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Police on Alert in Ferguson; Buffalo Roof Collapsing; Bills Players in Snow; Cosby Rape Allegations

Aired November 20, 2014 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And here we go. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you so much for joining me on this Thursday. You're watching CNN.

We have to begin with breaking news on this story that has so much of the nation really on edge right now with what this Ferguson grand jury will decide. We still don't know as -- we know that the panel is deciding if Officer Darren Wilson should be indicted for shooting and killing that unarmed teenager, Michael Brown, a couple of months ago. Now we know that multiple agencies across the country have been put on alert ahead of this weekend. So let's get straight to our CNN justice correspondent, Evan Perez, who is live there in Ferguson, Missouri. And also on the phone with me is Carl Herron (ph). He was a crisis response agent for the FBI, so we'll get his perspective.

But, Evan, to you first. Just start with -- tell me what you know.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, Brooke, the concern goes beyond here, beyond the streets here in Ferguson, Missouri, where we know there are going to be protests this weekend in anticipation of a grand jury decision on whether to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting of Michael Brown. We know that there are protests planned around the country -- in cities around the country and so law enforcement, federal and state law enforcement, is getting ready for that because we know that some of those protests will be handling (ph) - will be in front of federal buildings, it will be -- will be targeting the police, protesting police behavior around the country. And so, you know, there's an abundance of caution here that, you know, some of those protests could get out of control and, therefore, you know, officers want to be ready just in case.

BALDWIN: Uh-huh. Evan stay with me and, Carl, let me just bring you in, just as -- with your knowledge of law enforcement. I'm wondering if we just stay specific to Ferguson and the surrounding St. Louis County area, do you think that these local jurisdictions are at least getting help ahead of potential protests, perhaps this weekend, help from other officers in other jurisdictions?

CARL HERRON (ph) (via telephone): Yes. I think they're trying to get ahead of the situation here - there and, you know, based on what has happened in the past there. This is all part of their contingency plan and preparedness for anything bad that could happen.

BANFIELD: Evan, just back to you quickly. The obvious question that many people want the answer to is the, when will the indictment, or not indictment, come down?

PEREZ: Right.

BANFIELD: We don't have that answer. But how much of a heads up, if any, will people have?

PEREZ: Well, Brooke, you know, we know that the grand jury is going to be coming back tomorrow and the deliberation they expect, according to the officials here, they expect will be pretty - really quick. This grand jury has been living with this - with this case for a couple of months now and so they'll give 48 hours' notice to law enforcement. We're told that officer, Federal Protective Service and other agencies have been told to be ready just in case there needed to react to any of the demonstrations that are planned.

BALDWIN: Carl, we know they're already ready. We already know that there have been people, five of whom actually were arrested last night, you know, protesting. They were actually, I think I mentioned, all out of town. So I'm wondering, you know, there are, of course, those, and we talked to those people who truly have this message and want to protest peacefully, no matter the decision here from the grand jury. And then as we saw even back in August, there are these people who come from out of town to just loot and cause trouble.

HERRON: Yes, you will have that element with anything like this where there is protests. Hopefully the -- what law enforcement is doing ahead of this with the notification and being -- getting things together, preparing for it, will help reduce any rioting or violence once the verdict is released.

BANFIELD: All right, Carl Herron, thank you for jumping on the phone for me, and, Evan Perez, thank you for the reporting. If you get anything else, obviously, we'll pop you in front of the camera and get you on live here on CNN.

Meantime to breaking news as well in the Buffalo, New York area, where dozens of nursing home patients are being evacuated. This is what we're getting right now. They're being evacuated because the roof of this nursing home is starting to collapse simply because of the sheer weight of the snow. We've got CNN's Brian Todd. He is there standing by.

Brian, talk to me. Tell me what the situation is.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, this is an active evacuation going on right now. Our photojournalist, Ken Tooi (ph), as soon as this vehicle moves past us, is going to zoom in on the front door of the Garden Gate Nursing Home there where some 180 elderly people are being evacuated from the facility. They are concerned that the roof is about to collapse. You can see several feet of snow on the roof.

What we were told by a fire chief earlier is that some residents noticed some cracking in the walls, some bowing of the ceilings. They brought in some inspectors. They became very concerned. They thought that the building might be compromised and it appears that it is. They're getting people out. Not all of these residents are out of here yet. They brought a few ambulance full of them out, but they still have some people left to bring out. So a real concern here. No injuries yet, Brooke, but they have to try to get these people out.

