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Man Hailed as Hero in Train Derailment; House in "Wait and See" Mode; American Missionary Kidnapped; Secret Service Helps France in Drone Probe

Aired February 25, 2015 - 10:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Let's go right back to Capitol Hill. House Speaker John Boehner just got done speaking with reporters, talking tough on DHS funding. He's vintage Boehner, he was talking tough and he also shed a tear or two.

I don't know if it was about Dana Bash's tough questions but let's ask her. Hi -- Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there.

It was not. He was listening to his colleague talk about the fact that it was her first - she was the first in her family to go to college. I watched him well up. It's not unusual.

But on the issue that has everybody probably more tense than sad is this whole question of DHS funding, Homeland Security funding.

You know, at the top of the hour, Carol, I said to you that that we were told that Boehner was going to be very much on message. That the house is not even going to talk about what they'll do until the Senate acts. Well, he was.

Listen to what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Mr. Speaker on the DHS funding, are you concerned that if you bring up a clean bill to fund the Homeland Security Department like McConnell says he'll do in the Senate, it will be the end of your speakership?

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I'm waiting for the Senate to act. The House has done its job to fund the Department of Homeland Security and to stop the President's overreach on immigration. And we're waiting for the Senate to do their job.

Senate Democrats have stood in the way for three weeks over a bill that should have been debated and passed. Until the Senate does something, we're in a wait and see mode.

BASH: What about -- obviously you know the way your caucus feels. Are you concerned about a rebellion if you would go that way?

BOEHNER: I'm waiting for the Senate to pass the bill.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (inaudible) reporting, you haven't spoken to Senator McConnell in three weeks. Why is that?

BOEHNER: You know, our staffs talk back and forth. But Senator McConnell has a big job to do and so do I.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But didn't you talk to him before the deadline --

BOEHNER: Our staffs have been talking back and forth. At the end of the day the Senate has to act. I've made it pretty clear over the last couple of weeks we're waiting for the Senate to act.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you think of the merits of his plan? What do you think of that.

BOEHNER: I'm waiting for the Senate to pass a bill. There's a lot -- I don't know what the Senate is capable of passing. Until I see what they're going to pass, no decision has been made on the House.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is Congress going to avoid a shutdown of DHS?

BOEHNER: I'm waiting for the Senate to act. The House has passed a bill to fund the department. It's time for the Senate to do their job.

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: Mr. Speaker, do you think the Senate should act?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Sorry -- couldn't help myself there -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh -- Dana.

BASH: But one thing I want to point out that I'm not sure if you could hear the question from my colleague, Luke Russert. He was talking about the fact that the other thing that we learned, I reported also at the top of the hour is that Boehner hasn't spoken to his Republican counterpart in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, in two weeks.

As this deadline is approaching, again it's just two days away, they actually haven't spoken. Their staff has spoken but these are two leaders of the same party running the United States Capitol, running Congress. It's kind of astonishing that they haven't and it tells you about the tension that going on between the two bodies and the real differences in how they have to govern.

McConnell, the reason why he basically caved, is because he decided that it is better to prove he can govern than go ahead and go along with conservatives who're saying fight, fight, fight. Boehner has a very different issue in his caucus in the house and that's why I asked him about the fact that if he's worried about his speakership because it is something that he probably should be worried about if he goes along with this.

COSTELLO: All right. Dana Bash -- thanks as always. I appreciate it.

BASH: Thank you.

COSTELLO: What happens if the funding cannot be extended by Friday's deadline? Let's turn to someone who knows the department from the inside. Jane Holl Lute is a former deputy secretary for Homeland Security. She joins us now from Washington. Welcome.

JANE HOLL LUTE, FORMER DEPUTY SECRETARY FOR HOMELAND SECURITY: Thank you.

COSTELLO: So if you were director of homeland security and you just listened to John Boehner's presser, what would you be thinking?

HOLL LUTE: I would be thinking what the rest of the American public is thinking is where is the leadership? Leadership is not about authority. It's not about power. It's about responsibility. And who can believe that the American public, the men and women, the hard working men and women in Homeland Security or the reputation of government itself is well served by what's been going on and holding the department's budget hostage in the way it's been held over the past weeks and months.

COSTELLO: Should politics play into this at all when it comes to the Department of Homeland Security?

HOLL LUTE: At some level, you know, certainly at this level everything is political and we all understand that. But we all understand also leadership has responsibility. I mean the department was created to help build and establish a safe, secure, and resilient place where the American way of life can thrive. The American public asks themselves, is my government doing everything it can to keep us safe? This doesn't pass that test.

COSTELLO: The Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson along with Tom Ridge and Alan Chertoff, two former heads of Homeland Security will attend a conference to tell the nation what it means if there are furloughs. They're going to hold a press conference -- I meant to say. What do you expect they'll say?

