Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Valerie Harper's Startling Revelation; Public College Tuition Jumps; Teen in Need Now Pays it Forward

Aired March 06, 2013 - 10:30   ET

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


DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Here we go, "Political Buzz" is your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day. Three topics, 30 seconds on the clock. Playing today: CNN contributor and Democratic strategist Maria Cardona; and CNN contributor and Republican strategist, Ana Navarro. Full transparency, I hate that buzzer, so please don't talk longer than 30 seconds. It scares me.

ANA NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Ok but I love that sultry voice, can we go back to that.

LEMON: What?

MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I know that was very intriguing Don, I love that voice at the beginning, can you use that throughout?

LEMON: I will. Ana. Ok. Thank you. Good to see both of you.

Up first, the blame game continues over the nation's deficit. Today the Republican National Committee releasing a new web ad asking Democrats to admit they have a spending problem. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So it is almost a false argument to say we have a spending problem.

SEN. TOM HARKIN (D), IOWA: I want to disagree with those who say we have a spending problem.

SEN. MARY LANDRIEU (D), LOUISIANA: I am not going to keep cutting the discretionary budget which by the way is not out of control.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody keeps saying we have a spending problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Not to be outdone the Democratic National Committee has launched a Web site called "GOP Sequester" urging Americans to tell the GOP to work with President Obama, to reach a deal on those forced spending cuts.

So our question is, "Will media campaigns shift public opinion on who is to blame for forced spending cuts?" We'll start with you, Maria.

CARDONA: Well, I think more than what the campaign -- the media campaigns do is actually what the leaders do. So I think that a video where you have cuts trying to -- trying to make it look like Democrats don't believe in spending cuts and you have the President talking about needed spending cuts, including programs like Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security, I think takes credibility out of that video.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Ten seconds.

CARDONA: When you have sequester, when you have the GOP sequester talking about real stories of people being affected by the sequester cuts, that I think has more credibility.

LEMON: Boom, done. You beat the buzzer. Yay. Go ahead, Ana.

NAVARRO: Well, look, you know just recently we heard Speaker -- former Speaker Pelosi -- the Majority Leader, Minority Leader Pelosi say there is no spending cuts -- problem in Washington. Obviously she is the only one in America who thinks that. But you know, I think it is ridiculous that we have this public posturing and that it requires campaigns like this to get these two working.

And here is the truth the American people aren't paying attention. We are bored of the dysfunction in Washington --

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Five seconds.

NAVARRO: -- we are bored of going to crisis to crisis every three months. We're not going to do it, we're not paying attention. Get it done.

LEMON: Ah. Ana, you didn't beat the buzzer. You lose $10,000. It goes to Maria Cardona.

Next, is the way to deal in Washington through a politician's stomach? The White House and Senate Republicans may be betting on it. CNN has confirmed that tonight a group of Republican senators, including Senators McCain and Graham, Coburn and Johnson has been invited at the White House for dinner. Well next week Senate Republicans will host President Obama at their weekly lunch.

And that Senate lunch, it's three years in the making. That's the last time the President attended. He will also meet with White House Republicans. Ok, we should note that all of these events are coming at the request of President Obama. Our question to both of you, is President Obama feeling the pressure to make a spending cuts deal -- Ana?

NAVARRO: I think everybody is feeling the pressure. And again, it's because we've seen that the President's poll numbers have gone down, we've seen that the American public feels that Congress and the government in Washington is right there with you know the worst of lawyers and leeches. But also look Don, it's amazing that it's taken four years for Republicans to be invited to a diner to the White House. It's amazing that it wasn't until ten days ago that the President picked up the phone to talk on immigration with the people in Washington with the senators who are dealing with immigration.

LEMON: All right, you're done. You're done. You're done when the buzzer -- you've got to beat the buzzer, Ana, you've got -- that mean you know you're a little long winded.

Go ahead Maria.

NAVARRO: You know what I need a little -- I need like a red light, yellow light, green light somewhere here. I'm you know give me a break.

LEMON: Go ahead, thank you.

NAVARRO: A gong.

LEMON: Sort of -- go ahead, Maria.

CARDONA: So yes I do think that it's taken too long for the President to reach out. But look, Republicans have been the ones who are saying that they don't want to work with this president. So I think it's smart of him to go around the leadership and to focus on members of Congress and GOP senators who might be willing to cut a deal.

