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CNN NEWSROOM

295 Jobs Added in February; Five Hurt After Car Slams Into Pedestrian; Harrison Ford Recovering After Plane Crash; Witnesses Describe Carnage at Marathon; Ferguson Police Chief Mum on DOJ Findings; NTSB Investigates Near-Disaster at LGA

Aired March 6, 2015 - 09:00   ET

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


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, it could have been a lot worse. Actor Harrison Ford pulls off a real-life stunt when he crash lands this World War II plane on a golf course.

Plus, heartbreaking testimony in a Boston courtroom. What happened when those marathon bombing victims came face to face with Dzhokhar Tsarnaev?

And --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Are you planning on resigning?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will let you know.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Are you thinking about it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I told you. I told you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: A CNN exclusive. The Ferguson police chief finally speaks after the DOJ releases a damning report of bias.

Let's talk, live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Happy, happy Friday. Thank you so much for joining me. We start this morning with breaking news on the economy and it is good news.

Just moments ago we learned that 295,000 jobs were added last month pushing the unemployment rate to a seven-year low.

CNN chief business correspondent Christine Romans is following the numbers, and all good?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Sometimes a good headline is just a good headline, Carol. And that's what this report shows us. When you look within these pages and pages of tables you see an American economy that is creating jobs again across the spectrum.

Yes, we had lower wage retail jobs and restaurant jobs. We also had a lot of business and information services, technology, construction, manufacturing and the like, so you saw broad-based jobs gains.

I also like to look at the trends. The trend here has been good. Jobs added consistently month after month. And more than 200,000 jobs at a pop.

Look since last fall, Carol. This shows you how there's been strength into the end of the year and that continued into early this year.

The unemployment rate, really important milestone here for the unemployment rate. 5.5 percent. It's been trending down for a year. The lowest since May 2008. Let me say this again because when that unemployment rate was at 10 percent, it really felt ugly and now you can say it's at 5.5 percent. It has been improving in here very, very steadily.

Wages, something that's an interesting part of this. Wages up 2 percent year over year. We want to see wages rising more.

Carol, though, companies have been doing it. They've been raising wages. I've been hearing from corporate executives, did they know the labor market is getting better, they're going to have to pay people to keep their best talent. So that could be a part of the story that changes this year.

COSTELLO: What about the underemployment numbers?

ROMANS: I'm so glad you asked. You hear a lot especially people who criticized this president who say the real unemployment rate is double digits. The underemployment rate, that's people who are working part time, but want to be working full time, people who are sort of sidelined in the labor market, that's falling, too. It's 11 percent. It is higher than the stated unemployment rate of 5.5 percent but all of those rates are starting to fall.

As the labor market continues to improve, the expectation is people are going to come off the sidelines and get back into the labor market and start looking for a job. That's the hope.

COSTELLO: Christine Romans, many thanks. Appreciate it.

ROMANS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: In other news this morning Israel is investigating a new terror attack. Police say a Palestinian driver plowed into five people and then tried to continue his rampage with a knife. It's the latest in a series of similar attacks late last year in and around Jerusalem.

CNN's Oren Lieberman is there with the latest.

OREN LIEBERMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, we've gotten some new information into the bureau here. The latest here comes from police about the suspect in the case. Police say the suspect, the driver, is a Palestinian man in his 20s from east Jerusalem.

Let's take you back when this all started. It was 10:00 this morning here in Jerusalem. This happened just a few miles north of the old city. Police say at 10:00 this morning this driver was heading north on Road Number 1 when police say he drove off the road into what would be a bike lane or a walking lane and hit five female -- I'm sorry, four female Israeli soldiers and a cyclist who was right there.

Police say he then turned back onto the road, drove for about another quarter of a mile. At that point a security guard nearby for the light rail opened fire at the car, stopping the car. Police say the driver hopped out of the car wielding a knife. That's when the security guard and another officer nearby opened fire hitting that suspect twice. Police say this is a terrorist attack.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICKY ROSENFELD, ISRAELI POLICE SPOKESMAN: What took place a short while ago is that there was a terrorist vehicle drove which is just behind me, drove and plowed through the pedestrian crossing where there are a number of border police women that were waiting to get on the light railway.

