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Does Impasse Put Public Safety at Risk; Passenger Train Derails, Dozens Hurt; Accusations Against Bill Cosby

Aired February 24, 2015 - 10:30   ET

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


ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. We are hearing from a local fire chief who is near the scene that the driver of the truck had fled from the truck and that police now have him and that they'll be able to speak with him. Obviously, this is going to be incredibly key to the investigation, because we have no idea why that truck was on those tracks when that commuter train collided with it earlier this morning.

It was around 6:00 a.m. local time. We're looking at pictures of this commuter train. Three of four cars derailing -- this is a southern California line. We know now that at least people were injured when those cars derailed. We don't know the extent of these injuries. But you can imagine the force of something like this. We've seen injuries from people who survived these kind of wrecks and we know that collisions can be very serious.

As for the truck that collided with that train, there are images of that as well that we've been showing to you this morning. That truck described to have been just engulfed in flames. No confirmed fatalities at this point.

Obviously, Carol, right now the focus is still on treating the passengers who were on that train. We don't have a total head count for how many people were on that train. It does sound though that a number of these people have been located now and can be treated.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And you know, maybe -- I don't know if it's a bright note or not but it certainly is helpful that there was a special technology that was built into this train that kept the train cars from breaking apart.

FIELD: And crumpling in toward each other, because we have this history of course of various rail collisions and we heard one of the officials who you spoke with saying that this technology, this train was equipped with this technology -- collision energy management technology which allows the cars not to crumple in on themselves. Hopefully minimizing the extent of injuries that we're talking about here.

COSTELLO: I hope so. Alexandra Field, thanks so much. I appreciate it.

Let's head to Washington where lawmakers are keeping a close eye on the clock. Senate Republicans are scrambling to prevent a partial shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security. That is the very people entrusted with keeping Americans safe with stakes that high. Republicans are now in control of congress and don't want to face public blame or backlash so Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is changing tactics. He wants to bring a separate bill to a vote this week. It would take the current DHS funding and strip away the controversial element dealing with immigration reform. That's the issue that doomed four previous senate votes.

Now a separate bill would block those executive actions on immigration that President Obama announced back in November. Now, a clean funding bill dealing only with homeland security could be passed before Friday's deadline. And I hope you follow me because I know it's complicated.

Let's take a closer look. CNN senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta is here to make it clear for us. Good morning.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. That sounded great. I'm out of here.

Let me add some context to what you just said there because remember, all of this got started because when the President took executive action on immigration to provide deportation relief to millions of undocumented people out there, there were Republicans in the congress who were upset about this.

So what they wanted to do was make the DHS funding special. They wanted to say, ok, you only have a certain amount of time on this funding and then we're going to have to come back and revisit these issues with respect to the President's immigration action.

And things sort of change over the last several days -- Carol, as you know, because that federal judge down in Texas said no. The President's executive action is no good and now the White House is trying to appeal that.

But there are Republicans up on Capitol Hill who were saying, now, now look at what's happening with this appeal process. Let's let that take its course rather than come up with the works on the funding bill. That's the context of why Mitch McConnell is now putting forward this proposal putting forward this proposal to strip away that immigration language from the DHS funding bill and hopefully get that passed by this weekend.

Now there would be big impacts across the board in the Department of Homeland Security if that department shuts down on Friday and just to walk you through that, I mean it would be widespread -- 30,000 employees furloughed. Those people would not be allowed to go to work. More than 100,000 employees would have to go to work without getting paid. And by the way, the federal union for these workers says it may be 200,000, as many as 200,000 workers with no pay.

And this affects border security. This affects the Secret Service. This affects the TSA, which is why the DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson was saying we can't do this with this kind of funding shortage. And here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEH JOHNSON, U.S. SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: If our headquarter staff is cut back to a skeleton, that inhibits our ability to stay on top of a lot of the existing situations and challenges to homeland security right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And so all of this is really going to hinge on the house because the thinking is that Mitch McConnell can get this clean funding bill out of the senate. The question is whether or not it can get out of the house and that's something that we'll have to watch for later on this week. Carol, we've seen brinkmanship before in Washington. Here we go.

COSTELLO: I'm going to ask you. Are you a betting man?

ACOSTA: I am not -- not in this town. No way. Not on something like this. You know, in all seriousness, this is something we have not seen before with respect to the Department of Homeland Security all by itself being shut down and with the mall threat that came out over the weekend and so forth, it is funny to poke fun at Washington but this is a really serious matter and if actually could happen if this doesn't get worked out in time.

COSTELLO: You're right about that. Jim Acosta -- live from the White House. Thank you so much.

ACOSTA: You bet -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So as Jim said ISIS recruits may go through American airports to fight in theory. And the Mall of America is threatened by terrorists. And we're talking about partially shutting down the Department of Homeland Security -- that means TSA agents, the men and women in charge of airport security will be required to show up for work but they will not get paid.

And while the vast majority of TSA employees will show up, consider this from Stacy Bottman, who works at the Newark International Airport. She was quoted on NPR, "If I'm not being paid, Stacy won't be at Newark Airport. I mean, we're in America. Nobody works for free." End quote.

