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Legal View with Ashleigh Banfield

Nurse Released from Quarantine in New Jersey; Latest from Marysville, Washington; American Fighting ISIS Alongside Kurds; Denmark's Treatment of Returning Islamist Fighters Examined

Aired October 27, 2014 - 12:30   ET

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

STEVEN GRAVELY, ATTORNEY, WROTE VIRGINIA'S QUARANTINE LAWS: So when we started talking about mass quarantines, we are going to end up impacting the civil liberties of people who aren't and are not a threat and maybe that's the right decision in order to protect the public. I think that's a very complicated question, but we need to not lose sight of the science, and so -- and I think the governor -- Governor Christie recognized that when, you know, based on the fact that the nurse did not exhibit a fever after several days of monitoring. She's now being released, and to me that's public health doing what it should do.

PAUL CALLAN, LEGAL ANALYST, CNN: And you did Steve, and you know, I think people have to remember too that when she first came into the United States, they did a test by -- they touched her, you know, the tissue on her forehead...

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: I don't even know if they touched it...

CALLAN: And, and...

BANFIELD: And I don't think they actually made contact.

CALLAN: Maybe they don't, but they concluded that she had a fever. Now she said she was only flush and that that had, it was sort of a bad meeting. But there was a basis for them to say, to be worried about her at least initially, you know.

BANFIELD: Well -- Paul Callan...

CALLAN: So -- OK.

BANFIELD: And Steven Gravely , thank you for your insights as well. Just invaluable at this time when there's so many questions left unanswered.

And not to be forgotten, in all of this, is that there are a lot of people dying from this disease, and the lost is devastating. And just last night on CBS's 60 Minutes, Thomas Eric Duncan's nurses at Texas Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, told the heart-wrenching story of Duncan's last minutes alive.

(BEGIN VIDEDO CLIP) JOHN MULLIGAN, NURSE, TEXAS PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL: And I grabbed a tissue. I mean I wiped his eyes (inaudible) this is going to be OK. You just get the rest that you need, let us do the rest for you. And it wasn't -- a few minutes later, I couldn't find a pulse. I know -- it was the worst day of my life. This man that we cared for, that fought just as hard with us, lost this fight. And his family couldn't be there. And we were the last three people to see him alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: This morning, I'm sure a lot of you woke up to the news that another girl has died after Friday's school shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. It's hard enough to let that sink in, and still we're trying to get our minds around this. How does a Homecoming Prince, popular with all the kids, just seemingly snapped? This is a video Jaylen Fyberg taken just a couple of weeks ago. Dan Simon looks at the signs of a troubled teenager from Fryberg's own Twitter account.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A second victim, Gia Soriano, died as a result of her injury suffered during Friday's shooting at this Washington high school. Her family devastated releasing this statement.

JOANNE ROBERTS, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, PROVIDENCE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER: Gia is our beautiful daughter and words cannot express how much we will miss her.

SIMON: This is just hours after hundreds packing the bleachers of the Marysville-Pilchuck gymnasium. An emotional tribal song to mourn for a grieving community trying to heal.

TONY HATCH, RELATIVE OF NATE HATCH: Families are hurting really bad right now, looking for answers, answers that might not (inaudible) for us.

SIMON: Many still asking why this popular teenager would want to target his best friends and his own family. It was Friday morning when freshmen, Jaylen Fryberg entered the cafeteria, walked up to a table where his two cousins were sitting with friends and open fire with a 40-caliber hand gun.

JORDAN LUTON, WITNESS: He came up from behind and fire about 6 bullets into the backs of them.

SIMON: Three others remained hospitalized in intensive care. Shaylee Chuckulnaskit, and cousins Nate Hatch and Andrew Fryberg. The first victim now identified as Zoe Galasso, remembered as a beautiful soul who always had a smile on her face.

KAYANNA ANDREWS, STUDENT, MARYSVILLE-PILCHUCK HIGH SCHOOL: She was so beautiful and she was just so funny and amazing, and we all loved her so much.

SIMON: Teacher Megan Silberberger, now being hailed as a hero, witnesses say the first year social studies teacher ran toward gunfire and confronted the shooter.

ERIC CERVANTES, WITNESS: She like grabbed his arm, like hand on hand. It happens like in seconds.

SIMON: Moments later, Fryberg is dead of apparent suicide. Exactly why this all happened is still unclear. The New York Daily News reporting that students say Jaylen targeted the group after he was spurned by a love interest who chose one of his cousins over him. A friend of Zoe Galasso telling CNN that the victim was dating Andrew Fryberg, the shooter's cousin.

NICOLE MILAN-AICHER, FAMILY FRIEND OF SLAIN STUDENT: They were great friends. There is no explanation like he snapped for whatever reason.

