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ISIS Claims Kayla Mueller Died In Coalition Airstrikes; Members on Jury Of Hernandez Murder Trial Brought To His Home And Alleged Crime Scene; NBC Nightly News Anchor Discusses Mounting Scandal With Colleagues

Aired February 06, 2015 - 15:30   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: Just past the bottom of the hour. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Here's what we have. If you haven't been watching, just incredible developments here. Here is a claims from ISIS that this woman, Kayla Mueller, 26 years of age from Prescott, Arizona, this hostage that ISIS had been holding for just about two years, they're now claiming she has been killed. ISIS claims she died in coalition airstrikes launched by U.S. ally Jordan. They're being a that specific saying it was Jordan who did this.

Jordan, by the way, has swiftly responded calling a claim a total PR stunt and one that should not be taken seriously.

So first, let me just bring in our White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski with reaction from the administration.

Michelle, what are you hearing?

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now, what we're hearing this coordinated response from all levels of the administration. First of all that they're deeply concerned about these reports. And secondly, that there's no credible evidence at this point to prove that those claims by ISIS are true.

It is interesting this, when you think about the negotiations that were going on over the Jordanian pilot for a long time, there was no proof of life. Well, in this case, there's sadly no proof of death either. Leaving intelligence communities to try to find information to back up or disprove these claims. And the White House says that's what's going on right now.

The intelligence community is trying to get more information. And that's why the White House's response has been so brief because they don't know exactly whether these claims are true. And today, we heard from the president's national security advisor Susan Rice echoing the same sentiments, the same concerns that we don't have clear evidence. But she also talked about trying to work better with families of American hostages. Because remember, in past cases there were concerns over what kind of coordination there was. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SUSAN RICE, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: We are nonetheless in the process of doing a review of hostage policy. Not with respect to no concessions aspect I've outlined but with respect of how we can support and be more responsive to the needs of -- for example the families that are suffering so enormously when a loved one is in that circumstance. Frankly, this is an area in which the president believes we can do better. We're trying to learn from the experience of other partner countries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSINSKI: We're hearing not from official sources there might have been a ransom demand and there may have been a date set for her execution back in August.

So there are questions surrounding this. One of those is also one that came up today with the White House. They were asked, you know, what kind of coordination was there? How much has the White House and U.S. officials been able to track the location of Kayla Mueller? And wouldn't there have been coordination with Jordanians as to where her location might have been while doing airstrikes?

You know, trying to get to the bottom of whether ISIS claims could be true that she could have been killed in Jordanian airstrikes. So the White House didn't want to go into a lot of detail but they did say that, yes, that support and coordination closely with the Jordanians was there. And of course it continues, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Michelle Kosinski at the White House, I appreciate it.

You know, Michelle alluded to this execution date. And I can now confirm for you that ISIS did demand ransom for 26-year-old Kayla Mueller, $5.5 million. Michelle mentioned August. This was to be paid by 13th of August. This is nearly six months ago. And this all came via a note to her family.

But let me stress here. There are still several significant questions that remain. Did a Jordanian airstrike kill an American hostage or is this clearly ISIS just wanting more propaganda?

Let's talk about this with Buck Sexton, CNN political commentator and former CIA counter terrorism analyst.

My first question to you and this is something I haven't asked of any of our experts yet. Being in the wake of brutal execution, the burning alive of that downed Jordanian pilot, we know Jordan responded very, very swiftly with the now two rounds of airstrikes. Do you think in the wake of this, again, I say claim, the this American has been killed? Does this change anything strategically for the U.S.?

BUCK SEXTON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think that claims on space seems not believable at all because they also say that not a single fugitive, not a single holy fighter was actually killed on this. So only the American hostage was struck according to the ISIS' own propaganda. So it's just flatly not believable. And it seems like they're trolling Jordan and they are trolling America. But on the American side of this, how would we respond in the wake of

what Jordan is doing. I think there's a broader recognition now among people because of what Jordan has tried to do that airstrikes, no matter how much we want them to be enough, will not be enough. And there will, in fact, have to be a real ground campaign to retake Mosul and Iraq and eventually not just push ISIS out of Iraq, but in fact, to have them in Syria and take the capital of Raqqa. That's going to have to happen. We need allies on the ground to do that.

