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Ocean Search for Missing after Jet Crash; Congressman Accused of Drug Possession; Stock Markets Hitting Pause; George W. Bush on Jay Leno Show; Police: State Senator Stabbed by Son; Toronto Mayor Declares "Outright War"
Aired November 20, 2013 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Recovered and now the Coast Guard is frantically searching 20 square miles of ocean in hopes of finding the two other people alive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. CMDR. GAVE SOMMA, PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER, U.S. COAST GUARD: At this time the debris field is four by five, approximately 20 square miles and drifting to the north. We continue to carefully model and track the debris, and again, we are stressing this is still an ongoing search and rescue case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Ongoing search and rescue.
CNN's John Zarrella live in Ft. Lauderdale.
John, what's the latest?
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, Christine, well, the Coast Guard is telling us they're going to continue to call it a search and rescue operation throughout the morning and the early afternoon, and then by later in the afternoon they'll reevaluate the situation. But so far, they say they've recovered about a thousand pounds of debris from that plane that went down last night.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA (voice-over): Disaster moments after takeoff. A terrifying scene.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mayday, mayday, mayday.
ZARRELLA: A frantic call for help.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You going back to Ft. Lauderdale?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have an engine failure.
ZARRELLA: Seconds before the small medical aircraft plummeted into the sea.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maintain 4,000 and turn left heading 330.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not possible. We're going to do a 180.
ZARRELLA: The pilot made a last-ditch effort to turn back around towards the Ft. Lauderdale airport only to crash a mile off the coast.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mayday. Mayday. Mayday.
DANIEL FIGUEROA, WITNESS: It was flying really low over the water. Not paying much attention, I was like, you know, it's really strange for a plane to be flying so low. And then a couple -- maybe about 30 minutes later there's the Coast Guard.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): In the pitch black of night search and rescue crews struggled to find survivors. Helicopters and about a dozen boats scoured the area.
SOMMA: Searchers and responders located debris and shortly thereafter located two bodies.
ZARRELLA: The wreckage brought aboard a Coast Guard boat, the two bodies immediately brought to shore.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's still an ongoing and very active scene.
ZARRELLA: The Learjet 35 pictures here was a part of Air Evac International, a medical plane originating in Mexico to transport patients. According to Ft. Lauderdale Airport officials the patient was dropped off and the plane was returning to Mexico with the pilot, copilot, doctor and nurse on board when the accident occurred.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA: Now throughout the morning, we have seen Coast Guard helicopters going overhead as well as state and local assets both on -- in the air and on the water, some patrol boats going by. As they continue that search, all up and down the coast here, stretching from south of where we are where the airport is, Ft. Lauderdale International, where the plane left from, and then past us, up north of Ft. Lauderdale to an area called Hillsborough.
So an expansive search still going on in hopes that if nothing else, they can at least find the bodies of those two missing people -- John, Christine.
BERMAN: You know a Coast Guard official said the search conditions were optimal. Maybe there will be some kind of miracle.
John Zarrella for us in Ft. Lauderdale, thanks so much, appreciate it.
So this might come as some welcome news for Toronto this morning when it comes to cocaine and politics, Canada has no monopoly.
In about just 30 minutes, a U.S. congressman is due in court to face a charge of cocaine possession. The accused is Republican Trey Radel who represents parts of southwest Florida, and some of his constituents say they're not happy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINDA GALBRATH, CONSTITUENT OF REP. TREY RADEL: He's destroying his own family, so if he's destroying his own family, what he's care about us? You know, the people he's supposed to be representing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Radel could face a fine. He could face prison time.
CNN's Athena Jones is in Washington, she'll be heading into court shortly.
Athena, though, l understand you have new details about how this arrest was made.
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning John. We're just learning through the help of our justice correspondent Evan Perez that Representative Radel was arrested in a sting that was part of a broader investigation by the DEA and the FBI of a drug trafficking ring here in Washington, D.C. He was not -- buyers and users were not the targets. It was the dealers themselves. They learned through a dealer that one of his customers was a congressman and then arranged this sting.
We expect to see a contrite Congressman Radel when he appears just a few minutes from now in court. He said he's profoundly sorry, he's disappointed in himself and that he's seeking treatment.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONES (voice-over): Representative Trey Radel says he came to Washington because he wants to be able to help.
REP. TREY RADEL (R), FLORIDA: Our nation right now is facing an incredible crisis on so many different fronts. We have a debt that is crushing this country.
JONES: But now the freshman congressman will be in a Washington, D.C., superior courtroom today, facing charges of misdemeanor cocaine possession after his arrest last month. The 37-year-old legislator released a statement saying he's profoundly sorry to let down his family and the people of southwest Florida.
