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Policing Changes in Cleveland; Battling ISIS; Texas Flooding; Rocket Fired Into Israel. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired May 26, 2015 - 15:00   ET

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


[15:00:00] WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: The vice president and other aides were making calls to leaders on Capitol Hill saying they got bin Laden.

And then, of course, by the time he walked out, it was after 11:00. I think it was actually close to 11:30. He actually made the statement that we're all very familiar with. And -- and it was a huge development, as we all now know.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: What a night that was for the world and for us here at CNN...

BLITZER: Yes.

BALDWIN: ... behind the scenes.

Wolf Blitzer, thank you, my friend, for coming on and talking about this and all these memories here.

Make sure, everyone, please, catch the entire special tonight, 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, "Breaking News: 35 Years of CNN," right here on CNN.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BALDWIN: And now, top of the hour, you're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

We have breaking news here, as we're getting reports of one rocket that's been fired from Gaza. It has hit Southern Israel.

I'm joined now by Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Force, or IDF.

Colonel, what can you tell me about this rocket and any injuries, any damage?

PETER LERNER, SPOKESMAN, ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES: So far, here's what we know.

At least one rocket impacted in Israel, Southern Israel, about an hour ago now. It landed in near a community of Gan Yavne, which is a southern community. No injuries reported at this time.

What we can say, of course, is that it originated from the Gaza Strip, and we see Hamas responsible for everything that originates from that territory.

BALDWIN: So, has Hamas claimed responsibility? Our correspondent was saying no one had as of yet.

LERNER: Well, we're still looking into the details. But, ultimately, they run the Gaza Strip.

And, as such, we -- need to be realized that it is their responsibility to make sure these kinds of attacks don't take place from their territory.

BALDWIN: Tell me, I know the air raid sirens -- I understand the air raid sirens were working. They were sounding. And people in the larger city outside of where you're referencing, Ashdod, this is an area near the Gaza border. People are very familiar with this.

LERNER: Yes.

Well, unfortunately, it's a reality that Israelis have had to get used to, and constantly living that reality of being prepared for potential rockets, sirens, air raid sirens, and the alarms against these rockets. They have -- they shoot them up into the air and they hope that they land on somewhere with some sort of quality.

So, it's a challenge, it's a threat, and, luckily, this rocket did not cause casualties. But we will be looking into the circumstances. And, yes, as I said, Hamas is responsible for this reality.

BALDWIN: Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner, a spokesperson at the IDF, thank you so much, sir, for jumping on the phone. I appreciate it. We will follow that story out of Israel.

Meantime, here at home, we are all witnessing historic and deadly flash flooding in the nation's fourth largest city. Nearly a foot of record rainfall pounded Houston last night, the aftermath, flooding that has absolutely devastated the city. At least two people have lost their lives, five statewide.

Neighborhoods -- I mean, just look at the pictures for yourself. This tells the story here, totally washed out. Many roads are impassable, schools closed until further notice. And then you have seen these cars, these trucks, these vehicles here lined up. They're not going anywhere, totally submerged.

It's unreal to look at this. More than 10 inches of rain swamped the city in less than 24 hours. Even the president of the United States, he spoke today. He said help is coming to Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I assured Governor Abbott that he could count on the help of the federal government. We have FEMA personnel already on the ground. They are coordinating with Texas emergency management authorities, and I will anticipate that there will be some significant requests made to Washington. My pledge to him is that we will expedite those requests. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Joining me now from our Houston affiliate, KTRK, is Jeff Ehling.

And, Jeff, before you tell me where you are, we just heard that the Hays County commissioner is saying that now 30 people are unaccounted for. I believe this is the same county where 12 people have been missing. Now we're hearing 30.

JEFF EHLING, KTRK REPORTER: Yes. That's over-the-hill country. That's going to be west of where we are in Harris County, devastating floods happening all weekend long and again yesterday. I can tell you that, at one point, one of the rivers rose something like 20 or 25 feet just in the space of a couple of hours. There were homes that were washed away.

[15:05:04]

That's a very large vacation area. So, you get a lot of people who would go up that area for, say, Memorial Day weekend. Entire families go up there. So, yes, it would be very populated in those vacation homes, those cabins with people trying to experience a great three-day weekend.

Of course, it was just literally their homes being washed away, Brooke. I'm standing in a home or kneeling in a home that is just north of Brays -- just south of Brays Bayou in Houston. And the water level is falling, but it's not falling fast enough, Brooke. There's an inch of water in this house. But that doesn't really tell the story.

I want to show this table over here, Brooke. This table is not supposed to be here. It wasn't here last night. It was across the room. The reason it's here, 2.5 feet of water flooded this home.

