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At This Hour

Protests Intensify over 43 Missing Students; Ferguson Waits for Grand Jury Decision; Obama Tests Leadership on Global Stage; Detergent Pods Send Kids to Hospitals

Aired November 10, 2014 - 11:30   ET

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

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, not at this point that we've heard. The only thing that we do know is that there are other, I guess, people from other countries that are involved. You've got Argentinean forensic experts that are looking at the remains and then they've sent those remains to Austria because they were trying to figure out the location where they'd have these -- I guess the best forensic experts -- given the decomposition of the remains.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AFFAIRS EDITOR: Yes, the Austrian team is going to take a close look at those DNA samples and they're going to try to come up with a positive identification of any of the remains that they have recovered.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Rafael, try and look at this big picture for us to help us understand just how bad corruption is there. I lived and covered news in Los Angeles and we reported on stories of corruption far too often. Is it getting worse? Are we seeing increased brazenness on the part of these cartels?

ROMO: Michaela, this is a local story that gives you an idea of what Mexicans are suffering right now. For example, Guerrero State, where Rosa and I are standing right now, that has highest murder rate in the entire country. It also has the highest number of kidnappings of any other states. There are 31 states in Mexico and a federal district and because the situation and because people here tell us "we do not trust the government" a number of people have decided to just take justice into their own hands.

Yesterday, I had an opportunity to talk to a woman who is now the leader of a vigilante group. Let's take a listen to what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Why is it that you don't trust authorities?

UNIDENTIFIED LEADER, VIGILANTE GROUP (through translation): Unfortunately, recent developments in Iguala have demonstrated authorities are complicit with criminals, that they are the criminals. That's clear to us. Authorities are the criminals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: We have to remember, like Rosa reported before, the mayor of the city of Iguala was arrested because he was essentially in cahoots with the drug gang and that's why authorities believe they kidnapped the students and made them disappear. So that gives you an idea of how deeply tied politics and organized crime are in this these parts of Mexico.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Guys, I'm still just flabbergasted that 43 kids can go missing in September. And I always think about what would happen if this happened in Westchester County in New York. We'd be going nuts here. What's the level of protest and unrest right now?

ROMO: It is very high. Over the weekend there were protests not only here in the state of Guerrero where students torched government vehicles and delivery trucks but also in Mexico City. And one of the most iconic places in this country, the national palace. A group of protesters torched the main door, the main gate to the national palace. This is like somebody going to the White House and setting the main door on fire. That's how serious it is and so there's no sign of these protests stopping any time soon because we hear of these protests happening today again.

PEREIRA: Rafael, Rosa, thank you so much for bringing this story. CNN will stay with it. We'll keep following it, and hopefully, we can find some of these families and you can find some of these families a measure of hope and closure.

BERMAN: It's outrageous.

PEREIRA: It really is.

BERMAN: Coming up for us, Ferguson, Missouri, on edge. Reaching a key moment. The grand jury will decide whether there will be an indictment. Charges against the officer who shot and killed Michael Brown. What will happen when that news comes? That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: New this morning, the parents of slain Ferguson teenager, Michael Brown, are traveling to Geneva, Switzerland, today. They'll speak out on police violence before a U.N. committee.

But in Ferguson, so many people on edge, not just there, all over the country, as we wait for the grand jury to announce whether or not they've decided to charge officer Darren Wilson in Brown's death.

PEREIRA: City officials in Ferguson are hoping they won't see more signs and scenes like this, the weeks of riots and protests that followed Brown's killing.

Sara Sidner is in Ferguson. She joins us now.

Good to have you with us there, Sara.

People there, shop owners, city council are getting ready to deal with the potential for violence if it happens.

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Michaela and John, this is the 90th day of daily protests here and for much of that time the protests have been peaceful. They've been very loud and sometimes very intense coming face to face with police but they have managed to mostly keep it peaceful. And the protesters say they plan on doing that when the grand jury decision happens. However, there's still a lot of unease in town because of what happened back in August.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER (voice-over): Ferguson is on edge. Some business owners are busy fortifying their shops.

