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Erin Burnett Outfront
Killers May Have Escaped Police Dragnet; Female Prison Worker's Cell Phone Subpoenaed; Trump and Bush Hold Dueling Campaign Events in Key States; Aired 7-8:00p ET
Aired June 17, 2015 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: OUTFRONT tonight, breaking news. Investigators subpoenaing prison worker Joyce Mitchell's cell phones, scouring her call history. And as we're learning more about what Mitchell did and did not tell her husband. My guest tonight, John Walsh, host of "The Hunt."
And more breaking news, a near collision at Chicago's Midway Airport. Two planes taking off. A live report coming -- coming up about that intersection.
And breaking, another East Coast shark attack today. The teen who lost his arm in one of those attacks speaking out for the first time.
Let's go OUTFRONT.
And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT tonight, breaking news. Investigators announcing tonight they have subpoenaed prison worker's Joyce Mitchell's cell phone. And now this -- the question is, is it way too little too late?
This news is coming as officials admit that they do not know where Richard Matt and Richard -- and David Sweat are. They could have escaped the dragnet. Wanted posters for the two are now posted on the U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico. Enhanced mugshots showing what Matt and Sweat might look like after a dozen days on the run also released today. Basically they just have more facial hair.
Police say they're investigating 1400 leads tonight. And we're also learning much more about Mitchell and her husband. Her husband Lyle's attorney saying Joyce did tell him about the murder plot against him but never revealed that she was having sex with the killers.
We're going to have much more on all this in just a moment with my guest John Walsh, host of CNN's "THE HUNT," formerly of "America's Most Wanted." But first, Jason Carroll OUTFRONT tonight in West Plattsburgh, New York.
And, Jason, tonight police on the move. They're expanding their search.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
BURNETT: But there's big questions, I know, as to whether they're looking anywhere even close to the right place.
CARROLL: Well, as you know, it's been an extraordinary effort. They have already searched some 10,000 acres, 16 square miles. Still nothing. The reality is, today is no different than yesterday and the day before that. They could be here or, Erin, they could be long gone.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL (voice-over): Wanted posters of the two escaped killers are now being handed out along the Canadian and Mexican borders. This as the search is expanding and shifting to other areas surrounding the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora. Officials admitting today the hunt for Richard Matt and David Sweat, at least at this point, is not promising.
CAPT. ROBERT LAFOUNTAIN, NEW YORK STATE POLICE: I can tell you right now as well that we have no information that they have been able to leave the area. That being said, it doesn't mean that they haven't been able to escape this area but we have no information.
CARROLL: But there is new information about the woman who allegedly helped them escape. Joyce Mitchell, the 51-year-old prison employee warned her husband Lyle, also a prison employee, that the two inmates had planned to kill him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've gone over the charges.
CARROLL: Joyce Mitchell's attorney telling me his client knew of the plot but was not part of it herself, saying, quote, "Just because she heard something does not mean she was going to act on it."
While Lyle knew about the plot to kill him, his lawyer says he was unaware his wife was having sexual relationships with at least one of the inmates. A source tells CNN, Mitchell had sex with Matt in the same tailor shop where Mitchell and her husband worked. The Clinton County sheriff talked about her demeanor now that she is behind bars.
SHERIFF DAVID FAVRO, CLINTON COUNTY, NEW YORK: I think it's probably a little bit early for that. There's an awful lot going on around her. As you can just with the media attention and I think she's just still consuming that and absorbing that to be able to express too many feelings.
CARROLL: Mitchell's attorney says he has only had one opportunity to speak to his client face to face since her arrest and that was on Monday, the day of her court appearance.
As for her husband, there have been questions about whether he knew about the escape plan.
ANDREW WYLIE, CLINTON COUNTY, NEW YORK DISTRICT ATTORNEY: As of today, we have no information whatsoever that he had prior knowledge of the escape or that he participated or actively assisted in the escape of the two inmates.
CARROLL: Those two inmates still very much on the run. Every lead being followed. Searchers waiting for the one that leads to them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: And Erin, a bit of updated information about the so-called honor block. You remember that particular section of the Clinton Correctional facility where prisoners with good behavior are held. That's where Richard Matt and David Sweat were held as well. Well, after their escape, Erin, CNN has learned that that particular section, that honor block section, has in fact been shut down. It has been turned back into a regular cell block section -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Jason Carroll.
OUTFRONT now, John Walsh, he is host of CNN's "THE HUNT," a series of that premieres on CNN July 12th. Also the former host of "America's Most Wanted."
[19:05:00] You have been through situations like this, John. You have found people that they thought were long gone. Officials say now there's no evidence that Richard Matt or David Sweat left the area. But they really have no idea where they are. Right? They're alerting the Canadian border. They're alerting the Mexican border.
