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Widow: Williams Had Parkinson's Disease; Calls Mount for Info From Ferguson Police; Iraqi State TV: Prime Minister Maliki Stepping Down

Aired August 14, 2014 - 15:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: We have been reporting this week on the tragic death way too soon of 63-year-old Robin Williams.

And now, just in the last few minutes, we're getting some new information on Williams' health. We have gotten a statement from his widow.

And so she writes the statement. And in it, she shares something that he apparently was yet to be ready to -- to at least release publicly. She now is. She says this.

"Robin's sobriety was intact and he was brave as he struggled with his own battles of depression, anxiety, as well as early stages of Parkinson's disease, which he was not yet ready to share publicly."

She goes on, she says, "It is our hope in the wake of Robin's tragic passing that others will find the strength to seek the care and support they need to treat whatever battles they're facing so they may feel less afraid."

Dan Simon is joining me with more on this. Still, the question is why. Why did he do this?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Brooke. And ever is since, you know, we've learned about his tragic passing, everybody has been, you know, sort of openly speculating about what may have been going on in his life.

We're not going to talk about any of that gossip and rumor. But now we have something that we can sort of latch on to, this early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. Now, we don't know exactly when he got this diagnosis. But his wife says that it was in the early stages.

Now, Brooke, what is Parkinson's? Well, we know that it is a progressive disorder that affects movement. Michael J. Fox, of course, has been bravely battling this disease since 1991. It can be managed with medication.

What Robin Williams' outlook looked like, we don't know at this point. But perhaps this just gives us a little bit of insight into his psychological well-being. I think the ultimate question, though, is did this Parkinson's diagnosis cause this depression, or did it add to an already existing severe problem that he had?

BALDWIN: Right. And how long was he suffering with these early stages of Parkinson's, we don't know. Dan Simon, thank you so much, on more of what we're learning from the statement from the widow of Robin Williams.

Coming up, we take you back to Ferguson, Missouri, the president of the United States spoke on this publicly for the first time today saying it is time for police to open up their investigation in Ferguson, something protesters have been begging for.

But it is unusual for police to stay so quiet five days after a fatal shooting. We'll talk to an expert about that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Just past the bottom of the hour. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. One of the major issues reportedly driving this unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, is a lack of transparency from the Ferguson Police Department.

The anonymity of the officer who shot and killed 18-year-old, Michael Brown Saturday is fuelling anger and more distrust among these community members. In fact, President Obama weighed in on the issue after talking to the governor of the state.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The local authorities, including the police, have a responsibility to be open and transparent about how they are investigating that death and how they are protecting the people in their communities.

But let's remember that we're all part of one American family. We are united in common values and that includes belief in equality under the law, basic respect for public order and the right to peaceful public protest.

A reverence for the dignity of every man, woman and child among us and the need for accountability when it comes to our government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Let's talk about accountability and openness within law enforcement. Former police officer now University of Missouri, St. Louis, assistant professor of criminology, David Klinger. Professor, welcome.

DAVID KLINGER, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF ST. LOUIS: Thank you for having me.

BALDWIN: So, you know, you have studied hundreds upon hundreds of officer-involved shootings. You're very familiar with the process involved in these shooting investigations.

So the question is, you know, is the impatience among community members and these protesters for that transparency, for that officer to be named or is there a process of investigation that just needs to be respected?

KLINGER: It's really both. In terms of transparency, typically a police shooting will generate some interest immediately, and then within a few hours, few days, it will sort of tail off. And so there is no need to roll out information about the investigation until the investigation is concluded.

And then the findings can be released. In a situation like this, however, it makes a lot of sense to me to go ahead and put out some information so that the public has a sense of what's going on.

So, for example, how many shots did the officer fire? By now, the police department knows that. They have known that for a few days, there's no problem with going ahead and putting out that information.

I understand that there's some concern about information getting out. But that's the type of thing that I don't understand why there would be a problem with that. Another thing is simply explain to people what the process of the investigation is.

We've got to work up a crime scene. We've got to process the ballistics. We've got to interview witnesses. Explain the time line that we think we have in terms of identifying witnesses, getting their statements.

In terms of identifying the officer, I'm a fan of identifying officers generally. However, only after a threat assessment has been done because oftentimes when police officers shoot people, they're shooting a gang member, shooting someone with a criminal history who has associates that might harm the officer.

To make sure there's no threats forth coming and then let the officer's name be publicized. In this case, however, because of the vitriol -- I'm sorry, go ahead, ma'am --

BALDWIN: No, go ahead. Vitriol directed at police?

KLINGER: Yes, in this case, the vitriol directed at the police and particularly at this officer, there have been threats against his life, and apparently, family members.

