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Delta, United Join List Of Companies Cutting Ties With NRA; Sources: Three Other Broward County Deputies Did Not Enter School In Addition To School Resource Officer; Shooting Tipster Warned FBI: "He's Going To Explode"; GOP Florida Governor Demands Major Gun Law Changes; Manafort Faces New Charges Gates Signs Plea Deal With Mueller; Jared Kushner's Security Clearance In Question; Tipline Caller Warned FBI About Shooter in January; Sheriff Investigating Claims Deputies Stayed Outside; White House Imposes Sanctions on North Korea. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired February 24, 2018 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, again, everyone. Thanks so much for being with me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Washington, D.C.
This morning, major airlines are joining a growing list of companies cutting ties with the National Rifle Association. Delta and United airlines are just two of the multitude of big corporations that are taking a stand in the gun debate since the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida left 17 dead.
CNN's Polo Sandoval is with us now with more on this. So, Polo, these moves come after intense customer backlash apparently. Tell us more.
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely, Fred. This is what happies when politics and business meet here. At least two major airlines making that announcement earlier today online. I want to show you the tweet posted by United Airlines posted earlier this morning after extreme backlash here.
United Airlines saying that it is, quote, "notifying the NRA that we will no longer offer a discounted rate to their annual meeting and we are asking that the NRA remove our information from their website."
A very similar message also posted by their competition, Delta, based out of Atlanta. Want to read to you what they posted as well in response to the criticism that they had that affiliation with the National Rifle Association.
Delta saying it is, quote, "reaching out to the NRA to let them know we will be ending their contract for discounted rates through our group travel program. We will be requesting that the NRA remove our information from their website."
If you look at the list of other major corporations that have announced very similar things as well, you'll see the list has been quite extensive and it's been growing for the last 24 hours.
For example, First National Bank of Omaha, they said, quote, "customer feedback" has prompted them not to renew its contract with the NRA and they will no longer be issuing its Visa, its NRA Visa card.
Also, several of those familiar rental car companies like Budget, National, Hertz, Alamo, Avis and then, of course, also several insurance and security companies as well. There aren't any details, though, as to why or when these companies made the decision.
We haven't heard too much more from these organizations. If you read between the lines, Fred, we have seen some of those growing calls, the chorus of critics online asking these companies sever their ties with the National Rifle Association. We should mention that, so far, that organization has not responded to this corporate backlash.
WHITFIELD: Also receiving a lot of pressure out there is Amazon, a global company. Particularly over streaming NRA TV. What's the latest on that?
SANDOVAL: Amazon, Apple, platforms that host NRA TV channels. There have been two gun safety organizations that have called for them to part ways with the NRA. In fact, the NRA hosted, at least responded to any potential breaking of relationship with Amazon.
Let me read you a portion of what he said as well. Again, this is a host with NRA TV. This is Grant Stinchfield (ph), a host with NRA TV saying, quote, "I would hope that Amazon realizes and these knuckleheads of social media realize that the 5 million NRA members are the most patriotic and most pro-American members of our society. We have every right to be on Amazon."
Amazon, Apple, haven't responded yet. Roku has and said, well, people have their option. They can choose what channels they watch -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Polo Sandoval, powerful stuff, thanks so much.
All right. Turning to our other big story, there are new questions about the immediate response to the Parkland, Florida, shooting. The Broward County Sheriff's Office is investigating the actions of three Broward County deputies who were outside the school and had not rushed in when other officers from Coral Springs arrived.
This is, in addition to the one Broward County Sheriff's deputy who did not enter the building as the shooting unfolded. That officer has since resigned. All of this, as we're learning chilling new details about warning signs before the massacre.
CNN's Kaylee Hartung is live in Parkland, Florida. So, Kaylee, what more are you hearing from these police departments and from the public reacting to the fact there were now four police officers outside the building at the time of the shooting and didn't enter?
