Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

George Zimmerman Involved In Shooting; U.S. Military Helicopter Missing in Nepal; Picasso Paints Sells for $179 Million; Obama, Democrats, Republicans Fight Over Trade Deal Authority; Ted Wells Furious Over Report Reaction. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired May 12, 2015 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: I want to know more about the back and forth. George Zimmerman and this guy, Matthew Apperson, they're not strangers. Tell me about the past.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Not at all, Brooke. According to the Lake Mary Police Department, these guys, in fact, have this ongoing dispute. It started last year. Now Apperson's attorney said Apperson had three altercations with Zimmerman. First in September, 2014, Apperson said he called 911 after Zimmerman allegedly threatened to shoot and kill him. But he did not see a gun on him. Two days later, Apperson reported he thought he saw Zimmerman near his office. That's when police stopped Zimmerman. He said he was in the area for an appointment. And at the time, Zimmerman admitted to a verbal dispute but denied threatening Apperson. So far, no charges have been filed regarding the latest incident -- Brooke?

BALDWIN: What did the witness say?

MALVEAUX: It's all bizarre. Kenneth Cornell says he's getting out of his car yesterday and the guy comes, driving up, screaming out the window to call 911 that he shot somebody. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNETH CORNELL, WITNESS: He said, no, I just shot George Zimmerman. Please call 911 really. I'm like, what? You shot George Zimmerman? He said, yes, sir, I shot Zimmerman, please call 911.

He got on the phone. He's like, my name is Matt Apperson, I've been in a couple to three disputes with this guy. He's driving down the street, he waived the gun at me and that's when I shot him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: That was Anderson Cooper last night. You know, Brooke, since being acquitted of the murder of Trayvon Martin, Zimmerman has had a number of run-ins with the law. July, 2013, he was stopped for speeding. November, 2013, charged with felony assault and domestic violence battery after allegedly pointing a shotgun at his girlfriend. September, 2014, allegedly threatened to kill a man during a road rage incident. And just in January of this year, arrested on a domestic violence complaint. In all fairness, Brooke, some of the charges were dropped and recanted. And as for the latest shooting, the spokesman for the police department says they're not yet ready to announce whether or not they'll bring charges -- Brooke?

BALDWIN: Suzanne Malveaux, thank you.

MALVEAUX: Thank you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Coming up, as the number of lost lives continues to climb in this latest tragic earthquake to hit Nepal, people are still cleaning up. They had just begun to leave their tents, go back home. The fear was dwindling thinking they were on the mend. Not at all. My next guest just returned from Nepal. Spent the last three weeks hiking the Himalayas, reporting on the destruction. We have stories to tell.

That, plus, breaking news. A U.S. military helicopter right there in Nepal somewhere has been declared missing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:36:44] BALDWIN: We're following breaking news out of Nepal. A U.S. military helicopter has gone missing there. It was carrying earthquake disaster relief outside of the capital, Kathmandu. An emergency search is on the way. On board that chopper, six Marines and two Nepalese searchers helping in the effort. This news comes hours after a second deadly earthquake hit the already ravaged country. At least 68 people are died and more than 1,-200 injured. It was a 7.3-magnitude aftershock. It is the largest since last month's massive 7.8 quake.

Joining me now from CNN world headquarters, is CNN senior digital correspondent, Moni Basu, who just returned.

I heard yesterday after being in Nepal for weeks and weeks covering that initial earthquake, so you, you know, I can only imagine a notepad and hiking boots, walked. You know, in the Himalayan foothills, village to village. Hearing stories and checking in on these people, in the middle of the night, after the earthquake. What did they share with you?

MONI BASU, CNN SENIOR DIGITAL CORRESPONDENT: These are very poor people living in remote villages which are not very easily accessible. When I was there, I didn't see aid workers or a government presence. The people were already angry and frustrate good that. There were some villages where not a single structure was flattened or sustained severe damage. Those people told me they were already scared with the aftershocks that were happening. And I couldn't imagine what they went through this morning. Most of the people I spoke with said some buildings that had sustained damage on April 25th collapsed this morning when the earthquake hit. Almost everyone is sleeping outside in tents.

BALDWIN: So just again, perspective for people watching, we have one first massive earthquake. People were thinking you were waiting for the big one. Some aftershocks after words. You have this other separate quake in the last 24 hours and then fold in the upcoming months. I was read being serious fears of landslides.

BASU: Right. Walking from village to village, you could see the cracks that have -- fresh cracks that occurred after the quake on April 25th. My guide was telling me that when the monsoons start and the rain starts falling, the whole part of the hillside was going to fall off. Massive landslide threats and the big problem is that certain villages are going to be cut off if the dark paths are blocked from the main commercial centers in the area, the other problem --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: What are these people to do, Moni?

