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New Day Saturday

Fatal Police Shooting of Six-Year-Old Boy, Officers Charged with Murder; British Plane Has Near Miss with Rocket; Ben Carson Versus the Media; Protests Over History Meeting Between Taiwan-Chinese Leaders; Greg Hardy's Domestic Abuse Allegations. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired November 07, 2015 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:03]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Emotional reaction to the fatal police shooting of a six-year-old boy shot while still buckled in the front seat of his father's car now two officers are charged with murder.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN HOST: New this morning, a disturbing incident involving a British plane now. The pilot says the jet came within 1,000 feet of a rocket as it approached the same airport where MetroJet 9268 took off from.

BLACKWELL: And Ben Carson gets agitated with the media over questions about his past.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What you're not going to find with me is somebody who's just going to sit back and let you be completely unfair without letting the American people know what's going on and the American people are waking up to your games.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: We are always so grateful to start our weekend with you. Good morning, I'm Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Black well. Good to be with you. The breaking news overnight, two police officers not under arrest this morning, both charged in the shooting death of a six-year-old boy.

According to our affiliate WAFB, the child, Jerry Mardis, died while buckled into the front seat of his father's car. Officers reported they started shooting while in pursuit of that vehicle. Now, the tragedy unfolded Tuesday in Marksville, Louisiana, but late last night after a state police investigation, two of the four officers involved -- you're seeing here on your screen -- were booked on second-degree murder charges.

CNN's Nick Valencia joins us now with more. And the details here, although limited, are startling. NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're still working on getting more details this morning. Still unclear exactly what led to that pursuit, more on that in just a minute, but as Victor was talking about the superintendent of the Louisiana State police saying not just as a father but as the head of the state police -- the video that said they watched off body cameras is disturbing. This all happened on Tuesday night. This morning to Louisiana police officers are behind bars charged with second-degree murder.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE EDMONSON, LOUISIANA STATE POLICE SUPERINTENDENT: Tonight is about the death of the Jerry Mardis. Jeremy Mardis, six years old, he didn't deserve to die like and that's what's unfortunate. We took some of the body cameras footage, let me tell something, I'm not going to talk about it but I'm going to tell you this. It is the most disturbing thing I've seen and I will leave it at that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: Still trying to figure out exactly what happened to that little boy to cause his death. Some witnesses report -- local media reporting -- 18 shots fired from two guns. We're still working on confirmation of that, but these two officers, second-degree murder as well as second degree attempted murder.

The father wasn't even injured in the shooting, just this little boy -- that six year old boy, shot and killed, hit in the head and chest, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Wow, all right, Nick Valencia. Thank you so much. Let's say I expand this conversation now with CNN law enforcement analyst, Tom Fuentes. He's joining us with Matt Whitmore. Tom, I want to go to one of the tales being reported by an affiliate there. Reports that the city Marshalls were pursuing Chris Few, the father of this boy, ended up at the end of a dead road and then out the car in reverse and that's when two of the officers started shooting.

Is there an appropriate that is generally respected and adhered to response to when that happens, when that car comes in and in the direction of those officers?

TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Victor, I think that the only time you would have a justification for shooting at a vehicle like that would be if that driver was trying to run you over with that car, using the car as a weapon, but even then, officers are taught to be very, very cautious in firing at a vehicle because the bullets can ricochet off the glass or you know the doors and hit other people down range, down the street.

And, just what you have in this case, you don't know who else may be inside that vehicle that you're endangering by shooting at it. So, unless you are just about to be killed by the vehicle, you know, police officer should not be shooting at that car, and here we see the tragic result of taking shots of the vehicle that you have a little boy in the car. They probably didn't see the child because it might've been below window level strapped into a baby seat and that's the reason why you don't do it.

BLACKWELL: Yeah, the reporting here from that affiliate as well, the CBS affiliate there in this area is saying that this boy was shot in the chest and the head. This isn't a manslaughter charge that these two officers are facing. This is -- in a manslaughter, it creates a distinction for in the heat of passion, the heat of blood.

This is second-degree murder. What can you glean, if anything, from this being elevated to, to that level?

FUENTES: But I think the state police who did the investigation and the prosecutors believe that there was no justification for firing at that vehicle at all, and I think that's why they're taking the higher charge in this case against those two officers.

BLACKWELL: All right, Tom Fuentes. We'll talk more throughout the morning. Tom, thank you so much.

