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NYC Bomb Plot Foiled; On the Brink of Failure; 2 UC Davis Police Officers on Leave; Egypt's New Revolution; NYC Terror Suspect Arraigned; Penn State Returns Home with Win; An Interview with Photographer Ken Regan
Aired November 20, 2011 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: New York City police demonstrate a bomb detonation. They say devices like these were being planned in an attack to kill U.S. troops, blow up post offices and police stations. And you have to hear the rest of the details in this bizarre plot by so-called lone wolf.
Good evening, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's get right to our breaking news story.
Just as Americans are gearing up for the holidays, a chilling reminder of the constant threat of terrorism. New York City officials tonight say they stopped a suspected lone wolf from carrying out a bombing campaign in the city. 27-year-old Jose Pimentel, a U.S. citizen and native of the Dominican Republic and a convert to Islam was taken into custody Saturday afternoon as he was allegedly constructing a pipe bomb. Police commissioner Raymond Kelly says Pimentel was planning on building three bombs. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the suspect was intent on killing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (I), NEW YORK: The police also constructed a duplicate of an explosive device that the suspect built and then designated in a way that he intended to use his weapon. We wanted to show you a video about the resulting damage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, Kelly said Pimentel allegedly got the materials from home depot and other stores, and followed instructions from a well-known al-Qaeda publication called "Inspire."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COMMISSIONER RAYMOND KELLY, NEW YORK POLICE DEPT.: Pimentel followed instructions from Anwar al-Alwaki's "Inspire" magazine to first acquire the bomb materials and then assemble them. He relied on a particularly notorious article called "How to Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Let's bring in CNN's Deborah Feyerick who has been working on this story all evening.
And with us from Washington, CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen.
Deb, to you first, police have been tacking Pimentel for years. Why move in on him now.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, one of the reasons they decided to move in on this, he had been collecting the material. He started building the bomb back in August. But the event that really seems to have set him off according to police was September 30th.
The killing of his sort of mentor Anwar Al Awlaki, the Yemeni cleric who was taken out in a U.S.-led drone strike back in September. This is somebody who had been on their radar for quite some time. He talked about traveling to Yemen. He is Dominican Republic originally, but is now a U.S. citizen.
His talk was really so radical that according to police, even like-minded friends became very, very nervous. He wanted to change his name to Osama Hussein on behalf of Osama bin Laden. He wanted to change it into Osama Hussein on behalf of Osama bin laden and Saddam Hussein. His target allegedly was U.S. servicemen, army personnel, the marine and really the police got very nervous, Don, when this talk morphed into action.
The federal agents, the FBI was not involved in following and tracking this plot. And that's something probably we're going to hear a lot about tomorrow.
FBI agents say that in fact this was really an NYPD-led investigation by their counter-intelligence division. But this man, Jose Pimentel, he planned on putting bombs in mailboxes, post offices, police stations. There were three in total. If they had worked, if he had succeeded in placing them in heavily populated areas, and if he had succeeded in detonating them, officials do believe that he could have killed at least a dozen or more people. Don.
LEMON: All right. Deb, stand by. I want to go to Peter Bergen.
Peter, you heard what the officials in New York said. A lone wolf. That's what the NYPD had been watching for two years. Is this the new face of al Qaeda, this sort of home-grown terrorist?
PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, Don, if it's a new face of al Qaeda, I think we can all sleep pretty well this evening. Because clearly this guy didn't have his act together. You know, he was -- there was an informant involved. He wasn't following a particularly sophisticated operational security. He didn't -- he had a kind of a -- obviously, he was a acquiring the makings of a bomb.
But, I mean, there's a natural ceiling to what a lone wolf can do. You know, we saw Major Nidal Hassan who was obviously an army officer at Fort Hood, Texas, kill 13 people. He was a fairly classical lone wolf. He also was in touch with Anwar al-Awlaki, but you know, 13 people in each of those deaths was a tragedy at Fort Hood, but this isn't 9/11 or anything remotely close.
So if this is the new face of terrorism, you know, it's a sign that al Qaeda is weakening and these kind of home grown plots tend to, you know, they tend not to amount to very much because at the end of the day to become an effective terrorist, it tends to have helped to have gone to a terrorist training camp or fought in some sort of war zone.
