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New Day
Smoke & Gunfire at Nairobi Mall; Two Arrested After Rihanna Pic; Julia Louis-Dreyfus Talks "Enough Said"; Dog Looks like Vladimir Putin
Aired September 23, 2013 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to NEW DAY. It's Monday, September 23rd.
We do want to take you back to breaking news in Nairobi, Kenya. You're looking at a live picture. That smoke has been billowing out of the mall there for well over an hour. Its source in dispute. We do know there are hostages still inside. The situation is still obviously very much ongoing. Different versions of events are coming out. We have a correspondent on the ground. Let's get to CNN's Zain Verjee in Kenya with the latest.
Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi.
The helicopters are starting to circle again and we've seen a third plume of smoke in the sky just a short while ago. Now, initially officials had said the major plume of smoke was because it was from the terrorists that were trying to put a fire out using mattresses. It's unclear what exactly has triggered that, but we know they are in the building. They say they're in control. They say they've cleared all the floored. These could be IEDs, mines, some kind of explosive devices that the Kenyan forces, along with the Israelis, are clearing. But we don't know that for sure.
There are still many questions unanswered. Officials are saying almost all the hostages have been evacuated, but it's unclear whether those could have been people hiding or they were able to release or actual hostages. They are not bringing anyone here anymore. They're taking them straight to a triage area that has been set up near Westgate.
We also have questions about did anyone escape? Were they militants, gunmen, gun women. There are many unanswered things here and Nairobi's still a little bit tense in spite of the fact the government's saying it is in control.
CUOMO: And that's a key question here, Zain. We're hearing very competing versions of events of what's going on inside that mall. Now, ordinarily, we don't want to give parody to a terrorist interpretation, but what do you know about these different versions?
VERJEE: Well, the government on the one side is saying publicly that they are in control, the country is secure. The special forces, the security agencies, the police, the paramilitaries are saying nothing because the operation is underway. They can't compromise it.
Meanwhile, there's been a little bit of a tension on an al Shabab Twitter feed that is saying that they have hostages strapped with IEDs, that there are gunmen on the loose. And there is no other source that is confirming this, but they are raising a lot of questions about who got out and what -- if there is a secondary game plan.
Now, Kenyans are already afraid and the resources here are being stretched and there's just a lot of fear. Al Shabab putting this out. Who knows if it's true. But they put it out there and we're still trying to account for the hostages. And there was a lot of conflicting information about hostages earlier in the day.
CUOMO: All right, Zain, thank you very much for the reporting. Please stay safe. And again, we don't usually want to give a terrorist organization parity, but because of the fluid nature of the situation, we want to monitor all information that's coming out of there.
That's one story we're following. Let's get to Michaela for the five things you need to know for your new day. OK.
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Here we go. Let's take a look at our headlines right now.
The gun control debate revived after the Navy Yard shootings. The president saying it should lead to some sort of transformation on gun violence. The NRA leaders saying, meanwhile, there weren't enough good guys with guns.
A status conference today for Boston bombing suspects Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. His lawyers are expected to ask a judge about a timeline for death penalty protocol. Tsarnaev is not expected to appear in court.
Jurors in the Michael Jackson wrongful death trial will be read jury instructions today. Closing arguments are set for tomorrow. Jackson's family is suing concert promoter AEG Live saying it is liable for his death.
Another term for German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She has been re- elected chancellor in a vote significant on several levels.
And at number five, a bit of a controversy with Rihanna and a photo leading to arrest. This pop superstar has raised eyebrows for her racy Instagram photos. This one is of a different sort, though. It involves a protected primate. Now two people are in custody.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PEREIRA (voice-over): This cuddly close-up posted on Rihanna's Instagram page is causing problems. That's RiRi with a slow loris, a nocturnal primate with large eyes native to southeast Asia where it's listed as an endangered species.
RIHANNA: We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky. PEREIRA: The "Diamonds" singer snapped this selfe while in Thailand during a break from touring and posted it for her nearly 23 million followers, along with these shots of elephants she came across. The pictures caused quite a few people to be upset. But it's the photo of her with the slow loris that's arresting, literally. After seeing it, authorities sprang into action and arrested a 20-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy. "Phuket authorities were alerted to the picture and police arrested the two individuals who brought out the loris as a photo opportunity for tourists." According to NBC News, the pair could face charges of possessing the two protected animals, which carries a penalty of up to four years in prison and a $1,300 fine. "The Phuket News" reports the lorises will be returned to a national park after their brush with celebrity.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PEREIRA: Forgive my glibness, but is that now two pop stars primate stories that we've covered here on CNN?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Yes.
CUOMO: It's an emerging genre.
PEREIRA: Is it an emerging genre?
CUOMO: Yes.
PEREIRA: It's very niche.
BOLDUAN: It's a trend.
