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New Details About Richard Matt's Final Hours; Feds Investigating Latest Black Church Fire; U.S., Cuba to Announce Embassy Openings; Official: Greece Will Accept Most Bailout Terms. Aired 9- 9:30a ET

Aired July 01, 2015 - 09:00   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[09:00:17] PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR (voic-over): Happening now in the NEWSROOM, they broke out twice. Captured killer David Sweat telling all to investigators, saying he masterminded the escape. And a dry run. Plus --

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: CNN, so they do a poll. It's a nice poll. They had me second. It's hard to believe I'm second to Bush.

BROWN: Trump on the stump in New Hampshire and on fire in CNN's new polls. But is the rest of the GOP pack taking the Donald seriously?

Also -- cheering Team USA all the way to the World Cup Finals. The women's team takes down Germany. Now they're just one win away from that big trophy.

Let's talk. Live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Well, good morning to you. I'm Pamela Brown in for Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me today. And we begin this hour in Greeleyville, South Carolina. That's where the FBI and the ATF are on site investigating yet another fire at a traditionally black church in the southeast. The blaze broke out last night at the Mount Zion AME Church, making it the sixth black church to have burned in recent weeks.

Now important to note here, the FBI has not linked any of the fires. And there were reports of lightning in that area around the time of the fire. But one community member says the church began receiving threats after the Charleston church massacre.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Robert Murray, Community Member: With the hate mail that churches have received here in the last week, I expect more of it to happen. It started right after the governor said that she was going to -- wanted the flag removed from the state house.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BROWN: Victor Blackwell joins us live from Greeleyville, South Carolina.

Victor, what can you tell us about this?

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, this fire that ripped through and gutted this church, this is now a brick shell and a cross.

Look, I can show you what's happening right now. You may not be able to see them from this vantage point but there are investigators, state investigators who are inside, kind of sifting through this charred wood and the metal to determine or try to find a cause of this fire. This is now a federal investigation as well. ATF agents are on the scene. The FBI will be here as well joining this investigation.

As you mentioned, there were storms, rough storms in the hours before this fire really got going. So lightning is being investigated as a possible cause here. But so is arson. That's being investigated as well. The FBI will look to see if there is a hate component as well.

I have with us Greeleyville mayor, Jessie Parker.

Mr. Mayor, this is something that this congregation has gone through before. Twenty years ago two members of the KKK burned down the original Mt. Zion AME. I mean as you look at this church, what do you feel, what do you think as this congregation has to rebuild again?

MAYOR JESSIE PARKER, GREELEYVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA: Well, I mean, you feel sorrow. It's devastating. You know, to put the church and the community back through the same thing -- even though it was 20 years ago, it seems like it was just yesterday. You know, when I rolled it up last night, I was down here 20 years ago when the church was dedicated through President Bill Clinton at that time.

And just to see it back in flames in such a short span of time is hurtful for the entire community. I mean, we all hurt when we see this. I mean, we stood out here last night, the church folks, the pastor and we had a prayer vigil, one beside the street there was a church burned. And the church is the pillar stone of our communities over here. So when you start burning -- when the churches is burned.

I don't want to get ahead of the investigation because we did have a severe lightning storm over here last night. So we're going to led the ATF and everybody else, the law enforcement, the fire department do their jobs and we'll accept the results.

BLACKWELL: Will you rebuild? Will this church rebuild?

PARKER: I'm quite sure the church will rebuild. They did it before. And I'm quite sure they'll do it again. I mean, this is a Christian community. And our churches are the cornerstones of our community. So I'm quite sure the church will rebuild.

BLACKWELL: All right.

PARKER: There's no question about that.

BLACKWELL: Greeleyville Mayor Jessie Parker, thank you so much for spending a few seconds with us.

Again, the ATF on scene. They will be going in with the SLED, as well, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, to try to determine the cause here. Is this an act of God? Is this an act of man? They will be able to determine that as the work continues here.

[09:05:02] As you said, the sixth black church to be destroyed by fire since the Charleston massacre two weeks ago. The NAACP now tweeting out to black churches across the south, take necessary precautions -- Pamela.

BROWN: This is troubling regardless of the reason behind it.

Victor Blackwell, thank you so much for that.

And let's turn now to our guest, Bakari Sellers, a former South Carolina lawmaker who served eight years in the state's House of Representatives. He was also a friend of the pastor who was among those killed inside Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.

Mr. Sellers, when you heard the news that this church burned down, what was your reaction? Again, we don't know what is behind it, we don't know if it was arson or not, or lightning. But I imagine you had a strong reaction when you heard about it.

