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Teen Survivor Hiked to Safety after Plane Crash; Iran Nuclear Deal Reached; Eric Garner's Family Speaks Out; New Developments in El Chapo Search, Reward Offered for Capture. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired July 14, 2015 - 14:30   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[14:30:00] DAVID VEATCH, FATHER OF AUTUMN VEATCH: These people were really playing the part of grandparents with her and that's hitting her really hard. She's had to deal with a lot of loss.

I believe in God and I've seen stuff like this happen several times. There's no way I cannot believe in God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Joining me now is Lieutenant Jessica, a public information officer for the Washington wing of the Civil Air Patrol.

Thank you for being with us, Jessica.

LT. JESSICA JERWA, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, WASHINGTON WING, CIVIL AIR PATROL: Thanks for having me.

BROWN: You were one of the first people or actually the one to tell Autumn's father that she was alive. I imagine that was an incredibly emotional moment. What was that like?

JERWA: It was incredible for me to be able to give that information. I have a 16-year-old son myself. So being able to call him. He was actually taking a nap at the time. So I was, I can look, we have to wake him up, please get him on the phone. He was still a little sleepy when I told him that Autumn walked out and she was safe. He paused for a moment and took a moment and just went, what? Of course, at that point --

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: I imagine he was just in shock and there was so much happiness there but also bittersweet because the grandparents are still -- still have not been found.

I want to listen to Autumn's 911 call after she made it off that mountain.

(BEGIN AUDIO FEED)

911 OPERATOR: Tell me exactly what happened. AUTUMN VEATCH, PLANE CRASH SURVIVOR: I was riding from Montana to

Bellingham, Washington, and about -- well, I don't know where but we crashed and I was the only one that made it out.

911 OPERATOR: OK. Made it out from the collision or survived?

VEATCH: Yeah. The only one that survived.

911 OPERATOR: OK. Are you injured at all?

VEATCH: Yeah, I have a lot of burns on my hands and I'm quite covered in bruises and scratches and stuff.

(END AUDIO FEED)

BROWN: Amazing how calm she is in the 911 call after what she went through. How is she now?

JERWA: I hear that she's doing well. I believe that they are supposed to be coming home maybe later today. I've been in contact pretty regularly with a friend of the family.

BROWN: So if you would, bring us up to speed on the search for the aircraft. Are rescuers hoping to find her grandparents alive? I imagine Autumn's story is helping with the search?

JERWA: It definitely is. Our cellular forensics was able to give us a tight location to start searching in so our aircraft were in the area when she walked out. Her information was able to help us narrow it down even further. At that point, a fixed wing aircraft having a lot of them in the air at the same place at the same time is not useful, especially given the terrain. At that point it was much better to bring in naval aircraft. They helped with the search yesterday evening. We have a couple of Civil Air Patrol planes flying as well as the Snohomish County sheriff is sending out a helicopter.

BROWN: We heard her 911 call. She said she believes she's the only survivor. Is there any hope for the grandparents at this point?

JERWA: We don't have confirmation one way or the other. We know what she said. But our hope is to assess the situation once we're out there once we're out there and find out for sure.

BROWN: Jessica Jerwa, thank you so much.

JERWA: Thank you for having me.

BROWN: Up next on NEWSROOM, back to our top story, what this nuclear deal with Iran means for President Obama's legacy. My next guest, an adviser to four different presidents takes us behind the scenes on the White House's efforts to pull this off.

And breaking moments ago, word on who may have helped Mexican drug kingpin escape from a Mexican prison. A live report from Mexico just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:38:05] BROWN: Bottom of the hour now. I'm Pamela Brown.

The world's major powers are sharing the same historic headline today, a nuclear deal has been reached with Iran. These five nations, along with the U.S., have tentatively agreed to this plan and it has many details. One point the president made today.

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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Because of this deal, the international community will be able to verify that the Islamic Republic of Iran will not develop a nuclear weapon.

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BROWN: So with me now, CNN senior political analyst, David Gergen, who has been an adviser to four presidents.

First off, David, it's been a hell of a summer for President Obama. You look at same-sex marriage, Cuba, Obamacare trade, now this Iran deal. How will this shape his legacy?

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, you have to say, Pamela, from his point of view, the White House staff's point of view, the summer has not only been momentous but it's turned his presidency in a much more positive direction. They are going to be celebrating this for months and months to come and long after he leaves office. But how it all shapes up in the long run is uncertain. There is a gamble that's deeply embedded in this Iranian deal and as pointed out in "The New York Times," is that the Obama administration has said for the next 10 years eastern, Iran is going to be under wraps but they are legitimizing the fact that they will be able to go after a nuclear weapon after that.

