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Brian Williams Suspension Rattles NBC Network; Muslim Students Killed in Chapel Hill Is Hate Crime; Eddie Ray Routh Trial Under Way; Who to Fill Shoes of Jon Stewart on "The Daily Show"?

Aired February 11, 2015 - 14:30   ET

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

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BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Half part the hour. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Here's the news at NBC today. Brian Williams is banned from the anchor chair he occupied for more than a decade for more than six months without pay. NBC unveiled William's punishment in a growing controversy over his trustworthiness with the facts. Williams has apologized for telling a false war story about his time back in 2003 in Iraq in which claimed to have been in a military helicopter when it was hit by rocket-propelled grenade.

NBC's "Today Show" tackled the Williams fiasco and how it's rattling the network. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT LAUER, NBC CO-HOST: It's a difficult story for us to report on because it's so personal in so many ways. Most importantly, Brian is not only a colleague of ours here but a very good friend.

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, NBC CO-HOST: We care a lot about Brian, which makes it hard. We also care a lot about this place, the standards of NBC News. That's what NBC is trying to balance here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Let's have a conversation. Dylan Byers with me, media reporter with "Politico"; and American University professor of media studies, Jane Hall.

Welcome to both of you.

DYLAN BYERS, MEDIA REPORTER, POLITICO: Thanks for having us.

BALDWIN: All right, Dylan. You're up to bat first.

I read your piece that posted last night on "Politico," and your biggest takeaway reading, the press release, was he's not coming back. Why do you think that?

BYERS: I just don't see how you let him go for six months. Think about how long the suspension is. It's six months. It is a $5 million fine, because you assume he makes $10 million a year, and you're taking away six months of his pay. That clearly shows there's more going on than one incident we have in Iraq. We know that the NBC Universal chairman presented him with a dossier of other misdeeds he may have done. I don't really see how, over the course of the next six months, you make the case for him to come back and reassume this chair when you have a guy like Lester Holt and other folks inside of NBC who are going to be vying for that chair. I just think the gamble that NBC will make is it will make more sense to go with one of them than to bring back Brian Williams.

BALDWIN: I made the read the word "dossier" and wondered if there were other examples brought up in this investigation.

But, Jane, you say, hang on a second, he should be forgiven.

JANE HALL, PROFESSOR OF MEDIA STUDIES, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: The first time I heard of this, I thought he should be given the benefit of the doubt. Now that I've heard more -- I mean, it's not up to me to forgive him I don't think. I think what NBC is doing is buying themselves some time to see if this -- what this investigation finds, what their internal investigation finds about Katrina and other possible exaggerations. And I think they are possibly going to say -- see how it goes, see if this in any way, the American people, would welcome him back. He has a very strong newscast. This is reprehensible thing to have done.

But he does have a body of work. They do have a newscast that's very well respected. It shouldn't tarnish all of NBC News because of very clearly serious issues that have come up about him.

I think I was feeling more sympathetic to him until I came up in an elevator with a young producer here, and I said what do you think? She said I'm let down. I'm afraid everyone thinks this is what journalists do. I thought that's as point of view I had not thought about.

(CROSSTALK)

HALL: I think NBC will wait and see what they find. I don't know if he'll be back. I think they'll try to see what can happen.

BALDWIN: So you've been evolving and involved in a conversation with a news producer. That's interesting.

Let me stay with you, Jane, because one of the points brought up by Brian Stelter, our senior media correspondent, how can -- let's take this one helicopter story, which was not true as that evolved. How does Brian Williams when he comes back, sit down and conduct tough interviews on lawmakers, especially ahead of presidential election in 2016? How does he do that?

HALL: I think it's possible. I'm not saying it should happen. I'm not saying that he can do it. This is in a way something that we will have to see. Again, obviously, when I even said I thought he should be given the benefit of the doubt, I got mail from veterans saying, how dare you say that. It's interesting to me that that the people who were there were not taking pleasure in this. They were saying they wanted to set the record straight.

We ask so much in this culture of these anchors. This is not my saying he should have exaggerated, but there may have been a wish to seem to be part of the guys. We don't really know. It's not up to me to psycho analyze him. I think he could come back. It will be up to him, and up to also finding out did anybody else at NBC know about this? How deeply does this go? We don't know those answers.

BALDWIN: Also when you think about -- listen, I've been doing this journalism career, which I pinch myself every day, for 15 years, I feel like every time I sit in the seat I want to be me. There is a fine line of being serious but also being who you are and humorous at times.

