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In case You Missed It

The Still Fresh Wounds Of Newtown; Inside Fukushima: Nuclear Wasteland; Do Nothing Congress Hits New Low

Aired December 04, 2013 - 23:30   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Welcome to our new program. It's called "ICYMI." Our mission here is to comb through every single story CNN has been covering all day all over the world to bring you the very best moments of what we do. They happen just a few times each and every day in powerful interviews, dramatic video, and they're the reason we do what we do. And you will see some of those moments tonight with this fascinating journey here into a dangerous world where few have dared to go, a radioactive wasteland.

CNN's Ana Coren inside the meltdown at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant and then just the majestic beauty that comes after a powerful and dangerous winter storm. Let's get started.

As we poured through all that CNN covered today, one of the biggest stories is one I can't call the best because really it represents the worst of what human beings are capable of. I'm talking about the 911 recordings released today in Newtown, Connecticut. And if you've been watching CNN tonight, you have been hearing a lot about them.

The calls that went out, nearly one year ago, from Sandy Hook Elementary School as a madman burst inside, firing an automatic weapon. But you will not be hearing a lot about them now because the conversations contain very little information. They are frightened, in some cases panicked people, calling for help. And then the calm, professionalism exercised on behalf of the 911 operators.

I'm not going to play the tapes tonight and I'm not going to show you any of the video from that day, the frantic parents, the loss of innocence and the faces of those children. But I think the pictures worth showing tonight from Newtown are these. The faces of the 20 beautiful children and six of their teachers who were murdered last December 14th.

Most of the families of the children and those teachers who died expressed their strong wish that the tapes not be played. One of the murdered children was 6-year-old Jessie Lewis. And tonight his father, Neill Heslun, talked to Piers Morgan and he told him he wished the tapes were not released.

And as this interview went on there, was a moment it just absolutely took my breath away. Because Piers asked this father who lost his only child what this Christmas will be like. And what you're about to hear is something no parent should ever endure.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think it was necessary for the tapes to be released and there's always the worry or the thought that they'd be exploited the same as the information that would have been released or could have been released from the investigation. It's at a very rough time, a very hard time. It's the one-year anniversary coming up. And aside from that, we have Christmas, which -- now it's a very difficult time for many.

PIERS MORGAN, HOST, CNN'S "PIERS MORGAN LIVE": I interviewed you soon after the tragedy last year just before Christmas last year and I remember one of the most powerful and moving interviews I've ever conducted. And my heart just bled for you literally. I just couldn't think of anything worse than what you were having to deal with. How going to you deal with Christmas this year? Has it gone for you as something that you can possibly enjoy?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As for what I'm going to do this Christmas, I really don't know. I'll probably take the Christmas tree down that I never took down from last year.

MORGAN: You've left it up the whole year?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. We never decorated it. Jessie and I set it up after Thanksgiving and we were planning on decorating it that weekend. He had wanted to get a collection of ornaments that him and I had that were our own. And that was our plan for the weekend and we were never able to do that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: To see that kind of sadness deeper than words, you have to ask why play the 911 tapes at all? I know it's a question that's been hotly debated all day here on CNN. Our reporter Deborah Feyerick has been at the center of this discussion. You and I were in Newtown. I will never forget that experience. But with regard to the tapes, explain to the world who is saying, why do this to these people, why is there news value here?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Anyone who was there knows that it was soul-crushing what these families had to go through. Releasing the 911 tapes became a valuable question to determine what police did, how they responded, how the community responded. I listened to the tapes four times just to make sure that we weren't missing anything. What we aired wasn't gratuitous. It wasn't just about putting this on so people could hear about it.

But how the police dispatchers were able to immediately identify this was extremely serious, that they called the Connecticut State Police to get help, to make sure that they had backup. They immediately tried to identify where the children were, where the gunman was. And they did this in such a way that it conveys the urgency.

BALDWIN: From the janitor?

FEYERICK: And from the janitor heroism no question about that. He really became the eyes and ears inside that school by being able to tell the police dispatcher when the shots were being fired, when they stopped, all that kind of stuff. That is real-time intelligence that the police needed so that they could respond. That's exactly what they did.

BALDWIN: I think some of it is just listen we talk a lot about the freedom of information act. We hear 911 tapes a lot. We play them on the news all the time. It's different number one because we're talking about 20 first graders, right?

FEYERICK: Yes.

BALDWIN: Number two, if one were to listen to tapes even though you don't hear the entire sheer panic as one would hear perhaps as much screaming, it's knowing what we know now, right? It is knowing what we know now that makes it so much more gut-wrenching.

FEYERICK: There's no question about that. You also have to think about this. Look, a lot of the people who were inside that school responded because they had training. They had seen this happen before. They knew what it meant when somebody breaches the school and goes into that school. So when you hear the voices on the audio tape, it's hushed. It's whispered.

There's an urgency. There's definitely a fear, there's definitely an underlying panic. But the people trying to reach out to police were trying to make contact to those police could have enough information to help people inside that school building.

