Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

New Video of Ferguson Officer After Shooting; Top General Makes Surprise Visit to Iraq; Following the ISIS Funding; Bill Cosby Rape Allegations; Obama Blasts Putin at G-20 Summit; Planes Tracking Cell Phone Calls?; NBA Commissioner Pushes Sports Betting; New Momentum in Ebola Research; Black Friday No Longer Just One Day

Aired November 15, 2014 - 13:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. You can place your vote at CNN.com/heroes.

All right. We have much more straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM and it all starts right now.

Brand-new video of Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson just hours after the death of Michael Brown. This as we also hear what police were saying when the shooting happened.

Then a comedy icon confronted about old rape allegations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT SIMON, NPR RADIO: This question gives me no pleasure, Mr. Cosby, but there have been serious allegations raised about you in recent days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Bill Cosby's response, straight ahead.

Plus, it took them 10 years to successfully land on a comet, 310 million miles away, but now a big problem. Are the probe's batteries dead?

Hello again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Welcome to the NEWSROOM.

Brand-new audio and never-before-seen surveillance video just a few hours after a white police officer shot can killed an unarmed black teen in Ferguson, Missouri.

This surveillance video shows Officer Darren Wilson entering and then leaving a police station after he shot Michael Brown.

Some eyewitnesses have said Brown rushed at Wilson first and tried to grab his gun. Other witnesses have said Brown, the teenager, had his hands up when Officer Wilson repeatedly fired on him.

I want to go to our Stephanie Elam in Ferguson.

So, Stephanie, take us through these new tapes and what kind of reaction you're hearing there in Ferguson.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Fredricka. Well, when you take a listen to these take place, it's giving us perspective from the police side of exactly what happened leading up to and around that critical two-minute altercation between Officer Darren Wilson and Mike Brown.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM (voice-over): "The St. Louis Post-Dispatch" obtained the police audio and video through the state's so-called Sunshine Law, according to the paper's timeline of the August night's encounter between Darren Wilson and Michael Brown. At 11:53 a.m. a dispatcher reports a stealing in progress at the Ferguson Market.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're taking a stealing in progress from 9101 West Florissant, 9101 West Florissant. Subject may be leaving the business at this time. Standby for further.

ELAM: The "Post-Dispatch" says about 19 seconds later dispatch issues a description of a suspect.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 25, it's going to be a black male in a white T- shirt. He's running towards Quick Trip. He took a whole box of Swisher Cigars.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Black male, white T-shirt?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's affirmative. She said he just walked out of store.

ELAM: And there's more detail in the police crosstalk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's with another male. He's got a red Cardinals hat, white T-shirt, yellow socks, and khaki shorts. He's walking up right (INAUDIBLE).

ELAM: According to the paper, at noon Officer Wilson reports he's back in service from another call. He then asks officers searching for the suspects if they need his help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 21 to 25, do you guys need me?

ELAM: Seven seconds later officers report the suspects have disappeared.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dispatch, can you relay? I couldn't hear.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said that they disappeared.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

ELAM: The paper says at 12:02 Officer Wilson responds.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And 21, put me on Canfield. ELAM: On August 9th Michael Brown's friend Dorian Johnson said they

were walking down the street when Officer Wilson told them to get out of the road. According to Johnson he and Brown told the officer they were almost at their destination and would be out of the street shortly. But Johnson said the officer grabbed Brown by the neck and drew his gun, eventually shooting Brown.

By contrast, a Wilson family friend identified as Josie told local radio station KTFK that according to Wilson, Brown started a physical altercation with him and grabbed the gun, which went off. Both sides agree that Brown ran and then turned back.

The "Post-Dispatch" says 41 seconds after Wilson's call another officer was about to arrive at the location. The radio calls also show other officers arriving at the scene and a call for a supervisor. And then, according to the newspaper, this call at 12:07 p.m. was the apparent sound of a woman wailing in the background.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get us several more units over here or there is going to be a problem.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there any available Ferguson units that can respond to Canfield and Copper Creek? Advise?

