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New Day
GOP Vs. GOP Over Obamacare Fight; Thousands Stranded in Mexico; Unflappable Flacco; Dodgers Clinch Playoff Berth
Aired September 20, 2013 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Tea Party was born because of George W. Bush and the bank bailouts. That was the original genesis of the Tea Party. So, when John McCain and people like Karl Rove try to give the Tea Party and conservatives of that ilk advice, guess what, they almost always would do just the opposite because they view them as just as much as part of the problem as they do President Obama.
So, you have a generational, tactical and strategic divide in the Republican Party.
Look, I've known Karl a long time.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Right.
KING: He knows the math.
The Republicans are heading into a cycle in which they should do very, very well and gain seats and then be able to advance their policies in a better way and yet he thinks they're shooting themselves in the foot here. That's what Senator McCain thinks.
But, again, we should applaud people who stand for principle and politics. However, at some point, you have to do the basic math. And they don't have the votes.
BOLDUAN: Well, I agree. It just doesn't seem -- the balance seems to be there, special when we look at the polling, the American people are not wanting this right now. The American people do not want the government to shut down.
KING: This -- look, I still think we're unlikely to get a shutdown. But we'll watch this play out up until the deadline, Kate, and then we're going to go through it all over again. Because if they lose on this one, the Republicans who want this are going to try again in the fight over the debt ceiling.
BOLDUAN: I think that's going to be bigger fight, that's for sure.
John, great to see you. Thanks.
KING: Thank you.
BOLDUAN: Have a good weekend.
KING: You, too.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Debt ceiling is different for people than shutdown. I get John about principle. I get that point. I don't see the principle in shutting down the government when you punish people. I think that's a calculation they have to get.
BOLDUAN: It's a struggle. I'm not pretending I have a solution for it. I'm not the one having to answer to constituents. But it just seems that there has to be a better solution to what they're doing right now.
CUOMO: I see you as an answer person, by the way. I think if someone did have an answer, it would be you. You would be high in my list. I want you to know that.]
BOLDUAN: Thank you.
CUOMO: And if you do have one, you should not keep it because you're a journalist. You should let everybody know and that would be very nice. Think about that.
Tweet us, should Kate give us the answer to the government shutdown and not hold out? I mean, what is that about?
Coming up on NEW DAY -- I mean, that was really wrong of you, you know the answer and you're not telling us.
BOLDUAN: Yes.
CUOMO: Texting while driving, it is wrong, often illegal. Most think twice about it especially when kids are in a car. So, imagine a bus driver texting with a bus full of kids, makes people go bananas. We're going to show you what was caught in camera in Florida. The big question, where else is it happening?
BOLDUAN: And an update on that bizarre clown in the U.K. He's been creeping people out for days. Now he's speaking up, tells us why he has been popping up around town.
CUOMO: It turns out he is my uncle -- Enzo "the crazy clown guy" Cuomo.
BOLDUAN: Uncle Enzo.
(LAUGHTER)
CUOMO: I knew I recognized that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CUOMO: Welcome back.
A third storm now threatening residents and tourists in Mexico. Officials are calling this the worst weather crisis in over 50 years. And more flooding could be on the way.
This morning, the death toll is approaching triple digits. Thousands of tourists, many American remain stranded, desperate to escape.
CNN's Shasta Darlington is in Acapulco this morning.
Good morning, Shasta.
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Chris.
You know, we have a glimmer of hope today. That's because the main highway out of here is expected to re-open. That will take pressure off for the so many thousands of people, including the people behind me trying to get on an airline. It would just take the pressure off so they can get out of here after being stranded for almost a week.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DARLINGTON (voice-over): Tropical Storm Manuel is still lashing northwest Mexico, leaving scores of people dead and tens of thousands of tourists stranded.
"I've been waiting in line for 12 hours," she says.
Tourists line up outside this military base scrambling to get on emergency air-lift.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's not list here. Put your name on and just wait here and hopefully relocate.
DARLINGTON: The airport has partially reopened, relieving some of the pressure.
Flooded roads and airports have left the beach resort of Acapulco cut off, plagued by looters.
