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Hillary Clinton In Iowa; More Arrests In London Jewelry Heist; "Game of Thrones" Shocked Some Viewers Into Fan Hate; Federal Trade Commission Comes Down On Four "Sham" Cancer Charities; Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired May 19, 2015 - 15:30   ET

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


[15:30:00] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Was there any new ground in what you heard from Hillary Clinton?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Brooke. There really wasn't any new ground on this. Of course, she is practiced at this Iraq answer. But the question actually was is the world better off without Saddam Hussein. She did not answer that question. She jumped ahead to was her war vote a mistake, which of course, she made clear in her 2008 campaign finally. But she talked about that briefly.

But she also talked about another controversy that's been following her here in Iowa across the country. That email controversy of her time as secretary of state. And the state department, of course, said that they need until January to release all of these emails. And here's what she had to say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have said repeatedly, I want those emails out. Nobody has a bigger interest in getting them released than I do. I respect the state department. They have their process that they do for everybody, not just for me. But anything that they might do to expedite that process, I heartily support.

You know, I want the American people to learn as much as we can about the work that I did with our diplomats and our development experts because I think it will show how hard we work and what we did for our country during the time that I was secretary of state where I worked extremely hard on behalf of our values and our interests and our security. And the emails are part of that. So I have said publicly I'm repeating it here in front of all of you today, I want them out as soon as they can get out.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Will you demand it --

CLINTON: Well, they're not mine. They belong to the state department.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ZELENY: Now, I think that's my - I think we could call that sort of making lemonade out of lemons there. She didn't say that this whole controversy was started because she decided to use a private email server here. So she says she wants them out as soon as possible. And a judge now seems to be ruling that they will have to release them sort of bit by bit before next January - Brooke.

BALDWIN: Instead of those -- right before the Iowa caucuses in 2016, right?

Jeff Zeleny, that would be a huge change.

ZELENY: Exactly.

BALDWIN: Thank you, in Iowa.

Coming up, arrests in this massive jewel heist. Thieves got away with $300 million in gems and cash. And now some of the suspects are in custody. Coming up next, we'll talk to a former jewel thief to get his perspective.

Also, a violent rape scene on the popular TV show "game of thrones" is sparking outrage. Some viewers saying because of this they will stop watching. Did a show known for violence go too far? That's straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:30:00] BALDWIN: Just a short time ago, more arrests in the case of a multimillion dollar jewelry heist at the Hatten Garden safe deposit company in London. That brings the total number of people now arrested to nine. More than 200 metropolitan police officers raided a dozen properties in north London early this morning. We're covering a large number of bags containing what they call high-value property. Police say the suspects who, by the way, range in age -- listen to this -- from 48 up to 76 used a drill to bore through the six-foot- thick wall and gain access to the basement vault. They may have been able to rifle around for as many as four days, even though police haven't said how much was taken. Speculation is in the neighborhood of $300 million in gems and cash.

So Larry Lawton, former jewel thief and author of "gangster redemption," we had quite the conversation the last time when the story broke. We wanted to full circle with you here because I remember it was crystal clear, you were saying to me, Brooke, this had to have been an inside job. We don't know for sure if it was, but what are you thinking?

LARRY LAWTON, AUTHOR, GANGSTER REDEMPTION: Well, not only do I think it was, I also said back then it was up to a dozen people. And I still think it was up to a dozen people or more.

And if you notice, Brooke, they're here for conspiracy. Nobody's been charged with the actual robbery. So you might have the tip of the iceberg. Could be the fences, could be people who knew about it and would get rid of the diamonds, like I said in the beginning. This of a big job, and I definitely with the age of the people, they're probably professional. Even if their trades of drills or whatever they do, to get into that vault. So there's a lot of questions. I still have a few.

BALDWIN: We all do. I think we all do. But I think -- let me just ask you when it comes to the ages, because there are all these, you know, "Oceans 11" comparisons. When you see the range from 48 to 76. I mean, I'm not seeing, you know, a Septuagenarian (ph) can't pull off a robbery like this. But when you hear 76! What does that person doing?

