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Second Prison Escapee Captured Miles from Canadian Border; Greece Shuts Down Banks to Prevent Collapse; Arab League Meeting on Terror Attacks. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired June 29, 2015 - 07:00   ET

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

SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This exclusive photo obtained by CNN moments after his capture shows Sweat bloodied and in full camouflage garb. You can see in this photo a wound to his chest.

MICHAEL DOYLE, RESIDENT, CONSTABLE, NEW YORK: I heard the shots, and I ran out with my phone. All of a sudden, the cops just swarmed like bees.

GANIM: Sweat was spotted Sunday afternoon by New York State Police Sergeant Jay Cook during a routine patrol, less than two miles from the Canadian border.

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO, NEW YORK: He was alone when this happened. I said, "Well, you go home tonight and tell your daughters that you're a hero."

GANIM: The fugitive was jogging along the road when Cook spotted him. That's when Sweat took off, nearly making it back into the woods before Sergeant Cook opened fire.

JOSEPH D'AMICO, NEW YORK STATE POLICE SUPERINTENDENT: The terrain is so dense, you can't see five feet in front of you. If Sweat made the tree line, you know, he would have been gone.

GANIM: Investigators say Sweat and his now-deceased partner in crime, Richard Matt, used pepper to try to throw off police tracking dogs.

D'AMICO: We did have difficulty tracking, so you know, it was fairly effective in that respect.

GANIM: The dramatic capture coming 48 hours after Matt, armed with a shotgun, was killed in a shootout with police.

A. CUOMO: It was an extraordinary circumstance and the first escape in over 100 years, but one escape is one escape too many.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GANIM: Now, Chris, law enforcement saying that, because of where he was found, about two miles south of the Canadian border, they do believe that that's where he was headed. Just to give you some perspective, too, he was about 16 miles away from where his partner, Richard Matt was shot and killed on Friday. He was unarmed. However, police authorities here are very happy that he was kept

alive, because that is going to be key. And here at the hospital, Chris, they're working, trauma doctors, cardiovascular doctors, working to keep him alive so they can interview him.

C. CUOMO: All right, Sara, thank you very much. So many questions surrounding how they got out and how they stayed there. But you know, we talk about three weeks on the loose like it was such a long time. But it could have been years, people from that area say, given the type of terrain they were dealing with. So how did they do it? We have new details on the key clues and strategy that took law enforcement literally from one end of New York to the edge of Canada.

CNN's Polo Sandoval has for that in Malone, New York -- Polo.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Chris. Good morning.

I think it's safe to say, really, Sweat was close to slipping away, very close. In fact, the field behind me is where Sweat and that police sergeant locked eyes yesterday, his arrest going down, really, not far from where we're standing.

Off in the distance, you're able to see, at least to make out a tree line. Only about a mile and a half north of that is the U.S./Canadian border. So there was some very real concern that he'd be able to slip away. But instead, a couple of shots changed everything, wounding David Sweat, and now leading to this much-anticipated headline and, really, much relief for these people in these communities.

And it's not just being felt here but about four hours' south of here in Broome County, with the family of Kevin Tarsia. He's a Broome County sheriff's deputy who was brutally murdered back in 2002 by David Sweat. This morning, his family is speaking out, expressing not only their relief but also their appreciation. This quote, I'd like to read a portion of it here.

They're saying, quote, "We would like to express our sincerest thanks to the thousands of law enforcement officers who have worked tirelessly over the past three weeks. We are certain that Kevin was with you all, keeping you safe through this process."

Because really, Alisyn, the last three weeks have been personal for this family. For the people in these communities, it's truly been extraordinary.

CAMEROTA: Absolutely. Nerve-wracking for everyone involved. Polo, thanks for that.

We want to bring in now former sergeant Jeff Dumas. He recently retired from the Clinton Correctional Facility. He knows it well.

Mr. Dumas, thanks so much for being here. Are you surprised by how the capture ultimately went down?

