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Minneapolis Fire Update; New Mayor of New York Sworn In; Pot Legal in Colorado

Aired January 01, 2014 - 15:00   ET

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

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Some victims were either blown out of the windows or jumped. Authorities don't know how many people were actually inside or if all of them managed to get out.

CNN's Ted Rowlands is monitoring the situation from our Chicago bureau.

And, Ted, can firefighters get inside the building now?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They can.

The fire is basically out now, Marty. They're going through the debris, and they're looking for people that are missing. These are people that are associated with the 10 different apartments in this building that they have not accounted for. It doesn't mean they are deceased. It just means they can't find them, so they're hoping that they just weren't home at the time of the fire, which took place at 8:15 approximately this morning.

You mentioned the people that jumped or were blown from the third floor. There are six critically injured people and some of those are being treated for trauma from the drop. When firefighters arrived, the flames were so intense. And you look at the pictures, it's just amazing that there were no fatalities.

At this point, nobody has perished from this fire. Firefighters were able to get into the first floor for a while, but then quickly had to retreat. They helped others out using ladders. Bottom line, it's, again, a miracle, really, that nobody at least so far has died from this inferno.

SAVIDGE: Yes. We should point out, and I think the last time we spoke, there were still some they thought were unaccounted for. Has that changed at all?

ROWLANDS: No, there are still people who are unaccounted for. And again these are people that are associated with the apartment buildings they just can't find. They're going through with community leaders and people that know them trying to find their numbers, seeing where they are, hopefully, and the assumption is that they just weren't home at the time of the fire.

SAVIDGE: Yes, let's hope that's the case. Ted Rowlands, thanks very much. We will stay in touch. You can see in those images how cold it was, brutally cold, arctic air blowing in now to the Windy City and parts of the Northeast, and right behind it, well, the year's first snowstorm. Bone-chilling temperatures and up to 12 inches of snow are expected to blanket areas like Chicago, Boston, New York over the next few days.

(WEATHER UPDATE)

SAVIDGE: Well, here's some positive news. A vitamin may help some people with Alzheimer's.

A new study suggests that vitamin E may slow the progression of Alzheimer's in people with mild to moderate forms of that disease. Patients given a high dosage of vitamin E were able to care for themselves longer and needed less help with their chores. The study appears in "The Journal of American Medical Association."

Big doings in the Big Apple today. You may have found this out, but they're getting a new mayor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please welcome to 109th mayor of the city of New York, Bill de Blasio.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Has a very royal sound to it.

Bill de Blasio was sworn in after noon today, and he promised a strong taste of progressivism to the city that has roared back under its own style of conservatism.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So help me God.

BILL DE BLASIO (D), MAYOR OF NEW YORK: So help me God.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: You probably recognize Bill Clinton, the president, doing the honors there, his presence underscoring the hope being placed on de Blasio by Democrats around the country.

Susan Candiotti is with us now from New York.

And Susan, why is all this hope, really, being placed on Bill de Blasio?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Marty. Happy new year to you.

SAVIDGE: Thank you. CANDIOTTI: Why a lot of Democrats are paying close attention to this race around the country, because of the liberal progressive policies that Mayor Bill de Blasio is now promising to start employing here in New York City.

They want to see whether he will be able to carry out his promises, such as making a more economic -- a more equal economic playing field for people in New York City, and can those policies be implemented around the country? They're paying close attention to this nationwide because other cities want to see whether they, too, can duplicate these policies.

And also, keeping an eye, of course, on the midterm elections and the next presidential election, because if Bill de Blasio is successful in a huge city like New York, well, let's see whether the next presidential candidate, for example, will be able to do the same thing.

One of the things he talked about is taxing the wealthy in order to pay for universal pre-K programs and after school programs for all children. And this is what the mayor had to say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DE BLASIO: Those who are in between $500,000 and a million dollars a year, for instance, would see their taxes increase by an average of $973 a year. That's less than $3 a day, about the cost of a small soy latte at your local Starbucks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Hoping to make that more palatable to the wealthy who may be having to pay higher taxes.

