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Dow Headed Lower at Open; Planet Hillary; Pope John Paul's Private Papers; Stock Markets Slide at Open; Bear Scares Couple in California; X Games Athlete Honors Late Brother with Win

Aired January 24, 2014 - 09:30   ET

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

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's happening for a few reasons. For one, concerns about China. There was a report this week that showed manufacturing over there slowed. And the U.S., not looking so hot either.

Also, the fourth quarter earnings that are coming out these days, they're a little bit underwhelming. And these are from some big name companies like Verizon, Johnson & Johnson, IBM and Citigroup.

You know what, Carol, Wall Street had high hopes for fourth quarter earnings season, but this week really started kind of dialing back the expectations because of this overall weakness. The thinking is, if corporate America doesn't do well, it won't hire people, it won't spend money, it won't help the economy grow.

We're a few seconds into the trading day. Already, yee-haw (ph), seeing red on the screen. I say that sarcastically, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I know you do. Thank you, Alison Kosik. We appreciate it.

KOSIK: Sure.

COSTELLO: Now to the bizarre "New York Times" magazine cover making headlines. Take a look at "Planet Hillary." It's an in-depth look at the big push behind a Clinton candidacy and what it's like to be in Hillary Clinton's expansive inner circle, you know, her orbit. But forget about this cover for a moment. The Internet has gone wild making fun of that cover, turning planet Hillary into Miley Cyrus's wrecking ball and putting the fleshy moon face on Justin Bieber's mug shot. The writer of the article told CNN's "NEW DAY" she was a little surprised by the cover.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMY CHOZICK, "NEW YORK TIMES": I kept describing this as a story about her orbit. They didn't know I was quite so literal.

KATE BOLDUAN, ANCHOR, CNN'S "NEW DAY": I'm literally meaning an orbit.

CHRIS CUOMO, ANCHOR, CNN'S "NEW DAY": And you don't pick the cover? To be fair, you know.

CHOZICK: Of course. Of course. Of course, I didn't pick the cover. But when they showed it to me, I definitely thought, oh, this is going to draw a lot of reaction. I didn't really imagine the Miley Cyrus name going around.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Pretty funny, though, isn't it? Let's dig into the content of the article with our panel this morning. John Harris is the editor- in-chief of Politico and author of the historical book "The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House." Also with us, Will Cain, a CNN political commentator and columnist at "The Blade," and CNN's senior media correspondent Brian Stelter.

Welcome to all of you.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Thank you.

WILL CAIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning.

JOHN HARRIS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, POLITICO: Good morning.

COSTELLO: Good morning.

So, Brian, this is a lengthy, dense article and the cover is just so bizarre. It kind of takes away from the gravity of the content, doesn't it?

STELTER: Oh, that was a good one. Well, this cover leaked yesterday and the article came online today. I think that was good timing because people could react to the cover. Now today they can actually read the article, which makes some really important points about the challenges that Hillary Clinton would face if she runs for president about all the people that are in her orbit.

But I think one of John's colleagues at Politico made a very good point yesterday. Here is "The New York Times" magazine. You know, I used to work at "The Times." I had a cover story myself last year. Here's "The Times" magazine trying to be social media friendly. Trying to be buzzy. Trying to be shareable. And, hey, they succeed with this cover.

COSTELLO: Did they, Will?

CAIN: Well, yes, yes. But how many women do you know want to be analogized to a planet. How many - how many 66-year-old women want to be analogized to a planet and described as having an orbit. I mean I can't imagine the Clinton camp is very happy with what "The New York Times" magazine - how it analogized her today.

COSTELLO: Actually, John, I think the Hillary Clinton camp is probably ecstatic about it. Look at all the publicity she's getting. I mean I'm with you - I'm with you, Will, because I wouldn't want to be -

HARRIS: I suppose -

COSTELLO: I wouldn't want to be depicted without hair as a planet. But, going back to John, it is a lengthy article and there are criticisms in it, but there are also compliments.

HARRIS: I suppose. I don't think they're hungering for the publicity because I don't think Hillary Clinton, unlike most politicians really, ever has any doubts that she can command publicity at will. This is the kind of publicity that historically the Clintons have not liked. It goes into interpersonal dynamics. It looks at different rivalries. It's - like a lot of political journalism, it's about how the sausage gets made in a campaign or, in this case, a impending campaign, which is always kind of a messy process. The Clintons have never been overly enthusiastic about this type of journalism.

I do agree with you, they kind of came out alive. There's no really damaging revelation in this that's going to make life difficult. But I don't think this is one that she's curled up on the couch reading over and over.

