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CNN NEWSROOM
Arraignment Day for Boston Marathon Suspect; Pilots Not Tested for Drugs or Alcohol; Runaway Train; FAA Increases Co-Pilot Training; Suspect Claims Hernandez Was Shooter; Protesters Celebrate and Reject Coup; Egyptian Boys Thrown from Roof
Aired July 10, 2013 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Dramatic moments at the George Zimmerman second-degree murder trial. The prosecution uses a dummy to challenge a defense witness, but Zimmerman's attorney tries to turn the tables. Our live coverage resumes as soon as the court is back in session.
Here is a look at other big stories we are covering this hour. Arraignment day for the suspect in the Boston marathon bombing. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev faces a judge. He also faces and the family members of the victims.
The pilots of the plane that crash landed in San Francisco were not tested for drugs or alcohol. Why investigators say they were not allowed to take those blood samples.
And finger pointing, possibly foul play. The latest on the runaway train that slammed into a small town and exploded. You see the video there. Forty-five people are still missing.
This is CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Suzanne Malveaux. I want to get straight to this.
The public now getting a look at Dzhokhar Tsarnaev today. This is the first time since the week of the Boston marathon bombings. It is arraignment day for the 19-year-old terror suspect. He and his brother, they are blamed for killing three people at that race, you might recall, wounding more than 250, and then killing an MIT police officer a few days later.
Our Deborah Feyerick, she's in Boston with the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It has been more than 11 weeks since alleged marathon bomb suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was found hiding in this boat and bleeding profusely from wounds sustained during a manhunt that brought greater Boston to a virtual standstill. His wounds will have largely heeled but those of the people he is accused of trying to kill remain painful. Some of the victims and their families will be in court to witness Tsarnaev enter a plea to 30 charges against him, including using a weapon of mass destruction.
PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: They want to be there and they want to be close and they want to -- it has such symbolic importance to these families to show that they continue to care for their loved ones and they stand up for them during the trial process.
FEYERICK: Tsarnaev's lawyers are not commenting. And while prosecutors decline to discuss a motive for the alleged attack, a note Tsarnaev scrolled in hiding, according to the indictment, suggests retribution. Quote, "I don't like killing innocent people. It is forbidden in Islam. But stop killing our innocent people and we will stop."
He's not acting under the act of guidance of his older brother. Nobody is telling him to write these things. Nobody is telling him to make these scrollings. And I think that indicates intent.
FEYERICK: Tsarnaev's older brother was initially thought to be the ring leader behind the attack. But in the indictment, prosecutors make clear they believe Dzhokhar was an equal partner. They say he downloaded radical jihadist materials, including an Al Qaeda inspired magazine containing a recipe for building pressure cooker bombs like those used in the terror attacks. Prosecutors say he also carried one of those devices in a backpack that detonated south of the finish line killing eight-year-old Martin Richard.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Deborah Feyerick joins us from Boston. And, Deborah, first of all, I suspect that we will see Tsarnaev in about a couple of hours inside of that courtroom. The courtroom, I imagine, is expected to be packed. Is there a line outside? Do we see victims of the bombing? Do we see even some family members of those who lost their loved ones?
FEYERICK: There is a line outside. A number of the members of media are on that line. Also, public spectators, people who want to get into the court. The families, the victims, they were invited separately by the U.S. Attorney and the FBI, so they have rows available to them. Also, we're told that there will be some seats in that court available for anybody from the Tsarnaev family who decides to show up, though it's not clear whether, in fact, anyone will. He arrived here about an hour and a half ago. He was in a U.S. marshal convoy. There was a white van that was surrounded by state police, also an armored vehicle that was following him.
So, the security, not only in his transportation but here at the courthouse right now, extremely, extremely tight. And clearly, Suzanne, you know, it's fascinating when you see the image of somebody who has been in the newspapers, who's been on T.V. and then to see them in person, to reconcile those 30 charges you mentioned, including use of a weapon of mass destruction, to reconcile the severity of the charges with that sort of individual standing there in prison garb. It's going to be quite interesting to witness.
