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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Three Wounded in Texas College Shooting; Washington's Revolving Door; Inside Prince Harry's Afghan Deployment; Clinton To Face Tough Questions On Benghazi; General Allen Cleared In Petraeus Scandal; Bob Costas On Manti Te'O Mystery; Interview with Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee
Aired January 22, 2013 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Erin, thanks.
Tonight the people who think there's a revolving door on this place. So meet a newly re-elected congresswoman who should just be starting her new term. Instead she's already leaving and using what she learned here in Capitol to cash in. We're "Keeping Them Honest."
Also later the man who designed First Lady Michelle Obama's inaugural gown this time and last time four years ago. We'll talk live with designer Jason Wu who's gone from eating Domino's Pizza to seeing his dreams come true.
But we begin tonight with breaking news. Students speaking about the terror they lived through today at a community college in Houston, Texas. And new video up close of the drama as it unfolded today at Lone Star College.
Now what apparently began as an altercation escalated into yet another horrifyingly familiar scene, all of it happening in the middle of a national debate on how to stop gun violence. Three people hurt, two detained, an awful lot of unanswered questions. Even at this hour.
Ed Lavandera is on the scene right now. He joins us now.
What's the latest, Ed? What did you find out about the shooting?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Anderson. Well, the two people involved in this altercation, apparently only one gun involved, were two of the three that were wounded. The third person that was wounded was a maintenance worker here at Lone Star college who was standing nearby. He was wounded in the leg and is being treated at the hospital tonight.
Right now we know that investigators are interviewing the two suspects and the two men involved in the altercation. So far no criminal charges have been filed and no one has been arrested. So they're still trying to piece together exactly what led to all of this. So far the best accounts that we've gotten from what happened I think comes from one of the students at the school who's about 10 feet away and said that they could hear the students arguing or actually only one of the students arguing about something, and then all of a sudden it started escalating.
According to that one student, she said that it seemed like something that could have been resolved but it just kept getting worse. And I mentioned there was only one student, authorities here say only one of the two suspects had a student I.D., so it's not clear if that second -- where that second person came from, if they should have even been on the campus to begin with.
COOPER: And again, we are seeing this video for the first time as our viewers are seeing it, this is brand new video to us. I saw some reports earlier today that it might have been gang related. I know the sheriff was asked about this. What do you know?
LAVANDERA: Well, we've been asking around about that as well. The sheriff was asked -- or the acting sheriff was asked this afternoon at a press conference and didn't have any information or refused to give any information on that, so we'll continue to look into that as best we can.
COOPER: In today's press conference, the chancellor of the school said the staff had recently trained for this kind of an incident, correct?
LAVANDERA: Yes, that's interesting. Over the last seven days the chancellor of the school said that the staff -- faculty and staff had gone over training drills, what to do in scenarios just like this, some three times. All of this, of course in the wake of the shootings across the country especially in Sandy Hook in Connecticut.
COOPER: All right. Appreciate the update. Thanks.
With us now by phone is freshman Amanda Vazquez who was in English class when she heard shots ring out.
Amanda, first of all, how are you doing tonight?
AMANDA VASQUEZ, LONE STAR FRESHMAN (via phone): I'm feeling a lot better than I was earlier, of course.
COOPER: Yes.
VASQUEZ: And around family.
COOPER: I can't imagine. Can you take us through what happened, what you saw -- what you saw and what you heard?
VASQUEZ: I was waiting on my English class to start. It was about five minutes before it started. And all of a sudden I heard about six shots down the hallway. And I just started hearing people shouting and yelling, and running, people just running. And I immediately tried to get under the desk, you know, tried to hide. You know, of course, this is my instinct was telling me to do. And there's people that even came into our room seeking shelter.
The gun and -- or the altercation that was going on and the lady in there, she was trying to -- she is training to be an EMT or something like that. And she took charge immediately. And was like, everybody, you need to get over here where -- so that if the gunman looks in here, he doesn't see you. And turned off the lights, put the table by the door. And I called my mom as soon as I could just because, you never know. I do know if this was going to be the last time I was going to be able to speak with her.
So I just wanted to make sure that she knew that I loved her just in case. And I wanted to let others know in the school not to come in there. And I only had wi-fi once I moved to the other side of the room to hide, I only had wi-fi. So I immediately went to Twitter because I know that's where the majority of people who follow me are from Lone Star.
And I was trying to advise them not to come into the Academic Building because it's not safe. I didn't want anyone else injured. And so --
COOPER: Did you hear any kind of altercation or words before the shots began?
VASQUEZ: No. I just heard the shots being fired.
COOPER: And you say you think it was about six shots?
VASQUEZ: Yes. Yes, sir.
COOPER: How long did all this go on for? Can you tell?
VASQUEZ: The shooting or how long we were stuck in the room or?
