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CNN NEWSROOM
U.S. Troops in Anbar; Head Of ISIS Wounded; Riots over Missing Students; Utah Abduction Stopped; Yarnell Fire Video; NYC Pot Arrest Changes
Aired November 10, 2014 - 14:00 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, filling in for Brooke Baldwin.
We have some breaking news. U.S. troops have just arrived in Anbar province. This is a huge move in the war on ISIS. And this comes as the U.S. has decided to double the number of troops in Iraq. But President Obama says this is not a sign they're losing the fight against ISIS. Instead, he says, it's a shift to a new phase, an offensive strategy instead of a defensive one. CNN's Barbara Starr joining me now.
This is significant that these troops are in Anbar province, Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, hi.
It is - it is really just sets you back on your heels if you've covered the military for a number of years. U.S. troops left Anbar province three plus years ago. They are back now. Now, look, it's just a small team, about 50 troops conducting a site survey at the Al Assad (ph) Air Base, once a huge U.S. military installation. Now they are back to do a site survey on how some additional U.S. troops might go there and set up an advise and assist training mission for Iraqi troops to go on that offensive against ISIS. But it is a moment in U.S. military history.
For so many years, between about 2004 and 2007, U.S. troops, led by the Marines, battled their way across Anbar province. Hundreds of troops killed and wounded. Families mourning their fallen. This was the Sunni Triangle. This was the area that was so violent during the U.S. participation in the Iraq War.
Now the U.S. troops are back, they're going to try and help the Iraqi troops get back on their feet, back into the fight. But we are somewhat where we left off because one of the key moves is to get those Sunnis in Anbar province back on board with the Iraqi government, get everybody back together, and everybody fighting ISIS. It's going to be a very tough road, but it is a real moment here for U.S. troops to be landing back on the ground even as advisers in Anbar.
Brianna.
KEILAR: Very symbolic. Very significant. Barbara Starr, thank you. Meantime, there are conflicting reports on the fate of the leader of
ISIS. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. U.S. warplanes attacking a convoy near Mosul in Iraq this weekend in an attempt to kill ISIS leaders, but it's unknown if their top guy was among them. Iraq's interior ministry says al-Baghdadi was wounded in their own strikes, but U.S. Central Command says it can't confirm that al-Baghdadi was hit in either. CNN's Arwa Damon joining me now from Turkey.
This is sort of confusing, Arwa. The Iraqi defense ministry wasn't commenting last time we checked on this, but the interior ministry is. What you can tell us?
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's all very muddy at this stage, Brianna. Adding to all of it, the ministry of interior's statement is that al-Baghdadi was wounded in the vicinity of Alkhim (ph). That is along the Iraqi/Syrian border. The U.S. not commenting, as you mentioned, at this stage, only saying that they did hit among dozens of targets over the weekend a 10 vehicle ISIS convoy outside of Mosul.
Now, posted to the minister of defense's Facebook page is a statement that says that al-Baghdadi was wounded outside of Mosul and that his deputy, Abu Muslim al-Turkmani was killed in that strike. Oddly enough, though, that statement is not on the ministry of defense's official website, bearing in mind, as well as has been pointed out, that this is the very same government whose prime minister made those bogus claims about an attack on the New York subway. So it's a very difficult situation to navigate at this stage and a lot of conflicting and contradicting information.
KEILAR: All right, we'll be trying to sort it all out with you. Arwa Damon, thank you.
They were abducted by police on orders from a local mayor and his wife, turned over to a gang and burned and thrown in a river. According to Mexico's attorney general, this is the fate of 43 missing college students. Three men have been arrested in connection with thee disappearance. Mexico's attorney general says they have confessed to killing a large number of people believed to be these students. Investigators are sifting through the badly burned fragments trying to extract DNA to positively identify the remains.
This news sparking anger all across Mexico as protesters torched cars and demand answers in the case. Crowds even set fire to the door of the presidential palace in Mexico City. Let's turn now to CNN's senior Latin American affairs editor, Rafael Romo.
Rafael, finally some answers after six weeks. Do people there trust authorities to really even bring these folks who may be responsible to justice?