And a crocodile washed up with floodwaters. Two men tried to catch it with ropes as it thrashed about.
We found much worse damage 15 miles away in the town of (INAUDIBLE).
Saturnino Medina shows us where the river broke through a container wall and washed away his kitchen.
He climbs to the roof as half his timber shack swept away.
"We don't even know what to do, to tell you the truth," he says. "So far, no government aid."
Medina and his family are left to eat eggs and tortillas donated by neighbors and drink expired cartons of juice they found in a trash dumpster.
Neighbors shovel mud off of their sidewalks and out of their homes. Here, they tell us they feel like they have been completely forgotten.
(END VIDEOTAPE) DARLINGTON: Even though visitors are starting to leave, the outlook for people who live here is very bleak. Rescue workers will be going back to some of those hard-hit communities, trying to find the disappeared, still today, Kate.
BOLDUAN: All right. Thanks so much, Shasta.
Let's go around the world now, starting in Hong Kong where a super typhoon, the strongest storm to hit the planet this year, is threatening Taiwan and the Philippines.
Let's get the latest now from Pauline Chiou.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAULINE CHIOU, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kate, what looks like the most powerful storm of the year is poised to hit in Hong Kong this weekend. But super typhoon Usagi will pass over the southern tip of Taiwan. Forecasts say it could dump almost 12 inches of rain over two days. Authorities there have urged residents to take precautionary measures.
Usagi is already lashing the northern part of the Philippines around. Wind gusts from the storm have been recorded at nearly 190 miles per hour. That's the equivalent of a category 5 hurricane.
Back to you, Kate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Thanks so much, Pauline.
All right. So, it turns out that creepy clown we've been talking about in the U.K., he was just trying to have some fun. Here's Erin McLaughlin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He's trying to (INAUDIBLE) an entire town, posting creepy pictures of himself dressed like the Pennywise character from Stephen King's "It." Now, the Northampton clown is speaking out for the first time in an interview with the local paper. His identity remains concealed. He says he can understand why some people have been frightened by his posts but insists that it's all in good fun.
He says it's like a horror movie, at first people freak out and then they laugh.
Back to you, Kate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: Definitely a lot of freaking out. Michaela has a good point. He could have come up with a cuter clown.
It's OK. Maybe as a suggestion box.
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. We'll e-mail him those suggestions.
BOLDUAN: Thanks, Erin.
CUOMO: Coming up on NEW DAY: we're going to hear from Super Bowl champ Joe Flacco, the Baltimore Raven QB is no joke on the field, and he says he has his priorities straight as well, responding to criticism about missing the birth of his baby for a game with our Rachel Nichols.
PEREIRA: And you know, we all love a good snack at the ballpark. Well, apparently even first basemen. Detroit's Prince Fielder stars in our must-see moment, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CUOMO: Welcome back.
Joe Flacco, won the last Super Bowl as quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens, signed a nine-figure contract, became a dad for the second time. And the birth of his son this weekend was particularly memorable.
CNN's Rachel Nichols had a chance to sit down with the elite signal caller in an exclusive sit-down interview. She joins us now.
RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN SPORTS: I was sitting down. No question.
CUOMO: I said it twice because it's that nice.
NICHOLS: Joe Flacco, very low key guy as you mentioned. And he and his wife Dana as Dana approached her due date with their second son. They agreed ahead of time, if she went in labor on a game day morning, he'd stay with the team, play, and then rush to the hospital after. They figured out, hey, odds were, it wouldn't even come up. If it did, it wouldn't draw a lot of attention. Wouldn't you know it?
Dana gave birth to little Daniel Flacco just before kickoff this past Sunday when Flacco was on the field for the Ravens home opener. Some folks balks, but hey, Flacco told me, he's got too much making him happy right now to worry about that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICHOLS: People remember you at the Ravens Super Bowl victory parade holding up your now older son, Steven. You got two boys now. What is it like?
