Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Typhoon Haiyan Survivors Struggle; Woman Killed in Big Cat Sanctuary; Newtown Threatens to Fire Officer With PTSD After Sandy Hook; Houston Man Defeats 24-Year Incumbent by Pretending to be Black; USPS to Deliver Amazon Packages on Sundays; FBI Catches Modern-Day Bonnie and Clyde; Obama Invites Oldest Living Vet to Ceremony; Legacy Project Preserves Veterans' Correspondences
Aired November 11, 2013 - 15:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: It's the bottom of the hour. I'm Kyra Phillips.
And 10,000 people feared dead now after a super typhoon rolls over the Philippines. Here in the U.S., Los Angeles County is home to nearly 375,000 Filipinos, many of whom are worried about friends and family in the aftermath of this storm.
Well, CNN's Stephanie Elam talked to people who are waiting anxiously for any word from their loved ones.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NINA ARENA, BROTHER OF VICTIM: It's sickening.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Since Typhoon Haiyan hit, Nino Arena and his sister Marie (ph) have been scouring social media looking for any sign that their half-sister, Daileen (ph) Arena, is alive.
NINO ARENA, BROTHER OF VICTIM: I want it to be daylight over there so at least we get more -- more progress, we get more news.
ELAM: The family believes that 20-year-old Daileen rode out the storm at her job with APAC Customer Services just south of hard-hit Tacloban City and Palo, instead of heading back to her home in Jaro.
ARENA: She commutes every day, but for this particular day, she decided to stay there because of the bad weather. The last text message we got from her is just her asking if her mom is OK.
ELAM: For Nino, the pictures of the aftermath of the typhoon hit home.
ARENA: I studied in that city. And looking the images and looking at the people -- at the people there, I could -- I could see myself in that place. I could see my half-sister in that place. It's very personal.
ELAM: Perhaps the strongest tropical cyclone in recorded history, Typhoon Haiyan slammed the Philippines with a force 3.5 times stronger than Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
That unnerves Nino who is constantly swapping with Dailyn's brother. He's safe in Manila.
NINO ARENA, SISTER IN TYPHOON DISASTER AREA: Construction is strong, but it has only a ground floor, and it's really close to the water.
ELAM: Despite the devastatingly high number of people that may have died, Nino remains optimistic.
How is the hope level within your family?
ARENA: It's high. We believe in divine intervention and we believe that she made it.
ELAM: Stephanie Elam, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Stephanie, thanks.
Well, the head keeper is dead at a big cat sanctuary outside Portland, Oregon. Authorities say that she had died by the time that they got there Saturday night.
According to the reports, the victim was by herself in the cougar cage, but at last word, the investigation isn't yet closed.
Casey Wian, on the story for us out of Los Angeles, Casey, was she killed by a cougar or another large cat?
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, there are dozens of large cats at this Cat Haven Animal Sanctuary in Oregon, and investigators have determined at least for now that it was a cougar that was responsible for her death.
The woman's name, Renee Chapman, as you mentioned, the head keeper at the sanctuary, a veteran employee there, very, very well trained.
According to a statement released by the sanctuary on their Web page, she was alone in the enclosure with these cats, and that, they said, is a violation of their safety protocol, of their policies.
They don't say how that happened, why she was in there by herself, but they say that's the reason for her death.
What employees are supposed to do, according to the sanctuary, is have two people there until the cats are safely locked up and then one person can go in and clean, feed, do what they need to do to attend to the animals, and that, according to the sanctuary, did not happen in this case.
The sheriff's department locally says their investigation into this is concluded because they determined there's no criminal activity here, but they say the state department of fish and game and wildlife, may get involved in this. We have reached out to them. They haven't determined whether they're going to investigate further.
But their protocol in this type of case, where there is a cougar that is determined to be a danger to humans, is to euthanize that animal.
We don't know if that's going to happen or has happened in this case, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Casey, thanks so much.
Joining us from Columbus, Ohio, Harry Peachey, he's the curator at the Columbus Zoo.
So, Harry, you just heard Casey's report. What can you tell us about the mindset of a cat keeper?
After seeing these animals day after day, right, do you begin to view them as friends and family and that they just won't hurt you?
HARRY PEACHEY, CURATOR, COLUMBUS ZOO: Well, I think you develop a relationship with any animal that you spend time with, but typically, professional animal care staff is extremely aware of just how dangerous these animals are.