CAIN: You know, Carol, can I say to John's point, I don't know that it's necessary fawning or that it's publicity like (ph), not just because of the cover either. What it exposes is an industry. It - we all talk about the permanent campaign, but this exposes an industry designed around selling a product. The product being Hillary Clinton. It could be any politician for that matter, but it shows essentially that we are trading votes for something. They're buying votes from us. And votes, you know, don't -- you can't live on votes. So it makes you ask questions.

If you have $100 million industry with thousands of employees with this kind of personal structure underneath it, what are you getting? You're getting sort of a self-feeding blob. A cancerous tumor. Look at a Google Earth view of Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia and you'll see an illustration of my point. This - this article exposes how that happens. How we have an ever growing political class and growing industry in Washington, D.C.

COSTELLO: Yes, it is interesting and it's interesting that it's now become this huge family business because it talks a lot about Chelsea Clinton and her new role, not only in the Clinton Initiatives, but the coming Clinton campaign, because it's becoming clearer and clearer she's going to run, right, Brian?

STELTER: Well, I - you know, listen, I do think it's becoming clearer and clearer that she's (ph) going to run. Amy Chozick, the person who wrote this story, is full time on the Clinton beat. When I ran into her in the elevator here at CNN this morning, I said, I do think that people are going to read the article now -- more people are going to as a result of the cover. You know, and, personally, I didn't think the cover was offensive, but it is unpleasant. And there's going to be lots of unpleasant covers involving Hillary Clinton. There's going to be hundreds of magazine covers about the Clintons in the coming years if, in fact, Hillary does run for president. And so this is going to be part of that entire machine, so to speak.

COSTELLO: Well, John, I think there's going to be criticism too from the Republican camp that "The New York Times" is spending all this - or, you know, they're writing this huge article about the Clintons, but what about the Republican candidate? Will we see a similar article about that candidate? Whoever it will be.

HARRIS: Well, at the moment, there's obviously nobody that dominates, not just national politics, but I'd say sort of American consciousness in a way that merges politics and celebrity the way Hillary Clinton does. You know, Chris Christie is not equivalent to this or Scott Walker, the governor of Wisconsin. Obviously there's no cult of Walker. There is a cult of Hilary. So it's not equivalent. And you can argue whether it's fair or not fair, but it just is.

And I point out that publicity is always a two -

STELTER: And "The Times" does have peak reporters on other candidates.

HARRIS: That's right. And the publicity is always a two-edged sword. I don't know that it's necessarily helpful to a prospective 2016 candidates to have a three year run up in which there's nothing but obsessive attention to her, nothing but this kind of air of expectation and inevitability. There could be a recoil from that. And we are talking about her and covering her more like a Justin Bieber than somebody about -- with ideas or a policy program or what have you. So it's a -

COSTELLO: Yes, but we - but - but, Will -

HARRIS: I'm not sure it's a (INAUDIBLE) blessing (ph).

COSTELLO: You have to admit, we kind of cover all candidates that way. They're more rock stars than they are people with actual policies that might work in the country. And that makes me sad, actually, but it has become that way and candidates also run their campaigns that way.

CAIN: Yes. But I do agree with John, you do not want - not -- there's the cliche, the one that's repeated over and over that it's become memorized, all publicity is good publicity. I don't think that's true. And I'll tell you this, Chris Christie wouldn't mind if you stopped covering him for a little while. He wouldn't mind if he had some headlines go away.

So and I don't think that, again, this is not what Hillary wants because, you know, we use terms like "machine" almost in a benign way and this exposes the machine. And what it forces people to ask is, are we ready to anoint the next Clinton. It could be Bush. I'm not making a partisan point. It shows that the industry of politics is ever present and it is embedded and this is how it works. And I don't think voters want to think of it that way.

STELTER: And that's what the media's here for. That's what the media's here for, to report that -

CAIN: That's right. That's right.

STELTER: And to share what the candidates don't want us to care.

CAIN: That's right.

COSTELLO: Absolutely. John Harris, Will Cain, Brian Stelter, thanks for the interesting conversation. I appreciate it.

HARRIS: Thank you.

STELTER: See you then (ph).

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, denying the pope's final wishes. Pope John Paul wanted his papers burned, but those personal papers are now a book. We'll talk about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A Polish publisher is going against the final wishes of Pope John Paul II. The pope asked that his personal papers be burned after his death. But now those papers of the pope's personal reflections are coming out in a 640-page book. CNN's senior Vatican analyst John Allen is live in Rome this morning.

So how did this author get ahold of these personal papers?

JOHN ALLEN, CNN SENIOR VATICAN ANALYST: Well, Carol, they come from Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow. That, of course, was John Paul's diocese when he was still Cardinal Wojtyla (ph), before he became pope. Dziwisz was the pope's right-hand man. His priest secretary for all of his almost 27 year papacy. He was, in effect, Carol, most of us thought of him as a kind of vice pope. And Dziwisz has said that when John Paul was near death, he instructed him to burn this personal spiritual diary which apparently records his private prayer life and his religious meditations.