[06:05:00] FUENTES: Thanks.

PAUL: And as we are just hours away from a press conference regarding what happened to Metrojet 9268, we're also learning this morning about a missile that was almost -- that almost, I should say, shot down a British airliner flying over Sinai. The pilots were approaching the Red Sea resort Sharm el Sheikh, a 189 people on board and they spotted a missile streaking toward their plane.

Now, they reportedly turned and avoided that missile by about a thousand feet, but this happened back in August. The thing is, the British government just confirms the close call saying "We investigated the reported incident at the time and concluded that it was not a targeted attack. It was likely to be connected to routine exercises being conducted by the Egyptian military in the area at the time."

CNN senior international correspondent, Ben Wedeman, covering this (ph) from Cairo. So Ben, has the Egyptian government made any acknowledgement of this incident thus far?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, they have not. In fact, we called this morning the Ministry of Civil Aviation to get their reaction, but they apparently are too busy preparing for this press conference they'll be holding in four hours at the ministry to discuss the results or rather the investigation as it is so far into the Metrojet crash.

You know it's interesting that it took the British government two and a half months to knowledge this rather disturbing incident, which took place on 23rd of August involving that jet from the UK. So, if it took the British government two and a half months, don't hold your breath waiting for the Egyptians to comment on this matter, Christi.

PAUL: So Ben, you mentioned this press conference at 10 o'clock, do you any indication what it is we're going to hear from the Egyptian government? WEDEMAN: Nothing whatsoever. We did hear earlier today from the Egyptian Foreign Minister who says that Egypt has not ruled out any hypothesis when it comes to the causes for the crash of this airliner. However, he did take the opportunity to complain that still the United States and the UK have not provided Egypt with the intelligence that it shared with Russia for instance and the intelligence that precipitated the Russian decision to suspend all flights not just to Sharm el-Sheikh but also to Cairo.

He also said that Egypt's partners, and he's referring to Western countries such as the US and the UK, have not been supportive of Egypt as it has fought against terrorism in the Sinai for several years now, Christi.

PAUL: All right, Ben Wedeman, so appreciate it. Thank you, sir. Still ahead by the way this morning, Egyptian officials as he was talking about holding that conference in a few hours on the Russian plane crash, we're going to bring you the latest developments as (ph) in that case. But I want to talk more with this, about this with terrorism expert, Sajjan Gohel, who's the International Security Director at the Asia Pacific Foundation.

Mr. Gohel, thank you again for being with us. Now that we know of this close call in August, that the UK government just released, is it at all plausible that the Russian Metrojet crash was accidentally shot down by the Egyptian military or would we have seen signs of that already obviously in this investigation -- there are teams on the ground all over the place there.

SAJJAN GOHEL, TERRORISM EXPERT: Well Christi, it's looking more likely that this was an act of terrorism, that there was an explosive device on-board the plane. British intelligence believes that they picked up electronic (ph) in which the leadership of Isis in Egypt was boasting of taking responsibility of the attack with the leadership of Isis in Syria.

And the other thing that British authorities were concerned about is that the one year anniversary is approaching in the next few days of when the Isis affiliates in Egypt swore allegiance to the head of Isis, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. So, with all these factors combined, it is when I'm afraid unfortunately, looking more likely this is an act of terrorism.

PAUL: And Sajjan, he'll stay with us. We're talking to you again here in just a little bit. We appreciate it, thank you.

BLACKWELL: And jus ahead, new security measures that US - the US (ph) taking up international airports in the wake of that Russian jetliner incident. Will they make us safer?

PAUL: Also, new intel on where accused drug kingpin, El Chapo may be hiding. An update on which country is on high alert this morning.

BLACKWELL: Also ahead, the usually calm Ben Carson, firing back at reporters off of questions about his past, you'll hear it. BEN CARSON: What you're not going to find with me is somebody who's just going to sit back and let you be completely unfair without letting the American people know what's going on and the American people are waking up to your games.

[06:10:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: New this morning, air travelers bound for the US will soon see an increase in airport security, random searches, extra hand swabbing and possibly more bombs squad dogs, of a new security measures come after suspicions that a bomb may have brought down the Russian plane, a Metrojet flight 9268.

Now Russia, Ireland, Germany's Lufthansa group, have suspended all flights to Egypt. Let's bring in CNN's investigative correspondent Chris Frates. Chris, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson outlined some of these new security measures, what more are we learning?