So let's talk about this. James Loy is a former deputy secretary for the Department of Homeland Secretary and is a former TSA administrator. Welcome sir.

JAMES LOY, FORMER TSA ADMINISTRATOR: Thank you Carol.

COSTELLO: So why can't lawmakers act like grown-ups?

LOY: Well, I think that's a question on the mind of a lot of citizens and certainly very much on the mind of the people at the department of homeland security and all the agencies that are charged with responsibility for preventing bad things from happening and then dealing with the consequences if, in fact, they do. And although I understand you of the budget process as part of the

brinksmanship in this town at this particular point where as has already been noted, the mall threat is on the horizon and the ISIS has been successful way beyond the imagination of most of us when we first heard the phrase. This does not seem to be the time to hold as hostage, if you will, the funding to the very people that we hope will do what we need to have done as a nation for the purposes of the immigration policy piece.

COSTELLO: Look, sir, some lawmakers who were in favor of a partial shutdown say nothing will change because people will still have to report to work. As a former TSA administrator, how does that play with you?

LOY: It doesn't play well with me at all because we're asking not so much on the standpoint of what you just recorded there from the TSA agent at Newark. But generally without an end in sight with regard to funding, people that are expected to go to work without pay even with some notion that there will be some retro pay provided well down the road, you just don't want to interfere with the foundation of morale and professionalism on the part of those people.

As I say at the very time where the threat index for the country seems to be as high frankly as it has been really since the aftermath of 9/11.

COSTELLO: Because let's face it. These people don't make a lot of money, right?

LOY: Well, they are government employees paid wages attendant to the responsibilities that they have. But again, the bottom line is You're talking about 200,000 plus people charged with the mission set that the department is charged with and the right answer here, I think, is now sort of coming into focus.

If leader McConnell can break the two things apart, we all understand going back to the Bush administration in which I served as well as the current administration the immigration policy debate is a very difficult debate.

It ought to be dealt with by adults with compromise and collaboration in mind in a venue set apart from the funding of the Department of Homeland Security.

COSTELLO: Well, some lawmakers say they have a plan in place for a short-term fix, which could mean another short-term funding deal, I guess. If you're in charge of stopping terrorists at the door, would that be an acceptable short-term solution?

LOY: Well, it's something in between. A clean funding bill which is clearly the right thing for us to do here as Leader McConnell has indicated and as the house is indicated quite frankly by passing their original legislation. But an extended CR, another CR sort of kicks the can down the road without resolution. It seems to me we've already dealt with brinksmanship here, they ought bring us to closure.

COSTELLO: James Loy, former deputy secretary of homeland security and former TSA administrator.

Thank you for you insight -- I appreciate it.

LOY: Thank you, carol.

COSTELLO: You're welcome. We're following the breaking news out of Ventura County, California -- three of four Metrolink cars derailing in a collision with a truck. Dozens of casualties reported. We'll bring you more information next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: All right. More breaking news to tell you about this time out of West Africa where a Nigerian official has confirmed to CNN that an American woman has been kidnapped by masked gunmen.

Our senior international correspondent Nima Elbagir is in London with more on this. Good morning.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning. This is actually outside of the zone of operation as we know it for Boko Haram. So in addition of course the concerns for this American mission, concerns for this American missionary as she's believed to be who's been kidnapped.

There are also concerns that Boko Haram seems to be expanding their area of operations. Generally the group operates in the northeast of the country and for the last 4 hours in the northeast which have targeted civilian AOF Nigeria won a market place and won a bus in pretty rapid succession.

So when on top that you see that they are show casing this terrifying (inaudible) to move even further beyond that area of abrasion into sensual Nigeria. It is a huge school for concern. And we're already dealing with the ramifications of the violence and the insecurity in Nigeria, having caused the election to be pushed by six weeks to the end of March.

And you're seeing a very, very volatile situation develop, Carol. And Nima do we know where this American woman was when she was kidnapped.

ELBAGIR: She's believed to be in Kogi in central Nigeria. And all the reporting Do that we're getting so far from people on the ground is that she was operating -- she's working as a missionary. She was out there on mission that we are trying to get more details. We're working very hard on that. You can appreciate -- these are very difficult, very remote areas to get information from.

COSTELLO: All right. But I know you're able to do it because you're fabulous.

Thank you so much Selma. I appreciate it. I'm going to take a quick break. I'll be back with more, after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: All right. A little bit more on that breaking news out of California, right -- north of Los Angeles. A Metrolink train derailed -- three to four cars derailed after hitting a heavy truck as it crossed the tracks. The truck is just totally gone. It exploded upon impact.

We believe 30 people or more have been injured. Most of them already transported to the hospital. At this point authorities are reporting no fatalities. Supposedly the driver of some vehicle that was involved in this crash, this derailment, actually got out of the vehicle and ran from the scene. Police were able to track him down. He's being questioned right now as are no doubt many passengers involved in this derailment.

With me now is Larry Mann, an attorney, a leading whale expert. He's also the principle author of the Federal Railroad Safety act of 1970. Welcome, sir.

LARRY MANN, ATTORNEY: Good morning.

