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Wall Street Sets New Record; Darren Wilson Talks Possible Resignation; Yet Another Accusation Against Bill Cosby; Camille Cosby Remains Silent; Posthumous Packages from FSU Shooter
Aired November 21, 2014 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. Are you ready for another Wall Street record? Well, Dow futures were up 148 points before the open after closing at an all-time high.
Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange to watch all the happy faces.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Carol. It's kind of interesting; investors really usually don't like surprises, but this is the kind of the surprise that they can handle.
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China's Central Bank unexpectedly cut interest rates after the country's growth or GDP slowed last quarter to 7.3 percent. I know here in the U.S. we would be cheering at 7.3 percent GDP, since ours is at about 2 percent to 3 percent for the year, but China sees this as an issue. So what it did, it cut its interest rates. Wall Street sees this as a great thing and we're ready to see the bulls run. As we see with the opening bell right now, the Dow is up about 20 points. We're expecting a pretty good rally today on that news.
Also, Europe is factoring in, too. Europe is struggling with its economy as well. We're seeing its economy slow down. So today what happened there is the ECB president came out and said, look, if things continue to be this bad, we're going to go ahead and increase the stimulus we put into our economy. So all this is happening at a time when the U.S. is pulling back on its stimulus, so that's why you're seeing investors here see it as a good thing.
And, once again, we're seeing the Dow up 80 points. Again, in record territory. Did you know the S&P 500 is up 11 percent this year? It's up to its, what, 44th record of the year. It could hit 45 today, Carol.
COSTELLO: That's just crazy. Well, we'll enjoy it while it lasts. Alison Kosik reporting live from the New York Stock Exchange.
Also this morning, in Ferguson, Missouri, the grand jury is meeting, fueling expectations that an announcement is inching ever closer. And amid the rising concerns of new protests and violence comes this, Officer Darren Wilson is now hammering out a deal with the city to resign from the police force. But regardless of whether he's indicted or not, even regardless of his guilt or innocence, what law enforcement agency would possibly hire him? Is his career in law enforcement over no matter what happens?
With me to talk about that, HLN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson is making his way to the set, he'll be here momentarily. And in Atlanta, Cedric Alexander, who is president of the Black Law Enforcement Executives.
Welcome. Thank you so much for being here.
CEDRIC ALEXANDER, PRES., NATL. ORG. OF BLACK LAW ENFORCEMENT EXECUTIVES: Thank you for having me this morning.
COSTELLO: Is Officer Wilson doing the same thing, or doing the right thing, rather?
ALEXANDER: In regards to his willingness --
COSTELLO: To resigning.
ALEXANDER: Well, I think that's a decision that he and his family and -- is going to have to make in light of the circumstances that are occurring in and around Ferguson and around that part of the country, that everyone is watching. And whatever decision that he decides to make, we all are going to be paying very, very close attention to that.
COSTELLO: Would it be possible for him to go back to work if he's not indicted, and work as usual as an officer patrolling the streets?
ALEXANDER: Well, what's going to be interesting is to know if he ever -- even want to go back and be a police officer again in light of all of this. But to the point of your question, I think what is going to be really important as to if he decides, regardless of what the outcome is, if he decides to go back into policing again, that's going to be a decision that that community, that police department, that chief, that leadership in that community are going to have to make that decision as to whether they want to employ him or not. And when you think about community oriented policing across this country and what it means to communities, all of those elements are going to have to be taken into account to anyone who may want to consider hiring him considering the circumstances.
COSTELLO: And the other question I had, will Officer Wilson's resignation have ramifications for other police officers?
ALEXANDER: Well, I can't tell you in regards to Ferguson in and of itself. I think each individual officer inside that department is going to have to make a decision or him or herself. I think that's a community and a police department that somehow, at some point, is going to have to start to heal together because clearly there's been a broken relationship between that department and that community, if it ever was a real solid relationship there at all, which everyone really wonders about. So we're going to see going forward in regards to a lot of these
questions, and particularly over the next couple of days as we all wait for an outcome of this grand jury decision, and that certainly is going to make clear determination as to how things are going to progress forward for that community in regards to its healing process and regards to Officer Wilson's future as well, too.
