Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Father Of Dallas Shooting Suspect Speaks Out; Hunt Continues For Two Escaped Convicts; Bill Clinton Talks Hillary Clinton; Report: Unclear Whether Cop Shouted Warning; Shooting Suspect Had Criminal Past; Hippos, Lions, Bears Roam Flooded Streets; "Introverted" Jeb Bush Opens Up. Aired 2-3pm ET

Aired June 14, 2015 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:17] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone, and welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Our top story, new details emerging today on the widening manhunt for two escaped killers, Richard Matt and David Sweat broke out from an upstate New York maximum security prison nine days ago. CNN has learned prison worker Joyce Mitchell charged with aiding in their escape told investigators she was supposed to meet Matt and Sweat just blocks from the prison, and that is where they were supposed to begin a seven-hour drive. And as this map shows, they could have gone as far as 400 miles. The district attorney spoke to CNN about where they planned on going.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW WYLIE, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, CLINTON COUNTY, NEW YORK: She never indicated to us where that location was. It was just that's the information that she was told by Matt and Sweat, that it was about seven hours away. She did indicate one of the reasons she didn't show up was because, you know, she did love her husband and she didn't want to do this to him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, CNN's Miguel Marquez is covering the search. He's live for us in Cadyville where dogs picked up the scent of both escapees a few days ago.

So Miguel, you are with one of the search teams now. What are they doing?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This (INAUDIBLE). This is right east of Cadyville, pretty much in Cadyville itself. The prison is about a mile and a half up there. This area has been shut down now for several days. They have been focusing on this part of the road for the past several days. This is the area where they picked up the scent of these individuals at an encampment they believe, incredibly heavy and forested, this area. This is the area they hope to focus on today.

Now, we do understand that there is still live searching going on back on this side of us, but later today we expect to see what we saw much of yesterday, hundreds of corrections officers and law enforcement lining the road. This is route 3 here. And lining the road here and then moving into this heavily forested area hoping to find some sign of these individuals or them as well in this area.

Hundreds of homes, barns, outbuildings, abandoned cars, the river is right down here. There's been rain so they have water, there is fresh strawberries and blueberries to eat out there so they could survive, but it can't be comfortable -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And so, Miguel, in terms of I guess the tools that searchers are using, they're on foot, you mentioned vehicles. Is there also the use of horseback and, of course, dogs again?

MARQUEZ: Dogs, a lot of aTVs, those all-terrain vehicles, those small four-wheel drive all-terrain vehicles we've seen those everywhere. The other thing we've seen here are lots of big sodium lights set up all along the road. I can show you, if you turn around this way you can see the police officer down there. About every 200, 300 yards or so there's another police officer stationed along route 3 here hoping to keep anyone who is in here on this side from crossing over across to this side of the road the (INAUDIBLE) river and then into much greater wilderness down that way. So they are throwing everything at it to hold a perimeter and search very finely inside of it -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Miguel Marquez, thanks very much. Keep us posted there from Cadyville, New York.

So let's talk more about this. Joining me now from our New York Bureau, CNN law enforcement analyst and retired NYPD detective, Harry Houck.

All right, good to see you again, Harry. So more than 800 state local and federal law enforcement officers are searching for these men. We're now at day nine. As more time passes, what in your view are the challenges for these search teams?

HARRY HOUCK, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, I tell you, after eight days, we're in a ninth day now has passed, I'm beginning to believe that maybe these prisoners aren't there. Maybe they have made their way out of the perimeter.

I'm thinking also that maybe they did have a plan b and were able to get out of the area. It's really hard for me to believe that these guys were able to survive for eight or nine days in the thick wooded area with not much -- not committing any crimes, not breaking into any houses. You know, the police have checked every home in this area and they probably have the homes under surveillance, so they haven't made their way into a home. How are these guys surviving? And that's what makes me believe that they may have made it out.

WHITFIELD: Well, that's fascinating because you did hear Miguel too who talked about that while, yes, you know, the brush is thick, it's a wooded area. The weather has not been favorable, it's been rainy too, but he mentioned barns and he mentioned the food source of blueberries and strawberries. And I guess there was a feeling from so many that these two may not be that resourceful, but in your view could it be the case, even if there wasn't that plan b that you speak of.

