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CNN NEWSROOM

St. Louis is a "Racial Powder Keg"; Will GM Help Crash Victim Clear Her Name?; U.S. Troops Fighting Ebola in Liberia

Aired October 10, 2014 - 10:30   ET

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


RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I think the affordable -- I think the Affordable Care Act is going to be really the pivot of his legacy. You know, Harry Truman, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton tried to pass a universal coverage bill. Not of it even got as far as the floor of either House.

Obama is the first one to get a vote, much less pass it in both chambers. And he does have the potential, contrary to what Crystal said, to expand coverage to over 20 million people without health insurance by the end of his term; maybe as many as 25 million without health insurance. If that endures I think that is a lasting, significant change in the American social safety net that he will be remembered for.

CRYSTAL WRIGHT, CONSERVATIVEBLACKCHICK.COM: Well, I agree with --

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And Krugman isn't the only -- stand by --

WRIGHT: Yes.

LEMON: Krugman isn't the only who was gushing over President Obama. Yesterday Gwyneth Paltrow held a fund-raiser at her home for the President and she said this, she said "I am one of your biggest fans, if not the biggest. You're so handsome that I can hardly speak."

WRIGHT: That was cute. I will say Gwyneth was cute but I kind of worried about her a little bit. I wanted to say Gwyneth, back off, the first lady isn't going to like that gushing.

And I agree with Ron. I think on foreign policy the country did react to what many people perceived as overreach from President Bush, but Americans also want us engaged on the world stage so I agree with Ron on that.

LEMON: Well, at least he's cute, Ron, according to Gwyneth Paltrow.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes. I was going to say, you know, I mean look, the reality is that it may be possible -- our country is so polarized now, so much of the country is locked down firmly one side or the other, it just simply may not be possible to be in effect more than president of half of America. That, you know, the best a president can do is have a little more than half of the country with him at his high point.

Nobody has gotten more than 53 percent of the vote since 1988. So we're talking about a country that is closely and stably divided and what that means is Paul Krugman is right. Approval ratings don't mean what they used to because presidents can't get as high as say Eisenhower or Kennedy or even Reagan got. It's just not in the cards anymore.

Gwyneth Paltrow may love you but in Mississippi and Alabama and Texas, you know, you are not exactly a hero. And the reverse is going to be true if you're popular in those states, you're probably not going to have a lot of fans on the west side of L.A. and the west side of New York City.

So that's the reality we live in. That is the reality presidents are operating in and I think it does change the standard by which we measure their political success.

LEMON: And she is consciously uncoupled so, you know. But the President is a happily married man.

WRIGHT: Yes. The President is not available.

LEMON: Yes, he's not available.

WRIGHT: So I think Gwyneth needs to put that out of her mind.

LEMON: Thank you Ron Brownstein. Thank you Crystal Wright.

WRIGHT: Thanks.

BROWNSTEIN: Sure.

LEMON: Moving on now to a racial powder keg. That's how one protester in St. Louis describes the city following the shooting death of an African-American teen by a white off duty police officer. American flags were burned as protesters gathered in one neighborhood.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey Bert, be careful. Careful.

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LEMON: It quickly turned chaotic as police tried to break it up. As if the situation were not tense enough, each day seems to frazzle nerves on both sides. This weekend could be a rough one though. The nearby community of Ferguson was the scene of intense clashes between police and the community when Michael Brown was shot to death by a white officer two months ago.

Sara Sidner in Ferguson where protest organizers hope to bring pressure on the city to charge the officer with the shooting. Sara, things are quiet for the moment. But are people there bracing for more possible unrest after this latest incident?

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely people are. The authorities here believe there could be thousands of people who converge in the St. Louis area, not just here in Ferguson, but in the St. Louis as well. And this latest case that came up Wednesday night is certainly fuelling that. People are worried that there will be huge protests and potentially violence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER (voice over): Overnight, Shaw Boulevard turned chaotic. Police using pepper spray on the crowd of protesters as the tense standoff quickly escalates.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A large knife came flying out of the crowd.

SIDNER: Police say they were asking the crowd of protesters to disperse around midnight when this knife here on the ground was hurled towards the officers, hitting one of them in the shoulder.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It just shows how the emotions and how quickly this situation can turn.

SIDNER: Protesters also smashing the windows of a police car, someone throwing a brick at this police SUV.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I understand the emotions but there's some things that you just can't tolerate and that's one of them.

