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Airliner Threats; Texas Deadly Weather; Iraq War Against ISIS; Cleveland Cop Cleared. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired May 25, 2015 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:05] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you so much for being with me here on this Memorial Day.

I want to begin with this developing story we're following. Several threats being made against incoming airline flights to the United States. In fact, at one point, the Air Force scrambled two F-15 fighter jets to escort an Air France passenger jet heading into New York's JFK Airport. A caller apparently warned a chemical weapon was on board.

Let's talk about all of this. Jean Casarez is with me here in New York.

And when you're looking into all these different reports and these threats, none of them have been credible, correct?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, and we want to get that out. But it's still a developing story and it's very unusual, Brooke, because there were multiple calls, we understand, of threats in regard to airliners that were in the air today.

BALDWIN: Bizarre.

CASAREZ: Once again, nothing has been deemed to be credible at all. But the North American Aerospace Defense Command is confirming with CNN that in regard to the Air France Flight 22, they issued two F-15 fighter jets to escort it into JFK where it landed at 10:17 without incident. Now, that plane has not been cleared yet, but what we understand is passengers were on board for about two hours. They didn't really know what was happening.

But the FBI has just issued a statement to CNN. We want to show everybody. And it does say, "out of an abundance of caution, Air France Flight number 22 was escorted to John F. Kennedy Airport by U.S. Air Force fighter jets following a phone threat. The plane has landed and has deboarded. There were no incidents or hazards reported on board this flight by either the passengers or its crew. The plane has been cleared."

And, Brooke, more things we are learning from American Airlines is they were alerted earlier today by authorities of a threat to American Flight 131 from Birmingham, England, to JFK. And the airline was originally told that the flight would be moved to a remote location upon landing. It was not. And, once again, that threat has not been credible.

BALDWIN: It's just bizarre and noteworthy that there have been these multiple threats all around the same time.

Jean Casarez, thank you so much. Update us any time you get new information.

Meantime, a declaration here of disaster across parts of Texas. This after a line of storms from the Gulf to the Great Lakes has dumped record rainfall there. Three people have died, two in Oklahoma, including a firefighter, who was swept down a storm drain, and one in Texas. Twelve others are also missing in one Texas county. Much of the storm really released all this rain here in central Texas, cities of San Marcos and Wimberley. It started Saturday with just torrential rainfall, and then Sunday the madness unleashed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, don't - don't - don't do it! Don't!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can he get out?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's - it's -- stay back, Lana (ph)! Stay back! (EXPLETIVE DELETED)! Oh, my God! Stop, stop, stop! He needs to get out! (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Oh, my goodness is right. It's incredibly frightening to watch this - this SUV trapped in these fast rushing flood waters. The driver, who was still inside, unable to escape. Thankfully, though, bystanders were able to save him.

That storm was so intense, it collapsed - look at this, a bridge, gone. Hundreds of homes have been damaged. Officials describe streets with only one or two homes left standing.

The National Guard dispatched Blackhawk helicopters to help rescue dozens of people trapped in cars and on rooftops. We're going to talk to a father who was trapped and who was rescued by a Blackhawk a little later in the show.

Adding to the misery in Houston, an EF-1 tornado hit the city with 100-mile-an-hour winds. It devoured an entire apartment complex. Now hundreds are homeless. And this word of caution from authorities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE BERT COBB, HAYS COUNTY, TEXAS: It's not over. The rain is still here. The long-range weather forecast shows that there will be showers probably the rest of this entire month. And so we can never let our guard down. We've got to always be vigilant. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Let's go straight to Ed Lavandera there in Wimberley, Texas.

And, Ed, what is that - is that a - was that a river? I mean obviously now it's a river to your right. What are you seeing where you are?

[14:04:51] ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is the Blanco River that you see below me. Normally a sleepy (ph) river that winds peacefully through the central Texas town here of Wimberley. But as you take in the scope of the damage that has been caused by the flood waters here, from one side of the river all the way to the other, where the river crested more than 40 feet above its normal stages here along the Blanco River.