Will Jordan play a role in that aspect of this? Will they try to unite the Sunni Arab tribes? Will they try to use their political clout as well in the region to get more Sunni Arab involve on the ground to actually fight against the Islamic state. That would be meaningful beyond just the airstrikes because airstrikes are a tactic. ISIS knows they're coming. They are making adjustments to them. And as much as the Jordanians have shown some veracity in resolve here.

The truth is that, are these targets that the U.S. didn't hit or didn't know about? I find that pretty unlikely. So we may be giving them some of the targets that the U.S. fighter planes are going after as part of this coalition.

BALDWIN: OK. What about, we are talking about this in commercial in this reading, this source close to the Mueller family talking about last summer and the demands from apparently they are saying ISIS had grown tired of waiting. This is from the family. And they wanted that dollar amount by x date in August. And you were talking about how it's been interesting to watch the evolution of tactics change, right, from wanting money to the beheadings and now we have seen the burning alive of a Jordanian pilot.

SEXTON: There was a time until recently when ISIS negotiations for hostage release if the money was exchanged could result in somebody actually being successfully taken back. And that was the case until we've seen now the slew of videos that have come out showing these executions, increasingly brutal executions by the way. And I think they're stage that way specifically because of the global attention they've been getting. They have to keep upping the ante, essentially, of their inhumanity.

And so, the idea that they're now switching away from wanting money and U.N. propaganda as being more valuable to them. Because they weren't going to get $200 million for the Japanese hostages. And what we see now is that there is no serious negotiation going on for the hostages that they executed. That was all theater. It was all meant to just terrorize us psychologically. Maybe their funding streams are stronger than we realize. And they're not as concerned with money. But also, maybe there's just a recognition among them that there's greater value to them to terrorize us and also to try and draw and recruits from these videos than eve what would be considered a negotiation for money that could actually come to fruition and they might get the cash. They're not as interested now.

BALDWIN: Buck Sexton, thank you very much.

SEXTON: Thank you. BALDWIN: We'll talk again. I have a feeling. Back to the breaking

story here in just a moment.

But first, moments ago, jurors went inside the home of former New England Patriot's star Aaron Hernandez. Touring the property of this accused killer, touring the crime scene as well that nearby industrial park. Susan Candiotti was there for it all. We will talk to her. She'll take us inside the tour.

Plus, just in under heavy scrutiny, Brian Williams reportedly addressed his colleagues today inside NBC News. We have a little bit as far as what he said to them. And the question is, does the controversy go beyond this embellished war story that dates back to 2003 in Iraq? Stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: We'll take you back to our breaking news, this ISIS claim in a moment.

But first, moments ago in the trial of Aaron Hernandez, jurors are now getting to see in person not just the former NFL star but also his home. This is video that has just come in from CNN here. Members of the jury were brought to Hernandez's home, as well as the home where the man Hernandez allegedly murdered, his friend, Odon Lloyd. It was both those places.

They also toured the industrial park where Odon Lloyd's body was found. This is all part of the prosecution's case here to prove the former New England patriot who used to be worth $40 million orchestrated this killing in 2013.

So we have Susan Candiotti who actually went on that trip to Hernandez's home. She is standing out in the cold Massachusetts for us. And we have CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Danny Cevallos.

But I mean, Susan first to you. I mean, how incredible to be going along as a member of the media. Tell me where they let you go and what you saw.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, it was very, very restricted. First of all in the state of Massachusetts, it's normal for a jury in murder trials to be able to visit various locations that both sides believe are important to the case. And that's what happened here. We were not allowed to take any pictures period of the jury. We were also not allowed to follow them inside in the area that was not open to the public. We weren't invited inside the home of Aaron Hernandez, therefore, we were not allowed inside.

We were limited to following the jury bus, watching the jurors walk in to a location and watch them walk out. So they went inside the home. What did they see? We know that prosecutors and defense attorneys have flagged for us that they wanted to show the extensive 12 camera home security system inside that home. And why? You remember it's very important because it captured a lot of video tape right of Aaron Hernandez and his two codefendants inside the home allegedly before Odon Lloyd's murder and afterwards. So they wanted to show all those cameras. The prosecution wanted to show them and so did the defense.