But Dziwisz has said he basically didn't have the heart to do it. He said he thought historians would despair if he consigned this diary to the flames. And so, instead, he held onto it and has now decided to turn it over to this Polish publisher. As you said, the Polish edition is scheduled to come out February 5th. And we expect shortly thereafter it will be translated into multiple languages all around the world.

Obviously, there's going to be keen interest, not only because John Paul was a widely loved pope around the world. You'll remember, Carol, that some 5 million people flocked to Rome for his funeral mass in 2005. But also he is about to be declared a saint of the catholic church in a ceremony to be presided over by Pope Francis in April of this year. So, I mean, you can bet this 640-page spiritual diary from John Paul is going to shoot to the top of bestseller lists all over the world, Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, and since, you know, considering who wrote the book, will there be anything controversial in it?

ALLEN: Well, apparently this is not a set of policy notes, so there's not going to be anything -- as we understand it, there's not going to be anything directly about, you know, his role in the collapse of communism or his policies with regard to abortion or those kinds of things. This is apparently his private, spiritual diary. John Paul, you have to understand, was in addition to being a kind of global media icon and an important figure in the affairs of the day. He was also, in many ways, a deep mystic. He had a profound spiritual streak. You'll remember that when the assassination attempt occurred against him in 1981, he was firmly convinced that because that happened on the Feast of our Lady of Fatima, which is a very important catholic devotion to the Virgin Mary, that Mary had intervened from heaven to save him. I mean he had this kind of cosmic view of his own life, in his place in God's plan. So he had a very active prayer life. And apparently this journal is going to be a set of reflections on that level. And it will certainly be fascinating reading, not just for Catholics, but, of course, for all those people around the world who were impressed and struck by the role John Paul played during those almost 27 years that he sat on the Throne of Peter, Carol.

COSTELLO: John Allen reporting live for us from Rome. Thanks so much.

All new at 10:00, a former college basketball star says some NCAA athletes should be paid to play. And he is suing over it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of guys don't have anything to show for their effort when they go to school because they put everything into that particular craft. And once it's done, life kind of chews them up and spits them out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: He says it's time for a change for college sports, but opponents argue it's a change that could drive away fans. More on the case, all new in the next hour of NEWSROOM

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Checking our "Top Stories" at 48 minutes past the hour.

Lawyers for the family of a brain dead pregnant woman will ask a court today to force a Texas hospital to remove her from life support. Marlise Munoz's husband says his life is now just an empty shell and he simply wants to bury her. The hospital says it's following Texas law which forbids cutting life support to a pregnant patient.

A Kansas man who thought he waived his parental rights when he donated his sperm to a lesbian couple may end up on the hook for child support. The procedure was performed at home nearly five years ago. But when the couple split up, the lesbian couple split up, the state came to Marotta for child support. Kansas law requires the procedure to be done by a licensed physician. Therefore a judge will mandate that he is responsible for child support.

The father of R&B singer Mary J. Blige is in critical condition after he was stabbed in the neck yesterday morning. Police say Blige's father was injured during a domestic dispute with an ex-girlfriend. She's now been charged with attempted murder. Visitors will pay $24 for tickets to the September 11th Memorial Museum set to open this spring. But victim's families will not have to pay. The museum does not receive any government support and the foundation's president says the $24 ticket price was set to cover operating costs.

Wall Street is taking a hit right now at the opening bell all three markets are down -- the Dow losing more than 100 points. Alison Kosik is live at the New York Stock Exchange. Good morning.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Carol. Day four and the bears are yes they are still in control as you said as the Dow down 115 points. You look at all Dow 30 stocks only four are in positive territory. You know what -- analysts actually believe that we could be in the middle of the corrections that everybody was expecting. So as we move through this together, it is good to remember that these analysts say this is natural, normal and healthy for the market.

You know it's hard to have not to gotten used to the record after record that was set in 2013. You know there was a lot of positive news in 2013 and the market wound up pricing and a lot of that good news. Well now there are a lot of readings pointing to some uncertainty about all of that good stuff. Especially with fourth quarter earnings season underway right now it's really not rallying many investors. So what are those investors doing they're not taking any chances they're running for the exits -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I love your voice of reason this morning, Alison Kosik. Thanks so much.

A couple visiting California this week got more than they bargained for. In fact it was something of a surprise. They found themselves up close and personal with a bear.

