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Planning and Tactics by Vegas Shooter; Growing Tensions Between Spain and Catalonia; President Trump's Plan for Iran Nuclear Deal; Tillerson and Trump Testing Waters; Former British Spy Met with Mueller; Families Reunited After Las Vegas Shooting; Yemen Alarming Cholera Epidemic; Puerto Ricans Offended by Trump's Behavior. Aired 3- 4a ET
Aired October 06, 2017 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
[03:00:00] NATALIE ALLEN, CNN HOST: New information about the Las Vegas shooter he may have been scouting other locations before deciding to target Sunday's music festival.
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN HOST: A CNN exclusive. Investigators looking into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign interview the author that infamous dossier.
ALLEN: Also, the Catalan crisis deepens after Spain blocks an attempt by Catalonia to declare its independence.
It is all ahead here. Hello and welcome to our viewers around the world. I'm Natalie Allen.
HOWELL: And I'm George Howell from CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Newsroom starts right now.
It's inside now with the terrible, terrible thing that happened in Las Vegas, Nevada. That city remembering the dead after the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. There have been several vigils since the terrible massacre.
But on Wednesday, the tribute to Charleston Hartfield, the Las Vegas police officer may have been the biggest yet.
ALLEN: Hundred gathered with candles to remember him and the other victims.
Meantime, investigators think the gunman, Stephen Paddock may have been scouting out other music festivals before deciding on the one he hit.
Our Alex Marquardt has more.
ALEXANDER MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Two weeks ago, we know that he rented a room at the Ogden Hotel. It's a condo and he rented it through Airbnb from a private owner. From that vantage point he could see another concert venue, the Life is Beautiful Festival, another three-day festival over the weekend of September 22nd.
Much bigger than the Harvest Festival. Around a hundred thousand people attending. Some huge acts like Lord and Chance the rapper. Thankfully, we know that nothing happened at that festival.
But we're also finding out now that a man by the same name, Stephen Paddock, got a hotel room in Chicago in August, the same time as the Lollapalooza music festival. That's held in Grant Park every summer, and the room was, again, overlooking Grant Park.
Now, we have not confirmed that the Stephen Paddock who got the room is the same Stephen Paddock who carried out this massacre. What we do know is that the person who got that room never showed up. So, chilling nonetheless the possibility that this, that Stephen Paddock might have been going around scouting out these different locations.
ALLEN: And it is becoming increasingly clear that the shooting was not only premeditated but meticulously planned.
HOWELL: Our Brian Todd takes a closer look now at how Paddock orchestrated a massacre and tried to trip up law enforcement at every single turn.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The one thing Las Vegas police say they are convinced of in this investigation is that Stephen Paddock's horrific attack on the Route 91 country music festival was a very meticulously planned assault.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEPH LOMBARDO, SHERIFF, CLARK COUNTY, NEVADA: Stephen Paddock is a man who spent decades acquiring weapons and ammo and living a secret life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: That planning, experts say, began with the sniper's nest he selected at the Mandalay Bay and the targets he chose below. CNN got access to a room at the Mandalay Bay Hotel two floors up from the shooters with a similar view. From the room, you can see Paddock's broken hotel window, his line up sight for the concert venue.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN SHEAHAN, FORMER LAS VEGAS SWAT OFFICER: This is my first time being up here and looking at this, and to me, it's very eerie.
TODD: John Sheahan is a retired Las Vegas police sergeant, spent 13 years on the SWAT team. From this vantage point he says, he has a clearer picture of the shooter's tactics and planning including choosing a high room at end of the hallway.
SHEAHAN: He requested an east facing room. He requests an east facing room because if we pan over we look to the east of where his room is, let's look. The tower is over there. There is the room that he shot from. And now we pan east. And we look. And there is no way to get a countersniper, a SWAT sniper up at level position to be able to effectively take this man out.
TODD: Firing from a room like the one we're in. If you knock out this window and fire toward him. That doesn't work.
SHEAHAN: We still wouldn't be able to see him more than likely because we're not seeing deep enough into the room. And only when he fires, will we be able to see him.
TODD: He insist the choice of room put the SWAT team at a disadvantage, one multiplied by the fact that he blocked stairway door and wired the hallway with cameras so he could see a security guard and later police approaching.
LOMBARDO: Because of his countermeasures placed in the peephole, in the hallway, he observed a security guard. And he was in fear that he was about to be breached. So, he was doing everything possible to figure out how he could escape at that point.
TODD: Sheahan believes if Paddock escaped it wouldn't have been for very long.
SHEAHAN: There's one of three ways it's going to end for an active shooter. And they pretty much all know this. Either you are going to commit suicide, you are going to die in hail of gunfire with the police, you're going to shoot it out with them and you're going to be killed. Or you are going to continue on a preplanned rampage at locations b, c, d, and e until the police finally stop you.
[03:05:05] TODD: So you don't believe escape meant escape for good. Just to...
(CROSSTALK)
SHEAHAN: Brian, how could it -- how could it be because he rented the room in his own name, he is already on video coming in and out. We know who he is. He's going to be the most wanted man in the world if he does try to leave here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: Sheahan believes the material found in Paddock's car indicate that if he did make it out of that hallway he may have intended to continue his rampage at other locations. Police say they found 50 pounds of explosives and 1600 rounds of ammunition in the shooter's vehicle.