KAYLEE HARTUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the members of this community who I've spoken to say they're devastated to learn of this news. First, we heard from Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel saying he was sick to his stomach when he saw surveillance video that showed one of his deputies take a position outside that 1,200 building of Stoneman Douglas for upwards of 4 minutes while the killer was inside.
[12:05:05] That man, the school's resource officer, the one armed law enforcement guard assigned to protect that campus, didn't try to go inside that building. Now we're learning he wasn't the only one who failed to do his job that day.
Coral Springs police officers saying they were surprised when they arrived on campus to find three other Broward County Sheriff's in defensive positions with their weapons drawn behind their building, not making an effort to go inside the school building while a gunman was attacking students and teachers.
An investigation, the Broward County Sheriff says, is under way. Sources tell us we can expect a report after those tapes are reviewed, likely next week.
WHITFIELD: And then there's more information on missed signals about Nikolas Cruz?
HARTUNG: That's right, Fred, last week, the FBI admitted that they improperly handled and failed to act on a tip that came to their FBI call-in line on January 5th. Now we have a transcript of the very detailed warning they received of the killer.
A woman close to him told the FBI, quote, "He's only 18, but he's got the mental capacity of a 12-year-old to 14-year-old. If you go onto his Instagram pages, you'll see all the guns. I just want someone to know about this so they can look into it. I just know I have a clear conscience if he takes off and just starts shooting places up. I know he's going to explode."
This woman also told the FBI that the killer had purchased guns and ammunition with the help of money from his mother's bank account. And after this detailed call, the FBI employee told a supervisor about it. They decided there was no threat imminent and they did nothing, the case was closed within the hour -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Kaylee Hartung, thanks.
In the wake of the school shooting, Republican Florida Governor Rick Scott has offered up sweeping proposals to keep schools safe and prevent young adults and the mentally ill from getting their hands on firearms.
The governor's $500 million plan would raise the minimum wage to buy a firearm to 21 years old. It calls for one school officer for every 1,000 students, and provides more money for school metal detectors, bulletproof glass and steel doors.
The proposal also calls for more mental health counselors and a ban on bump stocks. To pay for all of this, half billion-dollar plan, Governor Scott says the state might need to abandon tax cuts.
Joining me right now is Florida State Representative Jared Moskowitz. He is a Democrat who represents the Parkland area and is also a 1999 graduate of Stoneman Douglas High School. Good to see you. So, do you support the governor's proposals? Is it enough?
JARED MOSKOWITZ (D), FLORIDA STATE HOUSE: Well, the governor's proposal is actually not what's going to be in front of us on Monday. The House and the Senate have a slight variation of that proposal, which adds some additional components like waiting periods and potentially better background checks along with better Baker Act language.
And so, what I would say is the governor's off to a good start, but I think the proposal falls short slightly of what parents, my constituents and Floridians who were recently polled want to see. We'll continue to fight to make that bill better.
But at the end of the day, when that bill hits the floor, we've got to do something. We cannot come home with nothing for these parents.
WHITFIELD: What are among the things that you and other parents in that area want to see?
MOSKOWITZ: Well, I mean, obviously, we want to see a ban of assault rifles. We're happy they're raising the age to 21. We're happy you're not going to be able to get any gun under 21. And obviously, we're happy with waiting periods because that allows the background checks to be complete.
And so, you know, parents and constituents are happy about that. They'd like to see it go further. They'd like to see AR-15s and other assault weapons off of the streets. That is our main focus. We'll continue to try to get that into the bill and push the envelope.
WHITFIELD: And what if that doesn't happen? I mean, the governor has strong backing of the NRA. He has a, you know, top rating for the NRA. The NRA has already said they don't want to see a ban on assault weapons. If you don't get that, what are the concessions, you know, that will satisfy your constituents, particularly those of you who have been through this tragedy just over a week ago?
MOSKOWITZ: Yes, so the NRA unfortunately for them, obviously, I think as this continues to go on, as they continue to oppose common sense solutions, their name is being changed from the National Rifle Association to "not relevant anymore."