JEFF DUMAS, RETIRED SERGEANT FROM CLINTON CORRECTIONAL FACILITY: No. Those officers out there did an outstanding job. The Border Patrol tactical unit and the state police sergeant, it's wonderful. You can't ask for anything better than that.

CAMEROTA: There is a question this morning as to whether or not David Sweat, the captured fugitive, will survive. He's in critical condition. You have a concern that, if he survives, and if he starts talking, the information may not be trustworthy. In your experience, what will he tell investigators?

DUMAS: Well, that's what you have to worry about is what's in it for him? If he is going to tell the truth, we've had in the past inmates that have escaped who have never, ever told us, and they've kept it inside the whole time. We will see if this guy is narcissistic, if he has that type of ego that he wants to display everything that he's done and actually tell the truth, or if he's going to mislead investigators and just play a game to entertain himself while he's locked in.

[07:05:08] CAMEROTA: Right. Because really, what is in it for him to talk?

DUMAS: The only thing that's in it for him is a -- it's a bargaining chip for him now. Within the department, he's going to be locked into his cell 23 out of 24 hours a day in solitary confinement. So it's a bargaining tool for him. He's going to try to use that chip with New York state so that he -- he isn't locked in 23 out of 24 for an extended period of time.

Typically, something like this, he's probably going to get seven to 12 years of solitary confinement. He will use that as a bargaining chip to try to get out early.

CAMEROTA: Is that right? So after a prisoner escapes, generally, they would get seven to 12 years of solitary confinement as punishment?

DUMAS: Yes, it's going to be a disciplinary hearing within the Department of Corrections. And they will sanction him accordingly for what he did. And obviously, that is for reasons of safety and security.

If we have a threat who can escape a maximum-security facility, he needs special attention. He needs a special cell. That's where he's going to go.

CAMEROTA: OK. But you're saying that if he talks, he can somehow avoid that stretch of solitary confinement?

DUMAS: He won't avoid all of it, but he may avoid some of it. It all depends on New York state and how they bargain with this guy, how they speak to him.

CAMEROTA: And you say that the big -- the big sort of deciding factor, in your experience, because you've dealt with escapees before, is ego?

DUMAS: Yes, absolutely. Morgan and Vale in 2003, as soon as they were caught, their ego went right through the roof. They were more than willing to tell us everything that they did. They were so proud of themselves. And they wanted to make the department and that facility look like they won; they beat them at that game.

So, now we have Sweat in custody. We will see what he's going to be, what his personality is going to be like.

CAMEROTA: So do you anticipate more charges against prison guards? So far Gene Palmer, one of the prison guards, has been charged, as well as Joyce Mitchell, of course, who you know, who worked in the tailor shop. Do you think that this is bigger than those two?

DUMAS: It is bigger than those two, but I'm not sure if anybody else is going to be arrested. I say that it's bigger in that the policies that have run the facility, have fun all of the prisons in New York, those need to be changed.

CAMEROTA: Like what? What's wrong with those policies?

DUMAS: Well, you had the honor block. So, hopefully, the honor block for a maximum-security facility of 3,000 inmates like Sweat and Matt, hopefully the honor blocks go away. There is no need for that.

You have the policies of using inmate labor in the catwalks, down in the tunnels. There's no reason for those individuals to be used for labor purposes to save a dollar. Bring in civilians, plumbers, electricians. Let those gentlemen fix the problems inside the facility, and give the inmates just simple jobs around the facility, inside.

You know, New York state says that they're going to rehabilitate these guys...

CAMEROTA: Right.

DUMAS: ... by giving them a job. No, you're giving them access to crucial parts of the facility.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

DUMAS: And those security things, those help them significantly.

CAMEROTA: Jeff Dumas, great information. Thanks so much for being on NEW DAY and sharing your expertise. It's so helpful to have someone who worked at the Clinton Correctional Facility. Thanks so much.

And we will raise all of these issues in just a few minutes when we speak more about this case with New York's governor, Andrew Cuomo.

