Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Philadelphia Building Collapse; Paris Jackson Rushed to Hospital; President Obama Announces Staffing Changes

Aired June 05, 2013 - 14:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Good to see all of you here on this afternoon. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Want to begin with something I know Suzanne was all over this past hour, really the last couple of hours here on CNN. These are live pictures -- some of them taped here as well -- breaking news out of one of America's biggest cities. Dangerous and delicate, that is how the fire commissioner in Philadelphia is describing this scene. This is really the heart of center city. If you know Philadelphia, this building, this massive building, four stories, collapsed. This happened right around 10:45 Eastern this morning.

And beneath this -- the wall of bricks and the debris, people may still be trapped. Rescuers, you see them working in teams, gingerly moving brick by brick to search for survivors. But as bad as this scene looks, we do have some good news that 13 others made it out alive with amazingly minor injuries.

I want to go straight to the scene to CNN's Sarah Hoye, who has been covering this really since this whole thing broke, as I mentioned, late this morning.

And, Sarah, I've been listening to your reporting, I've been listening to local Philadelphia reports. A lot of different information, if you will, with regard to how many people are still trapped. So set it straight for me, is anyone still trapped?

SARAH HOYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, that's right, Brooke. What we're hearing here is that, you know, there were 13 people removed and one is still trapped. However, no one can confirm exactly how many people are under that rubble. Just like if you were at the mall, you wouldn't know how many people were in each and every store. The same situation that we have here.

So just as they described earlier, this is dangerous and delicate. They are going through this literally brick by brick to find any -- if there are any more survivors. So we just don't have a definitive number. However, we do have that 13. You know, 13 out, one possibly still being removed. But here at the scene is somewhat still chaotic. There are a lot of police and fire here on the scene. A lot of bystanders taking photos, trying to check out what's going out. But there is a lot of movement here.

BALDWIN: Sarah, stand by, because I just want to walk our viewers forward. This just helped me sort of understand, if you don't know this area of Philadelphia, you've been seeing sort of the brick and the collapse. This was the before. So imagine this is the building that was supposed to be demoed and this is the building here, if you will, this is Market Street and this is 22nd. So sort of perpendicular here. And where you see this big Hoagie City sign, this is the building collapsed.

Wait, I just want to set this up because we're going to show you the next photo that was taken minutes before this collapse. This whole sort of adult area, bookstore, et cetera, that was demoed first. And then it is this Salvation Army thrift store, this has been the issue because, as we've been hearing from eyewitnesses on the scene, people were still allowed to go in and out of the thrift store when this building was about to be demoed. A lot of questions still. I'm just laying it out for you.

So, guys, go ahead and roll to the next picture because this - this is a picture we got from someone who took this on Tumblr. And so you can see, this was right before, this building, remember it a moment ago, with the big Hoagie City sign, they were about to demo this. This was the big empty lot. I don't know if the goal, one would assume, and this is just what we're hearing from eyewitnesses, that if you have a building here that's about to be demoed, you want it to go this way, not this way on to a functioning thrift store.

So, Sarah Hoye, do we even know yet what - what -- I got so many questions. I guess really my main question is, why were they still letting people going in and out - go in and out of this thrift store when this building is about to be demoed?

HOYE: And that I don't have the answer to, nor was it given to us earlier during the press briefing. Right now they're still working on everything as to exactly what happened here in this scenario. You have eyewitnesses who said they witnessed the crane trying to move a piece of steel and was pulling on the steel too tough and all of a sudden the wall began to move and it came crashing down.

You had people who were working in the businesses here, maintenance men, other passersby who ran to the scene to help pull people from the rubble.

BALDWIN: Wow.

HOYE: So you do have to get a pat on the -- give a pat on the back to the bystanders here who just sprang into action.

You also had some other witnesses on the scene who felt the -- who felt this -- the earth move beneath them. They didn't necessarily see it, so they didn't know what had happened. Some people feared that, you know, in light of Boston, that it was a terrorist attack. So you had a range of people who came to the scene, those who ran in opposite directions because they were just scared and now we're just trying to figure out what it is that has happened.

