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Legal View with Ashleigh Banfield
Flint, MI, Water Issue Examined; Ashleigh Banfield Talks About Her Mother. Aired 12:30-1p ET
Aired January 19, 2016 - 12:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:32:16] ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, HOST: It is a disaster so big that it is being compared to Hurricane Katrina. Attorneys in Michigan are meeting right now to discuss two new-class action lawsuits that target the governor and the state officials over toxic, filthy, poisoned water, a crisis in Flint, Michigan.
This started back in 2014 when the state's emergency financial manager and the administration switched the city water source from Lake Huron where it was getting its water to the Flint River.
This was a move supposedly to save money, but that river water is very, very corrosive. And researchers say that that corrosion caused the lead from the pipes that carry the water to seep into that water, water that people drink and bathe in.
The doctors say that the lead levels in toddlers doubled, and even in some case, tripled as a result.
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DR. MONA HANNA-ATTISHA, DIRECTOR, HURLEY CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: It causes these long term lifelong irreversible impacts. And when it impacts your cognition, it actually drops your I.Q. and impacts your behavior and then implicated -- even to be associated with criminality. It's thought to so have these lifelong multi generational effects.
And that is why we know lead, we know there should never be lead in a child. And imagine, we have just now exposed an entire population.
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BANFIELD: So the governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder, is not only facing a lawsuit, he's under a lot of pressure from his people.
Dozens and dozens of people are protesting outside of this Ann Arbor Michigan home and they're calling for his resignation. Some are going far enough to say they want him prosecuted criminally.
CNN's Jean Casarez is in Flint, Michigan. So break it down for me exactly, what is the culpability right now of the government for having switched that water and then endangering people there. JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's probably in the hands of the attorney general because the attorney general has launched his own independent investigation.
But here is what the governor has done so far, declared a state of emergency for Flint. That has allowed the National Guard to come in, they have been handing out water, water test kits and water filters to the people of this community.
The governor also made the decision back in October to switch back to Detroit's water which is a very good water source. And the governor has said, and realty, the class action suit that we have seen follow suit. Even though they named him as a defendant, it says that he was not directly responsible for making the decision to switch to Flint water. That was left with the department of environmental quality and at least individuals in this lawsuit of who exactly made the decision.
But they're saying that governor just didn't act fast enough once he realized that something was wrong.
[12:35:09] We will show everybody an interview that the governor did with the National Journal recently. And he talks about in that they asked him about the fact of Katrina. Is this his Katrina? Do you you think that is unfair?
And Governor Rick Snyder says, No it' is a disaster ... trust is something that once you lose it, it is much harder to earn back. So that's the point we're at.
And Ashleigh, everybody's eyes tonight are on Lancing to see the state of the state address, to see exactly what the governor will say to the people right here in Flint, Michigan.
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN HOST: You can bet he is watching that carefully. Everything he says can be used against him and now that there are these class-action suits, his is extraordinarily seriously. Jean Casarez, working for us live on the ground in Michigan, thank you for that.
Coming up next, Drug Kingpin El Chapo wanted a movie made about himself. And now, he's sort of getting his wish.
Sure he's on T.V. a lot. But probably not the image he wants you to know about. So how do you keep a guy like this, he's famous for escaping from prison, from escaping again from escaping again
How about helmet cams, dogs and motion sensors in the floor, those are just few of the things they're doing to keep in place. You will not believe the extreme measures of the rest of them. You'll hear about them next.
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[12:40:37] BANFIELD: Fifteen years ago today, a drug lord known as El Chapo made his first escape from a Mexican prison, and it wouldn't be the final time that the kingpin made a brazen jailbreak. You may remember that last year, he escaped from the same prison where he is being held now, but officials are changing things up.
They're going to new lengths to make sure the history doesn't repeat itself the third time. According to the "El Universal" newspaper, the kingpin is transferred between cells frequently. Hundreds of new cameras have been installed in order to monitor him with no blind spots, and dogs trained specifically to detect his scent are standing guard.