Now, the defense inside the home had to remove more than a dozen football memorabilia, various pieces of it, as well as photos of the family in the like because some of that memorabilia and some of those photos were not there in June of 2013 when Aaron Hernandez was arrested. Anything there before was OK for them to see. Stuff that was new that went in, it had to come out Brooke.

BALDWIN: And then we also know, Susan Candiotti, they went to this industrial park where the body of Odon Lloyd was found.

Danny, let me just bring you in. What is the advantage? And I know Susan was saying it was both the prosecutor and defense that wanted that these jurors to see this, I guess, elaborate camera surveillance system inside this home. But ultimately, who is this benefitting to then see the site of this death and victim's home?

DANNY CEVALLOS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Each side, defense and prosecution, must have had their reasons for wanting to do this jury view. Because I have to believe if any one of them opposed it too strongly the judge would have denied it because the probative value of these visits is really questionable. I think it's a really close call. And of course the judge in any case has substantial discretion whether or not to allow or not allow a jury view. But at the same time, you can see just from today the complicated logistics involved. She has to get everybody on a bus, make sure nobody making the wrong statements. And what kind of rules were there? Could they use the bathroom in the Hernandez's home? Could they walk around freely?

I mean, you have to come up with all of these rules to figure out what is the proper behavior once you decide to do this jury view. So it's a very risky proposition. However, the prosecution must be benefiting from the fact the drive between the crime scene and the home is very short. Not that the prosecution, that's one goal they had was for the jury to see that first hand.

BALDWIN: So what would they do? I mean, be on the bus and you have the prosecutor saying I want you to pay attention and notice how quickly it takes to go from Aaron Hernandez's home to the industrial park?

CEVALLOS: That's another thing, too. That's something the judge has to hash out between the parties before they actually go on this trip because even a random comment from one of the attorneys could have devastating consequences if they say it at the right time. So you have to believe that the judge sat the attorneys down and said look, here's the ground rules. Here's what you can say. Here's what you can't say. Because again, the most important thing for this judge, especially in a high profile case, is to maintain control. Not only in the courtroom, but outside while on a journey because down the road, if there's a conviction and they attack it based on this pretrial publicity, that could be a factor in showing prejudice. So the judge has to be mindful.

BALDWIN: OK. Danny Cevallos, thank you very much. Susan, appreciate it, in Massachusetts for us.

Ahead here on CNN, much more on our breaking story, ISIS claims an airstrikes, a Jordanian airstrike killed this American hostage, 26- year-old Kayla Mueller. But you know what? There's zero proof of that. We do have new details about a ransom.

Plus, just into CNN, we are getting word that NBC's anchor Brian Williams has addressed his colleagues today as more of his field reporting, some of his stories, are being questioned. What he said next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: NBC News anchor Brian Williams has now addressed his own colleagues about this mounting scandal that's been surrounding him. Williams had apologized this week, admitted to getting some key facts wrong when he said the helicopter he was in in Iraq back in 2003 was hit by RPG, rocket propelled grenades. He actually in fact was on board a different helicopter.

Earlier today, Williams' colleague Chuck Todd told our Michael Smerconish that Williams spoke about this, spoke directly to staffers today about the damage he's done.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHUCK TODD, NBC NEWS MODERATOR, MEET THE PRESS: He addressed colleagues this morning about this, all of us. He knows that we're all, you know, this impacts everybody that works at NBC and like I said, he's, you know, pretty remorseful about all this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And now, the most watched news anchor in America is perhaps more so but for all the wrong reasons. More of his reporting has now come into questions, specifically his signature story, one of his signature stories, hurricane Katrina.

I want to bring in our senior media correspondent, host of "RELIABLE SOURCES" Brian Stelter who is with me in New York and Gordon Russell is in New Orleans. He's managing editor of investigations at the New Orleans advocates.

So gentlemen, welcome to both of you.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN HOST, RELIABLE SOURCES: Thank you.