CHRIS FRATES, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning Victor. So, travelers from airports in the region with direct flights to the United States will likely see, as you point out, bomb sniffing dogs, hand swabbing, and a little bit more random searches. Now, a source with knowledge of that situation tells CNN that Cairo, Oman and Kuwait airports will see tightened security from US bound flights there and all beefed-up security will affect fewer than 10 airports.

Now, US Homeland security Sec. Jeh Johnson said yesterday that the precautionary measures included more screening of items on planes, assessing security at foreign airports, and offers to help select foreign airports with their security. Now, US officials stressed there are all already multiple layers of security to screen passengers before they ever get on a plane bound for the US. That includes checking all passengers and crew against the US terror watch list, but vulnerability still exist there, Victor, and the insider threat is a major concern.

Intelligence officials say if the downing of Metrojet was in fact an inside job, authorities worldwide must zero in on airport and airline workers with secure access, Victor.

[06:15:11] BLACKWELL: All right, Chris Frates, thanks so much. Let's bring back Sajjaa Gohel, our international security director of Asia Pacific Foundation terrorism expert. Sajjan, I want to get your reaction to this decision by Sec. Johnson. Also, just as context, this is "certain airports in the region that with the US bound flights that will have this additional security."

Shoe bomber was on a flight from Paris to the US. Underwear bomber was on a flight from Amsterdam to the US. What do you think about the selection of these airports and did they go far enough?

GOHEL: Unfortunately Victor, whenever there is an act of terrorism or suspicion as being terrorism, airport security increases. The level of disruption for passengers also rises and this is what terrorists want. They want to create this chaos that exists on the network of infrastructures to do with all the airports, and the thing that worries me the most is that it's not necessary the passenger that is the concerned. It is to the people doing the security at the airports.

There is growing increasing fear that at Sharm el-Sheikh airport, there was inside collusion by people at the security level at the airport that allowed a potential explosive device to get on board that Metrojet plane. And that is something that's going to need to be looked at in the future is, what are the credentials of the individuals doing the security. What is their background? Do they have an ideological agenda? Are they connected to a terrorist group? This is now a growing new dynamic and growing concern of how terrorism is evolving.

BLACKWELL: All right. Sajjan Gohel, thank you so much. Next hour, CNN National Security analyst Peter Bergen will weigh in on airport security. We'll talk more about this. Is this just window dressing or is there some, some element here that will make Americans safer? And how terror attacks can be prevented in this way the future?

PAUL: Well, hackers meanwhile strike the FBI, again. We have details for you on this latest attack. Plus, one country's security forces are on maximum alert this morning as they join the hunt for this side, drug kingpin El Chapo.

06:20:00(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SPOKEN IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: You see here the demonstrators in the streets of Taipei protesting today's historic meeting between the leaders of China and Taiwan. They're protesting what symbolized in this handshake you're watching now. The thawing of relations, the first meeting between the leaders of the two government since the end of that bloody Chinese Civil War in 1949. Both sides have said no agreement would be signed today, but they would discuss ways to cement their peace.

PAUL: Meanwhile, Argentina's security forces on maximum alert this morning because they believe that fugitive, drug kingpin, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman might have fled Mexico and reached the South American country. El Chapo made headlines when he broke out of a Mexican maximum security prison through a tunnel that was back in July.

BLACKWELL: The cybercrimes or the cyber criminals, I should say, who broke into the AOL e-mail account of CIA director John Brennan, are now at it again. There are now lead suspects in the act of LEO.gov, a sensitive FBI-run law enforcement portal as well as the private e-mail accounts of FBI's number two official. Officials were confident that they would make arrest within days of

the attack last month, but the investigation has provided few details. It's more complicated than first thought.

PAUL: Ahead, an update on a breaking story that we're following this morning, the fatal shooting of a six year old boy. This boy was shot by police officers as the child was still buckled in the front seat of his father's car. Two officers now charged with murder. Also ahead to the political arena, Ben Carson firing back at the media over questions about his past.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARSON: My job is to call you out when you're unfair and I'm going to continue to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Stay close for him in a moment.

