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New Protests after St. Louis Officer Kills Black Teenager; US Airways Passenger Triggers Ebola Scare; Ebola Survivor Speaks on First U.S. Case

Aired October 10, 2014 - 08:00   ET

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


CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, welcome to NEW DAY, Friday, October 10th, 8:00 am in the east. Alisyn Camerota by my side.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: We have a busy hour.

CUOMO: We do. Breaking news: two child activists score this year's Nobel Peace Prize, you know her face, Malala Yousafzai, recognized for her endless campaign for girls' education in Pakistan.

CAMEROTA: And Kailash Satyarthi, who has been at the forefront of stopping child slave labor in India for decades, also won the prestigious award. CNN's Atika Shubert brings us the latest details from London.

Good morning, Atika.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, good morning.

Well, Malala Yousafzai, of course, has -- is one of the joint winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, she is here in Birmingham. We are expecting a statement around 4:30 local time but she has been an outspoken advocate for children's education.

She's here in Birmingham because, of course, she was targeted by the Taliban in her home, Pakistan, and shot in the head at very close range by a Taliban assassin. It shattered her skull, and she had to be brought here to Birmingham for reconstructive surgery. And she has made Birmingham her home ever since then.

She's gone on to speak at U.N., and become an outspoken advocate, as I said, not just for girls' education in Pakistan, but children's rights around the world and that's what this award was about, it was about children's rights, not only awarded to Malala Yousafzai, but also to Kailash Satyarthi in India, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Atika, thank you so much for that update. Great to see her so well-recognized globally. Great story.

Also breaking overnight, violence is erupting on the streets of St. Louis following the fatal shooting of a black teenager by an off-duty police officer after what authorities say was a physical altercation and possibly even a shooting. One protester calling St. Louis a racial powder keg. Just miles away in Ferguson, Missouri, where Michael Brown was shot,

protesters plan a weekend of, quote, "resistance." That's where we find CNN's Sara Sidner live in Ferguson.

How has Ferguson responded to the latest incident?

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this point in time, it's quiet here. It's quiet in St. Louis. Overnight, though, not quiet at all. Two people arrested, according to police, and a police officer injured when protests erupted there over another case that people are likening to the case of Michael Brown.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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

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

SIDNER (voice-over): Police say they were asking the crowd of protester to disperse around midnight. When this knife here on the ground was hurled towards the officers, hitting one in the shoulder.

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

SIDNER (voice-over): 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 are some things you can't tolerate and that's one of them.

SIDNER (voice-over): What started out as a peaceful vigil early Thursday evening later reignited anger over the killing of black teenager Vonderrit Meyers, shot by a white off-duty St. Louis police officer working a security job.

Police say Meyers was no stranger to them. Meyers 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.

A call for justice reminiscent over 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 Meyers fired a 0.9 millimeter pistol three times at the officer. The officer then firing a total of 17 times. The weapon recovered at the scene. Meyers' family members insist, though, 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 (voice-over): 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 insensitive white officer who was off-duty. He chased him off a corner.

SIDNER (voice-over): Protesters pushing the limit with police and burning the American flag. In this divided community, racial tensions and nerves on edge again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: Again, facts very much in dispute and helping to make the situation more confusing and more frustrating. Let's try to understand better what happened, what should happen going forward.

Let's bring in Missouri state senator Jamilah Nasheed and David Klinger, he's a former LAPD officer, now associate professor of criminal justice at the University of Missouri, St. Louis.

Thank you to both of you.

Senator, let me start with you. One thing that is definitely needed and missing in this situation, both in Ferguson and in Greater St. Louis, is leadership.

Where is the governor?

Where are the leaders, the community leaders, the politicians, getting between the police and angry citizens, trying to create dialogue and to do things you know you have to do in these situations?

It seems absent again.

Unfair criticism?

JAMILAH NASHEED (D), MISSOURI STATE SENATOR: That is fair criticism, and that's a great question.

Where is the governor?

You know, I was out last night with those protesters. I have my own personal bullhorn. And I was out with the protesters last night and encouraging all of them to be peaceful and step up to the plate and do the right thing.

We know there are bad officers out there, and we know there are good officers out there. But what we have to do, we have to weed out the bad officers and begin to build a relationship with community and law enforcement within this community.

Because what you're seeing right now is -- the unrest within the community is a direct correlation to the disconnect when it comes to police officers and community. Mr. Klinger, we've talked about this before, the chief involved here was very open after the shooting and death of a mentally disturbed man who was holding a knife. He came out addressed the community, gave facts. He didn't really do that here yet.

And there are facts that are known. Either the kid had a sandwich or he had a gun. That's an important fact.

Why aren't they coming out with it one way or the other?

