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American Hostage in Yemen Killed While U.S. Special Forces Attempt Rescue; Rolling Stones Apologizes for Possible Unreliable Source on University of Virginia Sexual Assault Story; Protests Continue over Police Non-Indictment Eric Garner's Death; Some Calling for Body Cameras for Police; New Synthetic Hallucinogenic Drug Hitting Streets of U.S.; CNN to Hold Annual CNN Heroes Tribute

Aired December 6, 2014 - 10:00   ET

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


VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Today a daring rescue attempt to save American hostage Luke Somers goes terribly wrong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Both Mr. Somers and a second non U.S. citizen hostage were, in the words of Hagel, murdered by the AQAP terrorist during the course of the operation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Plus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROWD: Who do you serve? Who do you protect? Who do you serve? Who do you protect?

BLACKWELL: Protests heat up nationwide with more planned for today. "Rolling Stone" apologizes for discrepancies in an article about gang rape. Parents learn the dark truth about a synthetic drug killing teens. And landfall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Its' definitely noted these are quite strong gusts that are coming through.

BLACKWELL: Another massive typhoon slams into the Philippines. Let's get you the latest right now in the CNN Newsroom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: So good to be with you this morning. I'm Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. It;s 10:00 here on the east coast, 7:00 on the west coast, and you're in the CNN Newsroom.

PAUL: We've got breaking news this morning, a dramatic rescue mission by American special forces, it ends in heartbreak for a family who desperately wanted their son to come home. BLACKWELL: Yes, but this morning American Luke Somers is dead along

with a fellow hostage. U.S. commandos swept into southern Yemen overnight to try to get the 33 year old photojournalist to safety. He'd been held for more than a year by the group Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Now, just days ago the militants released a video threatening to kill him unless Washington met their demands, and we are learning chilling new details about this raid.

PAUL: We know that a firefight broke out and the militants apparently shot Somers and another hostage, a South African teenager. One of them died on the way to the U.S. military ship. The other died aboard that vessel. President Obama, by the way, is talking today about this, as is Secretary Hagel who you see there. The president is saying that his deepest condolences obviously are with the Somers family.

BLACKWELL: Yes. And in a statement he released overnight he also explained why he ordered the rescue mission. And this is a quote, "Earlier this week a video released by his terrorist captors announced that Luke would be killed within 72 hours. Other information also indicated that Luke's life was in imminent danger."

PAUL: It goes on to say "Based on this assessment and as soon as there was viable intelligence and an operational plan I authorized a rescue attempt yesterday. I also authorized the rescue of any other hostage held in that same location."

BLACKWELL: Let's talk more about this with CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen in Washington.

PAUL: Peter, thanks for being was. As we just mentioned, President Obama ordered this raid because there were compelling reasons to believe that he was an imminent danger. We know that Somers had been held captive since last year. A lot of people might look at this and say did the U.S. wait too long to attempt a rescue mission?

PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, you know, it's hard to assess because there's a lot of facts we don't know. But as you know, Christi, there was a rescue operation in November at a place where he was being held. And in fact a number of the Al Qaeda abductors were killed in the raid and some hostages were released. Unfortunately Mr. Somers had been moved before that raid took place. And so, you know, I think the -- I'm pretty sure Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was quite well prepared for the possibility of another rescue attempt. You had one failed rescue attempt back in November. You've had the deadline expiring on the video demands that they've made. They would have been I think quite alert to the fact that a rescue attempt was possible.

BLACKWELL: Is AQAP snatching a page out of the ISIS's book? This is not their MO, at least it hasn't been for the last five years, to kill hostages. They are more likely to hold them for ransom. Are we seeing a shift in the group?

BERGEN: Victor, I think that's a good point. Yemen is a place where kidnapping for ransom is absolutely endemic. I spent time there and in fact narrowly avoided being kidnapped by myself. And there's a huge industry of people targeting westerners for money. It is quite unusual in Yemen for people to be killed. There was a case back in 1998 where a group of western hostages was taken by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or a sort of predecessor group. A hostage rescue operation was mounted by the Yemeni government. It was a fiasco and some of the hostages were killed in the crossfire.