You know, reading these recipes off the Internet, it doesn't have to be from "Inspire" magazine. A lot of them doesn't necessarily make you an effective bomb maker either. I mean, it's not clear if this guy could have really detonated a bomb that would have worked. Luckily we're not going to have to run that experiment.
LEMON: Let's talk about the charges, Deb. We are hearing that Jose Pimentel will be arraigned tonight in Manhattan Criminal Court 100 Center St. And it should be happening any time soon. The charges here, conspiring to build a bomb for terrorist purposes and for possessing a weapon, a pipe bomb to wage his campaign of violence.
Do we know what these charges carry and do we know anything about the arraignment, Deb?
FEYERICK: The arraignment is scheduled to happen any minute. As a matter of fact, we do know that he is down there at the courthouse. This is taking place in the -- by the district attorney who is filing the charges against him. Again, these are not federal charges. These are local state charges. He is facing a potentially long sentence if convicted on these charges.
One thing that's really interesting, Don. That is the fact, in all the terrorism cases that I've covered, and I'm not sure whether Peter feels the same way, but this is very unique in terms of actually seeing a device detonated, sort of a dry run. A video put together by police. Usually that's the kind of thing you see at trial when the prosecutors are trying to prove their case.
To show that video and the impact of a potential bomb, police believe the bomb could have exploded, could have detonated. But as we have seen in the past, these lone wolves, they have to get awfully lucky.
Think about the Times Square bomber. His bomb much more powerful than this pipe bomb that we're talking about now. That could have done significant damage. It did not detonate. And somebody pointed out the car and that was thwarted. The same thing with the subway plot. That, too, that was caught midstream when police and FBI agents sort of fanned out across New York City. Even the underwear bomber plot.
This is somebody who was able to get a bomb through four different countries. That device did not go off. So to see a device going off, to see the potential impact, not something we usually see at the start of the announcement that a suspect has been taken into custody, Don.
LEMON: Let's talk about the significance of al Qaeda here, Peter.
They said, friends have started to worry about this man, about him professing his love for al Qaeda. He said he started making a bomb in August. But they believe the death of Anwar Al Awlaki on September 30th is what really fueled him to go further and to go faster with the constructing of this bomb.
BERGEN: Yes, I mean, so, you know, often there's a -- there seemed to have been the precipitating event. Anwar Al Awlaki was somebody that some people thought that he had relatively serious religious credentials.
He wasn't very well known in the non-English speaking world. But the fact that he spoke in English meant that he could communicate directly with someone like Jose Pimentel who I'm sure didn't speak Arabic and, you know, somebody whose lectures probably Pimentel was listening to.
Certainly if he was going to take the extreme step of trying to build a bomb to basically avenge Awlaki's death. So, you know, Awlaki has shown up in a lot of these cases in the United States, in Britain, in Canada, anywhere in the English speaking world.
He's certainly not somebody who has much influence in the Muslim world writ large. But the coast, he grew up in New Mexico, because he spent time in Virginia or in California, he is somebody who was able to articulate al Qaeda's ideas in a kind of colloquial English and then his kind of accolade Samir Khan who also died in a U.S. drone strike wrote this magazine "Inspire," which was basically the inspiration as it were of this attack for the failed attempt of an attack in the New York area.
LEMON: Peter Bergen and Deb Feyerick, thank you very much. And we remind our viewers, we're waiting for the arraignment now of Jose Pimentel. It's happening in Manhattan. As soon as we get video of it, we will bring it to you here on CNN. But there's other news to cover tonight.
Deal or no deal? The special congressional super committee assigned to reduce a $1.2 trillion deficit appears to come up short.
Occupy abuse? This bit of police work may cost two officers their jobs. Pepper spraying the faces of nonviolent student protesters.
Egypt uproar. Chaos erupts in Cairo. Government forces barrage demonstrators with gunfire and teargas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, we've been a little lazy, I think, over the last couple of decades.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Lazy Americans? The president getting flack for those comments at an international summit. Out of context or should the commander-in-chief know better? It's my "Talking Point" segment tonight.