Brian Todd, CNN, Las Vegas.
HOWELL: Brian, thank you for the report. So, the term bump stock, that is a term that is being talked about a great deal right now. Before the shooting, in Sunday in Las Vegas no one is really talking about this term. Now it is front and center. ALLEN: It is an add on device that uses a rifle's national recoil to
fire more rapidly almost as fast as a fully automatic weapon. This video demonstrates one in action.
Many of the guns found in the shooter's hotel room had been modified with this feature. Even the National Rifle Association seem to have been caught off guard by the devices.
HOWELL: The gun lobbying group had this to stay in a statement. It caught many people by surprise. "The NRA believes that devices designed to allow semiautomatic rifles to function like fully automatic rifles would be subject to additional regulations."
While the U.S. lawmakers and federal regulators consider what to do about these bump stocks U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated a willingness to do something.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We'll be looking into that over the next short period of time. We'll be looking in, we'll be looking into that over the next short period of time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: House Speaker Paul Ryan says he is an avid hunter familiar with firearms but he has never heard of bump stocks until now. He says he is not even sure where they came from.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL RYAN, UNITED STATES SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Fully automatic weapons have been outlawed for many, many years. This seems to be a way of going around that. So obviously we need to look at how we can tighten up the compliance with this law. So that they are, so that fully automatic weapons are banned.
We need to go back and figure out how this happened in the first place. So I think there is a big regulatory question and then we just have to do more research to find out what's the best way to make sure that the spirit of law is upheld.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: So many lives changed the night of the Las Vegas shooting. One of them was Freddie Parrish's. Freddie shielded his wife when the gunfire began taking three shots himself while keeping her unharmed.
HOWELL: Wow. Earlier, he spoke to our colleague, Erin Burnett about what he experienced. And we do want to warn you going into this that some of the images you'll see in this interview are graphic images.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: When the shots started at initial barrage you pretty much immediately went down to protect your wife? FREDDIE PARRISH, SHOT THREE TIMES WHILE SHIELDING WIFE: Yes, I wanted
to get down for cover. And I wanted to get at an angle where -- because I knew that -- I knew that the sound of the shots was coming from Mandalay Bay. So I wanted to get down for cover so where I could -- she was behind me.
And we laid down and then as I -- as I was laying there I moved forward so she would be more, her head would be more behind me. And just as I move forward that's when I took the round into the shoulder.
I had two other grazing that I think ricochets that hit the shoulder, this shoulder and across my neck. And I didn't even feel those. But my wife, I said I'm hit. And when I said that she looked up at me and she saw more fire coming off the AstroTurf that was next to us. And so that's when she said, we've got to go now.
BURNETT: You could have saved her life?
PARRISH: That's what she said.
BURNETT: How does it feel here? When looking up at that window. And seeing that, that makes anybody stick to their stomachs. It's hard to look. But for you when you look up and see that you were right there. You were right there.
PARRISH: Yes, we were -- we were standing, probably wasn't the best spot to be standing. Of course we didn't know any better. We were. In the first few round that he was firing off right where we're at.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: The stories of heroism and always these heinous acts gives you hope. You know, for the future. People's do the right things for people they like.
HOWELL: It's incredible.
ALLEN: People they love for even strangers. And later this hour we'll hear from another hero from the shooting. We spoke with a firefighter who saved his wife's life during the shooting.
HOWELL: We go now to the investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. Election and that infamous dossier that came to light just few months ago as you'll remember.
[03:10:05] It included allegations that Russia tried to help the Trump campaign.
ALLEN: We have new exclusive details on that the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller.
Here's CNN's Evan Perez.
EVAN PEREZ, JUSTICE CNN CORRESPONDENT: Investigators working with special counsel Robert Mueller met this past summer with Christopher Steele. Steele, as you remember is the former MI-6 officer who put together a series of memos detailing allege Russian efforts to help Donald Trump's presidential campaign.
The special counsel is now working to determine whether any of the series of contacts between Trump campaign associates and suspected Russian operatives broke U.S. law.
Now we don't know what information Steele may provide to Mueller's team, but we do know that Steele has previously provided the FBI with some information to try to verify some of the sources that he used to put together the dossier.
We're also learning that late last year top officials at the FBI, and the CIA, and the Director of National Intelligence actually discussed including parts of the Steele dossier in the official intelligence document on Russian meddling.
Sources tell us that the intelligence community didn't want to include it because they didn't want to explain what parts of the dossier that they had been able to corroborate. And they also were concerned about revealing sources and methods that they had used to do so.
So, while the President Trump calls the dossier a hoax, it appears that his intelligence agencies have a vastly different view.
Evan Perez, CNN, Washington.
HOWELL: Evan, thank you for the reporting.
Let's go live to Moscow and speak with CNN contributor and former Moscow bureau chief, Jill Dougherty, live for us in the Russian capital this hour. Jill, thanks for your time today.
