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Inner-City Gun Violence; Horse Meat Found in Hamburgers; Church Sex Abuse Victims Speak Out; "Argo" Wins Big at BAFTAs; Brazilians Revel in Carnival; Nigeria Wins Africa Cup of Nations

Aired February 11, 2013 - 12:30   ET

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

(BEGIN LIVE FEED)

GARRY MCCARTHY, SUPERINTENDENT, CHICAGO POLICE: In between there is the police work and the prosecution, represented by the state's attorney, Anita Alvarez. here today, where we take the guns off the street, and then we try and put people into the system.

Which leads to the fifth point that we have been pushing for, and we are going to highlight here today, which is mandatory minimums for illegal gun possession.

So far this year, the city of Chicago has -- the police department and the city of Chicago have seized 809 guns in the first six weeks of this year. We have given you the statistics before about how that compares nationally with some of the cities that we compare ourselves to, like New York City, nine times the number of guns in the first six months of 2012.

And two districts alone, two districts in the city of Chicago out of 22, in the first month or so, seizing more firearms than the city of New York, which is three times the size of New York -- of Chicago.

Before you, and I know you can't see it now because there are so many people here, we have 10 guns that were inventoried last week between the period of the first of February and the 8th of February, 2013, by the Chicago police department, including a Glock Model 17, a number of shotguns, a couple of rifles and an assault weapon.

And how is it we come into possession of these firearms? On February 5th, Chicago police fugitive apprehension unit working with the Great Lakes regional task force arrested a documented gang member in connection with a homicide that occurred here in Chicago last October.

When we placed him into custody, a firearm was recovered in his home. That same day, the gang enforcement division executed a search warrant at the residence of a convicted felon and gang member who lived in the 25th district.

Further investigation revealed that the target was in possession of a firearm, which officers, naturally, immediately secured.

The night before in an unrelated incident, another convicted felon and gang member in the 25th district was the subject of a 17th district tactical team search warrant. Again, the investigation proved successful with a loaded firearm being recovered along with quantities of narcotics demonstrating just how intertwined gangs, guns and drugs are.

We are here today to talk about the fact that we need mandatory minimum sentences in the state of Illinois, and truth in sentencing for serious gun possession offenses.

I've seen firsthand the impact of minimum sentencing can have on a large city. One of the things that I would like to again try to clear up, and I ask you to please stop adopting the rhetoric of the gun advocates.

Chicago does not have strict gun laws, and we have examples here that is going to show it.

The state of Illinois does not have strict gun laws that prevents the (AUDIO BREAK) of firearms into our streets.

By increasing penalties and requiring criminals to serve their punishment, we not only protect our children, our families, and our communities, but we also prevent the impulsive retaliatory killings that plague our neighborhoods.

And before you, we have seven examples of recent incidents, that we need to bring to your attention. I'm not going to go through all of them, but I'll just touch on two.

One of these boards, this one represents offenders who could have been incarcerated, but were not incarcerated based upon a number of circumstances.

But would have been incarcerated had there been mandatory minimums for illegal gun possession in the state of Illinois. They committed murder while out on either parole or probation during the time frame that a three-year mandatory minimum would have prevented that incident from occurring.

The second examples that we have here, and again, there's a number of them, are four separate examples of individuals, who are the victims of murder, and what I need to point out is that we are not criminalizing victims.

But what I can tell you and any law enforcement person in the country will tell you that the offender today is the victim tomorrow, and the victim today is the offender the next day.

This is a general statement. It is obviously not going to hold true in each case.

But a number of these murders could have been prevented, if these individuals were incarcerated to prevent them from committing a murder, and if these individuals were incarcerated to prevent them from being murdered.

And the last two murders (END LIFE FEED)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, ANCHOR, "CNN NEWSROOM INTERNATIONAL": You're listening to Chicago's chief superintendent, Garry McCarthy, saying that he is arguing for mandatory minimums when it comes to illegal gun possession, perhaps getting those behind bars who illegally possess guns.

An amazing statistic he just pointed out, 109 guns seized, illegally owned guns seized in the first six weeks of the year, Chicago having more gun violence than the city of New York, and that it is -- New York, of course, is three times the size of Chicago.

Clearly, a lot of work needs to be done. The president will be visiting in the Chicago area this Friday to talk about that.

