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Smartphone Security; New L.A. Clippers CEO Named; Putin Visits Crimea

Aired May 09, 2014 - 15:00   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Good afternoon. I'm Pamela Brown, in for Brooke Baldwin. Nice to have you along with us on this Friday.

And we begin with breaking news. CNN has just learned the new Los Angeles Clippers CEO will be Richard Parsons. He's the former Time Warner chairman. What else do we know about him? What does this mean for the team?

Let's go straight to Jason Carroll -- Jason.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it means a lot of things.

First of all, what you have a man who is highly respected in the business community. He's an African-American. I think that's really going to make a lot of people pleased as well. Also, what you're seeing here, Pamela, is more evidence that the NBA is moving forward.

You remember that the statement they released earlier this weekend, this coming from the NBA commissioner, basically saying that they were moving forward with the search for the Clippers' new CEO. This announcement today is further proof that they are doing just that.

Also, when you think about this, you remember what Sterling's wife has been saying through her attorney, that she wants to remain in control of the Clippers. She has 50 percent ownership of the Clippers. She wants to be some sort of a passive owner. The NBA is moving forward without Donald Sterling. They're moving forward without Shelly Sterling and moving forward in trying to get the Clippers back on track.

BROWN: Right. And they're not wasting much time at all, because the CEO stepped down last week. Here we are with the new CEO for the Clippers. Jason Carroll, thank you.

I want to talk more about this with HLN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson. Branding and social media consultant Peter Shankman.

All right, Peter, we're going to start with you.

Tell us. As I said, the NBA hasn't -- wasted, you know, very little time appointing this new CEO. What do you make of this pick in particular? Richard Parsons, a high-profile businessman, former CEO of Citigroup and Time Warner, what do you think about it?

PETER SHANKMAN, BRANDING AND SOCIAL MEDIA CONSULTANT: Yes, Richard Parsons is a phenomenal choice.

It's a go-to executive. They are going to use him for a while. But what -- the bigger picture is that it's saying the NBA is taking a statement that says, you know what? We're not going to wait for this to blow over. We're not going to wait for this to die down. We're taking steps to make sure this doesn't happen again and to handle the situation as needed.

It's the best thing they could have done. Parsons, if you remember correctly, he was responsible for the AOL/Time Warner merger back in the late 90s and early 2000s. So, he's a very, very connected individual, very well-respected in the community.

This is really a brush-off of Sterling. This says, you know what? We don't care what you're saying. We don't care that you still want control. We don't care that you're attempt a lawsuit. We're moving forward with this because we have the power and because we can and because we want to focus on basketball. So, this is really -- the buzzer is really sort of winding down here for Sterling. This is a very strong move by the NBA.

BROWN: So, the controversy resolving around Sterling continues. We are going to get to that in just a moment with a new audio recording now today.

But, Joey, I want to go to you first talking about this new CEO that we're just finding out about. Do you think this is a legal move to help the NBA gain control of the team?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Oh, yes, Pamela, listen, the train has left the station and the reality is, is that the NBA, they have a dual responsibility, right?

I'm first and foremost, they have legal obligations that they have to tend to. And they have to make sure that they do things in accordance with the law. But they certainly have a fan base and they have players and they have other people that they have to ensure, you know, feel that they're respected, that they're working hard, that those efforts, you know, that they engage in to win championships or whatever they can, that they can do it in an environment that is collegial, environment that is respectful.

And it's free of racism. And so I think what the NBA is doing is they're saying, listen, we have an obligation to our fans, to our NBA community, and to everyone to move forward. And this one step, Pamela, amongst many that will be taken in the future to disassociate their self with him, to get back their brand and to say, as commissioner Silver did, that we're serious about eradicating any thoughts of racism that are in this NBA community.

SHANKMAN: There's also something that goes along with that.

You didn't mention the advertisers. JACKSON: That's right.

(CROSSTALK)

SHANKMAN: Advertisers are very wary. As soon as this happened, there was talk of pulling ads, there was talk of pulling sponsorship. That is a huge, huge dollar amount that they're saving right now by saying, you know what? We're not wasting any time with this. Here's how we're going to handle it.

They were looking at potential losses of millions, if not billions of dollars. And they pretty much saved that. They plugged that hole in that ship right now.