SIDNER: What started out as a peaceful vigil early Thursday evening, later reignited anger over the killing of black teenager Von Derek Myers shot by a white off duty St. Louis police officer working a security job. Police say Myers was no stranger to them. Myers, pictured here, for a gun charge back in June.

An autopsy revealed the 18-year-old was shot seven or eight times. The fatal wound -- a gunshot to his right cheek.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is what democracy looks like.

SIDNER: The call for justice reminiscent of the outrage over unarmed teenager Michael Brown's shooting only two months ago. Allegedly with his hands up, Brown was shot six times by a white police officer only 12 miles away in Ferguson, Missouri. A grand jury is currently hearing the case and will decide if charges will be brought against Officer Darren Wilson.

But this most recent shooting may be different. Police say Myers fired a 9-millimeter pistol three times at the officer; the officer then firing a total of 17 times. The weapon recovered at the scene. Myers' family members insist, though, that the teenager was unarmed and holding a sandwich at the time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a right to have a life just like anyone else.

SIDNER: and some people are building their own narrative, expressing distrust of the St. Louis Police Department.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a clear case of this young man being gunned down by an insensitive white officer who was off duty. He chased him off a corner. SIDNER: Protesters pushing the limit with police in burning the

American flag. In this divided community, racial tensions and nerves on edge again.

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SIDNER: Now, a store owner in that area right before the shooting happened said he'd known Myers for a very long time and did not see a gun when he was in his shop. Ten minutes later Myers was dead.

We do know that protests are expected to happen about 3:00 local time so in a few hours from now -- and there's a Web site put up called FergusonOctober.com where they're letting people know and they say about 6,000 people have already signed up. Certainly police are preparing -- Don.

LEMON: Yes. All right. Stand back, everybody. Take a deep breath.

Sara Sidner, appreciate it.

We'll be right back, everyone.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Now an update on a really outrageous story we have been following for some time now. In a moment, you're going to hear from Mary Barra, the CEO of the embattled car maker GM. CNN's Poppy Harlow asked her pointblank why GM isn't doing more to help clear the name of a woman who is charged in the death of her boyfriend, a death that regulators say was caused by GM'S defective ignition switch.

So far, 24 deaths have been tide to GM's defective ignition switch. Each of those deaths has caused immeasurable heart break. For Candice Anderson, though, there has also been ten years of guilt.

Before we get to Poppy's interview with Mary Barra, here's her recap of the story.

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CANDICE ANDERSON: For the past ten years I have been in a form of a prison.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): For a decade, Candice Anderson believed she was responsible for the death of her boyfriend, Michael Erickson. He was her first love.

ANDERSON: I can still hear his laugh, big laughter.

HARLOW: Candice was behind the wheel when her brand new 2004 Saturn Ion crashed into a tree on this east Texas country road.

ANDERSON: I was through the windshield on the hood of the car and then his face was face down in my lap.

HARLOW: She pleaded guilty to criminal negligent homicide. Only this year, a decade later, she learned it may not have been all her fault.

(on camera): You were being prosecuted as a murder. What did people in this town call you?

ANDERSON: I've been told a couple times point blank to my face that I was a murderer -- that I killed him.

HARLOW (voice over): The police report says neither was wearing a seat belt. The air bags did not deploy. After the crash, Xanax was found in Candice's system. She was not prescribed the drug but said she had taken one pill the night before. The police report says Candice's intoxication resulted in the accident.

ANDERSON: I wasn't intoxicated.

HARLOW: But she was indicted on a felony charge of intoxication manslaughter facing up to 20 years in prison. She accepted a plea deal and served five year's probation but today the felony is still on her record.

ANDERSON: This one right here.

HARLOW (on camera): This is the tree you hit?

(voice over): Just this year, though, GM recalled millions of cars for a defective ignition switch. Candice's car was one of those. Regulators count Michael Erickson's death among those caused by the defective switch.

ANDERSON: I'm fighting for my justice. I want vindication.

HARLOW: GM's CEO Mary Barra has apologized to victims and their families.

MARY BARRA, CEO, GENERAL MOTORS: I am deeply sorry.

HARLOW: This year, GM admitted people within the company knew of the deadly defect for years but didn't fix it.

(on camera): You may never have known.