ELAM: The "Post-Dispatch" also obtained surveillance video of Officer Darren Wilson hours after the shooting. The paper says the video shows Wilson in the white T-shirt leaving the police station for the hospital two hours after the shooting accompanied by other officers and his union lawyer. The video then shows him returning to the police station.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM: And here in Ferguson, people are on edge. They are preparing for when the grand jury decision does come out. As far as the fate of Officer Darren Wilson, whether or not he will be indicted, I've talked to several families here in the community and it ranges from wide concern to packing up groceries and keeping them in their house in case they have to stay there for a couple of days, to other people who are worried about the small businesses.

And Fred, they're also worried about schools because they don't want to see schools again, as they were in August, right when this incident first happened.

WHITFIELD: And earlier, Stephanie, we talked to a couple of business owners and they're taking different approaches. Some are staying open and then others are boarding up because they just don't know what's around the corner.

Thanks so much, Stephanie. Appreciate it, from Ferguson.

All right. Meantime, overseas, a surprise visit to Iraq. America's top military leader, General Martin Dempsey, telling reporters momentum is starting to turn against ISIS.

CNN's Arwa Damon joins me now from Turkey.

So, Arwa, earlier, we heard security forces appeared close to retaking the country's biggest refinery of Baiji. Do you agree with Dempsey?

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Iraq's a tricky country when it comes to trying to predict anything. Gains can be made one day and lost just as quickly the next. And I think General Dempsey amongst many is very well aware of that given his own experience in Iraq. Remember, he was the commander of the First Armored Division in the first years of the war, and then he went on to lead up the U.S. effort to try to actually train and equip the Iraqi Security Forces.

Now whilst he was in Baghdad, he did meet with the Iraqi prime minister, Haider al-Abadi. His office then putting out a statement saying that they spoke about the gains that the Iraqi Security Forces had made, yes, but also about necessary steps moving forward to try to, first of all, ensure that those gains are not lost, but also to try to figure out exactly what the best way is going to be to tackle ISIS and beef up those Iraqi Security Forces so that they don't turn and run away the next time.

That being said, General Dempsey then also traveling on to Irbil. That is the capital of the autonomous region of Kurdistan, meeting with the prime minister there as well. Part of this next phase of the U.S.-led effort is going to be focusing on training the Iraqi Security Forces. Those 1500 additional troops being dispatched to the country just for that.

Now General Dempsey is also really trying to get a firsthand genuine and honest assessment of what the situation is. When this all unfolded over the summer after ISIS' rapid takeover, that took everyone by surprise of Mosul and other parts of Iraq, it became painfully apparent that on the one hand, the U.S. had underestimated the capacity of ISIS and perhaps overestimated the capability of Iraqi Security Force. And that's not a mistake that anyone wants to see happen again -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Arwa Damon, thank you so much for your report from Turkey.

For more on General Dempsey's trip to Iraq, let's bring in CNN military analyst, Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona. He is also a former military attache in Syria.

Colonel, good to see you. So, in your view, General Dempsey's trip, is this a sign that things are going well in Iraq? Or is this, you know, strictly an assessment to see how things are going in Iraq?

LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I think it's an assessment to see how things are going there. General Dempsey has been quite vocal over the past few weeks that he is willing to go to the president and recommend that we change what we're doing in Iraq if he believes that to be necessary. And I think it's important and I think it's right that he goes over there and puts his own eyeballs on the situation over there. Because he's the one that has to go to the president and say, Mr. President, what we're doing is not working.

We either have to beef up U.S. presence, we have to maybe commit some ground troops, whatever option he's going to recommend to the president, it's probably a good idea that he have been there, talking to the people on the ground, talking to the Iraqis, and actually assess the Iraqi troops himself. He's got a lot of experience in the country. He is, you know, a very qualified army general. He's probably one of the best we have.