MALVEAUX: And, Deb, we know the arraignment is going to happen. Do we suspect that he is actually going to say anything or make a statement?
FEYERICK: We don't. His lawyers are not speaking. Usually what ends up happening is the lawyers brief him on all the charges. So, he's completely aware of what he's facing. And then, either the lawyer will enter a plea because he's got to respond because that's what the arraignment's all about of not guilty which is usually the case or guilty which will be explosive. And that's usually when we hear the suspect utter one or two words. He can talk to the judge if he wants. She will likely ask him questions as to his prison conditions and how -- If there's anything that needs to be addressed. So, you know, there are some unknowns that will happen during this what is really a routine proceeding -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right, Deb. We'll be watching closely. Thank you. We appreciate it.
There are also new details emerging. This is about the pilots of the Asiana Airlines plane that crashed landed. This was in San Francisco at the airport just a couple of days ago. Well, we knew that the flying pilot was in the training phase of learning to fly that Boeing 777, right? Well now, we're learning that the pilot sitting next to him in the instructor role, well, that was his first time in that role. For more on this and other details in the investigation, I want to bring in Dan Simon out at the San Francisco Airport. Dan, so pilot experience is just one part of the investigation. Put this into context here. How rare is it that you have one guy being trained for the first time landing in San Francisco with that particular plane and then the other guy first time in the instructor role?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, the bottom line here is all the issues surrounding the pilots level of experience is going to be extremely critical to this case. Were they communicating properly in the cockpit? Another main focus of the investigation seems to be on the automated flight equipment used to control the plane's speed. It wasn't functioning properly. Did the two pilots talk about it? Was it set properly? All of that is going to be extremely critical. And at the very end, may determine what in fact happened here.
MALVEAUX: And we know that they didn't take blood samples from the pilots after the crash. Is that typical? Do we know why that didn't happen?
SIMON: Well, we know what the NTSB chairwoman, Deborah Herzman, has said about this is that it would've happened had these been U.S.-based pilots. She says the agency is checking to see what the requirements are for foreign-based carriers. But, you know, some transportation officials say they should have been tested. They pressed this very clearly. Take a look at what one had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARY SCHIAVO, FORMER INSPECTOR GENERAL, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION: I think that they should have asked and, frankly, demanded that they be drug and alcohol tested. First of all, all U.S. pilots are subject to that. And I think that because this airline co- chairs with U.S. carriers, both United and U.S. Air, I think they should be subject to it because we are putting lots of American citizens on those airlines even though they buy tickets not on Asiana but on U.S. carriers. And I think there would be enough bite to do that if you pushed the issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON: We expect, Suzanne, that all these issues will come up again during the next NTSB briefing later this afternoon and we also expect to hear more about what the pilots have told investigators in terms of what happened. Back to you.
MALVEAUX: All right, Dan, thanks. We appreciate it.
Just a short time ago, the FAA announced new training requirements. This is for co-pilots to become certified as first officers. The number of flying hours needed is going to increase from 250 to 1,500. That's a pretty big increase there. The change stems in part from the crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407, that was back in February of 2009. All 49 people on board were killed along with one person on the ground. Now, this new rule was ordered by Congress to improve aviation safety and has also been in the work for quite some time.
New development in the murder investigation of former NFL star Aaron Hernandez. Well, according to newly released court documents, a suspect in the case says it was Hernandez who shot and killed Odin Lloyd. The ex-New England Patriots' player charged with murder in Lloyd's death. Now, court documents also reveal that Hernandez was, quote, "argumentative when police came to his home to question him." Hernandez had pleaded not guilty but he does remain in a Massachusetts' jail.
This is also what we're working on for this hour. This is a country deeply divided. Of course, we're talking about Egypt. But beyond the politics, people there are losing their lives including two teenagers. One thrown from a water tank. Another down an air shaft.