[12:10:06] And so it's fine people have an "A" from the NRA. It's never too late to get a "c," a "d" or an "f" from the NRA. We're going to push as much as we can to make this proposal as progressive as possible and bring home as much gun control for my constituents.
I mean, there's 14 other things that are in this proposal. One is school hardening. Two is funding to build a memorial and build a new building for students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas. To strengthen the Baker Act, so if there's a threat to people and others, we can go in and we can take weapons away from folks that might hurt themselves or hurt others for a period of time while we investigate. There is -- as you mentioned, a doubling of school resource officers. Then there's all sorts of new programs for mental health. You're talking about $160 million for new mental health programs. And so, you know, this say complete package.
You have to look at it in its totality. I can tell you as one member, I am not going to vote to keep guns in the hands of 18-year-olds. I am not going to vote to keep guns in the hands of people like Nikolas Cruz.
If Democrats have indigestion about the bill and Republicans have indigestion about the bill, it's probably a good bill. So, when that proposal hits the floor, I can tell you, I am not -- I am going to put amendments up.
But at the end of the day, I'm voting for a proposal that's taking guns out of the hands of people like Nikolas Cruz and is going to keep our school safe and prevent something like this from never happening again. This is a moment.
We have to seize it. We cannot come home with nothing. We cannot allow partisan rancoring and the usual nonsense that goes on in Washington to pervade us in Tallahassee. We must rise above it as Democrats and Republicans, and put a proposal on the governor's desk for him to sign in the next three weeks.
WHITFIELD: You said you're for school hardening. Does school hardening mean arming teachers and, if so, are you for that?
MOSKOWITZ: So, school hardening doesn't mean arming teachers. No, I'm not for arming teachers. But what I will say is that while there are components of that in the bill, the bill itself does not arm any single solitary teacher. That will be up to superintendents and sheriffs.
Most jointly agree whether or not they want to look at that program and potentially institute it. I haven't spoken to my superintendent or my sheriff, but I doubt that they would institute that program. It will be for local control.
If my constituents want to see that program instituted their schools, they'll go to the superintendent, they'll go to the school board sheriff and they'll say please institute this program, please bring it to our schools.
If they don't want it, then they'll say that. So, this will be a local issue. That bill, at the end of the day, will arm no teachers. It's a local issue.
WHITFIELD: Florida State Representative Jared Moskowitz, thanks for your time. Appreciate it.
Still ahead, former Trump campaign aide, Rick Gates pleads guilty and is set to cooperate with the Mueller investigation. What could this mean for the case against Paul Manafort? Plus, questions over clearance. New reporting that the White House new a couple weeks ago that the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, was facing significant issues over getting a White House security clearance.
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WHITFIELD: Pressure mounting as Special Counsel Robert Mueller files new charges against President Trump's former top campaign chairman, Paul Manafort. Manafort is accused of using offshore accounts to pay European politicians millions for speaking favorably about Ukraine. Manafort maintains his innocence, but his right-hand man Rick Gates has pleaded guilty to two criminal charges.
Joining me right now, CNN White House correspondent, Boris Sanchez. So, Boris, a lot of pressure now on Manafort to cooperate in the investigation. Any indication that he might?
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: None yet, Fred. In fact, yesterday, Paul Manafort put out a statement saying that he is innocent and actually going as far as to say that he had hoped that his former business partner Rick Gates would have had the strength to go to battle and prove their innocence.
Rick Gates obviously going in a different direction. He now becomes the third former Trump campaign official to plead guilty and decide to cooperate in Robert Mueller's investigation, joining former aid, George Papadopoulos and former national security adviser, Michael Flynn.
Legal experts are telling us that this puts Paul Manafort in a perilous situation. Keep in mind that some of the charges he's facing are identical or at least related to the charges that Rick Gates is facing.
So, if Gates felt that the evidence was so stacked against him that his best course of action was to plead guilty, then Manafort may also go down that road, especially if Gates' testimony ultimately implicates Manafort.
