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Alec Baldwin Arrested; Donald Sterling Under Fire; Casey Kasem Missing

Aired May 13, 2014 - 15:00   ET

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

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest tradition of military service, and reflect great credit upon himself, Company C, 2nd Battalion Airborne, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, and the United States Army.

(APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let us pray.

To God's gracious mercy and protection, we commit ourselves. Inspired by the actions of Sergeant Kyle White, strengthened by divine province, may we go our way in peace. And be of good courage. We hold fast to that which is good, render to no evil, no one evil for evil, rather that we be strengthened in the fainthearted and we support the weak.

We help the wounded and honor all persons. The blessing of God be with us today day. We pray in his holy name, amen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALES AND FEMALES: Amen.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That concludes the ceremony., but not the celebration. I hear the food here is pretty good.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: And the drinks are free.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: Who gave a big shout on that? I heard somebody.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: Yes, but I hope all of you enjoy the hospitality of the White House.

I hope we all remember once again those who have fallen. We are grateful to the families who are here and to Kyle and all who serve in America's armed forces.

We want you to know that we will always be grateful for your extraordinary service to our country.

Thank you very much, everybody. Have a great afternoon.

(APPLAUSE)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: So, as the celebration and the eating commences there at the White House, Jake Tapper, let me just bring you in, host of THE LEAD and author of "The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor."

You have talked to a lot of U.S. troops. And I think just listening to the president, this is now the seventh recipient of the U.S. Medal of Honor. And what jumped out at me, what the president said, this image of this hero, yet here he is, with the G.I. Bill, post-9/11, goes to college.

He's now working at a bank in Charlotte, throws on a suit each and every day. And just to think that people see him in a suit and have no idea what he did in November of 2007.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: It is remarkable.

And this is the 10th Medal of Honor given to somebody for actions in Afghanistan. Some of those medals, of course, were given posthumously. It's very interesting, Brooke. Of these 10, nine of them have gone to soldiers operating in just two provinces in Eastern Afghanistan, Kunar province and Nuristan province, which is right next to the border with Pakistan, where some of the heaviest fighting has been.

If it weren't for the quick actions of Sergeant White, then what would have happened would have been that the 14 troops and Marines attacked that day, ambushed that day by locals in Kunar province, the death toll would have been much higher than six, possibly including wiping out the entire platoon.

It's a very tough part of the war. It's a very tough part of the world. And, of course, we see the actions -- we see the emotions these guys feel, where they're focusing almost entirely on the guys who didn't make it back.

BALDWIN: Yes. Yes. And just reading the "Stars and Stripes" article, Sergeant White was asked of course about the excitement of this day and this honor. But, of course, it's outweighed by the cost and losing friends and colleagues, so, just keeping that in mind as the celebration at the White House begins.

Jake Tapper, thank you very much. We will see you at the top of the hour.

TAPPER: Thank you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Now this.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BALDWIN: And as we continue on, we begin with more breaking news here. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you so much for being with me. Let's get you straight to those three breaking news, the first out of Baltimore, Maryland, and someone has crashed a truck into a TV station. We know that evacuations are under way. We know reportedly this individual in his landscaping vehicle is reportedly still inside this TV station.

Getting reports from the news director and from the executive producer at WMAR-TV in Towson, Maryland, all of their people, all of their colleagues are evacuated, are accounted for, so no injuries, at least reportedly at this point.

But, according to some of those employees -- and you can see some of these SWAT members and authorities walking in, trying to figure out what is going on -- according to these reports, this individual, after he smashed through the front of the station, was yelling things like, "I am God."

So, we're working the phones; we're working that story and also trying to stay in touch with those employees of WMAR to figure out what is going on and why. So stay with me on that one.

Also breaking right now, a ground stop still under way for Chicago's two big airports because of an incident involving smoke.

Rene Marsh, let me go to you in Washington, D.C.

What do we know at this point?

RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, we can tell you we have been watching the cancellations and delays, Brooke.

And an hour ago, when we spoke, we see the number of cancellation and delays just increase, right now, close to 500 cancellations and delays for flights departing Chicago O'Hare, as well as arrivals as well. So, we're seeing those numbers continue to climb as this ground stop is still in place.