And it seems like when I read, Dylan, about how Brian Williams wanted a late-night TV gig, a surprise to a lot of people, I wonder if the line was blurred. I watched CNN last night and the thought was his attraction to becoming a celebrity was bigger than just being a journalist, and that's what got him and that's what contributed to his downfall. What do you make of that?

BYERS: I think that's right. It's also important to note that Brian Williams, as the anchor of NBC "Nightly News," is only part of his job description. What he really is is the face of the NBC News brand and to some extent he was the face of NBC. So if you're the kind of guy who likes making jokes and likes telling stories and you like going on Jimmy Fallon or David Letterman or what have you, the more you can do this sort of build that personal brand, the better. I don't want to psycho analyze Brian Williams or --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: No one here wants to psycho analyze Brian Williams. Of course.

(CROSSTALK)

HALL: We are.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

HALL: I'm sorry. I think it's interesting --

BYERS: No, no. Go ahead.

HALL: -- that part of the appeal is these network newscasts need to appeal to younger viewers. NBC has had a very solid, good newscast in my opinion. NBC News has done a lot of stories about the troops and been there, and that needs to be noted.

BALDWIN: Absolutely. Tom Brokaw started it and Brian Williams continued it.

HALL: Tom Brokaw started it and he continued it. BALDWIN: Yeah.

(CROSSTALK)

HALL: Again, it doesn't mean you need to turn around and lie about what you did. But I think the reason he was asked to be on and enjoyed talk shows is, if you're on Jimmy Fallon, you're getting a younger demographic. That's what these shows need to do.

(CROSSTALK)

HALL: It's a contradictory goal.

BALDWIN: Jump in quickly, and then I have to go.

BYERS: Sure. I would say quickly, the important thing to remember is NBC "Nightly News" is going to continue to be a strong newscast. Lester Holt is a strong newsman. The question is, will the American people and audience give the network the benefit of the doubt in the wake of what's happened.

BALDWIN: Dylan Byers and Jane Hall, stick around. We'll have another conversation about another kind of anchor coming up.

Meantime, we just heard from police. We're just reporting the story of the three young Muslim students shot and killed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. We now have more information. Let me say that. New information as it pertains to a motive. Stay here.

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BALDWIN: We've been reporting on the tragic killing of these three young students in the Chapel Hill, North Carolina, area. It happened last night in an apartment complex. And before I play the sound for you, the U.S. attorney commenting on the investigation, just, again, want to say their names, 23-year-old Deah Barakat (ph); his wife, 21- year-old Yusor Mohammad (ph); and her sister, 19-year-old Razan Mohammad (ph).

One of the biggest questions here, as this man has been taken into custody, and one of the questions is, was this a hate crime. We're they targeted based on their culture and their religion? They father of these young women seems to think so based upon a number of instances in the past with this individual you're looking at on the screen.

Here's what the U.S. attorney just said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY RAND, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I did want to make sure that folks knew that based on all of the information that our office and law enforcement has at this time, that the events of yesterday are not part of a targeted campaign against Muslims in North Carolina or anything other than an individual event that occurred. We don't have any information that this is part of an organized effort against Muslims. And I did want to address some comments made on social media about that and to make sure that people know this appears, at this point, to have been an isolated incident.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Isolated incident. He's saying, again, involving this one man and these three young lives. We have much more, including talking to a friend, dear friend for many years, of these three young people. We'll talk to him coming up.

Now to this. While "American Sniper" is still making waves at the box office, the real-time version of the film is playing out in a Texas courtroom. The murder trial of Eddie Ray Routh got under way today. The former Marine is accused of killing Chris Kyle, on whom the movie is based, and his friend at a gun range. The two men were trying to help Routh cope with post-traumatic stress disorder.

This morning attorneys gave their opening statements. Prosecutors say Routh had a history of drug abuse and alcohol abuse. The defense maintains he was mentally ill, that he was insane, at the time of the killing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J. WARREN ST. JOHN, ROUTH'S ATTORNEY: When he took their lives, he was in the grip of a psychosis and a psychosis so severe at that point in time that he did not know what he was doing was wrong. In fact, he not only didn't know it was not wrong. He thought in his mind, at that point in time, that it was either him or them.