JACKSON: Absolutely right.

BROWN: They had a huge incentive there, that's for sure. All right.

And this is all going on as we're finding out about this new -- these new secret tapes released today purportedly of Donald Sterling, more salacious admissions allegedly voiced by the 80-year-old where he supposedly explains why he made racist comments that were caught on tape.

The tape was released by Radar Online. And on it, Sterling allegedly admits to an unidentified person that he spoke out of turn because he wanted to sleep with his lady friend, V. Stiviano. And CNN does believe the man's voice is Sterling. However, we have been unable to confirm with Sterling's representatives that it is indeed him.

And of course we have the recording for you in its entirety. Take a listen.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But I'm talking to a girl I'm trying to have sex with her, I'm trying to play with her. What -- can you -- you know, if you were trying to have sex with a girl and you're talking to her privately, you don't think anybody is there, you may say anything in the world. What difference does it make?

Then, if the girl tapes it and releases it, my God, it's awful. Who thinks that anybody is going to tape anything? What the hell? I'm talking to a girl. The girl is black. I like her. I'm jealous that she's with other black guys. I want her.

So, what the hell can I in private tell her? I don't want you to be with anybody? Do I have -- am I a person? Do I have any freedom of speech?

I wish Magic Johnson was talking to a girl, and you're trying to play with her. And you might say anything. I would have said I could fly over high-rise buildings if I have to. And you're talking to her. Then you go away. And the next thing, three months later, what you said when you were hot trying to get her is released. I have a girl here who has black kids and is partly black, I think, myself. I love the girl. And so, she's telling me I'm wrong. I know I'm wrong, what I said was wrong. But I never thought the private conversation would go anywhere, out to the public.

I didn't want her to bring anybody to my games because I was jealous. I mean, I'm being honest. And it doesn't matter. No one is going to hear it but you and me. So...

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BROWN: All right. Where to begin with this?

Paul? Or, Peter, I should say. My bad. I'm going to start with you.

First off, I found it interesting at the very end, he says, no one is going to hear this but me and you. He has not come out to publicly speak and apologize and explain his comments. And it makes you wonder whether this was staged and whether he's trying to do this in an attempt to perhaps look like the victim here. What is your take on it. Obviously, image is everything. What do you take away from this?

SHANKMAN: Image is everything.

And the fact that he said at the very end, what might have been a little over the top if this was staged, because that's like the ending of a bad TV show. No one's going to hear it anyway and fade to black. That tells you it might have been staged.

But the meta aspect of this, it's like having had clients in the past with crisis management, you just want to look at them, OK, you need to stop talking now to everyone. Go buy an island. oh, my God. Live on an island. Don't talk to anyone anymore.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Yes. Even if this isn't staged, it's like just, don't talk.

(CROSSTALK)

SHANKMAN: Stop talking.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Don't talk.

And let's talk about the legal side of this. I'm going to you, Joey. What do you think? Could this help, hurt Donald Sterling?

(CROSSTALK)

JACKSON: Listen, Pamela, it certainly -- it doesn't help him at all, because certainly you can argue that it's contrived. Oh, no one is going to hear this but you and me.

Really? Did you not plot and plan that so that we all can hear that? And, Pamela, when you look at the motivation, was he really because he wanted to sleep with her doing this? He's a billionaire.

BROWN: I can think of some better ways if you're trying to do that than to make racist comments to minority trying to sleep with...

JACKSON: Exactly.

And particularly, Pamela, when the person, you are insulting her. Is that how you really get a woman in her good graces?

BROWN: Right.

JACKSON: And so I think certainly it doesn't help them at all and could hurt him, in fact. And I think legally the NBA certainly is on very firm ground in terms of getting three-quarters of the ownership to move forward. I know he has made statements. You can't take away my property. Well, guess what? It's a private organization. They have rules.

And if he's found to have run afoul of those rules, he's in trouble. I think the NBA certainly is on firm legal ground and doing what they need to do, which is to get rid of them.

SHANKMAN: This adds fuel to their fire as well.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Yes, absolutely. And the NBA trying to distance itself as quickly as possible by appointing a new CEO today, Richard Parsons.

Thank you for offering your analysis, Joey Jackson and Peter Shankman. Great talking with you.

