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South Carolina Senate Poised To Approve Flag Removal; Twelve Prison Employees Suspended Following Escape; Special Report on Shirley Reine's Murder Tonight. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired July 07, 2015 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:30:59] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Actor, Bill Cosby, admitted he obtained sedatives with the intention of giving it to women he wanted to have sex with. The information contained in documents just unsealed from a 2005 sexual assault lawsuit which Cosby settled out of court.
Now the 77-year-old admits providing the Quaaludes to one woman and, quote, "others," but never admits to actually drugging anyone. More than 25 women accused Cosby of sexual assault, allegations he denies.
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Deal or no deal. Negotiators try to nail down a nuclear agreement with Iran by today's deadline. New Iranian demands to drop an arms embargo to be among the issues holding up an agreement. The talks could extend past the latest self-imposed deadline. Secretary of State John Kerry said tough choices need to be made and the U.S. is prepared to walk away, if necessary.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Could Edward Snowden return to the U.S. soon? Former Attorney General Eric Holder thinks it could happen. He tells Yahoo! News, the Justice Department may be open to a plea bargain to allow the NSA whistleblower to come home. Holder says Snowden's actions, quote, "spurred a necessary debate on surveillance in America."
CUOMO: Listen to this, finally found someone that would beat Floyd Mayweather, the rules. He is no longer welter weight champ of the world. The World Boxing Organization stripping Mayweather of the title he claimed from Manny Pacquiao after he failed to pay a $200,000 sanctioning fee by Friday's deadline. He has 14 days to appeal.
CAMEROTA: Why he have a $200,000 sanctioning fee?
CUOMO: Because it was part of the deal. Maybe it was on oversight, either way, he's got to pay or he will not get the belt.
CAMEROTA: Interesting.
PEREIRA: Goodness knows he has the cash. I want to talk about what's going on in South Carolina. Lawmakers apparently now one step closer to removing the confederate flag from the ground of the state capitol. The Senate of the state there poised to approve a bill to take the flag down voting 37-3 to move the measure ahead. The bill will head to the state's House of Representatives next where it could face a more challenging opposition. Joining us now are two members of the South Carolina State Senate.
We have a Democrat, Marlon Kimpson, and Republican, Larry Martin, who happens to be the chair of the Senate. Gentlemen, thank you so much for joining us.
Marlon, resounding 37-3 in favor of removing the flag from the state house grounds, does this signal a resounding shift to you and how strong of a message does it send to South Carolinians and in fact to your colleagues in the house?
MARLON KIMPSON (D), SOUTH CAROLINA STATE SENATOR: I think it sends a very strong message. We started the day with members who are in leadership positions exhibiting leadership. We had a vibrant debate. There are a lot of emotions, a lot of procedural nuances.
At the end of the day, we were on to something, a message of unity, a message of bringing South Carolina to move forward to the 21st Century. We will continue to work. This is not done, we have to get two-thirds vote today and send that bill to the house. Hopefully the same message will carry over.
PEREIRA: Senator Martin, I understand you as a Republican have been on the other side of this debate for some time and you sort of more recently had a change of heart. Tell us about this and why?
LARRY MARTIN (R), SENATE JUDICIARY CHAIRMAN: Well, the shootings in Charleston, the tragedy that befell our state, I think brought it more into focus, particularly after the families of those victims came out with a tremendous show of forgiveness, reconciliation, grace that we have all talked about. Heard the president speak about, you know, this issue really came up about whether it was flying at half-mast or not.
[07:35:05] The initial reports that came out about it, and that's one of those thing that was on your mind and it wasn't supposed to, but it brought attention to it again. The history in South Carolina with the flag is recent. It wasn't up for 100 years.
PEREIRA: Right.
MARTIN: It was only placed on the dome for the centennial in the 1960s, but it was left there. The history of that tells us that it was left there for reasons other than honoring or commemorating our ancestors.
It was left there primarily as a symbol against what was going on in Washington and around the country at the time. South Carolina is prone to be different and I respect that, but it's time to move on. We don't need to live in the past. We need to look at what South Carolina's future is about.
PEREIRA: Senator Kimpson, I want to ask you what you say to people that, like for example, the majority leader in the State Senate, Harvey Peeler Jr., who says that won't change history referring to removing the flag, moving the flag won't change history. How do you respond to him?
KIMPSON: Well, I agree, it won't change history, but we are in a position now to seize the moment and bring racial reconciliation to the state and to the nation by moving this divisive symbol. You know, there was a lot of talk about the soldiers yesterday.
I read on the Senate floor from excerpts from speeches by General Wade Hampton and Robert E. Lee. These were the soldiers who fought in the war on the confederate side. They were very clear in their messages that it was time to deposit the weapons including the flag forever.
