Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Newton 911 Calls to be Released; Blame the Driver?; Arctic Invasion to Bring 50-Degree Drop; Truck with Radioactive Material Stolen; Nigella Lawson Testifies Today in Fraud Trial; New Details in Walker Crash

Aired December 04, 2013 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He said that he was dazed on Sunday morning. Have you been able to talk to him about that?

COSTELLO: Plus, health alert. Three people in North Carolina have died from the flu. This morning reports of three new vaccines to fight the virus.

And get your motor running.

American automakers get an early Christmas present.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Good morning, I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. Nearly one year ago, Newtown Connecticut was forever changed as Sandy Hook Elementary School became the site of the second deadliest shooting in our nation's history.

Today we'll get more insight into how that tragedy unfolded when 911 calls are released this afternoon.

A state attorney, in an effort to shield the victim's family, had tried to block their release, but last week a judge upheld a previous decision to make them public.

Pamela Brown is live in New York with more on this.

Good morning.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning to you, Carol. That's right. At 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time today, the recordings and 911 calls made inside Sandy Hook Elementary last December 14th when the shooting happened will be released by attorneys in Newtown.

There will be seven phone calls in total and the recordings altogether will be just about half an hour long. The longest phone call that we'll hear is from custodian Rick Thorne. He was on the phone with a dispatcher for more than 10 minutes. Now important to note here, Carol, these are just the 911 calls made to Newtown police. Not the calls made to state police. But of course this is very difficult for the families as you can imagine. You know, the anniversary is right around the corner. This is of course the holidays.

And the superintendent actually e-mailed the families and warned them that this was going to be happening today and said -- he said, you know, like you, I haven't heard the recordings and they could be an emotional trigger -- Carol.

COSTELLO: What could we learn from these tapes, Pamela?

BROWN: Well, we're going to learn -- you know, we could learn more about what happened inside Sandy Hook Elementary School. We could hear some of the gun fire, of course, that could be in the background. And, you know, this is something that the judge and the Freedom of Information Commission said it's important to learn how law enforcement responded to the shooting.

And it will be an opportunity to see how they responded and perhaps any changes that could be made. But of course on the flipside of this, families, the community in Newtown are not happy about this, Carol.

I just got off the phone with Mark Barden, his son, Daniel, was killed during the shooting. And he told me we don't want to hear them. And I hope my children don't have to listen to that. This is a unique case and deserves unique treatment. It's unfortunate they weren't able to see that.

And he told me, Carol, that he's going to do everything he can today to make sure that his children are shielded from the media and don't have to listen to the recordings. That he says that he believes the potential harm and children listening to it outweighs the definable good as he said.

But of course the court ruled just last week upholding the Freedom of Information Commission saying that the release of the audio recordings will assist the public in gauging the appropriateness of law enforcement's response to calls from help from the public.

So you have the legal issue here, Carol, on one side and on the other side, the emotional issue for these families. It's truly devastating for them.

COSTELLO: Understand. Pamela Brown reporting live from New York.

And again, we expect those tapes to be released sometime this afternoon, 2:00 p.m. Eastern. We thank -- thanks, Pamela.

Get ready for the Arctic invasion. Plummeting temperatures across most of the country from Montana to Texas, Missouri to Ohio. We're talking snow, ice, sleet, freezing rain. Minneapolis could get as much as 10 inches of snow while places like Ohio may get hammered with ice. And look at these drastic changes in temperature. Dallas is -- predicted to have a high of 81 degrees today, but that temperature due to drop to 31 degrees by Friday. That's a swing of 50 degrees.

We have team coverage of the storm today. CNN's Ana Cabrera is in Boulder, Colorado, where as much as 10 inches of snow expected to pile up, and Indra Petersons is in the CNN Severe Weather Center.

But let's head out to Colorado and start with Ana.

Good morning. It's beautiful.

ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. It is cold here. Yes, yes, the snow is beautiful. It's piling up. You can see here in Boulder the plows have been very busy at work and we're expecting feet of snow in parts of the mountain area. Great news for ski resorts, but also creating some very dangerous avalanche conditions.

The biggest story here, though, is the cold. It is very cold. Some of the coldest air -- its duration of cold air that we're expecting that Colorado hasn't even seen in years. In fact, teens right, negatives over night, teens again tomorrow. We aren't expecting to see above freezing temperatures until sometime next week.