Radel says he struggles with the disease of alcoholism and this led to an extremely irresponsible choice. He says he knows that he has a problem and will do whatever is necessary to overcome it.
The former journalist and TV news anchor was elected last year. The Tea Party favorite represents Florida's 19th District.
RADEL: I want to be a conservative voice that stands up for what's right and does the right thing, but I want to be able to have the ability to, in fact, reach across not just the aisle but to all Americans and convey my message, our message. JONES: Radel, who calls himself a hip-hop conservative, also tries to get his message to reach younger constituents. In a recent interview, he breaks down what he says is the conservative message behind public enemy's fight the power.
RADEL: If you really get down to it, in many ways, reflects the conservative message of having a heavy-handed federal government.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JONES: Now House Speaker John Boehner said through a spokesman that members of Congress should be held to the highest standards. The alleged crime will be handled by the courts beyond -- that is a matter between Representative Radel, his family and his constituents.
Radel has asked his supporters to keep his family in their prayers -- John.
BERMAN: You know, Athena, you said you expect a contrite Trey Radel in the courtroom today and his statement is already quite contrite. Let's hope he gets the help that he says he needs.
Athena Jones, in Washington, thanks so much.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Just hours ago a white supremacist serial killer was executed in Missouri. It happened shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Joseph Paul Franklin's final appeal. Franklin blamed for 22 murders from 1977 to 1980. He also admitted to shooting "Hustler" magazine publisher Larry Flint. That bullet left Flint paralyzed from the waist down.
Check out this daring rescue. A helicopter crew saved a couple that got lost on a tough trail in north Vancouver. Rescuers used a 150- foot rope line to ferry the hikers to safety. The couple called police after realizing they were lost and they were not equipped to handle the steep terrain.
BERMAN: Looks like quite a ride.
ROMANS: Sure does.
All right. Now to Wall Street there's also been quite a ride. The Dow appears to be catching its breath after a record run. Right now futures pointing to a lower open for stocks after hitting an all-time high just two days ago.
Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange with more.
Hitting the pause button, I would say, on that market rally, Alison.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Not such a huge surprise, Christine. You know, one thing to keep in when you saw that Dow 16,000 both on Monday and Tuesday, that's where it was during the session. It's yet to close at this level and yes, now come the warning flags from big names that we know like Carl Icahn saying get ready, stocks could be ready for a big drop. Cisco CEO saying you know what, the global recovery is inconsistent and then you've got other analysts saying, you know what, stocks are going to go up, stocks are going to go down. So there you've got those analysts covering all their bases.
Those are the opinions. Here are some of the facts. You look at the Dow, before this rally, stocks haven't had a milestone in six years, and the Dow has had 39 record highs in just 11 months, that's stunning. One person is asking really how rational is this to see this record, record after record after record, and Doug Hirschhorn, he's the author of "The Trading Psychology Playbook," says not very rational.
Listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUG HIRSCHHORN, AUTHOR, "TRADING PSYCHOLOGY PLAYBOOK": It's a classic example of emotions overtaking rational decision-making and thinking about the numbers and the fundamentals as opposed to just some number which is a great number and cool and interesting and round but it really has not relevance as far as -- or shouldn't have relevance as far as how you make your decisions.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOSIK: So many economists, many analysts and many -- just of your neighbors may be saying hey, look, the economy doesn't seem strong enough to warrant these record highs and stuff. And you know what, many feel that way that the economy really isn't improving fast enough to warrant these record highs, and therein lies that disconnect -- Christine.
ROMANS: And yet, Alison, we just haven't seen that correction. So many people have said there's going to be a correction in this bull market and we just haven't seen it yet.
KOSIK: Yes. I mean, and some people say you know what, the older that this bull market gets, the greater the possibility that you will see stuff kind of make that correction. No one expects a crash. That's the good news. Many say hey, you know what, this rally still has legs because the Fed's stimulus is still pouring into this market.
$85 billion in money basically pouring into the financial system, pushing investors from bonds into stocks, that will keep the rally running, many say, plus they say hey, look, this is a healthy sign.
And then there's history. The S&P 500, you look at it, since 1991, whenever it rose 20 percent in one year, guess what? It rose again the following year. For those who have retirement funds, they're keeping their fingers crossed, yes, we wouldn't mind seeing this a second year in a row -- Christine.
ROMANS: All right. Alison Kosik and the big board -- thanks, Alison.
