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U.S. Pulls Out Remaining Troops in Yemen; Machete Wielding Man Storms Airport; ISIS Focuses on Soft Targets Like Bardo Museum; GOP Holding AG Nominee Hostage?; Brooklyn Fire Kills 7 Children; White House Sharpening Tone Toward Netanyahu; Frats Behaving Badly; Drone Use Expanding. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired March 21, 2015 - 13:00   ET

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

FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Happening right now, 100 American special operators evacuated from Yemen, following a deadly mosque attack. A former Navy SEAL weighs in on what it means that there are no longer any U.S. forces in that country.

[13:00:01] Then -- chaos at a New Orleans airport.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERRIFF NEWELL NORMAND, JEFFERSON PARISH: He pulled a can of wasp spray and sprayed the officer in the face.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Armed with a machete and wasp spray. A man goes on the attack, taking aim at TSA agents.

Plus, fraternities under fire from racist chants, accusations of nude photos of girls passed out or sleeping, shared on Facebook. We take a look at what's going on at college campuses.

The NEWSROOM starts right now.

Hello, again, and thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin with more on our developing story. The U.S. has decided to pull its last remaining troops out of Yemen. Sources tell CNN about 100 Special Operations forces are being evacuated from the Al Anad air base. This has been triggered by concerns that the security situation in Yemen is deteriorating.

CNN correspondent Jomana Karadsheh joins us now from Baghdad.

So this is the last of the American troops who were stationed there. The embassy personnel had already been evacuated weeks ago.

Are there any Americans left operating in any capacity there in Yemen?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, here's what we know from sources in the region familiar with the situation. They say that the U.S. is in the process of evacuating these 100 members of these special operations forces that were based in the Al Anad air base there in Yemen because of the deteriorating security situation.

Now of course the U.S. counterterrorism operations in that country are really surrounded with mystery, so what we do know, we believe that these are the last of U.S. forces there, and as you mentioned, of course, the U.S. embassy was evacuated last month. And there has been a lot of concern about the impact this is going to have on the U.S. war on terror in that country.

Of course, the situation has been worsening in recent months as we have seen. The U.S. ally there, the government of President Hadi that was in Sana'a pushed out by the Houthi rebels who took control of the capital and other areas. The U.S. really wants that ally in its war there against one of al Qaeda's strongest franchises, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, AQAP, that has used Yemen as a base.

And this news, Fred, is coming a day after we saw the devastating attack yesterday in Sana'a on the Shia mosques, Houthi mosques, in the capital Sana'a which has raised fears of the attempt there to properly drive the country into a sectarian war, something like we have seen in Iraq and Syria. And that -- those attacks have been purportedly claimed by ISIS, raising concerns that it is not only AQAP operating in that country but now we're seeing that emergence of ISIS possibly there.

WHITFIELD: Gosh. All right, Jomana Karadsheh, thank you so much in Baghdad.

We're also following new developments on the terror attack in Tunisia. Reuters is reporting that Tunisian authorities have arrested more than 20 suspected militants. A gunman opened fire at the Bardo Museum, killing numerous tourists, 23 people in total, and led to a nationwide security crackdown.

Earlier officials had said two of the suspects received weapons training at camps in Libya. And in a new audio message, ISIS is claiming responsibility for this attack. CNN cannot independently confirm the authenticity of the message, but it is troubling, nonetheless.

And back in the states, an incredible story out of New Orleans. Police shooting a man who was threatening TSA agents with a machete and bug spray. Travelers were sent scrambling as 62-year-old Richard White stormed a security checkpoint, and at one point an agent fought back White and his -- with that machete, and with a piece of luggage. That's when a police officer opened fire, shooting White in the leg, chest and face.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD (voice-over): A chaotic scene at New Orleans Armstrong International Airport. An injured TSA officer is wheeled away way on a stretcher after police say a machete-wielding man who also using wasp spray attacked security staff at a concourse check point.

NORMAND: He walked down the TSA pre-line, encountered the TSA officer who was checking the boarding passes with the scanning machine to be scanned. He was challenged at that point in time by the TSA officer. The response was he pulled a can of wasp spray and sprayed the officer in the face.

