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New Day

New Video Released in Boston Marathon Attack; Iraqi Forces on Verge of Retaking Tikrit; Amtrak Train Crashes Into Truck; White House Slams GOP For Iran Letter

Aired March 10, 2015 - 06:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: We have never-before-seen video for you shown to jurors in the Boston marathon bombing trial. The images track the movements of the suspects before and after a pair of homemade bombs detonate at the finish line.

CNN's Deborah Feyerick has the latest for us live from Boston.

I mean, the case is as plain as what's in front of your face on this video.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's no question, Chris, and his own lawyers have said he did it. But the importance of this video for the jury, there are two things. First of all, it shows a man who right before the bombings did have several minutes in which to change his mind. It also shows a man who right after the bombing seemed to care more about the milk he was buying than the people he just maimed and killed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK (voice-over): Nearly four hours after the race began, the Tsarnaev brothers rounded the corner together unto the marathon route. Tamerlan in the lead, the younger Dzhokhar keeping pace.

Then, the two split up. Tamerlan heading to the finish line. Multiple images showed Dzhokhar Tsarnaev standing by himself for nearly four minutes, among spectators, several of them children.

At 2:49, records show, using a disposable phone bought the day before, Dzhokhar seen here calls his brother. Moments later, the first bomb explodes. Tsarnaev moves quickly in the opposite direction, reaching the corner just as the second bomb detonates, neither Dzhokhar nor Tamerlan have their backpacks.

Less than 23 minutes after the terror attack, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev enters a nearby Whole Foods and pays cash for a half gallon of milk. He leaves only to return moments later to swap the milk before getting back into the passenger side of a car. The driver speeds off.

Prosecutors say 19-year-old Tsarnaev had returned to his dorm room at UMass-Dartmouth. He's seen here at 9:05 p.m. the next night entering the university fitness center with a friend and staying for about an hour.

The FBI gathered 4,000 hours of surveillance videos, photos, and home movies from that day.

Witness Jessica Kensky, the remnants of her legs sticking out from her dress, the scars on her stumps visible, was wheeled up a ramp to testify. Kensky, a newly wed and trauma nurse, described the bombs, saying it did exactly what it was designed to do, tear the skin and muscles away, leaving body parts exposed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: Now, prosecutors have introduced two twitter accounts. The second is much more radical in nature. It talks about the extremist preacher and a victory over the nonbeliever. His own lawyers are expected to cross-examine and raise questions about those accounts and what they seem to suggest.

But, Chris and Michaela, we've heard testimony about bomb components that were found by two of the witnesses specifically at the blast site where Dzhokhar Tsarnaev dropped his backpack -- Michaela.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Powerful is exactly the word to use to describe it.

Deb Feyerick, thank you for that.

A furious response from the White House to Republican efforts to derail nuclear negotiations with Iran. An open letter to Iran's leader signed by some 47 GOP senators warns any deal could be undone by a future administration. President Obama says it is a nod to Iranian hard-liners. Iran's foreign minister meanwhile calls it a propaganda ploy.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: An update now on the University of Oklahoma severing ties with the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity after this video of a racist chant surfaced. Hundreds of faculty and students, including the Sooner football team, marching in protest last night. One football recruit so disturbed by the video deciding to back out of his commitment to attend the university. The school's president ordering SAE members to pack their bags and vacate their house by midnight tonight. He is considering expelling those students involved.

CUOMO: Breaking news in the "Charlie Hebdo" attacks. Four new suspects taken into custody, one of them, a French policewoman. Officials say four people had close ties to the terrorists that killed four hostages at a kosher store in January before he was killed by police.

PEREIRA: The latest now in that incredible survival story of 18- month-old Lily Groesbeck. First describers in Utah describe hearing a mysterious voice coming from inside her mother's crashed car, saying "help me" even though Lily's mother had already died. Here is what they told Anderson Cooper on "360."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OFFICER TYLER BEDDOES, SPANISH FORK POLICE: For two nights I've laid awake trying to figure out what it could be. So many things go through your mind. It was there and we all heard it. That just helped us to push harder, like I say, and do what we could to rescue anyone inside the car.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: Four incredible men there saving the life of this little girl. Lily's family, meanwhile, says they are blown away by her astounding progress and are grateful, of course, to her rescuers. Apparently, she was singing and laughing yesterday with grandpa and grandma.

CAMEROTA: My gosh. So mysterious.

PEREIRA: It's such a story.

