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Officer Challenges Prosecutors; GOP Hopefuls; "American Sniper" Widow Speaks Out; Wells Fargo Sued by Los Angeles. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired May 06, 2015 - 09:30   ET

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


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: So Tom, I want to start with you. Does Officer Nero have a case here?

TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: I honestly don't know. I don't know what the specific provision is of the law in the City of Baltimore or State of Maryland on knives, on how long or spring loaded or how you classify it.

[09:30:05] And I don't know what this knife actually was. We haven't seen the knife or heard any more detail about it, so -- so I don't know. I just seems kind of, I guess, hard to believe that a police official as high as a lieutenant wouldn't know his own law as to whether it's legal or not, but we just don't know. I don't know about the knife.

COSTELLO: So -- so, Reverend Bryant, the state's attorney, she could put this issue to rest by simply showing us a picture of the knife. In the spirit of transparency, shouldn't she do that?

REV. JAMAL BRYANT, PASTOR, EMPOWERMENT TEMPLE AME CHURCH: I think that she should. Clearly I'm not as versed as my colleague is on the law, but we do know that the initial police report says that he was arrested with no probable cause. That there was absolutely no grounds, it was concealed as it was, in fact, attached to the inside of his pocket. I think that the attorney at this point is clearly just reaching for straws when the union declared just an hour after the indictment was read, said that the officers have done absolutely nothing wrong, and Attorney Mosby said that the knife was, in fact, legal according to Baltimore code.

COSTELLO: So, reverend, again, you think that the state's attorney should show the public a picture of that knife?

BRYANT: I said, I really don't know the contours of the legality of the case to be able to speak to that, I'm just referencing the initial police report.

COSTELLO: No, no, I understand, but -- but --

BRYANT: Yes.

COSTELLO: But should the state's attorney show the public a picture of that knife and put this to rest once and for all?

BRYANT: I'm not sure to the public as much as maybe just to the attorney. I really don't have the legal depth to speak to that.

COSTELLO: OK.

So, Tom, I want you to listen to something else the commissioner told CNN during that sit down interview. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COMMISSIONER ANTHONY BATTS, BALTIMORE POLICE: It's clear the day that I stepped on ground here in Baltimore that there is a lack of trust within our community and the police department in certain parts of our community. So we've been trying to do that from day one by being transparent, by being open when we make mistakes.

I think we're going in the right direction is what I'm trying to say. By every metric that you measure a police department on, we've hit a home run and we're going in the right direction. There is a lack of trust within this community, period, bottom line, and that's going to take healing. That's going to take us acknowledging, as a police department, not just here in Baltimore, but law enforcement as a whole, that we've been part of the problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, Tom, those six officers are charged with some serious crimes. Should the commissioner be saying this publicly at this particular time?

FUENTES: I think what he's -- what he's been trying to say, and he actually said in the past before the whole incident started with Freddie Gray, is that since he became commissioner, he's initiated a number of community policing projects in town. You know, many of those are not being discussed at the moment. But the problem with those is they don't show immediate results. If you start going to elementary schools and junior high schools, that will be great if those kids grow up trusting the police and have a relationship. But you won't see the results of that for five, eight, 10 years when they're young adult men and women standing on the streets.

So I think that all of the community policing ideas are great, and, you know, I agree with everyone who's said that the community is under resourced, and you can start with prenatal care for the mothers, to preschool, to elementary and high school and, you know, all of the support that could be given isn't given, as it is in many other neighbors, that's all true.

But the issue now is, today, if you're the shift commander and your officers are going out on the 4:00 to midnight shift or the midnight to 8:00 shift, what do you specifically tell them of how to police the people that are on the street now in the community as it exists right now and do it in an area that is one of the highest crime, most dangerous areas in the country? You know, it's a very difficult challenge and no one is really addressing what they do today. They're talking about long-term projects, which are great, but they're not talking about today, tomorrow, and next week.

COSTELLO: So, Reverend Bryant, what should that shift commander be telling his officers?

BRYANT: Really there's got to be some level of inner personal engagement. Let me really agree with my colleague. They've been on the ground trying to rebuild, Commissioner Batts has, but it's almost a day late and a dollar short, and we don't have time really for intensive studies. There's got to be an immediate recruitment within the -- in the city community for those who want to be police officers. Job opportunities have to happen. The transparency that he's talking about is grossly need, but needed way before this incident. And so I think that this is really a time for the immediate casting of the vote for body cameras and the civilian review board in order for that healing process to begin.

[09:35:02] COSTELLO: All right, Reverend Bryant, Tom Fuentes, thanks to both of you. I appreciate it.

FUENTES: Thank you.

COSTELLO: You're welcome.

