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New Day

Police Say Teen Aimed Gun at Cop; Tornadoes Kill 4 in Mississippi; Holiday Travelers Facing Long Delays; George H.W. Bush Hospitalized; Protests in NYC Despite Mayor's Plea for Pause

Aired December 24, 2014 - 06:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police near Ferguson, Missouri, shot and killed a black teenage at a gas station after the man aimed a handgun at the officer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's my baby.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) ever get to not killing people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get back. Get back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They just have my baby laying out there, he's been out there for about two hours.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have marched from downtown in Manhattan and now they're up in Harlem.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This may the most tense it's been.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You need to keep the pressure on if you care about reform in the justice system.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not too sure if this used to be a gas station, there's debris all over the place here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, welcome to NEW DAY. It is Wednesday, December 24th, Christmas Eve morning, just before 6:00 in the East. Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Camerota here, and we do begin with breaking news.

There's been another police shooting near Ferguson, Missouri, sparking tensions there. But this time, a weapon was involved and it was pointed at a police officer on patrol.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, officials tell CNN that after the teenager pointed the handgun, the officer fired his gun and killed the teenage. Police say the teenager's gun was recovered at the scene and the site of the shooting, though, has turned volatile overnight as protestors have gathered and confronted officers. So, for the latest developments, let's get right to Sara Ganim on what's happening on the ground there. Good morning, Sara.

SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Chris and Alisyn. Yes, this happened about 11:15 last night in Berkeley, Missouri, about two miles from Ferguson, Missouri.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GANIM (voice-over): Police tell us that an officer who was on routine patrol approached a police station, saw two men by the side of the building, approached them, and when he did, police say one of them pulled a hand gun, pointed it at the officer, and the officer fired several shots in self defense. Now, you can see after this happened about 100 protestors showed up. Things got pretty violent. You can see a firework was thrown into the crowd, into the gas station. Police responded with pepper spray, with tear gas.

And one of the people that showed up was actually a woman who identified herself as the mother of the man who was shot and killed. Her name is Toni Martin. Listen to what she told a local affiliate about her son and what happened.

TONY MARTIN, MOTHER OF TEEN KILLED BY POLICE: They won't tell me nothing. His girlfriend told me that the police was messing with them. He was going to get up and run. When he was trying to get up and run, they started shooting him. They won't tell me nothing. They won't even let me see my baby.

GANIM: That mother, Toni Martin, told the affiliate that her son was Antonio Martin. She said he's 18 years old. Now police have not identified him. They are still waiting to notify the next of kin.

However, we do have word that this afternoon they do plan to hold a press conference, Chris and Alisyn, with more details.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GANIM (on camera): Including possible surveillance video from the gas station that could show us exactly what happened.

CAMEROTA: That would help, thanks so much, Sarah.

CUOMO: Yes. And also it's important to note that what you saw in the video there, that wasn't a flash-bang being thrown by the police officers. It was a firework that was coming from the crowd, allegedly. It was an attempt to try to, you know, create some type of disturbance with the gas pumps there. It didn't work, thankfully, because that could have really changed the dynamic of that situation, but certainly it caused panic.

Now this situation comes in the wake of two officers being shot at and killed in Brooklyn, New York. There had been calls to come together after that but those calls were ignored by protesters, who once again took over streets in Manhattan, chanting, "How do you spell racist?" "N-Y-P-D." And other calls for justice. The timing is drawing criticism, even from those who had been

supporting protestors here. There had been questions about whether or not President Obama would attend the officers' funerals. We now know Vice President Biden and his wife, Jill, are set to fly here for the services. We will have more on that throughout the morning.

CAMEROTA: Also developing this morning, deadly tornadoes tearing up the south. Four people have been killed in Mississippi, dozens more hospitalized, with reports of buildings crushed. You can see the aftermath here on your screen. Thousands of people are without power.

And there's more wild weather on the way, just in time for millions of holiday travelers to take to the roads. Drenching rain, damaging winds and snow expected to affect the country from the East Coast all the way to the Pacific Northwest.

CNN's Jennifer Gray is tracking the extreme weather from the CNN center in Atlanta. What do you see, Jennifer?

JENNIFER GRAY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Alisyn, the timing of this could not be worse. Of course, during the heat of the evening yesterday in the south, we had 11 tornado reports across three states.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's it. That's the tornado.

GRAY (voice-over): Massive and deadly tornadoes ripping through the southeast as bad weather complicates holiday travel for millions. The National Weather Service flashing tornado warnings...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Repeating, a tornado warning has been issued until 8:45 p.m. Eastern time...

