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Massacre at New Zealand Mosques; Possible Rocket Attack Mistake on Tel Aviv; Ethiopian Airlines Pilot Faced Emergency Almost Immediately; Kids Around the World Protest on Climate Change; New HLN Series "Very Scary People." Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired March 15, 2019 - 08:30   ET

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


[08:30:00] DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, look, this is tough. I mean let's just call it what it is, it's very tough because you do not want to assign blame, as Adam Kinzinger was saying to you very forcefully, John Berman, in the last segment, to President Trump or anyone in particular for somebody who is a nut job and an animal and every other synonym you can come up with.

But, you know, we also have, until recently, become more used to when these things happen presidents to come out and unify and use language of unity and coming together. President Trump did that in this tweet this morning. The question is, can he and will he do more to bring together the -- try to bring together people. That's the opposite of what we saw in Charlottesville and it is the opposite of what we see when the political calendar gets close to Election Day. When he knows what riles up his base.

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes.

BASH: And the problem is, riling up his base, you know, using terms like invaders in ads that he tweets out also reaches people who are nut jobs. And that is the balance that I think we're all getting at here, that everybody hopes that he strikes better.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, I just want to be clear, we're not assigning responsibility.

AVLON: No.

BASH: Right.

CAMEROTA: We're not drawing the connection. They are. The gunman is. The mass -- the terrorist is the person who brings up how much he likes what President Trump is saying. The Tree of Life Synagogue shooter is the person who talked about how he likes the language of what President Trump is using with invaders. The crazed attempted terrorist who sent the bombs to -- the attempted bombs to CNN had his van plastered with all of the pro-Trump, pro-Pence stuff. They are drawing the connection. We're reporting the connection.

BASH: Right. Exactly. AVLON: That's right. And I think it also speaks to special responsibilities leaders have to consider the impact of their words and their rhetoric. And, you know, sometimes people will just dismiss it as, oh, that's play to the base. That's just a little bit of red meat rhetoric. But ideas can become actions. And there is a special responsibility.

And, you know, I think Dana raised the point about presidents being comforters in chief, trying to unite. It was great the president put out a statement. But it will be interesting to see if the White House goes further and expresses specific sympathy for the Muslim community in New Zealand.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: You said presidents have a special responsibility.

AVLON: All leaders do, yes.

BERMAN: All leaders do. And I would say, oh, yes? Because I -- I occasionally read "Breitbart" and I happened to notice an interview that the president did with "Breitbart" where he uses this language. He says, I look -- oh, no, do we not have that? There we go. I can tell you I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump. I have the tough people, but they don't play tough until they go to a certain point and then it would be very bad.

Very bad, Dana.

AVLON: Yes.

BASH: I mean -- I don't even know what to say to that anymore except cut --

AVLON: There you go.

BUSH: He's -- you know, cut it out. And he -- it's just an accident that he said that with "Breitbart." He thinks that those are his people. But the world is such that everything is connected today. And people who are crazy in New Zealand or anywhere else on the globe can read "Breitbart." And that's just something that we -- that we all have to remember, as Michael Smerconish said so eloquently in the last hour, everybody with a microphone, especially leaders of countries, no matter which country it is, but especially the United States.

AVLON: But -- but, also, he took an oath on the Constitution to uphold the Constitution. And that requires a buttressing of civil society and a defense of liberal democracy. And when all of a sudden you start to do the divide and conquer, when all of a sudden you start to issue implicit threats about the militarism of your supporters --

BERMAN: Yes.

AVLON: And how you're the force holding it back, that's a different rhetoric than we've seen from presidents. And we can't but get into the normalization that says, well, that's simply his style. BASH: Right.

AVLON: It does echo things we've heard in other countries at different times. And it has a dangerous legacy. So it's worth not buying into that normalization and calling it out and saying, this is deeply outside the American experience to date and it also, I think, is contrary to some of the larger oaths he took to represent all the people of the United States.

CAMEROTA: Yes, but, I mean, as we analyze it, Dana, I just can't tell if this is loose language or if this is a threat. I mean it's hard to know when one veers into that. But if he's saying there won't be a peaceful transfer of power, in his own words, don't we -- doesn't our antenna need to be raised for that?