BALDWIN: Some of the pieces of the 911 calls did air on CNN on another program earlier tonight. Can you just briefly describe the process, the editorial that went behind that?

FEYERICK: There was a lot of discussion. There were people here who didn't believe those tapes should be aired. But when we looked at it and looked at the content, we felt that there was a newsworthiness to release these tapes. Look, I am a mother. I've got children.

The last thing I want to hear is the fear in people's voices. But at the same time, you have to look, you have to listen and you have to learn. You have to know what to do in that kind of a situation. And so I do believe in the end it was -- it was not an easy decision, but it was likely a correct decision.

BALDWIN: Look, listen and learn. Deborah Feyerick, thank you very much.

And we do have to take a short break. But as soon as we come back I do want to show you some of the day's best videos culled from the hundreds of feeds CNN takes in all day long. But most remarkable one comes from what just may be the most dangerous place on earth, our correspondent, Ana Coren, goes inside the site of a nuclear meltdown, the Fukushima nuclear power plant. You won't want to miss it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BALDWIN: Welcome back to ICYMI. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Tonight, on this wall, this is what we call the best of the world, the most dramatic videos from the hundreds we take in at CNN each and every day. Today there was no contest. The most fascinating without a doubt was this journey to a nuclear wasteland.

CNN's Anna Coren was allowed inside a world you won't see anywhere else but right here on CNN, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. It was the site of that nuclear meltdown just two years ago. And after that terrifying tsunami that tsunami devastated so much of Japan, no one is allowed to go anywhere near Fukushima to this day.

But the plant operator, Tepco, recently invited CNN correspondent, Anna Coren to inspect the site even as they begin the precarious process of trying to remove nuclear fuel rods from this plant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've been given suits, a mask, gloves, as well as a hat because no skin can be exposed. We're also carrying dosimeters, which will measure external radiation levels for us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: You heard her say no skin can be exposed. Just looking at what Anna and her photojournalists had to wear to protect them from this radiation, even with all of this protective clothing there were still places that the radiation levels were so dangerously high that Anna and her team were simply not allowed inside. But I want you to take a look at what happened when she did go in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Two and a half years later, Tepco says it's reached a milestone, that massive crane behind me is successfully moving 1,500 fuel rods in that cooling pool to a storage pool next door. It's a slow and delicate process that going to take about a year, but once finished, it will mean that this reactor can be decommissioned.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Anna Coren joins me now to talk about this experience. Anna, just looking at what you were wearing and the fact you were at the site of the largest nuclear meltdown since Chernobyl, I just have to ask you tonight, were you scared?

COREN: I'm not going to lie. You certainly go into these things concerned. I mean, this is a radioactive environment. And as we see, radiation levels are extremely high. But this was also an official visit. Their plant operator Tepco invited us in here. As you can see we had to wear protective gear, all precautions were taken.

We were carrying that equipment, those Geiger counters and dosimeters to measure the levels of radiation inside it. Inside the plant certain the radiation levels were raised quite high. The workers inside, they're only allowed to work in two-hour shifts. We were there for perhaps half an hour.

But it was outside the plant where levels really peaked. It was as we drove past reactors 1, 2 and 3. They are the worst damaged. Tepco doesn't know what to do with them because the situation is so serious, levels are so high. But Brooke, for the 35,000 workers who have to go there every single day risking their lives, they're certainly the brave ones.

BALDWIN: I remember and talk about the risks. They endured but also you and your crew, Anna. What kinds of risks were explained to you before you went inside?

COREN: Well, Brooke, we obviously got the rundown as to what we were being exposed to but the precautions were taken. We were wearing that protective gear and we did have the right equipment. And we were also on the plant for all of perhaps three to four hours. So risks were reduced. And our radiation levels were measured as we worked into the plant and then also again as we left.

As we were take-off our protective gear, all these workers with their special equipment going over our bodies to make sure radiation hasn't been absorbed. We were all clear, thankfully. So it was a successful journey. I think it's one that's really important to highlight to the world what is actually going on here in Japan.

BALDWIN: That's what I wanted to ask. Glad to hear you and the crew are in the clear. We appreciate the exclusive access you were granted for us on CNN. Anna Coren, thank you very much from Japan tonight.

There are a couple of other compelling pieces of video here that came into us here at CNN today. In case you missed it look at this. Dozens of pilot whales stranded in the shallow water and some of the sands here off Florida's Everglades National Park. Rescuers are trying to get in there to save these whales, but location is just so desolate NOAA officials are afraid they will not survive.

This picture is Denver, Colorado today. Imagine drive in this stuff. Major winter storm moving across the Rockies with an arctic blast that has brought frigid temperatures to the region. The fear now is that the storm going to knock out power for millions of people as it moves south and turns to ice.