Let's go back to Chris.

C. CUOMO: So if you think what happened with the prison escape here in New York is unique, think again. To North Carolina we go, where 29-year-old convicted killer Kristopher Antonio McNeil broke out of the Brown Creek Correctional Facility on Saturday, allegedly with the help of a kitchen worker. Sound familiar? McNeil was back behind bars Sunday night. That's the big difference

there. However, the woman you're looking at, the worker, Kendra Lynette Miller, also in custody, charged with three big no-no's: aiding and abetting a fugitive, harboring a fugitive, and having sex with an inmate.

CAMEROTA: All right. Turning now to the crippling debt crisis in Greece. The cash-strapped country could default in just less than 24 hours. And officials are scrambling to do anything they can to stop it.

CNN business correspondent Richard Quest is live with the latest in Athens. What's the scene there, Richard?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon from Athens, where it is now lunchtime, just after 2 p.m. in the afternoon.

If you want to know what a bank run looks like, this is what happens -- happening in Greece at the moment. Most of the people in this line behind me, they are Greek citizens trying to take money out of the bank. But overnight, of course, the banking system has been shut down. The stock market is closed, and the people here are being restricted to just 60 euros a day. Now, that works out to about $67 a day is all they are allowed to take out for the time being.

[07:10:25] The reason, of course, Alisyn, that talks with the other European countries broke down. The bailout expires tomorrow night. Greece is about to default on more than a billion of debt to the IMF, and the country is to have a referendum on its future next Sunday.

Put all this together, and you see a sense of crisis. But here is the interesting thing, Alisyn. There is no -- it's surreal here in Athens, because although people are restricted on the amount of money they can take and although they have no idea about their financial future, business is going ahead. The shops are open, and Athens people are on the street.

C. CUOMO: A new normal that they hope doesn't last that long. Richard Quest, thank you so much. We'll check back in with you.

Also today in Cairo, the Arab League is holding an emergency meeting to discuss the repercussions of Friday's terror attacks in Kuwait and Tunisia. This as new details emerge about the gunman who killed 38 beachgoers in Tunisia before authorities took him out.

So let's get to CNN senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh. He got access to the Tunisian hotel where this all erupted Friday, and he joins us right now -- Nick.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Chris.

Some important breaking new details, though, about that gunman, Seif al-Rezgui, who marauded through that hotel on Friday killing 38, 30 of them British. We're hearing from the prime minister speaking to my colleague, Becky Anderson. He says, clearly, that this man, they believe, acted alone, had some accomplices. There is no outright link to ISIS that they are aware of at this stage. They are examining his colleagues at university, six or seven, potentially, there who may have introduced him to radicalism.

But they think he was radicalized online, importantly. There's no question he traveled abroad to neighboring Libya, where ISIS have a strong presence, to get any training. No suggestion, although they can't necessarily rule it out.

But behind me here, we have the interior ministers of the U.K., Tunisia and France about to give a press conference. I saw the British home secretary down by the pool (ph), talking to British citizens, applauding their decision to stay on.

Here is what we heard from one German tourist who, remarkably, decided to carry on his holiday behind me. He witnessed the attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FOLKER SCHUMACHER, TOURIST FROM GERMANY: Suddenly, it is explosions. Da-da-da-da-da-da. And smoke. Smoke. And I look to my wife, hurry up, hurry up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH: Now, the other question the prime minister raised was who was the man who drove the gunman to the hotel here? That's a key lead in their investigation. A big question, though.

ISIS claimed responsibility. They put up an authentic picture of the gunman up with that statement. Were they involved in the fore planning, or is this opportunism again from the group across the border inside Libya? That question to be answered in the minutes following by the interior minister, potentially, in the press conference in the hotel behind me.

CAMEROTA: OK, Nick. Keep us posted on those answers. Nick Paton Walsh, thank you.

