Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Jobless Rate Drops; Disabled Women Sexually Assaulted; Actor/Activist Matt Dillon Makes Documentary About Sudan; Suspicious Envelopes Discovered in Washington D.C.; Sisters Released From Jail In Mississippi
Aired January 07, 2011 - 14:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Ali, thank you.
We are standing by for this news conference out of Mississippi where we're expecting to see those two sisters who spent 16 years in prison. They were released just a couple of hours ago, but here's the caveat, the younger sister in this situation needs to give her kidney to her elder sister. So if we hear from the women, which we are anticipating, of course, we'll take that right away here live here on CNN.
We are also, dare I say, bracing for more snow and ice. Chad Myers will be joining me in a couple of minutes for that.
And we've been told by police in California today there are major developments in the case of some sick, sick criminals who assaulted several developmentally disabled women and videotaped it. Some new twists to that case. Casey Wian is all over that.
But first, you may have heard this by now here, the jobless rate is down, down to its lowest point in some 18 months. But here's the part you might have missed, I want to play a snippet from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. Listen closely.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN BERNANKE, CHAIRMAN, FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD: We have seen increased evidence that a self-sustaining recovery in consumer and business spending may be taking hold. Business investment and new equipment and software has grown robustly in recent quarters, albeit from a fairly lower level, as firms replaced aging equipment and made investments that had been delayed during the downturn.
Overall the pace of economic recovery seems likely to be moderately stronger in 2011 than it was in 2010.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: A-ha. So, Ali Velshi, we hear from the Fed chief self sustaining recovery. Is the economy better than we think it is?
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: So self-sustaining economy is what we think of as a normal economy, right? Where you buy things, it creates demand, that demand means that somebody has to hire somebody who then buys more stuff and pays taxes --
BALDWIN: Naturally self-sustaining.
VELSHI: -- and you don't need government putting money in. So he's talking about that.
Now, the interesting thing is, most people look at this economy and this jobless number and see 15 million people unemployed, 8 million put out of work by the recession and say, how can this possibly be true.
But when you take out the unemployment part of things, we have low interest rates.
BALDWIN: Mm-hmm.
VELSHI: We have got profitable companies. We have got debt being paid down, people's savings rate improving from zero in 2005 to 6 percent or 6 percent now, people starting to spend more, demand going up, so -- and the stock market going up.
BALDWIN: Right.
VELSHI: So, all of these other things about the economy are working. The jobs are not coming back. And that's -- that's why people feel --
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: That's the thing. So, the economy, you know, could go gangbusters --
VELSHI: And you could have a lot of unemployed people.
BALDWIN: But what everyone is sitting there wondering about is, well, what about the job creation?
VELSHI: Right. And this is where the reality becomes, my economy doesn't look like that.
BALDWIN: Right.
VELSHI: The big economy -- someone is making money. There's lots of economic activity. Why is it not filtering down? And that's dangerous for society, because it becomes the haves and the have-nots.
BALDWIN: OK.
VELSHI: So, that's why. So, the large signals of the economy is that we're actually recovering faster it looks, but jobs, we're not.
BALDWIN: Ali Velshi, thank you. Good luck catching that flight heading northward.
VELSHI: Thank you.
BALDWIN: Friend, good luck.
Also, we're not done talking about this, folks. We're going to be speaking with Rana Foroohar. She is with "TIME" magazine. I will be talking to her about where the jobs are and where the jobs aren't. That's coming up in about half-an-hour.
Also, today, a disturbing story developing out of California, evidence of heinous attacks against the most vulnerable of victims is surfacing. I'm talking about men suspected of sexually assaulting developmentally disabled women.
And there are videos. Videos of these alleged assaults were anonymously dropped off at the sheriff's department, 13 DVDs full of images that have police in L.A. disgusted and determined to identify these guys, bring them in.
Police went public with all of this yesterday. They have been asking for your help, the public's help. And not even one day later, a huge break in the case.
CNN's Casey Wian been all over this for us today, joins me from Monterey Park there in California.
And, Casey, I mean, this is a sick story. And when we heard about this whole Las Vegas twist, I mean, it has even like hardened investigators in California disgusted.
What's the story?
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brooke, it's really bizarre.
We have got 100 hours of videotape and, as you mentioned, on 13 DVDs anonymously sent to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. They have identified eight victims, developmentally disabled victims, they believe in a residential care facility.
They have identified 10 different suspects who sexually assaulted these victims and videotaped it. And, as we mentioned, these images were so disgusting, it disturbed even veteran sheriff's investigators.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DETECTIVE RON ANDERSON, LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: I was floored. I have seen a lot of terrible, terrible imagery in my current assignment that have involved children and all kinds of other, you know, hideous things, but this was amongst the most heinous that I have ever seen, poor defenseless people who can't cry out for help or fend off an attacker.
And what I saw were just these poor people lying there being victimized in the most terrible way I have ever seen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIAN: Now, until late last night, the only lead investigators had had in this case for months was a letter that they received along with these anonymous videos. And -- and that letter was from a computer technician who said he was hired to scrub the hard drive of a P.C. that someone bought, he said, from a crack dealer in Inglewood for $20.
Well, they now have new leads in the case and the identification of two suspects. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. DAN SCOTT, LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: We got a call from detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department who recognized two of our suspects.