How do they track them down?
JOHN WALSH, CNN HOST, THE HUNT: Well, this is going to be a huge problem because they've been out there so long. And nobody has gotten that lucky break. Now think about this, Erin. They've -- in these six or seven days, they've only been able to search 16 square miles. If they got across the border into Canada, which is difficult, but it's a vast, vast country with lots of open spaces, great law enforcement, Mounties are some of the best man hunters in the world, great law enforcement, but it's such a vast area.
And think about Matt. He knows Mexico. He ran one time. He escaped into Mexico. Anybody can walk across the border. If they made it to Mexico, and they had plenty of time to make it to Mexico, he got down there and he killed somebody in Mexico. Then he got extradited back here in the United States.
So now as the time has gone, the span has gone -- grown bigger, their odds are getting better. And the other factor that people hate to admit is that if they aren't caught pretty soon, law enforcement will pull back.
BURNETT: Right.
WALSH: It costs an awful lot of money to keep 900 to 1,000 cops out there searching. And it will fall out of the news cycle. It won't fascinate the American news public. And that will even up their odds to stay out there longer.
BURNETT: So -- you know, what are the odds, John, in terms of where they are? I mean, do you think that they did make it over a border? Or do you think they are nearby? WALSH: Here is the sad thing. They had too much time. Before prison
authorities knew they were gone, they had hours and hours and hours. If they had help, if they had a vehicle, they could be anywhere right now. Personally, I don't think they got that far. I mean, there -- it is such a vast area in upstate New York and you have Vermont next door. Summer really hasn't started. Kids aren't out of school. There's a lot of vacation homes that are boarded up.
I profiled a lot of bad guys that escape from prisons that laid low in vacation homes. They could get clothes. They could get -- they could watch the news and see what people were doing in the search for them. They could get food. And I'm hoping they didn't get that far. It's just that law enforcement hasn't had the opportunity to search that many homes.
And Erin, I've said it to you, and I say it again.
BURNETT: Yes.
WALSH: The way these guys will get caught is that the public will be crucial. Law enforcement today, the U.S. Marshals, asked us to put these guys on the "HUNT" Web site. How did I catch over 1200 guys on "America's Most Wanted" that cops couldn't catch? The public.
BURNETT: Yes.
WALSH: People don't want to deal with cops. They're afraid of cops. They don't want to call up. They don't want their phones to be traced or tapped. Call 1-866-THEHUNT. Got 24-hour a day hotline operators, not cops. Nobody is going to trace your call, tap your phones. Go to our Web site, CNN.com/thehunt. Leave your tip there. You can remain anonymous. We don't care what your name is.
BURNETT: Right.
WALSH: And if you're assisting these guys, there's a $100,000 reward. Do the right thing. We will get you the reward if you remain anonymous. CrimeStoppers does it every day all over the country. Nobody knows -- nobody needs to know your name if you are afraid of revenge or don't want to help cops. Make that call before these two jerks kill somebody.
BURNETT: And as you just said, the number 1-866-THE-HUNT. And it's on our Web site. CNN.com/thehunt. You found already so many people on your series on this network.
I'm curious, though, John, as to what you think the original plan was. Right? The sheriff recently just told CNN that Joyce Mitchell might have been plan B. Right? That they had a totally different plan. They weren't relying on her getaway car, they weren't relying on her at all, which might really change things, right? Because so far, all they have been going on is this link to Joyce Mitchell. And they haven't yet found anybody else that could have helped them.
WALSH: No. Erin, think about these two guys. Sociopaths, cold, cunning. Been in the system for a long time. And think about this poor, not-too-smart, low self-esteem woman, for the rest of her life will be known as the woman who had sex with two horrible convicted murders and helped them escape. God forbid they hurt somebody else when they're out there, it'll be on her conscience forever. But they weren't going to tell her what they're going to do.
BURNETT: Right.
WALSH: These guys are way too smart. They've got plenty of time to plan this escape. They pulled it off. They were hours ahead of law enforcement. She's just a pawn. Look at the guys that -- somebody married the Hillside strangler in prison. Two guys -- two women married the Menendez brothers.
BURNETT: Right.
WALSH: Somebody tried to marry Charles Manson. Women are pawns to these guys. They just manipulate people. They're con men.
BURNETT: And what --
WALSH: They're out there -- she's done.
BURNETT: What do you think -- what do you they look like right now? We were talking about it today in our show meeting and realizing that even though these pictures are up all the time, if you're in a city, you could walk by one of these guys right now and almost nobody would look up and say, that's one of these guys. So do you think they've changed their appearance?