SIMON: Recently-elected Homecoming Prince, Fryberg was a well-liked student. But on Twitter, a darker personality. :I know it seems like I'm sweating it off, but I'm and I never will be able to." And one day before the attack, "It won't last, it'll never last."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: And our thanks to Dan Simon for that report.

Now to the fight against ISIS, and a very unusual angle to this story, a former soldier, former, in the United States from Wisconsin has decided to get back in the fight but not by re-enlisting, instead just going to the front lines in Syria. Just going. His story of why he decided to pick up and go to Syria for this fight and what is the like to take on ISIS fighters and we will tell you the story from where's he's fighting, next.

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BANFIELD: You have probably heard these stories several times over. Some fighter, from some country decide to pick up from a comfortable life and go over and joint ISIS and fight against everyone else.

But what you probably haven't heard is the exact opposite. Mercenaries or fighters from several countries joining the battle to defeat ISIS militants, and they come in all shapes and sizes that turns out like several tough guys who belong to one of the biggest motorcycle club, and then Netherlands called "No Surrender."

And these tough guy bikers aren't the only one leaving home to fight abroad, to fight against ISIS. An American army veteran who had heard enough about ISIS militants and their barbaric tactic has now decided to do something about it too, all on his own.

He left his with guns and home and it's now fighting side by side with the Kurdish forces in Syria to destroy ISIS militant. CNN's Ivan Watson cut up with him and has more on the story. IVAN WATSON, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Armed men are on a common site here in Kurdish controlled Northern Syria, a country embroiled in a vicious civil war. But one of the gunmen in this truck is not like the others.

It's how people reacted when they see and realize who you should be arrest.

JORDAN MATSON, FORMER U.S. ARMY SOLDIER: Yes, if they come over (inaudible).

WATSON: Jordan Matson, former U.S. army soldier from Sturtevant, Wisconsin. For the last month, he's also been a volunteer fighter in the Kurdish in the militia known here as the YPG.

MATSON: I got in contact with YPG in Facebook, really so serious, and say this is what I want to do. And eventually, you know, decided to do it.

WATSON: Soon after arriving here in Syria. He says "He ended up in a battle against ISIS."

MATSON: The second day I got hit by a mortar in a fight.

WATSON: While recovering from shrapnel wounds, Matson went to work online, recruiting more foreigners to help the YPG fight against ISIS.

MASTON: I've had an ex-military calling from East Europe, Western Europe, Canada, United States, Australia.

WATSON: Now he leaves in places like this former restaurant converted into a militia camp.

What are the pictures?

MATSON: These are all men that have died fighting against ISIS.

WASTON: The YPG are very lightly armed guerillas.

Is this even a flak jacket?

MATSON: No. This is just a vest to carry ammunition.

WATSON: So, basically, people running in the battle without even any armor?

MATSON: Yes.

WATSON: And wearing sneakers half the time?

MATSON: Yes, a combatant do this.

WATSON: U.S. law enforcement usually (ph) say "It's illegal for an American to join a Syrian militia." But Matson says "Being here, fighting ISIS alongside the Kurds is a dream come true."

MATSON: All my life I just want to be a solider. I guess growing up and that peace give me (ph).

BANFIELD: Ivan Watson doing great work for us. Now, he's in the Northern Iraq for quite sometime bringing sad (ph) stories at great risk to him self and his crew, I might remind you.

By the way, I'm watching the Fox because the White House briefing suspected to get underway at any moment. We don't always go live to it, but there's a lot going on right now with the Ebola cases here in the United States, et cetera. So we're going to bring you to live just as quickly as it get underway. Quick break, right way after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: So we got a live view of the White House press briefing room. And the live mics are ready to go the minute Josh Earnest steps out the door at the left to your screen rounds the corner and begins of daily briefing.

And while the daily briefing live on television today because there are seems to be a lot of movement, a lot of questions yet to be answered about just where we stand with regards to the possibility of quarantining in this country, not only those who might be returning from active duty which is now a big issue.

The Pentagon suggesting this is in the work, the possible quarantine for troops who are working within the active Ebola zones providing, you know, care and comfort and logistics in those zones 21-day mandatory quarantine period for them.

But also the notion that, you know, the New York and the New Jersey governors have taking a lot of heat over the last 48 hours at least regarding the possible quarantining policies in place for those healthcare workers who've been returning from West African afflicted countries.

People who've giving selflessly of themselves to help get this crisis under control, so that the rest of the world can actually survive this epidemic, then suffering themselves when they comeback. The latest case Kaci Hickox, who Chris Christie insisted with the quarantine, but today, the news have come, the she have been released after approximately -- (inaudible) less than three days.