HOLL LUTE: They'll say the kinds of things that we all know to be true. That we won't be able to train border agents; that upwards of 80 percent of the people who respond within FEMA with the nation's disasters will be furloughed. That the information, important information sharing for cyber security and the role that the department plays in ensuring the security of the nation's cyber infrastructure will slow down and that's really unacceptable.

COSTELLO: Jane Holl Lute -- thanks for your insight. And thanks for joining me this morning. I appreciate it.

HOLL LUTE: Thanks for having me.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're over there doing good for other people and this happens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: An American missionary is kidnapped. What her captors are demanding next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A Seattle church is praying for a missionary kidnapped in Nigeria. Phyllis Sortor was grabbed near the school where she was teaching, her captors demanding money for her return. According to friends, Sorter had been volunteering in Wes Africa for more than a decade. She recently spoke on camera about her life's work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHYLLIS SORTOR, KIDNAPPED MISSINARY: I know that nothing that can happen to me in my future will ever defeat me with God by my side.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Nima Elbagir is in London following the story for us. Do we know anything more about her kidnapping?

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that they have now asked for a ransom -- $300,000. The masked men that came into the compound where she and other members of the community were working with children have disappeared.

But her family is now speaking out and they're expressing their surprise that a woman who has dedicated so much of her time to helping others could be in this situation -- Carol.

Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD SORTOR, STEPSON: It's surreal. I just can't -- I can't believe this, like all people and talk to them -- they just come out was it a joke. And it's like no, this really happened. They are over there doing good for other people and this happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELBAGIR: This isn't an area of -- this isn't a part of Nigeria where criminal kidnappings have been happening with any sort of frequency, nor is it a part of Nigeria where we've had a lot of Boko Haram activity which is why this really has come as such a surprise and it's so disheartening for the people in the community that she's been working with.

We have her latest newsletter here -- Carol. And she talks about the joy at convincing other parents to bring their children to the new school that they set up. The community says that they're not going to give up. They're going into the bush, they're searching for her. They say they want to do more than just pray, Carol.

COSTELLO: Nima Elbagir, live from London. Thank you so much.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, one of America's best known pet food brands is now facing a multimillion dollar lawsuit over the deaths of thousands of pets -- details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: This just into CNN.

The Secret Service is now working with French authorities trying to get answers about the recent drone sightings all over Paris.

Jim Acosta, live at the White House, he broke this news. Tell us more, Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol we're hearing from a law enforcement official that the U.S. Secret Service is now talking to French officials about those mysterious drone incidents that they've had over the last couple of days. They've been unsolved but these drones have been seen flying around the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the U.S. embassy there so a law enforcement official confirms that the Secret Service is in contact with French officials about that.

And Carol, keep in mind all of this is happening as the U.S. Secret Service is conducting its own drone readiness drills here in the nation's capital. You recall, Carol, this is happening after what happened here at the White House last month when a small quad copter drone crashed on the south lawn of the White House. That caused quite a stir. So now the Secret Service is going to try to get up to speed on this new technology which poses really a new potential threat against the President brought by these unmanned aerial vehicles, these UAVs or drones as they call them.

And you know, one thing we should point out, the Secret Service put out a news release alerting basically the public that these drone exercises are going to be going on because you can't fly a drone in the nation's capital -- it's against the law. So it's a problem here in the nation's capital, it's a problem in the French capital and officials on both sides of the Atlantic are trying to grapple with how to deal with this new technology -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Jim Acosta, reporting live -- thanks so much.

A California man has filed a lawsuit against Purina alleging the company's Beneful dog food has caused the deaths or illnesses of thousands of dogs including his own three pets. The class action suit seeks $5 million in damages and claims Purina knew the food was harmful but sold it with out testing adequately or investigating previous (inaudible) report to the problem.

Purina is fighting back with a statement that reads in part, "We believe the lawsuit is baseless and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves and our brand. Beneful has two previous class action suits filed in recent years with similar baseless allegations have been made and both were dismissed by the courts. Like other pet foods, Beneful is occasionally the subject of social-media driven misinformation, online postings often contain false, unsupported and misleading allegations that cause undue concern an confusion for our Beneful customers."

Bottom line consumers can continue to feed Beneful with total confidence.

Wow. Here to discuss this, HLN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney, Joey Jackson.

Somehow I don't think Purina is going to convince pet owners to go ahead and just freely feed their pets Beneful food.

JOEY JACKSON, HLN LEGAL ANALYST: You know what -- good morning, Carol. Listen it's explosive complaint. And as I look at the complaint, what they do here, that is the plaintiffs whoa re suing, they have this class action and they're saying over the course of four years we have these 3,000 complaints. And if you look at the complaints, I mean, I bought a bag of Beneful, I walked my dog. My dog had diarrhea, it goes on and on -- liver, lethargic, wheezing and so what they do in the complaint is they reference these various types of illegal complaints they reference these various types of ills that have befallen these pets as a result of consuming this food.

