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CNN NEWSROOM
Stocks Looking for a Rebound; Suspect Charged in Ferguson Police Shooting; Israeli Politics; Teens Face Terror Charges; NCAA Tournament March Madness Begins. Aired 9:30-10a ET
Aired March 16, 2015 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Randi Kaye, in for Carol Costello.
The opening bell just moments ago. Stocks looking for a rebound after three weeks of decline. Oil, once again, falling, now at $45 a barrel. Alison Kosik is joining me now with much more on that.
Good morning to you.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And good morning.
We are watching stocks. Do have a bit of a rebound, I think we just saw, but we're really watching oil prices today because we did see oil prices hit the lowest level that we've seen in six years.
So why are oil prices falling? First of all, that glut of oil. Plenty of supply out there. There's even a worry going on about where to store all this extra oil. Secondly, that possible deal with Iran means that sanctioning could be lifted, meaning more oil from Iran could be put out on the market. Third, we've got the strong dollar. Oil is actually priced in dollars. So, the stronger dollar causes oil prices to fall because other currencies get weaker. They need to spend more money of their currencies to buy the exact amount of oil, so they wind up putting their investments in something else.
What does that mean for stocks? We've seen stock in the energy sector fall 13 percent since we've seen oil fall from a high level last summer. You see that plunge there. So what you're seeing right now, Randi, is investors trying to see if oil can find a bottom. We saw some stabilization going on, but we're seeing oil go lower yet again, so no bottom in sight.
KAYE: All right, thank you for that, Alison. Nice to see you as well.
A suspected gunman, believed to be behind a shooting that nearly killed two cops in Ferguson, Missouri, is off the streets today. Officials have arrested this man right here, 20 years old Jeffrey Williams.
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ROBERT MCCULLOCH, ST. LOUIS COUNTY PROSECUTING ATTORNEY: He is now charged with two counts of assault in the first degree for the two police officers who were shot a couple days ago in Ferguson in front of the police station. Also charged with firing a weapon from a vehicle, which is a class b felony in the state of Missouri, and charged with three counts of armed criminal action, one for each one of those.
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KAYE: Williams admits he fired the shots, but denies he was aiming at the officers. Police say they found a .40-caliber handgun at Williams' home and are now thanking the public for information that led to his arrest.
Let's dig deeper on this with Ed Davis. He's the former Commissioner for the Boston Police Department. He was leading the city's force during the Occupy protest back in 2011.
Thanks for joining us, commissioner.
Williams denies that he was aiming at these two officers and that he opened fire after a dispute with other protesters. Do you buy that? What do you make of it?
ED DAVIS, FMR. COMMISSIONER, BOSTON POLICE: Well, good morning, Randi.
No, I don't buy that. A lot of people say a lot of things when they get caught. But the truth of the matter is, the facts point to someone who was spraying fire at a very minimum at a line of police officers, and at worst case, targeting them directly.
KAYE: And there have also been a lot of questions that we're still trying to sort through about where the suspected gunman was standing in relation to the police. Some close to this investigation are saying that they were standing side by side. Does that tell you anything about the shooter's intent, depending on where he was?
DAVIS: Well, I mean, it's clear to me that there's a lot of tension in the city, and there are people -- and from my, you know, from my opinion, Williams seems to be one of them, that just are trying to make it worse by getting back. You know revenge is a very clear motive here in this particular case.
KAYE: Let me ask you about this scathing DOJ reporting that the Ferguson Police Department engaged in widespread discrimination. Let me read you something from "The Boston Globe's" editorial board, writing this, "the remedies the DOJ report recommended for the Ferguson police force should apply across the country. The police, including Boston's, need more citizen involvement, internal policing and real efforts to stamp out bigoted attitudes."
Do you agree with that?
09:35:07
DAVIS: Well, Boston has had a great history of inclusion with citizens, but we can always do better. So I don't have any problems with "The Boston Globe" editorial. I really believe that in Ferguson right now you need to have a strong leader take charge and say that these bad acts have stopped and its citizens are going to get a fair deal. Then you need to put a police department in place that's reflective of the community. And if there are people in the organization that are guilty of bad acts, they've got to be separated from the service so that real trust can be established with that community again.