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: Brianna, not in the least. And that press conference that you just mentioned before where the Mexican attorney general told people that it is their belief - there's no confirmation or positive ID yet - but it is their belief that all 43 are dead. The parents say, no, we do not believe that. And as far as we're concerned, those 43 children of us are still alive until the government conclusively proves to us that they are indeed dead.
And so as you can imagine, Brianna, this is creating all kinds of problems because people are protesting in anger here in Guerrero state, in the capital of Chilpancingo, where I am. There were violent protests over the weekend where people torched vehicles, municipal vehicles, state vehicles, delivery trucks, all kinds of property. Then, in Mexico City, at the national palace, the iconic symbol of Mexico, the main gate was burned.
And this afternoon, as a matter of fact it's still ongoing, there's a protest at the Acapulco International Airport. We understand that riot police was sent, but the number of protesters was so large, that it was just not enough. People, as we know it, got inside the airport, not to the restricted area, and right now they're making their voices heard, saying we want the 43 back alive. That's the message they're sending out, Brianna.
KEILAR: And some parents, obviously, holding out hope. We saw the governor of the state where you are, Guerrero state, criticized for not acting quickly enough after these abductions. He's taken a leave of absence. This has gone all the way up to the president of Mexico. What is he saying?
ROMO: Well, he's saying that his government is sparing no effort for solve this case. But it is a bit of -- he's the target of criticism right now because he has left the country to go to a meeting, a summit in Asia, the economic summit in Asia. And so a lot of people here say he shouldn't have left because this is a national crisis. It's not about a local story, it is about the fact that there are 43 students from a college still missing and nobody can really say conclusively where they are, Brianna.
KEILAR: Rafael Romo in Guerrero state, Mexico. Thank you so much.
And just ahead, a dad foils his daughter's kidnapping after a man breaks into their home. Hear what he did to fight off the suspect.
Plus under Michael Bloomberg, New York City Police made half a million arrests each year for marijuana possession. Well, any moment now, the city's new mayor may be announcing a new way to deal with offenders that does not include handcuffs.
And never before seen video showing the dramatic moments before and after 19 firefighters, known as hot shots, lost their lives battling an out of control fire.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: A child in Utah tucked into bed for the night only to be taken hours later by a kidnapper, that's what police in Sandy, Utah, say happened to a five-year-old girl there. Investigators say this man, who the family does not know, snatched the child from her own bed. A stranger abduction. A rare crime with an even rarer outcome. Her stepfather saves her. Hear how from reporter Chris Miller of our Utah affiliate KUTV.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was a man in my home and he took my five- year-old daughter.
CHRIS MILLER, KUTV REPORTER (voice-over): A mother's chilling 911 call after her daughter was abducted from her own bed in the middle of the night by a complete stranger.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He had my daughter outside and my husband ran out there and got her from him.
MILLER: The mother's voice clearly shaken and distressed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please, hurry.
MILLER: She's on the phone with police dispatchers moments after her husband, the little girl's stepfather, caught the kidnapper and retrieved the five-year-old girl.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's white and he's down the road.
MILLER: The mother describes the man as he disappears down the street.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's 40 to 50. Bald.
DISPATCHER: OK, he was bald?
MILES HOLMAN, FAMILY SPOKESMAN: This little girl is a charming, delightful little girl, is -- was not harmed physically and she's doing very well emotionally.
MILLER: A friend says the family is very emotional about the outcome.
HOLMAN: This is - this is like 4:00 in the morning when this happened. And if they had not awakened until 15 seconds later, that child would have been down the street and gone.
MILLER: Moments after the first kidnapping attempt, the suspect enters another house, a short distance away, through a doggy door.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My mom came down the steps and she - she just looked over here and she - she seen the guy here just crouched down right here and had his shirt off.
MILLER: Officers were at that house in moments to arrest 48-year-old Troy Mitchell Morley, who faces multiple felony charges.
HOLMAN: Be safe. Watch your kids. That's the most important thing you have in your life.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Our thanks to KUTV for that report. And thankfully the little girl was not hurt in the ordeal. Court officials say Troy Morley has yet to be assigned a lawyer.
