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Concerns Over Possible July 4th Terror Threats; Shark attack scare; Failure To Launch; Baby Rescued At Sea; Candidates Stump in New Hampshire, Iowa; GOP Worries About Fallout Over Trump Comments; Prison Break Fallout. Aired 9-10a ET

Aired July 4, 2015 - 9:00   ET

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


ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: America on alert. Security beefed up across the country. Many heavily armed and on-guard against a potential July 4th terror attack.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: A fireworks malfunction. Nine people hurt in a misfire. This happened in Colorado. A shell explodes in the launch tube instead of in the air.

KOSIK: And swimmers are wary along the Carolina coast after 10 shark attacks already this year. That's almost double the average. Why more sharks have been coming closer to shore.

Good morning, I'm Alison Kosik in for Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: Good morning to you. I'm Victor Blackwell. 9 o'clock here at CNN Newsroom - that's what you're watching.

And it's good to have you on this fourth. Millions of Americans are preparing for barbecues and fireworks and law enforcement officials are asking you to be vigilant. If you see something, say something.

KOSIK: In fact, an FBI bulletin warning of possible terror attacks has sparked states from Michigan and New York to New Jersey and - and New York, New Jersey to bring in extra law enforcement. New York even using spotters and snipers.

BLACKWELL: There are no specific threats. That's important to say. But intelligence officials say there has been an increase in chatter in the days leading up to this holiday.

KOSIK: We're covering this story from every angle this morning, from law enforcement tracking the threat to the extra security you'll see on the streets of New York and D.C.

Let's begin with Sunlen Serfaty, live at the National Mall. Good morning.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alison.

Well, hundreds of thousands will come out here to the National Mall later. They gather here for that fireworks show. And while this sort of major security presence is nothing new for Washington during the fourth of July holiday, those particularly strong warnings coming from intelligence officials has officials here on edge.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

SERFATY (voice-over): Ramped up security across the nation on this holiday. In Washington, checkpoints for those watching the fireworks with more than 18,000 feet of fencing in place to protect the National Mall. Special patrols at Washington landmarks and a heavy police presence, authorities say, in those seen and unseen ways.

LT. ALLAN GRIFFITH, U.S. PARK POLICE: We prepare for worst-case scenarios and we have contingencies in place should they occur. We don't anticipate that they will.

SERFATY (voice-over): Much of the anxiety stems from a bulletin issued by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security warning of potential attacks by ISIS this holiday weekend.

U.S. officials say there's no intelligence about specific or credible plots but there has been an uptick of chatter from ISIS encouraging their followers to attack during this time. The dominant concern - homegrown violent extremists, supporters of ISIS within the U.S. who may be inspired to carry out their call to action.

ASH CARTER, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: In the era of social media and phenomenal like ISIL, unlike Al Qaeda of the old days - there doesn't have to be and won't necessarily be a commanding control relationship between somebody who instigates an incident and ISIL as a - as an organization. There are self-radicalized, self-organized people on social media.

SERFATY (voice-over): These so-called lone wolf attacks are a challenge for the intelligence community, much harder to pick up ahead of time.

It's not just in Washington. Police forces across the nation including New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles are on high-alert and not just in the streets but online.

GRIFFITH: There are people assigned, monitoring social media and known websites. So...

SERFATY (on screen): Looking for any specific...?

GRIFFITH: That's correct - just any kind of watch words. So it's constantly being monitored.

(END VIDEO)

SERFATY: And the threat won't go away with the holiday today. Law enforcement officials say that the other area of concern about a potential attack could be because this is also in the middle of the holy month of Ramadan which lasts until the 17th of this month so likely, this sort of anxiety, this sort of increased security presence won't go away until then.

Alison, Victor? KOSIK: OK. Sunlen Serfaty, live from Washington D.C. Thanks.

And Washington is far from the only city with increased security. New York also stepping up its already tight police protection.

Boris Sanchez is live at Penn Station.

Boris, what's different about the security that you're seeing there?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alison, we're seeing a lot more law enforcement officials moving around this area. AAA tells us that about 42 million people will be travelling this weekend so officials are really focused on travel hubs like Penn Station here in New York. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday that he's beefing up patrols and staff, specifically at the emergency operations center here in New York City.

