Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

McCain, Lieberman Disagree on Rice; Rifle Recovered from Oregon Mall Shooting; Air Travel after the New Year; Assisting Reality in Reality TV; SAG Awards Nominations

Aired December 12, 2012 - 10:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Let's check your "Top Stories" on CNN.

John Boehner says he's still hopeful a fiscal cliff deal will happen, but he and other top Republicans today slam the President's latest proposal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: You know the longer the White House slow walks this -- this discussion, the closer our economy gets to the fiscal cliff and the more American jobs are placed in jeopardy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Simultaneous tax hikes and spending cuts could happen at the start of the year if a deal isn't reached.

Nelson Mandela is responding to treatment for a lung infection. That is according to a statement from South African President Jacob Zuma. Mandela, the former leader of South Africa, was rushed to the hospital over the weekend, he's 94 years old.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's six-hour surgery in Cuba was an apparently a success. And he'll spend the next several day recovering. That is according to Venezuelan state-run television, state-run media. Chavez announced Saturday that his cancer has returned but he has never said what type of cancer he has.

Near Portland, Oregon, police say this shopping mall was bustling with 10,000 people when a mass gunman, believed to be in his 20s, opened fire. Witnesses say he fired at random, killing two people and leaving a third victim, quote, "fighting for her life". Shoppers say at least 20 rifle blasts echoed through the mall and sent them running for cover.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TYLOR PEDERSEN, WITNESS: I was inside applying for a job, and the next thing I know I see people running into Sears and away from the middle of the mall saying that they heard shots and that there is a shooting going on. I wasn't sure if it was for real at first until I seen the reactions on their faces that they were serious.

CRAIG ROBERTS, CLACKAMAS COUNTY SHERIFF: The mall is supposed to be a place we can all take our families, feel comfortable that this is a great place, especially at the holiday season like this and these things aren't supposed to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: CNN's Dan Simon outside the mall now for us with the very latest -- Dan.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well hey, Don. Authorities say this was a random shooting. The victims were not targeted. They are also saying that at one point the shooter's gun seemed to get stuck, which may account for why he didn't have more victims. We can tell you that the two people who were shot and killed -- they are both adults, one male and one female. We know that at 10:00 local time and a couple of hours from now, authorities are expected to release the shooter's name as well as the victims' names.

We can tell you that this unfolded yesterday afternoon, 3:30 in the afternoon. 10,000 people in this mall. The shooter walks into the Macy's store on the second floor. He sprints toward the food court and that's where the shots rang out, as you said, about 20 shots fired from the shooter's rifle. Here's how one store employee described the scene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I work at a kiosk right in the middle of the mall right below the food court. We heard about six shots at first and people scattered like crazy, everyone left. We waited around for a second and people at the stores were opening the doors for us to get in. They were ushering everybody in there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: The shooter is described as being in his early 20s. At this point we don't have any motive whatsoever. We can tell you that the shopping mall will remain closed today. Don, you may see some of the cars behind me. That's because when this happened, a lot of people just sprinted for the door. They left their belongings behind. There are a lot of car keys inside the mall. We know at some point there will be an orderly process for people to come back in and claim their belongings -- Don.

LEMON: So the bottom line Dan 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time they're going to release the name of the shooter and the victim's rifle, multiple rounds and multiple shell casings found at that mall.

SIMON: Yes, that's exactly correct. Right now we're in a bit of a -- a bit of an information lag, as it were, so hopefully, you know, it's going to shed a lot more light on what happened.

LEMON: Dan Simon -- we'll be reporting it to you. Dan, thank you very much. Other news now, it is the award for actors by actors. The Screen Actors Guild nominations are out. Did your favorite star make the cut?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The so-called three amigos of the senate aren't agreeing on Ambassador Susan Rice on whether she is qualified to be Secretary of State. Senators John McCain, Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham spoke out on the topic with CNN's Piers Morgan last night. Lieberman parted with his friend and defended Rice while McCain said she deserves a chance if she's ever nominated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I don't know if she's even nominated or not. She deserves the process that every nominee goes through. There are now additional concerns about her role as far as Africa is concerned. But the fact is she not only gave wrong information, but she gave the party line that -- for example, that al Qaeda is decimated. Al Qaeda is not decimated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right. So joining us now are CNN contributor and Democratic strategist Maria Cardona and Republican strategist Ron Bonjean. Before I get to my question -- no, I'm sorry, we'll move on. I'll ask this. I mean, is it me or does it appear that John McCain becomes more grumpy and grumpier over time? He's just seems like the neighbor, the guy when you put the ball in the neighbor's yard and say he's like, hey, get out of my yard, kid. Am I wrong with that? Am I the only one who notices that, John?

RON BONJEAN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, this is Ron --

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Ron, rather, I'm sorry.

BONJEAN: No, that's OK, I'll tell you I think that Senator McCain makes some very, very good points about Susan Rice, and look I think he's clearly frustrated by, you know, her comments that were made. I think he's frustrated about the fact that she came to Capitol Hill and wasn't able to convince him nor Senator Lindsey Graham or Kelly Ayotte or Senator Susan Collins that she would be a good nominee to be Secretary of State. So, you know, I think that's what you're hearing in his voice right now is a lot of frustration.

