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Building Collapse in Philadelphia; Chrysler Refuses Recall

Aired June 05, 2013 - 15:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And here we go, top of the hour. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Got a couple of updates on stories we have been following for you.

First up, we want to tell you about this 10-year-old girl Sarah Murnaghan, who has a pretty serious case of cystic fibrosis. And as a result, here she is in her hospital bed where she's been living for 100-plus days. She needs a new set of lungs. The issue is, and it is pretty complicated, but let me boil it down for you -- she's on the child list because she is 10 years of old -- she -- 10 years age.

She cannot get an adult pair of lungs because she's not yet 12. Her parents -- and we have been talking to them in the last couple of weeks -- they're fighting to have this rule changed. They have actually reached out to the secretary of health and human services, the federal government here, Kathleen Sebelius, to try to get her to change the rule.

And the parents say, you know, it's not just for Sarah. It's for other kids who are in pretty tough circumstances and need lungs ASAP. Kathleen Sebelius actually sitting in the middle of a budget meeting yesterday was asked about this by Congressman Tom Price and she answered it and she said, look, there are a number of adults in dire situations as well, and if Sarah gets lungs, that takes -- you know, bumps someone further down on the list.

And she has ordered a review. The review is going to take just about two years. Here is the news. Just wanted to give you the backstory. Here is the news. The parents of Sarah here today have filed an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary junction in federal court to prevent Secretary Sebelius from enforcing that policy that is in place about kids and adults and the differences here needing lungs.

So that's the update there.

Another update on a story for you that we have been following with the TSA. This came out a couple of months ago, because the TSA, remember, they decided, and a lot of you were pretty upset, that if you have smaller knives -- this was all part of that smaller knives and baseball bats and a golf club -- that you could then take them on board. Here is the update from the TSA with regard to small knives

They're sort of backtracking now and saying you cannot take them on board. TSA statement: "TSA strongly values the input of our partners and the traveling public and appreciates the varying points of view shared throughout the review process. After extensive engagement, TSA will continue to enforce the current prohibited items list."

So, bottom line, no small knives on planes, which I know will quell a lot of concerns that people voiced after TSA made that announcement.

Another breaking story, to Philadelphia we go, and sources tell CNN one person was killed and 13 people were hurt today, minor injuries, when a building collapsed on top of this Salvation Army thrift store that you're looking at right there. This is the corner, if you know Center City in Philly, this is 22nd Street and Market Street.

It was a vacant four-story building that was being demolished when it suddenly toppled on top of the Salvation Army next door, a Salvation Army which, according to eyewitnesses, was still open and taking in customers, thus trapping these people who were working and shopping inside late this morning.

You see all these dozens of emergency workers and fire and EMS, even construction workers, we were told, all trying to help dig, pulling brick by brick -- you see some of these people walking out alive. We're told it is an active search-and-rescue scene, according to the mayor and the fire commissioner, who just wrapped a news conference a bit ago. That is expected to take possibly another 12 to 24 hours.

Bernie Ditomo is a truck driver who witnessed the whole thing. He joins me by phone.

Bernie, you were driving along when this when this building happened. How close were you?

BERNIE DITOMO, EYEWITNESS: I was maybe 10 feet from the bulling building, right next to the sidewalk, sitting at the red light.

BALDWIN: Sitting at the...

(CROSSTALK)

DITOMO: I was in my truck. And if you just look at those pictures and you see a white pickup truck, that was me.

BALDWIN: I'm looking. I'm looking. I see an ambulance. Maybe in some other pictures, we will be able to see it.

So, your white pickup truck. Please continue. What happened next?

DITOMO: It might not be in that. It might have -- I was just sitting there, ready for the light to turn red on my way to another job site. I had a meeting at 11:30. So, I just happened to be at that red light.

And next thing you know, I just heard the ground shake, like it was -- thought it was -- I didn't know it was a building falling down until I seen the bricks fall on top of my truck and then a streetlight pole fell over top of the front of my truck. And I guess it lasted for about 30 seconds, I want to say. And then I just laid down on the seat of my truck. Basically, I couldn't see anything, so I actually rolled my window up. I rolled my window up because it was just so much dust from, like, brick mortar and all this stuff, from the debris.

And then I guess I was down there for about maybe 30 seconds, and then it started to settle a little bit, the dust. And I don't know who it was, but a gentleman came walking up to me and said, you all right? I said, yes, I'm OK. And do you want to get out of your truck? I said, yes.

And thank God my door opened. The driver's side door opened. I got out of the truck and I walked across the street, stood over there to just collect my thoughts. You know what I mean? And thank God I made it out of there alive. You know what I mean?

BALDWIN: Thank God.

(CROSSTALK)

DITOMO: Yes, I was in shock a little bit.