They had cases in 2007 and 2009 at residential care centers, and those cases involved neglect and the fiduciary crimes, along with sexual assault. They were unaware of the videos, and actually got a conviction on one of our suspects. And the other one was not filed upon by the district attorney for lack of evidence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIAN: Now, there's plenty of evidence on videotape now. And L.A. County Sheriff's department investigators are communicating with the Los Angeles Police Department, putting these cases together.
And, Brooke, one of the more bizarre aspects of this, the sheriffs tells me that the LAPD investigators say that one of two suspects that they have now in custody actually took one of these victims to Las Vegas, married her, brought her back to the residential care facility, where she was then assaulted sexually by several other men.
It's really bizarre.
BALDWIN: It's bizarre and it's disgusting, quite frankly.
Casey, so, we know they think they have the identities of two of these men. What about the other men? What about possible arrests? Are they close at all?
WIAN: Well, they think they're a lot closer now. They believe they are going to be able to apprehend all of these other suspect because they have the identities of two men.
They also believe that they're hoping to identify the victims. As you can imagine, people throughout Southern California have been contacting the sheriff's department, wondering if their relatives, if their loved ones may have been victimized in this case.
So, they're very anxious to identify not only these suspects, but the victims and any other additional victims that may be out there.
BALDWIN: And, so, just so I'm clear, they think, some of these detectives think that some of these alleged assaults happened in some of these facilities. Are there any reports? I mean, how do they even go about questioning possible, you know, reports of assault in the past? California's a big state. How do they begin that investigation?
WIAN: Well, like they said, they have got the LAPD's investigation right now.
So, they believe they know at least one of these residential care facilities where these events took place. They hope that can lead them to others. They have been spending weeks and weeks analyzing these videotapes, looking at things like the furniture and the -- what was on the walls, trying to identify these facilities.
BALDWIN: Uh-huh.
WIAN: So far, they have -- they have not been able to do it. Some of them may even be closed. We don't know. But they're a lot closer to identifying them. They think over the next several days and perhaps weeks, they're going to find out where these events happened, who did them, and who were the victims -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: Casey Wian in California for us -- Casey, thank you.
Also, want to remind you we're watching, we're waiting for this news conference. It should happen any minute. Or perhaps this is someone who started it. You guys can tell me in my ear.
But this is a news conference for the Scott sisters. Remember Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour suspended their sentence. They have been in prison for some 16 years for this armed robbery over 11 bucks. They have been released pending this whole situation, the fact that one of the sister has to give the other sister a kidney.
So, we're hoping, we're watching, we're waiting for those two Scott sisters to speak. When that happens, we will take it live.
Also, this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We came back here on June 18 and there was nobody in town. It was empty. It wasn't even a -- there was nothing left.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: We have been talking a lot about Sudan recently. It's a region suffering from poverty and violence. But there is hope. Matt Dillon joins me live to talk by -- about why Sudan, what's happening here in the next week in Sudan, and -- and what could really mark this monumental change. That is ahead.
Also, dare I say, here we go again. New Yorkers blasted city leaders for that whole debacle over the blizzard cleanup. And now it looks like the city getting hit again. We're tracking the storm next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Just a reminder. We are watching and waiting to see if those Scott sisters will be speaking at this news conference in Jackson, Mississippi. They have just gotten out of prison this morning. We're hoping they will speak. If they do, we will bring it to you live.
Also this, got a couple other stories happening right now.
Students back at a school in Omaha, Nebraska, just two days after a classmate opened fire. You remember, this situation unfolded right here on this newscast. The senior turned the gun on himself after shooting his principal and killing the assistant principal. The gunman had recently transferred to that school.
And security being beefed up at subway stations and airports in London. We're told the alert level is being raised as a precaution. There's no threat of an imminent terror attack. Counterterrorism officials have said for months and months here that al Qaeda may be planning attacks like the coordinated strike that killed 164 people, you remember, Mumbai right around Thanksgiving two years ago.
The London subway has certainly been targeted before. Suicide bombers killed 52 people in three train stations back in 2005.
And I know, feeling a little bit like deja vu for a lot of you in the Northeast, dozens of flights already canceled for the weekend ahead of this massive snow system heading eastward.
Chad Myers is with me now.
Dare I ask, sir, how bad will it be?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: What you see is what you get.
BALDWIN: What is that supposed to mean?
MYERS: Which means it's about done for New York City.
BALDWIN: It's about done?
MYERS: Three to four inches of snow on the ground.
But you know what the best part about the snow in the city? It gets quiet.
(LAUGHTER)
MYERS: The city, all of a sudden, the rat race of New York City gets quiet.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Quiet and peaceful.
(CROSSTALK) BALDWIN: And hopefully the plows and everyone --
MYERS: There's a shot looking to the northeast up. The other side, you can see Central Park East there on the other side. We have one more shot looking out toward the river.
BALDWIN: Mm-hmm.
MYERS: And that shot, you see all of the snow on top of the buildings.
But, you know, it's where do you set your standards? Two weeks ago, three inches of snow would have paralyzed New York City.
BALDWIN: Mm-hmm.
MYERS: Now, after a 20-inch snowfall, three is like whatever.
BALDWIN: This is night.
MYERS: Just get a broom, right?