BALDWIN: Yes.

TODD: We'll take you in there again. You see these emergency responders at the front of the building and here comes another ambulance. It's about to turn in and probably try to get some people out. No, he's passing.

Anyway, this is the situation here, Brooke. This is repeated throughout the Buffalo area with roofs collapsing all over the place or are in danger of collapsing. It's a real concern and first responders just can't get to all of them fast enough.

BALDWIN: Let me just stay on that point. Let me keep you with me, Brian, because, you know, I was talking to the fire commissioner there in Buffalo yesterday and talk about just acts of heroism and true just morale and strength. I mean here you have like record-breaking snow, right, and some of these people have - at least the street I see where you are is cleared. But, you know, I know some of these emergency personnel, I've seen pictures of them carrying patients on stretchers through the snow to the hospital. How's everyone holding up?

TODD: Oh, yes. These guys are incredible. They are bringing in snowmobiles, stretchers to get to people at their homes. We were at a home earlier today where it took firefighters about 30 minutes just to dig through about seven feet of snow just to get to the front door of an elderly woman who needed to get out. Then they got a stretcher in there and carried her over this embankment to get her to a car. Incredible what they're doing to pull these people out.

As I said, they're using snowplow, snowmobiles, stretchers, any means necessary, and they're doing it all over the place. We saw that happen in this town, Cheektowaga, several times just today. Luckily, they've got a passageway in here they can get these vehicles in. We saw some elderly people being brought out in fire vehicles and other things. But it's incredible the heroism taking place here.

BALDWIN: Let me just stay with you and, if you can, have your PJ zoom back in, if you can, through those firefighters behind you. I'd love to get a closer glimpse again of the nursing home.

TODD: Yes.

BALDWIN: And as we -- there we go. As we do so -- here we go. I know it's kind of tough to see with traffic and some of these guys, but do we know where the elderly will be taken?

TODD: What we're told, Brooke, is that they're being taken to a restaurant at a shopping center not far from here for now and then they're going to find some other facilities. They just want to get them into a warm, stable building and then they're going to find other facilities where they can take them. But that's a little unclear at the moment. BALDWIN: My goodness. Brian Todd, thank you so much, in New York, with

all of that snow. And, again, just the incredible strength from these first responders to get through it and get people to safety. Thank you so much. We'll check back in with you.

Now to this. We are mere hours away from President Obama's announcement of his go it alone executive action on immigration. You know, listen, this is a controversial move. It is a move that could shield more than 3 million undocumented immigrants from deportation. The speech, set for tonight at 8:00 Eastern Time, it is already infuriating the Republican Party. Some members of Congress calling the president an emperor for strong-arming the issue without congressional input. So we'll get to the political fallout here in just a second.

But first, just perspective check here. You might have heard the number of undocumented immigrants coming to the United States is rising. That's wrong. OK. According to Pew, you can see that number has actually levelled off. You see the graph.

Where do these undocumented immigrants settle? Well, if you look at the pie chart, the answer, you see the red piece there, California with 25 percent, followed by orange, Texas, and then Florida and then New York.

But the soon to be -- the soon to be expected majority leader in the Senate says this isn't about the people, this is about politics.

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SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), KENTUCKY: It seems to be about what a political party thinks would make for good politics. It seems to be about what a president think would be good for his legacy. Those are not the motivations that should be driving such sweeping action.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Now, President Obama says, hold on, for years he's been saying he did not want to act on immigration without Congress. Here he was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The biggest problems that we're facing right now have to do with George Bush trying to bring more and more power into the executive branch and not go through Congress at all. And that's what I intend to reverse when I'm president of the United States of America.

Congress passes the law. The executive branch's job is to enforce and implement those laws.

I take executive action only when we have a serious problem, a serious issue, and Congress chooses to do nothing.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: We will discuss this throughout the show. Got a number of guests lined up for you. And make sure you watch CNN's live special coverage of the president's address, as we mentioned, tonight, 8:00 Eastern, and we'll watch it here live on CNN. Don't miss that.

Next, as we follow that breaking news as we showed you there in Buffalo, New York, part of the roof, as Brian Todd was covering live for us, it has collapsed. They're having to evacuate a number of these, you know, elderly folks from this home into safe areas because they can't stay there. Our cameras are all over Buffalo and the surrounding area. People in Buffalo still trapped inside their homes as round two of this historic storm is slamming the region. We'll talk to a Buffalo Bills football player.