The vice president. of course, he is now in Philadelphia. He's meeting with police chiefs about gun violence. We're going to bring it to you live any moment. It's expected to start.

We're going to take a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: It sounds strange, but the horse meat scandal continues to spread across Europe. Six major French retailers have now pulled lasagna off their shelves. This just one month after horse meat was found in burgers that are supposed to be made of beef.

Kat Kinsman of our "Eatocracy" unit's joining us. OK, so, Kat, explain this to us.

This is horse meat, right, showing up in Sweden, U.K., France, wasn't supposed to be there. How did this happen?

KAT KINSMAN, MANAGING EDITOR, "CNN EATOCRACY: That's the problem. Nobody knows.

And this points to a huge breakdown in the foot chain. Horse meat is eaten in a lot of countries, including France, Italy, Kazakhstan.

The thing is their horses are actually raised for food. The problem is that a lot of these were not actually sanctioned for human consumption, and nobody really knows how it slipped into the system.

MALVEAUX: So, what does that mean for people who ate this meat? Is it bad for them? I mean, is it OK?

KINSMAN: Well, horse meat in and of itself is fine. The thing is there is a chemical, a veterinary chemical, that is an anti- inflammatory called bute, and for some people there is a risk of bone marrow problems with it.

Irish officials stepped up to say there is not a huge amount of risk to the population. But nonetheless, you should know what's in your food. MALVEAUX: OK, so how did they resolve all of this? You've got horse meat in all these different places. Are they able to identify? How do you know if you ate horse meat and it just tasted like beef?

KINSMAN: It's thoroughly unresolved at this point. And a lot of people are calling for much stricter regulations on the food chain, on labeling.

I think this all just points to the fact that any time you eat meat you should take a very, very close look at where it is coming from.

MALVEAUX: All right. Kat, thank you. I know a lot of people are worried about what they are eating over there.

But some people like horse meat, too. That's the other thing, yes?

KINSMAN: It's delicious. It is and it's culturally correct in a whole lot of places.

MALVEAUX: Have you had it?

KINSMAN: I have. And it was -- I will say it was thoroughly legally obtained, and, yes, had no bute in it.

MALVEAUX: OK, and you said it was delicious, yes? Didn't taste like chicken?

KINSMAN: It was. Not even a little.

MALVEAUX: All right, thank you, Kat. Appreciate it.

KINSMAN: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: As the pope prepares to step down, a lot of Catholics all over the world, of course, already talking about his legacy.

Some victims of sexual abuse in the church, they are hoping that the next leader will do more to heal their scars.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: There are more than 1 billion Catholics in the world. For them the choice of who will be the next pope is a pretty big deal.

For those who were sexually abused by priests, it's very personal. Barbara Blaine, she founded the group, SNAP. It is known as the Survivors Network for Those Abused by Priests.

Barbara, obviously, this is something very personal for you. You grew up in Ohio, you say that you were molested by your priest in your parish and couldn't tell anybody for years. And then it was too late to file criminal charges.

Tell me what you think, first of all, of this pope and how he has done in addressing the issue and then what you want from the next pope. BARBARA BLAINE, SURVIVORS NETWORK OF THOSE ABUSED BY PRIESTS: Well, I think it's really important to recognize that while the statements that the Pope and the Vatican have made in recent years are lofty and frequently they appear to be compassionate, he really has not made any major changes in behavior. And so it's almost as though the deeds do not match the words. So I would hate for him to be remembered as someone who did the right thing, because from our perspective, Pope Benedict's record has been dismal.

MALVEAUX: What do you think of the fact that he, for the first time, he met with victims of abuse back in 2008 and he announced new rules, he apologized and did announce some new rules to stop this abuse of priests on children here. Do you think that that is enough? Do you think that he has sincerely tried to move this issue forward?

BLAINE: Look, I mean the thing is, is that to offer apologies might appear to be kind, but what would really make a difference to protect children would be if he would take action. And we hope that Pope Benedict will use these last two weeks of his term to really make some decisive action that would protect kids today.

For example, we think he could issue a decree telling all the bishops of the world to do what about 30 bishops here in the U.S. have done, which is to post the names of the predators on their (INAUDIBLE) Web sites. We think he could order all of the bishops in the world to turn over all their records that they have about sex crimes to the police in their jurisdictions. Those kind of things would really show that he wants to protect children.