GRAY: ... across TV screens in five states. Parts of Mississippi now in a state of emergency after a tornado touched down 90 miles south of Jackson, killing at least four people. Downed trees and power lines blocking traffic.

On a main thoroughfare, roofs of businesses and the wall of this warehouse blown right off. One resident pulling a dog to safety from a destroyed home.

Meanwhile, heartbroken store owners embrace outside their demolished flower shop.

The storm system knocking out power to over 6,000 residents in Mississippi alone.

Inside this heavily damaged daycare center, a holiday miracle: 35 children and seven staffers raced for safety after the powerful tornado ripped the roof clear off, all making it out with no injuries.

In Louisiana, a tornado touched down twice, 70 miles north of New Orleans, uprooting trees, reportedly damaging some 20 homes and leaving nearly 2,000 residents without power. Another suspected tornado snapping trees in half in south Georgia, as the massive storm system also brings up to eight inches of torrential rain throughout the southeast.

The downpour moving up the I-95 corridor as millions hit the road for Christmas with the potential for flooding from Georgia to New Hampshire.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRAY: Now the severe weather threat for Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama is over, but we still have a tornado watch in effect for south Georgia, north Florida, for a couple more hours; still seeing some of those strong storms in the south.

Severe weather threat today not quite as great as it was yesterday. But we are going to see rain all the way from Florida up into the northeast.

And Chris, a lot of people in the south are having an awful case of deja vu. It was just two years ago on Christmas day we had a severe weather outbreak and 60 tornadoes reported across the south.

CUOMO: I remember that. Hopefully, we don't have a repeat or certainly no besting of that record. Jennifer, thanks for keeping an eye on it.

Look, there's no question that we hit the road on Christmas, right? Nearly 100 million of us are expected to travel at least 50 miles for the holiday. I'll double that.

So let's give you a check on what you're looking at, on the roads or in the skies. No surprise, only Santa seems likely to have an on-time arrival this year.

Let's bring in Rene Marsh, monitoring the holiday travel mess live from Reagan National Airport in Virginia. What do you see, my friend?

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I can tell you, let's start with the roads. I-95 corridor, the I-10 corridor, there's going to be some heavy rain. So if you are one of the people who are going to be driving to your destination, be mindful of that. If there are drainage issues, you want to be careful. So that's going to be messy.

As far as air travel goes, if you are on a very early flight, that was a good move, because things look good right now. However, we are expecting those delays to build up throughout the day. We're going to be paying special attention to New York City airports, Chicago, as well as Atlanta. We're talking about heavy rain in the northeast, possibly some fog, so we'll have some visibility issues.

At this hour the big picture here, we are inching at this early hour towards the 2,000 mark, as it relates to delays. Over 400 cancellations. But again, we're going to be paying close attention to New York City, Chicago, and Atlanta. They're significant, as well, because those are major hubs, and when you have problems at major hubs, delays at major hubs, there's that thing called the ripple effect. And you don't want too much of that happening on this Christmas Eve, especially if people are trying to make it to that home or their family on Christmas day. They're running out of hours to play with.

But that's what the national picture looks like. In a word, you just need to be patient today, because there will be delays -- Chris and Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Rene, thanks so much. Yes, patience is the word of the day. Let's hope people can make it home to their families.

Thanks for that, Rene.

Also, breaking overnight, former President George H.W. Bush rushed to a Houston hospital. The 90-year-old is being monitored after experiencing shortness of breath.

For the latest on his condition, let's get to Suzanne Malveaux in Washington. She was recently at an event, we understand, with the former president. Suzanne, how did President Bush seem to you at that?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, recently I did see him. And there was an event I covered six weeks ago with his son, George W. at his presidential library in College Station, Texas. That's where the younger Bush was dedicating his book, a love story, he said, to his dad.

He's 90 years old now, Alisyn. He's a bit frail, but he appeared in great spirits. He didn't actually speak at the event, but he smiled quite a bit, was in a wheelchair, because his family says he's no longer able to walk unassisted.

But yesterday the former president and his wife, Barbara, they were attending an event. This was at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, reading "The Night Before Christmas" to some kids when the president experienced a shortness of breath.

Now he was taken by ambulance to the Houston Methodist Hospital just as a precautionary measure to get this checked out. Now his spokesman, Jim McGrath, he released a statement telling us that he was admitted to the hospital for observation, that all looked fine.

This is the same hospital, Alisyn, where he spent nearly two months being treated for bronchitis. That was back in November of 2012. He was released in January. He began experiencing some of these health problems back in '91 when he was president: hospitalized for an irregular heartbeat. The doctors then diagnosed him as having Grave's Disease, which is a thyroid condition.