So underneath all this snow is ice. Very slick conditions creating treacherous driving, particularly in the mountains where we saw I-70, one of the main east-west corridors through Colorado had to close down for part of yesterday because of so many accidents and because of the slippery conditions.

The Colorado Department of Transportation is now using a special ice slicer, combination of sodium chloride and magnesium chloride to treat the roads to try to make it as safe as possible -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Ana Cabrera reporting live from Colorado this morning.

By Friday the storm could cause extremely dangerous conditions in some cities that aren't so used to freezing rain, sleet and snow.

Here's a live look at Santa Lewis from Earth Cam. St Lewis expected to be hit by snow and ice tomorrow. Dense fog there right now. Dense fog here, too, in Atlanta.

Let's head to New York, though, and Indra Petersons.

Good morning. Tell us more.

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning. You absolutely nailed it, Carol. It is that threat of freezing rain that we're so concerned with. First let's start with the snow because more of it still expected to fall. We're talking about anywhere from over a foot of snow still in through Colorado, even in through Minnesota.

We're still going to be talking about, yes, that heavy snowfall, but let's take a look at the system and where it's expected to go forward from here. Now this is what we were talking about, that freezing rain threat. Where you see the pink, that's a wintry mix. What we're concerned with is that wintry mix could be not just sleet, but freezing rain anywhere from southern portions of Missouri back in through Texas.

This is Thursday at noon. I'm going to take you in through later in Thursday. Now this is Thursday at 9:00 p.m. and notice how that wintry mix spreads all the way even into the Ohio Valley.

Likely, the farther north you are, you're just dealing with sleet. But either way, this is what you could take away. Notice we're still dealing with the system even as we head in through the weekend and there is a wave of it even behind that. So an ice storm is likely at this point in time.

As far as how much ice are we talking about? Well, the National Weather Service Offices in the region have varying results here. So yes, the forecast is going to be unique. We're going to have to take a look as we get closer. Half an inch of rain, that's going to take down those power lines. And that's the threat moving forward -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Indra Petersons, thanks so much.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security now helping in a search in Mexico after a truck carrying what officials say is dangerous radioactive material used in medical treatment was stolen. It happened -- it happened Monday, rather, near Mexico City.

The International Atomic Energy Agency says the truck was transporting the radioactive material from a hospital to a radioactive waste storage center at the time of the theft.

Let's bring in Nick Parker, he's in Mexico City. He has more for you.

Good morning.

NICK PARKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. A disturbing development indeed. We're just getting -- information is still coming in but we're just getting some new information from the National Commission for Nuclear Security and Safety who are of course central to this investigation.

And here's what they've told us at this stage. The crime took place at about 2:00 a.m. local time on the second of December. And the vehicle was stolen from a gas station by armed men in -- in the town of Tepojaco approximately 55 kilometers north of Mexico City. About a 45 minute drive or so.

So armed men taking this from a gas station. And crucially what the commission has told us is that they think the men that took the vehicle were not aware that it was carrying nuclear material. So obviously a highly significant development that basically these armed men they think were basically just going after the vehicle itself and had no idea that the highly dangerous, you know, and toxic cargo that it was carrying and on that subject, it was carrying cobalt 60, which is used for cancer procedures and has been described as extremely dangerous. It emits gamma rays and is taken in by blood and tissues, has a half life of around five years. But they did emphasize that the container that it was carrying in has a high mechanical resistance. So they're certainly hopeful that this will not be released into the public -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And just so viewers are sure of what this stuff is, it can't be used to make a bomb, right? It's just radioactive and it can cause people to become sick if they're exposed?

CARTER: I mean, there are -- there are various theories on that. Certainly it is something that has been voiced as something that could potentially be used to make a fairly low level kind of dirty bomb. To be honest with you. But at the same time, if it's in fairly small quantities, it's not particularly harmful to the public. But that said, obviously this particular cargo in the quantity that it was is judged as extremely dangerous by the Mexican authorities -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Nick Parker reporting live from Mexico this morning. Thank you.

Highway hypnosis. You've probably never heard of it, but it might have played a part in that deadly Bronx train derailment. A union representative says the engineer was, quote, "nodding off" before the crash and caught himself too late to slow down the train.

Those comments to CNN and other media outlets could be key to explaining what happened. But federal investigators say the union rep spoke too soon. Now the NTSB has kicked the rail union off the case.

