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Pentagon Memorial for 9/11 Victims; Hearing Today for Admitted Drunken Driver; U.S. Postal Service's Cash Crunch; Video Could Crack Latest Zimmerman Case
Aired September 11, 2013 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of healing and comfort, even as our wounds still ache. Be our source of hope and guidance, and renew in us the desire to live well and to serve faithfully. Be our source of peace. Make us instruments of your peace. And where there is hatred, we may sow love. Where this injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy. This we pray, in holy and blessed name, amen.
CROWD: Amen.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we're going to take a quick break. When we come back, of course the principals will be - will be talking and we'll bring their remarks to you live. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Twelve years ago today at 9:37 in the morning, American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon. And as you can see, they're honoring those who fell that day. This is the Joint Chiefs chair, General Martin Dempsey. He's speaking to the crowd. Speaking next will be Secretary of Defense Hagel and then President Obama. And at 9:37, of course, everyone will observe a moment of silence. Let's listen in.
GEN. MARTIN DEMPSEY, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: It is my privilege to introduce the man who spoke those words and who lives them steadfastly every day. Ladies and gentlemen, our nation's secretary of defense, Chuck Hagel.
CHUCK HAGEL, DEFENSE SECRETARY: General Dempsey, thank you.
Mr. President, distinguished guests, family members, survivors and first responders, I'm honored to share this podium today with the distinguished leaders that accompany me and who represent the best of our country, and you who represent the character and the fiber and the strength of America.
Twelve 12 years ago at this hour, in this place, a horrific act of terror claimed 184 innocent lives. Today, we come together to honor the fallen, surrounded by those who loved them. We remember each of those taken from us. We remember them as individuals with their own story. We comfort the loved ones they left behind, who still mourn and grieve despite the passage of time. On our thoughts turn to others, whose lives (INAUDIBLE) by the fateful events that clear September morning, the first responders and survivors whose heroism we celebrate, the Pentagon personnel who came to work the next day with a greater sense of determination than ever before, and the men and women in uniform who have stepped forward to defend our country over 12 long years of war, bearing incredible sacrifices along with their families. In all of these men and women, in all of you, we see the strength, the resilience, and the sense of purpose that have always defined the United States of America and that, too, is what the American people reflect upon today, for it is in these timeless qualities that we find hope for a better world and a better future.
We're honored that President Obama is here to help us commemorate this anniversary. It is my privilege to introduce our commander in chief, a man who leads our country with compassion, with strength and wisdom. Ladies and gentlemen, President Barack Obama.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good morning.
CROWD: Good morning.
OBAMA: From scripture we learn the miracle of restoration. You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again. Dear (ph) earth (ph), you will bring me up again. You will increase my greatness and comfort me again.
Secretary Hagel, General Dempsey, members of our armed forces and most of all the survivors who bear the wounds of that day and the families of those we lost, it is an honor to be with you here again to remember the tragedy of 12 Septembers ago, to honor the greatness of all who responded and to stand with those who still grieve and to provide them some measure of comfort once more. Together we pause and we give humble thanks, as families and as a nation, for the strength and the grace that despair has brought us up again, has given us strength to keep (INAUDIBLE).
We pray for the memory of all those taken from us, nearly 3,000 innocent souls. Our hearts still ache for the futures snatched away, the lives, the parents who would have known the joys of being grandparents, the fathers and mothers who would have known the pride of a child's graduation, the sons and daughters who would have grown, maybe married, had been blessed with children of their own, those beautiful boys and girls just beginning to find their way who today would have been teenagers and young men and women looking ahead, imagining the mark they'd make on the world. They left this earth, they slipped from our grasp, but it was written what the heart has once owned and had, it shall never lose. Where your families lost in the temporal, in the here and now, is now eternal. The pride that you carry in your hearts, the love that will never die, your loved one's everlasting place in America's heart. We pray for you, their families, who have known the awful depths of loss, and in the quiet moments we have spent together and from the stories that you've shared, I'm amazed at the will that you've summoned in your lives to lift yourselves up and to carry on and to live and love and laugh again.
