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Erin Burnett Outfront

911 Calls Released In Newtown Shooting; Officials: Stolen Radioactive Truck Found; Biden: U.S. "Deeply Concerned" By China's Move; Biden To Chinese Youth: Challenge Authority; Documents: Toronto Mayor May Have Tried Heroin; Paul Walker Killed by Trauma, Burns

Aired December 04, 2013 - 19:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): OUTFRONT next:

Preventing another tragedy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The greatest protection ultimately would be an armed presence in the school.

TAPPER: As we approach the one-year anniversary of the tragedy at Newtown, what can be done to prevent future Sandy Hooks?

Plus, Vice President Joe Biden in China. Can he stop what our allies see as alarming aggression in the East?

JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a consequential relationship that's going to affect the course of the 21st century.

TAPPER: New incriminating allegations about embattled Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.

MAYOR ROB FORD, TORONTO: Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine.

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: I'm Jake Tapper in for Erin Burnett. This is something of a difficult show. In just a moment, we will play for you some selected excerpts from the 911 call from the day that Adam Lanza killed 20 children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School. This will be the first time you will hear these tapes on CNN.

I can tell you we came to this decision after hours of discussion and consideration of the context of the news. Afterwards, we'll hear from a former congressman who had been tasked with finding a way to better protect our children. But first, this report from Deborah Feyerick, we should warn you, what you're about to hear could be disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The first call came from the school secretary moments after class started. It gives insight into how quickly the shooter, Adam Lanza was able to get into the secured building.

UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: Newtown 911, what's the location of your emergency?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Sandy Hook School. I think there is somebody shooting in here, in Sandy Hook School.

UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: OK, what makes you think that?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Because somebody has a gun. I saw glimpse of somebody running down hallway. They're still running. They're still shooting. Sandy Hook School please.

FEYERICK: Seven 911 calls were released. They captured the fear and quiet urgency and lack of panic of those inside and at the police dispatch. One woman shot in the foot crawled into a classroom where several children hid near a bookcase.

UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: OK, are you safe right now?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: I think my classroom door is not locked.

UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: OK, is there anybody that can lock it without -- being safe?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: No.

UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: Just stay where you are.

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: There are children in this room too.

UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: Try to apply pressure, OK? We have people coming, OK?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: All right. Is there any other teacher in there with you or just students?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: No. There are two other adults in the room with me.

UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: OK. Are they right next to you? Where are they in the room?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: No. They're over on the other side of the book shelf.

UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: All right. Are you OK right now?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: For now hopefully.

FEYERICK: According to a report by the state's attorney, that teacher and the students in the classroom survived. It was custodian, Rick Thorne, in a different part of the school who became the eyes and ears for a police dispatcher.

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Down the corridor.

UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: I want to you take cover. Jen, get the sergeant. All right, get everybody you can going down there. All right, let me get some information from you. What makes you think that?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: The front glass is all shot out. It kept going on. It is still happening.

UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: What about the students in the front of the building?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Everything is lock up as far as I know. I'm not in the front.

UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: You're in lockdown?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: They're in lockdown. I keep hearing shooting. I keep hearing popping.

UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: Guys, we got a shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.

FEYERICK: At one point the custodian still on the phone with the dispatcher is confronted by responding police officers. After he urgently identifies himself, he relays information between those officers and the 911 dispatcher.

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: I'm on the phone with dispatch -- victims in the building.

UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: How many?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: How many? Two down.

FEYERICK: On scene, Newtown police officers quickly understand the scope of the tragedy.

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Call the state police, OK?

UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: State police have been notified.

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: They've been notified.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: What becomes clear from listening to the tapes, and exactly how they played out is that there was a certain calmness. There was a lot of urgency, yes, there was a fear, a little bit of panic, but for the most part, everybody did what they needed to do to try to get where they needed so they can save as many people in that building. That is very clear from listening to these tapes -- Jake.

TAPPER: Deb, these are just a portion of the 911 calls that were released today because of the Freedom of Information Act that they have in Connecticut. There are other calls as well that we do not have, right?