WHITFIELD: Police say the suspect, identified as 62-year-old Richard White, then encountered two more TSA agents and started swinging a machete.

[13:05:03] The incident apparently continued through the security area until the suspect was shot three times by a Jefferson Parish sheriff's deputy. White was taken to the hospital for surgery. Police say a shot from that sheriff's deputy also hit a TSA officer who was being chased by the suspect. Her injury was not life-threatening. The incident sent passengers and airport workers scrambling to safety and closed the airport for a short time. Police do not have a motive in the attack.

NORMAND: We don't know whether or not this individual was a member of the traveling public. We suspect not. He has been a taxi driver. He's recently received a chauffeur's license, has little or no criminal history.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. For more on these three top stories, let's bring back former U.S. Air Marshall, former FBI agent, former Navy SEAL, Jonathan Gilliam.

All right. Good to see you again. So let's begin with this attack at the New Orleans airport. Can you ever, you know, really prevent something like this from happening?

JONATHAN GILLIAM, FORMER FBI AGENT: Well, I do believe that you can prevent a lot of this stuff. I mean, we're not going to lay out all the preventions right now in these few minutes that we have.

But I can tell you the awareness and having different protocol as to where people are scanned and how far they can move into the airport, I think we've come so far now to the point where all attacks that have happened in the United States at an airport, whether they be by a mentally deranged individual or somebody who had terroristic or whatever, nefarious intentions. Always happen at the -- basically where you check in or at the area where the security is located.

My real fear with terrorists is that downstairs where you come and you get your bags, where you have literally 200 to 300 people gather at one time, that they're going to end up hitting there. There is no security there. But either way, what you're seeing in airports is your biggest nightmare in these soft targets that there are large congregations of people that gather, either because they're backed up in security or they're getting a bag.

These things, I'm telling you, Fred, I've been a part of a group when I left the Air Marshals, we went around the country looking at these different soft targets. You know, a lot of these answers are already there. But policy keeps them from, you know, enacting the correct procedures and security awareness. It's mind-boggling, but that's absolutely true. A lot of times, it's just policy.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Well, your expertise runs the gamut from formerly as a U.S. Air Marshal and then a U.S. Navy SEAL.

Let's kind of switch topics a little bit and talk about what's happening overseas, particularly in Yemen, when you've got 100 American special operations forces now evacuating and they represent the last of U.S., you know, military there in Yemen.

How concerning is that to you and what does it take to evacuate them?

GILLIAM: It takes a lot less to evacuate them than it would, say, embassy personnel, because the way special forces in the military in general works, is that they're very efficient at going in and coming out of a country.

And you know, Fred, one of the things that you have to look at, it's just like I'm looking over my shoulder behind me right here, this is spring now. We're in spring. And things don't look like -- we think that they should look like. A lot of the times when you see these military operations and you hear that special forces is moving out, it may not be exactly what it sounds like.

I mean, is there a ship right off the coast? Are they going -- they're actually staging somewhere else, or are they completely getting out of Yemen? Because if that's the case, the mission in Yemen is over. And I can't believe that's the fact. I mean, there's still sources that are in Yemen, agency still running, you know, covert operations, I'm positive. And special forces will have a leg in there, somehow, some way.

WHITFIELD: But don't you worry, I mean, if the situation, security is deteriorating as such and it calls for this kind of evacuation, how will it ever be stabilized enough to return to continue the kind of progress or continue the kinds of counterterrorism missions that were being carried out there?

GILLIAM: Well, stabilization is not really a word that goes hand-in- hand with Yemen, first of all. And I think, you know, we have our footprint in there, and I don't really think it matters a lot whether our footprint is just off the coast or if our footprint is, you know, at the airport. As long as we maintain the sources and the -- you know, whether it be human sources or different technology allows us to see what's going on.

I just think right now there is a sectarian war going on right there. And there's probably several reasons why they're pulling back. But it does alarm me a little bit that the fact that the overall war on terror really does not -- and this doesn't just have to do with our government. All the governments need to realize that this is a global war. And I don't see an effective plan that encompasses this whole thing.

