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President Obama to Speak in Berlin; New TWA Flight 800 Controversy; Woman, Daughter Held in Ohio; Woman, Daughter Held in Ohio; Chrysler Agrees to Jeep Recall

Aired June 19, 2013 - 09:00   ET

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

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Had to address in a press conference he held with Germany's chancellor just a few hours ago and he was on the defensive -- Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: All right. I want to ask Dana Bash about that very topic. Because, Dana, I was reading some German newspapers online last night and it said that the German people are really upset about the NSA controversy because they have a history with the secret police. The Stasi. This sort of reminds them about that because in the German's mind, the NSA is collecting their phone records and they're listening to their phone calls.

Will the president be forced to say something about that in his speech today?

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Unclear if he's going to say it in his speech, but Jessica just noted that he was on the defensive in a press conference he had not too long ago earlier today with the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, who was very clear that she was going to represent the anger of her -- of her people in Germany about these secret programs. Because we're not just talking about surveillance here in the United States. The thing that Germans are most upset about is the fact that one of the programs deals with Internet users abroad, in Germany, around Europe, around the world.

So listen to what the president said in his defense of these programs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What I explained to Chancellor Merkel is that I came into office, committed to protecting the American people, but also committed to our values and our ideals and one of our highest ideals is civil liberties and privacy, and I was a critic of the previous administration for those occasions in which I felt they had violated our values and I came in with a healthy skepticism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Came in with a healthy skepticism. He insists, though, that he has made sure that there are more safeguards in place, there's more oversight. But look, the issue that he's going to have with Germans is the same issues he has with Americans. It's sort of take my word for it kind of situation. Because, still, much of these programs is classified. So they can't discuss the details that allow them to feel, they say, so comfortable.

But it really is part of the reason, Jessica just mentioned, that things seem to have changed. Just part of it but maybe an important part in Germany with regard to the reception the president is getting. People were so excited about this new politician in America who is idealistic, but it seems as though he is not only continuing the programs of President Bush, some of the programs that they didn't like. Maybe even making them even more deep and vast.

COSTELLO: OK. So in light of that, let's bring in Gloria Borger, our chief political analyst.

Reagan, Kennedy, Clinton. Berlin is known for big speeches from U.S. presidents. But in light of all the controversies that Jessica and Dana just mentioned that are swirling around this president, will Obama's remarks resonate?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, look, he's not the rock star he was when he was running for the presidency and had 200,000 people out there swooning over him, but he does have an over 80 percent approval rate still in Germany. And so he's a little bit more down to earth now as Jessica and Dana pointed out. People are more critical of him and he's also had a little bit of problem with Angela Merkel. He's been critical of her austerity program over in Germany.

So I think that people are still going to listen to President Obama. He's still popular. As Dana and Jessica point out, he spoke today about the NSA surveillance program. He spoke about that publicly. And he spoke with Merkel about it privately. So he's not Candidate Obama. He's now President Obama.

But presidents of the United States go to the Brandenburg Gate to speak about big things. To speak about the freedom. To speak about the post-war world. And that's exactly what this president is going to do today. Talking about cutting the nuclear arsenal. So it's going to be a large, thematic speech as it was back in 2008, but it's going to be tempered by the experiences of a president who's been in office and who has a little bit of a different view of the world.

COSTELLO: OK. Let's go back to Jessica Yellin in Berlin to talk about that very thing, Gloria. Because I'm sure, Jessica, you talked to some of the German (INAUDIBLE) there. Maybe you've had a chance to talk to some people who are in -- who are going to listen to the president's speech in a few minutes or so. What are they saying to you?

YELLIN: Well, Carol, there is interest that the president is here, but it's happening in the middle of the day here. And people are probably likely to pick it up on the evening news here. More than likely to actually watch it in real time. He is, as Gloria said, not quite the rock star he was back in the day.

