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Search for Inmates Intensifies After Sightings; NTSB Report Cites Train Engineer Didn't Use Phone While Working; Attackers Target Ancient Site in Egypt; U.S. Preps to Send Hundreds of Troops to Iraq; Texas Pool Party Officer Resigns; Attorneys to Mosby: Drop Charges or Step Aside; Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired June 10, 2015 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:02] DAVISON: I guess they're just -- they're happy tears, just to realize that, you know, some things could have gone wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: That's beautiful.

ROMANS: How special.

CAMEROTA: It's so nice. Look at that.

ROMANS: Nice to see (INAUDIBLE).

CUOMO: People who rush in and save.

CAMEROTA: I know.

ROMANS: First responders.

CAMEROTA: So love them.

CUOMO: Amazing.

ROMANS: Time for "NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello. Hi, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: That was an especially nice one. Thanks for that. Have a great day.

NEWSROOM starts now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, two escaped killers possibly spotted. Police rush to a small wooded town after neighbors catch a glimpse of two suspicious men. And the son speaks up to defend his prison worker mom, saying she had nothing to do with the escape.

TOBEY MITCHELL, JOYCE MITCHELL'S SON: She is not the kind of person that's going to risk her life or other people's lives to let these guys escape from prison.

COSTELLO: Also, bloody Baltimore. A sky high murder rate, distrust after protests. Two active officers describe the inner workings of their department.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The criminal element feels as though we're not going to run the risk of chasing them.

COSTELLO: How do we fix this?

Plus, splurging on luxury items? Not saving enough? We get a peek inside Marco Rubio's bankbook. Do his past money troubles matter?

Let's talk. Live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

Any second now the NTSB will announce whether or not the engineer in last month's deadly Amtrak derailment was using his cell phone at the time of the crash. The engineer Brandon Bostian claims his cell phone was in his bag when the train went off the tracks just north of Philadelphia. Traveling at more than double the speed limit, eight people died in that crash. Bostian suffered a head injury after which he apparently could not remember much about the accident.

As soon as we have the NTSB's new findings about his cell phone use, of course we'll bring them to you.

In the meantime, authorities ramping up the search for two cold- blooded killers as new details surfaced about a female prison worker who knew the inmates. We now know the identity of the women who may have helped Richard Matt and David Sweat escape from a super max prison in upstate New York.

A source telling CNN investigators believe Joyce Mitchell planned to pick up both inmates after they broke free, but changed her mind at the last minute. Also raising suspicions, Mitchell's cell phone use. According to another source, her phone was used to call one of the inmate's contacts. It's still unclear who made those calls and when.

In an exclusive interview with NBC News, Mitchell's son says there's no way his mother helped.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITCHELL: She is not the kind of person that's going to risk her life or other people's lives to let these guys escape from prison.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: There's a report out there that your mom went to the emergency room with a panic attack. Did that happen?

MITCHELL: Yes. She was in fact in the hospital that evening. I don't know the exact details. I just know that she was having severe chest pains.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: With no getaway car in sight, officials believe the killers are now traveling on foot. Right now authorities are scouring farms and fields in Willsboro, New York. That's about 40 miles from Dannemora after a possible sighting. Officials are also going back to square one today, searching homes in Dannemora.

CNN's Randi Kaye has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It seems the only person to have seen Richard Matt and David Sweat was a man in his own yard the night of the escape. This is what he told ABC News.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I asked him what the hell are you going in my yard, get the hell out of here. And he was like, sorry. I don't -- I didn't know where I was. I'm on the wrong street.

KAYE: Trouble is, nobody is sure they've seen them since. And with the Clinton Correctional Facility just south of the Canadian border, authorities are growing concerned they may try to flee north if they haven't already.

(On camera): If these guys did cross into Canada, they may have done so here. This is the border crossing between Champlain, New York, and Quebec. It's about an hour or so from the prison they escaped from. But this is a high security crossing, so it would have been very, very tough. The U.S. Border Patrol tells me that their officers here are trained in imposter detection and fraudulent documents.

PAUL MONGILLO, U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION: We are looking at the vehicles. We're looking at the individuals, opening trunks, opening back of doors of trucks and things. So it is a lot very extensive.

KAYE: I assume your team has their pictures at the ready.

MONGILLO: Right. Yes. We have -- the photos are all in the primary booths. The officers have them. They know who they're looking for.

KAYE (voice-over): But there are 300 miles of border in just this sector. A lot of it mountainous and nearly all of it heavily wooded. And some parts of the border are so easy to cross that authorities are at a real disadvantage.

