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Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's Condition Improving; Kevin Curtis Freed And James Everett Dutschke Now Charged With Sending Ricin-Laced Mail; Double Amputee Triathelete Discusses "The New Normal"; Drones Are More Than Just An Eye In The Sky As Tech Advances; Boston Bombers Had Plans For New York City, Too; Interview With Psy At White House Correspondents Dinner

Aired April 27, 2013 - 18:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour, everyone. Thank you so much for joining us. I am Don Lemon, you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

We are going to begin with this. A man is in jail in Mississippi right now, charged in the connection with letters sent to President Obama and other officials that contained the deadly poison ricin. This is the man. His name is James Everett Dutschke that charges possessing and use of a biological toxin as a weapon. He is the second man from Tupelo arrested in this investigation. Charges against the first suspect were dropped.

We want to head now to Tupelo and CNN's Alina Machado. She is watching as things develop here.

So Alina, who is this man, James Everett Dutschke and how did the FBI find their way to him.

ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Don, neighbors tells us James Everett Dutschke lived behind me in the house behind me with his wife. His attorney says he ran a martial arts studio in town that was closed after Dutschke was charged in a child molestation case earlier this year.

We also know that Dutschke ran for a seat in the Mississippi house in 2007 against a man named Steve Holland. Now, Holland's mother is a judge here and she received one of those ricin letters. We talked to Holland about the arrest. And here is what Steve Holland had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE HOLLAND, VICTIM'S SON: This could have been devastating, very devastating. I mean, mom could have died had this taken the worst case scenario and that would have been tragic, of course. Thank goodness she's fine. We just want to move on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACHADO: Now, we first learned about Dutschke in a hearing for the original suspect in this case. In that hearing, Paul Kevin Curtis said that he had been framed and said that Dutschke was a possible suspect. A day later, as we all know, Curtis was freed and all the charges against him were dropped. And now, it seems that this investigation has taken yet another turn -- Don.

LEMON: So Alina, this guy has some other legal problems there, and one of the victims is a judge. Any connection?

MACHADO: well, so far, the only link we can see between the judge and Dutschke is the fact he ran against the judge's son in 2007. In terms of whether there's a link between Dutschke and the job -- Dutschke's legal problems and the judge, that's something we haven't seen yet -- Don.

LEMON: All right, thank you, Alina Machado reporting from Tupelo. Now, of course, this isn't the first time poison of this kind or another was sent through the mail as an attack. Remember, shortly after 9/11, letters laced with anthrax were sent to addresses in Washington, New York, and Florida. Five died from exposure to the poison. Those letters were sent to a couple of U.S. senators and a few national news outlets. The lead suspect in that case committed suicide.

In 2003, police in England busted a group of suspected terrorists that claimed they were making ricin. That was a case Colin Powell referred to as part of justification for war in Iraq.

And to show you how deadly this stuff is, a man nearly died after exposure to ricin in a Las Vegas motel room. The FBI arrested him later for making the stuff.

Turning to the Boston bombing investigation, investigators spent another day at this landfill, there it is. It is near Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's U. Mass Dartmouth dorm room and where he was spotted just after the bombings.

Earlier this week, CNN learned investigators were there scouring for receipts at the landfill, this time they were looking for his laptop. Meantime, Tsarnaev is now in a federal prison camp, after a week spent at the same hospital as many of the victims he was accused of wounding. He was moved about 40 miles west of Boston to a facility that holds detainees that need medical care.

Law enforcement official says Tsarnaev's condition is improving and he is now able to sit up and write. All of this as his parents left their home in Dagestan for another part of Russia. His father, Anzor Tsarnaev, abandoning plans to come to the U.S., saying his trip is delayed indefinitely.

Susan Candiotti, live now in Devens, Massachusetts where Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is being held now.

Susan, what is happening with the boat that Dzhokhar used as his backyard hideout during the manhunt?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Hi, Don.

You and I were talking about this one week ago tonight. At that time, the FBI was still working on collecting evidence from that boat. Now, we understand as of yesterday that work was completed. Imagine they were working on it all that time, collecting evidence. And now it has been moved to a storage facility with other evidence that may be used at trial, Don.

