Transcripts For ALJAZAM America Tonight 20140115

Obsessive and said that the u. S. Plan was not worth the paper it was written on. The white house called the comments offensive. A federal judge rejects the Million Dollar settlement on the concussion lawsuit. Shes ordered for details from the league. I will see you back here at 11 00. Machining tonight is next and remember, you can always get the latest news on al jazeera. Com. See you later. When help is not on the way. Flaws in the 911 system nationwide. And how they could be a threat to you. Millions of americans in hotels, College Dorms, and ordinary Office Buildings are put at risk because at not reaching 911 effectively. Sick on the streets, the case of a mentally ill man and the face juf with the police and the death is uniting new questions about those sworn to serve and protect. They have murdered my son and they are getting away with it. In the land of love, the ladies and the dangerous. Good evening. Im joie chen. Thanks for joining us. Think for a moment about the things you can absolutely count on. One of them we hope is help, emergency help when you really,need it. We teach our kids if theres an emergency call 911 and help will come. But there are situations in which those three simple numbers 911 wont bring help. It is a serious and extensive enough problem that the fcc has launched an inquiry sparked by the death of a texas mother and the daughter who tried to get help for her. America tonights sarah hoye has the story from marshall, texas. Last month, kari hunt agreed to meet her estranged husband at this east texas hotel so he could visit with their young children. But instead of a family meeting things went horribly wrong. Once at the hotel, police say her husband, brad allen dunn, allegedly stabbed the mother of three to death in the bathroom while the children listened in. Our oldest granddaughter, and her two siblings, were in that room and she tried dialing 911 from the hotel room and could not get out because she didnt know to dial 9 first. After four unsuccessful attempts, the 9yearold shuffled her siblings to safety and ran for help. Finally, the neighbors next door to them, um, opened the door, and briana told her what was going on and she called 911. The look in my granddaughters eyes. I would never want to another 9 year old to go through that. I dont know what she heard or what she saw and i havent asked her. Ill let her tell me in her own time. I can just imagine. Nobody should have to go through that. Especially when its happening in front of you. America tonight traveled to marshall, texas, to the hotel where the incident happened. We spoke with the hotel staff here at the baymont inn and sites to see what happens when you do dial 911. We were told that the systems here hadnt been updated since the incident. But we wanted to find out exactly what would happen if you just dialed 911 from the room. You get a busy signal. Because of the busy signal that henry hunt wanted to make a change. Hunt started an only petition to pass a law requiring direct access to Emergency Services. When my 9yearold granddaughter told me i tried and it didnt work, i felt guilty and i felt like as adults it was our job to make sure it didnt happen again. His efforts caught the attention of the federal Communications Commission whos commissioner vowed this week to look into the matter. In a statement ajit pai said carrie is gone but the death is not in vain to take action if someone calls 911 they connect with the emergency personnel. With the National Emergency Number Association dedicated to improving 911 Services Says that the issue is more common than people may think. So for every day goes by without the federal legislation to resolve this problem, millions of americans in hotels and College Dorms and Office Buildings are put at risk. Updating the systems could potentially save lives. After learning about the incident, the hotel general manager took matters into her own hands at the newly opened hotel in long view, texas. Configuring the phone systems to directly access 911 took just hours she says. Well the nature of the business is making people safe. I have children and i wouldnt my child feeling like she could is saved my life if she dialled 911 and couldnt do it because of the system. She just did it. She knew what was right and she hated something happened and she did it. The hunting are not giving up the fight for a new law that could be standard across the nation. As far as justice is concerned gotted can sort that out and right now im working on what we need to work on and thats where i want to take it and that is the justices for this become a law across the nation. The hunts goal to get a hundred signatures for the online petition and they have more than four hundred thousand. We have bryan from the National Emergency Foundation Number and we appreciate you being here and talking about this. This is something of a surprise to me and other people that 911 is the not always the panacea we think it is going to be. This is it. This is what happened with the situation with karis time. In the hotel room they had to dial 9 to get the out line and dial 911 after that. A lot of people dont know that. That is hotels, offices. Offices, complexes, you have that type of situation where the internal phone system requires a code be punched before you reach the outside line. And so, that is an issue. We have been working to try to change that now for at least ten years. Does that have to do with technology missing the boat here . Well, in a lot of cases the technology is available. Particularly in the newer cases, you have to do software changes. You