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Wall Street Record Highs; Keystone Pipeline Vote; School Shooting 911 Tape; MO Governor Vows Crackdown; Interview with Missouri State Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal; Earthquakes on the Ris in Kansas; Chines Hackers Behind Weather Service Attacks?; Jameis Winston's Hearing Delayed
Aired November 13, 2014 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, trapped, dangling in the sky.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A scary moment, yes. Very scary.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And just think about the guys, they are just hanging by a thread.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Two window washers and their harrowing rescue.
Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Blood is everywhere. I do not see the gun. I need help.
DISPATCHER: Like -
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I need help now. He is wearing all black. I am staring at him right now, sitting next to him.
DISPATCHER: (INAUDIBLE) -
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is a high school student. I do not know how old is he.
DISPATCHER: OK. Do you know his name?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I tried to stop him before he shot himself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: A teacher turned hero. For the first time we hear the terrifying 911 calls from inside the Marysville-Pilchuck High School.
And the National Weather Service hacked by the Chinese and why NOAA kept it secret from us for so long.
NEWSROOM starts now.
And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.
New day, new record. Stock futures have been up this morning, stirring hope that Wall Street's ride into record territory is not over. It has been a big turnaround. Less than a month ago we were talking triple- digit losses. CNN's Alison Kosik joins me.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Those losses just a distant memory, Carol. Who remembers up that whiplash we were getting? Now we're back in record territory. You're seeing the Dow up just a little bit. We did see stocks take a pause yesterday. Investors kind of sat it out. Not such a bad thing, but yes the records could continue today.
Interestingly enough, I talked with one analyst this morning who say, you know what, you look at these levels, they are not justified. Just look at what happened with the midterm elections. Guess why Americans threw everybody out of office? Because they're not happy with the economy, this analyst tells me. And he says no better than to look at what GDP is doing.
And, yes, GDP is doing better this year, starting off negative, getting much better in the second quarter at 4.6 percent. Now the third quarter's showing at 3.5 percent.
But here's the point that this analyst is making. We're five and a half years out of the recession and you're going to see GDP average out to only a little over 2 percent for the year. He says it's just not good enough. But what we are seeing, once again, are these asset prices, aka stocks, continuing on the rise. The problem here is that not everybody's invested in the stock market.
COSTELLO: That's right.
KOSIK: Only 49 percent of Americans are and not everybody's feeling it. Hey, but if you've got a 401(k), that S&P 500 is up 10 percent so far for the year and your 401(k) most likely tracks that S&P 500. So things are looking good for you.
COSTELLO: OK, we'll concentrate on the positive -
KOSIK: Yes.
COSTELLO: Because that's what we like to do in the NEWSROOM.
KOSIK: You got it.
COSTELLO: Alison Kosik, thanks so much.
In other news this morning, six years after the government began a review of the Keystone pipeline, lawmakers get a crack at it. The House is set for a vote tomorrow, the Senate next week. And two candidates locked in the Senate runoff battle are each hoping that passage can help their chances. CNN chief congressional correspondent Dana Bash has more for you this morning.
Good morning, Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
What a legislative proxy war that we are going to see over the next week or so here on Capitol Hill. And it starts out with Mary Landrieu, the Democrat from Louisiana, who is in a runoff, as you said still, that won't happen until next month against a Republican opponent, so she's still hanging in the balance, not looking very good when it comes to the polls. But she threw, forgive me, a hail mary, so to speak, by pushing her Democratic leadership and the Senate in general to take a vote on something that Democratic leaders have resisted for years, and that is, as you said, approval of the Keystone pipeline. She is doing this for several reasons, Carol. Number one, she is now energy chairman. So she, by doing this, is proving that she has power in Washington, and power to, as she says, create jobs.
But also, so many of these Democrats who lost, her colleagues who are not going to be coming back, lost because they were linked to the Democratic leadership and to the president. Republicans were able to say that they voted with the president 99 percent of the time. Part of the reason that they were able to do that is because Harry Reid, the Democratic leader, didn't put votes on the floor that would - that divided Democrats. Keystone pipeline is a perfect example.
So, at this point, it's sort of, there's nothing to lose strategy. Republicans are going to do it anyway in next year if Democrats don't do it now, so why not take a chance, see if this helps Mary Landrieu and, of course, since Republicans run the House, her Republican opponent is a House member, they're going to try to one-up her by taking a vote there on the same thing probably tomorrow.