LEMON: So Susan, Tsarnaev is now in the prison medical center in Devens, Massachusetts as you are there now. What do you know about his condition and reports he is now unwilling to communicate with authorities?

CANDIOTTI: Yes. They are not saying much of anything this day, only confirming that he's there. But, we did learn in the last 24 hours the degree of which the kind of security he has. He is being held along with maybe about 30 other inmates in a special area of the medical center, reserved for those who need higher security. But beyond that, we know that he's in a cell that's quite plain and common, but as to whether he is receiving any visitors, we're unable to find out. I have been unable to reach his lawyer to find out.

But we do know that he did provide a lot of what is described to me by sources as very substantial information, a lot given to investigators when they were questioning him before he was read his rights. Now not so much. But authorities, officials tell me, rather sources tell me that they have quite a lot to work with from what he did provide to them before he was mirandized.

LEMON: This case is fascinating, so many different facets to it. And I think a lot of people are interested in this because we are hearing two of his friends, Susan, are being held by immigration authorities. What do you know about that?

CANDIOTTI: Yes. Immigration authorities tell us this is because and along with their own lawyer, they're being held because they violated their student visas by not attending classes at the same school Dzhokhar was attending as well. And above and beyond that, certainly ICE, that's immigration authorities, telling us that they have no evidence that these young men played a direct role in the bomb plot at all.

However, sources tell us they have interest in the friends because they feel as though they may have a lot of information to provide, at the very least about their friend who is now at this medical facility where I'm standing.

LEMON: Susan Candiotti at the medical facility in Devens, Mass. Thank you. Appreciate that.

The wife of the deceased bombing suspect was spotted today. Here is Katherine Russell leaving her family's home in Rhode Island about noon. We don't know where she was headed, but she returned a short time later. Russell married to Tamerlan Tsarnaev in 2010. Her attorney says Russell did not know anything about her husband's alleged bombing plans.

Meantime, a federal law enforcement official says there's evidence that leads investigators to believe that Tamerlan Tsarnaev may have been involved in drug dealing. That source did not elaborate, though.

And don't expect to see the suspect's parents in the U.S. any time soon. They're staying in Russia for now. The suspect's father has postponed his U.S. trip indefinitely for health reasons. That's according to the suspect's mother. Earlier the father agreed to fly to the U.S. and cooperate with investigators. The mother is staying put in Russia. She is wanted on felony charges of shoplifting and destruction of property in Massachusetts. That's where the parents lived until last year.

Support for the bombing victims can be seen very clearly on the Boylston Street in Boston as a makeshift memorial grows.

CNN's Poppy Harlow is there speaking to those who have come to pay their respects.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We Don, this is one of the most beautiful if not the most beautiful sight in Boston now on this glorious spring day. I would say hundreds of people emerged on this makeshift memorial that has been growing hour by hour, day by day. People from Boston, people from across America, around the world here to honor the victims, honor the people that were lost and tell this city that they support Boston.

Some of the messages that stand out to me, this one, always in my thoughts and prayers, remember forever, Boston strong. That comes from Janice Marie who I met earlier today who said it was just too difficult to come earlier. Today was the first day she could come.

Another message down here, never forget, be strong. And you know, these posters have been filling up every few hours. City workers come and they remove them when they're full and take them to city hall, they replace them. And then more and more messages are written on here. It is incredibly moving and you see the outpouring of support.

And I just want you to take a minute and look at all of the people, families, young, old here from Boston, tourists, people from all over to just stand with this city. Down here, you see beautiful American flags. And it is just a very moving sight.

I want to take you over here to show you something else, excuse me, guys, that stands out to me. You have four crosses for the four lives lost. You have Sean Collier, the brave 26-year-old MIT police officer who was brutally gunned down. Krystle Campbell, the 29-year- old woman. Next to her, Lingzi Lu, the Chinese exchange student studying at Boston University. And then, of course, you have the eight-year-old boy, Martin Richard whose smile became a symbol of the strength of the city and of the bond of people here.

A beautiful outpouring here in Boston. And as I said, this grows hour by hour as more people come to see it for themselves and to pay their respects.

We will be here again live tomorrow morning, starting at 6:00 a.m. -- Don? LEMON: All right, Poppy, thank you now. See you tomorrow evening there in that same spot.