And new video has surfaced showing Bill Crosby responding to rape allegations. It's awkward and it comes as his entire legacy is threatened. Stay with me.

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BALDWIN: You are watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Round two of this monster snowstorm, deadly monster snowstorm, now slamming Buffalo, New York. Lake-effect conditions could drop two to three more feet - two to three more feet on top of the nearly seven feet that is already sitting there. We know at least eight lives have been lost. Some people are trapped inside of their homes. They're finding ways to capture the jaw-dropping outdoor sense here.

This is actually video from a drone, would you believe, this is drone video from a homeowner who says his neighborhood is totally and completely caked in snow. The Buffalo Bills also documents how the storm is affecting them. The team is tweeting images of what's happening at Ralph Wilson Stadium, if you can even make out the uprights there. There you go. An estimated 220,000 tons of snow has taken over the field.

The Bills, by the way, they've got a game Sunday. Obviously, by the looks of what we're all seeing, it could be in jeopardy. They have volunteers who have been drafted for $10 an hour to shovel the snow. Will they make it? That's the big question.

Some of the players are also posting pictures of themselves in the snow. Apparently shirtless is the theme, you know. So that's what they're doing, enjoying it. Go for it, gentlemen. This is Bills linebacker Kiko Alonso. And I want you to look at Bills wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, again, shirtless fellas.

Marquise joins me on the phone now.

And, listen, I'm not - I'm not objecting to these photos, Marquise. You know, listen, if you want to - if you want to frolic in the snow shirtless, I'm a gal who's not going to - going to disagree with that. But let me ask you, I mean, why'd you do it?

MARQUISE GOODWIN, BUFFALO BILLS WIDE RECEIVER (via telephone): Well, it all started off as a bet between me and my brother.

BALDWIN: Uh-huh.

GOODWIN: When I woke up and I was just like, golly, it's a lot of snow out. So, you know, I was like, Ricky (ph), I dare you to go out in the snow, you know, basically with no clothes on and pose for a picture. And he was like, man, I don't know, I get to keep my socks on. And I was just like, no, I'll just do it for free. So I just decided to go.

BALDWIN: Oh, grown men daring each other. I love it. So is this - is this your backyard? Is this what your neighborhood looks like?

GOODWIN: Yes, my neighborhood is covered in snow. So, yes, that's the back of my yard.

BALDWIN: Are your stuck where you are?

GOODWIN: Oh, yes, I'm stuck. I've been stuck for two and a half days now and this will make three. So just trying to figure out what we can do to stay warm.

BALDWIN: Wow. So here we are, day three, you're stuck, personally, but then we also may be stuck, what, as far as your job goes. You guys have a game, you know, there in Buffalo. We showed pictures of the stadium Sunday. What is the team -- is anyone talking to you guys about back up options if you can't quite play there Sunday?

GOODWIN: We haven't really discussed that. All we're worrying about is our game plan and what we need to do to prepare to try to get a win. You know, we've been doing the best we can dealing with the circumstances that we're in, so we're really just trying to focus on our playbooks and, you know, kind of rest up and get mentally prepared for the game.

BALDWIN: So you're thinking x's and o's and it doesn't matter where you play. Has anyone floated specific cities to you guys or no?

GOODWIN: No, not at all. To my knowledge, you know, I'm just looking over my plays and through the playbook and - but so far we haven't gotten any information as to if we'll be playing in a different location or not.

BALDWIN: OK. I know this is Buffalo. You all are accustomed to lots and lots and lots of snow, but have you ever played in conditions like this before, if you get to play there in your town?

GOODWIN: Excuse me. You kind of cut-out a little bit.

BALDWIN: Sorry, let me try that again. Have you ever - have you ever played in conditions quite like this?

GOODWIN: No. We've gone to practice in some similar conditions, but nothing as drastic as this. This is a lot to deal with.

BALDWIN: OK. I think we might have just lost him. Marquise Goodwin stuck, day three with so many of his - so many people in the neighborhood, including those Buffalo Bills football players. Good luck wherever that game may be played on Sunday. Appreciate you calling in.

Just ahead here on CNN, as new video surfaces showing Bill Crosby reacting to these rape allegations against him, I'll talk live with a woman who says she knows the reason why America was so desperate, her words, so desperate to ignore the accusations. The onus on us, folks.

And, more on our breaking news out of Ferguson. With a grand jury decision imminent, one company is giving out cameras for people to monitor police behavior during protests. Hear how cop watch will work.

