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Students Celebrate Resignation of University of Missouri President; Sexting Scandal at Colorado High School; SeaWorld to Phase at Killer Whales at One Park; Starbucks Cups Reawaken War-on-Christmas Debate. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired November 09, 2015 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:30:00] JONATHAN BUTLER, UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI GRADUATE STUDENT: Another thing, I don't know if everyone heard, but I want to take this stance to make one thing clear. When we look at what's been happening on campus, I would be remiss and inappropriate if I did not acknowledge the people who got us here to where we are right now. Not only the students who have been fighting for us at the university since 1950, but you look at Ferguson activism that happened here at the university. The movement that was started in terms of igniting the fire with black students, was ignited by three career black women who started it --
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
BUTLER: That was a beautiful platform.
First of all, as I hope we see, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for what they did for this campus.
When we look at the organization they created and how there was so much struggle on campus but that administration refused to step in to make sure black students, Brown students and all students are feeling safe and included on this campus. They have ignited the fire within us. So I'm grateful for that moment.
(APPLAUSE)
BUTLER: In terms of answering a question about the community, I definitely want to make sure that everything is centralized about the message of how we got here. Police are focusing on the fact of the hunger strike itself. Why did we have to get here in the first place and why the struggle and why we had to fight the way that we did.
(APPLAUSE)
BUTLER: At the end of all this, after all the letters we have sent, all the interactions and forums we have attended, it should not have taken this much and it is disgusting and vile that we find ourselves in the place that we do.
(APPLAUSE)
BUTLER: So with that in mind, I give, one, all glory to God for allowing me to still stand in this moment.
(APPLAUSE)
BUTLER: And two, I want to acknowledge -- that this was not me alone. It was these people that I'm standing on this stage with. It was the black community. It was the black faculty. It was the other faculty. It was the former graduate rights. This was everyone who chose to stand up at this time. It was Jonathan Butler. It was the community, for one of the first times I have ever seen, stand together united.
(APPLAUSE)
(CHEERING)
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Student activist there at the University of Missouri celebrating the resignation of the school's president, but making it clear that much more needs to be done. We'll have more on this breaking news at the top of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:38:03] KEILAR: Well over 100 high school students could end up as registered sex offenders after police were tipped off to a sexting ring. Students at Canon City High School in Colorado are accused of collecting and trading nude photos of themselves and classmates on their cell phones. And sometimes they were storing these pictures on secretive vault apps disguised as calculators and media players. This is a controversial case. It's led already to suspensions, a forfeited football game, and a felony investigation by police.
Let's go live to Canon City, Colorado and CNN's Ana Cabrera.
Tell us more about this case, Ana, and how did police uncover it?
ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Brianna. It all started with one tip. A grade student coming forward to authorities saying she felt uncomfortable. After that, quickly, then anonymous tips started coming in to a program that suggested this may be more widespread than anybody could have imagined.
Authorities tell us they believe, of this school that has a little more than 1,000 students, they believe hundreds of students may have participated in this se sexting situation. Now police say there are three phones that have been turned over to authorities so far and there are hundreds of pictures. Pictures of students as young as 8th grade up through 12th grade. Some of them are partially nude. Nude body parts, some. Pictures of students in undergarments. Authorities say these pictures were being passed around and shared and saved in those secret vault apps. Where on your screen of your home page of your cell phone, it looks like a calculator app, but once you get inside, you enter a password and have access to hidden pictures.
We spoke with one student who says she was asked to take nude pictures two years ago in 8th grade. While she didn't do it, he said, it's becoming so common it's almost like a game here at the high school.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[14:40:07] UNIDENTIFIED CANON CITY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: I think it's become like a norm throughout not just at our school but throughout all of society. And we see these things on the TV and Internet of girls sending pictures of themselves and it's just become something that everybody was doing. So nobody really saw something really bad about it. I personally just feel morally that it was wrong, but I didn't really know legally to the extent of how wrong it was because nobody ever really told us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: Now these students are learning there could be some serious legal consequences. The district attorney says he will wait for the investigation to be completed within probably the next 30 days or so and make some determination on whether to go forward on criminal charges. The crimes involved could carry felony charges that, in some cases, could lead to some students having to register as sex offenders, Brianna. It's very serious.
