Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

15-Year-Old Angelique Ramirez Among Those Killed in Texas; Iranian President Fires Back after Pompeo's Warning; Cougar Attacks Cyclists in Washington State; Royal Wedding Photos, Stunning Number Watched. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired May 21, 2018 - 14:30   ET

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


[14:30:00] RICHARD POURCHOT, YOUTH MINISTER TO ANGELIQUE RAMIREZ: And that's what this town is doing. We're supporting one another, the families, the moms, the dads, the grandparents, the aunts and uncles, the brothers and sisters. And we're coming together and going to support one another.

(CROSSTALK)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Richard, you graduated from this high school 18 years ago. When you think about these young people -- this is the generation -- all they know is these code-red drills. This is the lockdown generation. You have two kids who will go to this school.

POURCHOT: Yes.

BALDWIN: What do you want for them when they walk-through those front doors?

POURCHOT: What I want for them is to feel safe. With my daughter that's going to be here. I want her to walk these halls, knowing that she's going to be OK. When we were in school, we had a blast. It was a great time. Now you have kids in fear of going to class. And they shouldn't be in fear. And that's one thing I'll be talking with my daughter. And my wife will be talking about her as well about knowing what to do. But also praying that they never have to act in a way where they have to run in fear and protect themselves in that manner.

BALDWIN: It is school, they should be safe. This is a new reality here.

Pastor Richard Pourchot, thank you so much. I appreciate you and your voice here --

POURCHOT: Thank you.

BALDWIN: -- at this time. Thank you.

Just in, the president of Iran firing back at the U.S. after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed to crush Iran with economic sanctions and military pressure.

Also, pictures out of Hawaii where a fountain of lava is flowing and creating new problems as it reached the Pacific Ocean.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:35:56] BALDWIN: Looking at this language, the U.S. will crush, quote, "Iran with the strongest sanctions in history." That was Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pulling no punches in his first major foreign policy speech today. The hardline stance comes just two weeks after the U.S. pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE: The sting of sanctions will be painful if the regime does not change its course from the unacceptable and unproductive path it has chosen to one that rejoins the League of Nations. These will, indeed, end up being the strongest sanctions in history when we are complete.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Plan B includes a long list of demands for Iran to meet -- you see here -- from abandoning its nuclear program to withdrawing from Syria, all before the U.S. will even consider new negotiations.

With me now CNN global affairs analyst and former Tehran bureau chief for the "Washington Post," Jason Rezaian. Jason spent 544 days in an Iranian prison.

Jason, a pleasure to have you on.

And that's what Pompeo said, but now we also have response from Iran. Rouhani has responded to Secretary Pompeo, saying, "Who are you to make decisions about Iran?" And the Iranian foreign minister saying the U.S. is "imprisoned by delusions and failed policies."

What do you make of that?

JASON REZAIAN, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: I was there this morning when the secretary made the speech, and I was sitting there counting the points, I thought to myself, each one of these sounds like a nonstarter to Tehran. I think there's a wide divide between Tehran and Washington, and I think it just got wider today.

BALDWIN: Where does it go from here?

REZAIAN: That's hard to say. Secretary Pompeo alluded to the fact that they would be open to talking to Iran. I don't see, on the heels of the U.S. leaving the JCPOA, the nuclear deal, how and why Iran would feel like there's anything in it for them right now, especially when the specter of the most-crushing sanctions in history are above them.

BALDWIN: We are hearing from the Pentagon today that the U.S. is assessing whether to, quote, "double down on current actions against Iran." It will take all necessary steps to confront and address Iran's maligned influence in the region.

REZAIAN: Right.

BALDWIN: What is -- is this just a significant ratcheting up of aggression here, this back and forth?

REZAIAN: Yes. It's a long laundry list. If you listen to what the secretary said, he talked about Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, support for Hezbollah and Hamas. I think the opportunities for Iran to reap any benefits from what they're talking about seems unlikely. I don't see where this heads, other than more sanctions on the Iranian economy, which will perhaps have an impact on the regime, but will definitely have impact on the people of Iran..

BALDWIN: Is there any is scenario, Jason, that this whole -- the Trump power play, pulling the U.S. out of the Iran deal, in the long term inspire Iran to go back to the table with the U.S.

REZAIAN: I think anything's possible. I think the likelihood of in happening any time in the foreseeable future, in months or less than the next year or two, is highly unlikely.

BALDWIN: OK. Jason, thank you so much. Good to talk to you --

REZAIAN: Thanks so much.