Aside from that, we know law enforcement has spotters and snipers (inaudible) at key locations - strategic locations across New York City, keeping an eye on crowds.

[09:05:06]

We also know that they have scanned for explosives and radioactive devices on land, sea, and from the air as well as 7,000 cameras around New York City looking for anything that may be suspicious or out of place. Officials tell us they're preparing for any kind of attack.

People here at Penn Station tells us they like seeing this added law enforcement presence because it makes them feel safer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIE GARVEY, TRAVELLING THROUGH PENN STATION: I've noticed more of a police presence which makes me feel safer. You know? I - like I said, I was born, raised in New York and - pre-9/11 and stuff like that and yes, we need to take security - we have to - for the safety of everyone, we need our police presence and I think it makes people feel more secure when we do have police presence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: The governor also asking New Yorkers to be vigilant and watch for anything again that seems out-of-place or suspicious and to report what they see immediately.

Alison?

KOSIK: That's something that New Yorkers do every day. Boris Sanchez, live from New York. Thanks.

BLACKWELL: All right. For more, let's bring in CNN global affairs analyst, Lt. Col. James Reese. We also have with us Jonathan Gilliam. He is a former navy SEAL, FBI special agent, and former Air Marshall.

Lt. Colonel, I want to start with you. We know that - we saw one base in England shut down its fourth of July celebrations. I wonder if you could compare and contrast the propaganda value of attacking here in the U.S. - the homeland - versus an outpost.

LT. COL: JAMES REESE (RET.), CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yes. Victor, now that - you're right. Being here - terrorist organization. If they can hit - what I'll call - your home field advantage, that is definitely a propaganda boost if they have the ability to do that. But remember, from the military side, two months ago - just a little over two months ago, they raised their alert level from alpha up to bravo. So all the military bases in the U.S. are at a higher state of security right now, if you include with the fourth of July celebration. But like you said, from a propaganda aspect, if someone was able to get in here and conduct an attack against some piece of key critical infrastructure like a military base or a government building especially on this holiday, the propaganda would be big for them for that organization.

BLACKWELL: Hey, Jonathan. And I want both of you to weigh in on this. I'm going to come to you first. It's a difficult question to ask from this seat but I think it's important. We've been talking about this here on this network for about a week now and I wonder how much of the constant discussion about this is the weekend that falls within Ramadan exacerbates this? It would encourage some who are sympathetic or inspired by ISIS to do it now because it would have greater value.

JONATHAN GILLIAM, FORMER FBI SPECIAL AGENT: Well, you've got to look at it this way - and this is where I think a lot of people overlook it and I know the Lt. Colonel will agree with me on this. These people are not madmen, OK? The - what they are are highly-inspired religious zealots who buy off on this ideology of fundamentalism in the tactics and techniques and procedures that were used 1400 years ago. So this is a holy month and what that does for people who are may be subscribed to this ideology, they may be inspired this month and that's why you would see a possible increase in attacks here inside the United States and abroad. It's no different than any other religion when they have their holidays and people are happy and they're inspired. It's the same thing here. And that's really why you need to watch out. The mosques need to watch out. And anybody who is in Islam should be watching for these people that really have an unusually high amount of energy where - and also people who tend to talk about these different types of ideologies, these more fundamental, radical ideas.

BLACKWELL: So what do you think about that, Lt. Colonel? Does this discussing - discussion of the threat this weekend day after day, hour after hour, inspire some who may be had plans to attack to do it now because we have obviously set the context here about why this would be a time to do it based on what we've heard from ISIS?

