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Baltimore Police Launching Search for Suspects in Arson of Businesses in Baltimore; Nearly 14 Million Viewers Watched the Final Episode of David Letterman Show; Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired May 21, 2015 - 15:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:30:00] POPPY HARLOW, CNN HOST: Three hundred-plus weapons were found. I mean, some of these guns stuffed between dice of flour and toilets. But yet, some people tell us that this was a meeting meant to make peace. Do you buy that?

JAY DOBYNS, FORMER ATF AGENT: I don't. They were expecting trouble. When there's 300 guns at a handshake meeting at a barbecue, at a public restaurant, they weren't getting there to tip beers with each other, slap each other on the backs. They were there to get it on.

HARLOW: When you look at these enterprises, honestly, I don't know a lot about biker gangs, right? I never really saw them where I was growing up Minnesota. I don't see them here in New York. How prevalent are they across the country?

DOBYNS: Well, they're in Minnesota and they are in New York too. You may not see them as frequently as you would expect, but, you know, I'm most familiar with the Hells Angels. The Hells Angels are on six different continents. The only one they are not on is Antarctica because motorcycles don't run at 50 degrees below zero, or they would be there too. Tens of thousands of members worldwide.

HARLOW: But is it fair to say all of them are run like the mob? All of them have bad intentions? That a lot of them really take issue with that. You spent two years under cover with the Hells Angels.

DOBYNS: No, don't think that's a fair statement. I think it's unfair to label all bikers under that one percenter umbrella. There's people out there that are law-abiding citizens. There's clubs out there that are law-abiding clubs that ride for the pleasure of riding and for the fellowship of it. And there are gangsters out there who try to control territory, and when someone insults them or their club name, they kill them.

HARLOW: Let's talk about Twin Peaks restaurant, right? So immediately after this happen, there was a lot of finger pointing at the establishment in saying you were warned, you knew this could happen. Why didn't you so anything about it? Do these biker gangs have established relationships with different restaurants, different locations across different cities? And if so, what's the liability in any of this? DOBYNS: Yes, I do. They have places they like to go. They have

places where they're welcome and treated with respect. And you know, in my experience, oftentimes we'd go into places where we were treated like royalty. We were treated like rock stars. The management of those establishments, they're probably not being very responsible business owners because they are exposing the rest of their clientele and their customers to really vicious, violent crime.

HARLOW: Jay Dobyns, thanks so much. Your perspective's unique, unlike really any other, having spent two years undercover with one of those groups.

Thanks, Jay. Good to have you.

Coming up next, developing out of Baltimore, police launching a search for people suspected of intentionally setting fires to business during last month's protests.

Also, what it's like to t to save lives in Syria. The heroes that go in after the bombs explode. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, went along with a group called the White Helmets. They're risking their lives ever single y. We'll talk to Dr. Gupta live next.

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[15:37:31] HARLOW: All right. Now to the war in Syria where our own Dr. Sanjay Gupta just embedded with a group of volunteers who take huge risks. They risk their own lives to help others in one of the world's most dangerous places. When the bombs explode, these are the people that run right into the danger to rescue babies trapped in bombs rubble or parents with serious injuries. They offer anyone, regardless of their political or religious affiliation, help.

CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins me now from Istanbul. This is where these White Helmets do their training.

Sanjay, it's remarkable. I mean, they started in 2013. They've saved over 12,000 lives. You know a lot about rescues like this. You just came back from Nepal. What is unique about the rescues that they have to pull off?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the story is quite extraordinary, Poppy. And I should point out that the training actually takes place quite a bit south of here, close to the border with Syria. The people who are part of this organization are all Syrian. They are local people who may come from the world of being a chef or being a plumber or electrician who just got sick and tired of their communities consistently getting bombed and having nowhere to turn.

So they started organizing themselves and going and doing these rescues. And over time, they started getting more and more training to be able to do these rescues. To your question, Poppy, I think one of the biggest differences, you know, after an earthquake, for example, there's obviously concerns about aftershocks. And that can really impede rescue efforts. Here -- that the concern is legitimately about more attacks. In fact, Poppy, there's something known as double taps, which means a helicopter that's just dropped a bomb that these people are now rushing to try and rescue people from may have a second bomb on that helicopter. And they wait until enough people have aggregated and drop that second bomb. So that -- it's a totally different dynamic in so many ways because of those double taps.

HARLOW: Is there a sense, Sanjay, that they felt forgotten, that enough international aid was not coming? Because I read they survive on very modest financing from the United States, from Britain, from some private donors.

GUPTA: This organization, a civilian organization, is you know, is strapped for cash like so many others. And frankly, the people who work as white helmets, this humanitarian organization, they don't get paid. It's all volunteer. They may start getting up to $100 a month starting in a few weeks, but that's been over a couple years, as you mentioned.