Now, in this operation that took place yesterday, we are hearing from the U.S. government that it was the hostage takers themselves that executed the hostages. And, you know, let's see as we learn more details, let's see how this all plays out.

PAUL: You know, Peter, for the last few months focus at least publicly for the U.S. has really been ISIS. Now we're learning about this. How does the U.S. focus so many different things going on?

BLACKWELL: Well, the United States is certainly capable in operating in more than one theater. And, you know, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has been the subject of a great deal of U.S. Navy SEAL actions against it. CIA drone strikes, we've had more than 100 drone strikes in Yemen directed at Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Almost every one of those except one took place under President Obama. There was one drone strike in Yemen under President George W. Bush. There have been at least 100, also some cruise missile strikes directed at Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. So the United States has been engaging against this group pretty aggressively now since the attempt to bring down Northwest flight 253 over Detroit on Christmas Day, 2009. So for almost five years there has been an aggressive campaign. Obviously the group is not out of business, but they have certainly been quite damaged by the campaign.

BLACKWELL: All right, Peter Bergen joining us from Washington. Peter, thank you so much.

BERGEN: Thank you.

PAUL: So this dramatic rescue that we've been talking about, we want to get to Jim Sciutto, because he has been standing by there in Kabul listening to Secretary of Defense Hagel as he talked about the rescue as well as how we move forward with an announcement of troops in Afghanistan. So Jim Sciutto, I want to send it to you. What have you learned this morning.

(INAUDIBLE)

BLACKWELL: Let's try one more time. Jim Sciutto, do you have us.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT, (via telephone): I hear you now. I hear you now.

BLACKWELL: All right, Jim the question was, you have been in this news conference with Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. What's the headline we're learning from the secretary of defense in relation to what we're learning about this failed effort to rescue Luke Somers? SCIUTTO: Well, two headlines I would say. First the headline

regarding U.S. troops in Afghanistan, Secretary of Defense Hagel announcing that instead of the U.S. troop presence dropping to 9,800 troops by the end of the this year into January of 2015, an extra 1,000 U.S. troops will remain in Afghanistan. That will make the total 10,800 all told. The reason they give for this is, one, that it took so long to get a bilateral security agreement signed with the Afghans. But two, also we've learned this through defense officials that is because our NATO partners, the U.S. NATO partners, allies here, haven't made clear their commitment for troops so you need that extra 1,000 U.S. forces to fulfill the mission with the training and support mission as opposed to a combat mission. That is one headline.

Now, regarding the operation in Yemen, Secretary of Defense Hagel expressing his condolences and saying his and others' hearts were broken today because of this news here. He said it was a well- executed operation. He said they had good intelligence and they had indications that the lives of the American, the life of the American, was in imminent danger. So the took the decision go in.

We've also learned that the got better information just in the last 24 or 48 hours as to exactly where he was being held. Operating both on the threat but also better intel about the location, they went in. They had a risky mission. But a firefight broke out, and in the firefight it's believed that one or several of the Al Qaeda, AQAP, the Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters, killed the hostages, both the American and the South African who were held. So definitely of course not the result they were hoping with this operation. And you can hear that disappointment in the secretary's voice this afternoon.

PAUL: We also understand that several of the AQAP terrorists that were holding that hostage, they were killed as well, correct? Jim? We lost him. All right, we apologize. But we are getting word that several terrorists that were holding him captive were also killed in that mission. So news continues to trickle and we'll certainly give it to you.

BLACKWELL: Absolutely.

Let's talk about the protesters who were out in full force all across the U.S. last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do we want?

CROWD: Justice!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When do we want it?

CROWD: Now!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: The protesting the chokehold death of Eric Garner at the hand of a New York City policeman, could body cameras, here's a question, have helped to save Garner's life?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: There has been, really, this is just a stunning turn of events at "Rolling Stone." The magazine is now issuing an apology over its reporting of sexual assault at the University of Virginia. People could not stop talking this.

