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Christie Calls for Special Election; Mississippi River Rising; Flooding Fears Growing in Missouri; Powerhouse Fire in California; Marine Reservist Kidnapped in Mexico; Sex Assaults & Cain of Command, New Twist on the Modern Family

Aired June 04, 2013 - 14:00   ET

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

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: So today, we're going to begin the process of sending a new representative to the U.S. Senate.

Let me be clear, this is the way I see my responsibility to the people of this state. This is about guaranteeing the people of New Jersey both a choice and a voice in the process and the representation that they deserve in Washington.

Whoever it's going to be, our next United States senator should be nominated by a primary of the people and voted on by all the people of the state of New Jersey. And that's why, as is clearly indicated by New Jersey law, I am calling for a special election to be held this year.

First, the issues facing the United States Senate are too critically important and the decisions that need to be dealt with too vital not to have an elected representative making those decisions who as voted on - who was voted on and decided on by the people of this state. These decisions should be made by an elected official who represents the will of the voters of New Jersey.

Yes, New Jersey statute does allow me to name an appointment to serve for the remainder of Senator Lautenberg's term, with a primary and general election taking place in 2014. But I firmly believe that the decisions that need to be made in Washington are too great to be determined by an appointee for a period of 18 months. We must allow our citizens to have their say over who will represent them in the Senate for the majority of the next year and a half. People of New Jersey deserve to have that voice.

Secondly, we have to move swiftly to fill this seat and ensure that there is both a primary and general election as soon as possible. As dictated by New Jersey law, I have today issued a writ that will specifically designate the cause and purpose of this special election and the dates the primary and general elections will be held. The process to fill this U.S. Senate seat must allow the people to have a choice to determine their nominees. This is simply nonnegotiable to me. I will not permit the insiders and a few party elites to determine who the nominee of the Republican Party and the Democratic Party will be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: All right, want to bring in Jake back, Jake Tapper here.

And, Jake, if you will, there's another very popular New Jersey figure who weighs in on all of this, the politics, all of this. That's Newark's mayor, Cory Booker. Can you tell us what this move does whether it comes to Cory Booker?

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it makes it easier for Cory Booker. Look, the last thing that any politician wants to do is run against an incumbent. Incumbents, this is why incumbents are re- elected with -- at a rate of something like 95 or 97 percent because they already wield power, so they get a lot more money and they have a built in advantage. It's why incumbent presidents, as well as members of Congress, are so seldom defeated.

If Governor Christie had appointed a Republican to fill that seat, that would have meant that Cory Booker would have had a much bigger challenge to run and win that seat. And, in fact, Suzanne, we were talking before you rolled that tape about the criticism that Governor Christie might face. Former Congressman Joe Walsh from Illinois, you might remember he ran and lost to Tammy Duckworth, but he was a member of the Tea Party class, he just tweeted, "and Christie hands the seat to Cory Booker. Not surprised. Rhino," rhino meaning Republican in name only. And that's the kind of criticism that Governor Christie is going to face, the idea that by not putting a Republican in that seat, what he has done is made it easier for a Democrat in a Democratic state to run and win that seat, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And so it might be criticism for him, but does it come as a surprise to you? It seems like this is pretty consistent with the governor.

TAPPER: He's running for re-election and he is somebody who often talks about the citizens of New Jersey. You might remember when there was a debate in New Jersey about same-sex marriage, he talked about this is something that should be voted on by the citizens of New Jersey. To me, it is an easier answer to give to the voters that he's facing and, remember, New Jersey is blue jersey. This is a Democratic state. And he's a Republican governor. He wants their votes. He's going to need Democrats to vote for him. It is a very easy answer for voters, not for Republicans, especially not Republicans in Washington, D.C., or Tea Party activists, but for voters in New Jersey. He says, look, I don't want to make the decision. This is your seat. You get to make the decision.