BALDWIN: -- on all things Iran here.

REZAIAN: Sure.

[14:39:26] BALDWIN: Next, these two cyclists out enjoying their day in Washington State, stalked by a cougar that attacked, leaving one of them dead. The survivor describes the chilling tale, including having his head in the mouth of this cougar. What we're learning about why this attack may have happened.

We're also getting our first look inside the royal wedding party. Photos. We'll take you live to London coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: What was supposed to be a scenic ride through the woods of Washington State ended tragically for two mountain bikers. One was killed and another seriously injured by a cougar. The mauling happened Saturday in North Bend. Wild-game officials say the cougar was stalking them before it pounced. The one who survived knocked the cougar down with the bicycle, forcing it to run away. But as soon as the cyclists stopped to catch their breath, the cougar returned. This time, pouncing on the survivor, putting his head in the mouth, according to the tale, and crunching down. The animal tried to shake the body side to side, like it does when it's trying to kill its prey. This is all according the survivor. However, when the survivor's friend, identified as S.J. Brooks, started running away, the cougar decided to chase after Brooks instead. The survivor could see the cougar mauling the person's friend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) [14:45:09] SGT. RYAN ABBOTT, KING COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: The cougar actually dragged the victim back into the wood line and he was found dead there.

CAPT. ALAN MYERS, WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE POLICE: There's no indication that the two victims taunted this animal or did anything to bring this on. It's very, very rare for cougars to behave in this way. The statistics on this are quite stunning. There's only been one fatal attack in the last 100 years. This would make number two.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Police say they found the cougar actually standing on top of Brooks' body. It was eventually euthanized after they tracked it down.

Jeff Corwin is with me, wildlife expert, host of ABC's "Ocean Treks with Jeff Corwin."

Jeff, I've read it, I've read it again, and sitting here reading it on TV with you, it makes your skin crawl. Your heart goes out to everyone involved. Everything I've read tells me this is totally unusual and the last cougar attack in Washington State was back in 1924. How did this happen?

JEFF CORWIN, WILDLIFE EXPERT: It is an incredibly rare event. Yes, makes your skin crawl when you figure -- it's kind of reconciled with how terrifying this must have been with these two gentlemen. They were doing nothing wrong, minding their own business. This is a very rare event. This has only happened in Washington once in 100 years, 25 fatalities throughout the whole United States.

Here's my theory. I'm sure a number of folks share this. A male cougar weighs anywhere between 120 and 220 pounds in size. This animal was emaciated. It weighed 100 pounds. I believe it was compromised, pushed to the fringe of survival. Certainly, not able to compete with other male cougars. They have huge habitats, huge home ranges. A male cougar could have a range of 400 miles. They compete with other cougars. The number one enemy for an American mountain lion or cougar is a competitive lion. This animal was pushed to the edge. Normally, in situations like this, they hit livestock, sheep or cows. These guys, I believe, by doing what bikers do every day, this animal was perched probably in a slope looking down, and it's what I call the yarn-ball response. Cougars are ambush predators. These guys go flashing by on their bikes at an extreme speed, maybe 20 miles as hour, this animal goes into predatory mode, willing to take that risk, it goes for low-hanging fruit. It's an ultimate tragedy all the ways around.

BALDWIN: It comes back. Jeff, the fact that one of the cyclists hits the cougar with the mountain bike, it goes away, comes back and attacks again. Ultimately, they find the body of the victim with the cougar on top of it, sort of under this log. How do you explain that behavior? CORWIN: I believe this cat was desperate. It was sick. It probably

had a number of injuries it was dealing with. As these animals become malnourished, they go for the easiest opportunity for prey. I believe these guys, minding their own business, doing what was perfectly natural for them, but perhaps they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. And I believe this animal took that chance. What it felt was an opportunity for prey.

And these guys did what you're supposed to do. If you are in a dangerous situation with the cougar, again, incredibly rare, but if you found yourself, if you won that terrible lottery --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Don't you run?

CORWIN: No, you never run. That's what you never do. That instigates the bully response. That's the fight response for the cougar. You stand your ground. You hold your ground. You never turn away from the cougar. You look at it face to face, look larger than life, which they did with their bikes. This guy, as one of guys was being attacked, the other guy ran away. It was that yarn-ball response. This cougar moved in. But, again, incredibly rare.