[14:05:01] HOUCK: Well, I mean, it's possible. Listen, I'm hoping they are in this area, alright? But the fact is that the longer that we go here with this search, alright, the more it makes me believe that they have gotten out of that area somehow, alright. So like I said, I'm hoping that these guys will be captured and I'm hoping that they are in this area, but you know, we go another three, four more days, where are these guys? I know it's a thick area and it's a very hard area to search. One of them also has a debilitating back injury.

WHITFIELD: Right. There was a back medicine that he was taking.

HOUCK: Right. Now, that he had medicine for that back for this many days when they escaped and now, if he doesn't have the medicine, how is he able to walk through the woods, you know? Where could they be hiding? I mean, that's what me think these guys have probably made it out of the area. I'm hoping not, though.

WHITFIELD: Now, what about the assistance then, from, you know, nearby jurisdictions? I mean, we know that this has involved state, local, federal, but as the days progress and just as you say, you know, it's difficult to understand how it is that they could be surviving this long. What kind of added assistance could be offered?

HOUCK: Well, I think they probably have all the resources that they need up there. I guess, you know, maybe they could use another 500 law enforcement officers to go through the woods there. I mean, they have got dogs, they have got all the equipment they need. Apparently, they believe that they're probably still in the area based on evidence that they're picking up.

There's a lot we don't know about here. Maybe we don't know everything that's going on. Maybe they have found fresh prints, alright, that they can match to the prints that they have found earlier indicating that maybe they are still in the area here. But the longer this goes on -- usually it takes about three days to capture guys like this that are within the area. Here they're checking out an area which is about a mile, a mile and a half away from the prison. You mean these guys didn't make it any further than that on foot by themselves in the first place?

It's really tough, and it's going to be very interesting when they capture these guys, how these guys survive.

WHITFIELD: All right, Harry Houck, thanks so much for your point of view. Appreciate it.

HOUCK: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, still ahead, investigators are trying to figure out the motive behind that violent assault on Dallas police.

CNN's Sara Sidner spoke to the suspect's father -- Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the father very, very emotional. But he talked a lot about his son and why he thinks he went on this shooting spree. We'll have that coming up just after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:10:40] WHITFIELD: Investigators in Dallas are piecing together evidence, hoping to understand exactly what happened in yesterday's attack on the Dallas police department. The suspect, who identified himself as James Boulware, a man with a long and violent criminal past, used pipe bombs and an armored van to go after police. He was killed by a police sniper. No officers were injured in the attack, and now his father is talking to CNN.

Sara Sidner is live with us in Dallas with that emotional interview -- Sara.

SIDNER: He was extremely emotional, but he was also quite candid about what happened. He talked about whether or not he was angry with police himself and why his son was so angry and what he thinks made him carry out this attack.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BOULWARE, FATHER: Every one of us has a breaking point. Every one of us.

SIDNER (voice-over): Did your son hit his breaking point?

BOULWARE: He hit his breaking point.

SIDNER: Jim Boulware is teetering on the edge himself, filled with grief after his son, James, attacked police and was killed for it. He says James was the man behind the attack on the Dallas police headquarters. Three hours before the attack, he was sitting right here with his dad.

BOULWARE: He told me he loved me and he was going back to west Texas. And I told him, have a safe trip.

SIDNER: But that is not what happened. Before the sun came up, James Boulware was dead, killed by a police sniper after threatening to blow police up for taking his child. He could have, his van was laden with explosives that police eventually detonated.

BOULWARE: He left from here. He mowed my yard yesterday. Told me he was going to be back in ten days to mow it again.

SIDNER: Did you have any idea when he left --

BOULWARE: No. No. I knew he was angry with the police. He blamed them for taking his son. I tried to tell him, the police didn't do it. The police were doing their job to enforce the laws. If you want to get to that, you've got to go back to the liberal people that put these laws in place to where CPS can grab kids out away from him. They are just imposing laws.

SIDNER: James Boulware had recently lost custody of his own son to his own mother, the boy's grandmother. The family tied in 2013 preceded the custody battle.

BOULWARE: Her mother, her half-brother and James had a fight in her house.