As far as the other people that got hurt a little worse than me, I just stood on the sidewalk because I was just collecting my own thoughts. You know what I mean? And then everybody was jumping in and helping trying to get debris off the people that were yelling for help. You know what I mean?

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Bernie, did any of the bricks land in your truck, crashing through your glass window?

DITOMO: No, no. They didn't make it -- you know what, I got out of there so fast, I don't know. I think -- my glass didn't break, I don't think. I don't think.

BALDWIN: Wow.

DITOMO: I'm OK. I didn't get cut or nothing like that. I just kind of like a little bit -- I sucked a little dust from all the dust. I didn't get hit with anything.

As far as did a brick get inside of my truck, I don't know. It got all over the outside of it, in the bed, the hood. The truck is totaled.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: The truck is totaled. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Bernie Ditomo, I'm so glad you're A-OK. Thank you so, so...

DITOMO: I am going to play the lottery tonight.

BALDWIN: You play the lottery. I heard the Powerball winner has come forward, so we should have another round pretty shortly.

Bernie Ditomo, thank you so much. I appreciate it here.

And let me just -- let me just reset for you and take a step back and show you the scene before the building fell. I'm a visual person. This helps me to sort of understand what has happened. This was before all of this happened. This is the building here. You see this with the Hoagie City sign? This is the building that was supposed to be demoed.

You have seen the thrift store. This is the only bit that is still standing after this building went this way. I want to show you here in a minute, sort of minutes before the demolition, but this is, I don't know, an adult center, adult bookstore area. This had been demoed.

So, you know, I don't know what the building folks were thinking, but according to eyewitnesses on the scene, when you demo this building, this was an empty lot. This was perhaps supposed to go this way. Instead, it went this way.

Let's go to the next one, Michael, and we can see right before, so, again, I mentioned the empty lot. This is where that adult bookstore was. This was the building to be demoed. This was the thrift store. And so now we have seen it was this building. And, by the way, the L train, the subway was right here. Hearing from the fire commissioner, he said not too much happened down there, thank goodness, but just imagine waiting for the subway on your, what is this, Wednesday, early Wednesday morning and sort of hearing and feeling that happening above ground.

Joining me now on the phone is CNN's Don Lemon, who is in Philadelphia.

And, Don, you're the one, you have been talking to your sources as we have heard the fire commissioner saying 14 people now pulled out, one is dead. Is that correct?

DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: According to sources.

The fire commissioner -- well, my sources here on the ground are confirming that the mayor in the press conference just a short time ago wouldn't comment on it. He said he didn't want to comment on it at the moment, but as soon as he got more information that he felt comfortable that he would confirm.

But sources -- two sources close to the investigation are telling me that one person is dead and that it is a woman. And, Brooke, I'm standing here looking at this. Hard to believe anybody survived this. You have been showing the pictures there. I'm looking at just the facade of this thrift store, a thrift store, by the way, that I used to use to come in to give barely used goods, to give suits to people who needed them to go on job interviews when I lived here.

And it is a very heavily traveled store where people come in to get service and people come in to help the needy as well. And I'm also looking at firefighters sitting here on the ground, in the heat, and a grocery store, a local market has donated bananas and oranges and apples and fruits and some of them are sitting here eating it and drinking water.

And I'm also watching a giant dump truck that has just backed in here about 30 seconds ago, so that they can put some of this debris inside of this truck.

BALDWIN: Yes. We heard from the fire commissioner, you know, that they're bring in the best-of-the-best technology, special ops teams. As we heard from the mayor and fire commissioner, it is still an active search situation, Don Lemon. As soon as you get any more information...

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: I also have -- Brooke, I have got some information, updates from the hospital. Let me give it to you real quickly. I know that you're on.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: University of Pennsylvania Hospital, HUP, as they call it, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, five people there in stable condition, five people at Jefferson Hospital in stable condition, non-life-threatening.

They are thinking, when I spoke to the rep just a short time ago, that some of the people had been released. She's going to give me an update on that. And then three people were taken to Hahnemann Hospital, which is very near here. One of them was released. And then there was -- one is in fair condition, one is in good, fair, of course, meaning the conditions are not as good. They're feeling some sort of discomfort and that sort of thing. But it doesn't appear to be life threatening.

BALDWIN: Yes, it's incredible. To your point off the top there, given what you're looking at in person, the fact that so many of these people, you know, survived with minor injuries, cuts, bruises, is stunning. Don Lemon for us in Philadelphia. Don, thank you.

And another big story we're following for you today, Paris Jackson, 15-year-old daughter of pop icon Michael Jackson, rushed to a hospital in Los Angeles today.

Want to go straight to Miguel Marquez, who is live in Los Angeles outside of the Jackson home.