Is he feeling the pressure? Yes. Republicans are also feeling the pressure. They are the ones who are going to get blamed more so by the public if these sequester cuts are continued to be in place and continue to hurt middle class voters and working class Americans.

LEMON: Done. Ah look at you. You're like a local news reporter, get on, get off. Boom, love it.

CARDONA: Yes there you go.

LEMON: Ok so finally, drone strikes inside the U.S. only in quote, "extraordinary circumstances". That's according to Attorney General Eric Holder who in a letter to Senator Rand Paul said that "While the U.S. has no intention of taking such action, the President could authorize drone strikes if necessary to protect the homeland in circumstances of a catastrophic attack like Pearl Harbor or September 11th."

Ok so here's a question. "In defense against a 9/11 style attack justification, is it a justification for drone strikes on U.S. soil." I'll start with you Ana?

NAVARRO: Just ring bong right now, just you know put all the buzzer in right now. Yes, we should have the ability to use drones. Look extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary actions. We've all gotten used to living in this brave new world. It's not something that should be done lightly but definitely whatever needs to be done to protect national security should be able to be done. LEMON: Every time.

NAVARRO: Let me tell you I'm not playing this game again.

LEMON: Go ahead, Maria.

CARDONA: Do I get another $10,000?

LEMON: Yes, $10,000 more. Go ahead Maria.

CARDONA: Ok I'll give it to -- to pay down the deficit. Yes, I think we cannot put and take anything off the table and extraordinary circumstances we have to have the ability to focus on anybody who is going to do us harm, wherever they are. What if we had gotten word that Osama bin Laden was in the United States, I think we would need to have the ability to do what we can to protect Americans --

LEMON: Oh you've got to give it back now. You're not quite even. You're $10,000 ahead. Hey thank you, Maria. Thank you Ana, you're both good sports.

CARDONA: Thank you, Don, that was fun.

NAVARRO: Thank you, Don.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The wise cracking Rhoda Morganstern on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" Valerie Harper could always bring the laughs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 35, single, sandy hair, who didn't vote for him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Rhoda, it's 1:00, isn't your lunch hour over?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh no my boss doesn't care if I'm a little late.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I care.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mary, I think I better get going. And just remember there's a boss who hates it when I'm late, yours.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: I love Rhoda but now the woman best known as Rhoda is revealing a personal struggle. A.J. Hammer in New York with more on this. A.J., what have we learned? We know it's very sad but what do you know?

A.J. HAMMER, HLN HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Well it's sad news this morning, Don. "People" magazine saying that Valerie Harper has terminal brain cancer. They're running an exclusive interview with the dying star in their upcoming issue.

And according to their reporting she started to feeling ill last summer and she discovered she has lepto meningiocarcinomatosis, and that means that cancer cells are spreading into the membrane surrounding her brain and doctors are reportedly telling Valerie that you may have as little as three months to live.

She's been fighting cancer for a few years now. Back in 2009 she had lung cancer but she tells "People" and I love her energy here, "I don't think of dying, I think of being here now."

Now she may have shot to fame more than 40 years ago in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" but she started her career on stage as a dancer and chorus singer on Broadway years before that. And since her spinoff show "Rhoda" ended its run back in the '70s she had a long and successful career back on stage and also appearing in a lot of TV shows.

We saw her on "Desperate Housewives", "Sex in the City", "Touched by an Angel" as well. She's also have been very active in the actor's union. She held some high offices in the Screen Actors' Guild although occasionally she have been very critical of SAG. She's been married to her husband now for 26 years and they have a daughter together. So Don this morning we are sending our good energy to Valerie and her entire family.

LEMON: Absolutely. You said 40 years ago and it's hard to believe. I remember when it was the shows were in original production and what an amazing and wonderful career she's had -- A.J.

HAMMER: Yes, yes we are looking at this morning you know her career and everything she's done. And the fact that "Mary Tyler Moore" went on the air in 1970 and Valerie was with the show for four years since before her spin-off shows. It's pretty amazing.

LEMON: Yes that show, "Phyllis" a number of shows we're spin offs. Thank you and we wish her well and we're thinking about her and her family. Thank you, A.J., I appreciate it.

