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Kobani Could Fall; U.S. Terror Plot Arrest; Police Smash Car Window; Woman Chooses To End Her Life

Aired October 07, 2014 - 14:00   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. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you so much for being with me. You're watching CNN.

Let's begin with this, the U.S. spent the night dropping bombs on ISIS fighters all around the key border city of Kobani. But despite the strikes, Turkey, which shares a border with Kobani, says the city is about to fall. And according to one Kurdish intelligence official, it could happen any minute now. That's the latest we're getting. He also tells "The Atlantic" that if that happens, he predicts a, quote/unquote, "terrible slaughter by ISIS," saying we should, quote, "expect to have 5,000 dead within 24 or 36 hours."

Now, the militants, they're in the home stretch. They're pushing into the southwest of the predominantly Kurdish city after this three week assault that has cost some 400 lives. And all the way across Iraq and Syria, ISIS is really gaining ground. And questions are being raised about the effectiveness of this current U.S. coalition air strike campaign. There were 13 total overnight. And in northern Iraq, at least they do seem to be working.

There is a hospital near Mosul receiving the bodies of some 29 suspected ISIS militants, most killed overnight in those U.S. led air strikes. CNN's Phil Black is joining me now.

And, Phil, a grim warning from a Kurdish intelligence official. From what you're hearing on the ground, is it likely Kobani could fall before day breaks?

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, the fighters in the city aren't saying that to us. They believe they can hold on a while yet. It could be courage, bluster, perhaps a mix of both, but they think they've still got the numbers and the local knowledge on the ground in the city to draw out and hold this territory for a bit longer. They think it's an opportunity to inflict heavy casualties on ISIS, draw them into some street to street fighting. But from what we're hearing, there are heavy casualties on both sides. It would appear to be only a matter of time. It is just now a question of how long. The momentum is clearly heading in one direction. And that is that Kobani will inevitably fall, Brooke.

BALDWIN: As we're watching very closely, the status of Kobani, we have some video and it shows the tear gas. These massive plumes, these tear gas plumes used by Turkish security forces on Kurdish protesters near the city of Kobani. And then you have in the capital of Turkey, in Istanbul, Kurdish protesters set fire to a bus and a garbage truck. And also, Phil, just sharing with our viewers, these new pictures of protests in London's Heathrow Airport. Look at them riding the escalator protesting. What do these people want?

BLACK: Generally among the Kurdish community, Brooke, there is a feeling of distrust toward the Turkish government. It's longstanding. It's because of a long running disagreement over the Kurds wanting to establish their own autonomous homeland on what is now part of Turkey, as well as Syria and Iraq. Basically what they want is for Turkey to do more, to offer more practical assistance to their fellow Kurds in Kobani who are now fighting down to the last man. Some of them want to cross over the border to join the fight. The Turks aren't letting them do that. But what they would like to see is just more practical assistance. Some want Turkey to get into the fight. Others just want more aid, perhaps weapons, some sort of assistance that would help them resist ISIS.

BALDWIN: All right, Phil Black in Turkey for us. Thank you so much. As the calls and the pleas for Turkey's involvement rise, the terror threat in the U.K. today hitting home. You have four men in their early 20s being held in London right now on suspicion of plotting a terror attack. So we have more of those details of their plans coming into us here at CNN and we'll pass them along to you as we get them.

But here in the United States, we are also learning today more details about this 19-year-old American, Mohammed Khan, the Illinois teen arrested at Chicago's O'Hare Airport before boarding a plane to allegedly join the ranks of ISIS. So with me now, Paul Cruickshank, CNN terrorism analyst.

And here's the thing I really just wanted to begin with you. We've talked about this before, but again this exemplifies the youth, the age, the arrests in the U.K., 20-year-olds, 21-year-olds, this 19- year-old in Chicago. So young.

PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: And they're so young and so impressionable and --

BALDWIN: That's what it is.

CRUICKSHANK: And all these people have one common denominator, they think it's their religious obligation to go and fight jihad. To go and join ISIS in Syria and Iraq. And it seems to be the case with this Chicago teen, as well, Brooke.

BALDWIN: It's one thing, though. We've talked about this in other instances. We've had this conversation when it comes to school shooters and now we're talking about joining the ISIS fight where you have these young people, and whether it's chat rooms or on the Internet speaking with others, you know, galvanizing this effort. But it's another to actually save up the money, actually think they're going to get on this plane to ultimately land in Syria to fight with the bad guys. What separates those who think about it versus those who try to do it?

