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Explosive Accusations Of Sexual Harassments And Assault Aboard Commercial Airline Flights; Hoax Leads Police To Shooting And Killing An Innocent Man At His Own Front Door. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired December 20, 2017 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:30:00] BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: New details this week about explosive accusations of sexual harassments and assault aboard commercial airline flights. CNN tracked down several female passengers who say that airlines did little to stop alleged misconduct in the skies. CNN's Rene Marsh has more going.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION & GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A man arrested last week, accused of fondling two female passengers onboard a United Airlines flight from Newark to Buffalo, New York. Katie Campos was one of them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATIE CAMPOS, SEXUALLY HARASSED ON FLIGHT: He grabbed my upper thigh, like the crotch area. And he grabbed it pretty forcefully.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARSH (voice over): A police report says the man told the other woman he would like to kiss her. When she declined, he started stroking her leg. The man charged with disorderly conduct.
United Airlines told CNN, "We have zero tolerance for this type of behavior and our pilot requested that local law enforcement meet the aircraft on arrival."
Not enough for Campos, who tweeted, "Do better United Airlines." She says the flight attendant did not offer her to switch seats. She had to demand it.
She was then placed directly behind the harasser, the airlines says, because there were few empty seats. The touching continued.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAMPOS: At the end of the day, they didn't protect my safety or those around me, and I don't think that's a good excuse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARSH (voice over): Like Campos, these three women told CNN they were sexually harassed or assaulted on commercial flights and all of them complained the flight crew did little or nothing to help.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AYANNA HART, SEXUALLY HARASSED ON FLIGHT: He grabbed my arm and my side right under my left breast, right next to my left breast.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARSH: Ayanna Hart was on a Delta flight from Los Angeles to Denver in May. She says the flight attendant was of no help.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HART: The flight attendant said, "Oh, don't worry about him. He flies with us all the time. He is Delta Platinum."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARSH (voice over): Hart has a pending lawsuit against Delta for failing to intervene and continuing to serve him alcohol.
The airline would not comment on this case citing pending litigation but said it takes these incidents seriously and with law enforcement, investigates them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALLISON DVALADZE, SEXUALLY HARASSED ON FLIGHT: I was dozing off when I felt a hand in my crotch. And realized that the man next to me was grabbing my crotch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARSH (voice over): Allison Dvaladze filed a complaint with Delta after her flight from Seattle to Amsterdam.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DVALADZE: There was not a clear procedure for what they should do. They asked me what I wanted them to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARSH (voice over): A month later, she received an e-mail saying it's not fair when one person's behavior effects another. And as a goodwill gesture, offered her 10,000 miles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DVALADZE: If somebody reports a crime to an airline, then it should be flagged and should not treated as if it's lost luggage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARSH (voice over): The airline told CNN, "We continue to be disheartened by the events Miss Dvaladze has described." (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER RAFIEYAN, SEXUALLY HARASSED ON FLIGHT: He started to touch my leg, stroke my leg, tickle it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARSH (voice over): Jennifer Rafieyan was from a flight from Newark to Phoenix. She, too, said the flight crew did not move her away from her harasser. Instead, the airline made her an offer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAFIEYAN: He gave me four $100.00 gift certificates on travel on an upcoming United flight. And he refused to let me talk to a manager.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARSH (voice over): But shortly after a news article about her ordeal was published, United management called to, in their words, "check on her."
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This message is for Miss Jennifer Rafieyan. This is [bleep] calling from United Airlines Executive Offices. I can't even imagine, you know, what you went through when you were on the flight with the gentleman seated next to you.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
SARA NELSON, PRESIDENT, ASSOCIATION OF FLIGHT ATTENDANTS: At thousands of feet in the air, you can't call for help. You can't remove the problem.
MARSH (voice over): Sara Nelson is president of one of the largest flight attendant unions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NELSON: In my 22 years as a flight attendant, I have never taken part in conversation or training or otherwise about how though handle sexual harassment or sexual assault.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARSH (voice over): The union surveyed nearly 2,000 flight attendants. One out of five said they received a report of a passenger's sexual assault, but law enforcement was contacted less than half the time.
CNN reached out to all of the major U.S. airlines and the industry trade group that represents them, none agreed to go on camera, but all released statements with a similar message, passenger safety and security is their priority. And they say flight attendants are trained to handle these incidents. But none gave a detailed explanation of the policies or guidelines.
[13:35:11] MARSH (voice over): No federal regulatory agency tracks how many midair sexual assaults happen nationwide. But the F.B.I. does track how many it investigates.