This is in fact the same area where there was a terrorist attack that took place several months ago. The terrorist himself was apprehended after his vehicle stopped. He came out of the vehicle with a knife and then he was shot twice by security personnel at the scene that arrived quickly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIEBERMAN: This attack is the latest in a string of similar attacks.

Let's talk for a second about conditions of the victims here. Police say the four female Israeli soldiers are lightly to moderately wounded. The civilian who was on his bicycle who was hit, he is also lightly to moderately wounded. Meanwhile the suspect who was shot twice is in serious condition.

Hamas says they don't take responsibility for the attack but -- for the attack but they are praising and blessing the attack.

Carol, the attack comes on a Jewish holiday of Purim, a festive holiday that now has a different feel here in Jerusalem.

COSTELLO: All right. Oren Liebermann reporting live for us from Jerusalem. Thank you.

Harrison Ford is recovering this morning following a terrifying plane crash that sent the 72-year-old to the hospital. The "Star Wars" actor was piloting a vintage World War II era plane when the engine lost power forcing a dramatic crash landing on a golf course just steps from the airport.

The actor's son says Ford is, quote, "battered but OK." And his fellow "Star Wars" actors have taken to Twitter wishing him well. Mark Hamill says he's glad Harrison is doing well and hopes all his future flights are green screen. Peter Mayhew who plays Chewbacca tweeted that he hopes Ford walks away with just another scar to match his perfect smile.

Paul Vercammen is near the crash site in Venice, California. He has more for us this morning.

Hi, Paul.

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Clearly Harrison Ford, his plane in trouble, is searching for somewhere soft to land and he sees green and he puts his plane down on this golf course right behind me.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, no. Oh, no.

VERCAMMEN (voice-over): This cell phone video capturing moments just before a two-seat plane piloted by actor Harrison Ford crash-lands on a golf course in California. Ford had just taken off from Santa Monica Airport when the World War II vintage plane experienced a problem. The actor instantly calling for help.

HARRISON FORD, ACTOR: 53178 engine failure. Request immediate return.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ryan, 178 run A21 clear to land.

VERCAMMEN: The Hollywood legend and experienced pilot clipping a treetop as the single engine plane attempted to land back at the airport but fell short, crash landing on a course just steps away from a residential neighborhood.

JENS LUCKING, WITNESSED HARRISON FORD CRASH: Having problems and then he turned around, I think so. He was -- when he was right by the house the engine cut out and then he turned around.

VERCAMMEN: Ford was pulled from the plane by doctors who happened to be playing golf on the course. First responders say Ford was conscious and is lucky to be alive. Ford's son tweeting, "Dad is OK. Battered but OK. He's every bit the man you would think he is. He's an incredibly strong man."

And his publicist says his injuries are not life threatening and he's expected to make a full recovery.

This isn't the first time that Ford has had a close call. In 1999 Ford had to make a hard emergency landing while flying this helicopter with a flight instructor.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERCAMMEN: And you can see the plane right now, a P-22 Vintage. Its silver shiny fuselage. Well, this plane has -- does not have one thing that investigators are going to look at, and that is when the NTSB gets back here they will not have a black box available to them to check out as this is, as we said, a vintage plane -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes. Well, I'm glad it all ended well for Harrison Ford and others who may have been on the golf course at the time.

Paul Vercammen, thanks so much. I appreciate it.

The heartbroken father describes the gut-wrenching moment he realized his 8-year-old son was going to die after an explosion at the Boston marathon finish line. The emotional testimony came Thursday as victims and witnesses took the stand at Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's trial. And for the first time jurors learn how one victim helped police identify the suspects.

Let's bring in CNN's Deborah Feyerick. She's live in Boston this morning.

