two breaking news story.
PHILLIPS: The one right now we want to take you to is police saying that campaign workers are being held hostage in Hillary Clinton's campaign office in downtown Rochester, New Hampshire.
We just heard moments ago from an eyewitness there on the scene.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Again, how this all started, you were in the business next door, right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I was in the business next door just working, like any other normal day, not really paying attention to the outside, was doing my job. And my husband called me and asked me what I was doing. So I told him I was working.
And he told me that I needed to leave the building immediately, and I didn't understand why. He told me that there was something about a bomb. So I immediately grabbed my jacket and ran out the door. When I got out the door, I seen that there was cops down the street. Both ends of the road were blocked off.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to stop you for one second.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: We just heard from an eyewitness there on the scene that witnessed how this hostage situation went down.
If you're just tuning in, an armed man took a number of people hostage. We're told two campaign volunteers possibly still inside there. He has apparently allegedly strapped a bomb to him. The bomb squad is responding at this time, the squat team trying to negotiate with this man, find out what his demands are.
Our Mary Snow out of the New York bureau has been covering the Clinton campaign. And, Mary, I know we just got a statement from the Clinton campaign. Can you tell us about that? And also, is this man holding these hostages demanding to speak with Senator Clinton?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Kyra, watching our affiliate WMUR in New Hampshire, it was reporting that there were unconfirmed claims that he was making those kinds of demands.
Now, the Clinton campaign overall put a very short statement just a short time ago, saying -- and I will read it to you here -- "This is an ongoing situation in our Rochester, New Hampshire, office. We're in close contact with state and local authorities and are acting at their direction," saying, "We will release additional details as appropriate."
Now, as we have been reporting, Senator Clinton is not in New Hampshire today. She had been scheduled to go to another meeting in Virginia at an event this afternoon, and she is not there. What happens next, we are not really sure, because that's the only statement we have gotten so far from the Clinton campaign.
But, you know, Kyra, in covering politics in these kinds of offices, very often, there will only be a handful of volunteers in these campaign headquarters in some of these small towns, and you get a lot of the volunteers who come up going door to door, a lot of fresh faces, and often mothers bringing their children.
Just around this time is when school gets out. So, in the afternoon, sometimes you see parents with their children who don't have baby-sitters in the afternoon. Obviously we heard that there was a mother and child in there initially who was released.
PHILLIPS: And apparently, as I was reading through the wires and, of course, been getting information from our affiliates there in Rochester, Mary, that the police had cordoned off the whole area and evacuated all the businesses, but that there was a number of campaign volunteers inside, but apparently this man who is holding the two hostage right now let this young woman carrying an infant go.
And she apparently ran into a nearby store, told them what was going on, called 911, and she had apparently reported that inside the campaign office, this man just walked in, opened up his coat, showed them what looked like to be a bomb strapped to his chest, taped to him by duct tape.
And now, of course, police have responded. The SWAT team has surrounded and they're trying to negotiate with him right now.
In a situation like this, would the senator ever talk to somebody like this demanding to speak with a presidential candidate? Or is that something that doesn't normally happen? I mean, there are innocent lives at stake. Who knows?
SNOW: Yes. And I wouldn't even want to hazard to guess about it, because it is such a sensitive situation right now. And, as you said, there were reports that were explosives involved. And we know from reports on the scene there are about to 30 businesses in that area. And police have barricaded it off. So, it's a very sensitive situation.
PHILLIPS: All right, Mary Snow, keep talking with those folks within the Clinton campaign and let us know if you hear anything more, will you?
SNOW: Sure.
PHILLIPS: All right, Mary Snow following it for us.
LEMON: We want to get you right to the ground here, because we have some developing news. It concerns a SWAT team here, some new information coming from our affiliate reporter at WMUR. Josh Davis, he is on the ground there -- new information about the SWAT team.
Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSH DAVIS, WMUR REPORTER: We do.
The latest situation right now, we're standing right across from Rochester District Court. Just behind me is where this Hillary campaign office is. We can't show you what's going on right now, because it appears that the SWAT team is currently talking to whoever is inside there. We have heard them say over a loudspeaker that they are not going to go inside.
We have also heard them say that they are going to try to send a phone. And it's a message that he has no doubt, he or she, has heard over the speaker of that SWAT team vehicle that appears to be just outside of the Clinton campaign office at this point.
We're going to stand here with the people that have milled about. We're some four or five businesses away from where this Clinton campaign office is. And, again, the SWAT team, this is the first time that we have seen them since we got here, tried to make contact at least that we have heard with that man who is inside with these two hostages.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And that was CNN affiliate reporter Josh Davis from WMUR.
We had some pictures moments ago, new video of that SWAT team on the ground, the SWAT team that Josh Davis was talking about in his report, that coming into the CNN NEWSROOM moments ago.
Also, this is new information coming into us as well. CNN has confirmed that one of those hostages has been released in all of this. Earlier, it was two hostages that this man had -- this person who went into the Hillary Clinton campaign headquarters in Rochester, New Hampshire, had taken. Now we're getting word that one hostage has been released.
