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New Day

Danger Still Looms from Buffalo Snow; Another Cosby Accuser Speaks Out; Obama Announces Immigration Executive Order

Aired November 21, 2014 - 06:30   ET

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

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Meanwhile, snow drifts trapping residents inside their homes with EMS, firefighters, and volunteers racing out to save them at any means necessary.

Rescuing this elderly woman as her roof began to buckle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll get you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll get you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go.

LT. JEANETTE METROS, FIRE DEPT.: Getting to the door is the hardest part, we're digging through seven, eight feet of packed down snow.

GRAY: Officials imposed travel bans for cars and people during the overnight hours until streets are cleared.

MAYOR BYRON BROWN, BUFFALO, NEW YORK: We have a lot of heavy equipment on the streets. And we are very concerned about the safety of residents.

GRAY: With snow too deep to plow, front-end loaders and dump trucks working overtime to remove thousands of tons of snow to this railway station. It's piling up quickly and officials say this is only a fraction of what needs to be cleared.

DAN SZATHMARY, TRUCK DRIVER: It's hard to deal with. Not because we're not ready for it, it's just because there's so much snow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRAY (on camera): And we actually saw a lot of people on the roofs yesterday, trying to get the snow off, to alleviate the pressure. Rain is expected on Saturday, which could only add more weight.

And Chris, that flood watch is in effect until Wednesday.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Jennifer, thank you very much.

So, people don't think about that. The weight of water. They have big problems up there. We'll have to keep an eye on it.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go to meteorologist Indra Petersons. She is keeping track of the weight of all the snow. It's crazy.

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, one cubic foot that weighs 62 pounds, right? So, let's say you have only four feet on your house, about 2,000 square feet, that is 50,000 pounds of snow on your roof. Many residents in the area are waking up with seven feet of snow on their roofs this morning. So, that's one problem.

Here comes the next threat: temperatures, they are climbing. In fact by Monday in New York City, a 40-degree temperature jump, we're expecting temperatures near 70 degrees. Same problem out towards Buffalo. Look at that, look at 30-degree jump up to 61 degrees.

So, just temperature-wise alone, you have the threat for all the snow to melt. But even rain will be on the way.

What happens first? High pressure is there today, it will start to cut off the effect of lake-effect snow. But as it moves over, all of that moisture makes its way into Chicago. Lake-effect snow and freezing rain will be the concern out towards Chicago.

Severe weather in through the southeast for Saturday and Sunday. There goes the squall line. What does it mean? That's the squall line that's going to bring rain through Buffalo as we go in through Monday.

So, double threat, remember that's eight inches of water equivalent loading up all those homes and streets.

CAMEROTA: I can't believe you just said 70 degrees for next week, that's incredible. Thanks, Indra.

CUOMO: And yet, it's going to be a bad thing for the people up there that it's getting warm up. What they thought they needed most might be their biggest threat.

All right. So, groped and terrorized, words you never want to hear. But you are hearing them from our next guest. And she's saying them about what Bill Cosby did to her.

There are now as many as 12 women with claims against Cosby. And we have the latest for you to judge. You'll hear her story in her words, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: More claims of sexual assault against Bill Cosby this morning. Another alleged victim, a woman named Linda Traitz is sharing her story with CNN, describing how she says Cosby sexually assaulted her when she was a teenager. She says she decided to come forward only after reading negative comments online about Barbara Bowman, one of first women to go public.

Linda has had a rough journey since her teenaged years, a long history of drug abuse and arrests, which I asked her about when we sat down for an interview yesterday. She was joined by her older brother, Jim, who wanted to share his memory of this incident from 45 years ago when Linda worked as a waitress at a restaurant that was co-owned by Bill Cosby.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LINDA JOY TRAITZ, ALLEGES SHE WAS SEXUALLY ASSAULTED BY BILL COSBY: One day he came to my station where I was waiting tables and sat down. And started speaking with me, you know. Real friendly and real animated and telling me I was pretty.

And he offered me a ride home from the restaurant, which I accepted. And I got into his car, it was a Rolls Royce, it was early in the day. And he said, I'm going to take a drive out to the beach.

CAMEROTA: What did you think? When he said, I'm going to take you on a drive to the beach, what went through your head?

LINDA TRAITZ: I was star-struck. This is Bill Cosby. I mean, he's -- you know, above reproach. I thought, I didn't think, there were no red flags at all.

CAMEROTA: So, you get to the beach and then what happens?

LINDA TRAITZ: OK, when we were pulling into wherever it was that he was parking, he opened up a brief case that was on his front seat and it was filled with different assorted pills, capsules and tablets. I don't remember colors, there were no prescription bottles.

CAMEROTA: Did he explain to you what these pills were?

LINDA TRAITZ: No, all he said was, why don't you take a couple of these, they'll help you relax. He kept -- you know, what? You know, I was -- help me relax of what?