BERMAN: Keep it going, that's what I say. (LAUGHTER)
All right, so once the target of so many late-night laughs, George W. Bush finally had the chance to return a few barbs last night on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."
ROMANS: It was really funny. While the former president mostly stayed out of the spotlight these days he said he made a special exception for Leno.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": I was actually pleasantly surprised you accepted our invitation.
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT: Only because of you.
(LAUGHTER)
LENO: Thank you. That's very kind. That's very kind.
BUSH: I mean, you're about to head out to pasture.
(LAUGHTER)
BUSH: Yes. I just want to see what you look like before you got to the gate.
LENO: Well, thank you. That's very kind. Thank you for your time.
Now I know you've avoided talking policy for the last six or seven years. Explain why.
BUSH: I don't think it's good for the country to have a former president criticize his successor.
LENO: Yes.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: You know, some people close to George W. told me he really did want to go on "The Tonight Show" with Leno to sort of wish him good-bye before Leno leaves that show coming up in the winter.
Good appearance there.
Laura Bush joined her husband and the conversation turned to the former president's recent heart complications.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LENO: When the president had that heart scare, how scary was that?
LAURA BUSH, FORMER FIRST LADY: It was scary. LENO: Yes.
L. BUSH: It was very scary.
LENO: Yes?
L. BUSH: But --
G. BUSH: I wasn't that scared.
(LAUGHTER)
LENO: Was it you had Obamacare?
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: You're going to see that a lot today is my prediction.
The former president also had this gift for Jay Leno. It's a painting. He did it, on the comedian. Look, George Bush is spending so much time painting now. Again I've heard from people when I was reading about, apparently it's the only thing he wants to talk about at parties is baseball and painting, with the former president. They are now his obsessions and that's pretty good.
ROMANS: Wow, unbelievable.
All right. Still to come a prominent Virginia lawmaker finds himself in the middle of a family tragedy this morning.
BERMAN: After he is stabbed by his son. We will have a live report on the incident and the police investigation, that's come up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: Shocking and heartbreaking, that's how Virginia lawmakers are describing a tragic set of events involving one of their colleagues.
ROMANS: State Senator Creigh Deeds is recovering this morning from stab wounds police say were inflicted by his grown son, Austin. You can see Austin there in the blue shirt. Austin, who had recently moved in with his father, was later found dead of a gunshot wound.
CNN correspondent Chris Lawrence is in Charlottesville, Virginia, with the police trying to determine exactly what happened.
Good morning, Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Christine.
We know it was an altercation. We know that Creigh Deeds is now in fair condition and out of surgery, but the mystery of what exactly happened rests entirely there with him. It was just he and his son alone there at the house, when all of this happened, and this was a man who just a few years ago was campaigning for governor, with his son by his side. His son, Gus, passing out flyers on campus, and by all accounts, they had a very close relationship.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE (voice-over): Police found a chilling scene inside the home of a prominent Virginia state senator early Tuesday morning, an apparent murder/suicide involving father and son.
CORINNE GELLER, VA STATE POLICE SPOKESPERSON: Deeds was stabbed multiple times about the head and upper torso.
STATE SEN. CREIGH DEEDS (D), VIRGINIA: We still have fight, we still have spirit --
LAWRENCE: Police say popular Democratic Senator Creigh Deeds was stabbed by his 24-year-old son, Gus. Deeds managed to travel 75 yards down his driveway on foot to the highway where he ran into his cousin who lives nearby. The senator was later airlifted to a Charlottesville hospital where police say he was able to speak with them.
By the time police arrived in the senator's home, his son, Gus, was still alive, but suffering from what police describe as a self- inflicted gunshot wound. He died at the scene.
This nightmare, a jarring tragedy, especially in the wake of the senator's recent camp campaigns where his son was often seen by his side. Virginia Senator Chap Petersen, a long-time friend remembers campaigning alongside the father/son duo.
STATE SEN. CHAP PETERSEN (D), VIRGINIA: Gus was his driver. They traveled together. I know as a father he had a lot of concerns about his son, just issues involving dropping out of school and things of that nature.
LAWRENCE: Gus was a music major at the College of William & Mary. Officials say in the last month he left the school.
"The Richmond Times Dispatch" is reporting that Gus Deeds was sent to Bath County Hospital for a mental health evaluation under an emergency custody order. But the paper cites a source saying he was released the day before the altercation because a bed was not available.
Creigh Deeds is well-known in Virginia politics. In his unsuccessful bid to be governor in 2009, he garnered a presidential endorsement.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I know he is the right person for Virginia and you know it, too.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE: If someone like Gus Deeds is brought in for an emergency health care evaluation, he could only be held for up to six hours. Now a judge can issue a longer stay of up to three days, but there has to be a psych bed available, and here we are, six years after the massacre at Virginia Tech, where all of these reforms in mental health care were instituted across the state, and there is still a shortage of those beds and the supply is tight -- Christine.
