Florida Woman Charged with Attempted Murder; Crisis in Ukraine
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Someone dies of an accidental prescription drug overdose every 19 minutes. That is the state of affairs now. We talk about introducing a cannabis medication to help alleviate suffering from things like pain, M.S., epilepsy. And there has been overdose deaths that are virtually unheard of in this case. You may have something that works and doesn't cause nearly as much harm as what is being caused now. I think it's something that people need to hear and need to consider.</s>BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Tune in. Tune in. Tune in. Guys, put the graphic back up so we can once again show the people. That is "Weed 2: Cannabis Madness" Tuesday night 10:00 Eastern here on CNN. Thanks, Sanjay.</s>GUPTA: You got it. Thank you.</s>BALDWIN: Hour two. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thanks for being with me on this Friday. Want to begin with Ukraine, specifically the Crimean Peninsula, an area roughly the size of Hawaii. Look at the map. It's small. It's currently overrun with Russian troops. And CNN has just learned the Ukraine Defense Ministry has said 30,000 of them are involved in the small peninsula, although the U.S. believes the number is slightly less. When the Ukraine's government crumbled and all those Russian troops swooped in, the world was shocked. Some even said Russia's top brass were caught off guard by President Vladimir Putin's decision. But here's the but today, new intelligence from the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency suggests, not only was this planned out, but that the United States knew about the Kremlin's takeover plans up to 10 days before this happened. And then there is this today. America's war plans and weapon capabilities may now be in the hands of Vladimir Putin, a man considered at least unpredictable. The question is, how might he have them? Answer, the world's most infamous leaker of course here, Edward Snowden. Here is Lieutenant General Michael Flynn on NPR.</s>QUESTION: Now, defense capabilities, are we talking about U.S. war plans? Are we talking about intelligence gathering methods? What exactly is it?</s>LT. GEN. MICHAEL FLYNN, DIRECTOR, DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY: I think it's sort of an all of the above. It's intelligence capabilities. It's operational. It's technology. It's weapons systems.</s>QUESTION: Do you think that Russia has access to the kind of materials that we are talking about?</s>FLYNN: To the information that he got?</s>QUESTION: Yes.</s>FLYNN: You have to assume that, if they don't have access, you have to assume that they are going to try to get access to it.</s>BALDWIN: Joining me now, our correspondent at the Pentagon Barbara Starr. And, Barbara, the new intelligence out there now suggests the CIA had specifically warned policy-makers that the military was indeed coming. So, what did the U.S. do with that information and was it enough?</s>BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, I don't know that there was specific warning time, date, and place when Russian troops would suddenly move to take the Crimea. What there was, Brooke, is a number of agencies that looked at the indicators that they saw, the beginning of troops moving around, the shifting of Russian assets, watching on both sides of the border what was happening. And they came up with a number of their predictions of what Putin might do. And, as General Flynn said, as the days went on, the seven to 10 days before the Russians made their move, he said that the U.S. intelligence community, the agencies warned policy-makers that there was a great likelihood that something was imminent, but, look, all of this was based on what was in Vladimir Putin's mind, which nobody can read.</s>BALDWIN: No.</s>STARR: And the Russians are -- they were right there anyhow. They could move with literally zero warning time. That was something that CNN reported last week. This was all very tricky business. And it depended when Putin wanted to make his move.</s>BALDWIN: And also too the priority, the notion of spying on Russia has been very low priority since the end of the Cold War some 23 years ago. But now that we have this latest power grab by Vladimir Putin and fears what Russia may have gleaned now from Edward Snowden, do you think this might change U.S. intelligence priorities, Barbara?</s>STARR: Well, I was fascinated to hear what General Flynn was saying. I have known him for many years through the wartime years in both Iraq and Afghanistan. This is probably one of this country's preeminent military intelligence experts. He's a guy who worries about everything, as his job requires him to. When he says he is worried about it, he's worried about it.</s>STARR: He's going to assume that if Snowden hasn't given the Russians everything, that the Russians are going to try to get it out of him, whether Snowden realizes it or not, war plans, techniques that the U.S. uses on the battlefield. One of the things that General Flynn said that I thought was so interesting, he is worried that the Russians have information about one of the U.S.' most sensitive technologies, how they deal with roadside bombs with IEDs. These are the secrets of technology, of military technology, the advantages that the U.S. wants to keep its hands on, the kind of things that they are so worried Edward Snowden has given away, Brooke.</s>BALDWIN: In a word, frightening. Barbara Starr, thank you very much. Right now, the U.S. military is on the move. In fact, look at video here we will play for you. This is shot by CNN. This is a U.S. warship, the guided missile destroyer USS Truxtun crossing into the Black Sea very, very close to the Crimean Peninsula. And as tensions in neighboring Ukraine continue to simmer, this ship is taking part in previously planned exercises with Romania and Bulgaria. And CNN senior international correspondent Ivan Watson is in the Bosphorus Strait. This is part of the waterway that divides Europe and Asia -- Ivan.