Chris Wolf with CNN affiliate KTLA has the story for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS WOLF, REPORTER, KTLA (voice over): You should look both ways before crossing the street but walking out your front door. Well had this couple in Pasadena done so, they would have noticed the wild animal, the bear, standing just feet away, watching, waiting, approaching and then following the pair as they walked out their car. The elderly couple walked out of frame and then suddenly, the man runs back into frame frantically and awkwardly trying to open the front door. Finally, he is in. He has escaped this wild animal, this menace, this bear that clearly has no fear of human beings.

But wait, where, oh, where, is the man's wife? Has he abandoned his soul mate in what could be their darkest hour? No.

WOLF (on camera): Irene, you are alive.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

WOLF: You're ok.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

WOLF: She's ok folks. Yes so you put her in the car.

BOB MCKEOWN, ENCOUNTERED BEAR: And I go in like that and as I do that, I felt something on my leg. So I close the door and I look and a bear. And that's when I dive up to the stairs.

WOLF: Bow how scared were you?

MCKEOWN: Well, I'll tell you (inaudible) you just see a bear. I have never encountered a bear and wasn't expecting to.

WOLF: Bob didn't escape unscathed the bear took a swipe at his leg nicking him on the right calf. But after a trip to the hospital, he is going to be just fine. He got a tetanus shot and is now on antibiotics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Oh that would be scary. Thanks to KTLA's Chris Wolf for that report.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM X Games gold medalist shares his win with family, friends and his late brother. This is an awesome story Andy Scholes.

ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Yes it sure is Carol. Colton Moore honoring his brother in style last night. We'll bring you his story after the break.

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COSTELLO: The latest clash of tennis's two titans goes to Rafael Nadal. Nadal in the red shirt beat Roger Federer in a match that ended just a short time ago. The straight set victory sends Nadal to the Australian Open final. Federer and Nadal have more than 1,600 victories between them over the last decade. But Nadal has dominated Federer in major tourneys.

An X Games athlete is making his mark and honoring his late brother at the same time. Check out Colton Moore's amazing flip. Oh, my goodness. Wow. Moore won gold at the snowmobile freestyle competition last night a year after his brother died from injuries in that very same event.

Andy Scholes is here with the touching story.

SCHOLES: That's right -- Carol. You know, in the 20-year history of the X Games, only one athlete has ever died and that was Caleb Moore last year in the snowmobile freestyle event.

Colton and Caleb, they grew up -- they're just two years apart in age -- and they grew up doing the snowmobile freestyle their whole lives, competing against each other, you know, pushing each other to be better all the time.

And what a special night last night had to have been for Colton. You know this was the same exact place, the same exact event and he was near perfect, completing all the tricks, the same very tricks that actually claimed his brother's life just last year.

And he had 60 family members and friends from Krum, Texas his hometown, on there, cheering him on. He was very emotional when he found out he had won and he dedicated the gold medal to his brother.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLTON MOORE, X GAMES ATHLETE: this is the greatest moment ever, to be able to come back here, ride for my brother, not just for him but with him, because I know he was out here with me all night and to be able to come out here and get gold is unbelievable. I just give it all to him. I know he was the one helping me do everything that I was doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Their father, Wade, he also says he knows they are still doing it together. And you know, Colton was asked, did you ever think about quitting after your brother's tragic death? He said, he never did, because if his brother was there with him, he would smack him on the head if he ever even considered giving up the event.

COSTELLO: Just the psychology of it all, knowing that one of your sons died in this event and here's the other son performing the very same trick. And for the family watching, it just had to be --

SCHOLES: Gut wrenching -- right. I couldn't imagine watching one son doing something after the other son had just died doing the exact same thing. But props to them, he's right there cheering him on. Wearing -- he was wearing Caleb's number the whole in his honor.

COSTELLO: Well, congrats to him.

Thank so much Andy.

SCHOLES: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts now.

Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thanks so much for joining me.

Right now, a once-rising political career lands with a thud in a Virginia courtroom. Former Virginia Governor, Robert McDonnell as his wife, Maureen, will make their first court appearance on federal corruption charges. Prosecutors say the couple illegally accepted $165,000 worth of gifts and loans.

Joe Johns is following this story for us today. Good morning, Joe.

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. It is the next step in the McDonnell legal story which frankly has been going on for months. Bob and Marie McDonnell face a 14-count indictment on corruption charges relating to gifts they received from a CEO of a health supplement company. We're talking about shopping sprees at high-end stores, tens of thousands of dollars in loans, a Rolex watch inscribed with his name and title and golf trips totaling all more than $165,000, which occurred while he was in office. He just left office on January 11th.

They are supposed to have their initial appearances and their actual arraignments in federal court in Richmond today at which time they should be formally informed of the charges against them and be given an opportunity to enter a plea.