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Newspaper Slams Inaction on Gun Violence; New Orleans Schools Rise Up; Florida Braces for Tropical Storm Erika. Aired 10:30-11a ET
Aired August 28, 2015 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[10:30:26] POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. 10:30 a.m. Eastern this Friday morning. I'm Poppy Harlow, in for my friend, Carol Costello. Thank you so much for being with me.
We are continuing to follow the tragic murder of two Virginia journalists live on the air. A murder that has reignited the debate over gun control in this country. But as the cover of the "New York Daily News" this morning reminds us, it has happened so many times before. No major action has been taken by our lawmakers.
I want to bring in Senator Chris Murphy. He's a Democrat from Connecticut. Thank you for being with me, Senator.
SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D), CONNECTICUT (via telephone): Thanks for having me.
HARLOW: Is the "Daily News" cover right? Will this outrage quickly die down or will change happen?
MURPHY: I think change is going to happen. I just don't think that democracy can work when you have 90 percent of the American public that want changes in our gun laws like universal background checks and Congress not responding. It may take a series of elections before we get there, but I think there's clear momentum towards a comprehensive look at how we reduce violence.
And the fact of the matter is that it has to be comprehensive. You can't just change our gun laws. Yes, we should have these dangerous weapons off the street, criminals shouldn't get guns.
But we also have a broken mental health system and that deserves fixing as well and we shouldn't wait to do all of it at one time. If we can't get the gun laws change because of the NRA control of Congress right now then let's fix the mental health system.
We should be starting this process now because it's an absolute stain on this nation that there have been more mass shootings this year than there have been days in the year. We shouldn't accept that in Congress.
HARLOW: You said, Senator, in an interview with the "Huffington Post" this morning, "Congress' silence in the face of this rash of mass shootings has become complicity. We are essentially sending a message of quiet endorsements to these murders." Who are you talking about in Congress?
MURPHY: I'm talking about the entirety of Congress, especially those that have stood in the way of common sense gun measures like expanded background checks or reforms to our mental health system. The fact is when our leadership in Congress stands up and says we can't do anything, they are absolutely wrong.
And I believe that we have become complicit in these murders because people listen to highest levels of government. And when we say nothing about it, when we don't even attempt to change the laws to try to stop this mass slaughter, then people get some signal that it's ok to settle their grievances or to deal with their illness through gun violence.
I just don't accept that we can do nothing and I'm speaking directly to the Republican leadership of the House and the Senate. They should be bringing anti-gun violence bills to the floor that can get consensus votes this fall or the Congress is complicit in these murders.
HARLOW: Here is what former Virginia governor, Jim Gilmore told me on the program earlier today. He said to me that what he needs to change, what he wants to change is more community mental health services. He also said this. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM GILMORE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The person was even caught yesterday. The left wing in this country was trying to reduce our rights under the Second Amendment. Governor McAuliffe was out there calling for gun control. Hillary Clinton, who is basically the sponsor for Governor McAuliffe, was calling for gun control. The President was calling for gun control.
Gun control is not the answer. You're now diverting attention away from the real problem.
HARLOW: Then what is the --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: I went on to say what is the answer and he said community-based mental health services and more of that. What is the answer in your mind, Senator?
MURPHY: Well, let's be honest about what the data shows. We don't have any more mental illness in the United States than any other country in the world has. And yet we have five times the rate of gun violence. So it can't be that mental illness is the only answer.
The reality is that the data shows us that in countries and communities that have more guns, especially have more guns in the hands of criminals, especially have more dangerous assault weapons out on the streets -- there's more gun violence. More guns equals more gun violence. Now, I don't want to stop law-abiding citizens from being able to
own guns, but the fact is that the left wing of this country, as Mr. Gilmore says, I guess is 90 percent of the country because that's the number of Americans that support something like expanded background checks.
[10:35:01] So you just can't throw this whole problem on the backs of the mental health system and you also have to recognize that you're feeding the stigma. The fact is that there's no inherent connection between mental illness and violence, and that kind of talk should stop.
HARLOW: What about this shooting and the fact that this gunman as far as we know right now did not have any sort of documented history of mental illness. Obviously something was completely wrong with him. He idolized other mass shooters but what do you do about this situation, Senator?
MURPHY: Well, listen, I don't think you can craft a legislative solution to every single incident of violence in this country. And so I don't think that we should expect that anything that we're going to enact in Washington is going to stop shootings.
But there are plenty of instances, including the Connecticut shooting and the South Carolina shooting in which better gun laws could have made a difference. In South Carolina that guy got a gun because of the loophole in the background checks law that allowed the retailer to give him a gun despite the fact that he hadn't passed the background check.
And this whole culture of mass violence in which Congress does nothing I think sends a message to a lot of these individuals who are becoming unhinged in their mind that it's OK to go out and commit these murders because no one seems to be doing anything to stop it, and so why should I think any differently than everybody else that I see on the news carrying out this kind of violence.