Looks as though there is some type of cherry picker device that is carrying up a firefighter on top of this corner of the thrift store here. So we don't know exactly what they're doing. They're also putting together some type of machinery that looks almost like a hydraulic lift that would be used to, you know, lift up rubble. So they're working pretty hard over here on something and we just don't know.

BALDWIN: Yes, we heard the fire commissioner saying, you know, he has the best of the best technology here, the special ops teams, if you will, from the fire department working to finally pluck however many more people and active rescue situation. And, again, we are trying to confirm exactly how many people are still trapped.

Sarah Hoye, do not go far from your phone. I want to stay on this story and talk to Mike Adam, because Mike lives just across the street from this collapsed building that you're looking at right here and took this photo, let's show it, from, I guess, Mike, this is from your perch here in your apartment. You're on the phone with me. Talk to me about what you saw, what you heard.

MIKE ADAM, LIVES ACROSS FROM ACCIDENT SCENE (via telephone): Yes. It was a 00 it was a pretty intense morning. We -- me and my fiancee were actually up pretty early and the window in our apartment faces the back side. So at first we heard sirens and then we looked out the window and saw people running towards the front of the building. And at that point we went out and went down the hallway to the window facing the other side and we saw the smoke and kind of the rubble and everything as it was unfolding. I guess the good news is, on the block, like literally a block over, there is a fire department. So they were on the scene almost immediately.

BALDWIN: Yes, we heard in a matter of minutes, thank goodness. And I'm so glad you and your fiancee are a-okay. But as we look at your pictures and these other pictures from the scene, let me just ask you about the area, because this is not the outskirts of Philly. This is, you know, downtown Philadelphia, center city, you know, Market Street, the main drag there. Tell me about the people who frequent the area, including the thrift store.

ADAM: Yes. I mean it's definitely, you know, as main of a road as it gets. And the good news is the building -- the businesses there, there was only one functioning business. It was the Salvation Army. And the two other ones, it was an old sandwich shop, the Hoagie City. That was closed down for quite a while. And then I believe like an adult store that was also closed down for a while. So the only functioning one was the thrift store. So it definitely minimized the amount of people in the building.

BALDWIN: Minimized, but yet it was still open and people were inside, according to eyewitnesses, when this building possibly fell the wrong way.

Mike Adam, thank you so much for sharing your photo. We appreciate it. We will come back to this story as soon as we get more information out of Philadelphia.

But more breaking news this hour. Just a short time ago, Paris Jackson, the 15-year-old daughter of pop icon Michael Jackson, was rushed to a hospital in Los Angeles. Want to go straight to Alan Duke, who is live for us in L.A., just outside of the courthouse there where this wrongful death trial is underway.

And, Alan, I know you are -- you have great sources with the family. You know the Jackson family very well. First things first, what happened to her?

ALAN DUKE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Well, she was rushed to the hospital about 1:30 this morning from her Calabasas home. We confirmed from the sheriff's department that they took a patient there. Of course, they're not telling us who that patient was. But I've confirmed from three sources, including one who was at the home at the time, that she was taken to a hospital. Paris Jackson, 15 years old, is going to be OK. They stopped short of what some reports are calling it a suicide attempt. But we really don't know at this time. They stopped short. But one of the sources said perhaps it was a cry for help from this young girl. A 15-year-old who experiences emotions of a 15-year-old girl who doesn't have her father.

She recently was reunited with her mother not long ago. Her mother, through her attorney, issued a statement to us just a short time ago asking that, "we appreciate everyone's thoughts for Paris at this time and their respect for the family's privacy." So the family's not saying much. We do know Paris is OK. She's at a hospital near Calabasas where she was taken early this morning.

BALDWIN: Glad she's going to be OK. Alan, I'm glad you brought up Debbie Rowe, her mother, who, you know, let's just give this some context. This is someone that she had been out of touch with for quite a while because of this, this trial that's underway. You're at the courthouse. There's been a lot going on in her life I imagine emotionally, assuming she would be testifying there.

