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Two Killed in UPS Cargo Plane Crash; Freed Teen Hostage Speaks Online; Violent End to Bank Hostage Standoff; No Privacy from Google?; "Real Housewife" and Husband to Court; Gunfire, Explosions Going off in Cairo; Weiner Again Apologizes in Debate
Aired August 14, 2013 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks. Have a great day.
We begin this morning with breaking news.
And hello and thanks for joining me, I'm Carol Costello.
Before dawn in Birmingham, Alabama, a huge fireball lights the sky. A massive car cargo plane for UPS slams into an empty field next to the airport. The two people confirmed dead are said to be the pilot and co-pilot. They were the only people onboard flight 1354 which had originated in Louisville, Kentucky. Those living in neighborhoods near the airport realize the death toll could have been staggering.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHARON WILSON, WITNESS TO PLANE CRASH: We were in bed and we heard something go over the house and it sounded like a plane had gave out of fuel, and a few minutes later we heard this loud boom and we really didn't know what it was. But we came out the door. We did see some smoke through the trees, but we still didn't really know what it was.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Birmingham's mayor, William Bell, is on the phone right now. He's at the airport. He joins us live.
Good morning, Mr. Mayor.
MAYOR WILLIAM BELL, BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA (via phone): Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: It appears from the pictures that this plane literally slammed into the ground.
BELL: Yes, it did. And we don't know why it crashed. But it left a pretty long debris field and broke up into several parts with the fuselage and the wing section separated.
COSTELLO: Was weather a factor, do you think?
BELL: We can't rule it out 100 percent, but during that period of time, there was no storms in the area. But we can't rule it out 100 percent. COSTELLO: Were you at the airport at the time of the crash or are you there to help?
BELL: I'm here now.
COSTELLO: You're there now --
BELL: The call went out about -- yes. The call went out about 4:45 local time, which would be 5:45 East Coast.
COSTELLO: Got you. Can you describe the scene for us as it looks now?
BELL: Well, the front section, the nose section is still intact, even though it was broken up into pieces. The wing section is probably about a football field length away from the nose section. Engines are scattered in the area and debris is everywhere. Probably the closest home is about anywhere in between a quarter of a mile to a half mile away.
COSTELLO: Mayor William Bell, thank you so much for joining us this morning. I know there is a lot of work to be done.
BELL: Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: We appreciate it.
BELL: Yes.
COSTELLO: Mayor William Bell, Birmingham's mayor.
BELL: Thank you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Happening now in NEWSROOM words from Hannah. A lengthy hours-long online question and answer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why didn't you run? Would have killed me.
COSTELLO: The 16-year-old kidnapping victim breaking her silence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you glad he's dead? Absolutely.
COSTELLO: Also, your house hacked.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please unlock the door.
COSTELLO: Your computer, your bank account, and now your baby monitor?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It felt like somebody broke into our house.
COSTELLO: Burglars able to control almost anything in your house from outside.
Plus, this.
TERESA GIUDICE, "REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW JERSEY": Nineteen times. (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
COSTELLO: Theresa, Joe and a mountain of fraud charges. This morning the two face a judge.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Teresa, are you standing by your husband?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: We'll take you to New Jersey in just a minute, but, first, let's go online and talk about 16-year-old Hannah Anderson. The horror of her kidnapping ordeal is almost unimaginable. And now her latest move may seemed almost inconceivable to any generation that hasn't grown up immersed in social media, that is.
The Associated Press says a close family friend confirms that the 16- year-old did, in fact, field hundreds of questions online. Among the topics we're about to show you, the death of her abductor, the murder of her mother and brother, and her days in captivity.
CNN's Casey Wian live in Los Angeles to tell us more.
Good morning, Casey.
CASEY WIAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Carol. Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that Hannah Anderson did what just about any teenage girl might do these days after enduring a life-changing ordeal. She went on social media and discussed it with her peers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WIAN (voice-over): Sixteen-year-old Hannah Anderson is sharing details about her kidnapping on social media. That's according to the Associated Press. The AP reports that Hannah fielded questions on the site Ask.FM about her abduction by the man she knew as Uncle Jim, James DiMaggio.
A user asked, "Did you want to go with DiMaggio?" She replied, "No, not at all." "Why didn't you run? He would have killed me. Why didn't you tell your parents he creeped you out? In part, he was my dad's best friend and I didn't want to ruin anything between them."
Hannah shed new light on the night she was kidnapped, the same night her mother and younger brother were murdered. Their bodies burned in DiMaggio's house.
"How did he separate you from your mom and brother? He tied them up in the garage. How did he keep the fire a secret? He had it set where it would catch on fire at a certain time."
