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Relief, Recovery Efforts Ramp Up; Wal-Mart to Open at 6:00 PM on Thanksgiving; Bill Cosby Looking to Get Back Into Television; U.S. Catholic Bishops Meet in Baltimore

Aired November 12, 2013 - 10:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, I'm Carol Costello. Thanks so much for joining me.

Four days ago typhoon Haiyan slammed into the Philippines destroying homes and killing more than 1,700 people. More than 800,000 have been displaced. And in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, storm chaser Jim Edds talked about how the storm caught many Filipinos off guard.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM EDDS, STORM CHASER (via telephone): They get typhoons in the Philippines all the time. But my estimation is they say OK another typhoon, OK it's the same drill, whether it's a one or a five. They -- they go to their usual place and get their provisions and ride it out.

They've never, ever seen that kind of storm surge come in or else they would have been elsewhere. They didn't know what beast was coming into town. They just -- they just weren't prepared for that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: CNN's senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh is in Tacloban. Nick I know you just arrived, give us your first impressions.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Quite a remarkable devastation here Carol. We went through a town just after dusk fell and while you can't really see how far the destruction stretched in front you, you can certainly feel over powered by the smell of decay. And that's because a number of bodies, a significant number if you believe the higher end of the death toll here, are still beneath the rubble. And you can see people trying to have some sort of life within the rubble there. Little flickering flames in the shells of buildings, people trying to find some of those remaining concrete bit of infrastructure to have a life in there too.

We went to one church where there were about a thousand mostly women and children sheltering on the strong concrete structure there but extremely angry many of them. They say the government hasn't come to help them. They haven't received the aid they wanted. They are feeding their children dirty water.

One woman told me we have seen a slow trickle of aid here, much of it assisted by the U.S. military here. There is not still four days in that avalanche of assistance aid, heavy lifting machinery, people simply on the ground to get this town back to some sort of normalcy.

What we have seen is police coming trying to restore security. But people are still in the act of recovery now, Carol, not trying to get back on their feet again -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I know you've spoken with people desperate to find their missing loved ones. What have they been telling you?

WALSH: Well we had a remarkable encounter with one man on the side of the road here. He was actually pulling out his second child from the rubble that same day. There were three people he's missing -- his ex- wife and his two children. He found his son earlier on today. And then a sniffer dog helped him find the body of his daughter. They were bringing her out of the rubble.

This is simply a group of four men working with their bare hands and masks and surgical gloves. Trying to wrap in plastic sheeting the bodies they find here, trying to reduce the risk of disease here to the people still left in the city.

When you go through it might though perhaps because the curfew, perhaps simply because of how people have to stay indoors. It's still often quite wet here. That real sense though of a city deserted in some ways and really very little left to support life in it. You have to ask quite what is the future for this town -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Nick Paton Walsh reporting live from the Philippines this morning.

For more on how you can help the survivors of this disaster, please visit cnn.com/impact.

All right. Let's talk about shopping and American consumers and because this is getting ridiculous Wal-Mart will open its doors early to shoppers on Thanksgiving starting at 6:00 p.m. Yes, that's right, 6:00 on Thanksgiving Day.

CNN's Christine Romans is in New York. You know next Thanksgiving we're not even going to be talking about this because it's going to be the norm.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS ANCHOR: I know Thanksgiving is so 2012. This is all about the shopping -- Black Friday is now happening before actually Black Friday.

Carol, you know, every year I say it's ridiculous, the same word that you used. And every year more people show up. Every year more people are in line braving the crowds. And every year the retailers figure out ways to get you in there.

So Wal-Mart, let me tell you what they're doing. The nation's largest retailer two hours earlier than last year, 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving. That's when people will start lining up. And they have huge, huge deals; 65 percent more TVs, they're saying; and double the number of tablets are going to be available.