COOPER: Well, the shooting, because I understand it kind of -- they kind of moved location. Is that true? There was an earlier report that it either moved from the Academic Building to the library or vice versa.
VASQUEZ: It seemed to happen really quickly. I can't really give you a number. I just -- my mind was going so fast in those moments.
COOPER: And how long did you stay in the classroom?
VASQUEZ: About 30 minutes. We were just waiting there silently, you know, calling loved ones, just in case, you know, it was our last time, just trying to let them know.
COOPER: And then finally -- finally what made you leave the classroom? Did police show up?
VASQUEZ: Police came in the room, and they said that we need to put our hands behind our head and evacuate immediately, and so we -- we did. We ran out of there. You know, we didn't want to be in there anymore. We knew that there's still a gunman on the loose. So we just wanted to be out of there and in safety.
COOPER: I mean, this is the kind of thing obviously you've seen on television, you've seen on the news, but to actually go through it, to experience it, what do you -- what do you want people to know? I mean, what do you -- do you take away anything from this? Do you learn anything from this?
VASQUEZ: Well, one thing that really stuck out to me is you just never know when it's going to be your time to go. So you always need to tell your family that you love them. And don't hold any grudges. You never want to end your life and -- and to have those -- tell your family every day and any loved one that you have, husband, wife, girlfriend or boyfriend, tell them that you love them.
COOPER: Well, Amanda, I -- I wish you the best. I'm so glad things turned out OK for you and your other classmates in that room. And thank you for talking to us.
VASQUEZ: Thank you.
COOPER: You take care.
Joining us now is Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. This happened in her district as she was attending a violence prevention forum in Washington. In just a few minutes, she'll leave us to speak with Vice President Biden about the shooting.
Also Texas state Senator Dan Patrick who recently co-authored a bill that would allow people on college campuses and the state to carry concealed weapons.
Senator Patrick, it seems like this was some sort of personal dispute that spiraled out of control. Still details we don't know. Which would mean that it could have turned into a shooting incident that endangered other people only because the suspects or one of the suspects had a gun on them.
Does anything that happened today make you rethink whether it's a good idea to have young people carrying guns with them on our campus or anywhere?
DAN PATRICK, TEXAS STATE SENATE: Well -- well, Anderson, with all due respect, I don't think a lot of people in the mainstream media maybe back east understand Texas. And in Texas we understand that you have to be 21 to have a CHL on campus. And in fact -- and Senator Brian Birdwell who's the lead on this bill and 12 of us have already co-authored the bill with him.
You have to understand, Anderson, when things happen like this, it only -- it only re-emphasizes the issue that people must have a right to defend themselves. People who are responsible, people with CHLs, by the way, who have hardly ever been involved in a crime or a gun crime. I mean, less than 1 percent of CHL holders, and we have half a million in the state, have ever been involved in a crime.
These are responsible adults, 21 and over, who would be professors, who would be maybe that maintenance workers, who would be adult students. These would be the people who would be allowed to carry a weapon, Anderson. And here's the other point of this. Thank goodness this wasn't an active shooter randomly shooting at people on the campus. It's terrible the situation that it was, but it wasn't an active shooter.
But one of the reasons, Anderson, that we want adult and students 21 and over to be able to carry their legally licensed firearm on campus is because a lot of crime happens on campus. The young lady who might be walking at night after a class to her car who has a CHL but can't have it with her because it's not allowed by the university.
You know, campuses have thousands of people on it, Anderson, there are lots of crime, sadly that goes on. I want my young daughter or I want my young son to be able to go to college if he has a CHL and he's 21 or over, and to be able to carry that weapon and defend himself in a situation like today, an active shooter, or someone just coming up and trying to rob him.
It is every American's right to defend their life. It's guaranteed in the Constitution, Anderson. No, this doesn't -- we don't back up at all from this. This only reaffirms why we need to do this and why we're supporting Senator Brian Birdwell's bill.
COOPER: Congresswoman, your thoughts on that?
REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE (D), TEXAS: First of all, Anderson, thank you so very much for having me and certainly Senator Patrick. My sympathy goes out to all of those who were impacted and who cannot empathize with Amanda and I wish her well and I wish her future years of great success in what she's trying to do.
COOPER: Right. To the point -- to the point, though, that the senator was saying?
JACKSON LEE: Well, let me say this. My focus this evening is on the tragedy, but what I will say is that in knowing this campus and having spoken to those who are there, this tragedy could not have been helped by the present legislation. I know when the concealed weapons bill was passed some many years ago the wisdom of the legislature at that time was to not allow concealed weapons to be on campuses and I believe they were right.
