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Olympic Terror Threat; Leno's Final Show

Aired February 06, 2014 - 15:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Now to hour two, top of the hour. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Let's talk Olympics. As the events begin and the last of Team USA arrives in Russia, a new terror threat is looming. You heard about this? Toothpaste bombs bound for Sochi. Homeland Security warning airlines with direct flights into Russia be aware of this possibility that explosive materials could be concealed inside tubes, cosmetic tubes, toothpaste tubes coming into the country.

The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee talked to Wolf Blitzer and said this is not the only concern right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL (R), TEXAS: There's really two threats going on. One is aviation sector and one would be the suicide bombers within Russia, which I think there is a high probability that one of those will probably go off again. We have already seen two as you know explode in December, blowing up a train station and a bus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So the question now, should we take comfort in the news that the suspected mastermind of December's bomb attacks in Volgograd was just killed in a shoot-out with police in Dagestan and that two Chechen women with ties to terrorist groups were arrested this week in Austria and in France, or should the fact that we are even talking about terrorists with mere hours to go until the opening ceremonies in Sochi be cause for alarm?

Evy Poumpouras joins me now, former Secret Service agent and former polygraph examiner and interrogator.

Evy, nice to have you on. Welcome.

EVY POUMPOURAS, FORMER SECRET SERVICE AGENT: Thank you.

BALDWIN: This latest threat is nothing new. A toothpaste bomb was actually used in bringing down a Cubana flight back in 1976. I have read that you actually say toothpaste could be the least of our concerns. How do you mean?

POUMPOURAS: Well, you know, the idea is they are coming up with innovative ways to create bombs, to create explosives. The concern is everybody is looking for that traditional explosive, something big, something bulky, but it doesn't necessarily have to be that for it to cause damage. For example, sneaking toothpaste tube on an appreciate, even though the blast would be small and contained, it would be enough to do what? Bring an airline, bring a commercial jet down, hence target assessed, target completed, or even bringing that explosive device and sneaking it into countries.

Now we are dealing with a different animal here. And now we have to worry about every single little thing.

BALDWIN: But you also say not just toothpaste tubes. You say somebody can sneak something in an iPhone? Is that right?

POUMPOURAS: Yes.

Think in a nonconventional way. You could have an iPhone or an iPad and you could lace it with some type of explosives, some type of chemicals. And then what you would do -- this was a concern we had when we did security. You take that iPhone, right, here we go, and I put it in front of the face of the person that I'm protecting and it would do what? It would detonate.

If you are looking to get a target and get that target, that would be a great way to do. A lot of times when we would have people that we would protect working rope lines, we would take the iPhones and take the iPads and either tell them to put them away or push them down.

BALDWIN: Those are possibilities. You talked to Russia and Russia says Sochi is safe, says Sochi is as safe as New York on any given day. But when you hear from Americans, we have the CNN/ORC poll, almost 60 percent of Americans believe there will be an attack. You have worked in this line of work for a number of years. What does your gut tell you about Sochi?

POUMPOURAS: The Russians have to say it will be safe. Do I think they are doing everything they can? Absolutely.

Look, we are also talking about a large superpower. It's not some small country. They have assets and they have got resources and they are very strong and capable. Are they doing everything? Yes, they are.

Can you guarantee 100 percent that nothing will go down? You can never guarantee that. You can't guarantee that here. I was never able to guarantee that. You do everything you can and you put the measures in place. You have to hope nothing will happen.

Is there a lot of buzz and concern? Yes. But someone thinking to do something at the Sochi Olympics will have to be very slick and very confident and they will be risking a lot trying to carry something like that through. I would worry about the softer targets, say a restaurant or stores outside of the secure area. That would be probably the best place to execute some type of attack.

BALDWIN: I hope all these conversations are for naught. I hope nothing happens. Evy Poumpouras, thank you so much for just bringing all this to light and your perspective and your expertise. Thank you so much.

POUMPOURAS: Thank you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: I now want to talk something very simple here, water, dirty water to be precise, toxic water in West Virginia. We thought it was over. I don't know if West Virginians thought it was over, but now students at two different schools near Charleston, near the capital city of West Virginia, they were sent home early after yesterday a student and a teacher started getting sick, started feeling nauseous and dizzy.