It's a good idea for him to see this in person and make whatever recommendation the president. I think it comes at a critical time, as Arwa said, we're starting to see some improvement in Iraqi forces, but that could be just today. We could see a reversal tomorrow.

WHITFIELD: OK. Now let's talk about nearby Syria, because we understand that the senior administration official is telling us that President Obama has ordered a review of U.S. policy towards Syria.

Is this an admission that things are not going well, there was a miscalculation, or is it expected that there are modifications made all the time with military strategy?

FRANCONA: Well, there are modifications all the time, but the situation in Syria is very fluid. And you know -- as you know, our tactic has always been, we're going to deal with the situation in Iraq on the ground first. The air campaign will address the entire ISIS target set, but on the ground, we're going to focus on Iraq. Then we'll worry about Syria later. We were hoping to get some Free Syrian Army people trained up to be our boots on the ground.

However, just over the past few days, we're seeing an alliance struck between the al Qaeda element in Syria that's called Jabhat al-Nusra, the Victory Front, and ISIS itself. And they are going after the Free Syrian Army, hoping to eliminate them as our boots on the ground. So our strategy in Syria has to be shifting all the time. And we're going to have to really review what we're doing there.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk a little bit more about ISIS and kind of the money machine behind it.

Let's bring in Janine Di Giovanni, she's the Middle East editor of "Newsweek" and the co-author on cover story on ISIS funding.

Janine, ISIS says it will actually begin making its own currency, it's own money, using gold, silver, and copper. How can ISIS afford to maintain its own military and then also make its own money, pay the bills, so to speak, when it has been common knowledge that there was a lot of financial backing behind it?

JANINE DI GIOVANNI, MIDDLE EAST EDITOR, NEWSWEEK: First of all, in terms of the currency, let's see if they actually get the copper, the gold, the silver to make -- to actually make the coins. If they do, this will be seen really as a symbolic gesture more than anything. That they're not under the reign of the oppressor, i.e., the West, using dollars, using euros, that they will be using their own currency. And bear in mind that for ISIS, their philosophy is to bring back the

time to the epic of the Prophet Muhammad. So they don't want to use dollars, they don't want to trade in this currency. They want to have their own.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: And then --

DI GIOVANNI: But, really, during our investigation --

WHITFIELD: OK. No, sorry about that. I forgot there's a delay, go ahead.

DI GIOVANNI: What we found was that there were really -- there is a four-pillar way that they are getting their money. It's the oil, of course, which is why Baiji is such an important -- if, in fact, the Iraqi Security Forces have taken it back, this really will be a turning point because oil is ISIS' cash cow. Whether or not who they're trading with, it could be the Syrians, it could be the Kurds, it could be Turkey, it might even be European partners.

This was part of our investigation. One thing we did find is how much money they were making from the oil.

The other is, of course, the antiquities business. They're looting their extortion. The third is they're kidnapping. Now this is massive because it's not just the Western hostages that you read about, the $14 million that various states or countries pay. It's also the small on the ground extortion they're doing on a daily rate, to businesses in Mosul, to people in Raqqa, people who are living under their reign that have to pay for everything from smoking to shops, businesses that operate. So there's extortion, there's kidnapping, there's the oil, and there's antiquities.

WHITFIELD: Janine, thank you so much.

DI GIOVANNI: They're very wealthy --

WHITFIELD: Very wealthy, indeed.

I want to get Colonel Francona's take on this because when you hear Janine laying that out, I mean, there looks like a pretty impressive infrastructure in place to keep this machine financed. That is a problem, whether it be for the military strategy or even, really, the -- you know, the PR strategy of the world trying to get together and trying to dismantle, trying to dissolve ISIS. It looks like it's going to be very difficult.

FRANCONA: It is. But looking at ISIS, they have got to feed, clothe, house their military. They've got to provide the fuel they require. They have to move all the stuff around. All that requires oil and it also requires money. They've got to pay all these people. They also have to provide the trappings of state, that means goods and services to the people. So it's a very expensive proposition. On the other side of that, and it will work to our advantage is, it

also creates vulnerabilities. Because as they set up these institutions, there are things that we can actually go after. Either politically, diplomatically, economically, or if we need to, militarily.