The AP says Hannah also wrote DiMaggio threatened to kill her if she fled and brought her at least in part to help carry equipment in the wilderness. Some questions from subscribers were brutally brunt. "Did he rape you? I'm not allowed to talk about it, so don't ask questions about it, thank you. Are you glad he's dead? Absolutely."
Some experts question the wisdom of Hannah's online chats.
WENDY WALSH, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: This is a 16-year-old who is totally traumatized. She is in a state of trauma and so she's not thinking. Sometimes in a numb state you're doing things that you don't really, really consider the consequences.
WIAN: Hannah even posted a selfie and engaged in lighter conversation, typical of a teenage girl, but even some of that seemed painful.
"What design did you get on your nails? Pink for my mom and blue for Ethan."
Those who know her tells CNN Hannah spent some of Tuesday helping to plan their funerals.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIAN: Hannah also expressed regret that she couldn't have done more to help save the lives of her mother and brother -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Casey Wian reporting live for us this morning.
Two people remain in critical condition after a 12-hour hostage standoff at a bank turned violent. Police shot and killed the suspect, but not before he shot both hostages, a man and a woman, in the torso.
CNN's Alina Machado is outside the bank at St. Joseph, Louisiana, that's a small town on the Mississippi.
Good morning, Alina.
ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Those two hostages were taken to area hospitals after going through a terrifying ordeal inside the bank behind me.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MACHADO (voice-over): An intense 12-hour hostage standoff finally comes to an end when the suspect is killed by police in a dramatic shooting.
COL. MIKE EDMONSON, LOUISIANA STATE POLICE: His indication was that he was through. He was going to kill a hostage.
MACHADO: Louisiana State Police say 20-year-old Fuaed Abdo Ahmed shot two hostages as police stormed the bank where he was keeping them. Both victims were taken to area hospitals.
Police say Ahmed walked into the Tensas State Bank in St. Joseph, Louisiana, around noon on Tuesday armed with a handgun. He took three bank employees hostage. EDMONSON: It was not the intent of Mr. Ahmed to rob that bank. Information that was obtained from his apartment is that written notes planned. He actually had a book for negotiation.
MACHADO: Police negotiated with Ahmed well into the night and before the confrontation with police, he let one of the hostages go.
SHERIFF RICKY JONES, TENSAS PARISH: We'd held out hope. Hoping that we could further that and maybe get a release of the other two hostages.
MACHADO: But negotiations went south after police say Ahmed threatened to kill the remaining hostages. That's when the SWAT team moved in.
EDMONSON: He had a small handgun that he was trained on the two individuals. He shot both of them as we were entering the building. We were able to shoot and kill him.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACHADO: Now police say Ahmed was a paranoid schizophrenic and that he told hostage negotiators he heard voices and that he wanted a device removed from his head -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Unbelievable. Alina Machado reporting live for us from Louisiana this morning.
Now on to New Jersey where "Real Housewives" stars Teresa and Joe Giudice are headed to court in just a few hours.
Hopefully it won't end like that. Of course, many are hoping it will end like that. The table flipping housewife and her husband expected to enter a not guilty plea to mortgage and other fraud charges.
Nischelle Turner is following the story. She'll join us shortly from New York City.
If you use Gmail, you might want to think twice before you hit send on that next message. Google says people who use its e-mail service should have no expectation of privacy. In other words Google is reading your e-mail and you should know it.
Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange to tell us more.
Good morning, Alison.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. A consumer group actually called Consumer Watchdog uncovered this and what it calls --
COSTELLO: Does she have a microphone? Alison? Do you have your microphone?
KOSIK: Surprise. This would help, right?
COSTELLO: It's OK.
(CROSSTALK)
I've done it, no worries.
KOSIK: I know. But you know --
COSTELLO: I just wanted people to hear you.
KOSIK: Live TV is great. So going back to what I was saying, a consumer watchdog group uncovered this and it's actually calling this a stunning admission, putting this in a recent court filing. Google actually winds up comparing itself to an assistant who opens the boss' mail.
It said people who use e-mail today, they can't really be really surprised if their communications are processed by the e-mail provider and it goes on to quote another court case which ruled a person has no legitimate expectation of privacy and the information that he turns over to a third party.
Now what this all is, is Google's response to a class action lawsuit. In this -- in this response, the company says an automated system processes the e-mails and it's not humans. But in this filing, it says that several courts have already held that this is widely understood that these companies scan e-mails to filter out spam. They put it in a different inbox.
They also do it to deliver targeted ads and detect viruses, and others do the same. But the thing is, in an age when privacy is a top concern everyone is on guard. However, if your e-mail isn't encrypted, this really shouldn't be a huge shocker that these e-mails that you send through Gmail are being -- are being -- are sort of automated in being watched -- Carol.