This all began when they began flushing this water that smelled. Look at this stuff. It smelled like licorice, they say, the very same smell reported in last month's chemical leak that seeped into the taps of some 300,000 people.

Joining me now, Lora Young. She's the head cook at Midland Trail Elementary School. She is one who took the picture of the yellowish water and even herself felt ill.

Lora, we will come to you in just a minute, but first just the news and perspective from Drew Griffin, our investigative correspondent.

Drew, the feds say the water is safe to drink. West Virginia American Water say -- and I just want to quote them here -- "We are still getting feedback that there is a level of" -- forgive me. I'm reading this because I don't have this quote. "There is a level of worry. There is a level of worry." That's the end quote.

They go on to say today they have had no water quality complaints from the public other than those coming in from inside the school. I just wanted to be precise when getting that quote.

Beyond that, what do you know?

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: I feel so sorry for the people in Charleston, West Virginia.

BALDWIN: I do too.

GRIFFIN: Yesterday, almost at the same moment the governor of that state was declaring the water is safe to drink, these schools are closing because kids are smelling this.

I think one student and one teacher had to go to the hospital, one from burning eyes and one from fainting. There are three more schools today. There's a total of five schools that have their kids home because they are smelling this licorice smell. What is that licorice smell? That is the signature smell of MCMH, this toxic chemical that went into the river and that went into the water supply four weeks ago now.

People, parent, teachers, people cooking at schools are told don't worry, everything is safe, even though you smell that. Perhaps. The testing is showing obviously that the levels are safe, but it's hard to drink smelly water and it's so confusing to these folks.

BALDWIN: Sounds like it's not just about drinking it, but smelling it and inhaling it. Your skin -- Lora, let me just go to you and stick around, Drew, because I want you to be part of this conversation. We know that you didn't have to go to Midland Trail this morning.

But you have smelled this described licorice smell. Tell more about it. And have you felt sick?

LORA YOUNG, HEAD COOK, MIDLAND TRAIL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Yes, I have felt sick.

I have actually never went to school a day that I haven't smelled the licorice smell. And I have voiced my concerns to administration and it's just like they don't want to hear it. When I went to work yesterday morning, as I go in, the water is running throughout the whole school and I was very concerned about it.

And then as the day goes on, I get to where I almost fainted. It just hit me like out of nowhere. I'm really concerned about the safety of the children in the counties that are affected.

BALDWIN: Let me ask you. You said something. You said that you have smelled -- you have long since smelled this in the school. Has this been since -- we reached out to the Department of Education. They said there was a water main break in the area. They're having to flush the system. Are you saying you have smelled this since the water main break or ever since this mess a month ago?

YOUNG: Ever since the water leak happened.

We had I think four days off of school. But when I went back, it was still there. The water that is orange, just disgusting looking. And then, of course, when you used the hot water, it puts the vapors out in the air and it's just -- it's unbearable.

BALDWIN: Did I read something you described your skin after just being around this smell. How did you describe how your skin feels?

YOUNG: My skin is, as of last night, after I stayed at the school for like four hours yesterday in the chemical smell, I feel like I have been in a tanning bed, almost like a burn.

BALDWIN: Almost like a burn.

YOUNG: But I have in the past -- yes, ma'am. In the past, when we first started going back to school and we were using dishwashers and sinks and cleaning with it, I actually broke out into welts and had rashes all over my body.

It was very itchy. There is something going on, and I just don't feel like we are being told the truth.

BALDWIN: What are have you been told from school administrators and really even beyond? YOUNG: That the water is safe. The water -- they can't say it's safe, but it's OK to use. And that for me as a head cook at a school that I take care of 250 kids every day and I feed them lunch with that water. They want me to, but I have refused. But that is not good enough for me.

(CROSSTALK)

YOUNG: The children depend on me.

BALDWIN: How are the kids and the parents? What have they said?

YOUNG: Well, until the past couple of days, not really anything, until this got out about the smell when they came in and flushed the school, when the kids were getting sick and the staff was getting sick. Now they are outraged.

BALDWIN: Just quickly, do we know how long the schools will be closed? Have they told you?

YOUNG: No, ma'am. I have had no information on when the school will be opening.