SHANKMAN: Thank you.

JACKSON: And you, Pamela. Thank you.

BROWN: And i want to turn now to CNN's exclusive investigation of potentially deadly wait times for U.S. veterans seeking medical care.

We have explosive new allegations of a cover-up to falsify or erase wait times for veterans, forced to wait weeks or even months for appointments. Right now, Senator John McCain, a war hero, is holding a forum in Phoenix to discuss veterans care issues, this as Veteran Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki is under fire claims of alleged delays and secret waiting lists at a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.

Let's go straight to Chris Frates with CNN Investigations in Washington.

Chris, you have learned another VA hospital is being investigated for appointment problems and delays in care. Tell us about that.

CHRIS FRATES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pam, federal investigators are looking into several VA hospitals in different parts of the country. Right now, the biggest focus is on Phoenix, where an CNN investigation found that 40 veterans died waiting for care, according to our sources.

Now, many of those veterans were placed on a secret list designed to hide the fact that some veterans were waiting almost two years to see a doctor. The VA's Office of Inspector General has a team on the ground there trying to piece together what happened.

And CNN has now learned that investigators are also looking into similar allegations of delayed care in Fort Collins, Colorado, and in San Antonio, Texas. My colleague Drew Griffin spoke exclusively with a whistle-blower in San Antonio who says he was told to make it look like veterans were not waiting months for appointments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN TURNER, VA SCHEDULING CLERK: I believe that they have for the last year-and-a-half, I have been in a practice, coaching schedulers to change those dates in order for them to look better. It makes them look like there's not a huge wait period, when there really is.

There could be a three-month wait period, and they're showing nothing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRATES: CNN has been asking Secretary Shinseki to comment on delayed care for months. And we have not gotten a response.

But, next week, Shinseki will have to answer questions when he testifies before a Senate committee, Pam.

BROWN: And, Chris, the veterans affairs secretary is a Cabinet position. What does the White House have to say about all of this?

FRATES: Well, Pam, they say the same thing over and over again. The president has confidence in Shinseki and they are waiting for the results of the investigation.

BROWN: And we're all awaiting for those results. Chris Frates, thank you so much.

And, as we just reported, Senator John McCain is holding an open forum for veterans to discuss allegations linked to veterans' medical care. CNN is of course keeping an eye on all of this and on that event.

And stunning new developments this hour when it comes to those kidnapped schoolgirls in Nigeria. Amnesty International says the government knew about the planned kidnapping four hours before it happened and couldn't stop it. We're talking live with a member of that organization about these findings just ahead.

But, first, it's probably happened to you. You have lost a cell phone or, worse, had it stolen. Many are calling for so-called kill switches to make the phone useless for anyone besides the owners, some states even passing laws mandating this for phones. But our next guess, well, he isn't so sure about this idea. We again tell you about that right after this break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Your next smartphone could have a switch that turns it into a brick if someone tries to steal it. Take a look at this; 1.4 million smartphones were lost for good last year. That's according to "Consumer Reports." And more than twice as many, 3.1 million, were stolen.

That's double the number of thefts in 2012. Smartphone grab-and-runs like this are called apple picking, although, of course, any brand of phone can be a target. It's one of the fastest growing crimes and lawmakers are noticing. California Senate just passed a bill to require all smartphones in California to include a kill switch that renders the phone inoperable after it's stolen.

Minnesota's House passed a similar bill

Brett Larson is CNN Technology Analyst and editor of TechBytes.com.

Brett, nice to have you with us.

BRETT LARSON, CNN TECHNOLOGY ANALYST: Thanks for having me.

BROWN: So, you have mixed feelings about these kill switches.

LARSON: Yes.

BROWN: But wouldn't it be a logical deterrent for iPhone thieves? Why the mixed feelings?

LARSON: It would be a logical deterrent. And the numbers show that we have a very bad smartphone theft problem.

Part of the problem with them being stolen -- or the reason they're stolen so much is because they're so expensive. And there's clearly a black market for these stolen phones. You can -- I'm sure there's places you can go and find them for a lot cheaper than they are supposed to be sold. And that's probably because they are not officially real new phones that have not been owned by someone else.