SIDNER: James Boulware was arrested in Paris, Texas, for multiple assault charges on family members. The charges were eventually dropped.

BOULWARE: While he was here this time, he said, dad, I've lost my house, my tools, my son. I'm going through every dime I've got. I can't find a job because I've got domestic violence on my record. He said I've lost everything. And then you have hopelessness.

SIDNER: Why didn't he get some help?

BOULWARE: Where? Where does a white male get help?

SIDNER: He says his son, James, was angry and desperate.

BOULWARE: I think he was trying to make a statement to get the system to understand he had lost his son and it cost him his life.

SIDNER: But it was the wrong way to go about it, wasn't it?

BOULWARE: Yes. To a sane person, regular person, yes.

SIDNER: Was he not sane?

BOULWARE: When you reach that breaking point, I don't know what you call sane and what you don't anymore.

SIDNER: He's been called a lot of different names after what's happened. One of the names is domestic terrorist. Is he a domestic terrorist?

BOULWARE: No, no. Not ever.

SIDNER: What did you say to him as he was going through all this anger.

BOULWARE: I told him that we needed the police and I brought up the McKinney and the pool party and all over there. I kindly took the police's side. And that's when he told me he didn't care. Anarchy would be better. And I said no.

[14:15:04] SIDNER: He said he didn't care about the police?

BOULWARE: You don't want anarchy. You don't want it. Yes, it would be better. Now, he did say that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: Jim Boulware also told us that the ATF, FBI came to his home and searched it. He said they signed something to allow them to search his home. He said they searched a lot of different places including the trash and the garage. He also told us about that strange armored vehicle that his son had. He said that just last week his son went to Georgia to pick that van up, brought it home, telling him that he didn't have many places to live, he certainly didn't have his own home anymore and that he planned to live in that van. Jim said that he had no idea what his son was really planning -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Wow, all right, thank you so much, Sara Sidner. Appreciate that.

All right, let's talk more about this. Joining me right now is senior vice president of FJC security and former ATF agent Matthew Horace.

So Matthew, good to see you again. So police say, you know, the suspect's van started to burn as the bomb squad was disposing of the suspected pipe bombs that were inside the vehicle. You just heard Sara talk about how the father said the son went to get that van not long ago from Georgia. So now in your view was there any important evidence perhaps in that van that police want, need, can still retrieve? And what about talking to whoever may have sold that van to him, how critical or important is still that information?

MATTHEW HORACE, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, FJC SECURITY: Well, unless we are to assume that whoever sold the van to him sold explosives to him, then it really isn't that critical in this case. We know that he was in possession of illegal explosive devices, to-wit pipe bombs in this case. Pipe bombs are very volatile and very dangerous. We know that. We recovered them at the scene. There may have been explosives in the vehicle and there were surely, surely explosives at the scene at the police department.

WHITFIELD: And then police still have said they have not uncovered a motive. You just heard the father's interview who talked about his frustrations. But I understand investigators will still be looking further into his social media footprint. What kind of information are they looking for?

HORACE: Social media as you know now, Fredricka, is an element of everyone's life. So when something like this happens, we go pack and check Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other social media sites to try to a get a measure of what they were talking about, how they were feeling, who they were interacting against and sometimes we may find clues that something like this was going to happen.

WHITFIELD: OK. And those clues, how might they reveal themselves before something like this were to happen? We know police had mentioned that he had a history of domestic violence but not on any terrorism watch list. He wasn't on any terrorism watch list. So what is the criteria when authorities say it is important to keep a close watch on this individual?

HORACE: Well, in this case I don't know if there's any specific criteria, but certainly someone had told people along the way that he had made threats against judges and those sorts of things. And keep in mind, people are always making threats against police and authority. It happens every day throughout our country. Now, trying to evaluate who has the wherewithal to affect those threats is a whole different issue. Police do pay attention, the FBI, ATF, United States marshal service, we pay attention to those threats all the time. Who would have known that he would have had the potential to carry out an act of violence as heinous as this.

WHITFIELD: All right, Matthew Horace, thanks so much for your expertise. Appreciate it.

HORACE: Thank you. Have a great day.

WHITFIELD: All right, thank you.