Prince is heading to Baltimore just days after recording a song paying tribute to the Freddie Gray protests. The singer has announced a Mother's Day -- a Mother's Day rally for peace concert this Sunday. The event will take place at the Royal Farms Arena. Tickets go on sale today. Fans are encouraged to wear something gray.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, the number of Republicans who think they should be president keeps on growing. You can add Mike Huckabee's name to the list. But could the sheer number of candidates actually hurt the party? We'll talk about that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Move over Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, and Ben Carson, and Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee is your newest rival in the Republican race for the White House. The former Arkansas governor making it official at a rally in his hometown of Hope, Arkansas. And he took aim at the man he hopes to replace, President Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We were promised hope, but it was just talk. And now we need the kind of change that really could get America from hope to higher ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Huckabee is not just joining the names I mentioned earlier, but several others in an increasingly crowded Republican field. Some like Jeb Bush and Scott Walker haven't declared but are expected to jump in soon. Others like Bobby Jindal and John Kasich assembling staff. In all, the number of potential and official candidates is now in the double digits. Some say 21 Republican candidates could be running for president eventually.

[09:39:59] Here to talk about that, Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics and author of "Surge: 2014's Big GOP Win and What it Means for the Next Presidential Election," and Douglas Brinkley, a CNN presidential historian.

Welcome to you both.

DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Thank you.

LARRY SABATO, DIR., CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: Good morning.

So, Douglas, between 14 to 19 possible Republican candidates and counting, are we about to make history?

BRINKLEY: We're about to get to watch a circus in play. Look, it's going to really be about money, who can raise the most money. And then it's going to be broken down, as usual, who can win Iowa? For example, Governor Huckabee has won Iowa caucus before. Can he win this time? And if he loses there, does he have a backup strategy of winning some states in the south? Scott Walker's going to play well in Iowa.

Florida, who wins, Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio, will tell us a lot. So I think it's going to be a very dynamic election. And it's -- yes, there are too many candidates, but it will make for fun watching and eventually the money will window people out.

COSTELLO: It will be fun watching.

Larry, you actually broke down the Republican field into four tiers. The leading contenders, according to you, are Bush, Walker and Rubio. The second tier consists of Cruz and Paul. The third tier is what you call governor alternatives, which consist of Kasich, Perry, Christie and Jindal. The fourth tier, evangelicals, like Huckabee, Santorum and Carson. And the last tier you call the gadflies and the golden oldies, which sounds a little harsh, so who were you talking about and why is it so strange they're in the hunt?

SABATO: Well, the gadflies and golden oldies are very unlikely to be the Republican nominees, though I'll be the first to say, with 20 candidates and with the ability to stay in with a single billionaire backing you, this is a very tough field to game out, even over those critical early caucuses and primaries, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.

So I was talking about the gadflies and the golden oldies because they can have an effect on the debate. They can say things and do things that candidates who have a real chance to get the nomination can't do. So we'll watch them on the debate stage. Lightning may strike. Remember 2012, Carol, for the Republicans? Every single candidate had a day or a week or a month at the top of the pile. So no doubt these golden oldies think that they'll get their moment in the sun in 2016 as well, and they might well do that.

COSTELLO: But, Douglas, I can't imagine that many people on stage for a debate, 20 people. That seems impossible? That won't happen, will it?

BRINKLEY: It's an ugly visual, but I think -- and the Republican Party might have to get rid of some of the -- some of them and shrink it down a little bit. But, look, there -- there's just not much they can do about it. It's part of the process. All these people want to go in. And the fact that we're seeing any of them pretty much could win speaks largely for itself.

You know, I would just keep an eye on Rand Paul, not necessarily to win the nomination, but he seems to be able to hold a 15 percent from state to state, you know, wherever he goes, and that libertarian side of Rand Paul doesn't get the nomination, who he decides to endorse can be very important at the end of the line.

COSTELLO: So, Larry, last question, you know, I'm going back to the number of people on that debate stage. You're not going to get much out of that kind of debate because no candidate will have much time to really respond in any kind of depth. So -- you know, but they will have time to slam the other guy, right? And that can't be helpful for the Republican Party.

SABATO: Well, this is -- it's going to be like a joint press conference, Carol. If they actually put 20 candidates on the stage, the debate would have to go on for four or five hours to have any real interchange. I don't think that will happen.

I think something very controversial is going to happen. The Republicans and the media sponsors, like CNN and other groups that are sponsoring these debates with the Republicans, are going to have to make some tough choices based on where these candidates are in the polls, how much money they've raised, how many donors they have. Is it just a billionaire or do they have a real broad-based support group? There are a lot of ways to do it, and it's going to be controversial and the whining and the screaming from those not picked, well, you can imagine what it's going to be. But I think it's the only way to make the debates work.