Next, never before seen video showing the dramatic moments before and after 19 firefighters known as hot shots lost their lives battling an out of control fire. You'll hear and see some of the chilling moments.
Plus, very soon, New York City getting ready to announce no more arrests for pot possession. But instead of cuffs, you'll get something else. Could this start a trend?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: We have terrifying new video showing the true chaos that unfolded in the devastating Yarnell fire that took the lives of 19 of the elite hot shot firefighters in June of 2013.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's hot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Watch -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we're good. Good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once we get here - watch these power lines.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Now, that video was obtained by the Arizona state forestry division from the U.S. Forest service. It shows what is really a desperate search for the Granite Mountain Hot Shots who had been trapped by the flames. Those firefighters part of an elite squad sent in to combat the wildfire that seared more than 6,000 acres in two day.
I want to bring in CNN's Dan Simon. He's been following this story.
Dan, we remember back to that. Those firefighters sought refuge in their shelters, which are really little more than Mylar tents. That's a last ditch survival tool. You're looking at this video. You've talked with people. What does this video tell us about what happened?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hey, Brianna.
I just finished watching all the videos. They're actually on YouTube. And they range from just a few seconds to several minutes. And this was the single most deadly incident involving firefighters since 9/11. As you said, this was an elite group of firefighters called the Granite Mountain Hot Shots. I think the most disturbing thing when you see these videos is you hear people repeatedly call out to these firefighters on the radio and there isn't a response.
And it's also important to remember that they had just two minutes to deploy those shelters in 2,000 degree heat. And so they were up against a very difficult situation. Here is a portion of that video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, (INAUDIBLE) with the Granite Mountain Hot Shots. Our escape route has been cut off. We are preparing a deployment site. We are burning out around ourselves in the brush. And we'll give you a call when we are under the shelters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, copy that. So you're on the south side of the fire then?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. We're going to bring you the (INAUDIBLE), OK?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON: Well, what the video does not show you, obviously, is an inside account of what happened with that unit or the decisions that were made, but we do know that a report from the Arizona Department of Forestry was issued last year and they said there were some communications problems that prevented an aircraft from dropping retardant on that general area where the firefighters were. There were also some communication problems between that group of elite firefighters and other people who were in the area.
And I should point out, Brianna, that some of the victim's family members are upset that these videos were released. They are in the midst of a wrongful death lawsuit against Arizona authorities. We got a statement from their lawyer and it reads, "It is unfortunate that the U.S. Forestry Department and the Arizona State Forestry Department neglected to give notice to the families beforehand without any prior notification, both unfortunate and insensitive in our minds."
The bottom line, Brianna, is you certainly have to feel for those family members. But this video certainly such a sobering reminder of how conditions can just change on a dime and that even the most seasoned professionals can be vulnerable to those awful conditions.
Brianna.
KEILAR: Dan, thank you so much.
Just ahead, in moments, New York City expected to make a very big change in the way that it hams marijuana arrests, giving police the option to ticket people for marijuana possession. But there's always a legal twist, right? We'll tell you about that.
And speaking of pot, we are live just outside of Vegas at the Green Valley Resort where hundreds of investors are gathered to see if they can cash in on a new cash crop. Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: New York City population 8.5 million is about to announce a new policy covering people caught with pot, strictly small amounts of pot. That announcement is set for the top of the hour. A law enforcement source telling CNN, rather than reaching for the cuffs and hauling offenders to jail, police will have the option of writing out a ticket and sending the person on their way. Alexander Field is working the story for us. Also here, CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin.
So this is it, Alexandra, it's a ticket instead of being arrested. But the question is, what do they mean by small amounts? Do we know what they're talking about?
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that is a good question. We are expecting to hear from the mayor and the police commissioner a little later this afternoon. They should have some of the details. So while we don't know some of the details in this change of policy, we do understand it as a change in the way that marijuana possession is policed here in the city.