CRUICKSHANK: Well, it's very, very difficult for authorities to tell who's going to dream about doing it, think about doing it and the people that actually take the concrete steps to actually go forward and get a ticket, a $4,000 ticket, to get to Turkey so that they can fight in Syria. So the FBI are monitoring all these social media websites. They have undercover informants who are actually on these radical social media websites communicating with these potential wannabes, trying to figure out if they're dangerous. If they think they are, they can trigger investigations.

BALDWIN: The U.S. administration, one member speaking with Elise Labott with us. So I just want to play a little sound. Speaking of these chat rooms and these places where these young people can go, he says at least he feels like the U.S. is winning in that counteraction against some of this. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD STENGEL, UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE: I think we are stopping them, and I think that very few Americans are --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).

STENGEL: Well, we have evidence that there are young people who are not joining because we have somehow interceded, that they're reading messages, that they're hearing the messages, not just from us, but from the hundreds of Islamic clerics who have said that this is a perversion of Islam.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, you know, he's saying at least thank goodness for these faith leaders trying to counter this extreme propaganda that these jihadists are trying to, you know, tell.

CRUICKSHANK: And that's very important, you know, coming from the Muslim community. The criticism of ISIS, clerics speaking out against the group. In London, groups -- grassroots Muslim groups putting Twitter campaigns out, "not in my name." ISIS cannot act in my name. All of that is very important. But I don't think the United States government and other western governments are yet winning their struggle. We're seeing more and more young men and some young women who want to go and fight with this group in Syria and Iraq.

BALDWIN: This is your wheel house. You have been studying this and been in the thick of this for years and years. What is your biggest takeaway with this latest developments here with the U.K., with this teenager in Chicago?

CRUICKSHANK: Well, in the U.K., it's a possible terrorist plot that they've just thwarted. They believe that they were in the early stages of planning. The threat is much greater in the U.K. About 500 U.K. nationals have traveled to Syria. About 250 have come back. It's very, very difficult to monitor them. The U.K. authorities are very, very concerned that some sort of terrorist attack could get through.

Just last Friday, we saw a British ISIS fighter release a video calling for lone wolf attacks in the U.K. For people just to stay in the U.K., don't even come to Syria and Iraq, stay home and launch attacks there. And so a lot of concern in U.K. and, indeed, all over Europe. I mean back in May, we saw an actual terrorist attack for an ISIS fighter in Brussels. He killed four people at a Jewish museum in Brussels. Concern that that could now happen again.

BALDWIN: Fears of the lone wolf attack here, federal, state and local officials definitely on guard. We've talked about that for the last couple of weeks as well.

Paul Cruickshank, thank you so much.

Now this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please open the door.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why do you say somebody's not going to hurt you? People are getting shot by the police.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: This is pretty incredible. This video will take your breath away. There is this police officer you just saw smashed this window of this couple's car, ends up tasing the passenger here with his family in the car. What led up to this? We'll discuss that.

Plus, how did a nurse in Spain get Ebola? Was there some sort of breach in protocol as she was treating this missionary? We will talk to our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and get his take on that one.

And Jennifer Lawrence opening up for the very first time since hackers leaked her nude pictures. And what she says is sparking a huge discussion about what should happen next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: You are watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

We have to talk about what should have been just this routine traffic stop and it ends in this violent confrontation between police and this family. This one happened in Hammond, Indiana, over this seat belt violation.

Here's the back story. This family was rushing to the hospital, according to the woman in the car, to go see her dying mother. Police repeatedly asked the passenger to get out of the car, get out of the car, which he didn't. And when that happened, watch for yourself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For no seat belt. If you're going to give me a ticket for no seat belt, right here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) of your car -- UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Then just give me a ticket so I can go to the

hospital because the doctor called me to tell me to come in because my mom is about to pass away. All right. So I guess he's in -- he's looking for his information in his book bag. When he digs in his book bag, they pulled a gun out. What was the purpose of a gun? And now they're asking us -- and now they're asking me to open my door so I can get out. I'm scared they -- if you can pull out a gun in front of two -- there's two kids in the backseat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you understand?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, don't mess with -- now they're about to bust my -- no!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm (INAUDIBLE) this vehicle.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now they're about to bust my window.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So if you -- if you do that, all right, I'm not the -- I'm not the operation of this vehicle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going to open the door?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why do you say somebody's not going to hurt you? People are getting shot by the police.

Ah! Oh!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Damn!

(CRYING)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That was crazy. That is horrible. This is a horrible (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is (INAUDIBLE) -- are you recording that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is terrible.

(CRYING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: I know you hear that child crying in the backseat. We have to talk about what happened here. What went right. What potentially went wrong. National correspondent Susan Candiotti is joining me. Law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks and also legal analyst Joey Jackson.