DAVID KLINGER, FORMER LAPD OFFICER: Well, my understanding is that Chief Dotson has. He held a press conference and explained the narrative as he understood it in terms of what the investigation brought forth to that point. He noted that the individual had a firearm, that the officer didn't fire at first, the suspect fired three rounds, the officer returned fire.

So all that stuff was put out by the chief.

CUOMO: No, it was put out. But it has to be done the right way. He put it out. Then this other story came out and it needs to be countered because you have to have full information so that the people around him know what to believe and what not to believe.

And on that subject, let me stay with you, Professor Klinger.

In a situation like this, he was an off-duty cop, shouldn't have been going after these kids.

Is that oversimplifying the context? He was in uniform, he was doing a patrol --

(CROSSTALK)

KLINGER: That's oversimplifying it.

No, he's in uniform, he's working his security detail, police officers all over the country do this type of stuff.

And from what I understand, at least, there were three individuals, they ran, raised a suspicion, one of them confronted him, there was some type of fight that included a gun battle. And if that's the case, then I don't understand why people are so upset.

Now if it turns out the investigation indicates that the officer did something wrong, then it would be obviously a problem.

If it turns out the suspect didn't have a gun, he didn't fire any shots, and he only had a sandwich, of course that would be a huge problem, but all of the evidence that I'm aware of, through the press releases from the police department, indicate that a gun battle happened.

And I really don't understand how people can be upset with a police officer who shoots somebody who is trying to murder him.

CUOMO: Senator, do you have a concern this was excessive force?

And if so, why?

NASHEED: I truly believe that this is a case of racial profiling turning deadly. You have several young men simply hanging out on the corner, there was no 9-1-1 calls, none whatsoever.

A police officer who was not on duty at the time, a security guard, approached those guys, and the question is, why did the off-duty police officer approach those young men?

What were they doing?

What was the suspicion?

And then for them to flee, what gives you the right to chase them?

Why are you chasing them?

What did they do so wrong that you have to pursue them, chase them down, and then as a result we have a killing?

CUOMO: All right. Well now --

NASHEED: What did he do? I mean, is it illegal -- is it illegal to stand and congregate on a street corner?

CUOMO: Senator, I believe there are answers to the question and I believe Klinger may know them.

Professor, my understanding of the case, you tell me if I have it wrong, is he drove down in a patrol car, he was doing patrol for the community, turned around when he saw the men, when the men saw him turn around they ran that gave him reasonable suspicion, he pursued and in the pursuit there wound up being a gun battle.

Is that how you understand it?

And if so, is that all legit action?

KLINGER: That's my understanding. And, yes, and as the senator points out, a police officer can't just stop people for no reason.

But a 9-1-1 call is not the only way that a police officer can develop reasonable suspicion to stop somebody. And police officers are trained to look for particular characteristics of things that are out of sort, the Supreme Court ruled on this back in the '60s in the case of Terry versus Ohio (ph), that a police officer, if he has reasonable suspicion that crime may be afoot, he's allowed to detain people and question them.

If people flee from a lawful detention, a police officer has a right to pursue them. And nobody under any circumstances, regardless of what might be going on, has a right to pull a gun and shoot at a police officer.

CUOMO: Senator, are you overlooking the fact that the young man may have had a gun and shot at the police officer?

Isn't that the most important fact in the situation?

NASHEED: You know, that was a tragic situation, both for the law enforcement community as well as the family.

However, again, when you have young men simply standing on a street corner, not bothering anyone, just hanging out, having a dialogue, having a discussion, and then someone approaches them, a police officer, which is off-duty at the time, approaches them, the question is why?

I mean, what was the purpose for the approach?

KLINGER: I agree with that. We need to understand what the reasonable suspicion was but the other thing you have to understand, ma'am, is police officers have the right of what we call common law inquiry. Any police officer can walk up to anybody and talk to them.

If the person refuses to talk to them, they're free to walk away.

But if we have a circumstance where a police officer approaches someone and there is a reasonable suspicion that criminal activity may be afoot, then a police officer has a right to detain, and we need to know that. We need to understand that.

And I don't know whether the officer had reasonable suspicion. The investigation will answer that. So we have to wait. So I'm not going to jump to a conclusion. And I would hope that you and everyone else would not jump to conclusions.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: But it does go to the fact that --

KLINGER: Let the investigation run its course and let's find out.

CUOMO: It does go to the fact that right now police can know, they've talked to the officer, I'm sure, many times, they can go to the shop owner who was there, they can talk to anybody else that was there, they can be looking for kids. So they can find out, that information does need to come out because it does go to a suspicion that fuels this mistrust of police in the area.

So the sooner we know, the better.

Professor Klinger, thank you very much.

Senator, thank you for being on the show. Please join us again as we learn more.