REESE: Well, yes. And like Jonathan said, I agree with him on that point. But one thing we're focused on here - we're focused on the Islamic threat. Now, I get it. The chatter that we pick up, that our intelligence agency - is ISIS, Al Qaeda, that threat against the homeland. But no. We saw what happened down in Charleston just a couple of weeks ago. The threats against the U.S. across the spectrum - whether it be Islam, whether it be skinhead Christianity, whatever. [09:10:07] Those are key aspects that our intelligence service, our law enforcement aspects - excuse me - have to look at all this - all the time. What happens here - as we've been talking about over a week now - is events like July 4th weekend. It gets everyone pumped. And the soft targets that are out there - as you get closer and closer to that target where the event is, it becomes harder. I'm more concerned about where people are gathering to get in. And very candidly, if I'm a bad guy and I want to do something on July 4th weekend, I'm waiting 'til the day after because everyone's perspective right now is peaked on July 4th. I'm going to wait 'til the day after. That's when I would do it if I'm a bad guy.

BLACKWELL: Yes. And my suggestion here is not that we should not cover it. I think an informed public is a protected public, often a safer public. But I just wonder what role that plays.

Quickly, to you, Jonathan - what likely are these local law enforcement agencies, local police getting beyond the bulletin that we see, that is made public?

GILLIAM: Well, there's going to be a lot of information because of not just of what it is but where it comes from. I mean, a lot of this chatter, a lot of the intel comes from sources - human sources - or intelligence gathering. So they can't really reveal a lot of times where this stuff comes from but when they say there's increased chatter, it's not like you're just listening to a telephone or just watching the internet from some major screen. I mean, this is intelligence that's coming from all over the world and all - many different countries and many different intelligence agencies and it's gathered right here. And let me just say this one of - one very important thing. It is good that you're covering this.

The American public needs to get used to this and their eyes are the greatest increase in awareness and tools that the law enforcement actually have right now. That is what law enforcement has on days like today that they don't typically have are millions of more eyes out there. And the more aware the American public is, the safer everybody's going to be because they're the ones who are possibly going to see something. Just like in Boston, when they - a lot of these individuals saw that bag sitting on the ground but they did nothing about it and their legs got blown off because of it and many people got killed.

BLACKWELL: Absolutely. In some of these cases, people are inspired by ISIS so there is no chatter to hear so you've got to watch out and again, see something, say something.

Jonathan Gilliam, Lt. Col. James Reese, thank you both.

GILLIAM: Thank you.

KOSIK: Beaches along the Carolina coast on alert but this warning is for sharks. With almost double the number of attacks so far this year, what's drawing these dangerous fish closer to shore?

And look at this, a baby - a little baby floating in the water almost a mile from shore alone. You might be surprised how she got there. I'll tell you how.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:15:01]

BLACKWELL: Well, one shark attack is one too many. How about 10, though? If that's how many people have been bitten along the coast of North and South Carolina, that's higher than the average of six attacks per year off the coast of those two states. Now, the latest attack happened on Ocracoke Island. A man escaped the

attack but left a trail of blood from the water to the shore. And now, some people are second-guessing their weekend holiday plans. Others are still planning to go into the water.

Nick Valencia joins us now from Wrightsville Beach this morning.

Nick, are we seeing people - even at this hour - well, you've got people behind you - are they going into the water?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes. They are definitely going in and they're excited about being here. A lot of people are here for the fourth of July weekend. Local residents showing up just to appreciate this sunny day, a beautiful day out here.

I spoke to a surfer earlier today who was one of the first out here in the water. He said it wasn't really on his mind the fact that he could be bitten by a shark. He said last summer, he was out here, he saw a shark, nothing happened.

People are thinking about it but not necessarily concerned though it is a topic of conversation everywhere you go.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

VALENCIA (voice-over): A rash of shark attacks off the Carolinas' coast. This year, already at least 10 attacks. That's nearly double the yearly average for North and South Carolina in one month. Another 11 attacks have happened in Florida. The shark bites so frequent, it could surpass last year's totals in the United States.

PATRICK THORNTON, SHARK ATTACK SURVIVOR: It actually must have come in the wave because I didn't see anything.

VALENCIA (voice-over): Survivor Patrick Thornton tells CNN's Anderson Cooper he was swimming in North Carolina's outer banks with his eight- year-old son when he was attacked.

THORNTON: I started shouting, "Shark! Shark! Everyone out of the water!" At the same time, I'm punching the shark, trying to get the shark away from me. And then went over to obviously grab my - grab my son.