Beyond that, let's not forget that the sentences facing Manafort are steep. Potentially facing up to 30 years in prison. For a 70-year- old man that could mean spending his life behind bars. So, the pressure certainly mounting against Paul Manafort. Still a question of whether or not he ultimately cooperates with the special counsel though -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: And then President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, he still does not have full security clearance, now 13 months into the job. Are the clearance issues somehow caught up in this Mueller investigation?
SANCHEZ: Two sources have told CNN that Jared Kushner's security clearance is being held up, in part because of the special counsel's investigation. We are told that it is unlikely he's going to get full security clearance until this investigation wraps up because of questions surrounding his business dealings with foreign officials.
[12:20:02] Let's not forget that Jared Kushner had to amend his application for security clearance a number of times because of his failure to include meetings that he had with foreign dignitaries and foreign officials.
Sarah Sanders, the press secretary, is now traveling abroad to South Korea to take part in the delegation that is headed there for the Olympic games. She was asked if these new rules being installed by Chief of Staff John Kelly might hinder Kushner's ability to do his job. Here is her answer.
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SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I can tell you that as Chief of Staff Kelly said last week Jared is an important and valued member of the administration, and the role that he plays both on overseeing the Israeli/Palestinian negotiations won't change as well as his role in negotiating and helping develop relationships with Mexico. Those are the two bigger things in his portfolio and those won't be impacted as the chief said last week.
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SANCHEZ: Now, different camps are perceiving these new rules being installed by Kelly in different ways. Sources within Kushner's camp believe it is a direct challenge to Jared Kushner's influence in the White House by John Kelly. Of course, publicly John Kelly has denied that.
The president himself weighed in yesterday, saying that he leaves it up to his chief of staff to decide Jared Kushner's level of security clearance. We should point out, though, that the president has the power to grant Jared Kushner a full security clearance.
He's opting not to do that, leaving it up to John Kelly, though, he says he believes John Kelly will do the right thing. Many are now speculating and reading between the lines, suggesting that he is expecting Kelly to move forward to give his son-in-law full security clearance -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Boris Sanchez, thank you so much. We're going to talk about that and more with my panel right now. CNN political commentators, Maria Cardona and Paris Dennard joining me now. All right. Good to you see, guys.
MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good to see you, Fred, Welcome to D.C.
WHITFIELD: Thank you so much. Always great to be here. All right. So, first off, Maria, Manafort is maintaining his innocence. Is this an issue of pressuring Manafort to cooperate, that perhaps there is more or is this simply about prosecuting Manafort? CARDONA: I think it's pushing Manafort to see what he knows. We clearly have seen that this is a very serious effort on behalf of Mueller to find out how closely this gets to the Trump campaign.
Let's remember that this is the third person in Rick Gates that has essentially agreed to do a plea and the second person in his inner circle, after Michael Flynn. So, I do think that it is not just putting pressure on Manafort but putting pressure on whoever is in Trump's inner circle, so they are looking over Trump's circle to say this is serious.
What have we said to him, what we have said to investigators, what we have said to prosecutors, this is a very serious effort. And let's also remember that Gates was very involved in so many aspects of Trump's campaign from his foreign policy positions to the transition, to the inauguration, and even after the inauguration.
WHITFIELD: Yes, even though I guess, you know, Gates was described as the coffee boy, you know, as not being that engaged. Even Manafort wasn't really engaged for very long.
CARDONA: Manafort was the chairman of the campaign so of course that is spin, that is ridiculous, it is untrue. But I think it also indicates how nervous they are about how close Mueller is getting to the truth.
WHITFIELD: And Paris, President Trump was asked about all of this yesterday. He was meeting with the Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Listen to what the president had to say when questions were asked.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, any concerns about Rick Gates?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Thank you very much.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Any concerns about Rick Gates?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: I would. We will be there. Great place.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cutting a deal with Mueller, Mr. President?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much, everybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: That usually means exit. OK, so this silence, Paris, how long can the president maintain this silence because we know often he's very knee jerk. We do know his attorneys are saying don't say too much. But sometimes the silence, his deafening silence says more.