FEYERICK: We don't have those. The ones that were made to the Connecticut State Police, those have not been released. Those are in the custody of that police department of it is not clear whether in fact those calls will ever be released. Right now, these were the ones that were the focus of the Freedom of Information Act and those are the ones released a total of seven for about 25 minutes. And you can hear as everybody was trying to get on the same page to make sure that the people in that school get the help they needed -- Jake.

TAPPER: Thank you, Deborah Feyerick.

Those calls were nothing short of tragic and disturbing and there has been a lot of debate both inside CNN and beyond, I'm sure, at other media organizations as to whether they should have been released at all.

Joining me now, CNN senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin and CNN legal analyst, Mark Geragos. Gentlemen, thanks for being here. Mark, you just heard the tapes. Was it the right thing to do for the state to release them or the media to air excerpts?

MARK GERAGOS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: You know, I know I'm paid as a CNN analyst. I think it was the wrong thing for the state to release them. I think it is the wrong thing for CNN to broadcast them. I don't see why, other than just pure titillation. I don't see any public interest served by this whatsoever and I think it increases the amount of heart ache for the victims of this. To my mind, I don't see how anybody can justify the releasing of this let alone the broadcasting of this. To my mind, it is nothing but pure unadulterated titillation.

TAPPER: We should point out the judge who ordered the release of th tapes, he said that they're useful in order to improve law enforcement reactions, and quote, "delaying the release of the audio recordings," particularly where the legal justifications to keep them confidential is lacking, only serves to fuel speculation about and undermine confidence in our law enforcement officials. Is that judge wrong?

GERAGOS: Yes, the judge -- that shows with you all due respect to that judge, that shows you how inane this is. There is nothing that he just said, nothing in that statement that any rational human would say, OK, right. I listened to those tapes and that gave me confidence in law enforcement. Seriously, that doesn't pass the straight face test. It is somebody who just cowed to public opinion, I suppose.

And titillation in letting it out and did not want to get appealed. There is no reason, no plausible reason why those tapes, playing those tapes which we just heard gave me any further confidence or anybody else in law enforcement or shed the light on law enforcement. That's ludicrous.

TAPPER: Jeffrey Toobin, some of the families were against the release of the tapes. One town official said in a statement, quote, "The release of the tapes will create a new layer of pain for many in the Newtown community. Hearing those calls takes us back to a day of horror and tragedy. By releasing these tapes, do you think that we're forcing them to relive this horror for our own interests or for what Mark describes as our own titillation?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: No, I don't. I would like to draw a distinction between two issues here. First of all, I think the judge was completely correct to disclose the tapes. This was a major national event. It is also the law in Connecticut that 911 tapes get released. The importance of this issue, this story was the biggest mass murder in the United States since 9/11. It had enormous political implications.

There is a public interest in the public knowing as much as possible about it. So I think the judge was clearly correct. I think it is a closer call about news media. I can see why different people at CNN have made different judgments here. I'm not sure how much this adds to the overall story, but I definitely think this is a decision for journalists to make. Not for the government to make about what gets broadcast and what doesn't --

GERAGOS: Can I jump in on that? In this era of blogging and the internet, there is no more -- these distinctions where journalists are at legitimate news networks, wrestling with these issues. It is nonsense because there is always going to be somebody who is going to put it on to the internet and then it going to go viral. It is going to go into YouTube so those kinds of decisions. They're almost quaint or acronistic. They don't exist anymore.

TOOBIN: That's not true, Mark. If the judge had not released the tapes, they would not be on the internet. They wouldn't be anywhere.

GERAGOS: That's my point. He never should have released them because the second point that you make, Jeff, that somebody is going on wrestle with the decision in the journalistic community, that's a nonissue. You may wrestle with it. CNN may wrestle with it, but some dirt bag on the internet is always going to take the position.

TOOBIN: Yes. But we're not -- I don't want our decisions to be determined by what some dirt bag on the internet does. We can't control dirt bags on the internet. We can control CNN and we can make reasoned journalistic decisions about what to broadcast and what not. And I think this shows the decision to run it is understandable. Anderson Cooper is not going on run it.

That's understandable, too. I would probably lean on the side of not running it but in any case, those are decisions for journalists to make. I don't like the idea of government telling the public what it can know and cannot know. By the large, the business of government should be public, not private.