And he also talked about reforming the controversial stop and frisk policy in New York City. He got the blessing for all of this from former President Bill Clinton. What is his connection to him? Well, de Blasio used to work for Bill Clinton and his administration.

And de Blasio also headed up Hillary Clinton's first Senate campaign in New York State, successfully, of course, as we know. So President Bill Clinton, his blessing meant everything. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: He represents with his family the future of our city and the future of our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: And, in fact, President Clinton even called de Blasio's family the real thing in terms of the modern family because it's the first interracial family, certainly, they have seen in terms of the mayor's family here in New York.

De Blasio is married to an African-American woman. And they have two African-American children as well. So, the question, of course, Marty, in all of this, is let's see how he does. Can he pull it off?

SAVIDGE: Yes, a lot of people are going to be watching. Susan Candiotti, thanks very much.

And as you probably judge by this conversation, there's already a sense here that there's more than just the mayorship of New York we're talking about.

Let's bring in Jake Tapper, anchor of "THE LEAD."

Jake, you heard de Blasio's inauguration speech today. What does his election mean for the progressive movement? In other words, what does it mean beyond New York?

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: It means they have a very vocal, strong-willed advocate for the progressive cause in New York City, and the reaction to Mayor de Blasio's speech today, he talked in his speech about two cities and how he didn't want New York City to be two cities anymore.

And this is somebody who was elected with more than 70 percent of the vote. To his base, to the voters, the progressives in New York City, he gave a very muscular argument in favor of what he wanted to do.

But I have to say there's another reaction. A lot of times inaugurals are times when people, when presidents or mayors or governors can reach out to critics, reach out to those who maybe didn't vote for him. This was not that. I want to read some things that were retweeted by one of Mayor Bloomberg's -- outgoing Mayor Bloomberg's top aides, Howard Wolfson.

He retweeted something written by an Israeli journalist who said, "As outside observer, hard to understand the bitter partisanship at de Blasio ceremony. There's a time for everything and this isn't it."

That's not from the former Bloomberg aide. He retweeted it, but it may be a window as to how those in the Bloomberg administration viewed the tenor of the de Blasio speech.

SAVIDGE: Yes. You're right. Usually, in a speech like this, we expect everyone is sort of included. This one had a different tone.

Before I let you go, you spoke with comedian Jeff Ross and got his take on the art of the comic roast.

TAPPER: Well, one of the biggest events of Comedy Central's year was this roast of James Franco. We talked to Jeffrey Ross about the art of insulting people. Here's a little clip from that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY ROSS, COMEDIAN: I did my first roast in 1995. They couldn't get anybody to roast Steven Seagal in New York. And I was like -- this was before YouTube. I had to go to the Museum of Broadcasting, look up the roasts to see how far you could take it. And I looked at it. It was like my Yankee Stadium. TAPPER: Oh, really?

ROSS: A lot of you don't know me, but I feel uniquely qualified to be here, because I'm also a crappy actor.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: So, we talked to Jeff Ross about the art of insulting people. He, of course, took some shots at me as well. But he also talked about something near and dear to him, Martin, which is the troops. He had just gone to Walter Reed before he came here, and we talked also about his going abroad to try to amuse and entertain wounded warriors.

SAVIDGE: Good for him. Good for him. Jake Tapper, thanks very much. Nice to talk to you.

TAPPER: Nice talking to you. Happy new year.

SAVIDGE: And to you.

Check out more of Jake's interview at the top of the hour on "THE LEAD." As you see already, it's pretty funny.

OK, the wait for weed is over, if you care, at least in parts of Colorado. People lined up outside of stores today as pot legally went on sale. Next, we're taking you inside a store that started selling weed just hours ago. Plus, we will talk live to a woman who is the Denver drug czar. How about that job, in charge of everything pot?

Also, we will talk about Jovan Belcher, the former NFL player who killed his girlfriend and then himself. Now his mom is suing his former team. Should the Chiefs be held responsible? We're "On the Case" coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: People are lining up around the block for the first day of legal marijuana sales in Colorado.