BLACKWELL: But first, going to take you on a culinary journey. This week we're taking you to Copenhagen to meet Chef Rene Redzepi, who has revolutionized the culinary scene. Watch what separates his cooking style from other top chef.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Copenhagen, the Danish capital often held as the standard bearer of green living is also at the forefront of the new Nordic cuisine. The undisputed king of the local culinary scene is Noma and its creative force, two Michelin star chef, Rene Redzepi.

RENE REDZEPI, TWO MICHELIN START CHEF: To me, walking in at Noma is like stepping away from reality in a sense, where this universe of our own where people are pushing and have this energy. We're working towards food, better plates and to understand how to cook in this region by exploring the seasonality and exploring the ingredients, trying to find new flavors, trying to build a new tradition.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: By pioneering a notion of foraging, Redzepi has revolutionized Nordic cuisine using raw seasonal ingredients that are plucked directly from the wild landscapes of the North.

REDZEPI: It was really an amazing discovery to actually see the foodstuff that's around you and connect yourself to every single root and every single bay and every single tree and figuring out how to -- how does this taste? How do you cook with it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPOKEN IN FOREEIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pushing the boundaries of cooking, the chef encourages creativity. Experimenting with flavors that are distilled into unique seemingly simple creations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Watch the full show at CNN.com/journeys.

[06:25:03] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDMONSON: It is the most disturbing thing I've seen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: An emotional moment from a Louisiana police official last night after announcing two officers are now under arrest and charged in the fatal shooting of a six-year-old boy. Our affiliate, WAFB reports the officers were chasing his father when they started shooting. Now, the boy died from gunshot wounds to the head and chest while buckled in, that's what they're reporting. We've been following the story throughout the morning. We'll have a live report at the top of the hour.

PAUL: Here now, Egyptian officials are holding a news conference in just a few hours with the latest on the investigation into the crash last weekend of that Russian airliner. This, as the Egyptian prime minister says the new information being reported about the black box and possible bomb was not shared with their government. He added that the technical information should have been handed over to Egypt rather than passing it out widely to the media. We're going to have a live report on the latest development at the top of the hour by the way.

BLACKWELL: The US is planning to increase security for planes coming in from some airports. This comes after the suspicions that a bomb may have brought down the Russian plane Metrojet flight 9268. Air travelers bound for the US from some cities will see random searches, additional hand swabs, possibly more bomb squad dogs.

Right now, Russia, Ireland, Germany's Lufthansa group, they've suspended all flights to Egypt.

[06:30:11] PAUL: All right, let's get into the political arena together here this morning, shall we. I have a 2016 race the course for the White House and a fired up Ben Carson is the headline this morning. The candidate known for his soft-spoken demeanor.

Look at this, clearly agitated. Aggressively disputing report about his past. This was during a campaign stop in Florida. There were questions raised about violent incidents in his past and his claim that West Point offered him a full scholarship.

Well, CNN's Sunlen Serfaty was there in Florida. She has the latest this morning. Good morning, Sunlen.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Victor and Christi. Well, it's very clear that all of this intense scrutiny is getting under Ben Carson skin. He's taken a much more aggressive, a much more combative and tone in speaking to press here in Florida. He really tried to redirect some of the attention about his past onto the media calling it, he believes, a witch hunt.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARSON: I don't think it's relevant at all but I think what it shows in these kinds of things show, is that there is a desperation on behalf of some to try to find a way to tarnish me because they have been looking through everything. They have been talking to everybody I've ever known, everybody I have ever seen. There's got to be a scandal, there's got to be some (ph) he's had an

affair with, there's got to be something. They are getting desperate. So next week, it will be my kindergarten teacher who said I peed on my pants, I mean it's just ridiculous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: And opening up his speech later, he almost seemed a bit reflective about making the decisions to run for president which certainly took on a new meaning given the attention on him this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARSON: You know, a lot of times people say, "Why would somebody who's had a wonderful career in medicine get involved in the dirty world of politics." I frequently ask myself that when I wake up in the morning. It is a dirty world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEFATY: And Carson will now head to Puerto Rico where he'll have a few campaign events this weekend even as these controversies continue to swirl around him, Christi and Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right, Sunlen, thanks so much. Let's talk more about this with political anchor for New York One News and CNN political commentator, Errol Lewis. Errol, good morning to you and I want you to listen to on of Dr. Carson's comments about all this in addition to what we've just heard.