Good morning, Deborah.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning there, Carol. And you know, it really is very difficult and painful to listen to some of the testimony.

We've seen some of the pictures but now we're hearing exactly what the people who were at the center of the blast were living through. And not a day has gone by since the attack that those families have not thought about what happened to them.

We did hear from the father of 8-year-old Martin Richard. The split second decisions in which he chose to grab his 6-year-old daughter Jane whose leg had blown off knowing that as he raced away from his son Martin it would be the last time he ever saw him alive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK (voice-over): Twelve seconds after the first bomb exploded the second bomb in a backpack carried by Dzhokhar Tsarnaev detonated outside the Forum restaurant. Initially the crowd having heard the first blast can be seen turning to look at the finish line. Images show spectators standing one moment, seconds later flattened on the sidewalk.

Bill Richard and wife Denise were outside the restaurant watching the race with their three kids. Eleven-year-old Henry on the left, 6- year-old Jane in the middle, and 8-year-old Martin are seen balanced on a middle barrier blissfully unaware of the man in the white hat behind him. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev slipped away seconds before allegedly detonating the device.

Richard frantically tried finding his family, grabbing daughter Jane whose leg was blown off. He testified, "I looked at Martin for the last time."

The carnage was similar at the finish line. Jeff Baughman was standing next to one of the bombs when it detonated obliterating his legs. When he heard the second blast, he testified, "It clicked, I knew we were under attack." Baughman testified in court today. He's seen a suspicious looking man

next to him. Both are seen here under the red and white flag. When he turned, the man's bag was on the ground but the man wearing aviators and a black hat was gone. A day after the bombing from his hospital bed, Baughman scribbled a note, "I saw the kid. I know what happened." He hoped the FBI identified Tamerlan Tsarnaev, Dzhokhar's older brother.

During the first day of the witness testimony, new video reveals the horror, the images described an emotional detail by the people who lived through it.

Inside the courtroom jurors and others could be seen fighting back tears. Tsarnaev sat slouched in his seat rarely turning to make eye contact with the witnesses he's accused of trying to kill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: And, you know, that's what's so interesting, Carol, is that we can see the back of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev from where we're sitting inside the court. And he does, he sits there sort of slouched, shifting in his chair every now and again, completely avoids making eye contact with anyone who's testifying in the witness box.

So it's hard to know what he's thinking as he sees the images of the carnage that he and his brother have now effectively said they are guilty of, and also wondering what he's thinking when he hears all the testimony of the people whose lives he changed irrevocably. It's very unclear but it's certainly interesting to be in that court to be getting this firsthand -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Deborah Feyerick reporting live from Boston this morning.

Through the carnage, stories of heroism surfaced in the months after the bombings.

I want to share with you the courage these survivors showed as they told their stories to the jury.

Runner Roseanne Doya described how two strangers rushed to her aide when they realized she lost a leg, saying this, quote, "When I looked down my leg was tucked under me. But blood was pouring out. In front of me there was a foot with a little sock on it. It was somebody else's foot. It was almost like I was starring in a horror movie as was everybody else around me."

People were running in all different directions. Somebody came over to me and told me I had to get out of there. I told them I couldn't get up, I didn't have a leg. I remember them straightening my right leg out and it was the most excruciating pain one could ever experience."

What more can you say? #Bostonstrong. I'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: The family of Michael Brown is set to file a civil lawsuit against Darren Wilson. An attorney saying while the Justice Department may have accepted his claim of self-defense, they do not.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY GRAY, BROWN FAMILY ATTORNEY: We feel and we've always felt from the very beginning that Officer Darren Wilson did not have to shoot and kill Mike Brown Jr. in broad daylight in the manner that he did, that he had other options available to him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The Ferguson shooting and events that followed revealing the deep divide among Americans on race and on the U.S. justice system, opinions that are echoed in a new CNN poll.

When asked if the system treats blacks and whites equally, 49 percent of whites and 19 percent of blacks say yes. When asked if the legal system favors whites, 42 percent of whites agree compared to 76 percent of blacks.

