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Cop Catches Suspect after Getting Shot; Kerry Washington to Host "SNL"; Toronto Mayor Caught on Video?; Jonathan Martin Leaves Dolphins
Aired November 01, 2013 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
GRIFFIN: But still, according to sources, only one of the estimated nearly two dozen CIA operatives on the ground has testified before members of Congress.
Fred Burton, a former State Department diplomatic security agent, has written a book about the Benghazi attack, now being turned into an HBO movie.
FRED BURTON, AUTHOR: Congress, as well as the agency, are going out of their way to protect whatever it was that they were doing operationally in Libya.
GRIFFIN: And sources say the CIA has been trying to keep its employees quiet. CNN reported earlier that some operatives involved in the agency's missions in Libya complained they had been subjected to frequent, even monthly polygraph examinations to find out whether they've spoken to Congress or the media, according to sources with deep inside knowledge of the agency's workings.
The CIA says this is patently false, telling CNN, "Not a single CIA officer who was on the ground in Benghazi during the attacks has been subjected to any CIA polygraph intended to discourage them from speaking to Congress or as a retaliation," adding that, "to date, some of these officers have already spoken to the oversight committees on Benghazi."
CNN has heard from congressmen who are unconvinced they are getting the whole truth. One congressman tells CNN on condition of anonymity, "We know what the CIA tells us they were doing in Libya, but it is unclear if we really know what the agency was up to."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: And Carol, at the root of this effort to get more information in Benghazi is a tremendous amount, warranted or not, of distrust between House Republicans and the administration. And I think that's what's really gelling here. They don't believe what they're hearing. So they want to hear it as direct from the people as possible.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, many American people don't believe what they're hearing either. So the CIA operatives will testify behind the closed doors. Will the public ever know what they were doing in Libya? GRIFFIN: Well, you know -- obviously they're on the House Intelligence Committee for a reason. They do keep secrets. But they are to act as the American's people kind of purveyor of this information. At least our elected representatives will know and get some kind of explanation. Whether or not any of that will leak out, we'll see.
COSTELLO: Drew Griffin, thanks so much.
Other top stories we're following this morning at 32 minutes past the hour. We're learning the Obama administration tested whether it would be a good idea to bump Joe Biden from the ticket last year and replace him with Hillary Clinton.
The president's former chief of staff Bill Daley confirmed the switch was discussed along with many other options. But other top advisers say a switch was never seriously considered.
Experts from Google will help fix the Obamacare Web site. The agency that oversees healthcare.gov announced a surge of tech experts joining the rescue team after a 36-hour crash of the Web site.
Also helping experts from tech giants Oracle and Red Hat. The administration says the site should be working by the end of the month.
Now to the amazing story of a police officer in Texas who refused to give up even after she was shot in the face. Officer Ann (INAUDIBLE) was shot through the left cheek -- you'll see it here in a minute, and the dressing she's wearing on her face -- but she would not stop chasing the guys who tried to kill her in a spray of bullets. Her dash cam caught all of the drama on tape.
CNN correspondent Pamela Brown joins me now to tell us more.
Good morning, Pamela.
PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.
Really an incredible story here. She was actually shot twice at point blank range. It was a traffic stop turned terribly wrong. In fact this officer, Anne (INAUDIBLE), after being injured chased after the suspects for nearly 10 minutes. It was all captured on dash cam video. And now she is pleading to the public for help in capturing two of the suspects that are still on the loose.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANN CARRIZALES, OFFICER SHOT TWICE DURING TRAFFIC STOP: Shots fired. Shots fired. I'm hit.
BROWN (voice-over): This dramatic dash cam video shows the terrifying moments right after Staffer Police Officer Ann Carrizales made a routine traffic stop around 4:00 a.m. Saturday. As she approaches the car, a passenger suddenly pulls out his gun and shoots her twice according to police. One bullet hit her police vest, the other pierced her face. Wounded and in serious pain, police say she managed to return fire before getting back in her car and pursuing the suspects in a high speed car chase. Despite her injuries, Carrizales, a former Marine, chased the suspects through seven minutes through the streets near Houston.
CARRIZALES: I was born to be a protector. I always have been a protector.
I was shot by the driver's side passenger.
BROWN: Ending when the three men in the car ran into an apartment building. The alleged 21-year-old shooter, Sergio Rodriguez, was taken into custody. Police say the other two men on the run are 28- year-old Freddie Enriquez, a suspected gang member considered to be armed and dangerous, and a man who goes by the name Daniel Cruz.
As Carrizales got out of her cruiser, other officers rushed to her aid. Look closely and you can see where the bullet apparently went straight through her cheek. She was rushed to the hospital and is now recovering at home with her family.
