Fire Chief Under Fire; Criminal Investigation into IRS; Castro Attorney: He's Not a "Monster"
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Good Wednesday morning. I'm Christine Romans.</s>JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm John Berman. Our STARTING POINT this morning: a vote of no confidence. Thirteen out of 14 deputies calling out Boston's fire chief for his handling of the Boston marathon bombings. What they say he didn't do in a live report.</s>ROMANS: Then, we're getting word Cleveland kidnapping and rape suspect Ariel Castro may plead not guilty. Does his case stand a chance?</s>BERMAN: Plus, this honestly is hard to believe. Wealthy parents accused of hiring disabled tour guides to give them an advantage on amusement park lines. How does this happen?</s>ROMANS: And is Coca-Cola's secret out? We'll talk with one man who thinks he found the top-secret recipe. It's Wednesday, May 15th. STARTING POINT begins right now.</s>BERMAN: And we have some new developments this morning in the aftermath of the Boston marathon bombings. The chief of the Boston Fire Department is being criticized now for his handling of the crisis. CNN's Jason Carroll is live in Boston with the very latest on this story. Good morning, Jason.</s>JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It basically has to do with this. A lot of infighting that's going on between the fire chief and some of his deputies within the department. Basically, what happened is the deputy chiefs, 13 of 14, wrote a letter to the mayor of Boston, saying they basically had no confidence in the fire chief because of the way he responded to the Boston marathon. Basically, he's saying that when he got here, got to the scene, he did not officially assume command. But, of course, that's because of a change in policy that the fire chief made back in September. Let me first read you part of the letter. The letter says in part, "At a time when the city of Boston needed every first responder to take decisive action, Chief Abraira failed to get involved in operational decision-making or show any leadership. You can unequivocally consider this letter a vote of no confidence in Chief Steve Abraira." Once again, I spoke to the chief early this morning, called him at home, John. Spoke to him about this, this whole situation. He basically feels as though the deputy chiefs have never accepted him because he is an outsider. He came into the city from Dallas about two years ago, made some changes in policy within the department, he says, that were not popular, and he says this is a result of that. He gave me a quote and it says, "In their estimation, they believe that if you don't assume command, you don't have responsibility there for what goes on. I tried to explain to them, if I'm on the scene, I'm still responsible. That's it. But they simply do not believe it." And one thing that he points out that I think a lot of people in the city or in Boston also realize, this has nothing to do with the first responders. The first responders were generally and wildly I can say supported for how they came out here, were here at the scene. So this has nothing to do with the rank and file, the first responders. This is basically an internal argument, if you will, with upper management. Basically, the mayor is also weighing in on this, basically saying that he has full confidence in the fire commissioner. The fire commissioner, of course, is the one who appointed Abraira and whatever he decides to do. But, basically, what you're looking at now, sadly, is a lot of infighting and bickering going on within the Boston Fire Department -- John.</s>BERMAN: Jason, you make a great point. The first responders in Boston, law enforcement, medical personnel, they save countless lives. There is no doubt about it.</s>CARROLL: Absolutely.</s>BERMAN: And now, these disputes within the fire department very, very public and scathing as well. Jason Carroll in Boston for us this morning, thanks so much.</s>ROMANS: All right. As the FBI opens a criminal investigation into the IRS's targeting of conservative political groups, members of Congress are demanding answers and action. And they're demanding action. President Obama says the IRS behavior is intolerable and inexcusable. And those responsible for it will be held accountable. Attorney General Eric Holder can expect questions from lawmakers about the IRS controversy when he testifies in the House in just a few hours. CNN's Brianna Keilar is following developments for us live at the White House. Good morning, Brianna.</s>BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine. Last night after President Obama had a chance to review that inspector general report about the IRS, he issued a statement. The White House put out a statement from him saying that the IRS must apply the law in a fair and impartial way. And the report shows some employees failed that test. He promised he'll have his Treasury Secretary Jack Lew hold accountable those who are responsible.</s>KEILAR (voice-over): The Internal Revenue Service is facing a criminal investigation after a watchdog report found the agency targeted conservative groups starting in 2010. The agency's inspector general found the IRS used inappropriate criteria that identified for review Tea Party and other organizations applying for tax-exempt status, based upon their names or policy positions, instead of indications of potential political campaign intervention. After reading the report Tuesday night, President Obama called the practice "intolerable and inexcusable", after promising action Monday.</s>BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: People have to be held accountable, and it's got to be fixed.