So, if the soldiers who fought in the war on the confederate side can send that message, then certainly the South Carolina general assembly and those advocating for the flag to continue to fly can have a change of heart like the leadership that was shown by Chairman Martin and we are going to encourage the House to do the same.
PEREIRA: Well, we know that the House does face more of a challenge in the House, we know and we understand that. Do you think this, Senator Martin, do you think it could end up being a popular vote and how do you think that would go in South Carolina?
MARTIN: Well, it's unconstitutional to have a popular vote or referendum vote on a state law. We are pretty well aware of that based on Supreme Court precedence. It would be a very divisive thing, even if you can do it.
The problem is that we need, as the elected representatives of people of South Carolina to make this decision and I certainly join the House colleagues to move forward and do some in a way that reflects bringing the state together.
PEREIRA: Right.
MARTIN: Trying to build this reconciliation that has been talked about. South Carolina has demonstrated, in my view, a strength of character that is really, really been a blessing to all of us. We need to continue that, not destroy history or erase our history, but do so respectfully of one another.
PEREIRA: Well, let's hope that continues, for sure. Gentlemen, it has been a delight to have you both with us. Senator Martin, Senator Kimpson, thanks for joining us on NEW DAY -- Chris, Alisyn.
CAMEROTA: OK, Michaela, back to this story that has gotten so much attention, 12 prison workers put on leave after the escape of David Sweat and Richard Matt in upstate New York. One lawmaker joins us this morning to tell us why these officials are not to blame.
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[07:43:01]
CAMEROTA: Twelve prison employees now on administrative leave from Clinton Correctional as the investigation deepens into the embarrassing escape of Richard Matt and David Sweat. Should all officials be fired?
Let's bring in New York Assemblywoman, Janet Duprey. Clinton Correctional is in her district. Good morning, Miss Dupree.
JANET DUPREY (R), NEW YORK ASSEMBLY: Good morning.
CAMEROTA: Should all these officials and officers be fired?
DUPREY: My concern is we have done a rush to judgment. The original intent was that, and the inspector general is there now doing what appears to be a very thorough investigation, interviewing a lot of people and coincidentally some of the folks who have been put on administrative leave were never interviewed.
Those of us who know how the system should work and usually does work, we are embarrassed. We are upset about this. The fact that one woman brought the system down. For anybody who was involved, whether it's corrections officers or whoever had a part in it or responsibility for it, let the system play out. Let the investigation play out and let them be dealt with appropriately.
CAMEROTA: Yes, I mean, listen --
DUPREY: But also, let's --
CAMEROTA: I just want to get in there because you say, let the investigation play out. We do know some pretty damming things already. For instance, hacksaws, a chisel and other tools were smuggled into the prison, as you mentioned.
The woman, Joyce Mitchell, a prison worker, had an inappropriate relationship with one of the prisoners prior to their escape. She was warned about that and allowed to still work there. As you know, the prisoners made a dry run the night before they escaped as David Sweat admitted to. That wasn't detected.
They made stuffed dummies. They put them in their beds, which weren't detected for seven hours. I mean, how can anyone keep their job after this cascade of wrong doing?
DUPREY: Well, first of all, I'm not sure I believe everything that David Sweat is saying right now, but that's a personal thing.
[07:45:05] You know, there are 98 or 99 percent of the correction officers who work in that facility who had no relationship with the "a" block, with the honor block, with Joyce Mitchell.
CAMEROTA: Well, sure. Those people shouldn't lose their jobs.
DUPREY: They feel strongly -- nobody is sure right now. There are a couple people on that list who really did not have any relationship at all. They happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong night on that particular night, but not a record of having worked that shift and doing that. You know, let's face it somebody at the top is probably going to be let go. I can tell you, Superintendent Steve is one of the best correction superintendents in the state of New York. He was there a little over a year. He went into a mess.
I was one of the people who asked him to go in there. He did a great job of building moral and started to bring it back. Yes, it happened on his watch.
CAMEROTA: How do you explain that?
DUPREY: He will probably be removed.
CAMEROTA: I know you support him and you think he was turning around Clinton Correctional and maybe he was.
DUPREY: I know he was.
CAMEROTA: How do you explain that there were all of these oversights on his watch?
DUPREY: Well, I'm really depending on the inspector general to come in. This is unimaginable. You know, 150 years nobody got out of that facility. I don't know who, whether it was civilians, whether they are going to be other officials involved. I think there has to be. But, I think we need to figure that out.
I also think that I need to be a voice, for, again, that 98 percent, 99 percent of those guys. Men and women, they are still working 16- hour shifts, they are exhausted. There are community leaders on the outside, volunteer firefighters, baseball, softball, soccer coaches. They have a tough job.