ROMANS: It just, families really grapple with this. It's so sad and he's an adult. It makes it that much more difficult when you see someone you're trying to help get into the medical system for mental illness.
BERMAN: Chris makes a good point. This raises so many questions about the mental health system all around the country and in Virginia to think if there had only been one single bed, this all might not have happened.
Chris Lawrence for us in Virginia, thanks so much.
Still to come for us, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is defiant, even if he's not exactly consistent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROB FORD, TORONTO MAYOR: I do not use crack cocaine nor am I an addict of crack cocaine.
Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine. But no -- do I, am I an addict? No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The city council may have stripped ford of his powers but the mayor says he's staying put no matter what it takes. Live report from Toronto, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: All right, Toronto's crack smoking mayor is not backing down, believe it or not. I can't believe it. Rob Ford says the city council's move to strip his powers is illegal and it's an attempt at a coup.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FORD: Why? Because of I guess some personal issues. Has nothing to do with politics. It's all personal, and they turned it into a coup. Basically wanted to take over the government and it's absolutely wrong, it's illegal what they've done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: So the bad news doesn't stop there, though, for the mayor. His much hyped television show "Ford Nation" has been canceled, after just one episode. This TV business, man, it's tough.
ROMANS: The politics and TV together, right?
So, what's next for Mayor Ford?
CNN's Nic Robertson is in Toronto for us this morning.
Good morning, Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Christine, John, good morning. The mayor is not down and out. He got top rating figures, it just took too long to make. The brothers will get guest appearances in that show over the coming weekends.
But for right now the mayor says he may challenge the legal decisions by the council to strip him of powers, but the questions at the moment really focus on just when, when did he smoke that crack cocaine, and his statements that he's giving up on booze.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FORD: Yes, I have some smoked crack cocaine, probably in one of my drunken stupors, probably approximately about a year ago.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Well, not quite. According to police documents obtained by Canadian media, Mayor Ford smoked crack as recently as nine months ago.
So is Ford's account a fabrication or simply a memory lapse? And then there's this.
FORD: I haven't touched a drop of alcohol in three weeks.
ROBERTSON: Cold turkey.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're done with alcohol?
FORD: Finished.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You'll never drink again?
FORD: Finished. I've had a "come to Jesus" moment if you want to call it that.
ROBERTSON: Mayor Ford talking on TV, promising his boozing days are done.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You haven't been drinking at all?
FORD: I haven't had a drop of alcohol in three weeks, not a drop, a drop. I'll take a urine test right now.
ROBERTSON: But don't expect details.
(on camera): Mr. Mayor, tell us about giving up the booze.
(voice-over): The man given Ford's mayoral powers, not so sure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's easy to go cold turkey. It's hard to stay that way. That's the only comment I can make.
ROBERTSON: But if it works, maybe, just maybe, they'll be less of this, and this.
FORD: I didn't push her.
ROBERTSON (on camera): Pushed you right there.
MICHELLE SIU, PHOTOGRAPHER: Right in the belly.
ROBERTSON: What were you thinking at that moment?
SIU: Don't fall on me.
Yes, it's not my first time. I've gotten an elbow to the rib by Ford before.
PAM MCCONNELL, TORONTO CITY COUNCIL: I felt like I was being hit by a crazy train, quite honestly. But certainly the impact made me go into slow motion. I couldn't think about what was happening. I was kind of looking at him. You can see me sort of going get off me, get off me. I was afraid he was going to fall on top of me.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Apparently no alcohol involved. Even so forgiveness for ford, not happening for now.
MCCONNELL: It will take more than that to have me sit down. You don't know me very well but I can tell you, nobody knocks me down like that.
ROBERTSON: And it will take more than a few dry weeks to convince Pam McConnell and the council Ford is winning his battle with booze.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON: So, trying to get to the truth on all of this, journalist also go to the courts here today to try and get a police document, 500 pages, heavily redacted before, and key videos, trying to get those released to the public -- Christine, John.
BERMAN: Nic, a lot of the people in the city of Toronto probably think they've been hit by a crazy train. Nic Robertson, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
ROMANS: All right. Still to come this morning, a judge says that if George Zimmerman wants to stay out of jail, he can't possess any more guns.
BERMAN: CNN's Alina Machado is live in Sanford, Florida.
ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And that's not the only condition of his release. I'll have all the details after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