BLACKWELL: Yes. In this article a young woman named Jackie recounted her alleged gang rape at a UVA fraternity party. Now, on Friday the magazine posted a note on its website. They are saying, quote, "In the face of new information there now appears discrepancies in Jackie's account and we have to come to the conclusion that our trust in her was misplaced."

PAUL: To discuss we want to bring in Brian Stelter, CNN's media correspondent and host of "Reliable Sources." Brian, good to see you. This isn't a retraction, we want to point out. It's an apology. Is there a difference here?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN HOST, "RELIABLE SOURCES": There is, and it's an important distinction, at least right now. "Rolling Stone" is apologizing for some of the manner in which it published the story, but they are not saying that they believe the story is false. If they were to retract it, which they could do in the future, they would be saying they do not believe Jackie's story. It's really important to note that yesterday the "Washington Post" published this story at around the same time "Rolling Stone" published it's apology. And the "Washington Post" spoke to Jackie at length repeatedly, and she stands by her story.

A lot of folks believe that maybe there are parts of her story that don't add up but that she did go through something deeply traumatic and that we shouldn't let this one case distract from the very real issues that are going on at UVA and college campuses.

So regardless of that, very embarrassing for "Rolling Stone," a magazine that prides itself on fact checking to have not fact checked in this case.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk about that element in the initial report and the fact checking because "Rolling Stone" decided not to contact the boys, I guess young men in some cases accused in Jackie's story, citing the sensitive nature of this case in her story, and she asked them not to. We all know from interviewing sexual assault victims that you want to be very careful in dealing with these stories, but was that the right call at the time? Obviously now it appears that it wasn't.

STELTER: Yes, not ever "Rolling Stone" admitting it wasn't. After that statement you read, Will Dana, the managing editor, shared this on Twitter. He said "We made a judgment. The judgment was wrong. We should have either not made this agreement with Jackie or we should have worked harder to convince her that the truth would have been better served by getting the other side of the story." And then the managing editor added "That failure is on us, not on her." And that's right. This is more of a journalistic sin than anything

else. To agree not to go to those other sources is why now this has become such a terrible story.

BLACKWELL: All right, Brian Stelter, thanks so much, host of "Reliable Sources," 11:00 a.m. on Sunday. Thank you so much.

PAUL: Thanks, Brian.

BLACKWELL: Demonstrators plan to take so the streets again today over the death of Eric Garner.

PAUL: He's of course the New York man who died after a police officer grabbed him in a chokehold. We're taking a closer look at the moments leading up to that fatal encounter. Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Some of the big news, you know, this whole week has been Eric Garner and the fact that he died and there is no indictment for the police officer who put him in the chokehold and is responsible for his death. That obviously has led to some of the protests that we've see overnight, some that are planned again today we know in New York City.

But we want to look closer at that video again and see, kind of break it down with an attorney, with Darren Kavinoky, so we can try to figure maybe what exactly the grand jury was thinking, why they came to the conclusion they did, and is there anything left to be done.

BLACKWELL: Yes the encounter we saw started with a man's frustration with police. Police coming because of reports he was selling loose cigarettes there known as loosies. We've got Darren Kavinoky with us now. Let's take a look at the video showing the initial moments because we've seen the takedown. But let's talk about what happened before that. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC GARNER: I'm minding my business. Every time you see me you arrest me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right.

GARNER: Are you saying I should walk away? Are you serious? I didn't do nothing. Let go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: So you hear Eric Garner telling the cops that "I'm just minding my own business. Every time you see me you arrest me." What should the cops have done at that point when he allegedly is selling loose cigarettes? Is that even an offense for which one can be arrested, Darren?

DARREN KAVINOKY, ATTORNEY: It is. Selling loosies, as they're called, is a misdemeanor offense. And so the police are entitled to engage in lawful investigative or detention or even arrest conduct when it comes to that.