have to determine this is the issue in terms of saving lives and to be able to access 911 became so apoint in this tragic situation. Of course. I want to talk beyond these Office Buildings and Hotel Building type of situations, we understand from your association there are actually dead zones, where 911 is going to do nothing for you in this country and we have a map from your association here, there are very large areas of the country where 911 is just not the option, and why . On the flip side of that, 97, 98 percent of the population has access to 911. But the dead areas are out in the middle of nowhere. The National Preserves and parks, and nobody lives and in some seasons of the year they are closed. And so that makes it problematic. No Wireless Service is out there to reach 911 and areas of the country you cannot access 911 just because of the physical isolation, if you will. There are other reasons why maybe the system is not responding to the 3 digits. There are other reasons. There are small rural communitys that require the citizens of the community to dial a 7 digit number to reach an Emergency Service or requiring you to dial operator to reach the Emergency Services. In 1999, the law was passed to make 911 the emergency number that everybody is aware of. It is an amazing brand. Everybody knows how to access that. That is what we teach every little kid in america. That is right. We have the phone systems with the hotels and offices and some universities have that require extra effort, if you will, to access 911. Or extra information. That is heart breaking thinking of that family and the little girl trying. That little girl did a remarkable job and shes a hero. We hope that it is going to make a difference. We appreciate you talking with us. Coming up next, the soap opera swirling around the frances president and another leading lady could leave him without a date. Later in the program, america tonight following up on a mentally ill man beaten by the Police Officers and the verdict in the case could be a troubling sign of things to come. Embattle new jersey delivers the state of the state speech and under a dark cloud of suspension. Governor opened with taking the scandal head on. They are investigating the lane closures at busyist bridge in the nation. Mistakes were made and as a result we let down to people that we are entrusted to serve and we are cooperating with all of the inquiries to ensure that this breach of trust doesnt happen again. The state of the state lasted 45 minutes. The first two minutes devoted to the bridge scandal and calling for longer school days. Staying with the politicians, we turn to troubles in france. For the french president. With the polls at all time lows, the french leader has problems on the home front and domestic trouble very, very close to home. We have the whole sorted tale. The story broke last saturday. It is confirmed what is rumored in paris for months. A secret relationship between the france president. Arriving at the door of a paris apartment and followed by a man on the back of a mooter scooter and in a feeble disguise and identified by the shoes, yes the shoes and the giveaway is familiar face of a president ial body guard. All this is worth one enormous shrug if not for this woman, the first lady of france. The pair are not married but has taken up residence in the palace. And plays the role of the madame with office and body guard. All paid for by the french state. She has the status of first girlfriend, a role that is now in question. According to the press reports, he broke the news of the affair. She described as shock and hit in the gut by a speeding train and hospitalized since friday with severe case of the blues. From the president ial palace only a plea that the private lies should be just that, until today. The president s new Year Press Conference as the state of the union. 46 minutes and then the first question, is valori still the first girlfriend of france . Everyone can go through rocky times, that is the case, but i have one principle, private affairs are dealt with in private. This is not the place to go into this. A well rehearsed answer as he four more times declined to clarify the status. For some french president s the news of an affair would boost the standings in the polls. This affair is not helping him. Sheila, this is quite incredible. We think of the french being open minded and they love love. Yes as made clear, we not puritans like americans. We have that american perspective. We want to bring on board christopher, who is the paris bureau chief and you are speaking here as the paris editor this evening, chris, and you get equal time. You were there at the press conference, sheila has an International View and as a woman, chris, how is seen, how was the event of the day, terribly long . Well you know the press conference well over two hours and i think maybe three or four minutes in total devoted to the whole question of the president s alleged affair with 41 year old actress. And that was all that anybody really wanted to hear about, because the other two hours and 8 minutes or so were devoted to a long talking endlessly about the economic programs, a little about the wars hes waging in africa, things are important enough but heard about before and almost no headlines in it. The whole question, would you tell us a few basic things, like whats going to happen to the first lady, you are not married to her, now you seem to have another lover and shes in the hospital, seems to be suffering from nervous exhaustion and you are going on a state visit to the United States on february 11th, you know where somebody