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CNN Films Debuts "Our Nixon"; Med Student's Murder Stuns Campus; Student Forgotten In Cell Gets $4.1M; Accuser: Filner Put "Tongue On Me"; TSA Defends Record; Parasite Traced To Bagged Salad
Aired July 31, 2013 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: At the expense of coming off as a big ole news nerd, I have to tell you, tomorrow night, I will be tuned into CNN watching this, "Our Nixon." You heard about this. From the clips I have seen this is a mesmerizing glimpse of this towering figure, elected president twice and driven from office in shame and disgrace. Good Nixon, Bad Nixon.
Here is Richard Nixon. This is from the CNN film "Our Nixon." His private thoughts on homosexuality and the TV show, "All in the Family."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD NIXON: They had two magnificent handsome guys and a stupid old fellow in it. They were glorifying homosexuality.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it a panel?
NIXON: It's a regular show. It's on every week. Usually it's just set in the guy's home. It's usually just that guy, who's a hard hat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right.
NIXON: The general trend of it is to downgrade him and upgrade -- take the square hard hat out to be bad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's it called?
NIXON: Archie is the guy's name. I do not think that you glorify on public television homosexuality. You know what happened to the Greeks. Homosexuality destroyed them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But he never had the influence television has.
NIXON: Homosexuality, immorality in general, these are the enemies of strong societies. That's why the communists and the left wingers are pushing pit. They're trying to destroy us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Home movies, Richard Nixon, filmed by three of his top aides. All of whom eventually went to prison for crimes connected to Watergate. It is fascinating stuff. Let's delve a little deeper here. Ben Stein, of the many hats he wears he's also a former Nixon speech writer and also joining me, John Avlon, senior political columnist for "Newsweek" and "The Daily Beast." So welcome to both of you.
Ben Stein, just because of your direction connection here, you were there. Did the movie take you back to the Nixon White House?
BEN STEIN, NIXON SPEECHWRITER: It was overwhelmingly powerful. It took me back to the Nixon White House and it reminded me very much of what it was like there. I might add just a parenthetical and important note, Peter Flanagan, one of Nixon's top aides just died. That's a real loss of this country. That man was a great -- but anyway, you know, it's an interesting movie. I would recommend that every high school student in America see it.
But I will say, Nixon had, among his staff, some of his top staffers, were homosexuals. He knew they were homosexuals. He knew they were gay. He was perfectly down with it. So this idea of taking one little snippet and making it seem like Nixon was anti-homosexual is just nonsense.
BALDWIN: I see you put it in context. People can watch the whole film and be the judge for themselves. You mentioned high school students. John Avlon, that's what I wanted to ask you about because, you know, I said I'll be watching tomorrow night. Who else should be watching? Obviously you have the Nixon lovers. Should Nixon haters tune in? What about people born after the Nixon years?
JOHN AVLON, SENIOR POLITICAL COLUMNIST, "NEWSWEEK"/"DAILY BEAST": Absolutely, all the above. Here's why. You know, Brooke, I was actually born the day before Nixon's second inauguration. So this is all history for me. What's brilliant about this film and why I really, really enjoyed it, you get that first person perspective on the Nixon White House from those loyalists. It's really bracing, engaging history. For those folks who are reflexive Nixon haters it forces them to challenge their assumption. It really is an incredibly engaging story. It's told in a way that we've never seen before. This is what history should be, a great documentary.
BALDWIN: Ben Stein, why are you laughing?
STEIN: I'm laughing because it is a great documentary, but it's extremely one-sided. I think it's roughly two hours. The first hour is absolutely fabulous. Mesmerizing, as you said, unbelievably interesting. The second hour is very one-sided because it talks about how he got brought down by Watergate, but it doesn't talk about how he sat up a generation of peace. If you think people who are high school students, people who are millennials, they're not being drafted.
They're not being sent off to war. There have been no major wars since Nixon was president. He created two generations of peace. That's the main thing he did. One mistake, serious mistake, does not take away from the fact he was the greatest peacemaker in the history of American presidents. BALDWIN: Wow. I know. Wow is right. Let me add another voice to this because we all listen. I listen to David Gergen. He's another Nixon aide. He has a really thought provoking piece on cnn.com.
STEIN: He was my boss.
BALDWIN: You better listen to your boss. This is what he said about Richard Nixon. Quote, "Someone able to go up on a mountain top, look 30 years into the future and try to bend the arc of history to favor the nation's security interests."
STEIN: Brilliant.
BALDWIN: In terms of today, Ben Stein, I mean, where do you see President Nixon's fingerprints in this current world?