HAMMER: You got it.

LEMON: We know Princeton is pricey you know that but now public universities too. We'll have the latest on the rising cost of a higher education.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Time to check your top stories.

A leading dancer with Russia's Bolshoi Ballet confesses to ordering an acid attack on the company's artistic director. Police say the dancer admits arguing -- arranging, excuse me, the January assault. The attacker and the getaway driver also are in custody.

Police say the dancer had a quote, "hostile relationship" with the artistic director who got his job two years ago after a fierce behind- the-scenes power struggle. The director suffered third degree burns to his face and eyes.

Henry Kissinger is in the hospital after falling at his home, that's according to Reuters. Officials at New York Presbyterian have not said if the 89-year-old former secretary of state was hurt. The news comes just as the "Wall Street Journal" publishes an op-ed co-written by Kissinger. It offers a stern warning about the global nuclear threat.

Crews are looking into why a huge crane made a giant splash into a bay near Portland, Oregon. The structure fell while lifting new support towers to carry high-voltage power lines. The new towers also fell into the water. No one was hurt though.

If you were hoping for a break on college tuition, you won't find it at a public school. A new report shows that public college costs are now at record highs. Alison Kosik has more. Alison -- not good news, why are public school students paying so much?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that is the age-old question these days. You know what it seems to be, Don, there's a sort of perfect storm of factors going on. And the main reason is that state government these days are actually cutting how much money they are giving to schools. And at the same time, the schools are costing more. These tuition costs are rising.

There's a report now from the State Higher Education Executive Officers Foundation and here's what it found. It found that average state funding per student fell 9 percent last year. And that's as these average tuition costs, they went up more than 8 percent. So that's really been a huge hit to parents and students, many of whom are already struggling to pay for education in the first place.

And look at this, when you break it down state by state and look back even further, the numbers are even more stunning. In Georgia, the average cost of tuition, it's gone up almost 78 percent since 2007. In new Mexico, it's up almost 55 percent.

So, you know, the big question of course, are these costs going to keep on rising. There's the silver lining for you. The president of the group, which actually compiled the report noted that 31 states have actually increased funding for the current school year, the 2012- 2013 school year and a number of them have proposed an increase for the coming school year as well.

So Don, you know, students could finally, finally feel at least a little bit of relief -- Don.

LEMON: Yes, a little. Thank you Alison. Just a little. Appreciate it.

What would you do if you saw two people fighting? Would you jump in and stop it? Would you take a picture with your cell phone? A new viral campaign puts unsuspecting strangers to the test.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: It was a staged strangulation that took some people's breath away and it led to strangled laughter from others.

CNN's Jeanne Moos, has the story of an elevator escapade designed to make you decide whether to run or fight. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Set up the hidden camera, get one actor to pretend to strangle another with an electrical cord, then ask what would you do if you walked into a murder in progress?

Scream bloody murder? It's the latest viral video from an agency called Safe Modo. The creators say out of about 110 people, around 20 percent actually tried to stop the strangulation. Beating with a bouquet, trying to drag out the victim.

They call it elevator murder experiment but it's really meant to promote a movie starring Colin Farrell, that includes a strangulation scene. "Dead Man Down" it's called. At least this downer of an elevator experiment left no one dead. Though one guy sprayed a fire extinguisher.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some of it looks a little staged to me. You now, the fire hose and so on.

MOOS: The question is are the people in the video genuinely reacting or are they just acting? The creators told us they used Craigslist to bring most of the people into the building under the false premise of attending a focus group then they sprang the elevator prank on them. They admit the dogs were added to have an animal reaction.

MOOS: What would you do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would jump in there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think I would be beating anybody down. I think I would have called.

MOOS: Meaning 911. This woman says she would have used her purse on the strangler. Some would like to murder the video. It's like a horrible psych experiment borderline sadistic. These real promos keep happening and one of these times the actor is going to get shot.

The one who really gets a lot of flak is the guy at the end of the video. The guy who just points his camera phone. "That one taking the pic is sick. That scumbag. Thanks for the help jackass." Turns out the scumbag is a part-time actor named Keith Mackler (ph). The creators admit that shot was staged to recreate a moment they missed. Somehow it feels like we are the ones left holding the bag.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Set out on a ten-mile trek to land a job. He didn't have to walk that far before getting hired. And now he's helping others in need.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: You know, this story really caught fire and has triggered responses from around the world.