JOE FLACCO, RAVENS QUARTERBACK: You know, you still can't believe it. It was pretty cool, obviously, the way it happened. Not necessarily what we wanted, but, you know, it ended up being a really special day. It's just pretty neat. You know, we brought our oldest son over there to the hospital the day after. It was funny to see his reaction, definitely a little jealous, but I think he's already warming up. NICHOLS: Your older son Steven, he's cute but you're going to send him back, right?
FLACCO: Yes. He did not really want to come in the hospital room. He didn't know, but knew something was up.
NICHOLS: All right. So, tell me what happened on the morning your wife, Dana, went into labor.
FLACCO: I was way more fidgety than I normally am. Just walking back and forth. Just doing a lot of things I don't normally do. I was just so much more just amped up.
NICHOLS: Now, obviously, when she was pregnant, and you go to the doctor, and they say, hey, the due date is in the fall. You know it's possible that the baby could come on a Sunday.
FLACCO: Yes. It never really was an issue. We talked about it pretty quickly. And it was what it was. To be honest with you, we never really thought it was going to happen that way.
NICHOLS: While she was pregnant, golfer, Hunter Mayhem, his wife went into labor and he actually left a golf tournament that he was leading and winning at the time.
FLACCO: Yes.
NICHOLS: Does that cause any more discussion in the Flacco household.
FLACCO: Yes. You know what, I think we made mentioned of it and kind of laugh about it a little bit. You know, I don't know what I would have done if i was in his situation. But it is a little bit different. You know, when he leaves a tournament, he's affecting himself. You know, I have a big-time responsibility to this organization and this football team. And my job as a quarterback is, I think, to show up for your team.
NICHOLS: It's such an interesting look at how times have change. Did you get criticism? Were there people saying, oh, he should have been with his wife?
FLACCO: I don't know. I'm sure there is. But, it is funny, though. I think my parents' generation or maybe a little bit older than them, you know, they were probably the first generation that was really even allowed in there. So, you didn't even have a choice before. It wouldn't have been an issue.
And now, because you know, it's such a production, you know, you could have really anybody in there that you want. It becomes one of those things that people can talk about. I think my mother-in-law was very happy, though, you know, because she was -- you know, my wife had her in there. And if I was there, I probably would have just been me and her, you know?
NICHOLS: So, your mother-in-law wasn't disappointed, in fact, she was thrilled. FLACCO: Exactly. The fact that I wasn't there, it gave her a chance to, you know, see her daughter have a baby. I think that was pretty special moment, too.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NICHOLS: so, the mother-in-law is happy, which we all know is very important. And the mother-in-law is actually who called Joe just before kickoff to say, you have a new baby. And he said he was so excited to talk to her. So excited. Everyone was healthy. He forgot to ask whether it was a boy or a girl.
BOLDUAN: Because they didn't know.
NICHOLS: Because they didn't know. So, she had to tell him later in the conversation.
(LAUGHTER)
NICHOLS: Joe, don't you want to know if it's a boy or a girl. Oh, right. OK. OK. So excited.
PEREIRA: Can we just say this goes to show, this is one of those things, I might send him a T-shirt that says "nun ya." None of your business. These are -- couples get to decide this. The families get to decide this on their own.
CUOMO: And they swallow that fact early, and not you Rach -- when the first reactions came out, it made it sound like this was unilateral. The key to me in that because I've had these discussions, that's the nature of our job. My wife said, look, if this happens, go, stay. I didn't. I actually wound up coming back, but I don't have the team responsibility that he does. If the wife says it's OK, I think the conversation is over.
(CROSSTALK)
NICHOLS: I don't know your wife per se, but I would imagine nothing in your marriage is unilateral, right?
(LAUGHTER)
CUOMO: Yes. Coming from her way, though, it's a pretty strong influence. Pretty strong.
NICHOLS: You're not making these decisions on your own.
CUOMO: No, I'm definitely not.
NICHOLS: And I imagine Joe Flacco is the same way.
CUOMO: She okays the copy that I'm saying right now.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK) BOLDUAN: I love, though, that he makes a good point that he's had an entire team that he was responsible for and his whole family. I mean, he's got a lot going on. I really like how he handled the whole thing.
PEREIRA: Ditto.
BOLDUAN: With personality.