PEREIRA: It is a trend.
CUOMO: There's a long history all the way back to Clint Eastwood with the orangutan that he then made into a movie partner.
BOLDUAN: Or just Justin Bieber. Right.
PEREIRA: But little primates, because wasn't that - that was a little tiny one. And then this slow loris has big eyes.
CUOMO: Well, this one's pretty small. Yes.
PEREIRA: Big eyes.
You know we always update those five things to know, so be sure to go to newdaycnn.com for the latest. We might even have some more primate news for you.
CUOMO: She didn't have what it took to go for a fast loris, she had to go after a slow loris.
PEREIRA: No.
CUOMO: Should have given that loris a chance is what I'm trying to say. BOLDUAN: It has nothing to do with Rihanna.
CUOMO: It's (INAUDIBLE). All right, let's get some "Good Stuff" going, what do you say?
PEREIRA: Please.
CUOMO: It's Monday morning. Here you go, today's edition. Doing the right thing is rewarding itself. Isn't that right? Right? Well, a little extra can help reinforce the point. Boston homeless man Glen James finds a bag containing more than $42,000 in cash and traveler's checks.
BOLDUAN: Wow.
CUOMO: Why would you have that? I don't know. But he found it. And he could have kept the money free and clear, right? But instead, he turned it in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLEN JAMES, RETURNED $42,000: There is no way I would have kept even a penny of that money. There's just no way. No way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: Well, he certainly could have, but he chose not to. So a complete stranger, this guy who lives all the way across the country in Virginia, hundreds of miles away, so moved by the story, he starts an online fund-raising drive for Scott (ph). Now, the homeless man can buy his own home because, to date -
PEREIRA: Look at that.
CUOMO: People have donated $140,000 and climbing.
PEREIRA: Whoa!
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES: Those donations will help me get a brand new start in life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: Simply said. And the point is, you know, very often people open up their wallets for causes here in the U.S.
BOLDUAN: Yes.
CUOMO: They're well-known for it. And yet here's a very targeted situation. Someone does the right thing and people want to reward that, reinforce it and try and help this man the way he helped somebody else.
BOLDUAN: But it's one of those things - it's almost better than a charity, because you know your money is going to impact that one person.
PEREIRA: You see the immediate result. Yes.
BOLDUAN: You know what I mean?
CUOMO: Right.
PEREIRA: Absolutely.
CUOMO: And I'm not really sure about what his situation is -
BOLDUAN: How he got there. Yes, right.
CUOMO: But I know people are getting around him to help support him because it's a lot of money to get hit with all of a sudden.
BOLDUAN: That's a lot of money.
PEREIRA: Well, you know, it also shows, you know, a lot of people sort of - you know, they assume that all homeless people got to be homeless for one reason. They all have stories. You never know what took them there, you know?
CUOMO: True. True. And one thing is absolutely sure, with what's going on in the world today, it is very important that we reward virtue. And that's what I love about "The Good Stuff."
PEREIRA: Ain't that the truth.
CUOMO: It's people in communities just like mine and yours stepping up and doing the right thing by others. And that's a beautiful thing. The story comes from you. Thank you very much. The more, you know, we get, the more we can do.
We just announced a brand new CNN iReport campaign to catch all of your good stuff. So, please, log on to cnnireport.com/goodstuff to find out how.
PEREIRA: (INAUDIBLE). Very cool.
BOLDUAN: Good stuff.
All right, coming up next on NEW DAY, also some good stuff. Someone very good at laughter. She was a big winner at last night's Emmy Awards and she's broken the "Seinfeld" curse in a very big way. Julia -
CUOMO: How do we get her on the show?
BOLDUAN: Oh, I don't know, maybe we can and did. Julia Louis-Dreyfus making waves on "Veep." Well, now she's heading to the big screen as well. Our sit-down with last night's big Emmy winner straight ahead.
CUOMO: And an award of a different sort, but no less important, our award of the day.
PEREIRA: I love dogs.
CUOMO: We'll have quite a pooch to show you when the man known as J.B. comes back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS, ACTRESS: I'd like to thank our -- my family. Brad Hall and Henry Hall and Charlie Hall, my children are here this evening.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love them so much.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I love them so much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KATE BOULDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to NEW DAY.
That is Julia Louis-Dreyfus taking home the best comedy actress Emmy for her hilarious turn as the vice president in HBO "Veep" -- even giving her acceptance speech in character.
We sat down with her to talk about the show and about her surprising new role alongside the late James Gandolfini. It's being hailed as a breakthrough performance in the new film "Enough Said".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Does your daughter live with you?
JAMES GANDOLFINI, ACTOR: Half the time, it aggravates you sometimes but the thing is she and her mother are very, very neat. As a matter of fact their favorite store is that, I don't know, what is it, it's a store with all the empty boxes and storage.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Oh, the container store?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, container store, the store that sells crap so you can put your crap in so you can go out and buy some more crap.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: I love that store. I love crap.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: All right. And joining us now, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is here to talk about it all.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Yes.