Imagine what it must have like to be in this house. Well, one person doesn't have to imagine, Randy Farber.

Randy, you were here when this was going.

RANDY FARBER, FLOOD VICTIM: Yes.

EHLING: Tell us what was it like.

FARBER: It was very unexpected. We have seen high water before, actually had a little bit of water come in, you know, a quarter-inch around the doors and things. Never in our wildest dreams could we imagine this would happen.

EHLING: And it happened so very quickly, too, didn't it?

FARBER: It did. We saw the water coming up, and we said, well, it's getting close to the door. Let's put some towels down around the doors. In 10 minutes, 15 minutes, it had risen and it was ankle deep. It was a foot deep within 30 minutes. And it eventually got to be about 2.5 feet. It was like to my mid-thighs.

EHLING: And this is one of the classic Southwest Houston homes. This is a ranch-style house in the Meyerland neighborhood.

FARBER: Yes.

EHLING: So, you don't really have a lot of places to go. There's not a second story. But you knew you had to do something, because the water level was just rising too quickly. What did you do to get to higher ground?

FARBER: Right. Well, we actually have a walk-up attic.

And so when it got to be too high to stay in and we needed to get some relief and sit down and rest for a bit, we headed upstairs. We have got -- the attic door is right back here -- and walked up the attic, and stayed there for several hours. When it finally turned light, we came back down to check out the damage, and we had 2.5 feet in the house. It was actually rising still at 6:30 this morning.

I don't think it turned around and started going down until about 10:00 this morning.

EHLING: You have got a fantastic mess on your hands right now. What's the next step for you? Have you called your insurance agent, that sort of thing? How quickly are you going to be able to get back to normal?

(CROSSTALK)

FARBER: We have called our insurance agent. We actually two. We have got to call the flood insurance agent. And the car that was parked in the garage is also flooded, because 2.5 to three feet of water on the car took care of that.

So, we called the auto insurance. So, we should have a rental car tomorrow. And I have called a contractor to come out and start helping us take the carpets out, cut the walls, so it -- everything can dry out. And...

EHLING: And you know there was loss of life here in Houston, too. I know we have got two people who -- confirmed dead. There are some people who are missing.

FARBER: Wow.

EHLING: When you hear about that, it really puts it into perspective.

FARBER: It does.

EHLING: You guys can replace your house, but this was really a devastating flood for the city, wasn't it?

FARBER: It was. It was. It was very devastating.

EHLING: All right, thank you very much, Randy. I appreciate it letting us come into your house.

FARBER: Thank you.

EHLING: Thank you so much.

All right, so, Brooke, that's the situation not just in this home, but in all sorts of homes all around our area. I know the homes left to us, the homes right of us, the home right behind us, all of them had water inside, dozens of homes in our area, Brooke.

BALDWIN: We saw Randy. We feel for him. We're thinking about all these communities in Texas. And, Jeff Ehling, excellent reporting for us in the Houston area. I really, really appreciate you.

Houston, by the way, not the only part of Texas really in full-on recovery mode. The town of Wimberley in the central part of the state also suffered tremendous loss from all the storms, the water, the rain, the flooding.

Meteorologist Jennifer Gray is there for us in Wimberley front of this home. Just totally exemplifies the power of the rushing, rising waters there.

JENNIFER GRAY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. It really is unbelievable, Brooke.

You hear the numbers. We hear how -- how many inches it rained and how fast the water rose. But until you get here -- and we're up on a bluff about 30, 35 feet above the river. And then to see a home like this that was actually built a little bit elevated, completely washed away, it kind of gives you a little bit of perspective.

When it comes to weather, more people die in flooding than anything else. And this is just another example of why. The floodwaters rise very, very quickly when it comes to flash flooding. And people have little time to seek higher ground.

This river has gone down dramatically. It rose to 43, 44 feet before the flood gauge broke. So, it could have actually gone higher than that. It has gone down a little bit. But you can see signs of how high it was, not only from that house behind me, but all the trees that are littered across the banks, 200 to 300 homes, maybe as many as 400 homes, completely destroyed, a lot of them like, just the one we're standing in front of, washed off their foundation.

We have over 1,000 homes that have been damaged. And as you mentioned just a moment ago, we have about 30 people unaccounted for, 12 people missing, and so the devastation here is just growing as we hear more and more stories coming out of these areas, Brooke.

