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Stock Market Update; Mandela Personal Hero; Mandela Memorial; Dow Soars at Open; Ice Storm Cripples Nation's Midsection; Ex-Fellow Inmate Remembers Mandela

Aired December 06, 2013 - 09:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ZAIN ASHER, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: But the real surprise to everyone, I think, was the unemployment rate, which is really key because the Fed has said several times that they look to the unemployment rate when deciding when to taper. They wanted to get to 6.5 percent. Right now it's 7 percent. So we are inching closer.

But I think that, you know, when you talk to traders, they're all saying to me, you know, don't speak too soon because, yes, the market is in the green right now, but throughout the day traders might use that as an opportunity to start taking some of those profits off the table, especially since the bulls are out.

Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Zain Asher reporting live from the - oh, you know, I did want to ask you about one thing, since we're talking a lot about Nelson Mandela this morning. I know the stock exchange honored him today. How did it do that?

ASHER: Hi, Carol. Yes, just a few moments ago there was a minute of silence down here. President Mandela was here in 2002. He rang the opening bell. Obviously that's usually done by dignitaries, notable people. Obviously Nelson Mandela certainly one of those. The CEO, Duncan Niederauer, put Mandela in a class all his own. He called him a seminal figure in world history.

Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Zain, we appreciate that. Thanks so much.

ASHER: Of course.

COSTELLO: Checking other top stories this morning at 31 minutes past the hour.

The engineer behind the controls of that commuter train that derailed in the Bronx now suspended without pay. And the NTSB says drug and alcohol tests for William Rockefeller have all come back negative. As you know, four people died when the train jumped the tracks on Sunday. The funeral for one of the victims scheduled for today.

A frightening scene at an airport in the U.K. yesterday. Winds at the Birmingham Airport were so strong, this plane was forced to abort its landing moments before it touched down. Look at the wind under the wings of that plane turned it sideways. Gusts as high as 140 miles per hour forced that pilot to take off again and land at another airport. The plane did end up landing safely and actually on time at that other airport.

A Los Angeles man has been arrested. He's accused of stealing part of the wreckage from the crash that killed Paul Walker. Officials say the man snatched a piece of the charred Porsche off a police tow truck as it was being taken away from the scene. The suspect could face charges of theft and tampering with evidence.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: We're remembering the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid icon who became South Africa's first black president. He died yesterday at the age of 95. Our CNN correspondents are stationed around the world with the very latest on the reaction to the loss of a man who truly changed the course of history.

You're looking at a live picture right now from Johannesburg where a huge public memorial is being planned for early next week.

In London, Buckingham Palace is flying the Union Flag at half-staff right now. There you see it.

And outside the Apollo Theater in Harlem in New York City, there's a tribute in lights on its legendary marquee, "in memory of Nelson Mandela."

President Obama referred to Nelson Mandela as a personal hero. The two men met only once and it was this moment right here. It was back in 2005, President Obama was then Senator Obama from Illinois. Both men were the first black presidents of their respective nations. Both men won the Nobel Peace Prize. Both men shattered racial, social and political barriers.

Brianna Keilar is joining us from the White House right now.

Brianna, despite some of these parallels between these two men, President Obama is pretty uncomfortable when people make that comparison of him to Nelson Mandela, isn't he?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he is and I think it sort of makes sense, Wolf, because Nelson Mandela is someone who is so iconic and also who made such great sacrifices being in prison for 27 years as he did fight for freedom. And certainly also because President Obama thought of Nelson Mandela as a hero for decades. President Obama was just 19 years old when he first started participating in the anti-apartheid movement. It was 1981, he was a sophomore at Occidental College in California where he gave his first really political speech, speaking out against apartheid.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR (voice-over): For President Obama, Nelson Mandela was a personal hero and a political idol whose legendary struggle fueled his earliest ambitions.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela's life. My very first political action, the first thing I ever did that involved an issue or a policy or politics, was a protest against apartheid.

KEILAR: But they met in person only briefly in 2005, before Obama became president. The two leaders, each standing in history as the first black president of his nation, spoke occasionally by phone. President Obama penned the forward for Mandela's 2010 memoir "Conversations with Myself." He wrote, "his example helped awaken me to the wider world and the obligation that we all have to stand up for what is right. Through his choices, Mandela made it clear that we did not have to accept the world as it is, that we could do our part to seek the world as it should be."