And like a rolling stone. An exclusive backstage pass through the lens of a famous photographer to the biggest rock stars to ever walk the planet.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The so-called super committee in Congress which was given the job of cutting more than a trillion dollars from the deficit over the next ten years looks headed for failure.
They are down to the final hours of their self-imposed deadline to come up with a deal. And at this hour, things don't look good as we look at a live picture from the Capitol now.
Our congressional correspondent Kate Bolduan has more.
Kate?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Don, the so- called super committee is on the brink of failure, as talks have all but fallen apart. Clear evidence of that is shown in the change of tone among the members on the committee. As they took to the Sunday morning talk shows, the conversation is dramatically shifted from pushing for an agreement and hopeful they can reach agreement to who should be to blame if and when the committee fails to reach agreement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JON KYL (R), ARIZONA: Nothing new came out of this. From the Democratic side, it was the same thing -- raise taxes, pass the president's jobs bill, no entitlement reform. On the Republican side, you had the one true breakthrough, and that was this new concept of tax reform which can generate revenue from the upper brackets for deficit reduction.
SEN. PATTY MURRAY (D), WASHINGTON: The truth is at this point today, Democrats have made some really tough decisions and come to some pretty tough choices that we're willing to put on the line, on entitlements, on spending cuts, but only if the Republicans are willing to cross the line on the Bush tax cuts and be willing to say revenues have to be part of the solution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Both sides clearly blaming the other for not being able to reach agreement around a deal of a minimum of $1.2 trillion in deficit savings over the next ten years. The talks breaking down largely around the issue that it held up the talks to this point. The issue of taxes. Democrats are -- insist that revenue tax increases must be part of any balanced approach, any balanced deal as they like to say. But Republicans on the flip side, they are very much opposed to any tax increases unless it's part of a broader overall tax reform process that would lower rates. And with such little time left, it seems highly unlikely the committee will be able to reach agreement at this point.
Of course, magic can happen in these 11th hour negotiations with Congress, but it seems the question now is turning to when and how the committee will make its formal announcement that they have failed to reach agreement. Many think that that announcement could come as early as Monday. Don?
LEMON: All right. We'll be watching. Thank you, Kate.
We have a programming reminder for you. Tuesday night on CNN, the Republican presidential hopefuls will take part in a debate on national security and the economy. It is hosted by CNN's very own Wolf Blitzer and co-sponsored by The Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute. Make sure you watch it right here 8:00 p.m. Eastern, Tuesday night on CNN.
Peaceful Occupy protesters getting pepper sprayed directly in the face. The fallout next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The University of California Davis is putting two campus police officers on administrative leave after they pepper sprayed peaceful Occupy protesters in their faces at point blank range on Friday night.
The incident was caught on tape sparking outrage. The university says the officers were trying to clear out the Occupy encampment and felt trapped by protesters. 11 people required treatment. Two were hospitalized. Protesters and faculty members are calling on the school's chancellor, Linda Katehi to resign.
Well, Saturday night as Katehi left the campus, dozens of students gathered nearby. Their arms linked in silent protest. Earlier in the evening, they were much more vocal with their demands for the chancellor's resignation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PROTESTORS: Take responsibility! Take responsibility!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Katehi is refusing to resign. And while she calls the police action chilling and unacceptable, she told me the students' encampment was raising security concerns.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LINDA P.B. KATEHI, CHANCELLOR, UC-DAVIS: We have an event that I hope we will not see again on our campus. We have been in the last two-and-a-half weeks dealing with student unrest. Our students are very upset, and they are very frustrated. And they are trying to find ways to express this frustration.
On Thursday, they tried to -- they created a camp. They set up a camp on our quads which is against university policies for a number of reasons. Safety primarily is one concern and health.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The university has set up a task force made up of students, faculty and staff to investigate the incident. A report is expected within 30 days.
Egyptians aren't finished fighting for democracy.
(VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Protesters battled police in Cairo's Tahrir Square Sunday. When the clashes were over, ten people were dead and the military was facing new scrutiny. Many pro-democracy activists worry they've traded one tyrant for another. CNN's Ben Wedeman reports from Cairo tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BED WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is deja vu in Tahrir Square. Protesters and security forces have been facing off for well over 24 hours in a clash -- in clashes and protests very much focused on the supreme council of the armed forces. The group of military officers who took over from Hosni Mubarak on February 11th. Now the protesters want the military to go back to the barracks to get out of the business of politics and to hand over the country to civilians.