CAMEROTA: Did you end up taking any of the pills?

LINDA TRAITZ: No.

CAMEROTA: OK. So, then what happened?

LINDA TRAITZ: 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. I opened the door behind me and ran out of his car, and ran down the beach.

And I had on a long hippie, peasant skirt, that's what we wore back then. I was running towards I guess towards the shoreline. My foot must have hit the bottom of my skirt, because I fell. And it tore up my skirt probably to the knee and I partially fell in the water. So I was wet.

He was coming after me, trying to calm me down, because I was making such a scene. I was crying, I was -- in a panic. I was crying and he said, I'll take you home, I'll take you home. You know. At that point, I was not raped. But I was groped and terrorized. CAMEROTA: Jim, what do you remember about what, what Linda said at

that time?

JIM TRAITZ, LINDA TRAITZ'S BROTHER: I can literally remember being in the kitchen while my mom got the call and I can literally remember when she told me the story. I mean she came home, and, and I felt like I wanted to just see the guy put in jail for the rest of his life.

She said kind of what she told you, but in more graphic detail, that he tried her to take pills, he kept trying to push her to take pills. She kept refusing and all of a sudden he lunged at her. He lunged at her with his body weight. He's now pinned her against the door of the car. And he's got his hands -- I forget if she said under her shirt, but grabbing her breasts and then trying to get his hand in the front, under the skirt.

At that point, she realized he was going to badly molest her. I don't think she used the word rape. But I -- she was sexually assaulted. He was not stopping.

CAMEROTA (voice-over): Linda says she saw Cosby at the restaurant a few times after that. But he never spoke to her again.

(on camera): Did you consider going to the police?

LINDA TRAITZ: No. I was not raped. I didn't think there was anything I could do. It never dawned on me and I never went, never tried to go after him for it.

JIM TRAITZ: We had a little family discussion, OK? And felt all of this, Linda, this guy, this is Bill Cosby. He's got a public relations machine. You're a teenager, basically. There's -- no proof, you're going to get destroyed.

CAMEROTA (voice-over): Through his lawyers, Cosby has consistently denied similar allegations. But he refused to elaborate in a recent interview with the "Associated Press."

REPORTER: I have to ask about your name coming up in the news recently. Regarding this comedian --

BILL COSBY, COMEDIAN: No, no, we don't answer that.

REPORTER: I'm going to ask you if -- the persona that people know about, Bill Cosby, should they believe anything differently about what?

COSBY: There is no comment about that.

REPORTER: Okay.

COSBY: And I tell you why.

REPORTER: Okay.

COSBY: I think you were told. I don't want to compromise your integrity. But we don't -- I don't talk about it.

CAMEROTA: In the years since 1969, Linda has been troubled. She's been arrested more than a dozen times for drug-related charges and spent several years in jail. A point Cosby's legal team emphasized when we contacted them for a response.

(on camera): Cosby's attorney tells CNN, "Ms. Traitz' long criminal record for numerous offenses, including charges for criminal fraud, possession of Oxycodone, and cocaine possession, marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia speaks for itself. As the old saying goes, consider the source."

Why should people believe you now?

LINDA TRAITZ: Because it's the truth. I mean, it's the truth. I never went after him for it. I never went after him for it -- the drugs, the drug -- my drug history really started way, way, way after the situation with him.

JIM TRAITZ: Her credibility is going to be attacked. It's going to help me excuse this guy. I've thought of it off and on for the last 45 years. You know, my sister showed real courage. I came out here because I know my sister.

CAMEROTA (voice-over): Linda says she has not used drugs in six years. She says she came forward after hearing Barbara Bowman's story alleging that Cosby raped her. Linda was upset by online comments from those who don't believe Barbara Bowman.

LINDA TRAITZ: When I started reading the comments and I saw what people were saying about her and calling these women liars, money- hungry and he could never do this. And I didn't do it to go, to go after Bill Cosby. I was doing it to in defense of these women.

CAMEROTA: For Linda's brother, Jim, it's personal.

JIM TRAITZ: She's here for those women and I'm here for her, OK? That's the bottom line.

And I don't -- I want to see, I don't want to see this guy get away with it. I don't want to see -- 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.

CAMEROTA (on camera): What do you want to say to Bill Cosby?

LINDA TRAITZ: 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE) MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: That is powerful. What a conversation, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Yes, I mean, she has no reason to dredge up her own troubled past. She says, she only wanted to come forward because it's the truth and she wants to support the other women.

You know, I mean, we'll never know, it was 45 years ago, it is his word against her word. But there's -- she seemed credible to me.

PEREIRA: But don't you find interesting, Chris, one of the things that we've been seeing that we've been missing in this is the corroboration, people tell someone, they tell a family member, a brother, a sister, a mother, she did.

