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Suburban NY Police Department Violated Rights; Mangione may Use Insanity Defense; Drones Spark Interest in Flight Apps; Countdown to Christmas Package Mailing. Aired 9:30-10a ET
Aired December 16, 2024 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[09:30:44]
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: A stunning new federal report shows one police department in New York stripped searched nearly every person it arrested. The practice happened for years, and it is far from the only civil rights violation the probe revealed.
CNN crime and justice correspondent Katelyn Polantz has the latest.
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KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: The Justice Department had scathing findings into the police force of Mount Vernon, New York, because of the amount of strip searches they were doing for no reason, illegally. So, what the Justice Department found in a report after looking into this police department, for three years investigating them, that's something that the Justice Department does often, they found that the police force was depriving people of rights when they were strip searching regularly and detaining people without probable cause, doing body cavity searches.
One of the examples of what happened that the Justice Department reported on was that two women, ages 65 and 75, one of whom was handing her husband a $5 bill to buy a lottery ticket, the police officers stopped them and believed that they were buying drugs, or said they must be buying drugs, searched them and their cars, found nothing, and then brought them into the police station and did strip searches. At one point told one of the women to bend over and cough.
This ultimately was a situation where the detectives were lying about the pair buying drugs, and it was a regular practice in this police force to do strip searches like this. That is not supposed to be done.
So since then, since 2022, when this practice was being curtailed, and the Justice Department still was looking at them, it did appear possible that they weren't completely ending this practice of strip searching in Mount Vernon, New York. But the police department did revise its policies, offer its officers training, and was working with the city on getting officers body worn cameras for when they were out in the field.
The mayor of Mount Vernon, New York, says, "we wholeheartedly support our good officers and, at the same time, will not tolerate and will punish unconstitutional policing." But it was the Biden Justice Department that brought this to light in a new report. And that the community is now responding to.
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BERMAN: All right, our thanks to Katelyn Polantz for that.
Kate.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Also new this morning, the Manhattan district attorney says that the alleged killer of the UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson may soon be giving up his fight against extradition. Luigi Mangione is currently in a Pennsylvania state prison, and over the weekend hired a high-profile defense attorney to represent him in New York. Before taking on Mangione's case, the attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, was a CNN legal analyst. She suggest - and she has suggested Mangione could claim insanity as a defense strategy.
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KAREN FRIEDMAN AGNIFILO, FORMER MANHATTAN CHIEF ASSISTANT D.A.: It looks to me like this - there might be a not guilty by reason of insanity defense that they're going to be thinking about, because the evidence is going to be so overwhelming that he did what he did.
And I hear what you're saying about being radicalized. I hear what you guys are saying. But as a former prosecutor in that office, I would be concerned that you have someone who was a valedictorian of his class, he was brilliant his whole life, he comes from this great family. I mean, something changed, right? Significantly, something changed.
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BOLDUAN: Let's talk about the very latest, though, in this investigation. Joining us right now is CNN law enforcement contributor Steve Moore.
It's good to see you, Steve.
So, the - on extradition, the Manhattan DA says that it's possible that he could soon waive the - Mangione could soon waive his right to fight being handed over to New York. He's going to eventually make it to New York. It will eventually happen. As he fights it or doesn't fight extradition, what's kind of the biggest question you have as to where this case against him is headed next?
STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I agree with his attorney. You know, the case - evidence against him is going to be overwhelming. So, my curiosity is, is how - what strategy they're going to use to solve this?
I mean, clearly, you know, the earlier attorney in Pennsylvania was there kind of doing first aid, doing nothing that couldn't be undone by the ultimate attorney. [09:35:07]
And that's why they were fighting the extradition. And this new attorney, I think, is thinking, why even bother? Why waste our energy on that? But I think the thought that you're going to use insanity defense against this person is - is - is flawed as trying to say he didn't do it, because the insanity defense relies on the person not knowing that what they were doing is wrong. And so, covering their face, running from the scene, hiding themselves using fake ID is all evidence of what a sane person would do, knowing that what they did was wrong.
BOLDUAN: And in the face of all of this, there's this new report out, Steve, I wanted to ask you about it, warning about the, you know, warning that the level of support online for the alleged killer of - for the alleged murderer here, that the online support that this security firm describes as really seeing it as kind of overwhelming, it risks encouraging copycat attacks. This is coming from the Center for Internet Security. And it was a new threat assessment that they put out. And the way they put it is that the health care industry highly likely to face ongoing increased threat landscape, including targeted acts of violence, but also saying that the risk extends to non-health care sector executives as well. With the way they see it as so much support for the shooters actions that they're seeing online, they see it as a start of a movement against corporate America as a whole is kind of the threat that they see.
How great do you see the risk is of copycats after this?