CONSTANCE GARNET, SALON OWNER: It's hurtful. It's really, really hurtful.

SIDNER: Salon owner, Constance Garnet, says she can't afford to take a chance that unrest will crash head on into the business she built here for the past 11 years.

GARNET: If they should come and loot our area, then it's going to cost us.

SIDNER: Protests haven't stopped for three months on her street so we asked one of the police's most confrontational protesters about those concerns.

BASAM MASRI, ST. LOUIS RESIDENT: As far as what's happened within the last 90 days, people would know that if you have been paying attention there hasn't been any looting nor violence, what not. We've been keeping it completely peaceful.

(SHOUTING)

SIDNER: Nevertheless, plenty of folks worry that may change if the grand jury announcement goes against what protesters want -- the indictment of Officer Darren Wilson for the killing of unarmed teenager, Michael Brown.

At a gun shop near Ferguson, sales of guns for personal protection are up about 50 percent.

JOHN STEPHANSON, BUSINESS OWNER: Every time that door opens. we're seeing dozens of new faces coming in.

SIDNER (on camera): Do you think that's because of what happened in Ferguson?

STEPHANSON: I think it is. I think so, because it's spread beyond Ferguson now.

SIDNER: (voice-over): The mayor of Ferguson says he's heard about it, too.

JAMES KNOWLES, MAYOR OF FERGUSON, MISSOURI: The plus side of that is that every one of them I spoke to have went out and taken a training class, went out and tried to learn the law. SIDNER: But not everyone is convinced there's going to be chaos. At

Ferguson Burger Bar and More, which opened just a day before Brown was killed, no boards, unlike most of his neighbors.

UNIDENTIFIED BUSINESS OWNER: I'm here, I'm open, I'm not going anywhere.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: Most of the people out protesting that have been here for all of those 90 days in front of the police department are residents here and they say they are trying to keep anyone who wants to be violent out. I actually heard them say, "If you're going to be violent, you are not with us." and as for some of the other things going on in town, the mayor, along with the community members and some of the protesters are working hand in hand on Saturday to rebuild a community center they're going to open called the center for hope and peace. A lot of folks around here hoping that's what happens in the next few weeks.

BERMAN: Sara, you bring up a great point. Over the last 09 days, the vast majority of those days have been peaceful. We shouldn't presume there has been violence even if people are getting prepared for it. And as you said, most people are local but there are who come in from the outside, including some celebrities who have been there.

Sara, who's there today.

PEREIRA: I think we've lost Sara.

BERMAN: We lost Sara Sidner for us in Ferguson. Thanks so much for that report.

PEREIRA: Straight ahead, President Obama turning his attention to the world stage. But the question is, can the politically embattled president lead overseas? We'll talk to our political analysts.

BERMAN: And take a look at this. To some, they may look like candy but they are poisonous for children -- poisonous for anybody. Detergent pods are sending one child a day to hospitals. We have a new study on that danger coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: So Obamacare 2.0 just about open for business. Anyone looking for health care under the Affordable Care Act can go to the healthcare.gov web site to see what plans are available in their area. Enrollment starts Saturday and lasts for three months.

PEREIRA: You get a preview to see what you want to do.

Secret recordings in the Reagan White House? It turns out the president, President Reagan, secretly recorded some of his conversations with foreign leaders. That includes British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. He apologizes for not consulting with her for sending forces into Grenada. He said, "If I were there, Margaret, I'd throw my hat in the door before I came in." Thatcher responds, "There's no need to do that." Reagan responds, "We regret very much the embarrassment that's been caused you."

@THISHOUR, President Obama is testing his leadership after his party's stinging defeat of the midterm election.

BERMAN: The president is at the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Beijing. This is the first stop on his week-long trip to the region. So how will these recent elections affect his ability to strike deals and operate on the international stage?

I want to bring in political analyst, Jason Johnson; and our political commentator, Margaret Hoover in New York with us here.

Jason, I'd like to put up a photo. We saw video of it of the most powerful people on earth wearing funny shirts. You see Vladimir Putin there, Xi Jinping and President Obama.