TAPPER: Jeff, tapes from other mass shootings have also been released. Columbine, Aurora, the tapes from the Virginia Tech massacre have not been released. I know this is a state by state legal process. Do you think there should be one standard nationwide? TOOBIN: I don't think it's necessary for a nationwide standard. I think different communities can make different judgments here. I guess it is part of my journalistic DNA. I would certainly favor more disclosure rather than less, but I don't like the idea of a case by case judgment frankly where victims' families get on decide what is news and what's not.

I can't imagine their pain. I can't imagine what it is like to be in their shoes. But we have a different job to do and it is true that we can learn something about how to respond to these sorts of tragedies by hearing how the government responded. As far as I can tell here, the 9/11 operators, the police did as good a job as they could. But that's something that we can learn, but only if we have access to the evidence.

TAPPER: All right, Jeffrey Toobin and Mark Geragos, thank you so much.

Shortly after the Newtown tragedy, the National Rifle Association funded a new study to review school security. It was led by a former congressman and DEA administrator named Asa Hutchinson. The task force recommended armed guards as part of the solutions to keeping schools safer. Just a few hours ago, I spoke to him and asked if armed guards really were a viable solution.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ASA HUTCHINSON, LED NRA'S SCHOLL SAFETY INITIATIVE: Armed guards are a part of the solution and certainly, every school needs to do a security plan. They need to do an assessment. But the greatest protection ultimately would be an armed presence in the school. Obviously the preference would be a school resource officer, someone who has that type of police training and background.

But after Sandy Hook Elementary, everybody in America understands that it could happen anywhere and this is the first time that such a tragedy happens in an elementary school. The safety has to move that direction so our primary recommendations were eight, but one of those was an armed presence. That's not the exclusive one. Not the exclusive recommended. It won't solve every problem. You need other security measures in place.

TAPPER: Sure. But I think one of the issues, especially in the last few weeks when more information has come forward about Adam Lanza showing how severely emotionally troubled he was. Something that a lot of people believed is that people like that who have severe mental problems and emotional problems should not be able to get guns. Is that something you disagree with?

HUTCHINSON: Well, I certainly agree that we need to make sure a firearm is not sold to someone who is a convicted felon or someone who has been adjudicated mentally ill. In Adam Lanza's case, even though he had mental problems, we're not going to eliminate access to firearms in every circumstance. So there is always going to be the risk that you have that unfortunate incident with an assailant in a school. So you can't just the system is going to work. You ultimately have to have that protection, but absolutely you need greater resources in the schools that address the challenge of a bully in the school, of the challenge of identifying those with mental illnesses and getting the counsellors support for them.

TAPPER: I find that answer a little disappointing because I do feel that people who have severe emotional problems, even if they haven't been adjudicated for any reason should not be able to get guns. It is a risk to themselves. It is a risk to society. I'm not talking about greater gun control infringing on the rights of law-abiding American citizens who don't have emotional problems.

But those individuals seem to be the ones who are causing, wreaking this havoc whether it is at LAX or in Aurora or Virginia Tech. I don't understand why people who support gun rights, such as yourself, aren't doing more to keep guns out of the hands of those people who have severe emotional problems, so that we as a society are safer.

HUTCHINSON: Certainly, their first standard is those that are adjudicated mentally ill. And one we don't have all of those records put into our national database to keep someone from obtaining a firearm because the records aren't complete. That needs to be improved. Secondly, we as a society need to address the problem of mental illness and how we can identify that.

And even though it is not adjudicated, how do we draw the line and how do we inform police and how do we deal with it in the school environment. We have to make determinations as to when something should be entered into the database. That's not an easy decision. The clear line is when they're adjudicated. What do you do when they're not to that point yet?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: All right, thank you, Congressman Asa Hutchinson.

Still to come, a truck full of dangerous radioactive material was stolen. What could happen if the chemical inside falls into the wrong hands?

And Vice President Joe Biden in China tonight taking on what some say is China's alarming aggression.