Now we are only eight days away from Egypt's first post-Mubarak elections. And already there's lots of tensions, lots of expectations around the country for what these elections might bring. Now the supreme council of the armed forces and the government have said that those elections will go ahead as scheduled. But that's just the beginning of a very long process.
They begin on the 28th of November, but they will continue in other parts of the country through March of next year. At which point Egyptians are hoping they will have some stability, some certainty as to where this country is going because at the moment, it's not at all clear.
I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Cairo.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: In Libya, Libyans captured another prize Sunday. The country's former intelligence chief Abdullah al Senussi was Moammar Gadhafi's brother-in-law and a notorious figure in the former regime. Meanwhile, Gadhafi's son, Saif al-Islam will remain in the town of Zintan because of security concerns. Libya insists it will bring him to justice, even as officials with the international criminal court insist he should be sent to The Hague for trial.
Ahead, more on our top story tonight. Police foil a terror Blooming plot in New York City. A live report from the suspect's home is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
Now to the big stories in the week ahead from the White House to Wall Street. Our correspondents tell you what you need to know. We begin tonight with the president's plans for the week.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jessica Yellin in Washington. At the White House this week, President Obama will refocus on the domestic front. He'll make a trip to the key early voting state of New Hampshire where he'll continue to push his jobs bill and his "We Can't Wait" message.
He'll continue the White House tradition of pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey. The first family typically makes a visit to a homeless shelter or a community service spot on Thanksgiving Day.
And then, of course, there's the question of the congressional super committee. And what role will the White House play ahead of their crucial Wednesday deadline?
POPPY HARLOW, CNN MONEY.COM: I'm Poppy Harlow. Well, Wall Street will be watching Washington this week as the clock ticks down on the super committee's deadline to vote on a debt deal.
Also coming up, a key housing report with the latest reading on existing home sales as well as a revised reading on third quarter GDP.
Then on Tuesday, the fed will release minutes from its latest meeting. That will give us insight on economic conditions across the country. The stock market, of course, is closed Thursday for Thanksgiving and trading ends early on Friday. We'll keep you posted on all the news of the week on CNN Money.
CARLOS DIAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Carlos Diaz. Here's what we're watching this week. Demi's divorce damages. What's next in the Demi Moore-Ashton Kutcher divorce? Could it be one of the most expensive divorces ever?
Plus, Showbiz one-on-one with Chaz Bono. His life after "Dancing with the Stars." Catch "Showbiz Tonight" exclusively Sunday through Friday at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on HLN.
LEMON: All right, thank you, guys.
Now for the week ahead when it comes to the weather. It's going to be a holiday workweek so it's going to be a little bit short. Millions of Americans are going to be traveling. So what will the weather be like and all the commutes to grandma's house? Jacqui Jeras here to update us.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: Republicans jumping on a comment President Obama made at the APEC Summit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: We've been a little bit lazy, I think, over the last couple of decades.
RICK PERRY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Can you believe that? That's what the president thinks is wrong with America? That Americans are lazy? That's pathetic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, that is certainly an eye-catching ad. But is it accurate? And does President Obama have any onus here? We'll lay it all out in my No Talking Points segment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We want to turn now to our top story tonight -- the arrest of a terror suspect in New York City just as the city is getting ready for the holidays.
Police made a duplicate device to show what would happen -- what would have happened if the 27-year-old suspect had successfully built three pipe bombs as he allegedly intended. Identified as Jose Pimentel, he is described as a convert to Islam who had been advocating violent jihad in the U.S. The New York City police said that they had been watching him since May of 2009 but only acted now when he started to build an explosive device. CNN's Ines Ferre joins us now by telephone.
You are near the suspect's home. What do you know, Ines?
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, Don, yes. I'm here in Washington Heights where the suspect lived, where police had arrested him yesterday. Mayor Bloomberg described Pimentel as an al Qaeda sympathizer, although police don't believe that he received any kind of training from al Qaeda. And Bloomberg said that he acted as a lone wolf. And authorities are saying, Don, that he had learned how to make a pipe bomb after reading a magazine, an al Qaeda online propaganda magazine -- Don.