usually consort of the head of state stands and sits around with michele who is going with you. The fact is he wouldnt answer it. He wouldnt answer it and said he could clarify it. Before the visit to the u. S. Hes going to clarify the position. Maybe hes going to get a date. [laughter] you have to know the people dont really like valory in the country. Hes established a reputation for being super protective of him and her own reputation and very vindictive to the previous partner, another politician, and basically saying that she was supporting the opponent in the legislative elections and now i think there is a kind of a wave of sympathy developing for her. Hes leaving her twisting in the wind. Well these are private matters and difficult for all of us he said and we are going to decide some time before february 11th about her status. After all, hes not married to any of these women. I have to say one of the great mysteries is how, he has a nickname, gets hes not the man of the year or anything. No. He ends up with these incredibly attractive, intelligent, interesting women, and how that happens is really something of a mystery, but clearly has something going on for him. There is a sense of the french admiring that . Not really. When the ratings are that low in the 20 range, you are setting a record for unpopularity in france. Nobodys ever been this unpopular as the president. Especially 18 months into their first administration. So, no, theres nothing about this that is making him popular. On the question of the charm, there is a lot of it, apparently. I have talked to two or three women that covered his campaign and said you know hes charming, funny, super smart and great timing and all you have to say, where is that when he gets in front of the french people. When hes in front of them hes completely uninspiring. He was trying to appear 39 president ial today. He was absolutely flat. Other than that, the french do have this reputation for being, you know, if not approving accepting of the love lives of their president s. Yes, there is a lot of history. Yes, one had a secret family. And yes rumored to have affairs and one had a wife left for another man and came back for the campaign and left again and he on the rebound married karla, a super model. It is not like we dont have Musical Chairs with a lot of the women in and out of the president ial offices. He looks kind of ridiculous and this is a country that needs a leader not a lover. If you see the pictures that started the scandal, a slightly pudgy guy riding a scooter to go see his lover, you know, you just shake your head and please no. That is what the people react to. France needs leadership, unemployment is high, the economy is a mess. They are the second largest economy and the notion that this president has been distracted at a time when the people are in real need of direction is doing him no favors. It is a bad moment for him. Certainly hes getting the attention, but not for the right reasons. Thank you both for being with us. Sheila and chris, thank you. After the break on america tonight, the death of a mentally ill men beaten by the police and why the homeless in Southern California are fearing that more troubles lie ahead. Idre yang berry, do we know if it is the first of its kind, or is it now a snapshot of the stories, safe water trickles back for the people in West Virginia and new caution for the states neighbors. Tens of thousands can now turn on the taps after the chemical spill. But in ohio and kentucky, some Water Systems temporarily stopped drawing the water from the river just for a precaution. Drama at the movies in florida where a retired Police Captain is being held for a Fatal Shooting of a movie goer. At a nm middle school, two students were shot by a 12yearold 7th grader and they had gathered to get out of the cold. One of the kids remains in critical condition. Raising questions about police exsesive force and how to deal with the mentally ill. Outside of los angeles, a 37yearold found himself in trouble with the police. What made this case exceptional is so much of the encounter was caught on tape. Put your hands on your knees. bleep bleep and it was visible to others. A camera on a passing bus reported other witnesses. What happened . I have no idea. I dont know what the guy did. They were pulling his hair. Really . Yes. Badly beaten, thomas died. Two officers are faced charges, their defense was nay needed to and used reasonable force. The officers were fired a year after the incident. Two were acquitted on monday. The charges against a third officer were dropped. Adding to the out age on the streets that the verdict may at more conflict wean the mentally ill on the streets and the officers sworn to protect them. Part of me died on that night and in court. I feel dead inside. I once you are quite shocked and surprised by the decision . Yeah, actually with a decision to literally acquit them on all of the charges is shocking at least Excessive Force and they didnt even get that. He was talking to them. No threat to them. He was a living Healthy Human being and in a matter of minutes laying in a pool of blood and they beat him to death and now walking free. This is not a unique situation of force being used in too much excess . No, not at all, this happens around the United States. I get contacted from around the nation, specifically here in Southern California. People want to know if i can help them with the cases. I hear about it all of the time. We all hear these things that are happening where Law Enforcement is killing peep, beating them, tazing them, to the point where they die. It is not necessary at all. They