And straight ahead, CNN speaking exclusively to former president Bill Clinton about his wife's Republican rivals and the challenges Hillary Clinton faces for the race to the White House.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:23:38] WHITFIELD: All right, Hillary Clinton is back on the campaign trail in Iowa shortly after her first major campaign speech. And while talking to crowds at the state fairgrounds in Des Moines, she talked about tackling economic disparity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm running for president to make our economy work for you and for every American. I'm not running for some Americans, but for all Americans, and we have come too far to see our progress ripped away now. We can't go back to the top down economic policies that failed us before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, before joining his wife at her campaign speech, former president Bill Clinton sat down exclusively with Jake Tapper, the new host of CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" and Jake asked the former president about his wife's Republican rivals and more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think they don't know. Do they need somebody who's new, do they need somebody who's seasoned, do they need somebody who's got a forward-leaning position on immigration? You know, they have got all these decisions to make. But in the end it's going to come down to who's the most likeable candidate, because they want to win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, with me now from Washington is the new host of "STATE OF THE UNION," Jake Tapper. Jake, congratulations.

[14:25:00] JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST, STATE OF THE UNION: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, your overall impressions of the role that this former president will play on the campaign trail with Hillary Clinton.

TAPPER: You know, it's really interesting because often the spouse of a presidential candidate will soften him, be the heart next to the brain and the ambition of the nominee. And we actually have that dynamic playing out to a degree here as well, even though the genders are reversed when it comes traditional presidential candidates. Bill Clinton in the interview really did a lot to talk about who Hillary Clinton is as a person, not so much per positions on issues, but testifying to how much he has relied upon her. He said at one point that he trusts her with his life.

WHITFIELD: And then what's his thinking then about the contenders? I mean, who she is up against, particularly among Republicans, and whether they pose a real threat to her campaign.

TAPPER: I think he thinks it's going to be tough, although obviously he thinks she's going to win. The candidates that the Republicans are offering are varied. I think generally his analysis is one that I tend to agree with at the end of the day when all is said and done about running to the right in the Republican Party or running to the left in the Democrat Party. Republicans tend to nominate, and Democrats too, the most electable candidate, the one with the best chance of winning the White House. And whether that's Romney last time or McCain the time before, I think it's likely we'll see that play out. That's what the former president had to say and I tend to agree with him.

WHITFIELD: And of course controversy over the Clinton foundation is overshadowed in large part, you know, Hillary's campaign. So did the former president have anything to say about that?

TAPPER: He did. He said, you know, he chalked it all up to politics but he did go into detail about specific contributions, one from Algeria to the Clinton foundation's efforts in Haiti. One from Boeing that he talked also about a charitable contribution that the Clinton foundation made to "The New York Times" neediest cases fund which some conservative commentators suggested might have influenced "The New York Times" when it came to their endorsement of Hillary Clinton in 2008.

He really was eager to talk about some of these donations, although not all of them. And he did say, I should note, that he didn't know if the people making the donations had ulterior motives. He didn't claim that they did not. He did say the most important thing, of course, being that no one has provided any evidence that anything was done on behalf of them because of the contribution.

WHITFIELD: And CNN's Dana Bash was also in your program this morning. She talked to Jeb Bush about official throwing his hart into the race tomorrow. So how much more crowded might this field get?

TAPPER: Well, it's pretty crowded right now. I think -- I don't know what the actual number is, but something like 16 or 18 Republican candidates.

Interesting thing about Dana's fantastic interview with Jeb Bush is that he admitted, I guess is the right word, or acknowledged that he is in his view, in his words something of an introvert and this is going to be a challenge for him when it comes to going out on the campaign trail. As he capped on our roundtable talked about the fact that as respectable and intelligent and authentic as Jeb Bush might be, when you get him next to some of these other Republican candidates, he tends to be a little more low key and I guess ultimately we'll see if that hurts him in the race.

WHITFIELD: All right. And now it's all about you and your show. "STATE OF THE UNION" has a very impressive history with CNN so what will it be like for you to carry on with this legacy?

TAPPER: Well, my predecessors on the show, whether Candy Crowley or John King or in the predecessor of show late edition with Wolf Blitzer, all of them have done a great job of really making the show substantive and smart and must-see as possible. I hope to continue in that tradition obviously following in their footsteps.