Their gamble is that the new generation coming up in Iran, the desire to be more Westernized and modern will lead Iran to be a much more reliable, safer, more secure place. It will not be fighting with everybody. And if that works out, it's going to be huge for the Obama legacy.

But it is a gamble because, after all, Iran could go the other way and continue to be dominated by the mullahs and keep singing "Down with America," and use all of that money and every centrifuge they have to build a nuclear weapon as quickly as they can.

[14:40:22] BROWN: In your view, it's yet to be seen how this will shape his legacy, in particular. When it comes to deals like this, David, with monumental ramifications, how much does a president think about legacy? What have you seen?

GERGEN: This president has thought more about legacy than I think most of his predecessors have. It's on the mind around him, that's for sure. But to give credit to the president, look, this was an achievement and the people who voted for the Nobel Prize at the beginning of his presidency must be smiling today bass, from their point of view, this will justify that prize. So they have thought long and hard about this. He has been persistent and he did take a gamble. Whether it holds or not is a big test of time.

BROWN: And it seems, David, that Obama's legacy is built on how the U.S. has reached out to what has been seen as our enemies and redefined our relationships. There's Rouhani and the contact with Raul Castro, the leader of Cuba. What do you think foreign policy officials will say about Obama's approach?

GERGEN: Well, I think that, for the most part, the academic community will celebrate President Obama's approach. Most of the people in the academic community are Democrats but they will celebrate this as a break from the past and contrast it, George W. Bush used weaponry, an Army to try and bring peace but it brought us a broken country. Barack Obama has used diplomacy instead of weapons. And look how far he brought us. He may have gotten a real breakthrough with eastern. From that point of view, it's going to be history books and among international relations experts in the next few years to give the credit to the president. And --

BROWN: I'm just curious, David --

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Go ahead.

GERGEN: -- Pamela, and that is to test the American public whether they can support him. That's a big question, too.

BROWN: Absolutely. And that is yet to be seen as well.

Really quickly, I was talking to the executive producer. Joe Biden has been seen standing right by President Obama with all of these big announcements recently. Is that unusual? What do you make of that or does that not surprise you?

GERGEN: I think that Joe Biden has been a very, very important adviser to the president. Going forward on this, I'm sure Kerry wanted to push forward on this. I'm sure he was in favor of the gamble. It's also true that President Obama is being very solicitous to Joe Biden after the tragedy he's endured. He's a major, major part of the team. I think it's a very human and very generous thing for the president to do, to share the spotlight with Joe Biden.

BROWN: David Gergen, thank you. Really interesting to hear your perspective on that.

GERGEN: Thank you. OK, Pamela, thank you.

BROWN: Thanks.

Up next in NEWSROOM, nearly a year to the day after his death at the hands of New York police, today the family of Eric Garner speaks out about their record-breaking settlement with the city. How the family of Garner and the police department are reacting, up next. Plus, who may have helped Mexican drug kingpin, el Chapo, break out of

prison? New details just coming into CNN. We'll take you live to Mexico right after the break. Stay with us.

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[14:48:20] BROWN: -- chokehold, a maneuver banned by the NYPD. The police apparently approached him about selling untaxed cigarettes outside of a store.

At a news conference today, Garner's family said this settlement is not about money, it's about justice for Eric. They want everyone involved to have a day in court.

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ESAW GARNER, WIFE OF ERIC GARNER: They deserve to be prosecuted. They treated my husband like an animal. And I think they give animals more respect that they give humans. And I think they that they need to do something about that ASAP because we're losing our family members and they are not losing anything. I lose sleep. I can't sleep at night. I've been married 28 years. Hoping, looking for the day that all my kids leave the house and me and my husband can do what we want to do without baby sitters, and now I have no one but my children and I'm alone to deal with this for the rest of my life.

ERICA GARNER, DAUGHTER OF ERIC GARNER: What do justice look like? When we get indictments and we get a fair trial. So I'm begging everyone to keep on doing what you're doing, supporting our family, protesting, not just our family but all families of police brutality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: This is a record-breaking settlement for New York City. And it's been met with a share of criticism.

Joining me now to discuss all of this, CNN's Boris Sanchez.

Boris, Mrs. Garner says this is not a victory party and the fight will continue for this family. What is next for them?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I got a chance to speak with Esaw, Eric Garner's widow, shortly after the press conference. She says she still has problems sleeping and still seeing parts of that video with him saying, "I can't breathe" in her head before she goes to bed every night. She says the settlement is not justice. She wants to see the officer who choked her husband, Sergeant Pantaleo, in handcuffs headed to prison and says the settlement is not justice. She wants to see the officer who choked her husband in handcuffs headed to prison. She's pleading with the DOJ, the Department of Justice, to open a case against the NYPD. The family is still trying to drum up support for a federal case.