And, Miguel, what more do you know? How is Paris Jackson doing?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it sounds -- the bottom line is it sounds like she's doing OK according to a statement from a family lawyer.

We do know that L.A. County Fire Department said they responded to the grandparents' home where Paris Jackson lives here in Calabasas around 1:27 in the morning for a possible overdose situation. It's not clear what exactly happened before all of this occurred.

We do know that she had some tweets, as any 15-year-old would. They were interesting, to say the least. One of them was, "I wonder why tears are so salty," and then quoting the Beatles as well, she said, "Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they're here to stay."

A family spokesperson or a lawyer released a statement short time ago saying that she's a sensitive 15-year-old, that things are difficult no matter who you are. It is especially difficult when you lose the person closest to you, meaning her father, obviously. Paris is physically fine and is getting appropriate medical attention.

Now, Paris has been part of this lawsuit. She's one of the people suing AEG, the concert promotion, over the wrongful death of her father, Michael Jackson. She's been deposed twice in the past on that. They were tearful depositions, very tough depositions. And she's expected to testify in court again.

Yesterday was a tough day in court with the lawyers saying that she and her grandmother and her brothers and sisters were trying to extort money out of the concert promoter. And this is a lot for a 15-year- old to take on.

BALDWIN: Yes.

MARQUEZ: The bottom line, though, Brooke, sounds like she's doing fine -- back to you.

BALDWIN: I'm glad she's doing OK. Miguel Marquez, thank you so much.

Standing up to the U.S. government -- a federal agency wants Chrysler to recall almost three million Jeeps. Thing is, Chrysler is refusing to make that move. Coming up next, why Chrysler is taking such a hard stance and what it means for anyone who owns a Jeep in question here.

Also, just a short time ago, the Florida lottery announcing the winner for the single biggest lottery jackpot in U.S. history. It will put a smile on your face, or not, if you played and you didn't win. We are going to take you to Florida. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: In a very rare move, Chrysler is now refusing to recall nearly three million SUVs that federal safety regulators say are in danger of bursting into flames if in an accident.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the gas tanks in two models of Jeeps are in a vulnerable spot, a vulnerable location, and are prone to catch fire if the vehicle is hit from behind. And take a look at this. This is the aftermath of the fiery crash, happened just yesterday on a highway in Houston, Texas.

What you're looking at, this burned-out wreck, that is what is left of a Jeep Cherokee. The driver was killed, just like more than 300 other people in similar accidents involving Jeeps. So regulators want 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokees and 2002-2007 Jeep liberties recalled. But the thing is, Chrysler is refusing. It contends the gas tank design is safe.

Let me quote the company. "We believe NHTSA's initial conclusions are based on an incomplete analysis of the underlying data and we are committed to continuing working the agency to resolve this disagreement."

Caught in the middle of this giant of two giants, 2.7 million Jeep owners, many of you.

Rick Newman is a senior writer with Yahoo! Finance.

Rick Newman, good to see you.

RICK NEWMAN, YAHOO! FINANCE: Hi, Brooke.

BALDWIN: So, car companies and the government usually, you know, quietly sort of negotiate these recalls. Then they announce it, we announce it to the public, but nobody has refused to issue a recall since 1996. Why is Chrysler doing this?

NEWMAN: Chrysler thinks they're right. And they have mustered their own safety statistics to kind of rebut what the government has said.

And they have got some very interesting data. They are saying, for instance, they have identified at least 24 other models that had a worse safety record going by the same parameter than the Jeeps in question and they're pointing out none of these cars have been recalled. Our cars are actually -- these Jeeps are actually safer than these other ones, and, in fact, they exceed the government safety standards. So they're saying, look, you guys -- the government issued standards, we met those standards and, in fact, exceeded them, so there is no reason for a recall here.

BALDWIN: So all I can do is think about these 2.7 million Jeep owners, because I would sitting here thinking, so what am I supposed to do? What do they do?

NEWMAN: That's the big question.

So both sides in this case have basically left consumers with no answer. And I think the way to think about this is, first of all, 300 fatalities perhaps, that is over 20 years and these have been pretty popular cars, so there have been a lot of these on the road, a lot of miles. Just to put this in perspective, I extrapolated from the government's numbers.

If you drive -- if you drove one of these Jeeps for 10 years, the odds of this happening to you would still be something like one in 100,000. Now, the odds of you being in a lot of other dangerous situations are much higher than that. You can probably just slow down by five or 10 miles per hour on the highway and improve your safety better than you would by doing something about this problem. But even if you wanted to do something about this, you can't really take it to a dealership because Chrysler hasn't come up for a fix for it. So, I guess your choices are, forget about it and don't worry about it, but pay attention to where this goes, or you could sell it or trade it or maybe just relegate it to being your second or third car that you just take out on weekends with the dogs or something like that.