BASH: I think it's both. It's loose language and a threat. It's the way he talks, and it's the way he thinks, and it's a message that he's trying to convey in that -- in that quote.

[08:35:00] And it -- our antennas should be up and we should be doing exactly what we're doing right now, calling him on it.

Unfortunately, it's -- well, maybe not unfortunately, but -- but, you know, it's getting blurred with this -- this horrific slaughter that happened in -- in New Zealand. But maybe, you know, that's kind of the point here, that it's all -- every -- that we have -- we are a global community, not to sound super corny, and everybody is connected and everybody is listening to everything that people say, especially people with giant megaphones.

CAMEROTA: Yes. I mean if you think that violent rhetoric has an outcome somewhere, then we need to tamp down the violent rhetoric.

Dana, John, thank you very much.

Now to this. Israeli defense forces pound Hamas targets in Gaza in response to two rockets launched at Tel Aviv. Was this all actually due to a mistake? We have the breaking details for you, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right, breaking news, Israel is blaming Hamas for two rockets launched toward Tel Aviv. But media reports suggest those may have been a mistake. Israeli defense forces responded by hitting about a hundred Hamas military targets in Gaza.

[08:40:05] CNN's Melissa Bell is live at the Israel/Gaza border with the breaking details.

What's the very latest, Melissa?

MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, after that sharp escalation in tension, those hundred strikes toward Gaza from Israel overnight, the returned rockets from Gaza back to Israel really we're seeing a sense of calm returning to this border and I think a calm that both sides are looking to insure and now remains. We get a sense that it is de-escalation that both sides are looking for. Hearing from Israeli media that according -- that the Israeli Defense Forces, rather, believe -- at this stage their assessment is that those rockets, which really took everyone by surprise, aimed at Tel Aviv last night could have been the work of some low level Hamas operatives. Therefore, not sanctioned by the leadership.

From the other side what we're hearing, John, is both that the weekly protest of defense this afternoon have been cancelled. Also hearing from Islamic jihad that overnight Egyptian -- the Egyptian delegation's been working hard to try and bring a sense of calm, to bring that tension down within Gaza as it seeks to help both sides find some kind of long-term settlement, long-term agreement and peace to this border. For the time being, along this border fence, calm returned. And bear in mind that this was an escalation, John, that probably neither side particularly wanted at this stage, certainly on the Israeli side, with just three weeks to go to a general election.

Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Melissa, thank you very much for that complicated story. We'll check back with you.

More breaking news right now. We are now learning that the captain of that doomed Ethiopian Airline flight knew he was in trouble almost immediately. "The New York Times" reports that the pilot requested in a panicked voice to turn back just three minutes after takeoff.

CNN's Oren Liebermann is live near Paris where the black boxes are being analyzed.

What have we learned, Oren?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've learned that, as you've said, shortly after takeoff, just three minutes into the flight. The pilot of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 radioed back to the tower and said break, break, return to home in a panicky, distressed voice, immediately, it seems, realizing something was wrong. He then said request vector for landing.

Meanwhile, in the control tower, controllers also noticed something was wrong from the oscillations, the wild variations in altitude, up and down hundreds of feet at a time. This right after takeoff when a plane should be -- should be in a smooth climb towards its altitude. They, according to "The New York Times," diverted two other flights to make as much room as possible for Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 to return back for a landing. But just a couple of minutes later, five minutes after takeoff, the plane crashed killing all on board.

Now, take a look at this chart. This compares Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 to the Lion Air crash back in October. Both were flying the 737 Max 8 airline. The same craft. And it shows the same unusual oscillations right after takeoff, climbs and descents. This is showing vertical speed. So how fast a plane is climbing or descending. And this perhaps part of the information, the data that investigators used to ground the fleet for now. John, BEA, the French investigators have the black boxes right now,

the flight data recorder, the cockpit voice recorder. That is where the investigators will focus their efforts at this time.

BERMAN: All right, Oren Liebermann for us, where those black boxes are at this moment being analyzed. We're going to count on you for the latest information. Appreciate it.

