Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Woman Charged for Driving Kids into Ocean; 30,000 Russian Troops Occupy Crimea; Ban on Orcas in SeaWorld Shows Proposed; Strong Jobs Report Breaks Bad Streak

Aired March 07, 2014 - 14:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Here we go. The top of the hour; it's Friday. Thank you so much for being with me. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Let's get you caught up here on a story just happening.

New attempted first-degree murder charges for this mother who drove her van into the ocean with her three little children inside. Remember this video? Absolutely terrifying to watch. The incident happened Tuesday. This is near Daytona Beach.

Her kids were heard screaming and crying, waving for help as their mother, Ebony Wilkerson, continued to drive that van into the ocean, saying they were OK. Well, bystanders there had to rescue the kids.

Wilkerson underwent a mental evaluation Tuesday, and just a short time ago a sheriff said it disappoints him to see people, to see mothers do this to their own children.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF BEN JOHNSON, VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA: No, it really doesn't surprise me when someone does something like this. It disappoints me. But to see how -- what people will do in general in crimes, even do to their own children or other children. It's a very disappointing thing, because you're supposed to protect your children at all costs. You're not supposed to be trying to kill your children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: We are also learning that Wilkerson was cited back in 2007 for an improper lane change that led to a fatal car wreck. That's according to the "Post and Courier."

Jane Velez-Mitchell of HLN joining me now.

As we're learning a lot more, Jane, as far as -- because I keep thinking about these kids, you know, reading this charging document. It quotes one of the kids being treated in the hospital and saying, "Mom tried to kill us."

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HLN ANCHOR: Well, we're learning that these kids were heroes. They interviewed the kids after this terrible ordeal. And they found out that the oldest child, the 10-year-old girl, actually jumped into the front seat and was trying to steer the vehicle, the minivan, away from the ocean, trying to save herself and her mother and her two siblings, and couldn't overpower the mom.

What essentially this sheriff is saying is that she was lucid enough that they think she premeditated this, she did this intentionally. She made a plan and tried to carry it out. Were it not for the heroes who intervened and went in there and rescued these kids, she might have killed them.

And actually on my show last night, I talked to one of those heroes, a guy who was vacationing there in Daytona Beach. And he said that she actually tried to prevent them from going back and getting the youngest child. That she slipped out and walked away toward the shore, and they were trying to go back because the kids, the two older siblings were saying, "There's a baby in there. There's a baby in there." And when they were trying to go back into that minivan to get that baby, she tried to block them. Tried to stop them from saving her own child.

BALDWIN: To think that she was telling these children and she is rolling the windows up, strapping them in, "Kids, go to sleep." That is what, apparently, she told them.

We know, as you pointed out, that according to investigators, she acted with premeditated design to kill her three kids. That's according to the charging document. But on the issue of this mental health evaluation, Jane, we know it happened Tuesday. So we're just a couple days later. I mean, is that really enough time -- I'm just curious -- to determine if someone is really healthy?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We know that hours before this horror, one of her relatives had called 911 and said, "Look, we're worried about this woman. She said she's hearing demons. We tried to take her keys away."

And so cops pulled her over and interviewed her, and they decided they did not have what it took to Baker Act her and hold her involuntarily. That she did not seem to be a danger to herself or others. Of course, she turned out, obviously, to be a danger to herself and others.

But I think that this charge said that at least the authorities believed that she knew right from wrong. And that she knew what she was doing was something that was potentially deadly, and that she carried that out.

So, you know, there's mental illness and having a mental illness, let's say, borderline personality disorder. But you can still know right from wrong. And I think they decided that she knew right from wrong when she did this.

BALDWIN: Quickly, where are the kids now?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, the kids were evaluated. They were extremely traumatized. One of the rescuers that I spoke with said he saw fear in their eyes, and they kept asking, "Why, why?"

They are going to, hopefully, be placed with a relative, but my understanding is authorities really want to interview those relatives very carefully to make sure that they're put in a very safe situation.

Because remember, this woman also claimed that she was fleeing an abusive situation...

BALDWIN: Right.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... from her -- I believe it was her husband. So they don't want -- they want to make sure that these children don't go into another abusive situation.

BALDWIN: Jane Velez-Mitchell, thank you so much.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Also today, ex-NFL star Aaron Hernandez may face a brand-new criminal charge. Hernandez got in a little trouble inside the Massachusetts jail where he's locked up on murder charges.