Just take the situation today that if there were numbers of shooters, we know full well during the tragedy of my colleague, Congresswoman Giffords, that there was a potential of shooting the wrong person because someone did have a gun. Now I'm not suggesting that they couldn't have been more helpful then, but just imagine gun- toting students who didn't know who it was, thought it might have been an active shooter, and the shooting level would have heightened and more would have been injured.
Right now there are three persons as we understand who have been shot, who were hospitalized. One who had a medical issue. The panic was extensive. But in talking to the chairman of the board of Lone Star, this college has been there for 40 years and this incident has never happened. The bill that has been introduced in the state legislature, time is not now. In fact we need less guns, not more. When we had a hearing just the other week, there were police persons saying we are frightened of being outgunned. The records show that there were more than 200 police or more on the scene in two minutes. The Harris County Sheriff's Department was there in two minutes. The EMS paramedics were there in two minutes. Why -- or less. Because that school trains paramedics.
COOPER: Right.
JACKSON LEE: I'd rather them be training paramedics and first responders than arming students. And I don't think Amanda -- I cannot speak for her -- would have been happier if she had a gun in her hand and was told now you go find the perpetrator and try to take them down.
COOPER: Senator -- Senator, hold --
(CROSSTALK)
PATRICK: Well, with all -- with all --
COOPER: Well, Senator, there's a lot of responsible, you know, young people, 21 and older, on college campuses, but a lot of folks in our college campuses --
PATRICK: Right. Yes. And in our military who defend our nation are very responsible.
COOPER: Right, yes, I know. But a lot of folks on college campuses also do really stupid stuff even if they're 21 or 22. When I was in college I went to a pretty good school and I'm a relatively smart guy, I did a lot of stupid stuff that I probably regret. I'm not sure I would want my roommates who are also doing stupid stuff to have had access to handguns --
PATRICK: Well --
COOPER: -- even though they were responsible folks.
PATRICK: Well, we do our best --
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: Even in the number of suicides on campuses, doesn't the presence of weapons make suicide even more likely?
PATRICK: First of all, I reject my good friend, the congressman's comment of gun-toting students. You have to understand you go through background checks. You are proficient in shooting. You learn the laws.
The time has proven, Anderson, since the late '90s when this bill originally passed that CHL holders in Texas are very responsible citizens. In fact people who do not have a CHL are 16 times more likely to commit a crime.
JACKSON LEE: Anderson, if I may?
PATRICK: Less than a fraction of a percent have ever been involved in a crime. These are responsible adults. They're not toting guns around.
COOPER: But you mentioned -- but you mention our troops. More of our troops are dying from suicide this past year than in combat.
PATRICK: Anderson -- Anderson, you're better -- you're a better journalist than to go down that rabbit trap.
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: I'm just -- no, sir, I'm asking -- I'm asking a question. That suicide is a very real issue --
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: I'm not getting into an argument. I'm just stating a fact.
PATRICK: If that's -- Anderson, no, you're asking me about an issue that has nothing to do with carrying guns on a college campus.
COOPER: Suicide doesn't? The -- the high number of suicides on college campuses has nothing to do with access to firearms?
PATRICK: Anderson. Anderson. If that's the best you have to debate this issue, that's a pretty sad statement.
COOPER: I'm not debating with you, sir. I'm asking a question. If you can't answer the question, that's fine.
PATRICK: I don't know. I don't know what --
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: You can attack me all you want.
JACKSON LEE: Let me disagree with my friend, Senator Patrick.
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: Congresswoman?
JACKSON LEE: Let me disagree with my friend, Senator Patrick. There have been a million homicides in America since 1968, the killing of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy. Yes, Texas has had a concealed weapons law, but even as they have had it, it is not a law that has a component to it that can say without doubt that every person who is now holding a concealed weapon is not suffering from a mental health issue, is not prone to high temper --
(CROSSTALK) COOPER: Congresswoman, let me push back on your position because I'm not trying to take a side here.
PATRICK: We have had -- there's nothing to back up --
COOPER: Hold on, Senator. Let me just -- I'm siding with you on this one. I mean, I'm not taking sides, I'm just pushing back, Congresswoman, on what you're saying.
Why shouldn't that young woman who we spoke to have the ability to have a weapon and not cower in a classroom under a desk hoping that the authorities show up? Why shouldn't she have the ability to be armed and respond if that gunman does come into the classroom?
JACKSON LEE: I'm very happy to say that. Because we're not talking about just that young woman. We're talking about individuals all over campuses throughout the state of Texas having guns, some more prepared than others. And the fact that you have guns on campus that may be one by a concealed weapons permit holder that gun can get in the hands of others. It's the responsibility of our campuses to secure --
PATRICK: Yes. And took the guns the criminal her, Congresswoman.
JACKSON LEE: -- those campuses. And I believe Lone Star had the best response or a very full response both in terms of notification. I know there's some question about that. But they evacuated quickly.
PATRICK: Can I -- can I ask you this question, Congresswoman?