CUOMO: Right. Because kids that age rarely talk at all let alone being able to survive that amount of time and then say the words "help me" --

CAMEROTA: Over and over, to be articulate through the windows of the car.

CUOMO: Under that duress in those conditions at that age, very unusual.

CAMEROTA: So fascinating. Thanks so much. I want to hear more about that story.

PEREIRA: We do, too.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

Well, Iraqi forces on the offensive trying to retake the city of Tikrit from ISIS. Can they defeat the terror group in just days? We are taking you to the front lines, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: So, the battle for Tikrit in Iraq could be a big momentum point for the victor. Fighting is intensifying right now and anti- ISIS forces say they think they're going to take back the city in just days.

Let's hear from someone on the ground. We have Lieutenant Colonel James Reese, CNN global affairs analyst and retired Delta Force commander, joining us live from Baghdad.

Colonel, it's great to have you. I want to remind people why Tikrit is so important. Let's put up the graphic here. It's a big city, over 250,000 people. The key is ISIS took it in June showing their mandate that they could control territory along the Tigris River.

So, it's a strategic point, 90 miles north of Baghdad, so it's close to the capital. And, of course, it has the symbolic meaning of being from Saddam Hussein, al Tikriti, which means he was from Tikrit.

Now, being on the ground, Colonel, so important and invaluable for us right now. Give us your observations starting with the key one that you have about this number of 20,000 fighters against 2,000 that he we keep reporting over here. What's your take on that?

LT. COL. JAMES REESE, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Chris, good morning.

You know, I want to try to remind everyone, whenever anyone is throwing out numbers, you've got to keep something in mind, that the number of combat troops that are literally engaged in combat operations on the front lane, whether they're infantry, engineers, aviation, whatever, there's usually about a 3 to 1 ratio. If you do the math you're only at 5,000 to 7,000 real involved combat troops where everyone else is that pail that goes behind it, the support, the medical, all those things back to Baghdad.

So, when you hear that 20,000, you've got to put it in perspective.

CUOMO: All right. Even if you cut that number down, they still have like a 2-1 advantage over the enemy. How is that playing out on the ground? What are you seeing?

REESE: Well, Chris, anytime the enemy has months to prepare themselves, the enemy has an advantage, especially when you're in a place like Tikrit which is the city. I've been very impressed with what the Iraqi forces led -- by the paramilitary forces have done over the last several days, they've moved very quickly. They have some good organization, some good leadership. And I'm impressed with their ability to take the fight to Daesh.

CUOMO: You also have good perspective on a big concern, which is what would happen after the forces were able to take it back from ISIS, the thought of fighting ethnic cleansing, Shia versus Sunni, and all that ethnic cleansing that goes along with that. You say you don't see that concern on the ground.

Why?

REESE: Chris, not right now. I see a lot of people have been banging that drum for months about it. Right now, both Shia, Sunni, Iraqis, that's all they have one common enemy and one common goal, and that is the destruction and defeat of Daesh.

And you should talk to the soldiers and the leadership out there. They are focused. They are driven. They have a lot of morale. They have a lot of cheer going on while they're out there and they're moving deliberately with a lot of force.

So, I see this and I think politically we need to take this wave and continue to work with the Iraqi politicians and the government to continue to have that solidarity of what they say right now is the common enemy and go together as we move in the future.

CUOMO: Let's talk about why you think that. Another big point for you, you're referring to Daesh. That's ISIS, that the Arabic acronym for them. They don't like it and I know it's used especially in that part of the world.

The U.S. forces are advising but from the Green Zone, from Baghdad, not on the front lines. The Iranians are there. That creates an optics issue they're on the front lines, building loyalty.

Let's put up the quote from one of the commanders about how he feels about the coalition. "We don't need it. We won't need it. Anyone who puts their faith in the international coalition to liberate Iraq is putting their faith on a mirage. The people of Iraq will liberate this country and put an end to ISIS."

Is that just patriotism or is there an optics issue the coalition isn't doing enough?

REESE: Well, it's both, Chris. Two things, one, it is a patriotism act. When you talk to them later and make sure that they understand and you think about the big picture strategically of what the air strikes by the coalition, specifically led by the U.S. aircraft with night drops and everything else, precision fires, they do admit that the degradation of ISIS or Daesh has been critical for them moving along and conducting the operations in Tikrit.