Just 10 days ago, a teen started a ten-mile walk for a job interview. He didn't finish the walk but he got a job and so much more and now he's helping others in need.

Kent Ehrdahl of our affiliate WXIN has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I describe it as the work of God.

KENT EHRDAHL: Jhaqueil Reagan has met a lot of people since setting off on a 10-mile walk to a job interview days go. An interview that he wouldn't even end up needing after meeting the honor of Papa Roux on his way.

ART BOUVIER, OWNER, PAPA ROUX RESTAURANT: I'm thinking to myself, here's a kid walking almost 10 miles in ice and slush and snow for the hope of a job at minimum wage. That's like the kind of story your parents used to tell -- my parents would tell, uphill both ways in the snow.

EHRDAHL: Jacqueil's story is also now stuff of legend. He's been immortalized in his own editorial cartoon and seen his picture pop up on stories he can't begin to translate.

JHAQUEIL REAGAN: People all over the world have seen me. It's really crazy.

BOUVIER: The story as one of my customers put it is redefining viral.

EHRDAHL: That's because it's generated more than just likes on Facebook, it's created a new life for Jacqueil.

REAGAN: It really has changed quick, like I went from sleeping on the couch to sleeping in my own house, in my own apartment.

EHRDAHL: You see before meeting his new landlord, Jacqueil was homeless and living with friends. He also didn't have a phone.

REAGAN: I was trying to get a hold of you last night.

EHRDAHL: Now he's taking calls from the Chicago Bulls Organization. They contacted him after seeing a certain hat on TV.

REAGAN: They gave me some tickets to the Bulls. Really impressed. It's awesome.

EHRDAHL: As we showed you last week, Jacqueil also received a free bus pass, though he hasn't had to use it much after meeting plenty of co-workers who have offered to give him rides.

REAGAN: I really appreciate it. Really grateful.

EHRDAHL: Jacqueil's story didn't just get him a job. In fact, they've gotten so much good publicly here at Papa Roux that they've actually had to hire additional staff to keep up with all of the extra demand.

BOUVIER: We've got five new permanent hires.

EHRDAHL: Some of them spent time answering phones.

BOUVIER: My cashiers have turned into receptionists.

EHRDAHL: Fielding dozens of donation requests for Jacqueil.

BOUVIER: Each slip is an individual contact of a person with a name and a number and they want to help financially, each of these slips.

EHRDAHL: In fact so many donations have come in, that Jacqueil decided to create his own foundation saying half the money will go to help disadvantaged people find work. The other half will go to him but he'll be sharing it with the most important people he's met in the past days.

REAGAN: 25 percent of my half is going to Papa Roux employees because they have been working their fingers to the bone while all this has been going on. The restaurant has been more busy than had ever has been. And they really deserve it, you know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: When people do things like that, you go, "What am I doing?" What an amazing kid.

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It's great to bring that. A lot of good news because we've had so much bad and when you have a kid like that that's an example for all of us.

LEMON: And deserves a job, deservedly so. And Chicago Bulls, that was fantastic for you to do that. Again that was Kent Ehrdahl from our affiliate WXIN.

And we wish Jacqueil Reagan the best.

How are you doing my friend?

BANFIELD: Hi, Don Lemon.

LEMON: What's happening? How are you.

BANFIELD: Here we are in Atlanta together.

LEMON: I know.

BANFIELD: In the flesh, I usually have to call out your name over a satellite somewhere but this is special.

LEMON: Old friends since -- a few years ago. Another decade ago -- opposite next to each other.

BANFIELD: I would love to say that part of the reason I'm here is because I was trying to escape snowmageddon or any other iteration of a horrible eastern snow storm.

LEMON: And you did.

BANFIELD: It was just to be near you. That was the only reason.

LEMON: How do you like the tan?

BANFIELD: Me or you.

LEMON: We went away together.

BANFIELD: Well, it's out. There you go, page 6. Don Lemon -- no secret with you.

LEMON: Have a great show. Good to see you.

BANFIELD: Thank you Don. Good to see you too.

LEMON: Bye, my friend.

BANFIELD: Bye-bye.