When President Obama visited South Africa this summer, Mandela was so ill, the two were unable to meet. Still Mandela's inspiration played large during the president's trip. President Obama returned to Robben Island, the prison where Mandela, known as Madiba, spent 18 years, but this time he brought his entire family.

OBAMA: There was something different about bringing my children. And Malia is now 15, Sasha is 12. And seeing them stand within the walls that once surrounded Nelson Mandela, I knew this was an experience that they would never forget. I knew that they now appreciated a little bit more the sacrifices that Madiba and others had made for freedom.

KEILAR: Soon after the leader's death was announced, Obama said he could not imagine his life without Mandela's example.

OBAMA: We've lost one of the most influential, courageous, and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this earth. He no longer belongs to us. He belongs to the ages.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: President Obama there echoing the words that were said of Abraham Lincoln after he passed away, Wolf. And we do know that the president will be going to South Africa to pay tribute to Nelson Mandela. We certainly would expect that other former presidents would be going as well, just because of the iconic nature of this event. But at this point, we're still waiting for some of the details on that, Wolf.

BLITZER: We should be getting those details soon, Brianna. I know world leader will be coming to South Africa to pay their respects.

All right, Brianna Keilar at the White House.

Funeral plans for Nelson Mandela will carry out over 10 days. Over that time, world leaders from all over the globe will join the thousands of people who want to say good-bye to the man they affectionately called Madiba. CNN's Robyn Curnow has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A 10-day remembrance is planned. The memorial rituals for Nelson Mandela include both western traditions and those of his native clan. And we expect them to last for 10 days, culminating with his burial in the South African hills where he ran and played as a child. For now, Mandela's body has been taken to a military hospital in Pretoria.

No public events are expected until early next week when tens of thousands of mourner are expected to pack a Johannesburg soccer stadium for a public memorial service. A White House official tells CNN that the administration is working on plans for President Obama to be part of that huge crowd. Then starting on the sixth day after his death, Mandela is expected to lie in state for three days in the government's seat of Pretoria. It's the same place he took his oath of office as president in 1994. Public visitation may be limited to daylight hours, and long lines are expected.

Plans then call for Mandela's body to be flown by military aircraft to his ancestral home in the eastern cape. Close relatives and clan elders will accompany the casket as it's ferried by gun carriage to the remote village of Qunu. And then on the tenth day, under a large tent and under heavy security, thousands of mourners, including dozens of heads of state, will attend a state funeral that will be broadcast to many millions worldwide.

And finally, a few hundred family members and friends will bury Mandela in a ceremony that according to custom will be like a homecoming.

CURNOW (on camera): So over these 10 days of mourning, you will see a combination of western and African rituals play out. No surprise for a man who so easily bridged differences.

Robyn Curnow, CNN, Johannesburg, South Africa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: We'll have much more on Nelson Mandela, his life and his legacy. That's coming up later this hour.

I want to go back to Carol, though, right now.

Carol, a truly, truly amazing man. I've often said that it was probably the most powerful interview I ever did, and I've been doing this for a long time, when I sat down with Nelson Mandela in Capetown in the presidential residence back in 1998 and I could just feel what he had done to prevent a civil war, a blood bath, in South Africa. It was really an amazing experience for me.

COSTELLO: Well, it's amazing to me, you know, he always appeared so charming and so friendly, but I'm sure, you know, his mind was a steel trap and behind the scenes he was much different because he was so politically savvy. Could you see both sides to him when you interviewed him, Wolf? BLITZER: He could not have been more charming. He smiled. He took me on a tour. He was lovely in every respect. But you could also see the power inside. And we went through a whole bunch of issues, issues of the day, long-term, short term. I could see why he was willing to do what he did do. He said to me, you know, we need everyone in South Africa. We need whites, we need blacks, we need everyone to work together. We don't have time for recrimination, for vengeance, for bloodshed. We've got to work together to build a new South Africa. And that truly inspired me as it inspired so many other people around the world.

COSTELLO: I just wish we had an inspirational leader of our own these days, but they're few and far between, right, sadly.

Wolf, thanks.

BLITZER: He was unique.

COSTELLO: He was.

We'll get back to you, Wolf. Thanks so much.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, ice is turning roads into rinks from Texas to Tennessee. Indra Petersons' live this morning in chilly Memphis.