LEMON: And, Ines, we can't really see there. We know that the suspect is being arraigned either now or at any moment in Manhattan Criminal Court. Is there any activity outside of his home, any police activity or anything of note here?
FERRE: There is a police car here. There's a lot of reporters around here. And reporters -- they also spoke to the uncle a little while ago. The uncle spoke in Spanish about this situation. He was very surprised when Pimentel was arrested. And he said that he actually didn't notice anything strange with him. He didn't have any problems with him. He said that he was just getting -- he noticed that he was getting more and more into a new religion. And he said that he didn't really have a lot of contact with him. But because when he would come home, he would be sleeping. But he didn't really notice any problems -- Don.
LEMON: Ines Ferre outside of the suspect's home in Washington Heights, New York City tonight. Thank you, Ines.
It is time now for "No Talking Points." Well, tonight, the president's comments drawing fire from conservatives. Who exactly was Mr. Obama calling lazy?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've been a little bit lazy, I think, over the last couple of decades. We've kind of taken for granted, well, people will want to come here and we aren't out there hungry selling America and trying to attract new businesses into America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So the president was responding to the moderator's question at the APEC conference about what might be impeding foreign investment in the United States. Mr. Obama responded by saying that local and federal investors and American CEOs weren't doing enough to promote the advantages of investing in America, saying "we've" -- meaning the people in charge -- "have been a little bit lazy in that promotion."
And while it's clear to many that the president wasn't referring to the American worker, the GOP jumped on the comment as if he was talking about Americans in general. First up, this ad by presidential hopeful Rick Perry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: We've been a little bit lazy, I think, over the last couple of decades.
RICK PERRY (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Do you believe that? That's what our president thinks is wrong with America. That Americans are lazy. That's pathetic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And here is Mitt Romney.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Sometimes, I just don't think that President Obama understands America. Now I say that because this week or was it last week he said that Americans are lazy. I don't think that describes America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And now Rick Santorum.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Barack Obama saying we're lazy. Americans are not lazy. What we have is a president who does everything he can to crush the people who work hard in America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So the comment was clearly taken out of context as both liberals and conservatives agreed on NBC's "Meet the Press."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EUGENE ROBINSON, OPINION WRITER, WASHINGTON POST: I actually agree that he should have chosen a different word. It is a distortion of what he said but it left him open to this -- to this attack.
MIKE MURPHY, REPUBLICAN POLITICAL CONSULTANT: My view is that the tape in the ad was out of context. And therefore, I think that particular ad is pretty hard to defend. But the tone of the president's remarks on many things has skated close to Jimmy Carter malaise speak. So I think the argument about that tone and some of his earlier remarks is legitimate. It's hard for me to defend the use of that tape in that ad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: As both commentators said, the president should have known better than to use that terminology, especially when he was highly criticized previously for similar comments to CNN's Florida affiliate WESH TV. Here's what he said. He said, "This is a great country that has gotten a little soft. We're getting back on track. I would not trade our position with anybody on Earth."
Now keep in mind, this is an old argument that was just as much if not more outrage in 1992 when Japan's former house speaker said this.
"The source of the problem is the inferior quality of U.S. labor. U.S. workers are too lazy. They want high pay without working."
Comments like that from any leader are political landmines. So for those on the left crying foul, perhaps a seasoned politician should have been and should be more careful with his language, especially in an election year.
And for those on the right who are jumping on the lazy bandwagon, perhaps they should remember that context is everything. And there's always the videotape. Just ask Andrew Breitbart and Shirley Sherrod.
And that's tonight's "No Talking Points."
Here's a programming reminder for you. Tuesday night on CNN, the Republican presidential hopefuls will take part in a debate on national security and the economy. It's hosted by CNN's Wolf Blitzer and co-sponsored the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute. Watch it right here, 8:00 p.m. Eastern, Tuesday night on CNN.
