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Manhunt in Upstate New York; Prison Worker Helped Prisoners; Perimeter Closing In on Escapees; Inmates Believed to Be Sticking Together; More Than 800 Officers Searching for Convicted Killers; Tools Provided for Escape; Mitchell Provided Tools; Fast-Track Trade Legislation. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired June 12, 2015 - 13:00   ET

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, I'm Brianna Keilar in for Wolf Blitzer.

We start with breaking news on the manhunt in upstate New York as more than 800 local, state and federal officers are literally beating the bushes. They're trying to find those two convicted killers who broke out of prison one week ago.

Today, we're learning more about this woman, Joyce Mitchell. She worked at the prison, and she became close with those two escaped inmates. Now, law enforcement sources tell CNN she provided by them with hacksaw blades, with glasses that had spotlights on them and with drill bits.

Meanwhile, the search goes on one day after bloodhounds got a strike and grabbed the scent of these men near a gas station not far from the prison. Schools, at this point, are closed. Residents are being told to watch out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm nervous but I know that there's enough people around that they'll keep us safe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And they're just butchers. I hope they catch them soon and they put them in body bags.

GOV. PETER SHUMLIN (D), VERMONT: These two men are ruthless, nasty killers. Just look at their records. They will do anything to achieve their freedom because they're both in for a long time and they've got a history of doing horrid things to people. Bottom line is they could be anywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: That was Vermont's governor. His state has stepped patrols up as well on lakes as well as on remote campsites.

I want to go live now to upstate New York for more on this search. We have CNN National Correspondent Jason Carroll there in West Plattsburg. Jason, give us the latest from where you stand. Do they think that these two escaped inmates are still together or might they have branched off and gone separate ways?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The latest information that we're having, Brianna, is that the belief is that the two are still together, that Richard Matt and David Sweat are on the run together. And, in fact, just recently, in terms of -- in terms of more information about what you were talking about that those bloodhounds picking up on that scent near that gas station. That gas station located just about a mile or so from where the prison is located, that is the Maple Fields gas station.

And, in all likelihood, these two guys were there looking for supplies, looking for food, maybe in the dumpster trying to find whatever that they can. They're going to be looking at the security cameras there to see if there are any leads that they can get from those security cameras. Dog sniffers -- dog sniffers also picked up the scent in the area where we are as well. We talked a little bit about that yesterday. Investigators are still focused in on that particular section. A perimeter has been set up. They're narrowing in on that perimeter as well.

We talked about the things that were found there, including wrappers. Wrappers that seemed to match the description of wrappers used at the -- at the -- at the prison commissary as well.

I want to bring in -- to get a little bit more information about the search, I want to bring in Plattsburg chief of police, Desmond Racicot. I know we were talking a little earlier about some of the resources you have out here but, very first, just bring us up to date, in terms of what you have going on now, in terms of the search.

DESMOND RACICOT, CHIEF OF POLICE, PLATTSBURG, NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT: Well, as of things have been going since the start, there's a tremendous amount of resources surrounding the area. I mean, you can't look in any direction about 10 feet without seeing either a corrections officer or a police officer. So, that's really helpful, obviously. The search is -- different zones are contained. And so, right now --

CARROLL: So, you're setting up different zones?

RACICOT: Well, the whole area is broken up into -- you know, into, you know, different zones. So, there's a -- you know, it has to be tracked and we have to make sure that we're searching areas and researching areas. And so, that's really important. The utmost confidence in the New York State Police. I've got to tell you, I'm a member of the community. You know, I have friends and family contacting us all time. You know, we're going to catch these guys. You know, it's --

CARROLL: I know you've got some confidence there. Tell me -- if you can, I know that you're limited in terms of what you can discuss. But can you tell me a bit more about this area that they were focused in on yesterday?

RACICOT: Well, I can't get into any specific details about the investigation or the search. I know that our team is set up as a response team so we're on standby. We're kind of staged up. Yesterday, we were staged at the corner of 374 and Trudeau Road.

CARROLL: That's 374?

RACICOT: And so -- which is what we're on right now, very close by. There's a lot of information flying around on social media. The reports back and forth. You know, we're sitting in our police cars. We have our radios on. And we're -- you know, there's a mass of information back and forth.

CARROLL: In terms of the information, can you give us any sort of perspective, in terms of why the belief is that these two may be still be together?

RACICOT: Well, I mean, again, you know, the experts on the ground, you know, the canines, these hound dogs and the people that are working those things, they have the most direct information that's being channeled through the incident command center. So, right now, you know, there have been, you know, some hits with these dogs in different areas.