And the deadline for a deal with Iran is tomorrow. And senior U.S. officials tell us that it is not going to happen, at least not tomorrow. But just like the last deadline, all sides say they will remain at the negotiating table for as long as it takes. So officials say there are a number of, quote, "unresolved issues" and that word coming that the Iranian foreign minister returning home to Tehran for 24 hours of consultation.

C. CUOMO: In the U.S., LGBT rights are being celebrated. You're looking at Turkey, and it's a very different scene. This is the Turkish police, using tear gas and water cannons to break up the gay pride parade in Istanbul. Thousands of people in attendance Sunday, despite warnings from police not to march because of the holy month of Ramadan. But this annual event in Istanbul is considered the largest gay pride parade in the Muslim world. And they went forward, and this happened. CAMEROTA: Funeral services today for another victim of the church massacre in Charleston, South Carolina. Myra Thompson is the eight victim to be laid to rest. Four other funerals took place over the weekend.

Meanwhile, the woman arrested Saturday for trying to take down the Confederate flag on capitol grounds in Charleston, in defiance of police on the ground, she remains free on bond this morning.

All right. So upstate New York can rest easy this morning. Two murderers who broke out of prison have been neutralized, as they say. We're talking live with Governor Andrew Cuomo about the end of the manhunt.

C. CUOMO: Plus, despite the Supreme Court ruling, the fight for LGBT rights is far from over. In fact, even gay marriage will still meet opposition.

[07:15:05] Right now, conservatives are lobbying Congress to take a dramatic, some say desperate action against it. One of those fighting the fight joins us next. We'll test it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: Fugitive David Sweat in an Albany hospital this morning. He was captured nearly a month after escaping from prison. And he got within two miles of the Canadian border before being shot by a New York State Police officer.

So joining us this morning with all the developments is New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Governor, thanks so much for being here. What an ordeal these past 22 days have been. How relieved are you this morning?

A. CUOMO: Tremendously so, Alisyn. You know, you have to remember from a governor's point of view, state management point of view, running a prison is probably one of the most challenging aspects of the job and one of the most frightening.

A prison can have a major problem where people lose their life. It can happen overnight. We had the Attica Prison uprising in New York during my father's time. We had the Ossining Prison uprising, Sing- Sing as it's called. So it's frightening.

[07:20:10] We've never had anything like this before. This is Dannemora State Prison. It's one of the toughest prisons in the state, 100 years old. No one had ever escaped before this escape. One hundred years.

And this was peculiar on every level. They had facilitators. They had cooperators. So it was really fascinating. But at least it ended well. These were very dangerous individuals.

CAMEROTA: Absolutely.

A. CUOMO: No one got hurt, and no law enforcement got hurt. That was a big deal.

CAMEROTA: And no -- no one -- no residents in that whole area. Which obviously, everyone was afraid of.

But I want to ask you about David Sweat's capture, because he was shot by the New York State Police officer. And he looked conscious. And he looked sort of OK in the moments after his capture. But we understand that s condition has been downgraded. Can you tell us if he's conscious and in critical condition this morning?

A. CUOMO: He is in what they're calling critical, but stable, Alisyn.

He was approached by a lone New York State trooper who was a sergeant, Trooper Cook, whom I spoke with last night. And Trooper Cook saw someone on the road. He stopped his vehicle. He got out. He questioned Sweat. He recognized Sweat. They'd been watching the photos, obviously for three weeks now. He challenged, is the appropriate term, Sweat.

Sweat turned around, started to run. The state -- state trooper sergeant chased him through the field. They were only a mile and a half from the Canadian border. Sweat was headed for the border and a tree line. The trooper knew he would lose him in a tree line. He couldn't catch Sweat. At one point, he goes down on one knee, and he fires two shots at Sweat, stopping Sweat.

You then see the pictures of Sweat. He was conscious; he was coherent. His condition, later on, deteriorated to critical but stable. He was wearing camouflage gear; he had a bag.

CAMEROTA: Yes, we see that. And while he was conscious, was he able to provide investigators any answers?