Those are just some of the extreme measures being taken, but here are plenty more in CNN's Rafael Romo joins us live now to outline how they want to make sure they keep him this time. What else are they doing?
RAFAEL ROMO: Well, Ashleigh I've been to Mexican prisons multiple times while reporting and I have never seen this kind of security for anybody in Mexico. And it's important, because this is a guy who has escaped twice already. In addition to everything you mentioned, we're also talking about the fact that Mexican officials have installed sensors that detect movement, and our viewers will remember that El Chapo escaped in July through a tunnel and they were excavating right under his cell. So that is very important.
They also have reinforced all of the concrete floors with listen to this. Three-quarter-inch steel rods to make sure that if anybody attempts to dig a tunnel in the cell he is in, they won't be able to.
And another very important thing here, Ashleigh, is that he is being moved constantly, and there are about 30 cells that he is being transferred to, and the space between movements can be anywhere from a few minutes to several hours so that his people, El Chapo's people cannot pinpoint the exact location where he is being held at any given time Ashleigh.
BANFIELD: Well, fingers crossed it doesn't happen again. Rafael Romo, thank you for that. Appreciate it.
This week on CNN, I've been fascinated by the stories from our anchors revealing the people who changed their lives. We'd all had that one person who helped to shape us. Meet the person who made me who I am next.
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[12:47:02] BANFIELD: All this week, we've been bringing you stories from our CNN anchors about the person who changed their lives, the person who had a big impact on the direction of their life. And when they asked me who's been the biggest influence on me, the answer was very easy, my mom, but not for the reason that you think.
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BANFIELD: The hairpin. Look out.
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BANFIELD: I've come from New York City where I work to Winnipeg, my hometown in Canada, and then 2.5 hours by car to a remote cabin on a lake.
It sort of like the annual family reunion and I'll tell you why, my mom.
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SUZANNE HOLLAND: Okay, here we go. Woo-hoo.
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BANFIELD: My mother's name is Suzanne Holland.
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SUZANNE HOLLAND: But isn't that wonderful for a fire at the lake?
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BANFIELD: She has the elegance of Jackie Kennedy and the strength of Hercules.
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ASLEIGH BANFIELD: And without her I am certain. I would not be where I am. I am certain.
So how many pounds of fish total?
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BANFIELD: This is my Sunday brunch, my brothers Jeff and Joe are there.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was a decent fish.
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BANFIELD: My sister Alex, and as the youngest, I get zero respect.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Only because there's no such thing as less than zero.
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BANFIELD: So it is a pilgrimage of sorts, because we all come back to mom.
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SUZANNE HOLLAND: This is a traditional way we cook our fish. It is bacon dripping.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm out.
HOLLAND: And ...
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BANFIELD: She is the boss. She is the glue. She is the mom. She's a friend. She's a mentor. She's pretty much every role. Certainly more roles than she ever expected.
My mom just out of college married John Banfield in 1959. He was from an upper class family and seemed destined to a promising career as an architect.
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HOLLAND: I envisioned being a wife, being a mother, everything looked perfect.
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BANFIELD: But it was not perfect.
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ASLEIGH BANFIELD: Dad struggled with alcoholism, but back then people didn't talk about it.
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BANFIELD: The disease had such a tight grip on dad, that he went bankrupt, twice. I was too young to understand, but my mom did.
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HOLLAND: We don't have any money. We don't have any money. Don't spend any money. Well, the children need socks. The children need shirts. The children need, you know, whatever. Well, don't spend any money.
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BANFIELD: To pinch pennies she bought day-old bread, meat and produce from the back of the store.
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[12:50:10] HOLLAND: Everybody was moving up, and I was moving down. I was terrified. I was terrified. I was a housewife with four children, the home economics degree which wasn't going to get you a job anywhere.
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BANFIELD: Nonetheless, mom entered the cut throat, male dominated world of real estate back in 1970.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HOLLAND: Those days ambition and a woman was a bad thing.