But we also hope to try some new things. We have a cartoon that we're trying at the end of every "STATE OF THE UNION." We are also going to be trying to mix it up when it comes to experimentation with different interviews and when it comes to different segments. So, it's not, you know, going to be an overnight process. We are going to try this over the course of the election cycle. But I hope we'll be able to try some new things as well.

WHITFIELD: Sounds like it will be both smart and fun.

All right, thanks so much, Jake Tapper. Appreciate it.

TAPPER: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, don't forget to watch "STATE OF THE UNION" with Jake Tapper every Sunday at 9:00 a.m. and again 12:00 p.m. eastern time right here on CNN.

And then there's this, Jake Tapper announcing today that he will be hosting the first Republican presidential primary debate on CNN and that will air live from the Ronald Reagan presidential foundation and library on September 16th right here on CNN. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:31:11] WHITFIELD: A report released by an Ohio county prosecutor reveals new details about the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice by a Cleveland police. The report makes no recommendation on whether the officers should face charges. This report comes days after an Ohio judge says he thinks there is enough evidence to charge the officers. CNN's Martin Savidge takes a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The investigation by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Department seems to confirm the story most people know, but delivers greater detail. In a key finding, the report cannot confirm a police officer's statement he shouted orders to Rice before shooting him.

Instead saying, according to witness interviews, it is unclear whether Officer Loehmann shouted verbal commands from inside the zone car to Rice, who was located inside of the gazebo area prior to discharging his weapon.

Investigators found Loehmann shot one to two seconds after getting out of his car firing two shots one that hit the boy who was standing four and a half to 7 feet away.

The documents also revealed moments after the shooting, Officer Frank Garback requested EMS then asked for EMS again telling them to, quote, "step it up."

Then in a third request asked Cleveland fire to respond, it would take 8 minutes for an ambulance to arrive. The report does say that Rice was given first aid by an FBI agent trained as a paramedic who arrived 4 minutes after the shooting.

The agent whose name is blacked out told investigators, Rice, quote, "Turned over, and acknowledged and looked at me and he like reached for my hand."

[14:35:03] The sheriff's department also investigated the 911 call reporting a male on the playground threatening with an apparent gun. The report concludes the caller was drinking a beer in the park waiting on a bus.

He told the police operator the suspect could be a juvenile and the gun was probably fake, critical information never given to the responding police officers.

When the dispatcher was asked why that information wasn't passed along, the report says she went silent saying, she refused to answer questions per her attorney.

The investigation says Rice got the pellet gun from his best friend, trading a cell phone for it. The orange ring identifying the gun as not real had been removed during a repair and he couldn't get it back on.

In numerous statements, officers and emergency responders who saw the weapon next to Rice say, they thought it was real. They also said Rice appeared much older and larger than a child, offering age estimates between 16 and 20 and that he looked about 200 pounds.

It's only when Rice's sister arrives on the scene they learn he is 12. Officers and emergency workers also describe Loehmann's demeanor as upset and distraught. One officer said Loehmann told him, quote, "He gave me no choice, he reached for the gun and there was nothing I could do."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: There are some things noticeably absent in this report, for instance, both responding police officers declined to be interviewed as did Tamir Rice's family. Nowhere in the 224 pages does it draw a specific conclusion as to if the shooting was justified or not. Martin Savidge, CNN, Cleveland. WHITFIELD: And still ahead, the day after an assault on the Dallas Police Department, We'll ask a former FBI special agent about what evidence remains after the suspect's van caught fire.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:40:25]

WHITFIELD: All right, investigators in Dallas are still investigating multiple crime scenes. They're trying to piece together exactly what happened in yesterday's attack on the Dallas Police Department. The suspect identified himself as James Boulware, a man with a long and violent criminal past.

He launched the violent attack with guns, pipe bombs and an armored van and he was killed by a police sniper. No officers were injured in the attack. Jonathan Gilliam is joining me now live from New York. Good to see you. He's a former Navy SEAL and former FBI special agent. Thanks for being with me today.

JONATHAN GILLIAM, FORMER NAVY SEAL: Sure.