So as soon as Josh Earnest emerges, we will bring us live to in the meantime, internal fear is growing over the ability of ISIS to recruit Western Jihadist abroad and inspire those lone wolf terror attacks right here at home.

A question for country is now. What do you do with the recruit? What do you do with them when they come home from training and having fighting alongside those militants? One European country has come up with they're calling it a deradicalization plan, pretty controversial, because it let's the Jihadi fighters come home without (inaudible) any jail time. So what exactly do they do?

CNN Atika Shubert has the story. ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are an estimated 100 Danish fighters in Syria. That is a lot for a small country. Denmark has one of Europe's highest rates of Jihadi fighters and it raises a dilemma. What to do when these fighters come home?

Omar, in his early 20s recently returned from Syria. His parents thought he was helping at a refugee camp. He was fighting with the Jihadis brigade. He spoke to us on condition of anonymity.

OMAR, JIHADI FIGHTER: In reality, I have been a lot of less than people in Syria, nobody have ever talk about getting back threatened to bomb these countries and they try to make it sign like in the media.

SHUBERT: Omar is one 16 known fighters to return. On arrival, he did a very unradical thing. He contacted the Danish police program for returning fighters voluntarily.

Where you nervous about coming back home to Denmark?

OMAR: No, I wasn't that nervous because I knew that I didn't do any kind of criminal act to something like that.

SHUBERT: Here's how the program works, any returning fighter is eligible for help getting a job, a house, and education and psychological counseling just like any other Danish citizen. But they must be screened by police. Anyone found it has committed a crime will be put through the courts and possibly prison. Their information is also passed to Danish intelligence.

JORGEN ILUM, POLICE COMMISIONER, AARHUS DENMARK: This is not a gift shop. You have to be motivated. You have to really want to become a part of the Danish society. We help them find a way through the system. And what we've seen is that out of these 16 or we're trying to tell them, are now back in school, have a job, and it's seems to us their focus is on something else than in Syria.

SHUBERT: Police here say it is a Danish solution that's not that special, simply a crime prevention program with a focus on Jihadis and it's voluntary. Omar is one of those who decided he didn't need help but he has friends who are in the program.

OMAR: They don't help people (inaudible) other than the homes and taking over the possible side (ph) putting them into prison.

SHUBERT: Importantly the program does not trying to change the fundamentalist beliefs of returning fighters as long as they do not advocate violence.

ILUM: They are still Muslim believers. Some of them in perhaps a way that we would call radical, but not an extent that so a surprise we can see they are a threat to this society.

SHUBERT: Omar believes the program is preventing attacks back home, but he also says he might return to Syria. OMAR: A lot of people had a lot of clearance. So we're not, if you're going to be handle to what's source return fighters, they will be (inaudible) to watch if you're going to be harsh (ph) towards them. They're going to be harsh towards you.

SHUBERT: What advise do you have or somebody who wants to comeback from Syria back home. What advice do you have?

OMAR: I'll tell him that there's nothing to fear if you want to comeback.

SHUBERT: So does it work? It's too soon to know but police say the alternative would be fighters that return and simply disappear. This program is designed to help while also keeping a close watch. Atika Shubert, CNN Aarhus, Denmark.

BANFIELD: Couple of other top stories that we're checking and we're covering a prosecution announcing today that it has plans to appeal the judgment and sentence on Oscar Pistorius. Now Olympian was spent since last week to five years in prison after a judge found him guilty of culpable homicide in the shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

South Korean prosecutors are now seeking the death penalty for the captain of the Seawall Ferry. They (inaudible) in prison for three other crew members and 30 years in prison for the woman that (inaudible) of a ship when it began to sink.

Remember, last April, at least 294 people died including hundreds of high school students who are on a field trip and today, there are still 10 bodies that have yet to be found.

University of Virginia students has set up this memorial for Hannah Graham with the chalkboard where students can write messages. She disappears September 13th and her remains where found just a couple of weekend ago.

On Friday which incidentally was start of home coming weekend, the sad news came. Hannah remains were identified. Prosecutors have already charge Jesse Matthew in her abduction and now they're determining what other charges Mr. Matthew could face related to that story.

An active lava flow on Hawaii Big Island is gaining some speed and making people nervous, because it's getting closer to a residential neighborhood in Pahoa. And people living there may actually have to leave their homes in the coming days or perhaps even coming hours with the smoky condition, authorities are also advising people with respiratory problems that they need to stay indoors.

A reminder to you as well at 12:56 Eastern Time that we're also watching the clock on the White House because we're expecting a live press briefing, and the person is going to pick that up as Wolf, my colleague who starts right after this quick break.

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