BALDWIN: Lora Young, thank you so much for joining me. It is so information to get the news out of what's happening in West Virginia.

Finally with you, Drew Griffin, it's just -- like you said, you were there in Kanawha County just over the weekend. I think it's unreal.

GRIFFIN: Yes. We tested the water and it came back to show the stuff is still in the water, trace amounts, but in higher levels from the river into the pipes.

The explanation could be that it's still filtering through the hundreds of miles of the pipes that are inherent in a metropolitan water district. But like I said, they are saying it is safe to drink. They're not saying the chemical is not there. And that's just not good enough for these people who are smelling it and have to drink and bathe with it.

BALDWIN: When you look at the picture of that water, not at all. Drew Griffin, Thank you very much.

Now we move to this breaking right now. Three people are dead, seven have been rescued after a small boat capsized off of the southern coast of Florida. The Coast Guard says the boat was found 75 miles northeast of the city of West Palm Beach. Again, seven rescued and three are dead. Updates as soon as we get them here on CNN.

Coming up, have you heard about Subway's big announcement? The company removing an ingredient from the bread they bake. That ingredient also used in yoga mats and in shoes. We will hear why the company is making that change right now.

Plus, passing on the late-night. Tonight, Jay Leno is signing off from "The Tonight Show" after nearly 22 years. How big of a success will Jimmy Fallon be and what's next for the late-night TV wars? That's coming up. You are watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BALDWIN: Breaking news right now, we have learned 27 elementary school students have been rushed to the hospital in Minnesota for possible carbon monoxide poisoning. They're currently being treated at Mayo Clinic in Springfield, Minnesota.

Micah Dorfner is on the phone with me from the Mayo Clinic.

Micah, can you hear me?

MICAH DORFNER, MAYO CLINIC: I can.

BALDWIN: Micah, tell me what you know about the kids. How are they?

DORFNER: They're doing well, actually.

We actually saw 30 patients today, and we are down to three that are still being held in the hospital for observation. They are precautionary. We saw patients and tested them by various means and provided some oxygen.

Symptoms that we were seeing were nausea, headache, and just like I said very precautionary at this point, but still holding three patients right now for observation.

BALDWIN: Here's the big question. How did this poisoning happen? Was this at the school this morning?

DORFNER: Yes. It occurred at the elementary school and we are still awaiting investigation to determine the exact cause.

BALDWIN: OK.

Three at the moment at the hospital, so that is at least good news from the upwards of 30 elementary school students you saw today. Micah, thank you. Stay in touch with us as we get more information.

Elizabeth Cohen, since you fortunately sat down next to me, can we talk a little bit more about this?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Sure.

BALDWIN: What are some of the symptoms and how do you know when it's carbon monoxide?

COHEN: It's so dangerous because sometimes you don't know because it's colorless and odorless. That's what makes this so dangerous.

People start to feel dizzy and people start to feel nauseous. And what might happen is that many people start to feel that all at one time and all at one place and so that alerts people that something is going on. I was glad to hear that they only have three left for observation. That means that hopefully they got this quickly, because hundreds of people do die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning.

BALDWIN: OK. That's the latest again from Mayo Clinic. You heard the man with me on the phone. This was some sort of carbon monoxide poisoning issue at an elementary school in Minnesota. Fortunately, the Mayo Clinic, excellent, excellent place, they're able to go and be treated there for that.

Let's move along. OK. Stand by, Elizabeth Cohen, because I'm coming back for you in a minute.

Coming up next, though, it's the end of an era, Jay Leno leaving "The Tonight Show" after more than two decades hosting the show. What is next for him? What happens next in the late-night wars? We will talk to two experts on this one.

Plus, opening statements began this afternoon for the man accused of shooting and killing an unarmed teen over loud music. The prosecution said what he did moments after the shooting shows he is guilty. But the defense says not so fast. Stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Let's get back to the breaking news, northeast of West Palm Beach, Florida. This is what we know right now, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Three people are dead and seven have been rescued after a small boat capsized off of the coast of Florida. The Coast Guard says the boat was found 75 miles northeast of the city of West Palm Beach.

I now have on the phone with me Ryan Doss, chief petty officer with the U.S. Coast Guard.

Officer Doss, tell me what's happening right now.