Federal data shows a 66 percent increase from 2014 to 2017. The F.B.I. says it's unclear what's behind the rise. But what is clear, for these women, flight crews need to do more, because at 30,000 feet, there is no escape.
MARSH (on camera): Well, I want to thank you all four women for sharing their stories with CNN. The four women in this piece say they want three things. One, flight crews should always separate the victim from the harasser. Two, do not allow drunk people on flights. Alcohol played a role in a lot of these cases. And, three, call law enforcement to report these cases upon landing every time.
They also advise, try to avoid the middle or window seat if possible. Sitting in the aisle allows for an easier get away if necessary. We do want to point out several lawmakers have been pushing for legislation that would beef up flight crew training and mandate better tracking of these incidents. Rene Marsh, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: An eye opening report. Truly terrific work by Rene Marsh. Joining us now to dig deeper, CNN aviation analyst and former Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Transportation, Mary Schiavo and CNN aviation analyst, Justin Green, who is also an aviation attorney.
Mary, to you first. What is the airlines level of responsibility here? Are they supposed to be patrolling this kind of behavior?
MARY SCHIAVO, CNN AVIATION ANALYST (via Skype): They are. They have a Federal aviation regulation, it's 121.421. It says they are supposed to be trained and able to handle any kind of passenger misbehavior, and then of course, they have a Federal criminal law on their side 49 United States Code 46504, which says you cannot interfere with a flight crew.
So they have these two sets of laws that should help to govern the situation. But the problem is, is the training and that it's technically the F.B.I. that handles crimes in the air. And the F.B.I. isn't hanging around the airports. They have other things to do. It's not a T.S.A. jurisdiction. So there's the problem, you have a gap.
SANCHEZ: Justin, how would one go about prosecuting this kind of case? Where do you even file charges?
JUSTIN GREEN, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Well, the first thing you have to do is report it, and reporting to the airline may not be enough. The airline is not a law enforcement agency. The airline should and I think now will mainly because of the attention that these incidents are going to have on the industry, the airline will report it. But I think if you are assaulted or if you see something someone being
assaulted, I think you have to report it and it becomes a criminal matter. The F.B.I. should be prosecuting it. And you know misbehaving on a Federal flight is a violation of Federal law.
Going against the airline may be very difficult because the airline is not necessarily liable to a passenger if that passenger is assaulted from another passenger. But as we saw in some of the reporting that Rene provided us, where airlines allow people to get on flights drunk, if airlines don't handle the situation properly, the airline then may be liable to the family.
SANCHEZ: And Mary, when it comes to an incident like this being reported to a team member on the airline, what do you think the procedure should be for their response? If there were a step-by-step plan that they would have to then take, what would that look like?
SCHIAVO: Well, the plan has to be twofold. One is the passenger really does need to act because flight attendants, pilots, et cetera, they have other things to do. And frankly, often they don't want to get involved. Because when this happens, and I've worked several of these cases, what happens is the airline also has to send people to testify.
The F.B.I. presents its findings to the U.S. Attorney's Office and they have to present it to a grand jury and go through the indictment process. And so it's a burden on the airline.
So sometimes the airline doesn't want to act. So the passenger has to act. The passenger should ask that the authorities be called. It will be local authorities because this is not T.S.A. jurisdiction. And the F.B.I. isn't at the airport and they should ask that a case be made.
And the most important thing as both Rene and Justin said is getting that evidence. Whip out your cell phone. Start recording. Start taking pictures of people because what happens is you have to get discovery from the airlines to find out the names of passengers who might have witnessed things after the fact. And a lot of times they don't want to cooperate because after all, the airline has a history and people aren't going to like me saying this, but in years gone by, it was coffee, tea or me and the airlines helped promote image of selling sex.
Now U.S. carriers don't do this anymore, but foreign carriers still do, so the airlines have to get on board here and help stop this.
[13:40:15] SANCHEZ: All right, we have to leave the conversation there. Mary Schiavo, Justin Green. Thank you both so much.
GREEN: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: We have much more ahead in the NEWSROOM. But first, here's this week's edition of living in the future.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RACHEL CRANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Our homes of the future
may not look different. But how they're built may be completely new.
Building materials are getting a makeover and companies are rethinking how homes are designed.
CRANE (on camera): So right now we are essentially in the penthouse. Why isn't this a fancy apartment?
CRANE (voice over); For Biomason, innovation means redesigning one of constructions most popular materials.
CRANE (on camera): You're actually trying to then grow the cement, right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right.
CRANE: How do you actually do that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We take bacteria and we put it in our aggregate and grows around each grain of aggregate as cement components.
It literally is just using the same organisms that are already doing things similar in our own environment.
