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Accusations Saudis Funded 9/11 Hijackers; NBC's Brian Williams Apologizing for "Mistake"; Silicon Valley Techs Swing

Aired February 05, 2015 - 14:30   ET

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

DR. OSCAR GUILLAMONDEGUI, TRAUMA MEDICAL DIRECTOR, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY: In these kinds of situations, we mourn the death of those that are lost and celebrate the lives that are luckily saved.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: We sure do.

Doctor Guillamondegui, from Vanderbilt University, appreciate it.

GUILLAMONDEGUI: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Coming up next, new claims drawing attention to these 28 redacted pages of the congressional report on the 9/11 terror attacks, a claim by this man, a man who was supposed to be a hijacker.

Plus, NBC News anchor, Brian Williams, apologizing after a story about coming under enemy fire in a helicopter in Iraq is criticized as being inaccurate. We'll discuss.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Just past the hour. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

This man, linked to 9/11, said a Saudi prince gave money to al Qaeda and the 9/11 hijackers before the attacks in 2001. This all comes from Zacarias Moussoui, who says Osama bin Laden gave him an insider's look at who was bankrolling al Qaeda. Moussoui said Saudi royalty were among the donors, including Prince Turki bin Faisal al Saud, who was the kingdom spy chief and ambassador to the United States.

CNN's Deborah Feyerick has more on this.

This is coming from Moussoui. What is he basing accusations on?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He's basically basing them on information he has that he's been saying for a number of years now. The significance, more over than anything else, involves 28 pages of classified materials that U.S. lawmakers are urging the president to make public. 28 pages that were supposed to be in the 9/11 Commission Report but weren't because they were made secret. Moussoui was deposed in a SuperMax prison for six hours in October by lawyers for the 9/11 families. His claims are that he accuses the families who accuse the Saudi royals of playing a director role in financing the hijacking. The Saudi government and officials have repeatedly denied the accusations. They now tell CNN there's no evidence to support Moussoui's current claims. Granted, the claims are impossible to verify. If they're true, they're significant. Moussoui said that bin Laden ordered him to create a digital data base of al Qaeda donors on a computer. And on the list were Saudi princes, as you mentioned, in high-level positions, including the former heard of Saudi intelligence and the former Saudi ambassador to Washington D.C. Moussoui said they funded al Qaeda as a way to keep Saudi's strict religious leaders happy. He also says he travelled to Saudi Arabia to deliver handwritten notes by bin Laden.

There's real momentum among lawmakers right now again. Not so much as to what Moussoui is saying, but the power of what he's saying would have to unseal the classified 28 pages, which a lot of the families say will reveal the connection between Saudi Arabia. Lawmakers have said they're embarrassing but have nothing to do with national security. One lawmaker says it will change the way you see history. It's interesting.

BALDWIN: If people could see, if it would be declassified, the 28 pages. This isn't the first time people have accused Saudis of funneling money to al Qaeda?

FEYERICK: No. There was historically a period where they were financing al Qaeda. They were trying to make -- they were financing people that were tried to al Qaeda, trying to make the clerics happy. But the 9/11 families, for them, to have the information in those 28 pages, it could support their lawsuit against the Saudi government. The Saudi government is close ally of the United States. They argue they have sovereign immunity. If there's a terror act involved and they contributed money, that's a game changer.

BALDWIN: How credible is Moussoui?

(LAUGHTER)

FEYERICK: Moussoui has been diagnosed as delusional and schizophrenic.

BALDWIN: He has, right?

FEYERICK: That's the problem. In 2005, during his trial, his behavior was very erratic. His writings were jumbled. He writes a lot. He writes to judges without stop. There's also a question of his motivation. He says in exchange for providing information against the Saudis, he wants to be moved out of the H Unit, which he calls the Saudi stronghold. He wants a warmer cell. He doesn't want a cell that has rodents. And he wants money so he can buy stamps. There's a little bit of motivation. Were he to be a credible witness, if he had to testify for 9/11 families -- and I spoke to one who said he would be willing to testify -- his testimony may be easily dismissed. There's no evidence of some of the things he's saying. But, still, very important because it could unseal those pages. That's really what the families are aiming for.

BALDWIN: Rodents and money to buy stamps?

FEYERICK: Yes. BALDWIN: OK. Deborah Feyerick, thank you very, very much.

Next, America's top-rated news man is getting serious heat along with his apology for a story he told over and over again over the years about his experience in the war in Iraq. You'll hear from veterans who were with Williams at the time and whether they accept his apology.