VALENCIA (voice-over): A contributing factor - perhaps a perfect storm of environmental and biological variables. Some sharks feed on turtles and small fish close to shore. Scientists say drought conditions could also play a role among other things.

GEORGE BURGESS, DIRECTOR, SHARK RESEARCH AT UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Certainly warm water this year, higher salinities, lots of bait fishes in the water. It's turtle nesting season. Those are all factors that would promote more sharks on the beach.

VALENCIA (voice-over): One of the attacks this summer happened near a pier in North Carolina. Too close for comfort for fourth of July weekend surfers and holiday-ers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The other day, saw about a five-foot sand shark and it was within eight feet of me but - I mean, stayed out in the water. It's his natural habitat. It's hanging out out there. We're in its home so you just have to be aware and - of your surroundings and be careful.

(END VIDEO)

VALENCIA: Now, we don't want to scare you here. The probability of bitten by - being bitten by a shark not that high - about a one in more than 11 million chance. You have more of a likelihood to be struck by lightning or become president of the United States. Even still, keep in your head in the swivel out there. If you are planning to go into the ocean this weekend, experts say swim in groups and avoid swimming at dawn or dusk when sharks are most active. Victor?

BLACKWELL: And stay away from piers. Nick Valencia, thanks so much.

VALENCIA: Stay away from piers. All of that stuff. Yes, you've got it.

BLACKWELL: OK. So turn to the screen for a moment because this is the shocker of the day. What you're looking at here is not a boat - let's put it up. This is a baby floating in some toy here in the water almost a mile or so from shore. Now, you might be surprised how this child got there. That's coming up.

[09:20:03]

Also, failure to launch. A misfire at a fireworks display in Colorado leaves several people hurt. How did this happen?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh! Whoa!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's going on?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No lying ones.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No fireworks. No fireworks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my God. That's (inaudible). UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy *beep*.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: A fireworks show turned downright frightening in Colorado. Nine people were injured after a malfunction of some sort during a show last night.

Now, instead of firing into the sky, a shell exploded in its tube and then it landed on the crowd.

The injured have been treated and released. An investigation into the incident was launched immediately.

But I want to bring in Ralph Apel. He's with the National Council on Fireworks Safety.

It is July Fourth, Ralph. Happy Fourth of July to you and good morning.

RALPH APEL, NATIONAL COUNCIL ON FIREWORKS SAFETY: Same to you. Good morning.

KOSIK: This incident happened in Colorado. And as I said, the shell exploding in its tube instead of firing into the sky. How common is this kind of malfunction?

APEL: Well, actually, the National Council really focuses on consumer fireworks. But I don't think this is very common. I know the public display's very specific requirements for distance from the - from the shoot site to the audience, wind speed, wind direction.

[09:25:09]

I don't think this is very common.

KOSIK: There is a recent report from the Consumer Products Safety Commission saying that eye injuries caused by fireworks have actually doubled from just three years ago. 1300 last year compared to 600 in 2011. What do you think? Do you think this is - that this is more for firework operators, for crowd-goers, or for both?

APEL: Well, I think it'd be - should be for both. If the wind happens to shift and debris falls on the crowd, that could be a chance for debris getting into your eye. For consumer fireworks, we always suggest that the person lighting the fireworks wear eye protection - either goggles or safety glasses.

KOSIK: Yes. I mean, we shouldn't take this lightly as we're lighting our fireworks tonight that you can get hurt, right?

APEL: Yes. Well, we always suggest to have a designated shooter. And by that, I mean, a person that looks at the fireworks before (inaudible) the label and knows what the firework's going to do before (inaudible) that way they know the (inaudible). They can start with the small item and build to the larger item and they know what it takes to be safe in the backyard.

KOSIK: OK. I'm going to try to ask you one more question. And we're having a bit of a technical difficulty here. I'll ask you one more here because I know the northwest is in the middle of a heat wave. Do you think that the dry conditions could increase a threat of possible fires if one of these malfunctions happens during their fireworks displays?

