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Reason Found for New York Train Derailment; Bill Clinton Assesses Obamacare, Talks Hillary 2016; Colorado Pot Big Businesses; Robbers Break into Salvation Army Office; Santa Tracking Becomes Too Militarized
Aired December 03, 2013 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: We're learning more about what caused that deadly train crash in New York City. You may have heard reports that the engineer fell asleep. But the engineer never said he fell asleep, instead, the engineer says he was, quote, "in a daze." According to a law enforcement official familiar with the conversation, the engineer said he was going along and I'm in a daze and I don't know what happened. Recovered data recorders show what happened. The train was going way, way too fast and hit that 30-mile-per-hour curve at 82 miles per hour. The data also shows the engineer slammed on the brakes too late to stop the crash.
Joining us now with more on the investigation, once again, Nic Robertson, who has been covering it since it occurred.
Have investigators, Nic, finished interviewing the engineer?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They haven't, Wolf. This could go on for a number of days more. They had to stop yesterday, the NTSB say, because the engineer became emotional. They said yesterday that they would probably be talking with him again today and again tomorrow. How long this process will take isn't clear. But clearly, there's a lot of details that he has that they will want to understand.
One of the things he talked about was, right after the accident, he was recorded or quoted as saying that he had hit the brakes and nothing happened. The event recorder now shows that the brakes were actually activated five seconds before that train came to rest. So there's clearly a lot of detail that the NTSB has to hear from him as well as learning about what he was doing, the 72 hours prior to taking control of that will train -- Wolf?
BLITZER: Nic Robertson with the latest on that.
We're continuing to follow the investigation. Standing by for a news conference later today, as well from the NTSB.
Other news we're following, the former president of the United States, Bill Clinton, weighs in on the latest Obamacare developments. President Clinton recently said President Obama should keep his promise, let people keep their doctors and insurance plans. So what is his latest assessment of the Affordable Care Act?
Juan Carlos Lopez of, CNN Espanol, is just back from a one-on-one interview with Clinton.
How did it go? What did he say about Obamacare, Juan Carlos?
JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, CNN ESPANOL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it went very well. The president on his way to of Brazil, a Clinton Global Initiative, programs that he wants to develop in Latin America.
But we did speak about what he said about Obamacare and I guess this is Obamacare 2.0 that we're seeing launched today. This is what he said about his previous statement and about possible future problems with health reform.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOPEZ: Are you doing that, is it because you are setting the way for Mrs. Clinton to run? And second, are the problems with Obamacare limited to the website?
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The answer to the first question is no. First of all, I said nothing about this. Not one word until the president himself spoke. And it was obvious to me, listening to him, that he wanted the American people to feel that he had kept his commitment, and that they didn't understand that he, in fact, did grandfather in, that is protect, all the policies that were in existence on the day he signed the health care bill. That was done. But most -- but he didn't take over the insurance industry in America. So, for example, today, less than 20 percent of those 11 million policies which exist in the individual insurance market, even existed when President Obama had signed the bill. So I was trying to be supportive of him. I don't think you can find anybody in America who's worked harder for his re-election or supported this bill or went out of his way to explain the bill to the American people more than I did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LOPEZ: That's President Clinton, Wolf, on health reform, Obamacare. And what he said, you know, created a lot of controversy.
BLITZER: Yeah. He obviously does support the president. Hillary Clinton, as you and all of our viewers know, she right now is the overwhelming Democratic favorite for possibly running for president in 2016. So what is the former president say about his wife and 2016?
LOPEZ: He is saying he doesn't know if she's going to run or not.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOPEZ: Is Mrs. Clinton running for president?
CLINTON: I don't know. And I think, and she believes, that the country should spend at least another year working very hard on the problems we have. We will have very serious challenges in America. And we have responsibilities around the world. I think it's a big mistake, you know, this constant four-year parapathetic (ph) (ph) campaign. It is not good for America. We need to deal with the business we have before us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LOPEZ: Wolf, and I did ask him ask him, the president, the former president, what he thought of Vice President Biden as a possible president in 2016. And he says he likes him a lot.
BLITZER: I guess we shouldn't be surprised about that. We'll see if he likes him a lot, if, in fact, Biden is challenging Hillary Clinton for that Democratic nomination or if he decides, if she runs, he's not going to run or what's going on. Lots of unanswered questions out there.
Juan Carlos Lopez, as usual, thanks very much.
LOPEZ: My pleasure, Wolf.
BLITZER: And you can see Juan Carlos' full interview with the former president, Bill Clinton, on our sister network, CNN Espanol. That's coming up 6:30 p.m. Eastern later tonight.
In the next five years, one industry plans to grow from a billion dollar business to $10 billion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TODD MITCHEM, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, OPEN VAPE: There are a lot of stereotypes. You think it's a bunch of guys sitting around smoking pot in offices. It's not like that. It's a real business. We are building a culture of excellence around cannabis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Just ahead, we're going to take you to Colorado where pot is booming.