NICHOLS: He had a little fun. And afterwards, the coach, John Harbaugh, gave the game ball not to him after the win but to Dana Flacco. He said that she might be the toughest one in the family.
PEREIRA: Absolutely.
(LAUGHTER)
BOLDUAN: Absolutely.
CUOMO: Great interview.
BOLDUAN: Great stuff.
NICHOLS: Thank you.
BOLDUAN: Thanks, Rachel.
PEREIRA: All right. Can we borrow from Rachel a little bit for our must-see moment today? The average Major League Baseball game can, what, be last upwards of 2 1/2 hours. You can imagine players get a little peckish out on the field. Certainly seems to have been the case of last night's game between the Tigers and the Mariners, Seattle and Detroit. When Tiger Prince Fielder did this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN (voice-over): No, he didn't.
PEREIRA (voice-over): Oh, yes, he did. That's not your chip. Take another look. We'll show it again.
CUOMO (voice-over): Didn't double dip, though.
PEREIRA: He runs to grab a foul ball but ends up with snatching a nacho chip from a fan, instead.
CUOMO: I respect that he didn't double dip.
PEREIRA: He did not. He took one and kept it pushing.
CUOMO: And then I like that. That's a strong move.
(CROSSTALK)
PEREIRA: In the seventh inning and the Tigers won, 5-4. Clearly, the extra sustenance in the game helped them to victory. (END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO (on-camera): Maybe if he had that before, he would have run down the foul ball.
(LAUGHTER)
CUOMO: He only seemed to speed up when he saw the nachos.
(LAUGHTER)
BOLDUAN (on-camera): Motivation. You do not want to get on his (ph) bad side.
CUOMO: No, that's true. He will crush me to a fine powder.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
CUOMO: Anyway, you see what happens here as Friday.
Coming up on NEW DAY, a showdown in Washington, pitting Republicans against Democrats and each other. How will a key vote in the House today push the government closer to a shutdown? Will it happen?
BOLDUAN: We're also covering the breaking news from overnight, a three-year-old boy is in critical condition this morning, one of 13 people hit by gunfire in a Chicago park. This mass shooting recasting a spotlight on the city's increasingly violent gang warfare. It's an absolute tragedy. We're going to have the latest on it coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CUOMO: OK. It's getting close to baseball playoff season. It turns out that the L.A. Dodgers became the first national league team to clench a spot. Interested? Maybe, maybe not. You know, post-season baseball is exciting. But here's really interesting, guess what they did to celebrate? A pool party. Andy Scholes joins us now with more on this morning's "Bleacher Report." Did I get it right?
ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: You got it right.
CUOMO: Good.
CUOMO: Good morning, guys. The Arizona Diamondback, they're playing the Dodgers yesterday, and they asked the Dodgers not to celebrate on their field after clenching the NL West title, but they didn't say anything about the pool in right field. After popping bottles in the clubhouse, the whole team headed for the pool.
And check it out, Nick Punto gets there first, and he had an urgent news message for everyone, cannonball! Guys, you can imagine, the Diamondbacks weren't very pleased to see this. Second basement, Willie Bloomquist, called it tired and disrespectful. Week three of the NFL season kicked off last night with Andy Reid's much anticipated return to Philadelphia. The Eagles fans gave Reid a warm ovation before the game. But they probably weren't very happy with him afterwards. Reid's chiefs forced five turnovers. They never trailed on their way to a 26-16 win. Kansas city is now 3-0, which is pretty amazing considering they only won two games all of last season.
On the lineup section on BleacherReport.com today, you'll see Troy Polamalu. Why? Because he's finally going to cut his iconic head of hair. Polamalu losing his famous locks to hope raise money for the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization. He's going to do it November 11th, which is Veterans Day.
Now, we don't know exactly how much hair he's going to cut off. It could be anywhere between 10 inches, two inches. He could shave his whole head. We don't really know yet. But either way, guys, it's great to see him doing it especially for such a great cause like the VWA.
BOLDUAN: Yes. Absolutely, especially, this is a player that known for his good head of hair.
SCHOLES: Yes. He does all those shampoo commercials -- he's going to do now.