[13:05:00] And, again, you know, there's so many sightings, sounds being heard, people see movement. All of those things are being checked out. But, again, we're checking things, rechecking things and rechecking things, --

CARROLL: Right.

RACICOT: -- you know, just to be thorough.

CARROLL: I mean, I know you're also asking the public to be vigilant, to be on the lookout for anything at all that might be suspicious, but you were also talking about some misinformation that seems to be out there as well.

RACICOT: Yes, there's really a tremendous amount of information on Facebook and text messaging back and forth from the community. We certainly need the community to be hyper-vigilant and report what they see. But we also caution that there's a lot of information, people that are sending it to their friends and family saying, people are spotted, people are running, heard this, heard that.

And sometimes, it could really cause more alarm, you know, for your friends and family than -- I mean, really, at this point, let, you know, the professional news agencies handle the information. Certainly let that information come from the New York State Police. When these people are apprehended, which we're hoping very soon, it'll be released right away and you guys will have it.

CARROLL: I was talking to one law enforcement source who told me that, in his opinion, that these two were operating on the fly, that their original plan didn't come through, plan A. They are now on plan B which maybe explains why they went by the Maple Fields gas station looking for supplies, looking for food, things such as that nature. No sightings of them since what we've heard from this past weekend. Anything at all you can tell us about their movement?

RACICOT: Not really.

CARROLL: Do you believe they're still the area?

RACICOT: Well, again, you know, you have to -- you have to operate under the assumption that they are. And, you know, there's really a couple of different components here. One is a tactical component, maintaining perimeters, searching. You know, searching very, very thick --

CARROLL: Right.

RACICOT: -- heavily forested areas. You know, out buildings, garages, old abandoned vehicles. I mean, there's just, you know, a tremendous -- a tremendous amount of growth in there, too. You know, several years back, there was a significant ice storm up here, you know, in this area that put a lot of trees and brush down. That's all -- you know, it's very thick in there so it's a very complex search.

And the other side, you have the New York State Police and these other agencies, the federal agencies and local agencies working to do the criminal investigation, trying to, you know, follow up on leads. So, there really are kind of two different things happening at one time and, of course, there's a lot of information sharing back and forth.

The hard part, you know, really is that, you know, the men and women stationed on these perimeters are standing in the rain trying to stay vigilant. You know, they're there day and night. They're exposed to the elements, the bugs, you know, and so --

CARROLL: And they might be as well. I know it's a drain on resources. I want to ask just one more question, if I may again. Any indication that these two might be armed?

RACICOT: Well, they're both convicted killers so, I mean, you know, I would make the assumption that, you know, anything is possible. I mean, I would certainly, you know, for our offices and for the people in the area, you know, let the professionals interact. You know, if you see something, we're obviously asking you to contact law enforcement and don't approach these people. They're desperate. They're dangerous. Again, they're convicted -- you know, one's a convicted cop killer and the other one, you know, committed, you know, multiple murders.

CARROLL: Very good. Chief Racicot, thank you very much.

RACICOT: Thank you very much.

CARROLL: I really appreciate you taking the time. I know there are a lot of resources out here.

RACICOT: Thank you.

CARROLL: Thanks again, Chief.

So, again, Brianna, you heard there just from the chief, everyone out here working doing everything that they can to try to find these -- to try to find these men. But, once again, also calling on the public to be vigilant, to always be on the lookout to report anything suspicious that they might -- that might be seen out there -- Brianna.

KEILAR: And he sounded confident that they may catch these guys soon. We will see. Jason Carroll there for us in west Plattsburgh. Thanks for the report.

You know, no surprise, the escape has turned life upside down there for those in and around Dannemora, New York where this prison break happened more than a week ago. Many residents are afraid to leave their homes. They're scared to go to work. Schools there are closed.

Let's talk to Jonathan Parks. He's joining us on the line from Dannemora. He's the superintendent of the Saranac Central School District. Jonathan, these schools that have been closed, are they going to remain that way until the killers are caught?

JONATHAN PARKS, SUPERINTENDENT, SARANAC CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT: Good afternoon, Brianna. We're operating on a day-by-day basis. We're briefed by New York State Police every evening. And based on the information that they provide me, you know, we get together and make a decision regarding whether school is going to be in session the next day.

KEILAR: OK. So, you're doing it -- you're doing it day by day. But what is the criteria? Is it based on where there are --

PARKS: Mainly, it's --

KEILAR: -- hits from dogs?

PARKS: -- mainly, the criteria is the location and the -- and the -- I guess the magnitude of the search in this area. Our issue with the school district is, A, we have students who live in or very near that search area that we can't get to. As well as a number of the roads around here are closed so we can't run our complete bus routes to get to other students that are -- that are near the area.