WHITFIELD: All right. Now let's talk about Tunisia, and authorities say there has been an arrest of some 20 people as it relates to that terror attack involving people getting off that bus. [13:10:06] ISIS has promised -- number one, it's claiming

responsibility for that. And ISIS has been promising that soft targets will be its mission. How can any country really ensure the safety of any one as they travel, particularly when you talk about these soft targets or places where large gatherings of people will converge?

GILLIAM: We used to have a group that was mainly used by the DOD, but was called Red Cell, and it was a group of SEALs that right after SEAL Team Six, they were created. And basically what they did is they lived exactly like a terrorist unit inside the United States, planning attacks on DOD installations. And they were -- you know, they were very efficient at finding where the vulnerabilities of these even hardened targets were they could exploit.

I think there needs to be another team like that. I run a consulting firm. They either need to reach out to contractors, to develop this team, or they need to develop inside the DOD again. Because here's the facts. You could build a thousand-foot wall and put hundreds of soldiers around the compound. I am going to figure out a way to manipulate your vulnerabilities to get in there.

And I think we saw it in Benghazi at the CIA compound. You know, they had security there. It was, you know, kind of secret. But they just simply went in, got somebody in there, and paced off how far they needed to throw a mortar and hit the building. And that's where we had two SEALs killed working as contractors.

A bad guy and unconventional warfare which we call terrorism is not a criminal. He's not looking to get in, get something and get out. He's looking to kill or cause terror. And that's totally different. We can defeat that if we forward think them, and we start putting the policy just like the airports. We start identifying the soft targets, where the vulnerabilities are, the avenues of approach, and developing the procedures to counter that, rather than just going off of policy that, you know, makes people look good or comfortable.

WHITFIELD: All right. Point blank, telling like it is.

Jonathan Gillian, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

GILLIAM: You got it, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Now you've got me very scared. But also --

GILLIAM: Be aware, Fred.

WHITFIELD: I like that. Be aware.

GILLIAM: Be aware.

WHITFIELD: Just pay attention. All right. Thanks so much, Jonathan.

GILLIAM: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come, several Democrats are claiming Loretta Lynch's confirmation to become attorney general has stalled in the Senate because she's black. Now President Obama weighs in. Hear what he has to say, next.

Then another fraternity under fire accused of posting nude pictures of passed out or sleeping women on a private Facebook page. It's just the latest in a series of scandals involving college-age kids. So what is going on, on college campuses?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:15:53] WHITFIELD: President Obama weighs in on the delayed Senate vote to confirm Loretta Lynch's nominee for attorney general. He spoke during an interview with "Huffington Post."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Increasingly, you hear Democrats saying that race is a factor. Do you share their concerns, sir?

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't know about that. What I do know is that she is imminently qualified. Nobody denies is. Senate dysfunction is part of it. But part of it, I think, is just stubbornness on the part of Republicans to move nominees, period.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Well, they've got -- they're holding up her nomination until they get to this human trafficking bill with a controversial abortion provision in it. Would you encourage Democrats to let the bill go through so you can get a confirmation?

OBAMA: You don't hold attorney general nominees hostage. For other issues. This is our top law enforcement office. Nobody denies that she is well-qualified. We need to go ahead and get it done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Lynch was nominated more than 133 days ago, and only one nominee ever took longer to confirm, and that was Edwin Meese, President Reagan's nominee back in 1985. The Democrats then controlled the Senate and took more than a year to confirm him.

I'm joined now by CNN politics senior reporter, Stephen Collinson.

So this week, as we just heard some Democrats claim the delay to confirm Lynch is racially motivated, which President Obama and even outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder seem to dismiss.

So what is really going on here?

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICS REPORTER: What's really going on is this is one of the first clashes between the Republicans and the Democrats in the new Senate on exactly how the Senate is going to be run. Mitch McConnell and the Republican leaders says he's not going to bring up the Loretta Lynch confirmation until we have a bill passed on human trafficking. Now you might think that human trafficking is one issue that even the

Senate could disagree -- could agree on. But that's not the case. The Democrats are complaining that Republicans have inserted some language on abortion, which they object to. So it hit a stalemate. But behind this -- behind the scenes what's happening is Republicans are determined that the Democrats aren't going to hold their control of the Senate majority hostage to the filibuster.