We want to welcome our international viewers from countries around the world here to CNN. You're watching breaking news happening. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former first lady, her campaign headquarters now. She is now running for president. Her campaign headquarters, happening just a short while ago, someone walking in, saying that they were wearing an explosive device, possibly a bomb, taking two people hostage.
And now we're hearing they only have one person. They have let one hostage go in all of this. We're working our resources here on the ground. We're going to talk to Sareena Dalla, who is a producer in New Hampshire. She's working this story for us.
Sareena, as we look at the SWAT team members here on the ground in Rochester, New Hampshire, tell us about what you're seeing there on the ground, what you're experiencing.
SAREENA DALLA, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Hi.
yes, OK, well, it looks like right now they have completely blocked off the streets. I'm not sure if you can see the yellow tape. Right now, I'm looking at the bus right now with all of these SWAT team members. We just learned that one hostage was just released. We actually saw her walk out.
She was a female. She was accompanied by two officers. We have heard that they also gave a cell phone to the hostage, unclear exactly how that transfer was given. But that's been an attempt to communicate with him inside.
Clearly right now the road is just -- it's blocked off, and, there's, you know, obviously no one there. And there's been word that also, as you all have said, that nearby campaigns, Obama, Obama's headquarters, as well as Edwards, have also been evacuated.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Sareena, real quickly, I just want to get clear of what you said here. You said that a cell phone was handed to an officer? Was it handed to him by the person who's holding this person hostage?
DALLA: No.
The details are that a transfer of the cell phone was given to the armed person inside the Clinton headquarters.
(CROSSTALK)
DALLA: Right, as an attempt to communicate with the SWAT team. They have said, according to some reports, that they're not going to go in. They're trying to communicate with him. And, just as I said, about two minutes ago, the first -- not the first -- a hostage was released from the Clinton headquarters.
LEMON: OK. OK. And we want to say Sareena is a producer here. And, Sareena, we have a very large audience today, so we don't want to put you on the spot.
But, again, I want you to tell us again. You said, from what you have witnessed about this one person who's being released, describe to us the exchange of the cell phone and the circumstances surrounding the release of this one hostage.
DALLA: The cell phone situation is, as I have just said, I have just heard through people on the ground here that a cell phone was handed to the armed man inside the Clinton headquarters as an attempt to communicate with him.
As far as the hostage, I saw her walk out of the Clinton headquarters with two SWAT team members accompanying her. They would not release her name. She was a woman. She was in her mid-20s, it looked like, and she was immediately evacuated off. We weren't able to speak with her.
We asked -- I asked A.J. Bosi (ph), who is a policeman nearby, if that was the end of this, if there were any more hostages inside, and he said that it was still unclear.
LEMON: OK. Just real quick, what was the woman's -- her demeanor when she...
(CROSSTALK)
DALLA: She looked visibly distressed. She avoided eye contact with us, though. She just kept her head to the ground.
And she was, as I said, escorted by two armed SWAT team members. So, they quickly escorted her off the scene. So, she's actually not anywhere nearby right now. But this just happened a few minutes ago.
PHILLIPS: Don, Sareena pointed -- Sareena, you point out something that actually is a really good sign.
And, working with the LAPD and also New Orleans SWAT teams for a number of years, I learned a lot about SWAT procedure. And this is good news, because what the SWAT team wants to do is communicate with the person that is inside holding people hostage. They want to de- escalate the situation. They want to calm him down, and that's -- they do that through the negotiators.
And the negotiators on the SWAT team are the key to making this a nonviolent situation. So, they got the cell phone to the hostage- taker, obviously. The fact that he is letting the hostages go -- now we're getting word that both hostages have been released -- is good news.
LEMON: Right.
PHILLIPS: It means they're communicating with him. They're getting him to calm down. He has let the hostages go. Now the next step will be to try to talk him out of blowing himself up and causing harm to himself, buildings there, other people surrounded in the situation.
The last thing they want to do is go in there with guns blazing, shooting people. That only makes the situation worse. So, this is good news that the negotiators were able to get a cell phone to him, calm him down, release those two hostages, so it's moving forward in the right direction.
LEMON: OK, Kyra, if I can jump in here, because we are just getting information. I'm getting information from the producers that this is new video of one of those hostages being released. This is from our affiliate WMUR, possibly the woman that our producer just told us about moments ago, a woman in her 20s who is being released from the Hillary Rodham Clinton headquarters in Rochester, New York (sic).
You can see her there, left of your screen, wearing a green sweater. And as Sareena Dalla said, she looks visibly shaken by this. And, of course, who wouldn't be, if someone says they are strapped with a bomb and comes in and carries you hostage -- and takes you hostage.
But again this is -- you can see the SWAT team guy there on the right, and the person who was taken hostage there on the left. We keep repeating this, because this is a very short shot.
Again, as CNN has just reported, we're getting word -- CNN has confirmed one hostage has been released, and, according to our affiliate on the ground, WMUR, both hostages, two hostages have been released in all of this.
This is -- these are pictures, aerial pictures of Hillary Rodham Clinton headquarters in Rochester, New York (sic), where a man walked in, saying he was strapped with a bomb or an explosive and then took people hostage.
