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Taiwan's President Confirms U.S. Military Presence; DOJ To Pay Millions To Families Of Emanuel A.M.E. Church Shooting Victims; Airline CEO Calls For Aggressive Prosecution Of Violent Passenger. Aired 3:30-4p ET
Aired October 28, 2021 - 15:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:30:00]
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: We have the exclusive interview and global reaction next.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: But first the tell-all book, the accusations and a breakdown of a royal marriage. Watch a new episode of the CNN original series "Diana" Sunday night at 9:00 on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:35:00]
CAMEROTA: A stunning admission from the President of Taiwan today. She confirmed that U.S. military troops are on the ground in training Taiwanese military members as tensions with China escalate.
BLACKWELL: This is part of an exclusive interview with CNN's Will Ripley, he is live in Taipei. Will, why would the president confirm this now?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You want my honest answer, Victor? I think she was a actually taken a bit surprised by the question.
This is a president who put 68 drafts together of a speech that she gave a couple of weeks ago. She had a whole stack of notes, you know, set up, you know, ahead of this interview to try to make sure that she said everything precisely, but as we just started talking, the notes kind of, you know, went to the side. And we just had a conversation. And she spoke more frankly than I believe she ever has about the situation that she faces here as leader of Taiwan.
This is a small island, 23 million people, that is facing a growing threat in her view from the mainland, which is 100 miles away, 1.5 billion people, a 2 million strong army and a whole bunch of missiles that are pointed right now at Taipei at this island that could arrive here in a matter of minutes if a conflict were to break out.
So, I wanted to know what she thought about President Biden's comments last week at the CNN Town Hall when he said that the U.S. would come to Taiwan's defense as the world's only Chinese-speaking democracy, right on the front island chain strategically important, economically important, would the U.S. defend Taiwan in the event of an attack? President Biden said, yes. The White House then dialed it back trying
to keep things strategically ambiguous, they don't want to let China know whether the U.S. military will get involved or not. But I wanted to know what she thought about President Biden's comment.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PRESIDENT TSAI ING-WEN, TAIWAN: People have different interpretation of what President Biden has said.
RIPLEY: Do you have faith that the United States would defend Taiwan if the mainland were to try to move on Taiwan?
TSAI: I do, have faith. And given the long-term relationship that we have with the U.S.
RIPLEY: Does that support include sending some U.S. service members to help train Taiwanese troops?
TSAI: Well, yes, we have a wide range of cooperation with the U.S. aiming at increasing our defense capability.
RIPLEY: How many U.S. service members are deployed in Taiwan right now?
TSAI: Not as many as people thought.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY (on camera): That was a really big deal. It made headlines around the world because President Tsai is now the first Taiwanese president in more than 40 years to acknowledge that there are U.S. military trainers, albeit a small number. You're talking about a couple dozen potentially on this island helping to train the Taiwanese military.
It has never been publicly confirmed before. And the reason for that even though it's kind of been this open secret, is because there is fear that it will provoke and push Beijing which will use any U.S. military presence, big or small, here in Taiwan as some act of aggression.
And there was a warning issued by Beijing from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in response to our report, saying the U.S. is flexing its muscles in this region and that it's going to potentially cause trouble. They said that in their words, Taiwan independence, as they put it, is a dead end. Because China for more than 70 years, since the end of their civil war, has claimed Taiwan as their own territory. Even though they have never actually -- the communist rulers in Beijing have never controlled this island.
This island has a democratically elected government, its own military. But Beijing and specifically Chinese President Xi Jinping who commands the most powerful Chinese military ever, he has said it is not a matter of if Taiwan reunifies with the Communist mainland, but when. And so, this is a situation that we continue watch very closely to see
what else will develop. It was just earlier this month when China flew a record 150 warplanes near Taiwan over just five days -- Victor and Alisyn.
CAMEROTA: Well, Will, I mean obviously good for you for asking the question that the world was waiting to hear, and we wouldn't know it had you not. So, thank you very much for your reporting.
BLACKWELL: Yes, fantastic interview, Will Ripley, thank you.
So, the Justice Department has just agreed to pay millions of dollars to the families of the people killed at an A.M.E. church in Charleston. The reason why, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:40:00]
CAMEROTA: The Department of Justice will pay $88 million to the families of the 9 people murdered inside that Charleston, South Carolina church in 2015. Survivors of that shooting will also get $5 million each.
BLACKWELL: So, one gunman opened fire during bible study at the city's historic Emanuel A.M.E Church including the senior pastor, he was killed. His daughter spoke today about his legacy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MALANA PINCKNEY, SURVIVED CHARLESTON CHURCH MASSACRE: Everybody here has been a part of my life in a different kind of way. When I was six years old when this terrible massacre happened, I didn't know that my father was such a big inspiration to people all over the world. So, something I want to leave you with here today is just because you came from nothing doesn't mean that you can't be something.
It's so important that I've had a community behind me who have helped me get to the place that I am now. No amount of compensation will ever replace my father's life.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: Evan Perez, CNN senior justice correspondent is here with details. So first, why has the DOJ agreed to pay these families?
[15:45:00]
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor, Alisyn, this has been a horrific thing that the -- frankly I didn't realize that the Justice Department, for the last six years has been fighting against settling this case. And it appears that the current administration under Merrick Garland, the new Attorney General, decided that now is the time to finally put this to rest.