JACKSON LEE: The sheriff's department -- no, let me -- let me finish. The Sheriff's Department was there, the EMS was there.
So my concern, Anderson, is I believe in responsible gun ownership. I believe in the Second Amendment.
PATRICK: Thank you.
JACKSON LEE: I am from Texas. I passed sensible gun legislation as a councilmember dealing with gun safety and securing your guns.
COOPER: Right.
JACKSON LEE: But to have guns on campuses with young people, 21 or older.
COOPER: OK. I hear you.
JACKSON LEE: When they're supposed to be there for an academic reason.
PATRICK: Yes. Just because you're 21 --
JACKSON LEE: I can tell you that that is -- that is trumped only a match on gasoline. PATRICK: Just because you're 21 --
COOPER: Senator, final thoughts. We've heard --
(CROSSTALK)
PATRICK: You should be able to defend your life.
COOPER: All right.
JACKSON LEE: It is not an appropriate. My sympathy to those who are now injured.
COOPER: Congresswoman, thank you. Appreciate your time as well.
JACKSON LEE: Thank you for having me.
COOPER: Let me know what you think.
PATRICK: Thank you.
COOPER: You can follow me on Twitter right now @AndersonCooper. I'm tweeting tonight.
Just ahead, why would a newly re-elected congresswoman leave Congress just days before she was supposed to get back to work serving the people who put her there? "Keeping Them Honest." We tried to ask her and ask her if big money on the outside have something to do with it? See what she has to say next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time, but it does require us to act in our time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Millions of Americans, of course, watched President Obama lay out his vision for the country yesterday. "Keeping Them Honest," though, even as he spoke, another big Washington power player was already gearing up to advance its agenda. Not lawmakers, not administrators, not judges or journalists. Lobbyists. An army of influenced peddlers and access seekers and opinion shapers, gearing up for battle to block bills or change them, insert loopholes or widen them. We're talking Republicans, Democrats, you name it. Now you might like some of what they're doing but chances are you won't be crazy about this.
A congresswoman who just got re-elected but to leave -- but is leaving already taking what she learned in Congress to get paid big dollars, leaving the people who elected her, basically high and dry.
Drew Griffin tonight is "Keeping Them Honest." (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She may be the perfect example of what Washington critics call the revolving door syndrome.
(On camera): Congresswoman? Congresswoman Emerson, it's Drew Griffin with CNN.
(Voice-over): Which could explain why all we got from Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson was the slam-door treatment. The southeast Missouri Republican is quitting Congress. Not because she lost. In fact, she just won her last election to her 10th term by a landslide. She's quitting because she landed a job back in what you might call the real family business, the politics of influencing Congress.
Follow the lineage. In the '70s, Jo Ann Emerson, a Washington, D.C. native, married a lobbyist named Bill Emerson. When lobbyist Bill Emerson went on to become congressman from Missouri, Jo Ann went on to become a lobbyist for the restaurant industry. When he died of cancer in 1996 she took his seat and she served nine terms since then.
And while the combined Emersons were spending 32 years in the Congress they were raising two daughters, both of whom who are now registered lobbyists.
Now Congresswoman Emerson goes back to a trade association directing a team of lobbyists.
KATHY KIELY, SUNLIGHT FOUNDATION: It's the personification of the revolving door.
GRIFFIN: Kathy Kyle with the Sunlight Foundation says it's a revolving door of lobbyists and politicians and staff members and big payoff jobs that erode Americans' faith in a system that seems to be driven by special interest, access and money.
KIELY: What people do see is that there's a network of individuals who don't necessarily have the public interests at heart. They have special interests at heart. And those -- when people have the impression that those special interests are dominating Washington and the way things work here, it reduces people's faith in their government. And it probably should.
GRIFFIN: Technically speaking, Jo Ann Emerson is not becoming a lobbyist, at least not yet. She has been named the new CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. She will direct a group that has a staff of lobbyists that spent $3.5 million handing out campaign contributions in the last election and has spent many more millions lobbying Congress.
Her predecessor was paid $1.6 million a year. That predecessor, a former congressman himself, and a registered lobbyist. Glenn English. (On camera): So this organization must value your participation in Congress more than your CEO experience when you came in and that's the same thing with her.
GLENN ENGLISH, CEO, NATIONAL RURAL ELECTRIC COOPERATION: I think so. I think that's probably true. I think the membership recognizes out there that one of the very important functions of this organization, of course, is making sure that we're well represented within Congress.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): Jo Ann Emerson is one of five members of Congress leaving office in 2013 to become part of the lobbying/influence community in D.C. One of them, North Carolina's Heath Shuler, who was asked about that back in December.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Are you planning to become a lobbyist?
REP. HEATH SHULER (D), NORTH CAROLINA: No.