Plus, if you've been with me so far, we're taking a close look at "Sex, Drugs in Silicone Valley" with Laurie Segall. Today, she has a piece on swinger parties going high-tech. Do not miss this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: As the most-watched news anchor in America, Brian Williams has built his newscast, career, reputation on speaking the truth. He apologized after being caught in a "mistake." That's the word he used to describe his statements about being under enemy fire in 2003 traveling in a military helicopter in Iraq.

I want you to first hear Brian Williams' detail it on David Letterman in 2013, and last week on his own program.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN WILLIAMS, ANCHOR, NBC NIGHTLY NEWS: Two of our four helicopters were hit by ground fire, including the one I was in.

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN: No kidding?

WILLIAMS: An RPG and an A.K. 47.

The story actually started with a terrible moment, a dozen years back, during the invasion of Iraq when the helicopter we were traveling in was forced down after being hit by RPG.

Our traveling NBC News team was rescued, surrounded, and kept alive by an armored mechanized platoon from the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Well, that's not true. Williams was in the chopper a little ways behind the Chinook that came under the enemy fire. How could Brian Williams get it so wrong? Here's his apology from Wednesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAMS: I made a mistake recalling the events of 12 years ago. It didn't take long to hear from some brave men and women in the air crews who were also in that desert. I want to apologize. I said I was traveling in an aircraft hit by RPG fire. I was instead in a following aircraft. We all landed after the ground-fire incident and spent two harrowing nights in a sandstorm in the Iraq desert. This was a bungled attempt by me to thank one special veteran and, by extension, our brave military men and women, veterans everywhere, those that served while I did not. I hope they know they have my greatest respect and also now my apology.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Let's talk about this with two people, CNN senior media correspondent and host of "Reliable Sources," Brian Stelter; and also the reporter who broke the story, Travis Tritten, from "Stars and Stripes." He's in Washington.

Travis, I want to begin with you here because you're the one who's talking to these veterans who are saying now, after many years, hang on a second. Set the record straight for me. What exactly happened back in 2003?

TRAVIS TRITTEN, REPORTER, STARS AND STRIPES: Back in 2003, there were two companies of Chinooks running a supply route from Kuwait to forward operating bases in Baghdad, the beginning of the invasion. One of these two companies of Chinooks came under fire. One was hit by two RPG and small arms fire.

BALDWIN: And to be clear, these veterans say to you not only was Brian Williams not in the helicopter their, took the enemy fire, he was in a separate company. How far behind was he in his Chinook?

TRITTEN: That's right Brooke. I've been told Brian Williams and the NBC crew was not on any of the three Chinooks in the company that was hit. They were actually traveling in the second company in the opposite direction towards Kuwait when that attack occurred. Typically they would travel about an hour behind the other company when they're doing these supply runs. They happened to pass though in the desert with one going south and one going north. So geographically, they were close. It was clear that Brian Williams' Chinook was not following the Chinook hit by the RPG in other company.

BALDWIN: OK, Travis, stand by, because what's really key here is how veterans are responding to Brian Williams' apology.

Brian, let me turn to you.

You have spoken to the pilot of the Chinook which Brian Williams and his cameramen were in. How did he recount the event?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT & CNN HOST, RELIABLE SOURCES: Right. He tells a different story than this. Pilot says that the three choppers that they were with, this company of helicopters, did come under small arms fire and did -- was struck by one RPG but the helicopter struck was not the one Brian Williams was in. It was in one close by, a little bit ahead. So I wonder whether we're talking about two cases of two different attacks of two different companies of helicopters. It shows how confusing this has been. One thing is clear. When Brian Williams has said on television and to David Letterman and implied in blog posts that his helicopter was struck by an RPG, that's simply not true. He was somehow embellishing or misleading people. Or if you believe his version, just making an innocent mistake. Brooke, I can't find many people at NBC who think he's making an innocent mistake. There's a lot of anger of people that think he may be misleading. BALDWIN: Travis, to you, these veterans that were in that Chinook

that was taken down by the enemy fire, did they see Brian Williams' apology? Is it satisfactory to them?

TRITTEN: Yes, they did see it. I think it was a mixed response. There was some cynicism. I was told by one veteran he felt Williams was probably forced into it and that he may not have made the apology otherwise. There was also those veterans who told me any apology here is an apology they didn't have before. They were just really happy that at least the record was set straight that Brian Williams at NBC was not on the helicopter hit.

BALDWIN: Travis, this happened back in 2003. The accurate story was told on NBC News before this evolution of the story up until the present day. Why didn't any of these veterans who heard the story evolve over time come forward before now?