Plus some new details about the Paul Walker car crash, investigators believe the actor may have initially survived.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: A now breaking and alarming story we're following in Mexico. Sources told us that a stolen vehicle packed with dangerous radioactive materials has been found. Officials say the container holding the chemical agent known as cobalt was found open and a special team is being deployed to the area. Brian Todd joins me now. Brian, what do we know right now? BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: An update here, Jake. This is from Juan Evanshoots, he is the head of Mexico's National Committee for Nuclear Security, just updating reporters now. The truck that was stolen has been recovered. It has been found near a town north of Mexico City. The container which had the cobalt 60 inside, the radioactive material, was not on the truck. However, the container was found about a half mile away.

And a key point here, the container, according to Mexican officials, did have Cobalt 60 inside it. They recovered at least some of it. What they don't know is whether they recovered all of it. I think they're working on that to see if they have recovered all of the cobalt 60 inside that container.

We're told by this gentleman of the National Committee for Nuclear Security that radiation has been detected in the area. I'm not sure how high the intensity is, but they are sending special teams in to examine the area. Of course, test it out and maybe we'll get more information about the people who stole this as well.

TAPPER: Cobalt 60, this was used for cancer treatment and other medical procedures, very radioactive, potentially very dangerous. How serious potentially is this?

TODD: This was potentially very serious. And remember, this truck was stolen early Monday morning overnight into Monday morning near Mexico City. They have been looking for this truck for almost three days now. This got all the way up to the IAEA in Vienna, the International Atomic Energy Agency because Mexican authorities by law had to alert them and then they had to single out an alert.

So there was a lot of concern and of course, the concern is that any security expert will tell you, and we interviewed several of them, Cobalt 60 in the hands of a terrorist can fairly easily be made into a dirty bomb. It looks like now that was not happening. It was maybe not even in danger of happening at any time. However, that was a concern for three days while this stuff was out there and they had not found it yet.

TAPPER: Absolutely terrifying. Brian Todd, thank you so much.

How is the U.S. fending off China's power grab? Vice President Biden is in Beijing tonight at a critical time when tensions between the U.S. and China are rising. China has alarmed its neighbors by creating an air defense identification zone that extends over Japan's Senkaku Islands, which China claims as its territory. What is the U.S. saying about it?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We, the United States, are deeply concerned by the attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the East China Sea.

(END VIDEO CLIP) TAPPER: Let's bring in Jon Huntsman, the former U.S. ambassador to China. He served during the first two years of the Obama administration. Mr. Ambassador, Mr. Governor, thanks for being here. We appreciate it. So Vice President Biden's language specifically chosen, deeply concerned, is that strong enough?

JON HUNTSMAN, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO CHINA: Well, I think that's appropriate terminology. It was spoken in Tokyo where coordinating a lot of what goes on in the region with our ally, Japan, and also with Korea to some extent is absolutely critical at this point. And the language used was appropriate given the circumstances.

Now it going to all play out in Beijing as he meets with the new leader of China who he got to know on a personal level when they were vice presidents together, she served as vice president before becoming president of China. So they have a pre-existing relationship. It is actually quite unusual for the head of China to accord this amount of time to the vice president of the United States.

So he's giving him a private dinner. He spent two hours with him in a bilateral meeting. All of that presumably is taking us in a direction that defines some parameters around the drama that's playing out in the East China Sea.

TAPPER: The U.S. has agreed to comply with China's air defense identification zone after it flew unarmed B-52s last week. Some people say that's the wrong message to send and it conveys weakness to the Chinese. What do you think?

HUNTSMAN: The administration started out by doing right thing. They single out a couple of B-52s on a freedom of navigation mission, which is exactly what we should be doing in the aftermath of this kind of announcement. That happened immediately. It was the right thing to do. I think there was a miscue in terms of commercial aviation. It was at odds with what Japan was doing with their own commercial aviation sector.

TAPPER: We are now as U.S. commercial aircraft entered this zone that China has declared is their air zone. We are saying this is a Pan Am flight. We don't mean you any harm. We are alerting them, who we are.

HUNTSMAN: They're responding to Chinese air traffic controllers, a flight from Tokyo to Hongkong or Tokyo to Taipei. They're radioed by Chinese air traffic controllers. They have to then respond by gig their coordinates and anything else the Chinese might ask.