COSTELLO: All right, we're going to talk more about this in the next hour of NEWSROOM. Dana Bash reporting live from Washington this morning.
A terrifying scene playing out 68 stories up. Two window washers were trapped when their platform collapsed at New York's One World Trade Center. The rig dropped from horizontal to nearly vertical after a cable gave way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A scary moment, yes, very scary.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just thinking about the guys, they are just hanging by a thread.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm seeing two heads right now dangling over the scaffolding. LT. WILLIAM RYAN, NEW YORK FIRE DEPARTMENT: They were in a bad spot.
They had no options but they were professionals. They knew they weren't going anywhere, you know, so they weren't panicking, but they had no options.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Rescue workers used a diamond saw to cut through three layers of thick glass to reach the workers and pull them inside the building. The operation took an agonizing 90 minutes. The workers were treated for mild hypothermia and they're OK this morning. That's just my worst nightmare. It's unbelievable.
OK, time to get serious once again.
"I tried to stop him before he shot himself," words from a heroic teacher who came face-to-face with 15-year-old Jaylen Fryberg. Fryberg opened fire in the cafeteria of a Marysville, Washington, high school. Four students and Fryberg died. Now for the first time we're hearing the dramatic 911 tapes. CNN's Michaela Pereira joins me with more.
Good morning.
MICHAELA PEREIRA, ANCHOR, CNN'S "NEW DAY": Good morning to you, Carol.
It's so chilling, this newly released audio of the horrifying 911 calls from that deadly school shooting last month in Washington state. A teacher is heard on these tapes pleading for help amid all this chaos. Chaos caused by a student, a student armed with a gun, who took innocent lives, one by one, eventually taking his own.
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DISPATCHER: We have reports of gunfire.
PEREIRA: Chilling, newly released 911 calls capture those terrifying moments during the Marysville-Pilchuck High School shooting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just ran out of the school. The door was right there, and I am out of the school right now.
PEREIRA: Students, teachers and staff flooding 911.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just left the cafeteria and guided students out the side door.
PEREIRA: As inside the cafeteria, freshman Jaylen Fryberg shot five of his classmates, injuring one, another died on the scene, three later succumbed to their injuries.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have many injured, Marysville-Pilchuck High School. We need emergency right away.
PEREIRA: And we're now hearing, for the first time, the heroic teacher who tried to stop Fryberg.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Blood is everywhere. I do not see the gun.
PEREIRA: Before the 15-year-old turned the gun on himself.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I need help.
DISPATCHER: What -
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I need help now.
DISPATCHER: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: he is wearing all black. I'm staring at him right now, sitting next to him.
DISPATCHER: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is a high school student. I do not know how old he is.
DISPATCHER: OK. Do you know his name?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I tried to stop him before he shot himself.
PEREIRA: As word spread quickly around the community, frantic calls from parents began pouring in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just got a phone call from my daughter from Pilchuk High School.
PEREIRA: Zoey Galasso's mother messaged her daughter, "are you OK?," but the 14-year-old never responded.
MICHELLE GALASSO, MOTHER OF 14-YEAR-OLD KILLED: They finally - finally had to tell us that our child had passed at the school. And he took away one of the best things that I ever brought into this world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PEREIRA: That mother you just saw there, Michelle Galasso, her daughter was one of the first to die in the cafeteria on that terrible day. I think what's really amazing is that she says she forgives Jaylen Fryberg, the shooter. And this is what she says, quote, "I have to forgive because I cannot waste my life hating or being angry." What's even more amazing is, she said that when she saw Jaylen Fryberg, the shooter's mother, she went up to her, she hugged her, she told her she loved her because she realized that this was a mother who was grieving as well.
We should point out, his cousin -- Jaylen Fryberg's cousin, who he shot and ultimately killed, he died a week ago, he's going to be laid to rest tomorrow on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. He was just 16 years old.
COSTELLO: that's just unbelievable and, you're right, it proves, though, there are wonderfully, great, good people in the world. PEREIRA: And also this is going to help her heal. You can't live with
that kind of anger, although nobody would fault you. Nobody would fault you.
COSTELLO: No. No, that's a special person.
PEREIRA: It is.
COSTELLO: Michaela thanks so much.
PEREIRA: (INAUDIBLE).
COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, a community on edge as a grand jury decides whether Police Officer Darren Wilson should be indicted in the shooting death of Michael Brown. What does the future hold if Wilson is not indicted? One of the city's state senators will join me with her perspective, next.