[09:05:06] (On camera): The escapees may be looking for a place like this to cross the border. They'd certainly have an easier time. Border Patrol can't secure the entire northern border so there are plenty of spots like this one, open areas where you don't need any passports or documentation to cross the border. So watch this. Here I'm standing in the U.S. I can keep one foot in the U.S. And put another foot in Canada. This is the border right here. Or I can just simply walk into Canada no questions asked.

(Voice-over): Helping patrol these open areas are highly trained canines. (On camera): So if they do stop a suspicious vehicle and they think

someone could be hiding in the trunk, Border Patrol has a very special way of finding out. So we asked Aaron to get inside the trunk of this car, hide himself in there so we could see exactly how they do it.

(Voice-over): This German Shepherd smelled trouble and alerted at the car's trunk. So if this was the bad guys forcing someone to smuggle them to freedom, this may be the best hope of finding them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good boy. Passenger side.

KAYE: Randi Kaye, CNN, Dannemora, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Now it is important to remember these are very dangerous men. Richard Matt, for example, brutally tortured and killed his former boss before dismembering his body back in 1997.

Last night on CNN's "ANDERSON COOPER", Anderson spoke to one of Matt's former accomplices. He's a man named Lee Bates. Bates witnessed that horrific killing and said he was scared then and warns the public should be scared now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEE BATES, FUGITIVE'S FORMER ACCOMPLICE: He can make friends easy. He's a master manipulator. This is a 48-year-old man that knows the prison system, that knows street -- the streets, street smarts and is a very cunning and dangerous individual. If he has a goal set in mind, he's going to go and do everything he can to achieve it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And again we still don't know the extent of Matt's relationship with that prison worker Joyce Mitchell. Some have questioned whether the two were involved in a romantic relationship. Mitchell's son says no.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITCHELL: She definitely wouldn't have an affair against my father and definitely wouldn't be with an inmate. There's no truth to that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: All right. So let's talk about all of this with criminologist, Casey Jordan.

Casey, welcome.

CASEY JORDAN, CRIMINOLOGIST: Good morning. Great to be here.

COSTELLO: Great to have you here. So this Richard Matt, he's a brutal killer and quite the charmer. Two things that are hard to reconcile, right? JORDAN: Well, this is the -- you can't blame Joyce Mitchell's son for

defending his mother. I mean, I'm sure he just can't believe she's capable. But I don't think we can underestimate what a manipulative person Mr. Matt actually is. And the fact that his accomplice confirms that is really important.

He had to have some kind of currency. And when I say currency I don't actually mean cash money, although that would be a great currency to have. If you are in prison you don't have a lot of money. You have to use your charm. And, you know, the detectives have called him a lady's man. Everywhere he went he picked up girlfriends.

So I have no doubt that he psychologically manipulative someone in that prison, perhaps including Joyce Mitchell, to help him get access to a cell phone to people on the outside who could help him, maybe get him, you know, we're just speculating, the plans so that he knew how to get out of that prison. But that highly manipulative personality is probably his best currency. Even more so than coercion or threats.

COSTELLO: I think that some people believe evil people who commit terrible crimes are somehow we could tell that their evil but I talked to four prisoners on death row in Texas and they were charming, too. They seemed just like regular people.

JORDAN: Absolutely. I've interviewed dozens of prisoners, including people at Clinton. And you have to remember that, you know, for people to survive in prison, they have to be manipulative. And Clinton is really -- it's a super max. It's the worst of the worst. The violence that you see there is on par with what you used to see on a show called "Oz." So if this guy is kind of king of the mountain, if he's actually manipulated his way into an honors block -- and we're talking about Mr. Matt, but I'm sure Mr. Sweat were just as manipulative -- then they start to let the guards put their guard down literally.

They're like, well, they're in the honors unit. You know, we can trust them. They don't check on them as much as they should. Protocol may actually get a little bit slack. But you have to remember, you know, the workers in the prison industry who are sewing these uniforms are not actually officers. They are civilian workers or contractors. And even though they go through a lot of training -- I've been through training as a volunteer at a local prison -- you should never talk to them, get close to them, let use your phone. They can't even touch you, you can't touch them. You can't give them so much as a penny. The guard goes down overtime.

[09:10:02] So they had help. We know of course that Miss Mitchell is alleged to be involved with agreeing to drive a getaway car. Maybe she knew what she was doing, maybe she didn't. We really need to find out more details from her about that level of involvement. But I wouldn't be surprised if there are more people than her who could be involved.