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BANFIELD: It didn't matter, because it turned out that mom was really good. How good?
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HOLLAND: I became the breadwinner.
ASLEIGH BANFIELD: Was that uncomfortable for dad?
HOLLAND: You know, I think by that time the role of reversal took place, your father, I think he'd sort of given up.
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BANFIELD: Mom on the other hand soon opened her own company with my aunt and a friend.
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HOLLAND: And we were laughed at by quite a few people, because women just didn't do that. They ought to be at home with their children.
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BANFIELD: What started out as a way to keep the family afloat became a lesson about independence. Mom's style of mentoring was simple.
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HOLLAND: Tough love.
ASLEIGH BANDFIELD: No complaining and no excuses.
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BANFIELD: Mom taught by example as she bought and sold homes in Winnipeg's toniest neighborhoods.
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HOLLAND: We were unbelievably successful for three women that had no business training at all.
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BANFIELD: So successful that I was off to the fancy private school. And it was not long before my adolescent rebellion began.
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HOLLAND: She was full of fire, full of beans. ASHLEIGH BANFIELD: That is when the trouble began, and mom holed me in
to see the head master, a place you do not want to be. And between the two of them, they read me the riot act.
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BANFIELD: In that moment I had to ask myself a question, what do I want my future to look like? And sure enough on the next report card good grades and look at what the head master wrote, "Now we are beginning to see what Ashleigh can do."
Mom nipped that rebellious brat in the bud. I think that the trajectory began there. After college, i started at CJBN-TV.
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BANFIELD:I'm Ashleigh Banfield your host for the last edition of the summer show.
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BANFIELD: It was a teeny tiny station in the sticks.
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ASHLIEY BANFIELD: Rick, can you tell me how you got involved in duck carving and how long ago?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I've been at it for five years now.
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BANFIELD: Over time, I graduated to bigger stations in Canada, local news in the U.S., and then American networks. But along the way, I went from rising star to husband been when I was demoted or fired and not just once.
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ASHLEIGH BANFIELD: Did you get as many phone calls from Joe, Alex and Jeff with the tragic news about their jobs as you got from me?
HOLLAND: Well, the stage is, the stages that you all went through, you know.
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD: You are trying to gently say, no, I was fire more than they were.
Oh, that's so cute. I guess you were.
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BANFIELD: Each time, mom offered a shoulder to cry on and maybe more importantly, blunt words if I sounded like giving up.
Move it. Don't complain. Get to work. Those words have followed them all of the way along in their life. Tough it out.
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HOLLAND: To have all of my four children around the table right now is extremely special for me.
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BANFIELD: I often think about the impact that she's had on me as a professional, as a person.
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HOLLAND: I love you all.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love you, too, Gummy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love you, too, Gummy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: She may not look it, but mom is now 77.
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ASHLIEGH BANFIELD: I can never actually think about losing mom. I just can't. I cannot. I don't know, I don't know who I'd call, you know, what I'd do. There's no one like her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, gang.
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ASHLIEGH BANFIELD: There is really no one else. Have I thanked you properly?
HOLLAND: I think I'm going to cry. You know sweetheart have, just sitting here today, I am so proud of you. I'm so proud of you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Woo! She's awesome.
[12:55:02] You can watch Sunday at 8:00 p.m. as more of my colleagues here at CNN tell their stories of the person who changed their lives. Thanks for watching, everybody. My other colleague, Wolf Blitzer starts after this quick break.
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WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer, it is 1:00 p.m. in Flint, Michigan in Washington and 7:00 p.m. in Landstuhl, Germany, Wherever you are watching from around the world, thanks very much for joining us.
Breaking news into CNN for the first time since being freed from Iran, the former American prisoner Amir Hekmati has spoken to the world.
[13:00:17] The former U.S. marine went before the cameras just moments ago describing his emotions during his 4.5 years in captivity...