Also, I hopped right on her - her Twitter page, and I'm sure you have as well. A bunch of different tweets. She's sort of quotes some darker lyrics from some bands. But a couple jumped out to me, and these were the last two tweets that she made. "Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they're here to stay." And she tweeted one word just before this, about 11 or 12 hours ago, "I wonder why tears are salty."

But, Alan, you know, in addition to that, you know, I was seeing - I was looking on YouTube. She's been giving, you know, like makeup tutorials like a teenager maybe would. You know, she chopped her hair off. What's been going on?

DUKE: She's a teenager who loves rock 'n' roll, that's for sure. And she's been getting a lot of attention. She's got more than a million followers on Twitter and she tweets to them very regularly. She's not behind that blanket anymore, the mask that her father famously put her and her brothers under. But she's a very dramatic child, we do know that. She's 15-years-old and she's going to be OK. And we'll sort this thing out and figure out what happened.

BALDWIN: Alan Duke, thank you so much, live for us in Los Angeles. And in just a couple of minutes, big news in Washington. President Obama will be announcing a big shake-up on his security team and it is not going to make Republicans very happy at all. Because, as we're looking at these live pictures outside, he is set to name U.S. -- U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice as his new national security adviser. Wolf Blitzer is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: The president of the United States momentarily, within the next few seconds, we're told, will walk out of the Oval Office and will make important announcements.

First of all he'll thank Tom Donilon, his national security adviser, for his service. Tom Donilon leaving. He will announce that Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, will be his next national security adviser. She has been controversial, as all of our viewers know, as a result of what happened after the Benghazi attack and her appearance on five Sunday shows.

He will also announce that he's nominating Samantha Power, another former official of his national security council, as his next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Jessica Yellin is standing by.

We're only seconds away, Jessica. These are very important decisions by the president.

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, they are. And in both moves, the president is simultaneously choosing people that could be lightning rods for controversy, but also very familiar faces and Democrats say this is classic Obama in going with members of the foreign policy team to keep a sense of continuity in his policy.

On the controversy, as you point out, Susan Rice has been at the center of the storm over those Benghazi talking points for her comments in the aftermath of the attacks in Benghazi. The White House fiercely defending her. But because of her remarks, she lost out on becoming secretary of state. If Republicans were hoping that would sideline her, well, it back fired because now she's going to be even closer to the president, actually organizing his foreign policy and streamlining the decisions that get to him. Susan Rice, a long time Obama insider, and an adviser to him for many years.

Samantha Power has been on the national security council here for the president, also for many years, and is now going to be named to take Susan Rice's role. That is a job that requires Senate confirmation and it could be a controversial confirmation. Here comes the president.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States, accompanied by Ambassador Susan Rice, Mr. Tom Donilon and Miss Samantha Power.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes, step down here. Come on down. Yeah. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Please, everybody, have a seat.

Well, good afternoon. It is a beautiful day and it's good to see so many friends here. Of all the jobs in government, leading my national security team is certainly one of the most demanding, if not the most demanding. And since the moment I took office, I've counted on the exceptional experience and insights of Tom Donilon. Nearly every day for the past several years, I've started each morning with Tom leading the presidential daily brief. Hundreds of times. A sweeping assessment of global developments and the most pressing challenges.

As my national security adviser, his portfolio is literally the entire world. He's deftly advanced our strategy foreign policy initiatives, while, at the same time, having to respond to unexpected crises and that happens just about every day. He's overseen and coordinated our entire national security team across the government. A herculean task. And it's nonstop, 24/7, 365 days a year.

Today, I am wistful to announce that after more than four years of extraordinary service, Tom has decided to step aside at the beginning of July. And I am extraordinarily proud to announce my new national security adviser, our outstanding ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, as well -- as well as my nominee to replace Susan in New York, Samantha Power.

Now, when I first asked Tom to join my team, I knew I was getting one of our nation's premiere foreign policy leaders. Somebody with a deep sense of history and a keen understanding of our nation's place in the world. He shared my view that in order to renew American leadership for the 21st century, we had to fundamentally rebalance our foreign policy. And more than that, he knew how we could do it. See, Tom's that rare combination of the strategic and the tactical. He has a strategic sense of where we need to go and he has a tactical sense of how to get there.

