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Dallas Holds Its First JFK Ceremony; Iran Wants Concessions; Accused "Slave Keepers" Released on Bail; Nation Honors JFK 50 Years After Assassination; Cell Phones in Flight Close to Reality

Aired November 22, 2013 - 12:00   ET

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

HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: You're with CNN. Welcome to AROUND THE WORLD. I'm Hala Gorani, in for Suzanne Malveaux.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Michael Holmes. Thanks for your company today. We welcome our viewers from all around the world.

A very important day in U.S. history. We are, in fact, approaching the moment that an assassin's bullet took the life of President John F. Kennedy and shattered the nation 50 years ago.

GORANI: So it's an event that is still seared in the collective consciousness of this country 50 years later, one of the darkest days really in this country's history. And people in Dallas, gathering in that city to honor the slain president. You're looking at live pictures of Dealey Plaza, the scene of the tragedy.

HOLMES: Yes, the city's going to hold a moment of silence at the exact time of the assassination. Today's event, the first time Dallas is officially commemorating JFK's death. The first time in 50 years. And, of course, the eternal flame, you see it there, continues to burn at his grave at the Arlington National Cemetery. He was the nation's 35th president and one of its most beloved leaders.

GORANI: And one of its still very most popular. Earlier his sister, Jean Kennedy Smith, helped lay a wreath at her brother's grave. She is the last surviving sibling of John F. Kennedy. President Obama has ordered flags across the United States to fly at half-staff in honor of the late president. There you see it lowered at the White House.

HOLMES: Memorial ceremonies and moments of silence are being held literally from coast to coast.

The charismatic president was 1,000 days into his term, just 46 years old, when he was gunned down while riding in that famous open top limousine, his wife by his side.

GORANI: And we're going to bring you extensive coverage, as we mentioned to our viewers in the U.S., also around the world, as the nation honors John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

Let's go live now to Dealey Plaza in Dallas. Our Ed Lavandera is there.

So what's the mood on this day? Because Dallas, for so long, fought against the notion that it was sort of that place where hate took -- killed basically President Kennedy. What's the mood today on the 50th anniversary?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, there are a lot of people here who just remember the day, quite frankly, and lived it in a way like no other people around the world lived it. You know, I've had the chance to meet and speak with many people who were in this plaza 50 years ago and witnessed the shooting themselves. And that is something that all of these people carry with them and say it's one of those moments that you just simply -- it's impossible to escape from and to stop thinking about.

So in many ways, this is a city that continues to live this story week in and week out in the 50 years since this tragedy took place on the streets here in Dallas. So there are many people who still remember just what the city has gone through, in the struggles and trying to come to terms with the fact that the assassination of an American president took place on these streets and the baggage and the burden that came with all of that.

And city leaders are hoping that this event will put a lot of that to rest. That they will show that they are coming here it honor the life and legacy of President John Kennedy, who is still considered one of the most popular presidents in the history of the United States. And they're hoping that this event, being done for the first time officially in this city, will go a long way to kind of put that to rest and put that bad baggage behind them, if you will.

HOLMES: And a lot is planned there, too. The statue -- tell us what's on the agenda.

LAVANDERA: Well, there will be a moment of silence. The program starts here in about half an hour. And it's really a very simple program. A brief speech from the mayor of the city. There will also be excerpts of speeches from President Kennedy written -- or read by the historian David McCullough.

And then it culminates with the unveiling of a new monument here along the grassy knoll, which, interestingly enough, will carry the encryption of the last paragraph that President Kennedy was supposed to give. He was literally just a mile away from the Trade Mart building where there was a room full of people waiting for him to give this speech. And he was on his way there.

But when the motorcade raced by, President Kennedy had been wounded and the motorcade was racing to Parkland Hospital, not the Trade Mart, where he was supposed to give that speech. And that monument will carry the last paragraph of that speech that he never gave for the new generation, as they like to say, to be able to read those words and inspiration of President Kennedy.

GORANI: And I think, for our viewers, not just in the U.S. but elsewhere, it may be surprising for them to know that according to polls, even though that level has gone down, that a majority of Americans still believe in a conspiracy surrounding the assassination of John F. Kennedy that day 50 years ago in Dallas. What are people telling you about that?

LAVANDERA: Well, you know, it's interesting, I've lived in Dallas a long time and I've always been struck by the fact that any time of year, there are always people here in Dealey Plaza standing in the grassy knoll, looking at that spot on the road, looking up at the sixth floor window. And on the grassy knoll every weekend, you will find conspiracy theorists who come here.