So, it's easy for him as -- in his re-election campaign, this is a no brainer of a decision. But in terms of a longer scale prospect, whether or not he wants to run for president, whether or not he wants conservative activists or very conservative Republican money going to him, he has made his life a little bit more difficult in that regard. But then again, a lot of those Republicans were already opposed to him because of a number of other things, including his support for President Obama's -- how President Obama conducted himself during Hurricane Sandy and the relief efforts right before the presidential election. So it's not unexpected. As you say, it is in character, I agree. MALVEAUX: And, Jake, we've seen it really doesn't affect the poll numbers. If anything, it gives him more popularity here. He really has an independent streak. He is somewhat of a renegade within his own party. The guys call him a rhino. Is it possible that he might, in the future, switch parties or is he going to stay in line with his own party but, again, appeal to the Democrats and the Independents who he needs desperately to win?

TAPPER: He's actually a fairly conservative Republican on a lot of policy issues. He just happens to be a conservative Republican in a Democratic state, which requires a lot of - I mean he's moderate on some issues as well. But generally speaking, when it comes to his general mindset, and I've been - I've known Chris Christie, Governor Christie, since he was a U.S. attorney in New Jersey, it's the fact that he is somebody who is a Republican in a Democratic state.

I don't see him ever leaving the Republican Party. He is a Republican. He is just a more moderate Republican, partly because of -- that's his nature and his beliefs and partly because those are his constituents. This is a Democratic state and we're talking about filling the seat of a Democratic senator, the late Frank Lautenberg.

It probably would have been an easier decision if it had been a Republican senator Senate seat that we're now available.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

TAPPER: It would be easier for him to put a Republican in that seat and not upset anybody. But this was a difficult decision for him and, you know, I think ultimately the compromises is one that will be popular with voters, easy to explain to voters, not so popular with Republican officials who see a very narrowly divided Senate and Governor Christie basically passing up the opportunity to put a Republican senator in there for the next year and a half.

MALVEAUX: All right, Jake, good to see you, as always. Obviously you're going to be following this story later this afternoon on your own show. Appreciate your insights.

That is it for me. Have a great afternoon. Brooke Baldwin takes it from here.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: A U.S. Marine reservist kidnapped. He goes to visit family in Mexico and then things go horribly wrong. And now the FBI is involved.

I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.

The mighty Mississippi overflowing its banks. A levee breach forces rushing water into nearby towns. Hundreds are forced to evacuate. We have a correspondent on the scene and in the water.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That is the Mississippi River racing over this road, heading right into town. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: A candid call from the Boston bombing suspect to his mother. She describes what the two discussed and how he's the one comforting her.

And, not married, not even romantically involved, but raising a child together.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And just because he wasn't conceived as a result of a romantic interlude does not mean that we're going to be less than as parents.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Ever heard of co-parenting? Yep, it's becoming more common. But critics question what impact this kind of relationship could have on a child.

And good to see you here on this Tuesday afternoon. I'm Brooke Baldwin. We will have, of course, much more on our breaking news, the big announcement from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announcing this special election with the primary taking place in August here to fill five term senator, a Democrat, Frank Lautenberg's Senate seat. We'll have much more on that.

But I want to begin this hour with the really - a race against time, along the Mississippi River as water continues to rise. Hundreds of people have been forced to flee in Missouri after a levee breach sent water pouring over sandbag barricades. This is the area, this is in and around St. Louis, that has reached major flooding levels, as you can see here. The Mississippi River has already topped 40 feet, more than 10 feet above its flood stage.

And we're told the worst may not be over. More rain is forecast for Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas later this week. And CNN's Martin Savidge is in West Alton, Missouri, for us this afternoon.

And, Martin, just tell me what you see. Set the scene for me.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brooke.

Well, we're actually standing on one of the roads that lead into the town of West Alton, Missouri. It's a small town and its just about evacuated. And you might be able to hear and see why. This is the Mississippi River flowing right past my feet going right over this road and, well, headed off in the direction of town.