You know, we now know the older suspected bomber was on a number of terrorist databases. Next, we talk with an FBI assistant director and ask him why red flags didn't fly sooner.

And a surprising find in a tight space between two buildings near ground zero, it is part of the landing gear to an airliner, maybe one of the planes that hit the towers on 9/11. We will have a live report straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: With Dzhokhar Tsarnaev now refusing to cooperate, critics are speaking up about informing him of his Miranda rights on Monday. Several lawmakers say it may have kept importance intelligence from investigators. Among the critics, Republican congressman Mike Rogers from Michigan.

Earlier, CNN's Athena Jones talked about the big move Rogers made to voice his concerns.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Congressman Mike Rogers is also the chairman of the house intelligence committee. And he wants to know a lot more about how this suspect came to be read his rights Monday at the hospital. He has written a letter to the attorney general Eric Holder listing a long list of questions he wants answers to, questions like who decided this initial appearance should happen at this specific place and time, and did anyone from department of justice or the FBI raise concerns about the timing of reading the suspect those rights.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Athena is also reporting this that the FBI was alerted ahead of the time that Tsarnaev's Miranda warning was going to happen.

How much did the FBI know about the Tsarnaev brothers and more importantly, was their response to the red flags good enough? We are learning about the FBI's apparent failings, including reports that Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the older brother, had been added to the government's terror watch list but at some point fell off the grid.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham calls the case a system failure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: I know that when he goes to Russia and department of homeland security picks up him leaving and the FBI and CIA are not informed, 11 years after 9/11, that's a mistake, that's a big mistake. And when he comes back from Dagestan and goes on the Internet, You Tube and other public outlets and starts talking in a radical fashion and we can't pick that up in light of all of the warnings we've had, I know that's failure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right. You've seen him in there. You have seen there a lot on CNN. Tom Fuentes is a former FBI assistant director and CNN analyst.

Tom, let's take a step back here, OK? How does a government track terror suspects? Is it done on a priority basis?

THOMAS FUENTES, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, Don, and at that point, you know, you have to define what you mean by terrorist suspect. At the time the Russians make the request to investigate Tamerlan, the investigation is done and it is very thorough by all accounts. Other members of Congress have been briefed on what occurred during that investigation and they're in agreement at least, so there's a difference of opinion even among members of Congress as to how thorough, whether more should have been done at the time. But at the time, the investigation is done and nothing derogatory comes up.

The FBI is not informed of the underlying information that causes the Russians to send a letter. They were only told take a look at them. So they open the case, and they do a fairly thorough job. It is not like they take a quick look and stop it. They interview people, friends. They looked at the electronic, at least who he was in contact with, which you know, he is going to be in contact with relatives, let's say back in the old country, back in Dagestan. So, you know, they do all of that. And they come up with nothing.

Before they close it, they ask the Russians twice, please give us more or we're going to have to close this. And no more information comes at that time. And until recently. So they closed the case. The issue that's come up about stove piping of information since 9/11 is ridiculous.

Every member of the taskforce has access to every bit of information. They are all clear top secret. They all look at the same databases. The customs, immigration people sitting on the taskforce, aware of the investigation would then make according to their policy whatever --

LEMON: Tom, I just want to make it clear, because everyone that I have spoken to said listen. This is about sharing of information, OK, that the information isn't shared. That's the problem. And even with people --

FUENTES: Frankly, that's just not true. I know everybody is saying that, it is not a fact. I ran two JTTF. I could tell you how everybody sits side by side. Everybody has access to the same databases all together. In a case like this, they would discuss as a group -- they would discuss what they have.

LEMON: Tom, what's the one unit. I have been talking about it. And I think it is very interesting. After the capture of Saddam Hussein, you know, this high value detainee interrogation unit the FBI started after that, what is the one -- is there one central group in the government that's responsible for disseminating all these information and making sure it gets to the proper person, rather than a bunch of different entities sharing information and all of a sudden may not get disseminated.

FUENTES: Well, the FBI runs each of the joint terrorism taskforces throughout the country, and there's a national JTTF in Washington, and they also have executives and other analysts and agents assigned to the terrorist screening center. So you have all of these entities, have everybody participating, and the members that are part of that have full access. They are sitting side by side.

