Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Funeral Held for Vice President Joe Biden's Son Beau Biden; President Obama Delivers Eulogy for Beau Biden; U.S. Government Suffers Massive Cyber Attack; Pope Visits Sarajevo; Colorado City Possibly Under Attack from Serial Sniper; Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley Interviewed. Aired 2-2:30p ET
Aired June 06, 2015 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:01:02] MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Thanks for joining me. I'm Martin Savidge in for Fredricka Whitfield.
He didn't have a mean bone in his body, that's how President Barack Obama described Beau Biden. The oldest son of the vice president was remembered during a funeral mass in Wilmington, Delaware. The 46- year-old had battled brain cancer and died one week ago.
And the White House the U.S. flag is flying at hall-staff in honor in Beau Biden. CNN national correspondent Sunlen Serfaty is at the church. She joins me now live. And Sunlen, it was a very moving service with the president and family members honoring Delaware's former attorney general.
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, very emotional service hearing eulogies from President Obama and members of the family. Also assembled, a bipartisan group of former president Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Mitch McConnell, Harry Reid both inside, in addition to many cabinet members.
But the moment I think that people will remember from this funeral and from Beau Biden's three days of ceremonies is really the emotional parts that we heard from people's memories of Beau Biden. And I think what struck me the most from President Obama's eulogy was reading between the lines of what he said was really a message to someone he describes as his brother, Joe Biden.
His message to Joe Biden was really job well done. You raised a great kid. He said at one point, point-blank, the world has noticed. That seemed to really strike a lot of people in the room, describing how Beau Biden brushed away privilege in his life, never leaning on his last name being Biden, earning what he has accomplished over the years, describing how once he was pulled over for a ticket and once the police officer knew that his last name was Biden said he would let him off with a warning, but Beau Biden said no, I want that ticket. And President Obama making the big point that more people should live their life this way. Here's President Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Anyone can make a name for themselves in this reality TV age. Especially in today's politics, if you're loud enough or controversial enough you can get some attention. But to make that name mean something, to have it associated with dignity and integrity, that is rare. And there is no shortcut to get it. It's not something you can buy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SERFATY: And Ashley Biden also delivering a very moving eulogy. She described herself as a flea, that was her nickname, because she stuck so close to her brother's side. She talked about over the years of how she had the tragic privilege, is how she described it, of accompanying him to his chemotherapy treatment. And she said that in the course of those treatments he spoke to her about life. And she believed then is where he was really paving the way for after his life was lost for a message for the family. She said for them to remain strong. Here's Ashley Biden.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASHLEY BIDEN, BEAU BIDEN'S SISTER: He never judged. He just listened and offered his hand, his shoulder, his wise advice, and his love. I could just look at him and he knew instantly what I was thinking and always gave a nod, a look, a response that eased me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SERFATY: And we also heard about the tragic last moments of Beau Biden's death, which did sound peaceful, with his whole family assembled in his bedside in the hospital just outside D.C. where he passed away last weekend. According to his older brother -- excuse me, his younger brother, Hunter, he said that in those last moments the family was all embracing Beau Biden, by his side, whispering "I love you, I love you, I love you." And then he described how Beau Biden took his last breath and passed away.
[14:05:02] There were 1,000 people inside the church today for the funeral and the mass as well as hundreds that were gathered outside here in the streets of Wilmington, one young girl with a handmade heart glued to a popsicle stick. On that sign she said, "Rest in peace, Beau Biden." Martin?
SAVIDGE: Sunlen Serfaty reporting on what is a very painful day but also the celebration of a remarkable life. Thank you very much.
Pope Francis is wrapping up a day-long trip to Bosnia Herzegovina. Tens of thousands turned out for an open-air mass in the stadium at Sarajevo. The pontiff shared a message of peace with a part of the world which had seen more than its share of ethnic violence in the past. Joining us from Sarajevo is senior international correspondent Nic Robertson. And Nic, this is the first papal visit since Pope John Paul II visited, and that was in 1997. Circumstances were much different then, weren't they?
NIC PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They certainly were. I mean, the Pope's message today -- and he stressed this -- he met with the politicians here, and really a lot of his message was for the politicians, that they need to do better for the people of the country. So many people here, all those 60,000-plus people who were attending his mass today, so many of them here believe that their politicians here are still too nationalist, that there is corruption, cronyism. The economy is suffering, unemployment about 40 percent.
And what the Pope came here to do today was to talk to the politicians. There's a three-member presidency, one Croatian, one Serbian, one Muslim from inside the country of Bosnia. And his message of them was you need to do better for the people of the country.
He quoted from the gospel at the mass here today. He said "Blessed be the peacemakers." He said "Not the people who preach peace, because you can be hypocritical and duplicitous when you do this." And really this was a jab at the politicians.