COSTELLO: There's just no privacy left in the world, but I guess we all knew that, right?
(LAUGHTER)
KOSIK: You can always try to get your e-mails encrypted. There's an extra charge for that. But remember, I mean, Gmail is free. So, you know what, they can kind of do what they want to do, right?
COSTELLO: Right. Alison Kosik, many thanks.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM Coca-Cola on the defensive. Why the beverage giant is standing up for a key ingredient in some of its most popular drinks. It's now telling consumers yes, Diet Coke is safe to drink. We'll tell you why, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: All right. Before the break, we were talking about white collar crime and the housewives of New Jersey. Specifically that woman right there, Miss Giudice and her husband. Nischelle Turner is in New York to tell us what's about to happen in court today.
Good morning, Nischelle.
NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Carol. Well, this will be Teresa and Joe Giudice's formal arraignment that's going to happen around 2:30 this afternoon in federal court in New Jersey.
Now their attorney is telling CNN that their clients will plead not guilty today. Again, they're scheduled to be in court at 2:30 to face these allegations that they conspired to forge W-2 forms, tax returns, pay stubs, and other documents into tricking banks into lending them money. Now they're also accused of perjury in their 2009 bankruptcy proceedings.
Now if they are convicted, Teresa and her husband, Joe, could each face up to 50 years in prison. And Joe is an Italian citizen and prosecutors say he could actually be deported as a result of either this case or another one that he has hanging over his head where he's charged with using his brother's identity to obtain a false driver's license.
But at the very least, you know, the Giudices' personal claims have been a bit of a facade. Documents show that they were in hook for at least $10 million to banks, credit card companies, attorneys and construction businesses, Carol.
So, this is, you know, it's a pretty big deal for them. It is serious.
COSTELLO: It is serious, in just watching the show. They lived in such an opulent house. All about the stuff that they had.
Will that play into court at all?
TURNER: Well, it's interesting you say that, because even in the first season, when they were trying to furnish their house, Teresa looking like she was buying furniture for their house with cash, $120,000 in cash she had in her hand. That's one example of the opulent lifestyle they put on television.
But the show doesn't have anything directly to do with the case. Both sides are aware of everything shown on the air. Their attorney told me after their last court appearance that he was concerned about show leading to any bias against his client. We could see clips from the show appear in the courtroom, though.
And I have to say, though, this court case hasn't really helped Bravo's rating because "The Jersey Housewife" numbers are down a little bit from last season.
COSTELLO: Oh, that's a shame. I shouldn't say that. I'm not a fan of the "Housewife" show. I'll just admit right on front. TURNER: Well, I am. I will put that out there. I am a fan of the "Housewife" show and you hate to see this. If you did something wrong, you've to face the charges.
COSTELLO: Nischelle Turner, thanks so much.
Checking our top stories at 16 minutes past the hour. Authorities in central Idaho say it might be October before they can contain a sprawling wildfire. Mandatory evacuations now in place and the fire covers more than 150 square miles and 71 structures have been lost. Right now the fire is just 5 percent contained.
Coca-Cola is defending its use of a controversial sweetener in many low and no calorie drinks. In a full-page ad in today's Atlanta edition of "USA Today", the drink maker says the safety of aspartame is supported by more than 200 studies over 40 years.
The ad is part of Coke's pushback against critics who blamed sugary soft drinks for soaring obesity rates.
Several homes and vehicles damaged in Delaware. That's after heavy rain in the city of Newark left streets flooded and pushed a creek over its banks. Storms also knocked out power to thousands. Behind the front, cooler air is expected across the Northeast.
Bloody and terrifying scenes in Egypt as the military and pro-Morsy supporters clash at two makeshift camps. CNN's Arwa Damon and her crew were caught in the middle of gunfire. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Where some of the hardcore reporters, we will see that (INAUDIBLE). But at the same time --
(GUNFIRE)
DAMON: We're OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: All right. You can see Arwa got out of the way safely. Let's head right to Cairo, Egypt, and, Reza Sayah, I understand there was activity behind you and violent activity at that.
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. That's been the case over the past eight hours and some gunfire where Arwa was. Across town you hear it behind us that gunfire has rarely stopped in what has been an awful day here in Cairo. We have witnessed some awful scenes.
And there are neighborhoods in this city that are simply unrecognizable at this hour because they've been turned into war zones.
(EXPLOSION) SAYAH: Wow. That was, that was a huge explosion. It's not clear where that explosion came from --
COSTELLO: Do you need to leave, Reza? Do you need to leave?
Leave if you have to.
SAYAH: I think, I think -- I think we're OK. We're several blocks away from the front line where the standoff is taking place. It's not clear what these explosions are.