The former New England Patriot got into this jailhouse fight; allegedly threw a punch at a fellow inmate. The recipient of Hernandez's first -- fist, rather, apparently could not strike back because he was handcuffed at the time. We're told no one was seriously hurt, but a sheriff described the scuffle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF THOMAS HODGSON, BRISTOL COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS, SHERIFF'S OFFICE: There's not any indication that there was an ongoing beef. There could have potentially been things said out of cell doors or whatever, but never there was a time where they were together one on one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: The sheriff wants to charge Hernandez with misdemeanor assault and battery. And we'll have a live report on what's happening here, coming up in 30 minutes.

Bombshell testimony today in the murder trial of Olympic track star Oscar Pistorius. The Blade Runner is accused of intentionally killing his model girlfriend after an argument on Valentine's Day last year.

Pistorius says he accidentally fired after he mistook her for an intruder. And just a short time ago, a security guard who was the earliest to arrive there on the scene testified that Pistorius told him everything was in his words, fine. But that was not the case.

Pistorius's ex-girlfriend also took the stand, and she testified that he always slept with a gun nearby. She also said he once got so angry after a traffic stop he fired a shot through the sunroof of a car.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAMANTHA TAYLOR, EX-GIRLFRIEND OF PISTORIUS: Oscar and Darren were pretty anxious and a little bit irritated with the policeman. And so they laughed, and they said that they wanted to shoot a robot. And then Oscar shot a bullet out of the sunroof.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: When cross-examined, Pistorius's ex-could not remember the name of the highway or the location in South Africa.

Texas Governor Rick Perry giving a -- shall we call it -- very enthusiastic speech at CPAC today. Folks, he was not holding back, bringing a sleepy audience to its feet multiple times and asking voters to give him a second chance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: Defend our country. Provide a cogent foreign policy. And what the heck, deliver the mail, preferably on time and on Saturdays. Get out of the health-care business. Get out of the education business. Stop hammering industry. Let the sleeping giant of American enterprise create prosperity again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: When Russia stormed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, the world was shocked. Some even said Russia's top brass was caught off-guard by President Vladimir Putin's decision.

But new intelligence from the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency suggests not only was this planned out, but that the United States knew about the Kremlin's takeover plans up to ten days before it happened.

Then you have this. America's war plans and weapon capabilities may now be in Putin's hands, a man really considered unpredictable. How might he have them? Good question. The world's most infamous leaker, of course, Edward Snowden.

All of this as human rights watchers were again refused to enter Crimea for the second straight day.

CNN's Anna Coren is in Crimea for us on the phone.

And Anna, while observers, I know, are being turned away, and more and more of these troops are going in. We're hearing something like 30,000 occupy Crimea, area roughly the size of Hawaii. Tell me what you're seeing there.

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via phone): Yes, we're hearing exactly the same reports. It's coming from the Ukrainian government that 30,000 Russian troops now on the ground here in Crimea. We've obviously seen them out at military bases, surrounding these bases if not occupying them.

Obviously, there are lots of local militia. They are very visible on the street. Because it's the region of the capital.

But Brooke, I can tell you now that there has been a real change, a real shift in the last few days. We are hearing of a media crackdown. Several TV stations, Ukrainian TV stations, are being shut down here in Crimea.

And we've also encountered our own sort of opposition, if you like. The hotel that we're broadcasting from told us to shut down, to stop broadcasting. Otherwise, we'd be kicked out of the hotel.

So there is pressure coming from above; there is no doubt about it.

Now, the government here, the self-elected government, mind you, of Crimea that came into power a week ago, they're the ones who are pushing this referendum forward. They want to be part of Russia. They want to be part of the motherland, and any defense, Brooke, any defense whatsoever, they are cracking down.

BALDWIN: Let me get back to the crackdowns on journalists, because I just want to show our viewers you're there. But let me just show our viewers this video, because you will see this group of masked man -- here they are -- attacking a freelance journalist in Crimea. You can see them. He's down on the ground now. They're pointing a gun at him. They apparently steal his phone.

This journalist told CNN he was using the phone to video the armed men after he watched them steal equipment from a TV crew. You, Anna Coren, say you're experiencing this even from the hotel? How massive -- how many journalists? How massive is the media presence right now in Crimea?

COREN: It's a huge media presence here at the moment. You know, every major network is covering this story, you know, counting down to the referendum in just over a week's time.