(LAUGHTER)
MYERS: OK.
So they're dealing with it much better today than they were dealing with -- obviously, the snow -- the snow stopped in time. Now, there will be other pieces of snow come by and by and by. This is a kind of two-day event, but no more inches of snow in the city.
BALDWIN: OK.
MYERS: The snow comes to Atlanta.
BALDWIN: That's what I heard.
MYERS: Are you ready?
BALDWIN: When we say snow, friend, are we really meaning snow or are we saying ice or --
MYERS: Well, it will be both. It will start as snow and then will be some sleet on top.
BALDWIN: OK.
MYERS: But that's OK, rather than a sheet of ice that -- usually Atlanta gets ice storms, right?
BALDWIN: OK.
MYERS: Atlanta, it normally starts when it's 31 degrees.
BALDWIN: Hey, I'm from here, so I'm allowed to ask. When you say snow, we freak out if it's not really snow. (CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
MYERS: All of a sudden we're playing bumper cars on the beltway.
BALDWIN: Oh.
MYERS: Anyway, the snow here from Lexington and Indianapolis is all current right now. The snow is ending in New York City. That's why the visibility on those shots was so, in fact, pretty.
For a while today, you couldn't even see the ground. The snow was coming down, reports of about three to four inches in the Bronx. It's snowing, though, in Connecticut and on Long Island. That will continue for most of the afternoon, two to five inches the norm right now across New York City, but five to 10 on up into the Adirondacks and in the Catskills.
That's where the now is today and tonight. The snow for Monday morning, it's here. We will keep you up to date -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: All right, Chad, thank you.
MYERS: OK.
BALDWIN: Also, the unemployment rate, you have seen the number today -- I'm sure you have -- it is down. But who is hiring, where are the jobs, and which jobs will never, ever come back? You're going to find out. That is ahead.
Also, most politicians who smoke usually have, you know, a rehearsed answer about how they're trying to quit, right? But apparently so not much the case with our new speaker of the House. Jessica Yellin is standing by. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Welcome back.
OK, before we get to Jessica, I want to show you John Boehner, you know, the new House speaker, John Boehner, being quizzed about his smoking habit by NBC's Brian Williams. Here is the speaker.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: It just is what it is. That's my take on it. You know, it's a bad habit. I wish I didn't have it, but I have it.
BRIAN WILLIAMS, HOST, "NBC NIGHTLY NEWS": Have you tried to quit?
BOEHNER: I have tried to quit from time to time, but not for a while.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: He says, it is what it is.
OK. So, Mr. Boehner smokes, the president smokes -- or he used to smoke. I know, it's hard to keep up. So, let's all say it once and for all: That's a no-no.
Let's move on.
The White House shuffle, another day, another big appointment, another Clintonista, Gene Sperling named today by President Obama to head the National Economic Council. Here is the president on Gene Sperling.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He's done this before. This is his second tour of duty heading up the NEC. And in his tenure in the Clinton administration during the late '90s, he helped formulate the policies that contributed to turning deficits to surpluses and a time of prosperity and progress for American families in a sustained way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Let's go to Jessica Yellin in Washington, our national political correspondent in Washington.
So, Jessica, yesterday, we had William Daley, today Gene Sperling. Who's tomorrow? James Carville?
(LAUGHTER)
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, I think he works here.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: I do, too.
(CROSSTALK)
YELLIN: Yes, right. There are a lot of Clintonites around, Brooke.
But, you know, the knock on the White House has been that the president kept too many campaign insiders around, without mixing in some old hands. So maybe he's trying to break up the bubble a little bit, at least with Daley.
Really, what is next is choosing a press secretary to replace Robert Gibbs.
BALDWIN: Hmm.
YELLIN: And then my sources say you should expect Daley to bring in just a few select people that he's worked with before who could add fresh eyes to the White House mix.
BALDWIN: Now, you and I didn't get to talk about William Daley, but a lot of other folks are.
And I want you to look at this. We have sort of compiled a list of names. You have Karl Rove, "Wall Street Journal"'s Jamie Dimon. You also have the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. So, that's the pro side there. They have all, you know, come out, said nice things about William Daley.
And then you have the con side on the right side saying not-so- nice things. You have the unions, MoveOn.org, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow.
So, something, Jessica, perhaps a bit backwards here.
YELLIN: Right.
BALDWIN: Help me out.
YELLIN: Well, look, progressives, some are upset because Daley has been a Wall Street guy and he's a centrist. He helped put -- push NAFTA through Congress, which labor unions don't love. And they're worried that he will move the president to the right.
And then on the other hand, some Republicans do like Daley because they're hopeful he will help repair relations with the business community. But, Brooke, I should point out that it's not just Republicans who are giving praise.
Howard Dean, who's the progressive hero --
BALDWIN: Ah.
YELLIN: -- is giving Daley a huge thumbs-up himself, and so are many Democrats that I'm talking to.
So here's the bottom line. The folks I talk to say that -- these are Daley supporters. They think that's he's just what the White House needs to start functioning better as an operation, that he's a strong manager, decisive, professional. He's run a campaign. He's negotiated under pressure with Congress.
And, look, they're hopeful that he will help the White House work in a strategic way, rather than reacting to daily events. And then finally as Howard Dean points out, he's a respectful person. He's known to listen to all sides, which could help the White House actually repair relationships with the left, maybe even some on the right.