MOORE: Well, I think there's a significant risk of this. I mean we have seen this historically, this type of thing. There are issue based terrorists, the anti-nuclear terrorists, the green terrorists, the - the animal rights groups. They do terrorist acts that usually are not - that usually do not rise to this level. But in the 70s we had the Students for the Democratic Society in the United States. We had Baader-Meinhof in Germany and Red Brigade in Italy, and they were assassinating corporate leadership. And it was part of a communist movement back then. But it could turn out to be part of a populist movement here where companies, beyond health services, like say you had a large chemical release of - that killed people, say you had a large oil spill, things like this. People like that might be emboldened to take action like that, like we saw Mangione take.
And so, I think what the - what should be done right now is the FBI should actually be looking at this as a potential specific brand of domestic terrorism, because terrorism is something directed - violence directed to make changes in politics or - or society. And I think this follows that.
BOLDUAN: Very interesting.
Steve, it's good to see you. Thanks for coming in.
Sara.
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead, $100 billion. Which company is set to announce a massive investment in U.S. projects alongside President- elect Donald Trump, and what it's looking to fund.
Also, the countdown is on. Get your holiday gifts mailed out in time. When is the last day to ship before it's too late?
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SIDNER: The wave of mysterious drones in the skies over multiple states has raised questions and fears and sparked a frantic search for answers. Demand for answers. Authorities confirmed that some are drones, but others are just regular airplanes.
So, if you want to know for sure what you're seeing in the skies above, guess what, there are apps for that.
CNN's Clare Duffy is joining me now.
I am curious about these apps. How do they work and how many are there?
CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yes, Sara, this is a really cool way to make sure before you tweet that video of what you think is a drone to check whether it's actually just a regular old commercial airplane. There are three of these apps, FlightRadar24, Plane Finder, and FlightAware that will give you a real-time picture of the aircraft that is flying above you. And it also includes helicopters and some drones.
So, they have these maps where you can look at your live location and see the planes that are flying above you. It will also give you information like their altitude, their speed, their destination, what airline it is. And this works because most aircraft transmit this data called ADS-B data, which tells ground stations and other aircraft where they are. So, these apps collect that information. And actually two of these apps, Flight Radar and Plane Finder, will let you point your camera at the sky if you see a plane and it will tell you what that plane is. And it's pretty impressive. I tried it this morning. It is very gloomy here in New York, you can't really see the sky, but it still showed me a number of the planes that are in the area.
SIDNER: OK, so when - I like that idea because one of them shows just like all the planes in the air, and I think we've all looked at sort of some of those.
Is there anything that these apps aren't really able to see or show, because you have drones that can be this big and you have ones that can be huge?
DUFFY: Yes, so you aren't going to see some military aircraft, some high profile aircraft. You're not going to see Air Force One on these apps. And then there are some of those smaller hobby drones that don't have the technology to broadcast their location the way that planes do. SIDNER: You know, maybe some folks in the government might want to use
some of these things. This has been a time when a lot of people are really concerned of what they're seeing above their heads.
DUFFY: Yes.
[09:45:03]
SIDNER: Clare Duffy, always a pleasure. Thank you so much.
DUFFY: Thank you.
SIDNER: Appreciate it.
All right, new fear this morning that a deadly cyclone could leave thousands of people dead. It's being described as an atomic bomb falling in that area. We'll discuss, next.
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SIDNER: New this morning, two sources tell CNN a major economic investment is about to be announced. President-elect Trump and the CEO of Softbank Group are expected to appear together this morning at Mar- a-Lago to roll out a $100 billion investment in U.S. projects over the next four years.
[09:50:04]
In 2016, video there you're seeing shows Softbank making a similar pledge for $50 billion. This year's investment will focus specifically on AI and infrastructure like data centers and chips. Not the ones you eat.
Witnesses say it looks like an atomic bomb fell on the French island of Mayotte, located between the African mainland and Madagascar. The devastation caused by the worst cyclone the area has seen in 100 years. Survivors say the situation is catastrophic, apocalyptic even. At least 11 people are confirmed dead there, but government officials fear that death toll is going to rise into the thousands.
And this morning, a Tennessee man back home after spending two days lost in a dark, dense, tight cave. His ordeal started Thursday when his flashlight died and he couldn't find his way out. His family reported him missing on Saturday. Rescuers heard his cries for help when they arrived. Officials say, look, he was disoriented and possibly hypothermic, but otherwise fine.
A lifelong dream come true for Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. No, not just a Supreme Court position, but a place on a Broadway stage. The justice made her Broadway debut on Saturday in the musicals "And Juliette." Here's a moment from the walk on role.
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JUSTICE KETANJI BROWN JACKSON, SUPREME COURT: Female empowerment. Sick. (END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: Giggling all the way there. In her memoir, "Lovely One," the justices shared that in her application essay to Harvard University, she wrote it was her fantasy to be the first black female Supreme Court justice to appear on a Broadway stage. And she's done it. Dream fulfilled.