Take a look at this crowd in Denver braving the snow to wait for their turn to step inside and buy weed right out in the open just like alcohol. Buyers started lining up about an hour before the first pot shops open, as you can see in this picture our Casey Wian tweeted out this morning.

And it's the first one -- or the first one stepped up to the counter shortly after 8:00 a.m. He paid $60 for an eighth of an ounce of pot, and a marijuana-infused truffle. Interesting.

CNN's Casey Wian is watching the comings and goings in the most ambitious marijuana social experiment on record.

So, I guess how is it going, Casey?

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's really busy here, Martin.

We're at Evergreen Apothecary in Denver. You mentioned alcohol. We're all familiar -- at least I'm familiar with the term bartender. I learned a new word today. These are bud tenders here. They're helping customers decide which strain of marijuana to buy. There's different effects, different smells, different strains. And so they're here as kind of consultants helping these customers, many of whom are coming here and saying they actually need an education as to what kind of marijuana they should buy, what form of marijuana they should buy.

We have got a camera outside and we can just give you a sense of the line. It's a little bit after 1:00 local time. This business opened at 8:00 in the morning. There are still dozens and dozens of people lined up outside. The business is handing out numbers. Take a number. Wait in line.

They have handed out 700 numbers so far and they have serviced about 200 people. We don't know if they're going to be able to get through all of those people before the business shuts down for the day, but they're going to be busy again tomorrow. There were concerns about supply because of all of the anticipated demand.

The business owners say they have enough supply to get through the foreseeable future. If you do come here and want to buy marijuana, it's not cheap, $50 for an eighth of an ounce. Colorado residents can buy up to one ounce. Out-of-state residents can by a quarter-of-an- ounce, very, very big day, very, very big turnout here, Martin.

SAVIDGE: I profess that I'm not a big pot fan, but I do find this whole thing fascinating. Last hour, you mentioned the use of coupons, which was just really surprising. Now I'm wondering, is it possible like other stores maybe give out free samples?

WIAN: No one is giving out free samples and my understanding of the law in Colorado is you can't do that. There are several things you can't do. Obviously, you can't drive under the influence of marijuana.

You can't give it to someone else or resell it to someone else. You can't take it across state lines. So there are some regulations and restrictions. And, of course, you have to be over the age of 21.

SAVIDGE: Yes, we're going to talk a bit more about the regulation. All right, Casey Wian, thank you. Fascinating insight.

Selling pot in Colorado is hardly a free-for-all. There's a lot of oversight. Denver even has a pot czar.

And she's with us, joining us on the telephone. Ashley Kilroy is the city's executive director of marijuana policy.

So, thank you for being with us, happy new year, and let me ask you, how is the first day going from your perspective?

ASHLEY KILROY, DENVER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MARIJUANA POLICY: The first day has gone very smoothly. We're very pleased with that.

We had a number of individuals in line, all acting respectfully and responsibly, and, you know, moving through those lines, and also from what we have been able to see, people are respecting the laws that this law prohibits open and public consumption.

SAVIDGE: You know, when it comes to this law, what's your biggest challenge?

KILROY: Well, right now, what we have been focused on in the last couple months is moving towards this day, moving towards opening some retail marijuana shops.

As you know, this is going to be a -- today is the first day, but this is going to be a transition period, and more and more retail marijuana shops will be opening over the year. And what we have done is we have only allowed individuals that have already been medical marijuana shops who have a proven track record to move into this retail market.

SAVIDGE: Yes. And of course fans of pot are going to be watching this, but also many municipalities, because, as we say, this is kind of a very first step in the nation.

We want to show you this. It is a map. You can take a look at the city of Denver. They posted this map showing where to find legal pot shops. And are there -- are tourists welcome? And do they have to abide by special rules?

KILROY: Well, of course, tourists are always welcome to Denver. But we don't anticipate any type of marijuana tourism.

There are not going to be pot shots or any pot cafes or open and public consumption. The law, Amendment 64, which was passed by our state voters as an amendment the constitution really only permits private personal use of marijuana for adults over 21.

