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CNN NEWSROOM

University of Missouri Faculty about to Walk Out; Trump Boosts "SNL" Ratings; Russian Athletes Should be Banned for Doping; High School Students Swap Naked Pictures; Obama, Netanyahu Meet at the White House. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired November 9, 2015 - 10:30   ET

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


[10:29:50] ELISA GLICK, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI (via telephone): So, he recently did issue finally an apology, but then just this past weekend had an incident with students where some students were engaging with him one-on-one about questions of racism and institutional racism. And it was a very tense exchange and culminated in him basically saying that institutional racism was what happens when people don't feel that they have equal opportunity. And the students felt that this was blaming them for the problems instead of taking responsibility for his part in them.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: So, at this point, Professor, the professors are going to walk out, students are going to walk out, the football players are threatening to boycott next weekend's football game. What needs to happen to bring people back together?

GLICK: I think that Tim Wolfe needs to step down. There have also been concerns about other leadership, our chancellor -- Chancellor Loftin. In fact, I'm a member of a touring faculty in English Department and Women's General Studies Department. And the English Department recently voted no confidence in Chancellor Loftin.

So, there's a real concern about the leadership not doing their job. And I think that it's time for us to have new leaders and I know many faculty agree with me. And that will enable us to move forward and begin the healing process after this extremely traumatic semester.

COSTELLO: Associate Professor Elisa Glick -- thank you so much for joining me this morning.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Donald Trump danced his way to huge ratings for "Saturday Night Live" but did the GOP front-runner get a free pass from "SNL"?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:36:17] COSTELLO: Very soon President Obama will be meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. When they do meet, we'll take you back to Capitol Hill.

But let's move on to Donald Trump, because Donald Trump has said no one will be a bigger friend to Israel than me. But this weekend there was little talk of Netanyahu or the economy or immigration, because Mr. Trump was playing comedian. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They've done so much to ridicule me over the years. This show has been a disaster for me. Look at this guy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Great, great, great, great -- isn't he fantastic?

I've got to say, you're doing a great job. In fact, I think this show just got better by about two billion percent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You think you're this terrific person. You think you're this, you think you're that -- ba, ba, ba.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Well, the ratings were, as Trump would say, huge. "SNL" got a big bump, but maybe when all is said and done, Trump did not.

The Hollywood Reporter called the episode toothless and uncomfortable, a dumpster fire, and at times it was with protesters outside the studios and a group offering $5,000 to heckle Trump. "SNL" tried to diffuse the tension with faux Bernie Sanders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY DAVID, ACTOR: You're a racist.

TRUMP: Who the hell is -- I knew this was going to happen. Who is that?

DAVID: Trump's a racist.

I heard if I yelled that they'd give me $5,000.

TRUMP: As a businessman, I can fully respect that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So whether critics called the show dead, timid and easy-going at least Donald Trump tweeted he had fun. With me now, CNN contributor Bill Carter. Hi -- Bill.

BILL CARTER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hi. How are you doing -- Carol?

COSTELLO: So, I think the "SNL" writers chickened out. It was a toothless show.

CARTER: Well, it wasn't hard-hitting, it wasn't pointed. I don't know that anybody should be overly surprised because remember the guest host can veto sketches. So, if they did something really, you know, vicious against him, he would have probably not done it.

And I also think that just generally, and I know Lorne Michael as well, he's always so kind to his guests. He's not going to have a really nasty thing. They had -- if you're looking for things that are pointed, they were there a little behind the scenes. Like in the "Weekend Update" thing, there were a few comments that were kind of rough there, in that. But when he was on set, they really didn't do much to like undermine his campaign for sure.

COSTELLO: So, I know the ratings were big, but at some point, don't you have to ask yourself, who's watching and why are they watching? And does it --

CARTER: I'm here. I'm here. That's just my phone ringing. I apologize.

COSTELLO: I thought my question was so tough, you decided to leave me. But I'm glad you're back. Who is that?