But as you know, he has been incredibly active over the years. Even before he became president he was a Navy pilot, flew 58 combat missions in World War II; shot down and rescued once. And on his down time, he loves to fish, golf; of course, celebrate his birthday by going sky-diving. We have seen it most recently when he celebrated his 90th birthday back in June, making this tandem parachute jump near his home in Maine.

So a White House spokesperson does say today that the president, President Obama, has been made aware of Bush's hospitalization. And that he and the first lady, they say they are sending their good wishes to him and the entire Bush family during this holiday season. So it certainly looks like they're on the upswing -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: He is a hearty guy.

MALVEAUX: Yes, he is.

CAMEROTA: Gosh, I mean, 90 years old, jumping out of the plane.

MALVEAUX: Sky-diving. Right.

CAMEROTA: Suzanne, thanks so much for all of that background.

MALVEAUX: Have a good holiday.

CAMEROTA: You, too.

Joining us now is Dr. Devi Nampiaparampil. She is an assistant professor of anesthesiology and rehabilitation at NYU School of Medicine.

Doctor, great to see you this morning.

DEVI NAMPIAPARAMPIL, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, NYU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Nice to see you, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: So we understand the former president is experiencing shortness of breath. What does that tell you?

NAMPIAPARAMPIL: Well, there are a couple of things. If someone has shortness of breath, you always wonder are they getting enough oxygen to their body. So there could be a problem anywhere along the process of breathing in the air, getting it into your lungs, and then having the heart pump it out throughout your body.

So the things that you worry about the most, you want to make sure that the person's not having any type of problem with their heart or lungs: you know, let's say a heart attack, any type of difficulty pumping the blood out, meaning heart failure or anything with the lungs like bronchitis, what he had before, or some other type of infection of the lungs like pneumonia.

CAMEROTA: And we understand from Suzanne's report there that he does have an irregular heartbeat. He's had it for decades.

NAMPIAPARAMPIL: Exactly.

CAMEROTA: Does that contribute?

NAMPIAPARAMPIL: Well, it could. I mean, the fact that he's had for decades, means that probably it's pretty well managed, at least. You know, he's 90 years old living with this. But it's possible always that, if you have an irregular heartbeat, maybe whatever predisposed you to that can kind of get worse. And so it's better to get checked out. So that's one thing.

I mean, the fact that he's in a wheelchair also is a little bit concerning, because if you're -- if you're in a wheelchair, you don't have gravity helping you as much to expand the lungs, to kind of pull them down and pull them open. So that can put you more at risk for developing infections like pneumonia. So that's something to watch out for.

And of course, being in a wheelchair, if you're not walking as much, could you be at -- you can be more predisposed to develop a blood clot, for example. So none of these things -- I mean, we don't know that this is the case. Obviously, they are watching him, it's observation. But these are the things that you would think about and check for.

CAMEROTA: OK, so beyond observation, what will doctors at the hospital in Houston be doing for him this morning?

NAMPIAPARAMPIL: So the first thing is, you know, they monitor. So overnight they monitor to check to see, if he's short of breath, does his oxygen actually drop down? You know, so they can check that noninvasively. They can just put a little monitor on your finger and check to see how much oxygen is actually in your blood, and if you're still experiencing those symptoms.

I mean, we all have the experience of having some symptoms and they kind of go away, and you wonder, was that a fluke? But let's just make sure nothing's going on. So if his symptoms got better, that's a good sign. If he's still having the symptoms, then they really have to go through the whole process.

Now, they might have just started checking to make sure he's not having a heart attack: checking EKG, check some of these other things. Any time anybody says something about shortness of breath, you always, you know, check those things in the E.R. So they would do that. And if the symptoms are progressing, or if they found anything, then they'd kind of work it up further.

CAMEROTA: Dr. Devi Nampiaparampil, thanks so much. Great to see you this morning.

NAMPIAPARAMPIL: Nice to see you.

CAMEROTA: You, too. Let's go over to Chris.

ROMANS: All right. I'll take it from here, Alisyn. I've got some of the top stories for you this morning. Let's take a look at those headlines.

A federal judge in Arizona has rejected a lawsuit attempting to block the president's executive order on immigration. The case was brought on by a police chief who called Obama's reforms unconstitutional. But the judge ruled the sheriff couldn't prove it would harm the county. The legal wrangling isn't over. Attorneys general from 24 states have filed a suit with a hearing set for early 2015.

The FDA is proposing an end to a 30-year ban on gay men donating blood. Right now a lifetime ban dating back to 1983 forbids any man who has had sex with another man from becoming a blood donor. The new measure being proposed would allow gay men to give blood if they haven't had sex for one year. The plan is now open to public comment.