Democrats have an incentive to gum the whole works up, to make it very difficult to pass anything so that in 2016 they can go to voters and say look, these guys can't run the Senate, hand it back to us, hand -- give us the presidency in 2016 because Republicans just can't govern. So it's a much wider clash than just, you know, over human trafficking or a presidential nominee.

WHITFIELD: But then the question is also, can they not multitask? Can they not address both issues at the same time? Everything is held up because they can't agree on one matter? Why don't -- why can't they move on to the other matter, resolve that and then go back to what they are, you know, trying to resolve?

COLLINSON: Well, that's what Democrats say. And the Senate is actually going to move on to considering a budget as well next week. So we're going to have even more of a logjam going on. I think eventually we'll get a vote on Loretta Lynch just because Democrats really want to get her confirmed. You heard how the president there in that interview really wants to get her confirmed. Eric Holder, the attorney general, wants to retire.

So eventually, it's going to happen. Right now, both Democrats and Republicans both have an incentive to not have this vote and to blame each other. So it's going to take a few weeks, I think, until the politics works through on this.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and even the president points to the irony that many Republicans have wanted Eric Holder out for a very long time. Here is the opportunity. But then he won't be able to leave if they don't confirm Lynch.

COLLINSON: That's right. I don't think there's a member of President Obama's Cabinet who is as unpopular with Republicans as Eric Holder. You'll recall back in 2012, he was held in contempt of Congress. There was a vote in the House because he refused to hand over some documentation relating to the "Fast and Furious." It was a botched gun-running operation. So Eric Holder is possibly the most unpopular man in Washington, according to the GOP.

And it's certainly ironic that, you know -- and he's very -- he really wants to get out of there. He's -- President Obama has several times persuaded him to stay on much longer than he wants to. So he wants to get out of there, the president wants Loretta Lynch confirmed.

[13:20:06] You know, there's not much time left for this administration, a year and eight months or so. So she's going to have a short tenure as it is. So you're right, it is kind of ironic.

WHITFIELD: All right. Stephen Collinson, thanks so much, good to see you.

COLLINSON: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still ahead, stunning developments at those high-stakes negotiations on Iran's nuclear program.

Erin McPike is at the White House.

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, John Kerry says there is still a lot of work to do, but they have just 10 more days to do it. I'll have details after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Iran's president says a nuclear deal with the United States is within reach, and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says substantial progress has been made. But the potential deal has hit several obstacles, including opposition on Capitol Hill and from the Israeli prime minister.

Erin McPike is at the White House for us.

So, Erin, the deadline is now just 10 days away. Are the sides any closer to a compromise?

MCPIKE: Fred, John Kerry said this morning that they have been negotiating slowly, so that they can get this deal right. But in two- and-a-half years, it still doesn't seem as though both sides are on exactly the same page.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[13:25:00] JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: We recognize that fundamental decisions have to be made now. And they don't get any easier as time goes by. It is time to make hard decisions.

MCPIKE: With the U.S. and Iran planning on resuming negotiations next week, John Kerry says they have made progress as they try to put the finishing touches on the outlines of a potential nuclear deal.

KERRY: In the days ahead, we will stay at this. We have not yet reached the finish line. But make no mistake -- we have the opportunity to try to get this right. It's a matter of political will.

MCPIKE: With the deadline just 10 days away, Iran's Foreign minister assessed that progress.

MOHAMMAD JAVAD ZARIF, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: It is possible any time. It depends on the political will, whether there is a political will for each one.

MCPIKE: He warned on Twitter, "It's time for the U.S. and its allies to give a little to get a deal done." Major differences remain. In a last ditch effort President Obama made his own appeal to the Iranian people, warning no deal would make their conditions under Western sanctions even worse.

OBAMA: Iran's leaders have a choice between two paths. If they cannot agree to a reasonable deal, they will keep Iran on the path it's on today, a path that has isolated Iran and the Iranian people from so much of the world, cause so much hardship for the Iranian families, and deprived so many young Iranians the jobs and opportunities they deserve.

MCPIKE: The allies and Iran are still working on such issues as how long a deal would last, a system for verifying Iran is complying with the measures put in place and not secretly developing a nuclear weapon, and when those tough sanctions against them would end.