CUOMO: Well, there's actual lay psychological phenomenon with that. This, the problem with these situations is that they are steeped in misunderstanding. I'm not saying between the man and the woman who are involved in the act. But the rest of us, why didn't you come forward? There are tons of reasons why people don't come forward.

But there is a psychological thing, I'll tell you, but I'm not going to the police, I have to tell somebody. That is proof of things.

It is actually useful to authorities. They can prosecute on the basis of it.

PEREIRA: That's what I'm saying.

CUOMO: That's where this gets very hard to deal with this situation, because there's almost no path to a case with any of these women that we've seen, at least not criminally.

PEREIRA: I think with some of the people, they want to be heard and believed with, most of the well. That's the one resounding chorus we've heard.

CAMEROTA: Yes, she told her whole family. After it happened, she told her mom. She told her brothers, and she says she told her co- workers at the restaurant, as well.

CUOMO: And I go back to the former prosecutor, who told us -- that his guys interviewed Cosby, and they found him to be evasive and untruthful. You know, because you're not going to get anything from what we see of Mr. Cosby saying now for obvious reasons. But I got to tell you, that was a heck of an interview.

PEREIRA: That was, Alisyn.

CUOMO: The brother took it to a different level.

CAMEROTA: We want to hear from you on all of this. You can tweet us @newday, or you can go to Facebook.com/NewDay. You can find all us individually on Twitter as well. We'd love to hear your thoughts.

CUOMO: All right. So, another big story in the news obviously is immigration reform. It is steeped in politics. But as we all know, it's about people and not the ones in Congress and the Capitol.

The president last night mentioned a young girl who came here illegally as a 4-year-old. Now, she's a college student working on her third degree. Meet Astrid Silva, when NEW DAY continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you've been in America for more than five years, if you have children who are American citizens or legal residents, if you register, pass a criminal background check and you're willing to pay your fair share of taxes, you'll be able to apply to stay in this country temporarily without fear of deportation. You can come out of the shadows and get right with the law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: President Obama there announcing his new plan for immigration reform, allowing nearly 5 million undocumented immigrants to stay in the country.

But he says to stay here is a two-way street. Immigrants need to play by the rules as well.

We want to get perspective from two members of the Latino community who have been strong advocates of immigration reform.

Joining me this morning: Petra Falcon. She is the executive director of Promises Arizona, which is sending a busload of people to the president's appearance in Las Vegas today.

And there to await them is Astrid Silva. She is a so-called DREAMer. She was actually singled out by President Obama last night in his speech, for her efforts since being brought to America.

Good morning to both of you. Thank you so much.

I want your reaction and -- Petra, I'll start with you. Your reaction to what you heard the president lay out last night in his speech?

PETRA FALCON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PROMISE ARIZONA: We were just so excited, so joyful, so thankful. The president's actions last night is going to transform millions of people's lives, individuals like Astrid, but also a woman in Arizona who has lived in the United States 16 years, as a 13-year-old, U.S. citizen's child that will no longer have to live in fear. We were so joyful and thankful.

PEREIRA: Astrid, how about you? What was your reaction to hearing the plan from the president? His executive order?

ASTRID SILVA, MENTIONED IN PRESIDENT OBAMA'S SPEECH: To me -- to me, it was complete relief to know that my family is not going to be in fear that immigration is going to come to our door. My dad has an order of deportation, and knowing that this is happening, means that we won't have to worry that this is going to be our last holidays together.

PEREIRA: But we also know it's not a perfect plan. There are aspects that are, are left out of the plan. What to you, Astrid, do you think is missing from the immigration reform plan?

SILVA: Well, to me what's miss something that it's a law by Congress, since they refused to act on it. But one of the things that is, it is disheartening to us is that a lot of the parents of other students who are undocumented, are not included. But we know that we're going to continue fighting for them. And this is not the end. We are not done with this.

PEREIRA: Petra, how about you? I know you've been active in working to get reform happening. You know you've been acting on the community level, on the ground level. What are you hearing from people in and around the community about what they feel was missing in this plan, the people maybe that were left out?

FALCON: The people who were left out, were grateful that they would, do have extended family members that are going to qualify for the action presented last night. But they've been part of the movement. They've been part of Promise Arizona.

They've been part of the national movement. They've gone to Washington. They've been part of the door-knocking that we've been doing in Arizona.

And our fight will continue. We are going to celebrate this moment. But we also know that there are still people left out and we need to continue until we have comprehensive immigration reform out of Congress.

PEREIRA: We know the president mentioned you at some length, Astrid last night. Let's listen to that. And then I want to ask you what it was like to be featured in the president's address.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Astrid was brought to America when she was 4 years old. Her only possessions were a cross, her doll, and the frilly dress she had on. When she started school, she didn't speak any English. Today, Astrid Silva is a college student working on her third degree.