BASU: They don't know. The other big problem, almost everyone in that part of Nepal, the Everest region, is tied to the big tourism and trekking business. Last year, if you remember, the Everest season was canceled after an avalanche killed a bunch of Sherpas. This year, again, Everest has been canceled. The people are worried. The fall season starts in September, and people told me they were worried that no foreigners would want to come back to Nepal. And that's their livelihood.

[11:40:13] BALDWIN: It is incredibly frightening just to think about they're getting hit one after another.

Moni Basu, please keep telling these stories and shining a light on this part of the world. Thank you very much for that.

(CROSSTALK)

BASU: Thank you.

BALDWIN: You've got it.

Back in the United States, Democrats right now are furious with the president, including this woman, Elizabeth Warren. Hear why. Actually, the number-one Republican in Senate, Mitch McConnell, and fellow Republicans are applauding the president.

And moments ago, the man who conducted the investigation into Tom Brady and the Patriots over those underinflated footballs talked to reporters for the first time. He is livid. Hear his blunt words, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:45:06] BALDWIN: Could you be interested in owning an incomparable piece of art? I'm certainly a Picasso fan. I don't know if I could shell out a cool $179 million, though. This painting by the iconic artist sold for a record-breaking amount at an auction here in New York City. Pablo Picasso's 1955 canvas, "Women of Aljeers," part of the series. It was snapped up by an anonymous buyer and was the centerpiece of the event. Last time at auction, it sold for a merely $31.9 million, that was in 1997.

Let me bring in Manhattan art dealer, Richard Pleitgen.

Richard, you were telling me you have been in the art business for 57 years. RICHARD PLEITGEN, MANHATTAN ART DEALER: Yes.

BALDWIN: You were there.

PLEITGEN: Yes.

BALDWIN: Five people were ultimately, over the phone, fighting over this beautiful art, going up incrementally, going up by a million, starting at $120 million. Take me in the room and tell me what it was like.

PLEITGEN: You sort of get hardened to these numbers.

BALDWIN: Did you blink at that amount of money?

PLEITGEN: I didn't expect to bring that much, but I didn't blink at it. I was this also when it sold for $32 million in 1997.

BALDWIN: Who was buying -- listen, I studied Spanish, loved Picasso, cubism. The idea of spending that kind of money -- who has that kind of money? Are we talking actors, celebrities, investment bankers, Warren Buffetts of the world?

PLEITGEN: Well, you know, frankly, to spend that kind of money, $179 million on a painting -- imagine what kind of wealth you've got to have. A billion dollars would never do it. You're not going to spend 17 percent of your wealth on a painting. You're talking about really vast narns are prepared to spend that kind of money. I don't even know who would spend $105 million on an important on central park that you're never going to live in. The kind of money that exists out there is prodigious.

BALDWIN: If you were there when it went for $30 million something in the late '90s and it's $179 million today, in 50 years, is what will it be worth? He laughs at me. He laughs. He scoffs. Make a guess. Let's be crazy. Make a wild guess.

PLEITGEN: I don't know because, you know, if interest rates rise, so people have an alternate place to put money, some of these prices may drop --

BALDWIN: You could get a sale on a Picasso. I was kidding. I was kidding. OK. We'll see, so in 50 years, if any of us are around to potentially bid on it.

Richard, thank you very much. I appreciate it.

Manhattan art dealer on the Picasso that went for just about $180 million.

Thank you, sir. I appreciate it.

PLEITGEN: You're welcome.

(LAUGHTER) BALDWIN: And strange things happening in Washington. President Obama, he's fighting with liberal Senate Democrats, and Republicans are fighting tooth and nail to help the president. What's going on? It turns out, this is all about trade. Mr. Obama, some Republican and some Democrats want the president to have more power to cut trade deals. The president's usual allies, left-leaning Democrats, and their labor union supporters, are fiercely opposed.

To our chief congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, we go.

And obviously, we have to talk about the significance of the vote and why it's part of the president's legacy. You also, though, have breaking news about the vote. Let's begin there.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. It's going on as we speak. Based on what we were reporting and hearing in the hallways, this is not going to go through. It's not even dramatic, as we thought it might be.

And the reason, Brooke, is because even pro trade Democrats, the president's fellow Democrats, who agree with him on the need for free trade, giving him the ability to make these deals, are voting no. They are actually filibustering, effectively filibustering their own bill. And the reason is because they're in a procedural fight with the Senate Republican leader. But with what that also means, big picture, most importantly, is the president is seeing, as we speak, a major setback in the Senate on this big, big priority that he has put forward, something that he hoped to really get through his last couple of years in office, which is the ability to make deals with other countries, with other continents, without coming back to Congress. This is something he's very much wanted even though he's fought tooth and nail with fellow Democrats over it. He's worked hand in glove, as you mentioned, with Republicans, which has kind of been interesting to watch.

[11:50:04] BALDWIN: Mitch McConnell sending him a handwritten thank- you note? Did I hear that correctly?