The good news is, most of this water right now is running off into uninhabited property here. The town itself is dry. However, they did force a lot of people to go to high ground last night because there was a concern about a levee breach there. That's been taken care of.

But here's the circumstance here as you take a look at this pretty remarkable scene on a road. The water that you talk about is beginning to subside, but then you talk about the rain. And that is a worry. Right now they believe this river is cresting here and is going down. But if that rain comes in heavy amounts upstream, all bets are off. The good news is, the flood protection system is working for now, but they're going to watch the sky and watch the water and the very same time, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Martin Savidge, thank you.

I want to keep talking about all this water. Thank goodness it's cresting - or subseeding (ph), I should say, where you are and that the flood systems are working. Colene McEntee is a public affairs coordinator for St. Charles County, Missouri.

And, Colleen, just tell me, what is concern number one for you right now?

COLENE MCENTEE, PUBLIC AFFAIRS COORDINATOR, ST. CHARLES COUNTY, MISSOURI (via telephone): Well, definitely we -- the concern for the residents is of utmost importance. The west Alton area is the area where the hazard appears to be most eminent. But right now the situation is stable. We have no reports to -- of homes flooded and flooding's been contained to areas where no homes have been impacted right now.

BALDWIN: What about -- we're looking at pictures of car after car after car. I'm guessing they're stuck. We're looking at this FedEx truck sort of driving on through. How many people are you having just issues with, with getting stuck in their cars in the rising water?

MCENTEE: That is not an area I've had reports on at this time.

BALDWIN: OK.

MCENTEE: But in terms of the number of residents in the area, there are about 300 in the community. And all of them were, you know, advised to evacuate. So - and as of right now, that voluntary evacuation order is still in effect.

BALDWIN: Still in effect. Colene McEntee, thank you so much, from Missouri, talking about the rising waters and so many people forced to evacuate because of the pictures we just showed you.

Just in to us here at CNN. The National Weather Service now saying that Friday's tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma, was the widest U.S. tornado on record. They have also upped the damage rating to an EF-5 maximum wind speeds well over 200 miles per hour. The National Weather Service released this updated graphic on the path and the area of destruction. So if you can see here with me, in red, it shows the location of the maximum width and intensity. So at that max, 2.6 miles wide. That is when it officially became the widest tornado on record in U.S. history. Officials in Oklahoma are still looking for those five people who are missing. Six children and 12 adults were killed in those storms.

And the battle is on to put out these fire now in three western states. Here are the flames. This is Evergreen, Colorado, where folks, of course, were told to get out. Two wildfires are also crackling in New Mexico. One is in the Santa Fe National Forest. And in southern California, we've been watching those pictures the last couple of days. The huge "Powerhouse Fire" that is still raging. Some evacuations, though, have been lifted. So that is some good news for folks there. Thousands of firefighters are fighting that wildfire.

Dan Simon is covering the "Powerhouse Fire" for us from Lake Hughes, California.

Dan, what is helping firefighters get the upper hand here?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I would say it's the weather and really the aggressive efforts of the firefighters. As you said, 2,000 firefighters here. It's really enabled them to get an upper hand on this blaze. We've seen a number of helicopters dropping water throughout the day. And so, at this point, this fire is 60 percent contained.

I would say the general feeling, Brooke, is one of relief for the most part. Residents are back in their homes. A lot of them went in last night. Some of them are going in today.

As you can hear, that's another helicopter going above me. At this point, Brooke, 32,000 acres have been charred. The concern, of course, is always the wind. If the winds kick up, that could complicate matters. But for right now, things are looking pretty good.

Brooke.

BALDWIN: Dan Simon in Lake Hughes, California, for us. Dan, thank you.

An American Marine reservist has been kidnapped at gunpoint in Mexico and now the FBI is asking the public for information. Corporal Armando Torres III was last seen three weeks ago. That is when he drove south across the border to visit his father's ranch. The FBI says his father and his uncle, both Mexican citizens, were also kidnapped. Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence joins me now on this story.