PEREIRA: They're beautiful.

BERMAN: My question to you, Jason, is who's wearing it best?

JASON JOHNSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Actually, we have to be patriotic so I say Obama. It's like they're the three tops or somewhat kind of a Star Trek look to them but I think our president wears it best.

BERMAN: On a much less serious note, late in a president's term, especially two-term presidents, the last two years you often see presidents shift to foreign policy. One reason is they can't get much more done domestically. What kind of success can this president have on the world stage?

JOHNSON: He can have a lot of success on the world stage but not necessarily in Asia. Obama's got two strikes against him right now. First off, he missed this conference last year because of the government shutdown. Now he's showing up at this conference after his own party gets beat at home. So between that and the fact that he's juggling knives and chain saws by doing battles with ISIS and Russia, most of the leaders in Asia don't think Obama can put the kind of pressure or attention he needs to put in the region to have much influence at all.

PEREIRA: Do you agree? Do you think the president has much political capital that he can sway these foreign leaders with overseas?

MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It's tough. It's certainly challenging but there are some things he could do that frankly would be quite good for the American economy right now. For example, there is a transpacific free trade agreement that encompasses 12 countries that would certainly do much to open up American export markets and potentially grow the American economy. It was blocked by the Democratic Senate but Mitch McConnell is keen to get it passed through. And this is something that the president could do that, frankly, our partners in Asia have been waiting on the United States to do and it would show that the president really isn't isolated. BERMAN: It might be easier to do now than a few weeks ago.

Margaret, let's turn to 2016, enough about right now. Let's look to the future, shall we? Former President George W. Bush has been talking a lot about his brother Jeb and Jeb's prospects for running. Let's listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'll do whatever he wants. I will be one of his strongest backers if he wants me out there publicly, I'll be out there publicly. If he wants me behind the scenes, I'll be behind the scenes. I'm all in for him. He'd be a great president and the country could use an optimistic view like his.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What about it?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: It was that last group of words right there I think I found so interesting. An optimistic view like his. I'm wondering if he's comparing Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, to the current administration or perhaps to other Republicans, particularly some in the Tea Party movement, some who may be considered more obstructionist and people who say "no, no, no."

HOOVER: Any time I hear a Republican say "optimistic view." you can almost guarantee they're drawing a straight line to Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan was the sunny optimist, the one who came in at a time of incredible economic hardship and brought in this optimistic perspective, the glass half full. My guess it was that against the backdrop of a very languished economy that's been slow to recover. It sounds like it's that. My understanding, though, is that Jeb Bush certainly has an inner circle, is talking to folks but his brother isn't one of them.

(LAUGHTER)

And for good reason. He's going to have to differentiate himself from his father and brother. So he needs an inner circle that doesn't include --

PEREIRA: That Bush fatigue. Who knows if it still exists?

Jason, let me ask you about that. Let's go there are if a second. Let's say Jeb Bush runs and Hillary Clinton runs. Gosh that sounds awfully familiar. Do you think there's going to be an appetite for another dynastic campaign here?

JOHNSON: Not in the least. Let's make it clear. Jeb is going to run. We have two votes yes. We have his son and George Bush. The only one saying no is Barbara Bush. I think he's going to run. If we get a remix of another Clinton versus a Bush, that would be the death knell for the Republican Party. If we go back, which administration did we have better memories of? The Bush administration or the Clinton administration? I don't think that would be smart for Jeb. I don't think that would be smart for the Republican Party.

BERMAN: Margaret disagrees with you on every front.

(LAUGHTER)

Margaret, what would his challenges be in a Republican primary? He's got issues that differ on immigration and also education.

HOOVER: He does. But the commonplace criticism is he'd never get through a Republican primary. The Bush name carries a lot of weight. South Carolina and Iowa, let alone New Hampshire, he actually doesn't have to defend his conservative credentials simply because in a change and very an un-American way carries a lot of weight and people understand that he's not going to undermine the Constitution.

BERMAN: It helps by raising money and things like that.

PEREIRA: It goes a long way.

BERMAN: Jason Johnson and Margaret Hoover, thank you for being with us.

