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Markets Open at Record Highs; Mom Slams School's Handling of Bullies; Kobe Bryant Hurt and Upset
Aired March 14, 2013 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Things that many Americans, especially young Americans, favor. The "Talkback Question" for you today, what kind of spiritual leader will draw people back to organized religion? Facebook.com/carolCNN, facebook.com/carolCNN, or tweet me @carolCNN.
Good morning, I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining us. Stories we're watching right now in the NEWSROOM at 30 minutes past the hour.
The Dow poised to continue with hottest streak since 1996 trying for a 10th straight day of gains.
Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange.
(LAUGHTER)
It's just incredible to be that the stock market is behaving in this way.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I know. But you know what, you have to really look at the fine print. What's interesting in this sort of record-breaking streak that the Dow is on, it sounds great. You know, the Dow breaking records every day, and it is breaking records. But it's doing it just barely.
You look yesterday the Dow eked out a five-point gain. The day before that, it ended only two points higher, but technically, hey, it is a record. Every day the Dow ends higher for when it broke through that level of 14164.
But there aren't many traders in the game right now. That's the reality. So that could put the gains in jeopardy almost every single day. So could any random piece of negative news. So for now, we are on S&P 500 record watch. Yes, the Dow has already hit it. Now it's the S&P 500's turn which would be even bigger not only because of your 401(k), your portfolio, probably tracks that index, but because it has hit its all-time record high of 1565 which is less than 10 points the way now.
That, Carol, could give more momentum to the whole market to move even higher -- Carol.
COSTELLO: We'll see. Alison Kosik, live at the New York Stock Exchange. Coming up, Sarah Palin and Donald Trump. Some of the more outspoken Republicans in recent years. But should they be given such a big platform at the annual gathering of conservatives known as CPAC? Our political buzz panel, coming your way next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: To Denver now and an assault in a middle school that's grabbing the nation's attention this morning. The school district there is now publicly responding after a teenager was brutally beaten and it was all, of course, recorded on someone's cell phone.
We want to warn you, much of the video is disturbing. The fight, which is also posted on social media, happened despite repeated pleas from the victim that she was being bullied and now days after attack, the victim says she's still being threatened.
Julie Hayden from affiliate KDZR in Denver has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JULIE HAYDEN, KDZR REPORTER: A 14-year-old Denver girl, fending for herself, when another 14-year-old girl brutally assaulted her in a classroom of a Denver middle school.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I turned around, because I didn't want to fight her, and she grabbed me by my hair.
HAYDEN: It happened last Friday at Denver's Henry World School. The victim, (INAUDIBLE), didn't even have time to set her backpack down when the other student jumped her, knocked her to the floor, and punched her repeatedly, viciously hitting her in the face and body. The mother says the school didn't call her. Another parent did.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My daughter, who was the one who was severely hurt, was sitting alone in a nurse's office, and I still wasn't called.
HAYDEN: Sarah says about a month ago, the other girl started bullying her, stalking her in the halls, pushing and shoving, and trying to make her fight. Sarah says she told teachers repeatedly that she did not feel safe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just to, like, have somebody watch her, make sure she doesn't do anything. Because I asked her for help a lot of times.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They treated this situation like every other one they see, and it was not the same.
HAYDEN: Friday afternoon, the bullying at this school crossed the line into a premeditated assault. The school says several dozen students created a disturbance in the hall here to lure the teacher out of Sarah's classroom. That's when the attacker rushed in along with dozens of other students who clearly knew about the assault, some even taping it on their phones. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To me, that's the most disturbing part.
HAYDEN: And the attacker's friends are still threatening Sarah on Facebook. This post says they will knock her teeth out when she comes back to school and this one threatens to beat her up again. Twenty- nine people liked that post.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) because it makes people feel bad about themselves.
HAYDEN: Sarah is traumatized and overwhelmed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I felt like I didn't want to live anymore.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That kills me more than anything. Because no child should have to feel like that, not mine, not anybody's.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: That was Julie Hayden from Denver affiliate KDVR.
The accused bully has now been cited as a juvenile by Denver Police. A Denver public school spokeswoman says she faces a three-day suspension and possible expulsion.
And in a letter to parents, the school's principal says, "I strongly emphasize to our students that this type of violent behavior will not be tolerated at our school and students will be held accountable."
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: "Political Buzz." It's your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day. Three topics, 30 seconds on the clock. Playing with us today, SiriusXM political talk show host and comedian Pete Dominick and CNN contributor and analyst for "The Blaze," Will Cain.
Welcome, gentlemen.
PETE DOMINICK, SIRIUSXM RADIO HOST: Good morning to you.
WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning.
COSTELLO: I like that enthusiasm. I do actually. First up, the annual CPAC conference kicks off today with speakers that have raised eyebrows both within and out of the Republican Party. Also making news, the amount of time some of those speakers have. The "National Journal" reports that Texas Senator Ted Cruz will get a whopping 33 minutes for his keynote. Next up, though, Sarah Palin. She'll get 16 minutes and then there is this man.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER: I feel strongly about the fact that Barack Obama should give his birth certificate, not a certificate of live birth, which is nothing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: You remember Donald Trump, and the birther talk that just would not die. Some say those remarks and others from Palin have actually hurt the conservative movement. But the biggest CPAC irony may be that two men considered to be the future of the party, Senator Marco Rubio and Congressman Paul Ryan will speak for just 11 minutes.
So our question, is CPAC giving the wrong people the biggest platform? Pete?
DOMINICK: Absolutely. And before I even give my answer, I bet you anything my friend Will Cain is going to totally agree with me because -- I mean, on much of this. I mean, the idea that this organization and other conservative commentators I've always thought are more out for themselves and making money for themselves than they are for the conservative movement.
This is antithetical of what the conservative movement needs to move. I mean why not bring back Strom Thurmond from the dead to have him speak? The idea that Donald Trump and Sarah Palin, put the fork in them. They're done. They only hurt the movement. The future is Marco Rubio and Chris Christie. The future is including gay groups and they're not inviting them.
COSTELLO: No, they haven't again this year. Will.
CAIN: Well, that depends on what CPAC wants to be. If CPAC wants to be the thought leaders, guiding the direction, the future direction of the Republican Party, and the answer is quite obviously no. The idea that Donald Trump has a bigger role in that future than Chris Christie is absurd.
But if your point, if your purpose, CPAC, is to sell tickets, then you have probably done the right things.
DOMINICK: Yes.
CAIN: And it's not so --
DOMINICK: Yes.
CAIN: -- different than television, for example, seeking ratings. But here's the trick. You know, someone with backbone realizes those two things aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. And Rand Paul proved that. You can stand on principle, be smart, and actually get people's attention. It just takes somebody with backbone to enable it.
COSTELLO: Interesting. OK. Next question, the world welcomes a new Pope. There he is, Pope Francis. Catholic officials hoping Pope Francis, the first Jesuit, the first Latin American Pope, will inspire more people to return to the church especially young people.
But a new study show at least in the United States, the number of people claiming no religious affiliation is at an all-time high as many associate organized religion with outdated social values.
So my question to you guys what kind of spiritual leader will draw people back to organized religion -- Will?
CAIN: Well I saw your "Talk Back" question earlier Carol and you suggested there -- the question you suggested that this decline in organized religion has coincided with the rise of religion in politics and that's just simply not true. The -- the religion and politics have been intertwined dating back hundreds of years and has been -- been so as recently in the last decade.
However, what's been on the rise as organized religious declined has been the growth in nondenominational sort of pick and choose your own aspects of religion you like. That's on the rise. So anyone who comes into the Catholic Church attempting to grow, it's going to have to deal with that. And then the question becomes if you tailor-make religion, do you divorce yourself from the concept of organized religion? Can those exist together?
COSTELLO: Pete.
DOMINICK: Organized religion is on its way out especially with the more enlightened, more informed, more educated prosperous societies in the world. We're moving towards the more enlightened idea of spirituality in this country and in obviously in Europe or a complete atheism, which I think is maybe wrong.
But I mean, what can they do? What spiritual leader? You know the Catholic Church has got a lot of bad publicity. So maybe they can bring in a celebrity like Mel Gibson to give out some kind of PSA or something, you know celebrity Catholics. I don't think there's much they can do, people don't go to movements because of the leader. They go because of their experiences, their friends, their families. That's how you get people into your church, not because of the new pope.
COSTELLO: I am thinking Mel Gibson wouldn't be tops on the list.
DOMINICK: Yes that was a joke. Yes.
COSTELLO: Yes ok. Finally your "Buzzer Beater" 20 seconds on the clock. Michelle Obama, gracing the cover of "Vogue" for a second time opening up about the President and life in the White House. She is following of course in the footsteps of Hillary Clinton who graced the cover as First Lady back in 1998.
And now there is a growing movement to bring these two women together in 2016. A former Clinton spokeswoman tells "The Washington Examiner" they would be quote, "A Dream Team."