They are working with people who are not good people. Those men are in there as inmates because they have committed serious crimes. The implication and you are doing it yourself this morning, is that they are all bad. That's absolutely not true.
I just want everybody to get a fair shake in this. Punish those that are, but exonerate those that aren't. If I can be that voice because they can't be -- and we have a lot of work to do. I'm firmly committed.
I have a great relationship and built one over the last nine years with the Department of Corrections. We can make this system, I believe, better across the state of New York if we all work together and we will.
CAMEROTA: Assemblywoman Janet Duprey, no one can argue with your logic that the guilty should be punished and the innocent should not be. We do appreciate your perspective of reminding us the correctional officers are very hard working. We'll see what happens in terms of these 12. Thanks so much for being on NEW DAY.
DUPREY: Thank you. PEREIRA: Up next, we have a mystery that has plagued Cape Cod for years. The search for justice doesn't seem to be over soon. We'll give you a sneak peek at a CNN special, ahead.
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[07:51:42]
CUOMO: A woman pulls into her garage in Cape Cod and winds up dead. But who did it? This is a mystery that has haunted a small Massachusetts community for years. Tonight, CNN takes a closer look at the case of 51-year-old Shirley Reine. The twist is that friends say in the years leading up to her death Shirley had reason to believe someone was plotting to kill her. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She got a call from her lawyer. Word had trickled down through the state police that there had been a hit put on her.
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Who actually put out that hit? Friends say Shirley was never told.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was afraid. When we'd come out of the movies, she never when she turned her car on if it was going to blow up. I don't know how she lived like that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I said, cut it out. They're just pulling your leg. They're just trying to scare you. Little did I know --
KAYE: Little did Loretta know that according to John Rams a plan to kill Shirley was already being hatched.
(on camera): Did Todd Reine ever tell you that he wanted to kill Shirley?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said he wanted to, absolutely. He had a plan and everything. He wanted me to go in her house and shoot her for him.
KAYE (voice-over): John insists he never agreed to do it, but that Todd was determined to make it happen with or without him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was determined to make it look like a mob hit.
KAYE (on camera): Did you warn authorities after talking to Todd?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, absolutely I did.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CUOMO: Randi, very scrutinizing there because John Rams was charged in 2001 for the murder, but was acquitted last year.
KAYE: He still claims that he is innocent. He says he has nothing to do with this. But I should point out, Chris, that John Rams has a long criminal history. He was convicted back in the '90s of manslaughter. He was also convicted in the 2002 burglary of Shirley Reine's home along with Todd Reine, her stepson. He does say he's innocent and has nothing to do with this, but he has a history.
CUOMO: Don't give all the way, but the why of someone putting a hit out? What is the general atmosphere of what was going on here?
KAYE: Well, she was married to this guy who had a long history in the community, Melvin Rainy, Sr. He had a long history in the community of harassing people. He had been accused of even harming people before. But in this case, in Shirley Reine's murder, a lot of people were pointing to Todd Reine, her stepson.
But the DA just said there wasn't enough evidence even when John Rams was acquitted. He said he didn't have enough evidence really to charge the case properly against John Rams. So it's still an open case right now.
CUOMO: Let's see where you take us tonight. Randi, thank you so much. Watch CNN's special report, "MURDER ON CAPE COD: WHO KILLED SHIRLEY REINE?" It's tonight at 9:00 Eastern only with Randi Kaye, only on CNN -- Alisyn.
CAMEROTA: OK, Chris, another big story, a stunning admission from Bill Cosby for the first time. We will be speaking with two women, both of whom say that Cosby sexually assaulted them and drugged them.
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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "AC360": After so many allegations Bill Cosby himself has admitted to obtaining drugs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bill Cosby testified back in 2005 that he got Quaaludes with the intent of giving them to young women that he wanted to have sex with.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fame and wealth cannot exempt you from justice.
SECRETARY JOHN KERRY: This negotiation could go either way.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The tense negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program are in the final stages.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wouldn't set any expectations at this point.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Agreement or coercion?
COOPER: Francisco Sanchez charged with murdering Kathryn Steinle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is an issue of illegal immigration. Sanchez should not have been in this country.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hillary Clinton's first major TV interview since the start of her presidential campaign.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You cannot be in perpetual over the press and still run for president.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She keeps reporters on a short leash, literally.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CUOMO: Welcome to your NEW DAY. Newly uncovered testimony from Bill Cosby reveals the comic admitting he obtained prescription sedatives with the intent of giving them to women he wanted to sleep with.
CAMEROTA: So Cosby admits he gave a Quaalude to one woman, but he does not admit that he actually drugged anyone against her will.