STEIN: His fingerprints are on the open relations with China thereby encircling Russia, making Russia know that they could not win the cold war and thereby setting the stage for the end of the Soviet Union. He made peace between Egypt and Israel. He made sure that the Egyptians knew they would never be able to defeat Israel in the war. Set up a long lasting peace between Egypt and Israel which still stands. There have been no major outbreaks in the Middle East since Nixon was president. There has been a strategic arms limitation with the Soviets that Nixon started. There have been several since then. Almost everywhere you look and see the fingerprints of peace, those are Nixon's fingerpints.
BALDWIN: Go ahead, John. You get the last word.
AVLON: I think Ben Stein is viewing the world through Nixon colored glasses. I don't think he deserves credit for all that. He was a titanic figure in American politics and you know, absolutely, China. The EPA, reall a different breed of Republican than we see today. Of course, the other enduring legacy that needs to be said, you can't wish away, is the dark Nixon. The anti-hero of American politics that still hangs a shadow over our debates, used as a convenient metaphor every time anything untoward occurs in the White House, and has helped a road trust for over four decades. There's the good Nixon and the bad Nixon. What's great about this film is I think it shows both.
BALDWIN: Wow. This has been a fantastic discussion, a little history lesson for some people. Ben Stein and John Avlon, thank you.
AVLON: Let's do it again.
BALDWIN: To our viewers be the judge. You heard these two gentlemen opine. Don't miss the special tomorrow night 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, set your DVRs, "Our Nixon." Gentlemen, thank you very much.
Coming up next, a promising medical student found dead in his apartment of a single gunshot wound. Friends, they're demanding answers. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BALDWIN: A promising young surgeon was laid to rest Monday, murdered in his fraternity house at the University of Michigan. Police have no suspects in Paul Dewolf's death. People who knew him are absolutely mystified that anyone would want to kill him. Pamela Brown has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A mysterious death in Michigan, a 25-year-old aspiring surgeon with a magnetic smile living a full life, high school valedictorian, marathon runner and avid scuba diver.
JASON HALTERMAN, DEWOLF'S CLOSE FRIEND: Paul was probably the best person that I've ever met in my entire life. He really brought everyone that was with him up, myself included.
BROWN: Dead by a single gunshot wound, found in a pool of blood inside his bedroom at an off campus fraternity house last Wednesday sending shock waves through the University of Michigan community and stunning those who knew Paul Dewolf well.
HALTERMAN: It's hard for me to believe that Paul would have any enemies. I don't know a single person that didn't like him.
BROWN: Police believe Dewolf was killed in cold blood, adding to the mystery no weapons were found on the scene and nothing stolen from Dewolf's room. Police said they are directing every available resource to this investigation. As police hunt for Dewolf's killer, the University of Michigan is increasing police patrol and warning students to stay alert. The vice president of the University Health System said, quote, "Paul was a talented medical student. He was dedicating his life to helping others."
The med student also an active duty second lieutenant in the Air Force planning to graduate in May and complete his residency while in the Air Force. A young life taken, shrouded in mystery, no clues to what went terribly wrong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Pamela Brown, thank you very much.
Coming up next, the man taken into custody by the DEA, never officially arrested or charged, but locked in a cell and forgotten, for five long days, this man was driven to drink his own urine to survive and now he is getting millions. We're on the case, coming up.
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BALDWIN: Now to a pretty horrifying mistake that has forced the Drug Enforcement Administration to settle a lawsuit to the tune of $4 million. This money now will go to the student who you see on the screen. This is Daniel Chong. Chong says he thought he was going to die after these DEA agents left him unmonitored in a holding cell for five days. They simply forgot about him. His attorney says Chong didn't have food, didn't have water, and was actually ended up forced to drink his own urine just to survive. That's how dire he says it was for him. Chong was one of the nine people detained last year when agents raided his friend's home, 18,000 pills, several guns were seized. But Chong says he didn't know a thing about that.
He said he was just there visiting his friend. Chong was never arrested or even charged. I want to bring in former prosecutor, Monica Lindstrom and Criminal Defense Attorney Eric Johnson. So welcome and first to hear this young man's story, the five days and being forgotten. It's terrible. But what do you think as far as do you think he could have gotten more had there been a jury? Has this thing gone to trial?
ERIC JOHNSON, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, I think that he could have gotten a significant amount more money if the matter went to trial. I'm also wondering why he chose to settle so soon?
BALDWIN: What do you think about that settling so soon, smart move?
MONICA LINDSTROM, FORMER PROSECUTOR: I think it was a very smart move by the Department of Justice, the DEA, everybody involved because if they had to go to trial, they could put up witness after witness about his psychological state, his physical state, what he would have had to go through in the 12 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours, on and on and on. By the end the jury probably would have said, you just write a blank check. Just ask us for how much you want.
BALDWIN: So how do you put a price tag on this? How did they come up with this $1 million figure, just curious?
LINDSTROM: I don't know how they came up with the amount --
BALDWIN: It's $4 million. Forgive me.