We have maybe 300,000 square miles of wilderness in the west, which is home to between 20,000 and 40,000 cougars. Very rare event. Incredibly tragic. Certainly, scientists and conservationists will want to learn from this to make sure it never happens again or find ways to avoid it.

[14:49:46] BALDWIN: Performing the necropsy to learn more. Just so sad. They're beautiful animals. But, yes, I don't know if I could stand there and stare down a cougar. I think I would be running. But I hear you loud and clear, Jeff Corwin. I hear you, what you should be doing. Just sad all the way around.

Thank you so much. Great to see you.

CORWIN: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Coming up, we are back to our breaking news. President Trump set to meet moments from now with the Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Chris Wray to discuss that confidential source who made contact with Trump campaign members prior to the elections. We'll take you to the White House for an update on that meeting.

And next, we're getting our first look at the official royal wedding photos. Plus, the stunning number of people who tuned in to watch early Saturday morning.

First, when disaster strikes, time is of the essence to find survivors. One woman founded an organization that transforms shelter dogs into speedy first responders. It is today's "Impact Your World."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't have anything that can cover a 10,000 square foot area of rubble as fast as a dog can.

(BARKING)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Search Dog Foundation has responded to approximately 168 disasters, the World Trade Center, the major hurricanes, Katrina, Harvey and Irma.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My canine is Rex. The biggest obstacle we faced was the Montecito mudslides. He had to dolphin through the mud to get to where we're at.

What a good boy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As a FEMA-certified team, we were asked to go to the Oklahoma City bombing in April 1995. The nation had approximately 15 of these dog and handler. The country now has approximately 275. The Search Dog Foundation not only uses rescue dogs from shelters but trains that dog at no cost.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In training, we have to set up the scenarios as real life as possible. That bark is what the dogs use to communicate to their handlers that they have located live human scent.

A lot of the dogs that come into our program were slated for euthanasia. Essentially, we're saving these dogs' lives to save people's lives.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:56:39] BALDWIN: Did you watch? Because 29 million people in the U.S. did. We're also getting our first look at official wedding photos of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. You see the newlyweds, the royal family, Markle's mom and the kids who were all part of the bridal family. So cute.

Joining me now to discuss all things royal wedding is Richard Quest who is in the middle of everything.

How was it, my friend?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was extraordinary. In so many different ways. And I think you see that by the number of viewers in the U.S., 29 billion. And which was -- it's hardly surprising there was an American involved. An American marrying into the British royal family, diverse American, at that. Put it all together, you had the pastor, the choir, you had the celebrity guests. So, yes.

And what was fascinating, Brooke, was the number of people that got up in the middle of the night in the U.S., particularly on the Pacific coast, to actually watch, which I think still speaks volumes about the capacity of the royal family to be relevant. BALDWIN: I know. I was ending my honeymoon and didn't entirely tune

in, so I'm living through you. I read about it afterwards. And all the photos. Do you have any good stories about being over there and covering it?

QUEST: The only thing really felt was this transatlantic alliance. This feeling of Wow!. There was a real gosh factor. Meghan Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex, gave the wedding she wanted to give. And the royal family went along with it. And that -- I've heard so much nonsense spoken over the last few days about her moving the royal family and her instituting change, this, that and the other. The reality, Brooke, she got what she wanted. The royal family went along with it, because they have to change.

I'm much more interested in, did you give yourself away?

BALDWIN: I love my dad. I got married two weekends ago to my own Englishman. These are --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: And I wanted to share.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: No, I did let my dad give me away. I had my dad walk me halfway down the aisle, and then my husband met me and we walked the rest of the way. I wanted the congregation -- just like Meghan does, I had my congregation say, "We will." I loved hearing everyone else instead of having my father. I'm a traditional southern gal. Welcome to 2018.

QUEST: Now you're part of Britain. Send me a top line where your wedding list is please so I can --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: No, no, no. No wedding gifts. But I appreciate it. If you can give me a big squeeze when you get back here.

QUEST: Woo. You're a married woman.

BALDWIN: I am.

Richard Quest, thank you so much. Good to see you.

QUEST: Thank you.

(CROSSTALK)

[14:59:44] BALDWIN: Thank you, thank you.

We continue on. You're watching CNN on this Monday afternoon. I'm Brooke Baldwin. It's great to be back here with you.

Breaking news now. A source tells CNN that, right now, the president is meeting with the Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray. And they're going to talk about that confidential source that led the president to order an investigation into the investigators of the Russia probe. This meeting was scheduled before the president tweeted on Sunday. Let me read that for you in case you missed it.