GRIFFIN: Despite that assertion he's taken a job as senior vice president of federal affairs for Duke Energy.
(On camera): Technically, this freshman crop of brand new lobbyists won't be able to lobby Congress officially for two years, which is in the bizarre world of loophole Washington making them all the more valuable.
KIELY: They're still in the influence business, but they're not registered lobbyists, which, in fact, enhances their influence.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): In fact, official registered lobbyists are so concerned about all these unregistered influencers that the American League of Lobbyists wants to impose new rules especially aimed at former members of Congress who can still use the congressional gym, walk on to the House floor, or use all their past contacts to, well, influence.
So what does the congresswoman have to say about all this? That's what brings us back to the halls of the Rayburn Congressional Office Building. The congresswoman agreed to talk to us in Washington Monday at 5:00, then a few days later, she backed out. Her aide telling us the congresswoman just didn't think it was such a good idea.
(On camera): Leaving us to have to come to Washington to the halls of Congress to play the bad guy, staking out Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson just to try to get a comment.
(Voice-over): And about 5:0 Monday there she was emerging from an elevator.
(On camera): Congresswoman? Congresswoman Emerson, it's Drew Griffin with CNN. Can you give us five minutes, Congresswoman? Congresswoman Emerson?
(Voice-over): And there she went into her soon-to-be-vacated office. So we waited.
(On camera): Can you tell us why you're leaving Congress? Can you tell us why after you won an election pretty well, why would you leave Congress to take basically a lobbying job? Congresswoman?
(Voice-over): Back in Missouri, the state now must hold a special election to fill the seat Jo Ann Emerson is walking away from. That will cost taxpayers nearly $1 million.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: And Drew Griffin joins me now. So, Drew, you reported she won by a landslide in November. Then announced she was quitting December. Why didn't she quit before the election when she knew she was leaving.
GRIFFIN: One of the big questions we wanted to ask her, Anderson. And also ask her, how early did she know she'd be leaving? Right? She actually filed paper work with the House stating that really within days, nine days after the election she was already in talks to take over this $1.5 million job.
Her chief of staff told us the job opportunity just popped up out of the blue. Seems remarkable, especially when you also see that the National Rural Electric Cooperative has been the congresswoman's biggest single campaign donor contributing $72,000 to her and her husband over the years and another 20 grand just to the congresswoman political action committee.
COOPER: So now they're going to actually pay her a lot more than that. In fact, a lot more than she would make if she stayed in Congress, right? I mean, that's not -- that's way more than her salary.
GRIFFIN: It is a major pay boost, we think. We don't know the exact figures yet. But as a member of Congress, she would be paid $174,000 a year. That's a lot, of course, for a lot of us. And while we don't know exactly what she's gong to make as the head of this trade association, she's replacing a guy, a former congressman, who made $1.6 million a year. That's nearly 10 times the salary of a member of Congress.
COOPER: Wow, all right, Drew, fascinating that she wouldn't talk to you.
Up next -- thanks.
Prince Harry, as you probably never seen him before. The third in line to the throne gives reporters including CNN a rare look inside his tour of duty in Afghanistan. A lot of what he says about killing the enemy, becoming an uncle, has been making headlines all across the world. We'll see -- find out why next.
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COOPER: Britain's Prince Harry finished a tour of duty in Afghanistan. He acknowledges he had to kill enemy Taliban fighters while on his deployment. He was serving thousands of miles away from the luxury of the palaces he calls home instead settling into far more modest accommodations obviously.
Well, back home, he might have the reputation of the party prince, with his squadron he's known as Captain of Wales. Max Foster went to Afghanistan for a firsthand look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They call this VHR, very high readiness. It might look like downtime, but the call to fly can come at any time. It happened once in the middle of an interview.
It wasn't just being able to do his job that made Harry value his deployment to Afghanistan so highly. It was the simplicity of his life out here.
(on camera): Prince Harry stayed in these simple containers when he was here in Camp Bastion. It's a far cry from the palaces he grew up in.
(voice-over): And when he was working overnights, things were even more basic.
PRINCE HARRY: This is my bed. I will make it when I'm done here. It's a joy, made. This is as much privacy as one would get.
FOSTER: It was while he was out here that Harry received news his sister-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge was expecting a baby.
PRINCE HARRY: Can't wait to be an uncle. Very unfortunate they were forced to publicize it when they were, but that's the media for you. I hope she gets the necessary protection to allow her as a mother to be to enjoy the privacy that comes with.
FOSTER: Harry's own privacy is clearly a concern for the prince as well and he made little attempts to hide it.
PRINCE HARRY: I never wanted you guys to be out here, but there was an agreement made to invite you out on the deal that you -- that the media didn't speculate before the deployment. That's the only reason you guys are out here.
FOSTER: Back home, the media glare will inevitably be brighter and the pressure is back on to find a partner.