[19:10:02] WALSH: Well, neither one -- sure. Well, I doubt it. First of all, neither one of them has any hair. So yes, they could dye their hair. I did fugitives that had plastic surgery. I had a guy who pulled his front teeth out with a pair of pliers and got drunk to do that. But they don't have those resources. I had cartel guys that had plastic surgery but -- and had time. These guys, maybe they dyed their hair. Maybe the guys shaved -- wet shaves off his goatee.
They aren't going to change that much. They're just staying low. They are just trying to stay away from the public because it will be the public that will notice them and drop a dime on them.
BURNETT: All right. Well, thank you very much. And please, as John said, go to 1-866-THE-HUNT. A totally anonymous tip line. You can call in federal authorities. Have asked him to do that and post that. So please, call that number.
And thank you, again, John.
WALSH: Thank you.
BURNETT: And OUTFRONT next, how did Joyce Mitchell allegedly smuggle hacksaw blades, chisels into a maximum security prison? Well, we're going to show you exactly how it's done. We have a special report on how contraband gets past the guards. We'll show you exactly.
And breaking news, just learning of a near-miss at one of the biggest airports in the country, in Chicago. Two planes taking off on intersecting runways. Startling details of this near-miss coming up.
Plus Jeb Bush about to speak live at any moment while Donald Trump is trying to steal his thunder from the other side of the nation, speaking tonight.
And using drones to spot sharks. As the teen who lost an arm to a shark this week shares his story for the first time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't see it coming. Like I said, I felt it on my leg. And then I saw it once it had attacked my arm.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: Breaking news in the manhunt for the two escaped killers. Investigators have subpoenaed prison worker Joyce Mitchell's cell phone 12 days after Richard Matt and David Sweat went missing .
[19:15:07] We're also learning from a source at this hour that Joyce Mitchell warned her husband Lyle that the convicts were planning to kill him. But Lyle Mitchell did not know his wife was having a sexual relationship with at least one of the men at the time.
Officials say Mitchell provided them with tools to help with the escape including hacksaw blades and chisels. The question is, how was she able to get all that into one of the highest security prisons in the country?
Ryan Young is OUTFRONT tonight. He has exclusive access to prison contraband.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Soon after Richard Matt and David Sweat escaped from a maximum security prison in upstate New York, investigators allege that prison employee Joyce Mitchell smuggled them hacksaw blades, chisels and drill bits to help them breakout.
Across the country contraband behind bars is a constant problem. And inmates will do anything to get it in. Smuggling everything from knives to drugs to cell phones. A few years ago, in Georgia someone killed a cat and stuffed it with cell phones and cigarettes before tossing it over a jail wall.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Upon further examination of that cat, we discovered that it was stuffed with cell phones and tobacco. They had actually taken the life of that cat, opened it up and replaced everything with their contraband hoping an inmate would be the one sent out by the prison staff to clean it up.
YOUNG: Jail officials say employees are often a source of the problem. In 2011, a Fulton County employee smuggled in a gun that an inmate used to shoot another prisoner. Each day, jail and prison staff workers are scanned but still get items through.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before this incident with the Clinton Correctional Institute, it has raised awareness with our staff that we know that they are tempted on a daily basis. If an inmate is trying to compromise you, let us know early so that you don't get into trouble later.
YOUNG: And this prison surveillance video from 2013, you can see a teen tossing contraband over a security fence. His mother sitting in a car. Guards move in and the mom takes off leaving her son behind.
(On camera): Legal documents that comes to the jail are not searched by jail staff. But an inmate does have to flip through it so jail staff can see what's on the inside. And they found this, a cell phone charger placed in the middle.
(Voice-over): Jail officials say cell phones can be more dangerous than any other weapon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A cell phone in the hand of an inmate can be used to set that up to negotiate, whether it be paying for someone to deliver the tools, someone to pick them up. And it gives them real- time connections just like you and I have.
YOUNG: We got a firsthand look at how the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta is using devices like this tower to pick up electronic signals.
(On camera): When they see this, they know what's coming next.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's gotten to the point now where when they see the device, they give up the cell phone. So we don't have to, you know, tear up their stuff.
YOUNG (voice-over): It's the constant battle getting tougher as technology helps inmates reach beyond the barbed wire. And with those serving long sentences like Matt and Sweat, there is nothing to lose.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
YOUNG: Now look, here at the Fulton County Jail, they are constantly watching cell phones coming into the building. Entry points like this are set up to make sure that when someone walks through, this goes off. They have cell phone scanners just like this one to make sure they can walk down the hallways and check people who are walking through to see if they have them.
But look, they took it to another step. Even the vending machines here in the lobby have all been set up to make sure no one can leave these behind so someone can pick them up a lot later on. It's interesting how cell phones have now become such a powerful weapon.