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COSTELLO: The grand jury in Missouri is expected to hand down its decision by this weekend and, of course, tempers are flaring, tensions are flaring in Ferguson, Missouri. My next guest has been on the front lines of the protest in Ferguson, a city that she represents in the Missouri state senate. Maria Chappelle-Nadal joins me now.
Welcome.
MARIA CHAPPELLE-NADAL (D), MISSOURI STATE SENATE: Thank you so much, Carol.
COSTELLO: Thank you for being here. I appreciate it.
Maria, earlier this week, Governor Nixon said the National Guard would help local police prevent any violence after a grand jury decision. Is that a good idea?
CHAPPELLE-NADAL: You know, it's always good when we have law enforcement that is securing safety for everyone. What we have to be concerned about right now is that everyone is safe. What we have learned in the last few days is that there are several groups out there who want to incite on both ends of the spectrum. Those on the side of protesters supposedly who are agitators, but now we have found out that the KKK is now accepting more members into their organization and, as of yesterday, I had to call the Southern Poverty Law Center because we need to be very watchful.
One of the interviews that you had earlier was quite insightful because it talked about how the governor spoke. He only spoke as if protesters were going to be violent. Every protest that I've been a part of has been peaceful. What he did not allude to is that we are also subject to being harmed by people who are not protesters, but people who only have hate in their hearts and want to stir problems in the future and that's what I'm concerned about as the state senator.
COSTELLO: Well, I will say, the attorney general, Eric Holder, has spoken with law enforcement in the state and in the city and while he said police should work to deescalate situations, he also said this, "it must be clearly communicated that any acts of violence by the demonstrators or other attempts to provoke law enforcement are unacceptable." So he seems to be speaking along the same lines as the Missouri governor.
CHAPPELLE-NADAL: Yes, you know what? It's different. The governor has come to Ferguson, ground zero, a couple of times, we know that. I've been there every single day. Eric Holder, it was very nice for him to come, the time that he did. The president hasn't been here.
So let me just speak on behalf of my constituents. We know that there were people out there who are agitators. They are not welcome to the community. They are not welcome to the protest. And we know that the KKK has spoken out. They have sent letters out saying -- villifying the people that I've been with who have been totally peaceful.
And so while they have their own opinions, the governor and Eric Holder, I have to also advise them that our safety is very important as well. We are not the agitators here. The agitators are both white and black and they want nothing but violence and they're not welcome to the area whatsoever. So the message to the governor and Eric Holder is to make sure that we are protected as well.
COSTELLO: I'm sure that's what they're trying to do; that's what they would say they're trying to do, is trying to protect the public from these outside groups that are coming in to just agitate. And there are business owners in that area, right, in that neighborhood, who do need to be protected.
CHAPPELLE-NADAL: Absolutely. But here's what you don't know. Your audience should know, we have a lot of business owners who support our peaceful protesters every single day, and they're not concerned whatsoever because we know that we want to protect them. In fact, that's what many of us have done, is to protect business owners.
I will also say there are some business owners who are part of the status quo and establishment who naturally have some fear, and it's part of their disengagement from the community. They don't want to know why we're out here -- and that's the real disconnect between protesters and the governor.
What he talked about in his message the other day was strictly about remaining peaceful, but he didn't talk about why we are protesting, and he has never been concerned about why we are protesting. Once he discovers that and starts articulating why we are protesting, I think then he will be a better messenger. Right now he is not a good messenger for Ferguson.
COSTELLO: Maria Chappelle-Nadal, thanks for being with me. I appreciate it.
CHAPPELLE-NADAL: Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: I'm back in a minute.
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COSTELLO: We don't usually think of earthquakes in the Midwest, but Kansas -- Kansas -- reportedly has had more than 90 earthquakes this year alone. One of the biggest yet hit yesterday afternoon. Indra Petersons has details for you. Kansas?
INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Kansas, yes. One resident said they were sitting in the reclining chair and it actually moved eight inches. I would say that is a pretty good jolt that they felt out there.
And it was; it was one of the biggest earthquakes they've seen in that region in a long time. In fact, it was a good 4.8 size earthquake, that epicenter, kind of for perspective there, 32 miles south- southwest of Wichita. So you may be saying what does this feel like? A lot of people said it was a lot of violent shaking at first but then calmed down. But it was felt even as far as Texas. So definitely had that wide range out there.