So, the author of this dossier Christopher Steele, depending upon the political divide here in the U.S. as of late. There are differing takes on the credibility of this information provided. But in Russia, how is Steele and how is this information viewed there?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CONTRIBUTOR, CNN: Well, George, certainly officially Russia has dismissed the dossier and denigrated still. I mean, you have the foreign minister, Mr. Lavrov calling him a fugitive Charlottetown from MI-6, the security service of the U.K.
President Putin at the same time, this is going back in January. President Putin saying that that dossier is obviously fake. And that it was part of this, as he put it an ongoing acute political crisis, or I should say, struggle in the United States to undermine President Trump.
You also have the president saying that the idea that Russian security services would follow or chase after as he put it, millionaires coming to Moscow was ridiculous. And those positions really haven't changed.
We haven't heard anything new. And I would presume that they would say, the president and the foreign minister, the same thing right now. Another notable point is that some of the Russians who are named in that dossier have actually brought suit. They are suing for libel, for defamation. Saying that their reputations were damaged by that dossier. So, across the board, George, denial and dismissal really of this dossier.
HOWELL: OK. So again, here in the United States President Trump dismisses anything that he doesn't like as a hoax. Dismisses the media as a hoax. Dismisses the dossier as a hoax.
However, many in the intelligence community they say that it is at least intriguing. Worth taking a closer look at it. So, if indeed, the special counsel is able to corroborate any parts of the information provided there, what would that do with hopes of rebuilding relations with the U.S. for Russia, if again, some of this information turns out to be true?
DOUGHERTY: You know, I would have to say that right now there is a pile of the allegations against Russia. Invest -- you know, interfering in the election, on a variety of ways, this dossier, et cetera.
So, I would just kind of file it in that pile as one more thing that the Russians would have to do with? I mean, there's no question. You know, they're watching it and setting it. But I don't think that each individual point or object in that pile is when you totally, you know, destroy the relationship.
Right now, the relationship between Russia and the United States really is in the basement, and it's based on a lot of different factors and on both sides positions have hardened. It's very difficult to get any type of gray, you know, not black and white but something in the middle of a gray view on what is going on.
And in the meantime, and we watch this all the time, George, there are things that the United States and Russia really do have to work on but that is becoming increasingly difficult because of the hardening positions on both sides.
[03:15:04] HOWELL: Jill Dougherty, live for us in Moscow. Jill, thank you for the report.
ALLEN: Next on CNN Newsroom, President Trump is not a fan of the Iran nuclear deal. Now we know what he plans to do about it. We'll explain coming up here.
HOWELL: Plus, the deepening crisis over Catalonia's independence vote. Spain's highest court makes a controversial new move. Find out how Catalonia is responding as Newsroom continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOWELL: Welcome back to Newsroom. In Australia, a hearing is been set for March of next year regarding a top Vatican official charge with historic sexual offenses. Cardinal George Pell appeared out of Melbourne court earlier after being charged by Victoria police in June.
The 76-year-old Vatican treasurer has pleaded not guilty and repeatedly denies those allegations.
ALLEN: Dozens of witnesses are expected to give evidence at his March hearing which will determine if he should stand trial at a higher court. The cardinal has been given a leave of absence from the Holy See as he fights the charges.
HOWELL: And following the situation in Catalonia there has been another escalation in the crisis over its independence vote. The highest court in Spain has suspended a parliamentary meeting that is planned for Monday, that's when the Catalan president was expected to formally declare his region's independence from Spain.
ALLEN: Catalan leaders call the court's move a violation of free speech.
Our Erin McLaughlin live from Barcelona has more on all sides of this political crises, one that no one really knows how it will be resolved at this point. Erin.
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly, right, Natalie. And to use a sport's analogy at this point, the ball is firmly in the Catalan government's courts and turns tis next step in response to that high court decision of yesterday ruling that the special session of the Catalan parliament which had been expected for Monday should be suspended at that session.
And we'd expected the referendum result to be presented. We expected some sort of debate with M.P.'s asking the Catalan government a question. After that session we then been expected a formal declaration of independence that high court ruling now throwing that entire sequence into question.
We understand that Catalan have been discussing what to do next, waiting to hear more there. In the meantime, today, at the high court in Madrid, the head of the Mossos, Josep Trapero is appearing -- he'd been investigated on allegations of sedition for his role in the buildup to the referendum.
So really what we're seeing right now is the high court trying to enforce the rule of law in Spain.
[03:20:00] But remember, the Catalan government ignore the high court ruling that the referendum was illegal. They are going to have with that anyway.
ALLEN: And what is the mood there on the streets, Erin, many people in Spain fearful of this nationalism that has emerge but if you can look on any new site and see the Catalonian flag wrapped around so many people determined to have their independence.
MCLAUGHLIN: Well, I think the mood here is one of apprehension. No one really knows what's going to happen next. A lot of people on the street also calling for all sides to sit down, some of dialogue. That's also what the Catalan government has been calling for dialogue in the form of mediation with an independent third-party mediator, but so far the Spanish government resistant to that. Saying that there will be no third part mediator calling on the Catalan government to start asking within the rule of law.
