tv Anderson Cooper 360 CNN June 16, 2016 9:00pm-10:01pm PDT
9:00 pm
it is difficult to describe in words what people are dealing with here and in orlando, and the family members who lost their lives in the club right over my shoulder here. and so good night from orlando. make sure that you stay withcnn for continuing coverage of the massacre here. i'm don lemon. good evening, we are live from orlando where president obama met with grieving families asking, why is this happening? vice president joe biden also visited a memorial where they placed white roses, one for each of those killed in the pulse nightclub. and we will hear some of what the president said about meeting with family members, and we will speak with some of the family members and survivors as we continue to focus on their
9:01 pm
stories, their experiences, and there is breaking information on the killer and who sources say that he was texting actual ly i the massacre, and our justice correspondent pamela brown joins with us the investigation, and what about this communication? >> well, we are learning that he was texting with his wife while he was barricaded in the bathroom, anderson. >> and then we are told that around 4:00 a.m., he texted her, and said, well sh, the response that i love you, and he responded that i love you and she claims that she didn't know of anything specific that he was going to do, but that when he left the house that night to go see a friend that he
9:02 pm
>> and yet did nothing about it. >> she did not call police. and that's the lingering question, why. >> and he updated facebook before and during. >> and even during. imagine this, he is calling, calls 911 three times, calls a friend, calls a tv producer, texts his wife, is posting on facebook. first off searching the terms pulse orlando shooting, wants to see if it is making headlines on facebook and posting his allegiance to isis, saying more attacks will come in the name of isis in the usa, really disturbing when you put that together and in may was searching about the san bernardino shooters, according to this letter from senator ron to this letter from senator ron johnson. >> this is why we don't say the names, plenty do, and it is a small step, that's why we don't say the names, they want notoriety. they want to be famous. he is googling himself, going on facebook and looking up search engine on what he is doing. it is sick. >> abundantly clear he wanted
9:03 pm
attention. that's why he posted on facebook. you get the message out there, giving him a platform. what's disturbing is the signs leading up to the attack where he started to spin erratically, went on a spending spree according to his wife. one source said he was a boiling kettle. wanting to act out. # and something put him over the edge, that's unclear, but signs were there, no one did anything about it. >> thanks for the latest on that. you may know the shooter had been on the fbi radar and was investigated in 2013 and 2014 for comments made in connection to terrorism. we are getting word someone raised a red flag about the shooter more recently. drew griffin has been looking into that. he joins me. where did the recent red flag come from? >> reporter: came five to six
9:04 pm
weeks ago at a gun store 15 miles away, lotus gun works. they had a man come in, asked for soft body armor, then hardened body armor, began to speak on arabic on the phone, asked for 1,000 rounds of ammunition, the type used in a rifle. that's when the owner says his staff called the fbi. take a listen. >> our salesman got very concerned about it and informed him we do not have this body armor. at this time he pulled away, got on the cell phone. when he was on the cell phone, he had a conversation in a foreign language that was more concerning. then he came back, then he was requesting ammo. he wanted bulk ammo only. at that time he declined any business and he left the store. we had no link, no contact. didn't know who he was. but we did contact authorities and let them know, we had a suspicious person that was in
9:05 pm
here, which we have been in regular contact with them any time any event happens, we reach out immediately and there was nothing to come of it. after the shooting, unfortunately only then, it was recognized that's who was in the store. >> reporter: this gun store owner, anderson, says his staff did the right thing, they notified the fbi in advance of suspicious activity. >> that's incredible. my understanding it was like he wanted level three body armor initially what police wear, only good against pistols, then wanted like ceramic plated armor, is that correct? >> reporter: the hardened armor, you've worn it in war zones, you slip the plates in. >> for rifles. >> reporter: right. exactly right. >> that's incredible. >> reporter: the store doesn't sell any body armor.
