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911 Caller: My Ex is Looking to Kill a Cop; "Washington Post" Editor Talks Jason Rezaian Release; Former Iraq Prisoner Talks Kidnapped U.S. Contractors; "White Out" at the Oscars. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired January 18, 2016 - 14:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:31:16] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: A chilling 911 call came to late to save a police officer's life. A woman warning police in Danville, Ohio, they were in danger. She claimed that her ex- boyfriend was on the hunt to kill a cop.

We have that phone call.

(BEGIN AUDIO FEED)

DISPATCHER: 911.

CALLER: Yes, I'm in danger.

DISPATCHER: OK, where are you at?

CALLER: 60 Washington Street. But cops in Danville are in danger, too. My ex-boyfriend is out in camo looking to kill a cop. He has my house keys. He has my truck keys. He's got guns on him. He's already beaten me and threatened to kill me.

He's coming home. I got to go.

DISPATCHER: What's his name?

CALLER:

DISPATCHER: Do you want me to send a cop to your house?

CALLER: No, that's a bad thing. He'll kill me.

(END AUDIO FEED)

BALDWIN: Not long after that call came in, the Officer Tom Cottrell was found shot, his service weapon and squad car missing. Then this man right here was taken into custody in a small town north of Columbus.

Miguel Marquez is on this today.

Miguel, it is horrendous to think anyone would ever want to do this. What more do you know? MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is disturbing on many levels.

That was the ex-girlfriend of Herschel Ray Jones III. At 11:20 p.m., that phone call came in. Officer Cottrell was found dead at 11:47. So 20 minutes later, Jones was caught.

The big, giant, gaping question here is when that dispatcher received that call --

(CROSSTALK)

MARQUEZ: Cottrell was one cop on duty. This is a small town. One cop was on duty. That was Thomas Cottrell. They weren't able to get a hold of him to let him know he may be the target.

BALDWIN: But they tried? The message was --

MARQUEZ: They say they tried. It's not clear how they tried or how that call went in. Knox County is now investigating. It's not clear if Knox County is the one that received the call and how they tried to get that word out to different police agencies that they do dispatching for. Clearly, a major failure here.

We have seen this in other places. Tamir Rice, for instance, where the police officers, despite the dispatcher having more information, didn't have information as they walked up in a situation. And in this day and age, where you have the targeting of the Philly cop, and earlier in the day, a police officer in Utah had been shot and killed, in this day and age, for a dispatcher and a police agency not to take no matter how the caller sounded with complete seriousness is shocking. So the Knox County is now looking into all of this.

[14:34:17] BALDWIN: Awful. One's worst fear.

Miguel Marquez, thank you very much.

Back to our top story today and what has happened between Iran and the United States here. "Washington Post" reporter and former prisoner, Jason Rezaian meeting with his family for the first time. This is a new photograph that the "Washington Post" has released. All smiles. Coming up next, we'll talk to someone who lobbied for his release for 18 months, one of the key "Washington Post" editors involved in the story. Do not miss my conversation with him from Germany.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All weekend, Americans watched in anticipation as long-held prisoners in Iran were released, Americans. One of those, "Washington Post" Journalist Jason Rezaian. We're getting word from Germany that Rezaian met with his brother and two executives with the "Washington Post."

Doug Jehl, who is "The Post" foreign editor, joins me on the phone from Germany.

Doug, can you hear me?

DOUG JEHL, FOREIGN EDITOR, "THE WASHINGTON POST" (voice-over): Sure can, thanks.

BALDWIN: Excellent. My goodness, first of all to you. The obvious question, how is Jason? What has he shared with you that you don't find sharing with a nationwide audience here.

JEHL: He looks remarkably good. He's demonstrating extraordinary resilience after the kind of ordeal he's faced in the last 18 months. He tells us he feels physically good. He knows that people want to hear from him and he has a lot to share, but it's going to take some time to process the experience before he has a whole lot to say.

[14:40:09] BALDWIN: Doug, 545 days behind bars. How was he treated?