PHILLIPS: We're following this story for you out of Rochester, New Hampshire, also that trail derailment in Chicago, Illinois, where five individuals were critically injured. We're on top of both stories.
We're bringing you more information right after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Three fifteen Eastern time here in Atlanta, Georgia.
And we are following breaking news here in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Don Lemon, along with CNN's Kyra Phillips.
We're following, one, a hostage situation at the office of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, her campaign office in Rochester, New Hampshire.
CNN has confirmed one person has been released. Our affiliate is reporting that another person has been released. There were initial reports of two hostages. And we're learning now that two of them may have been released in all of this. A man walked into her headquarters saying that he was strapped with explosives and then took people hostage.
We're also following breaking news out of Chicago, Illinois, in the Midwest here. An Amtrak slammed into the back -- a passenger train here slammed into the back of a freight train, at least five people critically injured, the five critically injured all believed to be Amtrak workers, more injuries involved in this as well.
Also news out of the Miami -- three people have been taken into custody when it concerns the Washington Redskins' safety Sean Taylor's death. Someone broke into his home earlier in the week and shot him. He died the next day. Three people 100 miles away taken into custody.
Our reporter there reporting on the scene not sure exactly why or what they had to do with the shooting and killing, but police are questioning them now.
We will continue to follow all three of these developing stories right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
We want to go to Christina Puig, who is on the ground, who can talk about that last story I mentioned, the Sean Taylor story, and those three people who were taken into custody.
What do you have for us, Christina?
CHRISTINA PUIG, REPORTER: Well, Don, just five minutes ago, a Miami-Dade police PIO spokesperson came out and told us the following -- and I quote -- "Detectives are following leads in the Miami and Fort Myers area, but until the detectives can follow these leads, Miami-Dade will not confirm anything else."
That's what we're being told. This just happened five minutes ago. In the meantime, we were -- CNN has learned through sources that three people have been detained for questioning in the Fort Myers area. We were told earlier also that police from the very beginning have stated that this was a random act of violence and not a personal vendetta, and that the suspects were caught by surprise when they found that Taylor was home the night they tried to enter.
Taylor was shot at 3:00 a.m. Tuesday morning and was pronounced dead a few hours later. Taylor's girlfriend, Jackie Garcia, and their 18-month-old baby girl were inside the home when the crime took place.
In the meantime, funeral services are planned for both this Sunday and Monday. A vigil will be held on Sunday evening followed by funeral services at Florida International University on Monday.
Reporting live from Miami-Dade Police, I'm Christina Puig.
LEMON: All right, Christina, thank you very much for that report. And as Christina pointed out, Sean Taylor died just a couple days ago after he was shot by that intruder. That bullet hit his femoral artery. And it's believed that, from that, that he bled to death from those injuries. And, also, as she said, his wife and also his baby girl at home at the time. The person who was with him, his wife in bed, hid under the covers while the intruder came in and shot Sean Taylor.
Continuing breaking news here in the CNN NEWSROOM on all of these developing stories.
PHILLIPS: I want to take you back now to Rochester, New Hampshire, where our other breaking news story is happening right now.
Some good news to report in a hostage situation inside Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign office right now.
This is how it started, just to give you a little background.
Actually, I will start here with our newest pictures coming from our affiliate WMUR. That was one campaign volunteer that was just released. You can see the member of the SWAT team bringing that campaign volunteer out of that office, where there was a man inside holding her and another volunteer hostage.
Apparently, he had a bomb strapped to him. That's what police have been reporting. Here's the good news. You can see the member of the SWAT team there bringing out one of those volunteers. They have made contact with that man inside that campaign office, that man allegedly with the bomb strapped to him. They got a cell phone to him. They were able to negotiate with him. He has released one of the volunteers.
We are getting word from our affiliates that possibly he might have released the other volunteer.
Sareena Dalla is our CNN producer there on the ground. She first told us that the SWAT team was able to make contact with that hostage- taker, get the cell phone to him. They have been having communications.
And, Sareena, it's good news that they're talking to him and de- escalating the situation and hopefully no violence will break out and this will end up having a happy ending.
DALLA: Yes.
And, Kyra, we have also heard or confirmed by police officer A.J. Bosi (ph) that in fact two hostages have been released. I think we only have video of the first -- of the second one, but, apparently, another one has been released. But I did not see her walk out of the Clinton headquarters, but two now have been released.
PHILLIPS: All right. So police are telling you that this hostage-taker has no one else inside that campaign office right now; it's just him allegedly with this bomb strapped to him; is that right? DALLA: They have not confirmed that it's over and that all have been released. They just have said that two have been released. That's the latest we have been getting from the ground.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: So, it's possible that there are other volunteers inside that office?
DALLA: That could be a possibility, but not confirmed.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: All right. Keep working that for us, Sareena.
While you're doing that, I want to bring in Mike Brooks, our law enforcement analyst here at CNN.