BOLDUAN: Yes. No kidding. You've got a good head of hair, too, Andy. Thank you, Andy. Have a good weekend.
SCHOLES: You, too.
BOLDUAN: You hear the music, you know what it means, it's time for the "Rock Block," everyone. A quick round of stories you'll be talking about today. First up, Michaela.
PEREIRA (on-camera): All right. Here we go. In the "L.A. Times," life on Mars not looking too likely. Tests are in from NASA's Curiosity rover. There appears to be no methane on the red planet. That significantly reduces the chances of finding life forms.
In "New York Post" this morning, this one is sure to spark some controversy. A two-year-old has become the youngest person ever to undergo gastric bypass surgery. That little boy went from 72 pounds down to 52 pounds two years after the operation.
"USA Today," it is the "Wizard of Oz" like you've never seen before. The "Wizard of Oz" an iMax 3D experience opens today for a one-week run in theaters before its DVD release. It's the oldest, the most iconic Hollywood film to be converted to 3D.
Time now for Christine Romans and your business news.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You'll soon be able to own a piece of one of New York's most famous landmarks. The Empire State Building. The Empire State's parent company plans to launch an IPO means you could buy stock. It could come in in early October and generate a billion bucks. Don't be surprised if you start seeing ads when you make a favorite pin on Pinterest. The company says it's going to start experimenting with promoting certain pins. It's a road that Twitter pioneered. Pinterest has 46 million users.
The former CEO of Nokia is in for a huge payday. Stephen Elop will collect 25.5 million bucks. 25.5. That's his golden parachute. And he'll ride that parachute right over to Microsoft where he's considered a front-runner to take CEO's Steve Ballmer's place in the near future.
Finally, let's get to Indra Petersons for the weather.
INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, yes. Definitely been warming up the last several days. It's such like a little tease. I mean, we think we're going to have this amazing weekend. We will, kind of, at least for Friday. Temperatures are still in the upper 70s and low 80s. But I love Pittsburgh. Look at the difference here. Once you get through Sunday, notice the 60s. Yes. There is a reason for this.
There is a cold front making its way through. And with that, yes, we are talking about rain and behind it, the cold air. Well, how much rain? We're talking about rain, pretty much Ohio Valley on Saturday, for the northeast Saturday night into Sunday, one to two inches in the forecast and the bulk of it hopefully falling overnight. I got to find like a little hint of an upside. So, overnight rain.
BOLDUAN: Overnight rain. We'll take it. Thanks, Indra.
CUOMO: I like it.
(LAUGHTER)
BOLDUAN: We're now at the top of the hour which means it's time for the top news.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just heard the shots, like 20 shots. Police was over there real quick. They got here real fast.
CUOMO: Breaking overnight. A shooting in Chicago. A three-year-old fighting for his life. A dozen more shot. The city now the homicide capital of the United States. We're live with the latest.
BOLDUAN: On the brink. A key vote today in the House that could set the government on a course to shut down. The president taking on the GOP. The Republicans also fighting each other. What's going on?
PEREIRA: Caught on tape. This Florida bus driver texting behind the wheel. Almost veering into traffic. She's not the first. What parents need to know?
Your NEW DAY starts right now.
ANNOUNCER: What you need to know -- REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R) HOUSE SPEAKER: While the president is happy to negotiate with Vladimir Putin, he won't engage with the Congress.
ANNOUNCER: What you just have to see --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please, sir, leave or I will stop.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was really more appalled and kind of shocked.
ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Kate Bolduan, and Michaela Pereira.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CUOMO: Good morning. Happy Friday. Welcome back to NEW DAY. It's September 20th, seven o'clock in the east.
We have brand new developments this morning in the Washington Navy Yard shooting. We have learned that the firm that looked into the shooter's background also vetted NSA leaker, Edward Snowden, and okayed both of them. We're also learning more about the timeline of the shooting and we're going to tell you all about it.
BOLDUAN: And also, Pope Francis making waves again in a new interview. He criticizes the church for spending too much time focusing on gays and focusing on abortion and not enough time expanding the role of women in the church.