His daughter, Emerald, also speaking, asking the public to support them. They're having march on Friday and a rally on Saturday. She said the family is not done fighting.

[14:50:] BROWN: There's still the Department of Justice civil rights investigation, right?

SANCHEZ: Yes. They are hoping to move that forward soon.

BROWN: Her daughter, who we heard from, Erica, she has been very outspoken since the beginning. What has she said about the investigation?

SANCHEZ: She said it's not right that Sergeant Pantaleo is still out on the streets. She also wants to see him behind bars. And she's pushing for the release of some documents that were sealed by the court in relation to his history, his career as a police officer. Those documents have not seen the light of day.

BROWN: And as you discussed earlier, there has been criticism to this settlement. In fact, one person tied to the police department called it obscene. What are we hearing in terms of the criticism?

SANCHEZ: That was Ed Mullins. He's the president of the NYC Benevolent Sergeants Associate -- Sergeants Benevolence Association, I should say. He called it obscene. He wrote that it was a start of typical settlements in similar cases and it's clearly an attempt of the mayor's office to placate outside political agendas. He writes that, "Although Mr. Garner didn't provide his family with an abundance of wealth, it was clear from the outset that the mayors office would. Mr. Garner's family should not be rewarded simply because he repeatedly chose to break the law and resist arrest."

Clearly still a lot of strong feelings on both sides of this case.

BROWN: And no officer has been indicted in this case, correct?

SANCHEZ: No.

BROWN: Boris Sanchez, thank you very much.

Breaking just moments ago, word on specifically who may have helped Mexican drug kingpin, el Chapo, break out from prison. A live report from Mexico just ahead.

Also, how today's Iranian nuclear deal will likely impact gas prices here in the U.S. Straight ahead for more on that.

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[14:56:09] BROWN: A new development in the frantic hunt across Mexico for escaped drug kingpin, el Chapo. Still no sign of El Chapo Guzman, but we're learning that U.S. drug enforcement officials warned Mexico that relatives and associates of the billionaire drug trafficker were looking for ways to break him out. The secretary denies that information was passed on as Mexican authorities released this new picture of el Chapo. Take a look. His trademark mustache is missing and he's clean shaven.

Plus, there's this. Mexico is offering a $3.8 million reward to get El Chapo back behind bars.

For all of this, I want to bring in CNN's Nick Valencia.

Nick, what is the latest?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pamela, at least 30 people -- more than 30 people, part of the prison, being called in for questions as part of this investigation. Locals we've spoken to, they think there's no way that El Chapo Guzman got out of prison without help from someone inside. As it seems, his escape was planned, not just in plain view of the prison guard but the military. Some state and police agents that we've spoke to said they believe that the tunnel was a diversion and he may have walked out as he did in his last prison escape, right out the front doors of the prison.

Official accounts, a $3.8 million being offered for his capture. The most notorious drug trafficker is on the loose living life as a free man. He was being monitored 24/7 inside of that cell that he was in but there were some problems with that surveillance system. There were two blank spots, apparently spots that El Chapo knew about. He took advantage of that. Also, ditching a bracelet that monitored his every move before ditching into that tunnel, a magnificent feat of engineering by all accounts. It had a modified motorcycle presumably used to dig that tunnel.

We've been speaking to locals, farmers in this area. One woman told me a neighbor of that rural home where El Chapo emerged, construction started about eight months ago and drew suspicions about February or March is when the home was complete. But an individual stayed around in that area using heavy machinery to turn over the dirt, presumably digging that tunnel. Over here in this area, people generally don't work on Sundays but these individuals at the rural home were working on Sundays. She would spot two men there. They would wave to her as they left the facility but never engaged in conversation with her. She said the last time she saw those two men was on Saturday morning. On Saturday night, El Chapo escaped -- Pamela?

BROWN: Unbelievable. Makes you wonder how long this plan has been in place.

Nick Valencia, thank you so much.

[14:59:14] Top of the hour now. I'm Pamela Brown.

And today, the world is safer or less safe, depending on who you ask. The United States and world powers striking a deal with Iran, an agreement to stop any Iranian pursuit to make a nuclear bomb, at least for now. It may be historic but not everyone is happy about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Because America negotiated from a position of strength and present, we have stopped the spread of nuclear weapons in this region. Because of this deal, the international community will be able to verify that the Islamic Republic of Iran will not develop a nuclear weapon. BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: The world is a much more

dangerous place today than it was yesterday. The leading international powers have bet our collective future in a deal with a formal sponsor of international terrorism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)