Mike, you were a SWAT team negotiator. You have been involved in situations like this a number of times. This is great news. He's communicating with them. He's talking to them by cell phone. He is letting some of these hostages go. So, they're trusting each other.
MIKE BROOKS, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Absolutely.
And what I saw a little bit earlier was a tactical team come up to the door and throw in what they call a throw phone. And that's so the negotiators can have a direct line of communication with the man inside. And I see this as a big positive. There's great communication that is going on now between law enforcement and the man inside with the people.
And they're now -- has he released two people? That's even more positive. And, so, right now, they're working toward a negotiated surrender, so, at the end of the day, everybody can go home and we can find out exactly what this person inside, what brought him to this.
Usually, something happens within 24 or 48 hours to bring someone to a situation like this. But I see this as a very, very positive sign from my years as a negotiator and also as tactical team member.
PHILLIPS: Because the last thing the SWAT team wants to do is open fire, and charge in and have to fire a weapon. They want this to be a non-threatening environment.
(CROSSTALK)
BROOKS: Absolutely. And as things are going along like this -- and we see the cooperation between the man inside and with law enforcement and with the negotiators, I see this as a win/win so far. And it's extremely positive on both sides.
PHILLIPS: All right, Mike Brooks, thanks.
We're going to continue to follow obviously this developing story out of Rochester, New Hampshire. Good news to report, in that members of the SWAT team, the negotiators on that SWAT team, were able to make communication with this man inside the campaign office of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.
He has definitely released one of those hostages. We are getting word possibly two hostages. It's possible he's inside that building now by himself with a bomb allegedly strapped to him. Obviously, it's not over yet. Hoping for a peaceful outcome. We will continue to follow this story.
LEMON: Absolutely.
And we're also following other developing stories, a very busy day here in the newsroom. We're watching the aftermath of a train wreck out of Chicago. It's on Chicago's South Side. Most of the passengers of this Amtrak train, they were not hurt. But at least 10 people were rushed to a hospital trauma unit, including five Amtrak crew members who suffered very serious or possibly some critical injuries here.
Amtrak's Pere Marquette from Grand Rapids, Michigan, was nearing the end of its run when it ran up on the top of a freight train. And we saw that earlier. There it is. We saw that earlier here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
We also heard from some passengers. That happened just moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) forward and hit the next seat in front of them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's what they were saying. It was a pretty violent collision?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All the seats came off, loose.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most of the seats came loose and everything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really? Describe what happened, ma'am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were just coming through the yard or whatever it is and all of a sudden, just like wham, we all flew forward. And she hurt her elbow, and people are cut and broken bones. But they say that's about the extent of it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pretty scary?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. We were just like sitting there and there was like train cars on both sides of us. And all of a sudden, I looked forward and everyone just goes out of their seats. And coffee just goes flying all over us and everything. I don't know. Everyone -- I just grabbed her right away and...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How scary was it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the heat of the moment, I didn't even know what to think. I was just -- I didn't even know what happened or anything.
But I don't know. After like I got, you know, my sense and everything, I was like a little shaken up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. The National Transportation Safety Board, of course, in an accident of this severity, they are sending investigators to this scene.
In the meantime, we're following some developing news, or actually breaking news when it comes to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. Her campaign headquarters in Rochester, New Hampshire, the scene of a hostage situation. What happened to those hostages? We will tell you when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: And, in this, we want to welcome our international viewers from countries around the world. And we want to get straight to our newsroom.
Our Betty Nguyen is working the details of a developing story, which is happening now in Rochester, New Hampshire.
Betty, what do you have for us?
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we understood they have -- at least that person holding two people hostage has let those people go and the person is still inside the Hillary Clinton campaign office there in Rochester, New Hampshire.
Let me tell you the whereabouts of Hillary Clinton. She was supposed to be in Virginia today, but she has canceled that appearance there. And we understand from a Clinton adviser that no decision has been made on her going to New Hampshire at this point.
We're being told that the senator is being guided by what the negotiators are telling her, and basically just sitting tight at this hour.
But, Don, we have received a statement from the Clinton campaign.
And let me read it to you -- quote -- "There is an ongoing situation in our Rochester, New Hampshire, office. We are in close contact with state and local authorities and are acting at their direction. We will release additional details as appropriate."
Now, the good news, once again, is that the hostage-taker has let the two hostages inside the campaign office there in New Hampshire go. What they're dealing with right now is trying to get this person out of the building, officers there. SWAT team members are on the ground. That person is allegedly carrying some kind of device on his body. Some are calling it possibly a bomb, but that has not been determined at this hour. But that is leading authorities to approach with extreme caution.
But, again, there are no more hostages being held inside the campaign office. And Hillary Clinton is being told to sit tight at this hour. There's no word on whether she will travel to that campaign office there in Rochester, New Hampshire -- Don.
LEMON: Betty, much appreciated. Betty working the big picture when it comes to this story. We appreciate your reporting there from the news desk.
Well, we want to get you to the ground and get a more focused report from our Sareena Dalla, who's a producer there in Rochester, New Hampshire -- Sareena, what are you hearing?