So a 6:00 p.m. open and then more stuff. And they are breaking it into what they're calling phases Carol. So that if you're in line waiting to get in the store during whatever phase you happen to get to, you'll be able to get that price if you're already in line. So they're already kind of ramping up the anticipation and all of that for Thanksgiving. This is Thanksgiving 6:00 p.m. we're talking about.

COSTELLO: It makes me wonder if it works. People have less money to spend. Retail sales are expected to be down this holiday season. So just because you can shop a little earlier, does that mean you'll spend more money?

ROMANS: Well let me tell you what they're -- if you work at Wal-Mart, here is what you're going to get because there are a million Wal-Mart workers there. You're going to get Thanksgiving dinner, extra pay and a 25 percent discount off of one purchase.

So if you're one of those workers that's what happens for you. If you are a consumer at large, look, you're strapped this year and the retailers know it. This could be the slowest -- the slowest Christmas holiday season since 2008.

Remember what happened in 2008? I mean that was really, really ugly. So the retailers really know they have to find a way to get you in the door to spend your money. And that's why you're seeing all of these deals and this new focus on a Black Friday, Carol, that's starting on Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving is when Black Friday is starting. We're just going to forget Thanksgiving altogether by next year.

That's the forecast there for same-store sales growth. You can see that far right light blue notch it shows you it will likely be expectations are for a weak, weak consumer spending. That's why the retailers are working so hard.

COSTELLO: Yes it's going to be black Thursday soon.

ROMANS: Don't buy if you can't pay it. I say if you can't pay it off by January, you shouldn't buy it.

COSTELLO: Excellent advice. Christine Romans thank you so much.

ROMANS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Think being a Harlem Globetrotter is all fun and games? Well, player Bull Bullard was showing off his exceptional moves during a game and look what happened. The goal post couldn't handle it. It toppled over on top of him. Bullard took a nasty hit on his forehead but he was able to walk off to this court with standing ovation.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, called "The Cosby Show 2.0." Bill Cosby is trying to get back into television pitching a new show. Nischelle Turner on the story after a break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, hey, hey. It's Fat Albert. And I'm going to sing a song for you and Bill's going to show you a thing or two. You'll have some fun now with me and all the gang learning from each other while we do our thing --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Oh, I love that show. Guess who is plotting to return to television? Oh yes Bill Cosby. He says he's interested in reviving the kind of -- in reviving the kind of sitcom that made him such a big star back in the 80s and 90s. Nischelle Turner has been gathering Intel? Really?

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This is actually -- this makes me very happy. I'm dating myself in the best way possible, Carol, because apparently he does want to come back. You know first of all, you don't have to wait too long to see Bill Cosby on television. Because he's got a concert special that's airing on Comedy Central on November 23rd. That music makes me just joyful.

COSTELLO: I love it.

TURNER: And I want to start singing along with it. This concert that he's having is his first televised concert in 30 years. If you've never seen Bill Cosby in person or even listened to one of his old comedy albums, you have to do that.

You know it was his statement though to Yahoo that has everyone buzzing. Because he says he wants to create a new sitcom for television like his classic hit "The Cosby Show".

Now, I don't know if he wants to be the star of this new show or is he just the executive producer. But in a way it's great news for comedy fans. What he says he wants to do is do a show that gives an audience comedy, warmth, love, surprise and cleverness without going into what he calls party attitude. That's sound like "The Cosby Show" to me.

He also says he wants to bring back Fat Albert which you've been playing that glorious music all morning. He wants to bring it back as an animated show for kids with a live wraparound it just like it used to air. And I know Carol, there will be that one person out there who thinks he's Bill Cosby, isn't he too old or past his prime? Wrong. Just wrong he's really funny and still so very sharp.

COSTELLO: Oh we need him. Can we get rid of "Two and a Half Men" please?

TURNER: Why can't we have both? There's room at the table for everybody.