Even more than memorials of stone and water, your lives are the greatest tribute to those that we lost, for their legacy shines on in you, when you smile just like him, when you toss your hair just like her, when you foster scholarships and service projects that bear the name and -- of those we lost and make a better world, when you join the firehouse, or you put on the uniform or you devote yourself to a cause greater than yourself, just like they did, that's a testimony to them. And in your resilience, you've taught us all there's no trouble we cannot endure and there's no calamity we cannot overcome.
(INAUDIBLE) step forward in those years of war, diplomats who serve in dangerous posts, as we saw this day last year in Benghazi, intelligence professionals often unseen and unheralded who protect us in every way, (INAUDIBLE) in uniform who defend this country that we love. Today we remember not only those who died, (INAUDIBLE) solemn tribute (INAUDIBLE) --
COSTELLO: All right, we apologize. We're having some technical problems. But you saw the president honoring those who fell, not just in, of course, Washington, D.C., but also in New York and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
We're going to take a break. We'll be back with much more in the NEWSROOM.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Children's Foundation and Camp Hayes (ph) to all our Hayesers (ph), Hayes hugs (ph) forever.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And my father, Christopher Edward Faughnan. We love you and are working every day to make this world the place you dreamed it could be.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Randall L. Drake.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Patrick Joseph Driscoll.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Steven Patrick Driscoll.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Charles A. Droz III.
COSTELLO: All right, we got the technical bugs worked out. Let's head back to Washington and the president.
OBAMA: And defend our nation. Let us have the wisdom to know that while force is at times necessary, force alone cannot build the world we seek. So we recommit to the partnerships and progress that builds mutual respect and deepens trust and allows more people to live in dignity, prosperity and freedom. Let us have the confidence and the values that make us Americans, which we must never lose. The shining liberties that make us a beacon of the world, the rich diversity that makes us stronger, the unity and commitment to one another that we sustain on this national day of service and remembrance. And above all, let us have the courage. like the survivors and families here today, to carry on no matter how dark the night or how difficult the day.
You, who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again. And from the depths of the earth will you bring me up again. You will increase my greatness and you will comfort me again. May God bless the memory of those that we lost, may he comfort you and your families, and may God bless these United States of America.
COSTELLO: All right. And with that, the president concludes his remarks. We're going to take a break. We'll be back with much more in the NEWSROOM.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Barbara G. Edwards.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dennis Michael Edwards.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Michael Hardy Edwards.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Christine Egan.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lisa Erin Egan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Martin J. Egan Jr.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Michael Egan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Samantha Martin Egan.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Carol Eggert.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lisa Caren Ehrlich.
SINGING: America, God shed his grace on thee and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Checking our "Top Stories" at 48 minutes past the hour two Colorado state senators who supported stricter state gun laws are out of a job this morning. Voters kicked them out in the state's first ever legislative recall. The two lawmakers have voted for new gun laws following mass shootings in Aurora and Newtown, Connecticut. State Senate President John Morse said getting fired though was worth it.
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JOHN MORSE, LOST HIS COLORADO STATE SENATE JOB: If passing gun safety legislation in Colorado cost me my political career that is such a small price to pay because the families of gun violence victims pay a huge price every single day. And so the least I can do is stand up and do the right thing.
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COSTELLO: The National Rifle Association, the NRA bankrolled the recall campaigns and called the outcome a major milestone.
Diana Nyad is defending her recent shark cage free swim from Cuba to Florida telling her critics the journey was done in a quote "squeaky clean and ethical fashion." Some skeptics have raised concerns about her speed during the swim and a lack of food eaten during certain stretches. The Ohio man who made that viral video confessing to killing someone while driving drunk is due back in court today. The hearing for Matthew Cordle was delayed Tuesday after the judge found out he planned to plead not guilty. Cordle's lawyers said it was standard procedure and that his client will indeed plead guilty after probation officers review the case.
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JUDGE JULIE LYNCH, FRANKLIN COUNTY COURT OF COMMON PLEAS: I'm sorry you all came to this whole big thing but this is -- there's nothing unusual, there's no reason to be arraigned here today. We're not going to take an arraignment, have somebody run downstairs, take a new judge so that he'd go get a different sentence from another judge.
