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Prison Escapees Caught; Greece Close to Economic Collapse; Attack on Tunisia; Fugitive David Sweat Shot, Critically Wounded; Trump's Poll Numbers Rise Amid Controversy. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired June 29, 2015 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00] JAMES TEDISCO (R), NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLYMAN: Now we can't just evaluate the worst of the worst with good behavior. We've got to look at the violence that they perpetrated to get them into these prison and we've got a bill pending called the Prisoner's Privilege Limitation Act, which would limit the privileges that these individuals were involved with and make sure there's a total evaluation.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, tell me more about that, sir. Tell me more about that, sir, because one of - I think one of the items in that bill is that these prisoners can't wear civilian clothes while behind bars.

TEDISCO: Absolutely. It's sponsored in both houses. There are Democrats and Republicans in the senate in the assembly. And one of the things it says is that the worst of the worst, certainly these murders, Matt and Sweat, would not be allowed to have involvement with civilian clothing, certainly not wear civilian clothes, which they did. They escaped with civilian clothes. They actually used some of the civilian clothing to mimic their bodies and the formation of their bodies clearly to delay the investigation and to illustrate to the corrections officers that they had escaped. And they certainly wanted to use those civilian clothing to get involved in the community and get themselves, interject themselves and be a part of the community without being seen. So we want to limit that.

COSTELLO: Sir - sir, do you - sir, do you know what these - do you know what the inmates were wearing when they escaped prison?

TEDISCO: They provide civilian sweats, I think. And I think they were civilian sweat tops and sweat bottoms, I believe. And they wanted to assimilate themselves into the community with those. And as I said, they used them to form their bodies and mimic their bodies.

But another part of this is not to allow these individuals, who are the worst of the worst, to have isolated impact and be alone with civilian personnel like Joyce Mitchell. Joyce Mitchell, who was the seamstress, not only had intimate contact with them, she allowed them to use her cell phone and she got them the tools which may have been the foundation to set up the plan for them to escape.

So there are a lot of moving parts to the whole thing, and we want to limit - we don't want to eliminate all their privileges, but certainly limit the privileges of the worst of the worst. They certainly shouldn't have been on the honor block and they certainly shouldn't have had civilian clothing to be able to assimilate and blend into the community, in the civilian population.

COSTELLO: Right. Right. Another - another - another idea that's out there is implanting GPS tracking devices in inmates' bodies. Are you for that?

TEDISCO: I don't think that's a good idea. I think we're going to have problems with that. Any time you go to implant a chip into the human body, these were the worst of the worst. They were violent felons. They were murders. But you're going to run into roadblocks with the Constitution of the United States of America. You're going to be spinning your wheels as a state. You're going to be in court a lot defending this policy if you put it in place.

I think what we need now is a total evaluation on how we provide these enhanced privileges to incentivize inmates to provide good behavior. And we know now we can't provide the level we've been providing these enhanced privileges -

COSTELLO: Right.

TEDISCO: To the worst of the worst because they use them to mimic good behavior and break the law and endanger our population. And we have to thank all the law enforcement officials on every level state, local, and federal, especially in Clinton and Franklin County, and certainly our constituents who did a tremendous job. Over 2,000 tips were sent out and they were a big part of this investigation in helping law enforcement. And they're all to be congratulated. We thank our law enforcement officials and our constituents very much in the upstate area.

COSTELLO: Absolutely. Thank you, sir, for being with me. Assemblymen James Tedisco.

TEDISCO: My pleasure.

COSTELLO: All right, markets around the world in chaos this morning as Greece's economy inches closer to collapse. Just moments ago the opening bell rang on Wall Street. CNN's Alison Kosik live at the New York Stock Exchange with how the market is reacting to Greece.

Good morning.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Not seeing panic here in U.S. markets. Yes, we are only four minutes into the trading day. We are seeing the Dow fall 169 points. That is a lot of red on the screen. But then you look at what's happening around the world. Markets definitely getting rattled there. Asian markets were hammered. European markets, at the moment, are getting slammed.

So, let's talk about the U.S. for a minute. Why are we seeing this strong reaction here? Because it's not so much that the exposure that U.S. companies have to Greece, it's really not off the charts. U.S. exposure isn't that great. The concern here in the U.S. about what is happening in Greece is that

this is uncharted territory. There are lots of questions. What are the global implications of Greece not being able to pay its bills? And what would be the ramifications of Greece leaving the Eurozone, which is not so farfetched anymore? So the biggest concern here in the U.S. is what kind of shock waves that Greece's financial troubles could cause here.

Now, what's happening in Greece, to avoid a run on its banks, Greece actually closed its banks until at least next Sunday and people there are limited to how much money they can take out of ATMs. Customers can only take out $66 a day. There's also a vote coming in a week on what the public wants to do, but the interesting thing there is, it may already be too late for that referendum.