CARRIZALES: I just want to give myself some time to relax and kind of feel the beauty of life that I was blessed to have.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: And Carol, in light of what she just said, Carrizales actually went trick-or-treating with her kids last night. So she's healing and in recovery. And also as for those two men, there is a $10,000 reward being offered for any information leading to their arrest. If you do have any information you're asked to call CrimeStoppers of Houston.
But really just a hero, Carol. I think it's safe to say she is a true hero and lucky to be alive after going through that.
COSTELLO: And our thanks to her for her service.
Pamela Brown, thanks so much.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Kerry Washington and the "Saturday Night Live" scandal. The show hasn't had a black female comedian in six years. So can one of Hollywood's hottest black actresses take the show to task? We'll talk about that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Kerry Washington from the hit TV show "Scandal" is hosting "Saturday Night Live" this weekend, which wouldn't be noteworthy except she's the first black actress to appear on the show since the show's cast members said they would no longer dress in drag to impersonate black women because the show hasn't had a female black cast member for six years.
Well, we're now getting a preview of Washington's upcoming appearance on "SNL." (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KERRY WASHINGTON, ACTRESS: Hi, I'm Kerry Washington and I'm hosting "SNL" this week with Eminem.
What's wrong, Terrence?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just had one of those super spicy peppers.
WASHINGTON: Yes, I know we both did. It wasn't that spicy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then you must have the devil's tongue. Thank, God. Oh God. That's so much better.
WASHINGTON: It wasn't that spicy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was very spicy.
WASHINGTON: It wasn't.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was very spicy.
WASHINGTON: Buck up, Terrence. That's disgusting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Comment on that sketch at all. But joining us to talk about the larger issue, actress and comedian Kim Coles from "Living Single" and L.Z. Granderson, a CNN commentator and senior writer for ESPN.
Welcome to you both.
KIM COLES, ACTRESS: Thank you.
L.Z. GRANDERSON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hey, good morning, Carol.
COLES: Good morning.
COSTELLO: Thank you so much for being here. L.Z., I feel like we're putting a lot of pressure on Kerry Washington to not only be funny on "Saturday Night Live" but to address this sensitive diversity issue. Is it fair?
GRANDERSON: No. It's not fair. But if anyone can handle the nuance of that, it would be Kerry. I mean, she's more than just a, you know, beautiful case. She is someone who has been active in the political scene. We've seen her in "Bill Maher's Real Time" talking about larger issues. We've seen her campaign on behalf of the Obama administration. So if anyone can handle that balancing act, it would be her.
COSTELLO: Kim, I want to remind our viewers what Kenan Thompson said about the lack of black female comedians on "Saturday Night Live." He said, quote, "It's just a tough part of the business. Like on auditions, they just never find ones that are ready. Really? Should Washington take on Kenan's during the show?
COLES: Listen, I think it's going to be interesting what they decide to do with this. This has been a little bit of a firestorm especially amongst black women who say we are ready. There's a lot of us who are very ready. There's a lot of us who are very ready.
And let's keep it real. When you go on an audition, there are many people who are not ready, there are many people who are ready. And there are many people who don't even get the job. But of the six people that they did find, I'd like to believe that if they cast their net a little further, they could certainly find a woman of color who is funny and who is so ready for that show.
COSTELLO: Well, we did exactly that. We cast our net. And L.Z., what about funny young black women that are already on television like Yvette Nicole Brown from NBC sitcom "Community"? Or Retta, who plays Donna on "Parks and Rec," or even Aisha Tyler who hosts "Whose Line is It Anyway?"
There are funny black women in America.
GRANDERSON: You know, we've seen this conversation time and time again in which whoever happens to be the majority, whoever happens to be in power, regardless if it's, you know, based upon gender, based upon race, what have you, they always say we can't find the other. That the other is too hard to find. We would love to, but we can't find them.
It's a tired conversation. But the truth is that "Saturday Night Live" is not unique in this. Primetime television in general just has a difficult time with diversity right now. Still, we're talking news, we're talking who's reporting sports. We're talking about show runners. Primetime still has a diversity issue. And "SNL" is not immune to that.
COSTELLO: OK, so, Kim, we're watching Kenan dressed up -- what is funny about men dressing up as women? I really don't understand that.
COLES: Well, let me say this. I love a good drag queen as much as the next girl. But I think as long as these brothers are willing to get dressed up as women, they're not going to work that hard to try to find a funny black woman. If Kenan is willing to do that, why should they try to find a black woman. They'll go, we got it covered.
I think that it is time to just open it up. I think this conversation is so important. And I've been watching this show since I was a young girl. And I never did see -- there's only been four black women who were cast members on that show in that almost 40-year span. Only those times that I see anyone that looked like me.