CARTER: Anyway -- please continue.

COSTELLO: Ok. So the ratings were huge, but at some point don't have you to wonder why people are watching?

CARTER: Well, I mean they're watching him because he's something they've never seen in a presidential race before. He's crazily outspoken. He says what's on his mind. He has a larger than life personality.

All of that plays very well, both on the campaign trail and as a host of "Saturday Night Live", so you know, I don't think they're mutually exclusive. I think they work together really well. Nobody should be surprised the ratings were big.

COSTELLO: No, I don't think -- I'm not really surprised because, you know, I watched it myself. I was interested to see what he had to say. I'm just speaking from the perspective that just because the ratings were huge, does that mean anything about the popularity of Donald Trump's candidacy?

CARTER: No, I don't think it means a thing about the race and I don't think it affects the race in any way. I think he neither helped himself nor hurt himself with that performance. It was just, you know, an event that people wanted to see on TV.

[10:40:08] And if some people thought it didn't come off well at all, they're not going to change their vote because of it. I mean I don't think this was anything that really had a political cast to it.

It was much more like a side show to the campaign like, you know, I mean Hillary appeared in a sketch on "The Tonight Show". It didn't really change anything there either. I think it's just -- it has become kind of part of the routine now that these candidates appear in late night events -- you know, shows.

COSTELLO: I know.

CARTER: And they'll do something to do comedy. Excuse me? COSTELLO: There's a part of me that doesn't like that. I mean I

know Nixon was on "Laugh-In", right. Clinton played the sax on Arsenio --

CARTER: Well, it was a long time ago.

COSTELLO: It was a long time ago but the evolution of this. Now we're at this point where politicians are actually hosting shows. It's just kind of -- it's like, where will we go next? Is that a requirement now if you want to be president of the United States you have to be this great performer?

CARTER: Well, it's not a requirement but I do think it's gotten to the point where when someone is good at it, it does help them a little if they're like consistently relaxed, they can make fun of themselves, they can play with themselves.

I mean, you know, the President does appear at these dinners and gets mocked at the dinners and he has to do jokes at the dinner. There are times when the President is a performer of sorts like this. And being a sport and getting sort of, you know, a part in the rhythm of the whole season like this, I think it's part of it now.

I think this is a step above it because no, you know, front- runner has ever hosted "Saturday Night Live" before. That's pretty unusual. But Trump has done it before and he's kind of a New York figure. So, it's not that out of -- the range of events that he would be the host of "Saturday Night Live".

COSTELLO: Well, I've got to tell you, Bill, if I run for president, I'm going to write my own comedy sketch show and release it on YouTube.

CARTER: It probably would improve the level of the writing maybe if someone was really on the ball and wanted to do it. I don't know that Donald wanted to be funny as much as he wanted to get, you know, relaxed and have people say he did a good job.

COSTELLO: Yes. Bill Carter -- he wanted face time. Bill Carter -- thanks so much. Now get back to your phone call.

CARTER: Carol -- nice to be with you.

COSTELLO: All right. Seriously now.

Now to some scathing new allegations against Russia and its athletic community. A new report says Russia is guilty of widespread doping and cheating -- the world anti-doping agency now calling for track and field athletes to be banned from international competition, including the upcoming Olympics.

So, let's get more on this. I want to bring in CNN senior international correspondent Matthew Chance. He's in Moscow. Hi -- Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi -- Carol.

That's right. This is an absolutely scathing report. I mean, it's a really huge story as well because you've got to remember that Russia is an athletics super power. It came second, to give you an example, in 2012 in the London Olympics to the United States in the medals table.

So, it is a major player in the world of athletics, an athletics superpower. This report from the World Anti-Doping Agency making some extraordinary allegations and findings in its pages saying that Russia should be barred for the foreseeable future because of its state- sponsored doping program.