Here's what we know. We know that an FAA air traffic control center that handles intermediate air traffic, essentially, there was smoke in that building. We don't know what caused the smoke. But we know everyone had to be evacuated. And once that happened, they had to transfer the duties to a different air traffic control tower to take over the duties there.

While that transfer was happening, they have put in place this ground stop. You saw that video there, flights just lined up on the tarmac there and not going anywhere. We're still trying to get some information on when this ground stop will be lifted and what caused that smoke in air traffic control. But, until then, if you're going in or out of Chicago, it's a nightmare situation for you at this point, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Patience. Rene Marsh, keep us posted.

MARSH: Yes.

BALDWIN: Thank you.

MARSH: Will do.

Now to Alec Baldwin. He is such a talented actor, but he also can't seem to stay out of trouble. Today, he was arrested in New York City after biking the wrong way down Fifth Avenue, and then on top of that, he got a ticket for disorderly conduct.

CNN's Poppy Harlow is working this one for us today.

And, Poppy, what happened?

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he was biking against traffic. You can't do that here on the street in New York City on 16th Street, Fifth Avenue, Lower Manhattan. Pulled over by the cops. They took him into custody. They handcuffed him. Apparently, he didn't have I.D. on him, so they took him in.

He got two summons, one for riding his bike in the wrong direction, and also one for disorderly conduct. The NYPD is telling us in part that he, Alec Baldwin, got belligerent, they're saying, starting arguing with police, using profanity.

Also, a law enforcement source telling us here at CNN that Alec Baldwin was sort of yelling at some of the officers, saying -- quote -- "Give me the summons already," and then at the desk agent at the precinct, saying -- quote -- "Who are these officers that they don't know who I am?"

BALDWIN: Ooh.

HARLOW: What is Alec Baldwin's camp saying? They're saying he is back home with his family. So, he's obviously been released. But he's going to have to appear in court on July 24 for this one.

BALDWIN: And, as we know he has done in the past, he hopped onto Twitter.

(CROSSTALK)

HARLOW: He did.

BALDWIN: And what did he say?

HARLOW: He did, within a matter of minutes, three tweets. So, let's go through them one by one in the order they happened.

BALDWIN: OK.

HARLOW: The first one, talking about the officer that arrested him, "Officer Moreno, badge number 23388, arrested me and handcuffed me for going the wrong way on Fifth Avenue."

Then, just a few minutes later, he tweets: "Meanwhile, photographers outside my home once again terrified my daughter and nearly hit her with a camera. The police did nothing." And then the third and final tweet so far -- we haven't seen a tweet in about two hours -- he said: "New York City is a mismanaged carnival of stupidity that is desperate for revenue and anxious to criminalize behavior that -- behavior once thought benign."

Brooke, it's interesting this is coming now. He took to Twitter with these three sort of rapid-fire tweets. But this comes from a man who had this big essay in "New York Magazine" in February saying --

(CROSSTALK)

HARLOW: Right. "I'm done with public life. Forget it."

I want to show you an excerpt from that -- that long essay that he told to "New York Mag," because it talks about New York specifically.

He wrote -- quote -- "I probably have to move out of New York. I just can't live in New York anymore. I want my newest child to have as normal and decent a life as I can provide. New York doesn't seem the place for that anymore."

He also said in the magazine, "I don't want to be Mr. Show Business anymore." He's had numerous run-ins, run-ins with paparazzi. Also, he was accused of shouting an anti-gay slur at a photographer, according to TMZ. You will remember that. He later apologized.

After that, his show on MSNBC was canceled. They called it a mutual parting of ways, but this the latest from Alec Baldwin. We will see if we get more from his camp. But right now, we have those tweets and we know that he's back at home with his family.

BALDWIN: OK. Poppy Harlow, thank you very much.

Coming up next, let's talk about that Donald Sterling exclusive sit- down, that interview with Anderson Cooper. It began with an apology. It began with a mea culpa, which is what anyone probably expected when they sat down and watched this, but then the Clippers owner discussed everything, from plantation owners, to African-American philanthropy.