One of the reasons the Pope came here today was because he's heard from the Catholic clergy here in Sarajevo and other parts of Bosnia saying Catholics are leaving this city and other parts of the country because they feel the politics of nationalism are strong, because the economy is not good. So the Pope really sees this trip today, he's still here right now, getting ready to leave, but he sees this trip as a way to keep the Catholic community strong but also promote peace in this region. And he likened the city of Sarajevo to Jerusalem in the Middle East, a mixture of ethnicities, of different religions, but vital to the stability of the regions they're in. Martin?
SAVIDGE: So how was his visit? How were his words received?
WALSH: You know, the people we talked to absolutely loved seeing him, loved having him here. They said -- when I asked how important is this message of peace, they said, look, it's important not just for Sarajevo, not just important for Bosnia, but for the region. That was really echoing his words.
And another young man I talked to, I asked him what he thought about the Pope's visit, and he said it's important because the economy is here bad. And he's not the only young person I talked to here. Even middle-aged people with families that are growing, school-aged children have told me they want to leave the country because the economy is that bad. And unemployment, unofficial figures in the city, particularly among the young, as high as 40 percent.
And that's really seen as a direct result of these politicians from the same nationalist parties who were in power during the war, corruption and cronyism, employing friends, people in their families, and not allowing the economy to grow and not allowing the country really to get a strong sense of peace, concerns that because the economy is weak that politics and nationalism gets stronger, and the country becomes more disunited, dangerously so, Martin.
SAVIDGE: A message of peace from the Pope in a city and a country that has seen so much bloodshed. Nic Robertson, thank you very much. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[14:12:48] DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Isaiah Austin is blind in his right eye due to a detached retina that he suffered as a teenager, but that didn't stop him from dominating the court as a Baylor University basketball center.
ISAIAH AUSTIN, BAYLOR UNIVERSITY: I knew I had to perform at a high level in order for people to really respect me, and I did that.
GUPTA: In 2014, he was a top recruit for the NBA draft. But just days before that draft, Isaiah was told he has Marfan syndrome. It's a genetic disorder that affects the body's connective tissue. Doctors said he could no longer pursue a career in basketball.
AUSTIN: The toughest moment of my life.
GUPTA: Isaiah had to be tough, especially for his younger siblings.
AUSTIN: I just knew that I had to handle myself right in front of them because they looked up to me like -- like no other.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The NBA selects Isaiah Austin.
GUPTA: The NBA commissioner recognized Isaiah with an honorary draft pick and a job after he graduates. For now, Isaiah is working with NBA Cares and bringing awareness to Marfan syndrome through a foundation he started. In his book, "Dream Again," Isaiah shares his personal journey in the hopes of encouraging others.
AUSTIN: I could have been playing in the NBA right now and there could have been a high chance that I would collapse on the court. But my new passion really is to inspire people with my story.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: Hello, everyone. I'm Martin Savidge. We are learning just how bad the cyber-attack against the U.S. government was. In this case it's the Chinese government that is saying they are not responsible. Chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto investigates.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: An unprecedented and alarming cyber-attack by China. The attackers may now be able to identify, expose, even blackmail U.S. government officials around the world. And all it took, one government agency that had not taken the simple step of updating its server software. But the White House still is not publicly naming the public. It is acknowledging the growing threat.
JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We have seen our adversaries use innovative techniques and to learn from their previous efforts to try to find vulnerabilities in our system and to exploit them.
[14:15:05] SCIUTTO: This attack appears designed to lay the ground work for future attacks using the stolen personal information to fool government employees in so-called spearfishing attacks and to impersonate them to carry out insider attacks. Targeting the personal information of federal employees is new. Chinese hackers had previously focused on stealing military and government secrets to enhance national security, and corporate data for financial gain.
BEN BEESON, CYBER SECURITY EXPERT, LOCKTON COMPANIES: I don't think that's stopped, but this is just a new attack vector, which is typically being used by organized crime for monetizing that data. And now nation-states are clearly seeing that it has some use for them as well.
SCIUTTO: Security analysts say some federal agents are not following the government's own guidelines to update operating systems with the latest protections. The Office of Personnel Management discovered the breach by using new software, but the detection came after the system had already been compromised.
After years of alleged cyber-attacks by China, the Obama administration has tried raising the issue president to president. It even issued criminal charges against an elite group of Chinese hackers believed housed at this Shanghai building and known as Unit 61398. But China's attacks have only continued and grown.
JON HUNTSMAN, FORMER AMBASSADOR TO CHINA AND SINGAPORE: Let's face it, cyber, as we're all waking up to again this morning, is the newest domain of warfare.
SCIUTTO: There is a debate about hacking back, retaliating for cyber- attacks like this one. Private companies barred from doing so by law. But the government also concerned that could spark a tit for tat escalating retaliation over time and that's something that the government wants to avoid.
Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: Still ahead, a series of shootings have a colorado community living in fear. But are the crimes connected? Just ahead, why some think it could be the work of a serial sniper.
But first, a programming note. CNN's special series "The '70s" produced by Tom Hanks begins Thursday.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The '70s awakened us and polarized us. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The 1970s saw the development of terrorism.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With bombshell after bombshell after bombshell.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Watergate scandal broke wide open today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hear the 1970s I think more hair, more naked people, more misbehavior.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The world is get crazy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The cultural revolution just kind of exploded, and kind of fascinating chaos emerged.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because of what was going on, people came home and they wanted to laugh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want one picture taken with Archie Bunker and me. One, two, three.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a period of discovery for a lot of people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My only defense was it was the '70s.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dynamite!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:22:11] SAVIDGE: Many in a small Colorado community are in fear again after several recent deadly shootings, all of them unsolved. As CNN's Ana Cabrera explains, some believe the shootings are connected, and they could be the work of a serial sniper.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Torn between grief and fear.
HECTOR GONZALEZ, VICTIM'S NEIGHBOR: It's just hard. But around here, it's a little community, and it's scary.
CABRERA: A makeshift memorial marks only the sixth deadly shooting in almost a decade in the town of Loveland, Colorado.
RUSSELL HARMON, VICTIM'S NEIGHBOR: He had just beaten cancer. He was, you know, full of life.
CABRERA: And 65-year-old William Connole was shot and killed Wednesday night while walking down a typically busy street. It's now the third shooting in the past six weeks to rock northern Colorado, and residents can't help but wonder if they're all connected.
DENNIS DIMSMORE, LOVELAND LIFETIME RESIDENT: It sure seems like it, doesn't it? It's one of those things where you can't help but draw a correlation to it.
CABRERA: The three shootings happened within about 15 miles of each other. April 22nd, a woman shot in the neck while driving on interstate 25. On May 18th, a man shot and killed while riding a bicycle on a rural road. Investigators have linked these two shootings. They still don't know about the third.
CHIEF LUKE HECKER, LOVELAND POLICE: There are enough likenesses to this case that we as an agency immediately reached out to the task force that is assigned to investigate this and other crimes with us.
CABRERA: That task force includes the FBI. Investigators won't talk about the evidence, the type of weapon used or whether they had have a suspect profile. Mike Bouchard, who helped investigate the D.C. sniper attacks in 2002, cautions about jumping to conclusions.
MIKE BOUCHARD, D.C. SNIPER INVESTIGATOR: I don't think they would call this a serial sniper case. Right now they've only got two shootings that have been linked together. They're being close about how they're able to link those shootings, and that's probably smart on their part.
CABRERA: The latest shooting happened just across the street from this liquor store. It was closed at the time, but it does have surveillance video. The owner says it doesn't show the shooting itself but it does show some cars in the area. They've now handled that over to investigators.
For now the fear of the unknown has residents on edge.
HECTOR GONZALEZ, LOVELAND RESIDENT: Oh, yes. That's what I tell my kids right now, stay in a group, three or four. Don't be by yourself.
SAMANTHA CADWELL, FORT COLLINS RESIDENT: Actually, we try not to ride our bikes in the morning, or we avoid being out late at night as well.
CABRERA: Ana Cabrera, CNN, Loveland, Colorado.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[14:28:23] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The last time I sat down with you on camera, I asked you what is Foursquare. You said Foursquare is an app for sane living. It makes cities easier to use. So let's fast forward all the way now to 2015, and I'm going to ask you exact same question. What is Foursquare?
DENNIS CROWLEY, FOUNDER AND CEO, FOURSQUARE: The making cities easier year to use thing we talked about in 2009 is still very core to all of the things we're trying to accomplish. We're always first and foremost focused on building the consumer app. Swarm is great at helping you figure out where your friends are. Foursquare is always an amazing way to help people find the most interesting things wherever they go.
But now six years into it, I think, you know, Foursquare has morphed into a company that builds technology, the cutting edge of what you can do with location based services.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of times when people think search they don't necessarily think Foursquare, right?
CROWLEY: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So what is your vision for a local search?
CROWLEY: I think a lot of local search tools people use are just fine. You might have to put a lot of effort into Yelp and put a lot of effort in Google, but if you put a lot of effort in, you'll probably find someplace to go to.
I think the thing that's really special about Foursquare is it can learn about you over time and eventually make these non-personalized products like Yelp, just make them irrelevant. Why would you use this thing where everyone gets the same search result? That is going to be laughable two years from now. Of course you use Foursquare and understand all the places that you've been. It gets smarter every single day, like, of course that's the part. I just don't see it any other way.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[14:30:00] SAVIDGE: And that is it. Thank you very much for spending some time with us today. I'm Martin Savidge in for Fredricka Whitfield. "All Access At The NBA Finals," it starts right now with Rachel Nichols.