And up until this day, many of the conspiracy theorists really, you know, turned out and stood on the grassy knoll. They would observe their own moments of silence here on this day. But they're not around here today. They're being cordoned off outside of the security perimeter that has been set up around Dealey Plaza.

But as you mentioned, polls show that a majority of Americans, I think the last one that I saw was about 60 percent believe that there was a conspiracy, that Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone. And a lot of that continues today. And you see it. You know, I've been struck by the fact that walking around here in Dealey Plaza the last few days, in the massive crowds that are turning out, spending a lot of time here and you still hear from a lot of those people who either they're selling books or they're, you know, selling pamphlets with all of those details, that continues today.

GORANI: Ed Lavandera, thanks very much, live in Dallas.

Of course, we'll have a lot more coverage. There's a lot there that we will broadcast, of course, on CNN, as well.

HOLMES: Yes.

GORANI: Musical tributes, speeches, including a speech by David McCullough, a historian.

HOLMES: And the unveiling of that statue, as well. Yes.

Let's move on to some other news now. Latvia dealing with a national tragedy at the moment. More than 40 people killed, 45 at last count, after a roof of a supermarket collapsed.

GORANI: Those are just some dramatic images. Searchers expect to find even more bodies buried under the rubble. Several dozen people were hurt. And this is happening in the capital city of Riga.

HOLMES: The mayor tells CNN that building materials stored on the roof could have been what made it cave in. This is Latvia's deadliest accident since it won independence from the Soviet Union more than 25 years ago.

GORANI: Now to this. The diplomatic machine is running full speed in Geneva, Switzerland, right now. It is the third day of talks aimed at making a deal that would convince Iran to put the brakes on its nuclear program.

HOLMES: Yes, today, Iran's negotiator actually met with the European Union policy chief, but the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain all have delegate in Geneva, of course. And even though it is late in the day in Switzerland, the door to a deal is not closed yet.

GORANI: Well, before we go live to Geneva, take a look at this. We asked more than 800 Americans this week if they support a deal that would restrict Iran's nuclear capability, not end it completely, and this is key, in exchange for the sanctions on Iran to loosen up a bit. Well, you can see it there, Michael and everyone else, a majority of people we asked did support that scenario.

HOLMES: Yes, but it is the people, of course, at the negotiating table today who really matter if a deal is going to get done or not. Jim Sciutto, our chief national correspondent, he is in Geneva.

What are you hearing about foreign leaders or at least secretaries of state and the like headed to Geneva, because that's always a sign that something could happen. It's good that they're still talking.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: No question. It's something we've been watching for as a sign that there's forward progress. And we now are hearing that the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, his plane has landed at Geneva. And I've just been told a few moments ago by a western official that Secretary of State John Kerry will likely come to Geneva, as well. Not confirmed yet, but that he will likely join tomorrow.

That doesn't mean that a deal is set, but it is a risk they take, of course, by sticking their necks out, showing up here in person, and would be a sign that their deputies have moved the talks with the Iranians forward to the point where it's necessary for them to come, as well. So some minor progress, doesn't mean a deal's in the bag by any means, but at least a step forward.

GORANI: All right, just a few weeks ago at the last round of talks, Jim, as you know, it appeared as though some sort of agreement was imminent. That wasn't the case. We're now in another round of talks in Geneva. So what is the sticking point?

SCIUTTO: And you're right to note that. Just as a note of caution, right, that last time, a couple weeks ago, John Kerry came. So that's a bit of a warning sign, right?

But there is a sense on both sides, I'm speaking to Iranian and western diplomats here, that they are much closer today than they have been at any time in these negotiations. One of those key sticking points, and there has been today more than one, is how explicitly does the west, including the U.S. delineate Iran's right to enrich. Iran has been pushing for an explicit delineation, something written down somewhere acknowledging that.

U.S. officials I've been speaking to for the last couple of weeks have said what they're comfortable with doing is not denying Iran have such a right, but not explicitly saying it, some sort of diplomatic ambiguity. The Iranians can go home and claim they have the right and the west will not stand in the way of that. That's been an issue. So a lot of the day has been spend on working out the language that allows both sides to claim, in effect, victory on that issue.

GORANI: Jim Sciutto, thanks very much, live in Geneva. As always, it comes down to the language -

HOLMES: Yes.

GORANI: Of how you word something. Do you have the right to enrich or do you simply have the right -

HOLMES: To (INAUDIBLE).

GORANI: To a program? Those are two different things.