[09:35:18] But, once again, what's happening here isn't a big surprise. Greece's financial problems, they're just not something that's popped up overnight. The fact is, Greece could not come to an agreement with its international creditors on how to pay them back the $1.6 billion that it owes. So, bottom line, it looks like Greece will default and it's growing even more likely that Greece could get kicked out of the 19-member Eurozone and the uncertainty about that is what - is what is leaving U.S. markets on edge today.

We will keep track of all the action for you, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Alison Kosik, I appreciate it.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, new video obtained by CNN captures the horrific moment a gunman opened fire at a beach resort in Tunisia. Up next, the latest on this deadly attack.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:40:17] (VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Frightening, right. New amateur video obtained by CNN captures the gunshots, confusion and cries for help that broke out on Friday when a gunman opened fire at a beach resort in Tunisia killing at least 38 people. This video comes as Tunisian officials announce this morning they've made the first arrest in connection with that attack. You might expect thousands of tourists to flee the seaside town of Sousse, but CNN's Nick Paton Walsh found that many tourists are doing just the opposite.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They will not be moved. The defiant stance pool side mingling with chlorine, sun cream and beer where 46 hours earlier their fellow guests were gunned down. German and British tourists finishing their holiday, their music even. It's British stiff upper lip spirit, gnomonic (ph) resolve, a bid not to let them win. Nathan from Norwich said Tunisian jobs depend on tourists not fleeing.

NATHAN, TOURIST FROM NORWICH, ENGLAND: And it's a very different atmosphere now. It's so very chilling. And, you know, it's just not the same as what it was. But I think, you know, what we're going to do is just stay here up until the rest of - until our holiday finishes and then leave. And then, you know, we don't really want to venture too far outside of the resort because we're still so unsure of what's going to happen. But, yes, I think we're in the safest place at the moment.

WALSH: Inside the marble (ph) and calm (ph) is as though a nightmare never befell here. Yet this amateur video shows the aftermath of the bloodshed at the indoor pool. Councilor staff from the U.S. here, yet the gunman scarred more than the building.

WALSH (on camera): It is extraordinary and a sign of the resilient spirit of what seems to be German and British tourists here, we're told, that they decided to continue their holiday despite being meters away from where dozens died and lying in the sun in areas riddled with bullet marks.

WALSH (voice-over): Yemgard (ph) and Helmet (ph) wash the sand from the beach off and wonder back towards the bullet holes.

WALSH (on camera): How many guests?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fifty - forty -

WALSH: Forty - forty still here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Forty. Forty - 50.

WALSH: All German?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) twenty.

WALSH: Twenty. And the rest British?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: English.

WALSH: English.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, British.

WALSH: And they will never leave. Or they stay.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They stay here.

WALSH (voice-over): Many here were on a tour when the attack happened. But Folka Shoemacker (ph) was in the sea.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Suddenly it is explosions. Ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta. When (INAUDIBLE) smoke - smoke. And I look here and said to my - to my wife, hurry up, hurry up, yes. (INAUDIBLE). This woman running - running in this - in this direction here. And I have in the sand, yes. The ta, ta, ta, ta (INAUDIBLE).

WALSH: Attacks inspector from Stuttgart (ph), he still goes to the beach where he saw many die.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here a woman, yes, (INAUDIBLE) going oh, oh, oh, oh and (INAUDIBLE) Red Cross here on (INAUDIBLE) a dead person. Young - a young lady, yes, like here (ph), dead.

WALSH: Where Saif Rezgui killed many on the beach is a crime scene open to the public. A memorial, but also still a place in the sun for some.

Nick Paton Walsh, Sousse, Tunisia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: All right, still to come in the NEWSROOM, two guards already charged and new questions about what went on inside the walls of that New York prison after those two killers escaped. I'll talk with a former jail warden next.

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[09:48:29] COSTELLO: Even before the manhunt was over for those two escaped inmates, a dozen state inspectors were already inside the Clinton Correctional Facility combing through personnel and inmate records. Two guards have already been charged. The escape has raised a lot of questions about alleged security lapses at the prison, including whether some guards actually slept through their shifts. But what exactly is life and work like inside?

Joining me now to talk about that and more, Patrick Johnson, former warden at the Chautauqua County New York Jail and currently a criminal justice professor. Good morning, sir. Thank you for being back with me. I appreciate it.

PATRICK JOHNSON, FORMER WARDEN, CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY JAIL: Good morning.

COSTELLO: So authorities are waiting to, I guess, interrogate David Sweat. What would be your first question to him?