But I think fundamentally, Victor, the thing that leaps out to me here is in the court of public opinion there really is outrage about the lack of proportionality, this notion that really all we're talking about is loose cigarettes. And now in the bright light of 20-20 hindsight we see that this man paid with his life. And there's something that seems fundamentally unfair about that as well as the fundamental lack of transparency that we get from the grand jury process, and that's a whole other issue to be discussed.

PAUL: OK, so let's keep looking at this video here, if you will, for a second.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARNER: I didn't do thing. I did not sell nothing. Because every time you see me you want to harass, you want to stop me for selling cigarettes. I'm minding my business, officer. I'm minding by business. Please just leave me alone. I told you the last time please leave me alone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: He says "Leave me alone. I'm minding my own business." He even said why do you keep arresting me? As I understand it he had 31 arrests. I don't know that any charges ever came from any of those. Do you know, Darren? I guess a few did, but what kind of a threat did he pose for what happened?

KAVINOKY: That's exactly right, Christi. There have been a string of arrests and police know about those the arrest record of those that they have a contact with. But when it comes to misdemeanor offenses, generally speaking law enforcement officers are only supposed to make arrests for offenses that occur in their presence. And here this is in the aftermath of a fight that Mr. Garner broke up. It wasn't as if the police observed any illegal conduct that he was engaged in at least what I've been able to glean from this tape. So that is something that is problematic and I think another factor that leaves people wondering why it was that this grand jury didn't indict, or more specifically what it was that gave these officers the legal justification to be attempting to place Garner under arrest.

PAUL: All righty, well, thank you so much, Darren. We appreciate you breaking it down for us.

BLACKWELL: Thank you, Darren.

KAVINOKY: Thanks for having me.

BLACKWELL: So President Obama calls the death of an American hostage barbaric. Al Qaeda militants, they show Luke Somers as American special forces tried to get him to safety. We'll talk with a fellow journalist who knew Somers in Yemen and says he had a deep love for the country and its people.

PAUL: But first, in December's "Ones to Watch" series we're going to be exploring the world of street art. Legendary artist Shepard Fairey, the man behind the Obama "Hope" poster, and Steve Lazarides, once partner to the notorious British artist Banksy, explained how the subculture has turned a corner now and which artists are leading the way.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One image is enough to make a statement. Street art, it's the universal language of images which speaks from the most unexpected corners of our cities. The lines capture our history. The colors captivate. They decorate. They provoke.

SHEPARD FAIREY, STREET ARTISTS: I see street art as a metaphor for courageous expression in any venue.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This subculture is turning into that multimillion dollar business. Last year street art worth an estimated $80 million was traded globally. It was once associated with vandalism, but it now holds a prime position contemporary art market.

STEVE LAZARIDES, ART DEALER: When people are buying it, it is almost like buying a slice of rebellion, and by buying they are taking part in the act and feel proud of it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're consulting two experts, a view from the street and a view from the gallery, to discover which three artists they would they would consider the ones to watch.

FAIREY: I like a lot of art that's functions as a piece that's just pleasing to the eye, but then there are also layers to peel back, and I think Pose's work achieves that.

LAZARIDES: I think she's definitely one to watch. She has that kind of one iconic image that people can link with. It's part of that old political tradition of graffiti.

FAIREY: Mills has charted a new course and he's the best at it so far.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: You can watch the entire "Ones to Watch" show on street art over at CNN.com/OnesToWatch. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Hope it's a lazy Saturday for you. It's 29 minutes past the hour now.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell.

PAUL: I'm Christi Paul. I forgot that part. Sorry.

BLACKWELL: Five stories we're watching for you now. Serious off the top, typhoon Hagupit is making landfall in the Philippines right now, and the eye of the storm is crossing over Samar Island. The strongest storm elements now are the winds and they're roaring ashore and will continue to do so over the next few hours. Now, wind gusts are gusting to more than 74 miles per hour and residents are bracing for flash flooding. According to Philippines Red Cross, 1 million people have been evacuated.