BALDWIN: There's a lot to be said for that, right, being a respectful person.
YELLIN: Right.
BALDWIN: So, that's the bottom line on Daley, Jessica.
What about the bottom line on this guy appointed today, Gene Sperling? What does he bring to the dance?
YELLIN: Well, first of all, Sperling is an exceptionally hardworking person. You cannot talk about him without acknowledging that it has been a joke since the Clinton administration that he takes pride in being the last to go home at night, well after midnight.
He is truly a dedicated worker. And Democrats who know and like him explain that his strength is basically understanding how to bring politics, economics and policy together and then communicate the policy message.
Now, clearly, the White House needs people who can talk about the economy persuasively and he's got good at that. His predecessor, Larry Summers, he was not known for his people or his communication skills.
BALDWIN: Hmm.
YELLIN: And the prior team, you could say they were a crisis response team dealing with the recession. This team is supposed to help make the process work better going forward.
And, finally, you know, both Daley and Sperling know what it's like to work for a Democratic White House with a Republican Congress.
BALDWIN: Hmm.
YELLIN: So they have kind of been in this dance before.
BALDWIN: Interesting. Well, thanks for the backstory on both these guys.
Jessica Yellin, thank you. Have a wonderful weekend.
YELLIN: Thanks. You, too.
BALDWIN: They spent 16 years behind bars for a robbery and now these sisters in Mississippi, they are free. Here's the catch. One of them has to give the other a kidney. We're still waiting for them to speak at this news conference. We will bring that to you if we see that happen.
Also, this story was breaking right here on this newscast, so who sent those two packages, those incendiary devices to state offices in Maryland? That manhunt is still on. But there is word today of a motive. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: We want to get you this live picture. We have the two Scott sisters. They have now just been escorted into this room in Jackson, Mississippi.
These are the two sisters who were freed of -- I shouldn't say freed. Their -- their sentences were suspended by the Mississippi governor, so they were released from prison this morning. They had been behind bars for 16 years. So this is Gladys and Jamie Scott.
And the whole catch with this story -- and we were reporting this to you, I think it was just last week, maybe two weeks ago -- is the fact that the Mississippi governor, Haley Barbour, suspended their sentences, but the caveat is that one of the sisters has to give her gravely ill sister a kidney.
We have Marty Savidge, one of our CNN correspondents, there who is sitting in. He's going to listen in. We're hoping -- we're -- we have got a lot of people watching this news conference, so we're going to see if they're going to speak.
Gladys is in the purple. Jamie is in the pink.
Thank you, Angie.
Shall we -- shall we -- Ben Jealous with the NAACP has just walked in as well. And he's come forward, very pleased that the Mississippi governor has, you know, suspended their sentence, a lot of talk, though, that it was very much so politically motivated because some circles are saying the Mississippi governor very much so perhaps interested in a presidential run.
So, there's all that speculation. But we're going to hope and watch and wait to see if they speak.
Shall we -- shall we listen in for a moment, Angie?
Nobody's speaking yet. So, we will keep an eye on it. We will let you know when they speak, and we will move on for now.
So, let's move on this story that was breaking this time yesterday, that whole story out of Maryland. And the hunt is really heating up for whoever mailed those packages that caught fire when they were opened at two different Maryland office buildings just yesterday. Remember, it was breaking news during our hour yesterday here on this show.
We have CNN homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve. She's been following every single development here.
And, Jeanne, you got new information. What do you know today?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there's a very active investigation going on. There was just a press conference by Maryland authorities a few minutes ago.
And they described these packages. They said they were white boxes, about seven-and-a-half inches by four inches by one inch, described by the superintendent of the state police as the sort of box you might -- looking like the sort of box you might find a VHS tape in.
BALDWIN: Hmm.
MESERVE: But, in addition, they showed us the notes. Maybe we can take that picture full-screen.
On that note, it says: "Report of suspicious activity, total bull 'expletive.'"
BALDWIN: Here it is.
MESERVE: "You have created a self-fulfilled prophesy."
And at the bottom is what looks like an X or Roman numeral 10. It's a little unclear exactly what that is. There was an original of this note in one of boxes, a photocopy in the other.
And, as you can see around the edges there, it looks as though, when this device ignited, this got a little bit of damage on it. The superintendent of the state police said there have been no claims of responsibility. At this point, they have no suspects, but he said they are very anxious to find who's responsible.
BALDWIN: Jeanne --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COL. TERRENCE B. SHERIDAN, MARYLAND STATE POLICE SUPERINTENDENT: -- that -- that yesterday's event is going to end, we think that we have got to make sure we go after this person and get them off the street and get them behind bars, because these kinds of things are very, very dangerous.
We just don't know where this person is going with this. We don't know who it is. We don't know what they're thinking about now. But we're very concerned about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: But he said this individual had committed a felony with a possible 20-year prison term.
BALDWIN: Hmm.
MESERVE: He said there have been no claims of responsibility since this happened, and they're going back over earlier correspondence. They haven't found anything yet that would indicate that somebody was planning to do this.
Now, one ironic note: It appears that, because these packages were addressed to the governor and to the Department of Transportation, and because of the content of the message, that this person might have been upset about those highway signs that you see that say, report suspicious activity.