Coming up next, IN CASE YOU MISSED IT, crusty bread, unkempt quarters, rodents, some of the most powerful men in America live there. If you think you have a do-nothing Congress trust me. They're doing more work on Capitol Hill than they are at home.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Welcome back to ICYMI. I'm Brooke Baldwin. The first session of the 113th Congress going to soon be coming to an end, but not without an important hearing on aliens, you heard me, aliens. Apparently it is important for this Congress, the same Congress that has managed to only pass 55 bills into law this year, the least productive Congress in modern history, to investigate whether or not there is life on other planets.

I know. I am scratching my head over that one as well. Meanwhile in Washington there are these three congressmen who are also examining whether there is life growing right there in their own refrigerator. I am talking about moldy bread, unmade beds, and rats. Not exactly how you would picture the living spaces of some of Washington's most powerful politicos.

There is a new TV series called "Alpha House" about congressmen living together, but it does not hold a candle to the real thing. CNN's chief congressional correspondent, Dana Bash got an inside look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Paint peeling off of the walls, sheets covering the windows, broken blinds, a mangled chair covered up with a wood board, an ancient stove with a giant hole and yes, that's underwear in the living room. What looks and feels like the most run down frat house on campus is actually the Capitol Hill home of some of the most powerful men in Washington.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to Omega House.

BASH (on camera): I love what you've done with the place.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

BASH (voice-over): Dick Durbin and Chuck Schumer, the second and third ranking Senate Democrats live here together Their landlord and third roommate is Democratic Congressman George Miller. The house is so legendary it inspired a new TV series "Alpha House" except the Senate roommates in the amazon.com show are Republicans.

SENATOR CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: We want to say they are nothing like us. Don't even begin to think so.

BASH (on camera): When people see this house, they are going to know because in the show it's a little bit nicer.

(voice-over): Miller, the owner, started taking in tenants more than 30 years ago. The house has not been updated since.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We stopped buying LPs. The same exact records are there now as the day I moved in, in 1982.

BASH (on camera): The best part about it is the products -- this is a cassette player.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is my medicine cabinet here.

BASH: I didn't know you were a metrosexual.

(voice-over): Schumer's stuff is thrown all over the living room.

(on camera): Seriously, this is where you sleep every night?

SCHUMER: Every night.

BASH: And you wake up to Barack Obama starring you in the face?

SCHUMER: Exactly.

BASH: Senator Durbin did out you a little bit, he said this is the most you ever made your bed. Thank you -- and the blinds are particularly beautiful.

SCHUMER: A guy can see the weather. It's a special effect.

BASH (voice-over): The phone is still plugged in, but has not worked in years.

SCHUMER: It's 547-2513. I still remember the number.

BASH (on camera): You don't use the phone, no.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is always saving money.

BASH (voice-over): Their couch was a money saver too.

SENATOR DICK DURBIN (D), ILLINOIS: My son wanted to throw that away. He put it out in the trash and it had to be 14 years old, but it's better than anything we have.

BASH: Their refrigerator, well, it's a scary sight --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a lethal weapon.

BASH: No wonder they have a problem with rats.

DURBIN: The rats may have done that.

BASH (voice-over): How many did you have?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had a dream two nights ago that the rats were --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought they were in the Senate, I didn't know they came to the house.

BASH (on camera): What wear is this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ben Franklin gave that to us.

BASH: Since this is not a kitchen fit for cooking, the congressional roommates take the easy route, cold cereal. They buy it in bulk.

(voice-over): The fictitious lawmakers in Alpha House have breakfast together, watch sports at night not so much here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I come in about midnight from my office usually and then --

BASH: An opening scene of "Alpha House" shows a bowl of flag pins on the counter. This is what they have on their counter -- (on camera): Screws and a random pill and a pen in case you need one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it's modern art.

BASH (voice-over): It's hard to believe such prominent politicians live in these conditions -- but they're only in Washington about three nights a week.

(on camera): What makes it work?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your friends. We love it. It's home.

BASH: Dana Bash, CNN, at the real Alpha House near Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Dana Bash, you are a brave woman, my friend, going in there. I'll be back with a final picture I want to show you. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Before we leave you tonight, I just wanted to share some peice. This beautiful photograph, the photographer, Travis, snapped this on his way to work with just his cell phone. Isn't that just gorgeous? Shared it with us. CNN I-Report, St. George, Utah this morning after this winter storm swept through the west. Travis, love this. The quiet in the snow.

That does it for me tonight. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you so much for watching. Join me again next Monday night on IN CASE YOU MISSED IT.

PIERS MORGAN, CNN HOST: This is PIERS MORGAN LIVE. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. Tonight, exclusive Adam Lanza's aunt on the same day Sandy Hook are released.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: What makes you think that?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Somebody has a gun and they are running down the hall way. They are still shooting. Sandy Hook School please.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Marsha Lanza, the first member of the family to speak out publicly and gives her reaction to the 911 calls released. A grieving father of a 6-year-old who tried to save his classmates also joins me and Pastor Rick Warren and his message for the parents of Sandy Hook.