But I think the biggest thing everyone's talking about -- it's like how you said Kansas. Do they feel earthquakes like this? Was it out of the blue? Not necessarily. In the last week, they've had a couple of 3.0 earthquakes, even since then of course with some aftershocks, they're still experiencing some 3.0 earthquakes.
But the big water cooler thing everyone has been talking about is this huge upswing in earthquakes in that region since about fall of 2013. If you take a look, just the last 90 days, you're talking about 155 quakes, 90 of those in Kansas in just 2014. This is a new trend. A lot of people are saying does this have anything to do with oil and gas exploration? Where this epicenter was was in the heart of all that gas and oil exploration. Well, there's two sides. A lot of research still needs to be sent (sic). Currently they're saying there is no correlation. And I also want to put it out there -- not to say they haven't had an earthquake of that size. In fact, the record in Kansas is 5.1 and that was actually set way back in the 1800s, prior to that exploration. So a lot of research still needs to be done.
COSTELLO: Yes, and I'm sure it will be hopefully.
PETERSONS: Residents want answers, yes.
COSTELLO: Indra Petersons, thanks so much.
We're now learning why U.S. government weather data suddenly went off- line last month. Turns out four critical websites were compromised by Chinese hackers. The breach was extremely serious because federal agencies, the military, airlines, Wall Street and many others, rely on these websites for up to date weather reports.
CNN justice reporter -- justice correspondent, rather, Evan Perez has more details for you this morning. Good morning, Evan.
EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE REPORTER: Good morning, Carol. Now, it's almost every day we're talking about these attacks. And they say this attack targeted four weather-related websites and it forced them to shut down key services to airlines, to the U.S. military, and Wall Steet firms. Now the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is known as NOAA, says its systems are now back to normal and that it's delivering forecasts to the public.
Now, U.S. officials say that the hack is traced back to China. Earlier this week, the U.S. Postal Service revealed that it was the target of a major attack that affected nearly 3 million customers and 750,000 employees. And that that attack also was believed to have come from China.
The government agencies waited weeks before they notified the public, and that's bringing criticism from some members of Congress. The Chinese embassy says that there's no proof of Chinese involvement in these attacks, Carol. They say that cyber attacks are quite common and that jumping to conclusions about its origin without hard evidence is not responsible at all.
COSTELLO: Evan Perez reporting live from Washington this morning. Thank you. I'm back in a minute.
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COSTELLO: Florida State's chances to finish the regular season undefeated have gotten a big boost. The university has decided to postpone a student conduct code hearing for their star quarterback Jameis Winston after a request from his attorney. The hearing will now take place after the Seminoles' final regular season game. But would Winston be available for the college football playoffs if the Noles make it there? CNN's Andy Scholes joins us with more on this. Good morning.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS: Good morning, Carol. That's a good question. It appears that Winston is going to be able to play in the remainder of Florida State's games, no matter how far they go. Winston, he was accused of rape by a fellow student in December of 2012 but the state never brought charges. Now the hearing is to determine whether or not Winston violated FSU's student code of conduct, not going to take place now until December 1st.
Retired Florida Supreme Court Justice Major Harding will hear the case. If found guilty, Winston faces a range of punishments from a written or verbal reprimand to expulsion. Now, the school is supposed to provide Winston with a written decision within 10 school days unless further consideration is required. So with the semester wrapping up in early December, we likely won't get a decision until January. And even then, Winston could appeal the ruling, keeping him on the field.
Now, by the time we get a decision, the Seminoles will have already likely played in a playoff game on New Year's Day and the National Championship Game on January 12th. That's, of course, if they make it that far. So it looks like Jameis Winston is going to be on the field no matter how far Florida State goes the rest of the season.
All right, someone who won't be on the field, LeBron James' son. He says he's not going to let his kids play football because of the health dangers that come with the game. In an interview with ESPN, James said his sons, Bryce Maximus and LeBron Jr., are only allowed to play basketball, baseball and soccer. Now, in the past, LeBron has called football his first love. He was once an All-State player in high school.
Now, think LeBron is doing pretty good with basketball. He's sticking with that no matter what happens these day. Not going to be in action tonight. We've got a great doubleheader on TNT: we've got the Bulls and the Raptors; that's going to be followed by the Nets at the Warriors.
And, Carol, in case you didn't know, my Houston Rockets are 7-1 so far this season.
COSTELLO: I'm happy for you, Andy. I am.
SCHOLES: Thank you.
COSTELLO: Thanks, Andy Scholes. I appreciate it.
The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM after a break.
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