COSTELLO: Yes. It is interesting, though, she had a panic attack at some point. So -- JORDAN: I think her conscience kicked in. I mean, I think that at

some point she realized the depth to which she was involved and to which she was being bamboozled by these guys. And whether she knew that they used her phone or didn't know they used her phone, she knew that she was in deep and made the right decision not to show up with a getaway car. I think she's got a lot of explaining to do. I'm sure the authorities know a lot more than we do, but I think it's just the tip of the iceberg.

COSTELLO: All right. Thanks so much, Casey Jordan, for joining me this morning. I appreciate it.

JORDAN: Always great to be here.

COSTELLO: Thanks so much.

OK. This just in to CNN. We now know whether the engineer in last month's deadly Amtrak derailment was on his phone when that train careened off the tracks going more than 100 miles per hour.

CNN's Rene Marsh has the NTSB's findings. What are they?

RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION AND GOVERNMENT REGULATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, this is just coming down. They've analyzed the phone records and they say it does not indicate that this engineer was making a phone call or even sending texts at the time he was operating the train. That according to the NTSB. It also goes on to say that Amtrak's records confirm that the engineer did not access the train's Wi-Fi.

So now the question remains, why was this train going more than double the speed limit around this curve as it was traveling through Philadelphia bound for New York? That is still a mystery. We already know from the NTSB that at this point they have not found any problems with the tracks. They have not found any problems with the signals. So -- and now they are saying in this statement that there is no indication that the engineer was using his cell phone at the time of the crash.

So now perhaps the focus now back on his experience, his knowledge, his situational awareness at the moment that this train derailed, Carol, we do know that he had been on this specific route for about two weeks. So they will be looking closer at that, you can imagine.

COSTELLO: All right.

MARSH: Now that they've been able to cross out distraction.

COSTELLO: OK. So, again, the engineer on that Amtrak train was not using his cell phone, according to the NTSB.

MARSH: Right.

COSTELLO: Rene Marsh, many thanks to you. I appreciate it.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, attackers target one of Egypt's most beloved sites. As the U.S. considers sending hundreds more troops overseas in the fight against ISIS.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:16:58] COSTELLO: Militants targeting one of Egypt's most popular tourist sites, the temples at Luxor. Security forces killing two of three attackers before they could make it past security, five others were injured. Luxor is one of Egypt's most famous tourist destinations. It's right across the river from King Tut's tomb and welcomes millions of visitors every year.

This latest incident comes on the heels of news that the U.S. may send hundreds more troops into Iraq, trying to stem the rising tide of ISIS control across the country.

Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is following that story.

Good morning, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Look for an announcement from the Obama administration perhaps later today on this very issue, sending about 400 to 500 additional troops to Iraq, mainly for training Iraqi forces. They are going to go to Anbar province by all accounts. That's a very difficult area of big ISIS stronghold right now.

So, it will increase the number of trainers there, that they included in that 400 to 500 troops that will go will be security troops, because there is so much fighting in that area, they're going to go to a base where they are going to have to provide security for the U.S. troops going there to train.

What's the bottom line here? It is an adjustment we are told by a Pentagon official in what the U.S. military is doing, but not a big change in strategy.

They've been trying to get more Iraqi troops trained. They're going to try and work with the Sunni militant, with the Sunni tribal elements out in Anbar province -- but, look, the bottom line, Pentagon officials will tell you, is this is going to be very difficult.

Nobody anticipates this one deployment changing Iraq, fixing Iraq. And it's not going to be enough for Republicans like John McCain and Lindsey Graham who want to see the White House do even more -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Barbara Starr, reporting live from the Pentagon this morning -- thank you.

Well, he's out, the Texas police officer who sparked outrage after this video went viral resigns. Corporal Eric Casebolt is seen in this video slamming a 14-year-old girl to the ground and later drawing his gun on unarmed teenagers. His own police chief calling his actions, quote, "out of control."

Alina Machado is in McKinney this morning with more.

Good morning, Carol.

ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. That officer was on administrative leave. And even though he turned in his badge, he turned it in for this investigation was even complete. So, some are saying his resignation just isn't enough.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHIEF GREG CONLEY, MCKINNEY POLICE: The actions of Casebolt as seen on the video are indefensible.

MACHADO (voice-over): Police officer, Corporal Eric Casebolt, seen on that shocking viral video, yanking a 14-year-old bikini-clad girl to the ground, upholstering his gun on other teens, and later putting his knee into the girl's back, has now resigned.

The Dallas suburb police chief says it's too soon to say whether he will face charges.

CONLEY: Our policies, our training, our practice do not support his actions. He came into the call out of control.

[09:20:02] And as the video shows was out of control during the incident.