And I think that applying to cities across the country. DOJ is doing this in city after city after city.
KAYE: Yes.
DAVIS: We clearly have to look at what they're uncovering.
KAYE: But yet, I mean, all of that sounds like great ideas, but the unrest, though, remains in Ferguson, even though the police chief and a number of city official have now resigned. I mean how do they make real progress? You know, how do they find the peace there because it seems as though it just continues every time there's another incident, you know, it just gets uglier.
DAVIS: Well, I've worked with the Justice Department in various cases over the years and I know they want this to happen quickly. The truth of the matter is, there's a process that has to occur. Right now there's a real vacuum of leadership in Ferguson. That will be corrected over the months to come. In the meantime, it's a very dangerous situation. So they have to -- they have to have a sense of urgency in putting people in there that can correct this problem.
KAYE: All right, Ed Davis, nice to see you. Thank you very much for your insight.
DAVIS: Thank you, Randi.
KAYE: Still to come, the countdown has begun to tomorrow's election in Israel and things aren't looking so good for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He's warning supporters that he may lose.
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<09:40:14> KAYE: The prospect of a major upset is looming over tomorrow's Israeli election. Even Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is warning supporters that he may lose the pivotal vote. Take a listen to what he told tens of thousands at a rally last night in Tel Aviv.
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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): As long as Likud is in power, we will not divide Jerusalem. There will be no concessions. There will be no withdrawals. Therefore, our rivals are investing in a huge effort to harm me and the Likud to open a gap between my party, the Likud, and Labor party. And if we don't close this gap, there is a real danger that a left-wing government will rise to power.
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KAYE: Just about every major poll echoes Benjamin Netanyahu's fear, putting him and his right-wing party four seats behind the little known, mild-mannered politician in the Zionist Union party. One reason for the possible change in leadership, the Palestinian vote. CNN global affairs correspondent Elise Labott has more now.
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ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He is a powerful new face in Israeli politics. In a sea of Jewish parties campaigning at Hebrew University, Ayman Odeh is a star attraction, but he is not Jewish. He is an Israeli citizen of Palestinian descent, one of 1.6 million living in Israel. And come election day, the bloc he leads, dubbed the joint list, could hold the balance of power in the Knesset, a potential game changer for one-fifth of the country who for decades has complained of being second-class citizens.
"No one can ever ignore us again," he told us. "We want to close the social and economic gaps between Arabs and Jews in this country."
Walking through the Wadinesnas (ph) neighborhood of Haifa, he is welcomed as a local.
"I walk this street every day," he says. "I belong to each shop, even person."
Growing up here, he says he identified with Malcom X. Now the 41-year- old lawyer relates to Martin Luther King. Having convinced Israel's tiny splintered Arab parties to team up for the first time, he now wants Arabs to get out and vote to unseat Benjamin Netanyahu, who he says fuels racism and incitement against them in their own country.
"What makes people vote is the hope of change," he says. "We are 20 percent of the population. Together we can prevent him from forming a government."
There is some skepticism, but many here in Wadinesnas believe their native son can lead them to a better place.
"Many people didn't want to vote before," this man told us. "We asked for our rights, but we never get anything. This is a good step and united we can be strong."
While Odeh's focus is on improving life for Palestinians in Israel and the occupied territories, he says he needs Israeli Jews to help.
"Arabs alone cannot make a democracy strong," he says. "It must be Arabs and Jews together."
A message that resonates back at Hebrew University, where some Jewish students are joining the fight against what they call institutional discrimination.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not only a struggle of the Palestinian minority within Israel, it's a struggle of the Palestinian minority together with the Mocati (ph) Jews like myself.
LABOTT: It's not a vision shared by most in Israel, but Odeh's message is, now is their chance. By finding their voice and using their vote, they can make that vision a reality.
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KAYE: CNN global affairs correspondent Elise Labott is live in Jerusalem with the latest on tomorrow's vote.