And we just heard yesterday the Spanish prime minister say that all options are on the table, basically saying that he will do what is necessary in the interest of Spain at a time that he feels is necessary.
ALLEN: Our Erin McLaughlin following it for us. Thank you, Erin, live from Barcelona.
HOWELL: The Iran nuclear deal the U.S. president is about to force Congress now to decide its fate. President Trump has been highly critical of that agreement. Again, it was forged under the previous Obama administration.
ALLEN: But rather than scrap it outright U.S. officials say Mr. Trump plans to decertify the deal sometime next week. If he does, Congress has 60 days to make a decision which could include re-imposing sanctions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We must not allow Iran to obtain -- to obtain nuclear weapons. The Iranian regime supports terrorism and exports violence, bloodshed, and chaos across the Middle East that is why we must put an end to Iran's continued aggression and nuclear ambitions. They have not lived up to the spirit of their agreement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: The Iranian nuclear deal was brokered in 2015 under President Obama. Under the deal Iran got some relief from sanctions in exchange for curbing its nuclear program.
HOWELL: The country agreed to a number of steps limiting its nuclear activities and that includes transferring the bulk of its enriched uranium stockpile to Russia, reducing the number of centrifuges. The machines used to enrich uranium and replacing the reactor core at its Arak nuclear site, essentially rendering it harmless.
The IAEA inspectors would then frequently verify that Iran was fulfilling all of its obligations.
ALLEN: Tensions with Iran coming with a growing rift that the White House U.S. Secretary of State Rex allegedly called the president a moron. And officials have scrambled to refute the claim.
HOWELL: Here is our senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta with more.
JIM ACOSTA, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CNN CORRESPONDENT: The White House isn't looking for more clarification from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson one day after he stopped short of denying reports that he had call the president a moron.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SARAH HUCKABEE-SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Frankly I think it's beneath the secretary of state to weigh in on every rumor out there. His spokesperson, however, did come out and clarified that the secretary of state had never use those words.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Despite Tillerson's attempt to turn down the temperature.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REX TILLERSON, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: I'm not going to deal with petty stuff like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: President Trump is still venting his frustrations, tweeting, "Rex Tillerson never threatened to resign. This is fake news. No verification from me." Then the president went a step further essentially calling on Congress to watch investigations into the news media, a move that could threaten the First Amendment rights of journalists.
Mr. Trump, tweeted, "Why isn't the Senate intelligence committee looking into the fake news networks in our country to see why so much of our news is just made up. Fake."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: Does he value the First Amendment as much as he values the Second Amendment?
SANDERS: Absolutely. The president is an incredible advocate of the First Amendment. But with the First Amendment you have...
(CROSSTALK)
ACOSTA: You are going...
SANDERS: Hold on, I allowed you to finish. With the First Amendment with those freedoms also come responsibilities and you have a responsibility to tell the truth to be accurate.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: When pressed whether Congress should investigate news outlets Sanders responded.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDERS: I don't know that that's the case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: The chairman of the Senate intelligence committee does not sound interested. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, not investigating news organization.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Still the state of Secretary Tillerson has top lawmakers worried.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB CORKER, (R) UNITED STATES SENATOR: I think Secretary Tillerson, Secretary Mattis, and Chief of Staff Kelly are those people that help separate our country from chaos and I support them very much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: While the president was in Las Vegas he seemed to be putting this latest cabinet controversy behind him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I'm very honored by his comment. It was fake news that was a totally phony story. Thank you very much. It was made up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[03:25:03] ACOSTA: But the White House is still answering questions about perceptions Mr. Trump has repeatedly undermine Tillerson on the world stage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDERS: I think it's the premise of that question is absolutely ridiculous. The president can't undercut his own cabinet. The president is the leader of the cabinet. He sets the tone. He sets the agenda,
and I think that question makes no sense because of that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: That answer though, doesn't quite make any sense though. That was our Jim Acosta reporting.
The White House press secretary Sarah Sander Huckabee speaking there to Jim Acosta.
ALLEN: Well, here are Hollywood powerhouse behind some of the world's most famous films. Now Harvey Weinstein is apologizing for years of sexually harassing women. It comes as the New York Times detailed numerous accusations going back three decades and identified some of his accusers.
HOWELL: One of those actresses Ashley Judd who said quote, "women have been talking about Harvey amongst ourselves for a long time and it simply beyond time to have the conversation publicly." ALLEN: Weinstein released this statement. Saying in part, "I came of age in the 60s and 70s when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different. That was the culture then I have since learned it's not an excuse in the office or out of it to anyone. I realize some time ago that I needed to be a better person, in my interactions with the people I work with have changed."
He continues, "I appreciate the way I behaved for the colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it," end quote.
Famed attorney Lisa Bloom has been working with Weinstein for about one year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LISA BLOOM, FOUNDER, BLOOM FIRM: I have very frank and honest conversations with him about Harvey, your behavior needs to improve, and he acknowledges that. What our beef has been in the last couple of days has been with the New York Times who gave us two days to respond to an article they've been reporting on for months and months.