[15:10:11]

BALDWIN: And again, that 30 that we're hearing from the commissioner there, that is Hays County, Texas, 30 people unaccounted for. Jennifer Gray, thank you so much. There are story upon story upon story, but this next one absolutely

breaks your heart. This is out of Devine, Texas. This is where an accomplished high school student athlete was tragically killed by the flash flooding; 18-year-old Alyssa Ramirez was student council president, and a cheerleader, and homecoming queen at her school.

She of her way home from prom just this past weekend when her car became tangled in the fast-moving floodwater.

Joining me on the phone is one of Alyssa's friends. Her name is Alyssa as well, Alyssa Schmidt.

Alyssa, my condolences to you and all your dear friends. I know you all were so close. Just first, how are you holding up today?

ALYSSA SCHMIDT, FRIEND OF VICTIM: Well, we're just trying to stay together as a close-knit group of friends, as a family really.

We have had a lot of support, but we know the family needs more support. And we're just trying to stay together and just be together, because that's what she'd want. That's -- she'd want us to be together and just be a group.

BALDWIN: Take me back to this weekend and prom. And I know you two girls were getting ready together before the big night. Can you just tell me about some of your final conversations you had together?

SCHMIDT: Yes.

I mean, we just -- it was a typical -- a typical day with Alyssa, just laughing and being silly, reminiscing about the past four years of high school. We were -- we actually had a few other friends with us, and we were going through old yearbooks, talking about funny memories from freshman and sophomore year, and jokes that were played on us, and those kinds of things, and the just happy, loving environment. That was always what you got with her was just pure love and happiness.

BALDWIN: So, totally normal, having a good time before you head to prom. You get there. I know that, at one point, you know the rain's coming down. And from what I understand, she actually even tweeted about not wanting to get stuck at prom overnight.

What was the last thing you remember saying to her before she took off?

SCHMIDT: I was with her before we -- before prom, and then I saw her at prom. But I was not with her when they were in San Antonio at the main event, where they did -- where they were bowling and playing laser tag.

But I know -- I remember talking to her. And just, you know, she was just still talking about the fun that they'd had, and the fun that we were going to have the next day. You know, we were all going to get together as a group of friends again. And, you know, she was just like we -- just typical Alyssa. We might

be stuck in San Antonio, but it's OK. We will make the best of it. And I remember telling her to be safe, and just to have fun, and...

BALDWIN: How -- how did you find out what happened?

SCHMIDT: A friend of mine called me the next morning to tell me what had happened, that -- that the waters had swept her car off the road.

BALDWIN: What will you miss most about her, Alyssa?

SCHMIDT: Her love for God.

That was the first thing that you -- when you first talked to Alyssa, first of all, she had an infectious smile. But any time you saw her, you couldn't help but smile, no matter what kind of mood you were in. Just walking down the hallways, every kid has commented on how infectious that smile was and how bright and beautiful, and her love for God.

As soon as you started talking to her, that was the first thing you found out, was how much she loved him and how much she wanted to live out his word and to spread that word to others around. She was truly a woman of Christ. And she believed wholeheartedly in everything that she did that that was -- that was the way to live your life, was the way that Christ had taught us, the way Christ that had said to live.

She was -- that is what will be missed most about her, is that smile and that love for God that was just unmatchable.

BALDWIN: I am happy for you that you had so many wonderful memories with this young woman. And, again, I am so, so sorry for your loss.

Alyssa , Alyssa Schmidt, thank you so much for sharing with me. I really appreciate it.

SCHMIDT: Thank you.

[15:15:01]

BALDWIN: We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Just days after it fell into ISIS hands, it seems the Iraqi military is readying to get Ramadi back. We're obviously watching this very closely, as Iraqi forces surround the captured city from three different sides. According to Iraq's defense minister -- quote -- "Vast operations are now under way," the goal, try to liberate Ramadi and the entire Anbar province from the grip of these terrorists and cut off an ISIS supply route to a major oil refinery.

And this is also the first step to protecting any advance on the capital of Baghdad. You see the map there, just about 80 miles east of Ramadi.

But ISIS, they're not going down without a fierce fight, now calling in reinforcements from across the country.

[15:20:03]

So, let me bring in Lieutenant Colonel James Reese.

Colonel Reese, here, as we -- you have ISIS rushing in reinforcements. We have talked to people there on the ground on the flip side, Iraqi military, what they have seen, reports of bulldozers rigged with explosives, taking out Humvees and firefights lasting for hours.

My question to you is, how is ISIS managing this? It's not like they have helicopters or incredibly advanced equipment. How are they holding all this territory?

JAMES REESE, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, Brooke, one of the things you just said is IED or the VBIED, the vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, is a weapon of choice for ISIS and for a lot of terrorists.