[13:10:11] So, that -- and I -- so, I guess the third factor is that this search is expanding on a daily basis. More and more law enforcement personnel are coming in every day. For them to have to deal with school buses traveling around the roads and, of course, they get searched at every checkpoint and what not, is it not -- it is not going to help the process. So, for the last two days, we've decided the prudent thing is to --

KEILAR: To keep the schools closed.

PARKS: -- (INAUDIBLE) and get out of their way. Let them do what they need to do.

KEILAR: I wonder, what do you do moving forward? I think of small children and I think of the fact that parents must be having discussions with them and they must be awfully scared. What do you do moving forward, if these men are caught or even if they aren't caught? This has been a very scary situation for these kids. PARKS: Well, you know, I had a conversation with one of -- one of my administrators today about that very fact is, you know, when this all gets -- when we -- when we all get back to a normal routine of our school day, that impact is still there, and like you -- like you pointed out, especially with young children.

We have a great relationship with the law enforcement community around here and we would probably make a plan to bring some of them in to help us, to have discussions with the children about what are they thinking? What did they see and what did it mean when they saw those men standing next to the road with guns? What were they there for? You and I, when we see a large number of law enforcement personnel around in an area, we think, OK, I feel better. I'm safe. And there's certainly a lot of that going around. A child might not process that information the same way. They -- you know, a man standing around with a gun in a black uniform may cause them some concern and they would worry about that.

So, getting some information out to them after the fact is, here's what we were here for. Here's what our law enforcement personnel were doing for us in the community. And utilizing them to help us deliver that message I think is going to go a long way to help them get back to a normal routine.

KEILAR: Well, we sure do hope it gets back to normal soon and we really appreciate you being with us. Jonathan Parks, the Superintendent there of Saranac Central District School. Thank you.

And, up next, new details on that female prison worker who may have helped the inmates escape. We're going to tell you about the hacksaw blade, that's right, the hacksaw blade, that she provided to these escapees.

And then, also, a key vote in the U.S. House could come this hour. The big question here, why are so many Democrats abandoning the president on one of his most important economic priorities?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:16:21] BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Back now to our top story, the search for two escaped killers in upstate New York. Investigators continue to speak to Joyce Mitchell, she's the woman that authorities believe was supposed to be the getaway driver. Now they know a little more about her role in this escape.

Alexandra Field is outside of the prison in Dannemora, New York.

Some fascinating developments here, very troubling developments, Alexandra. What are authorities telling us that Mitchell provided to these escaped inmates?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, what she's being accused of is pretty brazen. Law enforcement sources are saying that Joyce Mitchell, the woman who worked in the tailor shop in this maximum security prison, provided tools to convicted killers. We're talking about hacksaw blades, drill bits, even glasses with lights on them.

These men have been on the run for six days now, Brianna, and since basically the beginning here, Joyce Mitchell has been at the center of this investigation and that's because her interactions with these two inmates had raised eyebrows. In fact, there was a previous investigation after reports of some kind of improper relationship with one of the two men. The Clinton County district attorney says that no evidence ever was found that would support or confirm whether or not a relationship did, in fact, exist, but as a result of that investigation, we know that David Sweat was removed from his post at the tailor shop where she worked.

Authorities have also talked about her ties to Richard Matt, saying that her cell phone was used to connect with some of Matt's contacts, his associates. She has been speaking to investigators. She told them that Matt made her feel special, Brianna.

KEILAR: Very interesting. And it makes you wonder why, at this point - we don't know that she's been charged, right? I mean if you look at these facts here, you would imagine that investigators are figuring that she was complicit in this escape. But they're not really taking action against her, right?

FIELD: She has not been charged, according to the Clinton County district attorney. She is working closely with investigators. In fact, we're told that she has gone in to answer questions almost every single day and yet even given some of the accusations, even given some of the allegations, she seems to have not retained an attorney.

Look, it's important to investigators right now that they continue to work closely with this woman. She may have as good an idea of the fugitives' plan as anyone. But the district attorney has also said it is his intention to file some charges at the end of this investigation. And, Brianna, frankly, we're talking about pretty serious charges, potentially felony charges. There's a possibility that she could be charged with promoting prison contraband or even accessory to escape.

KEILAR: All right, Alexandra Field for us there outside of the prison in Dannemora. Thanks for your report.

Still to come, President Obama is trying to rally Democrats to vote for his trade bill by meeting with them on The Hill. Will his effort, though, pay off?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:22:44] KEILAR: Well, any minute now the House will start voting on a bill that is so important to President Obama he went to Capitol Hill to do some last-minute arm-twisting on this, trying to get Democrats to support a bill that would give him what's called fast track trade authority. This is a bill that is supported in the House largely by establishment Republicans and it faces some strong opposition on both ends of the spectrum here by most Democrats and then by some conservative Republicans. In effect, what this would do is it would allow President Obama to negotiate trade deals and it would give Congress just an up or down yes or no vote on these trade deals.