The general sense here is that they still think that President Obama is still admired here. As Gloria knows his approval numbers are still high but, again, there is a sense that he hasn't quite lived up to that exuberant expectation they had for him during the campaign. Very similar to his experience in the U.S. where there were these sky-high expectations among his fan base and then some significant disappointment there.

So some a bit of a letdown among some of the people. But, also, interest in what he has to say. There's been some disappointment also in Europe that the U.S. has shifted its focus from primarily Europe on to Asia. And it questioned whether the president doesn't value Europe as much as past presidents have and President Obama will make clear, we're told, in this speech that the bond with Europe is still important to the U.S. and deep and timeless, et cetera.

That's part of the important message he wants to convey to Germans and to Europe in this speech. That's very important. And I have one bit of fun information, which is, one of the people that will be attending this speech is the original candy bomber.

Now the candy bomber, you have to go back about 65 years to the Berlin airlift and that's when the wall came down and the West had to fly in supplies to help feed some of the East Germans and the candy bomber was a pilot who would drop candy to the children behind the wall and would sometimes fly in such a way that his wings -- the wings would flap. And so the candy bomber will be there, we're told.

I think the candy bomber is 92 years old at the east side now of the Brandenburg Gate now that the wall has come down to hear the first U.S. president ever speak there -- Carol.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: That's awesome. Going back to the president's speech --

YELLIN: Nice, right?

COSTELLO: It is really nice. Really nice. Let's go back to Gloria Borger, because I want to talk about most of the content of the president's speech.

He's going to be talking mostly about nuclear weapons. Why choose that topic, Gloria?

BORGER: Because it's big, because it's important, and because if it comes to pass, it will be historic. And this is a place, the Brandenburg Gate where presidents come to give big speeches and talk about big ideas. And this is something that the defense secretary spoke about and I would -- I would also point out was much criticized for in his confirmation hearings about wanting to reduce the nuclear arsenal.

But this is something I think that the president and the administration feel kind of meets the moment. One other thing that's sort of interesting to me is Candidate Obama, if you'll recall, wanted to speak at the Brandenburg Gate and Angela Merkel at the time said, you know what, you're not president yet. You can't do that. So they moved the venue somewhere else where they had that huge 200,000-person crowd. So she kind of owed him this speech here at the gate as former presidents have had. And I just think it's -- it's a venue where you have to kind of match the size of it and the importance of what this venue has meant to past American presidents.

You know, Ronald Reagan, tear down the wall. Now the president, as Jess points out, will be facing in a direction that Ronald Reagan could not have faced. So, you know, I think it's -- you know, it's -- I think he's trying to match history, if you will.

COSTELLO: Still, Dana, you would think maybe he would talk about the global economy because, you know, Germany's still very much struggling with its economy. It's so much tied to the United States. Why not talk about that?

BASH: Well, it's hard to imagine it's not going to be at a least implicit in his speech. But one of the things that people may not know about President Obama is that when he was here in the capital, when he was Senator Obama, this issue, the nuclear issue, was something that was kind of on the top of his priority list. In fact, when he was campaigning in 2008 and making the point when he got to the general election that he could work across the aisle with Republicans.

One of the examples he would often give was working with now former Indiana Republican Senator Richard Lugar on this very issue, on the nuclear issue, that they even traveled together on it. So this is actually something -- you know, he wasn't here very long as a senator. He didn't even finish his first term, but this is something when he was here briefly he focused on.

The other quick thing I want to point out is -- as Jessica and Gloria were talking about, sort of the difference between then and now, then being 2008, the big crowd of 200,000 people and the much smaller crowd here that he's -- now that he's president. Remember, in 2008, the McCain campaign used that very speech, the backdrop of the speech as an ad. Maybe one of the most memorable ads against President Obama or Candidate Obama in 2008, comparing him to Paris Hilton.

Now in 2013 maybe people don't even remember who Paris Hilton is. But at the time it was kind of a big deal. It was in your face ad against him, basically saying that he's a rock star without a lot of there- there.

