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ISIS Captures Coalition Pilot; 'The Interview' Available Online; Smuggling Guns on Airplanes

Aired December 24, 2014 - 15:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: You know, speaking of 'tis the season for gift exchanges and Secret Santa office pools. You've done one or two before. Instead of that $5 gag gift, imagine if your Secret Santa was -- wait for this -- Bill Gates. That Bill Gates. Worth a cool $80 billion, give or take a couple hundred million. Bill Gates signed up for a second straight year for the Redditt annual gift exchange. So one lucky 25-year-old user scored Bill Gates as her Secret Santa. Gates wrote her a letter and gave her what she called her pie-in-the- sky Christmas wish, Loki's helmet from the "Thor" movie. Clearly, she's very excited. She's rocking it already.

That's not all. Gates also sent her a coffee table book of images from Africa and a stuffed animal shaped like a polio microbe. Yes, folks, that exists. And also made her a donation actually in her name to Shot at Life. It's an organization that gives out vaccines to kids in need. More than 200,000 people signed up for the Reddit gift exchange this year.

All right. Let's continue on. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

You're watching CNN here. Thank you so much for being with me.

This just happening here. Strikes against ISIS have now taken this terrifying turn because for the very first time ISIS has captured this coalition pilot after his plane was brought down, crashed. This is all in shocking images released from ISIS. Here he is.

We see the terrified and bloodied Jordanian pilot being dragged away here. Now, ISIS claims it shot the plane down, but the U.S. says it has absolutely no evidence of that. The question remains, what happens to this pilot? And if this plane was indeed shot down, will this change the game for U.S.-led war on ISIS, which has predominantly been fought from above?

Let's go straight to the Pentagon to our correspondent there, Barbara Starr.

Barbara, while there are obviously multiple -- let me be clear -- multiple questions about this story, ISIS is claiming, key word, claims, it has these heat-seeking missiles that brought this plane down. But what do we actually know about ISIS' capabilities?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Brooke, they do have access by all accounts to those shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles. Could they strike a warplane flying 15,000 or 20,000 feet up?

That's Alabama problematic to see that a U.S., a coalition warplane would fly within the range to put itself at risk of getting shot down. Right now, U.S. authorities say there is no evidence that the plane was shot down. They're not able to say yet what they do think brought it down -- and, again, these are first reports -- but logic tells you there would be a couple things they would be looking at.

Did some wingman, did another pilot flying nearby see a missile launch? Is there any radar signature, any heat signature from a missile that may have been launched? Did the pilot who ejected give any warning that he might have been hit by a missile?

So these are all the sort of very typical factors that the military would look at when a plane goes down. If it didn't get shot down, if it was so-called brought down, was it a mechanical failure? That's going to be also a big part of what they look at, especially given the fact they don't think that ISIS shot it down.

So there's a lot on the table here. And, of course, the human interest issue is the fate of this pilot, this Jordanian pilot, the Jordanian government already calling for ISIS to ensure this man's safety -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: So his life obviously on the line. The question over whether this was a plane that was shot down or not, given all of the above and, again, as you said, these are just first reports, how might the U.S. mission, the U.S. coalition mission over there change, if at all?

(CROSSTALK)

STARR: Yes. I mean, I think there's a couple of things. If they were to find that their initial reporting is wrong and the plane did get shot down, then they are going to have to look at what weapons they think ISIS has now, what the range of those weapons may be, and how coalition and U.S. warplanes will have to fly over Syria and Iraq to stay out of the range of any threat, any enemy hostile fire.

If it is a mechanical problem, that too has to be looked at. The F-16 has flown for years. It's a very reliable plane. What is it that happened here that caused this catastrophe? Was it a maintenance issue? Was it mechanical? Was there some other issue that went on?

Was weather a factor? All of these things. The F-16 is a workhorse for the U.S. Air Force and air forces around the world.

So, in enemy action, they are going to want to absolutely figure out what brought the plane down. They don't have the wreckage, obviously. So they will have to look at all of their technical data about that flight to try and figure out what happened.

BALDWIN: Barbara Starr, thank you so much for your reporting on that.

STARR: Sure. BALDWIN: Also today, we're watching the story out of the state of Missouri, home to yet another officer-involved lethal shooting involving this white officer and African-American teenage male. But this time, it has happened in a suburban city of Berkeley and this time the suspect was armed, and the city mayor saying, we are different from Ferguson.

Here's what happened. The shooting unfolded at the gas station late last night just a couple miles away from all that Ferguson unrest. Police say the officer was responding to a report of shoplifting at this gas station, encountered these two men, one of whom pulled out a gun and pointed it straight at the officer.