You know, as far as their attitudes towards the west and others, it's hard to paint with one big brush everyone's attitude. I can tell you that they welcomed me as a doctor. They let me tag along with their training, which was fairly intense at times. I think that there has been an idea that maybe they've been forgotten. They recognize that there's this bifurcation between Assad's regime and ISIS and exactly how that's going to play out, they don't know. But they take care of everybody. They take care of soldiers from the government. They take care of anybody who's injured and that's sort of their primary motivation.

[15:40:36] HARLOW: What did they tell you, Sanjay, about whether they're hopeful. I mean, at this point, you're so far into the war in Syria, right, coupled with the increasing threat from ISIS, the increase in terms of the territory ISIS has taken over. That with all they have to endure from the Assad regime. I mean, are they hopeful their country will come out of this?

GUPTA: I think the best way to characterize that is it's sort of a one day at a time mentality because I asked that same question, Poppy. I think it's a really important question that you're asking. I would also say that there is an optimism among the white helmets. I think it is part of their DNA, frankly, in terms of who they are.

I tell you one of the guys I met, a guy named Amad Rahab (ph). He's 28 years old, a police officer. He's been working his way up through the ranks. Every single one of these guys wanted to tell their story and talk about the people they had saved. When he started to tell his story, he also mentioned that he's getting married next week in Syria. He's going to cross the border back into Syria. He's going to get married. And the whole group, 25 of these guys, just busted out into applause, hooting and hollering. I mean, it's an optimism that I think is certainly part of their DNA, but it's also infectious. I think besides taking care of people, they want to share that optimism with the people around them. And you know, you really did feel it, Poppy.

HARLOW: Yes, I can only imagine. I mean, you have to be or else the sadness and the misery will crush you.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you so much. And for all of you watching, you're going to not want to miss Sanjay's full report tonight on "AC360." right here on CNN. Fascinating.

Sanjay, thank you.

Coming up next, who started the fires? Baltimore police now launching a search for those suspected of intentionally setting fire to businesses in Baltimore during those heated protests.

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[15:31:15] HARLOW: ATF investigators have now released pictures of arson suspects wanted for burning five Baltimore stores, a restaurant, and an apartment complex.

Take a look. These fires happened last month during the unrest over the death of Freddie Gray in police custody. The posters the ATF has put out show pretty clear images of these individuals allegedly setting fires. Authorities are looking into the case and cause and origin of each fire. Investigators say they believe as many as five incendiary devices were used.

CNN national correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is following this from Washington for more.

So Suzanne, they're offering this $10,000 reward to anyone with leads to arrest these people.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Poppy. They're actually asking the public for their assistance. This is coming from the Baltimore arson's bureau of alcohol, tobacco and firearms and explosives, the ATF, the Baltimore police department, fire department, and the marshals as well. And you'll see those screen shots that they have of the individuals. They believe that they set these fires, it happened April 27th.

And I want to show you here, these are some of the locations they're talking about. And these are some of the locations that we were actually there when we saw this happening. There was a CVS on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue. Another CVS on Franklin Street. A Rite-Aid pharmacy, a palace pizza place, a senior citizens home, apartments, all kinds of different places that they have actually listed. And they are asking for anybody who recognizes these individuals who sees these posters to actually call the police department, call ATF, and there's a possible reward here, up to $10,000.

HARLOW: Do we know if they've gotten any leads leading up to this? Because it seems like they really haven't, the fact they have to put up these posters and offer a $10,000 reward. Seems like people aren't talking.

MALVEAUX: Well, you know, I mean, being in the community and talking to people there, there was a lot of fear. There was a lot of confusion. You know, some people might be giving some information. But you can tell, I mean, they have very specific addresses. They have the number of people. They believe that they have these individuals who they've caught on these tapes that can be identified in the community if people were to come forward. They believe that they will get some information because that's why they're putting this out there now. But it has been at least a month. It's been a frustrating experience.

A lot of people in the community, Poppy, they felt very angry and upset that their own CVS, that the senior citizens home was burned. And so there are people in that community who want these people caught as well and want to turn and change things around in their own communities. So I do think they're going to get some information as well.

HARLOW: All right. Suzanne Malveaux, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

Coming up next, we're going to switch gears, talk about David Letterman, the man of the night last night. That is for sure. He signed off for the last time. The ratings were through the roof. All the celebrities turned out. Now we're going to look back at some of his funniest moments with the teacher behind the kid scientist segment. You know that one well. We'll talk to him and our Brian Stelter live next.

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[15:53:51] HARLOW: All right. Drum roll. We now know how big of an audience David Letterman got last night for his final signoff, his farewell. Nearly 14 million of you watched. It was Letterman's biggest audience since 1994, and the over the years he has had a lot of regulars on as guests, like his kid scientists, the most popular segment. He took a moment last night to remember their contributions over the years.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want you to hold it down this end like this.

DAVID LETTERMAN, COMEDIAN: OK. You're down there. Why don't you do it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not dangerous.

LETTERMAN: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Normally.