9:06 pm
>> and no authorities showed up or followed up? >> reporter: well, there's a dispute. the fbi is saying they didn't receive a call. they have no record of a call. this guy says he is adamant they called. they're trying to see if a phone call slipped through the cracks, somebody didn't write something down. again, anderson, we're seeing it over and over, not just this case, in almost every case we cover, cracks, not notified, not caught in advance, one agency not talking to another and they're investigating it fully. >> you know, the fact also that he got on the phone, was talking to somebody in arabic, language people in the store didn't recognize. do we know anything about who he may have talked to? i suppose now that's something now that they have the phone, who was he talking to from the gun store. >> reporter: well, i'm sure absolutely the fbi is looking
9:07 pm
into all of this right now, trying to determine to whom he was talking to at that time in that store. it was very clear once he was talking on the phone, he hung up and asked for the thousand rounds of 223 ammo for a rifle. i am sure they were trying to find out who he was talking to. right now, fbi no comment on what you just heard. anderson? >> just in terms of time line, how far back to the warning signs go? >> reporter: you know, it is going to be infuriating to many people to hear this, but it could go as far back as when this guy was in third grade. he was having behavioral issues in elementary school to the point where he had 31 disciplinary records in his grade school. i would like to read you one, this is from third grade in which trying to pop it up here.
9:08 pm
it was written he is verbally abusive, rude, aggressive, much talk about violence and sex, obscenities, hands all over the place, on other children, in his mouth. these kind of discipline records go on and on and on. we know he was suspended from high school. he had to go to an alternative high school. there were many, many conferences between the parents and the teachers and the administrative staff and all along the way we see this. in grade school, in middle school, in high school, in his work, in his applications and schooling and law enforcement academy, and even when the fbi contacted him in 2013, it is just a continuous record of problematic behavior that for some reason all was not put together. anderson? >> drew griffin, thank you very much. great reporting. joining me, law enforcement analyst art rod rick, former
9:09 pm
assistant director of marshal service and mark o'mara, who had a long practice here, defended george zimmerman. art, what do you make of what we learned on the investigation. >> here in the report, another red flag. it will be easy enough to figure out whether the phone calls are made. call the phone company, get the phone records. >> to whom they were made. >> and it will be just as easy on the other side to figure out who the shooter called that day also, speaking in arabic. the bureau already has that phone. i am sure they already probably have that information that they're able to forensically take from the phone. you're right, that was a good question, how far back do you want to go. when do the red flags start. apparently you have a permanent record, looking at his third grade record with all of the comments. >> plenty of people have
9:10 pm
problems with kids. >> at some point you have to discount it, but add that onto what you see now. >> there's a pattern. >> there's a pattern. i should point out he is of afghan descent, he is not speaking arabic, probably something else there. sorry. coming back to what the wife knew, when she knew it, how much did she know, why for goodness sakes didn't she say anything. >> what she knew when. they're going through all of the information. i will give you an example. that phone call, if they tie that phone call back to her, say they do, building a forensic case is like a fishing net. every knot that you make makes it tighter and more complete. that's what they're doing now. they're not going to rush through grand jury. that will be one tight knot if he is talking to her while in the store and if there are other text messages and things like that. >> this is a dumb question, a wife can't be compelled to testify against a husband in court but is a wife obligated to call the police if she's aware of something her husband would do? >> interesting question.
9:11 pm
i suggest under our law, yes, you have an affirmative obligation. don't forget there's a misnomer about marital privilege. all it means is communication happens within the context of the marriage, meant to be confidential because of the marriage cannot be compelled. you can't hide criminal activity under the guise of marital privilege. >> and art, this investigation could go on, there's a lot to comb through here. >> there is and they're going to take their time. no rush in this type of investigation. >> julia kiem we had on kept saying there's not an a-ha moment where everything is clear. do you think that's true? >> i think that's true. we get bits and pieces each day. i would say the biggest surprise we have is a phone call from the gun shop owner, once that's verified, back to red flags again.