LEMON: Where does the buck stop?

FUENTES: Well, the investigation is done according to the standards of our constitution and the limits that they have and they closed the case. So, if you want to say that the FBI shouldn't have closed the case back then, that may be, and they can analyze that, and they can review that and hold hearings and have security briefings on that issue, let them look at that. But, I'm saying here, I'm trying to describe how the process works.

LEMON: I understand that. But, I'm just wondering, I know there are a bunch of different groups, you said listen, it is completely transparent, according to you, and that they're sharing information. I am trying to figure out the one agency where the buck stops. When anything happens with the economy, (INAUDIBLE), the president says I'm the president. The buck stops with me. So, this type of information, what agency, who does the buck stop with?

FUENTES: Well, there are many. You know, you could say the director of national intelligence, you can say the president of the United States, for that matter. You have a lot of different agencies, a lot of people in a number of different entities that are receiving this information.

In this case, Tamerlan gets put on the tide list which has 500,000 names. And I can tell you, if you are only on that list and not a higher elevated terror watch list, you are not going to be tracked for the rest of your life, coming or going, or visiting your parents or visiting anybody. So there are limitations as to what can be done after the fact when you have so many people on the lists.

LEMON: OK. All right. Tom Fuentes, thank you, appreciate it.

A surprising find near ground zero, part of the landing gear to a plane, maybe one of those that hit the world trade center on 9/11. We are live from the scene next.

And how next year's Boston marathon security could include a view from above.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: I find this story fascinating. Pay attention to this because nearly 12 years after the 9/11 terror attacks, police think they may have found part of one of the planes that hit the world trade center. This week, an apparent piece of landing gear was found wedged between two buildings in an alley nearby.

CNN's Alina Cho in lower Manhattan, near the discovery sight.

Alina, as a said, I find this story fascinating. I understand that police are securing the area as they would a crime scene right now. What do you know?

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And the reason why it is a crime scene, Don, is because this is an active investigation. In fact, the chief medical examiner and other officials will be back here at this site Monday morning. They will be sifting through the wreckage. They will be looking for toxic material, and even possibly human remains. Remember, more than 1100 9/11 victims still have not been identified.

Let me take you back to Wednesday morning when the discovery was made. Basically, surveyors were here looking to do some construction work. They were in the backyard of this building behind me. They were looking around and they stumbled upon and saw the mechanical part.

Frankly, they didn't know what it was, so they alerted authorities. The authorities came in. They took a close look at it, and they were able to see on that piece of wreckage the word Boeing and a serial number. And it was at that point that they realized this was likely the landing gear from one of the hijacked planes on 9/11.

Now, as you can imagine, for families of the victims, this opens an old wound. In fact, I spoke to one man named Jim Riches today, his son, Jimmy, died on 9/11. 29-year-old Jimmy was a New York City firefighter who ran into the north tower on 9/11 and never came out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM RICHES, FATHER OF 9/11 VICTIM: From September 11 that day until I got on my hands and knees, found him on his brother's birthday, March 25th, 2002, and me and his brothers carried him from ground zero. That's what we hope for the other families who have never recovered anything, to at least be able to go to a cemetery and leave some flowers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are talking about places that should have been searched before.

RICHES: You turn the news on, hear this, it stabs you in the heart again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: Again, Don, this is an active investigation. And once that investigation is complete, that will take about a week, the big question is how will they remove that massive piece of landing gear? And for now, investigators say they have not figured out how they will do that -- Don?

LEMON: I have a question, Alina. Because apparently, according to the police commissioner, there's a rope that was sort of intertwined, part of this supposed landing gear. Do they know how the rope got there? Because some are saying it may have been lowered into that spot.

CHO: You know, it is so interesting that you should mention that because that is one of the questions, yes. If you look very closely at one of the photos that the NYPD released, you can barely clearly see rope that's tangled around the wreckage. Almost looks like a pulley, according to the police commissioner, Ray Kelly, and that did lead investigators to think potentially one theory that it was lowered down there.

What's interesting, though, is that the police commissioner also says if you're looking at that narrow space between the two buildings in which that piece of landing gear was found, there were no distinct marks on either side of the building, so that would potentially speak to the theory that it just fell out of the sky and crashes into that space on 9/11 and simply went unnoticed until now. Of course, investigators are going to be looking at all of that very closely, and we hope to get some answers within the next week.