BAKARI SELLERS, FORMER SOUTH CAROLINA REPRESENTATIVE: Well, it was another punch in the gut. And regardless of what caused this fire, whether or not it was arson or whether or not it was something God sent, this community has been through so much, whether or not it was Walter Scott being gunned down by a North Charleston police officer a few months ago or whether or not it was two weeks ago when you had nine slain in the AME Church, and then last night, another AME church burns down to the ground.

We're weary. We're tired. But one thing that people will recognize about not only the church family but the South Carolina family is that we are very resilient. So I look forward to that church rebuilding. And regardless of what any preliminary investigation may say, we're going to remain vigilant and we're going to see this investigation through.

BROWN: And we heard the mayor talking about what happened back in 1995 when that church was torched by the KKK. How large does that ghost loom for you today given it's been 20 years? But I imagine like the mayor said it feels like it was just yesterday.

SELLERS: Well, it does. I remember I was 9 or 10 years old and we remember that Bill Clinton was coming to South Carolina. It was a big day in the state. I do remember that. But we realize that we've made a lot of progress but we still have yet a ways to go. And I think the tragedy for all of us is that we are reliving many of the things that those who came before us had to go through. This is 2015. This is 2015. And we're still burying people who were

massacred in churches. We're still dealing with death at the hand of law enforcement. We're still dealing with churches burning down. Again, we don't know why this church burned, but my prayers, my sincere prayers go out not just to a larger Christian and church family, not just to the United States of America, but my prayers go out to the AME Church family, which over the past few weeks has been undergoing unfathomable injury and harm.

BROWN: And to reiterate, the sixth black church to have burned down just in recent weeks. The investigation into the cause still very active.

Bakari Sellers, thank you very much.

And this note now, join us at the top of the hour for a news conference on that church fire. We're going to carry it live from Greeleyville, South Carolina.

Meantime, in other news, today a practice run just inches from freedom and hours before their big escape. David Sweat tells investigators he and Richard Matt rehearsed their dash through the prison tunnels and pipes and popped open a manhole right outside the prison walls. But nearby homes forced them to backtrack to their cells and choose a more isolated manhole for their real run the next night.

As Sweat talks damning accusations build up against the prison and how it was run. Three top executives are put on leave along with nine staffers.

So to talk more about this, let's bring in CNN correspondent Jean Casarez, who is right outside the prison.

You have been following this story, Jean. Let's begin with these latest details that Sweat has spilled to the investigators.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And he is talking a lot. You know, Pam, I want to tell you that we just got some new information. Alice Hyde Medical Center in Malone has confirmed with me that they continue to retain possession of the body of Richard Matt and they also say that a family member will not be claiming his body. So he will become the property of the county, that's Franklin County. He will now have a county burial. And she does believe that the county will pick up from the morgue at Alice Hyde Medical Center the body of Richard Matt later on today.

And CNN did obtain a photograph of Richard Matt shortly after he was shot. You're going to see that in a minute and we want to tell everyone it's very gruesome and a very difficult image possibly for some. But at the same time David Sweat is alive and he is talking, still in the hospital in Albany, but he is telling authorities a lot of information.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASAREZ (voice-over): Captured convicted killer David Sweat claims he was the mastermind behind the elaborate prison break 26 days ago. According to District Attorney Andrew Wylie the former fugitive says he and fellow inmate Richard Matt nearly escaped the maximum security prison the night before on their dry run. But decided the first manhole they reached was not secluded enough.

[09:10:12] Sweat telling investigators that Joyce Mitchell was supposed to pick them up and drive to West Virginia before heading to Mexico.

ANDREW WYLIE, CLINTON COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: There was occasion where they heard the helicopters.

CASAREZ: Wylie telling NBC News Sweat and Matt often tuned into AM radio while on the run, continuing to change directions as they moved toward Canada. Sweat says he and Matt were very close to being caught several times.

WYLIE: The sheriff's deputy vehicle had pulled up in the vicinity of where they were and they were I guess somewhat surprised. I think he said Matt fell backwards and, you know, made some noise, but the sheriff's deputy didn't locate them.

CASAREZ: Wylie also telling NBC News at one point Sweat said authorities were combing the forest floor while he was hiding in a tree stand used for hunting right above them.

This, as we are now seeing, a graphic image of Richard Matt moments after he was shot. The photo shows Matt lying on the ground a gunshot wound to the top of his skull.