APEL: I'm sure that the local fire departments are very aware of the situation. (Inaudible) would hold up a display if the danger were too high. But with any firework (inaudible) professional or consumer, you need to look at the surroundings and make sure that you have dry leaves, dry grass in the area (inaudible).

KOSIK: OK. All right. Ralph, we are having a technical problem but safety is of the utmost concern on this fourth of July. We get that. Thanks so much for joining us.

APEL: Welcome.

BLACKWELL: All right. You've got to turn and take a second to look at this. What you're seeing here is a toy - some floating toy with a 10- month-old baby girl by herself, drifting out to sea. And her parents apparently forgot that they put her in the water in that floating toy.

KOSIK: How do they forget their kid?

BLACKWELL: They just forgot here. The parents said that they weren't even aware that their daughter had drifted away. They were on the Turkish coast here.

Thankfully, somebody was paying attention. Some people sunbathing - they spotted the baby before she got way too far although some would say she was already at that point. The coast guard was able to rescue the child, return her to her parents. Witnesses obviously stunned there. They erupted in applause when the baby was safely in her mother's arms.

Ten months old. Hmm.

Presidential hopefuls are spending the Fourth of July holiday on the road. But Donald Trump - he's the one getting all the attention this morning. NASCAR said it is now distancing itself over comments he made.

And one of the escaped killers from a New York prison is spilling the beans about their breakout. But can anything that David Sweat says really be trusted?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:31:36] KOSIK: Welcome back.

It's shaping up to be a busy Fourth of July for more than a half dozen presidential candidates. They are spending Independence Day trying to win votes. Hillary Clinton and GOP candidates, including Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Chris Christie and Lindsey Graham, they're all spending the day stumping in New Hampshire.

Meantime, Democratic challengers Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley are in Iowa.

CNN politics reporter MJ Lee joins us for more.

Good morning, MJ. What do you think? What's in store for the key primary states today?

MJ LEE, CNN POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alison and Victor.

As you know, it is a tradition on July 4th weekends for small towns like this to have parades, and festivities and barbecues. And as you mentioned, a lot of the presidential candidates will be partaking in the festivities.

I'm here in Gorham, New Hampshire, a northern town in the state, today, where Hillary Clinton will be walking down in the streets you see behind me here in the parade sometime this afternoon.

There are a couple other parades happening in the state of New Hampshire today. In Amherst, we have Jeb Bush, Rick Perry, Lindsey Graham. In Meramec, Bush and Perry will be going to a parade there as well. And in Willsboro, we'll see Christie and Marco Rubio participating in the festivities there as well. I wouldn't be surprised if some of these candidates actually ended up actually bumping into each other given so many of them are here today.

KOSIK: And speaking of Hillary Clinton, her main Democratic opponent is Bernie Sanders drawing large crowds. What do you think? Does that -- does that worry Hillary Clinton?

LEE: Yes, Alison, actually, Hillary Clinton spoke at Dartmouth College yesterday and then visited a local ice cream store where she was asked that very question. Reporters wanted to know, are you worried about the fact that at a recent rally, Bernie Sanders had close to 10,000 people show up to support him? And she played it very cool. Her answer was simply that we're running different campaigns and I always knew this would be a competitive primary.

When she walks here this afternoon at this parade in Gorham, we know that there's a big contingent of reporters following her around and trying to ask her more questions.

KOSIK: Well, I hope if the candidates bump into each other they are not holding drinks and accidentally spill it on each other. Although that would be a great photo, don't you think?

LEE: I'll be careful.

KOSIK: Kidding there, MJ.

All right. MJ Lee, live from Gorham, thanks so much.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Love him or, I know, not. Donald Trump has captured the hearts and minds or at least the attention of GOP primary voters.

Since announcing his campaign last month, this real estate mogul turned Republican presidential candidate has attracted a lot of controversy, a lot of attention, particularly for calling some immigrants rapists and murderers. But then saying there are some he assumes who are good people.

And new this morning, NASCAR now says it will not return to the Trump National Doral Miami resort for the postseason award banquet because of those comments he made.