LEMON: They have got that serial number, so they should know about that. Listen, a rope could mean it was lowered, maybe someone saw it before and tried to pull it up. Who knows. But we will find out, Alina, when this as investigation continues.

Alina Cho, thank you very much. Always appreciate your reporting.

And authorities searched through construction debris from the World Trade center site several times in 2006. Possible human remains were found in a manhole and on a bank tower roof near the site.

After that, authorities began to removing truckloads of debris to a secure landfill in Staten Island. The latest effort was earlier this month, new sifting technology is being used at the landfill to match remains to previously unidentified victims or identify new ones. To date, 39 new identifications have been made, 2,753 people were killed at the world trade center in that explosion and more than half, 1634 have been identified. The medical examiner's office says it will keep monitoring the landfill site as long as new areas are being exposed.

For most of the Boston bombing survivors, their lives are changed forever, especially those that lost limbs in the attack.

Ahead, what one amazing double amputee is doing to help those recover. He says it is all about attitude.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: In the Boston Marathon attack, people's lives changed in a split second. Those bombs were designed to inflict maximum damage. Some people lost limbs, others suffered horrific injuries which could take months or years to recover from. The road ahead will be anything but easy for many of them. Scott Rigsby is here. He is a double amputee and a triathelete who competed in this year's Boston Marathon. And you were how far away?

SCOTT RIGSBY, TRIATHLETE WHO COMPETED IN THIS YEAR'S BOSTON MARATHON: Abou a half a mile away.

LEMON: About a half a mile. Yes.

RIGSBY: The BU students were so loud that we couldn't hear anything. They're awesome, they come out and cheer every year.

LEMON: All right. So -- you don't mind if we - you're here. So, the legs you have on now, you don't run in those.

RIGSBY: I don't run in these, these are my regular walking legs and cross fitting legs and working out legs. Yes.

LEMON: So, you know Dan Evans from the Wounded Warrior Project.

RIGSBY: Haven't met him.

LEMON: I met him on a plane to Hawaii, both of us going surfing. And he said -- I said, are you taller now? He goes, "As a matter of fact, I am. I asked to be a little bit taller." Did you ask to be taller?

RIGSBY: Well, I had the legs off at two different times. This was taken by trauma. I elected to take this off 12 years later after 26 surgeries. And so, they asked me how tall do you want to be? I said one inch taller than my oldest brother.

LEMON: I ask you that you can have a sense of humor, you can have a normal life after that. You were 18 years old when it happened.

RIGSBY: That's right. Twenty-six years ago.

LEMON: OK. So, the road ahead for people who lost one limb or both limbs, what's the road ahead like? And by the way, this is the one you run in.

RIGSBY: That's the one I used in Boston this year and last year. The road ahead, like you said, the road ahead. It is a journey. They will never, ever have a normal life. But they can have a new normal life, and they can have a fantastic life.

LEMON: Maybe they won't have the same life they had, but they'll have a normal life, as normal as it can be, right?

RIGSBY: They won't have a normal life. No. It is a new normal, but it can be great, it can be an exciting, fulfilling, wild, crazy ride.

LEMON: Why do you say the new normal. Why won't it be the same?

RIGSBY: Because everything radically is different. When they're wearing shorts for the first time, and they're walking down the street. I mean, I get more looks than a supermodel if I'm in the airport or anywhere because they look at these legs and people want to stare. It is not a cruelty, it is out of curiosity. They don't understand it. It is fascinating --

LEMON: Does it bother you?

RIGSBY: It took time to get used to. In the beginning, took time to get used to. I don't even notice it now.

LEMON: As we look at pictures of you competing, how much did you -- you have a very positive attitude. I feel like I can say anything to you, and you would be okay with it.

RIGSBY: Sure. I am an approachable guy, yes.

LEMON: I ask you because how important is attitude when you have an injury like this?

RIGSBY: It is extremely important. You're going to come to a crossroads where you're either get bitter or better. And that's just a simple way of looking at it is that this is a journey. I look at my life like I have a mission. My mission in life is to help heal families, in particular, military families. So, that's why I devote time through my foundation, spending time with Wounded Warriors and spending time helping try to heal their families.