LEMON: Well I'm not only talking about this particular issue. I'm glad you getting into -- we're going to get into the meat of that, but I'm just talking about other issues, fiscal cliff and on and on and on. It just appears that way. So listen, now to you then, you heard what McCain, when he refer to Africa some criticize Rice from being sympathetic to African leaders who have been connected to atrocities.

How will that factor into a possible nomination, Maria? MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well I think it will certainly become an issue of discussion, but look what has been written thus far about her role and her supposed connections to leaders in Africa, is -- is very nuanced and I think very biased. And so I think if she is nominated and we have to remember she has not been nominated yet, then this need to be an issue where she's given a chance to actually discuss it. It needs to be discussed in a fair manner and an unbiased manner.

Africa, as we all know, has had a very complicated and tortured past where a lot of times when we have to choose allies, there are no good choices to make, and everybody who has been a leader in Africa has had an unsavory past in some way, shape or form.

But it needs to be discussed in she is nominated.

LEMON: OK, so Ron -- I was talking about John McCain, I called you John. I'm sorry, again, for calling you John -- so Ron, you mentioned, you -- you said what -- what Senator John McCain was not satisfied about. So then what does Susan Rice have to do to prove herself to people like John McCain and Lindsey Graham?

BONJEAN: Well, you know, I mean, she's -- she's come across as a very aggressive and a partisan person who has been carrying water for the administration. I think she needs to be a very thoughtful person when she's going through these -- if she is nominated -- going through the confirmation hearings because it's going to be very dicey.

I mean, this is becoming radioactive. I mean, she's not -- hasn't even been nominated and we're seeing all these problems and these questions regarding it.

Now, in terms of Senate Democrats, if I were a Senate Democrat, I would be frustrated because one of their own, Senator John Kerry, is standing in the wings. And I don't think they want to get into a battle over Susan Rice. So I think they would much rather have John Kerry because they know who he is.

LEMON: OK, Maria, same question. What does she have to do, then?

CARDONA: Well here's -- here is the frustration. I'll say what she has to do, but here's the frustration with this whole discussion. The focus is so much on what she said or didn't say, whether she carried the party line or not. Can we remember another Secretary of State named Rice who actually did carry the party line that took us into unnecessary war? So when Republicans focus on that, I think it's a little bit hypocritical.

The second thing is, if we really want to focus on what happened in Benghazi, attacking Susan Rice does not get to the heart of what happened in Benghazi. She had nothing to do with what happened in Benghazi. Let's talk about the talking points if that's what they want to talk about. Let's talk about the CIA and whether there was a flap there with the talking points.

But focusing on Susan Rice does not get us to where we need to be on fixing the problems that we have so that Benghazi never occurs again.

LEMON: Maria Cardona and Ron Bonjean. Thank you very much.

CARDONA: Thank you Don.

BONJEAN: Thank you.

LEMON: All right, if the United States goes over the fiscal cliff, we're all going to feel it even at our nation's airports. Flying could change and very likely not in a good way.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Checking your top stories right now. Eyewitnesses are sharing their stories after a gunman opens fire inside a crowded Oregon mall, killing two people before apparently taking his own life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTI WELDAY, WITNESS: It felt like it took forever for the police to come, but I know it wasn't they got there really fast. But when you're in that moment it just felt like forever because I kept hearing the sirens but didn't see anybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That was Christi Welday, who was inside the mall when the shooting began near Portland yesterday. Police have identified the shooter and plan on releasing that name in a few hours. We have learned one rifle was recovered from inside the mall along with a hockey-type mask.

The man charged with an iconic child abduction case is due in a New York City courtroom today. 51-year-old Pedro Hernandez is expected to plead not guilty to the 1979 murder of Etan Patz. That despite police claims that he has confessed to the crime. The six-year-old was one of the first missing children to be featured on a milk carton.

We're learning more about the plane that crashed and may have killed Mexican-American Jenni Rivera. The company that owns the jet, Starwood Management, has been linked to two civil lawsuits. Two insurance companies claim Starwood lied about the history of the plane and the identity of the real owner. There are additional allegations of falsifying claim safety records. The aviation company denies those claims.

Going over the fiscal cliff could put a cramp in your air travel plans after the New Year. CNN's Sandra Endo joins us now from Reagan National right outside of Washington.

Good morning, Sandra. What will happen in January for plane passengers if there is no budget deal in Washington?

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's one of the big unknowns at this point right now, Don, how these potential cuts could affect air travel and travelers after the New Year. The Department of transportation could face nearly $2.2 billion in cuts and half of that would come from the FAA. The TSA would also suffer $643 million in cuts, a large part of that coming from aviation security.

Now, we talked to a former FAA administrator who said that the agency is not a smart place to cut because it's operational and it's a safety agency. But the current head of the TSA, John Pistol, says that they are making sure they have a plan in place should these cuts take effect, and they say the front line will remain operational -- Don.

LEMON: All right. Sandra Endo, thank you very much.