There's no one legislative solution, but there are changes that will make a difference, and Congress acting -- just the action of Congress in any way, shape, or form will have a chilling effect on this trend.
HARLOW: Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut. Appreciate you joining me this morning, sir.
MURPHY: Thanks -- Poppy.
HARLOW: Thank you.
Two years ago the shooter Vester Flanagan caused a scene after being fired from WDBJ lashing out at co-workers, including one of his victims, Adam Ward. Internal documents showing co-workers complained he made them feel threatened and, quote, "extremely uncomfortable". The station's manager, Jeff Marks, says he was asked to seek mental health assistance adding during a press conference yesterday, quote, "By and large, we get great employees here. One is going to slip through the cracks."
Let's talk about the bigger picture here about employers and their legal responsibilities when they have employees like this.
Danny Cevallos with me to talk about that. I mean, you focus on among other things employment law. What -- this station had him seek anger management help, fired him, called the police when he blew up when he was fired, what more can employers do?
DANNY CEVALLOS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Employers in a way are darned if they do and darned if they don't. They face a charge of negligent representation or negligent reference if they give some information to a new employer that is false or misleading. And at the same time if they say something disparaging about an employee, they could be sued for defamation.
Now, each of these would be defensible cases, and the numbers show that these defamation cases by disgruntled employees are not usually that successful statistically. But look companies, people, we don't like to be sued and we don't like to have to defend that.
HARLOW: No one wants to go through that.
CEVALLOS: Right. So what has happened as a result is that employers have taken the middle road, and that middle road is say nothing, say nothing at all. Don't say a word.
HARLOW: Isn't that negligent?
CEVALLOS: Well, in a way if there's no affirmative duty to say or not say, saying nothing may be the safest thing because you don't run the risk of defaming someone by saying something nasty --
HARLOW: Right.
CEVALLOS: -- and at the same time the law essentially says you can negligently reference an employee if you say something knowingly misleading. If I say nothing at all, I haven't said anything knowingly misleading.
HARLOW: You're protecting yourself but not helping society.
CEVALLOS: Sure -- right. And, you know, in the last decade or so, individual states have enacted laws attempting to protect employers when they provide this information. But it still doesn't change the fact that anybody can sue anybody at any time, and if you're a cost conscious company, you're going to make a business decision and say, well, you know what? We'd rather not go through the trouble. Let's just say nothing at all about Bob after he leaves our employ.
HARLOW: Wow. All right. Danny Cevallos -- important perspective. Thank you as always.
Still to come here, New Orleans schools have rebounded in the ten years since Hurricane Katrina but at what cost to the city's unique character? We'll discuss next.
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[10:43:50] HARLOW: Tomorrow marks ten years since what FEMA calls the single most catastrophic natural disaster in U.S. history, Hurricane Katrina. This morning former President Bush is visiting one of the many charter schools that replaced the city's decimated public school system after the storm. The charter schools are chalking up academic success but not everyone is praising the turn around.
Here is CNN's Suzanne Malveaux.
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SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: First day of school at New Orleans Bricolage Academy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, first grade. Did you have a great summer? Great -- hug, high five, hug. I'll take it.
What are you looking forward to the most?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Math.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Awesome. Love that.
MALVEAUX: Now in its third year, Bricolage is already one of the most sought after charter schools in the city.
DEBRA STEVENSON, BRICOLAGE PARENT: When I drop my babies off, I leave here with peace of mind because I know they're going to be taken care of.
MALVEAUX: Debra Stevenson has already seen a remarkable change in her two granddaughters, Journey and Sky.
STEVENSON: Last year Journey won top reader award. Sky is a wonder woman. She can do anything, and she tries everything because they give them that courage.
[10:45:01] MALVEAUX: For Melissa Beese, innovation and creativity is what her son Tristan needed.
MELISSA BEESE, BRICOLAGE PARENT: I'm thrilled that we were able to choose the type of school that would be tailored to my child.
MALVEAUX: Josh Densen, founder and CEO of Bricolage says the student body is about 50/50 black and white from both affluent and disadvantaged families.
JOSH DENSEN, FOUNDER, BRICOLAGE ACADEMY: We believe that bringing kids together from diverse backgrounds is a great way to increase equity, to increase empathy, and to catalyze creativity.
MALVEAUX: When Hurricane Katrina hit in August of 2005, the public schools of New Orleans were considered among the worst in the country. The storm damaged and destroyed most of those schools, including ones like this, abandoned for ten years.
The state of Louisiana seized more than 100 schools, fired about 7,500 teachers, and turned the buildings over to independent school operators or charters.
DEIRDRE JOHNSON BURELL, EXEC. DIR. ORLEANS PUBLIC EDUCATION NETWORK: There was a narrative that was created that somehow everything and everyone here was broken.
MALVEAUX: But some community leaders say this experiment has destroyed community schooling and has disproportionately benefited whites over blacks.