WHITFIELD: Lieutenant Colonel Francona and Janine Di Giovanni from Paris, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it. Very fascinating.

All right. Straight ahead, stateside now, Bill Cosby confronted about rape allegations. The comedian's reaction that might just confuse you even more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. For years, rape allegations against iconic comedian Bill Cosby have simmered mostly below the surface. Well now, they've boiled over.

It began Monday when Cosby's staff tweeted out this happy photo and invited fans to add a caption.

Well, Alexandra Field joins me now from New York to let us know what happened after that. And now Bill Cosby taking to the radio airwaves to respond to a question, but I guess a lot of listeners didn't get -- I don't know what they expected, like, an explanation?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, you saw that meme that his staffers and that he put out earlier in the week inviting people to comment. They got the kind of comments that certainly they weren't looking for. A lot of people lobbing these old allegations and accusations of rape against him.

Look, he has not commented on the resurfacing of these allegations. His attorneys haven't either, although in the past they have repeatedly denied any sexual abuse allegations against Bill Cosby. But he did go on the radio. This was a prerecorded interview with NPR's Scott Simon. We knew he's going to be asked about the -- about those allegations. People were expecting some kind of response and here's what they got.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: This question gives me no pleasure, Mr. Cosby, but there have been serious allegations raised about you in recent days. You're shaking your head no. I'm in the news business. I have to ask the question.

Do you have any response to those charges? Shaking your head no. There are people who love you, who might like to hear from you about this. I want to give you the chance. All right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FIELD: All right. You heard nothing there. Not a word from Bill Cosby on those rape allegations. But we are hearing from one of the women who accused Bill Cosby of raping her, Barbara Bowman. She has been speaking out and here's what she's saying in response to that interview today.

She says, "I'm not surprised that Bill Cosby was speechless. He has met his maker. A simple shake of his head is implication of a man whose heart is heavily burdened with shame."

Bowman says that Bill Cosby mentored her when she was a young actress back in the '80s. She later accused him of drugging and raping her. The statute of limitations on prosecuting that crime has long expired, but Bowman did come forward when another woman came forward in 2005 and filed a lawsuit alleging a similar complaint against Bill Cosby. That lawsuit was settled civilly.

There's confidentiality agreements so, Fred, we don't know the details of it, but Cosby's campus continues to deny any allegations against him.

WHITFIELD: All right. Alexandra Field, thanks so much. Appreciate it from New York.

President Obama issuing a stern warning to Vladimir Putin. We take a look at what it means for their already icy relationship.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: President Obama criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin as leaders of the world's most powerful nations meet in Brisbane, Australia, for the G-20 summit.

CNN's Erin McPike joining us now.

So, Erin, what did President Obama say that has got so many people talking?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, look, it's not just President Obama. It's President Obama and other world leaders coming down hard on Putin because Russia is still making these provocations into eastern Ukraine that have been going on for the last eight months and escalating, again, recently.

Well, President Obama, in specific remarks, at the University of Queensland in Brisbane had this to say about Russia. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're leading and dealing with Ebola in West Africa and in opposing Russia's aggression against Ukraine, which is a threat to the world, as we saw in the appalling shoot down of MH-17, a tragedy that took so many innocent lives, among them your fellow citizens.

As your ally and friend, America shares the grief of these Australian families and we share the determination of your nation for justice and accountability.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCPIKE: Now Putin is also getting the cold shoulder from Australian dignitaries and the Australian media -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Erin McPike, thanks so much, from the White House.

All right. Somebody's watching you and your cell phone. And no, it's not the NSA. But another government agency.