We had witnesses, we had information to discredit some of what they said, but that's not really the point because as Harvey has acknowledge he has demons that he needs to slay.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Another one of Weinstein's lawyer says that he intends to sue the New York Times saying that its story is filled with false and defamatory statements. The Times says though, it stands by its reporting.
ALLEN: Well, coming up here, it's anyone nightmare having with you between saving your own life and your loved one. How one family escape the Las Vegas massacre and miraculously reunited.
HOWELL: And if airstrikes, starvation, and two years of war were not enough suffering, Yemen is now dealing with the worst cholera outbreak in the world. How relief agencies are struggling to help the many people there.
[03:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GEORGE HOWELL, HOST, CNN: Welcome back to viewers around the world. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm George Howell.
NATALIE ALLEN, HOST, CNN: I'm Natalie Allen. Let's update you on our top stories right now.
The future of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal could be in jeopardy. U.S. official say President Trump plans to decertify the agreement next week. Decertification will force Congress to decide what happens next, including possible new sanctions. HOWELL: In Spain, the nation's high court has suspended Monday's
meeting of Catalonia's parliament. It is an apparent attempt to prevent the Catalan president from having a forum to formally declare his region's independence from Spain. Catalan leaders call the court's move a violation of free speech while Spain considers Catalonia's independence vote illegal.
ALLEN: Police say the Las Vegas gunman was planning to escape after opening fire on a country music festival. The sheriff decline to give details but made it clear Stephen Paddock had a plan to make it out alive. It's not clear if he intended to continue his rampage.
HOWELL: That deadly shooting it just tore so many families apart there in Las Vegas, Nevada. And the Fowlers thought it might happen to them too.
ALLEN: CNN's Anderson Cooper has this family's incredible story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, CNN: So how are you feeling?
KURT FOWLER, WOUNDED IN LAS VEGAS CHOOTING: I'm actually doing pretty well under the circumstances. I would have to say that I'm doing really well mostly because I've been raised up by all of the outpouring of -- of my firefighter family.
COOPER: Kurt Fowler is lucky to be alive. He's a firefighter from Lake Havasu, Nevada. He was at the concert on Sunday night with wife Trina and his brother-in-law Travis and other family members and friends.
When the firing started Kurt jumped on Trina, shielding her with his body. That's when he got hit.
FOWLER: I got shot. I told my wife I've been hit and we have to go. You have to go. And you have to run, run. And you have to all the way out of here and then I'll do, do what I have to do. So, it's really hard for her to leave me. But you know, when you have three kids and somebody has how to make sure that they'll get out all the way out. So, I'm sure it was hard for her to leave me and anybody else behind. But...
COOPER: It's impossible choice to have to make.
FOWLER: Yes.
TINA FOWLER, KURT FOWLER'S WIFE: I knew. Yes, I knew that if he was not going to make it because I didn't know, that my kids needed a parent.
COOPER: That's what went through your mind.
T. FOWLER: That's exactly went through, I was like, my only focus was my kids that was all I can think about. I mean, when I got to that truck I just I felt, I made it. I made it my kids are going to have me in. I was thinking about him. I didn't have a phone. And I was separated, what seemed like eternity.
COOPER: Kurt's whole family got separated during the chaos. And Kurt found himself alone with a serious gunshot wound to his leg.
K. FOWLER: After we got Trina moving and got in her way. I -- again bodies everywhere. I made my way over bodies. And when I stood up my foot was gone. It was, I mean, the tibia and fibula were completely shattered. I had to hop and crawl over endless amounts of people that were either frightened to move or had already passed on. And I had to go over them because at that point II have to go to save my life.
COOPER: You're losing blood.
K. FOWLER: I have to go and save my life. So I made it under the sound stage. And immediately got somebody a good Samaritan to take off their shirt and I explain to him we had to make a tourniquet. Tourniquet my leg and stop the bleeding.
COOPER: You had the presence of mind to give instructions.
K. FOWLER: Absolutely. You know, that's just training kicks in and you know, I tried to explain to everybody under there that they need how to be quiet and calm down, you know so we could hear what was going on.
COOPER: Trina's brother, Travis was helping the wounded elsewhere. There were no ambulances to be found. So he was loading the injured on to pickup trucks to go to the hospital. He had no idea his brother-in- law Kurt had been shot.
How did you find him?
TRAVIS HOLDEN, TRINA FOWLER'S BROTHER: I look up and I see Kurt in the back of the truck.
COOPER: No kidding.
HOLDEN: Yes.
COOPER: You had no idea that's t truck.
HOLDEN: No. I just. He looked calm. I didn't know he was shot. I thought he is a firefighter. This is a make shift ambulance like he is taking everybody to the hospital and he's going to help and I just kind of run over and gave him a hug real quick. I said I got to go. And he said you're doing good. I ran back out and we loaded someone else up on to a white truck right behind the truck he was on.
COOPER: Did you think about the danger?
[03:35:01] HOLDEN: When that stuff happens you don't. I told everybody get your family and everyone close to you to safety. And then you start thinking about everybody else. I mean, you see everybody on the ground that's been shot. And your senses just kick in that you got to get them to safety. I mean, it's not even, you don't think about it. It's just what you do. You know? We saved as many as we could. You know, it's tough. But I'm telling
you, I mean, the amount of goodness that you saw on people. I mean, that's America. You know. Like that's true Americans going in and doing whatever you could.