PRINCE HARRY: Find the right person, everything feels right it takes time, especially for myself and my brother. You will never find someone who will jump into the position that it would hold, simple as that.
FOSTER: Perhaps Harry's main interests himself will be getting back out to the front line as soon as he can. Max Foster, CNN, Camp Bastian, Afghanistan. (END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: There's a lot more happening tonight. Isha is here with a "360 News and Business Bulletin." Isha, what are you covering?
ISHA SESAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be grilled on Capitol Hill tomorrow about the deadly attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi. She'll face both the House and Senate Foreign Relations Committees. The attack on September 11th last year left four Americans dead including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens.
The top commander in Afghanistan General John Allen has been cleared of wrongdoing in the sex scandal that led David Petraeus to step down as CIA director. Allen faced allegations he wrote potentially inappropriate e-mails to Jill Kelly, the woman who claim shed was being threatened by Paula Broadwell, Petraeus' biography and lover.
And Anderson, finally, take a look at this. Overseas, terrifying video from a subway station in Madrid, you see that? A woman faints and falls on to the tracks just as a train is approaching. An off- duty police officer jumps into action, rescues the woman while bystanders wave down the train, which stops just in time.
COOPER: Incredible pictures, scary stuff. Isha, thanks very much.
Next, the Manti Te'O affair and what, if anything, he can say to clear up the most confusing phony love story college football has ever seen. Bob Costas is along with all of us is along for the ride. He is going to join us live next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Welcome back. College football star Manti Te'O may prefer the glare of stadium lights, but this week, he's going to step back into the media spotlight. For the first time he'll face the cameras and explain in his own words how he says he was the victim of an elaborate hoax that not only convinced him he was dating a woman that did not exist, but also left him devastated after being told she'd died.
Throughout this past college football season, he repeated the tragic tale of her death from leukemia coming on the same day his grandmother died just hours after. But Te'O waited until the sports blog, "Deadspin" broke the story last week to clarify that he actually never met her.
Now we're learning the identity of the picture he believed was the girlfriend turns out her real name is Diane O'Meara. Speaking to NBC, she said a mutual acquaintance was behind the hoax.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He has called and not only confessed, but he's also apologized. But I don't think there's anything you can say to me that would fix this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Also claims the allege hoaxer she calls Ronnie also admitted to years of stalking her Facebook profile and stealing photos. Now his uncle says he may speak out this week as well offering his side of the story.
Fewer in sports have sat down to interview as many athletes as NBC's Sports Bob Costas. Perhaps few can say they've had the front row seat he can say to so many of the sports highs and lows. He joins me now live. I mean, you've covered virtually every sports.
BOB COSTAS, NBC SPORTS: Nothing like this.
COOPER: Have you ever seen anything like this?
COSTAS: Nothing that compares to this. Some sort of window into what social media is doing to people's lives, much of it I'm sure positive, but the pitfalls here are so obvious. I cited this before and I apologize if people heard me earlier, but there was a famous New Yorker cartoon three or four years ago.
And a dog is sitting at a computer pecking away with its paws. And the dog looks over and looks at its master, on the internet, no one knows you're a dog. We ought to keep that in mind in some of these situations. You can understand what the motivation might be for this Tuiasosopo guy.
Either he's got some perverse fascination with this woman and wants to humiliate her or he thinks he can put Manti Te'O in a position where he extort some money from him or get some sort of consideration from him. But it's harder to figure out what Manti Te'O's motivation was especially once the thing began to play out.
COOPER: I didn't understand earlier on why he wouldn't -- if he wasn't in on it why he wouldn't have said as part of this story, the strangest thing about this, I never met her yet I'm in love with her.
COSTAS: Right.
COOPER: In talking to people who focus on social media and relationships online, I guess there still is a level of shame involved in some of these relationships. People don't want to admit they've never actually met the person, but there are inconsistencies in the story.
COSTAS: In the case of some of the people who have those sorts of circumstances, logistically maybe they can't get together or they may have other impediments to social interaction.
None of that would apply to a big man on campus at Notre Dame who by all accounts was surrounded by young women and had their attention so wasn't in need of reaching out in this way.
And then he constructs a story or at least goes along with a story that includes him not being at her bedside when she's deathly ill.
COOPER: And it never even occurred to him to go visit his dying girlfriend.
COSTAS: Yes, and not attending the funeral. At some point this begins to make so little sense that he had to figure he was smart enough to gain admission to Notre Dame even if they made an exception to some extent for a football player, you got to be awfully dumb not to think this isn't going to blow up in your face pretty soon.
COOPER: Your gut feeling is that at some point he must have known something but was too deep in?
COSTAS: That's a gut feeling with absolutely no inside information that he got too deep in, but that he also saw that the story was playing out sympathetically. "Sports Illustrated" wrote a sympathetic profile of it. That his girlfriend had died on the same day as his grandmother had passed away.