So welcome to all of you.

A lot to get through. But first, just the facts. Susan Candiotti, let me just begin with you. Four people in the car. Tell me who is in the car. You hear the woman, who we can't see, on the phone with 911. Give me more of the back story.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this happened on September 24th, Hammond, Indiana, which is near Chicago. Four people in the car, as you said. The mother, seven-year-old daughter, 14-year- old son. The son is the one who was rolling the video from the backseat. And in the passenger side is a male adult.

It all started because of a seat belt. They weren't wearing their seat belts. And in the end, by the way, all that happened at the tail end of all this is that the woman who was driving got ticketed for not wearing a seat belt and some other thing involving a license plate. Minor.

BALDWIN: OK.

CANDIOTTI: And he gets cited for not wearing a seat belt and additionally I think it was failure to aid an officer, because they wanted him to get out of the car, and resisting law enforcement. And that's how, in the end, all of this wound up.

BALDWIN: But --

CANDIOTTI: But along with how it ended, smashing the window, did they really have to do that? Could it have been --

BALDWIN: Tasing him?

CANDIOTTI: Could it have been handled a different way?

BALDWIN: Could it have been handled a different way, Mike Brooks? We'll get to the police statement in just a second. But, you know, listen, you've been in law enforcement for forever.

MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yes.

BALDWIN: Could this have been handled in a different way? I understand, you know, the law is the law. You need to buckle up.

BROOKS: Right.

BALDWIN: But the smashing of the window, the tasing of this gentleman.

BROOKS: Well, in Indiana, if you're asked for identification, you're supposed to give it to law enforcement. With that said, could it have been handled better? I think it could have. But, apparently -- but this whole incident went on for a little over 13 minutes. And you heard, we saw the end there. Well, you heard Mr. Jamal Jones (ph), he was asking for a white shirt, which is a supervisor. There was one of the officers there was at least a corporal or a sergeant, but the other one who was there who had the haligan (ph) bar that smashed the window out was actually a lieutenant. And you heard him say, are you going to open the door? Because apparently he kept refusing to open the door. And he said, if you don't open the door, we'll open it for you. So he had a chance to open the door, but should it have been done that particular way? That's the question.

BALDWIN: OK. And, Joey Jackson, you know, a lot of times when we talk about these routine traffic stops, a lot of times the law is on the side of the officers. As Susan pointed out, you know, they weren't buckled up at the end of the day. They were cited for that violation, among, I guess, other smaller items. But when you look at this big picture, there are lots of thoughts that are running through my head and the heads of others, as well. What's your read on this?

JOEY JACKSON, HLN LEGAL ANALYST: Brooke, this is very disappointing. I respect and I understand that the police have a very difficult job. We get that. But when you're doing law enforcement, you have to do it with common sense and good judgment. Fine Indiana law says that you have to produce identification. Mike Brooks spoke to the issue of the passenger saying, get me a white shirt. That's a supervisor. Clearly he's asking for that because there's some level of mistrust. And based upon that level of mistrust, he doesn't want to get out. He doesn't want to expose his family to the police for fear of what may happen.

The breaking of a door, when there's no threat being posed, excuse me, the breaking of a window, there's no threat being posed, the Tasering of someone who's not belligerent towards you, he's not fighting you, and the police, Brooke, apparently issued a statement indicating that there were (INAUDIBLE) movements and they feared for their safety based upon him potentially grabbing a weapon. Where is that in this particular video? I don't see it.

I think it's excessive. I think the lawsuit, Brooke, speaks to the excessive nature of this conduct and the movement. And I think that the police in this particular instance, again, just judging this instance, what we see, I think there's a major overreaction. And the answer to the question of, could it have been handled differently is a resounding, yes, it could have, and it should have.

BALDWIN: I think --

BROOKS: And, well, you know, Joey, also when you heard her on the phone with 911, she was telling them that apparently Mr. Jones at one point during that 13 minute stop had gone into a bag and apparently drew their weapon on him. So they put it away and they were trying to get him out of that car to probably look into that bag to see whether or not there was a weapon. The question is, were the steps that they took reasonable for their own personal safety?

JACKSON: And the answer, I think, is no, because whatever bag he may have had 20 minutes, 15 minutes, 10 minutes before, he didn't have then. And so to break the window, shards of glass falling on a seven and 14-year-old, Tasering him when he's not fighting the police in any way, I think that there should be better judgment, better training and certainly, you know, better decision-making on the part of law enforcement who we respect and who we expect to keep us safe and to protect us, not to harm us nor our family.