Meanwhile CNN learns the inmates started planning and may have started cutting through the prison walls six months ago. The scrutiny intensified on the correctional facility as a dozen employees are now on administrative leave including prison executives like Superintendent Stephen Racette who initially led Governor Andrew Cuomo on a tour of how the convicts broke free.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CASAREZ: And of course the big question is, this convicted murderer, is he telling authorities the truth? Well, that's something that investigators will try to discern at the very same time. Now the big question during this whole period is how could they do this with power tools and nobody hear the power tools? Well, what David Sweat is saying is they actually used the hacksaw to cut the hole in the cell and get out, and then go to the steam pipe and use the hacksaw there, too. Something that, Pam, wouldn't be as noisy as a power tool.

BROWN: Unbelievable.

Jean Casarez, thank you very much for that reporting there.

And meanwhile, David Sweat's mother says that her son is not the only one who did something wrong. In an exclusive interview with CNN's Erin Burnett Pamela Sweat says she blames those at the prison including Joyce Mitchell for allowing her son to break free. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA SWEAT, DAVID SWEAT'S MOTHER: I still say to this day if that woman and whoever else was involved didn't give them that stuff those guys wouldn't have never broke out of jail. So, you know, I blame them as well as the two guys, David and the other guy. But I know they shouldn't get away with it because otherwise my son could have been killed just like the other guy because they more or less let them loose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And we are learning new details about Sweat's accomplice Richard Matt and his final hours. Take a look at this video here. This right here is the photo that Matt was hiding in hours before he was killed. It was from here that Matt fired several shots, one of which hit a recreational vehicle nearby. Now those shots would eventually help searchers zero in on Matt.

To discuss all of this law enforcement trainer and former NYPD detective, Sergeant Joseph Giacalone. He's also a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Thank you so much for being here with us.

Thanks, Pamela.

BROWN: So my first question for you is that these shots apparently helped authorities find Richard Matt. Why would he call attention to himself like that?

JOSEPH GIACALONE, LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINER: Yes, it seems that in that moment he got desperate. And we're finding out now Sweat had left him. So he was pretty much on his own. There's alcohol bottles and maybe even drug use. So -- just, you know, at that moment he kind of, like, lost it.

BROWN: And they think that it was a carjacking, he was trying to do a carjacking of some sort. Clearly he was desperate in those final hours.

David Sweat, as we heard Jean Casarez say, is talking to investigators. If you were interviewing him, what would your approach be? And would you buy his story?

GIACALONE: Yes. I would buy half his story. Because he's stuck right now between a rock and a hard place. Because the prison guards aren't going to be happy with him if he gives up information on them and the prisoners aren't going to be happy because they're going to lose all their, you know, barbecues and boom boxes and everything else they had.

BROWN: Right.

GIACALONE: So he's in, you know, no position to -- you know, to help anybody. BROWN: Right.

GIACALONE: And as a former investigator, you know, you want to get down to the crux of what happened, who was involved in this. And I think these 12 are just the tip of the iceberg when they're going to find out on.

BROWN: And I imagine they're going to be doing a lot of corroborating. OK, he says this, she says this.

GIACALONE: Yes. Absolutely.

BROWN: Now what we heard in Jean's story is that the prosecutor said that David Sweat told them he was hiding up in a tree while searchers were down below with dogs. My question is, how did the search dogs not pick up on his scent? It also the question, is he telling the truth? Clearly all of this is within that context.

GIACALONE: Right. Well, I mean, the dogs are limited in certain aspects, if it's too hot, if it's -- you know, too much humidity. And you know I wish that they would use a little bit of operational security here. We used to refer it as Ops-Sec.

[09:15:00] And, you know, you keep your secret secret. We don't want to let out all this information too much because, you know, you give other people ideas about what's going on in the prison system.

BROWN: Well, this may be an example of this with what we're learning too, that they may have started cutting through the prison walls six months ago. Is it possible for that to go unnoticed?

GIACALONE: Well, just from what we're hearing already, the evidence of what's been going on in that prison, it seems as if there's been very little supervision. I mean, there's a policy break down, a procedural break down. I mean, this is monumental all around.

BROWN: And we're learning now that they apparently tried a dry run the night before and ultimately choose a different route when they ultimately escape, really disturbing details coming to light today.

Joseph Giacalone, thank you so much for coming onto talk with us.

And still to come, right here in NEWSROOM: more than five decades of Cold War tensions will finally come to an end as the U.S. and Cuba prepare to reopen the embassy. Up next, what the deal means for diplomat ties between the two countries.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:20:08] BROWN: For the first time in more than five decades, the U.S. and Cuba are set to announce the reopening of the embassies in the capital cities of Washington and Havana. That's according to two senior administration officials. The announcement, which has been on the works for months now will mark one of the final steps in the full restoration of diplomat ties in both countries.