You know, that journalist from Bulgaria, he was just taking a few photos of these paramilitaries who were confiscating equipment from TV stations. And they spotted him, as you saw from that footage. They wrestled him to the ground. They put a gun to his head and then they went after his assistant. I mean, this is how brutal and brazen they are being. But, you know, at the end of the day, Brooke, you know, even though it was captured on CCTV, these guys are now the law here. So it really is a changing situation here in Crimea.

BALDWIN: Obviously, you know this, but please be cautious, you and your crew. But we're glad you're there and shining a light on this story that we so badly need to tell. Anna Coren in Crimea.

A quick reminder: President Obama scheduled to speak this hour. Live pictures from this event. This is Homestead, Florida, where he's about to talk in just about half an hour from now. He is expected to talk about his vision to help the middle class. We've heard this from him many, many times. But what we're really watching for, that we heard from the president yesterday right before the official start of the daily briefing at the White House. Will he today make any comments on the ongoing crisis in Ukraine? We'll watch and dip in if need be.

Coming up here, lawmakers trying to ban SeaWorld from using killer whales in performances. So we'll talk to someone on the other side, someone who vehemently disagrees with that. We'll ask him why. Plus, a woman's body is found inside her garage years after she died. We'll tell you what hid her death.

And the first video is revealed of one of rap's greatest stars playing one of the greatest in rock 'n' roll.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you excited?

ANDRE BENJAMIN, MUSICIAN/ACTOR: It's just crazy to me. All these acts are going to be onstage. Simon and Garfunkel, Otis Redding, Janis Joplin? Come on, man. You know? Yes. Can you believe that?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: This is a clip from "All is By My Side." This is the new biopic about Jimi Hendrix, featuring a pretty accomplished musician in his own right in the featured role here. You recognize him? Andre Benjamin, anyone? Also known as Andre 3000 from Outkast. He plays Hendrix. And if the name doesn't ring a bell, maybe this will help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC: OUTKAST, "HEY YA")

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: The film premieres next week at South by Southwest. Benjamin says he listened to hours and hours of interviews just to prepare for the role. Something tells me the homework will pay off.

And the backlash from the CNN film "Blackfish" has gone from personal choice to a possible public mandate.

You have now heard of the string of entertainers, many of whom have been on this show, you know, declining to perform at SeaWorld San Diego after "Blackfish" reported that killer whales suffer in captivity, including the whale that killed trainer Dawn Brancheau at its Orlando park back in 2010.

So now, as we're watching the time, in less than half an hour, a California lawmaker will unveil Bill 2140 that would still allow killer whales to be on display, but they would not be able to perform in shows in that state.

It goes on, because the bill would also end captive breeding programs. It would end the export and import of genetic materials and the export and import of killer whales in and out of California. Again, this is California specific.

SeaWorld San Diego didn't want to comment on the specifics of the bill, since officials had not seen it, but a spokeswoman pointed out that the individuals supporting this bill, quote, "are well-known extreme animal rights activists. The legislation appears to reflect the same sort of out-of-the-mainstream thinking. SeaWorld already operates under multiple federal, state, and local animal welfare laws." It goes on, "We are deeply committed to the health and the wellbeing to all of our animals, and killer whales, they're no exception."

So joining me now, Grey Stafford, director of conservation at Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium.

Grey, welcome back.

GREY STAFFORD, DIRECTOR OF CONSERVATION, WILDLIFE WORLD ZOO AND AQUARIUM: It's good to be with you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: So listen, I want to hear your side of things. Tell me why it is beneficial for orcas to be in captivity.

STAFFORD: Well, for one thing, we learn so much about these animals, and we continue to learn about them. And the best way to understand what their needs are in the wild is to see them up close and in person to understand their biology and behavior. And that book is not finished. We still have much to learn about killer whales and cetaceans in general.

BALDWIN: Here's the issue. This is from this assemblyman, Richard Bloom, who is proposing this legislation in the next half hour. This is what he said, specifically, quote, "In their natural habitat, orcas are family-oriented, highly adaptable, socially complex with cultural traditions and are among the most intelligent creatures on this planet. If we truly want to help orca conservation, we should focus our efforts on restoring tab at that time in the world and protecting our oceans."

And then on top of that, I just have to push you, Grey, because I mean, this is your livelihood. So this is in your best interest to prevent this bill, yes?

STAFFORD: Well, I don't -- I don't currently train killer whales. I did early in my career. I used to work for a place called SeaWorld outside of Ohio. But I'm more concerned about the welfare of all species.