You don't let your guard down. If you do, you wouldn't have lasted for eight years.
PHILLIPS: Can I ask you, and I know it would be speculation on your part, but she -- it's confirmed that she was in there by herself.
Why would she go by herself and not with someone else like the rules state you should?
PEACHEY: That's a good question, and that's probably one that we will never be able to answer.
This facility had protocols in place as you said. They require that two people be present at all times when cats are moved, that when cats are moved back to enclosure, two people there.
She seemed to be working outside these standards, and I don't know if we'll ever have an answer for why she was managing the situation that way, how this happened.
PHILLIPS: So how does such a person, you know, remind herself that these creatures are deadly to humans every day on the job?
I mean, it's a risk, right? Are you supposed to go in there, reminding yourself of that every day?
PEACHEY: Well, you know, it gets to the point where you don't have to. It becomes automatic. It's a mindset.
You approach your job and your day within that mindset, and you're very, very aware of the fact these animals are dangerous. And you develop this social relationship where you can interact with that animal from outside the enclosure.
It wasn't standard practice for staff at this facility to be going in with these animals, but you never forget.
PHILLIPS: What about the cat?
PEACHEY: If you do, you have an accident.
PHILLIPS: What could cause a cat to turn on the person who sees them every day, feeds them, pets them, loves them? What can cause an animal to freak out like that?
PEACHEY: Well, at their foundation, these are wild animals. Even though they have been around people and been managed in a facility like that, at the end of the day, this was still a wild cougar.
It doesn't take much for that animal to revert to a more typical behavior pattern for a cougar and to behave just like a wild mountain lion would behave.
The one difference, and that was probably critical in this situation, is that being around people all the time, a wild mountain lion may have avoided the situation.
A mountain lion that is familiar with people may not be reluctant to go ahead and respond to the situation in an aggressive manner.
PHILLIPS: Interesting. Harry Peachey, appreciate you. Thank you.
PEACHEY: You're more than welcome.
PHILLIPS: Coming up, a Newton police officer hasn't returned to work since walking into Sandy Hook last year.
He's still suffering from PTSD, but now he could lose his job, and he wants the town to keep its promise.
Does he even have a case? We're talking about that, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, he saw things that no person should ever have to see. Now a Connecticut police officer who responded to the Sandy Hook school shooting says he's about to lose his job because he's suffering from post-traumatic stress.
Tom Bean is the only Newtown police officer who's not been able to go back to work since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary.
He says he's been diagnosed with PTSD, and according to a letter that we've obtained, written by the police chief, Bean would lose his job because the PTSD has left him permanently disabled.
Now, for him, living through that horror every day makes it impossible to put on that uniform again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OFFICER THOMAS BEAN, NEWTOWN, CONNECTICUT, POLICE: Nothing could prepare you for that.
You know, you've got teachers and students running out of the school, and then we went into the school and to help secure -- just the worst possible scenes you can think of.
And so, you know, initially, I didn't feel like there was any reward for responding, you know, because all there was was horror, but that day killed me inside.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, on top of everything else, Officer Bean says that the city has told him they can't afford to live up to the terms of the long-term disability police contract, which should cover him for the next 12 or so years and pay for the medical help that he needs.
It's a really awful predicament, obviously, for Officer Bean and potentially any first-responder who could face the same situation.
You're going to hear much more from Officer Tom Bean tonight on "Erin Burnett OutFront." Our Susan Candiotti will have that entire interview there.
Drew, I want to bring you back in, OK? You're the attorney here.
So, and I took some notes here, from what I understand, if he retires, he would take a huge penalty for drawing on his pension, right?
DREW FINDLING, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Right.
PHILLIPS: OK, if he gets fired or resigns, tell me if this is right, he wouldn't get any disability benefits beyond the two years that he's been offered.
And if he takes a new job, he loses his disability and wouldn't be able to touch his pension until retirement age.
Can the city really do this to him?
PHILLIPS: The city's going to have to live up to the contract they have in place with him.
They can't turn around in the 11th hour and say, hey, we didn't anticipate anything like this happening in our little community when we contractually developed a relationship with each of our employees, namely law enforcement, first-responders, et cetera. It's just not what we anticipated. We can't follow through.
As long as there's a provision in there that should financially take care of him, they can't try to distinguish between paralysis, for example, physical paralysis, and the diagnosis of PTSD, particularly at a time when we're seeing the military deal with this on a day-to- day basis.