shouldnt be doing this. A former Law Enforcement yourself, you have an appreciation for the challenges for difficult situations and you have said there needs to be a change to the california Police Officers bill of rights and what could be changed to alleviate the situations like this . What would help with this is if we can change the Police Officer bill of rights, i dont want the personal information, but i want all people to know from the personnel files if they are disciplined what is the discipline and what was the result of the discipline, were they reprimanded or demoted. We the people that pay their salaries have the right to know this. The argument is it is against the law because of the bill of rights. They are already doing that when the officer gets a promotion or a medal, which we all appreciate, it is on the news, it is everywhere, that is part of the personnel file also so they have been doing that all along. So i dont want to pick and choose when to follow it. Here again we have Law Enforcement doing what they want with the law. Like they dont have to follow it. We the people have the right to know if our Police Officers are being disciplined. In this particular case the officer said he would like to return to the force and fighting for the job back. Yeah, i dont doubt that. I dont know which one that is. He was a corporal and testing for the sergeant. He made a bad decision. For somebody of that caliber testing for a sergeant and openingly stating he had no other option but to be kellys face to hell. He is doesnt belong in Law Enforcement. He never said anything to him like have you had enough, he continued to beat and beat and beat him. He doesnt need a job in Law Enforcement. Fbi investigation had been opened and that is your hope now that would be pursued . Well, absolutely. They told me from day one the department of justice said they would follow the case and couldnt do anything until the criminal case is over and now i will work with them closely and find out where they are with that and assist any way i can. Like i have done with the District Attorney from orange county. Hopefully well prevail. Can i ask you looking at what you heard in court, what you know about this case, what do you think it was that influenced the jurys decision, why they came to this verdict . Persistence of the Defense Attorneys. It is unfortunate that the Defense Attorneys no matter what case it is, they are not bound by the law to tell the truth. The attorneys going at it with that. Claiming kelly had a meth habit and damaged the heart. That was not proven. A number of drug tests showed that kelly never tested positive for any type of illegal substance. They got the story and stuck with it and the prosecution didnt rebut it. Also character witnesses, the defense brought in character witnesses against kelly to tear him down. Tl prosecution had fantastic supportive witnesses for kelly and never brought them in. We appreciate you joining us again. Thank you. Are Police Officers trained to deal with those that are mentally ill. Barry, you have heard kelly thomass father and you have seen the cases involving the mentally ill and Police Officers and what does it come down to, does the jury identify and understand what the Law Enforcement is trying to deal with . At of people on juries are not going to question what the police do. They dont understand police work. They dont understand temperature responsibilities of Police Officers. But they have seen the homeless folks on the streets . Exactly. Joie, when you see a homeless person on the street, do you go up and talk to them . No. We walk the other way. We fear they might be dangerous, they might do something we dont expect and so people who dont, who are not trained to deal with the mentally ill, you know, approach them with all sorts of misconceptions and a lot in some cases unjustified fears. Some has to do with the prevalence of the mentally ill on the streets in this country. Over the weekend i was in seattle and i was struck by the number of homeless folks and the number of people that clearly dealing with issues internally. I look at this, it is a tremendous challenge for the Law Enforcement overall . Yes. It is a front line. When i started in 1975, we had nearly 4,000 patients, inpatients in that hospital, now they have 400. Where did those 3600 people go, they are out on the streets. You know, some of them getting treatment. Many of them not. You know, there are many, many studies that show over half of the Homeless Population have some form of serious mental illness. So the question is what can they do . It is a combination of training and temperment. They are not trained psychologists. I know hundreds of people that are able to communicate with the mentally ill. They have the training and temperment to do that. I think back to when i was talking to you in august we had a situation where a mentally disturbed came into a school and an aide in the school talked an armed man to put his weapon down and give himself up to the police. That is the kind of temperment you need. She had no training whatsoever. In other situations, like, how much in this particular situation, one of the individuals is a corporal and low ranking guy, and how much training can you give that person, and should that be the op ligation of the Law Enforcement to deal with . This is something that society forced upon the Law Enforcement. The two institutions that house the most mentally ill people in the country l. A. County jail and cook county in chicago jail. Those are jails not hospitals. In d. C. We train the Police Officers not to make the first move to arrest a mentally ill