Penn State's football team celebrates a win on the road this weekend, but the cloud of a sexual abuse scandal hangs overhead. That report is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The Penn State Nittany Lion returning home this weekend with a win on the road against Ohio State. But it comes in the shadow of child sex abuse allegations haunting that program and news that ousted head coach Joe Paterno has lung cancer. CNN's Susan Candiotti has the story tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): For the second week in a row, game day giving Penn State fans something to cheer about. But a lung cancer diagnosis for their already embattled coach is one more cross to bear.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very unfortunate. And certainly not needed at the end of what we've been dealing with for the last couple of weeks.
CANDIOTTI: Outside Joe Paterno's home, a quiet day. Visitors and strangers stopping by. Someone leaves an inspirational book by Reverend Billy Graham. One woman drops off comfort food, sharing a smile and a hug. This couple takes snapshots after driving 100 miles from home to pay their respects.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For all that he did for the university, you know, I really looked up to him and still think a heck of a lot of him. I think he did good. He just made a mistake.
CANDIOTTI: This woman is a cancer survivor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's so sad because of what all he had brought to, you know, the university. And as far as his health, I just wish that, you know, he could go into it with a positive mind.
CANDIOTTI: There isn't much positive news these days. Jerry Sandusky's accusations may have dealt a fatal blow to the Second Mile charity he founded. Because donations are drying up, the charity announced Friday the program that's helped thousands of underprivileged kids might have to shut its doors.
Sandusky is charged with recruiting his alleged victims from the Second Mile. He denies he harmed anyone. This weekend, someone broke a second window at Sandusky's home. Investigations are mounting. The NCAA ordering Penn State to answer pointed questions about its oversight and policies in handling sex abuse allegations. The federal Department of Education wants to know how the university reports sex assault crimes. Results could impact student aid.
(on camera): So many investigations, so many questions, so few answers. But some might come by December 16th when Penn State must respond to the NCAA -- Don.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Susan, thank you. While the Penn State scandal has captured the nation's attention, child sex abuse is happening all across the country all the time. Earlier this weekend, I talked with Steve Perry, a CNN education contributor and a principal at a public school in Hartford, Connecticut.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Steve, you have been an educator for many years now. Level with us. How bad is this problem?
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: At least three times a year, I find myself in a situation where I have a child and I say child, that could even be a high schooler who has divulged some form of sexual abuse if not rape, full-on rape, to us in a number of ways. It comes out through an English paper. It comes out through a conversation with a friend who then tells us. This is common. It's sad, but it's common.
LEMON: And you are talking -- these are students you are saying in your own school. This is just your own school. This isn't just in the school system where you are, right?
PERRY: No, no, no. This is just in our school. We have a small school. And we're not different. You'll find it pretty regularly that children are struggling to find out how this happened to them or why. And so our first reaction is to tell the children that they've done something very, very courageous. They think that they've shamed their parents and so they try to hide it from their parents. They feel like they've done something wrong. So they try to hold it inside and maybe if they do something right, it won't happen to them anymore.
The first thing we want to do when we sit down and talk to our children is let them know, "a" that we love them and, and "b" that they didn't do anything to have this happen to them. This person is sick. It's not about this person being a homosexual or heterosexual. They are a pedophile and that's its own circumstance.
LEMON: OK. So listen. You said that you think that there's going to be more young victims coming forward. Why, Steve?
PERRY: Well, because now we're starting to have a conversation, especially boys. Before it was this, if I can say sissy complex, where if you came out, somebody was going to call you a sissy especially if you're a boy, and say that you had, in fact, made this situation occur. But when we look at amateur athletics, the environment is right for rape to occur because many of these men are left alone with the children and sometimes, especially when you look at AAU in particular, children are traveling across state lines, staying in hotels with grown men who have not been vetted. There's been no background check because someone said to them they could be a coach.
And so parents don't have as much control over what's happening in these settings. And so I think that's one -- another reason, very pedestrian, many of us are fathers now and we have young sons and daughters who are playing sports. And so some of us who maybe have experienced that are coming out and saying, hey, man, that guy is still a coach. Something is wrong with him.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Well, Perry says pedophiles are often charming, trusted people in their communities and he advises parents to ask a lot of questions and be extremely cautious when leaving their child in the care of other adults.