KEILAR: We will be following that as the weeks go by.
Ana Cabrera, thank you so much, in Colorado for us.
Next, breaking news involving SeaWorld. One of its parks expected to phase out its controversial killer whale shows. But the orcas are staying. Hear what they will be doing now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:53] KEILAR: We have breaking news. SeaWorld is making a huge announcement deciding to, quote, "phase out their controversial killer whale show in at least one park." This coming after major backlash following the CNN documentary, "Black Fish," that exposed alleged mistreatment of orcas and the deadly attacks on trainers.
Joining me to talk about this we have Paul Vercammen, a CNN correspondent. We also have Naomi Rose. She's a marine mammal scientist for the Animal Welfare Institute.
So, Paul, tell me about this because we have this announcement from SeaWorld. And yet they say there won't be these shows, but there's still going to be an orca experience. What will take its place?
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So this is where this all came out. It was at the investor relations conference. Just now, the new head of SeaWorld said they are going to phase out these live orca shows. In 2017, we're going to see some sort of more of an effort toward conservation. And the CEO also suggesting that they had heard the feedback and had to make this change at the San Diego park. Was not doing that well. And there was extensive backlash after the airing of the documentary "Black Fish" on CNN. We're waiting to hear the details of what the show is going to look like in 2017, but he clearly stated they are going to phase this out in 2016 and we'll just have to see what it looks like -- Brianna? KEILAR: That's really the question, Naomi, is this sort of pr move or
is this a substantive move. What do you think it's going to mean for more than 20 orcas housed across the three parks?
NAOMI ROSE, MARINE MAMMAL SCIENTIST, ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITUTE: I don't think the announcement has been clear at all what exactly it means. Is it just for the California park or will it include the Florida and Texas parks? If it just is in one state, not all three parks, I don't think it's a huge change. If it is just a change in packaging the show, then it doesn't really address the welfare of the animals.
KEILAR: And you have SeaWorld that was allowed to expand the orca tanks in the San Diego park. The top stipulation was that the company could no longer add to the tank's population. What does this really mean for the breeding program?
ROSE: That's exactly the problem with the announcement. If SeaWorld isn't going to stop the breeding program, then repackaging the show is just cosmetic. It might help them to deliver more accurate information, because I have to tell you right now, their education is more mis-education, so it might address that to an extent. But it will not change the welfare situation for these large ocean predators. So they have to stop the breeding program, which the California Coastal Commission has stipulated if they go blue world.
KEILAR: Paul, why are they being so unclear about what this means?
VERCAMMEN: Certainly, I think it's the forum. It's an investor relations conference. I don't think they want it to get into detail about it. Most of the focus is on the bottom line and the expansion of the parks, et cetera, et cetera.
Also I should note that on Friday, a Congressman from California introduced legislation that would basically end any orca shows, period, because it would forbid more breeding and people going out and capturing more orcas in the wild.
So I believe when we get to the question-and-answer part of this investor relations conference, we'll finally get some details because the reporters will be able to press them on what those plans are -- Brianna?
KEILAR: Excellent. We know you'll get some more answers and we're looking forward to them.
Paul Vercammen, thank you.
Naomi Rose, really appreciate it.
ROSE: Thank you.
[14:49:42] KEILAR: And next, the red Starbucks cup. You know it. I'm sure you bought it. But why some claim it's restarted the war on Christmas. I'll be speaking with a guy who is calling out Starbucks, next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Starbucks has one customer pretty heated, and not over its coffee, but its cups. Specifically, it's the new holiday versions that are red there, a minimalist look. Starbucks deciding this year to drop the reindeer and the ornaments from the cups.
And a former pastor and self-proclaimed social media personality had this to say about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSHUA FEUERSTEIN, SOCIAL MEDIA EVANGELIST: Do you realize that Starbucks wanted to take Christ and Christmas off their new cups? That's why they are just plain red. They aren't allowed to say "Merry Christmas" to customers. I decided instead of simply boycotting, why don't we start a movement? So I went in and I asked for my coffee and they asked for my name, and I told them my name is "Merry Christmas." So guess what, Starbucks, I tricked you into putting "Merry Christmas" on your cup.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Joining me now is Merry Christmas, or social media evangelist, Josh Feuerstein. And also we have Pete Dominick, who is a political talk show host for Sirius/XM radio.