MACHADO: This as protests continue over the shocking incident. Some teens at the pool party say the police officer's actions were definitely racially motivated.

ZACH TWA, TEEN AT POOL PARTY: Right when he came, black kids over here, white kids over here, just straight up. We want to see the black kids because they think we all did something. And the white kids, y'all are innocent. You guys just go and take your phones out.

MACHADO: The local police union has said that teens and adults were trespassing at the privately owned pool and that there were reports of vandalism and fighting in the area when officers responded.

Casebolt's attorney has not responded to CNN's requests for comment.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACHADO: It's worth noting that in 2008, Casebolt was one of several officers who were sued of her excessive force and racial profiling among other things. That lawsuit stemmed from a traffic stop and the lawsuit was eventually dismissed.

It's also worth noting that the officer himself is really the only person we haven't heard from with this McKinney story. We're told he will not be speaking to reporters today, but his attorney is planning a news conference this afternoon, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. We look forward to that. Alina Machado in McKinney, Texas, thanks so much.

Still to come on THE NEWSROOM, a CNN exclusive. Officers say they're scared, walking away from possible crimes, worried about confrontations. A candid look at life as an officer in Baltimore, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Drop the charges or step aside -- that's the demand coming from defense attorneys with the six Baltimore police officers charged with the death of Freddie Gray. They're citing an email coming from State Attorney Marilyn Mosby's office, asking officers to step up patrols in the very same area where Gray was arrested back in April because of concerns over drug killing.

Now, the death of Gray and the charges against those officers have ripped Baltimore apart. The city has seen a spike in violence. And now some officers are looking the other way in order to avoid a confrontation. Brooke Baldwin sat down with two Baltimore officers for an exclusive interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's definite is the proactive self-initiated policing has stopped.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are now in a reactive mode.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're in a total reactive mode.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the result that you get. Ultimately, it does a disservice to the low-abiding citizens. It does a disservice to everybody except the criminal element, because they are in the minority right now.

They know that pretty much the whole police department has shifted all to a reactive side. You have no more initiated stops per se. You know, an officer is worried. He's riding down the street, even though you have a reasonable suspicion and you see, you know, a guy walking down the street and there's a bulge coming in from their waistband and there's different characteristics that we are trained for to look for an armed person.

And I can tell you this and it's the truth. Nine out of ten times that officer is going to keep on driving.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Brooke Baldwin joins me now with more of her exclusive interview. Tell us more, Brooke.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, let me be clear. There's a lot that I can't share. But, listen, they've been officers for decades. These are not rookies who sat down with me yesterday morning in this undisclosed location in Maryland, and we sat down and we talked for an hour.

But I think it's pretty stunning. They were saying to me, listen, to the community, if you want a softer more gentle police department, here you go. This is what it is.

You know, I pushed them. I said, listen, you took an oath to serve and protect your communities. They said, yes, Brooke, we did. But they are terrified in the wake of what happened to their six colleagues who have been criminally charged responding to something that even the state attorney had told police, you know, go and patrol this area, weeks before Freddie Gray's death.

They want to go home to their families at night. So, they're terrified they could be thrown in jail. They said to me, their biggest fear -- listen to this, Carol -- they said their biggest now as officers in the city of Baltimore isn't getting shot. It's going to jail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COMMISSIONER ANTHONY BATTS, BALTIMORE CITY POLICE: I've been out there on calls. I've seen them engage. Could you ask me if all of them are doing the utmost? That's a question they're going to have to answer.

I put to them again, remember why you do this job. Remember those little kids that I just talked to, remember that 9-year-old little baby on Memorial Day who got shot in the middle of the street. We don't get to pass up bad guys. We don't get to let bad guys walk around on the streets.

REPORTER: You mentioned the clearance rate. What's the problem --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, we wanted to include that, Carol, too, because that was Commissioner Anthony Batts, that's the top cop in the city of Baltimore. And so, he was asked to respond a little bit to our interview yesterday morning. This is from yesterday evening.

You know, he's saying, listen, these officers have an ethical duty. They have, you know, agreed to this oath to serve and protect.

I mean, again, the notion that these officers were saying to me, because of what happened with Freddie Gray, nine times out of ten if they see some potential criminality on the streets, they will drive past.

COSTELLO: I think Commissioner Batts has a big, big problem.

I understand you also spoke to one of those officers this morning about the prosecutor Marilyn Mosby. What did they have to say?

BALDWIN: Well, I think it's really clear. We talked to them yesterday about that. They say they watched her speech on the steps of the war memorial, and I think you were there, Carol, as well, when she was announcing the charges. They said it sounded like a campaign speech.