Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Court To View Theater Shooting Video; Fewer Jobs Created In January Than Expected; Interview with Labor Secretary Perez; Senate Blocks Long Term Unemployment Aid; Biden: NYC's LaGuardia Like A "Third World Country"; Olympics Opening Ceremony Begins Next Hour; A Father's Plea To Facebook
Aired February 07, 2014 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts now.
Happening now in the NEWSROOM, the shooting that shocked a Florida movie theatre, a man killed as the movie was starting. Now, a Florida courtroom is about to see exactly what happened when the lights went down.
A struggling economy and unemployment out of control, there doesn't seem to be any help in sight. I'll talk with Labor Secretary Thomas Perez. How will Washington get more Americans back to work?
Stolen credit, your good name out there for anyone to profit from.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the person had good credit, you could potentially take $25,000 from a particular credit card.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: We learn how these criminal organizations are finally being brought down. Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you ever do something crazy because you don't know what to do anymore? Well, that's what I am doing right now. I am calling out to Mark Zuckerberg in Facebook.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: A father turns to the head of Facebook for one final memory from his son. This time, Facebook does not disappoint. NEWSROOM starts now.
Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thanks so much for joining me. Right now, court is getting underway in the case of a Florida man accused of shooting and killing a young father who was texting in a movie theater. The 71-year-old Curtis Reeves is seeking release on bond.
The former police officer is charged with the murder of Chad Olson. He has pleaded not guilty. This morning, we could see some of the strongest evidence against him, infrared surveillance video of the theater that shows at least part of that altercation. CNN's Martin Savidge joins me now to tell us more. Good morning.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. This is going to be a very interesting hearing. It is actually a continuation of the hearing that began on Wednesday. That hearing turned out to be extremely dramatic. There was a lot of testimony that came from witnesses and family members, of course, for Curtis Reeves. They are pleading for their 71-year-old father. It was the daughter that actually moved into tears on the stand that he be given bond. That he be allowed to get out.
The prosecution meanwhile is saying, look, there is no way this man should be allowed out on bond, on any price. That's really what they are trying to determine here. Should there be bond? If bond is granted by the judge, how much of that bond will the family be able to provide that bond?
The key here, as you point out, is going to be this video. A lot has been made about this. Of course, the reason it is so important is that it captures the moment of the shooting. How clearly we see it is debatable depending on who you talk to, but it is captured on video.
COSTELLO: They are going to show it in open court?
SAVIDGE: They are and that's been the real debate because under the stipulation of Florida law, videos like this are not supposed to be released to the public or shown to the public, yet the contradiction is Florida has very open laws when it comes to revealing the evidence in any particular case to the public.
So what to do with this video? And they have decided they will not release it for 30 days, but show it in the courtroom on a screen and the cameras in the courtroom can focus on that screen to see it. As we say, it is about 3 minutes we've been told. The key section, maybe 15, 20 seconds and this is, of course, the altercation.
Remembered, it is a darkened theatre so it is going to be hard to say, but it is infrared. It is also the entire theater. You are seeing many rows and your viewing it from the side looking down the rows. I'm told that what takes place is off on the extreme right side.
COSTELLO: OK, so when that video is released in court, you will be back with us.
SAVIDGE: Absolutely.
COSTELLO: To show it to us in the best possible way. Martin Savidge, many thanks.
Now, let's turn to the economy and a new measure of the nation's struggling job market. This morning, we learned that 113,000 jobs were created in January. That's far fewer jobs than expected. The nation's jobless rate slides to 6.6 percent. Of course, that conceals that problem. Many Americans are simply dropping out of the labor force. In fact, a third of working age Americans are unemployed. With me now, Thomas Perez, U.S. Labor Secretary. Welcome, Mr. Secretary.
THOMAS PEREZ, LABOR SECRETARY: Always a pleasure to be with you.
COSTELLO: A 113,000 jobs, that must be disappointing for you?
PEREZ: I think there are a number of bright spots in this report. There is also an obvious need to pick up the pace. In terms of the bright spots, we see 142,000 private sector jobs created. That's 47 consecutive months to the tune of 8.5 million jobs, very strong growth in manufacturing and construction, which are key industries. The average manufacturing worker continues to work over 40 hours a week. I think that's really good.