PAUL: Number two, traffic jams blocked bridge, stores filled with protestors. Look at this picture we've been getting in. This was a scene last night of demonstrators angry over the chokehold death of Eric Garner, took to the streets in at least 17 major cities. Protesters there clashing with police in the nation's capital. And then look at Miami. Traffic backed up for miles after protesters flooded the interstate. At least 20 people were arrested during last night's protests, and we understand that more protests are planned for today.

BLACKWELL: Number three, "Rolling Stone" is backing down from its reporting of a sexual assault at the University of Virginia. The report detailed one student's alleged gang rape at a fraternity party in 2012. The magazine now says that it had put misplaced trust, or it misplaced its trust in the story here, and apologized to anyone affected.

PAUL: Number four, the red hot Florida State Seminoles hoping to extend their win streak to 29 tonight. Not just beat Georgia Tech for the ACP championship but possibly the college football playoff. However a lot of eyes going to be watching star quarterback Jameis Winston. He's facing possible penalties, even expulsion from school in coming days over claims that he sexually assaulted a female student on campus.

BLACKWELL: Number five, a Swiss hostage captive by Islamic rebels for two years is now free. The 49-year-old man made his daring escape earlier today in the Philippines. And officials say he grabbed one of his captors bladed weapons and used it to attack a guard and another kidnapper. Despite being shot at the man suffered only minor injuries. A veteran is still being held by those militants.

Let's get more now on the breaking news this morning on the death of the American hostage Luke Somers in Yemen.

PAUL: He dies as American special forces tried to rescue him from Al Qaeda linked militants. Former freelance journalist Tik Root met with Somers when they were both in Yemen. He's now a desk for PBS News Hour and joining us from Washington. Thank you so much. And first of all, our sincere condolences to you about Luke what has happened, what we're learning today, to his friends and family as well. And I'm wondering what were you -- when you heard about it, what is the first thing you thought of?

TIK ROOT, PBS NEWSHOUR DESK ASSISTANT: I think when I first heard about his kidnapping and then earlier this morning upon his death, of all the people I met in Yemen, Luke is certainly not the person this should have happened to. He was passionate about the country, its people, and he was just a very thoughtful, quirky guy.

HANNITY: You say he was quirky. You also say in this news hour on the website online that he was thoughtful, passionate. Tell us more about his personality and your interaction with him.

ROOT: Honestly I didn't know him particularly well. But we did cross paths about a dozen times both socially and for work. You know, he was really dedicated to Yemen and he spent, you know, over two years there continuously telling the stories and documenting the people that he met. And he really, truly seemed to enjoy it.

PAUL: Did the two of you ever talking about having any fear the in Yemen for your own safety?

ROOT: I mean, I think it's something that, you know, all of us as freelance journalists, it was a pretty small community, were aware of. There were definitely at lot of dangers. It doesn't come out openly or often, but I think it's something everyone was aware of.

BLACKWELL: All right, Tik, thank you so much for helping us understand more about this person that you called a friend and had crossed paths with about a dozen times. Appreciate your time this morning.

ROOT: Thanks for having me.

PAUL: Our condolences again to you and the family of course.

All right, still to come, should police officers be forced to wear body cameras? That's one of the questions that has come up in the last couple weeks. Some arguing cameras would help police and they would help citizens.

BLACKWELL: But if you look at this case, many are asking how effective can they be especially after a grand jury decided not to indict an officer who was caught on this video putting this chokehold which is impermissible according to NYPD standards on this man? We've got Baltimore's police commissioner up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GWEN CARR, ERIC GARNER'S MOTHER: People who I never would have met or never would have known or probably still never would meet, they are out there. They are standing for my son.