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president believes, and I think with some justification, that we need to see the Iranians demonstrate some sustained commitment to implementing the agreement before we talk about removing all the sanctions.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCPIKE: Now the White House has gotten something that it's wanted in the past couple of weeks and that is that Republicans, Senate Republicans are delaying a vote until mid-April on a measure that would require congressional approval for anything that President Obama does -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Erin McPike, thanks so much.

All right. Still ahead, U.S. fraternities under fire from racist chants to a scandal over nude photos shared on Facebook. Our panels takes a look at what's happening on college campuses.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Some good news on mortgage rates. They were down this week. Have a look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:31:10] WHITFIELD: All right. Hello, again, everyone. And thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

A developing story in Brooklyn. A ferocious fire this morning took the lives of seven children and they were all siblings. Ranging from ages 5 to 15. The children's mother and her 14-year-old daughter did manage to survive, but only after jumping out of the window to escape the flames. Last hour, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, addressed reporters after he toured that burnt home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL DE BLASIO, (D) NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: So this is a tragedy that has very few examples for us to look at. It's so painful. It's so difficult. It is unimaginable what you see in there. You can literally see what was a home for a large and strong family, and now it is wiped out. Every room empty and burned and charred, and you can only imagine that this beautiful, vibrant family 24 hours ago intact, and now so many lost.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN correspondent Shasta Darlington is with us now from Brooklyn.

Heartbreaking situation. Bring us up to date on where this investigation goes, and how the surviving mother and daughter are doing.

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, what we know is that the fire started in the kitchen shortly after midnight. There was a malfunctioning hot plate. Hot plates are used pretty widely here among the orthodox Jewish community to keep food warm. The fire spread quickly up the stairs. And according to the commissioner, there were no functioning smoke alarms on the first or the second floor. So the fire just consumed the second story.

As you mentioned, the mother and her 14-year-old daughter were able to escape by jumping out those windows. But her seven other children, between the ages of 5 and 15, were all killed by the blaze. One girl was killed right here on the spot. The other at the regional hospitals.

But you can just imagine how devastating this was for the firefighters. There were some 100 people on the scene, desperately trying to save these children. And obviously, at the end of the day, to see that so many of them didn't make it has been very difficult for the New York firefighters here.

What we also heard from the commissioner a short while ago is that they have located the father. They weren't able to initially, because he was away at a conference. So I can just imagine how truly devastating this will be for him as well -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Horrible. All right, Shasta Darlington, keep us posted there from Brooklyn. Thank you.

All right. The White House tone toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is growing sharper. The anger over his pre- election flip-flop on a Palestinian state is clearly evident.

CNN's senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If there's one thing that's clear after President Obama's phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it's that a single conversation won't repair a damaged relationship. Netanyahu has said in at least three interviews that he still believes in Palestinian statehood despite his pre-election flip-flop on a two-state solution in a desperate appeal for votes.

"I haven't changed," Netanyahu told NPR. But that's not good enough for the White House. UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Why not take him at his word on that? Is

there a reason that the White House --

EARNEST: That is the question, which one?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: His latest.

ACOSTA: White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest declined to say whether Netanyahu clarified his position in his phone call with the president.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Did the Prime Minister tell the President he believes in a two-state solution in this phone call?

EARNEST: Well, that's something -- you can ask my Israeli counterpart about what the prime minister says in this phone call.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Don't you know what the president heard?

EARNEST: I'm not saying I don't know. I'm just saying that I will allow my Israeli counterpart to describe the views that his boss conveyed in that phone call.

[13:35:04] ACOSTA: Despite those tensions, House Speaker John Boehner plans to visit Israel at the end of the month. While the speaker's office says the trip was planned well before the prime minister's re- election, it will come around the deadline for an initial nuclear deal between Iran, the U.S. and other world powers.

OBAMA: This moment may not come again soon. I believe that our nations have a historic opportunity to resolve this issue peacefully. An opportunity we should not miss.

ACOSTA: In a video message to the Iranian people, the president urged leaders in Tehran to come to an agreement, and later released a statement calling for the release of Americans either imprisoned or missing in the country. Secretary of State John Kerry, who spent the week working on a nuclear agreement, sounded optimistic as he left the talks.

KERRY: We'll be back next week.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Here in Lausanne?