The frightening way we are listening in on your phone calls.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right. The death of a freshman at West Virginia University has prompted the suspension of all Greek life activities. WVU officials say 18-year-old Nolan Michael Birch died yesterday. He was found unresponsive Wednesday at the Kappa Sigma fraternity house. Students held a vigil last night. Kappa Sigma's national organization says the chapter at WVA had been suspended last month on unrelated violations. Police are investigating Birch's death.

The man accused of killing one Pennsylvania State Trooper and wounding another is facing terrorism charges now. Eric Frein allegedly admitted he shot the officers in a bid to change the U.S. government. Police arrested him last month after a weeks-long manhunt that reportedly cost more than $11 million. Frein is also charged with murder and making a weapon of mass destruction, a pipe bomb found in the search.

New surveillance video and police radio calls have been released in the case of the Ferguson, Missouri, police officer who shot and killed the unarmed black teenager in August. The video obtained by the "St. Louis Post-Dispatch" newspaper shows Officer Darren Wilson hours after his fatal encounter with Michael Brown. And police radio calls also released by the "Post-Dispatch" are shedding light on the moments leading up to the confrontation.

Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're taking a stealing in progress from 9101 West Florissant, 9101 West Florissant. Subject may be leaving the business at this time. Stand by for further.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 25, it's going to be a black male in a white T- shirt. He's running toward Quiktrip. He took a whole box of Swisher cigars.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Black male, white T-shirt.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's affirmative. She said he just walked out of the store.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's with another male. He's got a red Cardinals hat, white T-shirt, yellow socks, and khaki short. He was walking up there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 21 to 25 or 22, you guys need me? Dispatch, can you relay? I couldn't hear.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He thinks that they disappeared.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. 21, put me on Canfield with two and send me another car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 25, (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 25.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get me several more units over here, there's going to be a problem.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there any available Ferguson units who can respond to Canfield and Copper Creek, advise?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A grand jury could decide any moment whether to indict Officer Wilson for that shooting.

All right, in many places across the country, wintry weather is here in a very big way.

Jennifer Gray back in from the chill outside, warming up the studio here. So we should all just brace for more chill, shouldn't we?

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. You're exactly right. You know, we've been holding on to this for about a week now, and it could extend for an entire week or more, and still seeing temperatures well below normal. In the southeast, temperatures running about 15 degrees below normal. But in the Midwest and the northern plains, we're seeing temperatures 30 and 40 degrees below normal. So very, very chilly.

And look, the snow coming down, Omaha, coming down at a pretty good rate. Also, Minneapolis seeing the snow. We have video right now, live of Minneapolis. Look at that. That has been one of the hardest hit areas, Fred, with temperatures below freezing since Monday and we could see temperatures stay below freezing for yet another week or more. So, Minneapolis, we're feeling for you right now, because it is brutal right there.

And let me show you what's going to happen over the next couple of days. Chicago will get into that snow. It is going to push to the northeast, Fred, but we are going to see another blast of cold air that's going to reinforce those temperatures, even bring the southeast and the northeast even colder. Good news is, by the week of Thanksgiving, we should start to thaw out a little bit. WHITFIELD: My gosh. I don't know, my toes are cold. I just got

frostbites just looking at those pictures out of Minneapolis.

(LAUGHTER)

GRAY: From looking at Minneapolis. I know.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. I could not handle that kind of cold.

GRAY: Me either.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Jennifer. Appreciate it.

All right, the federal government may be tracking your cell phone calls. Small planes can fly overhead and gather data from most of the U.S. population.

Here now is CNN's Pamela Brown.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, it's no secret that law enforcement has used controversial equipment that mimics a cell tower in order to locate a criminal, but now we're learning, according to the "Wall Street Journal," that the U.S. Marshal Service can use equipment that has the capability to pull in cell phone data from an entire city.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN (voice-over): The U.S. Marshal Service put special devices on small Cessna planes as a way to locate criminals according to the "Wall Street Journal." These devices dubbed Dirtboxes are supposed to trick cell phone into thinking it's a cell tower.

DEVLIN BARRETT, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL": The system is designed to pick up a ton of data because it's looking for a needle in a haystack. But to find that needle, it has to actually, for a brief period of time, look at every other piece of hay in that stack.