(APPLAUSE)

ESAW GARNER, ERIC GARNER'S WIDOW: My son woke me up out my sleep and said ma, look out the window. It's like 1,000 people on the street. And I looked out the window and I see all these people walking past my building. And I'm looking out the window. Mind you, I'm on the 19th floor. And I see all these people, and they're yelling out, "Eric Garner. Eric Garner," you know, everything. And I'm just like overwhelmed. I'm start crying. My son is like, are you all right, mom? And I'm like, yes, I'm OK, but look at the all the love that your father is getting.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BLACKWELL: You heard from Eric Garner's mother there first and then his wife. That was just months ago at a rally in Harlem. They were referring to the recent protests around the controversial chokehold death and the decision not to indict the New York police officer involved.

Overnight protestors paralyzed at least 17 major cities, blocking off major interstates and bridges. And today more demonstrations are planned including in Los Angeles, also in Washington, D.C., more protests on Staten Island today. And support for body cameras is gaining traction across the country in the wake of the recent police killings of unarmed black men.

PAUL: President Obama announced a $263 million package to help local police departments buy and use 50,000 cameras. And the New York Police Department has launched a pilot program to test that technology. New York of course will be under the spotlight not only because it is the nation's largest police department but because New York is where a grand jury decided not to indict that officer who was filed putting that deadly chokehold on Eric Garner.

BLACKWELL: And of course you can hear Garner crying out for help on that reporting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARNER: I can't breathe. I can't breathe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once again police beating up on people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts joins us now. Commissioner, good to have you this morning.

ANTHONY BATTS, BALTIMORE POLICE COMMISSIONER: Good morning. Thank you very much for having me.

BLACKWELL: So President Obama named you to a White House task force aimed at reforming police departments, and you say cops should be required to record all interactions with the public. There are a lot of people, the protesters who point to the Garner case, and ask what's the point of body cameras, especially after we see what happened on Staten Island? If the body camera has been on there still would have been this result.

BATTS: My thought process first, I haven't been named to a panel yet. I hope or aspire to be on the panel. But the thing with body cameras, they are not a panacea. They are not going to solve all the issues or problems that we have within law enforcement, but they will bring accountability not only to police officers but also to the residents that are engaging or interacting with police officers.

PAUL: It's interesting, people departments in Rialto, California, we've learned say that body cameras have been a success in that community. Complaints against police dropped 88 percent once the cameras were put into use. And this was apparently a yearlong pilot program. Use of force dropped almost 60 percent. That was in Rialto. Do you think that cameras, though, could have the same effect in other communities because every community is different?

BATTS: Yes, ma'am. This is the third police department I've been in charge of. The second was in Oakland, California. At that time I was as the chief of police we were like one of three police departments in the United States out of 18,000 that started with body cameras. You saw the same results in Oakland, reduction in citizen complaints, better behavior at only on the part of the police officers but also on the part of the residents, because the reality is you have officers at time that have bad, but also have citizens that make up complaints that are not correct, too. So it causes them both to be on best behavior. But the bigger thing is the interaction that's caught on tape that you can go back and review for training and you can go back and review for discipline purposes.

BLACKWELL: So for discipline purposes and for training you say. But the value to the public in the Garner case was that that video was immediately available because someone recorded it on their cellphone. How would that video in a police department be made available to the public? Would that be something that's simple -- and I don't want to go too inside baseball here, but I could just request as a public document or public record and get, or it becomes part of the case file and we could not get it?

BATTS: I think it would be all of the above. Any time you take a police report, the public has a right to see that. You can do a public information request. You will get that. The same thing with this video, which brings up other issues that take place. If we film it, if we have it in our archives the public has a right to it. Now, if you to go into a home and you film some very secretive or volatile situation, the public or the media also has access to that. So that brings up other privacy issues we're discussing right now.

PAUL: OK, so we talk about privacy issue. I'm wondering, if cops, they have control of these cameras. They can turn them on. They can turn them off. Does that not leave room one for human error and two for corruption if there happens to be any?

