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Protests in Greece; Body of Canadian Tourist Found in Hotel Water Tank; Chinese Child Stuck in Washing Machine; Senators Return from Cuba; Fighting Child Sex Trafficking; Spanish Family Inspires Tsunami Film

Aired February 20, 2013 - 12:30   ET

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

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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back and taking you to Greece now. Thousands of protesters taking to the streets. Just check it out.

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SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: The 24-hour general strike is now crippling the country. Public transportation has stopped. Hospitals are working with just skeleton staff. The people there are demonstrating against spending cuts that could push unemployment to 30 percent this year. They're also protesting higher taxes and cuts in their wages.

In Kansas City, Missouri, massive, massive explosion blew off the roof off of this restaurant. This was during happy hour yesterday, Michael. The roof just shot fire into the sky.

HOLMES: Yeah, and customers -- this is J.J.'s Restaurant, by the way -- they say they smelled gas for about an hour before this happened, 15 people hurt. And, sadly, we heard in just the last little while that one body has been recovered, rescuers finding that at the scene. They've not yet identified that person yet.

Firefighters believe a work crew hit an underground line near the restaurant, filled that building up with natural gas.

MALVEAUX: In Los Angeles, a sad story to report, the body of a Canadian tourist missing for two weeks now. It has been found, a very odd situation here. It was found at the bottom of the hotel's drinking water tank. Police say that a maintenance worker was checking out the low water pressure concerns from those in the hotel when he actually discovered that body.

I want to bring in Kyung Lah from L.A. to explain how did this happen?

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what the LAPD is saying, they're treating this right now, Suzanne, is they're calling it a suspicious death with emphasis on "suspicious" because all of this is very unusual.

It began as a missing persons case, 21-year-old Elisa Lam, a tourist from Vancouver, Canada, arrived here in Los Angeles on January 26th. She intended to move on to visit Santa Cruz, California. Well, then she went missing on January 31st. Her family was very concerned. She was last seen at the downtown Los Angeles hotel that she was staying, the Hotel Cecil.

Well, yesterday, the maintenance worker, as you were describing, found a body at the bottom of one of those four, rooftop water tanks that we have seen on the hotel's roof. And at this point, they were able to identify this woman's body via her body markings.

o, what the residents are now telling us is that this is very, very suspicious because the day that she went missing, one of the residents heard a loud noise. Here's what he told us.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was so forceful that I fell out of bed, all right? Then the following day, the water system was all plugged up.

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LAH: Something that the fire department is telling us is that the tanks on that rooftop, they are unlocked, but the doors to the roof generally are locked.

And Suzanne, one thing that we did notice is in the original release announcing that Lam was missing, they did say that she possibly suffers from some mild depression, Suzanne.

HOLMES: Yeah, Kyung, it's Michael here. I'm curious, a bit of a macabre thing to ask, but, I mean, do they know if the water in the building was then contaminated. One imagines with a body in there for that long.

LAH: Yeah, that's really a question that a lot of people had, especially the people who are staying at the hotel. Because if she went missing on January 31st and she may have been in the tank that entire time, that's a question that residents and the guests at the hotel certainly want answered.

Here's what they told us.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wouldn't you be if there was a dead body in the water you were using and drinking?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have notified us that there is no biohazard that we need to be concerned of at this time with the water that's in the tank.

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LAH: The fire department going on to say that they've actually called out the health department, checked out the drinking water and they are saying that the water is safe. Michael? HOLMES: What a horrible story.

MALVEAUX: Yeah, tragic all around.

HOLMES: Yeah. Kyung Lah, thanks.

MALVEAUX: Thanks.

In China, a little girl back in her mother's arms after kind of a frightening situation here, but ...

HOLMES: Yeah, it is. This is a three-year-old, crawled into a washing machine, and, yeah, got stuck. Of course, you know how this goes. The family couldn't get her out, so they had to call in the firefighters.

MALVEAUX: Crews had to use power tools to cut through the metal, free the little girl. The rescue took several hours.

Michael, you've got kids.

HOLMES: Yeah.

MALVEAUX: They're all grown-up now. Did that ever happen when they were little?

HOLMES: Oh, yeah, we used to wash them that way. I mean, they get filthy and it was just easier. I'm kidding, people. Don't do this.

Apparently -- actually, it's funny. The mother apparently admitted that, yes, the kid's played in there before, and this has never happened. What? You let your kid play in the washing machine?

