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Middle School Shooting; Acetaminophen Warning; Senate Benghazi Report; Security for Super Bowl; Florida Pill Addicts
Aired January 15, 2014 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks very much for watching. I'll be back 5:00 p.m. Eastern in "The Situation Room." NEWSROOM continues right now with Brooke Baldwin.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, thank you.
Hi there. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Great to be with you on this Wednesday.
At this hour, it is still not clear if a 12-year-old boy will face adult changes for what happened at the school campus in Roswell, New Mexico, just yesterday morning. Let me be clear, CNN is not naming him, but in all of 10 seconds he allegedly terrorized Berrendo Middle School, shot two students and then ultimately surrendered. And he may have told others to stay away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF PETE KASSETAS, NEW MEXICO STATE POLICE: Some preliminary information that possibly some of the students were warned by the individual, or the suspect, prior to the shooting not to go to school. We have not corroborated that yet. I do not have a definitive answer as to whether that happened or not, but we'll certainly be looking into that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The 11-year-old boy hit in the face remains, at latest word, in critical condition. As for the 13-year-old girl, Kendal Sanders, seen in a couple of FaceBook photos we'll show you here, is recovering after being hit in her shoulder. Here she is. As we are learning more about those hurt, we are also hearing of those who helped. So let's go to Stephanie Elam live in Roswell.
And just a heads up for our viewers, Stephanie, there is a news conference set for next hour and we'll take that. But tell me about this hero teacher and also tell me if we have any word yet as far as a motive goes.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's the question that everybody wants answered, Brooke, at this point is, why would a 12-year-old take it upon himself to bring a gun to school and shoot into a group of his classmates? And that we still do not know. Police are taking a look at social media to see if there was any chatter there, to see if there were any words being spread around about him saying stay away from school on Tuesday morning. We don't know that. But what we do know is that the teachers and staff at this school had had some training as far as an active shooter on campus. And that may have meant a lot as far as how things went down. One teacher in particular took it upon himself to confront the young gunman and get him to take -- put his gun on the ground. Take a listen to what the governor of New Mexico had to say about this teacher.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SUSANA MARTINEZ, NEW MEXICO: For Mr. Masterson, who was a hero, who stood there and allowed the gun to be pointed right at him and to talk down that young boy to drop the gun so that there would be no more young kids hurt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ELAM: At this point, school was canceled for today. There is counseling available to students, to staff, people in the community who need it. Also inside we are seeing faculty come into the school today. We've seen the governor of New Mexico all inside getting counseling, talking through this very difficult situation which I'm sure no one can really imagine what it's like until you go through it, Brooke.
BALDWIN: No, not at all. Stephanie Elam, thank you. We will take, of course, you back to Roswell as soon as that news conference gets underway next hour.
Meantime, these are the folks who know how to be in front of a class, but too often teachers are forced to be on the front line of a crisis. So how do you talk down a shooter with a gun in your face? Just a couple months ago, I talked to one teacher who had an answer for that. She is Linda Robb. More than 13 years ago, she herself had to convince this young student to give up his gun. He was all of 12 years of age. He was unpopular. She said, from a troubled family. And one day in March, he brought a fully loaded gun into class, this is Lisbon, Ohio, and told his teacher and classmates to get on the floor. Here's how Linda talked him down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: What exactly did you say? Do you remember?
LINDA ROBB, EX-TEACHER WHO CONFRONTED STUDENT GUNMAN: Yes. I said, um - Sam. I'll call him Sam. Sam, you know that I care a lot about you. We've talked in the hall. I've complimented on what you had -- when you got a new shirt, when you had a haircut. You were always helpful to me and I care so much about you. And you can trust me, totally. And he knew he could.
BALDWIN: So what did he -- was he responding to you?
ROBB: No, he never said a word. He stared right at me. Never said one word. Held the gun up.
BALDWIN: How did -- how did it end? ROBB: Well, I just said to him, before you decide what you're going to do with that gun, why don't you come out in the hall and just talk to me, like we always have talked? And I didn't know what he'd do. And I kept watched him. He slowly got out of the chair and he started walking across the classroom. And I thought, well, this is it. He's either going to shoot me or I don't know what's going to happen. But when he got to me, he kind of just like went into my arms.
BALDWIN: Wow.
ROBB: And - and I hugged him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: There is a harsh new warning for a popular pain killer that may be in your medicine cabinet. Acetaminophen. It's found in many cold and cough medicines. Plus, acetaminophen is often times used in pain killers. I'm talking about Vicodin, Percocet, Codeine. Well now the FDA says your doctor should stop prescribing anything that contains more than 325 milligrams of acetaminophen in it. Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is joining me.