KERRY: We made a lot of progress. Yes, here.

ACOSTA (on camera): The White House had said before Netanyahu's victory that the president would not meet with the prime minister just weeks prior to that election. But with the voting now over, aides to the president say they won't rule out a future meeting, noting the two leaders have much to discuss.

Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: Still ahead, American college fraternities under fire from racist chants to a scandal over nude photos shared on Facebook. Our panel takes a look at what's happening on college campuses.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Now to the scandals involving fraternities at major universities across the U.S.

[13:40:01] Kappa Delta Rho fraternity at Penn State is the latest frat to be accused of bad behavior. The university's local chapter has been suspended for a year after allegedly posting photos of naked women on a private Facebook page. Some of them, some of the girls apparently passed out.

Here is CNN's Sara Ganim.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than just bad fraternity behavior, this could be criminal. Police are investigating the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity at Penn State for these photos that members allegedly posted to an invitation only private Facebook page -- photos of women who appear to be passed out, partially naked. Others in compromising, embarrassing positions with comments from brothers like this one, "LOL, delete those or we will be on CNN in a week." Well, here you are.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are looking for any victims, any potential victims to come forward and contact the state college police department and come forward so that we can do one of two things. We can aid in the identification of any perpetrators that will aid us in the investigation and prosecution of anybody responsible for these despicable acts.

GANIM: Police say some of those responsible are current students and some are alumni, and it's one of those alum who blew the whistle, going back to police with screenshots like this one, depicting a naked woman passed out. Police say other photos show illicit drug sales and this one of brothers showing their bare butts police say is a hazing incident.

The fraternity was swiftly suspended for a year. Penn State saying the conduct was, quote, "highly inappropriate and appalling, offensive and inconsistent with the university community's values and expectations."

It's just the latest example of a fraternity exposed for bad behavior. This week, the University of Houston suspended five members of Epsilon Chi, after a hazing allegation surfaced. Police are also investigating to see if criminal charges are appropriate. Sigma Phi Epsilon shut its doors last year at the University of Mississippi after three of its members draped a Confederate banner and placed a noose around the statue of the school's first black student.

And this horrifying video of members singing a racist chant led to the shutdown of the SAE chapter at the University of Oklahoma. Today, the national SAE organization announced an initiative to combat racial discrimination and insensitivity among its members.

BLAINE AYERS, SAE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: We started a comprehensive investigation of all of our chapters to determine if any others have engaged in behavior similar to what we saw on the video from our former chapter at the University of Oklahoma.

GANIM: Sara Ganim, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: So what is going on, on college campuses today? For a bigger conversation, I'm joined by Neil Irvin, the executive director of Men Can Stop Rape. Plus attorney and radio personality, Mo Ivory, and Sam Janesch is a senior at Penn State University, and editor-in- chief of the school's newspaper "The Daily Collegian".

Good to see all of you.

So, Sam, let me go to you first, you know, a frat member at Penn State's Kappa Delta Rho is defending the frat in an interview in a Philly mag, saying, a photo of someone passed out is just, and I'm quoting that person, "satire." No harm meant. Just kind of open season. So is this comment kind of indicative of what a lot of young people on campus seem to believe?

SAM JANESCH, PENN STATE UNIVERSITY SENIOR: I'm not sure that that's exactly what most students here believe now. There is a lot of discussion about that article and about that anonymous student after the article was released.

WHITFIELD: What was the conversation like after that?

JANESCH: A lot of people think he doesn't know what satire means. Our editorial board heavily criticized that speech for just basically ignorance.

WHITFIELD: Hmmm. And so, you know, Mo, you know, a lot of parents are hearing this, you know, their kids are either in school or maybe like in your case, you've got a 16-year-old and you're thinking about colleges, looking at them now.

What do you suppose, you know, are the worries now for parents and their kids who go off, you're proud your kids going off to college and, you know, they are met with all kinds of big decisions? But these are not good decisions, clearly.