Ironically, just hours before these devices were found, those messages were taken down off the signs in the state of Maryland. The superintendent of the state police says this was something that was planned long ago. They take all messages off them periodically because they feel, if they leave them up all the time, motorists stop paying attention to what they say. So, an irony -- if that is what someone was upset about, the messages had already gone away -- back to you, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Huh. So, perhaps that's what that cryptic message was alluding to. I guess we don't know that definitively yet.
Question, then, next to you, Jeanne, you know, what kind of evidence do investigators have to work with here on out?
MESERVE: Actually, they have a lot of evidence to work with.
Because these things didn't totally destruct, there's the potential for a lot of forensic information to be gleaned from them. They haven't told us yet very much about how this device worked, what its component were, but they will be looking at those, trying to figure out how they were assembled, where they were bought.
There might be fingerprints. These things had addresses on them, what appeared to be bogus return addresses. One of them had stamps on them. There could be DNA or something like that there. They have been taken down to the FBI lab in Quantico for a much closer look.
In addition, the Postal Service investigators are trying to figure out where it was mailed and what route it took to those mailrooms in the state of Maryland.
BALDWIN: Hmm.
MESERVE: So, there's a lot still to be done, but they do have a fair amount of material to work with.
BALDWIN: That's a great thing for those investigators.
Jeanne Meserve for us out of Washington -- Jeanne, thank you.
MESERVE: You bet.
BALDWIN: You know, millions of people in Sudan expected to flock to the polls next week, actually start Sunday, to vote on independence, but there are all kinds of violence, fears of more children being kidnapped.
And actor Matt Dillon, he working hard -- there he is -- hi, Matt -- working hard to help --
MATT DILLON, ACTOR: Hey, how are you, Brooke?
BALDWIN: I'm doing well -- help ease the crisis in Sudan. I'm going to ask him why.
DILLON: Yes.
BALDWIN: I will talk to him a little bit about that documentary he shot last year.
He joins me live in just a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Celebrities making us care. You have actor George Clooney, wouldn't let the world look away from Darfur, and now actor Matt Dillon bringing the harsh reality and life of southern Sudan home to us here America. Dillon is with me here today out of New York, and also someone else who I'm going to introduce to you in a moment.
First, if I may, a crash course in why Sudan matters right now. Here we go. After more than five decades of armed struggle and this very violent civil war, Sudan is just days away here from a vote that could split the troubled country into two.
More than three million people are expected to vote in the week-long process. It begins this Sunday. And much of the country actually is already in transit, meaning southerners who have been living in the north are returning to their ancestral homes in the south where they are expected to build a new life if -- if the south separates. That's what this whole referendum is about.
So here is where we go to Matt Dillon. Last year he traveled to southern Sudan with Refugees International and while he was there he was the guy behind this camera. He filmed a documentary. Matt Dillon and the president Michel Gabaudan are both joining me now live.
But first, Matt, if I may, I want to go to you. We're going to show a piece of your documentary in a moment. First, what made you leave the United States, go all the way over to Africa to help out in Sudan?
DILLON: Well, I mean the reason I -- I've been involved with Refugees International for several years now, and I had been talking to a friend of mine who was on the ground in south Sudan who had been encouraging me to come there, and so I had the opportunity. I started to follow the situation, and I had the opportunity to go there with Refugees International. So I brought a camera.
And the thing that I was struck by most was the people and the difficulties that they're facing there. You know, on a regular basis.
BALDWIN: The people, the children.
DILLON: Exactly.
BALDWIN: If I may, let's play just a piece of your documentary and then I'll have you talk about it on the other side. Here's a piece of your doc.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DILLON: So these are the new latrines that have just been built. They've been dug but there's not -- there's no housing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes.
DILLON: There are 900 kids, zero latrines. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No benches, no latrines. This is not fenced. It means there's also a security. This is a major problem over here. See the young students have been abducted by the tribes living in the area, can be sold to other people and can be used as resources for the tribe.
DILLON: How many cows for a child.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the child was born, more than 50 cows.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If it's a boy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, matt, that's what really struck me, the whole one child for 50 cows. And child abductions also a huge problem there.
DILLON: Yes.
BALDWIN: Why is that?
DILLON: Well, it's a security problem. Like I said, the services, you know, basic services aren't being met, those things like getting fresh potable water, clean water. These are all things, you know, that should be in place. People shouldn't have to live that way.
But the thing that we found, the people were most concerned with was security. There are major security problems.
BALDWIN: Security of what? Security of the kids?
DILLON: There is tribal fighting in the south. There is generally a police force to protect the civilian population. The children are in danger of being abducted going to and from school.
And this is a problem, the security is a problem, especially now with the referendum at hand because there's always that threat of violence in this region because of the instability there. And so this is one of the concerns. These people are going to be traveling back from the north. In some cases, people have lived in the north for 20 years and now returning to what is their homeland, and there are no services in place.
BALDWIN: Right. I think this was the U.N. reporting, 2,000 people crossing back into southern Sudan ahead of this referendum, which would be a massive, massive strain on resources. And Michel, to you, as head of Refugees International with our American viewers sitting there and watching, what strike use about the situation there. And how can people sitting watching right now, how can they help?