It described inadequate testing in Russia for athletes that doesn't conform to international standards. It said that some athletes that competed in the 2012 Olympic Games in London could have been stopped from doing that, but no action was taken against them. I mean it goes on and on the list. One of the most serious allegations is the Moscow laboratory, which is accredited to do drugs testing, disposed of 1,400 samples of urine tests and blood tests and things like that without permission of the World Doping Agency, which is totally against the rules.

And so you have a really systematic problem, according to this report, inside Russia. And the report also alleges that Russian officials, the Russian government, is complicit in this; it said it would be naive to think otherwise. And so a really condemning report about the state of Russian athletics.

COSTELLO: All right. Matthew Chance, reporting live from Moscow this morning.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM -- a sexting scandal erupts at a high school, students swapping hundreds of nude photos. Why? And what parents need to know now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:48:44] COSTELLO: We turn now to Colorado and the high school in the middle of a sexting scandal. I'm going to -- it's a scandal. Students inside this school could face charges after they were caught swapping hundreds of naked pictures; some of those photos taken inside the school.

Ana Cabrera is following the story for us from Denver, and our digital correspondent Kelly Wallace is alongside me in New York. But Ana, I want to start with you. tell us what's going on inside this school.

ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol -- it's quite kind an elaborate investigation that is under way here at this school that has a little more than a thousand students. And now we're learning that up to hundreds of students could be involved in this sexting situation here.

Police are currently investigating. They have since confiscated about three different phones, we're told, after receiving a tip from one of the students. And they say these phones contain hundreds of pictures. They are pictures of nude body parts, pictures of students in their undergarments that were sent among each other, swapped, saved, shared.

And it may have been going on for a few years, we have learned and has now grown to a widespread level. So much so that most of the football team is believed to be involved. ?And they had to forfeit their game over the weekend as this investigation unfolds.

[10:50:05] Now we learned that they're using some specific apps that parents may not be aware about. One of them is called Photo Vault. And essentially on your phone screen it looks like a calculator app or a media player app, but once a student or a user enters a password, then they have access to hidden pictures.

This is something that the principal has just recently learned about. He's been here for ten years and said that that piece of this investigation has come as a huge shock. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRET MEULI, CANON CITY HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL: I had no knowledge until this past week that there were cell phone apps out there that would mask a photo vault. I now know. Do I know everything? Absolutely not.

I need to learn more. You know, it's peer pressure, something more than what we evaluated here locally. Yes, I'm starting to believe so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: This was so common that a lot of students said it almost felt normal and they didn't realize that there are legal ramifications. Ultimately it will be the district attorney to decide whether any criminal charges will be filed. It's possible felony charges could come from all of this leading to time behind bars or even having to register as a sex offender -- Carol.

COSTELLO: It's just incredible. So, Kelly, it's just unbelievable that students would be willing to do this because when I was in high school, I mean I would have never thought about that.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN DIGITAL CORRESPONDENT: I know. You know, it's a different world, right? It really is. They're growing up with these phones. They have them. There's a lot of anonymity.

You might think if I send you a photo, I'm just sending it to you, I'm thinking it will be kept by you, but then it's shared.

COSTELLO: I have to interrupt you for just a second because I want to take our viewers to the White House just to check in because, of course, President Obama is meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Let's listen in for a second. BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- discovered

earlier the fact that someone dressed in military uniform carried out an attack at a training facility in which it appears that there may have been two or three U.S. citizens killed and a number of other individuals injured. Obviously, a full investigation is taking place.

We take this very seriously and we'll be working closely with the Jordanians to determine exactly what happened. But at this stage, I want to just let everyone know that this is something we're paying close attention to and at the point where the families have been notified, obviously, our deepest condolences will be going out to them.

I also want to extend my condolences to the Israeli people on the passing of former President Navon, obviously, he's an important figure in Israeli politics and we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family.

This is going to be an opportunity for the prime minister and myself to engage in a wide-ranging discussion on some of the most pressing security issues that both our countries face. It's no secret that the security environment in the Middle East has deteriorated in many areas.