BATTS: When I was in Oakland I didn't give them the option to turn it on or off. It was mandated. Any time you came in contact with a citizen at any given point in time, you were to do turn that camera on and keep it on until that came to a conclusion. At least for me I didn't allow them or give them the option to turn it on. You will have it on. And with that the public has access to all that data.

BLACKWELL: But also let's also talk about the money, because I'd like to know how much does it cost to buy the cameras, train the officers. It has to be a huge amount. And departments are struggling.

BATTS: That is true. There again compared to Baltimore that has approximately 3,000 police officers and Oakland that had roughly about 860, it is a lot easier to give 860 officers the cameras. And usually it is not all of those officers. It's the ones who are in patrol that have the daily contact with residents. For Baltimore as we're looking at costs factors right now. To outfit with just the cameras, and that's all we're talking about right now is the hardware, is somewhere close to between $6 million to $12 million just to start. Then you have to because you have to download that data at the end of every shift, you have the cost of expanding on servers. So you have a multitude of servers that you have to back up this information.

You can also utilize cloud data, but when you use cloud data you have an administrative overhead that you have pay for there also. So there's a cost factor that is ongoing. The bigger issue is how long you keep that data. The ACLU has said they only want you to keep that kind of data for like two to three days if it doesn't have a criminal nexus. For law enforcement if there is a crime involved you may want to keep that longer, especially if there is connectivity to a murder. Also if you are going to get sued, those lawsuits may be extending out to five years so you may have to capture that data in a police department that has 3,000 police officers downloading seven days a week. That is a lot of storage.

BLACKWELL: It certainly is. Baltimore police commissioner Anthony Batts, thank you so much for joining us this morning.

PAUL: Thank you, sir.

BATTS: Thank you. Appreciate it.

BLACKWELL: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Think about this. On quiet tree lined streets all across America, investigators are coming across overdoses from a deadly synthetic drug.

BLACKWELL: It turns out the people making these drugs are working hard to stay one step ahead of the law enforcement. And CNN is airing a special tonight at 7:00 eastern on this deadly trend. Here's Drew Griffin with a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the week of June 10, 2012, law enforcement in Grand Forks were dealing with an outbreak of violent overdoses. A mystery drug on the streets had already killed two teenagers.

TIMOTHY PURDON, U.S. ATTORNEY, DISTRICT ON NORTH DAKOTA: We've got multiple overdoses. We've got two young men who have lost their lives. What's more serious than that?

GRIFFIN: Tim Purdon is the U.S. attorney for North Dakota.

PURDON: That was unprecedented. I've been U.S. attorney now for going on four years. This is the only time we've reached out to a school system, to a university and said, hey, there is this danger on the streets right now that people need to be aware about.

GRIFFIN: As the emergency warnings were being issued investigators desperately trying to find just what this drug was, and more importantly where it came from.

CHRIS MYERS, FIRST ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY, DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA: It took lab analysis to determine the true nature of these substances. When we learned what they were, 2CI-NBOMe, 2CC-NBOMe, that was new to us.

GRIFFIN: And 2CI-NBOMe and 2CC-NBOMe are synthetic designer drugs, chemicals designed to imitate the high of the banned drug LSD. These drugs are so potent a dose the size of a few grains of salt is enough to get high. North Dakota's top federal drug prosecutor had never heard of them and neither had Christian Bjerk's parents.

DEBRA BJERK, CHRISTIAN BJERK'S MOTEHR: I had to go to the Internet and look up information on it. And I really didn't understand the whole synthetic drug. I didn't know what it was, didn't know how dangerous they were.

KEITH BJERK, CHRISTIAN BJERK'S FATHER: The message we got was that somebody had said it was OK for these drugs to be on the street. And they had been tweaked. But that's all we knew.

GRIFFIN: Synthetic LSD has been blamed for at least -- parents across the country are now learning the painful true about synthetic designer drugs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Otherwise known as K2.

GRIFFIN: With deaths and overdoses reported almost daily.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: I'm here in the Newsroom with Drew Griffin now. Drew, that family is in North Dakota. But this is really a national crisis.