But, at the same time, you have the Quds force there, the Iranian special forces, a small number just like we deploy, a small number of special forces that advise and assist. But one commander said it right. Four Quds special forces on the ground at the point of impact does a lot more than 200 U.S. guys sitting in the Green Zone, sipping coffee working with the leadership.

So that's one of the things we have to take a hard look at. And right now, I think we're losing the information fight.

CUOMO: Lieutenant Colonel James Reese, you're saying there's progress on the ground on behalf of the good guys, for this major battle for the city of Tikrit. You've been doing great work with Ben Wedeman, send our regards to him, both of you stay safe. We'll check back in soon.

Thank you, sir.

Mick?

REESE: Thanks.

PEREIRA: All right, Chris. It appears it's happened again.

Another commuter train crash involving a vehicle on the tracks, the third in less than two months. The cell phone video capturing this Amtrak train slamming into a truck in North Carolina. How can our nation's rails be safer? We'll take a look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: Terrifying moments captured on this cell phone video when a New York-bound Amtrak train slams into a tractor-trailer stuck on the tracks in North Carolina.

CNN's Rene Marsh joins us live from Washington.

Another train accident, Rene.

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Another one.

Alisyn, this morning, federal investigators, they're on the scene of this crash to determine the official cause. Meantime, eyewitnesses are describing a great detail the forceful impact that happened right in front of them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

MARSH (voice-over): A frightening scene on the tracks, an eyewitness catching the moment of impact on camera. This Amtrak passenger train from North Carolina to New York barreling into a tractor-trailer stuck on the tracks, sending cars flying off the rails and the train's engine on its side.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It sent both the engine and the trailer in the air, at least 20 foot. It looked like a bomb went off.

MARSH: More than 200 passengers were aboard the train. Dozens of injured were transported to hospitals with nonlife threatening injuries. The train's conductors among those treated. Witnesses say the tractor-trailer got stuck on the tracks while trying to make a difficult left turn.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like an explosion. And everything just flew. It was a shock.

MARSH: There are roughly 2,000 accidents at American railroad crossings every year, 239 people were killed last year alone. This is the third major train accident in less than two months.

Two weeks ago, the engineer of a commuter train was killed and dozens injured when it collided with a truck on the tracks in California. And last month, six people were killed when an SUV was struck by a commuter train in New York. Amtrak said in a statement it was monitoring the situation and an investigation was ongoing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARSH: Well, the overwhelming number of fatalities -- they happen at these rail crossings. Just recently, the Department of Transportation, they launched a campaign to ramp up safety at these crossings. Part of that calls for law enforcement to issue citations to drivers who violate the rules at these crossings. But, of course, when you see that happening, like what we saw yesterday, is that enough?

Michaela?

PEREIRA: A very good point. So, let's discuss more. Thanks so much. We appreciate that.

Let's discuss it more with Mary Schiavo. She's a former inspector general for the U.S. Department of Transportation, also an attorney who represents the victims and families after airplane disasters.

So, I want to talk specifically, if you will, Mary, about that crossing because we know both of these accidents happened at crossings. This one is a bit of unusual one.

Wasn't right angles and perpendicular so that could have played a portion, this tractor was trying to make this tough turn and got stuck. What else sticks out to you in this incident?

MARY SCHIAVO, CNN ANALYST: Well, this incident is going to be one of the things we call the Department of Transportation a rail crossing geometry problem.

PEREIRA: Ah!

SCHIAVO: And what that means is literally where the train crosses the highway in such a situation that there is an intersection and not a clear, straight, 90-degree parallel -- 90-degree intersection perpendicular crossing of the rail over the highway, that makes the crossing difficult. Why? Because sometimes it's hard to see the train and because sometimes, exactly as here traffic makes it difficult for the vehicles to clear off the track. Where you have a stop sign on the highway near the rail, that can make it difficult if traffic backs up and the Federal Rail Administration has recommended such things as even traffic signals so traffic does not back up when there's difficulty clearing off the tracks.

And, of course, here with this very wide load, some planning should have been done beforehand about making this turn. But this will be what they call a crossing geometry accident.

PEREIRA: Interesting. We learn something from you every time it happens. And sadly, it's been too frequent.

We also know that you've been telling us about some of these new advancements made to increase safety, positive train control, collusion energy management technology. Do we know if this train had any such technology onboard?

SCHIAVO: It did not appear this engine -- that this locomotive did have it. It didn't look like one of the newer ones. Amtrak is actively investing in that. Amtrak has put in literally millions of dollars in trying to buy this new equipment.