And I know that, when you take an animal like a killer whale, an iconic species, and you remove it from the public consciousness, as this bill would purport to do, you ensure that those animals will continue to decline in the wild. We see that time and time again. Out of sight means out of mind. And unless we have these avenues like places like SeaWorld to teach people to have compassion and to care about what happens to killer whales and our world oceans, the future looks rather bleak for them.

And I think this bill, as it's been described so far in the media, it collapses under the -- its own weight of inconsistencies, particularly with respect to animal welfare and future breeding and so forth. BALDWIN: Here's what I want you to help me understand, because I hear you loud and clear on the research issue, and I know other folks on the other side would definitely push back on that. But so if this assemblyman, you know, gets his way and doesn't want these orcas, you know, caught or imported or you can't breed them in captivity, tell me in your opinion what the long-term effect of that would be.

STAFFORD: Well, I think the long-term effects of that would be the continued disinterest in the world oceans and the habitat that these animals use and depend upon in their fish supply in the world.

You know, we are using the oceans up as if they are an infinite resources, and they're clearly not. And so by having these animals front and center in the public consciousness, I think it goes a long way to ensuring conservation, or at least the hope that we will conserve our world's oceans.

BALDWIN: Is there any part of this that you agree with? I mean, the notion that these animals, you know, perform and there are displays and there's unprotected contact with humans. And the music. Would you be OK with that?

STAFFORD: You know, Brooke, actually, I think there's a misunderstanding here. Shows are not somehow distinct from the rest of the animal's days. As a trainer, I want animals to learn and to have fun continuously throughout the day, whether there are spectators or just myself there working with them. Because the behaviors that they learn help us take better care of them, help us understand their needs better and, hopefully, share that information with the general public.

BALDWIN: We know the assemblyman's side. We're waiting for his proposed bill officially out there. Grey Stafford, wanted to get the other side. Thank you so much for coming on.

STAFFORD: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Appreciate it.

Coming up here, want to delve deeper into these new troubles for ex- NFL star Aaron Hernandez. You know he's in jail. He's currently accused of murder. But now, he could face assault changes for fighting in jail. More on that, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Some good news here from the White House, the fact that the U.S. added 175,000 jobs last month, after two straight dismal jobs reports.

Alison Kosik is live at the New York Stock Exchange for us today, where really, reaction, Alison, has been pretty muted. What's the takeaway?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I don't want to take the air out of your balloon there, what you said. This -- sorry about that, but listen, this is a good report. I'll give you that. But the thing is, it's not great, when you look at the big picture.

So yes, after we've been hit on the head with this mediocre job growth over the past couple months, 175,000 jobs added in February is a good thing. But here's the reality: it's still not good enough. Because when you compare it to what happened at the end of last year, job growth was topping 200,000, close to 300,000 in November. That's really where we want to be to bring down unemployment. But that's not happening.

Also, you look at the unemployment rate, it's still high. The reality is, the economy, it's not where it should be. And we're almost five years out of the recession.

Here's the good news. The good news is, even with the weather impacting February's jobs number, this 175,000, employers still added that 175,000. So Brook, think of it this way. Without the bad weather, who knows? That number could have been even higher.

BALDWIN: Isn't it also the issue -- I know we're watching that unemployment rate now at 6.7 percent. If it gets lower, which is a good thing, that would affect our interest rates. Yes?

KOSIK: It may.

BALDWIN: OK.

KOSIK: What the Fed has done, is it's put this sort of -- this sort of deadline, if you want to say, this -- the 6.5 percent is what the Fed had said it would keep an eye on when it wants to go ahead and raise interest rates.

It has kind of wavered, talking about the Fed numbers.

BALDWIN: Aha.

KOSIK: They wavered as to whether or not they're going to stick to that 6.5 percent, especially as you've been seeing the unemployment rate get closer to that number, and they're taking a step back and looking at the economy and say wait a minute, it's not quite there yet where we want to raise interest rates. It's not holding back to that 6.5 percent, especially now that we saw the unemployment rate tick a little higher in February to 6.7 percent -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Gotcha. Alison Kosik. Wind not totally out of my sails, officially on a Friday. Thank you so much, my friend.

Coming up here, new allegations of sexual assault against a top military officer in charge of prosecuting those same crimes as Congress tables a bill designed to help victims of sex crimes in the military. We're on the case. You're watching CNN. Stay right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)