I've been getting a lot of reactions to this Steve Perry interview and my article on cnn.com. Check it out on the home page. It's titled "No Matter the Gender, Rape is Rape." Also connect with me on social media -- Twitter, Facebook and my blog cnn.com/don. I'm reading all of your messages, so keep them coming. I also talk about the impact of sexual abuse on my life and in my book "Transparent," available in bookstores and online.
Just ahead, my interview with photographer Ken Regan and what it's like to take pictures of some of the most famous people in the world. One of them was Michael Jackson. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Photographer Ken Regan didn't just shoot iconic photos of famous rock stars and other musicians. He got to know them personally. I recently spoke with Ken about his new book. It's called "All Access" and what it's like when someone he knows such as Michael Jackson suddenly dies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEN REGAN, PHOTOGRAPHER: Whenever things like this happen, they are very sad memories because, you know, I became not just a photographer of these people but a friend. And they were friends to me. I mean, you know, you look at the front of the book and you see Keith Richards wrote a piece, Mick Jagger wrote a piece, James Taylor wrote a piece.
So when something like what happened to Michael happens, it's very, very sad. Some of them are a little bit strung out. But for the most part, they are normal people. And, you know, again, to me, it was more important to me to make a friendship with these people just as important as it was to make good photographs.
LEMON: The book is amazing. It's really great. It's called "All Access: The Rock 'N' Roll Photography of Ken Regan."
Ken, I know -- you don't do much television, do you? Is this your first TV interview?
REGAN: This is the first time I've ever done a TV interview, yes.
LEMON: I'm honored. Thank you, sir.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: You know what? More of my interview with Ken Regan just ahead and what it was like to be with the Rolling Stones.
But first, mastering your money this holiday season. You may think Black Friday shopping is the way to do that. But are the deals everything they are cracked up to be or are they just hype? Christine Romans breaks it down with personal finance expert Carmen Wong Ulrich, Poppy Harlow of CNNMoney.com and Sirius XM's Pete Dominck.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right. Get ready for Black Friday on Thursday? Wal-Mart will open some stores at 10:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving evening. Macy's, Best Buy and Target, to name a few, will be opening at the stroke of midnight.
Carmen, Poppy, Pete, I want your 30-second take. You know, I think it's a retail machine that we're all driven to go. And I also think that quite frankly the prices are going to be cheaper again by the end of the year.
Carmen, you are the expert on the prices.
CARMEN WONG ULRICH, PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT: Absolutely. The prices are going to be much cheaper. I'm going to sit in my jammies and shop because that's worth it. This is a sport. This is a cultural phenomenon. My sister-in-law does this. You're crazy. She goes out in the middle of the night after Thanksgiving. And it's a sport. Retailers know this.
Last year, the projected numbers were almost half of the actual numbers of shoppers. Folks are really out for the bargains. Folks are really out for the bargains. This is a sport to see who can be the best extreme shopper.
ROMANS: The industry wants us to think that everyone is going to be doing it.
ULRICH: This is like extreme couponing (ph).
PETE DOMINCK, HOST, SIRIUS XM STAND UP: I think what we're missing a little bit is that people like to shop on the weekends. The malls are always packed on the weekends. This is a Friday that a lot of Americans are getting off. One of the reasons why it's so packed is because they have that day off to get the shopping done. There's only so many days to shop, Christine. This is a day off for them to shop. (CROSSTALK)
POPPY HARLOW, ANCHOR, CNNMONEY: I think Thanksgiving holiday. It's about family. A little football here and there -- go Vikings -- it's not about...
ULRICH: How dare you.
(CROSSTALK)
ULRICH: You assume everyone wants to be with their family. I'm just saying that not everybody...
DOMINCK: It's a way to get away.
HARLOW: In this day and time, shouldn't this show us that our economy is way too reliant on consumer spending and as one consumer told us in the store, the stores are getting desperate so they are opening up earlier. That's one person's opinion.
But maybe we should think about an economy that's not so reliant and how much we can spend, spend, spend when we need to save, save, save now.
ULRICH: Poppy, this is a dreamland, OK.
HARLOW: I like my dreamland.
(CROSSTALK)
ULRICH: I'm telling you that right now, everybody is about the bargains.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Ken Regan first met the Rolling Stones in the 1970s when he was a young photographer. The late promoter Bill Graham personally introduced him to the band. The rest, as they say, is rock 'n' roll history.