MICHEL GABAUDAN, PRESIDENT, REFUGEES INTERNATIONAL: Well, the U.S. government has been extremely engaged with Sudan over the past many years and has been a major artisan behind the peace process. So the U.S. has had an interest in Sudan, and we hope that the interest will be sustained in the months and the years to come. We do hope, indeed, that the referendum will go on peacefully, but there remain a series of unresolved issues that need to be addressed quickly in the next few months, and the U.S. can be quite instrumental in doing that.
A particular issue of our concern is that of citizenship. You have lots of southerners living still in the north of Sudan. You have northerners leaving the south. If the country secedes as a result of the referendum, it is important that these minorities both in the north and in the south have clear indications of how they will be treated regarding their citizenship rights.
BALDWIN: Let me interrupt you. Forgive me. Please, both of you, gentlemen, stay right there. But I'm getting some news, breaking news. We're just getting word that two envelopes have ignited at a U.S. postal facility. I want to bring back in Jeanne Meserve in Washington. And Jeanne, this is news to me. What do you know?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, those are the reports that we're getting Brooke, that there's the possibility that one or two envelopes may have ignited at a postal screening facility here in Washington. It's located on V street northeast. We're told that the metropolitan police, fire, and EMS, as well as the FBI have responded to the scene to investigate this.
At this point in time the building has been evacuated but no reports of anyone being interested. This is of extreme interest in light of what happened yesterday in Maryland where you had two packages which ignited, one at a state office building, the other at the headquarters for the Maryland department of transportation.
Whether there is any connection between the two sets of incidences, we don't have any idea at this point in time. I told you just a few minutes ago we got a complete description of what the packages in Maryland looked like and ha they did and what the note involved.
But at this point in time we don't have any of that kind of information about these envelopes that are reported to have caught on fire possibly at this postal screening facility here in Washington. We have people on the scene. We'll bring you up to date as we get more.
BALDWIN: Jeanne Meserve, if you can repeat for me, where was it in Washington? You said V and?
MESERVE: The 3300 block of V Street northeast is the address that authorities are responding to at this opponent this time. No reports of injuries right now.
BALDWIN: All right, Jeanne Meserve, I'll see if you can hop off TV and resume your resources. Thank you for that.
Also now let's get back to Matt Dillon. Forgive me. This is how TV news works. Gentlemen, I want to get back to the situation. Final thoughts on the situation in Sudan. Matt, for the people at home kind of watching and wondering, where can they see more of your documentary, where can they go to watch it?
DILLON: You can watch it on YouTube, or maybe the best way to see it is go on refugeesinternational.org, which is the website, which will give you a lot of updated information on what's going on in Sudan.
BALDWIN: And finally on a lighter note, sir, since I am a bit of a fan of yours. We admire your work in Sudan and your work back here. Did I read a little blurb that you might pop up on "Modern Family?"
DILLON: How did you find that out?
BALDWIN: Because I'm good. I'm a good reporter.
DILLON: That's a very funny show.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: He did not answer the question. We will accept that answer. We will look for you wherever you may be. Thank you both, gentlemen, very, very much.
Back to this here, I want to reiterate what we learned from Jeanne Meserve, breaking news. We're just getting word that two envelopes have ignited at this postal facility, the 3300 block of V Street. That's the northeast quadrant of Washington.
CNN producer, Eric Marrapodi, one of our producers here just arriving on the scene. Eric, what do you know?
ERIC MARRAPODI, CNN PRODUCER (via telephone): I can tell you that the area where we're in right now, it's a fairly residential area with a decent amount of industry, so we're a long way away from the monuments and the White House. But we understand that some of the mail that comes through may go to some of the House and Senate office buildings here.
There has been a lot of police activity. A number of streets are blocked off. In light of what happened in Maryland yesterday police are not taking any chances on this one. And they blocked off an awful lot of traffic here, lots and lots of flashing lights. Not a whole lot to report now, though, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Eric, are you seeing any kind of evacuation in the building? Yesterday it was 50 in Annapolis, 250 in Hanover. What about the district evacuation-wise?
MARRAPODI: It's kind of tough to tell right now. It looks like folks are packing up and heading out. It doesn't look like they're evacuating the area much more beyond this particular postal facility.
BALDWIN: And do me again, Eric, and reiterate what you said, which I think sort of probably perked up a lot of ears, the fact that -- were you saying that some of the mail that goes through this particular U.S. postal facility does, indeed, go onto the house and Senate? MARRAPODI: Yes. We believe that's the case. We're still checking into that further to see what part of the post office this was in and if, in fact, this was destined for the Senate and house office buildings. That's information we're still not sure of yet. We're going to keep checking in on that.
You know, as I said, we're a long way away from the monuments and from the other parts of Washington that tourists and our viewers are probably familiar with. One of the reasons --
BALDWIN: Sorry, Eric. We'll get back to you in a moment. This is Gladys Scott speaking. She was just released from prison today in Mississippi.
GLADYS SCOTT, RELEASED FROM PRISON: I told my sister we're going to make it. We're coming out of here. We're not going to die. I said man gave us 2014, but god said no. You coming. And today, today is 2011 and me and my sister is here, and I praise god for it.
So anybody got any questions I'm willing to answer?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now we'll have Jamie Scott.