I see a pill bottle.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
BALDWIN: What's the danger here?
COHEN: So this is my producer's Loratab. He has a bad back. He was recently prescribed this.
BALDWIN: Sorry about your back, John (ph).
COHEN: Yes. Yes. We are sorry about that.
So, this is actually very helpful to him. It's a combination of hydrocodone and acetaminophen.
BALDWIN: OK.
COHEN: But, Brooke, can you see there, it says 500. So that's 500 milligrams of acetaminophen. And the FDA is now saying, we don't want doctors to be prescribing this anymore. So technically John's not supposed to be taking this.
BALDWIN: Why?
COHEN: Because too much acetaminophen over time can fry your liver.
BALDWIN: Ooh.
COHEN: Yes, it's not good. It can damage your liver to the point where you need a transplant or even to the point where it kills you. And so the FDA is saying, look, we want to try to cut down on how much acetaminophen people are getting and we don't want people taking these huge doses. BALDWIN: Well, I don't want to fry my liver, but I've certainly taken some acetaminophen.
COHEN: Yes.
BALDWIN: I mean what do you do? Are you supposed to go through your medicine cabinet and dump all these bottles with greater than 325?
COHEN: Right. Right, I want to be clear, I don't want people at home saying, oh, my gosh, I just took a Tylenol. That has acetaminophen in it. I'm in big trouble.
BALDWIN: Right.
COHEN: We're not talking about sort of doses here and there. It's not the issue. It's high doses over time, that's the issue. So what we can do, just because we probably -- many of us have this stuff in our cabinets -
BALDWIN: Of course.
COHEN: Is here's what you want to remember. You don't want to take more than 4,000 milligrams a day. And that sounds like a lot, but it isn't really if you figure maybe you're like John and you're taking Lortab for your back and many you're also taking Tylenol for something else and maybe you're also taking it in a cold or cough medicine it can add up and you don't realize it has acetaminophen in it. I mean I think people get it, they're taking Tylenol, they may know that's acetaminophen. They don't get that acetaminophen is in all sorts of stuff.
BALDWIN: And who's looking at the number really?
COHEN: Right.
BALDWIN: At least I'm not.
COHEN: Right. But this is what the FDA is saying is, you know, you really should be.
BALDWIN: Gotcha.
COHEN: You really should be.
BALDWIN: OK.
COHEN: And I know most people aren't, but you really should be.
BALDWIN: Something to be aware of.
COHEN: Yes.
BALDWIN: Elizabeth Cohen, thank you very much.
COHEN: Thanks. BALDWIN: And now some shocking revelations today here about the investigation into an attack that killed four Americans at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. It turns out 15 people helping the FBI in Libya have been killed since that 2012 attack. This is according to a Senate Intelligence Committee report. So joining me now is Evan Perez.
And, Evan, tell me, who are these people? Do we know how they were killed?
EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, Brooke, the Senate Intelligence report just says that these are people who were trying to help the FBI get to the bottom of this attack. And as you know, they've had a terrible time trying to figure out who did this, who was behind it.
Now, these people, you know, there have been dozens of assassinations in Benghazi in the past year and so the question has always been, you know, whether anybody involved in those attacks is also taking retaliation against people who were helping the FBI.
BALDWIN: So then what -
PEREZ: We have some sound from Senator Dianne Feinstein, who was just in the Capitol. And here's what she had to say.
BALDWIN: OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: I can't say that it was all preventable. And I don't want to say that. What I can say is that the security was inadequate and should have been beefed up based on certain what they call trip wires of what had happened in the prior six months.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PEREZ: Now, Brooke, the report that this committee has been working on for some time has a bunch of other findings, including that not only was -- were there plenty of warnings from intelligence agencies over the past few months, but that the State Department didn't do anything to improve security. We have also another recommendation - another finding was that the attacks weren't pre-planned. We know that they were groups of al Qaeda affiliated people who were involved in it but we don't know whether or not -
BALDWIN: Were pre-planned or they were not?
PEREZ: They were not pre-planned.
BALDWIN: Huh.
PEREZ: They believe that it was very organized, but not necessarily something that was very well preplanned ahead of time. Another of the findings, this has been very controversial, as you know, Brooke, the question of whether or not the military could have come in there and saved some of these people.
BALDWIN: Right.
PEREZ: Now the investigation found that, you know, there was really not much anybody could do. There was no - and nobody told -- was telling the military to stand down and they got there as quickly as they could. And, finally, that the administration did some things that made things more confusing. As you remember, the infamous talking points that were talked about so much in the past year. The administration didn't come clean very quickly with what it knew. And so this investigation has found that that caused some of the confusion in the last - in the past few months.