He plays on heroically through the season. They have an undefeated season. There's a mythology attached to Notre Dame that not many other entities in sports have, and people like these kinds of stories. And for while it played well for him.
COOPER: You've seen people rise and fall and rise again in sports I'm wondering about your thoughts on Lance Armstrong. Should he have done the interview? Did he do any good for himself? Do you think he can kind of rehabilitate himself?
COSTAS: I don't think he can fully rehabilitate himself because what distinguishes him from other users of performance enhancing drugs isn't just the doping and the cheating, most of those who did that either said nothing, allowed the suspicions to be there or denied it and moved on.
Nobody but Lance Armstrong vilified all of his accusers, almost all of whom turned out to be completely truthful, sued them and in some cases won, defamed them. I think it's that, that and the -- what he now acknowledges himself, the bullying and the coercion of people around him.
It's that that people find even more distasteful than the doping because virtually everybody in cycling of any account was using performance enhancing drugs of some kind.
COOPER: I talked to author, Dana Coyle, who had written a book, one of the things he said about Tyler Hamilton in getting Tyler to talk about his own doping. Someone who has lied for so long can't tell the full truth. It comes out in drips and drabs.
He felt this is what we were witnessing with Lance Armstrong. It wasn't smart to give such a big interview as the first because the truth -- he's not able to tell the full truth because he's still saying he's a bully but he wasn't saying he was directly pressuring anybody on his team. COSTAS: He had to be careful because he still has some liability legal and civil liability, and he was probably coached not to put too much out there that might be thrown back in his face in a court of law. He's already lost tens of millions of dollars in endorsements and potential earnings.
And the other aspect of this is there are going to be some people who are skeptical even if he's largely telling the truth now. They're going to say he's only taking this course when every other avenue is closed off, when he has no plausible defense left.
COOPER: And it remains a question of whether or not he's going to testify to USADA and whether that would lead to him being able to compete in triathlons.
COSTAS: If he told them how he did it, how did we pull this whole scheme off, how did we conceal it for so long? How were we so effective? What were the methods? Like a guy in organized crime turns state's evidence and not only incriminates himself, but provides information to how these crimes take place. He has information that might be useful.
COOPER: Unclear if he'll do that. Bob Costas, thanks, appreciate it.
Up next, first lady Michelle Obama's favorite inaugural designer, in fact, he is a two-term inaugural designer, Jason Wu, joins me live next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Up close tonight, fashion lightning strikes twice for designer Jason Wu. First lady Michelle Obama chose his design for her inaugural gown. She also did that four years ago.
The first lady had several dresses to choose from. No one knew which one she would be wearing including the designers themselves until she came out on stage last night. Jason Wu joins me now live. Congratulations.
JASON WU, DESIGNED FIRST LADY'S INAUGURAL GOWN: Thank you.
COOPER: I heard four years ago, you were like eating Domino's Pizza when she walks outside in your gown. You heard you ran around your apartment yelling and screaming.
WU: I was so emotional. I had really never watched an inauguration before and I didn't feel I was on the right channel. I remember I think Jamie Foxx was introducing the president and first lady, and then they came out. I think I know that dress and it was mine. I was sort of awe-struck.
COOPER: So this time around, did you -- I mean, you must have known you were in the running. Clearly, you had communication as all the designers do. You don't actually try the dress on her. Did you have a mannequin that is her shape? WU: Everyone asks me. No, I do have a Michelle, a Michelle mannequin in my studio. I consistently worked with her the last four years since she's been in office. And you know, it's been a really great relationship being able to call the first lady a client. I mean, that's very special, I think.
COOPER: Did they call you a few minutes before she came out? Did you have a little heads up?
WU: They're really bad about that. They never call me. You just have to find out when everyone else finds out.
COOPER: It seems so cruel that way.
WU: I know. I was like dying of anxiety walking around the studio. It was almost fashion week, so I'm still working, a little more festive. I got to distract myself in a lot of work.
COOPER: I mean, your career has changed a lot in the last four years. I assume you were not eating Domino's Pizza last night.
WU: No, I wasn't. I was just not eating.
COOPER: Not to knock Domino's Pizza, because I'm a fan. How did four years ago, I mean, did that one event her wearing that dress at that event four years ago, did that significantly change things for you?
WU: Well, I think a lot of people ask me, you know, what that -- did that put me on the map. Certainly having the first lady wear your dress was such a historical moment. The one that the fashion community was especially interested in is very significant. And you know, I always say to do something like that, you really have to sort of back it up with more hard work.
COOPER: Of course.
WU: It's -- I always call it like to have great opportunity like that, getting a great role. And you sort of need your next winning role before you're done. And that's what I kept working on. I think we've been able to really take advantage of the publicity with that.