ALAN NASH, ERATH COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: He used marijuana and drank whisky with it that morning. But he admits he murdered these two men, that he used drugs and alcohol that morning, and that he knew what he was doing was wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Ed Lavandera is live in Stephenville, Texas, in court for those opening statements.

Tell me more about what you saw and heard inside that courtroom, Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Some fascinating detail, which hasn't emerged in the last two years since these murders took place in 2013. What did come out, according to the attorney for Routh, is that Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield had driven to the town to pick him up where he lived and it was about an hour and a half drive to the gun range where they would take him and spend an hour shooting guns and talking to him.

And according to the attorney, an hour and a half into the drive, you have Chris Kyle driving his pickup truck, Chad Littlefield in the passenger seat, and behind him is Eddie Ray Routh. And he sends a text message saying, "This dude is straight up nuts." And then Littlefield responds back to Kyle saying, "He's right behind me. Watch my six." Meaning my 6:00, like right behind him. There was obviously some sort of concern. We don't know any other details about what the conversation was like.

Taya Kyle, Chris Kyle's wife, did testify. She said she spoke with them while they were at the gun range and said he sounded tense, perhaps irritated, wasn't really able to talk. And that was the last time she had spoken with him.

BALDWIN: Ed Lavandera, in Texas, letting know what was said in that courtroom. Appreciate it, sir.

Meantime, a heads-up to all of you. Any moment now, President Obama will address the nation, explaining his reasons for continuing this war against ISIS. But after he asks Congress for permission, how will they respond? Does his plan include on-the-ground combat troops? CNN's special coverage coming up next.

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BALDWIN: Let's talk about "The Daily Show." Big news last night that Jon Stewart is going to be leaving. Much different circumstances from Brian Williams. Stewart turned the show into must-see TV and made himself the country's top critic of media and politics and culture. And if they decide to fill these shoes, they are big shoes to fill.

Will his replacement come from his family tree? Take a look at this. One of the stars who got their start on "The Daily Show."

Jane Hall and Dylan Byers have been waiting in the wings. They're back to discuss.

So, Jane, you first.

Assuming Comedy Central wants to keep this incredibly popular news show, off the top of your head, who replaces him?

HALL: I honestly don't know. He's created so many wonderful people from Steve Carrel (ph) to John Oliver, unless they can get John Oliver to come back. I don't even know what the succession plan would be. Maybe Bill O'Reilly will come back and take over his spot.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: Ba, dum, dum.

Dylan, what do you think?

BYERS: I really don't know. That's why this is a big loss for Comedy Central. On one hand, he's done them so much good that's going to last so much longer than his own career. He's responsible for Larry Wilmore (ph). He's responsible for Stephen Colbert, who is going to CBS. But I don't see anyone that can fill those shoes, with the exception of John Oliver, but John Oliver looks pretty comfy at HBO right now. I don't know what the game plan is right now.

BALDWIN: I was talking to a comedian friend of mine who has known Jon Stewart for 15 years or so. This is someone who was integral in the show. Not just the face of the show. He would show up in morning for meetings, writing and rewriting scripts up until they would tape the show. What do you think -- do you think that editorial sense is tough to find? It's easy to find a lot of funny people, but there's an extra sort of something that's difficult to touch.

(CROSSTALK)

BYERS: Sorry.

BALDWIN: Ladies first, Jane?

HALL: No, I'm sorry.

He always gave a lot of credit when they won multiple Emmys. And he was not a guy just delivering the commentary. He had a point of view. He was a very -- is don't want to speak of him in past tense. He's a serious guy. Critical as what he views as terrible lack of ideals when they're not met. That was where his criticism was coming from. He criticized the punditocracy, the inflate-o-meter, the conflict-o- meter. He is a very serious guy. So that voice is an important voice. I don't know how they replace him. I'm sure they'll figure it out to some degree. It's an incredible franchise for them.

BALDWIN: What about a woman, Dylan? 20 seconds.

BYERS: A woman would be great. The number-one name that people are throwing out there is Tina Fey. The issue is that the sort of 30- minute satire news-like show is a very specific medium. It may not be the best medium to cater to Tina Fey. There is someone else out there, probably a woman, who will be able to come out and do it.

BALDWIN: Dylan Byers and Jane Hall, thanks again.

HALL: Thank you.

BYERS: Thank you.

BALDWIN: When we come back, new intelligence is shedding light on Kayla Mueller's time in ISIS captivity. Was this young woman, this hostage, forced into a marriage with an ISIS fighter? More on that next.

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