JOHNSON: Well, I want to know more about the details of the escape and if there was any other personnel involved in helping him escape from the facility, you know, whether they supplied more tools, power tools, maybe left toolboxes unlocked intentionally. There were contractors that may have been manipulated by these two that they left their toolboxes unlocked while they were working inside the facility.

I really want to know how they knew where to cut that second pipe, the steam pipe that they went through, and said that'd be in a good location to get out into -- where the manhole cover was.

COSTELLO: Why would David Sweat talk to investigators? Why does he care?

[09:50:00] JOHNSON: Well, he may not. He just may clam up and just not talk to them at all, but he may want to cooperate with and, who knows, he may want to brag about it and actually talk about more officers that may be involved and give them the full details.

I'd be worried if he's talking, if he's telling the truth. You know, if he just wants his few minutes of fame and maybe implicate other officers that weren't really involved but just trying to make more people's lives miserable.

Inmates are really good at telling stories, they're very good at manipulating people, and we'd have to, you know, check everything he said, investigate that thoroughly. I'm hoping that there's no other officers involved, but there may be officers right now that are kind of nervous that he may talk.

COSTELLO: So if he survives, he wouldn't go back to the Clinton Correctional Facility, right?

JOHNSON: Well, that's a good question, and I would not want him to go back to the same facility, and, one, he's got too many connections there. If he had been manipulating other people, then he has something over them, so I'd want him at a different facility.

Also because you want him away from the corrections officers. I don't expect that they would do anything wrong to him, but any incident that he may have with other correction officers may get blown out of proportion. They may have to go in on him on a use of force, and that could lead to a lawsuit, and he may make claims that they used excessive force when they actually just used the right amount of force to subdue the situation.

COSTELLO: And just a final question -- you were a prison warden, right? So if you had a prisoner come into your prison like David Sweat and he carried out this intricate escape and managed to do it, what would his life be like inside your prison?

JOHNSON: Well, we've had people in our jail like him. We would house federal prisoners for the U.S. Marshals Service, and we've had some very violent, notorious criminals in our facility, and we just follow our standard protocol and classification procedures and he would be in a maximum security type prison.

Right off the bat, we'd want to make sure that he was isolated from other inmates. He's got injuries that we have to make sure don't become worse because somebody hurt him or tried to fight with him. So we'd have him in isolation for a while and we'd observe his behavior and more than likely what we'd do is we would put him in a cell block in maximum security and make sure --

COSTELLO: Would he be in solitary confinement for the rest of his life?

JOHNSON: I don't know if he would be or not. You know, what do they do when he's 60, 70 years old? Do you keep him in solitary confinement if he's no longer a threat and he's old? I'm sure he's going to be in solitary confinement for a long period of time. You know, we had Ralph "Bucky" Phillips, who had escaped from a jail

in western New York, in our facility for quite awhile after he was captured and we put him into a housing unit that had cameras right on his cell. We mounted cameras just to make sure that he did nothing while he was in our facility. We used extra precaution. We made sure that we did security supervision checks every 15 minutes on Ralph Phillips.

COSTELLO: Patrick Johnson, thank you so much for your insight. I appreciate it.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Donald Trump sits down with CNN as controversy swirls around his comments over Mexico. Does he stand by those remarks? We'll tell you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:57:56] COSTELLO: Donald Trump heads to Chicago today riding a surge in the polls and a wave of controversy. As you might remember, Trump made some inflammatory comments about Mexico when he announced his presidential bid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONAL TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists and some, I assume, are good people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Univision dumping the Miss USA pageant in response to those remarks. A petition on Change.org asking NBC to do the same thing, along with the Miss Universe pageant and "The Apprentice." More than 200,000 people signing on so far. And in an interview this weekend with my colleague, Jake Tapper, Trump elaborated on Mexico and other issues.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I like Mexico. I love the Mexican people. I do business with the Mexican people. But you have people coming through the border that are from all over, and they're bad. They're really bad. I've spoken to border guards, and I said how bad is it? They said, Mr. Trump, you have no idea how bad. You have people coming in, and I'm not just saying Mexicans, I'm talking about people that are from all over that are killers and rapists. They're coming into this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Trump went on to say he would make Mexico build and pay for a border wall. CNN's Athena Jones joins me now from Chicago with more. Good morning, Athena. [09:59:38] ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. So

as you can see, Donald Trump hasn't really been backing down from what was at the heart of those comments about Mexico, about illegal immigration. If anything, he's been doubling and tripling down on them, and we expect we could see - hear more of that at this speech later on today here at Maggiano's Little Italy. This is the city club of Chicago. We expect about 300 people and we're told that this event, the tickets sold out quite quickly and that there's a waiting list. So a lot of demand to see Donald Trump.

But we've heard him over this over the last several days, again, talk about wanting to build that wall, also talking about how he plans to sue Univision for dropping the Miss USA pageant.