There is some surveillance video from the gas station. This is what you're looking at. Now, it's tough to see what's happening. But you see the officer opening fire and then ultimately killing this teenager. That shooting set off angry protests.

You see the scene. Smoke bombs were tossed, bricks thrown at officers. About 200 to 300 people gathered there. There were multiple arrests. We can tell you at this moment at least two officers were injured.

And I spoke with the mayor here in Berkeley, Missouri, just last hour and he says that surveillance video which he's seen multiple times clearly shows the suspect as the aggressor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THEODORE HOSKINS (D), MAYOR OF BERKELEY, MISSOURI: These two individuals left the Mobil station and they were walking southbound and the policeman pulled up. And they walked to the policeman's car and then one walked away and then he turned around briskly and pointed a pistol at the policeman.

And the policeman stumbled backward and fired as he was going down. There's a distinct difference between what occurred in Ferguson and what is happening in Berkeley, although the similarities are that we have two black teenagers killed by two white policemen.

However, if you review the tape and video of the one that occurred last night, you will see that the victim initiated this by pointing a gun at the policeman before he fired. And I reviewed that video.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: That was Mayor Hoskins.

CNN has also learned the shooting officer was not wearing his assigned body camera, but the mayor did tell us the technology is new to the department and in the process of training and of usage. I definitely asked about that.

Our correspondent George Howell there is live in Berkeley, Missouri.

And, George, so you have obviously the officer's story. You have the young man's family. Have you talked to them at all?

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I spoke with them. I have been speaking with them throughout the day, spent a little time at their home this morning.

And their response to this, they are being very deliberate about when and how they respond. They want to know the facts. They want to see that video. They have looked at it so far, but they are continuing to make their own conclusion from it, one relative saying, look, if he was right, he's right. If he was wrong, he's wrong.

They just want to know what the facts are in the case. And the facts, as we can understand them so far, the video is very telling, Brooke. We have shown it through the day. If you look closely at it, and it's up toward the top of the screen, we have blown it up so you can see it a little better.

But, again, you see two figures, two people with a police officer. One of the men there points what looks to be a weapon at the officer. That's when the video freezes. And after that, as you mentioned, That's when the three shots are fired.

The mayor making the point that this will be a very thorough investigation. He says, look, the majority of police officers out there, they are doing their jobs. They're out to serve and protect and many times put their lives at risk in doing so.

And in this case, he says this is an officer who found himself in a position when he's responding to a call, Brooke, here at this gas station, a report of shoplifting, found himself in a position, according to the mayor, where he was confronted by a person with a weapon.

BALDWIN: Since, George, this was an officer-involved shooting, who was doing the investigating?

HOWELL: You know, I think it's too early to even go there because we don't know -- I know that this will be handled first and primarily by the Berkeley Police Department. They will do their own investigation. Saint Louis Police Department is also looking into this case.

We kind of have to wait and see where it goes from there. But here's the thing. When something like this happens here, which is really the epicenter of a lot of the unrest obviously that we saw back in August and then after the DA's decision, and then to the protests that we have seen from New York with Eric Garner and that case, another case in Milwaukee that is gaining attention, you get the sense that when these things happen and especially here, people want answers. They want to know what the facts are.

And at this point, we're just trying to sort through what we're getting and to present those as quickly as possible. But the video is very telling when you basically see what police are saying happened.

BALDWIN: I think it's just so important to underscore and I think the mayor did so, so well, all of these incidents you just mentioned, they are all not the same. George Howell in Berkeley, Missouri, George, thank you.

Coming up, a story that would make anyone who is traveling this week a little nervous, smugglers bringing carry-on bags full of guns and ammunition on planes, sneaking around security. Coming up, we will talk live to the district attorney in Brooklyn who is investigating this huge story for them.

Later, Sony's Christmas present to fans, Seth Rogen and James Franco, surprise, releasing their controversial movie "The Interview" online after all. But some independent movie owners may not be thrilled with that.

You're watching CNN. Stay with me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Who knew we would be talking so much about this movie?

This is the comedy North Korea apparently never wanted you to see, and for a while there, it appeared they may have gotten their wish, but today Sony decided to release "The Interview" online. So keep your TV on.

But if you hop online, it's available right now for purchase on YouTube, on Google Play and Microsoft's Xbox Video. This is happening in addition to some 300 independent theater screenings tomorrow, as it should have been, on Christmas Day.

So, joining me now, one of the theater owners who will be screening "The Interview" tomorrow. He's Jonathan Forman, president of Cleveland Cinemas.