Well the Web site, "Cafe Press" reportedly saying sales of bumper stickers like this one, touting a Hillary/Michelle ticket have surged 60 percent in the last few months. Now we know the whole thing is ridiculous, but we want to have fun this morning. "Will the Hillary Clinton/Michelle Obama ticket trounce the competition in 2016 -- Will? CAIN: So you ask me would it? And the answer is no. That's asking me essentially to be a betting man. Would I bet that -- that tandem would trounce the competition? The answer is no. If set aside should they, are they charming or charismatic politicians? Or do I actually disagree with them on everything? Yes.
But if there is a glass ceiling like Hillary Clinton suggests there is, it would be a bad bet to suggest two women a team of two women would be the first to break that glass ceiling.
COSTELLO: Pete?
DOMINICK: Well I mean, listen I'm not a fantasy sports guy, a fantasy sports guy and I -- luckily we don't have fantasy politics yet, but that's what this is. We're never going to see that ticket. I definitely think they would win. I mean, I would vote for Michelle Obama for -- for anything. She can do no wrong in my mind. But one question is who is on top of that ticket, by the way? I would imagine it would be Hillary but nonetheless maybe if they come over the catchy name like Flo-Rod or Michellary.
CAIN: You think they would win, Pete?
DOMINICK: I do.
CAIN: I know what you want. Do you think they would?
DOMINICK: I absolutely think that they would win. But I think any Democrat will win at the national level until Republicans can find out a way to reach out to non-white folks.
COSTELLO: Oh God. Ok on that note we'll end. Will Cain, Pete Dominick many thanks --
CAIN: You bet.
DOMINICK: Thanks.
COSTELLO: -- for an interesting conversation.
The "Talk Back" question for you today "What kind of spiritual leader will draw people back to organized religion?" Facebook.com/carolCNN or tweet me @carolCNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: "Talk Back" question for you today. "What kind of spiritual leader will draw people back to organized religion?"
This from Rob, "As long as religion keeps denying what is scientifically true and working against human rights they will keep alienating people."
From Travis, "Organized religion is not the answer. People need to focus on a personal relationship with God, not ritual." This from Jameal, "A very charismatic leader who the world admires will draw the world back to organized religion. Jesus draws us to a relationship with God."
This from Michael, "The church that takes the hate out and puts the love of God back in will win people back."
And from Marilyn, "Jesus Christ. If everyone complied with his teachings this world would be a better place."
Please keep the conversation going. Facebook.com/carolCNN or tweet me at @carolCNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: The Lakers Kobe Bryant hurt his ankle after stepping on a defender's foot and he's not happy about how it all went down.
Bleacher Report's Jared Greenberg is here with more. Good morning.
JARED GREENBERG, BLEACHER REPORT: Good morning Carol.
This is the most painful kind of loss. The Lakers are clinging to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Last night, L.A. fell in Atlanta and that is the least of their concerns. Down by as many as 14 in the third quarter. Kobe Bryant rally the Lakers within two final seconds, Kobe with a chance to tie it, tough shot. It doesn't go. More importantly though Kobe in serious pain. Straight to the x- ray machine. The results are negative however the Lakers say he's out indefinitely.
Did the Hawks win because of a dirty play? Kobe thinks Dante Jones didn't allow Kobe a safe landing and that Jones did it on purpose.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KOBE BRYANT, L.A. LAKERS: Well you know first and foremost I think the officials really need to protect shooters. The defensive players -- you can contest shots but not walk underneath players. That's dangerous for a shooter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GREENBERG: In 140 characters or less -- Jones chose less and he says tape doesn't lie. Ankle was turned on the floor after the leg kick out that knocked him off balance. I would never try to hurt the man.
How is this for working from home? From her living room couch Lindsey Vonn won her 6th World Cup downhill title and Vonn underwent knee surgery last month and couldn't compete in the final event. However neither could anyone else. Bad weather cancelled it and Vonn was the points leader. While rehabbing Vonn should have plenty of time to make room for more hardware in the trophy case.
A must see fight where nobody wins. Don't blink a man down. Wait a second. Two men down, just 14 seconds into the fight, it's a double knockout. You heard that saying -- there will be two hits, me hitting you and you hitting the floor.
COSTELLO: I've never seen this happened before.
GREENBERG: Yes well these were two hits and two men hit the floor. It's ruled Carol isn't no contest. So you deliver a knockout and you don't even get a victory. That's a hard day at work.
COSTELLO: They both get credit for a knockout?
GREENBERG: No because it doesn't go down as an official fight. Never counted, never happened except for their head still hurts.
COSTELLO: I bet so, both of them. Thanks so much Jared.
GREENBERG: You got it.
The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM begins after a quick break.
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COSTELLO: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, vacation hell. Another Carnival Cruise in trouble.