COSTELLO: All right. Dana bash, Jessica Yellin, Gloria Borger, stay right there. We're going to -- we're going to leave Berlin for just a second because we understand the mayor of Berlin is going to speak and then Angela Merkel, the leader of Germany, will speak next, and then President Obama will take the stage.

When President Obama takes the stage, of course, we'll bring you back to the Brandenburg Gate.

Let's go on with other news this morning at 10 minutes past the hour. Was it an accident or deliberate? A new documentary is suggesting TWA Flight 800 was brought down on purpose. The documentary called "TWA Flight 800" features six members of the accident investigation board. Producers say those investigators will break their silence on the 1996 crash and they want the NTSB to reopen the investigation.

Rene Marsh is in Washington with more for you.

Good morning, Rene.

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. You know, the theory sinister forces brought down this plane isn't new, but the interesting twist this morning is who is making the claim.

Former accident investigators say they have evidence to prove this was no accident.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARSH (voice-over): It was a crash as horrific as it was mysterious. TWA Flight 800 explodes in mid-air in 1996 off the coast of Long Island.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It blew up in the air and then we saw two fireballs go down into the water.

MARSH: All 230 on board the 747 dead. The cause after a four-year, 17,000-page NTSB investigation a spark from faulty wiring leading to the center fuel tank. But now six retired members of the original investigation team are breaking their silence. In a new documentary, they are challenging the NTSB's findings and calling for the investigation to be reopened.

JAMES SPEER, TWA 800 ACCIDENT INVESTIGATOR: I was convinced that the part had been damaged by a high explosion because of the entrance hole and the exit hole.

MARSH: These former investigators whose credential range from the NTSB, TWA and Airline Pilots Union and forensic experts now claim that radar and forensic evidence shows the wiring was not the cause of the crash.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What would your analysis have been?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The primary -- the primary conclusion was the explosive forces came from outside the airplane, not the center fuel tank.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would that statement have been in your analysis?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I got the right one.

ROBERT YOUNG, TWA AIRLINE ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPRESENTATIVE: The agenda was that this is an accident, make it so.

MARSH: These investigators say that the evidence they examined proves that one or more explosions outside the aircraft caused the crash. However, they don't speculate about the source of the explosions. Among the theories considered and rejected by the NTSB at the time was that a missile was responsible. The filmmakers plan to petition the NTSB to reopen the investigation. In a statement, the NTSB left that possibility open if new evidence is uncovered saying investigators and staff spent an enormous amount of time reviewing, documenting and analyzing facts and data while the NTSB rarely reinvestigates issues that have already been examined. Our investigations are never closed and we can review any new information not previously considered by the board.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARSH: And, Carol, just a short time ago, I did have the chance to speak with one of the producers of this documentary. I asked him, what kind of reaction has he received from victims' families. He says there are some victims' families who support the film. There are others who don't support the film.

The documentary will premiere next month on the 17th anniversary of this crash -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So let's say new evidence is admitted, how long would it take the NTSB to reopen the investigation?

MARSH: Well, as it stands right now, we know that the NTSB says they have not received this petition. But if and when they do, and we expect that they will receive it, it takes roughly 60 days before they come to a determination, although there is really no hard and fast deadline. It could take longer than that. But on average 60 days.

COSTELLO: We'll see. Renee Marsh reporting live from D.C. this morning.

It's hard to imagine, but for the second time in six weeks, there's the story of an Ohio woman and her daughter now free after accusations they were held captive inside a home for more than a year.

Pamela Brown is in Ashland, Ohio, with more on this disturbing details.

Good morning, Pamela.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol. So many disturbing details in this story. Authorities say the suspects preyed on this mother's vulnerability, used her daughter against her as a way to keep her as their personal slave, and it was all uncovered after a simple shoplifting incident.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN (voice-over): Inside this house an Ohio woman and her child deprived of their freedom, dignity and basic needs for a year and a half, according to federal authorities.

ERIC SMITH, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: These individuals deprived this woman and her child of the most fundamental of American rights, freedom.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This case is nothing less than a case of modern day slavery.