MALVEAUX: It's a pretty dangerous situation.

HOLMES: It was never going to end well, was it? But this one did. No harm done, but need a new washing machine.

MALVEAUX: All right. Listen up, gamers, Sony about to release the PlayStation 4. The company is hoping the new video game system's going to put it back on top.

Going to take it for a little spin, up next.

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MALVEAUX: A group of U.S. lawmakers is coming home from Cuba right now. Several senators, U.S. representatives, they went down there hoping to negotiate the release of an American contractor who has been in jail -- in a Cuban jail for almost four years.

Our Patrick Oppmann, he is in Havana right now. And, Patrick, I understand that we've got you live. There's a group of lawmakers, they were hoping to come home with this man Alan Gross. They are not. Tell us, first of all, who he is and why they weren't able to bring him in. PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. And this is the largest U.S. delegation in recent memory, five U.S. senators, two congressmen, and the point of their trip was really to try and repair frosty relations with Cuba that just have not advanced, diplomatically speaking, are stuck in the mud.

And the U.S. explanation for that is that this man, as you mentioned, a State Department contractor, Alan Gross, remains in Cuban prison here. The Cubans say he was trying to destabilize the government, basically by bringing in banned satellite communications equipment.

For Mr. Gross' part, he says he was merely trying to connect Havana's small Jewish community to the Internet.

So, this was, as well, one of the goals that this group had in mind, is they might be able to come down, and as they did, speak with Cuban President Raul Castro, and perhaps begin the process of winning Al Gross' release.

They left this morning, empty-handed, but let's hear what Senator Patrick Leahy told us before leaving Havana this morning.

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SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D), VERMONT: I thought it was well worthwhile, and I hope he does, too.

OPPMANN: You had said at the beginning of the trip that it means there'd be a different policy, a policy to sort of end the continuing ...

LEAHY: I think that we -- I think that everybody realizes that this is not the 1960s. It's a different century, different world. We have to adapt to it, not to change their government or they to change ours. But there are things we should do. I'll discuss those with President Obama when I get back.

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OPPMANN: And, so, what Senator Patrick Leahy is referring to here, when he's talking about not changing their government or our government, is precisely what the Cubans said Alan Gross was here to do, destabilize the government here. He also told me that Alan Gross was not a spy, that he should be freed immediately, and this group was somewhat disappointed not to be able to advance that at all.

From the Cuban point of view, they have not reacted officially to this trip. They have said that the trip took place, that Cuban President Raul Castro met with them. But from the Cuban point of view, there's a number of things they would like to see, not least of all the beginning of discussion and this long, five decades old U.S. economic trade sanctions against Cuba.

But as we heard, Senator Patrick Leahy said, this is now in the hands of President Obama, how he will take this group's recommendations once they return to Washington. HOLMES: Patrick, briefly, tell us a little about this, what some call the Alan Gross situation. There's been behind the scenes at least a little bit of a thawing in relations between the U.S. and Cuba. How damaging is this?

OPPMANN: You know, it's incredibly damaging because on the one side, you know, Cuba is saying that there are five Cuban intelligence agents that they would like to see returned, that they consider these heroes. In the U.S., they're considered to be spies by the prosecutors who tried them in Miami.

So, you know, when you hear Patrick Leahy say that Alan Gross isn't a spy, what he's really saying is what the State Department has always said all along is that there won't be a swap, that these are two different situations.

The Cubans obviously feel very, very differently. They've been pressuring the U.S. now ever since last year to sit, to talk, to potentially discuss a swap between what they call their prisoners and the one that's still here in Havana.

I should add that Patrick Leahy and another congressman were able to meet with Alan Gross yesterday. They went to his prison cell here in Havana. They wouldn't discuss his condition. His family has told us over the last few years that he's lost a lot of weight, that he's not doing very well, that his health is quite poor, and they want to see him released, of course, immediately.

HOLMES: All right, Patrick, thanks so much. Patrick Oppmann there in Havana.

MALVEAUX: Yeah, Michael, so significant, the Obama administration has really been trying to loosen some of those restrictions and develop a better relationship with Cuba. This really is getting in the way of that, yeah.

HOLMES: Yeah. It is. Raul Castro also doing his little bits behind the scenes, too. Yeah, this could be a problem going forward. Yeah.