(APPLAUSE)
JAMIE SCOTT, RELEASED FROM PRISON: As my sister said, I want to also thank someone, and I know she meant to say it, Nancy Lockhart. Nancy has been with us in the beginning and I thank her too. I want to thank each and every supporter. If you colored a poster, I want to thank you for every little help.
You know, I couldn't ever see this day. I believed it in my heart, I kept the faith. I told the girls in prison. All our pills is gone. I don't know how god is going to do it but I do know god will show up and he will show up. And he show up and show out.
(APPLAUSE)
But I never thought this day would come whelp I would be on the outside of the wall when I felt so bound on the inside of the wall. Now I'm out where I can get me some decent medical treatment and everything like that. I'm so grateful for everybody on the stage, everybody out there. Everybody in the world, I'm just so grateful.
You don't know -- my sister said all day you don't look like you're well. I haven't woke up. It's still a dream. It's still a dream to me. And I'm so grateful. God knows I am so grateful. I'm so grateful to get to Florida and start my life.
But you will see us again because I left people in that prison that I love from my heart that they don't have a voice. I will be their voice. I will be their voice. I will not leave them like this.
(APPLAUSE)
And I thank god. I'm so grateful. I am so very, very grateful for this day. I'm grateful to Governor Haley Barbour. I'm grateful to him right now. I'm grateful to everyone who had an input in this. I'm so grateful for the national president of the NAACP coming down out of his busy schedule and his associate. They've been with us from day one. My aunt, everyone. I'm so grateful. Gloria Kitchen. I can't name everybody. I'm so grateful for everybody. I don't want to leave nobody out. I want to know it was not one person. This was many.
(APPLAUSE)
BALDWIN: I think you heard it. I think the overall theme there is grateful. You heard from Gladys Scott. She is the well sister. Her other sister Jamie is gravely ill in need of this kidney transplant. And so as part of their whole sentence being suspended by the Mississippi governor, the one sister who is well will be giving her kidney or at least we're hope willing give the kidney to her other sister. So we're going to follow that story for you. We have Marty Savidge on the ground. We'll get to him momentarily.
But I first want to get you back to D.C. to just let you know what we know, which, to be honest sitting here is not a lot. We're getting reports according to D.C. metropolitan police that this building, postal building in northeast Washington, Jeanne Meserve said it was the 3300 block of V street and northeast.
The whole building has been evacuated. Two possible envelopes have been ignited. This is possibly significant of itself, but also in light of yesterday's new, two packages igniting, one in Annapolis, one on Hanover, Maryland. We're working the phones. Let's sneak a quick break in. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: I want to get you back to our breaking story out of Washington, D.C. According to metropolitan police there in the district, one, possibly two packages have ignited at this U.S. postal facility. Take a look at this. Thank you CNN producer Eric Marrapodi who is somehow live streaming video for us there, 3300 block V Street and northeast.
I want to bring in retired FBI agent and CNN contributor Tom Fuentes for us out of Washington. And, Tom, I hate to see -- I hate to say here we go again, but, you know, given what happened yesterday and now this today, what do you make of this?
TOM FUENTES, CNN SECURITY CONTRIBUTOR: Well, Brooke, you don't know if it's a copycat, although that's going to be in the investigation as far as the devices themselves. So when the analysts review the forensics from the two devices yesterday and the devices today, that'll give them an idea whether the same person sent all of them or whether maybe somebody else, now, is getting in on the act.
Here is what -- I'm going to read from my e-mail to you live on CNN, according to -- CNN confirmed this is happening at a U.S. postal facility mail handling facility designed to screen mail headed for federal buildings in Washington following the anthrax mail attacks in October of 2001.
So this was put up after that whole anthrax scare, and this is why these mail facilities are put in place in Washington.
FUENTES: That's exactly right. That's why you notice in the film that the facility is not near downtown Washington near the main federal buildings or the capitol or the White House, and that's the design of it, that if, unfortunately, an event happens, an explosion occurs, it's going to be a little removed from the main buildings that house the government offices.
BALDWIN: Eric Marrapodi, our producer there getting these pictures, reporting bomb-sniffing dogs there outside of the facility. Also I've seen a couple different metro police units.
What about, Tom, and this is at least right from Jeanne Meserve reporting that authorities here have oodles of evidence to work with in terms of forensics, at least with yesterday's packages and perhaps they'll have that again today.
Explain to me and everyone listening why it's so significant to take a closer look at the forensics. It's because you were glean a lot of information from that, is that right?
FUENTES: That's correct. Most people when they learn to make a device, either learn it on internet or attend some type of bomb-making school. And when they go to manufacture the devices in the future they stay very closely to the original recipes.
If they make one of these devices and have all of their fingers and toes to tell about it later, they don't want to deviate and get creative and have an accident. So in the forensic review they'll be analyzing the powdery residue, what type of material was used that caused the fire. How was it packaged? Where was it mailed from? All of those bits of information will determine whether the same person or someone associated with the same person sent the devices.
BALDWIN: So we have the incidents yesterday. It was just about this time yesterday. I think they actually were ignited. I think it was 12:25 and 12:45. So 20 minutes difference yesterday between the incendiary devices in Annapolis and Hanover. And then you have this here in the district, and it is way too early to say, obviously, that these are connected. But it does make one wonder.