And tell me what more you know. What happened here, Chris?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, basically, Brooke, this was a reservist, a Marine reservist, who went to go visit his dad at his ranch in Mexico. We are told that basically he didn't go to Mexico very often. That he went down there to see his dad at this ranch. And armed men basically kidnapped him, his dad and his uncle from that ranch.

Right now, the FBI has launched an international kidnapping investigation. The State Department's consulate in Matamoros is working with the Mexican authorities to try to dig deeper on this. And really, friends and supporters, including some fellow Marines of Armando Torres, have really gone to social media to try to bring this case to light, to try to push authorities, both on that side of the border and right here in Washington, to keep some attention on his case, to try to get authorities to dig into what may have happened because the family has not gotten any word or ransom demands in several weeks.

Brooke.

BALDWIN: Let's take a listen to what some of them are saying. I believe we have some sound.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bring it to Mexico's attention. You know, this is a Marine. Here on this side, that's a war hero. I don't want to lose that hope that he's alive, but at the same time it is like a big reality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And, Chris, wasn't that a family member? I mean even family members here in the U.S. speaking behind shadow. No one wants their faces shown. They're frightened.

LAWRENCE: That's right, and with somewhat good reason. I mean this is a problem in those towns that are very near the border. Again, this was a Marine who did a tour in Djibouti, on the horn of Africa. He was deployed to Iraq for some time a few years ago. He was in the reserve, the individual ready reserve, so he wasn't actively drilling. And, obviously, he wasn't wearing a uniform when he went to go visit his dad. So by all accounts from what we're hearing, the kidnappers probably had no idea that this was a U.S. Marine and that did not have really a factor to play, but it still stands that this young man has been kidnapped along with his dad and uncle and has not been heard from in several weeks now.

BALDWIN: Chris Lawrence at the Pentagon. Chris, thank you.

An unprecedented hearing. The chiefs of the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force all called together to answer some tough questions about the issue of sexual assaults in the military.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These crimes cut to the heart of the Army's readiness for war. They destroy the very fabric of our force, soldier and unit morale.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Highest commander in the military admitted, quote, i took my eye off the ball when it comes to protecting victims of military sex assault. General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as part of this unprecedented show. I mean look at all these faces here. This unprecedented show of leadership at a Capitol Hill hearing today. A dozen top commanders from all four branches of the armed forces were there.

Senators wanted to get some information, wanted some input on seven bills all aiming to reduce military sex assaults or better help the victims. They include providing attorneys for alleged victims, banning people convicted of sex assault from the military and perhaps the most controversial here, removing sex offense investigations from the military chain of command so victims could be better protected from a retaliation within a unit. The last proposal, all the military leaders, all the top brass at the hearing, opposed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. RAYMOND ODIERNO, ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF: If I believe that removing commanders from their central role of responsibility in addressing sexual assault would solve these crimes within our ranks, I would be your strongest proponent. But removing commanders, making commanders less responsible and less accountable will not work. It will undermine the readiness of the force. It will inhibit our commander's ability to shape the climate and discipline of our units. And most importantly, it will hamper the timely delivery of justice to the very people we wish to help, the victims and survivors of these horrific crimes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Let's talk about this. On the phone with me now from Washington is Senator Jeanne Shaheen who is sponsoring one of the bills seeking reform.

So, Senator, thank you so much for calling in. And just so we understand it, so I underscore this point, let's say one were to be sexually assaulted. As the rules stand now, that person then would go to his or her commander, report the crime, then it's up to the commander to determine whether the case even goes to trial. We heard from the top military brass. They say that that should stay. But I know that you and others say that things need to change. Tell me, senator, what specifically you are proposing here.

SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D), NEW HAMPSHIRE (via telephone): Well, we have a variety of bills to address sexual assault in our military.