Joining me now from Capitol Hill to talk about this, we have CNN national correspondent Sunlen Serfaty. We also have White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski for us watching this all at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue there.

Sunlen, I want to start with you. Where are we on the vote right now? I know that we've wrapped up debate, right? So what's ahead for us?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Brianna.

Well, the vote right now is very uncertain, very fluid. Both sides, Democrats, Republicans, even the president himself admitting that they don't know which way this vote will go. But certainly there was a huge blow to the bill when just moments ago House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, she announced - and this was secret up to then - she announced that she will be against the first bill, TAA, Trade Assistance Authority, and likely moving to slow down the trade promotion authority that the president has been vying for. So this is a huge blow to the president - one of the president's main legislative goals here. And we really, at this point, don't know which way that it goes. Both sides are saying that they - they could get there or they could not. So really a lot of confusion on Capitol Hill.

President Obama came up here earlier this morning and he huddled for about a half an hour with House Democrats who have really been in opposition to him. They - he has - his appearance here on Capitol Hill does little to sway many members. We heard from multiple members leaving that meeting this morning that they weren't swayed by President Obama. He made an emotional appeal to them saying let's vote this straight. Don't vote on this first bill, TAA, in order to derail another bill. The TAA will be the first vote that we see, Brianna, that House vote here. But at this time, it's very uncertain which way it goes. A lot of people here on Capitol Hill holding their breath.

[13:25:06] Brianna.

KEILAR: So this vote that we're watching right now, this is on that fast-track authority?

SERFATY: This vote here is the TAA, that's the worker assistance authority. This is, I should say, a vote that many Democrats have been in support of in the past and that's something that President Obama reminded a lot of the Democrats saying this is something that your party is in support of and warning really in dire straits that if they don't pass this through, that that could - they wouldn't have another opportunity to vote for it before this aid to workers who have been displaced by trade before it expires by the end of the year.

These two issues are linked. This is complicated politics, but many Democrats will not vote for TAA in order to derail the larger trade bill, and that vote will be coming up after this one.

KEILAR: OK.

SERFATY: But important to remember, if this first bill fails, they won't even go to the next bill and that would mean (INAUDIBLE) -

KEILAR: They won't even go to the next one. But this one is for retraining workers who would lose their jobs because of foreign trade, something Democrats have supported.

OK, I want to go to the White House now. Let's talk to Michelle Kosinski. It's interesting, Michelle, the stakes here are so high for the president.

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

KEILAR: He - strange bedfellows here. He's actually looking for support from Republicans. But it strikes me that it's interesting what he said as he came back to the White House when he was asked if he got the support he needed. He said, "I don't think you ever nail anything down around here. It's always moving." So this is going to be a squeaker if we even see this next vote, right?

KOSINSKI: Yes, definitely. I mean the White House hasn't even wanted to really say how they feel about how things are going because early this morning we got word from some on The Hill, some Democrats, saying they didn't think this was going to pass. But you ask the White House about it and their take is, well, that's coming from people who are opposed. You just don't know how it's going to go.

And then all of a sudden there was this scramble, a last-minute decision for the president to go to the - go to Capitol Hill himself, talk to Democrats himself, causing some in his own party to say, well, this is kind of late, where was he before in hashing all of this out? But, still, the White House saying, well, it's not because this is in such jeopardy. It's just something that he's going to do and going to talk to them.

And I think what was more striking was after that 20-minute meeting, hearing from some of his fellow Democrat. Congressman Defazio (ph) saying he tried to guilt people and impugn their integrity "I was insulted." Another congressman saying the president spoke passionately and eloquently and it's clear that he cares about the American worker. But this congressman said, he's just wrong on this trade bill.

KEILAR: Yes, it's not -

KOSINSKI: So I think the bottom line here is, is it going to be good for American workers or bad for American workers? And you have such strong, strong arguments on either side, even now down to the wire. Just before this vote started, we were hearing those arguments.

Brianna.

KEILAR: And we'll be watching that as we'll - we'll have Sunlen on standby from the Capitol. Michelle Kosinski, thanks so much for your report. We'll be checking back in with you if we get some reaction as this all unfolds ahead of us. We're going to keep you updated, of course, on that vote. Very important in the House of Representatives.

But up next, we have the latest on that hunt for two escaped inmates in upstate New York. We have more on the woman that is believed by authorities to have really helped them out, helping them break out of prison.

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