9:12 pm
how many red flags have gone up on the individual. and or the response is inappropriate. >> are there going to be civil cases out of all this moving forward? >> we will try. obviously there's not much compensation that will be there from his family, i don't think there's anything you could look at the bar and say they didn't properly do, lawyers may find a way, even though they're my brethren. most importantly looking at the criminal side and what they learn to try to stop what's in the future. >> thank you very much. just ahead, president obama here in orlando today meeting with family members, saying they pleaded with him to do more to stop the carnage. hear his words. and speak with two people that met with him today, incredibly emotional moment. and another survivor story, took video from inside the bathroom, people huddled together, hoping
9:16 pm
i spoke with my next guest several nights ago here in orlando. we were all so moved by her grace and warmth under such tragic circumstances, she's the mom dealing with the loss of her son, her son christopher was killed at pulse nightclub, 32 years old. his boyfriend was also killed. killed.juan guerrero. he was 22. they died together. they were deeply in love. talking about getting married one day. christopher's mom was among family members that met with president obama today. after that meeting the president said the gun debate needs to change, those that defend the easy accessibility of assault weapons should meet with the
9:17 pm
families and explain why that makes sense. >> we can't anticipate and catch every single deranged person that may wish to do harm to his neighbors, his friends, co-workers, or strangers, but we can do something about the amount of damage they do. unfortunately our politics have conspired to make it as easy as possible for a terrorist or disturbed individual like those in aurora and newtown to buy extraordinarily powerful weapons
9:18 pm
and they can do so legally. today once again as has been true too many times before, i held and hugged grieving family members and parents and they asked why does this keep happening. they pleaded we do more to stop the carnage. they don't care about the politics, neither do i, neither does joe, neither should any parent out here. >> christine is with me with brandon wolf who was in the club with her son christopher when the shooting happened. thank you so much for being with us, both of you, i appreciate it. what was it like meeting the president today, what did he say? >> it was amazing. i hugged him and i cried on his shoulder, literally cried on his shoulder and he apologized for the lack of progress, that he
9:19 pm
tried to ban -- >> he apologized? >> he did, and so did the vice president. the vice president -- he said that he had an assault ban bill that either failed or passed and got repealed. so it's there, the ability to ban assault weapons is there. people say cars kill people, we don't ban cars. knives kill people, we don't ban knives, but they have other purposes. we don't have a purpose for an assault weapon except for at war.
9:20 pm
are we at war? are we going to let our children be massacred? is that the war we're fighting? is it between some of our citizens and the rest of our citizens that a select few decide they're at war with the rest of us, incognito, nonetheless. >> i like that he didn't make it political. he didn't talk to us about politics. he didn't mention the shooter's name. i really appreciated that. and for what it was today, it was for us. it was him saying i am tired of having the same conversation, i am just as tired as you are about having the same conversation about why do we continue to let children brothers and sisters die in horrible tragedies and brush it off. lasts a week in the news cycle and then it is gone. you fight for something two days and then over it. that's what he was apologizing
9:21 pm
for, listening, trying, i am really trying. here's where we are. we continue to allow legislation to sit there or collect dust and do no service to anyone in the tragedies. >> can you tell me about christopher? >> yeah. he was well, my best friend in the world. >> how long have you known each other? >> for a few years now. and we just instantly connected. i mean, he was always there for everything, for a laugh, for going out, for times i needed somebody on my side. so that's my -- what i decided to carry on, that legacy of love and compassion for other people. i don't spend my time hating people and thinking about the shooter and his name. i spend my time reminding those around me and in america that might be dealing with similar things that i love them and that's it. >> so many e-mails from friends
9:22 pm
and family and texts from people i don't know about you when you were on the other night and about your strength and your ability to be standing here, to be upright, to be talking about your son. what do the next couple days hold for you? >> i have my son's viewing at the funeral home. >> that's tomorrow? >> tomorrow, then the funeral mass is saturday. so those are the -- today was an emotional day with being at lunch as well after, visiting with the president was emotional, being at lunch. >> the funeral for him was today. >> i can't imagine what that was like. >> it is funny about juan, we talked about how my son christopher was always going to be antsy, he wasn't sure, he went ahead, put in for his
9:23 pm
illinois license. he took the exam, did the steps to put in for illinois mental health counselor license. i said you know i'm going to follow you to chicago. then he met juan and he started talking about you know, mom, i'm staying in orlando. i'm just going to stay here. >> they were so drawn together right away. >> yes. that's when you knew it was -- his mom and i, even though she speaks only spanish, through their relatives that speak both languages, we had been talking about something that would unite juan and christopher in eternity, but right now she's very protective, she wants every piece of juan. at some point we might get
9:24 pm
together, she'd be willing to take part of juan's ashes and combine them with christopher's and do something. >> so they can be together. >> together forever. that's what they always wanted. that's what we want for them, too. >> hope that happens. >> in eternity now. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> just ahead we have a lot more. be right back.