Elise, how are you? Let's talk about first these changes that Americans might see in the U.S./Israeli relationship if Netanyahu loses. What might happen?
LABOTT: Well, obviously, Randi, there's been so much bad blood between Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Obama administration, I think if Isaac Herzog were to emerge as the prime minister, they'd be a kind of, you know, fresh, a new goodwill along the lines of what you saw when President Obama was elected with the world after eight years of President Bush. I think, you know, you would really see the Obama administration try to reach out for him.
But, Randi, I think even if Prime Minister Netanyahu is reelected, I think the White House knows that they have to deal with him. I think they want to -- from what I understand from White House officials, they feel that they need to just get this election behind them and see what the landscape looks like.
KAYE: So how much, if at all, do you think is the Obama/Netanyahu spat that we've all been watching play out, how do you -- how much do you think that's playing a role in this election there?
<09:44:57> LABOTT: Well, I think it contribute to what they call here Bibi fatigue. That's prime minister nicknames -- Netanyahu's nickname. I think there is a frustration with the prime minister's relentless focus on security, on Iran over the last six years at the expense of some of the social and economic issues that are very important here -- rising food prices, rising -- astronomical, in fact, housing prices, social issues, health care. These are the kind of things they say, look, we want a prime minister to keep us safe, but we also need to pay attention to the economy. We're becoming stagnant. And they also want someone to improve the image of Israel around the world. Prime Minister Netanyahu not a very popular figure. Israel facing increasing isolation around the world.
KAYE: It's going to be very interesting to see how this plays out. Elise Labott, thank you very much.
And still to come, arrested, supposed en route to Syria. Were three British teens planning to join ISIS? Atika Shubert is in London.
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Just one day after that, the British police have launched a campaign to convince mothers to get their sons and daughters to stay at home instead of traveling to Syria. Is it working? We'll have more when we come back.
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KAYE: House Speaker John Boehner will reportedly announce a new congressional probe into Hillary Clinton's e-mail use while secretary of state. At issue, Clinton's claim that more than 30,000 e-mails were destroyed because they were personal. Late yesterday, Clinton's team clarified the action saying each e-mail was individually read before it was deleted.
<09:50:04> New this morning, British police hope a new media campaign will deter young people from traveling to Syria. Police announced the campaign shortly after am 18-year-old man was arrested in Birmingham on suspicion of preparing to join ISIS. The arrest follows that of three London teens who are now facing terror charges after being nabbed, supposedly on their way to Syria. The young men, one 19 years old, the other two 17, were traveling through Turkey. Turkish officials say the trio landed in Istanbul Friday night on a flight from Barcelona, Spain. The teens have since returned to London where they are now free on bail. Atika Shubert is there following this story for us this morning.
Atika, good morning to you.
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Randi.
Well, the key in this particular case seems to have been quick communication from British authorities who learned that these two 17 year olds from northwest London were traveling. On that same day, they called up Turkish authorities and they were able to arrest them as soon as they landed in Istanbul, along with a 19-year-old who was traveling with them.
They are now released on bail. That does mean they have to come back for questioning in another month or so. But it doesn't seem that they are -- have been charged with any terror offenses so far. So this seems to be the way that they are dealing with those -- those who are attempting to go to Syria but then have been returned here to the U.K.
In the meantime, as you point out, British authorities have launched this media campaign that's really specifically targeted to mothers. To convince moms to tell their children to keep a watch on their sons and daughters to prevent them from traveling to Syria. They have clearly had some success with family members calling in when their children are missing, but clearly police still need more cooperation, Randi.
KAYE: Yes, it's such a difficult -- it's a real struggle for a lot of these parents all around the world who are now looking to join ISIS. Atika Shubert, thank you very much. Appreciate that.
Still to come, the brackets are set but who has the best chance of winning the NCAA tournament? The Bleacher Report's Andy Scholes is all over it.