LEMON: What's the biggest challenge you think? Is it mental, physical, or equally both as important?

RIGSBY: It is a combination of both of them because really the mental part of it, you have to deal with that fear, the fear that I know. That's the biggest disability I had. Wasn't that 20 years that I spent trying to deal with prosthetics. It was that fear, fear of the unknown.

LEMON: I have been watching some of the victims with a live press conference, one of the young ladies from the hospital, and she very positive about it. I imagine there are hills and valleys.

RIGSBY: It is the normal stages of grieving. It's like losing a person, you really did lose a person, you lost that old self.

LEMON: Do you still have a phantom?

RIGSBY: I don't.

LEMON: You don't.

RIGSBY: Normally -- sometimes when I first had the amputation, you have these phantom sensations or phantom pains. But I don't have them now. Long time ago.

LEMON: The best thing and the worst thing about losing your limb?

RIGSBY: The best thing and the worst thing. Well, the best thing is that these limbs - if I was given a choice to have my real legs or these back, I would continue to live with prosthetic for the rest of my life because I feel like I can make a difference in people's lives. I feel like I am playing a role in a bigger story, a divine story that is. And I wouldn't have been able to do that with real legs.

LEMON: That's what I meant, there's something that happened to you afterwards.

RIGSBY: I truly believe that, yes, I found my purpose. Over these 20 years, found my purpose. And that is to help others, that's to help heal these families.

LEMON: Thank you. Thank you, Scott Rigsby. This is --

RIGSBY: Unthinkable.

LEMON: Yes, "Unthinkable." The book. There he is on the cover. We should mention that your foundation launched its aid for Boston campaign contributions.

RIGSBY: That's right. Scottrigsbyfoundation.org.

LEMON: OK. Contributions are going to the victims who lost limbs or mobility because of this tragedy at the marathon. Anyone that wants to contribute, go to the ScottRigsbyFoundation.org. As he said, go to that website and also buy the book, "Unthinkable." Thank you.

RIGSBY: Thank you, sir.

LEMON: My pleasure, my pleasure. We have to go surfing together.

RIGSBY: Sounds great.

LEMON: All right.

Up next, you've heard about the use of drones in the overseas war on terror. What about using unmanned aircraft here at home? It is a debate that heated up again in the wake of the Boston bombings.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Welcome back, everyone. There's been debate about whether U.S. drones strikes overseas may have in part inspired the Boston Marathon bombings. But next year, drones may be flying above the marathon itself.

This week, Boston's top cop told "The Boston Herald" this. He says, "Drones are a great idea. I don't know that would be the first place I would invest money, but certainly to cover an event like this and have an eye in the sky that's much cheaper to run than a helicopter is a really good idea." As the tech advances, drones are even more than just an eye in the sky. Here is our Laurie Segall.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAURIE SEGALL, CNN MONEY TECH CORRESPONDENT: Here at University of Pennsylvania GRASP lab, they're developing very small, unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs that will travel in fleets.

VIJAY KUMAR, PROFESSOR, UNIV. OF PENNSYLVANIA GRASP LAB: Think of these as being the first responders. The idea that it gets to the scene before a human first responder can.

SEGALL: It is technology built by academics that has yet to hit the market.

KUMAR: What we really want to do is make the robots small and have them collaborate to perform tasks autonomously that individually they cannot perform.

SEGALL: They'll have sensors that talk to each other so they can work together. But unlike the UAVs used in combat, these robots are intended to go inside buildings. They can map rooms and hallways.

KUMAR: If you look closely, that's the window that you see in the back of the room there.

SEGALL: They tested the technology in Japan after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were able to show how these robots can actually map interiors of buildings.

SEGALL: The idea of using fleets of small UAVs in crisis situations appeals to campus security.

MAUREEN RUSH, UNIV. OF PENN. V.P. OF PUBLIC SAFETY: Since Columbine, every police department trains officers to go in as a unit. Wouldn't it be fabulous to have a robot who could go a few feet in front of them with a camera that could project back to a command center like the one we're in and say the gunman is actually in room 210.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Interesting. CNN Money tech expert Laurie Segall is here with us now. So, in what ways could drones have been helpful in Boston, Laurie?

