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Ferguson Interim Police Chief Takes Charge; Black UVA Student Bloody Arrest Stokes Anger, Student Rallies; FBI Investigating Aaron Schock; ISIS Claims Yemen Mosque Attacks. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired March 20, 2015 - 10:30   ET

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

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[10:33:04] BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: There's a new top cop in Ferguson today. The city, appointing an interim chief of police while a nationwide search for a replacement takes place in the wake of that damning Department of Justice report.

But the head of Ferguson, the mayor, James Knowles, is refusing to step aside arguing that he's needed now more than ever after so many city officials have left.

I want to discuss this now with Missouri state representative Courtney Curtis. Representative, thanks so much for being on. Really appreciate it.

Let's talk about the mayor. I know that you think that he should go. But he's saying over and over he's not going anywhere. Do you think there needs to be a recall election?

COURTNEY CURTIS, MISSOURI STATE REPRESENTATIVE: Definitely. And things are in the works right now to bring that to the ballot. And I'm very hopeful that it will bring about change.

The reason the mayor needs to go is simply because he led the ship to the place that we are now and I can't say that we're in a great place. Self-awareness is a key thing to have. And I don't know that he's self-aware.

KEILAR: Ok. And talk about though the interim police chief. This is his first day there, Al Eickhoff. This is someone who has been through the recent chaos that has rocked Ferguson. But he hasn't been with the department for a very long time. Are you happy with his appointment or do you think that this is just sort of perpetuating Ferguson's culture that we see in the police department?

CURTIS: no, I actually see it as a formality. Someone has to be the interim chief. I'm more hopeful that the national search will bring about somebody that has broader experiences in dealing with diverse groups of people. That could actually change the culture in the police department. So the interim chief is just a formality and it's something that had to be done but it's by no means the permanent solution.

[10:35:00] KEILAR: But ultimately you want to see really in a way this police department sort of leveled and for it to start from scratch. Right now it doesn't seem that that is what's going to happen. But what would that look like and I guess why do you think that's the answer?

CURTIS: Simply because there're so many things that have been uncovered in the Department of Justice report. We don't really have an opportunity to slow foot our way through the changes. I'm assuming that the changes won't be well taken, they won't be implemented as fast as the community would like to. And the community doesn't have time for those changes not to come to bear. So if the Department of Justice is going to move, we would ask that they move swiftly so we can begin the rebuilding process and go from there.

KEILAR: There's so much attention lately on Ferguson, Missouri. It's been revived. But do you worry -- at a certain point the attention may die down? Do you worry what happens then?

CURTIS: Yes. I mean if the attention goes away and the changes have been put into place, we could likely find ourselves in a situation like this again. Hopefully we'll learn from this mistake. And that's why again it's important that the police department is disbanded so that we not only send a strong message to Ferguson but to the country that police and practices such as Ferguson's department practices are known to not be tolerated in the country.

KEILAR: So many eyes on Ferguson. We'll be watching to see how this plays out. Representative Courtney Curtis, thank you so much for being with us.

CURTIS: Thank you.

KEILAR: And still to come, anger simmers and students demand answers. Why was an honor student subjected to such a bloody and violent arrest? We have the latest from the campus of the University of Virginia.

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[10:40:21] KEILAR: In Charlottesville, Virginia a college campus is on edge and its students on the march again. They are protesting the Wednesday morning arrest of an honor student. The altercation so bloody and violent it prompted many to say it's just the latest example of law enforcement's excessive use of force against a black man.

CNN's Nick Valencia is there with more -- Nick.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning -- Brianna. Good morning -- Brianna.

Another town hall is expected this afternoon at about 1:00 p.m. Eastern. It will include university officials as well as local law enforcement officials. This dialogue is in direct response to the arrest of 20-year-old Martese Johnson in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

So many have weighed in on this conversation -- one of the latest to do it is Marcus Martin. He's the dean of African-American affairs and last night he talked to CNN's Anderson Cooper after he says he spoke to Martese Johnson to get his side of the story.

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MARCUS MARTIN, DEAN OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN AFFAIRS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: He told me when I saw him that he was on a corner and that's the area across from the university with other students. He was talking to the person at the front door of the particular pub -- I guess the bouncer. And suddenly he was asked to come over to speak with an ABC officer.

The officer asked him for his I.D. He presented the I.D. And there was some confusion about whether the I.D. was fake or not and the I.D. was not fake. I saw his I.D. He has I.D. from the state of Illinois. His birthday is listed correctly on the I.D. I think the ABC officer asked him his zip code. He gave the zip code for his current home. His mother just bought a new home recently, but his I.D. from the state of Illinois which is still valid through June when he becomes 21 had a different zip code. So there was some confusion I think for the ABC officer.