BROWN: Twenty-six-year-old Jordie Callahan, his girlfriend 31-year- old Jessica Hunt and their friend, Daniel Brown, all charged with imprisoning a mentally disabled woman only identified as Essie and her child. Prosecutors say Essie was forced to do household chores and threatened with pit bulls and a python. And according to a law enforcement source, she and her daughter were, sometimes, forced to eat dog food.

STEVE DETTELBACH, U.S. ATTORNEY, NOTHERN DISTRICT OF OHIO: You're talking about people who were locked in rooms and forced to work all the time. People who were threatened and beaten and injured.

BROWN: According to court documents, Essie was also threatened at gun point, one of her alleged captors took out his knife and threatened to cut her finger off. Medical records show Essie she visited the emergency room at least three times between 2011 and 2012 with a variety of injuries.

Ashton police say they were tipped off after Essie was arrested for trying to steal a candy bar. When police showed up at the home, Callahan allegedly showed them video of Essie beating her daughter, but Essie says she was forced to do so by Callahan and Hunt.

On Piers Morgan's show, Callahan's mother denies the allegations.

BECKY (via telephone): The girl that's supposedly victim went wherever she wanted to go, whenever she wanted to go.

BROWN: This comes on the heels of another disturbing kidnapping case in nearby Cleveland, the shocking rescue of three women held for a decade by Ariel Castro. Both of these cases of alleged abuse stunning their neighbors, left wondering how this could be happening in their backyards.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: According to a law enforcement source I spoke with, the victims knew the suspects in this case before they were held captive.

And, Carol, so often the question in these trafficking cases is why didn't they run away? Why didn't they ask for help, especially knowing that Essie ran errands for the suspects. But we're told by authorities that her daughter was held hostage inside the home so that Essie was forced to come back.

We spoke to neighbors this morning and they're all in shock about this and they said when they heard about the Ariel Castro case in Cleveland, they couldn't believe that happened and now it's happening in their own backyard. So, certainly very disturbing for neighbors here.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: You got that right. Pamela Brown reporting live from Ashland, Ohio, this morning.

Take you back to Berlin, Germany. This is the mayor of Berlin speaking right now. After he speaks, of course, Angela Merkel will speak, the leader of Germany and then President Obama will take the podium and perhaps give a speech of historical significance at the Brandenburg Wall.

You can see the crowd. They were doing the wave a short time ago before the three politicians walked on stage. It's very hot in Berlin this morning. People are fanning themselves and you can see they're waving American and German flags.

That's the mayor of Berlin speaking.

We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr. Angela Merkel, and the president of the United States of America, Barack Obama.

(CHEERS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: All right. You can see here in Berlin, Germany. Angela Merkel is taking the podium. She is due to speak five or six minutes. And you see President Obama waiting on stage t take the podium. When our president begins speaking, of course, we'll take you back to the Brandenburg Gate.

Right now, we want to check the top stories. It's 22 minutes past.

Strong winds could make the situation even uglier today for crews battling an out of control wildfire 100 miles north of Phoenix. Investigators say they know the 500,000 acre fire was caused by a person but still looking into exactly how that person started the fire. The fire is zero percent contained and has forced hundreds from their homes. And at Denver's airport, people ran for cover when a tornado touched down between two airport runways. The twister packs winds around 97 miles per hour. A few planes were diverted, but there were no reports of damage or injuries.

In Cleveland, Ohio, Ariel Castro back in court for a pretrial hearing. He's accused of kidnapping three women and keeping them locked inside his house for more than nine years. Last week, Castro pleaded not guilty to hundreds of charges.

An oil filter problem forces a Tokyo-bound United flight to make an emergency landing in Seattle. United has put the Boeing Dreamliner back in the air less than a month ago. It's the latest trouble for Boeing's Dreamliner grounded earlier this year after two overheated battery incidents. Boeing has redesigned and installed new battery systems.