BURNETT: That's incredible. Wouldn't even have thought about that with the vending machines. And as you said, just a walk down the halls with that sensor that you're holding there, Ryan Young. That's incredible. All right. Thanks very much to Ryan. That exclusive report from the
Fulton County Jail.
OUTFRONT tonight, Gary Hayward, a former prison guard who served time in jail for smuggling drugs into New York's Rikers Island. Retired NYPD detective sergeant Joe Giacalone and Sara Lansford, a former corrections officer and prison sergeant.
All right, Gary, let me start with you because you were able do this. You were able to smuggle things in. How easy is it for someone like Joyce Mitchell to get illegal items inside? Right? I mean, and we're talking about, you know, hacksaws and -- I mean, not exactly -- it's not a cell phone. Let's put it that way.
GARY HAYWARD, FORMER INMATE AND CORRECTIONS OFFICER: Yes. Well, I would say they gave her the benefit of the doubt with her integrity. They are familiar with her. They are friends with her. So no one would have suspected. And so all these security measures that officers are supposed to do, such as other officers, they don't do that if they know you and they're familiar with you. And they wouldn't ever suspect that you would be the one that's bringing something in the jail.
BURNETT: All right. And let me just ask you this question directly. Is it also easier for women?
HAYWARD: Absolutely.
BURNETT: Yes.
HAYWARD: Absolutely, because if I'm a correction officer and I'm manning the front entrance, I'm not -- you know, lawsuits and all kind of stuff. So I'm not going to go as hard as to search a female as I would a male.
[19:20:01] BURNETT: Which might explain -- you know, part of the reason why they were focusing in on Joyce.
I mean, Sara, Joyce Mitchell was involved in a sexual relationship with Richard Matt going back a couple of years. You know, how did he get her to go along with that? And do you think that they -- you know, they watched and plotted and said, she's the one? She's the one we can go after?
SARA LANSFORD, FORMER CORRECTIONS OFFICER: I'm sure that it wasn't just her. They probably had their eyes on several targets. And she was the one who responded. They probably started off by telling her, you look so nice today or, you're not -- you don't look like yourself. What's wrong? You can talk to me. I'm here for you. And she bought it. Lock, stock and barrel.
BURNETT: And they would tell her, I'm assuming, things like, you know, you're so beautiful, you look this way even though the world sees you that way. I mean, it was probably --
LANSFORD: I see you as the most beautiful woman in the world. And I'll cherish you and love you forever, and blah, blah, blah.
BURNETT: Now, Joe, a source tells CNN that Joyce Mitchell was aware of a plot to kill her husband and that at some point told him about that. Now we presume that's, you know, after she didn't show up at the getaway car, whatever, but that's when she told him. He did not know about the sexual relationship.
How does someone get involved in a plot, though, to kill the husband that she claims to love? I mean, she obviously knew about the plot well before she told him. OK?
JOSEPH GIACALONE, FORMER NYPD DETECTIVE SERGEANT: Yes, she got so deep into this that she had no idea. There was no turning back for her.
BURNETT: Right.
GIACALONE: And as a civil servant, once you go down that slippery slope, there's no turning back. So and she was really caught in a catch 22.
BURNETT: Sara, I mean, do you think she thought this was love? I mean, you know, at one point she's having a sexual relationship with one of these guys, another point with another one. So I mean, that is important to mention in that when I use the word love.
LANSFORD: You know, I can't speak to what she thought. But a lot of the females that I know that have gotten caught up in things like this, they were, they were convinced it was true love and these guys were just -- you know, they thought the world of her and it was something that she got out of that relationship that she didn't get out of anything else in her life.
BURNETT: Now, Gary, you just heard Sara say that they probably had their eye on other women, maybe were targeting other women, too. Right? Who's going to pan out?
HAYWARD: Exactly.
BURNETT: But there could be more than just women. I mean, do you think that they were actively manipulating other employees? Do you think that they succeeded? That there's anyone else involved? Because all we have heard about so far is Joyce Mitchell, Joyce Mitchell, Joyce Mitchell.
HAYWARD: Well, an inmate sits and plots all day on whomever can make their stay comfortable. Joyce Mitchell, Jill Brown. A male officer is -- no self-esteem, not as hard or as strict on the rules as another, male officer, they will prey on him to see what they can get out of him. It's not necessarily to help them break out of prison. Anything they can get from an officer.
BURNETT: And Joe, do you think -- they are looking at whether they threatened her as well. That maybe if I talk to Sarah maybe this was some sort of a twisted love or she perceived it that way, or maybe they were threatening her the whole time, and it wasn't love at all, even though she was having sex with them. Do you think that's possible she's threatened?
