Return to Transcripts main page

New Day

Violent Protests Continue in Mexico Over Missing Students; Brown Family Pathologist to Testify Today; Window Cleaners Rescued at One World Trade Center

Aired November 13, 2014 - 08:30   ET

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

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: There's an argument ensuing right now with some of the protesters saying, let's beat up the police officer. Some others say, let's not beat him up. Let's remain as peaceful as we can because it's going to send the wrong message.

ROMO (voice-over): As it turns out, the hostage was not just any police officer, it was Juan Jose Gatica, Guerrero's state undersecretary of public safety. The fact that the top official was taken hostage for hours is raising questions on whether protesters have overwhelmed security forces in Guerrero state.

There have been angry demonstrations to protest the disappearance of 43 students in late September, a case Mexican authorities believe they have solved but parents refuse to believe them.

EDUARDO MEDINA MORA, MEXICAN AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: The only feeling that we can have is to share this sorrow and pain from the parents of these students that are still missing.

ROMO: The government says the students from a rural teachers college were murdered by a gang, the bodies burned in a landfill.

ROMO (on camera): By the time they got here, some students were already dead. The ones who were not dead already were executed.

ROMO (voice-over): The mayor of Iguala and his wife, accused of having deep ties to the gang, are in jail. So are more than 70 others. Officials say the students were on their way to disrupt an event by the mayor and his wife, so he ordered their abduction. Neither the mayor nor his wife have commented.

The parents of the missing say they don't trust the government's investigation and refuse to believe their children are dead, especially since there's no DNA evidence. Epifanio Alvarez's 19-year- old son Jorge is among the missing.

"My heart tells me that my son is alive," Alvarez says. A conviction shared by most of the parents.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: We want to bring in Rafael Romo now. Rafael, it's heartbreaking, obviously, to listen to these parents and

their struggle to try to get some answers. They don't trust government officials. So how will they get answers to what happened here to their kids?

ROMO: Well, they have met three times with top officials of Mexico more than two and a half years -- weeks ago. They met with the Mexican president last Friday with the attorney general and then on Tuesday with the interior minister and the attorney general. So there have been these meetings. But what you get from the parents, and I've had conversations with many of them, is that they do not trust the federal government because they say they have lied to us before and we think they're lying to us again. What they say is, until we see conclusive scientific evidence, DNA evidence that our children are dead, we're going to continue to believe that they are alive and we're just not going -- there's nothing that's going to change our mind in that respect, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Rafael, I want to ask you about that attorney general that you just mentioned in the press conference on Friday because this attorney general's name is Jesus Murillo. He had about an hour-long press conference. And under these withering questions from reporters, he abruptly turned away and he said, "enough, I'm tired." And that has become a rallying cry, I understand, for these protesters who now say they're tired, too.

ROMO: Yes, it was one of those moments that it was totally unexpected. He said (speaking in Spanish), meaning I'm tired. What he meant was -- telling his advisers, let's get this press conference over. But in social media here in Mexico, and in other countries, to be honest, people are retweeting that and saying, yes, I am tired, but I'm tired of corruption. I'm tired of injustice. I'm tired of authorities being unable to find the 43. I'm tired of poverty. I'm tired of a lot of social ills that have been a historical challenge for Mexico and so this -- these three words were something that unexpectedly became a social media sensation here in Mexico, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Yes, enough, I'm tired, has really taken off on social media, as you say.

Rafael Romo, thanks so much for the update. We'll try to get more answers by following this.

All right, there's more news to cover. Let's go over to Michaela.

Hello.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Hello.

Here we go. Let's give you the five things you need to know for your new day.

At number one, sources say President Obama is asking for a review of U.S. strategy in Syria after realizing defeating ISIS may not happen without the removal of President Bashar al Assad. U.S. officials are investigating an assault on three Navy sailors in

Turkey. They had bags placed over their heads by people yelling anti- American sentiments. Those sailors are now safely back aboard their ship.

Two window washers safe and sound this morning in their homes after being rescued after clinging to a dangling scaffold for over an hour outside the 68th floor of One World Trade Center. Crews cut through a window to bring them in. That window's going to be replaced today.

Breaking this morning, a state of emergency in Liberia over Ebola is over. President Ellen Sirleaf Johnson says enough progress has been made even though the fight is not over.