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, looks like that arctic air is plunging even closer. We know here in Memphis we could see a major ice storm. We'll give you all the details of the storm headed this way after the break.

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COSTELLO: Checking our top stories at 45 minutes past the hour.

Hiring surged in the month of November, 203,000 jobs were added last month and the unemployment rate dropped to 7 percent. That's the lowest it's been in five years. The Dow was up on the news about 135 points right now.

Let's head to the New York Stock Exchange and Zain Asher.

Good morning.

ASHER: Hi, Carol. Yes, the Dow is up about 125 points right now.

I mean here's what I find interesting, OK. So throughout the week, we had positive economic reports in terms of car sales, new home sales, et cetera, and the market sort of sold off just a little bit because everybody feared the Fed tapering. Then we get the jobs report and actually the market is a lot higher. It sort of goes basically the reverse of what you would think.

But here's what's happening. You're seeing long-term investors buy in at these levels, just basically betting on the strength of the economy. People are sort of accepting the fact that the Fed is going to begin to taper. They've accepted that. We know it's going to happen in a few months. But the economy is getting stronger and long-term investors are liking it. They're buying in.

Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Zain Asher, we'll check back with you.

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COSTELLO: Checking our "Top Stories" at 45 minutes past the hour.

Higher in surge in the month of November: 203,000 jobs were added last month and the unemployment rate dropped to seven percent. That's the lowest it's been in five years. The Dow was up on the news about 125 points right now. Let's head to the New York Stock Exchange and Zain Asher good morning.

ASHER: Hi Carol yes the Dow is up about 125 points right now. I mean here is what I find interesting. OK throughout the week we had positive economic reports in terms of car sales, new home sales et cetera and the market sort of sold off just a little bit because everybody feared the fed tapering. Then we get the jobs report and actually the market is a lot higher, it sort of goes basically the reverse of what you would think.

But here is what's happening, you're seeing long-term investors buying at the speed levels, just basically betting on the strength of the economy, people are sort of accepting the fact that the fed is going to begin to taper, they've accepted that, we know it's going to happen in a few months. But the economy is getting stronger and long-term investors are liking, it they're buying it -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Zain Asher we'll check back with you.

Icy roads are making for treacherous travel from Texas to Tennessee. And as that ice builds up it will bringing down tree limbs and of course power lines. More than 230,000 people are already without power in north Texas and that number is expected to rise. Georgia utility crews are now on the way to Arkansas to help out. The National Weather Service is calling for a category 5, catastrophic ice storm for parts of Arkansas and Tennessee. That means people living there could go for weeks without power. Oh I hope that doesn't happen.

The storm also stranding air travelers, FlightAware.com reports that more than 1,000 flights have already been canceled for today, that's on top of another thousand from yesterday. Those cancellations are both for weather and mechanical issues. With the domino effect though, your flight could be affected even if you're not flying out of an ice zone.

CNN's Indra Petersons is in the storm's bull's eye, which is oddly Memphis, Tennessee. Tell us more, Indra.

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: The scary thought when you think about this, Carol, because there's about 20,000 people coming into this city for a marathon that is starting tomorrow, the St. Jude's marathon. But a lot of people are traveling on these icy roads and even though the sun has been coming up the temperatures have been dipping farther down as that Arctic air is moving kind of zooming in a little bit closer.

So for us, we've been adjusting to the freezing rain west of us, at the west Memphis area but right here right now still comes the calm before that storm we know is headed our way. We look at the radar very easy to see where these Arctic plunges are, where the storm really starting to move into the region and it's already impacted so many people.

I mean you talk about anywhere from southern Indiana back through Texas, they've already seen all those the dots, those are freezing rain reports, so definitely huge impact is already out there. Farther to the north, like southern Illinois, ditching (ph) about a third of an inch, but down to the south, I mean you nailed it, you're talking about Arkansas and Tennessee, that's where we've already seen places like Ft. Smith that has already had an inch of ice from freezing rain, and this threat still continues as this line makes its way closer.

And I always say this, over a half an inch of ice on those power lines makes them weigh 500 pounds. Definitely an amazing fact, that means power lines are expected to come down, you're talking about a Category 3 ice storm. It's a new thing. It's an ice impact index the National Weather Service is trying this year. What that really tells you is of course what the impacts are.

