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Four Students in Critical Condition After Taking Molly; U.S. & Iran Report Progress on Nuclear Deal; Jury May Hear "Sniper" Closing Arguments Today; Ice Storm Cripples Dallas

Aired February 24, 2015 - 06:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: It's good to have you back with us here on NEW DAY.

Eleven students at Connecticut's Wesleyan University have been rushed to hospital after overdosing on a club drug Molly.

Let's get right to CNN's Jean Casarez with the latest.

Don't fool. This Molly is no joke.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Let me tell you, in the last official word we got is that four remain here at Hartford Hospital, two are still in critical condition. Now, the big question this morning is how did students and other goes to a party Saturday night and then 11 rush to the hospital, two still in critical condition?

Well, hospital officials tell me on Sunday morning at 7:00 a.m. is when the calls started coming in. Some of the students were able to say, I took Molly. Others were not able to verbalize it. But they were all rushed to the hospital. The two in critical condition were medevaced here, and they started doing urine tests, they saw the chemicals in the urine. The state lab is doing more testing to see exactly what type of a drug it was. Pure Molly or a synthetic form of Molly, which is much more dangerous.

And Dr. Mark Nevins, chief toxicologist here at the hospital told me they believe it is the more serious form of Molly. But the investigation is gearing up for another big day today. But police tell me that it's going to be a long investigation, because some of the victims cannot talk. They cannot really remember what is happening here and they've got a lot of people to talk about.

But the fact is, they've got to find out who distributed it and/or sold it to get to the root of this problem, because this is a criminal issue and we do know that parents have come from all over to be at the bedside of their students, their family members that are in such a dire need of medical aid right now.

PEREIRA: Parents' worst nightmare, sending your child off to university and having something like this happen. Jean Casarez, our thanks to you.

The synthetic drug market is the fastest-growing drug problem in the United States. That's a real concern, hard to monitor it, hard to know what's in it, hard to track it -- terrifying.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Right. I mean, you're supposed -- you think that the kids think that Molly is the happy drug, that's safer than heroin, heroin is a problem. But Molly is a party drug.

PEREIRA: The synthetic stuff, you don't know what's in it because it's not monitored.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: It's the genius of the wickedness of the dealers. They infiltrate the campus. They get kids to start making easy money. The kids trust them. The parents don't know.

PEREIRA: Little rebellion thrown in.

CUOMO: And MDMA, that's the drug -- everyone knows to be afraid of methamphetamine if they have half a brain. This is Methylenedioxy methamphetamine. The dealers tell them, it's not meth, see, it's methylenedioxy, it's different, it's ecstasy, it's great, it's nice.

Here's the truth -- it's the same drug in terms of what it does to neurotransmitters. Its intensity can be different. However, when they cut it with things to make money, you don't know what they're mixing it with. And that's why these kids got sick.

And parents don't know, because at these high-achieving colleges, people are using this drug to help them feel better when they're studying and reduce anxiety. They're using it like an anxiety drug.

We're going to hear more about this. It's the latest wave in dealers finding away to get it over on kids. So, be alert. Be aware.

CAMEROTA: Scary stuff.

All right. Back to one of our top stories now.

Cripples cold weather is slamming the southern U.S. this morning. In Dallas, an ice storm creating treacherous roadways, this big rig is still dangling off a Texas highway after the driver lost control and as you can see, slid off the road.

Overnight, icy conditions causing this American Airlines jet to slide off a taxiway at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. No one on board was hurt, we're happy to report. Across the South, schools are closed, hundreds of flights are canceled. The cold is expected to stick around through much of this week.

CUOMO: A harrowing question. Will the Department of Homeland Security be shut down on Friday? Well, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says it doesn't have to be. He plans to introduce a bill to keep the department running, but defunds the president's immigration reforms. Democrats obviously do not see that as an acceptable compromise. The Senate failing a fourth time to pass homeland security funding last night over the president's executive actions.

PEREIRA: A New York jury finding the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority are liable for supporting a series of terror attacks in Israel in the early 2,000s that killed and wounded Americans. The jury award gets tripled under a special terrorism law. Meaning, ten American families will get more than $655 million in damages. The groups plan to appeal.

CAMEROTA: Overnight, 19 manatees rescued from a storm drain in Florida. The endangered animals are now back in the wild. Look at this oh my goodness. It took crews several hours to lift the manatees out. It obviously was not easy work as you can see.