You know the popular reality show "Storage Wars"? If some of those seem too good to be true, maybe they are. A cast member is now claiming the show is staged.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The man who taught Beatle George Harrison how to play the sitar has died. Ravi Shankar was 92 years old and passed away last night near his home in San Diego. Shankar won three Grammies for his legendary sitar performances.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

LEMON: Shankar was the estranged father of jazz singer Norah Jones.

Awards season officially up and running in Hollywood. The Screen Actors Guild, or SAG, announced its awards nominations earlier this morning. Our Nischelle Turner up bright and -- up and at them. The early bird gets the nominations and all the information on the SAG Awards.

Nischelle, I want to get to the nominations in a minute, but first, I want to ask about the reality show, that TV show, "Storage Wars". One of the actors says it's set up, it's fake. What's going on with that?

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN SHOWBIZ CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we've had another allegation, Don, it seems like, of a reality show not being so real.

LEMON: Imagine that.

TURNER: We're talking about the cast member Dave Hester -- and imagine that -- he is suing the show, actually, saying that he was wrongly terminated after he accused the show of committing fraud. Now, in the filings of this lawsuit, he says he complained to A&E that they were stuffing storage lockers with more valuable items than were originally in there in order to make the show seem more inviting or more enticing. He says after he complained, he was fired for doing so.

Now, we have reached out to A&E and all parties involved. We haven't heard back but we have seen the filing of this lawsuit. And so it looks like maybe the court will actually decide whether or not the show is real.

LEMON: Oh, really. That might set a precedent about other shows. TURNER: It could. You know, I don't think that every show out there in reality TV land is 100 percent real. It seems like there may be some things that go on a time or two, if I may say so myself. But it could set a precedent if there's some legal decision handed down.

LEMON: I like this story. This is a real reality about reality TV.

Hey, let's talk about SAG now.

TURNER: There you go.

LEMON: Who came out on top, Nischelle?

TURNER: Yes, a lot of our favorites were nominated this morning for the 19th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, but I want to give you kind of the big category -- the big granddaddy of them all and that is Best Ensemble for a cast, basically Best Picture, Best Motion Picture for the SAG Awards.

The nominees this year: "Argo", "Best Exotic Marigold Hotel", "Les Miserables", "Silver Linings Playbook" and "Lincoln" -- all really good movies. But there were a couple of omissions here, Don. No, "Django Unchained". There was thought that that could get a nomination starring Leonardo di Caprio, Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington. It's a Quentin Tarantino film. Also no "Zero Dark Thirty". Now Jessica Chastain was nominated for Outstanding Female Actor in a Lead Role in this movie but the movie itself not nominated.

Also there were a couple of other big omissions that stood out to us this morning. No Joaquin Phoenix for "The Master", no Keira Knightley for "Anna Karenina", no Anthony Hopkins for "Hitchcock".

On the television side, no Julia Louis-Dreyfus and no Lena Dunham. So there were some, you know, headscratchers but of course a lot of our favorites, again, did get nominated.

Just to give you a little indication of some of the big nominees this morning. Nicole Kidman was nominated in both the movies and the television roles for her role in the TV movie, "Hemingway and Gelhorn", and also for her role in "Paper Boy". She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

Maggie Smith also got four nominations. Two for "Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" and two for "Downton Abbey". And, you know, I don't know if you saw "Silver Linings Playbook" and I just thought it was a great movie. Bradley Cooper got a first time nomination for Best Actor for that movie. Hugh Jackman, first time nomination for "Les Miserables". And also Kevin Costner nominated for the very first time for his role in "Hatfield and McCoy".

LEMON: I'm going to help you out here, Nischelle. I had seen none of them. I feel terribly but I had not been able to get to the movies.

TURNER: Don Lemon, would you like to go on a date to the movies? I'm going to take you on a date to the movies so I can catch you up, because you have a lot of work to do, young man. LEMON: Oh my gosh, my little subtle -- it came over. Maybe it wasn't so subtle. Can we go on a movie date, please, Nischelle Turner?

TURNER: It worked. It worked. I'll get you caught up this award season. And by the way, if your favorite actor didn't get nominated today, they have another opportunity tomorrow. Because tomorrow morning bright and early, once again, Golden Globe nominations. And I will be there for that as well.

LEMON: Awesome. And you embarrass me. I'm blushing. I'm turning to rust. Thank you, Nischelle Turner.

TURNER: Bye.

LEMON: A reminder to watch "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" at 11:00 Eastern on HLN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY CLOWN, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: One of the ways you can tell the difference between being bummed out and depressed is depression has very known symptoms. You know, there are physical metabolic symptoms, like your sleep patterns change. You either sleep all the time or you go to sleep and you can't stay asleep. Inability to concentrate. Your brain is just not working when it's depressed like it normally is.

If your libido has gone down, that's a sign that you might be depressed as well. So if you feel you might be depressed, what do you do? The very first step, go see your doctor. There are a lot of physical illnesses and physical conditions that can look a lot like depression and something else may be going on. And also, if you are depressed, your doctor can be able to diagnose that as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right, I'm Don Lemon. Thank you so much for joining us.

The CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Miss Ashleigh Banfield.