COOPER: Kurt's hospital room is filled with family and friends. Matt Parrish (Ph), a former firefighter brought a guitar to ply music for them all.
The road ahead is long but Kurt and Trina's three kids are close by their side. They have each other. Survivors of a tragedy that almost tore them apart.
Anderson Cooper, CNN, Las Vegas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN: Every interview we do with families, they're just gripping each other. They're just holding each other so tight you can understand. Anderson has been covering the massacre since the very beginning. And on Friday, he'll host a special honoring all the victims of the massacre. Las Vegas lost, airs commercial free, Saturday at 9 a.m. in Hong Kong, 5 a.m. in Abu Dhabi.
HOWELL: The United Nation says that Saudi Arabia has committed grave violations against children in its war with Yemen. The U.N. placed Saudi Arabia on a blacklist in its annual children in war report, citing the hundreds of children killed since the conflict began in 2015.
ALLEN: For two years the Saudis led coalition air strikes against Houti rebels who overthrew the U.S.-backed government and took over Yemen's capital city. Just look at that video there, you can see what they're up again. Each side blames the other for war crimes in a conflict that has killed 10,000 civilians. But the U.N. report claims Saudi Arabia is responsible for specific acts of violence against children.
HOWELL: The report says coalition air strikes directly led to the killing and maiming of children with 683 casualties. And in 2016 alone, the Saudi-led coalition was responsible for 38 attacks on schools and hospitals.
ALLEN: The war in Yemen has given rise to a dangerous cholera outbreak. It is a digestive disease caused by contaminated food and water and its spreading rapidly among the starving operation.
HOWELL: The World Health Organization says that it is the worst cholera outbreak in the world. The Red Cross predicts the number of cases could reach one million by the end of next year.
Our Diana Magnay has this report for us.
DIANA MAGNAY, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: It started just after breakfast vomiting and diarrhea. Little Fatmah (Ph) has all the signs of cholera. Severe dehydration, the skin on her stomach crumpling like paper. A giant like so many who's grown up p with this war they can't understand why it leads to this, a needle in the hand and a drip overhead.
Yemen's few remaining hospitals echo with the moans of cholera patients. There are some 750,000 suspected cases across the country on both side of this two year conflict. It's the most severe outbreak in modern history, says the World Health Organization. And it's expected to get worse.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FUAD AHMED NASSIR MUTHANA ALAKEELY, DIARRHEA TREATMEN CENTER: (through translator): Most people are being forced to buy expired and contaminated food, even the drinking water in some areas is contaminated with sewage water, therefore, the immune system in most people is weak.
MAGNAY: Access for journalists into Yemen is extremely limited, the International Rescue Committee is one of several aid organizations working in country and provided CNN with this footage.
War forced 8-year-old Wajidah (Ph) and her family from their home in the besieged city of Taez three months ago.
Her mother says, cholera has swept through the camp where they are now which is why her daughter is sick.
"I came to treat my daughter, when the missiles came and the fighting, we fled. We're living in a kind of no-man's land now."
Alongside the two million other internally displaced many of whom live with little access to clean water. Jerry cans are scattered like confetti, awaiting this precious delivery, water from the aid organizations, a life line to communities like this.
Assist education on how to wash your hands properly. But cholera must be treated fast, and mobile units like these can't make it to all the corners of this country.
[03:40:03] LARA AHMED MANEER, COMMUNITY HEALTH VOLUNTEER: "The number of illnesses has risen and people and can't afford to buy any medication and go to hospitals, They simply don't have money but hopefully we'll be able to help and save lives."
There is not enough food either. Cholera, on top of a appalling malnutrition, a double affliction on already war-ravaged people.
Diana Magnay, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN: It's horrific. Coming up here, tropical storm Nate turns deadly in Central America. Now we'll tell you where it's headed.
HOWELL: Plus, the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico many there want to forget that the U.S. president ever visited that island after hurricane Maria. Why tradition though, says that well, they may not be able to forget that he was there. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ALLEN: Tropical storm Nate is pummeling Central America with torrential rain and wind of 64 kilometers per hour posing risks of flash floods and mudslide. Yes, another storm.
HOWELL: At least 20 people were killed in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Honduras. Nate is expected to strengthen into a hurricane before taking aim at the U.S. gulf coast over the weekend. Louisiana is already under hurricane watch.
ALLEN: Let's get the latest o the storm from Derek Van Dam. Everyone has got storm fatigue but can't help it. They're still coming.
DEREK VAN DAM, METEOROLOGIST, CNN: Yes, and here we go again, Natalie. Good morning to you. Good morning, George. Good morning to everybody watching.
The latest from the National Hurricane Center showing signs that tropical storm Nate is strengthening and it's starting to gather a little more organization as well. The center of circulation has just exited the coastline of Honduras. So that means it's over the warm open waters of the Caribbean Sea.
And we're starting to see some rotation within the cloud and thunderstorm nature. So that is showing signs meteorologist that it's getting better organized and again strengthening.