And so I think that when someone says, I'm going to kill this guy, you take that threat seriously and you don't identify him. Make sure that his safety is secured. Once that is done, go ahead and identify him.

BALDWIN: I understand that and that makes perfect sense. But the "but" here is that you have the wrong police officer's information being identified, at least according to the police chief.

Hearing the mayor earlier today, there are names, phone numbers, addresses, family members being spray painted on public buildings. Death threats to those people, as well. So wouldn't that be yet another reason to release this information to the public, to quell the violence? BALDWIN: I disagree, Brooke, because that's essentially blackmail. So what that does is that sets a precedence that any time that a bunch of thugs want to get information after they have made death threats, they're going to start randomly naming people and randomly making threats to force out the information so they can target the officer before he or she is safe.

And I don't -- mob violence and mob threat is something we need to step away from. I understand the concern in the community. I understand why they want to know this officer's name. When it is safe to do so, name him.

BALDWIN: Yes. What about you say, Professor, once the autopsy is complete, and that information is brought to the public, that will also answer a lot of questions about what happened.

KLINGER: I believe so. We'll be able to know how many bullets struck Mr. Brown. We'll be able to know the bullet paths. We'll be able to know the locations of his body, where he was struck. That might tell us about his body posture.

It might tell us the distance between Mr. Brown and the officer when he was shot, and so that's going to be a vital piece of information. And that's a key part of the investigation.

And we have to wait for that before we can start talking about a lot of things that need to be cleared up. But we have to get that autopsy done.

BALDWIN: OK. Professor Klinger, thank you so much for joining me, University of Missouri in St. Louis. I appreciate it very much, from the streets of Ferguson.

Coming up, President Barack Obama today saying the situation on Mt. Sinjar in Iraq is under control. Our correspondent in Northern Iraq, Ivan Watson, he caught up with a number of those refugees who were rescued from that mountain. He shares a new chapter in their journeys next.

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BALDWIN: Let's talk about Iraq. The Pentagon is saying a possible evacuation of thousands of Iraqis strapped in the Sinjar Mountain is now far less likely. There are fewer Yazidis there now after many managed to escape and the ones who remain have access to food and water dropped by humanitarian aid missions.

For the Iraqis who have fled these extremist ISIS fighters and then escaped the heat and stark condition in the mountains, life goes on. But it's very different from what it used to be. The image of this one family really stuck with all of us, including our CNN correspondent, Ivan Watson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the chaos of an evacuation from Sinjar Mountain, several faces stood out. A 16-month-old baby and two very frightened sisters named Aziza and Dunar.

Two days after their airborne escape, we found their older brother, also on the helicopter. He led us to the place where they found refuge. After fleeing ISIS, this is how thousands of Iraqis are living.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're very, very poor.

WATSON: Up on the third floor of this derelict building, we found our friends from the helicopter.

(on camera): Hi, guys! Look at you! I remember you. Hi!

(voice-over): It turns out, 16-month-old Helene is the cousin of the teenage sisters, Duna and Aziza.

(on camera): Hi! It's good to see you.

(voice-over): Duna says she had mixed feelings when she escaped aboard the chopper.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I was happy we survived, but I was sad and worried about my father.

WATSON: The ordeal began a week and a half ago when everyone in the city of Sinjar immediately fled upon hearing news that ISIS militants were fast approaching. Amid the panic, Duna's older brother says his father refused to leave.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We all tried hard to convince my dad, but he refused to go. He said it would be humiliation. I decided I couldn't let them capture the girls and woman so we left.

WATSON: The family didn't make it far in their car before they ran into ISIS fighters, shooting at fleeing civilians on a bridge.

I jumped out of the car and off the bridge, Aziza says, because I was scared of ISIS. The family of 12 fled on foot off Sinjar Mountain. From the frying pan into the fire.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): If we were able to find a tree where we could rest in the shade, we were lucky. For the first four days, we had no food, only water. Any bread we found, we fed to the little kids to keep them alive.

WATSON: The family lasted a few more days, thanks to aid drops from the sky and several sheep they caught and slaughtered. But they realized, they wouldn't survive much longer unless they escaped.

(on camera): The family says they tried and failed several times to get on board a helicopter to escape the mountain. When our chopper landed, they say they were lucky that they were the only people around in that particular area. The fact that in that chaos, all of them were able to get on board the aircraft is just short of a miracle. (voice-over): Now safe in Iraqi Kurdistan, the Hamid family lives like thousands of other refugees, on a few square feet of bare concrete. On Tuesday, the family got amazing news. A phone call from their missing father. He escaped ISIS and made it up to Sinjar Mountain.