A. CUOMO: No, they didn't really question him. They were more concerned with his medical health.

But he had a bag with him that had a number of supplies. He had maps. He had a certain amount of tools, bug repellent. He had wipes. He had Pop-Tarts, which interestingly is also the breakfast of Christopher.

So, he had a number of items in the backpack, which part of the investigation, we want to find out where they got them. Was that planned before? Did he acquire that after his escape? So we still want -- there's an ongoing investigation to find out exactly how they did this and the extent of cooperation they received from the people in the prison.

CAMEROTA: And so Governor, if he dies, before you are able to ask that question, how will you figure out what needs to be fixed in that prison?

A. CUOMO: Well, we have two people in custody. We have the woman, Mitchell, who believed she had a romantic affair with either one or both of the escapees, and she facilitated their escape. She put the hacksaw in the ground beef that a correction officer transported to the prison. And the hacksaw is how they got out of the cell.

Once they got out of the cell, they got into the catwalks. Once they were in the catwalks, luckily, from their point of view, they found a -- what's called a job box. A very large steel box...

CAMEROTA: Yes.

A. CUOMO: ... used by contractors to keep their tools. It was locked. But one of them was a burglar, so they could pick the lock. They opened the job box, there was every tool that you could imagine in the job box. They used those tools to actually do the escape.

CAMEROTA: Governor, we only have a few seconds left, but I just -- we got a tip. And I just want to check it out with you. Is it true that, when you got the word that Richard Matt was killed, that you were actually fishing at that time?

A. CUOMO: I'm sorry?

CAMEROTA: Is it true...

A. CUOMO: I'm sorry, the audio has gone dead, Alisyn. I didn't hear you.

CAMEROTA: No, it has not gone dead. Is it true that you were fishing, because the source that we have here says that you're posing with what is an impressively large fish, but that that was not what you caught. You're actually just posing with that fish that somebody else caught. True or false?

[07:25:03] A. CUOMO: Oh, that is totally -- that is totally false. And that source, I would just disqualify that source from any other information. Because that is so specious, it's actually breathtaking. My breath has been taken right now, as I sit here.

CAMEROTA: OK. Good to know. Well, Governor, thanks so much. We know you're so relieved. We appreciate all of the information that you've given us, and looks like you had an impressive weekend out there fishing. So thanks for joining us on NEW DAY.

A. CUOMO: We caught a number of things this weekend. It was all good.

CAMEROTA: That's right. Yes, very good. You were on quite a roll. Excellent.

C. CUOMO: Good line.

CAMEROTA: Thanks, Governor.

C. CUOMO: You notice he wasn't holding the fish in his hand. He was holding it with a grip. It's a violation of man law, by the way.

CAMEROTA: I didn't know that.

C. CUOMO: Just so you know. CAMEROTA: Got it.

C. CUOMO: From that governor to one that who would certainly hold a fish with his hand, Chris Christie. He's about to become the 14th Republican to join the 2016 race. So what are his chances? What does he know that makes him confident despite the polls? John King has a look "Inside Politics."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

C. CUOMO: This morning, Greece is in the headlines and for bad reason. It is taking desperate measure to keep its economy from going belly up. Banks there will be shut down all week. There will be a limit on withdrawals and ATMs. All of this after debt negotiations with the nation's creditors broke down. The country could see a default as early as tomorrow. It could even be expelled from the Euro Zone.

CAMEROTA: Donald Trump is out at NBC's "The Apprentice," reportedly so he can run for president. But Trump's critics hope that the move is permanent. Nearly 200,000 people have signed a petition for NBC to cut ties with Trump after controversial remarks that he made about Mexicans during his presidential announcement speech.

C. CUOMO: Time for "Inside Politics" on NEW DAY with Mr. John King.

Hey, John.

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT/ANCHOR: Nice fish there, Mr. Cuomo. How did you do? I saw how your brother did. How did you do?

C. CUOMO: All I'm saying is just because he's holding the fish doesn't mean he caught the fish, and he wasn't even really holding the fish.