But the problem for Amtrak is they do not own all of the track over which they have to travel, and I do not believe that they own this section of the track. So, what Amtrak has pledged to do if the owners of the track install

the positive train control, they will put it on their engines. And as I said, they are busy getting new rolling stock to bring this cushion zone into their trains.

PEREIRA: Another point that I find really interesting is the fact that this truck was stuck for 15 or so minutes, trying to make this difficult turn with the help of a state trooper who was there trying to assist. To me, it seems there should have been some sort of communication with the conductor of the train, engineer of the train, Amtrak, to let them know that there was a problem ahead, because we know it takes them, learning for you, it takes them a while to be able to stop that train. Clearly, it didn't in this instant.

SCHIAVO: That's right. A train going 55 miles an hour needs about a minute, several football fields, 18 football fields, to stop. So, if you're stuck on a train track and you know that, you would think there would be some way to alert trains.

But apparently there wasn't. The trooper did not know how to go about alerting train personnel. And remember, the entity that owns the track is not necessarily the owner of the trains that will be crossing over the track. And so, there was difficulty with that.

The question in my mind, it's a state trooper, they couldn't clear the traffic to get the truck to back up is the question I have in my mind and how long was the traffic line behind it bringing us back once again to the question of would traffic signals on the road timed with the train --

PEREIRA: Right.

SCHIAVO: -- make it so the traffic would never back up at that intersection?

PEREIRA: But I go back to the communication with the conductor. A 911 call, wouldn't they be able to route it to Amtrak or to whoever is in charge? It seems a failure of communication that seems fixable.

SCHIAVO: That's right. Absolutely. And particularly after a minute or so on the track.

PEREIRA: Sure.

SCHIAVO: But you would think that a call would have done it, and we don't know at this point if any attempt was made to do it. It appears there wasn't.

PEREIRA: Investigation will continue. Mary Schiavo, we appreciate your expertise as always. Have a great morning.

SCHIAVO: Thank you.

CUOMO: A big story there, Mick. We're following that one and a lot of other news for you. So, let's get to it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: Forty-seven Republican senators releasing a controversial open letter to Iran.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think what we're going to focus on now is actually seeing whether we can get a deal or not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have a message for those that misuse their free speech. You're a disgrace.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That chant that exists in 2015 is sad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Racism is alive and well on the American college campus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thousands of people walked to the state capitol to show the displeasure in the shooting death of this team.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What this is about is finding out exactly what happened that night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want the conversation to be about Tony Robinson.

CUOMO: We have never seen this surveillance video of the Boston bomber before.

FEYERICK: Less than 23 minutes after the terror attack, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev pays cash for a half gallon of milk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This case is not a whodunit. This is a he did it.

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota and Michaela Pereira.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: Good morning, everyone. Welcome back to your NEW DAY.

Controversy on Capitol Hill this morning after 47 GOP senators signed an open letter to Iran's leaders, trying to prevent negotiations from moving forward. They warn that any deal with the U.S. could expire when President Obama leaves office. The White House denouncing this letter.

CUOMO: Vice President Biden saying the letter ignores two centuries of precedent and sends a message that is, quote, "as false as it is dangerous." The question now, does this move make a deal or war more likely?

From Washington to Tehran, we have the story covered as only CNN can.

Let's begin with Sunlen Serfaty live at the White House -- Sunlen.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Chris, this was an unprecedented and unusual move. This letter from Senate Republicans was sent directly to the leaders

of a country who is still on the state sponsor of terrorism list and I think it really does underscore how this fierce battle between Capitol Hill and the White House is really spilling over into foreign policy.

Now, the White House calls this reckless, and in a statement overnight, Vice President Biden says, quote, "In 36 years in the United States Senate, I cannot recall another instance in which senators wrote directly to advise another country much less a longtime foreign adversary that the president does not have the constitutional authority to reach a meaningful understanding with them. The decision to undercut our president and circumvent our constitutional system offends me as a matter of principle."

And that's where this especially set off the White House on this, this feeling that this move by Republicans really undercuts the president, undermines his authority. And this is something they're especially sensitive to coming off the heels of that controversial visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week.

Now, listen to President Obama's tone in the Oval Office as he slams this move by Republicans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: I think it's somewhat ironic to see some members of Congress wanting to make common cause with the hard-liners of Iran. It's an unusual coalition. I think what we're going to focus on right now is actually seeing whether we can get a deal or not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)