GORDON RUSSELL, MANAGING EDITOR OF INVESTIGATIONS, NEW ORLEANS ADVOCATES: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Brian, to you first. I wanted to begin talking about the pilot, but you were just telling me two seconds ago, NBC has now released some statement.

STELTER: Yes. The first comment in a couple days. And I will tell you about it just a second. But you are right. The pilot we talked about here on air yesterday has recanted his story. And I want to make sure viewers at home know this is the pilot who said that Brian Williams is in his chopper and that they took on small arms fire but were not struck by an RPG. He has now said he's questioning his own memories. This at the same time several other soldiers have come out and said no, actually Brian Williams was in a different chopper. He wasn't in this person's chopper.

So it goes to show the continued confusion about this issue and it's something that I have written about on CNNmoney.com about all the process leading up to it.

But let me show our viewers what the head of NBC News just said to their staff. She is confirming that there's now an internal investigation going on at NBC into what the heck has happened here. She says quote "we have a team dedicated to gathering the facts" and she goes on to say "we are working on what the next best steps are and when we have something to communicate we will of course share it."

So a very vague statement from NBC, but what they are trying to say for the first time is we are aware of all this controversy. We hear all of it and are looking at it. We're working on it.

BALDWIN: Gordon, let me turn to you with regard to what's being talked about now with Brian Williams coverage in the thick of, you know, hurricane Katrina. I know that, you know, some of what he said about having dysentery and seeing some bodies floating around his hotel in the French quarter, some calling that into question. This is part of his reporting or his speaking about it a year later.

RUSSELL: Yes.

BALDWIN: We have that sound. Let's go ahead and roll the sound. Stand by.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN WILLIAMS, NBC NIGHTLY NEWS ANCHOR: When you look out of your hotel room window in the French quarter and watch a man float by face down, when you see bodies that you last saw in (INAUDIBLE), Indonesia and swore to yourself that you would never see in your country, I beat that storm.

I accidentally ingested some of the flood water. I became very sick with dysentery.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Gordon, you were there. You have a Pulitzer from your coverage of the time in New Orleans. Tell me what you saw.

RUSSELL: Well, I mean, of course, there were bodies in the water. That's without a doubt. I think the question that -- the central question that's been raised here is whether he would have seen a body or bodies from his hotel room in the French quarter and it's generally accepted around here that the French quarter didn't flood. In actuality, that's mostly true but there's the edges of the French quarter did get some flood water, fairly shallow flood water. That's where -- he was staying in the Ritz Carlton hotel, which is kind of at the edge of the French quarter.

We found some photos today shot from the Ritz Carlton that seemed to show a couple feet of water outside the hotel. It's covering the sidewalk and is in the street. So it's certainly plausible that I don't know how deep the water has to be for a body to float, but it's plausible that he saw something like that there.

There wasn't a lot of reports of bodies around that specific part of town. It's also possible that this is like conflated, he's conflating two things. There were bodies certainly not far from there.

BALDWIN: And let me just take Brian Williams' side for a moment, Gordon, because at that time during Katrina, you and your colleagues, you did have to debunk a lot of stories, lot of exaggerations from a number of national news reporters, did you not?

RUSSELL: Yes, we did. And I should say that a lot of the stories that we debunked were based on bad information being given out by officials, including the mayor and police chief at the time. So it wasn't always a case of irresponsible reporting, but sometimes a case of officials reporting bad information to the press which then circulated it and then later turned out to be untrue.

BALDWIN: OK.

STELTER: The fact that these are the kind of questions being asked shows why NBC has to do this independent investigation. I think it's notable in the statement that just came out, Brooke, from the head of NBC News, there's no explicit statement of support for Brian Williams. It's much more of a we're looking into this, we are going to figure it out. Very much a network kind of in crisis mode trying to figure out what's true and what's not.

BALDWIN: Is he back in the anchor chair tonight?

STELTER: He will be on tonight, we are told.

BALDWIN: All right, Brian Stelter and Gordon Russell, thank you so much to both of you.

You have been watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin live here in New York. I want you to stay right here. Much, much more here on this latest claims from ISIS that it was that Jordanian airstrikes that took the life of that 26-year-old American hostage.

I'm Brooke Baldwin. That does it for me. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.