Funny is funny. But there is room. And America is a beautiful mosaic. And this show, as well as many shows, should represent us or we should be represented on these shows.
COSTELLO: So -- COLES: So, yes, what's funny is that he looks a little ridiculous, and I get that. But I wonder if part of it is a poke at us.
COSTELLO: It's such an old joke, though. I mean, they've been doing this since the '20s.
(CROSSTALK)
COLES: Of course --
COSTELLO: It's such an old --
GRANDERSON: But there's a history. There is a long history of black men, black male comedians being more acceptable in society being dressed as women. We can go all the way back to Flip Wilson.
COLES: Absolutely.
GRANDERSON: We can talk about the fact that the highest paid black woman in Hollywood is actually Madea, Tyler Perry dressed in drag. So time and time again, we've seen this be a much more acceptable image of not just black women but also of black men, and that's the larger conversation that needs to be happening.
COLES: That's a huge conversation that needs to be happening.
COSTELLO: Yes. We could go on and on with it. Kim Coles, I think you're hilarious. And thank you so much for being with me this morning.
L.Z. Granderson, you're funny, too.
COLES: Thank you. And throw my name into that hat. I'm free.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: You are. "Saturday Night Live," are you listening?
GRANDERSON: You're great. You're awesome.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Thank you both. Have a great weekend.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, crack cocaine. The mayor of Toronto said he is not addicted to it. Really?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR ROB FORD, TORONTO: I do not use crack cocaine nor am I an addict of crack cocaine. As for a video, I cannot comment on a video that I've never seen or does not exist.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Well, the mayor said that way back in May. Now police say, Mr. Mayor, there is a video. And the mayor was forced to respond. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: A video showing Toronto Mayor Ron Ford doing drugs does exist. And police say they have that video in their possession after a drug raid earlier this year. Now the mayor addressed the issue at a press conference. But the defiant denials from the past six months, vanished.
More now from CNN affiliate CBC News.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FORD: What don't you understand? Get off the property, partner.
ADRIENNE ARSENAULT, REPORTER, CBC NEWS: Clearly fed up with pesky reporters and clearly Toronto Mayor Rob Ford sensed this would be a bad day.
FORD: Get off -- get off my property.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm leaving.
ARSENAULT: Within hours, a seismic statement from police. They have a video. It is consistent with one talked about for months allegedly to show Ford smoking crack cocaine at the house in this picture. It's the photo of Ford with drug and gang figures, one who is now dead.
CHIEF BILL BLAIR, TORONTO POLICE: The digital video file that we have recovered depicts images which are consistent with those that have previously been reported in the press.
ARSENAULT: Chief Bill Blair added the video does show Ford and for a police chief trying to be careful, he then offered an opinion.
BLAIR: I think I just said I'm disappointed. I know this is a traumatic issue for the citizens of this city and for the reputation of this city. And that concerns me.
ARSENAULT: Does the video concern the mayor? When news of it first broke in May, there was a robust denial.
FORD: I did not use crack cocaine nor am I an addict of crack cocaine. As for a video, I cannot comment on a video that I've never seen or does not exist.
ARSENAULT: A far more subdued mayor.
FORD: I wish I could come out and defend myself. Unfortunately, I can't because it's before the courts.
ARSENAULT: What he now knows is that there are actually two relevant video files police picked up in a June raid. Videos that had been deleted but have since been recovered by the cops. A close associate of the mayor, Alexander Lisi, sometimes called the mayor's occasional driver, was arrested on charges of extortion in connection with the video.
Torontonians are starting to know Lisi, an alleged drug dealer, his name, with Ford's, pepper more than 400 pages of court documents and surveillance images released. Documents heavily redacted. Hundreds more pages may come soon.
So any charges against Rob Ford? No. The police say there's nothing in the video or the documents to support a charge and that they have tried to talk with as many people as possible, but some have refused. Rob Ford it seems has not spoken with the police but they won't say why that is.
Adrienne Arsenault, CBC News, Toronto.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, imagine touchdown taken away because of showboating. It could happen. So is the NFL turning into the no fun league?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: This week's rivalry express takes us into one of the most anticipated games in college football. We go to Jacksonville, Florida, where the Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs square of tomorrow.
Carlos Diaz is there. Good morning.
CARLOS DIAZ: Good morning, Carol. I found out one stunning fact when I was here at RB City yesterday, which (INAUDIBLE) before the game. Georgia fans and Florida fans actually get along. That's right. They actually get along of before the big game. It's the world's largest outdoor cocktail party is what I always say about this rivalry which had been taking place since 1933 here in Jacksonville, Florida.