They're talking about the products in that food and they're saying based upon those there that you see are the legal claims about implied warranty, expressed warranty. And let me explain what they are. What are these legal things mean? Whenever you have any type of good, Carol, you quietly represent that it's imply and represent, that it's fit for consumption. And in the event that -- you're putting it on the market it should be. And then in terms of express warranty, it's about putting a label that this is something you should purchase. Then I'm expressly standing behind my product.

In addition to that, there are claims of negligence. What negligence? I'm putting something out there and I'm breaching my duty of care by putting out a product that allegedly is not something that dogs should be consuming because they'll die.

COSTELLO: Well, let's talk about -- because you actually have to prove that whatever was in this dog food caused the dog to have all those vile symptoms.

JACKSON: You do. And they're talking about microtoxins and they're talking about Propylene -- these in various substances which they are saying one is an anti-freeze and it's not something that is approved for cats so certainly it shouldn't be with dogs. The issue is are these ingredients in the food? There's a process called discovery, Carol. That's when there's a lawsuit as a result of that lawsuit your side, the defendant, you've been sued, hands over your information to me because I'm suing you and vice versa.

I suspect the experts will analyze this and determine if those ingredients are there, number one; and number two, if they are, is that the cause of the illnesses of these pets and that's what's key. Is that ingredient or is anything to do with my products, that calls for what these past injured in other way. And that's how to play it out.

COSTELLO: So The social media aspect of this, Purina says look, it's this online campaign of hatred toward Purina and it's like ballooned into this lawsuit now and these people just want money.

(CROSSTALK)

JACKSON: You know -- sure there are always going to be claims. And who knows this maybe a very good product and all of these claims may have to do with something else. We don't know. That's what lawsuits are about. They're about each side having a chance to go to court to represent their claims to show that they're true.

But the plaintiffs, those who are suing are saying where there's smoke, there's fire. You don't have over four years 3,000 complaints and there's nothing wrong here. Of course the Purina people are saying reality is we sell a product. Everyone enjoys it. The animals enjoy it.

And as a result of that, we'll continue to do it. We've done nothing wrong. What the truth is, we're going to find out.

COSTELLO: Ok. Joey Jackson, thanks so much as usual.

JACKSON: Pleasure.

Checking some other top stories for you at 55 minutes past -- incredible dash cam video as an explosion levels a New Jersey home injuring 15 people. According to Stafford Township mayor, residents were complaining of a gas odor. Workers from the gas company arrived to investigate and 90 minutes later that house exploded. Several other homes were damaged as well.

Jodi Arias' life will soon be in the hands of jurors again. Her defense team pleading for sympathy to say during closing arguments that her sentencing retrial using personal photos. The prosecution paints Arias as a manipulative liar who was never truly remorseful for killing lover, Travis Alexander in 2008. The jury is expected to get the case before the end of the day.

In weather news, 27 million people are under winter storm warnings right now. We're looking at messy weather from Texas all of the way to Delaware; snow and ice slamming more than 1,400 miles of our great country. Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, all declaring states of emergency ahead of the crippling conditions. They're nicknamed the sea cow so when 19 manatees swam into a drainage

pipe, it caused a pretty big clog.

CNN's Jeanne Moos says it took more than a plumber to clear the drain.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It sounds like a joke, how do you find 19 manatees in a drain pipe?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's still the big one down there. Several big ones.

The manatees at Satellite Beach, Florida, were apparently looking for warmer water, followed each other into a drain pipe and then couldn't turn around. But you can't remove a manatee clog with Drain-O. Thus began the great manatee rescue. Rescuers managed to coax a few out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They just guided another one out.

MOOS: But most, like this big guy, girl, who knows, had to be lifted in a sling dangling off an earth mover. As spectators cheered the pipe had to be cut, water had to be vacuumed away. A mother and her calf were the first ones out. Number three was labeled with spray paint. Each manatee was loaded into a truck where SeaWorld and local rescuers took them in places casually as if they were lying on couches. The operation stretched into the middle of the night when the last of the 19 was rescued.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was awesome. It was absolutely awesome.

MOOS: Despite a few cuts, all of the manatees were well enough to be released back into a nearby waterway.

And speaking of things that ended up where they didn't belong, a 39- foot boat drove right into a waterfront restaurant that happened directly across the state from the manatee rescue in Ruskin, Florida. Diners were enjoying early dinner at the Sunset Grill when this four- engine boat came crashing into the restaurant in dense fog. The fire department estimated the boat was doing 40 to 50 miles per hour yet no one was badly hurt.

Let's end with multiple-choice quiz. Which is more dense: A, the fog; B, the person driving the boat 40 to 50 miles per hour in the fog; or C, the manatees that followed each other up a drain pipe too small to turn around in? B -- the boat driver. The manatees may be dense but they're endangered. They don't endanger us.

Jeanne Moos, CNN --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa, big fellow, whoa.

MOOS: -- New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: I love a happy ending.

Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello.

"AT THIS HOUR" with Berman And Bolduan straight ahead.