person but get them back to treatment. Those programs are proven to be the most effective. One of the programs is called, came out of the memphis model. It is proven to be very, very effective. Unless they have the funds, the Police Continue to have to do these jobs. Thank you so much for helping us understand this difficult situation. Thank you. Thank you. After the break, theres more to it. Our look at a well oiled machine, how gm is powering up for the long haul with a new honor. Maria. It all started with a 22yearold u. K. College student venting on twitter about the difficulty of identifying as a muslim feminist. Sheer she writes. Muslims tell you dont need feminism, then that sparked a whole conversation, being accused of not being a real feminist, and of not being a good muslim at the same time. When some men cry about the life of a muslim feminist, because they hurt their feelings. Who else is tired of being told you dont need to get an education, your husband will protect and provide for you. Now i spoke to the woman behind this , here is why she said she started it. Its about saying on america tonight, we are dedicating to following up on the highs and lows of the stories, even after out of the headlines and more to it, the truck of the year in detroit. The honor indicating to everyone that the gm plant at flint, michigan. Shared vision between the labor and management and focus on high quality is straying a rare of hope. America tonight travelled to flint and brings us inside of the plant. In a city often singled out for the high homicide rate and lack of jobs and deteriorating neighboring hoods it is hard to find a source of pride. But inside of the truck factory thousands of employees are proving theres a lot to be proud of in flint, michigan. Over 24 hours in the Assembly Plant of gm, clusters of metal and parts are put together like puzzles. They are tightened and tested. Cleaned and qualify quality checked. Rolling off the line as a pickup truck. What that i cans this 55,000, what is in it . You are getting a 6. 6 turbo, the most powerful engine we have. Acres of proprietorship are now vacant after decades of factory closures eliminated tens of thousands of auto jobs from flint. But the workers at gm factory survived the near death in flint, a company bankruptcy, and the shutdown of 17 facilities across the country. They have emerged humbled with a new approach towards team work. It wasnt easy. It required the union and management to come to the same side of the table and focus on making a product that the American People would want to buy. This product is important to the american product. Yes, it is expensive but built in such a way it helps the economy, farmers, ranchers, construction workers, i mean the people who are the backbone of our economy needs trucks like this to do their jobs. How many trucks come through the line every day. More than 700 every day. That is a lot. We have three shifts. I have been at gm 19 years, yes. 19 years. He works the first shift. The flint father leaves home before the sun comes up so he can get to the truck plant by 7 00 a. M. Spend more time with the people here at work than at home sometimes and i fell in love, i met my wife here. I was driving material to her area and we began to have a conversation and turned into a movie and that turned into a marriage, i guess. Yeah, it is a community here. It is like family. The plant depends on its family of 2700 union employees, like jackson, to manufacture trucks around the clock. The guy down the line from me doesnt do his job i cant do mine and if i dont do mine the next guy cant do his. The plant employees renewed the gratitude for the jobs after watching the shutdown of a lot of plants across the state. It forced the Union Workers and management to work together. They say they put trust in each other. We are all engaged. Not just General Motors or the uaw, we have teams together and engaging in what we do and giving the dregs of being successful. That is how we have to survive. Barry is the chairman of the uaw and there was a time when the tension relations between the plant and the workers hindered the moral and the production. Jackson recalls the work was more about the quantity than the quality. So things were allowed to slide by . Well, hey get these out and fix them later. Now about building it right in the department. I think the sense of urgency to be better has changed since the bankruptcy. We are not taking anything for granted. Each worker plays a role here, no matter what the job is, they have a power to stop a section of the line, just pull the chord and the production will stop. It is important. We are here to make quality. If i see something that is not right or a guy on the team, we have the ability to stop the line and call the supervisor over and check this out. The team leaders are actively involved in coming up with new ideas to make a better truck. Have you submitted any ideas that you think would work . Yes, me and my team they have implemented our suggestions. What works in the plant is the fact that we work together. Amy farmer is the director of manufacturing operations in flint. Shes proud that the improved Labor Management relationship and the joint focus on quality has paid off. The trucks produced here received recognition from jd powers two years in a row and silverdo was named truck of the year this week. We earned the right to be part of the future and part of the future growth and we fully invest in that. Is it a bright spot in the community . No doubt. Ride by and see a place that is open for business and trucks coming out the back of it, because nothing gives me more pride