ANDY SCHOLES, THE BLEACHER REPORT: That's right, Randi. Well, Kentucky has the best chance of winning it all according to Las Vegas. We'll go over some helpful tips of how to build a winning bracket when NEWSROOM continues. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
<09:55:56> KAYE: Well, March Madness is here and the brackets are set in the NCAA basketball tournament with Kentucky, Villanova, Duke and Wisconsin taking the top seeds. The action starts tomorrow night with the play-in games. But before you fill in your bracket, let's bring in CNN Sports Andy Scholes.
Andy, I know you have some tips and some pretty good strategy here for filling out your bracket. I am going to take some serious notes because this is a very weak point for me.
ANDY SCHOLES, THE BLEACHER REPORT: OK, well, don't worry, Randi, you know, it doesn't really matter at this point. There's a lot of different strategies to get a winning bracket. You know I've been a college basketball fan, I do the eye test, pick winners based on what they've seen throughout the year. But then there are people just like you who don't watch any college basketball until the tournament starts. Many of them, you know, pick winners based on team colors, even mascots. And half the time they do just as well as the experts in their bracket pool. You know that's why March Madness is so great.
According to the American Gaming Association, an estimated 40 million Americans are going to filling out some 70 million brackets just like this one over the next few days. An average person spends more than an hour doing so. I just spent three hours filling out this bad boy. Still not sure how I feel about it.
But, you know, this year's popular pick to win it all, the number one overall seed, Kentucky Wildcats. Kentucky, they cruised to a 78-63 victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks in yesterday's SEC championship game. The Wildcats, they are now a perfect 34-0. They have a chance to become the first team to put together a perfect season in 39 years. So nearly everyone will have Kentucky as their team to win it all. Las Vegas has them in the overwhelming favorite to cut down the nets when it's all said and done.
So other than picking Kentucky to win it all, I've got a few other helpful tips for you when you're filling out your bracket. Here's one, pick all one and two seeds to win in the round of 64. Number one seeds have never lost in 120 games and two seeds, they've only lost seven times. So don't pick either one of them to get upset in the very first game.
Another useful tip, nine seeds, they actually have a winning record against eight seeds. So don't get caught up in seeding with picking those matchups. Another good tip, pretty much every year a 12 seed beats a five seed. It's the most common upset there is. Last year, three of the four 12 seeds won in the round of 64. So pick a 12 seed you like. And if you picked them to win one game, hey, pick them to win two games. It often happens and you're going to look like a genius if it works out. One final tip, don't pick two number one seeds to face each other in the championship game. That's actually only happened six times in the tournament's history.
Now, a fun number we like to talk about this time of year, Randi, is the odds of filling out a perfect bracket. Now, those odds are one in 9.2 quintillion.
KAYE: Wow.
SCHOLES: That a nine followed by 18 digits. Mathematicians say it's actually easier to win Mega Millions lottery two times in a row than it would be to get a perfect bracket. And if all possible brackets just like this filled out on a piece of paper, they would circle the globe 21 million times. So, Randi, it's safe to say we're never going to see a perfect bracket in our lifetime.
The first four games, they tip off Tuesday on our sister channel truTV and then the tournament is going to get going on TBS, CBS and TNT, of course. We want everyone at home to play along with us at CNN. So make sure to log on to cnn.com/brackets, fill yours out before the games get going on Thursday.
KAYE: All right, Andy, I'm going to call you later so we can go over that again.
SCHOLES: Oh, OK. I hope you were taking notes.
KAYE: We'll fill out the bracket together.
SCHOLES: OK. We'll do.
KAYE: All right. The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM begins right now.
Happening now in the NEWSROOM, Ferguson arrest. This 20-year-old man admitting to shooting two officers, but he claims they weren't his targets.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why didn't he come to persons like myself who he knew and others to share what was going on?
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KAYE: The pastor who spoke to the accused gunman joins us live.
Also, tale of the tape. Did a millionaire real estate heir admit to murder in an HBO documentary? Robert Durst heading to court next hour. The stunning confession and evidence now mounting.
And, flood emergency. The Ohio River at its highest level in decades. Water spilling into Cincinnati streets. When the threat is expected to recede. Let's talk in the CNN NEWSROOM.
<10:00:08> Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye, sitting in for Carol Costello today. Thanks so much for joining me.