PARIS DENNARD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think what the president did yesterday was what he should have done, ignore the question because it has nothing to do with him. Rick Gates has nothing to do with him. The indictments that have come down to the three people who have pled the plea agreements with Mueller and the investigation have nothing to do with the campaign.
WHITFIELD: Does the Trump White House feel that confident, that there isn't something that's getting close?
DENNARD: I think you listen to what the president has said. You listen to the statements that have come out from the president's counsel. What we have seen -- I know a lot of people, Maria and others, are just waiting with bated breath for something to happen as it relates to collusion, but we have seen no evidence of collusion.
CARDONA: Yet.
DENNARD: And so, you said --
WHITFIELD: Well, in this Mueller team investigation, we haven't seen evidence of anything until certain -- you have an indictment and then you read the material. Should we see any evidence?
DENNARD: But the things we have seen thus far have not indicated the president, have not indicated the campaign in any type of collusion with Russia. That's what we have seen. If we look at the facts, what's laid out, we do not have that. Anything else would be a rush to judgment.
[12:25:10] CARDONA: So, I'll say two things. First one, I agree with you, Paris, the way the president handled it yesterday is how he should have been handling it, and how he should handle it. But we know that's how he's not going to handle it once he gets his hands on his Twitter, right.
We know he'll continue to say it is fake news, it was something trumped up by the Democrats. When every indication goes to that this is real. Not just the Russian meddling, which he has even been saying that is not true. He hasn't been able to say that that is an attack on our democracy.
The second thing I'll say is I actually think it's more than collusion. I think it's more serious than collusion. I think it has to do with money laundering. The whole involvement of Trump himself with the Russians I think goes back to money laundering.
We've had this discussion, which is why I think Manafort thing and Gates thing are so serious because they go back years. And they can have information on just how indebted Trump is to the Russians because of the type of money or business transactions that he has had with them in the past.
WHITFIELD: So, this is sounding really familiar, similar to Watergate, follow the money.
CARDONA: Follow the money is right.
DENNARD: I think you can make that argument if you want to, but at the end of the day, this is why people are upset when we have a special counsel because the broad scope at the end of the day, we have to look back, what they're supposed to be focusing on, whether or not there was Russian meddling in the 2016 election. And thus far we have not seen any evidence of Russian collusion between the campaign, the Trump campaign and the Russians.
WHITFIELD: So, you think there's disappointment that there would be a wide scope, if there were crimes committed and indictments to follow or trials to follow?
DENNARD: Yes.
WHITFIELD: People are upset if there's a specific crime as opposed to an uncovering of potentially other crimes?
DENNARD: Look, people -- what Manafort has done for many years, they're wrong. He should be punished under the law. But at the same time, the special prosecutor should be focusing on -- if you're going to focus on that, look at Uranium One, look at the Clintons, if there was collusion there. If the issue is Russian collusion in the -- or meddling in the 2016 election, focus on all of other tentacles --
WHITFIELD: Nobody is suggesting prosecutors or investigators would look the other way. If they uncover something --
CARDONA: Exactly, and that's the point.
WHITFIELD: -- even while they're looking at other things.
CARDONA: Exactly. And to me what is so telling, and I think actually kind of stupid is for Trump to say this is the line in the sand. When he says if you look at my financials, that is my line in the sand. He never released his taxes. He has never talked about what his Russia business involvement is.
And to me that is like putting forward a neon sign on the White House that says I'm guilty, when it comes to how indebted he is to the Russians in terms of money laundering and issues of his business transactions.
I mean, there's a reason why he has not put the sanctions that both Congress and, you know, everybody involved in the sanctions process has said we need to put on Russia. He has yet to say one negative thing about Putin.
DENNARD: First of all, he had said negative things about Putin --
CARDONA: Hardly.