LAWTON: Well, I think you are going to find younger people involved, as well. I think this is the tip of iceberg. I don't know if those older men did all the lugging of that heavy stuff outside the safe and outside into the van. So I think you are going to see younger people involved. And who knows, you know, who's going to be involved. But I think the numbers are going to grow. I'm sure they were on this hard. And they followed either a tip or something that happened inside.

You know, they picked specific safe. They had 70 safes. That alone out of, what, 1,000 safes were down there. So I think they really knew, they could pinpoint it from there. Somebody had to know what was in those safe.

And you know, they're talking about the valuables in that safe. There could be other stuff in the safe that's just as important. It could be information on another company, it could be technical information that was put in a safe-deposit box. So there's more to the story than just the diamonds. And it's only conspiracy, let's remember that, these people were charged with conspiracy. That means they all knew about the crime or they, you know, they weren't charged with the actual crime yet. Some might, but I think there's more to come.

[15:39:58] BALDWIN: Such an important point of distinction. When you hear, though, that they were covered with a large number of bags quote-unquote of "high value property," I mean, I think you had mentioned the last time it's kind of tough when you have all these diamonds, you know, to then, what, get rid of them in a way that wouldn't sound alarm bells. Does it surprise you that it sounds like they found a bunch of the goods.

LAWTON: You know, I'm very surprised about that. A robbery like this, Brooke, should have been planned to the point where the goods are out of their hands within 24 to 48 hours. So to have these actual diamonds right where they did have them in London, no less, six weeks later, it says to me that they got the fences. They got the people they gave the diamonds to and that they are going backwards.

A lot of times what the police will do is they will actually find who they sold it to and work it backwards. And I think that's what's happening now. That's why I think you'll find more arrests and more younger people because I just don't think the older generation really pushed the drill bits and stuff of that nature.

BALDWIN: Let's go with that. If they do find these younger guys and let's say they're the key players in this whole scheme. I mean, how long do you typically need to lay low before you can start, you know, popping your head out and living the life once you've pulled this off?

LAWTON: Well, you know, a job like this, Brooke, you're talking $300 million in American dollars, 200 something lira. I think what happens with that, Brooke, is they should have been out of town and been done. And been in another country or whatever it is. And there might be. Some of the people might have got paid off really quickly, you know, whatever millions they got and they're gone. And they might be hard to find. And it might be you will never be found. So there are people that, you know, I think there is more to that.

So I really believe they got the fences. I think they got the people who are starting to get rid of the diamonds in a bigger way because there's too much loot in one spot in the same area, that's uncommon. When I did a robbery, the loot was out of my hands, thousands of miles away, within 24 hours. So - and I can't believe they didn't plan it better than that.

BALDWIN: I will take your word for it, Larry Lawton. Larry, thank you very much for coming back on. I really appreciate it.

LAWTON: You're welcome, Brooke. Let's hope they get them all.

BALDWIN: I agree.

Coming up, "Game of Thrones," known for shocking scenes. But did one go too far? Spoiler alert, spoiler alert. We are going to be talking about how the show ended on Sunday and why some fans say they're finished with the show.

Plus, a crackdown on so-called sham charities. The government slapping on a huge $130 million fine saying they deceived donors. That, straight ahead here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:46:48] BALDWIN: OK. Spoiler alert for all of you "game of thrones" fans because we're going to go there right now. And if you have not seen Sunday's episode, hit mute, go get some chips, I don't know, walk out of the room. But for those of you who want to watch this, this is definitely a shocking segment because that's exactly how some people are describing the last episode, asking if the show went too far. This time, a brutal rape scene at the end of the episode had even "game of thrones" obsessed viewers surprised.

Even Senator Claire McCaskill, she tweeted about this, making it very clear she is no longer a fan. She will no longer be watching. This is Senator McCaskill's tweet, "OK, I'm done "game of throne," water garden, stupid, gratuitous rape scene, disgusting and unacceptable. It was a rocky ride that just ended."