LINDSTROM: I imagine they probably looked at the medical expenses that he's already had and what he's likely to have and then the attorney throws on a heck of a lot more on top of there. What do you think?
JOHNSON: And also, I mean, he is a college student. This may affect him later on in his life. They may be compensating for the effects that come on later on in life.
BALDWIN: In your time being a lawyer, have you ever heard of a case where someone is put in a holding cell and forgotten? Just forgotten?
JOHNSON: Not for four days. Maybe four hours or, you know, longer than they would like. Any time you're in a holding cell you want to get out as soon as possible.
LINDSTROM: You know, this is a perfect example of how multi-agencies, when they do a sting operation or some kind of raid, they don't always talk to each other. They don't work together because clearly they didn't know what the right hand and the left hand were doing here. So we're going to see some policy changes, hopefully, about when those multi-agencies work together.
BALDWIN: Monica and Eric, we will see the two of you next hour. Thank you both very much.
JOHNSON: Thank you.
BALDWIN: That's coming up.
Meantime, hundreds of people are sick from a bacteria in bagged salad. We'll tell you what states are affected. What you need to know.
Plus, cue the "Jaws" theme music. It is the largest great white shark expedition in American history. You will hear what researchers are about to do.
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BALDWIN: Well, things aren't looking good for San Diego Mayor Bob Filner. An eighth woman now coming forward with accusations Filner made unwanted sexual advances. She says he got her alone after a meeting and that this harassment began with Filner twirling her wedding band. Here she was.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LISA CURTIN, ADMINISTRATOR, SAN DIEGO CITY COLLEGE: He then asked me if it could come off while I was in D.C. and if I would go out with him. I said I really didn't think so and at that point, he pulled my hand closer to him and he reached over to kiss me. I turned my head at that moment, and on the side of my face, I got a very wet, saliva filled kiss including feeling his tongue on my cheek.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: And you remember the request from Mayor Filner to have the city of San Diego foot the bill to fight the sexual harassment suit filed against him? Well, it was voted down by city council last night. He will have to cough up that cash himself.
Now to some of the hottest stories in a flash, we call it "Rapid Fire." Roll it. A new government report could make you think twice before booking your next flight. The report documents more than 9,000 cases of misconduct by TSA screeners over the course of three years. Some of these violations include sleeping on the job, stealing. Lawmakers are holding a hearing about that today. The TSA's deputy administrator says the agency is working on making improvements, but also added this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN HALINSKI, TSA DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR: As you've seen and is evidenced by the GAO, we're going to have people that sometimes do stupid things.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: End quote. Bagged salad is the suspected culprit in a food poisoning outbreak that has sickened about 400 people in 15 states. At least five people have been hospitalized. Health officials in Iowa and Nebraska say the salad mix is tainted with the parasite cyclospora, which can cause severe intestinal illness. No specific brand has been singled out.
Researchers are setting off the largest great white shark expedition in American history. They are planning to find and tag 20 sharks near Cape Cod. The same waters, of course, played host to the classic summer blockbuster, "Jaws." There has been a recent uptick in the number of local shark sightings. Researchers simply want to know why. But do not panic, fellow beachgoers, at least quite yet. Experts say that more sharks are actually a sign of a healthy ecosystem.
Coming up next, a story you cannot miss, an unarmed man shot by deputies in his own driveway. We will talk to him as he is sitting recovering in a hospital bed. He says he was just in his car, 2:30 in the morning, looking for a pack of cigarettes when everything went wrong. We'll ask him what happened. Plus, you will hear the side of the sheriff's deputies who opened fire.
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BALDWIN: Just a short time ago, Ben Bernanke and his colleagues at the Federal Reserve announced that economic growth will pick up. The unemployment rate will drop and the fed will continue its stimulus program. And the news comes on a day when the stocks are on the rise. As you can see, Christine Romans breaks it down for us today. Hi, Christine.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, we got our first look at how well the economy grew in the second quarter, 1.7 percent is how fast the economy was growing, look, it's gaining momentum. I would say it's crawling forward, but it could be doing better. When you look at the last three quarters, you can see it is subpar growth. It is below 2 percent. You want to see it moving faster than this, but it is moving in the right direction.
What economists tell me today is that this is an economy moving forward and crawling through "The Sequester," crawling through federal budget cuts. That is something that held back growth. If it weren't for "The Sequester," growth would have been stronger. We also got a read on the jobs market today. The ADP, private sector payroll report, sometimes it matches what happens in the big jobs report on Friday. Sometimes it doesn't.
But this is what it said this week. It said that 200,000 jobs were created in the private sector in the month, 200,000, 82,000 of those were from very small businesses. So that tells us the private sector is still hiring on par with what we've seen so far this year -- Brooke.