DALLA: The latest I've heard is that the schools nearby that were on lockdown that were closed have been released and the children have been sent home. So perhaps an indicator that this might be coming to a close. They were -- the schools were originally closed at the out -- at the onset of this. But they have now been released. The lockdown is over at the nearby schools.
LEMON: And, Sareena, all the really good information, the latest information coming from you -- can you take us back, just real quickly, because we want to move on, but back to where you saw the young lady who was a campaign worker being released -- the first hostage to be released -- and what you witnessed when you saw her come out?
DALLA: Sure. Basically that they have this whole street blocked off. And so we -- but we can see that the SWAT team was right in front of the Clinton campaign headquarters. We saw a young woman being in her mid-20s being escorted by two SWAT team members, one on each side, as she walked out the door. She, again, looked visibly distressed and she just walked sort of to the right of us and she was escorted off from the scene.
LEMON: All right, Sareena Dalla, our producer there on the ground. Of course, that's one hostage CNN has confirmed being released.
Our affiliate there is saying two hostages have been released here. That man, of course, walking into the Clinton campaign headquarters, saying that he was strapped with an explosive device.
Sareena, thank you very much for that report. We'll get back to you if you have new information.
PHILLIPS: All kinds of news breaking on this Friday. We're now getting developing news out of parts of California -- Chad Myers, flash flood warnings for areas already hard-hit by the wildfires. Now they have to worry about floods. CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, well, the flash flood warning, actually, is a direct result of the fires. And the Pumacha Fire and also the Rice Fire -- these are areas in northern San Diego County. I know, Kyra, you know the area very well.
It picked up two inches of rain in the past about four hours. That two inches of rain now making the ash and the mud on that hillside flow a bit. And that's in the La Jolla Indian Reservation. That is north of San Diego proper. But there's rain all the way from L.A. all the way up to Malibu -- although it's just about tapering off in Malibu -- and then all the way up to the other fires that we had here, too.
This will be a mudslide weekend for Southern California. So -- and even a flash flooding area all the way from about Flagstaff -- and it's raining now in Vegas. And then a winter storm that's going to be a big time blizzard for southwestern Colorado -- four feet of snow with 10 foot drifts and 70 mile per hour gusts, making avalanche problems Saturday and Sunday.
A big storm system. This is a winter storm coming into Southern California. And I know you know what happens when those trees burn, Kyra, and there's nothing to hold back that soil. That soil will move this weekend for sure. If you live near that area or if you're driving near an area that has had a burn, you need to watch out for mudslides and ash flows this weekend, especially tonight, as well.
PHILLIPS: Yes, I've grown up right through it.
MYERS: Absolutely.
PHILLIPS: All right, Chad, we'll keep tracking it. Appreciate it so much.
MYERS: You're welcome.
PHILLIPS: Two other big stories that we're following for you right now -- one out of Rochester, New Hampshire. You see it on the left side of your screen there -- a hostage situation. Good news to report, though. The SWAT team has been able to make -- or has been able to communicate with the hostage taker that has holed himself up in a campaign office of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton there on Main Street in downtown Rochester.
He was holding two hostages. We did see one released. We are getting word that the other one was released, as well, but the SWAT team was able to make communications with him via a cell phone. It's good news they were able to talk to him, calm him down. We're still following that, though, because apparently he has still holed himself up inside that office building -- a bomb strapped to his chest.
LEMON: Our other bit of breaking news coming to us from Chicago -- a train accident. An Amtrak passenger train ran right into the back of a freight train. At least five people critically injured. The five people critically injured believed to be Amtrak employees. Also other injuries in this. We're following both. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Three big stories we're following for you right now out of the CNN Center here in Atlanta, Georgia.
First, a hostage situation in downtown Rochester, New Hampshire. It's happening in the campaign office of the presidential candidate, Hillary Rodham Clinton. It's getting better, though. The man went in there, a bomb strapped to him. He was holding a couple of volunteers hostage. We are being told now he has definitely let one go -- possibly another.
But he's still inside, allegedly with a bomb strapped to him. The SWAT team is, though, making good communications with him. He was talking to them via cell phone. He has released at least one hostage, possibly two. The SWAT team is all over that story. And we are following it, as well.
The other big story, the train derailment in Chicago, Illinois. This Amtrak train collided with a Norfolk Southern train -- a freight train. You can see the engine car here on top of the freight train. Apparently, we heard from Southern -- Norfolk Southern freight train within the past hour that they signaled to go ahead. Obviously, a bad call from dispatch.
You saw what happened right here. Five Amtrak employees rushed to the hospital in critical condition. About 100 passengers, walking wounded, they were released. They have been treated. No doubt pretty scary. But those passengers coming out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, heading to Chicago, Illinois.
Then the third story that we're following for you right now, it's happening out of the Severe Weather Center. And our Chad Myers is following this for you. Flash flood warnings until 2:00 p.m. Pacific time out of California. You can see right there between San Juan Capistrano and Oceanside just outside of San Diego, and, also, Los Angeles -- right in the middle of those two big cities. Just after the wildfires ravaged parts of Southern California, now the flash flood warnings are coming in.