BROWN: The special equipment in the planes scans thousands of phones. When it finds a target's phone, the equipment locks on and uses the information to find a suspect's location.

CHRIS SOGHOIAN, ACLU: The advantage of the drone, airplane or helicopter is that they can just search a much larger area much faster, and thus, necessarily get information about a huge number of innocent people.

BROWN: The device is similar to this commonly used cell site simulator known as a Stingray. Government officials say it's intended to be used with a defined, legally authorized purpose in serious violent crimes.

CNN has learned that the technology was used in the capture of El "Chapo" Guzman, the former head a notorious Sinaloa Cartel and one of the most wanted men in the world. SOGHOIAN: This is a military technology originally designed for the

intelligence community and Special Forces that has trickled down bit by bit to law enforcement, and eventually, the state and local law enforcement agencies, too.

BROWN: In a statement, the Department of Justice would not confirm the existence of the technology but says any investigative techniques which the Marshals Service uses are for the apprehension of wanted individuals and not to conduct domestic surveillance or intelligence- gathering.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And a Justice Department official also says that the Marshal Service does not have a database with the cell phone information from the general public, but it's still unclear when that data is deleted -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Pamela.

Government officials say they would obtain a court order or search warrant before using that device. Anyone's data who is not the suspect is supposed to be discarded, but it's unclear how that's done and how often.

All right. After making an improbable 10-year, 310-million-mile journey to a comet, the Philae space probe mission may be over at least for now. The probe is landing on solar power, but it landed in a shady area, and the European Space Agency says its batteries have now run down. But there is one last hope. Mission controllers can possibly position the probe's onboard solar panels to make it, make it be able to take in more sunlight to power it back up. Let's hope so.

All right. Betting on sports is illegal in most of the United States, but the head of the NBA says sports gambling should be legal everywhere. Do you agree?

We weigh the pros and the cons, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Gambling should be allowed at all pro sports. That's the position of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. In a "New York Times" op-ed, he writes this, quote, "Despite legal restrictions, sports betting is widespread. It is a thriving underground business that operates free from regulation or oversight. I believe that sports betting should be brought out of the underground and into the sunlight where it can be appropriately monitored and regulated."

And with me now is CNN Sports commentator, Christine Brennan.

Christine, I'm so glad you're on board the CNN family now. I love having you. Now we can have more of you.

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS COMMENTATOR: Thank you. I, am, too, Fredricka. Great to be on with you. Thanks. WHITFIELD: Great. You're still with "USA Today," but now you're a

CNN contributor, too. So -- all right, so people bet all the time in these so-called fantasy leagues, for example, on the Internet. So is the commissioner right or will there will be come real momentum behind his words that maybe all sports or at least the NBA, betting OK?

BRENNAN: This is an important conversation for us to have as a nation, I think, Fredricka, and Adam Silver, when he talks, we need to listen to him. Of course, this is the man, our first 21st century sports commissioner. Of course he threw the bum out, you know, he threw Donald Sterling out, that was in many ways the first anyone had seen of him, was when he was doing that earlier this year.

So Silver, I think, has some very interesting points. This isn't going to happen tomorrow and it may not happen in our lifetime until it goes to Congress. But I do think that what he is talking about is a reality check. I think for all sports, as he wrote in this piece, some estimates of over $400 billion being wagered on sports illegally in this country every year.

Yes, $400 billion. So, Fred, if you think about that, and you think about, maybe it's time to look into that, I think Adam Silver has a pretty good point.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And is there a feeling that there are a lot of team owners that feel the same way? We know the Dallas Mavericks owner, you know, Mark Cuban, said, yes, he likes the idea. But does, you know, Silver do this, does he take a stab at this issue because he feels like there is that momentum, you know, from other owners, too, or is he the maverick, so to speak?