And dramatic moments in the George Zimmerman trial. The prosecution uses a dummy to challenge a witness. The defense uses it to make another point, turning it onto his head. We're going to take you live inside the courtroom later this hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Looking overseas for a moment. Mohamed Morsy is now what they say in a safe place being treated well. So far, he is not charged with anything. That is according to at least government officials in Egypt today. Morsy is the former president of Egypt, as you know, and he was removed from office in a military coup. A week ago today, he has not been seen since. Crowds in Cairo have been packing the streets and squares every day since the coup, either against or in support of Morsy. Cairo is a bit quieter today. It is the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan. It is not clear, yet, if the protest will ease up or get more intense during this religious holiday.
Something horrible happened during one of those protest rallies in Egypt. And we actually have video of this. It is quite disturbing. This is two boys, they are teenagers, they were taunting this angry crowd from the top of a building when a crowd -- that crowd went after them. Again, it is very graphic and our Ben Wedeman has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The teenage boys huddled in terror atop a water tank on the roof of their apartment building in Alexandria. As an angry crowd of supporters of deposed President Morsy gathers below, others scour the rooftop. The boys, it's been reported, may have tossed bricks down into the street during a pro-Morsy march. Rocks and taunts were thrown at the boys. The upper left-hand corner of the frame, men appear to be beating someone. The cell phone video is shaky, the images jarring. One man, then another is thrown down around 20 feet then beaten. One died. Another survived by breaking away and scrambling down water pipes. Separately, the attackers threw the 19-year-old Hamadra Budda (ph) to his death down an air shaft. The incident and the video have inflamed opinion against Morsy's Muslim Brotherhood.
AMR ADEEB, TALK SHOW HOST (translator): You are dirty bastards, shouts the popular talk show host, Amr Adeeb. There is the nothing dirtier than this. I've never in my entire life seen anything dirtier than this.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): Attention quickly focused on this man carrying a flag popular with Islamist hard liners. Police arrested him within 24 hours, identifying him as Mahmoud Hassan Ramadan. An acquaintance describes him as a Jihadi. Ramadan recounted on state television what happened.
MAHMOUD HASSAN RAMADAN (translator): I was stabbing one of them in the side when he grabbed my hand and said, no, (INAUDIBLE), no. And I stopped, he says.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): He shaved off his beard to avoid being recognized after the footage was posted on Facebook. Ramadan doesn't deny his guilt.
RAMADAN (translator): I demand the death sentence, he says of himself, and I will say this to the prosecutor.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): He'll probably get his wish. Ben Wedeman, CNN, Cairo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: A horrible situation there. These pictures, just look at this. A small town up in flames after a runaway train explodes. Up next, did the firefighters make a deadly mistake? We're going to have new details in the investigation. Stay with us.
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MALVEAUX: Florida getting ready for direct hit by tropical storm Chantal. This is a storm that may weaken before slamming into Florida on Friday. But it is still going to bring torrential rains, strong wind gusts and dangerous surf conditions. Right now Chantal is moving over the Caribbean with 45 mile an hour winds, as much as six inches of rain could soak the Dominican Republic and Haiti today. Chantal is expected to set its sights on Cuba tomorrow.
And just a short time ago, Senate Democrats lost a bid to temporally reverse the doubling of student loan rates. It was a 51 to 49 votes, nine votes short of the 60 needed to advance that measure. The bill would hold interest on student loans at 3.4 percent for one year. That rate doubled this month, but the fix would have applied retroactively.
Former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin flirting out with a possible return to politics. That's right. Palin says people have asked her to challenge Democrat Mark Begich who is up for re-election in 2014. She says, she's considering it. Palin tells radio host Sean Hannity that she's still waiting to see what the lineup is going to be.
And emotions running high, this is in the small Canadian town. That was - it was unbelievable. Really, partly incinerated when this runaway train exploded. You've seen this video throughout the week. At least 15 people were killed, 45 still listed as missing. They believe that some people could have been vaporized. Now, the CEO of the rail company says the fire crews may have inadvertently played a role in this disaster. Meanwhile, investigators are still looking into whether or not a crime was committed. Paula Newton explains.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's clear police want to preserve the heart of what is now a crime scene. They've asked firefighters to stop dousing it with water. They have dozens of investigators combing through what little is left and they've made it clear they're not convinced this was purely an accident.
CAPT. MICHAEL FORGET, QUEBEC PROVINCIAL POLICE: Namely, there are pieces that might lead us to believe that there are certain facts that might come to criminal acts.