MALVEAUX: You might remember the TV show "A Different World." But now, when Jasmine Guy is not starring on Broadway, she's actually using her voice in the fight against child sex trafficking.

My interview with her, up next.

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MALVEAUX: Welcome back to NEWSROOM INTERNATIONAL, where we take you around the world in 60 minutes.

In Aleppo, Syria, the opposition says a scud missile attack killed dozens of people in a housing complex, while in Damascus, a mortar shell hit a soccer stadium killing a soccer player who was training there. Several others were also wounded. As the fighting closed in on the capital, two rounds exploded near one of the president's palaces. That happened on yesterday. HOLMES: Let's go to Bulgaria now. The prime minister there Boyko Borisov has resigned. This follows eight days of angry, nationwide protests over high energy bills and corruption. Bulgaria joining a long list of European countries having to raise prices and cap government spending in order to deal with the debt crisis.

MALVEAUX: And you probably remember, of course, Jasmine Guy. She was -- I loved her, actually. I used to watch her all the time.

HOLMES: Yes.

MALVEAUX: She was that wisecracking, sassy southern belle Whitney Gilbert, that's right, on "A Different World." The popular sitcom ran from '87 to '93.

HOLMES: You used to watch reruns, of course. It was well before your time.

MALVEAUX: Oh, yes, of course.

HOLMES: Yes.

MALVEAUX: Watch this.

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JASMINE GUY, ACTRESS, "A DIFFERENT WORLD": Excuse me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, ACTRESS, "A DIFFERENT WORLD": Hello to you too.

GUY: Is Dwayne here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, he's taking a final exam.

GUY: Is that all anybody ever does around here? What is that stench?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dinner.

GUY: It is a relief to see you here. These boys needed a housekeeper.

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MALVEAUX: She was hilarious. She also has starred on Broadway and in film. Well, now she is using her voice and her celebrity in the fight against child sex trafficking. She is the national spokeswoman for a campaign called "I Am Not Yours."

I had a chance to sit down and talk with her, as well as Katrina Owens, a survivor of sexual exploitation.

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MALVEAUX: Tell me a little bit about your campaign and why this is important to you.

JASMINE GUY, NATIONAL SPOKESWOMAN, "I AM NOT YOURS": When I found out how prevalent the sex trade was here in Atlanta and then all over our country, I was appalled. I mean I think sexual slavery, exploitation, trafficking, all the terms that we use, really hasn't taught us what the problem is. The young victims that have been abducted, beaten, tortured, raped, that are now prosecuted for being prostitutes and doesn't even give them a chance.

MALVEAUX: Katrina, talk about your own experience. You were vulnerable as well and you were able to overcome it. Can you share that with us?

KATRINA OWENS, TRAFFICKING SURVIVOR AND VICTIMS' ADVOCATE: I needed someone to tell me "I love you." I didn't get that, you know. What was a demonstration of love in my life was, I go to work, I pay the bills. You know, you have food to eat. You have clothes on your back. That's a demonstration of love. But the hugs, the "I love you," the vocal expressions of love, I didn't get it.

When the first very charming guy, you know, approaches you to say, you know, you're beautiful or, you know, I'm in love with you and I want to be a part of your life, you fall for it. And, you know, I fell for it. And upon falling for it, you know, he was my boyfriend. He was my everything. He was -- you know, I was loyal to him. And once I reached that point, that's when the tables turned. That's when everything became different.

There's a subculture that exists within what we call the life and, you know, you are constantly told you'll never be a part of that society again. You know, once you cross that line, there's no going back. And you believe it. You know, you believe it. You believe it because you now feel that you have this dirty stain that just can't go away.

MALVEAUX: Is this something, Jasmine, that you usually see? Is there something that brings all of these girls together when you work with them and you see them, there's a commonality?

GUY: There's no sense of self. And even, you know, when you are loved and when you do have teachers that we all can fall victim to low self- esteem.

MALVEAUX: And how long before you actually were able to get out of the life?

OWENS: My last walk away, I was 19, about to be 20. And it was a physical fight. And at that time, I had my youngest son. So it was my son in one arm, it's me fighting him off with the other, and his dog on my leg. So between the dog and him pulling me one direction and me with my child and everything I could gather in my arms, that was the last time.

MALVEAUX: Did it ever feel like it's so overwhelming, it's such a big problem, that it's like, why try? I mean, why bother? I mean, it's huge. Like how do I really make a difference?