(VIDEO BEGIN CLIP)

CARSON: There is a desperation on behalf of some to try to find a way to tarnish me because they have been looking through everything, They have been talking to everybody I've ever known, everybody I have ever seen. There's got to be a scandal, there's got to be some (ph) he's had an affair with, there's got to be something. They are getting desperate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: So, is that an accurate characterization of what's happening here or are we hearing the frustration of a candidate who's never run for office and he's now running for national office?

ERROL LEWIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think you hit it right on the head there Victor. He is being vetted, is I guess the word that's usually tossed around in politics and everybody wants the press to be responsible and to be investigative and to be hard-hitting until they see it and it's not always pretty.

I will certainly grant him that, but the reality is on both the substance of the policies that are put forward as well as the individual biographical accounts that candidates put forward, it is our job and there are people who are assigned this. You have to read through the book, you have to go sort of a line by line, chapter by chapter, statement by statement, and try and see try and try and explore the contours of the argument and try and verify whether or not the information is true.

And this is not something that a lot of people relish. I remember going out to Chicago despite what Ben Carson says, at the height in 2008 of the whole controversy involving Obama's church, and you know talking to parishioners and asking where he sat and how often did he come and all of this kind of stuff and it wasn't my favorite assignment, but it was something that we had to do.

And so, if Ben Carson didn't expect this, I'm not sure if he thought people were going to just print every word that he says and cover all of his speeches and let that be the end of it. Well, you know, welcome to the race for President Dr. Carson.

BLACKWELL: So, you mentioned flipping through the book and let's talk about one of Dr. Carson (ph) gifted hands in which there is an account that is being called in a question of whether he was offered a full scholarship to West Point. Now, Carson has now clarified saying that it was an informal offer at best. Here's more about what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARSON: It was an offer to me. It was specifically made.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (OFF MIKE).

CARSON: I interpret it as - I interpreted it as an offer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who made the offer?

CARSON: I made it very clear in my -- I don't remember the names. I don't remember the names or the people. It's almost 50 years ago. I bet you don't remember all the people you talk to 50 years ago, but anyway, you know they told me this was available to me because of my accomplishments.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:35:10] BLACKWELL: So, I wonder how does this play, because in the GOP electorate that is often responded favorably to attacks on the media, but this cycle really is showing a disdain for the typical political hedging and potentially doublespeak. How does this resonate with the electorate?

LEWIS: I think people who were already favorably disposed to Dr. Carson will see this as the minor fib or misunderstanding that it could easily be -- easily be interpreted as. I mean, you know, honestly Victor, I don't remember once I met the dean of the Yale law school -- a buddy and I had done some community work and we were at a cocktail party that they were throwing to honor us and one of the people there was the dean of the Yale Law School.

He pulled us aside afterwards and said, "Hey, if you're interested in law school, juts let me know. Now that's, you know, was that an offer? Yeah, that was it -- it was an interesting opportunity. I don't know if I would call it, you know, I turned down a chance to go to Yale law school because I didn't. I didn't apply. I mean it just strikes me as very similar to what Dr. Carson is talking about.

I don't think anybody can really hold that against him, however, if you stack it against a lot of the other controversial statements that he's made, a lot of the flat out gaffs that he's made, you know, the stuff about he thinks the pyramids were not used for funeral rites even though that's what every Egyptologist has ever said for over a hundred years. You know, I think it starts to sort of maybe create some doubts in the leaners who are out there and frankly, there are some undecided voters, even in Iowa less than 90 days before the election. So yeah, there is a lot at stake here.

BLACKWELL: Yeah, and we're going to get to that in the next segment because that's big picture. He is the most trusted candidate on either side of this primary season. Does this start to erode that level of trust amongst at least GOP voters? Errol Lewis, we'll get to you the next hour. Thanks so much.

LEWIS: Okay, thank you.

BLACKWELL: And as I said this morning, we'll have much more on that interview with Dr. Carson and more analysis of the Carson campaign.

PAUL: Tens of thousands of Russian tourists are still in Egypt. We're going to go to St. Petersburg with you for a live report on efforts to get those folks home safely. Also ahead, my goodness -- just an incredible child support from across the country for a trooper who had to make a really tough decision about these poor children -- a decision he says changed his life.

[06:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Forty-one minutes past the hour right now and Russia abruptly suspended flights to Egypt after receiving intelligence reports from the United States and Britain. Now this means there are about 80,000 Russian tourists still stranded in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh and there may not be able to leave for quite a while.