NEWTON: Police refused to describe what evidence they found. But the victims caught up in this tragedy, the news was tough to take.
KARINE BLANCHETTE, BAR EMPLOYEE: It's not frustration. It's rage. I don't believe in fight fire with fire. I don't believe in that, but this person - person killed a lot of people. My god.
NEWTON: Karine Blanchette works in the Musi bar, a place filled with patrons that took the brunt of the blaze. She's lost friends and now says she wants answers on how this could happen.
People here continue to be horrified by the details of this catastrophe and the fact that oil tankers like this are still left unsecured right near their homes.
These nine tankers are all that's left. But the runaway train remain parked in the small town of Nuns, and it's here where the train first ran into trouble. Local firefighters extinguished a small fire. The train was left parked. The rail company's owner says the fire department was doing its job, but may have triggered a break failure. ED BURKHARDT, PRESIDENT, RAIL WORLD INC.: I think the fire department played a role in this. I think that's in fact revertible.
NEWTON: But the fire department denies that their actions in any way contributed to this further complicating a challenging investigation.
Paula Newton, CNN, Lac Megantic, Quebec.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: And those investigators of that crash landing are focusing on the minutes before the plane's bump and slide down that runway there. So, we wanted to know what was it like to land that plane at that airport. We're going to take you up in the air and show you a pilot's view, up next.
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MALVEAUX: Investigators are learning more about the crash landing of that Asiana Airline's plane in San Francisco. For instance, they have learned that they main landing gear struck the seawall off the edge of the runway. A lot of the airports have their own unique challenges and San Francisco is definitely one of them. Our Paul Vercammen gives us a cockpit view of what it is like to land a plane at that particular airport.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm here with Kushal Singh, flight instructor for taking the exact same path that the 777 took into at that parallel - on a parallel runway.
(on camera): What's going through your mind right now as you approach?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Flight 1002.
KUSHAL SINGH, FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR, BEL AIR INTERNATIONAL: Right now I'm (inaudible), I'm making sure my air speed is sufficient. I'm not making sure I don't go below my -- my approach speed, which I'm currently way above that right now because (inaudible). So right now, I'm looking at the glide path and making sure that it is a nice visual glide path, and then I'm going to make sure I run, go past the runway. I'm going to try to land on the 1000 footmark. I'm monitoring my air speed right now constantly, monitoring my (inaudible) visual and making sure that I'm not coming short or long. As right now you could see, you could see approach lights coming on right there. And the seabed here we have 200 feet below before the runway was actually (inaudible) where the seabed is.
VERCAMMEN: Anything unusual about landing at this airport?
SINGH: You could see right out of the window, the runways are really close. They are paired probably about between 750 feet. And if the other runway was in use, we would look constantly to our left, to see the adjacent traffic next to us. Also you have to make sure that there's traffic holding -- waiting to take off. As soon as we touch down, we have a 747 right here, waiting to take off. That's (inaudible) like it was on Saturday morning.
VERCAMMEN: When you hit 400 feet what goes through your mind?
SINGH: About 400 feet, now I want to make sure I'm stabilized, which I am. And then -- this is where I basically make the final (inaudible) that I'm going to land in the airfield (ph). So right now I'm about 200 feet. And I'll be crossing the seabed right about 200 feet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: United 88 ...
SINGH: That off to our left is the crash. I'm over the runway. And now what I'm doing, is I'm making sure I come in. I'm making sure I have enough space. So, this is the thousand-foot marker where most aircraft will land. And this is where you see all the black stuff, where most tires will touch down.
As we pass the 777, well short of that thousand foot marker.
VERCAMMEN (voice over): So, by at least a thousand feet Flight 214 missed its mark and now the question hanging over this airport is why. Paul Vercammen, CNN, San Francisco.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: And we're keeping a close eye on that little box in the corner there. That is the George Zimmerman murder trial live. And they are on a quick lunch break. We'll be back in about 15 or so. That on using a dummy, both sides using a dummy to reenact the altercation between Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman. We're going to have it for you live in about 15 minutes or so. I'll be right back.
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