Are we a nation that kicks out a striving, hopeful immigrant like Astrid? Or are we a nation that finds a way to welcome her in?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: Astrid, what did it feel like to have the president highlight your story? This is your life.

SILVA: It was completely unexpected. I didn't know that it was coming. We planned our watch party for all of our volunteers and the families that we work with to watch it.

And to be honest, I didn't hear my name, because we were just very excited, we were clapping. Until somebody said -- you know, he's talking about you.

And when he started talking about the cross and my dress and I said --

PEREIRA: Uh-oh, that's me.

SILVA: That's how I came here. Yes, and then that's when everything came in and it was just very emotional. I was standing next to my dad.

And so, just being there, it was definitely a moment that I'll never forget.

PEREIRA: Petra, we know that Republicans are not happy with this plan. And they are threatening some sort of action.

We've heard all sorts of talk about the way they're going to go about that. They say that he's overreaching his powers. Are you concerned what this could mean down the line? Or potentially even the fact that all of this could get overturned by the time the next president comes into power?

FALCON: Well, first of all, the president has all the authority to act on an executive order. In fact in the last 60 years, presidents from Eisenhower to Ronald Reagan to John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush, all have had executive order. In fact, there have been 39 executive actions in the last 60 years.

What's important is that the president did act. And secondly, that before we start condemning the president's actions, we need to condemn the fact that daily we have had over 1,000 deportations because Congress has not acted. So, Congress, as Astrid says, has to provide comprehensive immigration reform. If they were to put a bill before the House, there are enough votes to pass a reform bill at this moment.

PEREIRA: Petra, thank you so much for being here with me this morning and sharing your thoughts.

Astrid, we know you're going to be meeting the president. We'll be curious to hear what you say to him and what your hopes are for the future.

Ladies, thank you so much for this conversation.

Chris?

FALCON: Thank you so much.

SILVA: Thank you.

CUOMO: Boy, you know, the politics is all around, but that's a great way of showing that ultimately it comes down to people and the potential that's out there. What will happen next?

This is one of the stories we're following. There's a lot of news to get to, so let's do it. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OBAMA: There are actions I have the legal authority to take as president.

REP. STEVE KING (R), IOWA: This is a constitutional crisis. What about the rule of law?

(CHANTING)

OBAMA: Congress has failed. I have one answer: Pass a bill.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of the sad point no indictment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To say, I'm resigning from my job, it almost sounds like you're admitting guilt.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I really hope that the grand jury does the right thing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For nearly three hours, senators grilled Takata.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I felt gushing blood running down my neck, I was terrified.

LINDA TRAITZ: I was groped and terrorized.

CAMEROTA: What do you want to say to Bill Cosby?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: Good morning, everyone. Welcome back to NEW DAY. I'm Alisyn Camerota with Chris Cuomo.

We begin with President Obama going it alone on immigration reform and the GOP not happy about that move. Through executive order, the president easing the threat of deportation for millions of undocumented immigrants, saying the focus will be on deporting, quote, "felons, not families."

The president insists he is not overreaching, but Republicans are livid this morning.

CUOMO: Well, they say they warned him -- if you do this, all bets are off. Not just politically, but legally, you're overstepping your power and we're going to come after you.

Speaker John Boehner is going as far as to dismiss the president's credibility. The president is taking his message on the road, speaking in Las Vegas. Let's start with that.

White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski joins us with more.

What is the planned roll-out here?

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Chris. Well, the president will sign his executive action today. But now we know that this will affect nearly 5 million people here, letting them avoid deportation. And the president says this is not making a new law or changing the law, but legally using discretion.

Because there are limited resources available to deport people, it is simply putting the priority on removing those who pose a threat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CHANTING)

KOSINSKI (voice-over): With crowds chanting in Spanish "Yes, he could" in the freezing cold outside the White House, the president put his case for executive action before the American public.

OBAMA: These people, our neighbors, our classmates, our friends, they did not come here in search of a free ride or an easy life. They came to work.

KOSINSKI: At one point quoting Scripture.

OBAMA: We shall not oppress a stranger. For we know the heart of a stranger. We were strangers once, too.

My fellow Americans, we are and always will be a nation of immigrants.

KOSINSKI: His plan allows the Department of Homeland Security to take certain groups off the priority list for deportation. While keeping others high up.

OBAMA: Felons, not families. Criminals, not children. Gang members, not a mom who is working hard to provide for her kids.

KOSINSKI: Putting more resources at the border, and focusing on deporting criminals and those entering the U.S. most recently.

The plan will allow immigrants who have been in America at least five years, with children who are legal residents the chance to apply to stay, for three years -- provided they pass a background check and start paying taxes.

It will also expand such relief granted by the president to people brought here illegally as kids.