BROOKS: But should Mr. Jones have -- but should Mr. Jones have been compliant --

BALDWIN: I hear you loud and clear. Hang on a second, gentlemen, both of you, hang on.

BROOKS: OK.

BALDWIN: I just want to make sure we hear from police just on their side of the story. Susan Candiotti, you have a statement from the police department. What are they saying about it?

CANDIOTTI: Well, it reads in part, "the police officers who make legal traffic stops are allowed to ask passengers inside of a stopped vehicle for identification and to request that they exit a stopped vehicle for the officer safety without a requirement of reasonable suspicion." But this -- this family is now saying, or the woman who filed the lawsuit on behalf of all the people in the car, are suing federally for violation of their civil rights saying excessive force was used here. You didn't have to do that. You falsely arrested us, false imprisonment and the rest. So now they're asking for a jury trial and we'll see how it plays out.

BALDWIN: There have been a lot of these excessive force stories that we've been talking a heck of a lot about.

BROOKS: Yes.

BALDWIN: We'll follow it through, for sure. Joey and Mike and Susan, thank you so much. I just really appreciate it.

BROOKS: Thanks, Brooke.

JACKSON: You're welcome.

BALDWIN: Coming up next on CNN here, this heartbreaking but such a significant story here. This newlywed. She is dying of brain cancer and she decides she wants to die.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will die upstairs in my bedroom that I share with my husband, with my mother and my husband by my side and pass peacefully with -- to the music that I like in the background.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: This is a story you absolutely have to stick around to hear. This is Brittany's story. We'll explain. Actually, she'll explain how she came to this decision and why legally she says everyone should be allowed to choose. Stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Brittany Maynard (ph), she chose to get married, she chose to take trips all around the world. And after being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer at the age of 29, Brittany chooses to die. Just after she was married last year, Brittany began experiencing these debilitating headaches. Doctors eventually telling her she had six painful months left. So Brittany took her life and is taking her death in her own hands. She and her family moved to Oregon, one of only five U.S. states allowing her to use this prescription drug that will kill her. Here's part of her story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRITTANY MAYNARD (ph): So after getting married is when I first started experiencing the headaches. And they were quite severe. And I didn't understand them because I had never had anything like that before in my life.

Right when I was diagnosed, my husband and I were actively trying for a family, which is heartbreaking for us both. And then I was diagnosed this past new year's. We went away to the wine country for kind of a New Year's Eve celebration. And by Jan 1, the following day, I was diagnosed with cancer and told I was terminally ill and was told anywhere from three, maybe five, up to 10 years to live. I have to tell you, when you're 29 years old, being told you have that kind of timeline still feels like you're being told you're going to die tomorrow.

Seventy days post op, I went in for another MRI and was told I had had a grade change. They were looking and saying it looks like grade four, which is the worst and most aggressive form of brain cancer. It's called glioblastoma. So that was a major shock to my system and the system of my family because I went from having potentially years of time to being told I had like six months.

I know that it's there when I need it. I plan to be surrounded by my immediate family, which is my husband and my mother and my stepfather and my best friend who's also a physician. And probably not much more people. And I will die upstairs in my bedroom that I share with my husband, with my mother and my husband by my side and pass peacefully with some music that I like in the background.

I can't even tell you the amount of relief that it provides me to know that I don't have to die the way that it's been described to me that my brain tumor would take me on its own. I hope to enjoy however many days I have left on this beautiful earth and spend as much of it outside as I can surrounded by those I love.

I hope to pass in peace. The reason to consider life and what's of value is to make sure you're not missing out. Seize the day, what's important to you, what do you care about, what matters? Pursue that, forget the rest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Kenneth Goodman, founder and director of the University of Miami Bioethics Program and co-director of the university's ethics program.

Welcome to you.

I mean, just reading and watching her entire video, it's pretty stunning. It's emotional and it's something that we all one day can relate to, but in some cases, all too soon. So I have a lot for you, including this death with dignity. The laws, Kenneth. But first, before we take a quick break, just watching this video and seeing Brittany show everyone this pill that she walks around with in her wallet. I mean to me that says the choice is in her own hands any time she wants.

KENNETH GOODMAN, UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI BIOETHICS PROGRAM: It does. And it shows how people sometimes find meaning in their lives by planning for their demise. It's a terrible malady and this woman has chosen to take this course in a state that does permit it. People find meaning in their life in lots of interesting ways, and I guess what she wanted to do is make this video and other ways of advocating for this being more easy for other people.

BALDWIN: We'll talk about how she is advocating, how it can become a slippery slope, how this works, what if other family members don't agree. All of that coming up on the other side of the break. Stay with me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)