Scare in the skies for U2 front man Bono. A rear door of his private jet fell off midflight. Fortunately, the door was outside the pressurized cabin. There was no risk to the passengers. The jet did land without any problems.

We're always updating those five things to know, so be sure to visit newdaycnn.com for the very latest.

Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, thanks, Michaela.

New testimony today before the grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri. How will Michael Brown's family's pathologist affect a potential indictment against Officer Darren Wilson? We will speak with the officer's attorney about this.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: You know, this is the time of day when some, not us, question the fact that they have to go to work. So here is a cool remedy. Check out cnn.com's original series "Wish You Were Here," focusing on people with adventurous jobs, like us, and a group of divers in South America who swim with sharks.

CAMEROTA: Not like us.

CUOMO: You can see their story and more at cnn.com/wishyouwerehere. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRAD MAXEY (ph): I'm Brad Maxey and this is what it's like to dive with sharks.

What I do for a living is I take people out to dive with sharks. Shark Explorers is a Capetown based dive company. Our goal is to change people's perspective on sharks and to give them an amazing underwater experience.

The energy underwater is fantastic. It's always a bit surreal. You're thrust into this different environment and it's one that I seek out every day. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Want to see awe-inspiring moments? Check out the

new series where you see the world from the insider's point of view. CNN's "Wish You Were Here," presented by Lexus. Feel what it's like to go there. introducing the first ever Lexus RC Coupe. once driven, there's no going back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Limits are there to be shattered. Barriers are meant to be broken. Lines are drawn to be crossed. Introducing the first ever 467 horsepower RC F Coupe from Lexus. Once driven, there's no going back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Welcome back to NEW DAY.

Today a private pathologist who performed an autopsy on Michael Brown for his family will testify to a grand jury determining whether or not to charge Officer Darren Wilson. Attorney General Eric Holder also spoke with state and local officials who are on alert for the decision and potentially any large protests that could, and hopefully will not, follow. Well, protests would be OK. It's the violence they're worried about.

So, let's bring in Neil Bruntrager. He is the general council for the St. Louis Police Officers Association. He's also Officer Wilson's attorney.

Now, counsel to counsel, I know your hands are tied, but I'm going to ask anyway at least this, do you believe your client, Officer Wilson, will be indicted?

NEIL BRUNTRAGER, GENERAL COUNSEL, ST. LOUIS POLICE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION: What I can tell you is, you know, Chris, I wear two hats. Of course I represent Darren Wilson, but I also represent the Police Officers Association. As his attorney and with the pending case, I really can't comment on that and I can't answer your question.

I can tell you that, of course, we hope that that will not happen. But like everyone else, we're waiting for that decision. We think the grand jury's looking at this thoroughly.

What I can talk to you about, though, is police preparedness as we get to these final days before the grand jury decision comes along.

CUOMO: And I will talk to you about that and some other policy issues, but let me ask you this, the St. Louis Police Officers Association, they know Darren Wilson's story. Do they stand by what he says happened and think it was a correct use of force?

BRUNTRAGER: You know, the answer is, they don't. I mean what they know, of course, is what everyone has read in the newspapers and they're in a position where they, like everyone else, are waiting until the grand jury makes a decision. So, again, from the perspective of the association as a labor union, obviously they're interested in their members, in making sure their members are safe. You know, in terms of taking a position on anything else, you know, their position is that, look, justice is a process. They support the process. They're behind the process. And I think that's the most important element here is that it's not about taking a side, it's about understanding the process. And they do. And they encourage everyone, everyone to pay attention to that process because it is something that people can trust.

CUOMO: I ask because perception is reality and a lot of the cops there were wearing "I am Darren Wilson" or Darren Wilson support bracelets and there were questions about that, as you know. But on a larger level, you had the governor come out and talked about preparedness for the protests. He didn't really talk about why people were protesting, he just talked about how they were ready to squash any protests that got out of hand. Do you think the timing and the tone of that was the best way to help the police cause and keep peace?

BRUNTRAGER: You know, the answer to that is, and there's many answers to that and I guess there's lots of parts, so I have to start this way. And I have to say that from the ground level, rather than looking at it from his perspective, from the ground up, what we have done as a department, what the region has done is to make sure that they're pooling resources, making sure that they understand what the protesters are talking about. So let's get to that part of the question, what is it that people are concerned about? And that's been a big part of the days since August the 9th up till now, that's been a big part of what's going on and part of the training that's been implemented.