DENNARD: There's been sanctions on Russia, more to come, and the last thing --
CARDONA: He hasn't done them.
DENNARD: Maria, under the rule of law in this country, which we all benefit from, you're innocent until proven guilty. The president, the campaign, they're innocent and there's been no showing of any collusion with Russia. And that's --
CARDONA: Yet.
DENNARD: -- that's something you have to --
WHITFIELD: All right, we'll leave it there for now. Paris, Maria, good to see you. Thank you so much.
All right. Up next, more missed signals. We're learning more about a call to the FBI tipline just weeks before the massacre describing a man who was, quote, "about to explode." Details on that next.
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[12:33:29] WHITFIELD: Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Washington, D.C.
There were countless red flags and missed warning signs on the Florida school shooter. And still more are coming to light, including new details on an FBI tip line call where a woman said she feared that the killer would go into a school and just start shooting the place up. Well, that call coming in just weeks before the actual massacre.
Joining me right now to discuss, CNN's Law Enforcement Analyst Charles Ramsey. He is also a former Washington, D.C. police chief. Good to see you. I always call you chief.
CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Good to see you.
All right. So I asked Tom Fuentes this earlier and I'd love to get your point of view. Are these missed signals or dismissed signals?
RAMSEY: Well, I would think they're missed. It's hard to tell. Because they had the information from what I'm hearing and yet failed to forward it. So it could be a little bit of both. It's just so tragic and just inexcusable to have these things fall through the cracks like that.
WHITFIELD: Yes. So this was a failure on so many levels. The FBI, local authorities. You have an extensive background, you know, in law enforcement. So, is, you know, part of this a lack of resources or know how on what to do if there are a volume of expressed concerns or even observations?
RAMSEY: I don't think it's a resource issue. If you get a call like that, you have to forward that information to the appropriate field office, in the case of the FBI, the local jurisdiction, what have you.
[12:35:04] You do not dismiss it, period. Somebody got that information but just didn't do anything with it. And not only is it tragic, it's a -- it's just totally inexcusable.
There's no reason or no excuse whatsoever. And remember now, that tip happened to be about Florida. That tipline has information about incidents that are taking place across the country. WHITFIELD: Yes, and that was a lead up to this massacre. And then on the day of the shooting, we're now learning that not just one but four deputies did not enter the building while the shooter was going on in this rampage inside. And now Broward County Sheriff's Office is also investigating.
What are they going to be looking at? Because we know that investigators already looked at the surveillance tape and that's how they saw that there were officers in position, but that they didn't go in.
RAMSEY: Well, I mean, the evidence is there, they got the video. They should have gone in, period. I mean, that's the training. It has been since Columbine. And what's that, 20 years ago?
I can't think of a department in this country that doesn't have some form of active shooter training. And the first thing you do if you're the first one on the scene, if it's you by yourself, if it's two of you, it doesn't matter, you got to go in, you got to neutralize the threat, so that EMTs can get in there and tend to the wounded, period.
WHITFIELD: Yes. So those of us without law enforcement training are trying to figure out what happened, could these officers -- you know, did they freeze, did they feel like they were outmanned, were they worried, were they waiting for orders?
I mean, of all of those possibilities, you know, are those ideas that you entertain when you're trying to figure out? Why wouldn't they go in?
RAMSEY: No, I don't entertain any of that. Go in the building. Do what you got to do. This is -- I mean, you're getting paid to do this. You're trained to do it. Then go do it.
You never know how you're going to react under stressful situations. That part is true. That policing isn't for everybody. But I'm going to tell you, to have four people outside while kids are getting slaughtered. You got teachers that are throwing their bodies across kids and those teachers didn't have a gun or anything else, just to try to save lives and then you got these guys hiding behind cars? No, that's not supposed to go like that.
WHITFIELD: It's hard to understand. All right, Charles Ramsey, thank you so much for you and your expertise, appreciate it.
All right, coming up, the president touts his response to prevent another mass shooting. So, is arming teachers the answer? We'll discuss that after the break.