BRENNAN: Well, I think we could label him a maverick, that's a great point. But I do think there are other owners there, who -- especially younger owners who understand how things are changing. I mean, they are looking for every fan and every click. And if fans end up betting with their iPhones, if that brings more eyeballs to the Web sites and to the games, that's going to be part of this equation.

Now I understand a lot of people will not be comfortable with this, this is -- this is a new concept. But I would present to you, if this occurred, if we had this 40 or 50 years ago, would they have been able to monitor Pete Rose, of course, the most legendary of all gamblers in sports, and catch him as he was betting on baseball before it had gotten too bad or gone too far along?

That's what, I think, we're talking about here. Because it's really about the integrity of the game. And the notion of, can you catch the people within the game who might be fixing the game or trying to cheat? And that is a big part of this equation.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Tough questions.

All right. Christine Brennan, always good to see you, thanks so much.

BRENNAN: Fred, thanks.

WHITFIELD: See you soon.

BRENNAN: Thanks. Take care.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: All right.

All right. New research trials for an Ebola treatment are now set to begin. Why our own Dr. Sanjay Gupta says this could offer new hope for patients worldwide?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In just about an hour from now, another Ebola patient is scheduled to arrive in the U.S. for treatment. Officials say Dr. Martin Salia is a surgeon who worked at a treatment center in Sierra Leone. Salia is a Sierra Leone national but also a permanent resident of the United States. He is expected to be brought to a specially equipped hospital in Nebraska.

In the meantime, there's a new push to try to find help for Ebola patients. Starting next month in West Africa, clinical trials begin. The aid group, Doctors Without Borders, is hosting research projects at three of its treatment centers and I asked chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, about the trials and who the candidates might be.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: So we've got three vaccines. These are clinical trials. Who's a candidate and what might these potentially do?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: These are two experimental drugs and the third thing is actually using blood transfusions. And the idea is that you take the blood of someone who has survived Ebola, give it to somebody who's suffering from it, and maybe something in their blood can help treat it.

Right now they're basically looking at three different centers in West Africa, about 100 people in each place, and really everyone is a potential candidate. There's one particular drug that's not designated for women who are pregnant, but other than that, they just want to start offering options to people. As they've described it, there's really been no hope in terms of treatment. This is going to be the first sign of it.

WHITFIELD: The blood transfusions, we have seen that it works. That has been tried and it's been effective here in the United States. What's different?

GUPTA: Well, you know, the thing is that, you know, when you talk about studies, you really need to have large numbers of people to say that something works or doesn't work. We've certainly seen it used and we know that those people have done well. Was it the blood transfusion? Was it something else? Was it early diagnosis? We don't know the answers to that question. I think that surprises a

lot of people. We've been giving these experimental medications and experimental treatments almost as a Hail Mary because we have no other options.

This is an attempt to at least get some sort of proof that these things work. Who do they work in? When should they be given? How much should be given? How much of an impact can it have? Those are all the questions they want answered.

WHITFIELD: And these candidates will be selected how?

GUPTA: Basically, you have about -- you have several thousand people right now who probably have Ebola infections. These are people who are currently infected. Really, it's anybody who's potentially in these centers. There's 100 people at least they want to look at in each center.

They're not going to do the standard sort of thing where you give some people the medication and some people you don't. They're just going to find people to give them the medication. They're going to see over 14 days, are they more likely to survive than people have in the past with the same infection? If they are, that's going to be a sign of success.

WHITFIELD: Will it matter what stage any of these candidates are in the Ebola disease or virus?

GUPTA: That's what they want to know as well. So people who are later stage versus earlier stage. The thinking seems to be the earlier you give the medication, the better. We had some evidence of that, you may remember, with Mr. Duncan. He got an experimental medication here in the United States brincidofovir. That's a medication that's going to be trialed. He didn't survive.

Ashoka Mukpo in Washington also got that same medication earlier and he did survive. Was that the difference? Again, that's one of the things they want to try and figure out.