Sony reversing course about "The Interview." The company will now release the comedy about taking out North Korea's leader, despite threats of violence made by hackers. A few hundred independent theaters have now agreed to show it, but the big movie chains aren't on board just yet. The movie was, of course, pulled after threats against theaters, allegedly by Pyongyang. More on Sony's about-face later this hour.

The holidays can be stressful, but Americans are apparently finding it a little easier to chill out and enjoy in 2014. Take a look at the latest CNN/ORC poll. Just three out of ten people say they feel a great deal or a fair amount of stress, just three out of ten, getting ready for Christmas. In 2005, that number was 86 percent.

CUOMO: Wow.

ROMANS: We're feeling pretty secure this holiday season. Only 8 percent of Americans fear an act of terrorism is very likely around Christmas. Nearly six in ten do not believe terrorism will be an issue.

What's there to worry about? Don't stress out?

CUOMO: Analysis? What do you think the big difference is?

ROMANS: Gas prices are lower. I'm just teasing.

I don't know. I think as the economy heals -- it always goes back to the economy for me. As the economy heals, I think people aren't as stressed any more.

CUOMO: You think that's why the president just got a pop in the polls?

ROMANS: Gas prices, I think that's one reason. And I think jobs are starting to come back. I think wages are flat, but a lot of states are raising -- 20 states will have a higher minimum wage starting January 1.

CAMEROTA: Wow.

ROMANS: People will feel that.

CUOMO: Are you more or less stressed this Christmas?

CAMEROTA: The same. The same. It's always stressful, the last 48 hours leading up to Christmas with all the wrapping and the present getting and the present giving. But then it's all still blissful, you know? It's great stuff. How about you? CUOMO: I'm never stressed.

CAMEROTA: Really?

CUOMO: Never.

CAMEROTA: This is not -- I'm not looking at the face of stress?

CUOMO: No. Looking at a lot of makeup, but there's no stress.

CAMEROTA: That's great. All right. Thanks, Christine.

So the mayor of New York City pleaded for an end to the protests, but hundreds of demonstrators jammed the streets of Manhattan again, leading many to wonder how the city will heal after two police officers were killed. We'll take a closer look inside that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: There's certainly a right to do it, but was it right to do it? That's the question being asked of protesters in New York as they ignore the mayor's pleas to come together and take a pause in protests.

They say that assassinated officers are not a symbol of disrespect for them. But that the message must still go on, so that again on Tuesday we saw streets taken over here in Manhattan.

Now earlier Tuesday, the mayor had led a moment of silence at city hall. The question is what will happen next in terms of healing the community, getting people focused on unity and solutions?

Here to discuss is the Reverend Michael Walrond Jr., senior pastor of First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem.

Reverend, thank you for being with us.

REV. MICHAEL WALROND JR., SENIOR PASTOR, FIRST CORINTHIAN BAPTIST CHURCH: Thanks for having me, Chris.

CUOMO: I cannot have a reverend on set on the morning before Christmas Eve without wishing you a very merry Christmas....

WALROND: Same to you, same to you.

CUOMO: ... and asking you for a quick word on what should we all remember about the reason for the season today?

WALROND: Well, I think Christmas traditionally, in the Christian tradition, is about celebrating the birth of Jesus. And I think many people who have asked me the similar question of the season, I would say that it's the season we think about the possibilities of new birth, the possibilities that are available for us in turbulent times, in difficult times.

And I think that is an appropriate theme, and I dare, especially given the time we're in right now, to think of the possibilities for new birth and new realities in our city in the midst of the turbulence that we see now.

CUOMO: No matter what you believe, the message resonates, especially with what we're dealing with right now. So let me present you with what we're hearing, and you try to give me some salve. OK?

The first thing is, yes, the officers were killed. But you don't care when they kill us -- minorities, poor people, black people, African- American people. You don't care. So why should I care and give you this this moment of silence and shut me up when I need to get this message out and we've been quiet long enough?

WALROND: Yes. Well, I think the issue is not that the protesters don't care. I would not frame it that way.

I think that I agree with the mayor's call for peace in the midst of all that is going on. I think it was what he should have done as mayor of the city.

But also I'm cognizant of the right of protesters to protest. I mean, this is a country founded in protest. It is very American to protest. And so I do not think that those who were protesting were doing so in a sign of disrespect to the police officers. I think it was them wanting to honor their right as Americans to protest.

But at the same time, I will also say, Chris, that there are many protestors in this moment. There have been several different groups protesting. And so there are some who I know who did not protest in honor of what the mayor requested. And so I think that we can't just blanketly [SIC] say that all protesters have disrespected the mayor, and all protesters don't care about the police officers who were slain.