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COSTELLO: Yes, the judge was not happy. Cordle was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide. If convicted he could face a maximum sentence of 8.5 years in prison.
After a late start, Humberto is now the first hurricane of the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane early this morning with sustained winds of about 75 miles per hour. This is the -- this is the latest start to a hurricane season since 2002 when Gustav became a hurricane on September 11.
Things have gone from bad to much, much worse for the cash-strapped postal service. The agency now says it cannot even afford the vans it uses to deliver your mail.
Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange. Seriously?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi. Seriously. If it wasn't so sad, it would be funny. Right? You know this is the latest financial problem for the U.S. Postal Service since they can't afford to buy the vans that actually deliver the mail. It wants to lease these vans. And you know what? It will be a first. You've seen them out there -- those vans with the steering wheel on the right. There are also some of the more fuel-efficient ones on the fleet.
But here is the thing. They're 12 to 25 years old. They're old. Imagine keeping a car for that long. So you know they're breaking down. Fixing them is expensive. But buying new ones will cost them billions of dollars because they're custom made.
So the USPS actually put on and ad soliciting federal contract bids to lease the vans -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Is this a scare tactic, or is the post office in such dire straits -- I mean, whose fault is this?
KOSIK: Yes I mean you look at the USPS, Carol, it's money problems, they are actually real. The USPS lost $16 billion last year, it exhausted a $15 million line of credit from the Treasury and it still can't pay its bills. It missed two big payments to the government last year. Here's what the problems are. Fewer people are mailing things. A lot of us doing let's say online banking. But there is an even bigger issue that's saddling the USPS at this point. Congress actually requires the U.S. Postal Service to pay $5 billion a year for retiring health care benefits.
So you're looking at the U.S. Postal Service, you know it's making cuts where it can, it's been cutting hours for workers. It's been merging processing plants and as far as the vans go, leasing makes sense, at least at a short-term fix. And at this point, the USPS needs some sort of fix -- Carol.
COSTELLO: You're not kidding. Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, George Zimmerman detained by police again. His estranged wife called 911, and why a destroyed iPad could be a key to sorting it all out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: A broken iPad is now a key piece of evidence in the latest dust up involving George Zimmerman and the police. This George, the man found not guilty in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin walking backwards, surrendering to police, all caught by a squad car's dash cam. It happened after a dispute with Zimmerman's estranged wife and her father. Victor Blackwell has more for us.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hands up. Put your hands up and get out of the car.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: New dashcam video shows George Zimmerman and another man being ordered out of this truck at gun point Monday by Lake Mary, Florida Police. Police suspected Zimmerman was armed after receiving this frantic call from his estranged wife Shellie Zimmerman.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SHELLIE ZIMMERMAN, GEORGE ZIMMERMAN'S WIFE: He's in his car and he continually has his hand on his gun and he keeps saying, "Step closer." He's just threatening all of us with --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Step closer and what?
S. ZIMMERMAN: -- with his firearm. And he's going to shoot us.
BLACKWELL: Police say they did not find a gun.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get on your knees. Cross your feet.
BLACKWELL: According to police there was a confrontation at the home the Zimmerman's once shared -- a home owned by Shellie's father David Dean.
S. ZIMMERMAN: He accosted my father and then took my iPad out of my hand and smashed it and cut it with a pocketknife.
BLACKWELL: This is Dean after the alleged attack, which police say was not caught on camera. Police say Mrs. Zimmerman was using the now smashed iPad to record video of what was being taken from the home. In this home surveillance video footage George Zimmerman volunteered to officers, you can see George smash the iPad. Now that iPad is at the center of the investigation.
ZACH HUDSON, SPOKESMAN, LAKE MARY POLICE: You've got George Zimmerman saying that he was struck with the iPad. And then you have Shellie saying that there was some physical contact with George. The iPad's important, because we want to see what's on that iPad. The iPad would have been running while this was going on.
BLACKWELL: Everyone was questioned and released, no charges were filed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Victor Blackwell reporting this morning.
The next hour of NEWSROOM, after a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Happening now in the NEWSROOM a push for peace.
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have therefore asked the leaders of Congress to postpone a vote.
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COSTELLO: President Obama, 15 minutes and America's place in the world.
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