They got into the drain through a canal, while searching for heat, we're told. Aside from scrapes or bruises, all of the manatees survived.

CUOMO: Good. Happy ending, good dedication.

Remember this, Israel's leader telling the world Iran is just around the corner from a bomb. Well, here's the problem, there's new word from some very high-placed people they were telling him at the time, it wasn't true, you won't believe who those people were.

CAMEROTA: And a quick programming note: be sure to tune in Sunday night at 10:00 p.m. on CNN for the debut of "The Wonder List." Bill Weir is going to follow amazing people. He's going to go to incredible places all around the world. Places that you have likely never seen.

So tune in, do not miss "The Wonder List".

CUOMO: Looks like plinko (ph).

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: The U.S. and Iran say they're making progress on a deal that would reportedly freeze Iran's nuclear activities for at least ten years. The deal already drawing criticism from both Congress and Israel.

Let's bring in Aaron David Miller. He's vice president for New Initiatives and distinguished scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Aaron, great to see you.

So, is this deal going to happen? March is the deadline. Are the U.S. and Iran going to have a deal?

AARON DAVID MILLER, VICE PRESIDENT, NEW INITIATIVES, WILSON CENTER: You know, I stopped making predictions a long time ago, Alisyn. I think all the trend lines, the investment each side has in the negotiations, the fact that you have a U.S. cabinet secretary, Ernest Moniz, involved, secretary of energy involved in the negotiations, the fact that Americans are reporting some progress out of Geneva, and they're reconvening again next week, all of these things indicate to me that there's a reasonable chance by the end of March that they'll be in agreement which lays out the basic provisions of an accord maybe to be concluded by June. At the latest, July.

CAMEROTA: Here are the basic provisions as we understand them at this point. Here, let me put them up on the screen. They would impose controls on uranium enrichment for at least 10 years in Iran.

After 10 years, slowly ease those restrictions on programs. That's one of the sticking points. Ship out or change the form of current enriched uranium. Limit production of centrifuges and restrict enriched stockpiles to a maximum of 700 pounds. What's the problem with the deal as it stands?

MILLER: Well, look, the basic problem is that our view has changed from our determination to eliminate Iran's capacity to enrich any uranium to an acceptance of perhaps the inevitable, that Iran already mastered the fuel cycle. They know how to run centrifuges and if left to their own devices they will accelerate and break out to the point where they'll be months away, as they are now, of producing a weapon.

There are no good deals here. Only deals with varying degrees of risk and uncertainty. If you could get a deal in which you have really intrusive inspections. If you could get a deal in which Iran for at least a year cannot break out or sneak out toward a weapon, and if you could get a deal with Congress's assurances that would impose additional sanctions, if Iran violate it is, or even triggers military action should they dash to a bomb.

Maybe then, maybe then you could reasonably assume that you will have bought time. But you'll never fundamentally assure yourself that Iran has given up its nuclear weapons aspirations.

CAMEROTA: But why have we given up on those deals? The scenarios that you just outlined, why has the U.S. given up on trying to get those?

MILLER: Because I think the reality is, the alternative, and this is the argument that the administration makes time and again. The alternative to no deal is almost certainly the acceleration of Iran's nuclear program, probably rifts within the community of nations that are imposing sanctions. And ultimately, either an Israeli military strike or the necessity of an American one.

I think the president, frankly, wants to prevent or preempt the necessity of the Israeli striking and I don't think he wants to strike. He does, however, want to leave office, having said that he fundamentally is constrained Iran's nuclear program. He may be able to accomplish that.

But a decade from now, Iran will literally be free to create an industrial-grade infrastructure and it's going to be very difficult it seems to mow without a fundamental change in the regime itself, ever to have the kinds of assurances that are Iran has given up its nuclear weapons aspirations.

I don't think they will. I think ultimately they would like to remain a screwdriver's turn away from a weapon.

CAMEROTA: And that's exactly why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not like this deal.

But I want to ask you about some interesting reporting. This is coming out of "The Guardian" and out of al Jazeera. CNN has not been able to independently confirm this.

However, they say there's a divide between the assessment of Iran's nuclear situation, between what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the U.N. where they had a bomb that was going to explode any minute and his own spy agency, the Mossad, that said the threat was not imminent.

So, was Benjamin Netanyahu overhyping this?