FUENTES: Correct. It appears very coincidental. So you would expect they probably are related. Investigators will know for sure when they've had a chance to analyze in detail all four devices.
BALDWIN: OK. And, again if you are just now joining us, you are looking at live streaming pictures of this U.S. postal facility. This is northeast Washington. It's the 3300 block of V Street, and metro police are responding to two envelopes that have ignited inside of this postal facility, which was actually designed to screen mail headed for federal buildings in Washington, D.C. following the anthrax mail attacks in October of 2001. This is significant in and of itself but it's also significant given the fact we saw yesterday two separate incidents, one in Annapolis, Maryland, at a government building and the other at the MDOT headquarters in Hanover, Maryland. People in this building are, of course, evacuated simply because of the scare.
Is it connected? It's way too early to tell and Tom Fuentes on the phone with me, retired, CNN contributor. Tom, what other questions would investigators have looking into this, as they're looking into this one possibly two devices?
FUENTES: I think a very important question is who are these devices addressed to? Yesterday you had devices that were intended for Maryland state offices, but now today you have this going through a Washington, D.C. mail facility. So was -- were these devices intended for federal agencies, federal headquarter, let's say in Washington, or the capitol building or the White House? We don't know that at the moment. You know, who were they addressed to?
BALDWIN: I remember yesterday the situation in Annapolis, that was directly addressed to Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, the one in Hanover directly addressed to MDOT headquarters and this is way too early to tell, another package possibly here to Washington, D.C.
Tom, stand by for me. We'll sneak a break in and do more information gathering over the break and we'll see you on the other side. Stay right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Welcomes back as we approach the top of the hour here on CNN. Obviously breaking news out of Washington, D.C. We don't know a whole lot, but here's what we do know, and here's what you're looking at. This is live streaming video from the scene, 3300 block of V street northeast Washington, D.C. A lot of flashing lights, a lot of police presence here because metropolitan police are responding to one possibly two envelopes that have ignited inside this U.S. postal facility.
The building has been evacuated, and it's significant also because of the timing. You think about what happened, breaking this time yesterday, you have two different instances in Maryland. One in the capital in Annapolis just across from the state house where 50 people were evacuated after a package went off, singed that employee's hands, minor injuries. It was about the size of a VHS tape, smoke, a little flaming and a sulfuric smell.
A similar situation in Hanover, Maryland, minor injuries there after a package went off, 250 people evacuated there. And that package was sent specifically to MDOT, Maryland department of transportation. In Annapolis, addressed to the Governor, O'Malley.
And now here we have one day later this situation leer in Washington, D.C. We're trying to get some information here. I want to bring back in Tom Fuentes, retired FBI, also a security contributor with us at CNN.
And Tom, let's reset and talk to me. Number one, obviously, public safety. Getting everyone out of that building safely and soundly is priority number one. Priority number two is to locate this device, and figure out, what, how it was made and who made it.
FUENTES: That's true. And priority number three is to determine if there are any other devices in that building or in the mail system at other postal facilities around the metro area, or around the country for that matter.
So, yes, there are a number of aspects of the investigation that are going to go forward right now, and, as you say, getting the people that could be in harm's way out of there is the first thing. But then the inspectors will have to go in and probably take the dogs in to try to determine if any other packages are in the system that may contain the same material as the packages that ignited.
BALDWIN: Also, again, important to point out. I told you who the package was directed to yesterday. Again, it's way too early to tell if these are at all connected. But this particular facility that you're looking at, thanks to this live, streaming video, this is a postal facility that is designed to screen mail headed for these federal buildings there in our nation's capital in Washington.
This whole thing is because of the anthrax mail attacks back in October of 2001, so this very much so serving the purpose of catching these packages, if there are sort of nefarious intentions before they go on to their intended targets.
Tom, why would someone use the mail to do this?
FUENTES: Well, a good reason for using the mail is that it's going to be so hard to determine who sent it.
You know, you recall the Unabomber case, Ted Kaczynski. It took more than a decade than to track him down, because so many tens of thousands of packages and letters get placed in the mail system every single day from thousands of locations, from mailboxes, from postal facilities, from parcel commercial facilities.
So, the ability for someone to send something into the system, get it in the system anonymously is very easy. So it's going to be very difficult in the case of all four of these packages to track back even where they were mailed from.
BALDWIN: Hmm. That's a good point.
And, you know, yesterday, we listening to Maryland State Police, had the lead on the two situations in Annapolis and Hanover. And in listening to him speak yesterday, he was talking about what happened according to that employee who was the unlucky one who was the one had to, you know, be on the receiving end of that incendiary device.
And he described it as -- there was a bit of a flame and there was a sulfuric smell. But that was about it. The employee's hands were singed, was how he described it, but no major injuries, which is fantastic.
But then why do this? Perhaps that's a question you don't have an answer to, but I just sit here and ask, why?
FUENTES: There's no question we don't have the answer to that. And I think that's going to be the key to solving this case is determining who had the motive. Whether someone comes forward and takes credit or a group takes credit for having started this whole process is the key to the case, because I think tracking the packages is going to be very, very difficult, if not impossible.
(CROSSTALK)
FUENTES: But trying to determine an individual who may have had a motive to either get attention or to commit an attack, that might be the best hope in solving this case.
BALDWIN: Sure. Tom, stand by.