So there's a lot of moving parts of this story this morning. Let's head to New York and Nic Robertson.

Good morning.

ROBERTSON: Good morning, Carol. Well, that union has been kicked off. They have been told by the NTSB that they've shared that information, made their own interpretation of the interviews that had been given and that means that they won't be part of this ongoing investigation into the train accident here.

What we're learning from the engineer's lawyer is that he says that this was purely an accident that his client had had a good night sleep. The night before.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got a major train wreck, five cars on the side multiple victims.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): We're hearing for the first time, from the fire fighters as they arrived at the scene of Sunday's deadly train derailment in the Bronx.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All victims have been removed from the crane. ROBERTSON: This morning new details about the man at the controls. The train's engineer William, "Billy" Rockefeller. His union representative saying he was nodding off and caught himself too late.

ANTHONY BOTTALICO, ASSOCIATION OF COMMUTER RAIL EMPLOYEES: He's extremely distraught over it, and he feels for the families.

ROBERTSON: In the minutes after the derailment according to a senior law enforcement source. Rockefeller told first responders, "Going along, I'm in a daze, I don't know what happened."

NTSB investigators say that 10-year veteran driver was on the second day of a five-day shift.

EARL WEENER, NTSB MEMBER: The day was typical nine hour day. And these days were routine days. There was every indication that he would have had time to get full restorative sleep.

ROBERTSON: His lawyer says he went to bed at 8:30 p.m. the night before and got up at 3:30 a.m., that his client had a good night's sleep. And is cooperating in every way.

BOTTALICO: I think it takes a strong man to come down and be honest. And that's what Billy is doing.

ROBERTSON: On the question of the brakes, Rockefeller had initially claimed according to a source that they didn't work.

WEENER: We've determined that the Metro-North Mechanical Department performed a proper brake test prior to the accident train leaving the station and there were no anomalies noted.

ROBERTSON: And now the federal rail administration is expressing serious concerns about Metro-North's recent series of accidents. In a letter to the head of the MTA saying four serious accidents in less than seven months is simply unacceptable.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: Well, we've heard from that union representative, the one who's mow been excluded from the investigation and he described the engineer as being very emotional, said that the pair of them had been in tears at times clearly for the engineer realizing what has happened. A very traumatic experience and a lot of emotion is what we're being told -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Nic Robertson reporting live from New York City this morning.

Still to Come in the NEWSROOM, celebrity chef Nigella Lawson takes the stand in a probe trial that already sent out shockwaves. Erin McLaughlin live have in London for you.

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN: That's right, Carol. Nigella Lawson testifying that her former husband Charles Saatchi threatened to destroy her if she didn't appear in court. I'll have more about that after the break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Checking our top stories at 17 past the hour.

Three people are dead in North Carolina after they got the flu. Health officials say all three people were at increased risk because they had underlying health issues. Still, they're encouraging more people to get the flu shot. The advice comes as flu vaccines are getting more than personalized. New options are available for people with allergies, children and the elderly.

A co-host on HGTV series "Curb Appeal" has died after a motorcycle accident. Bill Beckwith's motorcycle collided with another vehicle in San Francisco. Beckwith was one of four co-hosts on "Curb Appeal." Each episode makes over the exterior of a house. Bill Beckwith was just 38 years old.

Two skydivers dead after a midair collision. Witnesses say the two collided some 200 to 300 feet in the air. The impact caused their parachute canopies to collapse and the skydivers plunged to the ground. Police in Arizona are investigating.

Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson says her billionaire ex-husband Charles Saatchi threatened to, quote, "destroy" her if she did not testify at the trial of two former assistants. Lawson is testifying today about the Grillo sisters. Those sisters accused of using company credit cards to make more than a million dollars in unauthorized transactions. All this while they were working for Lawson and her ex- husband Charles Saatchi.

CNN's Erin McLaughlin is live outside the court this morning.

What went on today, Erin?

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.

Well, earlier this morning, Nigella Lawson arrived here at the courthouse, dressed in black, her face expressionless amidst the flash bulbs of the world's media. She testified in trial that her former husband Charles Saatchi threatened to destroy her if she did not appear in court saying, quote, "He had said if I didn't get back to him and clear his name, he would destroy me."