COSTELLO: Good morning. I'm not quite sure what happened at this railroad crossing. This derailment did occur at a railroad crossing. According to witnesses on the scene, the guard rails were up. What does that tell you?

MANN: Well, if the guard rails were up and a train was approaching, obviously there was a defective crossing. The crossings throughout the country, accidents at crossings, are definitely preventable. There are over 2,000 crossing accidents per year. Over 200 people are killed at crossings each year.

And there is technology that would prevent crossing accidents. There is technology known as positive train control, which would automatically stop a train if there is an obstruction at a crossing.

There is also technology in existence which would allow a train to automatically stop if there is something in the crossing that would indicate any kind of collision would be imminent.

It is inexcusable and I place the blame on congress, the Federal Railroad Administration. There are so many easy fixes. Of course, some cost dollars. They are easy fixes. Barriers can be placed around crossings to prevent cars from going around crossings.

Over 20 percent of the accidents at crossings occur when a motorist attempts to go around crossing gates. That's easily preventable.

COSTELLO: It's interesting you talk about this new technology, sir. It's interesting you talk about the new technology because --

MANN: It's just not true.

COSTELLO: It's interesting you talk about this new technology that can be put into place at crossings because the train cars themselves had brand new technology in place that prevented train cars from coming apart or falling in, you know, crashing in on the passengers as they derailed. So authorities certainly paid a lot of money to put that new technologies in these train cars.

MANN: Do you know whether or not this train was equipped with positive train control?

COSTELLO: Yes, it was.

MANN: And so it should have automatically come to a stop once there was an obstruction inside the crossing. Also, there is technology at the crossing itself, which would notify the driver that a train was approaching even though the crossing was up.

There are many, many features, technology features, that can prevent crossing accidents. The problem, of course, is that Congress is not in my view appropriately fixed the problem by funding crossing safety. The Federal Railroad Administration and the Federal Highway Administration could address this by regulatory authority. They have not done so. And the railroad industry can prevent accidents at crossings.

COSTELLO: I understand your concern, sir. I do. Larry Mann thank you so much for joining me this morning. I appreciate it. I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Over the last several months dozens of women have charged Bill Cosby of sexual assault. You might be wondering why this is coming out now decades after the alleged crimes took place.

Alysin Camerota found the answer to that question. She joins me now with more. Good morning.

ALYSIN CAMEROTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. At least two dozen women have come forward now to tell their story about Bill Cosby. We follow one of them in particular tonight to talk about how exactly he's alleged to have done this.

Here's an excerpt from no laughing matter "INSIDE THE COSBY ALLEGATIONS". Be advised this story does contain graphic sexual content.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: Last fall the legendary Bill Cosby was re-staking his claim as an A-list superstar at the age of 77.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE; Bill Cosby was really as looking at a career rejuvenation.

CAMEROTA: 30 years after his NBC blockbuster, the network was cooking up another Cosby sitcom. Netflix planned to stream a comedy special and a biography was a "New York Times" bestseller.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then it hits.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bill Cosby under fire. PEREIRA: New fallout one project after another getting pulled from

embattled comedian Bill Cosby.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now accused of multiple sex assaults.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once it hits, boy does it ever hit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And he offered me a large fight fill. The last thing I remember -- I have blackouts and Cosby mounting me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He drugged and raped me.

You are such a perverted creep.

CAMEROTA: Bill Cosby has not been charged with any crimes. Yet he's gone from one of America's most revered entertainers to one of its most reviled.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Bill Cosby declined your request for an interview. No new word from him.

CAMEROTA: That's exactly right. In recent months his attorneys have vehemently denied the many accusations of sexual assault that have been made against him. They have called this story the product of quote, "Innuendos and fabricated lies and media vilification" and you're right, they have denied our request for an interview.

COSTELLO: I think one of the most disturbing aspects, at least for me, if all of this women came forward, they put forth their allegations and so far nothing has happened. So is that the way it's going to be?

CAMEROTA: Well, I wouldn't say nothing has happened. It's because yes, in a court of law nothing has happened. Statute of limitations for most of the cases that happened in the '70s, '80s, '90s have passed.

However, these women feel as though for the first time something has happened. The media has listened to them. They bonded together. They didn't know how many of them there were. And they feel as though they are finally being heard. At the same time, Cosby shows have been canceled.

I mean he, for the first time, he has actually been hurt in a professional way because they have come forward this time around.

COSTELLO: He's still performing at some venues across the country, right?

CAMEROTA: He is and he's getting a mixed review. At some venues he gets a standing ovation. There are many people who support Bill Cosby. At some venues there are people outside picketing calling him all sorts of vile names. Sometimes these shows are postponed, sometimes their cancelled. You just never know. Its when he shows in front of a live audience what he's going to get now.

COSTELLO: All right. I can't wait to watch it tonight. Alysin Camerota -- thanks so much.

You can watch the one-hour special "NO LAUGHING MATTER: INSIDE THE COSBY ALLEGATION" that airs tonight 9:00 p.m. Eastern. And again Alysin, thanks so much for stopping by. I appreciate it.

And thank you for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello.

"AT THIS HOUR" with Berman And Bolduan straight ahead.