Our Chad Myers says it's pretty typical, but it's not good news for people living in that area. Chad is all over it. We're following that story, as well.
LEMON: And speaking of being all over it, we've been following this story since the very beginning.
Our Betty Nguyen has been all over what's happening in New Hampshire at Senator Clinton's headquarters. You told us about a response earlier, the SWAT team -- Betty, what do you have new for us now?
NGUYEN: All right, well, here's the breakdown. The hostage situation is over. The two people being held hostage have been released. But the hostage taker is still holding out. And you see there SWAT team members are on the scene. They've been there since close to 1:00 this afternoon, Eastern time, and they've been watching this very carefully.
At this point, the main goal here is to try to get that man out of the Hillary Clinton campaign office there in Rochester, New Hampshire. There is word that he may be holding some kind of device on his body and that could be a bomb. Again, that has not been confirmed. But, nonetheless, it is a very big concern there for the SWAT team and other authorities on the ground.
But, again, Don, the good news is that the two people being held hostage, they have since been released. So, at this point, they're trying to get the man out of the building.
I will tell you this. Nearby buildings have been evacuated. That includes the campaign offices of Barack Obama and John Edwards. A nearby school was under lockdown, but that is no longer the case.
And as for Hillary Clinton, well, her campaign has released a statement saying that they are in close contact with state and local authorities and they're acting at their direction. And at this point, there's no word yet on whether Senator Clinton will travel to New Hampshire. She was in Virginia today, supposed to be making an appearance. That since was canceled upon news of this hostage situation. And we are being told that she is being guided at this hour by negotiators and just waiting for them to tell her basically where she should go next -- if she should travel to Rochester, New Hampshire.
But for now, she is sitting tight and the hostage situation that has been dissolved -- those hostages have been released. The issue right now is trying to get the man who took those two people hostage out of the building and into custody. And, of course, we're following every minute of this and we'll bring you any developments as they arrive -- Don.
LEMON: Yes. And Betty, as we look at this, you can see one of the hostages there being released. And you can only imagine the relief that she's experiencing...
NGUYEN: Oh, no doubt.
LEMON: ...after being in this man -- what we believe was for several hours here. And, again, Betty, just real quickly, have we -- we think both hostages have been released?
CNN has confirmed one. The other from WMUR. Have we confirmed both of these hostages?
NGUYEN: We -- no. So far, according to our affiliates not both. But, yes, you're right, we confirmed one by seeing her right there in the video. In fact, I'm just being told that the second has been confirmed by CNN, as well.
LEMON: OK.
NGUYEN: But, you know, the big question right now Don is who is this guy? LEMON: Right.
NGUYEN: Who is this guy who walked in with what is believed to be some kind of a bomb strapped to him -- into the Hillary Clinton office there -- and what, indeed, does he want? What kind of statement was he trying to make? And so that's the big question right now, as they try to get him out, get him out safely and get him in custody.
LEMON: Yes. And what kind of statement he was trying to make? And you know what? Sometimes it never really makes sense in all of this who would do that.
NGUYEN: That's true.
LEMON: Right, that sort of thing. Betty Nguyen, appreciate your reporting, all on top of it today. Thank you so much for that.
NGUYEN: Thanks, Don.
PHILLIPS: Obviously, Hillary Clinton has pulled out of the speaking engagement at the DNC meeting in Vienna, Virginia.
However, Senator Joe Biden and Representative Dennis Kucinich are still there. And they just came forward making comments minutes ago about what's happening there on the streets of Rochester.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D-DW), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I heard the news about Hillary's headquarters and I'm sure, like everyone here, I pray to God that it all -- it all works out right. And I wish Hillary the best of luck.
REP. DENNIS KUCINICH (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: At this time, when one of our fellow candidates has to be concerned about her staff members -- and we're in solidarity with Hillary at this moment, when we think of what she's going through and what her staff is going through.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Hearing, obviously, from the other presidential candidates there at the DNC meeting in Virginia. Just arriving on the ground in Rochester, New Hampshire, our Anderson Cooper -- on the phone with us right now -- Anderson, have you gotten to the scene?
VOICE OF ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: We're getting to -- as close as one can get to the scene, which is an area that the police have cordoned off. They've basically blocked off a several block area around the scene. So we're getting as close as we can.
Obviously, it is a very stressful situation for police in this small town. This has been going on now since about 1:00 in this afternoon. We now -- WMUR has reported that both the hostages -- two hostages have thus far been released. We have no new information, though, on the status of the man. A witness had described him to 'MUR as a man in his 40s with salt and pepper hair, with what looked like some sort of a bomb strapped to his chest underneath his coat. But, again, we do not know the status of the man right now.
PHILLIPS: I guess just one more sign as we enter into an election year, Anderson, that things are getting heated and obviously not everybody for or against various candidates. We don't know exactly what this man's demands were. We can only assume at this point. But right now we're told he's still inside -- apparently with this bomb strapped to him. Negotiators on the SWAT team trying to talk to him.