SportsIllustrated.com reports that the New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez has been questioned about a murder. A body was found about a mile from his Massachusetts home. Police say they do not consider Hernandez a suspect, but a vehicle rented in Hernandez's name is believed to be a key piece of the murder investigation.

COSTELLO: A big victory for environmental activists in Los Angeles. The "L.A. Times" reports the city council has voted to ban single use plastic bags in stores that sell groceries. The new ordinance also mandates customers be charged 10 cents per paper bag if they do not bring their own reusable totes. A second vote of approval by the council and mayor signature needed before that ban takes effect next year.

Turning now to your money, Chrysler on its recall refusal and it will now recall more than a million Jeep Grand Cherokees and Jeep Liberties.

Christine Romans is following the story from New York.

Why did Chrysler change its mind?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Because it's recalling a smaller number than the government had originally wanted, Carol. It has fought it for two weeks and at the 11th hour changed course and agreed to recall a smaller number of Jeeps, 1.56 million Jeeps.

Write down these, folks. This is what they are. The 1993 to 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2002 to 2007 Jeep Liberty SUV, over 1.5 million vehicles.

Now, there's a separate thing, not a recall, but a customer service action. Chrysler is calling it. This is about, 1.1 million jeeps from 1999 to 2004. Those will get a visual inspection. All of these cars will get a visual inspection and they won't necessarily have any work done on them.

Now, the government has said there were too many fire incidents with these cars, the way that the fuel tank is in the back behind the -- you know, behind the axle where the fuel tank was located and Chrysler has always said nothing wrong with these cars. In this agreement, Chrysler doesn't have to admit anything is wrong with them, Carol. In fact, it says they are safe and they are not defected and among the safest in the peer group.

So, the government wins because Chrysler relents on saying no to a recall and many of these cars are going to get into a dealership and be inspected. But Chrysler wins because it's not necessarily going to have to perform work on all of them and if they do perform work, Carol, it's going to be basically a trailer hitch that they're going to install or replace on the back to put more distance between the fuel tank and the car that's running into the Jeep, Carol.

COSTELLO: So, that will do the trick. That's just so strange.

So, if I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee or Liberty, what do I do?

ROMANS: So, Chrysler says it will alert the owners of these vehicles and tell them what to do. When you are alerted, you'll go to your dealership. There will be an inspection and depending on what it looks like on that assembly, whether it's a trailer hitch that is from a manufacturer, you know, Chrysler auto parts manufacturer, or whether is one or isn't one, they'll decide and tell you what to do.

Now, some people in that consumer action group, you know, you're fought going to get a free trailer hitch put on there. But for people in the recall, you may find you get a new hitch and the idea, apparently, is that the most distance between the fuel tank and any kind of high-speed collision that gives just more metal before, between those two things.

COSTELLO: All right. I get it. I do. I think.

Thank you, Christine.

ROMANS: They both win, but will consumers win? That's where the consumer advocates are scrutinizing this to see -- you know, the government wins. Chrysler wins. Will consumers win? Stay tuned.

COSTELLO: Yes, stay tuned.

Christine Romans, thank you so much. Christine, reporting live from New York.

Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany, still speaking. President Obama due to speak any moment now. We'll take you back to the Brandenburg Gate, the place where that wall came down, after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: All right. Let's take you back to Berlin, Germany, the Branderberg Gate where that wall came crashing down. This is President Obama speaking to an enthusiastic crowd. Let's listen.

(BEGIN LIVE FEED)

(APPLAUSE)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I thank you, Chancellor Merkel, for your leadership, your friendship, and the example of your life, from a child of the East to the leader of a free and united Germany.

As I've said, Anna (ph) and I don't exactly look like previous German and American leaders, but the fact that we can stand here today, along the fault line where a city was divided speaks to an eternal truth: No wall can stand against the yearning of justice, the yearnings for freedom, the yearnings for peace that burns in the human heart.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Mayor Wowereit, distinguished guests, and especially the people of Berlin and Germany, thank you for this extraordinarily warm welcome.