TAPPER: The Japanese airlines are not doing that.

HUNTSMAN: Well, that, I hope by now we coordinated exactly what our approach is, but we were not on the same page originally, which shows a little bit of daylight between us which should never be the case during a situation like this.

TAPPER: One last thing. President Biden talked to young Chinese students waiting for visas at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Innovation can only occur where you can breathe free. Challenge the government, challenge your teachers, challenge religious leaders --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: What do you make of that, Vice President Biden saying challenge your government?

HUNTSMAN: These are points that America is known for. We have a name brand in the world, like it or not. My first trip to china was with Ronald Reagan. He said a lot of the same thing. George W. Bush used to speak out a lot on religious freedom and liberty. These are important points for Americans to make. I think he was right in making them. You have a Twitter sphere in china. You have 100 million bloggers. This kind of thing circulates a bit. And it feeds into the reform mined tendencies that young Chinese have. I think it was important that the vice president hit on these things.

TAPPER: All right, former Ambassador Jon Huntsman.

Still to come, dozens of whales stranded in Florida and the prospects are not good.

The latest from the Rob Ford crack scandal. Secret wiretaps reveal he may have tried to buy the incriminating video from a gang member.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Welcome back. It became clear today that one of President Obama's top economic priorities for his second term is bridging the wage gap. He called for the raising of the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We know that there are airport workers and fast food workers and nurse assistants and retail salespeople who work their tails off and are still living at or barely above poverty.

And that's why it's well past the time to raise a minimum wage that in real terms right now is below where it was when Harry Truman was in office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Below where it was when Harry Truman was in office. Is that true? The minimum wage today is below where Harry Truman was in office. Can that possibly be true?

Well, the answer is yes. But only for a year of Truman's presidency. Let's break it down. According to the Department of Labor, when Truman was in office, minimum wage was 75 cents an hour. Now, in 1950, 75 cents an hour is about equivalent to $7.27 in today's money. But in the two years that followed, that dropped to $6.74 and $6.61 respectively.

Meaning, today's wage would actually be higher than it was back then.

Eisenhower, technically, might have made for a stronger comparison. But we're picking nits really.

A survivor of the New York train crash that killed four and injured 67 people is moving to sue the rail company for negligence. According to the passenger's attorney, state law requires such claims are filed against the railroad, not the train engineer who in this case allegedly nodded off as the train was going 82 miles an hour before it derailed. The engineer's lawyer is characterizing the incident as, quote, "highway hypnosis."

But he is not off the hook. CNN legal analyst Paul Callan says he could face criminal charges.

A Massachusetts teenager has pleaded not guilty to charges he murdered and raped his algebra teacher. During a hearing today, 14-year-old Philip Chism sat quietly with his hands cuffed in front of him. He is accused of killing his math teacher Colleen Ritzer with a box cutter in the girl's bathroom at school.

A court documents show a handwritten note was found near her body that read, "I hate you all." Chism is being held without bail. His next court date is set for January 30th.

Nigella Lawson admits she used cocaine. The celebrity chef took the stands today in the fraud trial against two former personal assistants, revealing she used the drug during two periods in her life. Three years ago when she said she felt terrorized by her most recent husband, Charles Saatchi. Years before that, she and her late husband did cocaine together after he learned his cancer was terminal, what she called an escape from his treatment.

Lawson insists she's never been addict, saying, "I did not have a drug problem. I had a life problem."

Dozens of beached whales. Things are looking bleak for them. Forty- one short-finned whales strand in shallow water in Florida. Already, ten whales have died. Four of them euthanized because of their poor condition. Right now, experts don't know they ended up in this area, but mass strandings have happened before, typically during low tide and around new full and new moons.

An attempt earlier today to herd them out failed. Now rescuers are hoping they can swim out during high tide.

New incriminating allegations about embattled Mayor Rob Ford. Police documents released today reveal Ford tried to buy the infamous video that allegedly shows him smoking crack cocaine. Ford offered $5,000 cash and a car to a gang member in exchange for the embarrassing video, but that was rejected. This all happened months before police verified the video existed. A video that Ford claims he knew nothing about.