Now, despite the backlash, this new CNN/ORC poll found that Trump is in second place behind former Florida Governor Jeb Bush in the crowded field of Republicans looking for that nomination.

CNN senior digital correspondent Chris Moody joins now for more.

Chris, I think it's difficult for a lot of people who are not in that number, who support Donald Trump, to understand why he is in second place.

[09:35:06] Can you -- can you explain that, break it down for folks?

CHRIS MOODY, CNN SENIOR DIGITAL CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump supporters like Donald Trump for the same reasons that people don't like Donald Trump. It's really interesting.

I spent a day with his supporters in New Hampshire at an event just last week. And I talked to a number of them. They love the so-called straight talk. They love that -- they say that he says the things that they are thinking in their mind, but they feel they can't say or that other candidates can't say. They like the boldness, the brashness.

But, of course, that's the very same thing that people really dislike him for, for the comments about immigrants, for the comments about people from Mexico, saying that he goes to too far. So, it's very interesting that he was polling so well.

Part of that is name ID. People in this point in the race talk about -- they tell pollsters to vote for somebody they have heard of. And he is not just polling in New Hampshire well and Iowa, but nationwide. The question is, how long will this last?

BLACKWELL: So, you know, it seems that the brash straight talker is the feather in the cap favor of candidates this time around. Do you expect that some of that territory can be taken over by Governor Christie?

MOODY: You know, I asked Donald Trump supporters that very question. What about Chris Christie? He was holding an event down the street at the same time. And he's on a so-called tell it like it is tour. There's similar in that regard where they speak off the cuff and tell you what is on their mind.

But they pointed to a couple concerns. They pointed to the bridgegate scandal. They said that didn't bode well for them. And a lot of them did not like how -- if you remember back to Superstorm Sandy, when President Obama visited New Jersey, they did not like the way Chris Christie they say hugged him. Chris Christie didn't say a hug, but the way he embraced Barack Obama, especially right before the election.

But, you know, a lot of analysts say Chris Christie has a little more gravitas than a guy like Donald Trump. But for now, Donald Trump really is shaping the race, perhaps not in a long term, but absolutely here in the short term.

BLACKWELL: You bring up this staying power, what's the school of thought or if there's a consensus on, if you -- if these candidates should ignore comments made by Donald Trump because they expect he'll fizzle out, or if they should stand up and denounce what he's saying? Is there a trend?

MOODY: This is a tough question I think for a lot of campaigns. At first you saw them ignoring it and then saw them getting dragged down into that conversation, because if you talk about Donald Trump, you give him more attention, you give him more attention, you give him more press, he becomes the story of the 2016 primary.

His opponents don't want that. But at some point, his remarks were so consistently bombastic they said they have to stand up and say something. And we have seen full-throne comments from Rick Perry and certainly Marco Rubio.

So, I think you are starting to see the trend change just a little bit, and they take on Donald Trump in a way they were trying to ignore this and it will go away. Well, it's been a few weeks and it hasn't gone away.

BLACKWELL: Chris Moody of CNN Politics, thank you.

MOODY: Thank you, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk about these escaped killers in New York as one is spilling the beans about how they planned this breakout and why. But can anything David Sweat says be trusted?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:42:09] KOSIK: Welcome back.

There will be no funeral for Richard Matt. "The Plattsburg Press Republican" is reporting that body of the escaped inmate will be laid to rest with no services. It had been reported there would be a small gathering.

We also learned this week that matt wrote a letter before he escaped promising his daughter he would, quote, "see you on the outside."

And some people want to know if the prison missed a chance to stop the escape before it happened. Actually, a lot of questions.

So, to discuss this, we are joined by Larry Lawton. He's a former prison inmate who now works as an honorary policeman and works with teens trying to keep them out of a life of cirme.

Good morning to you and thanks for joining us.

LARRY LAWTON, FORMER JEWEL THIEF: Good morning, Alison. Glad to be here.

KOSIK: Let's start with the mail at Clinton correction. It's not screened apparently, or wasn't screened. How much of a mistake is it to have that kind of process at a prison like that?