HOLMES: Yes, and if you enrich, to what level?

GORANI: Exactly.

HOLMES: And that's the big key. If you enrich to a level that you can make weapons, well, nobody's going to go for that. But are you just going to have nuclear power plants and medical, well -

GORANI: But perspective, this. Compare this scenario today to last year when nobody was even talking.

HOLMES: Yes, nobody was even talking, yes.

GORANI: There you have it. So now to this story and a quick break. When we come back, police say three women held against their will in a London house for more than 30 years, went through years of physical and psychological abuse.

HOLMES: Can you imagine it. They're calling it modern day slavery. We will have more on this when we come back.

Also, 50 years ago today, shots rang out in Dallas, killing a young president in his prime.

GORANI: We will have continuing coverage of today's JFK commemoration at Dealey Plaza. Live images for you as we leave you and we'll be back very shortly. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GORANI: Welcome back, everyone.

Today marks 50 years since President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Take a look at these live pictures of Dealey Plaza in Dallas, where he was gunned down. The city is holding its first official ceremony to mark the tragedy.

HOLMES: Yes, it seems extraordinary, doesn't it? Now, that ceremony starts actually at the bottom of the hour, about 15 minutes or so from now. Of course, it is set to coincide with the time of day that JFK's motorcade passed through downtown Dallas. Crowds had filled the streets, of course, to see the president. And, today, crowds are there to honor his legacy.

GORANI: It's interesting to see that historical footage, which we're all so familiar with. And then today, Dallas, the city will hold a moment of silence at the exact time of the assassination. Military jets will fly over. And some of Kennedy's speeches will be read. We'll bring you all of the key moments live.

HOLMES: Yes, interesting, a gloomy day in Dallas. Fifty years ago today, it was bright and sunny.

All right, a man and a woman who police believe held several other women, three of them, in captivity in their home for decades are no longer in custody. They're out on bail.

GORANI: Well, and that has, by the way, we're going to ask our correspondent why that is. This is south London, a borough called Lambeth. More shocking developments in this case are coming out. Police say it looks like the victims were not just kept inside against their will but they were used as slaves.

HOLMES: CNN's Diana Magnay has been following this from London. She is at Scotland Yard.

New details coming out, for example, the one woman, 30-years-old, apparently had spent her entire life in of this house. First of all, why did the authorities allow the people accused of doing this to get out of jail? It is a point of law, isn't it? I don't think they've been charged yet, have they?

DIANA MAGNAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It does seem surprising, Michael, but I think it's because those two were arrested on suspicion of being involved in forced labor and human trafficking, but the police now don't seem to be able to quite put their finger on what they should charge them with.

Under British law, you have to charge someone within 36 hours or release them on bail. They've been released on bail. The police are now saying they don't think this comes under a category of domestic slavery or of human trafficking. In fact, they're saying this is like something we've never seen before.

We're trying to unravel what happened to these women over the last three decades. It wasn't sexual abuse but it was a very, very complex picture of emotional and psychological abuse that they went through. Although they've let these two out on bail and they say there weren't any other people involved, they didn't have any accomplices, they don't believe this to be part of a broader human trafficking ring.

At the same time, they have their entire human traffic unit here at Scotland Yard, 37 officers, working on the case. You get the feeling the police here don't know what they're dealing with and are working hard to try and work it out.

One of the big questions is the relationships between the three women and the captors. As you said, Michael, the British woman, 30-years- old, we believe from the Freedom Charity, which orchestrated their release, may even have been born in captivity.

Apparently, police say she wasn't related to the other two prisoners. Could it be she's the daughter of these two captors? These are all unexplained questions. This is what the police did have to say about the relations between them all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN NYLAND, MET POLICE HUMAN TRAFFICKING UNIT: That really is what I'm investigating at the moment, what the relationships between these people are. When I say relationships, I'm both looking at the relationships as in bee logical and I'm also looking at relationships how they interacted.

Clearly, the allegations are that people were being controlled subject of oh coercion, violence. And as you're aware, this goes back at least three decades. So there's a lot for us to untangle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MAGNAY: It's clear it's very difficult to get much detail owl of these highly traumatized women.

GORANI: All right, Diana Magnay, thanks very much, more shocking details in an alleged slavery case in London.

The cabin of an airplane might be losing its unique status. Oh, no!

HOLMES: We were talking about this yesterday. This is scary. Are you going to be allowed to use your cell phone during the flight? Heaven forbid.

GORANI: The jet calm could be drowned out by the sound of your fellow passengers yapping.