And right now, there are search and rescue teams. You can kind of make them out here in the distance, down below where we are, going up and down the banks of this river. As you mentioned, Brooke, there are 12 people missing, believed to be part of a weekend gathering of people who had come here to Wimberley to celebrate the Memorial Day weekend. All of this ending in what could very well be a tragic situation given that there are 12 people believed to still be missing. And search and rescue teams are going up and down the banks of this river here looking for those people and those efforts will continue in the coming hours.

But really there's a great deal of damage assessment going on. And it's just a staggering sight to see when you see these massive trees that have been uprooted and pushed down river by these flood waters. You really get a sense of just how strong and powerful the current was as the water started rising very quickly here Saturday night into early Sunday morning. So, you know, many people just overwhelmed by the situation, given just how intense these rising flood waters here. Nearly 400 homes, Brooke, wiped away off their foundation because of these flood waters.

BALDWIN: These pictures, Ed. And let me take you back and follow up with the 12 people missing. I was reading that 12 could include some small children. And it's this large a number because it's a holiday weekend. So what was this, family, friends gathering?

LAVANDERA: Right, it's what they're going by. There are several families that had gotten together, you know, which is very common in this part of central Texas. People coming together, enjoying spending weekends along the riverbanks here. There are many very popular rivers that people come and celebrate these kinds of weekends at. So it wasn't uncommon to have these kinds of gatherings here. But, obviously, you know, very scary situation right now for those family members as emergency officials here say they are looking for 12 of them. And as you mentioned, some of them could be small children as well.

Brooke.

BALDWIN: Thinking about these communities today.

Ed Lavandera, thank you so much, in Wimberley, Texas.

Next here on CNN, war of words. America's defense chief says Iraqi forces had no will to fight against ISIS in the fall of Ramadi. Now Iraq is responding as its forces surround the city. We have much more on that.

Also, a police officer fires shots into a car, two unarmed people inside. You see all the bullet holes here. Now he's acquitted in their deaths. Why his lawyer's decision before the trial impacted his fate.

And, 28 people shot in Baltimore, seven of them killed, in a weekend of violence.

You're watching CNN. We'll be right back.

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[14:11:47] BALDWIN: You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Right now Iraqi forces are standing by ready to battle ISIS to take back the city of Ramadi. All of this comes as Defense Secretary Ash Carter makes a statement to CNN that up until now seems to have only been uttered in the back rooms of the White House, saying Ramadi fell because Iraqi military forces did not have the will, his word, the will to fight. This is what he told our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr in an exclusive interview here on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASH CARTER, DEFENSE SECRETARY: The Iraqi forces just showed no will to fight. They were not outnumbered. In fact, they vastly outnumbered the opposing force. And yet they failed to fight. They withdrew from the site. And that says to me, and I think to most of us, that we have an issue with the will of the Iraqis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Now in a move that seemed to counter what you just heard, we are now hearing from Vice President Joe Biden, just called the Iraqi prime minister, thanking him, quote, "for the enormous sacrifice and bravery" of Iraqi forces over the past 18 months in Ramadi and elsewhere. Joining me, Colonel Peter Mansoor, CNN military analyst and retired U.S. Army.

Sir, welcome. And, of course, on this Memorial Day, thank you so much for your service.

COL. PETER MANSOOR, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Thanks, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Colonel, we know, you know, now Iraqi forces are preparing to battle right around the perimeter of the city of Ramadi. And if you have, you know, the defense secretary saying these, you know, fighters didn't have the will last week, what would make today any different? Do you really believe Iraqi soldiers have what it takes to regain control of this city? MANSOOR: I think if the secretary of defense reconsiders his comments,

what he really meant is they weren't well led. If you have well-led formations that are well trained, then they'll have the will to fight. And this is a problem with the Iraqi army. A lot of the competent, combat commanders were dismissed by Nuri al Maliki, the predecessor to the current prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, and it's going to take a while for that leadership team to be reassembled and for these formations to be retrained. The forces that retreated from - BALDWIN: But do you really think they have a while, sir, given what's happening, the state of play in Iraq?