BALDWIN: OK. Evan Perez, thank you.
Coming up, CNN has learned of new evidence showing the only American soldier being held as a prisoner of war in Afghanistan. We will tell you about Bowe Bergdahl's appearance.
Plus, moments ago, groups in New York revealing an unprecedented security operation to keep people safe if they're headed to the Super Bowl. Wait until you hear about the measures they are taking. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: CNN has now learned of some new evidence that the only American soldier being held in captivity in alive. The U.S. military has obtained new video of this man. This is Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. It was made by the group that has been holding him captive for almost five years.
We have not seen the video of the 27-year-old prisoner of war, but a U.S. military official described it to us. He says it shows Bergdahl's health has declined and it contains a reference to December 14th of last year, indicating Bergdahl was alive as recently as last month. His captors have released a handful of videos showing Bergdahl since his capture, but the one we're learning about today is the first in nearly three years. Last year Bergdahl's family got a letter from him through the Red Cross.
Sergeant Bergdahl was taken captive in Afghanistan in June of 2009 and a group aligned with the Taliban Haqqani network is believed to be holding him in Pakistan. The U.S. has been trying to, of course, bring this man home. The Bergdahl family, again, asking for his safe release, pleading for that. In a statement we received moments ago, they addressed Bergdahl directly. They're saying this, quote, "Bowe, if you see this, continue to remain strong through patience. Your endurance will carry you to the finish line. Breathe."
Today in New York, security groups revealing an unprecedented operation for keeping people safe at the Super Bowl. And this year, the concerns are quite high. The big game is just outside of New York City at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Let's go there live to Zain Asher.
And, Zain, we know that, in recent years, has there been an event really of this scale in New York, just thinking back?
ZAIN ASHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Brooke.
You know this event really is unprecedented, especially in terms of security. I mean one event in recent history is obviously the 2004 Republican National Convention that happened in this area. But even that pales in comparison to the Super Bowl.
This is really going to be a collaboration between the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, state and local police, all together 100 different agencies. And one of the things they mentioned was that, you know, in the wake of 9/11, the World Trade Center, you can just imagine how crucial security is to an event of this magnitude.
Some of the things they're watching out for, Brooke, are things like active shooters, for example, bomb threats, chemical threats, that's what they're watching for. They said that this is a level one national security event. It became a level one in 2002 right after 9/11. And now the Super Bowl is coming to the very area where 9/11 happened.
In terms of specific policies, I do want to mention the bag policy that is going to be crucial. So if you're planning on coming to the Super Bowl event (ph), you have to -
BALDWIN: Yes, reminder to the ladies.
ASHER: Right, exactly. Exactly. Ladies will be allowed to bring very small purses. But if you're coming here, you have to have a see through transparent bag. You're not going to be allowed to bring things like luggage or suitcases or brief cases or backpacks. Nothing like that is going to be allowed.
But also you have to remember that this is going to be a mass transit event, right? So there are two ways to come to the Super Bowl. Number one, you might be lucky enough to have one of 10,000 parking passes, but for everyone else, it's all going to be about mass transit. And there will be security check points on the buses.
But I'm not sure if you can see behind me, Brooke, just quickly, there is going to be a massive perimeter built all the way around the stadium. It's going to be a few miles around the stadium. It provides basically a 300 foot buffer between the stadium and everyone else. And nothing's going to be allowed through that unless it's been thoroughly vetted first.
Brooke.
BALDWIN: Makes sense as people are headed to the Super Bowl and some people may be grumbling about everything you have to go through, it's for a good reason. It's for a good reason.
Zain Asher for us in New York there at MetLife Stadium, thank you very much.
ASHER: Thank you, Brooke. BALDWIN: One woman says the man accused of shooting a guy in the movie theater for texting kind of looked familiar. Then she realized he did the same thing to her recently.
Plus, any moment the passengers and the crew of Flight 1549 will raise their glasses right there -- these are live pictures from New York -- to remember at this hour five years ago today the miracle on the Hudson. We'll bring it to you live. You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: The retired police officer accused of shooting and killing a man at the movies this week because he was texting looked scarily familiar to a Florida woman. She says she was texting before a movie just a couple weeks ago when the same man confronted her in the same movie theater. And he threatened her as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMIRA DIXON, SAYS THEATER SUSPECT THREATENED HER WEEKS AGO: He became just upset about the whole situation and kept staring and kept giving us dirty looks. The guy that was in front of us started texting and the situation just got worse. He gets up. He's like, can you do me a favor? Can you please just stop texting?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: And then, when she heard about that fatal movie theater shooting just from Monday, her blood ran cold.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DIXON: I had to pull over the car because -- it could have been us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Friends say the victim here, Chad Oulson, adored his two- year-old daughter, Lexi. He was texting his daughter's babysitter when this confrontation began. Police say Oulson tossed a bag of popcorn at the suspect. The bullet that killed Oulson went through his wife's hand first. Seventy-one-year-old Curtis Reeves is charged with second- degree murder. His lawyer says Oulson was the aggressor. Reeves is being held without bail until trial. Authorities say, despite the suspects claim that he was in fear of his safety, Florida's stand your ground defense does not apply to this case.