MILLER: Look, this isn't the first time that the prime minister has been at odds with both Shinbet, the internal security service, and Mossad, the so-called spy agency, and the issue of where Iran stands in terms of a weapon. And it's not the first time a politician perhaps committed in principle to stopping Iran from acquiring a weapon has either ignored or put the best, his best cast on intel, and on intelligence that really doesn't support the case.

CAMEROTA: So, was he wrong? So he was juicing the intelligence?

MILLER: I mean I think there was probably a degree of exaggeration in 2012. If in fact the al Jazeera "Guardian" reports are true. But the fact is, and I'm not here to paint a case on this point, but where we are now is where the prime minister argued we were in 2012, with Iranians several months away from the capacity of breaking out a weapon.

Where this thing is important, however, is Netanyahu's upcoming visit and speech to the joint meeting of Congress. He really needs to make sure that what he lays out is essentially validated, not only by this administration, but by his own political establishment and his intelligence.

CAMEROTA: Yes, Congress doesn't like being misled on intelligence any more.

MILLER: By anyone.

CAMEROTA: Yes, by anyone.

Aaron David Miller, it's always great to see you. Thanks for being here.

MILLER: Terrific, Alisyn. Thanks so much.

CAMEROTA: Sure. Let's go to Chris.

CUOMO: All right, Alisyn.

Closing arguments could begin in just a few hours in the "American Sniper" murder trial. We have what are the key points for the jury and the best cases for both sides. Take a listen and then you'd be the judge.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: All right. We know that closing arguments could begin as early as today in the "American Sniper" murder trial. We have these ice storms down in Texas we're telling you about, could cripple the entire process.

But here's what we also know -- what are they going to do on the key points in the fight for Eddie Ray Routh's defense? Will they be able to, the jury, find a way to get him into mental care? Or are they just going to see him as a plain old criminal?

Let's get to our legal panel, Joey Jackson, HLN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney, Paul Callan, CNN local analyst, whose a former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney.

All right. Now, in summations, the defense will go first. So, we'll make their big points.

You give me best take. We know what the points are. The first one is when we're dealing with Eddie Ray Routh, we're dealing with somebody who has said things that clearly describe mental illness. What are they going to say?

JOEY JACKSON, HLN LEGAL ANALYST: The reality is, is that something is amiss. The prosecution wants you to believe that is the jury that this person is troubled.

It's beyond troubled, Chris, it goes more. It goes to the issue of whether he's legally insane. Does he know right from wrong?

If you look at the statements and the statements indicating that, you know what, cannibals are coming to get me. I smell human flesh, there are pigs flying in our midst, they're eating out my soul. All of these speak to somebody who obviously has some type of condition. That condition is not only trouble, that condition is a man who doesn't and can't distinguish right from wrong.

CUOMO: And he's also been incarcerated before. He's had lots of other problems that lead to mental illness. The question is was he ill at the time.

JACKSON: Absolutely.

CUOMO: Now, the second big factor for you is going to be what's on display with this trial, with Chris Kyle's own efforts, PTS, mental illness, and what is done to our troops when they're out serving America.

So, what about that?

JACKSON: That's big, Chris, and let's talk about why. Look, the reality is you see things, you hear things You're exposed to things when you're in Iraq or when you're on humanitarian mission in Haiti that you're not otherwise exposed to. We all know his mother described him, people who knew him described him as a very happy go lucky person.

When he came back, he was not so happy go lucky. He was described as suicidal. That's not only in the description. You don't have to believe the family. But you can look at the evidence and the facts, institutionalized.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: Once voluntarily. Once involuntarily. PTS --

JACKSON: Four times.

CUOMO: Four times.

JACKSON: Yes.

CUOMO: But, you know, varying degrees of being held. But also, PTS, they backed off, the defense and smartly so, Paul Callan, because PTS, does not make people violent. This makes them withdrawn we don't want to create more stigma.

So, we move on to the prosecution. The big problem they have is the guy keeps saying it was wrong and he murdered people. What does that tell you, Paul Callan?

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, what it tells you is and I think you're going to see prosecutors in this case, they're going to start out by emphasizing the bravery of the two Navy SEALs, who were slaughtered in the case. They're going to build up sympathy for them and then focused on something very important, the rule of law.

They fought over in the Middle East about the rule of law. And that law says in Texas if you understand the consequences of your act, you understand was right or wrong, you are not legally insane. And they'll be emphasizing to jurors that everything the defendant said in this case, indicated he knew what he was doing was wrong and therefore he was not legally insane.