So, students from a hundred nations are walking out of their classrooms in protest today. The message they're trying to send to their leaders, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:47:44] BERMAN: Children in 100 countries around the world are walking out of classrooms today to protest inaction on climate change. They say government failings -- that governments are failing future generations by not cutting emissions and failing to get global warming under control.

Our Bill Weir has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL WEIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Every Friday, Alexandria Villasenor walks to the front of the United Nations and chooses this bench over seventh grade. It is a one-girl strike. And it started months ago after a trip to California brought her frightfully close to a paradise in flames.

ALEXANDRIA VILLASENOR, STUDENT ON STRIKE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION: Because the air quality was the worst in the world. And I have asthma. We had to like even roll up wet towels and put them under windows.

WEIR: It was so scary, her family sent her back to New York early, where she began researching how hotter fires, longer droughts, bigger storms are all being baked into her future thanks to our relentless reliance on fossil fuels. And that is how she found another very worried teenager named Greta Thunberg.

GRETA THUNBERG, CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVIST: You say you love your children above all else, and yet you're stealing their future in front of their very eyes.

WEIR: After starting her one-girl school strike in her native Sweden, the 16-year-old made headlines by going into rooms full of world leaders and billionaires and calling them out for a failure to act.

THUNBERG: Adults keep saying we owe it to the young people to give them hope. But I don't want your hope. I don't want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to act as if the house was on fire, because it is.

VILLASENOR: Ah, she re-tweeted. She's going to be one for the history books.

WEIR (on camera): Absolutely. And do you think you will be, too?

VILLASENOR: Maybe.

WEIR (voice over): Thanks to social media, the girls are now connected with young activists around the globe.

VILLASENOR: Here is the Sydney organizer for school strike for climate change (INAUDIBLE).

WEIR: She's emboldened by every new friend who seeks out her bench, every re-tweets from celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have come to a point where our earth is dying.

[08:50:00] WEIR: And she devours every viral clip of kids challenging leaders, like Senator Dianne Feinstein, to do something, anything, to save the broken planet they'll inherit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some scientists have said that we have 12 years to turn this around.

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: Well, it's not going to get turned around in ten years.

WEIR: She says seeing them get dismissed like naive kids only steels her resolve.

WEIR (on camera): How long will the strike go, do you think?

VILLASENOR: As long as it -- as long as till the necessary actions to make sure we stay below 1.5 degrees Celsius is met. Simple as that.

WEIR: Simple as that. That means a complete overhaul of the biggest economy in the world.

VILLASENOR: Yes. It's easy. Easy, peasy.

WEIR: Easy peasy.

WEIR (voice over): Inspired by the youth-led March for Our Lives, they are hoping that millions of kids across 60 countries make a statement that cannot be ignored.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to the revolution.

WEIR: Change is coming and action is needed, whether the grown-ups like it or not.

Bill Weir, CNN, New York City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: Our thanks to Bill for that.

We also want to tell you about this new HLN series that Donnie Wahlberg is hosting. But don't be fooled, it's not about music or anything really fun. It's about some of the darkest stories ever. Donnie Wahlberg is here to explain himself, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:55:09] CAMEROTA: This Sunday, HLN debuts a brand-new true crime series "Very Scary People." It chronicles the criminal acts of these most frightening characters in recent history, starting with the shocking truth behind serial killer John Wayne Gacy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He would trick his victims into handcuffs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He would show them a magic trick and he would put handcuffs on himself. And then he'd go around, turn around, and take the handcuffs off.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now the victim is fascinated. How did you do that? And he goes, I'll show you. Put your hands out. So, in other words, his victims allowed him to put handcuffs on. And once you're in handcuffs, you can't fight back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: OK, now I'm terrified.

BERMAN: Yes. I know, I'm scared here.

CAMEROTA: That was actually really disturbing.

DONNIE WAHLBERG, HOST, "VERY SCARY PEOPLE" ON HLN: Yes. We're going to escape the scariest of the real world and go into the scariest of this (INAUDIBLE).

CAMEROTA: Honestly. I mean it's all -- it's all so deeply disturbing.