Jonathan, nice to have you on.

JONATHAN FORMAN, PRESIDENT, CLEVELAND CINEMAS: Thank you very much. And happy holidays to you.

BALDWIN: Same to you.

You know, let me just begin with this news today of now people can jump online and what "The Interview" and I'm wondering if you are at all worried that this will affect your sales come tomorrow.

FORMAN: Not really. Movie theaters have been forced to coexist with Netflix, Redbox and other ways of watching movies. We always encourage people to see movies on the big screen. And that's where you can see "The Interview" in Cleveland at Tower City Cinemas and in Pittsburgh at SouthSide Work Cinemas.

BALDWIN: Are you taking any extra security precautions just based upon that threat from a week ago?

FORMAN: You know, this is really all about seeing a movie and our theaters already have full-time security. We have been in touch with local authorities. We're very comfortable with the security that we're going to be offering our patrons and we're hoping people will come out just and have a good time.

BALDWIN: Take me back in the last 24 to 48 hours. How did you get the word that, change-up, you can show this film?

FORMAN: This has been one of the most interesting experiences in my 30-plus years in this business.

BALDWIN: Really?

FORMAN: This has changed many times. In fact, before I walked in the studio, you just announced the fact that it's going to be streaming simultaneously to being in theaters.

That was always rumored, but that had not been confirmed until moments ago anyway. We were contacted about 48 hours ago and told it was available. We had always planned to show the film, so just a matter of making certain that we still had room for it. We're a small company. We were able to juggle some things around and we're happy to be able to show it on the big screen.

BALDWIN: Tell me if people -- have you seen an uptick of moviegoers getting that early ticket ahead of tomorrow? Have you seen any rushes?

FORMAN: I can say, honestly, our ticket sales have been very brisk, probably busier for this film than any other film being released tomorrow. So, we're very optimistic. And I understand that's happening all over the country.

BALDWIN: You talk about your 30-plus years doing this and you have never seen anything like this before. You had the president of the United States in his year-ender news conference on Friday talking about Sony, saying at the time it was a huge mistake.

He has since weighed in, in the last couple hours, all this talk about really the power of free speech and you have these actors who were so irked. What's your biggest takeaway been or what do you think the biggest message of this whole kerfuffle has been?

FORMAN: I think it's very important that the public be allowed to decide what they want to see or they don't want to see. You can vote with your credit card or your checkbook.

If you don't want to see a movie, don't pay to go see it, but don't stand in the way of other people wanting to see a movie. We have had many other controversial films in my history, including "The Last Temptation of Christ," people protesting outside of theaters, not knowing what the film was all about, but being told it would offend some people.

If people don't want to see "The Interview," then don't go to the movie theaters. If you want to see it, please line up and buy tickets.

BALDWIN: I can just imagine people walking out of your theaters after seeing the film tomorrow and just thinking, really? This is all over this?

Jonathan Forman in Cleveland, thank you so much. Happy holidays again to you. Happy moviegoing.

FORMAN: Thank you very much.

BALDWIN: You got it.

Coming up, gun-runners find a way to sneak around airport security, bring weapons like AK-47s that are loaded on commercial airplanes until they got busted. We will talk to the district attorney investigating this out of Brooklyn. That's ahead.

And Christian pilgrims flocking to more traditional celebrations of Christmas like -- beautiful pictures, live pictures here in the evening hour, 9:17 Vatican City time, for kind of, sort of a midnight mass. We will talk about the holiday and look back at this huge year for Pope Francis. Stay with me. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: This story is a total eye-opener.

Imagine this. You're on a flight. Just above you in the overhead compartment is a loaded AK-47 in a duffel bag. That's one of 18 guns allegedly transported illegally Atlanta to New York. And that was one trip a couple weeks ago.

Prosecutors say two Delta employees, one current, one former, made 20 such trips, shuttling at least 153 guns from Atlanta to New York over the last eight months. A baggage handler, Eugene Harvey, is accused of using his airport security badge to hand off guns to this smuggler, Mark Henry, in an airport bathroom.

Harvey is charged with entering an airport area in violation of security requirements. Henry is charged with felony crimes of criminal possession of weapons and criminal sale of firearms.

This is what we have from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, because this where this all sort of began. As part of the TSA and airport-approved multilayered security plan, all employees must pass extensive criminal history record checks, security threat assessments, and security training prior to being approved for access to secured areas.

Additionally, employees are subjected to continuous vetting and random inspections. So, we will talk about employee security screening in a moment.