BLACKWELL: And in Russia, a memorial service will be held tomorrow for the 224 people who died aboard that Metrojet flight. CNN international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson joins us now from St. Petersburg. Nick, first let's talk about these citizens who are stranded. What's been done to get the Russians stuck in Egypt home?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, the Russian Emergency Ministry here has instituted a hotline, the special commission involved in investigating what happened and what brought this plane down. They're working together with Emergency Ministry. They brought on board now the Interior Ministry, the Federal Security Services, the FSP that is.

They brought on board the Tourism Industry, the Transport Ministry, and the Finance Ministry, the Communications Ministry as well as the Customs officials here and put together a hotline for people to call into for Russian tourists who are still in Egypt to call into. Some 400 people have called in so far, but an estimated 79,000 Russian tourists in either Sharm el-Sheikh or the other holiday destination, Hurghada.

It could take several days to bring them back. The Russian tourists are being told like the British tourists are being told as, you will get flights to fly you out but you'll only be able to bring just a few handheld possessions. Your bags would normally go in the hold, they won't be brought out with you. They'll have to come on a separate flight. So, it looks like it could be a long wait for some of those tourist -- 79,000 is a lot to organize and get back here to Russia.

BLACKWELL: It is indeed, and I wonder if you could for our viewers, it's characterized where Russian authorities stand now on this theory and presumably the intelligence to support the theory that there was a bomb on board the plane. US is taking it seriously. The Brits are taking it seriously. How about the Russians?

ROBERTSON: And it appears that the Russians are taking it very seriously as well. In fact, and you know the British for example have stopped the flights to Sharm el-Sheikh. The Russians have stopped all flights to Egypt so, at any airport. So, in some ways you could say that they've taken this treat to be even broader than just Sharm el- Sheikh.

President Putin spoke with both the British and American officials and got, you know, an intelligence brief from them. He's also spoken, we're told, with the Egyptian president, President Sisi, but the Russians continue to say that the investigation is being led by the Egyptians.

They need to wait for the Egyptians to give an analysis of what they believe they found so far in the investigation but I think you just -- you just have to read in, you know, from what the steps of the Russian authorities have taken, suspending all the flights to Egypt. This seems to indicate that they sincerely believe that the root of this crash is most highly probably a terrorist action.

BLACKWELL: All right, Nic Robertson, thank you so much. And of course we are looking ahead a little more than three hours from now when we hear from Egyptian officials. The officials are furious that intelligence shared with Russia has not been given to Egypt as well. We'll get a clear picture on that response at 10 a.m. eastern.

PAUL: A Georgia State Trooper has to comfort four children on Halloween, this after their parents were killed in a car crash. Wait until you hear what he did that has caused thousands of people across the country to donate money and reach out to help this kids. My conversation with him, next.

[06:45:16] BLACKWELL: Plus, former New York prison worker, Joyce Mitchell, back in court. She's the woman who helped her two friends I guess there, are to (ph) escape. Now, she has to pay for her part. How much, it's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PAUL: A Georgia State Trooper is making headlines today. Let me put it this way, can you imagine having to tell four children on Halloween that their parents have just died? Neither could he.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the first time I ever had to bury anybody, and this I mean, and it's my son and my daughter-in-law, you know what I'm saying. And now I have four kids that I have to take care off.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Take a look at this. It's a picture of the Howard family, mom Crystal, dad Donald and their four children. A happy close family, and on this Halloween night, Crystal and Donald went to the store to get more face make-up for the kids.

Here's the thing, they died in a tragic accident, and their closest relative was their grandmother who lived eight hours away. That's where trooper Nathan Bradley comes into play.

NATHAN BRADLEY: They're in their full costumes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had -- I was like something bad must have happened because they're -- if nothing bad happened then all of these troopers wouldn't be here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Rather than giving them the devastating news (ph) in there, trooper Bradley and others decided to take the costume-clad kids under their wing for the whole evening and allow them to enjoy Halloween. He and other colleagues agreed that it was best to tell them when their grandmother arrived hours later.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:50:15] PAUL: So, it took their grandmother eight hours as you heard there, to arrive. I got a chance to talk to trooper Bradley. This thing on what he says about that night last week and those kids and what's happening now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRADLEY: What made me decide that we weren't going to tell them is I do not feel that it was my place as a law-enforcement officer. I don't have (ph) doing death identifications. It's had to do but I know it is part of the job, but with this scenario it's completely different story.