CRANE: In nature.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exactly.
CRANE (voice over): Building the homes of the future may mean planning for catastrophes. Hurricane Sandy devastated New York in 2012. A few weeks later, JDS Development started planning their newest high rise.
SIMON KOSTER, PRINCIPAL, JDS DEVELOPMENT GROUP: When we started designing this building right after Hurricane Sandy. We were working with a group of 50 or 60 people that had all just lived through the problem. As we went around the room and we said what happened to you?
CRANE (voice over): They designed flood proofing measures below the building and installed a fleet of generators where the penthouse would be.
CRANE (on camera): Most buildings, at least in Manhattan don't do this.
KOSTER: No, nobody does this. The notion that you can't leave or that you shouldn't leave or that it's safer in your building than outside is a relatively new concept.
CRANE (voice over); Natural gas power generators means that residents will have power, even if the rest of Manhattan is in the dark.
In the future, smart tech won't be limited to inside your home, how we're building is changing, even if you can't see it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:44:39] SANCHEZ: A hoax leads police to shooting and killing an innocent man at his own front door in an apparent swatting incident. Swatting is when someone makes a prank phone call about a bogus crime to get SWAT teams to show up at your house and surprise you.
CNN affiliate KABC reports that a man in Los Angeles is under arrest for making a false call to police in Kansas allegedly telling dispatchers that he had shot his father and was holding his mother and sibling hostage. That sent police to an unrelated address and the whole ordeal ended with an innocent man dead.
Polo Sandoval has been following this story. Polo, help us understand what happened.
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris, there are so many people now struggling with the reality of what happened here. You have the family of this 28-year-old man, this innocent man and at the same time you also have the responding officers who were forced to open fire, shooting and killing a 28-year-old Andrew Finch.
Let me tell you a little bit about how this started. According to authorities and CNN affiliate, KABC, man in California phoned in some of this false information that he had apparent -- that he was in Kansas, that he had shot and killed his father and apparently turning the gun on not only his mother, but his sister as well and then he would potentially shoot them.
Authorities responding to that -- before we go on. I want you to hear directly from that caller that is several accounts now under arrest exactly how that call or at least what that call sounded like to dispatchers.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
CALLER: I'm just pointing the gun at them making sure they stay in the closet. My mom and my little brother.
DISPATCHER: Okay, is there any way you can put the gun up?
CALLER: No. Are you just sending someone over here? Because I'm definitely not going to put it away.
DISPATCHER: Okay, I'm just going to go ahead and stay on the phone with you, okay.
CALLER: That's fine. Until they get here or --
DISPATCHER: As long as you need me to, okay?
CALLER: Yes, I'm thinking about -- because I already poured gasoline all over the house. I might just set it on fire.
DISPATCHER: Okay, well, we don't need to do that, okay? CALLER: In a little bit, I might.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: So here's what happened next. Taking this information, officers with Wichita, Kansas responded to that address that wasn't even the intended address of this prank.
They encountered 28-year-old Andrew Finch, who by several accounts moved his hands towards his waistband that then prompted officers to open fire, shooting and killing this father of two.
They later found out that not only was Mr. Finch not involved with this at all, he was also unarmed. So there's clearly an investigation there that is right now running its course.
In the meantime, though, the Deputy Police Chief there is describing this is tragic, Boris, also describing this as senseless, and also the results of just irresponsible actions that were taken by this prankster.
This so-called swatting, many of us may have just heard about this, but this is something that's been around for authorities for a very long time.
The F.B.I. has been warning about this for at least 10 years now. Many people were not only injured, but in this case, they're losing their lives.
SANCHEZ: Polo Sandoval, thank you so much for that. Stay with CNN. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:51:48] SANCHEZ: As people around the world prepare to ring in the New Year tomorrow night, we take a look back at some of the big stories of 2017. Many of them involving our favorite shows and celebrities.
CNN contributor and "Entertainment Tonight" host Nischelle Turner breaks down the top seven entertainment stories of 2017.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: From political spoofs to musical tragedies to social media movements, entertainment and news intersected like never before in 2017.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELISSA MCCARTHY, ACTRESS: First of all, I just like to announce that I am I'm calm now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TURNER: "Saturday Night Live" hit record ratings after the latest presidential election and kept the momentum going by spoofing Trump's presidency throughout 2017.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lock him up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TURNER: Alec Baldwin's portrayal as the President, Kate McKinnon's double take is Hillary Clinton and Kellyanne Conway and Melissa McCarthy scene's stealing take on Sean Spicer made the sketch series required weekend viewing and earn all three actors Emmy Awards.