So we see that clip that you have done, Joshua, in front of the Starbucks. Explain in full why this year's red cup is making you so angry.
[14:55:17] FEUERSTEIN: Well, I think it's much more than just a cup. I think it's the narrative. I think the cup is very symbolic in that it parallels a society that's trying to remove Christmas from Christmas. Think about it. Think about the fact that South Park Mall has required that they take down their Christmas tree this year so it doesn't offend anybody.
There are cities banning nativity scenes because they don't want it to be offensive. I'm simply saying, as a capitalistic society, we have the ability to send messages to corporations, to send messages to different individuals that, while here in America, 73 percent of people identify themselves as Christian. We're founded on Christian principles. And I think that the silent majority is sick and tired of consistently being bullied to be quiet about our beliefs and simply trying to remove Christ out of Christmas and Christmas out of society.
KEILAR: Joshua, I don't know if you can see Pete but his eyebrows have been going up and down.
Weigh in here, Pete.
PETE DOMINICK, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST, SIRIUS/XM RADIO: Listen, first of all, it's always fun to listen to someone who calls himself a Christ follower tout the benefits of capitalism. But this guy is what I call an entrepreneurial bigot, Brianna. He's known for this. He's known for wanting to pick up arms against gay people. He's known for trying to debunk evolution. He makes money on the side as a Chaz Bono impersonator. The idea he's going to try to get people at Starbucks to say Merry Christmas, he's only going to get people to go to Starbucks more and buy more coffee. Starbucks isn't going to change their policy. They have never had anything on their cups that he's saying they are taking up. But if he were really a great Christmas, maybe he'd go into Starbucks -- and there's a lot of homeless people that us Starbucks for a bathroom, a shower. So maybe what he should do to get the same outcome is buy a pastry or sandwich for a homeless person and wish them a Merry Christmas and he gets the benefits of that with all the hatred and bigotry and cynical self-promotion. That's all this is. And I'm here to be the needle to pop that balloon.
KEILAR: Can you hear that, Joshua? Can you respond to that?
FEUERSTEIN: Unfortunately, I don't think Pete's audio is put into --
(CROSSTALK)
DOMINICK: That's a shame.
KEILAR: OK, it's not. So let me tell you. He basically called you a bigot. And he said that the Christian thing to do would to go in and buy a pastry for someone who is homeless and --
DOMINICK: And wish them a Merry Christmas.
KEILAR: And wish them a Merry Christmas, he said. I will tell you that's the condensed version. Respond to that.
FEUERSTEIN: So, well, it's kind of hard for me to respond to something I wasn't able to hear, but what exactly was his point a about me being a bigot?
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: Pete?
DOMINICK: This guy -- I'm not telling anybody to Google him, but he carries a machine gun on one of his videos and calls for an armed revolution against gay people.
KEILAR: He said basically he's saying that you are anti-gay, and because of that, you're a bigot. But I also think, because you can't hear Pete. I want to ask you a question.
FEUERSTEIN: I would love to respond to whatever Pete has to say. Unfortunately, I can't hear it. Every time he talks, it's blank space.
KEILAR: Pete, no offense on that.
(CROSSTALK)
DOMINICK: None taken. KEILAR: I want to ask you about this, Joshua. I know this point
you're making, but I would wonder when you look at these cups in Starbucks and you have Starbucks saying we want it for it to be a blank canvas for people to do whatever they wish with it. But there's also some Christmas-themed products that are in the store. We have some photos of them that we pulled up from online. Does that sort of poke a hole in your theory that they are anti-Christmas? Here we have coffee, the Christmas blend. What do you think about that?
FEUERSTEIN: So the thing that they are most known for is obviously their cup, not their Christmas blend. They are known for their cup. That's what people take and display on their office desk. And --
(CROSSTALK)
KEILAR: But if they were really anti-Christmas, wouldn't they be anti-Christmas across the board?
FEUERSTEIN: If you allow me to finish the question, I think this has been something that's been taking place slowly over time. And, again, it goes to show a much larger narrative of a society that has slowly been trying to take Christmas out of the public spotlight. Now with this video going viral, like 13 million views in three days, it's been shared over and over.