LETTERMAN: When those things come off they're going to be so beautiful you won't believe it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

LETTERMAN: I was supposed to have braces when I was a kid but I didn't. My parents used the money for a Wetbar (ph) downstairs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a fire extinguisher full of carbon dioxide. So --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: So we would be remiss not to talk to you about the guy behind that segment and behind those kids. The kid's scientists got their start on Letterman thanks to a science teacher who showed Dave his secret to helping children learn.

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[15:55:07] LETTERMAN: Our next guest is a chemistry teacher from Naperville, Illinois, who believes that teaching is most effective when it involve as few explosions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Here we go.

LETTERMAN: What do you mean, well, OK? This is a --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, Dave, you have to hold it in there.

LETTERMAN: I thought I was just cleaning up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just going to help you clean up with this.

LETTERMAN: Oh, gee.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: That teacher Lee Marek, joins me now from Chicago. Also with me, senior media correspondent Brian Stelter.

Guys, thank you for being here. What a great night last night.

Lee, let me begin with you. You first appeared on "Letterman" in 1990. I'm not going to tell you how old I was then, but it was a long time ago. And you made over 30 appearances on "Letterman." When you think about Dave Letterman what do you think about?

LEE MAREK, DAVID LETTERMAN'S KID SCIENTIST GUEST: Well, I think, it was just a fun time. It was a fun time for me. It was hectic. I was a high school teacher. So that was kind of cool. And I didn't get too nervous, because I still had a job, if it didn't work. So that was good. And we brought a lot of kids on there over the years, and a lot of them had a really good time.

HARLOW: They certainly did. It was your idea to bring the kids on, and I do wonder from you, Lee, what you think it is about Dave Letterman that gave him this unique ability to make sort of any sort of people, you know -- fascinating to the American public, right? He was sort of like, turn you guys into overnight sensations, overnight celebrities?

MAREK: He did. And the kids were -- he was very -- at ease with the kids, and he was very nice to the kids. Nicer than when I was on the show. He would treat them with respect, and he'd let them give a little more science than he'd let me. I remember once when I was on myself I said, can I get 20 more seconds

of real science? And the producer looked at me and said, what the heck do you think this is, PBS?

HARLOW: Yes. You got to keep them tuned in.

Hey, Brian, look, last night, 14 million viewers. Thank you, Dave. I mean, I can't remember a part of my life without David Letterman on television, in that time slot. What stood out to you about last night?

BRAIN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: I thought the presidential cameos were great to see all the living presidents except for Jimmy Carter weighing in last night. Also, you know, to have to go long and have that moment with the kids was really nice. And to see his family in the audience. He's a very private guy, but there was his wife and his son in the audience.

HARLOW: No tears, Brian.

STELTER: None from Letterman but a lot from the people in the audience. You know, a lot of ordinary fans were lucky to be there very emotional. They knew it was a historic moment and it no surprise. This was the highest audience for Letterman in 20 years, you know. Even Leno, the first time that he signs off, did not have that big an audience.

HARLOW: So Lee, you got to tell me about the t-shirt you're wearing.

MAREK: T-shirt comes from the first show when he was on NBC. The first show that I was on, on NBC. Each time you went you got a t- shirt. So that's part of your salary package, you negotiate.

HARLOW: I remember, I went to Letterman once and I was in college here in New York and waited in line forever to be able to go. And I remember being, like, mildly annoyed that the taping took so long. I am so glad I went. It was such a great moment. And I'm just so glad that I had it, and a lot of people that come through New York are able to do that if you stick it out long enough in line.

Brian, last night, these ten celebrities it, right? Big names came out and talked about their best moments over the years. What's there?

STELTER: I thought that was fantastic, you know, to see Bill Murray and, you know, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tina Fey and Chris Rock up there because it was a moment with A-list stars, but the rest of the show was really all about Letterman and his funny moments with the kids and other ordinary people over the years, you know. It was really as ordinary as a finally as possible, given the extraordinary moment.

And to your point, so many people cannot remember a time where he wasn't on the 11:35. Maybe people will someday say that about Fallon and Kimmel and Colbert and all the comedians influenced by Letterman.

HARLOW: Maybe. Lee, before I let you go very quickly, tell us something about Dave

Letterman that we don't know, the Dave Letterman off-camera?

MAREK: Off-camera, he was not at all like he is on camera. The few times you got to interact with him, which wasn't that often, quiet, laid back guy. Throwing a football around a lot. I seemed to like that football. And just seemed to be a nice guy. The people that all worked for him, they all liked him. People that worked for him, for 20 years and he kept there, the same people. That was neat about the end of the show. It is a very ending show, the credits with all the people that worked for him.

HARLOW: Yes. It's all about the team behind the person on the camera.

Guys, thank you. Lee Marek, so good to have you on. Brian Stelter, thank you, too. I Appreciate it.

Well, that does it for me. Thanks for being with me today. "The LEAD" with Jake Tapper begins right now.