MALVEAUX: All right, Barbara, we appreciate your time. And, of course, your focus on this issue. As a Roman Catholic, we've all been very disappointed in some ways in the church and it does really need to turn itself around and address this in a very serious way. Barbara, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

This is just into CNN. The president is now weighing in on the Pope's decision to step down. In a statement here is what he wrote. He says, "on behalf of Americans everywhere, Michelle and I wish to extend our appreciation and prayers to his holiness, Pope Benedict XVI.

Michelle and I warmly remember our meeting with the Holy Father in 2009 and have appreciated our work together over these last four years. The church plays a critical role in the United States and the world, and I wish the best to those who soon gather to choose his holiness Pope Benedict XVI's successor.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: So the former Navy SEAL who reportedly fired the shot that killed Osama bin Laden, he says he has no pension, no medical insurance. According to an article in "Esquire" magazine, the man only known as "the shooter" had to train his wife to protect herself and the family from possible al Qaeda revenge attacks. We have just gotten a response from the U.S. Navy. Here's what they say. They say, "we take seriously the safety and security of our people, as well as our responsibility to assist sailors making a transition to civilian life. Without more information about this particular case, it would be difficult to determine the degree to which our transition programs succeeded."

In Acapulco, Mexico, authorities now have arrested five suspects in the alleged rapes of six Spanish tourists last week. They aren't offering any information about them, but originally police had said there were seven suspects. At least 50 now investigators, they are assigned to this case, which has gotten worldwide attention.

And in London, Ben Affleck's political thriller "Argo" stole the show. This was at the British Academy Film Awards. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the BAFTA for Best Director goes for his film "Argo," Ben Affleck.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Affleck won Best Film and Best Director for his movie about the Iran hostage crisis. Tells the story of a secret CIA operation that saved six American embassy workers.

And, of course, one of the biggest parties in the world. You got to love it. We're going to take you inside Brazil's Carnival.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: All right. New Orleans has Mardi Gras. Those are my people. But Rio, of course, has Carnival, best known for the outrageous parades, the skimpy outfits.

Shasta Darlington, she is in the thick of it. A tough assignment. Somebody's got to do it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome, the main Carnival parade crowd. As you can see, they're marching right behind me. This is where Rio's 12 Samba schools (ph) come to compete for the top prize. They've got three-story floats, dancers who often wear little more than sequins and feathers, and really elaborate parades.

You have hundreds of dancers in different consumes enacting different themes. You'll have one, for example, celebrating South Korea's culture, another celebrating one of Brazil's premiere poets. A real mixed bag. Beautiful costumes.

And at the same time, across town you get the block parties. There are 500 of them over five days. Hundreds of thousands of people turn out in part because they're free. The beer flows. The samba plays and people dance 24 hours around the clock. Now, back here at the Sambadrome, this is a nighttime event. You can see the groups head out here, down into the Sambadrome. There are 72,000 people watching as they march by. And billions more turned in on the television. Now, this won't end until Wednesday midday when people head back into the office. And until then, Rio de Janeiro will be partying.

Shasta Darlington, CNN, Rio de Janeiro.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: I have done Carnival. It really is that much fun. It really is.

Nigeria nabbed a big win in the Africa Cup of Nations Soccer Tournament. They're getting pretty loud about it. Watch that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Welcome back to NEWSROOM INTERNATIONAL.

When you think about winning the Super Bowl, big deal, right? Nothing compared to the entire nation of Nigeria, what they are feeling. The Africa Cup of Nations soccer final in South Africa was a nail biter to the end. But when the dust settled, Nigeria had defeated Burkina Faso thanks to one swift kick.

Vladimir Duthiers, he was in Lagos for the historic win.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VLADIMIR DUTHIERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nigeria has done it. They have just won the Africa Cup of Nations the first time since 1994. They made it here in 2000, but they didn't win. This is their third win. And look at the crowd behind me. They are fired up. They are pumped up. They are so happy.

(CHEERING)

Nigerians are the most optimistic people on earth. They never stopped believing in their Eagles. They never stopped believing in their team. And, for tonight, this city's going to be partying, this country's going to be partying. Tonight, Nigeria is on the world stage. They are winners.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of us (ph) yes, we are happy for Nigeria (ph) today. We are the giants of Africa.

DUTHIERS: Vladimir Duthiers, CNN, Lagos.

(END VIDEOTAPE)