Forty-five mile per hour over 75 kilometer per hour sustained winds. According to the National Hurricane Center it is still a tropical storm producing very heavy rain across Central America.
You talked about the fatalities a moment ago I don't need to reiterate what's already happened but rainfall continues to be extremely heavy for Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. And then across the northeastern sections of the Yucatan peninsula where another landfall is possible they could pick up easily, Another 100 to 150 millimeters of rain by the time storm comes to an end by early Saturday morning.
Where is it going from here? Well, basically it's got nowhere else to go but north. And that has put the Gulf Coast in direct path from this particular system. In fact, all of our computer models starting to come together. We look at spaghetti plots. We also look at them ad nausea. Because they tell us all the various computer models and what they're showing all the different parameters that they have.
[03:45:02] And what's interesting to note about this is that they're all coming together. They're all clustering into one area. And that gives a good high percentage of probability of where the storm is going to go.
And it does appear as if at least Louisiana to Mississippi, to the Alabama coast line has a potential for a direct falling category 1 hurricane by Saturday evening and into the day on Sunday. That's why the National Hurricane Center has just hoisted hurricane watches for the central Louisiana coast eastward through about the border of Mississippi and Alabama. With tropical storm force watches for the Florida Panhandle.
And this also includes a storm surge watch for Lake Pontchartrain, New Orleans, remember, we have some problems with our drainage still from previous flood events earlier this summer around August 5th.
And also one thing to consider here as well is that there is about 700 manned oil rigs across the Gulf of Mexico here. We already have reports of six of them being evacuated from their personnel. So let's time the system out.
The next 24 hours is going to get rough for the Yucatan Peninsula. So if you've ever been to Cozumel or Cancun it's a tropical holiday destination, they will feel the effects of tropical force winds and heavy rain. Then it re-emerges into the warm gulf waters and then it's got its ice shed on the Gulf Coast states.
Category one that's the official track from the National Hurricane Center, again, the time frame for this, Natalie and George, would be late Saturday evening and into the day on Sunday. All interested parties need to monitor the storm very closely.
ALLEN: We'll be here working.
(CROSSTALK)
HOWELL: No, you'll be watching for sure. And we'll of course keep our viewers up to speed on it. Derek, thank you.
VAN DAM: Thanks.
HOWELL: The U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is set to travel to the U.S. Virgin Island and Puerto Rico on Friday. He'll receive the latest briefings on the hurricane recovery efforts there. Mr. Pence also visited the U.S. state of Florida to help Puerto Rican residents who had displaced since hurricane Maria ravaged their homes more than two weeks ago.
ALLEN: While he was there, one woman begged Mr. Pence to visit more remote areas of the island.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't go to San Juan. Go inside the country. Like, where I live. I live in San Juanita (Ph) that's inside the country. You are not going to see nothing outside of the country. Right now inside the country is where you are going to see the disaster.
Where you can't that there are towns you can't go in.
MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don't know the people that has (Inaudible). They don't have (Inaudible) for sure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: Ninety one percent of Puerto Rican residents still don't have power. Reiterating what she just said to the vice president and his wife.
And Elon Musk wants to help fix that using his company's solar power unit. The Tesla CEO tweeted this. "The Tesla team has done this for many smaller island around the world. But there is no scalability limit so it can be done for Puerto Rico."
HOWELL: Puerto Rico's government might be taking him up on that offer. The governor responded to Musk saying this, quote, "Let's talk. Do you want to show the world the power and scalability of your Tesla technologies Puerto Rico could be that flagship project."
The Tesla power system would completely overhaul Puerto Rico's energy grid. Right now the island's import -- imports, I should say oil in order to generate electricity.
ALLEN: All right. So hopefully, Puerto Rico and Mr. Musk will talk.
(CROSSTALK)
HOWELL: It will be really an interesting project. For sure.
ALLEN: Let's do it. Gosh.
Well, U.S. President Donald Trump toured storm ravage Puerto Rico earlier this week and some locals found his visit less than inspiring.
HOWELL: Also, Puerto Ricans might want to forget his trip altogether. That might be easier said than done as our Nick Valencia explains to us.
NICK VALENCIA, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: This was President Trump during part of his visit it to Puerto Rico. Tossing out paper towels to a crowd desperate for resources.
Many on the island were not only offended by what he did but also what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now I hate to tell you, Puerto Rico, but you thrown our budget a little out of whack. Because we have spent a lot of money in Puerto Rico, and that's fine. We saved a lot of lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: It was a moment the people of Puerto Rico would soon say they rather forget. But if tradition continues it's likely they'll have a constant reminder. Here in front of Puerto Rico's capital building stands the walk way of presidents. Nine statues in all of every sitting president to visit the island since 1906.
This walk way has become a recent part of Puerto Rican tradition and this marker tells us why. It's for president's human side seems to beckon us to come closer together. But after his controversial trip here many wonder if that tradition should continue for President Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY FONSECA, PUERTO RICAN JOURNALIST: Shame on you, Mr. President.
VALENCIA: Jay Fonseca is a popular independent political commentator in Puerto Rico. If it was up to him, he says, Trump wouldn't get a statue of his own. He doesn't deserve it.