GUY: When things are huge for me, I try to do one thing small and well. Just do one thing small and well. You know, maybe it will just be working with Katrina and her organization, and we help three girls. Because what am I doing? I'm getting overwhelmed by the problem of, what am I doing as an individual to help?

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MALVEAUX: So you can help. They are certainly doing a lot to help. For more information about "I Am Not Yours," go to iamnotyours.com. Really amazing work that she is doing. And Katrina, you know, an example of someone who has overcome tremendous odds to break out of that life.

HOLMES: Yes. Powerful message.

MALVEAUX: Yes.

HOLMES: that was riveting listening to that. Well done. Yes, good (INAUDIBLE).

MALVEAUX: Thank you.

HOLMES: What a story.

All right. Now, coming up, they survived a tsunami. Now Hollywood has made a film about this family from Spain and their incredible story of survival. Guess what? It's up for an Oscar.

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HOLMES: Welcome back, everyone.

Well, she was born in England, but we like to say she's Australian because she moved there as a child.

MALVEAUX: Fellow Aussie, huh?

HOLMES: Yes, we claim Naomi Watts.

MALVEAUX: No bias there.

HOLMES: None whatsoever. Well, she's up for an Academy Award for her role in the movie "The Impossible." It's based on the true story of a Spanish family who survived the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

MALVEAUX: Our Al Goodman, he found the real life inspirations for the film.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE), come and see this.

AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In "The Impossible," Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor portray the parents with three sons on Christmas vacation in Thailand in 2004. Maria Belon and her husband, Enrique Alvarez, of Spain, are the real parents who survived the tsunami with their sons.

MARIA BELON, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR: The fears you think you have, they become nothing when something really, really becomes. GOODMAN: Belon collaborated on the film script to put in realistic details. It was partly shot on location where the tsunami hit.

ENRIQUE ALVAREZ, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR: And even the situation when the wave came, you know, so I was playing in the -- a small swimming pool with the kids, then the ball went out, and then Lucas was out of the pool just trying to get the ball.

BELON: If I would see the film from outside, I would say, I was unable to go through that. But once you are there, you are able of that and more. I mean, we have so much strength inside ourselves that it's incredible when you discover that.

GOODMAN: The tsunami separated the family members.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm scared.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know.

GOODMAN: Fear is a major theme in the film.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm scared too.

ALVAREZ: If you are by yourself, or you have a reason to keep going, then, you know, that you can really, you know, take you. But you have a reason to keep going, like, you know, helping your -- or finding your kids and your wife, et cetera, then you have a, you know, a inner motive really to go beyond fear.

GOODMAN: Maria was badly injured. Yet while in hospital, sent her oldest son to help other families find their lost loved ones.

BELON: That's the only reason, a sense of meaning of life, is helping each other, taking care of each other. I mean those moments, hard moments, that becomes really, really everything becomes black or white. And you help and you forget about yourself.

GOODMAN: The boys then were just 10, seven, and five years old. The family, shown here at the film's world premiere in Toronto last September. The boys like to go surfing. Some family members also attended the recent London premiere along with Naomi Watts.

BELON: I wanted to do this story because of, I mean, many, many people that can't tell this story. So I feel I should be there for them.

NAOMI WATTS, ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE: Whether you know about this tsunami or not, it's a story that we can all connect with, the need to survive, who we want to survive for, and why.

GOODMAN: Al Goodman, CNN, Madrid.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Coming up, there are yachts, and then there are yachts. Michael, this is awesome.

HOLMES: I can't wait. I'm dying to see this.

MALVEAUX: We get to take a look at the world's biggest. It cost $1.5 billion.

HOLMES: $1.5 billion. And it comes with everything. Well, it's better for $1.5 billion. It's got a spa. It's got a submarine. Everyone should have one of those.

MALVEAUX: Oh, yes, let's take a tour. Let's go.

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MALVEAUX: All right, it's been a good hour. I'm told we've ran out of time.

HOLMES: It's flown by. I know, we were -- oh, that close to doing -- (INAUDIBLE). Got to go. That will do it for me for NEWSROOM INTERNATIONAL.

MALVEAUX: We'll bring you that story tomorrow.

HOLMES: Yes, we'll have --

MALVEAUX: This was a big tease for tomorrow anyway.

HOLMES: A long term tease. You've got more work to do.