GRIFFIN: The person who distributed the drugs to that family that eventually touched that family, was shipping to 50 states, all 50 states. This is in every portion of the country, U.K., Europe, and Australia. Anywhere there is disposable income and young kids, this is where the stuff is going.

BLACKWELL: Are these drugs legal? Are they staying a step ahead of the law here?

GRIFFIN: The answer is yes and no. Technically some of them are illegal up to the point where the molecular structure gets identified by the DEA and is immediately blocked. They are trying to ban in blocks now to try to step ahead of the chemists. But these chemists are trying to step ahead of the DEA. It's really a game which is why it's so important to know what you're dealing with. And this stuff is bad. Forget about whether it's legal or not legal. This is stuff is no good for you. BLACKWELL: And Drew, here is what I don't understand. They are

taking synthetic LSD, synthetic drug. Why not if these are just as dangerous, in many cases more dangerous, why not just take the real thing?

GRIFFIN: Because the real thing is illegal. The real thing, trafficking in that real thing brings you much more stronger penalties. So that's why they're making these drugs. Remember, these are chemical laboratories, companies mostly in China who are churning out what they call research chemicals. These aren't drug cartels, Victor. These are legitimate businesses that are pumping this product into the western world. They are trying to make money off of our kids and trying to do it as legal as they possibly can. That is why they are not shipping LSD.

BLACKWELL: There are lot of parents who their eyes are going to be wide open when they watch this special. Drew Griffin, appreciate it. Thank you, Drew.

And catch Drew's special report "Deadly High, how synthetic drugs are killing kids." It's tonight at 7:00 eastern right here on CNN. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Well, guess what, we are just one day away from CNN's own holiday tradition, "CNN Heroes All Star Tribute."

BLACKWELL: Yes, big stars, 10 extraordinary people will be honored and who give back all year long. This is the season of giving, but we are celebrating the people who do it 365 days a year. The event airs tomorrow night at 8:00 eastern. CNN's Michaela Pereira has a look at what's in store.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: At first glance it might look like every other awards show. But "CNN Heroes, an All Star Tribute" host by Anderson Cooper is an event like no other. Here everyday people doing extraordinary work to help others take center stage, and the stars turn out to honor them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a great night for so many people who are honored for just doing good because it just pushes humanity forward.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's basically recognizing people for what we should all doing every day, which is kind of thinking beyond ourselves.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm here with my daughter because that's what I want to teach here. That the individual really can make a difference.

PEREIRA: Individual like a man who helps people with disabilities get stronger inside and out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is my honor to hug the weight lifter with the biggest heart ever, Ned Norton.

PEREIRA: A woman who works with to save lions from extinction. And a Rabbi with a black belt who helps kids fight cancer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Given the opportunity these children can inspire the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your, killing me CNN. Got my sobbing in my chardonnay.

PEREIRA: It's a night full of emotions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Those are my babies.

PEREIRA: Laughter.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: My friend, Kathy Griffin.

KATHY GRIFFIN: Thank you, Jake Tapper. Hi everybody.

(LAUGHTER)

PEREIRA: An uplifting message.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even in the darkest of places, decency and love can persevere.

PEREIRA: And performances that inspire.

(MUSIC)

PEREIRA: And it ends with a life changing moment.

COOPER: The 2014 CNN Hero of the Year --

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Watch the entire show, "CNN Heroes, an All Star Tribute" tomorrow night at 8:00 eastern. Tune in and you will certainly be inspired.

PAUL: And we need more of that. Sure.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

PAUL: All right. Go make some great memories today.

BLACKWELL: Thanks for watching.

PAUL: Don't go too far.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Keep it here.

Let's hand things over to Fredericka Whitfield.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. Don't go far. Stay right here.

PAUL: That's right. Hey -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And to the evening and then back in the morning to see you guys.

BLACKWELL: Yes, we will be here.

PAUL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. You all have a great one. Thanks so much.

PAUL: You too.

BLACKWELL: Sure.