SEGALL: Look, you think of them flying overhead during the actual marathon. Think about when those bombs went off, and law enforcement said to the public if there's any pictures you have, if there's anything you have, send it in. I mean, this kind of technology as scary as some of this can be, it could have really helped in the investigation if you had all of that surveillance.

Again, when we talk about the shooting at MIT, they would have been able to use these mini fleets of drones that would go in buildings, make sure they were safe. This kind of technology, Don, is being developed. But there are also a lot of questions when it comes to privacy and putting this out there.

LEMON: Yes, it is very interesting technology. We had a drone live in our studio on one of our shows at 10:00. The entire hour devoted to drones, and it is very fascinating technology. There are lots of privacy issues. A lot of people are skiddish, Laurie, about domestic drones. Dozens of states are even talking bans, correct?

SEGALL: You're exactly right. There are a handful of states that are talking about legislation. And these are conversations that need to happen because we all know, we have at least heard about military drones. But we are just learning about use cases for law enforcement, for universities. So, these conversations need to happen. They need to happen with law enforcement, with the FAA because the privacy, when you think about these drones hovering over your home, I mean, it is a conversation. This technology, it is not going to go away. But it does need to be regulated.

LEMON: Laurie Segall, good information. Thank you very much.

SEGALL: Thanks.

After the bombing at the Boston Marathon, the suspects spontaneously came up with a plan to attack another city. Hatched a last-minute plan to detonate explosives in Times Square. We'll hear how the plan fell apart.

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LEMON: Welcome back. Live pictures of Copley Square where people have gathered for a makeshift memorial. They're coming really, daily by the thousands. This makeshift memorial grew from a small one to a much bigger one and will no doubt continue to grow. Live reports from Boston coming up. As a matter of fact, I will be anchoring from there tomorrow evening here on CNN. Make sure you tune in.

The suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing talked about driving to New York to detonate their remaining explosives in Times Square. That spontaneous conversation happened while the Tsarnaev brothers were driving around in an SUV they hijacked on Thursday. CNN's Mary Snow has more on the New York connection now.

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MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the chaos of last week's manhunt for Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev officials say New York City's Times Square was on the radar of both suspects. The city's mayor and police commissioner say they were informed by the FBI Wednesday night about information learned during questioning of Dzhokar Tsarnaev.

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK MAYOR: He told the FBI apparently that he and his brother had intended to drive to New York and designate additional explosives in Times Square.

SNOW: But the plans, say officials, offered no specifics and was described as spontaneous.

The brothers, according to New York officials, talked about going to New York while they were driving in the Mercedes SUV they carjacked after allegedly killing an MIT police officer. They were said to have a handful of improvised explosive devices including a pressure cooker bomb like the two used at the Boston marathon at the city's famed marathon and a number of pipe bombs, according to New York officials.

When they stopped at a gas station, the carjacking victim escaped and put police on their trail. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed, his younger brother was captured hours later. Police say they believed Dzhokhar Tsarnaev made two previous trips to New York on or before April 18 of 2012. A photo from the trip obtained by police, and another trip in November of 2012. But authorities say they don't know if there's any connection between the trips and their alleged plans.

The information about targeting Times Square is a reversal from what police said just the day before, that the brothers were heading to New York to party. Police commissioner Ray Kelly said the New York plan was revealed during a second round of questioning.

COMMISSIONER RAY KELLY, NEW YORK POLICE DEPT.: The information we received is that he was a lot more lucid, and I think gave much more detailed information in the second questioning period.

SNOW: Still, New York Republican congressman Peter King told CNN's Jake Tapper the city should have been informed earlier.

REP. PETER KING, (R) NEW YORK: Even though this may or may not have been spontaneous, for all we know there could be other conspirators out there and the city should have been alerted so it could go into its defensive mode, because no one does it better than the NYPD. But I think they should have been told earlier.

SNOW: The NYPD says it's now investigating Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's past trips to New York City and who he may have been with. The police commissioner says that police have identified some of his acquaintances in the pictures that they've obtained, but again stresses it's not clear whether there's any link.

Mary Snow, CNN, New York.

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LEMON: All right, Mary, thank you very much.