It will be interesting to find out, Anderson, what his demands were, how they were able to calm him down, if, indeed, he's got a beef with the presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, if he -- if this was at all tied to politics or the upcoming election. You know, getting more, obviously, from officers and the status of who this guy is could be pretty interesting.
COOPER: Yes, you know, I mean it's certainly strange. This is a small town, Rochester, in New Hampshire. No candidates -- actually the only candidate that I know of campaigning right now in New Hampshire is Mike Huckabee, who I was actually with, really, for most of this day and just left Huckabee. He's about an hour or so away from this location. When we left him, he was unaware of the situation here. He probably knows about it by now.
But this is not a weekend where there are a lot of candidates in town. The offices of Barack Obama have been closed down, apparently in -- as a precaution -- here in Rochester, as well as, I believe, the office of John Edwards. But, again, this is a very small town and it is certainly a situation unlike anything they have seen before.
PHILLIPS: Why head to the scene, Anderson? You're obviously going to do your show from there tonight. How are you going to push this forward? What are you going to be talking about?
COOPER: Well, you know, I mean everyone is just waiting to see what happens now -- I mean if, in fact, as WMUR has reported -- I know CNN has confirmed that one hostage has been released and WMUR is saying two hostages have been released -- if that is, in fact, the case, that's certainly good news.
But now the question is what is the situation with this man? Is he still inside the building and is this device real? And that's going to be a very difficult situation for police to try to determine. Obviously, they have been negotiating, discussing, talking with him. It remains to be seen what will happen next.
PHILLIPS: And we've just got confirmation -- three people released. One is a child. So that's good news. And those communications will continue, obviously, with this hostage taker with this bomb allegedly strapped to him.
Anderson Cooper, we'll be watching tonight, 10:00 Eastern time, "A.C. 360". Anderson already there on the scene -- Don.
LEMON: All right. And believe it or not, we have more breaking news here into the CNN NEWSROOM. We have been following this story since 2005 and now there is a break in the case.
Our producer on the scene now, Tracy Sabo, joins us now from Aruba with the latest news from Natalie Holloway and the Kalpoe brothers. What can you tell us?
TRACY SABO, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: That is correct. We have just learned that two of the suspects being held in the Natalie Holloway case here in Aruba have been released today. A spokesman for the prosecution has just told me that they have been released or are currently in the process of being released at two different jails where they were being held after a judge has heard arguments today in their case.
The prosecution, this morning, argued in favor of detaining both Satish and Deepak Kalpoe for another eight days based on what they called new evidence. But the judge heard that argument, a judge from Curacao, today. And he has, this afternoon, denied that request.
And that is all we know for now. We are actually on our way to a press conference with the chief prosecutor's offices and we may learn more about the judge's reasoning in that decision. That's coming up at about 4:30 Eastern time.
But that is what we've been told today here, the headline that two of the three suspects being held are being released.
Obviously, the question we all have here is what was that new evidence and why was it not enough to hold them any longer than the 10 days they've already been held here?
LEMON: And prosecutors in Aruba, Tracy, as you said, what was that new evidence? Because they never really talked about what that evidence was to keep the Kalpoe brothers at least held for eight more days. The other suspect in this case, Tracy, is Joran van der Sloot. No news concerning Joran van der Sloot in all of this? He's still being held?
SABO: That is correct. His original detention hearing took place last Friday and he will be (AUDIO GAP) until another hearing. And that next hearing will be held, we are being told, on December the 7th. And we've been told by the chief prosecutor's office they still feel that they have strong evidence in his case and they will request from the judge another 60 days' detention. We're not sure how the news today will affect that. Obviously, we still have a week before that happens. But he will be still held under December 7th -- until a judge hears further evidence in his case.
LEMON: CNN producer Tracy Sabo on the ground for us with the breaking news coming out of Aruba. The Kalpoe brothers now have been ordered by a judge to be released. We will continue to follow that developing story throughout the evening here on CNN.
PHILLIPS: And the negotiations continue right now with the SWAT team and a man holed up inside the campaign headquarters of presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton in downtown Rochester, New Hampshire. Apparently he's got a bomb strapped to him. He has released the hostages, but he's still inside. He still apparently has a bomb strapped to him. They're talking to him right now.
We'll bring you more right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Just to update you on the situation happening right now in downtown Rochester, New Hampshire -- right here inside the campaign headquarters of presidential candidate, Hillary Rodham Clinton. A man, apparently with a bomb strapped to him, still holed up inside this building. The good news is he released the hostages. The SWAT team was able to make contact with him via a cell phone.
They were able to de-escalate the violence, the potential for violence. He released those hostages. This was one of the hostages that was released within the past hour. The SWAT team bringing her out. That's good news. It's a good sign that they're talking with him and trying to figure out exactly what his demands are, what is bothering him. This is definitely a good step toward ending this situation.
On the ground there for us, do we still want to go to our producer there on the ground?
OK. We're going to go to Sareena Dalla once again, our CNN producer that has been there following this for us -- Sareena, have you been able to find out anything else about this man who's inside, apparently with this bomb strapped to him? Do we know anything about him?