Other than that, owners don't really have a lot of choice.

BALDWIN: Well, maybe your math will help some Jeep owners sleep better at night, but perhaps they will just watch and wait hopefully for some sort of negotiation between the federal...

(CROSSTALK)

NEWMAN: We will have an answer. We will have an answer sooner or later.

BALDWIN: OK, Rick Newman, we will be looking for that answer. Thank you so much, sir, Yahoo! Finance.

NEWMAN: Sure thing.

BALDWIN: Today, we have the answer to the $590 million question. We have now learned who won big. Folks, this is a record lotto jackpot. We have been waiting for a winner for weeks. There is a great story behind this. We're live in Florida next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right, before we talk Powerball, let me show you the Big Board, because you can see the Dow is below that 15000 mark. And, folks, this is the first time it has dipped below that mark Since the 7th of May.

A couple reasons maybe as we're just about, ooh, a little less than 40 minutes before the closing bell, worries of an economic slowdown, and also people wondering how much longer the Federal Reserve will continue to help boost our economy. You can always check the numbers. Go to CNNMoney.com.

And speaking of a little ka-ching, this just in. The biggest single ticket lottery jackpot winner in U.S. history was named just a short time ago. The Florida lottery says 84-year-old Gloria MacKenzie -- look at that check and all those zeros. Man, oh, man. She is the lucky winner of the record $590 million Powerball jackpot.

The winning ticket was purchased at her Publix grocery store in Zephyrhills, Florida, more than two weeks ago. And we showed you the big picture of the check because Ms. MacKenzie did not attend today's news conference. But she will be collecting that check.

John Zarrella was there for the historic announcement. He joins me from Zephyrhills, Florida. John Zarrella, I'm sorry the check is not going to you, my friend. Instead, this octogenarian who apparently cut in line, and that's how she got the ticket. Is this the story I'm hearing?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF: Well, it is an amazing, amazing story. We have been waiting here for two-and-a-half weeks, waiting for the winner to come forward ever since we got word that the Publix behind me is where the winning ticket was sold back on May 18.

There was all kinds of speculation. People were just champing at the bit here in Zephyrhills to find out who the lucky winner was. There was talk it was a Publix employee, somebody from the Wal-Mart, a retired couple from one of the communities, retirement communities near here, all kinds of rumors going on.

Finally, all that put to bed today up in Tallahassee, Florida, at the lottery headquarters, where Mrs. MacKenzie did not, as you mentioned, come out and speak with the media, but she's already lined up her legal representation, lined up her financial planners. All that was done ahead of time, according to lottery officials.

And she claimed the check. Before taxes, the actual amount is, Brooke, $370,896,780.

BALDWIN: Please.

ZARRELLA: She opted to take it in a lump sum, in a lump sum, so she can help prop up the stock market if it has some issues.

BALDWIN: Uh-huh, uh-huh, get it back above the 15000 mark.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

ZARRELLA: Yes.

The lottery secretary did read a message from Mrs. MacKenzie at the press conference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CYNTHIA O'CONNELL, DIRECTOR, FLORIDA LOTTERY: Mrs. MacKenzie has declined to the opportunity to speak with the media today. However, she did ask that I share this statement with you.

"We bought the winning ticket as a single ticket, even though we bought four other tickets before the drawing. While in line at Publix, another lottery player was kind enough to let me go ahead of them in line to purchase the winning Quick Pick ticket. We are grateful for this blessing of winning the Florida lottery Powerball jackpot and appreciate the interest of the public, state of Florida and the lottery."

(END VIDEO CLIP) ZARRELLA: So it was a Quick Pick ticket, and somebody in front of her let her go in front of them, and she gets the winning ticket, not to say that whoever let her get in front was going to buy a Quick Pick, but -- and one piece of advice that I picked up from an elderly couple that drove by here a few minutes ago.

BALDWIN: Yes.

ZARRELLA: They said, congratulations to her, and a message to all grandchildren out there. Make sure you send thank you letters to your grandparents at Christmastime, because you never know.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: Yes, growing up in the South, and my mom making me write thank-yous, there is a reason, John Zarrella. There is a reason.

ZARRELLA: Yes, there is a reason.

BALDWIN: Thank you, John Zarrella, on that.

ZARRELLA: Sure.

BALDWIN: Congratulations to her, of course.

And now to some tougher news here. A building comes crashing down late this morning in a very, very busy part of Philadelphia, Center City. If you know it, this is 22nd and Market Streets. More than a dozen people were trapped in this rubble. What is the process, though? If you're a firefighter, right there, going brick by brick, trying to listen for people, how do you listen? What tools are you using? We are going to talk live to a firefighter in studio next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)