If the military is finally saying, hey, PTSD is enough, then I think the community should be able to make that same decision.
PHILLIPS: You make a really interesting point because the military wasn't even dealing with PTSD.
Remember all the stories we covered, uncovering how it wasn't addressed, they weren't acknowledging it, you know, men and women weren't getting help?
So now you have this small town, I mean, he saw dead children. I can't even imagine. Right? They had never seen anything like this. So this is unprecedented.
So how can the city say to this guy, sorry? I mean, it sounds like they're trying to say they don't have the money to do that.
FINDLING: They're not going to be able to. And, now, we're in this period as we talked about regarding our military, and what a day for us to be talking about this --
PHILLIPS: Oh, yeah, ironic.
FINDLING: -- when you see studies that came post-World War II, how was the Hell's Angels formed? Post-World War II, ignoring the plight of veterans and all the sudden organizations went out after them.
And we saw what happened after Korea and after Vietnam and homelessness and crime and drugs. We're now coming to terms with it and embracing it, and the military is doing a an amazing job doing it.
We're seeing the mass shootings, unfortunately, all the time. And if we're seeing them all the time, then we're going to have officers similarly situated that are going to say, hey, this was too much for me. I don't know if I can go back.
And you can't back out on a contractual teal. It can't happen and it's not going to happen. Again, we'll see a community outpouring, and they'll take care of him.
PHILLIPS: And we'll follow it.
Drew, appreciate it.
FINDLING: Absolutely.
PHILLIPS: Thanks so much.
Up next, a political newcomer with the odds overwhelmingly against him knocks a 24-year incumbent out of office.
How did he do it? Some people are saying he just pretended to be black.
Also coming up, could Amazon.com save the United States Postal Service? It's a new plan to offer delivery on Sundays.
Could it really happen? That story is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, here's an interesting election upset to tell you about. A Houston man knocks a 24-year incumbent off a community college board of trustees.
And how he did it, well, listen to this. His name is Dave Wilson, and you see here a few flyers that his campaign mailed directly to voters.
Here's his election Web site. Take a good hard look at it for just a second.
Now, I want to play you part of one of his radio ads.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, that's the one.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bruce Austin is killing the hopes and dreams of our children. He's setting them up for failure.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Girl, please, I bet he has relatives that could've used some of that scholarship money he voted against. I've had about enough of him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So what we going to do?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm voting for Dave Wilson.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: OK, well election day comes around, and Dave Wilson ends up winning by just 26 votes.
So, Dave Wilson, you won. What's your reaction?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVE WILSON, WON ELECTION : Nobody was shocked more than me. I had always said it was a long shot. No, I didn't expect to win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, Wilson was shocked because he's a white conservative who ran in a district whose voters were largely Democratic and black, those pictures of black families on his flyers all lifted from the Internet.
Can't say how much of a difference that had in the final outcome, but Bruce Austin, the defeated incumbent isn't really happy with Wilson's campaign tactics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BRUCE AUSTIN, LOSING INCUMBENT: I don't think it's good. I don't think it's good for both democracy and the whole concept of fair play, but that was not his intent, apparently.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, Austin has asked for a recount, but at the moment, it looks like this election is going to hold up. We'll keep you posted.
The U.S. Postal Service is going to start delivering packages on Sunday. It's teaming up with online retail giant Amazon to make it happen.
CNN chief business correspondent and "YOUR MONEY" host Christine Romans explains why this partnership could be a win/win, not just for holiday shoppers, but also for the cash-strapped postal agency.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN HOST, CNN'S "YOUR MONEY": Kyra, imagine ordering a backpack for your kid on Friday, having it in time to pack Sunday night for school on Monday.
That's right, Amazon.com teaming up with the U.S. Postal Service for Sunday deliveries. For Amazon Prime members, that means free two-day delivery on Sundays.
For other shoppers it will be offered at no additional cost. Standard shipping rates will apply, which is free if you buy $35 or more of products.
It starts this Sunday in New York and the L.A. area. Amazon says it may expand to Dallas, Houston, New Orleans and Phoenix next year.
With 18 shopping days until Black Friday, it turns up the heat on Amazon's competitors. UPS doesn't deliver on Sunday, FedEx has very limited Sunday options, and the U.S. Postal Service until now has delivered packages for an extra fee on Sunday.