LAWTON: Well, most maximum security prisons do screen them out. So, I was a pretty surprised to hear that as well.

And all the information David Sweat is giving them is going to be double checked.

But I can tell you from living in a maximum security prison for 11 years, 90 percent of the guards break prison infraction rules, whether giving extra milks to inmates or giving them stuff they don't need, whether it is letting them out in the yard a little early to go somewhere when they know they are not going to that exact spot, whether it's the medical or the library.

And they have to figure out the actually criminals, and I'm talking about the guards that are actually doing the stuff that the prison employee did, the sweat shop worker. So, they're going to have to figure that out. But if they want to get real with themselves, Alison, the prison system is broke and they have to figure out how to fix it, 12 people is just the tip of the iceberg if you ask me.

KOSIK: Why is it that these correctional officers become way too friendly oftentimes with those who are, you know, incarcerated there? I mean, there are a fewer men, that could be part of it, or are they getting -- what are they getting in return?

LAWTON: Well, Alison, you've got to remember, guards are human beings, too. And they see people in there that might not be belonging to be with another inmate in there, whether it is a David Sweat or a Richard Matt who are violent offenders.

And they might have a guy in that exact same facility in a six-year sentence. And he's just not as hard. And they feel bad for him. And I really feel bad for what's going on in there now, with inmates in the prison. I know people say, how do you feel bad? Well, we've got too many people in prison, we all know that in this country. We're 25 percent of the prison population in the world and 5 percent of the population.

So, I think what's happening now is they are going through a lot of lockdowns, shakedowns and people are not getting that little thing to make them feel human.

[09:45:00] You have to remember, Alison, 95 percent of the people are getting out and will be reintegrated into society. It is how we rehabilitate them if we want to talk rehabilitation that's simply go on the outside -- KOSIK: But, Larry, they are not at the Rivera. They shouldn't -- I

mean, you think they should sort of be given privileges while inside?

LAWTON: Well, it's not about being with privileges. Nobody goes to prison and nobody gets out saying it's a great place, Alison. That's the biggest fallacy you hear about, oh, they are living in club fed, if it's a federal prison -- that is not so true.

You are told what to do, when to get up, when to get down. I was put in a hold for writing a letter to senators about deaths in prison. So, I mean, it's not what people see on TV, and I express that all the time.

So, I'm not talking about privileges, oh, they need to have conjugal visits, they don't need certain things. I think they just need to be treated in humane conditions.

And what I -- you don't know what happened in that prison, and it's just the tip is coming out, Alison.

KOSIK: OK. Larry Lawton, thanks so much for joining us today.

LAWTON: Sure.

KOSIK: And for many of us, Fourth of July parades may trigger happy memories. But for some combat veterans with PTSD, those fireworks could transport them back to the battlefield. What one group is doing to help veterans cope.

And developing right now, a source tells CNN that a tentative agreement has been reached concerning relieving economic sanctions on Iran. We're going to give you details ahead.

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[09:50:11] BLACKWELL: All right. Ten minutes until the top of the hour now. It's Fourth of July. Happy Fourth to you. And millions of people will be watching fireworks tonight, lining off some in their neighborhoods maybe.

But some of the combat veterans, they suffer from PTSD and the flashing skies of the fireworks can take them back to the battlefield. There's a group on Facebook called Military with PTSD, and it started a campaign to provide veterans yard signs like the ones you see here to be courteous with fireworks. So far, the groups have sent out 2,500 yard signs and still has 3,000 people on a waiting list.

Joining us now is the woman who organized the campaign, Shawn Gourley. Her husband has helped organize the campaign as well.

I'm surprised it's taken so long to come up with us. But I'm glad you have done it.

And I want to start with you, Justin. What is the impact of the fireworks, as I thank you for your service, back in 2004? You were in the Navy up into that point and later diagnosed with PTSD. What's the impact?

JUSTIN GURLEY, VETERAN, DIAGNOSED WITH PTSD: Well, the impact is, is that a lot of fireworks sound like bombs dropping. Other small firecrackers sound like gunshots. And, apparently, that would rise and startle a lot of your veterans that served on the ground and in another combat zone.