COSTELLO: Absolutely. I must say, I can't wait. Larry Sabato, Douglas Brinkley, thanks to both of you. I appreciate it.

SABATO: Thank you.

[09:44:43] COSTELLO: All right. We're going to take you to Baltimore live after a break where the mayor of the city of Baltimore is expected to announce a partnership with the U.S. Justice Department. We don't know what exactly that means, but we'll take you live to Baltimore to find out, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The blockbuster film "American Sniper" shined a spotlight on Navy SEAL, Chris Kyle. Now his widow Taya has written a memoir, "American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal". She opened up to "NEW DAY's" Michaela Pereira about the moment she found out her husband had been killed by a former Marine he was trying to helped, and what's helped her get through that. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAYA KYLE, WIDOW OF CHRIS KYLE: I am painfully aware that people die every day for various reasons. I think the most horrifying thing is that he was murdered and his friend was murdered when they were trying to help somebody. The person they were trying to help turns a gun on them in a way they don't even see it coming? I just -- that to me was what was most shocking and horrifying and it's the hardest thing to get my head around.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY": Well, and you had so many chances to have to do that. You've sat through two trials now, the defamation lawsuit against -- from Jesse Ventura against Chris's estate and then of course Eddie Ray Routh's murder trial. That is living out loud in the most painfully obvious way. What did you do to get through those times?

KYLE: I think the best thing that has helped me through all of these different things are my friends that are very warm and supportive and, you know, they don't have an opinion on how I should do things. They just kind of got your back. And family, certainly. And for me, my faith is --

PEREIRA: I see the cross on your chest.

KYLE: Right. It is the reason that I'm OK. And I believe that God puts people in your path, too, that will help you and provide whatever it is you need because it's ever changing and, like you said, you can't predict what you need in those times. Because I've never been through those things before.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[09:50:03] COSTELLO: Mrs. Kyle tells CNN that the conviction of Eddie Ray Ralph in her husband's death shows that the jury and the prosecution got it right. Ralph is now serving a life sentence.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Wells Fargo accused of fraud. A major city, Los Angeles, is planning to take the bank to court, accusing Wells Fargo of taking advantage of its customers. We'll talk about that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Checking some other top stories for you at 53 minutes past. Prosecutors upgrading charges in the case of UVA student Hannah Graham. Her accused killer now facing capital murder charges. The new charge means Jesse Matthew could be sentenced to death if convicted. Matthew is charged with abducting and killing Graham, who went missing last year after a night out with friends.

A case of fraud and deceit. The city of Los Angeles is suing Wells Fargo for opening up accounts and credit cards in customers' names without them even knowing. According to the lawsuit, employees have been opening the accounts in order to meet unrealistic sales goals and quotas. The company could be on the hook for a $250,000 fine for each account and have to pay back its customers.

Scaling down cliffs and dodging falling rocks may seem like a mountain climbing nightmare, but as Mike Rowe discovered in the latest episode of "SOMEBODY'S GOT TO DO IT", it's all in a day's work for a hearty California boulder crew.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rock. Big rock.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

MIKE ROWE, CNN HOST: If the actual job is harder than this, I think I may have problems.

[09:55:07] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome.

ROWE: Thanks. Nice office.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, isn't it?

ROWE: Excuse me. I'm allergic to heights.

(voice-over): The job is clearly dangerous. And I'm both flattered and surprised the state gave us permission to participate with Tom and his crew.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is when the fun starts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gentlemen, climb on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Climb in!

ROWE: And with that finally the actual work begins.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can start rolling rocks.

ROWE (on camera): Man, there is so much stuff here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the kind of thing that oil pans and radiators hate.

ROWE: Yes, that thing pops off the street straight through your oil pan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

ROWE: Look how loose all this is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, that's why we do it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So basically this is erosion, right? It rains, it's weathering of the rock. Sort of rots out and you have to clean it off and maybe hopefully get down to some better rock.

ROWE: It seems endless in term of a job. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right, and in five or ten years when most of the

soil is gone and what not, we'll come back and we'll do it again. It's a maintenance activity.

ROWE: You know what it is? It's job security.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Job security, too. I mean, look at the road already from the little bit we've done so far.

(END VIDOETAPE)

COSTELLO: You can catch the entire episode right here on CNN. "SOMEBODY'S GOT TO DO IT" airs tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

All right. We're going to take you back to Baltimore. We're expecting the mayor to speak at any moment now. She's supposedly going to talk about this partnership that the City of Baltimore is going to have with the U.S. Justice Department.

I got to take a break. But we'll keep our eye on Baltimore. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)