ANDERSON: I don't believe I ever would have known.

HARLOW: Did GM reach out to you? Did they ever tell you?

ANDERSON: I still haven't heard from them.

HARLOW (voice over): Now Candice's fight is to get the conviction off her record and she has some in Washington on her side.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Miss Barra, will you recommend to the governor of Texas that he pardon Miss Anderson?

BARRA: I think we will provide information to support that decision but I don't think it's in -- it's not something that I think is appropriate for me to do. I don't have all the facts of the case. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, with all due respect, that answer really

is unworthy of GM. I hope you'll think more about it because this is a young woman whose life has really been changed as a result of a perversion of the justice process. As a result of GM knowing and concealing that she was innocent.

HARLOW (on camera): Do you think that some individuals at General Motors should be criminally prosecuted?

ANDERSON: I was because of my negligence. I think that if a 21-year- old girl is charged with negligent homicide and has to go through the motions that there should be someone held criminally responsible. I do. I do believe that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Here's CNN's Poppy Harlow again. She sat down with General Motors CEO Mary Barra to find out if the company would help clear Candice Anderson's name.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: I want to talk about the case of Candice Anderson. AS you know, we've been following that very closely. Her crash ten years ago -- she was driving, her boyfriend was killed in that accident. It is now known that car had a defective ignition switch. Knowing more about her case, do you believe Candice Anderson should be pardoned?

BARRA: Again, that is something for the courts to decide, not for General Motors. We have the (inaudible) program to evaluate from a perspective, but I don't think it's appropriate for General Motors as a company to step in.

HARLOW: Why? I mean why is that? If the crash happened because of something that was wrong with her car, that General Motors knew about, why not write a letter on her behalf or at least voice an opinion one way or another.

BARRA: Again, there are the right experts that have the full complete details. Those are the people who should be making that decision.

HARLOW: You don't think GM should weigh in at all?

BARRA: I do not.

HARLOW: She said to me that her life has been forever changed by this. She has a harder time getting a job. She's still got this felony on her record. The district attorney who prosecuted her wrote a letter on her behalf after learning all of the circumstances of the crash. And I guess I'm wondering, like Senator Blumenthal asked you, why does GM not think that it has any role in weighing in here?

BARRA: Again, we'll provide information that's requested from a technical perspective. But we're not exposed to all of the information.

HARLOW: You don't have all the information of her crash?

BARRA: Of the whole situation. I think there's people who have that and they're in the best position to make that decision and I respect the role of the judicial system to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right. That was CNN's Poppy Harlow and while Mary Barra will not weigh in on Anderson's case, the former prosecutor said he had no idea the car was defective and thinks Anderson should be cleared.

Still to come, U.S. troops now in Africa armed with medical supplies, not weapons. We get an exclusive look at the new mission in Liberia.

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LEMON: The U.S. military is scrambling to take on one of its most stealthy enemies yet and that's the Ebola virus. Troops and machinery are racing to construct clinics in Liberia in hopes of containing a threat that grows more worrisome every single day.

CNN's Nima Elbagir has this exclusive look at the newest mission now under way.

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MAJ. GEN. DARRYL WILLIAMS: Well, I'm a military soldier and I love to see military aircraft come in. So absolutely I'm excited. It's a great day.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): After weeks of preparation, the sounds of aircraft overhead signals a new phase in Major General Darryl Williams' mission.

WILLIAMS: The weather is tough, the terrain is tough, the infrastructure is challenging. So these tools you see coming in will give us the ability to operate with confidence and strength.

ELBAGIR: Williams has the unenviable job of leading the fight against an invisible enemy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're glad you're here, man. Hurrah.

ELBAGIR: Tasked by President Obama to help stop the spread of Ebola. And the clock is ticking.

WILLIAMS: This is how you make a hotel into an operational center.

ELBAGIR: Today he's conducting what they call a battlefield circulation tour of his joint forces command.

WILLIAMS: This is how we ensure that we stay safe.

ELBAGIR: But this battlefield requires a different kind of vigilance.

WILLIAMS: Carry on. How's everybody doing? All right, take your seats.

ELBAGIR: In a crowded room in a Liberian hotel, the operations nerve center, they're about to hit the ground running, fitting in where they can. Conscious that delays cost lives.