It's all captured in his new book "All Access." I spoke with Ken recently about hanging out with Mick, Keith and the rest of the Stones at Andy Warhol's house.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REGAN: The first two I did was the Rolling Stones. We get to San Francisco, and at this point, you know, I'm like part of the entourage. So I'm in the dressing rooms. I go into the green room, and there was food all over the place. There were snacks. I took a little bite. It was a punch bowl. I took some punch. Drank it. And about 15 minutes later, I go out on the stage and the band comes out and I'm starting to hallucinate and I fall off the stage.
LEMON: Are you kidding me? I know where this is going. Are you kidding me? REGAN: I fall off the stage. You know, the doctor who's traveling with them comes to me and he said what happened? I said I think I've been drugged. And so he wraps my wrist and I finished the show and he takes me to the hospital. I kind of fractured my wrist. And I come back that night and I see Bill. And Bill says, Ken, whatever you do on any of the tours that the Stones are on, don't ever drink anything that you don't open yourself.
So 1975, they called me. And, you know, I signed on. They were rehearsing out at Andy Warhol's house in Montauk. So I went out there for a couple of weeks. Spent a lot of time. I was doing work for them. I was photographing a cover story on Mick and the band for "People" magazine.
And, you know, I was outside on the beach with Mick for a while doing some photographs. I came in the house, and I smelled -- it's about 4:00 in the afternoon. I smelled somebody cooking bacon and eggs. It was, you know, clearly bacon and eggs. So I wander into the kitchen and here is, you know, like something that you could never imagine seeing because, number one, it was 4:00 in the afternoon. Keith never got up until 6:0 p.m. at least. And here he is with no shirt on making bacon and eggs.
I said, Keith, what are you doing? He said, oh, I don't know. I was a little hungry. I got up. You know, the cook is gone. I decided to make some bacon and eggs.
It was a few years later and the band asked me to do a session with them which we did over the course of two days. And we did individual portraits of everybody. We did group shots. We did two shots, three shots, everything. And at the end of the day, I said to them, hey, guys, what would you think about me photographing you in my bathroom because it was kind of a cool bathroom.
You know, they all looked at me like, sure, why not? So we went, you know, we lit it first. We went into the bathroom. Keith is sitting on the toilet. I had Charlie in the shower. And I asked Charlie if I could give him an umbrella and turn on the water. He said don't push your luck.
And then Bill was sitting on the sink. Ronnie was sitting below him and Mick was sitting opposite Ronnie, you know, kind of on the hamper, you know. And we probably shot for five or ten minutes.
Now I had forgotten about this photograph. When we started researching for the book, maybe two or three years ago, Tom Justino, who runs my office, came across this photograph. He said, oh, my God, Ken, this was taken in the bathroom. I said yes. He said, well, OK.
I go out of town for a couple of weeks on a story. I come back and there's a 16 by 20 of this picture hanging in the bathroom. And everybody who goes in that bathroom now says, oh, my God, I'm in the same bathroom as the Rolling Stones were in.
(END VIDEOTAPE) LEMON: You can see my entire interview with Ken Regan on cnn.com.
We want to update you now on our headline story. Our breaking news here. There you are. For the first time, we are seeing that 27- year-old suspect. His name is Jose Pimentel. He's being arraigned tonight. He was taken into custody on Friday, we are told -- on Saturday. Authorities say he was actively trying to build a bomb, a pipe bomb, in an apartment in New York City, in Washington Heights, as a matter of fact.
And again, we are just seeing him for the first time in court. Deborah Feyerick following this story.
Deborah, this happened moments ago.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): It did. You can see him there, Don. He was arraigned on charges of plotting a terror -- plotting a terror plot in New York City. New York City's top cop says that he was trying to launch a bombing campaign with three pipe bombs and that he got as close as drilling holes in at least one of them. That's when police swooped in and arrested him. You can se him there arraigned just moments ago -- Don.
LEMON: And New York City's police commissioner calling him an al Qaeda sympathizer. Again, 27-year-old Jose Pimentel in a Manhattan court tonight after being arrested yesterday in New York City.
I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Thank you for watching. I'll see you back here next weekend. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.