JOHNSON: Thank you.

BERMAN: Ahead for us @THISHOUR, a lot of you use these detergent pods to watch your clothes. But they can be dangerous if kids get their hands on them. We have a new study that's going to shock you. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: There's a new study out today that parents really need to see. It's about the laundry detergent pods. A lot of people use them. Well, they have landed many people in the hospital in the last couple of years, according to this new study. They attract kids. They are colorful. They may look like candy or a toy to a child and it's prompting calls for companies to make the packaging to change it, to protect children.

PEREIRA: Joining us to discuss it all, senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, and our digital correspondent, Kelly Wallace.

I know the two of you are both moms and this is obviously going to be a red flag for anybody looking after children, if you have them in your house, if they come to visit.

Elizabeth, let's talk, first of all, it's being showing how many kids have been sickened by ingesting these things.

DR. ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I know the number is huge. It's one of the major reasons that people are calling poison control centers during the course of two years poison control centers got more than 17,000 phone calls about these kids that have gotten sick from them. Under the age of 6, we are talking little ones. We reached out to Proctor & Gamble, a major maker of these pods. We haven't heard back. But we do know that during the course of this study, they started to put double locks on the containers.

BERMAN: How sick are we talking? What are the risks of putting one of these in your mouth?

COHEN: Customer talking pretty sick. 30 children in comas. As a mom, I would say, look, if I had young children, why would you want to have these in your house when there are alternatives. That's the decision. I would make. There are other things that you can use besides the pods. You can use the plain old liquid or powder.

PEREIRA: Kelly and I were just talking about that. We're sold and we've been using them but the question is, maybe it is convenient but couldn't they just change the look or the packaging or something? There could be more that they could be doing.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN DIGITAL CORRESPONDENT: Some companies have voluntarily been making labels on the packaging, making them tougher for kids to open and not making them see-through. The green, orange, purple looks like a toy. They are voluntary. The manufacturer, trade groups are calling for everyone to voluntarily make these more child resistant. We'll see what the outcome is.

BERMAN: Parents have a role here, too. How many things do you have in your kids that are not for the children?

PEREIRA: Under the kitchen sink, there's all sorts of cleaning supplies, too.

(CROSSTALK)

WALLACE: Exactly. The same thing applies for liquid detergent, very, very dangerous for children. I think what is different here, if a child gets a thing of detergent and they can't open it, that's one thing. If they somehow stumble upon these and it looks like a toy, a pacifier, a feeding toy --

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: But they are not marketing to the kids.

(CROSSTALK)

PEREIRA: Look at them. They are awfully cheery looking. They are bright and colorful.

Elizabeth, this is very interesting. Kids would still get very sick if they swallowed regular detergent or are they getting sicker from this stuff?

COHEN: They would get sick from either. But it's the packaging. They look like candy. They look like something that they would want to eat. It's harder. They've got to get the cap off, which I know I have trouble with.

(LAUGHTER) And then you squeeze it into your mouth and it's heavy. That's pretty unlikely. You can imagine, the little hand grabbing one of these paws. It's very easy to do. If it's possibly harmful, don't have it in your house and if you have to have it, put it out of reach and if it's within reach, lock it up.

BERMAN: People have candy and keep it out of reach of children also in your house.

WALLACE: But it's one of those things that you have to be mindful about them. Are they trading in the convenience factor for more danger for your kids?

PEREIRA: A very good question.

Elizabeth Cohen, Kelly Wallace, appreciate it.

It's something you can sound off on. Get on Facebook, find us on Twitter. #atthishour. I almost forgot it.

(CROSSTALK)

WALLACE: And more info on this story at CNN.com

(CROSSTALK)

PEREIRA: Fantastic.

Thank you so much.

BERMAN: Thanks, guys.

All right, that's it for us @THISHOUR. Happy birthday to the United States Marine Corps. I'm John Berman.

PEREIRA: I've got nothing after that. That's amazing.

(CROSSTALK)

PEREIRA: "LEGAL VIEW" with Ashleigh Banfield starts now.