And as I've said repeatedly, the security of Israel is one of my top foreign policy priorities. And that has expressed itself not only in word and in deeds. We have closer military and intelligence cooperation than any two administrations in history. The military assistance that we provide, we consider not only an important part of our obligation to the security of the state of Israel but also an important part of U.S. security infrastructure in the region as we make sure that one of our closest allies could not only protect ours but can also work with us in deterring terrorism and other security threats.

In light of what continues to be a chaotic situation in Syria, this will give us an opportunity to discuss what's happening there. We'll have an opportunity to discuss how we can blunt the activities of ISIL, Hezbollah, other organizations in the region that carry out terrorist attacks.

A lot of our time will be spent on a memorandum of understanding that we can potentially negotiate. It will be expiring in a couple of years, but we want to get a head start on that to make sure that both the United States and Israel can plan effectively for our defense needs going forward.

[10:55:12] We'll also have a chance to talk about how implementation of the Iran nuclear agreement is going. It's no secret that the Prime Minister and I have had a strong disagreement on this narrow issue but we don't have a disagreement on the need to making sure that Iran does not get a nuclear weapon and we don't have a disagreement about the importance of us blunting destabilizing activities that Iran may be taking place. And so we're going to be looking to make sure that we find common ground there. And we will also have an opportunity to discuss some of the

concerns that both of us have around violence in the Palestinian territories. I want to be very clear that we condemn in the strongest terms Palestinian violence against innocent Israeli citizens. And I want to repeat once again it is my strong belief that Israel has not just the right but the obligation to protect itself.

I also will discuss with the Prime Minister his thoughts on how we can lower the temperature in -- between Israeli and Palestinians, how we can get back on a path towards peace and how we can make sure that legitimate Palestinian aspirations are met through a political process even as we make sure that Israel is able to secure itself.

And so there's going to be a lot of work to do with too little time, which is why I will stop here and just once again say, welcome.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: Thank you.

OBAMA: Thank you.

NETANYAHU: Thank you.

OBAMA: Thank you.

NETANYAHU: Mr. President, first, let me express the condolences of the people of Israel for the loss of American lives. We're with you. We're with each other in more ways than one and I want to thank you for this opportunity to strengthen our friendship which is strong, strengthen our alliance which is strong.

I think it's rooted in shared values. It's buttressed by shared interests. It's driven forward by an interest of a shared destiny. We are obviously tested today in the instability and insecurity in the Middle East, as you described it. I think everybody can see it. With the savagery of ISIS, with the aggression in terror by Iran's proxy and by Iran itself and the combination of turbulence has now displaced millions of people as butchered hundreds of thousands, and we don't know what will transpire.

And I think this is a tremendously important opportunity for us to work together to see how we can defend ourselves against this aggression and this terror, how we can roll it back. It's a daunting task.

Equally I want to make it clear that we have not given up our hope for peace. We'll never give up our hope for peace. I remain committed to a vision of peace of two states for two peoples, a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state.

I don't think that anyone should doubt Israel's determination to defend itself against terror and destruction, but neither should anyone doubt Israel's willingness to make peace with any of its neighbors that genuinely want to achieve peace with us.

And I look forward to discussing with you practical ways in which we can lower the tension, increase stability, and move towards peace. And finally, Mr. President, I want to thank you for your

commitment to further bolster Israel security and the memorandum of understanding that we're discussing. Israel has shouldered a tremendous defense burden over the years, and we've done it with the generous assistance of the United States of America.

And I want to express my appreciation to you, the appreciation of the people of Israel to you, for your efforts in this regard during our years of common service and what you're engaging in right now. How to bolster Israel security, how to maintain Israel's qualitative military edge so that Israel can, as you've often said, defend itself, by itself, against any threat.

[11:00:03] So, for all these reasons, I want to thank you again for your hospitality, but even more so for sustaining and strengthening the tremendous friendship and alliance between Israel and the United States of America.