The kill switch, it troubles me for a couple of reasons. One, it opens up an access lane for hackers and who knows what they can do with it. Imagine if they could put an e-mail attachment in something that you open up and it somewhere activates this kill switch and now you have got a $700 paperweight sitting on your desk that can't make or receive phone calls.

I think it's a good step in preventing -- in preventing theft. I think some of the software kill switches that the manufacturers have put in, these pass codes that are required to activate the phones or e-mail addresses and passwords that are required to get the phones to even work once they are stolen that you can activate on the iPhone with the latest version of the O.S., I think those are great steps as well. But, again, we're dealing with thugs. We're dealing with people who aren't going to steal my phone and say, oh, this has a password on it. Take it back. This is useless to me. There are still plenty of very valuable parts inside these things that can be taken out.

I really think a good solution would be a nationwide database of stolen phone -- of their I.D. numbers, of their serial numbers, so that if you do get a stolen phone and you do try and go activate it, the cell service providers can say, you know what? I'm sorry. This phone is stolen and you're not the original owner.

BROWN: All right, Brett Larson, we will see how all of this plays out in other states. Thank you so much for offering your perspective.

LARSON: Thanks for having me.

BROWN: It's one of the most famous murders in history, O.J. Simpson's ex-wife and her friend Ronald Goldman killed outside her home. Can you believe it's been nearly 20 years? Our Sunny Hostin just finished talking to Goldman's sister. And we will hear from her up next.

But, first, Vladimir Putin flexes his muscle in dramatic fashion. This is the scene today in Crimea, the former Ukrainian region, a military victory parade and a Russian military victory parade. So, why our next guest calls this a calculated move by Putin -- after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Russia's Vladimir Putin made a splash today in Crimea, the initial spoils of the squeeze he's been putting on his outgunned neighbor Ukraine.

Here's Putin greeting his navy as he arrived as a conquering hero.

Crimeans lined the harbor for Putin's first visit as president since he grabbed Crimea from Ukraine. And earlier in Moscow, the enigmatic leader presided over a show of resurgent military might, the ceremonies marking victory in World War II.

Linda Kinstler joins us here in Washington to talk about this. She is staff writer for "The New Republic."

Nice to see you, Linda. A lot of symbolism today and all of it seems to point to this newly assertive Moscow.

LINDA KINSTLER, "THE NEW REPUBLIC": Indeed.

This is Putin's first visit to Crimea since the annexation. In that speech in Crimea, he's saying that the annexation is an act of historic justice. This is a day when Russia is commemorating its victory in World War II. And the annexation of Crimea has been called the third defense of Sevastopol. So, in going to Crimea on this day, he is linking the Russian victory against the fascist Nazi government to what it says is its latest victory against the fascist Ukrainian government. BROWN: You called this a calculated move. What do you think the message here is to the West?

KINSTLER: I think the message is that Putin successfully annexed Crimea. He violated international law. This is an annexation that is not recognized by anyone.

And Putin got away with it. And he's continuing to foment unrest in Eastern Ukraine. Just this morning, we saw continued clashes and up to 20 people might be dead. So, his message is that Russia is back at a geopolitical force.

BROWN: And he is clearly flexing his muscles with this event today.

And to sort of piggyback on what you were saying, what do you think that the direct message is here to Ukraine?

KINSTLER: I think the message is that Russia is now in full control of Crimea, that when he was celebrating with the Black Sea fleet today, a lot of Ukrainian soldiers were actually absorbed into the Black Sea fleet, which has seriously damaged their armed forces as well.

And so the message to Ukraine is that they're helpless before Putin. And as much as they have tried to stop the activities in Eastern Ukraine with the anti-terrorist operation that is still under way, the message is that they won't be successful.

BROWN: Just curious, Linda, do you know what the reception was like there for Putin there in Sevastopol?

KINSTLER: Well, people were lining up to see him. There were reports that he got a standing ovation from his speech.

BROWN: All right, Linda Kinstler, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

KINSTLER: Thanks for having me.

BROWN: And coming up right here on NEWSROOM: It has been two months since Flight 370 went missing. Could the reason it has not been found be that investigators are looking in the wrong ocean?

But, first, a disturbing new report today that the Nigerian government was warned about the kidnapping of 200-plus girls four hours ahead of time. We're talking with a member of Amnesty International about their findings up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)