TRITTEN: I think it may be a matter of nobody really listening. I mean, that and social media as well. You know, what happened here is they had anger and frustration that built up over years. They felt this story had been mischaracterized for a long time. This last report last week by NBC where Brian Williams flatly claimed he was on the aircraft was the kind of final straw for them. When I approached them, I think they were ready to come out and say something publicly.

BALDWIN: Travis Tritten broke the story wide open on "Stars and Stripes."

Thank you so much.

Brian Stelter, who's been all over it here at CNN.

Appreciate you both very much. We wait and watch to see what the next step is.

Coming up on CNN, sex, drugs and swinging. We're looking at the side of Silicon Valley you don't see often. How the tech world is taking swinger parties to a whole new level. Stay with me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: A lot of people in Silicon Valley got rich thinking outside the box. They're putting that brain power to work on shall we say adult themed products like swinging, swapping partners for X-rated entertainment. This is all the rage in parts of the tech world.

Our "CNN Money" tech correspondent, Laurie Segall, went there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAURIE SEGALL, "CNN MONEY" TECH CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's Saturday night in Silicon Valley, drinking, partying, oh yeah, and swinging. Or what they call these days as "the lifestyle."

(on camera): Can you describe what happens at these events? UNIDENTIFIED ENGINEER: If you've been to a bar or night club, you've

got the general idea of it. There's only a little bit of extra twist at the end, whereas you may go to a bar, pick up somebody and take them home for the evening. If you're single, it wouldn't be unheard of, even if you're married.

SEGALL (voice-over): Greg & Stella are engineers. Together for 10 years, and having sex with other people for two of them. They're part of this community that explores sexuality.

Swinging has a rich history. Back in the 70s, there were parties called key parties. Married couples attended. At the end of the night, men put their keys in the bowl. Women would pick up a key and go home with the partner that owned it. It was a partner switch.

This concept has changed quite a bit. The mobile device is the new key. Tech is connecting modern day high-tech swingers.

BEN FULLER, FOUNDER, BRONZE PARTY: The mobile phone is a great tool. We have a thing called auto date that allows you in the party to choose the people you're interested in. If they choose it and you choose it, you get notification. You can meet these people. There information pops up.

SEGALL (on camera): Modern day key.

FULLER: Yeah, it's a modern day key.

SEGALL (voice-over): Ben is a start-up guy that sold his first business in 2000 for $5 million. Now he's using his tech background for a new venture, and this one is a bit more out.

(on camera): You own Bronze Party. What is Bronze Party?

FULLER: Bronze Party is a lifestyle event where people come together. The party starts at about 10:00. Everyone has drinks, socializes. By 11:30 or 12:00, people figure out what they're going to do the rest of the night. Some have sex, some stay in the kitchen and drink all night.

SEGALL (voice-over): This community, based in San Francisco, attracts a lot of tech talent.

FULLER: We have a lot of people in start-ups that come to our parties. One of the people that came was an iPhone developer. He had ideas to better manage our contact information.

SEGALL: Ben also runs Modern Lifestyle, a software platform connecting these types of communities around the country. He says the average member makes 125,000 and $155,000 a year.

(on camera): Does wealth have anything to do with this?

HELEN FISHER, BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGIST: It has a lot to do with those interested in experimenting. If you have a lot of money and lose your primary partner, you can probably find another. In the long run, the brain doesn't run that way. Cheating is about violating the relationship. You said you wouldn't and you did. It could be forgetting to put the chip on the chips or having sex with someone else.

UNIDENTIFIED ENGINEER: Cheating is really about violating the contract of the relationship. You said you wouldn't do that but you did.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED ENGINEER: It could be, oh, I'm jealous he's seeing someone else, or it could be, hey, I like it when he's having fun. I enjoy seeing that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SEGALL: And Ben says most clients are tech focused, based in the bay area. They make between 125,000 and $150,000 per year. We're talking high income.

And one of the more interesting things he said, because there's so many in the start-up community that go to his events, they'll come out and say you could have a better website or the mobile experience isn't good and they almost crowd source these types of events -- Brooke?

BALDWIN: OK.

(LAUGHTER)

Laurie Segall, sort of speechless. I have so many questions. I may have to take some off air.

Laurie Segall, she's here all week on a five-part series on how Silicon Valley innovators are optimizing relationships, quite literally, and their brains. We talked about hallucinogenics yesterday, swinging parties today. She has more throughout the week.

Laurie Segall, "CNN Money," appreciate it.

SEGALL: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Let's move on. Top of the hour. I'm Brooke Baldwin. You're watching CNN.