We can tell you that a number of vehicles have been set on fire and when that happens, they tend to explode. There is also a gas station nearby that has been set on fire. The explosion that could be coming from there or these could be flash bangs, in effort by security forces to scare away these demonstrators.
But you get an idea of what we've been witnessing throughout the past eight hours. If, if you look down this street, that's where one of the front lines is about four or five blocks. You'll see the thick plumes of smoke going up in the air. To the right of that smoke, what you have is supporters of the ousted President Mohamed Morsy barricading themselves behind a makeshift wall. They went after anything they can get their hands, thrash dumpsters, wooden tables, cabinets to make this barrier. And then about 100 yards away, you have security forces.
We were down there about a half hour ago through the smoke we saw a bulldozer that seems prepared to come through and then, and then we have armored vehicles and police officers and that's where the faceoff is. These clashes, this fierce fight has resulted in a lot of casualties.
It's impossible at this point to verify and confirm the injury toll and the death toll, but I can tell you personally, we have witnessed at least scores of casualties and many fatalities. A little while ago -- as we hear more gunfire, a little while ago in the makeshift clinic where the victims are being taken into. We were literally walking on blood and walking through some of these victims, Carol. Just an awful scene today.
COSTELLO: All right, Reza, thank you so much. Reza Sayah in Cairo, Egypt this morning. Stay safe.
We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: In just four weeks, voters in New York City will narrow the field for a brand new winner.
Anthony Weiner, as you know, is drawing all the attention right now, but for exactly the wrong reasons. Once again, Weiner says he's sorry about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANTHONY WEINER (D), NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE: I made mistakes. They've embarrassed myself and they've hurt my family.
But at the end of the day, this campaign is not about me and really not about anyone else on this stage. This is about you, because the challenges facing the middle class and those struggling to make it have never been higher. And I think New York deserves someone that will fight for them every single day. That's what I've done my entire career and that's who I am, and that's why I want to be your mayor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Weiner and the other Democratic candidates met for their first televised debate. But with all the attacks on stage, it may have felt more like a Jerry Springer taping.
CNN's Rosa Flores watched it all.
Good morning.
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
You know, where I grew up, they would call it a telanovela, a soup with lots of drama and interesting characters.
But back to the debate -- so, there was no clear winner in this debate and while the candidates did talk about the issues, the attention was constantly diverted to Anthony Weiner's sexting scandal.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FLORES (voice-over): It was the shouting match outside and a boxing match inside. The Democratic candidates for New York City mayor facing off in their first televised debate. Anthony Weiner apologizing once again for his latest sexting indiscretions.
WEINER: I've made mistakes. They've embarrassed myself and they've hurt my family.
FLORES: The embattled candidate sparring with city council speaker, Christine Quinn, repeatedly.
WEINER: I've apologized for my personal behavior. The speaker refuses to apologize for overturning the will of the people for the slush fund scandal and for things in her professional record.
CHRISTINE QUINN (D), NYC CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER: Neither me nor anybody else on this stage or any New Yorker, quite frankly, should be lectured by Anthony Weiner about what we need to apologize for tonight or ever.
FLORES: The other three opponents seemed perfectly content ignoring him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't want to talk about Anthony.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Liu?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Same thing.
FLORES: And focusing instead on the issues facing the city.
In recent weeks, the scandal-plagued candidate has gone from first to fourth place. His support plummeting from 26 percent for the latest sexting admission to 10 percent in a new Quinnipiac University poll.
(on camera): How do you think you're doing despite the poll?
WEINER: I think I'm doing very well. How do you think I'm doing?
FLORES (voice-over): The former congressman's politically savvy wife, Huma Abedin, remains noticeably absent from the campaign trail.
(on camera): We haven't seen Huma. Where is she tonight?
WEINER: Huma's on babysitting. She's with my 19-month-old Jordan, and I think they're watching on television.
FLORES (voice-over): Watching Weiner fight to stay in the race.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FLORES: Now, the debate lasted about an hour and there were lots of jabs in there.
But, Carol, there were a few light moments that I think that you would appreciate. The candidates were asked, share one thing that would surprise New Yorkers. And Christine Quinn joked saying she wasn't a natural red head. Anthony Weiner said he played ice hockey on Monday nights.
COSTELLO: The strangest race ever. I'm sorry. It's just -- it's just become such a national joke, really. There's no other way to say it.
FLORES: Just keeps on giving. I know. Everything that is said just kind of becomes a headline.
COSTELLO: Yes, you got that right. Rosa Flores, thanks so much.
Still to come in NEWSROOM: someone hacked into baby monster and started shouting obscenities at a sleeping baby girl. Just one example of how hackers can take control of your home. We'll talk about that, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