NASHEED: Thank you.

CUOMO: A lot of other news this morning. Let's get you right to Mic for that.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN HOST: All right, Chris, thanks so much.

Here are your headlines, we want to start with breaking news this morning. South Korea launching balloons with anti-Pyongyang flyers. The North then reportedly fired on those balloons for about 20 minutes. All of this is happening as Kim Jong-un remains MIA.

The 31-year-old North Korean leader has not been seen or viewed in public in some 37 days. And in fact, he overnight missed a ceremonial palace visit to see the remains and pay respects of his father and grandfather.

We want to talk about what's going on on the border of Syria and Turkey. Groups have been telling CNN that the militants are gaining ground toward Kobani city center right now. In fact, we're hearing reports of house-to-house battles in the eastern industrial area of Kobani, all of this as U.S.-led air strikes pound ISIS positions there.

The military group reportedly is sending in reinforcements to battle Kurdish forces in their attempt to capture the city. U.S. officials are trying to work with the Turkish government and get them more involved in the fight against extremists. Keep in mind there are civilians don't know whether to flee or stay put and risk being attacked by ISIS.

Former Chicago Bears general manager Jerry Angelo (ph) blasting the NFL. Listen to what he has to say.

He says the league has ignored domestic abuse allegations against players for decades, Angelo telling "USA Today," "Players escape discipline in hundreds of domestic violence cases." He says team officials, including himself, routinely put winning ahead of decency. Angelo goes on to say that he was part of it and that he is certainly not proud of it.

We're getting some new details, unsavory details about a drunken brawl apparently involving Sarah Palin and her family. Police in Anchorage released a two-part report which details accusations that Bristol Palin, quote, "appeared heavily intoxicated and punched the party host repeatedly in the face."

This reporter also says that Track Palin tried to start a fight with numerous partygoers. At this point no one is facing charges in the incident.

Wow.

CAMEROTA: Terrible. Nobody likes their dirty laundry aired publicly.

OK. A scare on the tarmac. A guy trying to make a joke about Ebola sparked fear on a US Airways jet, this as countries grapple with how to fight the disease.

Up next, a woman who did just that. She had Ebola and she survived. Nancy Writebol joins us.

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CUOMO: Let's talk about the guy who probably won't go to jail but maybe he should. We're talking about this man who stood up on a US Airways jet and screamed, "I have Ebola and you're all screwed."

The unidentified 54-year-old American passenger caused medics and hazmat suits to storm the cabin. Passengers forced to sit on the plane, terrified, for more than two hours, for obvious reasons. This comes as New York's JFK Airport ready for enhanced Ebola screenings this weekend.

We'll speak with Nancy Writebol, you remember her, the American who survived Ebola in just a moment, there she is. That will be great.

First, CNN's Alexandra Field at JFK for the latest.

What do we know?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Chris, apparently this was a big joke, but we're certain no one on the plane was laughing, considering they had to sit and wait to be cleared by the CDC. It does, however, show how seriously health officials are taking concerns about Ebola and so does a new plan to step up regulations at five major U.S. Airports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here's the situation, I need everybody to sit down.

FIELD (voice-over): That was the announcement from a flight attendant just before several health officials in full hazmat suits boarded US Airways flight in the Dominican Republic. A passenger posted this video and local reports say the man said, "I have Ebola, you're all screwed."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please stay out of the way. Let them do their job.

FIELD (voice-over): The flight from Philadelphia checked and cleared but kept passengers stuck on the plane for two hours. It's unclear what happened to the man who made the claim.

This incident only the beginning of a new front in the fight to stop the spread of Ebola. Passengers leaving the hot zone will be checked for symptoms, answering questions and having their temperatures taken when they arrive stateside at five major U.S. airports: New York City's JFK international, Newark, Washington Dulles, Atlanta and Chicago O'Hare.

DR. THOMAS FRIEDEN, DIRECTOR, CDC: We expect to see some patients with fever and that will cause some obvious and understandable concern at the airports. FIELD (voice-over): More than 50 million passengers traveled through JFK last year. But the new procedures will impact just a tiny fraction. Exams will be done in special areas designated by customs and border protection. Onsite CDC health officers will step into evaluate any potential Ebola case.

Passengers leaving Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea already screened before boarding planes out of those countries.

FRIEDEN: Of course, I'm concerned. I don't think there's anybody in the country who is not concerned about the situation with Ebola. We're not ready at the airports yet but we will be.

FIELD: All right. JFK will be the first airport to implement the new regulations, they'll start screenings tomorrow. Those other four airports should start sometime next week. We're already hearing similar plans are in place in London and Canada. Expect a lot of airports could be looking at these regulations -- Chris.

CUOMO: All right, Alexandra. Thank you very much.