Now each team comes in this week 4 and 3, so it's not a situation where you have two teams battling to see who is going to be number one in the -- in the SEC or even in the country. But you have two teams fighting for respect and fighting for a bull birth. Now of course the Gators and the Bulldogs are fighting each other on Saturday. But before the game, it's all about the tailgating. And the tailgating here in Jacksonville is truly legendary. With 82,000 fans having one heck of a time -- Carol.
COSTELLO: It sounds like a lot of fun. Carlos Diaz, many thanks to you.
Also in the world of sports, the "Miami Herald" is reporting that Dolphins' lineman Jonathan Martin has left the team and he's seeking treatment for emotional issues. Martin was apparently the target of a team prank in the Dolphins' lunch room on Monday and he reportedly bolted out of the lunchroom and has not returned to the team since.
Dolphins aren't talking about the incident. The player with the time who has spoken to Martin says he's spending time with his family.
Former Atlanta Falcon running back Jamal Anderson joins me now to talk about this.
This is -- this is so unusual.
JAMAL ANDERSON, FORMER ATLANTA FALCON RUNNING BACK: Yes. It is. You know, Carol, young players, and this is a second-year player. He's a guy, Jonathan Martin, who started all 23 games he -- he showed up for the Miami Dolphins. So he is a factor on the offensive line for this football team. A team who's jumbled their offensive line quite a bit.
You usually hear about players being messed with when they're rookies. This is a second-year guy. Both of his parents are Harvard educated. He went to Stanford. There's a lot of reports about him being different all this. So we don't really know but it's quite unusual when you're talking about a guy of his size and who has been a contributor for the football team.
COSTELLO: Well, there are reports out there that he has some emotional issues.
ANDERSON: Right.
COSTELLO: So he's in this lunch room and the football players in the lunch room played some sort of prank on him, maybe bullied him, or maybe he felt he was being bullied.
ANDERSON: Right.
COSTELLO: And he threw his lunch tray down and walked out of the room. And said, I'm not going to be back.
ANDERSON: Football is a frustrating sport, Carol. Physically, emotionally, mentally, it takes a lot out of you each and every time. We don't know a lot about Jonathan Martin. We just keep hearing different reports about it but who knows what's going on in his life personally and what the challenges are that he faces to get prepared each and every week.
You'd like to think, in most instances, hey, we're tough guys, we can deal with this. But guys get tired of stuff. You know, it'd be interesting to see what actually transpired here in Miami. But it is unusual, particularly for a team who could use all of its starters on the football field. And I mean, he's obviously a smart guy. He's obviously intelligent so you'd like to see something come about with this.
But it's very, very unfortunate when you start hearing about a guy being bullied in the NFL. Particularly in --
COSTELLO: Weird.
ANDERSON: He's a huge offensive lineman.
COSTELLO: I know.
ANDERSON: So it's unusual.
COSTELLO: And offensive linemen are important.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Very. Listen, Offensive linemen, one of my best friends to this day, Carol.
COSTELLO: That's right.
ANDERSON: To this day, I talk to every one of mine.
COSTELLO: OK. I want to turn the corner and talk about something else because we have heard that the NFL is considering if you taunt the other team.
ANDERSON: Yes.
COSTELLO: And then you make a touchdown or after you make a touchdown --
ANDERSON: Right.
COSTELLO: -- the NFL is considering taking that touchdown away because of poor sportsmanship.
ANDERSON: You know, Carol, I was known maybe for celebrating a time or two in the end zone. Here's a thing. You know, you have to treat the game with respect. The NFL is all about respecting the game, respecting the guys who played the game before you. These guys are adults. These are grown men. They've made it to the top of their profession.
I don't want to see any excessive celebration that demeans or disrespects bad an opponent or the fan base in that city. But these are grown men. I mean, we're talking about the penalty in question or what would -- the penalty in question was Golden Tate the other day waving goodbye when he was taken off.
I'm like, that was pretty harmless. You're a professional. Your job is to stop this guy, if you don't want him waving at you on the way down, make the play or get in front of him.
COSTELLO: Yes, yes. Yes, but, see, my hero is Barry Sanders who never celebrated --
ANDERSON: I wholeheartedly agree.
COSTELLO: He was so classy and he -- if anyone deserves to celebration, it would be Barry Sanders.
ANDERSON: There is no question about it, Carol. What's interesting for me when I did do the dirty bird, I had a problem on the road. And people used to ask me why I didn't do it in the end zone, I said I want to respect the opponents. I don't want to be in a situation where you're disrespecting the game and then they booed me for not doing it.
Guess what? Here comes the dance.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Exactly. I'm doing it now.
Jamal, thanks so much for coming in this morning.
ANDERSON: Always a pleasure.
COSTELLO: And thank you for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello. "LEGAL VIEW" with Ashleigh Banfield starts now.