WHITFIELD: Is this encouraging to the medical community? That this is taking place at this juncture, especially since we heard the numbers from WHO that the numbers would soar exorbitantly by December if something wasn't done at the source?

GUPTA: You know, my -- some of my sources over there say what took so long? Why haven't we done this sooner? So in that sense, I think it's -- it feels optimistic that it's finally happening in some way. But, you know, these are extraordinary circumstances, Fred. I mean, you're in the middle of a humanitarian epidemic over there, and there's really been no options.

This isn't the way science normally would unfold. But because there aren't any options, they're just sort of trying to give these medications in a way that can not only test them but also potentially help people and offer some hope. They want to prove that these things work. And they're already going back to the drug companies and saying look,

we don't have the results yet, but start making more because if these things come back positive, we don't want to wait another several months before we can actually start helping people.

WHITFIELD: And one would think, particularly in the United States, there might be a lot of hesitation about clinical trials, being that first, you know, candidate. But when we're talking about so many people who are dying at the rate of death in these countries in West Africa, something tells me it's not going to be difficult to get anyone to cooperate.

GUPTA: I think you're right. And you know, in the United States, we have something that's known as compassionate care. And it basically -- it's a risk balance. We're going to give you something that we haven't proven, but we don't have any other options. And if you don't do anything at all, you run a high risk of dying.

It's tough. I mean, no one wants to be in that position. Whether you live here in the United States or you live in West Africa. But I think you're right. For people who are infected right now, what they're being told is that you have a 30 percent to 50 percent chance of -- you have a 50 percent to 70 percent chance of dying. I mean, that's -- those are tough odds.

WHITFIELD: To me it sounds hopeful, but is that the interpretation by most, particularly in the medical community?

GUPTA: I think it's hopeful for two reasons. One is there's some, as you've alluded to, some proof that these medications may work. The animal data was really good. A handful of patients now in the United States have received some of these medications. But I also -- you know, there's been this sense that West Africa's just getting ignored in all this.

In the United States, people got great treatment. They got early treatment. They got experimental drugs. The problem is West Africa. And they've been largely ignored. So the idea that there's now this focus on it, a clinical trial, drug manufacturers stepping up, these big partnerships between Doctors Without Borders and universities, all of that, it's a momentum that I think could make a difference.

WHITFIELD: Fantastic.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

GUPTA: Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Still ahead --

CRISTINA ALESCI, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: More than $600 billion. That's how much Americans are expected to spend this holiday season. How do retailers plan to get you in the door and get a piece of the pie? It's the science behind black Friday when we come back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, it's becoming a Thanksgiving tradition. Huge crowds of people jamming into the stores after waiting in line for hours, sometimes even days, on Black Friday. But as our Christina Alesci found out, there is a lot more science behind this kind of madness that just, I guess, stores are counting on.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALESCI: With Thanksgiving around the corner, retailers are gearing up for a battle. And here's why. Stores can make up to 40 percent of their annual profits in just the last six weeks of the year. But there's a problem these days. The shopping holiday season isn't what it once was.

In 2004, sales grew nearly 7 percent. In 2013, the sales increase was less than half that. This year, retailers have a little bit of a unique opportunity. Low gas prices. People have a little extra spending money. So with billions of dollars at stake, here are a few strategies that brick and mortar stores are using to get a piece of the action.

One, retailers are rolling out promotions early. More people are shopping in November, before Black Friday. So names like target are promoting pre-Black Friday sales. And K-Mart and RadioShack are opening stores on Thanksgiving morning. Two, minimize wait times. Stores are increasing staff and mobile checkouts. Fact is, shoppers are more valuable than ever before. So stores are really working hard to keep them happy.

Three, focus on online sales. Researcher MPD Group says 60 percent of consumers plan to shop online this year. So expect more special online and mobile deals and fewer shipping fees. But at the end of the day, these tactics can only go so far. Ultimately, what people spend and where they spend it comes down to a feeling, how they feel about their jobs, the economy, and how much money is in their pocket.

In New York, I'm Cristina Alesci.