And that included a direct attack on Magic Johnson. Coming up next, we will tell you what Magic Johnson is saying now, and how people in Los Angeles are responding.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: OK. Welcome back. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Donald Sterling. Donald Sterling was supposed to be apologizing to NBA fans and to really anyone else who was offended by his racist rant that he made last month during what he thought was a private conversation. So he sat down and talked exclusively to Anderson Cooper.

But the interview, very quickly, took a turn, and when Sterling started in on NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson for the second time, well, you just have to hear this. We will play parts of the rant. Sterling even suggested Johnson was trying to steal the Clippers from him.

Here he was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Why did he say, don't say anything?

DONALD STERLING, OWNER, LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS: He just said: "Wait. Be patient. I will help you. We will -- we will work it out."

COOPER: Why do you think he said that?

D. STERLING: I think he wanted me just to do nothing, so he could buy the team. He thought maybe the whole thing would be resolved in two weeks. What has he done? Can you tell me? Big Magic Johnson, what has he done?

COOPER: Well, he has -- he's a businessperson. He --

D. STERLING: He's got AIDS. Did he do any business? I would like -- did he help anybody in South L.A.?

COOPER: Well, I think he has HIV. He doesn't actually have full- blown AIDS, but --

D. STERLING: Well, what kind of a guy goes to every city, he has sex with every girl, then he catches HIV and -- is that someone we want to respect and tell our kids about? I think he should be ashamed of himself. I think he should go into the background.

But what does he do for the black people? Doesn't do anything.

You call up and say -- well --

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: He's opened a lot of businesses in inner-city neighborhoods.

D. STERLING: The Jewish people -- the Jewish people have a company, and it's for people who want to borrow money and no interest. They want to give them a fish pole -- a fishing pole. We want to help people. If they don't have money, we will loan to it you. You don't have interest. One day, you will pay us back.

COOPER: So --

D. STERLING: I'm just telling you, he does nothing. It's all talk.

COOPER: So, you're saying that African-Americans don't contribute to their -- to African-American communities as much as Jewish people do?

D. STERLING: There's no African-American -- never mind. I'm sorry.

You know, I -- they all want to play golf with me. They -- everybody wants to be with me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: The second round of attacks on Magic Johnson has sparked all kinds of outrage and calls for Sterling's ouster.

We are talking to former player and coach Sam Mitchell here in the studio with me in just a hot minute here.

Sir, nice to see you.

But, first, let's go straight to Los Angeles to Stephanie Elam, who is there.

And when we hear Sterling say that Magic Johnson has done nothing for the city of Los Angeles, just on shear facts alone, that is wrong with a capital W.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, the numbers never lie, Brooke.

And that's the thing. You can go and see that it's documented by what he's done. He's really helped to revitalize this city, and parts of the city that did not have that love. Besides the fact that he played for the Lakers and was a bigger-than-life star for the team, he's the kind of man that it's an afterthought that he won a gold medal in the Olympics. Right? That's like, oh, oh, yes, he also did that too.

He's done a lot for this town. He's also brought businesses in places that people did not expect it. Like Starbucks, for example, is a great example. There are Starbucks in South L.A. in places that no one thought that they could put businesses. And he showed them there's money to be made here, same with movie theaters, same with gyms and that sort of business.

He has made money off of this, but also showing that there is a way to integrate these two issues. And you take a look at what he's done with his foundation, the Magic Johnson Foundation. He's been giving out many scholarships. He's been helping people who have AIDS and HIV. He's well-documented doing this.

It's nothing new. It's not secret either. You can find this stuff out. But the fact that he continues to attack him -- and you know, and that second recording that we heard was also Donald Sterling, and this would make the third time in three different times that we have heard from Donald Sterling where he's bringing up Magic Johnson. So he clearly has an issue with him, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Clearly, he does, personal, professional, all of the above, we don't know. We're not inside Donald Sterling's head. Stephanie, thank you.

Sam Mitchell here with me in studio, former player, former coach, good to see you, sir.