DALLA: We haven't been able to determine those details yet. But moments ago, we saw two SWAT team members go with shields up to the Clinton headquarters. They walked side by side with two shields, and they dropped something off outside of the headquarters and then they immediately moved back. So that's the latest right now.
There's some more movement with the truck, as well. But apparently something was dropped off at the Clinton headquarters. It's unclear as to what it was.
PHILLIPS: All right. So they're continuing -- they're still trying to keep communications going with him, obviously trying to get him, hopefully, to come out of there in a safe manner.
DALLA: That's correct.
PHILLIPS: All right. Sareena Dalla there on the ground for us.
If you're just tuning in, she's following all the latest information on a story that we've been following for about three hours now. It started with a man that just walked into these campaign headquarters on the streets of Rochester, New Hampshire. Hillary Rodham Clinton was not there. She was actually at a DNC event in Virginia. She did not speak at that event, but other fellow candidates did respond and speak out about the situation that was going on.
Right now, now Hillary Clinton is on standby. The statement from her campaign said that there is an ongoing situation there, obviously, in the office in New Hampshire. They are in close contact with state and local authorities. They're acting at the direction of those authorities and they will release additional details as appropriate. So the Clinton campaign obviously tuned into what's happening right now.
The good news is those hostages have been released. The bad news is, is that that man is still holed up inside the campaign headquarters, apparently with a bomb strapped to him. Negotiators there on the SWAT team talking to him, trying to get him out of there alive.
LEMON: And, also, Kyra, we thought at first it was only two hostages. But now we know it was two women and a child. And CNN has confirmed now all three have been released. So, as you said, good news that they're talking to this person who took these people hostage, but also better news that he has released those three hostages.
Another breaking news story here into the CNN NEWSROOM, a very busy day. First, they had to deal with those awful fires. Now they're having to deal with the possibility of some flooding and a really bad weather weekend in the Southwest.
MYERS: It depends on your point of view. I mean, obviously, you'd think that they need the rain, right? It's like oh, it's raining in L.A. Awesome. Well, yes, sure, where it didn't burn. But where it did burn, that is what is now moving.
We have flash flood warnings for moving debris, kind of ash fields coming down the mountainsides and eventually it could be mudslides, as well, for the Witch Creek Fire area, the Pumacha and also the Rice Fire for now. But I think this is going to get a lot larger. The scope of this rain is not stopping. From L.A., rain back into Malibu now, all the way down through Santa Ana.
So 99 percent of this area didn't burn. And so they'll take the rainfall when you can get it. But that 1 percent that did burn now will begin to start to move today and tonight. And you need to be very careful. That flood warning, really, is for northern San Diego County at this point, but many other areas could get into the warning category.
There are flash flood watches all the way from Prescott to Flagstaff to basically -- all the way down through the Valley of the Sun into Phoenix. That's because those arroyos could get filled up with rainfall.
And then you move up into Colorado and get two to four feet of snow, with winds blowing at 70 miles per hour. That's right around the town of Silverton -- with blizzard warnings going on there. You need to get to the slopes and try to stay there. The problem is, Don, you can't ski when the wind is blowing 70 miles an hour. They won't even turn on the lifts at that point in time. So it's probably too big of a storm, even for the skiers, at this point.
LEMON: And pay close attention to the CNN weather team this weekend, because you're going to need to.
MYERS: Absolutely.
LEMON: All right. Thank you very much, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
PHILLIPS: We'll bring you the closing bell and a recap of our breaking stories right after a quick last break right here in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Three big stories we continue to follow through you. And we will also keep following them through THE SITUATION ROOM, coming up in just a couple of minutes.
First, in New Hampshire, that man apparently with a bomb strapped to him still holed up inside the campaign headquarters in Rochester, New Hampshire for the presidential candidate, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. We are following that. The good news is he's released three hostages. The bad news is he's still inside there with a bomb strapped to him. We're following that.
Then, the next story that we're following for you is out of Chicago, Illinois. This train was coming from Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was running late. It collided with another train that was off these tracks here in Chicago, Illinois. Five Amtrak workers rushed to the hospital. Passengers seem to be OK. At this point, about 100 of them cuts, bruises, minor injuries -- no doubt a scare to all of them. We're following the critical conditions of those five Amtrak employees.
And, finally, out of California, flash flood warnings. If California didn't get hit hard enough with those wildfires, now they're dealing with flash flood warnings right there in between San Juan Capistrano and Oceanside, just outside of San Diego.
Chad Myers all over it for us.
LEMON: All over that and all over Wall Street today, just about, what, 10 seconds away from the closing bell.
Susan Lisovicz, take a deep breath. It is Friday.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is Friday...
LEMON: A final look at the trading day.
LISOVICZ: It's the final trading day of the month. A terrible month for the markets. The three major averages down. But for the week, a terrific week. And oil was down more than $2 today. And Ben Bernanke is hinting of another rate cut.
Have a great weekend, guys. A great job this afternoon -- back to you. PHILLIPS: Thanks, Susan.
LEMON: All right, now let's turn it over to "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer and the latest on what's happening at Hillary Clinton's campaign headquarters -- Wolf.
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