SAVIDGE: All right, Ashley Kilroy, as I say, this is a fascinating subject. Thank you very much for taking your New Year's Day to talk to us on the telephone.

KILROY: Oh, wonderful. Thank you, Martin.

SAVIDGE: Bye-bye.

Well, next, he was the beloved uncle on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." Remember that show? But, today, James Avery passed away. And he's not the only person connected to show who died in the past week. We will have more on that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: The first day of the year brings some sad news out of Hollywood. Actor James Avery, well known as uncle Phil from the '90s show "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," has died at the age of 67.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES AVERY, ACTOR: I'm not going to punish you today, maybe not even tomorrow. You see, I need to think a long, long time about just what I'm going to do with you. I don't know. It might come to me in the middle of the night or maybe next week, or a few years from now. In the meantime, why don't you worry about it?

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: The man who played uncle Phil's son, actor Alfonso Ribeiro, tweeted today: "I'm deeply saddened to say that James Avery has passed away. He was a second father to me. I will miss him greatly."

Joining me now from Los Angeles, CNN digital reporter Alan Duke.

Alan, nice to see you. Welcome to 2014.

Do we know how he died?

ALAN DUKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, from complications to heart surgery in Glendale, California, which is not far from here in Hollywood.

He's had heart problems for a while, we understand, and we have just learned that his actual age, according to his passport, was 68. Initially, it was reported as 65 and then 67, but he was 68 years old.

But he was an active actor. He even this year, just a few months ago, completed a film that I understand is going to debut at the Sundance Film Festival coming up early this year. But it was heart trouble, and he was here in Los Angeles.

SAVIDGE: You know, the show is just -- we all remember it. It's a certain period in your life as you grow up. It's the second death, also, we were discussing, that happened involving a member of that show, right?

DUKE: Yes.

There was a really -- a really shocking one that happened last week, just around Christmas, when Jeffrey Pollack, who was a director and producer on the show, was jogging around Hermosa Beach, his home in Hermosa Beach here in the L.A. area, when he, listening to his iPod, running, nothing odd, just dropped dead last week.

So the cast and the crew and the family from that show, "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," suffering double tragedies in the last few weeks. By the way, I might also add that James Avery was seen in other shows, not just that one show. He played a judge in "The Closer." He played, rather, a doctor in "The Closer" and a judge on "L.A. Law."

SAVIDGE: Yes, and it's well worth noting.

Alan Duke, thanks very much for talking to us today. Coming up: workers in more than a dozen states getting a raise today. We will break down where the minimum wage is on the rise.

Plus, North Korea's Kim Jong-un calls the uncle he had executed filth. And, oh, yes, he says that nuclear war, that's a possibility. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Starting today, millions of Americans will earn more money now that the minimum wage is going up in 13 states. Most increases amount to less than 15 cents per hour, but minimum wage workers in places like New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, and Long Island will see a much bigger bump.

Poppy Harlow has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOANNA CRUZ, MAKES MINIMUM WAGE: You have no money on your lunch account?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, not a dollar.

HARLOW (voice-over): At 29 years old, Joanna Cruz is stuck, stuck in a job that pays $7.30 an hour. She works overnights at a deli, 40 hours a week. Her weekly paycheck, $244. 70.

(on camera): What do you need to make to be able to get by on your own?

CRUZ: I would have to make at least $14, $15 to be able to live, comfortably.

HARLOW: Do you add it up as you go?

CRUZ: Yes.

HARLOW: You do.

CRUZ: I have to.

HARLOW (voice-over): She is a single mom fighting to get by. Don't be mistaken, she blames herself for not finishing high school and not going to college. But she tells me there has to be more she can achieve.

CRUZ: There is no moving up. I mean, I might get a raise if I'm there long enough. But that's about it.

HARLOW: Joanna's life mirrors her mother's. Augusta Cruz worked 30 years in a mattress factory and said she never made more than $9 an hour.

AUGUSTA CRUZ, MOTHER OF JOANNA CRUZ: It's a vicious cycle for everybody. HARLOW: Her mother provides the home Joanna can't afford.