Let's discuss. Jill Pantozzi is the editor-in-chief of marysue.com and entertainment blog and I have CNN's Rachel Crane, our resident "game of thrones" geek, if I may.

RACHEL CRANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

BALDWIN: So both of you, I mean, let's just make this clear, first of all, huge, huge fans of the show.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Huge.

BALDWIN: You watched?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did.

BALDWIN: What was your visceral reaction to the scene?

JILL PANTOZZI, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, MARYSUE.COM: I honestly felt sick after the episode ended. It was a hell of a way to end an episode. And, you know, we've seen this kind of thing on the show before. I wouldn't say it was worse than any other rape we've seen depicted on the show --

BALDWIN: Let me just say, full transparency, I've never seen the show. This is why I'm relying on these two ladies. But I've read all about this final scene. There have been other rapes on the show?

PANTOZZI: Yes. They are definitely part of George R. Martin's world that he created in the novel. The show, however, has taken it to a different level by depicting a few rapes that were not him the book. And that's pretty much what had people upset. In the first season, Denaris (ph) was raped by Drogo (ph). That doesn't happen in the book. It's consensual. The same thing last year with Searcy and Jamie. Consensual in the books, not in the show. So for a lot of us, fans, it's pretty much just the last straw.

BALDWIN: So, and I'm coming to you, Rachel, in a second. But so, if it was rape in the book, then would it make it OK for you on the show?

PANTOZZI: You know, it's -- it's a hard line. You know, we want rape to be depicted in a respectable manner as much as it can be. But when it's used to shock audiences and to further the plot of another character, I feel that it's wrong.

BALDWIN: How do you show rape in -- like rape and respectable in the same sentence, I can't computes.

PANTOZZI: Right.

BALDWIN: I can't compute.

PANTOZZI: Yes. It's a hard line.

BALDWIN: I was tweet being this earlier just to other fans. They were saying to me, Brooke, what do you expect, like unicorns and lollipops when you watching of thrones? I mean, this is sort of the reputation of the show, right, to shock, violent, sex, gore, that is "game of thrones."

CRANE: You know, you know you're getting to gratuities violence when you turn on "game of thrones." And also, there's violence, it's perpetrated toward men and women. Yes, we've seen rapes in the show, but we've also seen men get castrated. This is a very, very violent world. It's a world that leaves me, you know, haunted with nightmares sometimes. It's difficult to watch often.

BALDWIN: And why do you watch "game of thrones"? And again, I'm coming after somebody that's never seen it, this is what I'm reading about. I mean, this is like a cult following of the show.

PANTOZZI: Yes. I love the world that George R. Martin created. You know, its fantasy, there's dragons, there is magic. What I love most about it is that there's female characters who are depicted in such varying ways. We want to see strong women on scene. Well, there are strong women who can fight with swords and wear armor on the show and there is women who fight with their emotions and playing the games, you know, of thrones. That's what I love about it.

[15:50:17] BALDWIN: You know, Rachel, and I'm just putting on spot, do you know if any of the show creators or anyone has reacted to this mass reaction from a lot of women?

CRANE: Well, you know, the actress who plays her, she came out and said that she was actually secretly loved this scene, that she was very excited to play out this scene. Also it was a very daunting because it's incredibly challenging as an actress to take on a scene like that. But he came out and said she secretly loved the scene.

BALDWIN: Final question to you Jill. I mean, so you are finished?

PANTOZZI: Well, you know, my site is done covering it as a promotional thing, you know, the fun products that they put out that we get excited about. We are done with that sort of things. If there's more criticism to be gained, you know, if we can put a better perspective out there for some people about how woman are portrayed in the media, we will still talk about that.

BALDWIN: What about you yourself as a "games of thrones" lover?

PANTOZZI: Done.

BALDWIN: Done. Jill Pantozzi and Rachel Crane, thank you, ladies, very much. I appreciate it.