MO IVORY, ATTORNEY: No, no, absolutely. And I think parents have always been worried about what will happen to their kids when they go to college. But it was things like, you know, will they not go to class and will they, you know, maybe not drink too much and will they do sort of the normal things that college students do. But I don't think parents ever worry that, you know, nude photos of their child would end up on social media, because of course we didn't have it before. But I think that it's a total -- I think first parents have to talk to

their children about the realities of what are going on. I did talk to my daughter about the SAE thing. I did talk to her about, you know, the Penn State. And I did talk to her even about UVA and what was happening. She had an invitation to come to UVA to see, you know, an open house for prospective students. And I really told her, I'm just not sure that that's the environment that I want you to be in.

[13:45:04] But can she really escape that environment? Probably not at any college. But I think that you have to talk to your children about the idea that, for example, I think privacy has gone away. Like students just don't have a sense of privacy anymore. And what privacy means. Not only for themselves, but for other people. Because we're in such a world of sharing. So they think like, if I take an embarrassing picture of you, I can go ahead and blast it out to everybody. And they don't understand sort of the ramifications of that.

WHITFIELD: So I guess that's part of the concern, too, Neil, is what is the environment now? I mean, is this representative of the environment on college campuses, or the environment as it surrounds fraternities that we're talking about a callousness, an insensitivity, maybe even an entitlement, Neil? How do you see it?

NEIL IRVIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MEN CAN STOP RAPE: I mean, I think all those characteristics can play out for some who are part of a college campus, a college environment, or part of a fraternity. And so I don't think in these moments where we've found me not being a member of a fraternity, I don't think that we can in these moments where we find this behavior and we all think it's deplorable, it has to be held accountable, we have to do away with it. There are so many others.

Let's remember that someone put that video out for us to find. Some -- an alum told on the images that were there. And so I think there are many within the culture, within the campus culture, that are actively working to hold people accountable, and to change it. What we'd like to see is more of that. What we'd like to see is more men seeing this, both as active members, as alums to chapters, but even if you're not in Greek life, it's not only in Greek life where we're seeing these kinds of attitudes.

And I think you're right, Fredricka. Entitlement play out where we think we can do what we want to do and that we are not accountable to anyone outside of these walls.

WHITFIELD: Right.

IRVIN: And so I think there is a lot to do.

WHITFIELD: And while it's commendable that one or a few have decided to speak out, I guess, Sam, the worry is, is there a level of complacency that those who were engaged in this kind of behavior felt like the tone is right, the environment is OK, it will accept this behavior, I'm not alone, there is a private Facebook page in which to view these images of these young girls. So Sam, talk to me. You know, from your level, they're on campus

interacting with your colleagues there. Is there kind of a sense of we can get away with things here in this environment that maybe wouldn't be acceptable elsewhere, and let's just try it?

JANESCH: I'm not sure. I think a lot of the problems we have seen like this at Kappa Delta Rho have been within the fraternity system. I agree, it's not exclusive to that, but I think there's some mindset now for holding these people accountable. Students here held a rally at our administration building yesterday, pretty much demanding that these students are immediately suspended. That the one posting these photos and the other posts are expelled. So there is, you know, a high level -- I kind of believe that we are (INAUDIBLE) at this point.

(CROSSTALK)

IVORY: Yes, but --

JANESCH: Reevaluation of the fraternity system.

IVORY: I also think, though, that there needs to be a an emphasis on the person who turns in the information as applauded for doing that. We sort of like once we find out who the bad ones are, we put their names up there, but we don't really tell who was the person who came forward and said, this is the right thing to do. And --

WHITFIELD: Well, in some cases, it seems like an anonymity because maybe they still want to be befriended by other people.

IVORY: Sure.

WHITFIELD: Don't want to be looked at as a traitor.

IVORY: Right.

WHITFIELD: But they have recognized here's right and here's wrong.

IVORY: But that's the bad part. That they would be looked at a traitor instead of somebody that was trying to break down the system that is so terrible and that has put so many other students in jeopardy.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Hey, Sam, if you can help us understand, what is -- what are most students saying is the allure about, you know, pledging to a fraternity? Why did they do it? What is it that, you know, brings them to a fraternity or to the whole, you know, pledging process?

JANESCH: Sure. Well, I'm not a member of a fraternity myself. But, I mean, it's; a big social and service organization. Penn State has a huge history of fraternity system. There are about 15 fraternities here, 30 sororities, and, you know, they pride themselves on their service and their charitable organizations but there's a lot of social, you know, allure as well as you mentioned.