JEHL: We learned today just how isolated Jason really was. Even after he was moved into a cell with a cell mate, he really saw no one other than that cell mate most days. His life was confined to 15 by 20 foot cell. When he was moved anywhere else, he was blindfolded. He walked a lot. He walked around and around an eight-by-eight-foot concrete courtyard that stood outside his cell. He read a lot and described that as having provide d him some escape from his long trial.

BALDWIN: Was there any one book in particular or anything that got him through his darkest moments?

JEHL: I think he would like to tell that story himself as he gets his thoughts together. But I know that fiction provided him as an escape, as did his wife and his mother were able to visit him periodically throughout this long time, and those visits were the highlight of the week and provided him his only real connection to the outside world.

BALDWIN: How much hope did he have that he would ultimately be rescued? Having talked to one key player in al of this, she sort of admitted to me that the deal almost faltered multiple times.

JEHL: You know I think Jason would say he's an optimistic guy. He always believed he would escape or be released. He didn't know how long he would be behind bars. That said, he said that the final days of his captivity and ultimately release were stops and starts, fits until the last minute. He wasn't sure until the plane took off that the end of his ordeal was coming.

BALDWIN: What is next for him? We talked about his brother and wife and mother with him as well. Do you know anything about plans to return to the states and sharing his story from the source himself?

JEHL: He wants to take some time attending to his health here first, then his story. While he feels physically well, he's going to want to be sure we consult him with doctors here that he gets all the care he needs. And usually that's a multiple-day stay here. We don't know the timetable. It's the first full day he's been here. But I must say I was happily surprised to see him looking as strong and speaking as confidently as he was tonight.

BALDWIN: Our best to him from journalists worldwide.

Doug Jehl, thank you so much, on the phone from Germany, on Jason's health and sense of hope. Thank you.

Coming up, three American contractors go missing in Baghdad. Reports indicate they were kidnapped from a brothel. Iraqi police now conducting raids and setting up check points. Up next, we'll talk to a man who was kidnapped in Iraq, held for 10 months while working as a contractor there. What life was like and how he got out, coming up.

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[14:48:09] BALDWIN: A hunt is underway for those three Americans kidnapped in Iraq. Officials say gunmen grabbed these contractors from a brothel in southern Baghdad. They were rushed away in a convoy and haven't been seen or heard from since. Iraqi security forces now conducting searches, raids and check points here. An entire neighborhood sealed off. No word yet on a motive or who may be responsible.

My next guest knows first hand what it's like being held hostage in Iraq. Roy Hallums was working as a contractor and held for ten months before he was rescued in a Delta Force raid.

Mr. Hallums, thank you so much for being with me today.

ROY HALLUMS, FORMER PRISONER IN IRAQ: Thank you.

BALDWIN: So when you first heard this piece of news that these Americans are kidnapped in Iraq, I have to imagine lots of thoughts immediately came back to you. Take me back to the day you were kidnapped. What may be happening with these Americans?

HALLUMS: Yes, it did bring it all back when I saw it this morning. I was in the office along with some other people. And there were about 20 gang members showed up at the office, took me and a car alone and other people in other cars alone. And they drove us to a house. It was still in Baghdad, one of their safe houses, I guess. We were held there for a day and then we moved out of Baghdad into the country side. When we went, I was in one car and actually in the trunk of the car and there was another car in the front that the driver of my car would talk to on the phone to see if there are any road blocks.

BALDWIN: And was there every a doubt you wouldn't survive that ordeal? You had no idea how long it would last.

[14:50:07] HALLUMS: Yes, the day I was kidnapped I thought if I lived a week it would be a miracle because there's basically two kinds of gangs over there. One gang wants money. Another gang wants to make a political statement. And they are liable to do something to you in the first week. If the gang wants money, they are more likely to keep you alive for a little longer.

BALDWIN: We don't know the who, as in who took them or the why. But in terms of time, must be critical in the first few hours or days. You were held hostage for ten months. When did you finally know you would be saved?