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[12:41:38] WHITFIELD: All right, the Broward County Sheriff's Office has now confirmed to CNN that they are investigating claims that three additional deputies waited outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School while students were being gun down. School resource officer Scot Peterson resigned from his position after it was discovered that he didn't enter the school once the shooting began.
I want to bring in Mo Canady to discuss this. He is the executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers. Good to see you.
MO CANADY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS: Thank you for having me.
WHITFIELD: So, let me begin with the school resource officer who stayed outside as the shooter went on that rampage. Help us understand what exactly is the duty of that resource officer in a situation like that?
CANADY: Well, first of all, it is hard for me to understand myself. But in our training that NASRO does in our basic course, we talk to the officers and we train them about the idea of direct threat. And the idea that when you hear gunfire in your school, even if you're there by yourself, you have got to engage that shooter. You've got to track them down and you've got to stop this.
Because in a traditional active shooter situation, if it continues, more students and more staff members are going to die. So SROs as a whole know that.
One gap here could be training. As a matter of fact, Florida is a unique state for us. It's one of the few states in the country where NASRO is not able to do our basic SRO training.
The attorney general's office in Florida handles all the basic SRO training for those officers. So I wouldn't be able to speak how that particular deputy or those particular deputies were trained. I'm not sure what happened.
WHITFIELD: It's so interesting at the top of your answer, you did preface it by saying if you hear, if you hear gun fire, then they must go in. What about in the instance of perhaps at that moment, the officer doesn't hear the gunfire, but the reason in which they are responding there or they may have gotten, you know, heard from dispatch or et cetera reports of shooting taking place. Does that preclude the officer from entering, not hearing it, but knowing there is active gunfire or an active shooter on the scene?
CANADY: And just to understand what I was referencing was an SRO that's on campus or in the building and hears that gunfire. The responding officers are a different matter. Certainly if they're dispatched on a shooting at a school, you've got to assume with the history that you could be dealing with an active shooter event. And there's no time to wait for backup traditionally as we used to. You've got to go and attack that problem immediately.
WHITFIELD: OK. Following the Parkland shooting, you know, Florida Governor Rick Scott says he wants to make sweeping changes in Florida gun laws, including raising the minimum age to 21, placing new restrictions for anyone with a history of mental illness to buy a gun.
Meanwhile, President Trump this week had a suggestion of his own. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think a concealed permit for teachers and letting people know that there are people in the building with a gun, you won't have -- in my opinion, you won't have these shootings because these people are cowards. They're not going to walk in the school if 20 percent of the teachers have guns.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[12:45:08] WHITFIELD: Is that the answer in your view, armed teachers?
CANADY: NASRO for the last 10 days now has been very direct in calling the federal government, state governments, and local governments to find a way to fund a properly selected and properly trained school resource officer in every school in this country and maybe more than one in some schools.
And I heard before the Florida governor talk about that issue in Florida. And that he's --
WHITFIELD: Yes, one per 1,000 students.
CANADAY: Yes, and I think maybe it even needs to be deeper than that. And so the issue around teachers being armed, yes, we have some concerns about that. And look, no one within our association has any interest in violating anyone's Second Amendment rights. That's not what this is about.
But when a civilian is armed with a firearm and they're proficient with it, there's an idea there and it's an appropriate idea that they might have it for self-defense. And, again, an appropriate idea. But when we're dealing with an active shooter situation, we need people who get on the offensive and are chasing down that situation, engaging it and ending it.
To think about a teacher maybe being armed and having to leave a classroom to go and do that and leave students unsecured could be just one of the many problems that do concern us.
WHITFIELD: All right. Mo Canady, NASRO, National Association of School Resource Officers, thank you so much.