OK, this one's for a lot of folks in our crew and John Berman. A shortage this holiday season across U.K. pubs if you want a Guinness. What? At some bars you may need to order two other drinks first and at others you're going to need a ration card to get a pour. Many pubs tell CNN they're worried they're going to run out amid skyrocketing demand for Guinness. This fall, demand jumped nearly 25 percent in the U.K. And in the U.S. it was the top imported beer in the last year according to Nielsen tracking. A fun fact while you wait for that stout, a proper pint of Guinness takes 119.5, I don't know how they got the and a half, seconds to pour.
BERMAN: Can I just say, everyone was so worried about drones. Like, this is the real problem.
BOLDUAN: No. And this is added to the list of reasons - I've done the research - we can blame gen zers. Influencers are all into the Guinness.
SIDNER: You saw the picture there. Yes.
BOLDUAN: So now you can't even get one.
BERMAN: No, you have to have two drinks first. All right. Challenge accepted.
SIDNER: Yes, nobody was complaining about the two drinks first.
BOLDUAN: On it, if we must.
BERMAN: That was my outside voice.
SIDNER: I get it.
BERMAN: All right, this morning, time is running out to get your holiday packages to their destination on time. So, my advice, don't bother.
SIDNER: Grinch.
BERMAN: CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich -
BOLDUAN: Like, legitimately.
BERMAN: Is here.
Welcome. Welcome to the end of our broadcast today, Vanessa.
Shipping is a problem every holiday season. Where do things stand right now? When do you have to get your package in the mail?
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a problem for people who procrastinate, like myself, and maybe some of our viewers out there. But essentially, listen, this year there's 2.2 billion packages shipping between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Half of all Americans say they're worried about whether or not their packages are going to arrive on time.
Some of the things that could be a snag in shipping this year is severe weather. If there's any storms, last minute storms that come through. Out of stock items. You think you're waiting to the last minute to snag that item. Boom, it's gone. You're not getting it. Incorrect shipping information. I've done this before. You ship to the wrong address. Supply chain disruptions. Not so much this year. A lot of retailers brought in a lot of products earlier, so that's good news.
But if you're feeling the crunch this season, that's for good reason. The shopping season between Thanksgiving and Christmas is a week shorter. And so people who maybe waited till the last minute, you're waiting till the real, real last minute at this point.
BERMAN: So, what is the real last minute?
YURKEVICH: OK.
BERMAN: I mean when's the absolute latest? I'm asking for a friend.
YURKEVICH: Depending which -
SIDNER: I don't trust this, by the way. I'm just saying.
YURKEVICH: Yes, I -
BOLDUAN: Let's - let's test the theory.
YURKEVICH: All right, so we're not going to trust UPS, the postal service or FedEx, but here's what they say essentially.
SIDNER: OK.
YURKEVICH: USPS has basically the least flexible options. So, obviously, as you look at those dates on the screen there, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday are your last days to ship to get it in time for Christmas. It gets more expensive, obviously, as you get closer to the day.
UPS, a little more flexible. Thursday, Friday and then you could do next day, December 23rd, to get it for Christmas Eve.
BOLDUAN: That's going to cost you nothing, I'm sure, right?
YURKEVICH: Right. Well, and then, if you look at FedEx, this has the most flexible of all three shippers. You can do same day on December 24th. I couldn't find a same day shipping option, but I did look overnight, the 23rd, from New York to Los Angeles for a 5 pound gift. [09:55:05]
I don't know if you guys can guess how much that costs for overnight shipping.
BERMAN: $75.
SIDNER: $100.
YURKEVICH: $200.
BERMAN: Whoa!
SIDNER: Oh!
YURKEVICH: $200. So, listen -
SIDNER: That better be a nice gift.
BOLDUAN: (INAUDIBLE) a 5 pound, you know, gold bar, then it's really nothing.
YURKEVICH: That's a good - yes, that's a good investment.
SIDNER: A picture frame (ph).
YURKEVICH: But the moral of the story is, if you know what you want to get, just do it today. Get it now.
SIDNER: Or, as John does, just have a Guinness and just enjoy life.
BERMAN: Write a poem. Just so everyone knows, I can't ship on time, so I'm just writing everybody a poem.
SIDNER: That - that's great.
BOLDUAN: Actually, John, you - last year you did like an entire thing of limericks. Do you remember that?
BERMAN: I did. I did.
SIDNER: It was good.
BOLDUAN: Yes. Yes.
BERMAN: All too naughty to even think about it.
BOLDUAN: They were not acceptable.
BERMAN: Yes.
BOLDUAN: But, if you just could say it on TV, you would love us even more.
BERMAN: No problem with shipping.
Vanessa Yurkevich, thank you very much.
SIDNER: Thank you for joining us. CNN NEWS CENTRAL is over. Lucky for you. "CNN NEWSROOM" is up next.
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