[03:50:03] FONSECA: We appreciate American people but what the president did to us of course we hate that, and we are going to - it was shameful and we will always going to point that out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: It was former democratic Puerto Rican Senator Kenneth McClintock's idea to commemorate presidential visits to the island. He said nothing should change for President Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KENNETH MCCLINTOCK, FORMER UNITED STATES SENATOR: You can find reasons not to do something. But in this case it would be discriminatory if you take the flaws of one president to not put up the statue when you have nothing into account the flaws of other presidents.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: To his credit, President Trump was the only sitting president to visit the island after a disaster but that's still not enough for those we spoke to like this local president who is just now seeing the video of the president tossing out paper tower to the people.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How someone that does this could deserve a place or statue in here. He doesn't even deserve to be here.
VALENCIA: Do you think the president deserve the statue here.
He says, no, absolutely not. The president is not very well received here and not very well respected."
(END VIDEOTAPE) VALENCIA: And so, even while the president ran the risk of appearing to not care about the feelings of those affected during his visit, it's because of his trip that the island will likely remember him forever.
Nick Valencia, CNN, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
HOWELL: Moving on to Brazil, police have arrested the head of that country's Olympic committee. Carlos Arthur Nuzman is accused of arranging more than $2 million in bribes to get the International Olympic Committee to pick Rio de Janeiro as the host city for the 2016 Olympics.
ALLEN: Nuzman's attorney calls the vote buying accusations unfounded. Prosecutors say he paid the money to the son of a former IOC member from Senegal. That man also denied the allegations.
HOWELL: The winner of the Nobel Peace prize will be announced in just about in hours' time. When we get that.
We'll introduce you to this years' winner of the Nobel Prize in literature.
ALLEN: Plus, the secretary of state may not have called President Trump just a moron. He may have called even further.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My source didn't just say he called him a moron. He said an "f-ing moron."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOWELL: The Nobel Prize in literature this year is being described as writer of great integrity who developed an aesthetic universe on his own.
ALLEN: It is British writer Kazuo Ishiguro who is best known for the novels "The Remains of the Day" and "Never Let Me Go." The 62-year-old says he didn't believe he was really the winner at first.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAZUO ISHIGURO, NOVELIST: I thought it was a hoax. In this time of time of fake news and everything I thought that, so I asked them to check up. Because I hadn't heard at all. I thought the normal procedure was that I would be told, you know, the winner is told first.
So I didn't believe it for a long time. Then next my publisher phoned. And -- finally when the BBC phoned. I thought it might be true.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ALLEN: With all CNN, dude. Ishiguro has written eight books along
short stories and scripts. He said he hopes some of his themes will be helpful during these uncertain times. Time to pick up one of his books for sure.
HOWELL: Absolutely. And the winner of this year's final Nobel will be announced in just over an hour's time.
[03:55:00] There are 318 candidates for the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize, it's the second highest number of nominations in the history of that prize.
ALLEN: Two hundred fifteen of them are individuals. And there are 103 organizations in the running. Be sure to join us for CNN special coverage of the announcement of who wins the Nobel Peace Prize.
Well, the word on everyone's lips this week, this is hard turn for the Nobel Peace Prize.
HOWELL: It is, yes.
ALLEN: All right. The word everyone's lips this week is moron as in U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson allegedly calling Donald Trump a moron.
HOWELL: The White House pushes back says the word moron was not used. But moron is certainly the word that it's out there right now. From Washington to New York politicians and comediennes they're all getting in on the moron action.
Jeanne Moss reports.
JEANNE MOOS, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: In public, the secretary of state said of President Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REX TILLERSON, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: He is smart.
MOOS: While everyone else gleefully quote him calling the president.
JAKE TAPPER, HOST, CNN: A moron.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Moron?
JAMES CORDEN, COMEDIAN: A moron. Yes. So I guess Tillerson isn't so much secretary of state as he is secretary of stating the obvious.
MOOS: As if being called.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A moron.
MOOS: It wasn't bad enough.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My source didn't just say that he called him a moron. He said an f-ing moron. MOOS: The best moron according to this internet meme there were
satirical headlines. "Rex Tillerson says he remains fully committed to moron's agenda and even late night, knock-knock jokes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Knock-knock. Who is there? Moron. Moron who? More on that later, Trump is a moron.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hold on there, Tillerson. Nobody calls our president a moron except me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: But it's not so easy using the word moron when you're face to face with Rex Tillerson's spokesperson prepare for some humming.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The idea that he called the president a moron.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Or how about if you're hosting a show that you know the president himself watches.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How about, there was a story out there that he called the president a moron.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: The classic "The Catcher and the Rye" made a comeback as commentators like Bill Kristol quoted it. "He was a damn stupid moron. He hated it when you called him a moron. All morons hate it when you call them a moron."
And this came back to haunt the president, back in 2014, before he was even a candidate Trump re-tweeted what he called an interesting cartoon. He chose the founding fathers saying, "I keep thinking we should include something in the Constitution in case the people elect the complete moron."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Spoken like a true moron.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
HOWELL: Thanks for watching. We'll be back after a short break.
[04:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