It says talking in the prompter, but I just edited on the fly.

HOLMES: Yapping.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GORANI: Well, it's a city that is now commemorating and honoring the memory of John F. Kennedy, 50 years after his assassination. These are live images of Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, where the president was shot 50 years ago today. And for the first time since the assassination, the city is holding this official ceremony to honor him and his memory.

HOLMES: Hard to believe, isn't it?

GORANI: Yeah.

HOLMES: Now, that memorial ceremony -- what? It's meant to start in just a few minutes away, seven or eight minutes from now. That is the scheduled time, anyway, set to coincide with the time of day JFK's motorcade passed through downtown Dallas. There's going to be a moment of silence at the exact time the shots rang out. There's going to be military jets. They're going to will fly over. Some of Kennedy's speeches will be read. And we will bring you all of the key moments, live, right here on CNN.

GORANI: Right, including the unveiling of a new monument, as well.

Good news and bad news about cell phones and air travel. The good news is soon you'll be able to make calls during the flight.

HOLMES: We don't think that's the good news, do we? Because we also think it's the bad news. You're going to be able to make phone calls during the flight. The guy, the lady behind you, they're going to be able to make calls, as well, which brings us to the whole row really.

GORANI: The FCC has drawn up a proposal to allow mobile services, like calls and texts, when the plane -- just like Wi-Fi, really -- when the plane is above 10,000-feet.

So during takeoff and landing, you'd have to keep your phone in airplane mode. So we'll still have the tiny little -

HOLMES: Window.

GORANI: -- interlude.

HOLMES: Get a nap then.

This is how some passengers reacted to the news. We're not the only ones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would allow the phone call as long as it's short and to the point.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It would be fine if I could talk, but the problem is that you might want to talk. And you might want to talk the entire flight at a loud voice about every single problem you have in your family, blah, blah, blah, blah, right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: That's exactly what we fear, isn't it?

GORANI: CNN's Alexandra Field is at LaGuardia Airport in New York, and people kind of like their cell-free zone.

So what's motivating the FCC here?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is something talked about before and it continues to be brought up as people become increasingly connected to cell phones and smartphones. We've asked frequent flyers here at LaGuardia this morning their thoughts. There's almost universal support for the idea of being able to text in the air.

However, when it comes to talk on the phone, there's a thought of being trapped next to someone chatting incessantly. If someone was going to have a phone call for a minute or two, that wouldn't be a big inconvenience, but there is a big concern some of your fellow passengers wouldn't be as courteous.

HOLMES: Imagine if you're objecting to the person next to you, the tone of their conversation. That could prompt a few arguments there, and everything goes crazy.

They looked at lifting this ban a few years ago. What's changed?

FIELD: Well, for one, we have seen that foreign airlines, some foreign airlines are allowing passengers to talk on board, so safety isn't as big of a concern as it used to be. These airlines have proven they can do this safely.

Safety was a bigger concern a few years ago. The FCC threw this idea out there in 2004. There was loud, vocal opposition from air travelers and also from the flight attendants union. And it's also noting that just yesterday the flight attendants union came out again, issuing a statement saying -- registering their concern with this idea, yet again. So that much really hasn't changed.

GORANI: And so, we're going to need -- planes are going to have to be altered somehow with antenna. So how soon could this all happen?

FIELD: OK, so the good news if you're against this plan is that it won't affect your holiday travel. At least that part of the stress can be eliminated. This is a long process. The FCC would still have to discuss this during a meeting in December. After that, there could be a comment period, then the FCC would have to make a final decision.

And then after that, it's up to airlines to decide whether or not to offer the service. If they chose to offer the service, they would have to fit their airplanes with antennas. So again, you know, not for this year's holiday season, but we'll see in the coming years.

GORANI: All right, Alexandra Field.

HOLMES: Alexandra Field, yeah.

GORANI: Thanks very much.

And people talking about quiet cars in train and how you can't do that in a plane. I mean, you're absolutely confined. You can't get up and go to the bathroom. You can't walk up and down train carriages.

HOLMES: It's like non-smoking areas on planes. That never worked.

GORANI: I'd be interested in knowing, generationally, if there's a difference. I suspect there might be there.

HOLMES: We're old.

All right, when we come back, we're going to take you back -- there you go, pictures there live from Dallas.

That city's had to live with a dubious distinction, of course, for half a century now as the scene of a very dark day in American history.

GORANI: Today, for the first time, the city is commemorating President Kennedy's death. We are taking you to Dallas, live, coming up.