The FBI, soon after the shooting, admitted that they screwed up, that this was a problem that Dylann Roof should never have been able to buy a gun. Should never have been able to get through the system that would have prohibited him from buying a gun, but there was some clerical mistakes that happened in which they were not able to look through his application for the background check. And that's the reason why he was able to buy a gun. Because they weren't able to adjudicate it over three days.
And as a result of that, Dylann Roof had a gun. And he opened fire that night at the Mother Emanuel Church. And so, the Justice Department finally decided that they needed to make this right and settle this case. And that's why you have the settlement today.
BLACKWELL: All right, makes sense, makes sense.
CAMEROTA: Could those girls have been any more -- I mean could the pastor's daughters have been any more poised and inspirational there?
BLACKWELL: It was remarkable.
CAMEROTA: I mean I can't believe that she was six when it happened, that means she's only 12? That she is remarkable, she obviously has her father's gift for commanding a crowd. So, how will the settlement be divided -- Evan?
PEREZ: Well, there's $88 million that they've settled on. Apparently 63 million of this is going to go to the families of those killed. There's $25 million is going to go to survivors. Apparently, there's a significance to the $88 million, guys, because apparently 88 is something that's significant in the white supremacy movement. Dylan Roof had 88 on his shoes, apparently, on the night that he was arrested. So that's the reason that they reached this 88 figure.
CAMEROTA: OK, Evan Perez, thank you for the update on that story.
BLACKWELL: So, the FBI is also now involved in the brutal assault of a flight attendant, that investigation. It forced an American Airlines jet to make an emergency landing. We've got new details ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:50:00]
BLACKWELL: The CEO of American Airlines is calling a midair attack against a flight attendant last night one of the worst in the company's history. The alleged assault was so bad that the plane made an emergency landing in Denver before it continued on to California.
CAMEROTA: CNN aviation correspondent, Pete Muntean joins us. Pete, what happened?
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alisyn, the source familiar with this tells me this attack was entirely unprovoked. This man got up from his seat, walked to the back galley of the plane, and punched a flight attendant in her face twice in a row and broke her nose. This flight was on its way from JFK to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California but had to land early, divert to Denver. Just want you to listen now to one of the passengers on this flight
who saw this entire thing unfold.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MACKENZIE ROSE, PASSENGER WITNESS: I understand that he actually punched her twice. I did see her walk back down the aisle afterward, she had blood splattered on the outside of her mask.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MUNTEAN: Now, the FBI is now leading the investigation on this. It says there have been no arrests and the investigation is ongoing.
American Airlines CEO Doug Parker just posted a video statement about this and he says he wants this passenger punished to the full extent of the law. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUG PARKER, AMERICAN AIRLINES CEO: As to this individual, I can guarantee, you will never be allowed to fly American Airlines, but that is not enough. This type of behavior has to stop and the best deterrent is aggressive, criminal prosecution.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MUNTEAN: Now the truth is there's been a huge uptick in these kinds of incidents. Flight crews have reported 4,900 incidents of unruly passengers to the FAA just this year alone. More than 70 percent have to deal with the federal transportation mask mandate. But it's important to underscore here, this was not over a mask. This attack again was unprovoked. This passenger could face up to $37,000 in FAA fines not to mention possible federal charges here -- Victor and Alisyn.
BLACKWELL: This is just a horrible trend with what we're seeing on airlines. Pete Muntean for us in Washington, thank you, Pete.
So, a member of President Biden's cabinet weighs in on the spending bill. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm joins CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:55:00]
CAMEROTA: So, Victor, I don't know if you have had a chance to appreciate my new fashionable fall footwear.
BLACKWELL: My producer just said something funny in my ear about what we're calling this. Yes, I have noticed it.
CAMEROTA: You have?
BLACKWELL: Yes.
CAMEROTA: OK, maybe I'll show the viewers. This is my new footwear. Hope you enjoy it. It is my orthopedic.
BLACKWELL: Oh, wow.
CAMEROTA: I was wearing high heels as you know, which I do all the time.
BLACKWELL: OK.
CAMEROTA: Yesterday. And I tripped and I fell in a very theatrical, dramatic way
BLACKWELL: I heard there was coffee was going one way, notes going the other way.
CAMEROTA: There was. It was a yard sale. It was like everything spilled. My notes, my purse like spilled out on the floor. Coffee everywhere.
BLACKWELL: If you're going to do it, do it big.
CAMEROTA: That's what I did. I also screamed on the way down.
BLACKWELL: Oh, no.
CAMEROTA: So that people had to come running.
BLACKWELL: OK.
CAMEROTA: And I broke my foot.
BLACKWELL: Oh, so what did you break?
CAMEROTA: Oh, my fifth metatarsal.
BLACKWELL: Oh.
CAMEROTA: Which I don't know anything about but apparently a lot of people know about that. Like I think I've now learned that people have foot injuries so they are like, oh, yes, the fifth metatarsal. Yes, I know that me too.
BLACKWELL: Oh, it'll get you every time.
CAMEROTA: Every time.
BLACKWELL: How do you feel though?
CAMEROTA: Well, luckily, I sit for a living.
BLACKWELL: OK.
CAMEROTA: So, I feel fine when I'm not putting any weight on it. So, I feel fine. Six to eight weeks. So, everyone enjoy my new footwear for that --
BLACKWELL: You just missed fashion week with that new boot. CAMEROTA: It's like a snowboarder's boot.