Then he was asked to go over and speak to another ABC officer and he was asked about his I.D. again. And I think he showed his I.D. Then there were some words exchanged when he was accused of having a fake I.D. And then things escalated. He told me then he was pushed the back of his neck down to the hard pavement, which is a brick pavement in front of the pub.

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VALENCIA: Johnson who's a third-year student at the University of Virginia majoring in Italian and media studies was not officially arrested for having a fake I.D. According to police report he was arrested though for public intoxication as well as obstruction of justice and Brianna he has his court date set for later this month.

KEILAR: Obstruction of justice without force very important to note as well. Nick Valencia in Charlottesville -- thanks so much.

Still to come, Congressman Aaron Schock. He stepped down this week over claims of some pretty outlandish spending but now the FBI is getting involved.

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[10:46:56] KEILAR: We're following some breaking news at this hour.

Things just keep getting worse for Illinois congressman Aaron Schock; the once-rising Republican star now being investigated by the FBI and federal prosecutors over campaign finances. Schock announced earlier this week he's stepping down after accusations of questionable spending and political donations. The congressman first made headlines after it was discovered that

he had decorated his office there on Capitol Hill like this with a "Downton Abbey" theme. And that renovation, by the way, not cheap -- $40,000 worth of taxpayer funds that Schock has since paid back to the U.S. government.

I want to bring in CNN senior Washington correspondent, Joe Johns.

The office was sort of odd but he paid the money back. And it's really the least of his problems right now, isn't it?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: I think that's true -- Brianna. The latest trouble for Congressman Schock -- and not surprising given the seriousness of some of the allegations that have been made public. A federal investigation has been launched into some of those allegations of questionable conduct surrounding him.

The FBI, federal prosecutors in Illinois investigating whether he broke the law in accounting for campaign expenses according to people familiar with the matter. CNN's Evan Perez and Jeff Zeleny are reporting this new information. We've reached out to Schock's attorneys for comment here in Washington, D.C. at a very powerful law firm. So far they haven't gotten back to us.

Schock in recent days announced plans to resign effective at the end of March. At that time citing the controversy surrounding allegations he improperly accounted for travel and other contributions from donors, reimbursements for campaign, use of a personal car. That probe managed by prosecutors and the U.S. attorney's office in Springfield means the legal troubles are now just beginning; the FBI beginning to deliver subpoenas seeking testimony before a grand jury.

In Springfield, Illinois, there had been cause for a house ethics probe however his resignation could have made that more or less unnecessary. A federal investigation is a very different story; likely not to be affected by his employment status -- Brianna.

KEILAR: That's right. And just a -- you know, he has a former FEC chairman who he's now hired. He's really certainly trying to make sure that he protects himself from what could be criminal charges here.

Joe Johns -- thanks for the update on this. We'll be right back.

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[10:51:15] KEILAR: We have some breaking to tell you about now. According to Reuters, ISIS is now claiming responsibility for those suicide bomb attacks today in Yemen that killed more than 100 people, left hundreds wounded. Let's get now to CNN -- we'll be visiting in just a moment with CNN's senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh.

Just to recap though. This is a very surprising, if true, because we understood that the series of attacks on mosques in Yemen had all of the hallmarks of al Qaeda. That was the expectation was that we thought al Qaeda may claim responsibility for this.

Now you have ISIS claiming responsibility and, of course, this also comes on the heels of ISIS claiming responsibility for the attack on a museum in Tunisia.

We'll be back with a live report in just a moment on this breaking news.

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KEILAR: Let's go straight to our correspondent, Nick Paton Walsh. He's following those multiple attacks in Yemen.

And Nick, we've been talking about how these attacks had all of the hallmarks of al Qaeda and yet now you have ISIS -- this is the breaking news -- just claiming responsibility for this.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we have to treat this claim of responsibility with extreme caution for two reasons.

KEILAR: Yes.

WALSH: Because ISIS are not known to have a particularly substantial presence in Yemen. But this kind of violence, these series of blasts and then the follow-up explosion targeting those who rushed to assist, that is potentially something you might associate with ISIS tactics in the past.

The statement is being released through a Web site, an online vehicle which in the past has also been used to put similar statements out but simply because they say they did it doesn't necessarily mean that they did. So we have to be cautious about this.