CUOMO: Important distinction.

WALROND: Yes.

CUOMO: The idea that, in the aftermath of the officers being shot, that it is somehow a product of tone...

WALROND: Yes.

CUOMO: ... and demonizing of police and saying, "What do we want?" "Dead cops." "When do we want them?" "Now." Do you believe that is a fair criticism?

WALROND: No, I don't believe it's a fair criticism. I think that what I've been hearing over the past several days are blanket generalities, and I think we have to be careful of that.

There are those in the police force who warn against generalizing and stereotyping all police. And I think in the same way, we have to be careful that we don't stereotype all protesters.

The young man who killed officer Liu and Ramos, his crime that day did not begin in New York; it began in Maryland. And so what I raise to some people is that the protesters did not set the context for this young man to shoot his ex-girlfriend. Clearly, something was wrong.

And so he begins the day, he shoots his ex-girlfriend. Then he comes to New York, and he shoots police officers. This is a man we've already heard, you all have reported, 19 arrests. There's been a history of mental illness.

And what I've -- what causes me some, I think, consternation is that in the midst of this, be focused more on the fact that was it the protestors who set the context for this man, versus the man's history of mental illness, the man's record of engagement. He was a solo actor in this process, and I think we cannot let that slide.

CUOMO: What is your caution to other leaders, men of the cloth? Reverend al Sharpton who has been very strong, some say too aggressive in terms of blaming all police for what happens to some.

WALROND: No, I think, I think we also hear from Reverend Sharpton saying there should be peace in this moment. We should honor the lives of those police officers who were killed.

And I think to all clergy I've been saying the same thing. I think we have to be just very careful in this time, Chris, of seeking to blame and lay blame.

I heard yesterday here on this -- on CNN with Wolf Blitzer talking to the former Governor Pataki. And Pataki in his tweet that many people are talking about, said that there was divisive rhetoric that came from the president and the attorney general and the mayor.

And I saw where Wolf Blitzer pressed him twice on -- to say, to name the actual rhetoric, and he could not.

And what I see is that there's a narrative that is being created that is fostering the tension, fostering I think, the animosity, inflammatory remarks that are not really founded and not really steeped in truth. But it continues to propagate a narrative of division between the mayor and the police officers, between the police officers and the community, and that has to stop at some point.

BLITZER: Sometimes the trick to unity can be just stopping what is dividing you.

WALROND: Exactly. Well it's simple. It sounds simple enough. But what you find is that there are many people who I think are trying to take advantage and coopt this moment for their own political motives and their own reasons. And I don't always find myself agreeing with Governor Christie.

But I heard him say yesterday that, you know, there are people who are trying to score political points in this moment. And he's going to be quiet in the season.

I think we all need to pull back, reflect a little bit before we begin to try to use or co-opt or manipulate this moment for people's own personal agenda.

CUOMO: Biggest strength in this country has always been when the people come together.

WALROND: There it is.

CUOMO: Hopefully, we'll see you soon.

WALROND: Thanks, Chris.

CUOMO: A blessed Christmas for you.

WALROND: You, too.

CUOMO: Thank you for being with us.

Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, Chris.

Nearly 100 million Americans hitting the road or taking flight for the Christmas holiday. But with severe weather in the forecast, getting there on time could be a challenge. We have the forecast you need to hear before heading out the door.

Plus Sony Pictures doing an about-face, deciding to release "The Interview" for Christmas, despite the threat. Is that the right thing to do?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: The weather outside is frightful. Nothing like a cliche on Christmas Eve. Millions of people in the path of some ugly weather for the Christmas holiday.

Let's get you right to meteorologist Jennifer Gray, keeping track of the latest forecasts across the country for us. How is it looking, Jennifer?

GRAY: Well, it's looking a little bit better than it was at this time yesterday. We are going to see those showers and storms continue across, say, south Georgia, north Florida and up into the Carolinas.

We still have that tornado watch in effect until 7 p.m. Eastern Time. So be on the lookout for that.

We had incredible amounts of rain yesterday. Tallahassee broke a record. Seven and a half inches of rain fell yesterday alone. And more rain today, so that flood watch is in effect. We do have a flood warning right there on the line of Alabama and Florida.

So the rain is continuing for the northeast, as well. You can look at the radar, anywhere from D.C., Philly, all the way up to New York getting rain today. Chicago should turn to snow on the outskirts of your area. By the time we get to this afternoon, could see one to four inches of

snow around the area, giving you a white Christmas tomorrow. It's also going to be very windy.