than seeing the car hauler full of flint made trucks. So yeah, i think it is a bright spot. Michael investment researcher and author of made in america, inside stories of success talk about the comeback unfolding at gm and the activity at gm and quite a bit this week and new ceo coming into play, what is happening at gm and particularly at flint . A lot of things happening at gm are now being discovered. They were happening several years ago. Flint always did reasonably well because people love the trucks, but the crash really pushed the factory. I think what is going on now is a discovery of a bunch of things that have been going on. You have written about this plant, you have been there and spent time and seen it, are there lessons that other manufacturers have or can learn . Yes, there are. I tell the story of flint, when i was there i was being toured around by a uaw guy and he was unhappy about the management, he was from the past management and current management was thrilled with the focus on the quality and during the tour, that took four hours and someone hit a button because of paint defects. Paint . Yes. They shut it down until they could figure it out. This really represents a change in thinking over the years here . Yes, of course. When someone working on the line for 35 years and saying that the focus on the quality is dramatic, you realize a culture change has taken place. When i spoke to the person that ran the plant, the top of the pyramid is the line worker and clearing everything out of the way for the line worker to do the highest quality of work. It is a focus on quality and rethinking of the relationship between management and workers . Yes, there are limits and rules and contracts and everybody has certain rights but there is a change in attitude. There are new hires coming in at lower wages, which has reduced the cost in the plant, which made the plant more viable and people are happier. Is there something of a renaissance happening in flint and the Auto Industry and in detroit some what . I want say detroit. There are hardly any factors left in detroit. There is a renaissance in manufacturing in general. It is based on cheap energy and lower cost labor force and it is based on people with skills when we come back ing back to manufacturing that were laid off. There is a myth of lack of skilled workers in the country and more and more of the workers are returning to manufacturing. It is not noticeable to us but there is a renaissance going on. That is the proper word. With respect to the Auto Industry itself and we continue to see at the auto show other things are happening here too, ford with their truck, there is different thinking going on here . Yes, the Auto Industry precrash levels under 11 million units. Now it is up. There is a slew of new product designs coming out from chrysler, gm, from ford, the f150, more aluminum than anything ever made and because they have to get into the weight limiteds and the gasoline requirements of the new legislation. There is a lot of innovation going on. Not just the little electronics in the cab. It is going on under the hood. The trucks in flint, americans have always done the trucks better. It is a good story for them. This is not limited to General Motors. It is the auto manufacturers in the industry. Glad to hear it. Thank you for being with us. You are welcome. Ahead, cue the candle lights, the london playoffs and giving an enlightening experience. London audiences are stepping back in time to experience the theatre of the 17th century. The play house opened on the site of the old Shakespeare Theatre and we are going backstage and see how they are getting an experience by candle light. Beneath the light, a timeless tragedy is playing out. A beautiful woman marries for love and angering her family and unleashing a wave of brutal violence. This is masterpiece of the theatre and now a fitting new home. Everything we thought and wanted to do here we looked at the historic examples. It is like writing an es kay, you have the idea and have to back it up with the footnotes. This is a creation of the shakespeare. So they have form in bringing the history back to life. What they have made is an intimate space and sitting 340 people. The design and decoration and lighting recreated in style. Many of you may be wondering with the term means, so here is an explainer. It began in 1603 when the king of scotland took the thrown of england. And drama was being pushed forward in that period. Some are funny, classic, and dark and full of scarey events. The first one is the latter, it is one of the great early horror films and rehearsing it and working on it has been like hanging out at a morgue. The late sam always planned for two theatres on the site, but the actor and director died before the globe was finish and now the plays are put on indoors when the wet winter months. The show must go on of course. Bravo. That is it for us on america tonight. If you would like to comment on the stories go to al jazeera. Com. Tell us what you would like to see. Join us on twitter or facebook. We have more america tonight tomorrow. Welcome to al jazeera america. Im John Siegenthaler in new york. And here are tonights top stories. New jersey governor, Chris Christie spent the first part of the his state of the state address apologizing for the scandaling plaguing his administration. But he says it does not define his team or the state. Israels minister of defense has apologized after ridiculing secretary of state john kerrys peace efforts. He said it was not worth the paper it was written on. The white house condemned those comments. President obama is once agai