Moreover, Tom's work ethic is legendary. He began his public service in the Carter White House when he was just 22 years old. And somehow he has been able to maintain the same drive and the same stamina and the same enthusiasm and reverence for serving in government. You know he's helped shape every single national security policy of my presidency, from forging a new national security strategy rooted in our economic strength here at home, to ending the war in Iraq. Here at the White House, Tom oversaw the operation that led us to bin Laden, he's helped keep our transition on track as we wind down the war in Afghanistan.

At the same time, Tom has played a critical role as we bolstered the enduring pillars of American power, strengthening our alliances from Europe to Asia, enhancing our relationship with key powers and moving ahead with new trade agreements and energy partnerships. And from our tough sanctions on Iran to our unprecedented military and intelligence cooperation with Israel -

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).

OBAMA: It's true. From new start with Russia, to deeper partnerships with emerging powers like India, to stronger ties with the gulf states, Tom has been instrumental every step of the way.

I'm especially appreciative to Tom for helping us renew American leadership in the Asia Pacific, where so much of our future security and prosperity will be shaped. He's worked tirelessly to forge a constructive relationship with China that advances our interests and our values. And I'm grateful that Tom will be joining me as I meet with President Xi of China this week.

And, finally, Tom, I'm personally grateful for your advice, for your counsel, and most of all for your friendship. Whenever we sit down together, whether it's in the Oval Office or in the situation room, I do so knowing that you have led a rigorous process, that you've challenged assumptions, that you've asked the tough questions, that you've led an incredibly hard working national security staff and presented me with a range of options to advance our national interests. A president can't ask for anything more than that. And this is a testament to your incredible professionalism, but also your deep love of country.

I know that this relentless pace has meant sacrifices for your family, for Kathy, who is here, Dr. Biden's former chief of staff, who I was proud to nominate as our new global ambassador for women, and for Tom and Kathy's wonderful children, Sarah and Teddy. So today I want to publicly thank all the Donilons for their abiding commitment to public service that runs through the family.

You've been with me every step of the way these past four years and the American people owe you an enormous debt of gratitude for everything that you've done. You've helped to restore our nation's prestige and standing in the world. You positioned us well to continue to lead in the years ahead. I think that Tom Donilon has been one of the most effective national security advisers our country has ever had and he's done so without a lot of fanfare and a lot of fuss.

So, Tom, on behalf of us all, thank you for your extraordinary service.

Now, I am proud that this work will be carried on by another exemplary public servant, Ambassador Susan Rice. Susan was a trusted adviser during my first campaign for president. She helped to build my foreign policy team and lead our diplomacy at the United Nations in my first term. I am absolutely thrilled that she'll be back at my side leading my national security team in my second term.

With her background as a scholar, Susan understands that there's no substitute for American leadership. She is at once passionate and pragmatic. I think everybody understands Susan is a fierce champion for justice and human dignity, but she's also mindful that we have to exercise our power wisely and deliberately.

Having served on the National Security Council staff herself, she knows how to bring people together around a common policy and then push it through to completion so that we're making a difference where it matters most, here in the country, that we've pledged to defend, and in the daily lives of people we're trying to help around the world. Having served as an assistant secretary of state, she knows our policies are stronger when we harness the views and talents of people across government.

So Susan's the consummate public servant. A patriot who puts her country first, she is fearless, she is tough, she has a great tennis game and a pretty good basketball game. Her brother's here, who I play with occasionally, and it runs in the family, throwing the occasional elbow, but hitting the big shot.

As our ambassador to the U.N., Susan has been a tireless advocate in advancing our interests. She's reinvigorated American diplomacy in New York. She's helped to put in place tough sanctions on Iran and North Korea. She has defended Israel. She has stood up for innocent civilians from Libya to Cote d'Ivoire. She supported an independent South Sudan. She has raised her voice for human rights, including women's rights. Put simply, Susan exemplifies the finest tradition of American diplomacy and leadership.

So, thank you, Susan, for being willing to take on this next assignment. I'm absolutely confident that you're going to hit the ground running. And I know that after years of commuting to New York while Ian, Jake and Maris stay here in Washington, you'll be the first person ever in this job who will see their family more by taking the national security adviser's job.