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BLITZER: Set aside your stereotypes of Colorado. Marijuana production is taking on the feel and the look of a fortune 500 company. Starting January 1st, Coloradans can legally smoke pot and companies are investing millions and millions t/to pleat the demand. The state wants tax revenue and new jobs. Pot is a huge growth industry.
Here is CNN's Miguel Marquez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDY WILLIAMS, OWNER, MEDICINE MAN: This is our vegetative growth room.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Andy Williams is out to be the captain of the country's newest growth industry, Colorado's legal recreational pot business.
(on camera): It is a factory of pot?
WILLIAMS: Is it a factory of pot. It certainly is.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): His Medicine Man will be selling to users up to an ounce for Colorado residents, a quarter-ounce for out-of-staters. Anyone over 21 can buy starting January 1.
Industry watchers say it will be the first time ever anywhere in the world that marijuana has been regulated from seed to sale, an experiment making Colorado a sort of Silicon Valley for pot.
(on camera): It appears that you guys are already bulking up --
WILLIAMS: Yeah.
MARQUEZ: -- in preparation for what happens January 1.
WILLIAMS: Every one of my competitors is going the same thing.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): And how much new business does Medicine Man expect?
(voice-over): This is the future?
WILLIAMS: This is the future of Medicine Man.
MARQUEZ: This is --
WILLIAMS: This is it.
MARQUEZ: Oh, my.
(voice-over): Planned is a state-of-the-art facility so advanced they are expecting tourists.
WILLIAMS: This is not enough to meet demand next year. We need to expand more.
MARQUEZ: He'd like to triple his supply. And he's not the only one.
(on camera): This is the new world? What is this?
MITCHEM: This is the -- sort of the future.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): It's an industry expected to grow from just over $1 billion nationwide today to over $10 billion by 2018. Companies here sinking millions figuring out how to consume pot in new ways.
Open Vape extracts oil from marijuana and sells a sort of e-cigarette, giving the user an exact dose and producing almost no smoke.
MITCHEM: We grew 1,600 percent in 2013.
MARQUEZ (on camera): 1,600 percent?
MITCHEM: 1,600 percent. We'll do another 600 percent in revenue growth next year.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Open Vape expects to double its work force in 2014. Its brand spanking-new offices taking a page from the dot-com boom.
MITCHEM: You know, there are a lot of stereotypes. You think it is guys sitting around smoking pot in their offices. It's not like that. This is a real business. I mean, we are building a culture of excellence around cannabis.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Open Vape 2 has expansion plans, an 860,000 square-foot showcase facility on Colorado's cannabis corridor, AKA, Interstate 25, complete with a cannabis museum and gift shop.
(on camera): Contract's been signed, money has changed hands?
MITCHEM: Contracts are happening, money is changing hands.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Taxes on sales of recreational marijuana products, everything from the smokable stuff to chocolates and soda, expected to generate tens of millions in revenue for the state. It's already creating jobs.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there anybody here with an appointment?
MARQUEZ: Every morning, Colorado's Marijuana Enforcement Division, jammed with people just hoping to get their license to work in the new industry. The agency is overwhelmed with applications.
Every aspect regulated. Possession of an ounce or less, legal anywhere within the state's borders. Most places, though, all those counties you see there in red, still either ban or haven't yet decided if they'll allow pot sales. For many here, it is still baby steps.
LEWIS KOSKI, CHIEF OF INVESTIGATIONS, COLORADO MARIJUANA ENFORCEMENT DIVISION: What we are hoping is that we can provide a model for that for other states as they elect to move forward with their own marijuana policy.
MARQUEZ: The Colorado experiment taking root. The "Denver Post" has hired a recreational marijuana editor. And Matt Brown, who runs My 420 Tours, says non-Coloradans are excited to experience the new Rocky Mountain high.
MATT BROWN, MY 420 TOURS: We anticipate just through our firm easily 2,000 to 3,000 people next year on our guided tours, which are all inclusive multi-day packages.
MARQUEZ: Even cannabis cooking classes. Chef Blaine Alexander, who teaches some cannabis classes today, sees more.
(on camera): Can you see a restaurant, Blaine's?
BLAINE ALEXANDER, CHEF: Alexander's? But, yes.
MARQUEZ: Alexander's, all right, fine.
ALEXANDER: Of course. I would love that. Yeah. I mean, that has always been my goal.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): A goal that here in Colorado could soon be reality.
Miguel Marquez, CNN, Denver.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Stealing Christmas. Robbers break into a Salvation Army office looking for those famous red kettles. We'll tell you how much they got and what police are now saying about it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: In Detroit, an important ruling from a federal judge today. He said the city can go ahead with its bankruptcy as planned. This means Detroit could cut billions of dollars in payments it owes to city employees, retirees and creditors. Unions and pension funds argue the city shouldn't be able to use bankruptcy protection because it didn't negotiate with creditors in good faith. The city's emergency manager has proposed cutting more than $9 billion in unsecured debt. Creditors are expected to appeal the decision.