COSTELLO: Dr. Cedric Alexander, thank you so much for being with me this morning. I appreciate it.
ALEXANDER: Thank you for having me. Thank you.
COSTELLO: Sadly, I don't know where Joey Jackson is. I think he's stuck in the elevator. But he'll join us a little later in the NEWSROOM.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM --
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's amazing. I think it's -- I think it's six years too late.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm angry because I feel the immigration system has failed our family.
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COSTELLO: Tears of happiness and outright anger. The president gets mixed reactions from the American public as he pushes on with a plan to overhaul the immigration system. Up next we'll hear from those who say the president's strategy didn't go far enough.
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COSTELLO: All right, so the Dow's going a little crazy, and I'm talking about in a good way. CNN's Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange.
It continues to rise, right?
KOSIK: It's a payday Friday and you can say thank you, China, because for the first time in two years, China cut its interest rate to boost its economy. That is why you're seeing the Dow and the S&P 500 reach new record highs. Yes, we're seeing the bulls charge ahead. The Dow up 170 points.
China is making the surprise move after its GDP slowed to 7.3 percent. I know you're thinking, 7.3 is pretty darn good, but it's used to something more like 8 percent, although we would really love to see 7.3 percent here. We actually see 2 percent to 3 percent. But, nevertheless, Wall Street seeing this as a good thing because what happens is, when China lowers its interest rate, it's kind of a stimulus. It's an attempt to get, you know, the people in China and businesses there to borrow more money. And that's a good thing because that will get the economy going. Also today, Europe is factoring into this. Its ECB president saying,
look, our economies are struggling too and, if need be, we'll pour more stimulus money into our economies, too. So, on this Friday, we are seeing the Dow up 175 points on that news out of China and Europe.
Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Alison Kosik reporting live from the New York Stock Exchange. Thanks so much.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, more scathing allegations of sexual assault against Bill Cosby. This morning, two more women breaking their silence.
Plus, as the comedian battles a firestorm of accusations, all eyes are on the woman by his side, his wife, Camille. CNN's national correspondent Susan Candiotti has more on that.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, she's the powerful woman behind the man, Camille Cosby. What does she think about the turmoil surrounding her husband? That story coming up.
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COSTELLO: President Obama making a pledge and a promise last night that his new immigration plan will deport felons not families. The decision to take executive action has enraged members of the GOP who say the president is overstepping his legal authority. Outside of the White House, cheers and celebrations as supporters rallied around the president's strategy. Across the country, though, the president's speech was met with mixed reactions.
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When I took office, I committed to fixing this broken immigration system.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This speech disappointing for -- like it completely disappoint me. It's not including my mom. My community is going to still get deported. The deportation machine is still going to be existing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is not a victory yet. We have to keep working for the rest of our families that are just here working, trying to take care of us, to be covered and protected.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE). I'm really happy that this is going to be some people, our families, for our people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Because they will be a burden to the government. I had to work cleaning stalls, taking horses outside. They, the government, give everything to them easily. They don't have to sacrifice like we did to bring our family, being alone, working, working hard. We came in legally, worked, I don't think it's right. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope everybody can be like, you know, like me.
We're just happy. When this happen, I was -- I almost cannot even talk because I was so emotional, you know?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kind of like a bittersweet feeling because I know that even though my mom qualifies, that's going to leave a lot of people out, but it's some sort of relief, at least for two years.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My taxes aren't helping my grandchildren, so why should I help some illegal?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lot of them out here that are really willing to work and they paid their dues in here. We got a lot of people in this country that just aren't willing to work at all and, you know, we need people here that's willing to work.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (via translator): Of course I am happy. Tonight, I am too excited to sleep. But tomorrow when I go to work at the dry cleaners, I will iron shirts with more pride.