This move gives the postal service a nice piece of business because package delivery is more profitable than first-class mail delivery. The Postal Service, of course, lost nearly $16 billion last year.
It also shows the power of online shopping. Customers want quick deliveries with minimal shipping costs. U.S. online retail sales expected to reach $370 billion with a "B" by the year 2017.
This holiday season, every second counts. There are six fewer shopping days, so retailers are looking at every possible way to boost profits. About half of the year's profits come between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Kyra?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Christine Romans, thanks so much.
Coming up, you'll meet America's oldest living vet whose meeting with the president today.
He still smokes a dozen cigars a day, but wait until you hear what he says is keeping him alive.
Plus, letters found on the battlefield are revealed. One's got a bullet hole in it, another written on Hitler's stationary. You won't want to miss this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Federal agents finally catch a couple they dubbed modern-day Bonnie and Clyde. Immanuel Lee Williams and his wife, Cara, were arrested Friday at their Tampa, Florida, home.
CNN affiliate WPMI reports that the couple was wanted for robbing more than a dozen banks across Florida and Alabama over nearly a year.
Investigators say the bank surveillance video showing a scar on Emanuel Williams' hand actually helped authorities link the robberies to the couple.
President Obama invited a very special guest to today's wreath-laying ceremony in honor of Veterans Day. That is 107-year-old Richard Overton. He was honored for his service in the second world war.
The White House also asked him to join the president and vice president for breakfast before the ceremony.
Overton is thought to be both the nation's oldest living vet and the nation's oldest surviving World War II serviceman, but he played very coy when asked about his trip to Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD OVERTON, WWII VETERAN: The president wanted me to come with him. I'm surprised he called. I guess he wanted to talk to me. I don't know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don't know what he wants to say?
OVERTON: I don't know. He may want to run me away. I don't know. He may want to send me back over there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: 107-years-old. You know what he says his secret to a long life is? A splash of whiskey in his morning coffee. He also smokes up to a dozen cigars every day.
Overton's fellow vets have plenty of stories, that's for sure, but as the years go by, they're being lost.
However, one man is trying to preserve them through their letters sent back home from the front.
Stephanie Elam has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dear Betty Ann, I saw something today that makes me realize why we're fighting this war.
ANDREW CARROLL, COLLECTS WAR LETTERS: Written in April 1945 by a distant cousin of mine --
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Meet Andrew Carroll.
CARROLL: -- this was the letter that started it all.
ELAM: He's talking about this letter written by a World War II pilot. It was on its way to the trash before the retired vet gave it to him.
It inspired him to create the Legacy Project, a collection of correspondence composed from battlefields around the world.
He's written books based on the letters and even a play that we caught in rehearsal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wondered if I would really be able to use my weapon against someone else.
ELAM: The notes, some beautifully handwritten, stretch from America's earliest wars to e-mails from Afghanistan.
There's even this letter from a staff sergeant who wrote his parents on Adolf Hitler's stationary, and another scarred with a bullet hole.
CARROLL: We have letters from the Civil War that are stained with little blood marks and mud.
We have letters from Vietnam where the ink is streamed because it was written in a rainstorm.
ELAM: The letters often open unique windows into history.
CARROLL: This is the letter that was written from inside the ship at Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, U.S.S. New Orleans, Dear sis --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- I don't know why I'm writing this because if we're hit with a bomb they won't find enough of me, let alone this letter.
CAROLL: The emotions are timeless. And if you strip away the dates and the salutations you almost can't tell one war from another.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What about the wounds you can't see, the phantoms, the nightmares, the ghosts in your head.
BOB LEAHY, VIETNAM VETERAN: People who think the troops should restrain themselves are asking too much of human nature. ELAM: Just 20-years-old, Bob Leahy was in Vietnam when he wrote this letter that he's since donated to Carroll's project.
ELAM: What would you like to see happen to all the letters that the Legacy Project has collected?
LEAHY: Ideally, I'd like them to go somewhere where they would be saved for the scholars of the next generation.
ELAM: And Carroll hopes more people feel the same way.
So far, the Legacy Project has collected upwards of 90,000 letters just like this one that are being held here at Chapman University in the new Center for War letters.
One priority, getting all of these letters digitized, preserved and available to a wider audience.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Stephanie, thanks so much.
And we lift up all our vets today.
Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Kyra Phillips.
Now, "THE LEAD" with Jim Sciutto starts now.