(CROSSTALK)

SAM MITCHELL, FORMER NBA PLAYER: -- nice to be here, Brooke.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Dot, dot, dot.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: We were talking in commercial break when you were walking out about how, listen, you watched the interview. You watched Donald Sterling, facial expressions, the words. And whether you think -- some people say, yes, it was authentic at first, the mea culpa, but then what was your impression?

MITCHELL: Well, at first, you like the apology. You like the people that he apologized, the people he offended, the owners, the league, the players, the fans, the sponsors.

But then, at a certain point, you need to stop, and just let that be. And I think, when he started trying to explain himself, it just kind of -- and then when you start bringing in Magic Johnson, who is idolized, by not just current players, but former players, but just all the things he's done on and off the court.

BALDWIN: What do you think is -- listen, and, again, this is -- we're not -- we're not Donald Sterling, but what do you think it is? Is it because the Lakers -- it's really been -- I know it's a Lakers- Clippers town. But the Lakers have done so much. Magic Johnson led them to so many championships.

Maybe -- maybe it's a jealousy thing. Might it be something more, because we now know maybe Magic would throw his hat in the ring to buy the team?

MITCHELL: Well, it could be jealousy about how much love the city of L.A. and the country has for Magic Johnson.

Now, I think, when you look at Magic's life, we have all been through things, but you look at how he's overcome it and the kind of person and man he is today and the things he's done. And I think Donald Sterling was looking at him, saying, why can't people give me the same pass? In his mind, I think he thinks that.

But what he doesn't realize, your apology has to be sincere. It has to be genuine. And then it takes some time to prove that you have changed. And I think if Donald Sterling would have just stopped with the apology, and apologized to the people he needed to, and then started living his life that way --

BALDWIN: He might have been OK.

(CROSSTALK)

MITCHELL: Exactly.

But I think when you start dragging other people in, take accountability for what you have done, and it's not about anybody else but you. BALDWIN: Sam, let me ask you about this, though. On the Magic note, Sterling claims that Magic told him to keep quiet. To quote him, he says, "Magic told him, I will help you. We will work it out."

What do you think that means?

MITCHELL: You know, coming from Donald Sterling, who knows, if that's even the case, if Magic even had that conversation, because he's just all over the place. And I think that's the thing. We're seeing someone -- and I'm starting to feel sorry for him, quite frankly, because --

BALDWIN: Are you really? How so?

MITCHELL: Well, he doesn't get it. He just doesn't get it.

And my mom would say that she feels sorry. She would say, son, you have to feel sorry for people like this, because they don't get it, because the world is changing. And if you're not going to change with it, if you're going to keep those ideas, then you're going to feel that way. Then the world is going to pass you by.

And the thing I'm proud about is that not only just the NBA community came out against it, just the world so to speak, say there's no place for that. And we know there's people out there with that type of thought process. But what it's going to do is, they need to stay underground with those thoughts. They don't need to verbalize those things, because people don't have the patience for it.

BALDWIN: What about the other variable in this equation, which is the estranged wife, Shelly Sterling? OK. I see you smiling. Let me ask you this, because she talked to NBC News. And I want you to roll this sound bite. I want you to listen, because she's basically claiming. She says, I'm fighting for my chunk, my share of the Clippers. And she basically slams the league for being sexist.

Roll it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: Are you saying the NBA's being sexist by trying to push you out?

SHELLY STERLING, WIFE OF DONALD STERLING: I really think so. Would an owner's wife say the same thing, and would the owner be asked to leave the NBA? Or would they just say, well, she's only the wife?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: OK. When you are a player, and you are collecting a check, and the owners are the ones who are handing out the checks, do you think a player really cares if an owner or a partial owner is a male or woman in the league?

MITCHELL: No. The gender of the owner doesn't matter at all. The players could care less. (CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: There are no female owners, right?

MITCHELL: Not that I know of, no, no, there's not.

BALDWIN: Yes.

Let's say, looking ahead, Sam, to October, if this whole thing is still locked up in some sort of legal fight, which it very well could be, and you have technically Donald Sterling as the owner. Do you think it would -- as a former coach, thinking about Doc Rivers, do you think it would show more of a message, not just to L.A., but with the nation, to stay put in L.A. and keep coaching the Clippers, or should he leave in protest?