So here in Memphis they're thinking a Cat 3, half and inch to three- quarters of an inch, so that's over that 500-pound mark. That's what we're expecting here. Just north of us in Arkansas they're expecting a catastrophic ice storm, Category 5. They could be without power for weeks -- Carol.

COSTELLO: It's just unbelievable. Let's talk about that marathon for just a second. How could people possibly run on icy streets?

PETERSONS: Yes, it hasn't been canceled yet and that's the thing for me, my bigger concern is people coming into town and out of town during that busiest time of this ice storm. So even more importantly how do they plan on getting here because I know they're not here yet and of course the hotels, many of them are sold out. People are losing power. There's nowhere else to go.

COSTELLO: Oh my goodness. OK we'll check back with you. Indra Petersons, live in Memphis, Tennessee, this morning.

Of course we're remembering Nelson Mandela as well today. Let's head to Washington and Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Carol, thank you. Still to come, few can talk about the horror that Nelson Mandela had to endure inside the walls of that infamous Robben Island prison. But one man can do that, a man who was in prison together with Nelson Mandela at the very same time. That man will join us next.

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BLITZER: Nelson Mandela spent, what, 27 years in prison. Much of that time was spent in the notoriously brutal conditions on Robben Island off the coast of South Africa. Few can recount the horror Nelson Mandela and so many other prisoners had to endure -- one man certainly can. He's joining us now. Khehla Shubane was imprisoned on Robben Island while Mandela was there. And he's joining us right now. Mr. Shubane thanks very much for coming in. Tell our viewers what daily life was like for prisoners on Robben Island.

KHEHLA SHUBANE, FORMER ROBBEN ISLAND PRISONER: Daily life was excessively boring so much so, that it was easy to forget the sense of time. Tuesday was pretty much like a Friday. So with time, most prisoners just forgot what day of the week it was. You did the same thing over and over again. You could predict three years in advance what you would do on a specific day. The type of food you would eat. And pretty much the folks you would be able to interact with and talk to.

That -- that side of life in prison was pretty stable. It used to be broken by visits which for different categories of prisoners differed. For example, if a prisoner was categorized a "D" prisoner, they would be entitled to a visit once I think in six months or something like that.

BLITZER: Did you have a lot of exchanges with Nelson Mandela on Robben Island?

SHUBANE: I did. I did. At first it was through writing. We wrote to each other from different sections because at the time when I got there, people from different sections weren't permitted to meet. But after about 18 months of my stay there, the section in which I was, which was "B" section, was allowed to mix with people in his section. So in a week, we would meet for about two or three days.

I also worked in the library and that gave me a basis for meeting with a person who was working in the library in their section. And I could go in their section pretty much whenever we chose to. And in their section, the person who was working in the library was Mr. Ahmed Kathrata (ph).

BLITZER: Did you ever imagine during those years while you were a prisoner at Robben Island together with Nelson Mandela that there would be a new South Africa that would emerge, a South Africa that would have the first black president, Nelson Mandela, and that it would all be achieved peacefully?

SHUBANE: No, I didn't -- I didn't think it would ever happen. I thought the generation of prisoners who were there with Mr. Mandela would simply not see a free South Africa. And those of us who were in our 20s at the time, I thought by the time change came in South Africa, we would be pretty old and wouldn't be able to make a contribution to a democratic South Africa.

And I thought it was going to be extremely bloody and extremely conflict ridden. And we would inherit a country that would take time to heal, to rebuild and just get people together again. And I was convinced that it was never going to happen in -- in -- so soon. Even by '85 I didn't think it would happen in the lifetime of many, many people who have played a good and leading role in building a democratic South Africa.

BLITZER: And Nelson Mandela was freed from prison in 1990 and he was inaugurated as President of South Africa in 1994.

Mr. Shubane thanks so much for joining us and reflecting on this important day. Our deepest condolences to you, to everyone in South Africa on this huge, huge loss. Khehla Shubane is now -- he went on to become the CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, by the way.

Joining us later today, I'll be sitting down and speaking about Nelson Mandela with former President Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton and his family referred to Nelson Mandela not only as a leader but also as a friend. We're going to talk about the impact that Nelson Mandela had on Bill Clinton and his presidency. The interview will air today, 5:00 p.m. Eastern, in the "THE SITUATION ROOM."

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM begins right after a quick break.

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