</s>IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. Navy destroyer Truxtun has just sailed past us at full speed here through's Istanbul's Bosphorus Strait. The U.S. Navy says this was a previously scheduled trip into the Black Sea to conduct joint naval maneuvers with the countries of Bulgaria and Romania. But there is nothing normal about the situation right now in the Crimea Peninsula which sticks out into the Black Sea, where the Russian military has effectively occupied Ukrainian territory and blockaded Ukrainian naval vessels from being able to move out of their ports. At this time, it's a very delicate time for negotiations between Washington and Moscow. And movements by the militaries are seen as important symbols, signs of support for allied countries in the region, particularly in the Baltics, in Eastern Europe, very concerned about Russian military maneuvers into the Ukraine. Ivan Watson, CNN, reporting from the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul.</s>BALDWIN: What a shot. Ivan Watson, thank you so much. And let me tell you coming up in just about 20 minutes from now, we will talk to a columnist who says this is a new Cold War -- this is how she is phrasing it -- and how we can learn five main lessons from Putin's actions. We will talk to her just about 25 minutes from now here on CNN. Back here at home, new attempted first-degree murder charges for the Florida mother who drove her van into the ocean with her three little children strapped inside. Police charge Ebony Wilkerson just a short time ago. And this is the video, absolutely horrifying to watch of this incident that played out near Daytona Beach earlier this week. Wilkerson's kids were heard screaming and crying, waving for help. A bystander says Wilkerson kept saying, "We are OK, we are OK, "and continued into the water. So, those bystanders stepped in. They rescued those kids. Wilkerson, by the way, underwent mental evaluation Tuesday. And just a short time ago, a sheriff told reporters, people, mothers are not supposed to be trying to kill their children.</s>BEN JOHNSON, VOLUSIA COUNTY SHERIFF: No. It really doesn't surprise me when somebody does something like this. It disappoints me. But to see what people will do in general in crimes, even do to their own children or other children, it's a very disappointing thing, because you are supposed to protect your children at all cost. You are not supposed to be trying to kill your children.</s>BALDWIN: Good for that sheriff for saying that. We have also learned about another incident in Florida that this same woman was involved in. So, back in 2007, Wilkerson was found guilty and cited for an improper lane change, and the passenger in the car she hit ended up dying. So, CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin joining me now, legal analyst and mother. I know you are fuming when you read this charging document, and you read about what these kids had said after their interview, saying mom was trying to kill us. But it also sounds like these kids were really trying to stop their mother.</s>SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: They sure were. When you read it, it's just unbelievable. It really I think tears at your heartstrings. The bottom line is one of the kids even tried to steer the car away from the water. I have to agree with the sheriff. As mothers, as human beings, we are supposed to care for those and protect those that are incapable of caring for themselves.</s>BALDWIN: Yes.</s>HOSTIN: I think the charge is certainly appropriate if indeed she did this in a premeditated fashion. I will tell you what does give me some pause -- and I also want to mention these types of cases where mothers kill their children are so rare, which is why we are so outraged when we hear about them. Remember Susan Smith. Remember Andrea Yates. Those are cases that we covered, Brooke. And of course people are outraged. But both of those cases -- at least the Andrea Yates case -- had the element of mental illness. We also know that this mother, her family members had called the police and said she was talking about demons. We also know there allegations that she was an abused mother and she was pregnant, is pregnant at this time when this happened. And so I think we do have to perhaps take a moment and think about the fact that this may be someone suffering from mental illness.</s>BALDWIN: I was curious. I was talking to Jane Velez-Mitchell about this last hour because I kept thinking, my goodness, if she was evaluated on Tuesday and what is today, Friday, in a couple of days, right, investigators -- and I'm sure they were doing their due diligence, but to determine that she did act with premeditated design is their phrase to kill those kids.</s>HOSTIN: Officers and law enforcement officers, I don't know are necessarily the best people to determine whether or not someone is in their right state of mind. I think that's something that you leave for medical professionals. Again, these allegations that she was talking about demons happened before this incident, but on the same day. And so again I think we do have to observe judgment in a sense, because there is no question in my mind, Brooke, that we are going to hear an insanity defense coming. And so I think the right thing to do is certainly to charge someone with this kind of behavior. My goodness, not only are you pregnant. You have got three kids in the car you are driving into the ocean.</s>BALDWIN: Absolutely.</s>HOSTIN: But there may certainly be a defense here. Our law just hasn't caught up with the mental health issues. We saw that in the Britney Spears case and we saw it in Andrea Yates and I think we may be seeing it again in this case.</s>BALDWIN: Sunny Hostin. And, by the way, congratulations because we we're all going to be watching you and your new show. It's called "MAKING THE CASE" with you and your pal, sort of.</s>HOSTIN: My pal, yes.</s>BALDWIN: Mark Geragos.</s>HOSTIN: Yes, Mark Geragos.</s>BALDWIN: It debuts Monday 10:00 p.m. Eastern here on CNN. We will be tuning in. Sunny Hostin, thank you so much.</s>HOSTIN: Thank you. Thank you, Brooke.</s>BALDWIN: You got it. Coming up next, this community absolutely in shock after they learned this woman's body was found inside the garage and apparently she had been there for six years. And no one noticed. Her bills were paid through automatic bill pay. A neighbor cut the grass. Coming up next, what eventually led to the gruesome discovery and what the heck the neighbors are saying today. Plus, it's a stunning crash caught on video, and, amazingly, no one was hurt. We will show the moment of impact next. You are watching CNN.