People have tried to understand what the rage is about. People have tried to understand what the fury is. And, again, if we do understand that, it's going to be easier to talk to people. It's going to be easier to work things out with people. And I think that's been an implicit part of everything that's been done. And as a consequence of that, they formed what I would describe to you as principles of conduct. You know, and, again, you hear things like rules of engagement. That's really not what it's about. It's about understanding people and it's about making sure that they're safe, it's about making sure that the community is safe, the protesters who have a legitimate right to speak and assemble are safe. It's about making sure property is safe and it's about making sure police officers are safe.

CUOMO: Now, you say that understanding why is very important.

BRUNTRAGER: Yes.

CUOMO: Is a fair criticism that you guys have waited too long, not the brotherhood, not the association so much, but government in general, of getting back into that community, trying to reach out, trying to make inroads as soon as you could? There's a feeling that, well, let's see what happens here and then we'll really start changing how we do our community policing. Why wait?

BRUNTRAGER: Well, I don't think they did. I don't think they did, Chris. I think that there were movements afoot right away in order to understand these sorts of things. But there are many voices. There's not a single voice in this. There's not one person who stands up and says, here's what this is about. It's about many things. And so, as a consequence, you know, you have to gather that information.

But I also think it's a fallacy to assume that this all just sort of happened on August the 9th. I mean there's a lot of history here, but both good and bad, and I think that communication level has long preceded August the 9th. Now, again, it's been brought to the fore. I mean, obviously, things have come to a real pressure point. But these conversations that we're having and that we have been having since August 9th, we've been having before that time. And I think it's important for people to understand that.

I mean there's a new move afoot and I'm particularly proud of what the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department has done and our chief, Sam Dotson, has done. Again, before August the 9th, there was a lot that he was doing in order to try and understand where the community stood and -- on racial issues, on all sorts of issues. And, again, and race isn't the only issue. So, again, in an effort to make sure that he was a better chief and that we were a better department, these things were being done early on. And, again, it's an ongoing process. It won't finish when the grand jury comes back. I mean, there is a lot that has to be done, and these conversations are not peculiar to St. Louis. This has to happen everywhere.

CUOMO: Well, you know that in Ferguson there is a very deep and strong feeling that it's not going on, and this certainly does have a big history, but that it needs more healing, it needs more attention, and directness, and community outreach and the question is, will it get done?

We're going to have to keep following the story, and hopefully you're right and the right efforts will be made. But for now, Neil, let's leave it there until we see what happens next, and hopefully we're reporting on this situation in a positive way, not a negative way. Neil Bruntrager, thank you very much. Talk to you going forward.

BRUNTRAGER: My pleasure, Chris. Thank you for having me.

CUOMO: Always. Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: High drama 68 stories above the streets in New York City, window washers dangling in the air outside the World Trade Center. We'll show you how they were rescued and ask how this could happen just days after the building opened up?

And the Philae lander is safely on a moving comet, but it is not as secure as you would hope. Could this affect the mission? We'll have all the details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Two window washers are safe and happy to be home this morning after a terrifying scene at One World Trade Center.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CUOMO (voice-over): Take a look at this. The two men clinging to a dangling scaffold for more than an hour outside the 68th floor of the Freedom Tower. How did it happen, and how could this happen here, a place that's supposed to be so safe? Miguel Marquel (sic) -- Miguel Marquez has the details.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Frightening moments unfolding on the newly opened One World Trade Center. Two window washers trapped on a platform, dangling 68 floors above the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm seeing two heads right now dangling over the scaffolding.

MARQUEZ: At about 12:40 in the afternoon, a 41-year-old Juan Lizama and 33-year-old Juan Lopez were headed to the roof of the Freedom Tower when a cable on one side of the platform gave way. The workers pushed the emergency stop button, but the rig didn't come to an immediate stop, dropping it from horizontal to nearly vertical.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They weren't going anywhere, you know, so they weren't panicking, but they had no options.

MARQUEZ: Within minutes authorities on scene, the rescue begins with another platform in place on the roof as a back up plan. Rescuers workers use a diamond saw to cut through three layers of thick glass to reach the trapped workers. After 90 heart-stopping minutes, they succeeded, pulling them in through the 68th floor window.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our people are trained for it and they just amaze me every time with how good they are at it.