In light of these statistics and of the Justice Department's scathing report on Ferguson, we were wondering why the Ferguson police chief is remaining silent.

CNN's Sara Sidner did, too. She got impatient and she forced the issue.

So, tell us, how did you track down Chief Jackson?

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, basically he's been told not to talk. And to be fair, we contacted him several times. We contacted the city several times. We've been in touch with them over these many months and weeks and all we asked for was just to sit down just to tell us what they're going to do, and reaction to some of what was in the DOJ report.

And I'll let you hear what his answers were because eventually we just had to go track him down.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: Explain. Do you think the department has a race problem? Do they have a problem? And are you going to fix it? What are you going to do about it?

CHIEF THOMAS JACKSON, FERGUSON, MISSOURI POLICE: I need to have time to really analyze this report, so I can comment on it.

SIDNER: Why do you need time to analyze the report? You know -- you should have known what was going on in your department, correct? Right?

(voice-over): He should have known and he did know. This is his e- mail unearthed by the Department of Justice during its investigation. In the 2013 e-mail, the DOJ highlighted the chief boasting that court revenue passed the 2 million mark for the first time in history. City manager responds, "Awesome. Thanks."

Apparently, not awesome enough because in another e-mail the city manager tells a colleague, he asked the chief if he thought the PD could deliver a 10 percent increase, adding, "He indicated they could try." The intense effort to get money through traffic tickets and court fines and statistics show African-Americans bore the brunt of that.

(on camera): What do you think of the DOJ's report?

JACKSON: I'm still analyzing it.

SIDNER: You're still looking at it. Don't you think you should have known some of the things that came out? The racist emails, the numbers. Were you trying to bilk people out of money instead of protecting them telling your department to just go ticket them?

JACKSON: OK. Thank you. And I will be in touch. Get ahold of Jeff.

SIDNER: I've talked to everyone. I've given you literally every opportunity. We've been talking for days and days and days. All we want is an answer from you.

What do you think of this DOJ report and what are you going to do about it? Just any idea what it is you're going to do yourself about this as the chief of the department?

JACKSON: I'm going to analyze the report and take action where necessary. OK?

SIDNER: Does that mean you're going to stay around?

JACKSON: I'm going to take action where necessary. Thank you.

SIDNER: Thank you.

Are you planning on -- are you planning on resigning?

JACKSON: I will let you know.

SIDNER: Are you thinking about it?

JACKSON: I've told you that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: So, what he's referring to is in the many weeks, as I've told you before, that we've been talking that we've had either conversations about whether or not he was going to resign, he did at first say he had thought about it and he was considering it. Then, that changed to now, I'm sticking it through. I'm going to be here for the people, the department, and we are going to see this through and I'm not going anywhere. And so, we don't know if that's changed back again, but those are the

conversations that he's referring to, and I should also say that if you look through this report very carefully, especially at those e- mails back and forth between him and the city manager, he was clearly getting a lot of pressure from the people above him at the city saying, we need more revenue. We need you to do this. And he was basically it seems trying to please his bosses -- Carol.

COSTELLO: That's just -- it's just -- the Justice Department -- could the Justice Department force him out? I know the justice department could dissolve the Ferguson Police Department if it wished, right?

SIDNER: Well, look, there are laws here, the state laws here that make things very, very difficult to do that.

However, I think what you've been hearing from the Justice Department even though this was a scathing report, they did say in the press conference, Eric Holder, that they're going to try to work with the department and see if they make the necessary changes, and I know that the department and the mayor have said this to me, that they have been trying to work on these changes.

By the way, they got rid of the three people who were responsible for those racist e-mails. They did that fairly immediately. And they also said that they are, you know, hiring some more African-Americans, they're looking at their staffing, they're bringing in a consultant, they are going to make changes that are necessary and they are willing to work with the Department of Justice.