MANSOOR: This - well, we - we have to come to the determination that this is going to take years to play out. This war will not be over in a matter of months. The difference with those formations that are now assembling to retake Ramadi, a lot of them are Shiite militias and they're being advised by Iranian advisers. And they're stiffening the resolve of these formations. This is why I think in the end that U.S. trainers over there will have to accompany the formations that they're training into combat to stiffen them and stiffen their resolve.

BALDWIN: So am I hearing you saying essentially the U.S. will take on a greater role in terms of training again these forces?

MANSOOR: I think that if we want to destroy ISIS, that we'll have to. Now, whether we do so or not is going to be up to the president and the Congress. And I'm not sure that President Obama wants to take that step, but there is some indications that they're relooking the strategy and they clearly, I think, see that the current strategy is insufficient to achieve the goals that they've set. So we'll see what comes next. But I think what comes next is more trainers down to the battalion level, and that will have to accompany - American forces will have to accompany these formations into combat.

[14:15:21] BALDWIN: I think there's also another piece of this discussion, which is, you know, we don't often talk about - you have the coalition war on the ground, but then you have the religious and tribal factions that really so divide this country, right? It's sort of like clan, tribe, nationality. And so do you think - how would the fact that so many of these soldiers, colonel, are Sunni impact this fight given the fact that this government is Shiite and perhaps there's not a lot of trust there?

MANSOOR: Actually, it's the reverse problem. Most of the soldiers are Shiite and they're fighting in a province that is almost entirely Sunni. So when they take over portions of the province, let's say they retake Ramadi, there's a high likelihood that they'll alienate the population on the ground as they did in Tikrit with looting and perhaps murders as well. So I think one of the things that we have to work with the Iraqi government to do is to get more Sunni fighters into the security forces and to reignite the tribal rebellion that did so much to destroy the predecessor group to ISIS, al Qaeda in Iraq.

BALDWIN: Iraq's prime minister says he was surprised, those were his words, surprised by Secretary Ash Carter's remarks to Barbara Starr, saying perhaps he had bad information. And then as I read a piece of - the statement regarding Vice President Joe Biden's, you know, conversation with the prime minister this morning, you know, thanking the Iraqis for their bravery, especially in Ramadi, what do you make of what the vice president said, colonel, and the timing of all of this?

MANSOOR: Yes, well, the prime minister of Iraq has to support his forces. And even if they did retreat ignominiously from combat in Ramadi, he's going to support them, and he's not going to say, yes, you're right, they do lack the will to fight. And I think the vice president's comments are diplomatic cover-up for what was a small rift in the relationship perhaps between the United States and Iraq. But this will be papered over and we'll move forward. The real key now is how to stiffen the resolve of the Iraqi army and get it to be better led and better trained so that it can retake Ramadi and the other cities in al Anbar province.

BALDWIN: But it will have the will with the leadership, you say, that is so, so lacking.

Colonel Peter Mansoor, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

MANSOOR: Thanks, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Coming up next, calm in the streets of Cleveland. We'll take a look at this case. The controversial verdict. Obviously not calm here over the weekend, prompting protests and more than 70 arrests Saturday, Sunday.

Also ahead, a rare look from the front lines of the fight against ISIS. Cell phone video captures one of the last fire fights before the city of Ramadi fell. More of that right here on CNN.

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[14:22:26] BALDWIN: A lot of people in Cleveland are asking how can a police officer fire 15 shots into a car with these two unarmed people inside and then get acquitted after their deaths? That is precisely what happened Saturday when this judge here announced Officer Brelo was cleared of all charges in the deaths of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams. The shooting has come to be known locally as 137 shots, as in the number of times Officer Brelo and his 12 police officers fired into this car.

The shots were fired at the conclusion of this high-speed chase, a chase that began when Russell's car backfired, a noise that officers say they thought was actually a gunshot. The verdict came to a city already on edge. While most of those protesting were peaceful, police did arrest about 71 people over the weekend. And dozens of people at one point blocked a highway in protest.