You know, Alisyn, we're all afraid of the unknown. One thing that is known, if you get Ebola, you can beat it. We have somebody on now who knows that, don't we?

CAMEROTA: Absolutely. Great story.

As America steps up defenses against Ebola, our next guest is one of the lucky few who survived, Nancy Writebol was one of the first two Americans medevaced to the U.S. after contracting Ebola in West Africa. She joins us now.

Good morning, Nancy.

NANCY WRITEBOL, EBOLA SURVIVOR: Good morning, how are you?

CAMEROTA: I'm doing well. It's great to see you.

I guess the question is, how are you? You look great.

How are you feeling?

WRITEBOL: Thank you. I'm doing wonderful, thanks. Getting stronger each and every day.

CAMEROTA: You know, it's been a little more than two months since you were brought back here to the U.S. for treatment.

What has your recovery been like?

Was it gradual or sudden that you felt better?

WRITEBOL: No, it's been gradual. There have been good days and there have been bad days, and just regaining my stamina and just growing stronger. And I can see evidence of just being able to walk further and just be stronger each day. CAMEROTA: And, Nancy, can you tell us about your experience when you were in the throes of Ebola?

What did it feel like?

WRITEBOL: Well, very weak. And I ran a temperature of -- a high temperature for quite a while, a long time. You know, just going through just always feeling really sick and having to deal with -- even with diarrhea and the weakness, the fever. Just being very, very weak.

CAMEROTA: And did you think during that time that you would survive?

WRITEBOL: I wasn't sure at first because I had seen the -- what Ebola does to people and we had had 40 patients in our isolation unit when I took sick, and out of those 40 patients, only one survived. So I knew what the outcome was. And so I didn't really know whether I would survive.

CAMEROTA: You were working as a missionary in a hospital in Liberia when you contracted the disease.

Today, do you know how you got Ebola?

WRITEBOL: No, and I think that will always be the question. And it's a question that we talk about often. You know, we think about, there are some different ideas about how I might have contracted it. But we don't really know for sure and I don't think we ever real.

(CROSSTALK)

CAMEROTA: It's really a mystery. You say you were doing all of the safety measures, wearing all of the protective gear.

So what's your theory?

WRITEBOL: Right. Well, it's very possible that I contracted Ebola outside of the unit, not within. Of course I came in contact with people outside of our hospital and I remember knowing and being with a gentleman one time that later died of Ebola. And it's possible that there was, you know, some contact there. We just don't really know.

CAMEROTA: As you know, the Liberian patient who was being treated here in Dallas, Thomas Duncan, did die this week from Liberia and there's a lot of questions about his treatment. One criticism is that he was not given a blood transfusion from a survivor.

Were you asked to donate blood to Mr. Duncan?

WRITEBOL: I was asked if I would be willing to donate, and I said, yes, I would be happy to donate. However, my blood type did not match his. And so I have always been willing and I would be very happy to donate the plasma that's needed for someone who does have Ebola.

CAMEROTA: It's nice to know that you were asked. That answers a big question, because that hospital has come under some fire for not going to every length to try to help him. So it's good to know that you were asked but unfortunately you weren't a match.

Were you given the experimental ZMapp treatment?

WRITEBOL: Yes, I was.

CAMEROTA: Do you credit that with your survival, or do you think there was something else?

WRITEBOL: Well, I think, for me, there might have been several things. I also received a blood transfusion, not from a survivor, but I just needed blood. And then, of course, all of the care, the supportive care that I received played a big part. But I do think that ZMapp probably was what stabilized the Ebola virus so that I could get the supportive care that I needed.

CAMEROTA: As you know, there's another American fighting for his life in a Nebraska hospital, it's an NBC freelance cameraman.

What's your message to him this morning?

WRITEBOL: Well, we have really been praying for him and I just want to encourage him that, you know, there are good days and bad days with Ebola. Some days you feel really good, the next day you just think I don't even want to get out of bed. So I just want to encourage him to fight and to just do everything that's possible that you can to recover.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

You were working, as we said, as a missionary in Liberia when you contracted the disease.

Do you think you'll go back?

WRITEBOL: Well, you know, that's a matter of discussion that is being talked about. It's very possible that we might go back. We're just asking the Lord for his direction on that and waiting for the right time to be able to go back.

CAMEROTA: Nancy Writebol, you are a lovely person to talk to with your great message of survival and perseverance, great to see you. We're happy that you're doing so well.

WRITEBOL: Thank you so much. Thanks for asking me to be here this morning.

CAMEROTA: Our pleasure. We'll talk to you again.

WRITEBOL: OK. 'Bye.

CAMEROTA: Well, it's an epic customer service battle, an angry customer tries to get a refund from Comcast but in response he says Comcast got him fired. He joins us live.

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