9:28 pm
today florida's governor rick scott presented medals of heroism for deputies and s.w.a.t. team members that responded to the shooting. the police chief and sheriff of orange county were also honored. no doubt law enforcement members risked their lives charging into the scene are heroes. no one is questioning that at all.
9:29 pm
it is clear some of the wounded bled to death waiting for help as dozens of officers and s.w.a.t. team members waited outside the club nearly three hours. questions some of the survivors asked, what took so long to kill the shooter. here is randi kaye. >> reporter: about 2:00 a.m., shots are fired at orlando's pulse nightclub, an officer working extra duty at the club only has a handgun, the suspect has a rifle. the officer calls for backup. there's a shootout but the gunman gets away, slips deeper into the club. >> they went in right away, exchanged gunfire with the suspect in the first few minutes. this caused the suspect to stop shooting and retreat to the bathroom where he was now isolated and contained. >> reporter: isolated and contained but still armed and very dangerous. patrons are trapped in the bathroom with him. orlando police continue to work the scene but don't try to engage the gunman in the bathroom.
9:30 pm
>> while he is in the bathroom, officers were saving people, getting many people out the door. >> reporter: orlando police alert the s.w.a.t. team. by 2:30 a.m., 30 minutes after the siege begins, there are more than 100 officers and s.w.a.t. on scene, but they stay outside. inside in the bathroom victims are bleeding and dying. time is running out. still no one from law enforcement attempts to engage the shooter directly to take him down. inside, minutes turn to hours. friends watch friends take their last breath. >> you can see the blood coming from under the door, it was like the water, it was getting under the door. it was very horrible. >> reporter: the hours long standoff seemed to be at odds with changing tactics by departments around the country. after columbine where police sent 45 minutes setting up a perimeter while the suspects continued their killing spree,
9:31 pm
many agencies change how they respond to active shooters. washington, d.c.'s police chief told anderson cooper on "60 minutes" there's no time to wait since active shooters kill the most victims in the first ten minutes. >> this is a homicide in progress. can't wait for backup and the s.w.a.t. team, you're the only thing that can stop that shooting, you have to get in there and do it. >> reporter: orlando's police chief explained, once the shooter was hold up in the bath room, active shooter tactics no longer came into play. not a single shot was fired once the shooter barricaded himself. >> it started as an active shooter, turned into a hostage situation. our negotiators were able to talk with him. >> reporter: it was only after the gunman spoke to a crisis negotiator that police chose to take on the suspect who told them he had explosives. >> he was going to put explosive vests on four people and then blow the place up in 15 minutes. >> reporter: by then it was about 5:00 a.m., three hours
9:32 pm
after the first shots fired. authorities used an armored vehicle to break through the bathroom wall. >> that was a breach. that was a breach. >> reporter: when the gunman tries to flee, he comes face to face with police. in a brief shootout. the gunman is shot dead, but not before he killed 49 others inside the nightclub. randi kaye, cnn, new york. >> joining me is chris ross, former lead international kidnapping negotiator for the fbi, author of "never split the difference" and back with us cnn rodereric. what do you make of this. they say it was three hours before the guy was taken out. doesn't that go against most active shooter training the way it is since columbine?
9:33 pm
i thought it was interesting the police chief last night saying no one was being shot in that time and police were able to get some wounded and the dead out of other rooms. >> one of the issues is when the situation changes, how do they respond appropriately. the problem for law enforcement, they don't help if they become part of the problem. they have a shooter barricade situation, he is more dangerous at this point in time and law enforcement goes in and gets shot, they've compounded the problem. they have to go in, they have to have 100% success rate, can't risk having more officers shot and adding to the problem. that's what they had to do here. >> they also, art, there are potential hostages in the stalls. he shot twice into the stalls, once through the doors according to people in the stalls, once putting his hand over with the handgun.