This will be the site of the Monrovia medical unit, a facility specifically for health workers to be run by U.S. government health teams. Another tent goes up, another hard-won victory against the elements. Outside, Liberians have come to watch. They've been coming everyday, we're told, watching and waiting.

WILLIAMS: We'll do a lot of tangible things. We'll build this hospital, we'll build these Ebola treatment units, we'll provide these labs and a lot of these tangible things. But there's a lot of intangible nature to this fight. And you want to give people the resiliency, the hope that they can continue on and fight this and see this through.

ELBAGIR: And that they're not alone.

WILLIAMS: And that they're not alone. So what you see over here are the building blocks of where our soldiers and our airmen and marines will live as they coordinate this effort.

ELBAGIR: President Obama has pledged up to 4,000 troops. Pre-packed and ready to roll out, there's space here for 600, but more still will need to be found -- another task on a very long list.

The general's optimism, though, is filtering down to his men. What did you think when they asked you to come out here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought let's do it. Let's go. I was ready to go; within 24 hours we were here.

ELBAGIR: There is no getting away from the magnitude of the task ahead. Torrential rains, ravaged infrastructure, a disease that's now a pandemic -- a mission like none they've undertaken.

WILLIAMS: We were brought in to provide our unique capabilities and fill the gaps. The United States military, the Department of Defense is here to see this mission through.

ELBAGIR: However long it takes.

WILLIAMS: However long it takes.

ELBAGIR: Nima Elbagir CNN, Monrovia, Liberia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Let's check your top stories right now. There's a new twist in the case of missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham. CNN has learned that police have seized a taxi that was once owned by Jesse Matthew, who is charged in Graham's disappearance. Sources tell CNN Matthew drove the cab in 2009 when a Virginia Tech student disappeared. DNA tests have tied him to that case. Former SNL star Jan Hooks has died at the age of 57.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't evolve from you. I evolved from Jesus.

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LEMON: She's hilarious. That's Hooks doing her best Kathie Lee Gifford impression. The Emmy nominated actress was on SNL from 1986 to 1991. She also starred on "Designing Women" and "Third Rock from the Sun".

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't evolve from you. I evolved from Jesus. Both of us come from God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Cats have a unique personality, and when you throw a dog in the mix, you have a viral hit. CNN's Jeanne Moos shows us.

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JEANNE MOOS, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: Remember the days when cat food commercials featured cats eating food? Now we have a cat explaining a dog to a kitty.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dear kitten, you've probably noticed there is a new thing in the house. It is called a dog.

MOOS: A St. Bernard puppy and two felines are headed for fame. Are they unknowns?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are unknown cats.

MOOS: Confronting the unknown in a series of viral hits called --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dear kitten, dear kitten.

Dear Kitten, You may hear the dog being referred to as a puppay, which I think is some sort of a French way of saying for puppet. This explains why they attached that string to him.

MOOS: Forget the hard sell.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let the dog eat all of our dry food. If it gets caught, it gets put in jail.

MOOS: Buzzfeed and Friskies banned together to create almost subliminal cat food commercials featuring a cat's nearly subconscious thoughts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wet food, it's so special they keep it in the little armored metal casings that no claw can penetrate. MOOS: The spots are penetrating the Internet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dear kitten, I should warn you as the monster known as vacuum. It can eat and yell at the same time.

MOOS: They're sucking up millions of views. The cat is voiced by influential web content creator Z Frank. But is this dog bashing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Imagine a cat. Now take away independence, cleanliness, and intelligence. What you have left is basically a dog.

MOOS: Meow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That does seem a little dog-hating.

MOOS: It's anti-dog?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But very pro-cat.

MOOS: Some are accusing the Dear Kitten creators of being copycats. They site Henri, the black cat, the feline wracked by existential angst. .

Henri may speak French but he was created by an American film student who says he was making fun of the perception that French films are as self-involved as a cat. The creators of Dear Kitten deny taking inspiration from Henri. This is just a cat's eyeview of dogs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When they get happy, stay to the front because their tails become some sort of a weird psycho furry sword.

MOOS: Sure has humans wagging their tongues.

Jeanne Moos, CNN.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right, doggie. Bow down.

MOOS: New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: That dog is awfully cute. Team dog here -- what about you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Team dog.

LEMON: Team dog.

Thanks for joining me today. Have a great weekend. I'm Don Lemon.

"@THIS HOUR WITH BERMAN AND MICHAELA" starts right now.