So, those -- that is the backdrop behind all of this. The scathing report, yes, it's out there. It's got some very troubling numbers and troubling information, but the city and the department has said that it is going to work through this and it is willing to work out these details with the DOJ -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Sara Sidner reporting live from Ferguson, Missouri. Thanks so much.

The Justice Department's review of the Ferguson police sending shock waves throughout that community, as you heard. It's also sending shock waves across the country. Just before President Obama heads to Alabama to mark the 50th anniversary of the march from Selma to Montgomery the president weighed in.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We just saw the Ferguson report come out. I don't think that is typical of what happens across the country, but it's not an isolated incident. I think that there are circumstances in which trust between communities and law enforcement have broken down and individuals or entire departments may not have the training or the accountability to make sure that, you know, they are protecting and serving all people and not just some.

(END AUDIO CLIP) COSTELLO: The president adding that a large part of his agenda right now will focus on civil rights and civil liberties as they relate to law enforcement.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM: why was this plane given the go ahead to land?

Miguel Marquez at LaGuardia this morning.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this airport, Carol, is still struggling to get back up in the air as we are learning more details about how that crash happened. I'll have that in just a few.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Twenty heart stopping seconds. Passengers say that's how long this Delta plane slid before breaking into a fence and nearly plunging into the icy waters of Flushing Bay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We felt the plane touch down and as it touched down you couldn't feel any traction on the wheels. It was just like being in a car. It started skidding-skidding to the left. And we quickly realized that the plane -- you know, that they had no control of the plane.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Wow. So why did officials feel the runway was good enough to land on? The NTSB is investigating that.

Miguel Marquez is, too. He's at LaGuardia.

Good morning, Miguel.

MARQUEZ: Good morning, Carol.

Big questions as the runway conditions were changing throughout the day yesterday. If you're familiar with LaGuardia Airport, you know where that bid is in the middle where it says "Welcome to New York" with the apple on it. Where this plane crashed on runway 13 is 1,000 yards beyond that.

They have cleaned up the plane. It is off the runway now and off the tarmac and in another location on the airport property. They're cleaning up that runway, getting ready for it to reopen as that investigation is getting underway.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ: This morning the priority, to lift the battered fuselage of Delta flight 1086 from LaGuardia's runway. Delta Airlines, the NTSB, and Port Authority now working to investigate the cause of the skid.

PAT FOYE, EXECUTIVE DIR., PORT AUTHORITY OF N.Y. AND N.J.: Obviously, the pilot and the co-pilot's good efforts were reflected in the fact that there were only minor injuries.

MARQUEZ: At approximately 11:00 a.m. local time, amid freezing fog and falling snow, the Delta flight landed on LaGuardia's runway 13. Upon touching down, the MD-88 lost control, skidding just over halfway down the 7,000 foot runway, then a sharp and violent turn to the left. The plane's nose slamming the embankment so hard it ripped off.

Its left wing damaged, leaking fuel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She is leaking fuel on the left side of the aircraft heavily.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said leaking fuel?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Affirm. His wing is ruptured.

MARQUEZ: A hundred thirty-two passengers and crew forced to deplane from the wing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm jumping down the window flying down the wing, they're like, hurry up, hurry up. I see gas coming out of the wing.

MARQUEZ: According to Delta, the 28-year-old plane had a maintenance check on Tuesday and Runway 13 apparently plowed just minutes prior. Another pilot who landed minutes before reported good braking conditions, but conditions were not ideal.

MARY SCHIAVO, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: That Delta plane landed with a tail wind, which is about the most dangerous thing you can do on an icy runway.

MARQUEZ: Officials say the plane briefly circled the runway before being cleared to landed. But whether or not it should have been permitted to land at all is a question the NTSB is now trying to answer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ: Now, what you're looking at now are pictures of the plane actually being moved. Overnight they delicately lifted that up with cranes and then moved it off to another location across the tarmac. Had to back it off of that berm and then moved it to another part of the airport so they can inspect it and figure out if anything can be salvaged from that plane.