WHITFIELD: Yes. JANESCH: You know, we don't know exactly what all those processes are

all the time. But, you know, it's a brotherhood. It still is.

WHITFIELD: Yes. OK. And so, Mo, you know, I know you pledged --

IRVIN: But, Fredricka, just --

WHITFIELD: OK. Go ahead, Neil, real quick.

IRVIN: I was going to say, and just, you know, in terms of how we teach boys to be men, if we just look at our Congress, if we just look at the Senate, many of those men and women were part of a Greek organization. And so the social and service aspect of it as Mo was saying earlier the things that we want to lift up. Unfortunately the culture has been co-opted by those who are thinking they gave them the freedom however they want.

And so like the alum did for the one chapter, I think more in a generational alum relations and oversight need to happen because young men want to be involved in these social and service organizations because they are attractive. There is status to it and there is stature. And if you look at Congress and look at Senate, there's some long-term benefits to that network.

[13:50:06] WHITFIELD: Yes.

IVORY: Yes. But it --

WHITFIELD: OK.

IRVIN: And so I think we need to look at that.

WHITFIELD: So, Mo, real quick. You pledged, you know, as a college student.

IVORY: Yes.

WHITFIELD: I've got plenty of friends who did. I never did, but I understood, you know, why many people wanted to pledge. Has the reasons behind it changed?

IVORY: Well, certainly, and I'm sure. But I want to say that for sure many of the -- and I can't speak for the majority of fraternities, but in the historically black fraternities and sororities, like mine, Delta Sigma Beta, it's always been about the service, it's always been about improving your community, about scholarship, being the best student that you could be. And --

WHITFIELD: So when things like this happen, do you think that kind of blemishes, you know --

IVORY: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Bruises --

IVORY: Because the social is supposed to be -- WHITFIELD: The imagery of fraternity.

IVORY: Sure. Because the social is supposed to the most minimal part of it with the most -- biggest part being the service.

WHITFIELD: All right, Mo, Neil, Sam, thanks to all of you. I really appreciate it.

We'll have much more right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: This week, the Federal Aviation Administration approved Amazon's use of unmanned aircraft or drones for research and training. Just one more sign of how drone use is expanding.

CNN's Laurie Segall has more in this week's CNN Money Innovate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[13:55:02] LAURIE SEGALL, CNN MONEY TECH CORRESPONDENT: Tyrone here, that's the drone's name.

ERIC SCHNEIDER, CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIST, CHAOTIC MOON: Yes.

SEGALL: Because you guys name your drones here at Chaotic Moon.

SCHNEIDER: We do.

SEGALL: Tyrone has some very interesting capabilities.

SCHNEIDER: Tyrone is able to do graffiti as well as silly string and as a flame thrower. We wanted to kind of hit all of the board and kind of start pulling out conversations about what drone's capabilities are in the future. So, you know, silly string right now, doing graffiti high up is a dangerous job, now we're transforming art. You know, what is art after this?

SEGALL: But don't you worry graffiti is illegal. I mean --

SCHNEIDER: It is illegal, but here in Austin, we have spaces for it that is completely legal.

SEGALL: What is like the practical use of a flame-throwing drone. Sorry, Tyrone, no offense, but what is the practical use? I can only see horrific scenarios here.

SCHNEIDER: EDM concerts, that's a big thing happening there or Kiss I hear would be really excited to have a drone or couple of drones like this. We have all the technology to place him to say what can we do with this? And we push the limits.

SEGALL: But not without regulations and with pushback, correct?

SCHNEIDER: There's always going to be pushback with technology.

SEGALL: So tell me about the pushback you guys have had so far.

SCHNEIDER: The police actually got a little shaky about other drones out there, which, I mean, we flame throwed a drone. You are always going to hit roadblocks with new technology especially.

SEGALL: We're at this very pivotal point where tech can be used for good, tech can be used for bad.

SCHNEIDER: Yes.

SEGALL: It's kind of like an unregulated area right now. So do you hope that this would be used for good?

SCHNEIDER: I do hope drones will be used for good. I'd like to see more consumer based and see what it can do to help people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, the next hour of the NEWSROOM continues when we come right back.

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