But there are also analysts as well saying that al Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula do not in the past target mosques. Now, of course some will challenge that qualification of the level of violence they're willing to instill upon people. But I think many are quite asking how this new development, this sectarian nature of these explosions, the quite chilling level of the death toll that seems to be doubling literally in the past hour or so quite how this new chapter has arisen in Yemen.

[10:54:59] Does it have anything to do with ISIS? As I say, they are not really a big player in Yemen -- very much on the sidelines. Very much overshadowed by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, who have a very strong base inside Yemen.

That's why the U.S. has been going after them with drones there for years. But this claim online will attract a lot of attention and will have many concerned there could be a new player in Yemen. I should stress again, just because they say they did it using this statement, we don't actually know precisely who it is from at this state, doesn't mean that they did carry out these attacks -- Brianna. KEILAR: Sure. But why -- explain to us, Nick, why ISIS would

make this claim if they're not actually responsible? Are they just trying to seem like they are the scariest actor in the neighborhood?

WALSH: In short, yes. What we're potentially seeing here in Yemen is a departure into sectarian war, potentially. This is a rare attack. We don't normally see mosques hit -- these mosques are predominantly Shia. Because the Houthi movement who have (inaudible) these mosques have been sweeping into power in the past few months are mostly Shia and those they have been facing a lot on the battlefields around Yemen are often Sunni tribes. And that replicates the violence across the region. ISIS might be trying to be the most violent, to be the vanguard if you like, of this new sectarian violence -- Brianna.

KEILAR: All right Nick Paton Walsh covering this from Beirut for us. Thank you so much.

Let's check your top stories this morning. Just a couple weeks after Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress following the invitation from House Speaker John Boehner, Boehner is going to head to Israel. His trip will take place in the next couple of weeks. This all coming on the heels of Netanyahu's surprisingly strong win. Newspapers in the Middle East predict that Boehner will receive red carpet treatment when he's there. One paper says the trip amounts to a victory celebration.

And more than 13 years after the twin towers fell medical examiners have identified one of the victims who died. His name is Matthew David Yarnell. He was working on the 97th floor of the South Tower when the building was hit. More than 1,600 victims have now been positively identified.

The FBI and the Justice Department doing an investigation now in Mississippi after the body of an African-American man was found hanging from a tree. 54-year-old Otis Byrd had been missing for more than two weeks. Authorities say he was found with a bed sheet tied around his neck and a skull cap on his head. The exact cause of death has not been determined. Authorities can't say if his death was a suicide or if it was a homicide.

And Graco has agreed to pay a $3 million fine for dragging their feet in launching a recall back in 2014. The company's child safety seat reportedly had a defective latch that could trap kids in the seat. No injuries have been reported thankfully due to the defect but Graco could face an additional $7 million fine unless they spend that amount on steps to improve child safety.

And finally this morning, a high-speed police chase in L.A. turned stunt show. Here's Jeanne Moos.

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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A biker doing over 100 miles per hour on the freeway, running red lights, almost hitting an SUV, just another L.A. high-speed chase. But when he put his feet on the seat, that was more than some could stand. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at this guy. Look at this guy. Look at

this. Look at this. He is totally showing off.

MOOS: Some thought the biker even took a selfie. But close up, it looked like a rude gesture to pursuing police. Media choppers buzzed above. It was breaking news without brake lights. This viewer couldn't contain himself.

UNIDENTIFIED VIEWER: Whoeee.

MOOS: At one point, the biker ended up at a dead end and casually took off his helmet and inserted ear buds. When police tried to block him off, he almost took their door off.

The last time we covered an L.A. motorcycle chase involved a pack of bikers doing wheelies. The solitary rider kept repeating that standing up stuff.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here we go again.

MOOS: Wrote one commenter on Mediaite, "Where's a pothole when you need one?"

After over an hour, making his last stand, the biker turns into a gas station and gave up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Aah. Weak.

MOOS: Police had guns drawn as he lay spread eagle. 23-year-old Phillip Resendez was arrested for felony evading and driving the wrong way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you mean you didn't endanger anybody, you're standing on your bike going 100 miles per hour?

MOOS: And get this, the biker actually criticized one of the cops, saying, did he seriously have to try and kick me off my bike?

PHILLIP RESENDEZ, LED COPS ON STUNT-FILLED CHASE: I just want to say I love my family and my two baby girls and I'm sorry I disappointed them.

MOOS: It was a chase that had hearts pumping, all this lady wanted to pump was gas.

Jeanne Moos, CNN --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at this guy. Look at this guy. Look at this. Look at this.

MOOS: -- New York.

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KEILAR: Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Brianna Keilar. "AT THIS HOUR WITH BERMAN AND BOLDUAN" starts now.