GIACALONE: I don't think so. I mean, we didn't hear this until the defense attorney started getting in there. But like everything else --
BURNETT: So you think that's --
GIACALONE: Yes. To me, once you commit this ethical suicide in the criminal justice system --
BURNETT: (INAUDIBLE). Yes.
GIACALONE: I mean, you're finished. So they could have very well used that against her as leverage. I mean, think about what's at risk, not only her job, her livelihood, her marriage, family, everything.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, all three of you. I appreciate it.
And OUTFRONT next, the Donald. Is he taking all the oxygen from the Republican field? Jeb Bush may not want to rule him out as a threat just yet. As Jeb is speaking live Donald also speaking live tonight. It is mano-a-mano.
And eyes in the sky. Drones looking for sharks lurking in shallow water. And we are hearing tonight for the first time from a young man who lost his arm to a shark this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was just in about waist deep water. That was the first I saw it was when it was biting up my left arm kind of. Then it got that off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So poised. And the breaking news, a near-miss at a major airport. Two planes just missing a deadly collision on takeoff. We will have that story live in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:27:58] BURNETT: Breaking news, two of the most talked about Republican presidential candidates, Jeb Bush and Donald Trump, holding dueling town halls at this hour in key campaign states.
Jeb Bush taking the stage in Iowa just moments ago. Taking questions from voters. At the same exact time, his newest and certainly most talked about opponent, billionaire Donald Trump, also taking questions in New Hampshire. Taking aim at his fellow Republicans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The Republicans and our Republican politicians, they act indignant over the e-mails, indignant for about two days. They act indignant over Benghazi. Benghazi, Benghazi. You don't hear about it anymore. They act indignant over whether it's IRS or any of the other things you mentioned. And it lasts for a couple of days. And then they go back and they get their check and they go and run for office and in many cases they run for president. They have no stick to it. They don't really care.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: OUTFRONT tonight, Dana Bash who's covering Jeb Bush and Joe Johns who's in New Hampshire with Donald Trump tonight.
Dueling town halls at this hour. It's pretty incredible. It's something I'm sure, Dana, that Jeb Bush is not happy about. So let me start with you. He is just now, though, answering questions about his family, which is very, very important.
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. He's got his first stop in the first caucus state of Iowa. And he was having a town hall, as I came on the air with you, which is the way you've got to do it in Iowa. This is going to be a very difficult flog for him because he's pretty far down, way behind the frontrunner there at this point, Scott Walker.
And you know, it's one thing for -- you know, for reporters to ask him about his name. But he hasn't been getting these questions from the actual voters. And one today said, how are you going to differentiate yourself? And his answer was a little bit different from what I've heard him give before, Erin. And it was basically, you know, look, I'm not going to get away from it.
I'm not going to get away from my last name. I'm never going to be in a witness protection program. No one is ever going to confuse me with Jeb Smith. And I'm not going to run away from it because I love my family. But then he did go in to the, you know, sort of explaining how and why he is his own person talking about his experience and leadership in Florida, et cetera.
BURNETT: Sounds like he is getting more adept at answering that question.
BASH: He is.
BURNETT: The thing that's got to upset him, at this hour we have dueling town halls. Live Donald Trump. Live Jeb Bush. That's not something that Jeb Bush has to like in any way, that he is being side by side with Donald Trump.
BASH: That is exactly right. There's a lot of frustration that Donald Trump made this splash, did it the day after Jeb Bush announced and the fact there's frustration with the fact he is getting so much attention, because some people are saying, he is just a reality star. He has no chance of being president.
But the fact of the matter is, he is a reality star, he is a billionaire, he is Donald Trump. He has a name. And he is going to get attention. A lot of other Republicans I talked to say there's not a lot we can do about that.
The goal and the name of the game inside the Bush camp is, don't take the bait. They know that Donald Trump in particular is trying to pick a fight with Jeb Bush. There was a question that a reporter asked Jeb Bush today in Iowa. Listen to how he responded.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Hey, Governor, Donald Trump yesterday said a lot of things. One of the things he said is that he would build this big wall along the Mexican border. Is that something that sounds rational to you?
JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: So, one word answer, no. I should say, that's my friend Steve Holland (ph). I recognized his voice from "Reuters".
But I just quickly want to add that again, it's not just Jeb Bush. I talked to Republicans, even a candidate in the past 24 hours saying, you know, there's frustration because Donald Trump is such a huge, looming figure and he says some pretty outrageous stuff that there's frustration that he's going to take a lot of the candidates off course with the narrative that they want to put out, never mind the Republican party in general. They don't want to have somebody talking about rapists and criminals coming over the border from Mexico, things that they are trying to move away from as they try to expand the party.