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BALDWIN: As Bill Cosby's latest career comeback falls apart, his sitcom development deal cancelled by NBC, "Crosby Show" reruns dropped by TV Land, his comedy special postponed by Netflix, a little episode surfaces that Crosby probably does not want you to see. This is from November 6th. It's an interview with the Associated Press. This AP reporter asks Bill Crosby about these allegations that he raped women. Cosby's response, "I don't talk about that." The interview ends. But Cosby isn't finished. With the camera still rolling, he presses the reporter to scuttle that part of the interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL COSBY, COMEDIAN: Now, can I get something from you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's that?

COSBY: That none of that will be shown.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I - I can't promise that myself, but you didn't say anything --

COSBY: I know I didn't say anything, but I'm asking your integrity that since I didn't want to say anything, but I did answer you in terms of I don't want to say anything, of what value will it have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Something there Bill Cosby didn't want you to see. But there is something about Bill Cosby that we, the collective we, don't want to see. Amanda Taub writes about that today for Vox Media. Amanda joins me here in New York.

Good to see you.

The headline of your piece, "Why We Were So Desperate to Ignore the Bill Cosby Rape Allegations." And let me just pose a question you actually pose in your piece, and that is, why did this take so long to become news?

AMANDA TAUB, REPORTER, VOX MEDIA: You know, I think that the answer is how beloved a character Bill Cosby was in all of our lives, we really didn't want to believe it. You know, "The Cosby Show," his comedy, to many people in this country he felt like a family member. And to believe these allegations, or really even to pay attention to them meant losing that, letting that figure, that comedy that he created be tainted by the allegations.

BALDWIN: You mentioned sort of like we would have had to sacrifice that and a lot of us weren't willing to do so. And so there was another piece in "The Atlantic." Ta-Nehisi Coates, I think, spring boarding off of that idea, says it's the heart of the matter. He writes, "it is hard to accept that people we love in one arena can commit great evil in another. It is hard to believe that Bill Cosby is a serial rapist because the belief just doesn't indict Cosby, it indicts us. It damns us for drawing intimate conclusions about people based on putting pop commercials in (ph) popular TV shows." Do you agree?

TAUB: I do. You know, I think that we have this fear of losing people who are important to us, whether it's Bill Cosby or, you know, whether these allegations could be made against people we care about and I think it makes us do bad things. I think it makes us ignore bad things that have happened and I think it makes us ignore danger that people are in.

BALDWIN: He's really said nothing. He being Bill Cosby. His lawyers saying these are decades-old allegations. I believe on the Dickens (ph) story they specifically said it was a complete lie. That said, again, no charges have been filed.

TAUB: Right. Right.

BALDWIN: I mean to say that till I'm blue in the face on this story. But at the same time, you have the Chris Brown, the Roman Polanskis, the Woody Allen's, the Mike Tyson, you know, all out there. People continue to be big fans of theirs. Do you think if - if these allegations are true, that America, we loves a good redemption story, could forgive and forget Bill Cosby?

TAUB: You know, I think that before you can even consider redemption, there has to be some sort of reason to offer it. And until now, Bill Cosby has just been ignoring the allegations. You just showed the video, he refused to even respond to them. And, you know, these women have come forward at great personal risk to make these allegations. You know, I think that's not - that can't be a pleasant thing for anyone to go through. And so I think before we could even consider talking about redemption, there would have to be a reason. Bill Cosby would have to give us a reason to be considering that.

BALDWIN: Obviously we're talking about this because of Bill Cosby, but you make the point in your piece, you know, it's also institutions, we're all guilty of not wanting to believe that something could do wrong, our good friends. It's not just Hollywood stars. It's not just, you know, the father types of America on "The Cosby Show."

TAUB: It's true. I mean I think that the truth is we would like to believe that only kind of monstrous strangers could do something like this, but it's not something that could ever touch people we care about. And I think that's not true. And I think that allegations like this are a reminder of the fact that it's not true. And that's one of the reasons why we're so eager to ignore them and why we did ignore them for so long.

BALDWIN: Amanda Taub, thank you so much, Vox Media. I appreciate you coming in and talking to me about this.

More on our breaking news story. Now with that grand jury verdict imminent and the feds on alert, one group is offering cameras to protesters in Ferguson. The group is called Cop Watch. They want people to be able to film police. We'll talk live with the group, next.

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