And what it really does is, it takes one person, as you know, with a laden-borne vehicle and can really take -- do damage to a large concentration of defending or offensive forces just by one person. So, it's an economy of force operation that could literally take out the opposite side very quickly in an explosion.

So, that's one way they're doing it. And they have this whole reinforcement from Syria. Syria is a safe haven for them. So, they have got folks they can train and have moved into al-Anbar very quickly to reinforce their fight.

BALDWIN: OK. So, that's where they're coming for from for the reinforcements.

I know the Iraqi prime minister says the liberation of Anbar -- quote, unquote -- "is imminent." If and when hopefully the Iraqi military regains control of Ramadi, what is the number-one way in which they will do that?

REESE: Well, Brooke, one of our problems here is, is it's been four days since -- and really 4.5 days in Iraqi time since our secretary of defense stated that, hey, they don't have the will to...

BALDWIN: They don't have the will.

REESE: That's correct.

The problem is, this shows how quickly war is and the fluidity of what combat happens, because the Iraqis have already started their counteroffensive. They have already had their forces from the west take Anbar University, which is in the southwest corner of Ramadi. And right now, I give it to the Iraqis. They have moved in from the east, where right now they have ISIS between them on the west and the east, and trying to conduct this counteroffensive. So, they're working it, but it shows you how slow we talk and how

fluid the combat is.

BALDWIN: You brought up the secretary of defense. He was talking to Barbara Starr and he said, not only do they not have the will to fight. He said it wasn't a situation in which they were outnumbered. They just -- they left.

And I'm wondering if that at all -- what we're seeing with this offensive in surrounding three parts of the city, if the words from the United States secretary of defense at all is influencing the sudden offensive around Ramadi.

REESE: Brooke, I'm going to have to say no.

I think it -- believe -- I believe what I have talked to with our folks there in Baghdad and what -- what NPW and Arwa are reporting is, yes, it got everyone fired up. And maybe that was the little kind of kick in the butt that had to get everyone going.

BALDWIN: Yes.

REESE: But I know the Iraqis don't want this. They had the Golden -- thank nation Golden Brigade out there, the Golden Eagle Brigade, which is a great brigade.

But, unfortunately, things happen in combat. It's happens on both sides. It happens to us, as the U.S., with the greatest fighting force. There are mishaps sometimes. The problem is, let's not look through a straw, look down through it, and make that as a generalization around the whole country.

BALDWIN: So, when we're looking at the timeline and you point out four, 4.5 days since ISIS has taken Ramadi, if they are to regain Ramadi, this needs to happen quickly, yes? I imagine the longer the time that passes, the more strength, the more emboldened ISIS is with regard to that city.

REESE: Well, look at Tikrit as a model.

BALDWIN: OK.

REESE: They had this big offensive up north, and a month later, it was still working kind of it out.

Once an element -- ISIS is not dumb. They will get into the city and start blending in. They're not going to sit out there like conventional forces do and sit into a defensive posture to allow our aviation aircraft to come in and destroy them. They're going to blend in.

But they get built into the city. They get embedded into the city. And that becomes a block-by-block, street-by-street, door-by-door fight that become critical. So, this is not going to happen in two days. It's not going to happen in a week. This could be another month that we're still banging away at Ramadi. BALDWIN: OK. Lieutenant Colonel James Reese, thank you so much.

REESE: Thanks, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Next, Cleveland officials just revealed they putting in place stricter rules for the city for when and how its officers can use force, a lot of talk about training the law enforcement there. All of this comes after an incredibly critical Justice Department report. We are going to go through the changes police will be making in Cleveland.

Also, more on our breaking news out of Texas -- 30 people, we have now learned in one county, 30 people unaccounted for, so bad in one place last night, people couldn't leave this basketball arena after the Houston Rockets game.

So, coming up, a sports announcer who was stuck at the arena until the wee hours of the morning tells me what that was like.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:29:17]

BALDWIN: Just in to CNN here, the city of Cleveland has just announced changes to its police force after a scathing Justice report.

A DOJ report found officers had a pattern of using excessive force. The city will adhere to new policies, training when it comes to use of force, and will be creating a community police commission.

The timing follows a weekend of protests surrounding the acquittal of a police officer accused of killing two unarmed suspects in 2012. In addition, police are under pressure to explain the shooting death by another officer of a 12-year-old boy, Tamir Rice, who was holding a pellet gun.

Let me bring in CNN's Nick Valencia. He is there in Cleveland.

And, so, just be specific. I mean, what exactly does this mean for the city's police department moving forward?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, according to the mayor, he called this a transformative time.

He was on hand, as well as the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.