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COSTELLO: The president's plan would limit deportations for parents of legal residents who've been in the United States for at least five years. It would also ramp up border security.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, an eerie twist to the Florida State shooting. Friends of the dead gunman will hear from him today. CNN's Nick Valencia is in Tallahassee this morning.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. The Florida State shooter reached out to at least nine friends less than a week before the incident. We'll tell you what he asked them for and why after the break. You're watching the CNN NEWSROOM.
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COSTELLO: Yet another woman is accusing Bill Cosby of groping her. So you can add Linda Traitz's name to the long list of women who say they were victimized by Cosby.
So far, at least nine women have come forward with scathing allegations. Actress Louisa Mortiz, best known for her role in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", is the latest alleged victim to speak out. Moritz tells TMZ Cosby forced himself on her in a dressing room before an appearance on "The Tonight Show" back in 1971. The 68-year- old says although the statute of limitations has run out, she intends to file a civil suit against Cosby.
As I just mentioned, we're also hearing from another woman named Linda Traitz. She says she, too, was sexually assaulted by Cosby when she was a teenager. Traitz spoke with CNN's Alisyn Camerota as and says Cosby groped her after offering her an assortment of pills on the beach. Traitz was working at a restaurant co-owned by Cosby at the time.
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LINDA JOY TRAITZ, ALLEGES SHE WAS SEXUALLY ASSAULTED BY BILL COSBY: He started grabbing at my chest and starting trying to fondle me and then he started to push himself on top of me like against the seat and against the door, as he was groping me. I don't remember the conversation, but I do know that that's when I panicked.
You know, by repeatedly denying and pretty much insinuating that these women are liars, it's re-assaulting them all over again. They had courage. These women had courage to come forth. Way more courage than I did. I'd like him to be held accountable for what he did to these women that he raped.
JIM TRAITZ, LINDA TRAITZ'S BROTHER: God knows how many times he's done it. I don't want to see him get away with it and I don't want to see these women get ridiculed by the huge Bill Cosby PR machine. It just isn't right.
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COSTELLO: Traitz admit she is struggled with drugs in the past, something Cosby's legal team is quick to point out. In a statement to CNN, Cosby's attorney denies her claim and says, quote, "Ms. Traitz's long criminal record for numerous offenses, including charges for criminal fraud, possession of oxycodone, cocaine possession, marijuana possession, and possession of drug paraphernalia, speaks for itself. As the old saying goes, consider the source." End quote.
Despite the firestorm of accusations, Cosby has never been charged. He has repeatedly declined to comment on the allegations, too. Earlier this month he even requested that the Associated Press scrub part of an interview after a reporter pressed him on the matter.
Through all of this, there's been one woman who was -- has remained at Cosby's side, his wife Camille. I want to bring in CNN's national corespondent, Susan Candiotti, to talk more about Mrs. Cosby.
CANDIOTTI: Exactly. Well, she is described as strong, but she is silent despite the turmoil surrounding her husband. But what does Camille Cosby think?
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CANDIOTTI (voice-over): She's the formidable wife of Bill Cosby. Camille, seven years younger than her instantly recognizable husband, she also has a commanding presence. So during a November 6 interview, as Cosby declined comment on a sex allegation, it was hard to take your eyes off Camille, even when he asked the Associated Press to quash his on camera answer.
BILL COSBY, COMEDIAN: Now can I get something from you?
REPORTER: What's that?
COSBY: That none of that will be shown?
REPORTER: 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.
CANDIOTTI: Camille looking on, a smile never leaving her face.
During the hit "Cosby Show", his TV wife Claire Huxtable was based on Camill, Camille even making a guest appearance. Smart, beautiful, wise, unflappable. In real life, the couple exuding charm and classic glamour.
Married 50 years, Camille was only 19 when they tied the knot, meeting on a blind date. She dropped out of college. His career took off with "I Spy," the first American TV drama to star a black man in a leading role. It was the height of the civil rights era.