Joining us now, "Toronto Sun" columnist Joe Warmington.

Joe, thanks for joining us.

What else can you tell us about these new documents? What are you hearing?

JOE WARMINGTON, TORONTO SUN: Well, Jake, it's one of these things. It's an ongoing story. It's like Christmastime here in Toronto for us in the media.

And the latest is incredible stuff, including this business that the mayor actually, according to these documents, Jake, did know about this video when he's told us all along that he didn't know about it. And the fact that he tried to get it back. And there's even negotiations, as you mentioned, about the $5,000 and a car to get it back.

So this story is just re hot here as it is around the world. But, really, this is ground zero right here for the Rob Ford saga.

TAPPER: Wiretap recordings today also revealing that Mayor Ford may have bought heroin. You spoke to Mayor Ford tonight. What's his response?

WARMINGTON: Well, he laughs at that. Again, a lot of this stuff hasn't been tested in court and you know yourself, Jake, that this is the kind of thing where they surveil and intercept conversations about people that are in gangs and it's not been verified or tested.

So, again we don't have Mayor Ford on an intercept talking about buying heroin. But again, there's been video pictures from surveillance from the air that shows he and the guy Sandro Lisi, who has been charged in this whole mess, exchanging packages. So, you can make the leap.

And this whole story is all about making a leap. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, look what we have. No charges, but it sure looks bad.

TAPPER: Amazingly, Ford is still -- he's still hanging in there in the polls. How is that possible with all these headlines coming out every day?

WARMINGTON: It's just, I think that there will be books on that, Jake, alone. I mean, I know that there's going to be movies and there's people in Hollywood that would love to play them. Too bad, Chris Farley is not with us. And hopefully, Mayor Ford doesn't end up going down the same path.

But it's just that -- you know, he is a likable guy. And no matter what they throw at him, I'm not one of the people that kind of throw stuff at him. I've known him a long time. He's got all kinds of character flaws but he's likable. And he's a populist mayor.

Right now as we speak, he is at a Christmas party where he can't get out the door because everybody wants to get pictures with him, including people that are talking about running against him. So, that gives you an idea of the cult of personality that is Rob Ford.

TAPPER: And we should emphasize he still has not been charged with any criminal wrongdoing.

WARMINGTON: No. In fact all we have is his own admissions. You can see why he finally did admit it, because of these documents. But the reality is, without his admissions about once smoking crack at least once and the drunken stupor, and also talking about drinking and perhaps driving, things like that, if he had to admit to that, then he'd be able to deny all this, you know, because, Jake, you could never present this as evidence.

The thing, I talked to a homicide guy here today who said that in his 30 years on the job, he has never seen a document like this, A; and B, certainly not leaked out like this or allowed to be released like this. A lot of it was leaked and some of it was released.

And so, there is big a political conspiracy behind this. Let's not take Ford off the hook. He's definitely done some things wrong and we don't know where this is leading, including to perhaps violence. But the reason he's still at the 40 percent approval rating, or the 42 percent, and all the polls show people want him as mayor is because they don't trust the other guys -- the guys who spend this city into major debt. He is the slasher that has come in and tried to control it.

And he is using that as his way of saying, look, they're out to get me. I've got flaws. I'll work on them, but they're the real bad guys.

TAPPER: But, Joe, why hasn't he been charged with anything? Are the police building up an even greater case for some bigger crime we don't know about? Or does he have the police in his hip pocket? I mean, what's the reason?

WARMINGTON: Well, I mean, I think that -- again, if this was in the United States, you know they would want to get the answer to that. But his is not the United States. Canada is a different deal.

We had the G-20 here, you'll remember, and it was quite violent and all kinds of inquiries and nothing really came out of it. I think this is much the same.

I mean, the big question is for Chief Williams Sterling Blair, is you've spent millions of dollars. We did not know they had an airplane, Jake, here to follow. And it has million-dollar camera on its arm, and yet they're following around the chief magistrate, the guy who wants to cut the police budget and then they're coming up with all this stuff. They're leaking it to the media and it really does sound bad. I mean, some of it must be true but how do you know? So again, until there's a criminal charge, a real criminal charge, a serious one, on somebody. I mean, this story here today, as you know, Jake, is talking about the mayor being extorted. People are wanting a $150,000 from him for this video. That alone should be a criminal charge. It's a real head scratcher.