9:34 pm
that's also part of the consideration the police have to take into account. >> start with an active shooter scenario. i believe law enforcement in the initial response knocked him -- engaged him right away, there would have been more casualties if they didn't engage him right away, he immediately went through the crowd, went into the stalls. that changed from active shooter to barricade hostage situation. that changes the name of the game. listening to the chief, officers respond inside, tried to help where they could, got a lot of people out. then the s.w.a.t. team showed up in a half hour. after the shooting started, and s.w.a.t. team members are not first responders. they have a different scenario. i did it ten years with marshal special operations group. it is a different program than responding to an active shooter and going into challenge the individual right away. >> chris, we don't know the answer to this, but he had security guard training, various
9:35 pm
levels of training, he probably had trained in active shooter drills i assume and i wonder if that comes into play in police consideration of the kind of opponent they're dealing with. >> that's part of the information they pulled in. clearly this guy had a predetermined plan, he mapped it out step by step. this is what you refer to as a killing journey, he was at the destination of the killing journey. as much as he planned what it would look like there, he planned reactions to law enforcement. he did things like claiming he had explosives to keep law enforcement out. it was very planned. interest what i see, they responded as well as they possibly could have. >> it is interesting, art, one of the other things in my reading of fbi studies of active shooter situations, a lot of
9:36 pm
times they want to extend the time, not only the killing time but the publicity time. this guy is checking facebook, calls into a tv producer. they want to maximize the amount of public attention they get while they're still alive. >> and anderson, he went way overboard with that. made 911 calls, called the tv producer, he was on facebook, he texted his wife to find out if anybody -- if he was trending or whatever on facebook. he went way overboard on this particular issue. two days ago we saw the facebook post stabbing of french police officer and his wife in paris, town north of paris, and he went on and on an hour before the s.w.a.t. team came in and took care of him. >> one of the things we saw in the wake of charlie hebdo, it culminated in the hostage situations, the killer went into the jewish deli, my understanding is he didn't kill as many people as he could have, he was trying to upload go
9:37 pm
he was trying to upload go pro pictures onto the web. >> right out of their play book. out of the jihadi play book, this is what they do, try to publicize it, increase terror and fear and that's why they do it. >> appreciate your expertise. up next, we talk to a survivor that recorded video we just saw in part of randi's piece as he huddled in the bathroom of that night club. stae this afternoon for auditions? what's on that piece of paper? oh, miss maroney, your forehead! should not be doing anything. i just had botox. i know exactly what's happening! ah! whoa! this is a bad streaming experience. "the girlie show" is a real fun lady show. (vo) don't let bad streaming ruin a good show. don't look at me! (vo) only verizon has the largest, most reliable 4g lte network. can your network say that? switch now, buy two samsung phones and get a free tv, plus up to $650 back. only on america's best network. tmom didn't want another dog. she said it's too much work. lulu's hair just floats. uhh help me!
9:38 pm
(doorbell) mom, check this out. wow. swiffer sweeper, and dusters. this is what i'm talking about. look at that. sticks to this better than it sticks to lulu. that's your hair lulu! mom, can we have another dog? (laughing) trap and lock up to 4x more dirt, dust and hair than the store brand stop cleaning. start swiffer ing
9:39 pm
9:41 pm
9:42 pm
this grainy video taken in the bathroom when the shots began. >> i remember you could smell like the blood, there was so much blood, you could just smell it. like everywhere you leaned, all my clothes was full of blood, we were sitting down, it was like a huge puddle of blood. after awhile when it started drying up, it started to smell bad. >> some were crying and whispering, he tried to remain quiet. recorded images to send to his girlfriend so she knew he was alive. >> the only people alive in the video are people who are talking and moving. everybody else is dead. there was about 17 of us in there. only five or six of us made it out. >> had you been hit at that time? >> yeah, i was shot in the foot. >> one point in the video you see people passing a glass of water. >> we were passing water around, there was one guy chris, he was choking on his own blood.
9:43 pm
we were trying to make him swallow, make sure he was okay. >> he kept asking for water. there was other people shot that were just needed water and wanted water, it was the only thing we could think of to calm them down. >> there was a sink inside the stall. >> yeah. >> twice the gunman fired into the stall. as hours passed, they tried to help one another stay calm, in constant fear the gunman would return, constant fear those already wounded would die. >> stay with me. >> okay. >> were people talking to each other? >> we were whispering to each other. trying to keep everybody quiet. >> he was shot twice. he was just released from the hospital. he knows he is fortunate to be alive but says he can't stop of
9:44 pm
thinking of people that died beside him. >> so many innocent people, just there to have a good time. >> well, a number of charities, go fund me pages have been set find out more information on cnn's website at cnn impact. just ahead, the carnage in orlando forced the senate's hand. votes are set for monday on four gun control measures, the action coming after a nearly 15 hour filibuster. looks tasty. you don't have heartburn. new alka-seltzer heartburn relief gummies. enjoy the relief. for fastidious librarian emily skinner, each day was fueled by thorough preparation for events to come. well somewhere along the way, emily went right on living.