COSTELLO: No. No Nischelle. There's not room. You're so much nicer than I am. TURNER: You know Louis CK -- I try to be, Carol. We've got to do the Ying and the Yang thing. But Louis CK just called him like the comedy Jujitsu. He said he's master of comedy. And I agree. I would love for Bill Cosby to bring another sitcom back.

COSTELLO: He's thoughtful. He's clever, interesting writing, characters with brains that act like real people. And he doesn't curse on television much anymore.

TURNER: And he does it without -- yes without being kind of vulgar and out there. But I -- I think it would be a lot of fun to see him back starring in a show. But even if he's just the executive producer and ushers in the next generation of great comedic actors, I think would be fantastic.

COSTELLO: Me too. Nischelle Turner thanks so much. And thanks for bringing us Fat Albert.

TURNER: Hey, hey, hey.

COSTELLO: It's Fat Albert.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM.

TURNER: Oh we have too much fun.

COSTELLO: I know. Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Pope Francis has changed how millions look at the Catholic Church around the world. Will today's election of a new leader, election of a new American bishop, the leader among American bishops follow the new words of Pope Francis? We'll tell you after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Checking our top stories at 47 minutes passed.

There's finger pointing following the collapse of talks with Iran on its nuclear program. Secretary of State John Kerry heads to Capitol Hill tomorrow to brief senators. Kerry says the Iranians walked away from the table with a deal in sight, but his Iranian counterpart blamed negotiators from the West for gutting the plan.

The son of Senator James Inhofe's has been killed in a plane crash. KJRH TV reports that Dr. Perry Inhofe was killed Sunday when his small plane went down in Oklahoma. Dr. Inhofe was an orthopedic surgeon who would have celebrated his 52nd birthday yesterday. The plane had reported mechanical problems before the crash.

A Michigan state trooper tumbles over a guardrail while chasing a suspect. The suspect then made a run for it as police cars converged. He leaped over the guardrail with the trooper following in hot pursuit. Both men fell about 30 feet, the trooper now recovering at home. The suspect is in prison for a probation violation.

Catholic bishops will elect a new leader today -- not usually a momentous occasion. But this year it's quite different. Some might say it's a battle between religious conservatives and liberals. And it's all thanks to the wildly popular Pope Francis, a pontiff unafraid to demonstrate love by embracing those less fortunate and by simply being accessible.

But Francis has also proved to be controversial. He said of women in the church, the feminine genius is needed wherever we make important decisions. And in response to the questions about same-sex marriage, he said if someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge? The Pope also wants a review of marriage including same-sex marriage and divorce.

Father Thomas Reuse joins me live from Baltimore. Welcome -- Father.

FATHER THOMAS REESE, SENIOR ANALYST, NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER: Thank you. Nice to be with you again.

COSTELLO: Nice to have you here. What do you expect to come out of the bishop's meeting?

REESE: Well, we just had the election, so we now have results from the bishops. They elected their vice president, Archbishop Kurtz (ph) to be the new president of the bishop's conference. This is a vote for continuity. His election was not a surprise.

It's going to be very interesting. He certainly supports the agenda of the bishops, their opposition to gay marriage, their opposition to abortion and their concern about the contraceptive mandate.

But he's got wider concerns than that also. For example, his background is as a social worker. He has an MSW. So he comes from that branch of the church of priests that have been working with poor people. So he's going to have a sensitivity to the issues of poverty I think stronger than we've seen in the past.

And secondly, he had a brother with Down Syndrome who he took care of for many, many years. So he's going to have a great sensitivity to families with members who have Down syndrome. So we -- this is a man who has a little more complexity than simply being a culture warrior.

COSTELLO: And those things I think Pope Francis would mightily approve of. But Pope Francis has also urged the church to become less ideological and more pastoral. Did these resonate at all during the meetings?