But I have with me live from New York Ken Thompson, the district attorney out of Brooklyn who made this whole thing public yesterday.

Sir, you know, my jaw to be honest was on the floor the entire time you were talking. So, I totally appreciate you joining me today.

KENNETH THOMPSON, BROOKLYN DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Thank you for having me.

BALDWIN: If you can, as succinctly as possible, can you explain how these two, the former employee, the current employee, pulled this off with an empty knapsack in a bathroom at an airport?

THOMPSON: Well, essentially, these gun smugglers breached the security down at the Hartsfield-Atlanta -- Hartsfield-Jackson Airport by exploiting the system there.

There is no screening whatsoever for employees at the airport once they show up for work. So this guy, Eugene Harvey, was able to bring bags of guns into the terminal and meet his friend, Mark Henry, give him the guns. Henry took those guns on commercial flights, Delta flights, to New York.

Since May, he took about 20 trips with guns. You alluded to it, an AK-47, an assault weapon, an AR-15, .9-millimeters, all while sitting there with a backpack filled of guns acting like he was a normal passenger. That's what has happened.

BALDWIN: That they were on a plane and that, amazingly, some of these loaded guns never went off. They pulled this off until some months later you have this undercover detective who happens to be one of the buyers, right? How did you get wind of this?

THOMPSON: What we're doing here in Brooklyn, there's an issue of gun violence not only in Brooklyn, but throughout the country, and we're determined to stop the gun violence and we need to find out where these guns are coming from.

So, we found that -- we learned that someone was selling guns in Brooklyn. We put an undercover in the mix. We started purchasing these guns and we followed the leads and the leads took us down to Atlanta, Georgia. We learned about Mr. Henry and we learned about this scheme. But we didn't know that they were transporting guns on the plane until last week.

We were trying to figure out how they were getting these guns to Brooklyn so quickly. It was only when we arrested Mr. Henry coming out of the airport, he had guns on him and he admitted that he had just brought those guns off of a plane.

BALDWIN: Mr. Thompson, this is one of the things I was wondering as I was listening to you in the news conference yesterday with the guns splayed out in front of you on the table, is you had the guy who was accused of carrying on all of these guns. Because of his mother's many years with this airline, he had this buddy or this companion pass.

He could go take these unlimited trips on Delta. You talked about the Atlanta-to-JFK in New York route. But I'm wondering, does this expand farther than that route if he could have gone anywhere?

THOMPSON: Well, Brooke, we know that he's traveled to other places, like he's gone to the Dominican Republic. And our investigation to date reveals that he has smuggled guns on Delta flights for the last five years.

BALDWIN: Wow.

THOMPSON: And so this is a very serious matter.

But, more importantly, the lack of security down at the Hartsfield- Jackson Airport, where employees can show up and they're not screened before they walk into the building, so they can bring bags and packages.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: So, what about that? Is that changing? Have you been in contact? Is that part of your purview?

THOMPSON: We have worked very closely with our partners in federal law enforcement, the TSA, and others, the FBI down in Atlanta.

We believe that steps are being taken. But we need to do it with all due deliberate speed because this time it involved guns. The next time, it could involve a bomb on the plane. This is very serious.

BALDWIN: It's terrifying and just huge for Brooklyn that you all have been able to expose this.

Ken Thompson, thank you so much for coming in on this holiday.

THOMPSON: Thank you for having me.

BALDWIN: Let's stay in close contact with you and see how deep this could be. Appreciate it.

THOMPSON: Thank you, Brooke. Yes. Thank you.

BALDWIN: It's been a tremendous year for Pope Francis, took on the Vatican bureaucracy, helped Cuba and the U.S. reach that truly historic agreement, and on this Christmas Eve, we will look at what is next for the Catholic leader.

And a young woman learned she only has weeks to live and her boyfriend's touching reaction to that prognosis stuns this family and friends with a surprise wedding. But then they got the best wedding present possible, something that is changing their lives -- their story coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Christmas Eve mass is beginning at the Vatican. Look at this live, pictures here inside, not exactly midnight mass that's on the billing here because the local time is just about 9:30 p.m.

And the leader of the Catholic Church taking on the second Christmas of his papacy. Meanwhile, we have live pictures in Bethlehem. Christmas Eve services definitely though took a turn. Fights broke out between security and a marching band in Manger Square in the West Bank town. here are those live pictures of Bethlehem. Pope Francis made that historic trip to Bethlehem just this past year. And it was part of a banner year for the pope, who also traveled to Turkey. He helped bring longtime Cold War enemies Cuba and U.S. together for the new opening in relations. We talked about that last week.