BURNETT: All right. Well, thank you very much, Dana.
And, you know, as I said, this is the reality of it right now. You have Jeb Bush and now Donald Trump live in New Hampshire. Joe Johns is there with him.
And, Joe, New Hampshire, crucial important first state for these candidates, first in the nation. Trump took questions from reporters. He rolled out a new theme song "Taking Care of Business", which actually is a perfect fit for him as a businessman. His first question was an audience member trying to give Trump a business proposal.
I mean, are voters taking Trump seriously?
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: I think so. New Hampshire takes its presidential candidates very seriously. Talking to people as they were entering this hall tonight, they said they would listen to what he had to say. They would reserve judgment.
There are people in the crowd who said they are interested in hearing from him because he's a businessman. They want the country run more like a business.
But not everybody is taking him seriously. A day after the conservative Club for Growth, which is a powerful voice on the right in Washington, put out a statement claiming Donald Trump was not a serious candidate, he fired back tonight right in this hall. He actually claimed before this audience that the Club for Growth asked him for a million dollar donation and Trump says when he did not give it, the Club for Growth gave him what he called a negative rating.
On Bloomberg tonight, they say basically what happened is that Trump was the individual who brought up the issue of the donation. Even if he didn't give that money, so what? They say he is still not a serious candidate. So there.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Joe Johns.
Let's go to John King now OUTFRONT.
John, Donald Trump could be a problem for Bush and the rest the GOP field, whether you take him seriously or you don't, he could be a real issue. As you know very well, because you interviewed him about this. This is the man who forced President Obama to release his long form birth certificate. Trump is not convinced about that.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Maybe we should give him credit. That was race baiting. That was encouraging those out there who said the president wasn't born in the United States. He said he sent a team in Hawaii, et cetera. Now he is calling people stupid. Maybe we could say he is making some progress.
Look, a lot of what he says, including the Republicans gave up on Benghazi, you just played that sound bite. They are interviewing witnesses, they have a select committee. A lot of what he says is factually not true.
The question is, can he be a credible candidate?
The test as Dana noted for the Republican candidates is to try to ignore him as long as you can. The challenge will be, if he keeps his position in the polls and ends up on a debate stage, he's going to try to steal the show. He's gong to say outrageous things. He's gong to attack the others.
And so, you have to handle him -- the candidates want to ignore him. But remember the great Bill Clinton/George H.W. Bush/Ross Perot, when George H.W. Bush looked at his watch, he didn't think he belonged on the same stage with Ross Perot and that guy from Arkansas?
[19:35:00] You have to be careful. You can ignore him. But if you demean him, it could be a reflection on yourself as well.
BURNETT: And the reality of it is, the reality being the right word, he is a reality star and he's going to get attention. You know, Jeb Bush clearly is frazzled by it or angry about it. He's going to be asked about it.
Here is what happened when Donald Trump and Jeb Bush were asked about each other in major interviews this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS: Donald Trump?
JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Rich guy.
INTERVIEWER: Jeb Bush?
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I call him a stiff. I mean, I think he's a stiff.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: All right. Can Bush afford to laugh Trump off like he tried to do there? Like he tried to do just a moment ago as we heard from Joe Johns?
KING: I think inside the Bush campaign, they see this as a combination. Number one, don't take him too seriously and laugh him off when you are asked a question about Donald Trump or make a joke but do what Jeb Bush did today. If you watch the tape, those of you at home, try to find it online, Jeb Bush between events in Iowa today spent 20 minutes talking to reporters.
You may disagree with his views but he gave a long answer when he was asked to defend his promise to get 4 percent economic growth. He gave a long detailed answer about the plan he says will be forthcoming. He gave a long detailed answer about his views on education.
Again, some voters might agree, others might disagree, others might have additional questions, but it was a thoughtful response. It was policy based.
What Jeb Bush hopes to say is, I'm a serious candidate for president. Many of my colleagues like Governor Walker, Senator Rubio are serious candidates for president. This guy is not.
That's the challenge to convince people through their actions what they would tell you privately, that they think the guy is a stunt dummy.
BURNETT: All right. Of course, this is a guy who told George Stephanopoulos in an interview vis-a-vis Iraq, I would bomb the hell out of them. So, this is what's going to happen. It's going to be part of the conversation. They're going to have to deal with it.
Thank you, John King.
KING: All right, Erin.
BURNETT: And OUTFRONT next: breaking news, two passenger planes rolling for takeoff, near collision on a runway at one of the biggest airports in the nation. That's next.