Let's bring in CNN's global affairs correspondent Elise Labott to talk more about this.

Good morning, Elise.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Pamela.

Where the chief of the U.S. intersection in that Havana, Jeffrey DeLaurentis, just arrived minutes ago, we're told, at the Cuban foreign ministry to send a letter from President Obama to Cuban leader Raul Castro about this historic agreement on the restoration of diplomat ties.

This should be followed by the U.S. opening its embassy in Havana not too far in the future. Maybe later this month or in early August, and we'll see the Cubans opening up their embassy here in Washington.

But it's not so simple as that. Obviously, Pamela, the U.S. and Cuba as they move towards diplomat relations, that's a little bit different than, you know, fully normalizing the relationship between the U.S. and Cuba. On the U.S. side, it's got a few goals it wants to achieve. Still wants to talk about human rights.

The hope is that by this opening, the U.S. and Cuba will be able to talk about Cuban political prisoners and crack down on any opposition. Also, there are property claims from U.S. officials and U.S. citizens living in Cuba during the revolution that was seized by the Cuban government and they also want to talk about U.S. fugitives that are living in Cuba.

On the Cuban side, of course they want to end that trade embargo that's really been long held and also want to see the closing of U.S. facility at Guantanamo Bay. So, even as they open the embassies, even as they normally relations, it's not as simple as just flipping a switch and relationship between those two countries improve.

But, certainly, with the easing of travel and the easing of trade that President Obama announced in December, it should get a lot easier as they move towards trying to get that full embargo lifted, Pamela.

BROWN: It's still a work in progress as you say. You mentioned a letter that was being delivered from President Obama. Has anything been said about a presidential trip to Cuba?

LABOTT: Well, there's nothing has been said publicly. We're expecting Secretary of States Kerry to travel to Havana for the opening of the U.S. embassy. I think with this historic opening that President Obama has launched with Cuba, I think he will want to make that trip. And privately, White House officials say that he expects to do that by the end of this term. Nothing official yet.

But I think this president by the end of his term will have visited Havana, Pamela, maybe have a Cuban cigar.

BROWN: We'll just have to see.

Elise Labott, thank you so much. And be sure to stay with us. Next hour, we're going to have special

coverage of this historic announcement beginning at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

Thanks so much, Elise.

And we do have some breaking news to tell you about at this hour. We have just learned that ISIS has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks in Egypt that killed at least 20 security forces and wounded at least 30 others. The attacks happened earlier today at security checkpoints in the Sinai Peninsula. We're going to continue to follow this story and of course bring you more details as soon as we get them.

Turning to central Washington state now, an entire neighborhood resembling a war zone AS we see right here. The Sleepy Hollow Fire destroying at least 29 home there. The flames burning roughly 3, 000 acres since Sunday. Officials say the fire is almost 50 percent contained at this point.

And just released e-mails from Hillary Clinton show President Obama's top aid e-mailed from a personal account while she was secretary of state. David Axelrod, just one of the big names who emailed her there. Obama officials, including Axelrod, previously saying tat they were unaware of that personal account. Using private e-mail for official business is against State Department rules.

And still to come, right here in NEWSROOM: market set to rally as Greece signals it is ready to take a deal. We're going to have live coverage from Wall Street, all the way to Athens, right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: A major about-face for Greece. Officials now say the country will sign onto a bail-out package it rejected just days ago. But it could be too little too late for the debt-laden country.

We are following this story from every angle this morning. Business correspondent Richard Quest is live in Athens, Greece, for us. And CNN Money business correspondent Cristina Alesci is following the trade at the New York Stock Exchange.

Richard, I'm going to start with you there in Greece, because now we're learning that it's willing to agree to these terms. So, what's next in this, what seems like a saga, ongoing saga there?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, it's the sheer shock and surprise that they have agreed to sign up to the terms to a deal, to a bail out today when only two days ago, they were saying they would not do so. It all has a feeling of too little too late because the deal has gone away.

The banks are closed and the economy is in even greater trouble. So, that's the first thing. And the second thing is whether they're still going to have this referendum on Sunday. The referendum is about the bail out. And now, the word in Athens is the prime minister may cancel it. He may not. He may ask people to vote yes, when he was going to ask them to vote no.

What I'm going to give you is a feeling of the complete shock at the events of this morning and the complete confusion, if you like, over which way this goes now.

BROWN: So many twists and turns. And we know that happens where you are in Greece, Richard, will impact us here in the U.S.