There's certainly a tradition this holiday season, and I'm talking about the Salvation Army bell ringers and their little red kettles. For more than 120 years, the bell ringers have been out there collecting donations, about $100 million worth, to help people in need. But this year, right here in Washington, D.C., some people decided to help themselves to those donations.
Brian Todd is joining us.
Brian, what happened?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, a heartless and brazen crime. This happened in southeast D.C. at the Salvation Army's offices, overnight Saturday into Sunday morning. Surveillance tapes that you're going to see here, two suspects come into the building. They broke their way in with crowbars, according to Salvation Army officials whom we spoke with, spent several minutes inside the building roaming around. The Salvation Army commander in the area told me he believes these two people knew where to look and they found the right place. They stole about $10,000 in cash, Wolf, from kettles stacked up in the office and in a safe in that office, an office that had been secured, but they used a crowbar to breakthrough the glass.
The Salvation Army spokesperson in D.C. kind of took us through how they did it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEN FORSYTHE, SPOKESPERSON, SALVATION ARMY: Broke the window to one office, they gained access to this office, and they systematically went kettle to kettle taking out any of the dollar currency that was in there, which could be dollars, fives, 10s, 20s.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: Again, about $10,000 worth total stolen by the suspects. D.C. police tell us they are looking for information about the suspects. No arrests made, yet, Wolf.
This is a big setback for the Salvation Army. $10,000 for them in this holiday season is a big setback in this area. The Salvation Army commander said this is going to be Christmas for a lot of families, especially in that particular section, that neighborhood of southeast Washington, D.C. This is the only Christmas -- the only way some kids in that neighborhood and around the area can have a present for Christmas and maybe some good food for Christmas. This is a big setback for them -- Wolf?
BLITZER: It certainly is. Brian, how vulnerable are charities like this, specifically at this time of year?
TODD: Especially, according to a law enforcement analyst, Wolf, the Salvation Army does have a particular vulnerability, because Mike Brooks, our law enforcement analyst, said there's more money in the kettles than you think. That does create a vulnerability for them.
Again, to reiterate, those kettles were secured in an office, but they were still in the kettles. A lot of money still in the kettles and some of the money was in the safe. They got the combination to the safe by finding that written on a piece of paper in a desk there.
So these two perpetrators, according to the Salvation Army commander, they could have been kids who were part of a mentoring program that they run at that Salvation Army office. They think it might have been some people with knowledge of that building.
BLITZER: Could have been an inside job, as you say. I know you'll have more on this later in "The Situation Room" as well.
Brian, thank you.
TODD: Sure.
BLITZER: Rudolph won't be the only thing guiding Santa and his sleigh this Christmas. The reindeer will get some help from the United States military. But some child advocates say it might be sending the wrong message. The story when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Another quick check on the markets. The record in November has come to a halt in December. The Dow Jones is down 123 points or so. Stocks also lost ground yesterday after some retailers reported relatively soft sales on Black Friday.
Rudolph is getting some help guiding Santa and his sleigh this Christmas. NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command is gearing up for its annual Santa Tracking Mission. But this year, it has more of a military feel to it.
Let's go to our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. She is joining us.
What a difference a year makes. What's going on this year?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Wolf, how are you? About 20 million people log on to this website every year at the holiday time, starting Christmas Eve, to track Santa.
But look at some of this, you know. This year, it looks more military than usual. Santa has a couple of F-18s on his tail guiding him around the world on his trek. The military says they planned all this. They wanted it to have more of an operational feel.
But we looked at the video. Some child advocacy groups are concerned it's militarizing Santa too much, especially for young children.
Let me pause and have a look at some of some of the rest of what the military posted about how they track Santa.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This will get displayed for Santa Claus. We will now conduct our check.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Intel can confirm that Jack Frost and the Abominable Snowman will not be a threat during the test flight.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sir, this is Cyber. Anti-Grinch Viral is up and we will continue to monitor for threats.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Santa is most definitely not a threat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: So, the anti-Grinch Viral System, "Santa not a threat, Jack Frost not a threat," all part of an intel brief for this test mission they just posted on the Internet.
You know, it's all supposed to be in good holiday cheer so children around the world can track Santa. But the question this year, again, did it go too far, because as some people are saying, the U.S. military doesn't own Santa. The world owns Santa. And why is it the U.S. military that seems to be taking possession of all this? It's a program that's existed for years. It's worked really well. 20 million around the world log on to this website. The question this year is, did it go a little too far? Wolf?
BLITZER: Some people are obviously sensitive to that. Any plans for drone use by Santa this year? Does the Pentagon have any expertise in helping Santa, perhaps use some drones to deliver some of those gifts to the kids?
STARR: Well, we didn't see a drone delivery. The next thing we are watching for is, will Santa enter Chinese air space -- Wolf?
BLITZER: Yeah. We'll have to declare it to the Chinese, presumably.
All right, thanks very much. Having a little fun over there. Barbara Starr, at the Pentagon.
That's it for me. I'll be back at 5:00 p.m. in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
NEWSROOM continues with right now with Brooke Baldwin.