During this same 47-month period where we have seen 8.5 million private sector jobs created, we have contracted 650,000 or so government jobs. That's unprecedented in a recovery. If it had simply stayed flat, our employment rate would be 6.2 percent. Labor force participation was actually up last month. The unemployment rate went down for the right reason. That's an important point.
COSTELLO: Still, too many people remain out of work and too many people have given up looking for a job. I'm going to bring up the Keystone pipeline because the State Department report came out and said that if the Keystone pipeline was continued, that would create almost 2,000 jobs and support tens of thousands of other jobs. Is it time for the president to give the OK to Keystone?
PEREZ: Well, the president has outlined a very thoughtful and deliberate process. The State Department report is one part of that process. I am confident that they are going to continue.
COSTELLO: In your estimation, though, does that need to happen?
PEREZ: Again, the process that's undergoing right now is, I think very thoughtful and deliberate, and I'm certainly -- I know that there are many very, very smart people involved in that decision-making process. I am confident it will be very, very thorough.
COSTELLO: And I keep pressing you because this report also found that Keystone wouldn't have a big impact on climate change. So a lot of people are wondering why not give the go-ahead and create these much- needed jobs?
PEREZ: Well, again, I think there has been a very well thought-out process that has been outlined in this report that you mentioned is one part of that process. They are going to continue in a very thorough and deliberate manner, which is what's called for under the applicable provisions of law.
COSTELLO: Well, one of the reasons that the Senate didn't move forward on long-term unemployment benefits is because of this Keystone pipeline. Is it now time to compromise? PEREZ: I'm not hearing that they didn't move forward on long-term unemployment benefits because of the Keystone pipeline. I hope they move forward on that because it is the right thing to do and it's the smart thing to do. And 1.7 million people have lost this critical life line. They have gone from a challenging situation to a crisis.
They are sitting in their homes as Katherine in Connecticut tells me with her hat and gloves on, because she has to keep the heat at 54 degrees. That's not right. Congress has a long and proud bipartisan tradition of extending these benefits. We are making progress in the economic recovery, but we are not moving fast enough.
We need to pick up the pace and the president has put forth many proposals. Until we are at the level where long-term unemployment is reduced, we need to continue that lifeline.
COSTELLO: Right. Well, I want to talk more about that lifeline and why the Senate didn't move forward on that bill. This is from Republican Congressman James Langford. He said in the "New York Times," the perception I get from the Senate is that times are tough. We should make times tougher on our kids to make it easier on us and then feel better. I think that's just not a philosophy I'm willing to report. It doesn't sound like Republicans are going to change their minds because they just have a different philosophy, right. So I mean, should the president drop the issue because there seems to be no winning it?
PEREZ: I disagree. Change is about persistence. The last five times that the unemployment benefits for the long term unemployed have been extended, there have been no strings attached including under President Bush. This president is persistent. He will continue to work on this issue and in the meantime, he is not going to wait for Congress. That's why he convened a meeting last week of CEOs to talk about steps that we can take without Congress to help the long-term unemployed.
We have put a $150 million grant program out in the streets so that we can categorize innovation in this area so that we can bring together key stakeholders to help the long-term unemployed with programs such as wage subsidization where if an employer hires a long-term unemployed, the wage will be subsidized for six months, 50-50, sometimes even more so that we can help employers take a chance.
It's a chance worth taking because I have spoken to so many long-term unemployed. They are looking, looking, and looking and they are doing their best and they have a lot to offer. We need to stand by them. This isn't a country where we kick people to the side of the road who have fallen on hard times through no times of their own.
We can do better than that. It is the right thing to do and it's the smart thing to do. We are not going to wait for Congress. We are going to keep doing the things that we've described and the president will continue to use that pen and that phone to help people in need.
COSTELLO: Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, thank you so much for joining me this morning. I appreciate it. PEREZ: Always a pleasure.
COSTELLO: Joe, as in Joe Biden. Whatever you think of the vice president, he certainly speaks his mind. Mr. Biden slammed New York's LaGuardia airport saying it is like an airport in some third world country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: If I blindfolded someone and took them at 2:00 in the morning into the airport in Hongkong and said, where do you think you are? They would say, this must be America, it is a modern airport. If I took you and blindfolded you and took you to LaGuardia Airport in New York, you must think, I must be in some third world country. I'm not joking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Not many have had the pleasure of flying through LaGuardia would disagree. Chris Cuomo and John Berman are here to talk about this. Guys, I want you to consider this. The Donald as in Donald Trump said the very same thing in 2011. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, REAL ESTATE MOGUL: When was the last time you saw a great airport being built? We used to build them in the 40s and 50s. We are becoming absolutely a third world nation. You land your plane at LaGuardia Airport. You go to LaGuardia Airport. It is like a third world airport.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, Chris, it is a beautiful example of bipartisanship, right?