WHITFIELD: All right, so the day after the suspect is dead, what is the focus of the investigation now?

GILLIAM: Well, first off, they're going to -- this investigation goes in many different directions. It goes from the point of where it happened backwards. It goes from that point backwards to where the van came from to where he got his weapons, what type of explosives were actually used.

He said C-4 but there's still residue inside that van and where the other pipe bomb went off enough to where they'll be able to tell what type of explosives were there. They'll go to his home. They'll look at his computer.

Basically what they're going to do is take every piece of this puzzle that they can grab and put together this picture of what actually happened, what led this guy to it and how he did this whole thing because it was a very well thought out and well planned operation that this guy carried out.

WHITFIELD: So residue, even in that charred-out van we saw pictures of, the aftermath of that van, police tried to detonate two pipe bombs in that van and a fire then ignited, besides that kind of residue, what other evidence would investigators want to retrieve from that van?

GILLIAM: They might still be able to tell -- well, first off, the van itself and the fact that there was an explosion is a huge piece of evidence. It shows you that he was -- he still had other weapons in there and then they'll link those with the one that actually exploded.

If there's anything else when they go to his house, they'll be able to find more evidence about those particular explosives. But, you know, you can look at the way the van was rigged, if it was rigged. They can look at the types of weaponry that he may have had inside that van.

Just because something burns up doesn't mean it destroys everything. I'm just glad that those bombs detonated without the bomb techs being around those because that was a pretty good hit when those went off.

WHITFIELD: Right, because we were all amazed to see how close some of them were to the van when there was a moment when it was quiet and there was concern about people's safety.

Now, what happened during the course of events really does exemplify how law enforcement on national and municipal levels really do work together. What else should people learn from how all of this was handled?

GILLIAM: Well, you definitely see the professionalism in law enforcement. I think this played out enough where people can go back, look at this and compare and contrast it with all the other negative things that have been going on.

This is what law enforcement faces on the ultimate side of where things go bad. You know, we always look at the side like happened down in, was it north or South Carolina where the officer shot the guy in the back. That's the other spectrum of complete mess-ups right there and dysfunctional law enforcement.

But on the other side you look at how this is going and you see the precision, the way that they handled this and handled this individual and confronted him straight on, they did not back away, because they know they're defending the public. That's one thing everyone can take out of this.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jonathan Gilliam, thanks so much, appreciate it.

GILLIAM: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Yesterday during a segment on the Dallas Police Department attack, I used the words courageous and brave when discussing the gunman. I misspoke and in no way believed the gunman was courageous nor brave. And I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, we've been monitoring some amazing pictures coming out of Georgia, the former soviet republic. Wild animals like this hippo wondering the streets after raging floodwaters damaged the city's zoo and set so many of these appear animals free.

At least eight people have been killed by the floods and now people are being told to look out for roaming wolves, bears, lions and tigers. I want to bring in CNN International's Lynda Kinkade with me now.

So Lynda, this is pretty frightening because people are already dealing with the floodwaters, their own lives being threatened and now they have to worry about very large and potentially dangerous animals. LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Very dangerous. Overnight, we saw raging floodwaters sweep away cars and buildings and damage the main zoo in the city which allowed for the hippos and the lions and the tigers to escape.

There are about 1 million people in this city and so far at least eight people have been killed. Two of those were zoo keepers and there are many more still missing. Now authorities are telling people to take shelter in buildings that are unaffected by these flood waters because of these animals that are on the loose.

WHITFIELD: And so what, if anything, can be done in terms of -- they have already lost eight people who know animals, who worked at this zoo. What is being done to make sure they have the right kind of expertise to come in and round them up and keep people safe?

KINKADE: They have brought in the Georgian Special Forces. They have helicopters circling overhead trying to locate the animals and police as well.

[14:50:11] It's estimated that there are about 600 animals in the zoo before the flood struck. They say only half now are in the zoo. Many have drowned. Many have been shot by police and some have been rescued.

There was a hippo that was sedated by zoo wranglers and managed to be rescued. But on social media there are a lot of people tweeting pictures of the animals taking to the streets. There was a bear that climbed up the side of an apartment and clung onto an air conditioning unit.