And this really gets to the heart of something that Mayor Bill de Blasio talked a lot about when he was campaigning. He pointed to these low level possession arrests and he said that these were things that were having really heavy and unintended consequences for families, for young people. He also pointed to what he called a clear racial bias in these arrests.
KEILAR: Yes.
FIELD: We've got this study from Queens College now saying that just since the start of the year, 86 percent of small possession pot arrests were blacks and Latinos. So this is something that the mayor has talked a lot about, the seriousness of those numbers. What they're trying to do really is reduce these arrests overall. You've got more than 25,000 since the start of the year here.
KEILAR: So is there a difference between someone who's walking down the street and they're in possession of a small - whatever, we're waiting to find out what that is -- amount of marijuana and they might actually be smoking marijuana. Is there a difference here?
FIELD: Are we looking at whether or not an arrest -
KEILAR: Yes, is that different? I mean -
FIELD: What we understand right now is that --
KEILAR: If someone's walking down the street smoking marijuana -
FIELD: What will happen?
KEILAR: What's going to happen?
FIELD: Is it at the officer's discretion now to make an arrest or give a citation versus if you've got someone, you find that they're in possession of marijuana, would there be an arrest or a citation? We're going to have to see how the policy will be applied. It's something that Commissioner Bratton is going to have to answer.
SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: And, let's face it, I mean the mayor has to meet with the D.A.s of all the counties because this is really not only a law enforcement issue, this is a prosecutorial issue. And I really think I'm probably in the minority in the sense that I don't think that legalizing marijuana is the answer. I don't think this is the answer.
The problem is stop and frisk. The problem is, as you mentioned, that over 80 percent of the arrests just since the beginning of this year I believe have been blacks and Latinos. And so white people that are smoking on the street open or are found to possess are not arrested. And so that, I think, is what we need to address. We need to address that if there is a law, and this law is on the books, that possession of marijuana is illegal. Then you have to treat everyone under the law the same.
And so, in my view, when I hear this plan to just allow ticketing for marijuana offenses, I think that it makes marijuana more accessible to our youth. I don't think that law enforcement officials are prepared to deal with people that are driving while under the influence of marijuana. And the bottom line is, this is really about stop and frisk and this is really about how laws, for whatever reason in New York City and really across our country, are applied in - disproportionately to blacks and Latinos as opposed to whites.
KEILAR: And you see it as that's really the issue. It seems awfully open-ended. Are we -- is this a step towards legalization of recreational marijuana, do you think?
HOSTIN: Well, that's been the trend, right? I mean we're seeing it all over the place. We just saw it after the midterm election. And again I think I am in the minority. I understand medical marijuana. Our own Sanjay Gupta talks about it all the time. And there is certainly a place for medical marijuana that the statistics and the studies support that. I don't believe that recreational marijuana is something that should be legalized because while people are saying it's not a gateway drug, I don't know that I agree with that but I certainly don't agree -
FIELD: But we're not changing the law here right now, lowering the number of arrests is what we're being told is the goal or the intention here. But, also, this doesn't get people off the hook entirely. As you know, you get a court summons.
KEILAR: You have to go to court, right? You get a court summons.
FIELD: Right.
HOSTIN: Right.
FIELD: And then if you don't show up at court, certainly you could still then -
KEILAR: Then you could be arrested?
FIELD: Be arrested.
KEILAR: So is it sort of just in a way delaying the punishment? Is that what it is?
HOSTIN: Well, no. And I think the problem is, you are now even putting I guess law enforcement -- you're putting this -- the onus on police officers as opposed to when somebody is arrested, it goes through the prosecutor's office. So now there really is no buffer for illegal police activity. There is no buffer for stop and frisk because it will go directly to court -
FIELD: And we're going to have to see how much digression the police are (INAUDIBLE) given here.
HOSTIN: Right, it will go directly to court, as opposed to going to a prosecutor who can determine whether or not the arrest was appropriate or not appropriate.
KEILAR: So when you look at the statistic that Alexandra was just talking about, which is, I mean, just staggering, 86 percent of those arrested for marijuana either black or Hispanic, do you think then - so this is just going to a court summons. Does that statistic end up changing at all or not really?