BLACKWELL: So, Shawn, if a neighbor puts one up in their yard, what is appropriate? I mean, should they not light up at all or is there a conversation that needs to happen?

SHAWN GURLEY, MILITARY WITH PTSD: Yes. No veteran wants to stop anyone's fireworks. They definitely don't want, you know, to take anyone's fun away.

Just a courteous heads up, just going over and say, hey, from this time to this time, we are going to be setting off fireworks.

And the biggest thing about the campaign was, on the Fourth of July, these veterans expect fireworks. They will tell you that it's their responsibility on the Fourth of July to get themselves in a place where they won't be triggered and it won't bother them.

We are talking about the days leading up to the fourth and the days following the fourth when fireworks aren't expected. Those are the days and the times that it is more likely to trigger them, because those are unexpected.

BLACKWELL: Yes, it's always that -- in this case, it's the Sunday after where you are wondering, who still has fireworks after yesterday that they stop popping off.

Justin, I don't want to use too broad of a brush here but how comfortable typically are people who have been diagnosed with PTSD, about talking about it, especially with people who come up and have questions?

J. GOURLEY: Normally, not very comfortable about it. A very random few are actually very outgoing to talk about it.

BLACKWELL: OK. And are you comfortable with having a conversation when neighbors come up? I mean, you are on television now. So there is some level of comfort. When neighbors come up, how much detail are you willing to go into?

J. GOURLEY: I don't try to go into too much details because like I said, there's so many labels they say, that vet is out of his mind or he's got real problems. It is a common misconception that people don't understand the realities of PTSD and what they stand for.

BLACKWELL: Twenty-five hundred signs, Shawn, and still, 3,000 on a waiting list. Were you surprised by the response?

S. GOURLEY: Absolutely. I mean, we knew there were a lot of vets that wanted the sign. What we didn't realize was the response after they started going out and these vets started putting the pictures up on Facebook and they started getting shared all over. People were coming to us left and right going, where can I get it, where can I get it? Can I buy it?

And, you know, we give them out free. We don't want to have them buy them but we did have them help us out by paying for shipping. We are hoping to get to a point where they don't have to do that. We can send it for everyone free without having to worry about them paying for shipping.

BLACKWELL: Well, I'm sure there are people willing to help with that.

Again, the Facebook group is military with PTSD. These signs have been a great service. I thank you, Shawn, for serving this way, and Justin, for your service to the country and we wish both of you a happy fourth.

S. GOURLEY: You, too. Thank you.

J. GOURLEY: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: And we'll be right back.

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[09:58:16] KOSIK: A source tells CNN that a tentative agreement has been reached concerning economic sanctions released for Iran. This is all part of the nuclear negotiations happening between Iran and six world powers. That same source is saying there is still a lot of work to do and the language has to be presented to foreign leaders. But this is the first noticeable sign of progress in these discussions.

BLACKWEL: Police in Massachusetts want your help in identifying a toddler whose body washed ashore along the Boston harbor last week. Officials have released the computer generated sketches of the girl. They say she was about four years old, had brown hair, brown eyes. They add that her body was wrapped in zebra-striped blanket. It showed no obvious signs of trauma. So far, they have received thousands of tips but still have not been able to identify the girl.

KOSIK: A Texas man has died in an alligator attack. Witnesses are saying, the man took off his shoes and shirt after someone warned him not to go in the water anyway, especially with a nearby sign, no swiping, alligators, he jumped anyway. A safe game warden on the job for 22 year says it's the first fatal alligator attack he can recall.

BLACKWELL: Because most people saw the sign and say --

KOSIK: And saying I'm not going to jump in where there are alligators.

BLACKWELL: Yes, they listened.

(LAUGHTER)

BLACKWELL: Hey, lots more tell you about this morning.

KOSIK: NEWSROOM starts now.

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BLACKWELL: Security is a major concern this Fourth of July holiday. Law enforcement officer out in big numbers. The concerns now are vigilance on the Fourth of July.

Plus, shark attacks, ten attacks down the East Coast already on this busy weekend. Should people be afraid to go into the water?