HALLUMS: Well, I didn't know I was going to be saved until I heard the Army helicopters coming in on the farmhouse where I was being held. I was kept in a little darkroom under the floor of the house. I was handcuffed all the time with a mask on. One morning I heard the helicopters and then I heard U.S. Special Forces running around in the house above. That was the first indication I had that anybody was there to rescue me.

BALDWIN: I'm also mindful of your family back home and those 10 months. It must have been horrible for them. What advice for would you give for those Americans during this?

HALLUMS: Well, just don't give up hope. In my particular case, nobody knew I was going -- if I was going to be alive. Don't give up hope, because there's many, many good people in the government and in the military that are over there, and they will be looking for these people just like they were looking for me. Hopefully, they will get a break and be able to find them like they found me.

BALDWIN: Hopefully. What a story you have.

Roy, thank you so much. Roy Hallums.

HALLUMS: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Coming up, no black actors or directors dominated for the big awards of this year's Oscars. What Director Spike Lee plans to do about that.

Plus, Donald Trump speaking to evangelicals today. Did he stumble when he quoted the Bible? We'll chat about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:56:19] BALDWIN: They are calling it the Academy Award "white out." While the grand Hollywood ceremony is a couple weeks away, they have been met with Twitter outrage. #Oscarssowhite trending as in all 20 nominees in the best actor category are looking pretty much the same, white. And now some of Hollywood's African-American stars are taking a stand. Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith are using the holiday to speak out. Spike Lee took to Instagram saying, in part, quote, "How is it possible for the second consecutive year all 20 contenders under the actor category are white? And let's not even get into the other branches. 40 white actors in two years and no flavor at all. We can't act? WTF." Pinkett Smith, whose husband is Will Smith, was not nominated for his role in "Concussion," also took to social media.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JADA PINKETT SMITH, ACTRESS: Begging for acknowledgment or even asking diminishes dignity and diminishes power. And we are a dignified people and we are powerful. Let's not forget it. So let's let the Academy do them with all grace and love and let's do us differently.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Joining me now is Chris Witherspoon, CNN analyst and entertainment editor at thegrio.com.

Good to see you back here.

What a story. Two years in a row, why?

CHRIS WITHERSPOON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT ANALYST & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR, THEGRIO.COM: I think you have to look at the studio executives that are in power that aren't creating enough black films. Also 7,000 Oscar voters are older white men. The main point is social media. We have Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith who are able to have their say.

BALDWIN: She's a powerful woman.

WITHERSPOON: She's a powerful woman. She's not saying we shouldn't support the Oscars, but we should boycott, as is Spike Lee. Over 36 million folks viewed the Oscars. The black viewers are a powerful group of folks. We are really on social media. So I think we could see this trending again possibly Oscar eve and during the Oscar broadcast.

BALDWIN: Don Cheadle went to Twitter and joked to Chris Rock will be hosting says, "Yo, Chris, check me out at the #Oscars this year. They got me parking cars on G level."

Really, impact-wise, social media, how much does that translate? That doesn't change the voting bloc. That doesn't change what people look like who are heads of major studios in Hollywood. How does that change?

WITHERSPOON: I think ultimately it's going to be a long and slow process. You have a president right now of the Oscar academy is an American woman who is trying to bring more change, more diversity into the academy. The raw numbers are kind of the proof. 32 African- American Oscar winners over 87 years. 2,947 Oscars have been given out. 32 have been black folks. That's absurd when you look at the numbers. So people calling out this injustice will only invoke change.

BALDWIN: Chris Rock --

WITHERSPOON: All eyes. All eyes will be on Chris Rock.

BALDWIN: -- final question, how does he address it?

WITHERSPOON: With humor, he can evoke change, bottom line. He will be funny but he will have some moments where he will hit on this injustice.

BALDWIN: We'll be watching.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: We'll talk afterwards. We'll have a date.

Chris Witherspoon, thank you very much.

WITHERSPOON: Thank you.

BALDWIN: We continue on hour two. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Two weeks to the day from the Iowa caucuses here. For the Republicans, the chase is on for the prized evangelical vote. Donald Trump today delivering a speech at Virginia's Liberty University. The Christian university that has become a popular and significant campaign stop for Republican contenders.