(LAUGHTER)

BASH: Exactly, exactly. Even Mitch McConnell said it's been an out- of-body experience for him. But what we're seeing is a setback, again, at the hands of fellow Democrats. Even those who support him because they're in a procedural fight with Republicans. What this tells us is that, even on big bipartisan issues like trade, it still gets wrapped up in Senate gridlock.

BALDWIN: It's significant.

Dana Bash, thank you very much, reporting from Washington on that.

Also this. Moments ago, the man who conducted the investigation into Tom Brady and his beloved New England Patriots over Deflategate talked to reporters for the first time. He is reacting to claims the NFL influenced his decision. Folks, he's furious. He's Ted Wells. His words next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:54:51] BALDWIN: Fired up. The attorney who investigated the New England Patriots over Deflategate says he was in no way influenced by the NFL he is Ted Wells. He talked to reporters moments ago. Here he was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TED WELLS, ATTORNEY & AUTHOR, WELLS REPORT: When I was appointed to be the invest investigator, no one at the Patriots or in Mr. Brady's camp raised any issue about my independence or my integrity to judge the evidence impartially and fairly. I think it is wrong to criticize my independence just because you disagree with my findings.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Ted Wells said he chose to speak out after Tom Brady's agent blasted him. Brady has been suspended four games after Ted Wells found it was, quote, "more probable than not that he had some general knowledge that the Patriots were using underinflated balls," during the AFC championship game against the Colts.

Ben Volin, NFL reporter for "The Boston Globe"; and Brian Socolow with me, sports attorney.

But Ben, first, let me begin with you

Were you on that call? Can you tell me more about what Ted Wells of saying? He obviously is mad.

BEN VOLIN, NFL REPORTER, THE BOSTON GLOBE: Yeah. I was on that call. He spoke for a half-hour. This was unusual. In Ted Wells' other reports could he did the Miami Dolphins "Bullygate" scandal, he done speak to the media afterwards. There's been an onslaught of criticism, his independence and whether he had a predetermined conclusion. He took the unusual stance to come out, hold a conference call and answered questions for a half-hour. He was adamant that he's been independent the whole time. That the Patriots were not fully cooperative. As these promised to be, he noted that Jim McNally, one of the central people in this case, the locker room attendant who took the balls into the bathroom, he only interviewed him once. When he discovered the text about McNally calling himself the deflator, the Patriots refused to make him available. Wells said I'll drive to his home, I'll go to his home, we'll make time. The Patriots refused to make McNally available, and refused to tell McNally about the request. He went to painstaking detail to defend his, defend independence, and then obviously defend the fact that what came up was the right conclusion.

BALDWIN: I want to come back to reaction in Boston.

But, Brian, when you hear about losing -- fines and losing draft picks, Tom Brady is not playing until oddly enough the Colts game next fall, which is a fun storyline in and of itself, but knowing that people referencing Ray Rice and this was before the world saw him knocking out his then-fiancee in the elevator, docked two games. Four games, more than a slap on the wrist.

BRIAN SOCOLOW, SPORTS ATTORNEY: Definitely more than a slap on the wrist. This is about the integrity of NFL football. That's what they trade on. You have to have fans and people who believe the games on the field are real. And if you don't get that from the NFL, if you're playing around with footballs, don't have integrity, the entire credibility. Game is undermined. They had to take this seriously. They had a lot of evidence they could rely on. I think based on that, the punishment does fit the crime. It's appropriate.

BALDWIN: I want to get into the appeals process. I'm wondering in, you know, the halls there within Foxboro and beyond, have the "Free Tom Brady" T-shirt been printed yet?

(LAUGHTER)

VOLIN: Not yet, but there's a popular hash tag going around, no Brady, no banner. It's in reference to the opening kickoff game that the Patriots are set to host in September, the first NFL game of the year, Thursday night, against the Steelers. It's supposed to be a big celebration where the Patriots raise their championship banner. Now there's a dark cloud over the game. Brady supposed to be suspended for it. The "No Brady, no banner" hash tag is in reference to the Patriots should not raise the banner and should not give the NFL this grand celebration until Brady is back with the team and on the field.

BALDWIN: OK. As far as the appeals go, Brian, I know the pats can appeal the draft pick penalties, the $1 million fine. It could be Goodell who all of this, or somebody he appoints, separate, independent individual?

SOCOLOW: Well, it should be Goodell unless he wants a separate independent arbitrator. It's going to him. He found it to be credible, a thorough report. I don't think there was a great chance that going to Goodell there's going to be a lot of change on the appeal. It seems the evidence is there, he believes it. He's comfortable with the fines and penalties that were handed out.

BALDWIN: What is it I read, when you point one finger, the other three are pointing at you. What was the point you were making?

[11:59:45] VOLIN: The point I was making is, look, you can blast the Colts for being petty and for Roger Goodell for being vindicated, but the Patriots have no one to blame but themselves for this ordeal. They have been difficult to deal with. They didn't provide full cooperation with the investigation, not making Jim McNally available after some crucial information came out. They've gone kicking and screaming and almost mocking the process from the start.