So, criminal defense attorney and CNN legal analyst Danny Cevallos is with me to talk about what happened over the weekend. And the first thing is, Officer Brelo requested a bench trial. So, no jury, just a judge. Why?

DANNY CEVALLOS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. Bench trial, waiver trial, judge-only trial, these - understand that these are exceedingly rare in the criminal justice system and they give us a rare opportunity. Why? Because unlike a jury that simply votes guilty or not guilty, a judge has to show his work. And that means that we now have a judicial opinion where this judge analyzed the case. Instead of just saying, not guilty, he had to announce his opinion and explain his work, explain how he arrived at the not guilty.

And it's a fascinating look into an area that really isn't delved into very often in the criminal context. And that's police brutality. We have many, many, many cases of civil cases alleging police brutality. But it's much rarer for a police officer to be prosecuted. So this bench trial is a glimpse into the way a case like this is analyzed.

BALDWIN: Do you think, though, that the climate we're in, do you think we will see more bench trials involving police officers?

CEVALLOS: As a general rule, Brooke, defendants and defense attorneys are terrified of bench trials. It's simple math. If you only need one person to vote not guilty, your odds are better with one out of 12 jurors than they would be with one out of one judges.

BALDWIN: One judge. Right.

CEVALLOS: But that's just sort of the conventional wisdom. It's not mathematically proven. And the reality is, there's substantial support for the idea that where your case involves issues of law, like this case did, causation was a hot issue, the justification of using deadly force was a legal issue, sometimes defendants decide that they want a judge to deal with the legal issues.

[14:25:06] But I know, Brooke, there's an issue that - the question that you really want to ask, which is, in this climate, could this have been a strategic decision to get out of a jury pool that this defendant perceived as hostile and into that of a judge?

BALDWIN: Yes.

CEVALLOS: Yes, it could have been a strategic decision.

BALDWIN: Yes.

CEVALLOS: And if that is his right, a defendant's right, you may see that decision being made. But, believe me, it goes against decades of the general idea, although unproven, that judges are harder on defendants than juries are.

BALDWIN: OK. Walk me through some of the issues. We know this case hinged on two key issues, that Officer Brelo feared for his life and that they couldn't prove - prosecutors couldn't prove that those 15 shots he fired were the ones that killed the two inside the car.

CEVALLOS: Isn't it fascinating? In fact, the judge concluded that at least one of Brelo's shots caused the fatal wound, but he could not conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that the other shots weren't fired, the other fatal shots, I believe there were four total, were fired by other office. So for that reason, in a way, because you have only one defendant charged, this is not a conspiracy, those additional bullets helped the police officer. If he had been there alone, there would be no question.

BALDWIN: The additional bullets helped the police officer.

CEVALLOS: Isn't that strange.

BALDWIN: Wow!

CEVALLOS: Yes, the additional bullets, in a way, if you think of it that way, helped him. And the - you know, for those of you saying, hey, well, if he caused one fatal wound, that should be enough. The best example I can give is that if - if Brooke shoots Danny and then half an hour later in comes Wolf and shoots my dead body, well, Wolf caused a fatal wound, but it didn't - he didn't cause the death. So that's the issue of causation. Because this judge couldn't conclude who actually caused the death -

BALDWIN: Got it.

CEVALLOS: Therefore there's no causation.

BALDWIN: Got it.

CEVALLOS: It's a tricky, legal issue.

BALDWIN: OK. Danny Cevallos, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

Next here - we talk about Cleveland. We're going to pivot and talk about Baltimore. Twenty-eight people shot over the weekend there during a month where the city has seen the most homicides in eight years. With the number of arrests dropping in the city, is there a connection? Let's explore that.

Plus, we'll speak with a CNN producer and photojournalist who was wounded by an IED in the Iraqi city of Ramadi in 2004. He was covering the Iraq War. He went back a couple of years later. Wrote just a really poignant piece on cnn.com this morning. And we're going to hear his reaction to the ringing in his ears both literally and metaphorically all these years later. Stay here.

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