CUOMO: Now, the jury, I hope they don't like the two-tiered system for being mentally ill in this society. It's not good enough to be mentally ill, you have to prove it to a legal certainty in those circumstances, that goes to where we are culturally and the stigma of mental illness. But it's still the law.

And, Joey Jackson, this is narrow. There's another law on the books that Callan keeps pointing out and beat you over the head with it, which says, and if the prosecutor shows that, yes, by the way, you were high and you did that voluntarily, that negates your insanity defense altogether -- the big hurdles.

JACKSON: But let's address a couple of things. The first thing is we need to address the burden. The burden that the defense has is simply to show that is it more likely than not that he was insane. That's the standard, we call that in law, a preponderance of the evidence. And therefore the burden is a very fair one to meet.

The second issue, the issue on the intoxication, voluntary intoxication, voluntary drug use, is never a defense as it relates to your state of mind, but we had an expert testify here that it was not the intoxication that caused him to act and do what he did. It was the fact that he had a mental health history.

There are many who have mental health problems, who rely upon alcohol and drugs to what we call self-medicate.

CUOMO: Is that an excuse or an explanation?

JACKSON: It's an explanation, but it's an explanation that goes to show he was insane and was relying upon these things in order to make him feel better. They didn't motivate or cause him to do what he did.

CALLAN: Let me focus on this with a simpler analogy about voluntary intoxication.

If somebody was killed in a car accident by a drunken driver, the driver couldn't come into court and say, you can't prosecute me, I was under the influence of alcohol, and therefore couldn't form the intent to commit the crime.

So, the law says if you voluntarily use drugs or alcohol, to alter your state, that's not a defense. Now how does it factor in here? All of the doctors have said, his situation, Eddie Ray Routh's situation gets worse when he uses marijuana, when he uses alcohol. He's self-medicating and causing his own problems and the jury is going to be told, that's no defense in this case. Every time he gets into trouble, he's self-medicating.

JACKSON: Just for clarity purposes, all the doctors didn't say that Dr. Mitchell Dunn for the defense explicitly said that intoxication had nothing at all to do with his actions here. That's critical. The other thing here, in terms of people who were driving cars -- be clear here, do those people have mental health histories? Were they voluntarily and then involuntarily committed into constitutions? We're not talking about driving. We're talking about the act of --

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: Let's leave it when they actually make the arguments, I like that guys have the passion to go back and forth. I will tell what you I think is the biggest factor for the jury, they're not given the option of finding this man guilty by reason of insanity. Only not guilty by reason of insanity. They don't guilty by reason of insanity in Texas. That's a big factor here as well. It's going to weigh on their hearts and minds and the facts of law.

Gentlemen, Joey Jackson, Paul Callan, thank you.

JACKSON: Thank you, Chris.

CUOMO: One big story, a lot of others, let's get to the news.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: An American airlines jet slides off the taxiway.

CAMEROTA: More than 175 million people bracing for frigid and dangerously cold temperatures.

JEH JOHNSON, DHS SECRETARY: If our headquarters staff is cut back, that inhibits our ability to stay on top and challenges the homeland security.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This political showdown is heading for a shutdown.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Unless Congress acts, it will have an impact on America's national security.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People used to die, why wouldn't you want to save your child?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not going to inject him full of chemicals and risk of vaccine-induced damage.

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota and Michaela Pereira.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: Good morning, everyone. Welcome back to NEW DAY.

We have breaking news to tell you about, because of a powerful ice storm crippling the Dallas area this morning. This American Airlines flight you're about to see veered off an icy taxiway right after landing at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. None of the people on board were hurt.

But the extremely frigid weather is forcing hundreds of flights to be canceled at DFW and at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

CUOMO: Hundreds of people in wrecks blamed on icy weather. The commute this morning in the Southeast is going to be treacherous. We're not talking about time, we're talking about danger.

Take a look at this big rig -- it's literally hanging off the overpass in Dallas. Driver lost control, slid off the road. More than 175 million people will be somehow affected by this bone-chilling cold. And being cold is the least of it.

We have team coverage. Martin Savidge is in Stevensville, Texas.

Martin, what do we know from there?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Chris, you know, yesterday morning, it was a rough commute for people trying to go to work. It's going to be just that again this morning for many Texans.

Over my shoulder to the right, you might see the black ice glittering in the light. And that is the real danger. The temperature here in the 20s, but the wind chill bring it is down to the teens. It's the cold that's causing all the trouble.