Now, normally I'd be worried about losing such an extraordinary person up at the United Nations and be trying to figure out, how are we ever going to replace her. But, fortunately, I'm confident we've got an experienced, effective and energetic U.N. ambassador in waiting in Samantha Power. Samantha first came to work for me in 2005, shortly after I became a United States senator. As one of our country's leading journalists, I think she won the Pulitzer Prize at the age of 15 or 16. One of our foremost thinkers on foreign policy, she showed us that the international community has a moral responsibility and a profound interest in resolving conflicts and defending human dignity.

As a senior member of my national security team, she's been a relentless advocate for American interests and values, building partnerships on behalf of democracy and human rights, fighting the scourge of anti-Semitism and combatting human trafficking. To those who care deeply about America's engagement and indispensable leadership in the world, you will find no stronger advocate for that cause than Samantha. And over the last four years, Samantha has worked hand and glove with Susan in her role because Samantha has been the lead White House staffer on issues related to the United Nations. And I'm fully confident she'll be ready on day one to lead our mission in New York, while continuing to be an indispensable member of my national security team.

She knows the U.N.'s strength. She knows its weaknesses. She knows that American interests are advanced when we can rally the world to our side. And she knows that we have to stand up for the things that we believe in. And to ensure that we have the principle leadership we need at the United Nations, I would strongly urge the Senate to confirm her without delay.

So, Samantha, thank you, to Cas (ph), and you and Declan (ph) and Rin (ph) for continuing to serve our country. This team of people has been extraordinarily dedicated to America. They have made America safer. They have made America's values live in corners of the world that are crying out for our support and our leadership. I could not be prouder of these three individuals, not only their intelligence, not only their savvy, but their integrity and their heart. And I'm very, very proud to have had the privilege of working with Tom, very proud that I'll continue to have the privilege of working with Samantha and with Susan.

So, with that, I'd invite Tom to say a few words.

Tom.

TOM DONILON, OUTGOING NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: Thank you, Mr. President.

You know, you mentioned the many hours that we worked together in the situation room, put together here by John Kennedy without windows.

OBAMA: No windows.

DONILON: No windows. So I would first like to thank you for this rare opportunity to be outside and experience the natural light.

You also mentioned how I began my public service here under President Carter in 1977 when I was 22 years old. And I still remember leaving at the end of the day, walking up West Executive Drive, past the office of then National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, and looking up at the windows of the White House, the lights always on in Zbigniew's office no matter how late. And I'd think to myself, don't those guys ever go home? And now these many years later, I finally have the answer, no, they don't go home very much, at least not as often or as early as their spouses and families would like.

Mr. President, to serve in this capacity where we've had the opportunity to protect and defend the United States, to improve the position of the United States in the world has been the privilege of a lifetime. To serve during your presidency, however, is to serve during one of the defining moments in our nation's history. This is because of your vision, your principled leadership, your commitment to defending our interests and upholding our ideals.

Those many hours of meetings and briefings have given me the opportunity to see you as few people do, behind closed doors, away from the cameras, when a leader's character is revealed. And with your permission, I'd like to take this opportunity to share a little bit of what I've seen. First, I've seen you make the most difficult decisions a commander in chief can make -- the decision to send our men and women in uniform into harm's way. I've seen the great care with which you have weighed these grave decisions and I've seen your devotion to the families of our men and women in uniform. I have seen your fierce patriotism, your love of our country. When confronted with competing agendas and interests, you always bring the discussion back to one question, what's in the national interest, what's best for America. I've seen your abiding commitment to the core values that define us as Americans, our Constitution, civil liberties, the rule of law. Time and time again, you reminded us that our decisions must stand up to the judgment of history.

Finally, Mr. President, I've seen you represent the United States around the world and what you mean to the people around the world when you represent our country. When you step off that plane with the words United States of America, when you reach out to foreign audiences and speak to the basic aspirations we share as human beings, you send a clear message that America wants to be their partner. And that ability to connect, to forge new bonds is a form of American power and influence that advocates our interests and ideals as well.