MARQUEZ: Officials credit police and fire departments and the workers themselves for being prepard for this dangerous rescue.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Had they not had the proper equipment and the proper training to handle a situation like this, we might have had a different ending to this story.

MARQUEZ: Upgrade Services, the company employing the workers, issued a statement saying, "Although all safety measures were exercised, the cause of the incident appears to be equipment failure." Officials at Tracktel, the company that designed, built, and installed the window washing rig had no comment. Tractel also designed the scaffolding that collapsed the Hearst Tower in midtown Manhattan last year, leaving two workers stranded more than 550 feet in the air before eventually being rescued. The window washers have now been released from the hospital, lucky to be alive after dangling from the tallest building in America.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ (on camera): And back out to a live picture of the window, the window that was turned into a door by the fire department here in New York, it has now been temporarily fixed with plywood and duct tape until they can get it permanently done. The scaffolding itself was pulled up to the top of the roof last night, and will stay there and it will not be used until an investigation is complete, and they can figure out what caused that cable to slip. Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: Alright, thank goodness everything ended well, Miguel. Thanks so much for that.

MARQUEZ: Yes.

CAMEROTA: And we have some new details at this hour for you about the Philae lander. European officials are holding a news conference as we speak and they just released new pictures. These come from the comet. Check these out. They say that the probe is stable on top of the comet, though it did bounce twice and then come to rest in an unintended spot. We've also learned that after mechanical trouble, the probe is now freestanding on the comet's surface rather than being latched down as it was supposed to be.

CUOMO: So, how did a paralyzed war veteran dance with his wife on their wedding day? How was he able to do that? We're going to tell you. It is the Good Stuff, and it is a great stuff, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: A tearjerker, we're going to need the Kleenex.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

PEREIRA: Where is it?

CAMEROTA: Let's just get ready.

CUOMO: This is so good.

PEREIRA: It's so good, but it makes me cry.

CUOMO: It's so good that Good Stuff needed to be even bigger in the title, okay? So, this paralyzed veteran found a way to dance with his bride on their wedding day. Just that line alone, if that's not the Good Stuff I just don't know what is.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

CUOMO (voice-over): His name is Sergeant Joe Johnson. He served in Afghanistan, made it through, only to be paralyzed in a motorcycle accident after he got back. So, he's going to get married and he decides to shock his bride by getting out of his wheelchair and dancing with her on their first dance.

PEREIRA (voice-over): Oh, wow.

CUOMO: How did he do it? He and his buddies rigged up a system of harnesses from the ceiling. They figured out how to do it in a way where he could dance with her, and of course the bride knew nothing about it, she was totally shocked. And, of course, she started crying, and of course then everybody started crying because what's more beautiful than him getting to look eye to eye with his bride in this moment? And everybody was wondering how did he do it? How did he think it up, how did they get it done? So many questions that need answers, so guess what? Tomorrow you're going to get them from this beautiful couple themselves, the new Mr. and Mrs. Joe Johnson are going to join us live on NEW DAY.

How great is this?

PEREIRA: Look at that photo right there.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

CAMEROTA: That's beautiful.

PEREIRA (on camera): That is love personified right there.

CAMEROTA: I can't imagine how hard it was to keep that secret, though. I mean, the whole time he's probably dying, right? You know?

PEREIRA: A little bit of stress, too. Has to be just perfect.

CUOMO (on camera): Also, to make it through Afghanistan and come back, and then still have something horrible happen, just seems so unfair for these guys with all they give. But this is just a beautiful beginning to the next phase of his life. Can't wait to meet him, hear him on the show.

CAMEROTA: Their pictures are really beautiful. Alright, we made it through without the tissues.

PEREIRA: We did, but tomorrow is a whole other story.

CAMEROTA: But tomorrow, yes.

CUOMO: Tomorrow is going to be tough.

CAMEROTA: I can't wait to meet them.

CUOMO: Going to have to wear the crying suit tomorrow, in case I get all - - there's all the paint.

CAMEROTA: Your special one?

PEREIRA: We have you, we have you.

CUOMO: Alright, a lot of news this morning, so what do you say we get to the "NEWSROOM" with Ms. Carol Costello.

PEREIRA: Hi, darling.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I'll take it. Thanks so much. You guys have a great day. NEWSROOM starts now.

Happening now in the NEWSROOM, from Ferguson to Geneva, Michael Brown's parents front and center at the United Nations asking it for intervention back home.