I think it comes back to the political will to try embarrass him and have him leave office without having to run and deal with his 40 percent support, which there is some really good solid conservative candidates here I would love to have.

TAPPER: Well, it's a mystery, Joe Warmington. Thank you so much for joining us.

WARMINGTON: It's a movie! Stay tuned.

TAPPER: Still to come, new details about the death of Paul Walker. Investigators believe the star may have initially survived the crash.

And a multimillion-dollar battle over Farrah Fawcett. That's our money and power story tonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: We have new details about Paul Walker's deadly car crash. An autopsy report released today reveals that Walker may have initially survived the crash but died moments later due to a combination of injuries from the impact and the resulting fire.

Kyung Lah has more on the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The autopsy report helps explain what we've seen on surveillance video obtained by CNN. You can see the moment of impact. A light pole and then a tree fall.

The Porsche hit so hard, it snapped the concrete and rebar pole like a match stick.

About 60 seconds later, a full minute, the first signs of black smoke when the Porsche burst into flame. The autopsy shows the driver, Roger Rodas, died of multiple traumatic injuries. Actor Paul Walker, the passenger, died of traumatic and thermal injuries, suggesting he was alive in the moments before the Porsche was engulfed by fire.

ADAM BOUYER, FAN OF PAUL WALKER: Hopefully, it was quick and he did not feel anything.

MICHELLE WELTIG, FAN OF PAUL WALKER: He said, if I died from speed, don't cry because I was smiling and that's what he loves.

LAH: Walker lived as he died inside the super cars featured in his movie franchise of 'The fast and the Furious". Walker was shooting the seventh establishment of the movie series. Universal Pictures announced they are shutting down production as they assess all options available to move forward with the franchise.

Investigators say speed was a factor in the car crash but continue to search for other contributing causes.

The 2005 Carrera GT is a rare super scar. Only 1,300 were made.

Amateur driver Michael Weinreb is one of those owners. He took me down a ride down a canyon in the car, noting as a sports car driver, there is simply no vehicle in America that matches the thrill and nothing potentially more deadly.

(on camera): In some respects, are you afraid of this car?

MICHAEL WEINREB, PORSCHE CARRERA GT OWNER: Yes, you really have to be with this car with all the power it has. You have to be reserved and restrain yourself. I mean, it's kind of taming a wild animal. And so, if you were taming a wild animal, you'd be a afraid of it. So, you have to be afraid of it, to really be safe in the car.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: Kyung, does the autopsy difference between two victims, Paul Walker and the driver, Roger Rodas, does that mean they died in different ways?

LAH: Not necessarily and here's why. We got a little clarification from the L.A. County coroner. The autopsies were done by two separate doctors. It may just be semantics. The doctor who perform Rodas' autopsy simply chose to bulk it all together as multiple trauma and within that assume that thermal trauma could be part of it.

The other doctor was a little more specific. We may know when the full autopsy, the specifics come out in weeks and, Jake, we should know about the toxicology report in six to eight weeks.

TAPPER: Kyung, it looks like -- I'm looking behind you there. It looks like there is still a fan presence there at the site. How long will that material be allowed to remain there?

LAH: Yes, it's really extraordinary. If you think that this happened on Saturday and you look. There's been a steady stream of people. I'm standing in the lane of traffic that's actually remained open. And the memorial that you see here, the candles, the flowers, they've continued to grow, to be replaced. Fans have continued to come.

Santa Clarita, the city we're standing in, has committed to this, saying they want this to be here. That he wasn't just a movie star but also a local boy. As far as an official funeral, the family hasn't been very specific. No date has been set yet.

We do understand, Jake, that one of the co-stars, Tyrese Gibson, is in close contact with Paul Walker's family to help plan this. This is going to be something for the community, as well as for Hollywood.

TAPPER: Yes. He has -- he had a 14-year-old daughter. Very sad.

Thank you, Kyung Lah.