Joining us now is the host of "Very Scary People," the actor, singer, director and producer, Donnie Wahlberg.

Great to have you here.

WAHLBERG: Thank you.

BERMAN: Captain sunshine.

CAMEROTA: Yes, I mean --

WAHLBERG: Yes, well, I'm -- I feel like a boy band guy with a show about serial killers.

CAMEROTA: Well, I would like you to make that connection for us because I have a fascination, as I think John does, with the criminal mind. That was really gripping. But you seem not be -- not to have a dark side, Donnie Wahlberg. Do you? Why are you hosting this?

WAHLBERG: Well, I don't have a dark side personally. I have a good on/off switch and it always stays on. It doesn't turn off. But I'm not sure how I went from a boy band guy to this type of thing.

But obviously I would say my acting career was the bridge. You know, I've played law enforcement officers in "Blue Bloods," obviously, for almost ten years now, and "Boomtown" before that. And I worked so closely with, you know, detectives and NYPD detectives and study so much. And I try to do a really good job on "Blue Bloods" and I really work closely with a retired NYPD detective, Jim (INAUDIBLE).

CAMEROTA: You do real research.

WAHLBERG: Absolutely. So I think it -- it doesn't certainly qualify me to be a real detective. But I think it adds something for the audience, a familiar face who's related to law enforcement in some way that is telling the stories. And I'm a true crime sort of junkie myself. So --

BERMAN: I mean these people are the worst of the worst. And, you know, you watch these and you try to get in their heads. And I'm sure as an actor you're trying to get in people's heads too to understand the motivations behind it.

Is there any connection between these people?

WAHLBERG: Oh, man, you know, the -- well, a lot of the people that we focus on, one of the connections is, they were really well respected in their communities. They were beloved in some instances, which is terrifying in itself, you know?

John Wayne Gacy was highly respected in his community. You know, people think of him as a guy who dressed up as a clown and killed people. He dressed up as a clown and appeared at children's parties by day. But at night he would go cruising around and pick up young men and take them back to his house and do horrific things to them. But he was friendly with the mayor. He was friendly with city councilmen. In fact, the police went to his house one time, one of his victims escaped and said that's the house where I was and they said, no, he would never have done it.

But Rosalyn Carter was actually photographed with two, possibly three of the people that we feature in the series, Jim jones and John Wayne Gacy.

BERMAN: Isn't that amazing. I've seen the footage of (INAUDIBLE) --

WAHLBERG: While she was first lady.

CAMEROTA: Gosh.

WAHLBERG: It's insane. And these people hide in plain sight.

CAMEROTA: That's --

WAHLBERG: And that's the thing, I mean even with what's going on today, I mean, not to take it back to this, but we -- we just miss so many warning signs. You know, there -- there -- it's -- and -- and we have to learn more about what makes people do the things that they do. We just don't know, you know. There's a switch that -- that turns off on people. And -- and it's terrifying.

You know, one of the guests you had earlier, the congressman from Illinois.

CAMEROTA: Congressman Adam Kinzinger, yes.

WAHLBERG: Yes. He -- he said, I don't want to know what goes on in like the shooter in New Zealand's brain. We need to know what's going on. We need to know what it is that flips the switch on these people and hopefully shows like this, which is certainly not meant to glorify that, will somehow help, you know, us to get some understanding and some warning signs to look for.

CAMEROTA: Absolutely. I feel the same way. I mean that's why I like the criminal mind is to find out the motivation.

WAHLBERG: Yes.

CAMEROTA: And also the -- they were -- there's justice in this.

WAHLBERG: Right.

CAMEROTA: These guys are at some point captured and that's (INAUDIBLE).

WAHLBERG: In some cases. Like the nor-Cal rapist was just captured and not even convicted. So it's still -- some of these people don't get caught. And -- and, sadly, some, in many instances, we never know what made them really do it.

CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh. Donnie Wahlberg, great to see you. Thank you very much for previewing this series for us.

[09:00:03] WAHLBERG: Of course. Thanks for having me.

CAMEROTA: You can watch the new original series, "Very Scary People," hosted by Donnie Wahlberg Sunday.

END