Like thousands of Iraqis on the run, the Hamid family story is one of grit and survival against terrifying odds. It is a story that's far from over. Ivan Watson, CNN, Zakho, Iraqi Kurdistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: And we're going to stay on Iraq and go straight to our correspondent there, Nick Paton Walsh with some breaking news out of Iraq. Nick, what's going on?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, for days, Brooke, we have been waiting to learn the fate of the political deadlock here. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki in the eyes of so many the man whose sectarian divisiveness between the Sunni and Shia groups that represent a divide in this country has led to the opportunity for ISIS to storm through the north.

Many wanted to see him go. For the past few days, it seemed impossible he could stay in his post and now minutes ahead of a supposed speech by him on state TV, we're seeing a banner on state television saying that he has decided to step down from his post in favor of the man that Washington, nearly everybody sees as the next prime minister of Iraq, a man called Haider Al-Abadi.

So a huge political development, one that potentially clears away this deadlock that has been causing so much trouble for weeks, stopping an increase in aid causing so much aid to the Iraqi military.

Many hope that the new Prime Minister Al-Abadi, they hope that potentially will bring enough unity to the political environment, the people want to work together to try and fight ISIS so fast on the march in the north part of this country -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: So many people calling for this next government to be inclusive and questioning Nuri Al-Maliki's willingness to go. It appears the willingness is there. We'll watch for what he has to say a little later on, on TV there in Iraq. Nick Paton Walsh, thank you. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: The CNN series "THE SIXTIES" is wrapping up tonight. They say if you can remember the decade, you weren't there. My next guest remembers everything, Michelle Phillips from "The Mamas and The Papas" and says when it comes to sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll, she's a bit of an expert.

Let me bring her in and talk about that. Michelle Philips, welcome to you.

MICHELLE PHILLIPS, "THE MAMAS & THE PAPAS": Thank you, Brooke. Nice to be here.

BALDWIN: So when we talk about expert in all of the above, spill it. It's just us talking.

PHILLIPS: Well, you know, it was a very exciting new time. It was when old conservatism was kind of dropping away from our culture and people were very ready to experiment in completely different lifestyles. I was right there.

BALDWIN: You were right there. Let me just read a quote. I read something in "Vanity Fair" this morning I want to share with viewers. It was billed as the summer of love and its creators did not employ a single publicist or media plan.

Yet the phenomenon washed over America like a tidal wave erasing the last dregs of the martini sipping madmen area and ushering in a series of liberations and awakenings that irreversibly changed our way of life." Does that sound right to you?

PHILLIPS: It does. Monitor Ray Pop Festival, for instance, which was the very, very first rock festival ever introduced the world to Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Otis Redding sang in front of a white audience for the first time in his career.

The Who, Simon and Garfunkel, it was just -- and, of course, "The Mamas and The Papas." It was an amazing experience for all of us, and it was life altering really to American music.

BALDWIN: How do you mean?

PHILLIPS: Well, I mean, what was American music before the '60s really besides the British invasion, which you guys have already covered, which I really enjoyed, by the way, there was also the new American music that changed from, you know, rock 'n' roll to pop rock to folk rock to -- it just changed music. And I don't think that there was ever a decade that was so instrumental in changing things.

BALDWIN: Instrumental, influential. I would be remiss not to the play a little mamas and papas. California dreaming, roll it.

BALDWIN: I mean, there are no words. It's been the best thing ever to have the series about the '60s so I get to indulge in all this fantastic music. Listening to that, I can't even imagine how many times you have listened to that song. But what memories does it bring back?

PHILLIPS: Well, actually, John started writing the song in the middle of the night and he woke me up and said, he played me the first eight bars and said, help me write it. I said well, I hope you write it tomorrow. He says no, had he me write it right now. You'll thank me for this someday.

BALDWIN: You're like, you're right, honey. You're right.

PHILLIPS: So I got up and we wrote it. BALDWIN: In the middle of the night. In the 60 seconds I have remaining, I understand you had met Robin Williams because of his tragic passing this week, I just had to ask you to tell me a quick story. You didn't think he would show up for dinner, right?

PHILLIPS: No, and he didn't show up for dinner. He and Eric Idle came after dinner. I thought I was going to have a cardiac arrest. I was laughing so hard. I was begging him to stop, but he was on one of his famous monologues, and he was just such a brilliant, brilliant unique person. I've never met anyone like him before or since.

BALDWIN: The world has lost a legend. That is for sure this week. Michelle Phillips, it is an honor, a pleasure. Make sure you catch "THE SIXTIES" tonight here on CNN 9:00 Eastern and Pacific. Thank you for joining me, Michelle.

And thank all of you for joining me. I'm Brooke Baldwin. We'll see you back here tomorrow. In the meantime, Jake Tapper live from Ferguson, Missouri. "THE LEAD" starts now.