REESE: Well, during the actual discussions at the meeting, it didn't come up that much. But in conversation with bishops over -- you know, during the coffee breaks and that sort of thing, the question I always ask them was, hey, what do you hear from your people about the new Pope? And their eyes lit up and they began to talk about how people are responding to this Pope, both Catholics and ex-Catholics and even people who have never been Catholics come by and say we really like this Pope. So they're hearing this from their people and I think this is having an impact on the bishops. They're really giving attention to what Pope Francis is doing. So I think this is very positive.

COSTELLO: Father Thomas Reese, thanks so much for being with me this morning. I appreciate it.

REESE: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Checking our top stories.

Until a few days ago, most voters thought this man was black. Dave Wilson was recently elected to a college board of trustees in a predominantly minority district in Houston. His campaign literature featured images of African-Americans implying that he too was African- American. Even his opponent was shocked to discover he was white.

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BRUCE AUSTIN, LOSING INCUMBENT: I was rather disgusted. I don't think it's good. I don't think it's good for both democracy and the whole concept of fair play. But that was not his intent apparently.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Austin says he will ask for a recount. But Wilson says he won fair and square.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE WILSON, WON IN HEAVILY BLACK DISTRICT: Because it was an African-American I didn't feel like putting my picture on any of those brochures would get me any votes. I stuck with the issues and I brought them up. And that's what I considered important in this race, the issues, not my skin color.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Wilson's literature also claimed he'd been endorsed by Ron Wilson, a prominent African-American politician in Houston. He didn't lie, but this Ron Wilson was actually a cousin who lives in Iowa.

All right. You're looking at a sinkhole now. This is in a suburban neighborhood outside of Chicago. This sinkhole is growing ever larger. Apparently a water main broke underneath the street and the sinkhole opened up and it's getting ever larger and as you can see, it's getting dangerously close to homes in the area. They're trying to repair it as fast as they can.

A Good Samaritan couldn't bear watching a deer with an arrow through its face. So with some help she got the arrow out.

CNN's Jeanne Moos has the happy ending.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Maybe it's only natural that a deer with an arrow in its face would wind up on Facebook. Susan Darrow's first entry read, want to know what sucks? This. She spotted the deer on her farm in Rockaway Township, New Jersey back on November 1st.

SUSAN DARROW, RESCUED A DEER: I looked out and I did the old double take.

MOOS: It didn't take her long to call wildlife officials for help. But the deer disappeared. It would come and go. The arrow reminded her of someone. And though she saw nothing funny about the deer's plight; she named him little Steve Martin. And little Steve joined the ranks of animals in need of help extricating themselves from some man-made object be it a tire on a cow, or a barstool on an elk, or Christmas lights on a deer antlers or a peanut butter jar on a skunk.

Though a hunter's arrow makes the rest seem like child's play Fish and Wildlife officers stake out the property for a few days. And finally a sharp shooter perched on Susan's second floor nailed the deer with a tranquilizer.

DARROW: They carefully unscrewed the point of the arrow.

MOOS: Then pulled out the shaft and gave little Steve antibiotics. By the time he staggered to his feet about an hour later the prognosis was excellent if another hunter doesn't get him. "Success -- the arrow is out", Susan announced on her Facebook page. She even got to keep the arrow as a souvenir.

DARROW: Then I can tell my grandkids.

MOOS: The arrow now sits on Susan's mantle. And only one thing could make this happy ending even happier for her. She wishes the real Steve Martin would reach out to her. Maybe they could turn this into a children's story. The deer that got the shaft but got help from a straight arrow.

DARROW: He became such a big part of my life for a week and a day.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: That does it for me today. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

"LEGAL VIEW" with Ashleigh Banfield starts now.

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN HOST: Thousands of aid workers and troops on the ground -- many more on the way; and millions of dollars pouring in to help storm victims. But is any relief effort big enough? Miles of devastation -- so many dead and the battle for survival for countless others is only just beginning.

Also ahead, the big city mayor's first big public appearance since admitting to smoking crack in a drunken stupor.