COOPER: That's the thing about fashion that's so stressful is that you're only as good as kind of your last collection.
WU: Yes.
COOPER: So you can't ride that, that she wore your dress four years ago, you can't ride that for very -- maybe the euphoria lasts for a couple of days, but you then have a business to run. And you've been incredibly successful. There are plenty of dresses that first ladies have worn to inaugurations that haven't been able to continue forward, that have gone under.
WU: Well, I think I just always sort of reminded myself of what I am and what I'm here to do. And when all of that happened, I thought it was very easy for me to field all the requests and offers and such.
I mean, to me, I came to New York to be a fashion designer, so you know, I always say at the end of the day I'm a dress maker, I'm not a celebrity, I'm not a, you know, I'm not a personality. I have a personality, but I'm not a personality.
I'm not a TV personality and it's very rare I do TV. And I feel comfortable behind the scenes because that's where I have total control. I know exactly what I'm doing. I feel the most comfortable backstage at my shows. I feel the most comfortable at fittings in my studio.
COOPER: I talked to a lot of alleged fashion experts the last two days who were convinced it would be some other new young designer and a lot of them were -- somebody I talked to last night said they were gobsmacked that she picked somebody -- did you think it was going to be somebody else?
WU: I always thought that would be a possibility. I mean, certainly Mrs. Obama is known to wear a lot of young emerging talent and also a lot of established houses in America. She's been a great champion of American fashion design, which I think is in a better place than it's ever been before.
American fashion, New York fashion week is one of the most important in the world today, and it's been looked at internationally. It wasn't always like this.
COOPER: When you're still a young talent, so you've still got a lot of years ahead of you. Congratulations.
WU: Thank you.
COOPER: I wish your continued success. It's great to talk to you. Let's get a quick check on other stories we're following. Isha is back with the "360 News and Business Bulletin" -- Isha.
SESAY: Anderson, a 360 follow, a judge in Brooklyn, New York has sentenced him to life behind bars for sexually abusing a young girl starting when she was 12 years old. The 54-year-old unlicensed counselor was advising the victim in Brooklyn's ultraorthodox Jewish community.
A 26-year-old woman who escaped the FLDS compound in Arizona has been granted temporary custody of her six children. FLDS Leader Warren Jeffs forced Ruby Jessop to get married when she was just 14 years old. A relationship she says was abusive. She left the polygamist sect in the 1980s and had been working to help Ruby get out as well.
The Dow Jones Industrial average and the S&P 500 hit new five- year highs today on the heels of strong corporate earnings reports.
Anderson, Justin Bieber has overtaken Lady Gaga as the most followed person on Twitter. They both have more than 33 million followers, but the Biebs has about 15,000 more than Gaga, so I ask you, are you a Bieliber or a Little Monster?
COOPER: I'm not sure, Isha. I'll get back to you on that. Up next, a "Star Spangled" lip-synching controversy that frankly "Ridiculist." My full support is behind Beyonce. We'll explain on the "Ridiculist" next.
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COOPER: Time now for the "Ridiculist." Tonight, it is a story that everyone it seems is talking about. Scandal of scandals whether or not Beyonce may or may not have lip synced her performance of the national anthem at the inauguration.
To which I respond with a big star-spangled so what? As far as I'm concerned, it is Beyonce's word and we're just living in it. Take another look at the performance in question.
So there's no doubt that is Beyonce's voice, but a spokeswoman for the U.S. Marine band says Beyonce didn't sing it live and instead chose to lip sync to a recording she did the evening before. But another Marine band spokesperson said no one in the Marine band is, quote, "in a position to assess whether or not Beyonce sang live or not."
I'm releasing a statement right now saying I just don't care. We got to see her beautiful face and her voice singing the national anthem. There is only one thing we should say today and that is thank you, Beyonce. Francis Scott key himself would send her a fruit basket.
The bottom line it was her voice. It is not like she pulled a Milli Vanilli. Even though we all know it wasn't Milli Vanilli singing any Milli Vanilli songs, it doesn't get better than kicking back on a cold night with a little "Girl You Know It's True."
Not to mention even if Beyonce did lip sync and "Girl You Know It's True" she's got to be the best lip syncher on the planet. She looked amazing, sounded amazing. It wasn't like she turned the inauguration into an Ashleigh Simpson "SNL" moment or anything.
It's still painful after all these years. It hurts. Speaking of painful to everyone who's all apoplectic about whether Beyonce lip- synch, talked to me after you've gotten on the stage in front of the president of the United States, hundreds of thousands to sing the National Anthem in 40-degree weather. Until then, that particular bomb is bursting in air on the "RidicuList."
That does it for me. I'll see you again, one hour from now. The latest on that school shooting in Texas at 10:00 p.m. "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT" starts now.