ANITA BROWN, MANAGING EDITOR "NEW ORLEANS TRIBUNE": This brand of reform that has been employed in New Orleans and then touted across the nation as some kind of miracle is simply not working.
MALVEAUX: But a study by Tulane University shows under the charter school system, student achievement is up. With 63 percent of students passing state assessment tests in 2014 -- a 30 percent increase since 2005. And graduation rates are up from 56 percent to 73 percent.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Could everybody do that?
MALVEAUX: Initially charter schools were able to recruit the most desirable students. Now parents can rank their school choices and go through a centralized lottery process.
DENSEN: We have no influence over who attends Bricolage at all.
MALVEAUX: Parents say when a spot unexpectedly opens up at a good school, they run.
THERESA FIELDS, BRICOLAGE PARENT: When we got in, there were two spots left, and I said thank you, Lord. This one is for my baby.
MALVEAUX: But some students do not get any of their choices leaving some parents to question whether the program really works.
JANE KATNER, BRICOLAGE PARENT: I don't know that we're succeeding necessarily in that the same sort of quality education is available for everyone.
MALVEAUX: Ten years now after the storm.
Densen: We've gone from a school district that was an F to a school district that's about at a C level.
MALVEAUX: How was your first day?
New Orleans is still trying and won't stop until they get that A.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Great.
(END VIDEOTAPE) MALVEAUX: And the battle for school reform --
HARLOW: Go ahead -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Poppy -- I want to tell you that the battle for school reform continues. You have those fired teachers, 7,500 or so who were fired largely African-American, largely female and older who are now taking their case, want their jobs back, taking that case now to the U.S. Supreme Court.
HARLOW: Amazing piece, Suzanne. Thank you for tracking it. Suzanne will be in New Orleans for us throughout the weekend with more again tomorrow marking the ten-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
MALVEAUX: Thank you.
HARLOW: Still to come, the death toll from tropical storm Erika is climbing. Could Florida take a direct hit? We'll have that next.
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[10:52:47] HARLOW: Right now preparations under way in Florida. The governor there declaring a state of emergency today as Tropical Storm Erika inches closer and closer to the Sunshine State, and for good reason.
Take a look at this, havoc, absolute havoc it is wreaking in the Caribbean. This river raging uncontrollably. Torrential rain there killing 12 people in Dominica, more than 20 are missing.
CNN meteorologist Chad Myers, live for us in the Severe Weather Center with more. What is it looking like? Is it going to hit Florida directly?
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, that's the center of the cone. You know, Poppy, I tell you all the time -- I tell everybody, not just you -- please don't focus on the center of the cone, please focus on how wide the cone can be. Because even at 72 hours, it can be anywhere, the center of the circulation can be anywhere from the Bahamas all the way west to the Dry Tortugas.
So this is still a spread out storm because the storm is not doing what it was supposed to do. It was supposed to be north of Puerto Rico, north of the DR by now. That didn't happen. We're about 300 miles farther to the south than it was supposed to be. So what happens now?
Well, that just tells me the computer models aren't acting that well or that this computer's model doesn't like the storm or the storm doesn't believe in computers. I don't know. That's what you got.
For later on this afternoon I think it's still going to move to the south of the DR, make heavy rain for Punta Qana (ph) and all the way parts of Haiti. That will be the problem here. As the storm system is still focused to go over Florida. Here is where it was last night. Here's where the models were
last night -- over the Bahamas and missing Florida altogether. Now this morning they are back and over Florida. This is the latest map, latest models that we have.
We'll keep watching them for you. It's like building a model car. It's supposed to look like the car but sometimes you get too much glue on the windshield, then the wheels fall off. So models aren't always what they're supposed to be.
HARLOW: And we never blame you guys. We never blame you guys. We know that you are trying your hardest but we'll keep a very close eye on this, see which way it goes.
MYERS: All right. There you go.
HARLOW: Chad, thank you, my friend.
MYERS: OK.
Still to come, a major surprise for an officer when he finds out just who is behind the wheel of his car. We'll tell you next.
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[10:59:00] HARLOW: All right. Getting a check of your top stories.
Now we've just learned the CEO of hacked infidelity Web site Ashley Madison is stepping down. That happens immediately. Just a short time ago Avid Life Media, the parent company of Ashley Madison, released a statement saying in part this change is in the best interest of the company and allows us to continue to provide support to our members and our dedicated employees. The Web site hack revealed the extremely personal details of its clients. There are currently several lawsuits against the Web site by former clients.
Take a look at this, this is dash-cam video out of Minnesota. The officer trailing this erratic driver is about to get a major surprise, because guess what? It's an eight-year-old boy behind the wheel of the car. Police say that boy drove for nearly 20 miles wearing his pajamas before pulling into a driveway. In the car with him two of his younger foster siblings. All of the kids are ok. The officer drove them home.
Thank you so much for being with me today. I'm Poppy Harlow.
[11:00:01] Carol Costello is back in the chair Monday morning.
"AT THIS HOUR" with Berman and Bolduan begins right now.
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