</s>KEILAR: IRS officials told investigators they acted on their own, without influence from outside groups. The report says managers were ineffective in overseeing lower level IRS employees who didn't have sufficient knowledge of the rules governing tax-exempt organizations. It's not the only controversy the Obama administration is facing. Expect fireworks when the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee grills Attorney General Eric Holder over the Justice Department's subpoenaed phone records of journalists at "The Associated Press".</s>ERIC HOLDER, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: This administration has put a real value on the rule of law and our values as Americans. I think the actions that we have taken are consistent with both.</s>KEILAR: Tuesday, reporters questioned Holder in a Medicare fraud event and peppered White House Press Secretary Jay Carney with questions at a White House briefing.</s>JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president is a strong defender of the First Amendment, and a firm believer in the need for the press to be unfettered.</s>KEILAR: Republicans are seizing on these new controversies.</s>SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MINORITY LEADER: But we do know this. We can't count on the administration to be forthcoming about the details of this scandal, because so far, they've been anything but.</s>REP. KEVIN YODER (R), KANSAS: It lies at the president's feet. These are things going on in his administration targeting opponents.</s>SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R), UTAH: I've never seen anything quite like this, except in the past during the Nixon years.</s>CARNEY: I can tell you that people who make those kinds of comparisons need to check their history.</s>KEILAR: The White House is also plagued right now by questions about whether it downplayed the role of terrorism in that September attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, as the president was on the campaign trail as were his surrogates talking about making claims. This administration had decimated al Qaeda. That recently has turned from a bit of a Republican obsession to mainstream news but I will tell you, Christine, this White House is much more concerned about these current controversies involving the seizure of these phone records from "The A.P." by the Department of Justice, and especially the IRS scandal. These are things that very much concern this White House.</s>ROMANS: All right. Brianna Keilar, live this morning at the White House for us -- thank you, Brianna.</s>KEILAR: Lawyers for Cleveland kidnapping suspect Ariel Castro insisting their client is not a monster and they are now revealing how they plan to launch his defense. Pamela Brown is tracking the latest developments on this case. Pamela is live for us from Cleveland this morning. And, Pam, we hear you have new details this morning.</s>PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. That's right, John. We've been talking to sources and we're learning new information about the treatment of Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight, and Gina DeJesus. According to sources I spoke with there were varying degrees of treatment in that Ariel Castro's behavior toward the women evolved over time. We've learned that Amanda Berry the woman who fathered his child was treated slightly better than Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight. And we've learned that, you know, all the girls were treated poorly, but that there were varying degrees of treatment and that this is all relative considering the conditions that they were living in. Also, we've learned from a source that they were all under weight but that one of them, Michelle Knight, was Castro's punching bag, and that she suffered vision loss and joint and muscle damage as a result of the abuse she endured. According to my sources, it is clear, though, that all of these women have a long road ahead and a long road of treatment ahead of them.</s>BERMAN: All right. Pamela Brown in Cleveland for us this morning -- thanks so much, Pamela.</s>ROMANS: We're expecting a ruling today whether there is enough evidence to bring the murder case of 6-year-old Etan Patz to trial. Patz vanished back in 1979. Investigators say 52-year-old Pedro Hernandez confessed last year to killing him. His attorney told "The Associated Press" Hernandez is schizophrenic and bipolar and made false claims during seven hours of police questioning. An Army sergeant at Fort Hood, Texas, is suspended this morning, accused assault. And get this -- the unnamed soldier was assigned to a program designed to prevent sexual assaults in the military. And CNN has learned prostitution charges in the case are a distinct possibility. The sergeant is under investigation for pandering, abusive sexual contact, assault, and maltreatment of subordinates. A big day in court for O.J. Simpson. He will testify today in an attempt to get out of prison. The disgraced football star is trying to get his robbery, assault, and kidnapping convictions thrown out. Simpson claims his old lawyer Yale Galanter was ineffective and told him he was within his rights to take back property he believed had been stolen from him as long as it was done without trespass or physical force. Simpson did not testify during his 1995 murder trial or the 2008 case that landed him in prison.</s>BERMAN: It will be fascinating to see him on the stand.</s>ROMANS: Yes. And one of the co-counsels testified yesterday that he really wanted O.J. Simpson to testify in the 2008 case.</s>BERMAN: Interesting. All right. Ten minutes after the hour. Ahead on</s>STARTING POINT: They gave rich people a bad reputation. Wealthy New York City moms allegedly hiring disabled tour guides all so they can skip the long lines at Disney World. Next, honestly, the astonishing cost behind what many are calling this despicable behavior. You're watching STARTING POINT.