Superhero Movies aren't just a boys club anymore. From Batman to the Avengers superhero films have dominated the box office for the last decade. But in 2017, Wonder Woman proved females have just as much power on the big screen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WONDER WOMAN, FICTIONAL CHARACTER: In the name of all that is good, the wrath upon this world is over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TURNER: The first female-led superhero film of the 21st Century received critical raves upon its release, and ruled the summer box office becoming one of the year's highest grossing films. "Wonder Woman" also became the biggest live action film ever by a female director, turning star Gal Godot and director Patty Jenkins into household names.
Despite new releases from music, big wigs like Taylor Swift and Jay-Z, it was a Spanish language ditty that took over American airwaves in 2017. Despacito by a Puerto Rican sensation Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee became the first Spanish track to hit number one in the U.S. since the Macarena 20 years ago.
The song's music video went on to become the most viewed YouTube clip of all time, with over four and a half billion views.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking Royal news. Prince Harry officially engaged to American actress, Meghan Markle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TURNER: It's time for yet another Royal Wedding as Prince Harry and American actress, Meghan Markle announced their engagement in November. The pair met on a blind date and Harry told reporters he knew the "Suit" star was the one from the start.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEGHAN MARKLE, ACTRESS: I could barely let you finish proposing. I said, "Can I say yes now?" PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: She didn't let me finish. She said,
"Can I say yes? Can I say yes now?" And then there was hugs and I had the ring in my finger and I was like, "Can I give you the ring?" And she was like, "Oh, yes, the ring."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TURNER: All eyes will be on what Markle wears down the aisle when the couple marries, May 19.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAYE DUNAWAY, ACTRESS: "La La Land."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TURNER: A mix up leads to the most awkward finale in Oscars' history. Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty presented "La La Land" with the Best Picture trophy at February's 89th Academy Awards. But the celebration hit a pause when one of the "La La Land" winners pointed out that "Moonlight" had in fact won the award.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a mistake. "Moonlight," you guys won Best Picture.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TURNER: The uncomfortable moment continued as Beatty explained he had been given the wrong envelope. That mix up prove that when it comes to live TV, well, anything goes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[15:55:12] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Details are just coming in. This is very much breaking right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TURNER: A terror attack outside and Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena in May killed 22 people. The tragedy was carried out by a lone suicide bomber and injured nearly 60 people. Grande returned to the city in early June to perform in the One Love Manchester benefit concert and visited fans injured in the attack at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital.
Just a few months later, a gunman opened fire at a Las Vegas Country Music Festival killing 58 and injuring hundreds more. The awful events took place during singer Jason Aldean's set at the popular Route 91 Harvest Festival. The Las Vegas attack is the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Aldean paid tribute to the victims with an emotional performance on "SNL" in October.
#MeToo shakes up Hollywood. A series of sexual harassment allegations against numerous Hollywood heavyweights sparked an outcry sure to change the entertainment industry forever.
Studio executive Harvey Weinstein, actor Kevin Spacey and comedian Louis C.K. were just a few of the men called to task for their alleged indiscretions. The allegations inspire the social media #MeToo to denounce sexual assault and harassment.
The founder of the #MeToo Movement was even included in "Time" magazine Silence Breakers Person of the Year.
The power of social media continue to keep the entertainment in the news and inspiring both change and conversations that are sure to continue in 2018. Nischelle Turner, CNN, Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Thanks for that, Nischelle. We have much more just head in the NEWSROOM. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:01:35] SANCHEZ: Hello. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Boris Sanchez, in Fredricka Whitfield. Thanks so much for joining us in the CNN NEWSROOM. We appreciate you hanging with us.
And we are following some breaking news this hour. New details on the seeds that were planted by a Trump campaign aide that may have launched the Russia investigation.
"The New York Times" is reporting today that it all started not with a salacious dossier as many the President's closest allies claim, but rather with a drunken conversation between Trump aide George Papadopoulos who is cooperating in the investigation and has pled guilty and an Australian diplomat in the U.K. back in May of 2016.
Let's discuss this further with David Sanger. He is a national security correspondent for "The New York Times" and a CNN national security contributor.
Thanks so much for joining us, sir. First and foremost, how significant are the revelations in this story from your perspective, the fact that according to "The New York Times" Papadopoulos knew that the DNC and Hillary Clinton's campaign had been hacked well before that became public knowledge.
DAVID SANGER, CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Well, this was pretty terrific reporting by my colleagues, Mark Mazzetti, Sharon LaFraniere and Matt Apuzzo.
The essence of this is that it takes the timeline to May of 2016. Now, think about --
[14:03:00]