9:45 pm
but you see, with the help of her raymond james financial advisor, she had planned for every eventuality. ...which meant she continued to have the means to live on... ...even at the ripe old age of 187. life well planned. see what a raymond james advisor can do for you. callinall providers.rs. all self-motivated self-starters. drive with uber and put a dollar sign in front of your odometer. like this guy. technically i'm a cook. sign up here. drive a few hours a day. make $300 a week. actually it's a little bit more than that. that's extra buy-you-stuff money. or buy-them-stuff money. calling all early risers, nine-to-fivers and night owls.
9:46 pm
with uber-a little drive goes a long way. start earning this week. go to uber.com/drivenow to be taken care of. in good hands? like finding new ways home, car, life insurance obviously, ohhh... but with added touches you can't get everywhere else, like claim free rewards... or safe driving bonus checks. even a claim satisfaction guaranteeeeeeeeeee! in means protection plus unique extras only from an expert allstate agent. it's good to be in, good hands. if you have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis isn't it time to let the real you shine through? introducing otezla, apremilast. otezla is not an injection, or a cream. it's a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. some people who took otezla saw 75% clearer skin after 4 months.
9:47 pm
and otezla's prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. don't take otezla if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. otezla may increase the risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts, or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. side effects may include diarrhea, nausea, upper respiratory tract infection, and headache. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, and if you're pregnant or planning to be. ask your dermatologist about otezla today. otezla. show more of you.
9:48 pm
9:49 pm
dylan and his teacher who died trying to protect him. >> it doesn't take courage standing on the floor of the united states senate for 2 hours, 6 hours, 14 hours, doesn't take courage to stand up to the gun lobby when 90% of constituents want change to happen. takes courage to look into the eye of a shooter, instead of running, wrapping your arms around a six-year-old boy and accepting death as a trade for just a tiny little piece of increased peace of mind for a little boy under your charge. and so this has been a day of questions. so i ask you all this question. if ann marie murphy could do that, ask yourself what can you
9:50 pm
do to make sure orlando or sandy hook never, ever happens again. >> hours later, republican senate majority leader mitch mcconnell said votes are set for monday. i spoke with dana bash moments ago. the votes for gun proposals next week, what can we expect? >> first of all, we should say that ironically in a time when congress has been pommelled for not working, this is a situation where senators used the senate rules and traditions meaning a filibuster to try to force the senate to work. chris murphy of connecticut waged a 15 hour filibuster and the republicans who control the senate relented, allowing some votes. to answer the question, there will be a pair of votes, one on
9:51 pm
background checks, a democratic and republican proposal, and one on making it harder for or impossible for people on a terror watch list or no fly list to be able to purchase firearms. whether any of these will pass is an open question. just last year three out of four votes and none of them passed. we will see if the massacre in orlando where you are changed any votes, changed any minds. >> also want to ask you about senator mccain. he had harsh words for president obama about the orlando terror attacks. he has now walked those back. can you explain what happened? >> well, he was talking to reporters in the hallway and the discussion was what happened in orlando and he put the blame right on the president, personally. listen to the audio of what he said. >> barack obama is directly responsible for it because when he pulled everybody out of iraq,
9:52 pm
al qaeda went to syria, became isis, and isis is what it is today, thanks to barack obama's failures, utter failure by pulling everybody out of iraq thinking that conflicts end just because we leave. >> so it was quite clear he was putting the blame personally on the president at that moment. he was asked a follow-up question and seemed to understand that that was what he was doing, but not that long after he put out a tweet, released a more formal statement saying he misspoke, that he didn't mean that, what he was talking about were the president's policies and the administration's policies in iraq vis-a-vis isis, more specifically bringing troops home from iraq, which is what he opposed. mccain said led to this. he was angry and said he crossed a line that he didn't mean to cross or regretted crossing
9:53 pm