And a drone spotting five to six great white sharks near the shore, including one in waist deep water. Tonight, a teen who lost his arm to a shark this week speaks out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:41:02] BURNETT: Breaking news: a near collision at one of America's busiest airports, at Chicago's Midway Airport. Two planes started taking off at the same time from intersecting runways. You can see obviously what was going to happen and almost did happen. And you can listen to the terrifying exchange between air traffic control and the pilot of one of the jets.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
AIR TRAFFIC: Delta Airlines 1328. Stop, stop, stop!
DELTA PILOT: Delta 1328 aborting.
OTHER PILOT: He's stopping.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BURNETT: Rene Marsh is OUTFRONT.
And, Rene, just how close was this incident? I mean, you can hear that pilot saying, stop, stop, stop! Certainly, he felt it was imminent.
RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we do know from the FAA that the two aircraft, they stopped short, about 2,000 feet from the intersection. But this is like the second busiest airport in Chicago. So, lots of traffic there. This controller essentially stopped a potentially deadly disaster.
We know that the Southwest flight was cleared for takeoff. It started rolling down that runway when that Delta flight started rolling down an intersecting runway. The two planes were essentially on a collision course.
The FAA is now investigating why the pilot of the Delta flight started rolling for takeoff when it was not cleared. The Southwest pilot pretty confused as well. Take a listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SOUTHWEST PILOT: This is Southwest on 31 center, were we the ones cleared to be on runway 31 Center?
AIR TRAFFIC: SW 3828, yes, sir, you were. You were doing what you were supposed to be doing.
SOUTHWEST PILOT: And Delta was rolling also?
AIR TRAFFIC: Yes, he took your call sign. Somebody kept stepping on you and I couldn't figure out who it was. That's why I reiterated it was you that I was clearing for takeoff.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
MARSH: All right. So, one possibility, they are looking into the two have similar flight numbers and that that may have been the source of the confusion. We are talking about Southwest Flight 3828 and Delta Flight 1328.
The two planes though, Erin, it goes without saying, should never be taking off at the same time from intersecting runways.
BURNETT: Terrifying. Of course, amazing and thank God they were able to realize and stop it from happening, even though it looks like -- whether it was a call mistake on not, a mistake by Delta. Thank you very much.
And OUTFRONT next, another shark attack on the East Coast. Tonight, could drones spot shocks before they attack? You will be amazed at where drones are seeing sharks right now, how close to the beach.
And Jeanne Moos showing dinosaurs getting their revenge against "Jurassic World's" top star.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:47:41] BURNETT: Tonight, another shark attack. A 10-year-old boy bitten by a shark in Florida, the 16th attack in the United States this year. It comes just days after a brutal pair of shark attacks off the coast of North Carolina. Two teens lost limbs in those horrific attacks. That beach is still open tonight. One of the victims, 16-year-old Hunter Treschl, who lost his left arm, is speaking out for the first time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTER TRESCHL, SHARK ATTACK VICTIM: I was just in about waist-deep water, I would say, playing with my cousin, like I said. And I felt this kind of hit on my left leg, like I felt like it was a big fish coming at you or something. Then, I felt it like one more time and then it just hit my arm. It was -- that was the first. I saw it was biting up my left arm.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Incredible.
And tonight, beaches trying to prevent attacks by using drones to track aggressive sharks before they get into the shallow water where people feel they are safe but actually are not.
Paul Vercammen is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lifeguards in Seal Beach, California, are taking shark sighting to a higher level.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can see right there, that's a shark that's swimming around.
VERCAMMEN: Using drones to spot any signs of danger. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We probably put this in the five to six foot range.
VERCAMMEN: Covering their heads with towels to cut down the glare, the guards are no longer looking at the ocean but at monitors that give them a real time view. They have been using this $1,400 quad copter for a month now. And the sharks seen are juvenile great whites.
Sonny Reese (ph) took this photo of a six-foot shark on Seal Beach a few weeks ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then, I realized it was an immature great white. It got my attention quite quickly.
VERCAMMEN: Little chilling.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
VERCAMMEN: While there have been no recent attacks at Seal Beach, the latest innovation in shark tracking comes as two teenagers lost their limb in a shark attack in North Carolina on Sunday. Both were in shallow water at the time.
LT. CHRIS PIERCE, SEAL BEACH MARINE SAFETY DEPARTMENT: What we're telling the public is, let the sharks be in their natural environment, try not to get too close to them. Don't harass them and poke them with cameras and sticks.
VERCAMMEN: Lifeguards say sharks often patrol the southern California coast just beyond the riptide, looking for food, sometimes as close as 200 feet from shore.
PIERCE: They tell us they stay in the area because there's an abundant food source. They are looking for fish so they feed off stingrays. They feed off halibut.
VERCAMMEN: Lifeguards sighted the shark within a minute off deploying the drone on this popular beach.