There was another photo of a hippo on the side of a main road. Not something you see every day.

WHITFIELD: No, definitely not. Not a common sight. All right, Lynda Kinkade, thanks very much. Keep us posted. All right, we'll have much more right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Stan Wawrinka beating Novak Djokovic to claim his second career grand slam title. His performance was dominant, but all anyone could talk about after his victory were his shorts. They have been a trending topic on social media.

[14:55:13] Tennis fans compared the red, white and gray flat shorts to pajamas, swimming trunks, even boxer shorts.

(on camera): They have been all over the internet, all over Twitter. Did they give you some special powers out there today?

STAN WAWRINKA, PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER: Probably. I like them. I like them. It's great. It was fun. Everybody was talking about that. In the end I won the French Open so I'm quite proud of them. UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): But don't expect to see his colorful wardrobe when Wimbledon starts later this month. The all England club has an all-white dress code so we'll have to wait for the U.S. Open in September to see what he'll do for an encore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right now, Jeb Bush makes it official tomorrow. The Republican plans to announce he is running for president. Bush has been unofficially campaigning for months, raising millions of dollars in a super PAC. He was supposed to be the breakout star of the Republican, but so far he does not have an enormous lead in the polls.

On CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION," our Dana Bash asked Jeb Bush what he plans to do to energize his campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You are going to make, obviously, a very big announcement, but you've been out on the campaign trail for six months.

JEB BUSH (R), FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: Yes.

BASH: What's going to be different after your big speech? How are you going to be able to break away from the pack finally?

BUSH: By working hard, by being strategic, but also by asking people for their vote. I haven't had a chance to do that. I think this transition to a candidacy will allow me to be more direct about my advocacy of the leadership skills necessary for the next president to fix a few things.

And as a candidate, contrary to being someone who was listening and learning along the way, I'll offer up alternatives to the path we're on as well so I'll be more specific on policy.

BASH: It sounds like you have kind of been preparing people for a long haul. Do you see a long haul for yourself?

BUSH: Yes.

BASH: Is that because Iowa is going to be tough for you, New Hampshire has been kind of mixed for the Bushes historically and that it is going to maybe take a while for you to be able to break out?

BUSH: I think so. I don't know how many people are running. Last count there's double digits. It's a very competitive field. It will take time. It always does. People make up their mind in the last weeks of these primaries, so my expectation is that we'll have slow, steady progress. That's been the expectation all along.

BASH: One of your friends recently said to me one of your challenges is for you to become known as Jeb and not just another Bush. What does that mean? Who is Jeb Bush? BUSH: Well, Jeb is different than George. Jeb is who he is. My life story is different. I got to do that when I ran as governor, and I got to share my passion for service when I was governor. Telling that story is going to be part of this. I don't have to disassociate myself from my family, I love them. But I know that I'm -- for me to be successful, I'm going to have to show my heart and tell my story.

BASH: Can you give me one little example of who Jeb Bush is that makes you feel like you are the guy who people should choose to be president?

BUSH: Well, I can make decisions. I've made tough decisions. I have a life experience that's full, full of warts and full of successes. It's something that I think has been lacking in the presidency is have someone who's been tempered by life. Along the way I'll get to share that. I've lived overseas, I've worked overseas.

I've been in business, I've served as governor. I can give back to my community. I have a great relationship with my wife and family and I'll share all of that. That's important. It's something that took a little getting used to.

BASH: Yesterday was your father's birthday?

BUSH: Yes.

BASH: He turned 91 years old. Can you reflect on that? You have a very close relationship with your father personally, but now you're going to embark on a journey to follow in his footsteps politically, professionally. What's that going to feel like when you give that announcement speech?

BUSH: Well, I'm not going to try to think about that because Bushes are known to cry once in a while. It's very emotional for me. I love my dad. I called him yesterday and wished him a happy birthday. And he said I'm having a birthday? I think he was joking, I hope so. He's just the greatest man alive and I'll be thinking about him when I'm announcing my decision.

BASH: OK, thank you, Governor. Appreciate your time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And you can catch Jeb Bush's announcement live tomorrow right here on CNN at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. All right, we have so much straight ahead in the NEWSROOM and it all starts right now.