MITCHELL: Wow, that's a tough one.

And that's a personal -- that's between Doc -- I can only tell you what I would probably do. And everyone has their different opinion. I understand that it's hurt -- it's hurtful when you work for someone that expressed those types of views.

But then you have to try to look at the bigger picture and you have to understand what you love and what you have worked for all your life. And the league is doing it. Look, the commissioner is doing it.

BALDWIN: So, hang on, finish your thought. What would you do?

MITCHELL: Well, me personally, I would not let anybody take away my dream of what I wanted to do.

BALDWIN: You would stay put?

MITCHELL: Absolutely. I'm not going to let anyone -- especially now. And it's different. The league has stepped in and they're trying to handle this situation. So, there's going to be some type of resolution.

And regardless of what that is, I'm confident that the league is going to do the best of its ability and do the right thing. That being said, once the league does what they have to do, if I'm in that position, then I would probably stay put, because, again, I'm not going to let you win if you feel that way.

BALDWIN: I'm not going to let you win. Sam Mitchell, thank you, sir, for coming back.

MITCHELL: Thanks for having me.

BALDWIN: And now NBA commissioner Adam Silver, he actually rushed out this statement reading in part: ":While Magic Johnson doesn't need me to, I feel compelled on behalf of the NBA family to apologize to him that he continues to be dragged into this situation and be degraded by such a malicious and personal attack. The NBA Board of Governors is continuing with its process to remove Mr. Sterling as expeditiously as possible."

So, how is Magic Johnson himself responding to these comments? Anderson Cooper interviews him tonight, "A.C. 360," 8:00 Eastern. Definitely tune in and watch for that reaction, Mr. Magic Johnson himself.

A legendary deejay and voice actor vanishes, Casey Kasem's family frantically searching for him -- the fear now, that his wife smuggled him out of the country. We will talk live with someone who is friends with Casey Kasem, talked to him a matter of months ago, knows the very family drama all too well. That's next. Stay with me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Welcome back. I'm Brooke Baldwin, bottom of the hour.

For generations, the smooth-as-silk voice of Casey Kasem told us what songs top the charts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASEY KASEM, RADIO HOST: Thank you, and hello again, everybody. Welcome to "America's Top 10."

Let's turn right to the action on the Billboard pop singles chart and count down the 10 most popular songs in the land this week.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: But now discord among his family members has reached a new level. His grown children cannot find their own father and fear he has been yanked out of the country, while a court has ordered that authorities look for the 82-year-old radio legend.

The judge also ruled that Kasem's daughter Kerri became his legal caretaker, should become. For months, she and her siblings have complained that their stepmother, Jean, has kept nearly all friends and family from seeing Casey. He suffers from Lewy body after first being misdiagnosed with Parkinson's.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KERRI KASEM, DAUGHTER OF CASEY KASEM: But we have all had an incredible relationship with my father. We don't ask for money. We're all successful. So, why she's doing this is beyond me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Joining me now, law professor Avery Friedman, who is -- what, you go back with Casey Kasem three decades.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: That's right.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Avery, it's wonderful to have you on. I hate the circumstances here. But you talked to Casey, what, just a number of months ago? How did he seem?

FRIEDMAN: Yes, a little bit -- a little bit longer than that.

No, you could tell that Casey Kasem is suffering right now. And because of this condition, the children know that they may not have that much longer, Brooke.

And so what they wanted to do is just see their dad. Well, the wife has said no. And so the legal issue, interestingly enough -- you know, I'm not here to do legal analysis -- is spousal rights vs. children's rights.

And because of what allegedly happened, that the wife has whisked him out of the country -- whether or not that's true, we don't know -- what a court did yesterday is grant temporary conservatorship to one of Casey's daughters, Kerri.

So now they have access to the medical exam, and when the judge asked the wife's lawyer, where is Casey Kasem? He said, I have no idea.

So the judge -- we now are actually involved in a manhunt to find the legend of American radio, Casey Kasem, to find out where he is, and how he is.

BALDWIN: A manhunt for Casey Kasem. I never would have thought those words would come out of my mouth.

Let me tell our viewers that CNN--

FRIEDMAN: In a million years.