BALDWIN: Right.

SHAHEEN: And the fact is that it erodes the integrity of our men and women in uniform. And we've got to do more. As you pointed out, the hearing today is unprecedented. It's been years since the full Senate Armed Services Committee has had a hearing just on the sexual assault issue. We had a subcommittee hearing not too long ago, but it's very clear that we need to address it. And there has to be fundamental change in order to do that, I believe.

BALDWIN: For example, what specifically are you proposing?

SHAHEEN: Well, the legislation that I've sponsored would address the sexual assault prevention officers who are charged with addressing sexual harassment and assault response and prevention. So they're called the SAPER (ph) officers/coordinators. And what we proposed is that we need to elevate the level of those men and women so that the commanding officer has a chance to weigh in on who those people are so that we have -- make sure that they have some training and experience that is important to bring to the job.

Because, sadly, what we've seen in recent months is the chief of the Air Force's sexual assault prevention office was arrested for sexual assault after groping a woman in a parking lot a mile from the Pentagon. We've seen the sexual assault program coordinator at Ft. Hood, who was -- has been under investigation for abusive sexual contact of subordinates. So I think it's clear that what has been done has not been working, and so we've got to take additional steps to address the problem.

BALDWIN: It sounds like, and, you know, I've interviewed multiple people on this. I mean it's part of the culture, sadly. And sex assault in the military, as you very well know, in pointing all these different examples, this is not breaking news today. And even listening to the top brass, you know, acknowledging that things need to change. We heard from the president speaking at that U.S. Navy commencement, acknowledged that recently.

But I guess two pronged, a, why is it taking so long, b, how do you change a culture that doesn't seem to want to change?

SHAHEEN: Well, that's why I think we have to look at some more fundamental changes than what has been tried to date. And it needs to come to light as this - these hearings are doing.

BALDWIN: Like what?

SHAHEEN: Well, one of the things that has been the most controversial is legislation introduced by Senator Gillibrand that I'm co-sponsoring that would look at the chain of command and would take serious crimes like sexual assault and rape outside of the chain of command. The fact is, we have allies, Canada, Great Britain, Israel, have all taken serious crimes outside of the chain of command in the military. So I think we -- and I ask that question of the chiefs as they were testifying this morning whether they had looked, because they were suggesting that there would be no way to do that, it would erode the morale of our military.

BALDWIN: And what was their answer to you?

SHAHEEN: Their answer was that they really hadn't talked to our allies to see how that had worked in their circumstances and they were planning to do that. I think it's way past time that we do that. We need to get serious about addressing this problem.

And I think a lot of the leaders in the military are very serious. But I think the question is whether the efforts that have been tried to date have been working. And that's really the question that we need to answer.

BALDWIN: The conversation is happening. I think it's just also worth pointing out, this is not, you know, in the conversations I've had, this is not just a women's issue. In a survey of military members, 6 percent of women and little more than 1 percent of men said that they had, quote/unquote "unwanted sexual contact." So it is men and women.

Senator Jeanne --

SHAHEEN: Absolutely. And if you look at the raw numbers, there are actually more men who have been victims of sexual assault than women.

BALDWIN: Yes, people don't realize that. And I just wanted to point it out.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen, thank you so, so much and good luck.

SHAHEEN: Thank you.

BALDWIN: You can find just about everything online, but did you ever think you could find someone to help parent your kids? Ahead, kids with friends. We'll call it a new twist on family, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: How about this one? Parenting without the romance. What if you have a child with someone who is a good friend? It is a new twist on the modern family as more and more friends raise kids together. You have to see this. This is a report from Poppy Harlow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why don't we just do it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What?

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Friends with kids. It's not just the stuff of Hollywood movies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We really want to have a kid. So we share all the responsibility and just skip over the whole marriage thing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look what I have. Your new cup.

HARLOW: Call it the modern, modern family.

HARLOW (on camera): You say you broke all the rules.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We did.