Usually, it's us notifying parents their children have passed and I've never had it the other way around. So, we had -- it was mostly just stalling and I knew if I just kept talking, I want to give them a chance to ask any questions. So, all I did was bombard them with questions and anytime it got quiet, I just bring up another topic.

PAUL: When you went to that door, they were all dressed in costume. Take me back to that moment for all of you. BRADLEY: It hit me hard because I come from a large family as well. I have multiple siblings so, I remember, I mean like you all know, I'm 24 -- so I mean, 10 years prior I was in that same situation as Justin said and that we're waiting for our parents to get home from work. So, I can relate completely to it and it just tore me apart.

I had absolutely no idea. I wish I can say that, you know, this is all pre-planned and that there is a God, that step by step on what to do, but you just can't train for this type of stuff.

PAUL: So, I understand you gave one of your trooper ball caps to the 13 year old before - before they left?

BRADLEY: Justin, he had a fascination with my hat. I had three hats in my car. I had my big hat which is the campaign and I had two ball caps, one of which I wore through my 33 weeks of training. So, that hat meant a lot to me and it appealed to him for whatever reason. I mean it's faded and it's not appealing at all through sight, but he liked it.

So, before he left or while he was sleeping, I took that hat and under the bill I wrote, "You're a great person. Please never change." And I wrote my phone number. And the intention of that was we, state troopers we reach out to all the families of victims. We really do and we hope that they contact us and we are there to support them. Well, I guess that we are self-initiated so, we have the time to speak to these people if they want to talk. So, I really wanted him extend out and reach out to me.

So, I wrote it down and I gave it to his grandmother. I said, "If you would, please make sure he gets this if you decide to tell them without me being present" and she said she would. So, after she had told him about their parents fate, she gave him a hat and I thank God that he called me because that's when he -- the next time he would call me was when he told me about the $7,000 and that's where it just took off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: They needed $7,000 for the funeral but listen to what he did. He posted this on the GoFundMe page and the outpouring from all of you across the country has been incredible. He's raised more than $400,000 for these kids. A lot of that is going to go to their education because they were homeschooled. Their parents clearly wanted them to have a good education. You could see more of my interview with trooper Bradley. He told me how he's been changed by all of this as well. Just got to Facebook.com/NewDay.

BLACKWELL: And there are some disturbing new photos this morning of the victim of Dallas Cowboy's player Greg Hardy, as alleged domestic violence surface here, violent evidence here. Live report on what this means for the NFL player.

[06:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Well, domestic abuse allegations once again haunting the NFL this morning. Deadspin posted dozens of graphic images apparently showing Greg Hardy's bruised and beaten ex-girlfriend. I know these are hard to look at. CNN has not independently verified the photographs but you'll see that woman there, swelling, marks, contusions across her body, her chin, her neck, her back, her hands, her legs, her feet.

Hardy is a defensive end who is playing for the Carolina Panthers when the alleged attack took place. Now, he is a Dallas Cowboy and CNN's Coy Wire is joining us with the very latest. So, I'm wondering, did the Cowboys -- they've seen these pictures now.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: They have now and we'll talk about that in a minute, but currently they're standing by their man. Not a surprise to many unfortunately, but Hardy was convicted on domestic violence charges against his then girlfriend, Nicole Holder, back in 2014, but he appealed that case in front of a jury and it was eventually dismissed in February because the ex-girlfriend stop cooperating with authorities.

Prosecutors say that they have reliable information that Holder and Hardy reached a civil settlement out of court. Now, Hardy goes on and he signs that one year contract with the Cowboys in the off-season and many question that moved by the Cowboys. Even though those charges against Hardy were dropped, the NFL seemingly did its part, and that they suspended Hardy for 10 games for violating at least personal conduct policy. But the players union, they appealed that they got that reduced to four games, but now the pictures and I'll remind you, they are disturbing.

Here they are again. Deadspin.com released them yesterday showing Holder battered and bruised, you know, red marks on her body including her back. She also had those bruises on her chin. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, he's still sticking by his decision to sign and keep Hardy. He released a statement yesterday saying in part, "Why we did not have access to the photos that became public today, we have given Greg a second chance. He is a member of our team and someone who's grateful for the opportunity he's been given to move forward with his life and his career." So, very disturbing indeed (ph) with the release of these photos, something else for the Cowboys to think about moving forward.

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