CANADY: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Still ahead, the president imposes new sanctions on North Korea while his daughter Ivanka is in South Korea for the closing ceremonies of the winter Olympic Games. A live update next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:51:18] WHITFIELD: Hello again. The White House says it is imposing what it calls the heaviest sanctions to date on North Korea. The new measures specifically target shipping and trading companies doing business with North Korea in an effort to further isolate Kim Jong-un's regime.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president's been very clear he's not going to broadcast exactly what his plans are. We're going to continue a campaign of maximum pressure. The latest sanctions are the strongest that we have had on North Korea. We're going to continue in that form.
And hopefully, we'll see a change on behalf of the North Koreans to start to denuclearize the peninsula. That's what our focus is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The move is set against a backdrop of Ivanka Trump visiting South Korea for the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics. She also briefed South Korean President Moon on the new sanctions.
All right, I want to bring in CNN's Will Ripley now who is in Pyeongchang. So, are these new sanctions expected to have more of an impact than the previous sanctions?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, Fred, the North Koreans are saying absolutely not. They put out another article in their state media really digging in their heels on this saying, you know, threats, sanctions, even the threat of a military strike by the United States will not cause them to relinquish their status as a nuclear power. And these sanctions are tough. They are the toughest ever as the treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin pointed out.
They're basically identifying all of North Korea's ships that they United States believes they're using to sail out in the high seas, meet up with other ships from places like China and Russia, transfer their raw materials like coal and iron, the things that they're forbidden from selling to international sanctions to these foreign ships, then those foreign ships go and sell these raw materials. It's all paid under the table and they don't disclose that they're coming from North Korea.
So now the U.S. Treasury saying they have eyes on these ships, they're going to have planes in the sky, satellites taking images, getting proof of these illicit high seas transfers that are happening. And basically telling these other countries and other companies that they will sanction them and they will sanction their banks as well. All of this to try to diplomatically isolate Kim Jong-un and stop him from developing nuclear weapons. But we have to see if it works. It hasn't so far.
WHITFIELD: All right, and all this for the backdrop of Ivanka Trump there in South Korea for the closing ceremonies. What are we learning about her trip so far?
RIPLEY: She really has a dual purpose here on the ground. One, the photo ops that we saw in the bright red snowsuit, smiling, waving, taking pictures, cheering on U.S. athletes, showing the softer side of the Trump administration. This is also having very high level of serious conversations with senior officials here in North Korea -- here in South Korea including the South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
I mean, because there is no U.S. ambassador to South Korea more than a year into the Trump presidency, you have the first daughter serving in her role as senior adviser to the president, briefing the South Koreans on these highly sensitive issues. And this is a really critical time when you have President Trump saying things like he did on Friday, that if these sanctions don't work, the United States is prepared to move into a phase two, which a lot of people interpret as a possible military first strike to stop North Korea from finalizing their nuclear program.
That's something that needs to be communicated at the very highest levels. And that's what Ivanka Trump is doing on the ground here. And of course she'll be at the closing ceremonies tomorrow, potentially sitting right next to North Koreans in the VIP box just like Vice President Pence.
WHITFIELD: All right, we'll see if there's a nod, or some eye contact, anything different from how it was handled with the vice president in the same box.
All right, Will Ripley, thank you so much in Pyeongchang. And we'll be right back.
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[12:54:11] WHITFIELD: All right, tomorrow, don't miss an all-new episode of the CNN Original Series, "The Radical Story of Patty Hearst." Here is a sneak peek.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFFREY TOBIN, CNN CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: Patricia, Bill and Emily join in with Mike Bortin, Jim Kilgore, Steve Soliah, Kathy Soliah in starting to make bombs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One time, they were fooling around with these pipe bombs in the backyard and went in for lunch. And lo and behold, there was a fire in the back and all a sudden the fire department comes barging in. They don't knock, they come barging in. There's a fire.
And went right through the house, didn't see Patty Hearst, didn't see the guns, didn't see anything, just saw a fire in the backyard. That's how incompetent and comedy of errors this whole thing was.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: An all new episode of "The Radical Story of Patty Hearst airs tomorrow, 9 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
We've got much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM and it all starts right now.