CHRIS CUOMO, ANCHOR, CNN'S "NEW DAY": Obviously, Joe Biden has been paying a lot of attention to what Donald Trump says. They are both mimicking the same third world country. You know, I'll tell you. It's an interesting analogy. If Joe Biden were to walk you into any place at 2:00 in the morning blindfolded, where do you think you were?
JOHN BERMAN, ANCHOR, CNN'S "EARLY START": We are talking about a controversy here. The only thing controversial though was said by Joe Biden was the blindfold. That is the only thing deeply troubling here. You know who disagrees with him on the quality of the airport here in New York, nobody. If you fly through it, you realized it needs a lot of work. You look at the infrastructure in the United States, Carol, the World Economic Forum ranks the United States 24th on the list of infrastructure quality behind such powerhouses as Oman and Barbados.
CUOMO: You know what? Barbados is beating you. Luxembourg is beating you. I mean, they have a beautiful airport there, but they also only have one. And that's what get you to the real crisis that you are dealing with in the U.S. right now, which is that infrastructure gets neglected because you can't get elected on it. You don't elected by saying you want to repair bridges and we don't really care about it until we have a tragedy.
But I will tell you this about LaGuardia. You can't go wrong criticizing it because it really checks every box. What's the problem? It's hard to get there. We don't have a direct route from New York --
BERMAN: There is no subway. There is no train.
CUOMO: So that's a problem even though people usually choose it because of proximity to New York City, but it's actually hard to get to. Once you get there, not set up that well. Then, you have an ingress, egress issue in and out. There is only one way in and out. So it really checks all the boxes think.
COSTELLO: It is not just LaGuardia. Other airports across the country aren't fairing much better. Have you been to Detroit's Airport or Cleveland's Airport?
CUOMO: I have. I have. I will put LaGuardia up against all of them with all due respect to the mayor that it was named after, honourable mayor, good man, good family. However, the airport is lacking.
BERMAN: You know, the other thing is, you know, in third world countries, we have been to a few, LaGuardia, you don't have to bribe people to get through security. So it does have that --
CUOMO: I have never been sequestered there for hours on end without explanation, which is also a nice benefit. New York City does have a lot of different ethnicities represented, but I would not think it qualifies as a third world country.
COSTELLO: No, I don't think so either. We'll leave it on an up note. Thanks guys for discussing. I appreciate it.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, the opening ceremony of the Olympic games is just an hour away. But security still is a big buzz in Sochi. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is there.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Carol. We're back after the break with the latest on security just an hour away from the opening ceremony beginning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: The Olympic's opening ceremony begins very soon now, but of course, amid the excitement, there is concern over those possible terror strikes, 37,000 police and security officers are blanketing Sochi. That toothpaste tube threat has prompted a ban on liquids and gels in carry-on bags, and flights between the United States and Russia. So let's head to Sochi now and check in with CNN's Nick Paton Walsh. Hi, Nick.
WALSH: Carol, hi. Even actually liquids seemingly banned inside some of the cordons around the Olympic venues according to what we saw around that area today, not that much bustle about seven hours ago, not that many international fans. We are going to have to hope those numbers pick up. We are under an hour away now from when the opening ceremony begins. Still in the background, hovers the potential for security problems.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALSH (voice-over): The competition in Sochi already underway. Snow boards, slopestyle qualifying runs and team figure skating making their debut on Thursday ahead of tonight's highly anticipated opening ceremony. While the eyes of the world will be on the games, terrorism fears have made many here on edge.
On Thursday, the Transportation Security Administration announced it is banning all liquids, gels, aerosols and powders in carry-on luggage in flights between the United States and Russia. These restrictions follow a warning from the Department of Homeland Security earlier this week that terrorists could targeting the Olympic games with explosive components hidden in toothpaste tubes, explosive material small enough to conceal, but powerful enough to blow a car door off like this.
REPRESENTATIVE PETER KING (R), NEW YORK: It was a legitimate source that gave the information. Now that doesn't mean it's going to happen. It's something to be taken very seriously by our country, by the Russians and a number of other countries who are also involved in this.