Florida's fight against illegal pill mills is having an unintended side effect. Over the past two years, state and federal agents have come down hard on sellers of these elicit pain killers. So much so that now these addicts are turning to heroin in staggering numbers. Here's CNN's Tory Dunnan from Delray Beach.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TORY DUNNAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Did you ever think that you would be addicted to heroin? JAMIE, RECOVERING HEROIN ADDICT: Not in a million years.
DUNNAN: At 33 years old, Jamie is trying to get clean. The native Bostonian is about to leave a rehab facility in Florida. He says he started at a young age drinking, smoking pot and quickly moved on to pain pills, then eventually heroin.
JAMIE: I never thought in my wildest dreams I would ever stick a needle in my arm. You know, no one grows up thinking, oh, you know what I'm going to do is I'm going to - I'm going to be a heroin addict when I grow up.
DUNNAN (on camera): Is this a growing problem?
JAMIE: It's huge. It's huge. It's rampant. The readily availableness of heroin is astronomical.
DUNNAN (voice-over): Nationwide, heroin use is skyrocketing. Yearly government drug surveys shows in 2002 166,000 Americans over the age of 12 said they had used heroin. It jumped to 335,000 users in 2012. Rehab facilities are seeing it front and center. ROBERT PARKINSON, BEACHCOMBER REHABILITATION CENTER: Literally this is the first year that I can remember seeing this many people coming in here with an addiction to heroin.
DUNNAN: Drug experts say Delray Beach, Florida, is often dubbed the recovery capital of the U.S. Even here, police are worried.
SGT. NICHOLE GUERRIERO, DEPUTY POLICE SPOKESWOMAN: People were losing their lives.
DUNNAN: In 2012, they had three overdoses with one death. In 2013, 27 overdoses with two confirmed deaths. At one point, first responders feared they'd run out of Narcan (ph), a drug used to reverse the effects of heroin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every day it was call after call after call.
DUNNAN: So police here in Florida say the spike in heroin use is partly due to closing down pill mills. People are now turning to heroin to get their high.
GUERRIERO: People were getting pills for around $10 or so here. And now it's much more expensive.
DUNNAN (on camera): And is that kind of how much you can get the heroin for now?
GUERRIERO: We've heard it for as low as like $6 a capsule.
DUNNAN: In the first two weeks of 2014, Delray Beach police say they seized more heroin than in the past 10 years combined. And authorities say this could be a problem that extends well beyond the city limits.
PARKINSON: It's not just a Florida thing. We're seeing it from, you know, we've got people from New York, New Jersey, Kentucky. DUNNAN (voice-over): David, who doesn't want to show his face, is a self-described addict. His says his drug is oxycodone. But when he can't get it, he knows he can easily get heroin. He's been in and out of recovery.
DAVID: Heroin is a lot cheaper than the pills are and everybody's flocking to the heroin.
DUNNAN: And how easy is it to find?
DAVID: Well, it's literally five minutes down the road. It's everywhere. It's everywhere.
DUNNAN (on camera): Is this at an epidemic level yet?
PARKINSON: You know, I don't know if it's there yet, but it's going to be there.
DUNNAN: It's that bad?
PARKINSON: Yes, it's that bad. Yes.
DUNNAN (voice-over): For Jamie it's a battle he hopes he will win.
JAMIE: It's a monkey on your back that you can't shake.
DUNNAN: He know leaving rehab doesn't mean he's cured.
Tory Dunnan, CNN, Delray Beach, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Tory, thank you.
Coming up, five years ago today - five years ago this hour, a stunning crash landing on the Hudson River in New York. Remember these pictures? Today some of those passengers and Captain Sully Sullenberger are meeting in New York to mark the anniversary. You will see the big toast live any moment. Got a camera there on the left side of your screen.
Also, have you seen this photograph? Supermodel Giselle Bundchen riding an ATV, and no (ph) helmet, with the baby hanging on. You know she's getting some heat for this. We'll talk to some mommy bloggers. One's defending her. One says, uh-uh. That's next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