Coming up next, four cancer charities under the microscope. The government is cracking down, calling them shams. Our investigative correspondent Drew Griffin will join me. He is the one who really does deep in these groups. He will join me live next with more on what they were allegedly doing with all of that money. Stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:55:28] BALDWIN: The massive auto recall involving faulty air bags just got a whole lot bigger and is now the largest auto recall ever. Here is what you need to know. Takata Corporation is almost doubling the size of its recall from 18 million to 34 million vehicles. At least five deaths have been tied to these air bags which regulators say could explode and send shrapnel into the face and body of both the driver in front seat passenger. We have all the information you need to know. Just go to CNNmoney.com for that. The federal trade commission has filed complaints against several

groups that called sham charities. Four cancer groups, and not said accused of deceiving donors and spending millions of dollars of donations on personal expenses.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK HERRING, VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: In some instances, instead of providing cancer patients with much needed support, donor's money went to financing the personal life styles of those operating the charities, including cars, luxury cruises and ticket to concert and sporting events.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: CNN has reported extensively on this groups and track exactly how much do their donations really do go to patients.

Let me bring in our senior investigative correspondent Drew Griffin who has been following -- money trail. And he joins me now.

Some questions for you. First the FTC complaint says this groups were flat out lying. Can you tell me exactly what they were lying about?

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, we've done a lot of stories on charities, Brooke, and a lot of charities are just run that. This was run terribly bad, the scam people out of money. They would call you on the phone and tell you we need money desperately for pain medication were children who are suffering from cancer. They turn around and use that money for dating service, to hire their relatives, to go on cruises, Las Vegas, you name it. These people were just living high off the hog on donations. $187 million taken in in four years. And you know, you would be hard pressed to find any of it going to an actual good cause.

BALDWIN: I know that you're reporting four of these charitable groups were controlled by one family in Tennessee. Who is this family?

GRIFFIN: This is the James Reynolds, Sr. family, alright. He ran one charity. His ex-wife ran another charity. James Reynolds Jr. ran the breast cancer site of America. This was a family run cancer charity empire. They hired spouses, stepsons, they hired everybody. And according to the government, nobody was hired to be qualified for the jobs that they were hired for.

Two of these charities have gone out of business flat out. Two others are going to fight these charges. But it's not just the FTC, Brooke. The FTC, along with attorneys general from every single date and the District of Columbia, filed these complaints against this charity today because it's just so bad. We called them one of the worst charities in America. That was two and a half years ago and now we've got the proof. They're really bad.

BALDWIN: How long -- do we have any idea how long they've been, you know, running these shams and obviously not giving much of the money to charity before they got caught? GRIFFIN: Yes. James Reynolds Senior, he goes back a decade.

BALDWIN: Wow.

GRIFFIN: And we're talking about big salaries. They spent, you know, six -- everybody had a six-figure salary. Almost all of the money went to two places. The private fund-raising companies for profit and to these people's pockets. And, you know, maybe three cents of every dollar went to anything you can equate to a charitable program. So they were really, really bad actors. And it's good to see this consolidated effort to get them out of business and quite preying on the generosity of Americans will now come to an end.

BALDWIN: I've got about 45 seconds with you, Drew. But where is this family now and what's next for them?

GRIFFIN: Yes. That's a very good question. James Reynolds, Sr. and his ex-wife, Rose Perkins, they run two different charities, they're in Tennessee in the Knoxville area. James, that guy right there that gave us the finger, James Reynolds, Jr., that's me chasing him down in Phoenix, Arizona, actually may say Arizona, a couple of years ago.

BALDWIN: Lovely.

GRIFFIN: He's still there. He had the audacity to put up a little note on his Web site today saying, you know, it's basically all a misunderstanding. That they did good work. And that he wants to thank all of the donors who have donated to him. But he's basically going out of business, period.

BALDWIN: There you go. We'll look for more of your reporting tonight on AC360. Drew Griffin, thank you. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts now.