Of course, this testimony follows the very public breakdown of their marriage earlier this year. She also talked about how difficult it is for her to appear and testify at this trial, saying, quote, "I felt I need to do my civil duties. It's difficult for me, it's very difficult for my children, but I want to do the right thing."

She also talked about how at times it felt like she's been the one on trial in actuality, the defendants are her two former assistants, Elisabetta and Francesca Grillo. The prosecution alleging that the sisters charged over a million dollars to Saatchi company credit cards, fraudulent charges that the sisters deny saying that Lawson habitually used drugs and knew about the expenses. So far, Nigella Lawson had not commented on any of the allegations. This is really the first time we're hearing her talk about this, Carol.

COSTELLO: Did Nigella Lawson talk at all about that famous tabloid picture? The one where it appeared her husband was choking her in a restaurant.

MCLAUGHLIN: Not at present. Now, her ex -- though, the testimony is continuing, they just came out of a lunch break. The testimony will continue into the afternoon.

Now, her ex-husband Charles Saatchi did testify on Friday. In that testimony, he talked about an e-mail he sent to Lawson in October. In that email, he alleged that Lawson habitually abused drugs, marijuana and cocaine, and said that he allowed the Grillo sisters -- she allowed the Grillo sisters, rather, to spend as they liked. He backtracked on that statement in his testimony, saying he was very upset when he sent that e-mail, adding that he was simply speculating as to what the Grillo sisters defense would be at trial, adding that at no point in time did he ever see Nigella Lawson do drugs, Carol.

COSTELLO: Ugly stuff.

Erin McLaughlin, live in London, thanks so much.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM: chilling details about the crash that killed actor Paul Walker. Casey Wian is following that story for you from Los Angeles.

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Carol. There is new video released in the aftermath of this crash. It raises new questions about how Paul Walker and his friend died. We'll have details coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: There are disturbing new details about the car crash that took the life of Paul Walker and his friend Roger Rodas. Surveillance video shows the two were inside their mangled car for about one minute before the car burst in to flames. And in the video you'll see a lamp post crash down. It's already happened actually.

And then a tree shake as the car hits it. And then after about one minute, faint gray smoke begins to billow into the air.

Casey Wian is following the story from Los Angeles.

Good morning, Casey.

WIAN: Good morning, Carol.

When you look at that video, it sure raises a lot of questions about how Paul Walker and his friend died. Were they killed by the initial impact or were they killed a full minute later by the explosion that ensued. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WIAN (voice-over): Chilling new video showing the crash that killed actor Paul Walker and his friend, Roger Rodas. At the moment of impact you can see a light pole and tree fall. Smoke is faintly visible at first then begins to billow heavily. But it took 60 seconds between the time of the crash and the first signs of smoke when the Porsche burst into flames.

ALAN DUKE, CNN DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER (voice-over): We've heard of heroic efforts to try to pull the men out, but it was too late. But it's that lonely 60 seconds of no smoke, no fire in that Porsche Carrera GT when those men were inside that vehicle, obviously unable to get out.

WIAN: The autopsy results on the remains of the victims are complete but not being released because of a security hold. Investigators continue to search for answers about what caused the accident. They say they have not found any evidence of a fluid leak from the car at the scene, which could have indicated that the car became difficult to control.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a stealth mission. We'll be in and out before they even know we were there.

WIAN: Production on "Fast and Furious 7", which Walker had been working on at the time of his death remains on hold. Shooting on the film had been scheduled to resume this week but was canceled Monday and Tuesday. The studio declined to say when shooting would resume.

Devoted fans continued to grieve at the makeshift memorial, lining the street with mementos of the star.

PAUL WALKER SR., PAUL WALKER'S FATHER: I'm just glad every time I saw him I told him I loved him. And he said the same thing to me.

WIAN: The Walker family has not made plans for a memorial service. They issued a statement expressing thanks for the outpouring of love and goodwill from his many fans and friends. They've asked fans to show their support by donating to his charity, Reach Out Worldwide.

"Paul founded the organization with the genuine desire to help others, and it's important to his family to keep his memory alive."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIAN: Universal Pictures announced Tuesday that a portion of the proceeds of the upcoming home release of the film "Fast and Furious 6" will be donated to Paul Walker's charity -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Casey Wian, reporting live for us this morning.

Still to come on the NEWSROOM: auto sales are surging big, Black Friday sales prop up the Big Three. Could be a sign the U.S. automakers have made a big comeback.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)