[19:50:05] (on camera): These drones are a game changer of you.
PIERCE: We found them to be a really effective tool that saves a lot of time and a lot of manpower.
VERCAMMEN (voice-over): And potentially a lot of lives, too.
Paul Vercammen, Seal Beach, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERCAMMEN: And the lifeguard chief here in Seal Beach telling us that he's received about half a dozen calls from other agencies wondering how this grand experiment is going. He's been telling them it gives him a really great wide view of potential shark sightings and it's a lot more efficient than a sending out a single lifeguard in a long search on a jet ski, Erin.
So, this is working out quite well. We'll see if it spreads.
BURNETT: Wow. All right. Paul Vercammen, thank you very much. Amazing that one image of that shark swimming right underneath the water.
OUTFRONT now, shark expert Ralph Collier.
And, Ralph, the two teens who were attacked by sharks in North Carolina each lost arms. I mean, you know, their lives have been changed irrevocably by this attack. What does this tell you about the kind of shark responsible?
RALPH COLLIER, SHARK EXPERT: It probably is either a bull or a tiger shark. Black tip sharks that are in that area, they're not large enough. They don't have the jaw strength to do what was done to these two unfortunate children.
BURNETT: So, bull shark or tiger shark. You also say it's unique that these attacks happened the way they did, and by that I mean it was really only about an hour apart.
COLLIER: Uh-huh. That has occurred several times historically in the past. It's not that unusual, but what is unusual is the proximity, the fact that it was just a couple of miles apart.
We've had attacks in California where we have one in the morning like in Los Angeles area, we'll have another one up in Monterrey Bay Area, the same day. But that's separated by hundreds of miles. This was a distance of about two miles.
BURNETT: And this beach is still open. Would you stay away from it?
COLLIER: I would -- I would think twice before going in the water. And I would also talk to the lifeguards and other individuals there to see what other activities are taking place. Do they have a lot of bait fish in the area? Did that attract the sharks? Are they doing excessive fishing in the area?
There are all sorts of numerous things that can lead up to attracting the animals into that location.
BURNETT: All right. Ralph, thank you very much.
COLLIER: Thank you.
BURNETT: And OUTFRONT next, breaking news just into CNN about Brian Williams, the NBC anchor, his future at NBC. We now know. That breaking headline is next.
And Jeanne Moos with the star of "Jurassic World" punked.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:57:06] BURNETT: Breaking news: CNN learning just moments ago that Brian Williams will not be the anchor of the "Nightly News" again. He will, though, return to NBC after his six-month suspension ends in August.
Sources telling our Brian Stelter that NBC and Williams have come to a tentative agreement for his return in a new role, not announced yet. Williams was suspended in February after revelations that he told an untrue story about his Iraq war experience. An NBC investigation reportedly found more instances of Williams inflating and exaggerating stories, our Brian Stelter is told.
Well, "Jurassic World" now holds the record for the biggest opening weekend at the box office. The monster hit a surprise to many, including star Chris Pratt, who thanked fans on Facebook. But as Jeanne Moos reports, blockbuster sales were not the only thing Pratt didn't see coming.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When it comes to dinosaurs, Chris Pratt is the man of the moment, the he-man in "Jurassic World", who can wrangle a raptor as if it's a puppy.
CHRIS PRATT: Stand down.
Hey, what did I just say?
MOOS: But secure enough in his manhood to follow in his co-stars' footsteps. Bryce Dallas Howard famously runs from the dinosaurs wearing heels, so Pratt gave it a try. But the star who can kick up his heels and kick dinosaur butt found himself momentarily backing down when a Dino prank was played on him, played on him by a Polish prankster most famous for his mutant spider dog video.
Sylwester Wardega attached an eight-legged spider costume to his dog Chica and scared people to death. It was YouTube's number one top trending video last year.
Now, he's stalking the star of the number one movie, hiding two realistic dinosaurs along Pratt's path at "Jurassic World's" premiere in Berlin. Pratt's staff was in on the prank.
In the movie, Pratt hid from the dinosaur. In real life, they hid from him, waiting to pounce. He touched his chest, slid down the door.
PRATT: What is this? Who are you? You scared me. This is great. You have cameras. You got me, man.
MOOS: Pratt, known for being a nice guy, couldn't even curse at the Polish prankster without smiling.
PRATT: How do you say (EXPLETIVE DELETED) you in Polish?
MOOS: "Jurassic World's" raptor trainer managed to train these two dinosaurs with a single raise finger.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: You've got to give him credit for a sense of humor, but that spider dog is downright terrifying and nasty. Poor thing.
All right. Thanks for joining us. Be sure to set your DVR to record OUTFRONT. You can watch anytime.
"AC360" begins right now.