WALSH: President Obama reiterating Thursday night that the U.S. is in constant contact with Russian security forces.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I think the Russians have an enormous stake obviously in preventing any kind of terrorist act or violence at these venues. And they have put a lot of resources into it.
WALSH: Russian officials say they have some 37,000 police and security officers on the streets in and around the Sochi venues.
SENATOR DIANE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: I think people going to the Olympics should be careful. I think they should watch their backs. I think they should stay out of crowds if they can.
WALSH: U.S. Olympic athletes say they aren't letting the terror threats overshadow their dreams for a medal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our job here is to just focus on what we can control and what we can do and that's how we're going to perform at our first Olympics.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALSH: We're really at crunch time at the end of the day. In an hour, people here are going to be hoping that the opening ceremony is so spectacular and so fantastic that it sweeps away all the concerns about security, that the festive atmosphere really begins, that there are proper crowds and actually the games can get underway -- Carol. COSTELLO: So is all of this concern over terror attacks having any effects on attendance?
WALSH: It seems to be. It is early days yet so we can't give you a total picture. One American tour agency we spoke to said that they would expect to be bringing in more fans than family members of athletes. But right now, there are five times as many family members of athletes coming as fans. Now that's obviously a problem for them.
But the biggest problem they are facing was they have 1,000 tickets they were allocated to sell to American tourists who simply haven't shown up. They are trying to resell them as fast as they can. I spoke to another bunch of tourists and said they have seen a lot less of American faces here.
They were almost able to buy a ticket to the opening ceremony this morning for $600. A question of how many tickets are being sold to international visitors. We are not seeing a huge amount of bustling around the venues earlier this morning. It's still early days, but the U.S. embassy hopes for 10,000, 15,000 Americans here at some point. We are just not really seeing those big numbers as yet -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Nick Paton Walsh, reporting live from Sochi, this morning. Thank you.
If you log on to Google this morning then you probably saw this. Google Doodle is celebrating the Winter Olympics by taking a stand against Russia's anti-gay laws. The rainbow colors are just like the pride flags and banners used in support of the LGBT community. Google also cites the Olympic charter that stands up for all athletes regardless of sexual orientation by saying, quote, "sport is a human right.
Plus, this surprise -- this is a surprise. The Russian have added this group to the opening ceremonies, pre-show, this is the Russian female pop duo "Tattoo." They are known for their lesbian kisses in public. You might remember, President Putin, as I said, he banned any promotion of gay activities at the games and yet they will perform. I can't wait to see them and see what they do.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, a father makes a heart-breaking plea to Facebook for one last video of his son. We will tell you about it next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Have you seen all those Facebook look back videos on your timeline lately, a collection of your popular moments on the site set to music. Well, one father pleaded with Facebook asking for a chance to see his son's video after his son died at the age of 21. The response from Facebook was inspiring. Here is Melanie Moon of KTVI.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm calling out to Mark Zuckerberg in Facebook. MELANI MOON, KTVI REPORTER (voice-over): It all started with a very emotional plea on YouTube.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My son passed away January 28th, 2012. We can't access his Facebook account.
MOON: The 21-year-old Jesse Berlin was an aspiring musician when he passed away in his sleep at the age of 21. The cause of death ruled inconclusive. What his father wanted to see from Jesse's Facebook was the new look back video, a quick, music laden walk down Facebook memory lane highlighting the user's biggest moments on the social network.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I sent out a couple of e-mails. I didn't get a response. I thought, I'm just going to make a video.
MOON: That YouTube video went viral with over 1 million views. It also caught the attention of a New York TV station that contacted Facebook. Last night, a representative from Facebook called Berlin to tell him, he would be given access to Jesse's account and a look back video would be ready in just a few days.
JOHN BERLIN, SON PASSED AWAY: He also said that they are going to look at possibly changing their policy a little bit for family members who have loved ones that have passed away so they can memorialize their page and make it an easier process.
MOON: For the Berlins, the 62-second video will mean the world to them as they still try and cope with the unexpected loss of their son.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It brings a little more closure to us. We want a little piece of everything, when he accessed his account, the most popular post, just little things like that. It would just mean a lot to us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: That was Melanie Moon of CNN affiliate, KTVI. Thank you so much.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, U.S. speed skate, Kyle Carl is participating in his very first Olympic games. His mom joins us next right before she heads for Sochi.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