Now, let's check in with Anderson Cooper. He's got a look at what's ahead on "A.C. 360".

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Jake.

TAPPER: Mr. Cooper, how are you, sir?

COOPER: I'm doing well, Mr. Tapper.

A story you cover which I'm obsessed about, much more on Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's court documents released today containing details of a wiretap. They're unbelievable. Suggest the mayor made attempts to buy a video of him smoking crack and it also really details his relationship with his violent drug gang. We'll talk to Toronto star Robin Doolittle, who's been out and front on this story.

Also, a "360" exclusive: the first interview with the family of Olivia Wise, who while battling cancer, she skyrocketed to Internet fame, singing a cover of Katy Perry song "Roar". Olivia died just last week. Olivia's mom and sister want the world to remember her and to continue the fight against cancer. They've created a fun to help other kids with cancer. We'll talk to them.

Those stories and a lot more and tonight's "RidicuList", of course, all at the top of the hour _- Jake.

TAPPER: Sounds great. Thanks, Anderson.

Tonight's money and power, a fight over Farrah Fawcett?

A high profile courtroom battle is underway over the multimillion dollar Andy Warhol painting of the late actress. Actor Ryan O'Neal, Fawcett's long-time boyfriend but never husband, says the painting is his. But Fawcett's alma mater is accusing O'Neal of stealing the painting. They say it belongs to the University of Texas.

Zoraida Sambolin has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZORAIDA SAMBOLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a Hollywood custody battle unlike many others, a fight over this portrait -- an original Andy Warhol of the late Hollywood actress Farrah Fawcett.

Fawcett's former lover, actor Ryan O'Neal, who lived with the actress for years said the portrait belongs to him.

The painting at the center of this trial hangs above his head at his Malibu Beach house, as seen here in the reality show, "The O'Neals".

But Fawcett's alma mater, the University of Texas at Austin, is suing O'Neal, saying the portrait is theirs, that Fawcett left it to them after her death in 2009.

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Is his story believable? That will be crucial. We're only hearing about this through the experience of Ryan O'Neal. He's the sole survival. Andy Warhol can't testify. Farrah Fawcett can't testify.

SAMBOLIN: Seventy-two-year-old O'Neal took the stand on Monday, saying he, quote, "removed the painting a week or more after she died from her condo.

O'Neal said the portrait of the iconic "Charlie's Angels" star was above his bed when Fawcett caught him between sheets with a 25-year- old woman, which led to their break-up in 1997. He said he removed the portrait and returned it to Fawcett because his, quote, "young friend" was uncomfortable with Farrah staring at her."

The portrait as scene in "cha "Chasing Farrah" is one of two similar prints Warhol created in 1980. The other is on display at the university's art museum, leading O'Neal's lawyer to believe the suit is financially motivated.

MARTY SINGER, RYAN O'NEAL'S LAWYER: Is the University of Texas worth over $50 billion, aren't they happy that they got one portrait? This is what the key thing is.

SAMBOLIN: O'Neil says he just wants to pass down the heirloom to their son Redmond, which a Los Angeles will have to decide.

HOSTIN: Ryan O'Neal, if anything, has that argument that this is for their son, and that is powerful. That is priceless motivation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: Still to come, decorations and dog attacks. A White House Christmas party, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Christmas at the White House and at least one way kind of just like Christmas at your house. Today, in keeping with tradition, First Lady Michelle Obama hosted a tree decorating party for military families from across the country. The festivities included old and new ornaments and 24 Christmas trees.

The first lady even brought the White House dogs, Bo, and the new puppy, Sunny, out for the occasion. And that's when they literally ran into trouble.

It seems the excitement of the season was too much for Sunny, the Obama's newest dog. Sunny was a little too animated with one of the young guests. The small girl took a step back from the playful puppy and, well, she took a little tumble. The other guests were concerned. Fortunately, she was fine. She popped up to continue in the fun.

Sounds just like my house.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) TAPPER: Tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. Eastern on "THE LEAD", Pastor Rick Warren on how faith helped him lose 65 pounds, how he got his congregation to collectively dropped 250,000 pounds.

Alice and Jack, if you're watching, go to bed.

"AC360" starts right now.