The couple has five children -- their son, Ennis, murdered in 1997. While grappling with his death, the couple battles a claim from Autumn Jackson, eventually convicted of trying to extort $40 million from the comedian. Jackson threatening to tell tabloids she was his out-of- wedlock daughter. In court, the entertainer admitting to an affair and payments to Autumn's mother, but denying he was her father.
At the time, Camille's publicist reading a statement on her behalf.
DAVID BROKAW, PUBLCIIST: All old personal negative issues between Bill and me were resolved years ago.
CANDIOTTI: Now at least five women are alleging Cosby sexually assaulted them since the 1960s. He's never been charged with a crime and never publicly admitted any sexual assault.
In a 2000 interview, Oprah asked Camille about tough times in their marriage and fooling around. Camille talks about partners being selfish, adding, quote, "You look at each other and determine whether the relationship is worth salvaging, whether you really love each other and want to be together."
Does that hold true now? So far, Camille, like her husband, is silent.
Susan Candiotti, CNN.
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CANDIOTTI (on camera): And Camille Cosby also told Oprah back in the year 2000, Carol, that she doesn't believe in unconditional love; she believes in conditional love. Yet what is she thinking about what's happening now?
COSTELLO: I know. Everybody's dying to hear from one or the other, right? But Bill Cosby, he's working still, right?
CANDIOTTI: He is. He made an appearance just last night in the Bahamas for a women's service group, a volunteer service group. It's international, called The Links. And he carried on. They put out a statement explaining what they thought about everything. And this organization, The Links, said that they're aware of the accusations, they were aware of them, of course they weren't at the time at the time he was booked. But they said that, despite that, these are only accusations; therefore we have no comment about this and we are going forward with the entertainment.
COSTELLO: Susan Candiotti. Thanks so much. That was actually really fascinating. Thank you so much.
A bizarre and eerie twist to a multiple shooting on the campus of Florida State University. Eight friends of the gunman will hear from him posthumously today. Myron May sent those friends packages before entering the university's library where he wounded three people and was shot dead by police. May's eight friends will receive those packages today and they do not know what's inside.
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JOE PAUL, FRIEND OF FSU GUNMAN: People were a little afraid. They were saying, well, I don't know if he meant to harm us or what he was sending us. The fact is -- why did he choose us? Perhaps it's a -- an answer to the why, which is often one of the things that's missing from situations like this. You wonder why would you do this?
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COSTELLO: Very strange. CNN's Nick Valencia is in Tallahasse, Florida. What are authorities saying about these packages?
VALENCIA: Good morning, Carol. We have reached out to the Tallahasse Police Department to ask them if they've made contact or spoken to these - in total it's nine people, nine friends of Myron May, to see if they perhaps have any insight to what is in those packages, or made contact with them. We still have not yet heard back.
But you heard from Joe Paul there; he did an interview with WSBTV, our Atlanta affiliate. And Joe Paul tells us that about five days before the shooting incident, Myron May reached out to him, along with eight other friends, asking for their addresses. Now, Paul says he assumed it was something like a wedding invitation or something to that effect. He told us he never could have expected that his friend would have been the Florida State shooter.
Now, Paul says that he won't be home; he's going to be out of town so he's not going to be around to receive that package. And, again, Carol, we have reached out to the Tallahasse Police Department to try to find out more details about the contents of this package or if they've actually made contact with any of these nine people. So far, we have not heard back. Carol.
COSTELLO: And I'm sure some of the friends are hoping that maybe he'll explain the terrible things that he did at Florida State. Is there any more word on why he would have done such a thing?
VALENCIA: When you talk to the students here at Florida State University, that's the principle question -- why would one of our own do this? Why would he come to the library when he probably knew, they say, students I spoke to, that he knew they were studying. That this was an active week; exams were coming up. So one student I spoke to said he knew what he was doing when he came here. Now, we can't confirm that of course. We still don't have a motive. And yesterday in that police press conference, no motive was given.
Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Nick Valencia reporting live for us from Tallahasse. Thanks so much.
The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts now.
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