Actor Matt Damon returns to his hometown and addresses students at Harvard about the marathon bombing. We'll hear what he said right after this break.

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LEMON: All right, everybody. We're a little more than two hours away from the party that mixes politics and pop culture like nothing else, the White House Correspondents Dinner. The presidential press corps has been hosting the event since 1920, and since then it's become the white tie opportunity for celebs with a cause.

Oh, CNN entertainment correspondent Nischelle Turner joins us now live from the red carpet. Nischelle, I thought you had a little story there. Oh, you're with Psy! That's what I was hearing in my ear!

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I'm with Psy, that's right.

LEMON: What's going on?

TURNER: Yes, I grabbed him. There's a lot going on here, Don, tonight, and I literally just grabbed him away from another interview because we wanted to bring you live on CNN to talk a little bit about --

PSY, SINGER: Oh, so this is live.

TURNER: Yes, this is live. You can say hi to Don Lemon because that's who's over on the other side.

PSY: Hi, Don Lemon, how are you?

TURNER: Now, you were kind of a last-minute addition to the White House Correspondents Dinner. But talk to me about how what you expect to see tonight, how excited you are to be here.

PSY: Well, you know, I just heard what kind of, you know, occasion this is, and you know how big this is. And you know, I officially got the list of who's attending here and I was like, why aren't they inviting me? This is happening.

TURNER: This is happening.

PSY: Yes, I was like why am I here right now. So, I was super excited.

TURNER: With 800 million-plus YouTube views for Gangnam Style, now 140 million, 150 million for your new single, Gentlemen, I think you're going to fit in just fine tonight.

PSY: Well, let me rephrase that. First of all, Gangnam Style it's 1.6 billion.

TURNER: Excuse me, 1.6 billion.

PSY: And the Gentlemen, new single, it got 240 million in two weeks.

TURNER: I must have checked my page views yesterday and I wasn't up on this. Refresh, exactly. Now Psy, I want to can you this is where the place politics and pop culture collide. And even with the success you've had in your career, you did come up with a little bit of controversy for some lyrics in one of your songs that were disparaging to America. What do you have to say about that now?

PSY: There was some misunderstanding. That was not with America, but that was with the war. And you know, second thing, we all do some dumb things when we're young. And we were thinking that was cool, just what I've done before, like, 10 years ago. But you know, still, I really appreciate President Obama because he encouraged me a lot when I did the concert at the Christmas in Washington. And now I can say it's really a great pleasure to be an underdog in the United States.

TURNER: The president talked to you about that. What did he say to you?

PSY: He didn't say nothing about that occasion. So that means a lot to me.

TURNER: He didn't say anything about the controversy. He just encouraged you to continue on?

PSY: Yes, that's what he did.

TURNER: All right, Psy, you have a good time here tonight, OK. Is there anybody besides the president you're ready to see?

PSY: Well, you know, how can I say just one? But you know - oh.

TURNER: Sharon Stone just came beside him, and he got flummoxed. So, that's -- (LAUGHTER). This is what we love about the White House Correspondent Dinner.

LEMON: I was just going the say as you guys were talking, hey, look, Sharon Stone is right behind you.

TURNER: We will grab her definitely, Don Lemon. That stopped Psy in his tracks, I have to tell you.

LEMON: It stopped us as well. OK, we look forward to lots of celebs. Thank you, Psy. Thank you, Nischelle. We'll see you in a little bit.

And make sure you stay with us for full coverage of the White House Correspondents Dinner with headliner Conan O'Brien. Our live coverage begins at 9:00 Eastern tonight on CNN. It's going to be a blast. Make sure you watch.

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LEMON: One of Boston's favorite sons talked about the marathon bombings while visiting Harvard University this week. Matt Damon received the school's annual award for excellence in the arts. And during the ceremony, the actor reflected on the attacks. He says he was shocked when he found out he went to the same high school the younger Tsarnaev brother attended. He says everyone is now wondering what happened.

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MATT DAMON, ACTOR: It's just really -- I think we're all still in shock. I certainly am still in shock and trying to figure out what this all means and what happened. Just incredibly shocking and hard to figure out.

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LEMON: Well, Damon wrote about the importance of the race in a "Boston Globe" article just weeks before the attacks.