because of the back lash and timing. did it just as the president was in orlando, not long before he gave his remarks with the vice president after meeting with families, anderson. >> dana bash. thanks for that reporting. >> thank you. one of the amendments the senate will vote on next week was proposed by dianne feinstein, author of the 1994 federal assault weapons ban. that expired in 2004. her new proposal would allow the attorney general to block sale of guns and explosives to people known or suspected terrorists. today justice department backed that measure. i spoke to senator feinstein earlier. senator feinstein, thank you for joining us. under your proposal, if someone has been on a terror watch list at any point in five years prior to buy a gun, they wouldn't be able to purchase a gun, even if they were mistakenly on the watch list, or cleared of suspicion. am i understanding that if
9:54 pm
someone has broken no law but still can't get a gun like everyone else? >> well, no. the process is that if somebody comes in and this is overwhelmingly for the americans on the watch list are a small minority, and they go in for background check, and the background check is evaluated quickly by the justice department, and in the totality of the evidence that they find, the attorney general is enabled to deny the permit to transfer gun. the individual then has the opportunity to have an administrative review, due process, or court process, whichever they want. so this would catch somebody. now, as far as mateen is concerned, there's a provision in it that within the last five years you have been under
9:55 pm
investigation for terror by the fbi, you would qualify for denial. >> but just because somebody has been under investigation, if they weren't found to have been guilty, they could still be denied a purchase, correct? >> well, yes. the thing is you want to stop a potential terrorist. this morning we listened to the director of the fbi who said clearly that they believe the attempts to attack are going to increase, not decrease, and these people that come in aren't stupid, they know they can buy a gun here, they're not going to risk it on the plane, so this is an opportunity to prevent that gun sale.
9:56 pm
now, i mean, do we want to stop this or try to stop it or do we want to let it continue to happen. i watched this for so long, anderson. and it just gets worse and worse and worse. you know, since 1968 with the texas bell tower and later on with schools and businesses. now we're into hate/terror. and we're into the largest shooting we've ever had and killing of americans next to 9/11. so isn't it time to try to do something? this is just one small bit. somehow it is exaggerated into a huge thing. >> the head of the cia, john brennan, testified that isis is trying to send operatives to the west. >> that's correct. >> given that, is it time to rethink the idea of accepting thousands of syrian refugees? the administration says they undergo significant background checks. i have been on the beaches, the
9:57 pm
island of less bows when they come ashore, there are men, women and children, you find passports ripped up, left behind, hiding their identity. how can a background check be on someone, how efficient from war torn syria when you don't have cooperation from the authorities in syria to get criminal or intelligence information about a person. >> well, i think this is a hard thing and we don't admit that many people in comparison with europe. i think vetting takes a long time. i get complaints on the length of time it takes. i think the department has toughened the vetting procedure, that's everything that i hear so i would be surprised if people slip through. do we have to be vigilant? yes. i understand the concern and i understand what republican candidate for president is saying. it is very hard when you try to be reasonable and somebody is coming up with the statements
9:58 pm
that mr. trump is, and that is cut it off. you know, no immigrants are muslim can come into this country. that makes it very hard to develop a considered provision when you're up against that standard. >> senator dianne feinstein, appreciate the time. thank you. >> thank you very much. up next, the latest on the shooting investigation. an exclusive interview with one of the heroes, a police officer that helped drag out several survivors during the standoff. we met one of the survivors at the hospital. there's the video of that. we will show you more of that and my conversation with the police officer and what he saw and can never forget in pulse. be right back.
9:59 pm
the call just came in. she's about to arrive. and with her, a flood of potential patients. a deluge of digital records. x-rays, mris. all on account...of penelope. but with the help of at&t, and a network that scales up and down on-demand, this hospital can be ready. giving them the agility to be flexible & reliable. because no one knows & like at&t.
10:00 pm
i love that my shop is part of the morning ritual around here. people rely on that first cup and i wouldn't want to mess with that. but when (my) back pain got bad, i couldn't sleep. i had trouble getting there on time. then i found aleve pm. aleve pm is the only one to combine a safe sleep aid plus the 12 hour strength of aleve. for pain relief that can last into the morning. ♪ look up at a new day... hey guys! now i'm back. aleve pm for a better am.
520 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
CNN (San Francisco)Uploaded by TV Archive on
![](http://athena.archive.org/0.gif?kind=track_js&track_js_case=control&cache_bust=534006606)