RYAN DOSS, U.S. COAST GUARD: Right now, we have a Coast Guard HC-130 out of Air Station Clearwater on scene. And the Coast Guard cutter Richard Etheridge is en route.

Around noon today, the Royal Netherlands navy ship (INAUDIBLE) contacted us and notified that they were on scene with a capsized 24- foot boat with seven people atop the hull. Three bodies have also been reported. So right now we have got the Coast Guard cutter Richard Etheridge en route to go out and help assess the situation and find out what kind of medical support we can provide those people.

BALDWIN: Three dead and seven rescued. Could there be other bodies?

DOSS: It's always a possibility, though none reported at this time. But we will -- you have the C-130 on scene searching to ensure that there are no more people out there.

BALDWIN: And so this boat in reading the material I have from the U.S. Coast Guard it is described as a pleasure boat. Do we have any idea how this thing capsized?

DOSS: At this time, we don't. Certainly, once the Richard Etheridge gets on scene and they start talking to the survivors, that's one thing we will be trying to determine.

BALDWIN: OK. Ryan Doss, chief petty officer U.S. Coast Guard, thank you very much.

Again, this pleasure boat overturning, three dead and seven rescued.

It's a case that has drawn a lot of parallels to that of Trayvon Martin, a shooting in Florida, an unarmed teenage victim killed. Both cases have the same prosecutor. Opening statements got under way today with some fiery remarks. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: He tried it once and didn't last long. Now this time, "The Tonight Show" host Jay Leno is backing up his late-night TV shtick. After 22 years, Leno's final show is tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here's Jay Leno!

JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": Let's see how you all feel in 30 years.

BILLY CRYSTAL, ACTOR (singing): Dear Mr. Leno, you are now the new host of "The Tonight Show."

LENO: You are shocking and outrageous.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are teasing me, right?

HOWARD STERN, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: First "Tonight Show" lesbian kiss.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Well, 22 years is a lifetime in Hollywood.

To refresh your memory of what was exactly going on back in 1992, I take you back. Remember this? A gallon of gas cost $1. America's largest shopping mecca, the Mall of America, just opened. Hurricane Andrew devastated South Florida and Bill Clinton became president. Oh, yes, and one of the hottest films on the big screen made actress Sharon Stone a star.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You didn't feel anything for him? You just had sex with him for your book?

SHARON STONE, ACTRESS: In the beginning. Then I got to like what he did for me. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You like playing games, don't you?

STONE: It's nice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Ah, 1992 and "Basic Instinct."

Leno has been a ratings winner for NBC really for most of his tenure. Compare and contrast the competition, as we will do for you. Leno is going out on an incredible high note, leading the pack, nearly four million viewers. His successor, Jimmy Fallon, about two million people watching him now. ABC's Jimmy Kimmel, his show pulls in just over two-and-a-half, and the venerable David Letterman has nearly three million viewers, but that's down year to year.

Conan O'Brien, who replaced Leno the first time around, his cable TV talker doesn't even crack a million. His numbers also down.

Let's talk about the Jay Leno legacy and the future of late-night TV. CNN correspondent Nischelle Turner and Steve Battaglio of "TV Guide" magazine.

Welcome to both of you.

And, Steve, let me begin with you. I want you to -- of everything that Jay Leno did in his near 22 years, what is the biggest imprint you think he has left on late-night TV?

STEVE BATTAGLIO, "TV GUIDE": The biggest imprint is that he's a winner. That is what he cared about.

He wants to please people. He had this very working-class attitude towards the show, tell jokes, get check. It was consistent and it was comforting and it worked for a long time.

BALDWIN: What do you think, Nischelle?

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I agree.

It's funny when people always say what do you think Jay Leno's legacy is, I think of two things, survivor and winner. I say survivor because he didn't have an easy, smooth road. It was controversy pretty much from the beginning when he was named the host of "The Tonight Show" in 1992. Everyone kind of thought, would David Letterman get it? And he ended up getting it, and then that debacle in 2009.

He has had to come back from some arcs. He has taken some hits, but in the end, like you said, he's going out on top as number one. And fans and viewers still turn to him.

BALDWIN: He's -- he's going out on top, but, Steve, when you -- we just mentioned the ratings. I mean, it's down year to year for late- night TV.