BOLDUAN: Welcome, welcome to NEW DAY.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Thank you very much. Thanks for having me on this NEW DAY.
BOLDUAN: Thank you so much. So we had the chance to see "Enough Said".
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Yes.
BOLDUAN: It's very funny which you're known for. But also bittersweet, the characters are very complex as you kind of watched them throughout the -- throughout the film.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Yes.
BOLDUAN: Is that what interested you?
LOUIS-DREYFUS: There's a -- there's a lot of drama in this film as well as being comedic and -- and it's sort of rough and raw and it explores this character that I play Eva in a pretty deep way. She's -- I play a masseuse who is, whose only daughter is about to go off to college and so she has a lot of anxiety about this impending departure of her daughter.
So much anxiety that she doesn't even realize it sort of overcomes her and as a result she does something absolutely terrible in this film and it's sort of -- she's a little bit out of control.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: So what was the dynamic with access with this character for you in terms of what comes out of you that is similar from your life experience versus just taking a character in a place that has no direction that's familiar?
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Well, I have two children and my oldest son went off to college a couple years ago and that was horrible. I mean it was great for him and I'm thrilled and that's actually what's supposed to happen but the --
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: You handled it differently is what you're saying.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Yes, I mean, I -- I was pretty upset. I was very heartbroken and -- and I had a lot of anxiety leading up to it so I definitely understood. I didn't do anything as bad as Eva does in this film but the -- the anxiety about his leaving and as a parent I really have to say even though you know intellectually that you're raising children to one day leave you, you don't really know that emotionally and then when it happens, it's like getting hit by a Mack truck, at least it was for me, so I'm looking forward to the next one leaving.
BOLDUAN: It's going to be a great moment. But this was a very different role for you.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Yes.
BOLDUAN: But it was also a very different role for James Gandolfini.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Yes.
BOLDUAN: I think people will be surprised when they see the character and his softness that you really do see come out. What was it like working together?
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Well exactly. I mean he really does play a thoughtful, kind endearing, very self-effacing man. This is what he plays in the movie and guess what that's really what he was like.
So I think people will be amazed actually to see this performance. He's just as dear as dear can be. He really is.
PEREIRA: You miss him?
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Yes.
BOLDUAN: I mean it was clearly significant to be able to work together even at the time but then after his passing that time together and the film itself takes on a whole different significance.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: It really does. It's -- it's just something I treasure, always will for sure, always will.
CUOMO: So here on NEW DAY, CNN, you know we can't let you go without being newsy. You played vice president. Need your take on Syria. No what I want to know is what --
LOUIS-DREYFUS: What?
CUOMO: -- when you're deciding, when you're playing politics, right? How much do you look at politics in the world around you and say oh I think this would be an interesting part, you know, to do with my character or do it differently. You know how do you reflect or try to be different from what you see around?
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Oh well yes I do definitely watch news and the political world with a different eye. There's no doubt about that.
BOLDUAN: But "Veep" you don't even know if she's left or right.
CUOMO: That's right.
PEREIRA: I appreciate that about the show.
BOLDUAN: Right.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Yes you don't although you're going to get more of a sense of that this season. Having said that, though she's a straddler and I think she's somebody who --
CUOMO: Good, it's so unfamiliar in today's politics.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Exactly.
BOLDUAN: What?
LOUIS-DREYFUS: So I really could see a situation where she might switch parties and then switch back again just to sort of stay alive politically. CUOMO: You're living the dream, you're on the big screen, life is good, kid went to college, and haven't had to cover him in the news for anything. So it's all stuff.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Yes.
BOLDUAN: We call you first before we go.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Thank you, thank you very much. Yes I got to remember that, that's right, it's all good. It's all good.
PEREIRA: Thanks for having you here with us.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Thank you for having me.
BOLDUAN: Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Welcome to NEW DAY.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Thank you.
BOLDUAN: Thank you so much. Julia's film "Enough Said" is in theaters right now. We'll be right back.
CUOMO: It was good to have her on NEW DAY.
Coming up, check out this crazy canine. They love the leaves don't they but he's so good, he's part of the award of the day. But he's not the only one. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: We're good?
PEREIRA: Working out the kinks.
CUOMO: Berman's making me want a dog.
PEREIRA: What?
BOLDUAN: I know. Me too.
CUOMO: But then it will rain and be cold and I won't want a dog anymore.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CUOMO: His name is John Berman. Gosh, John done it and he's here with his NEW DAY Award of the Day Award.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: It's good to be here. It's good to see everyone.
Welcome to autumn everyone. The air is chilly, the footballs are flying and the leaves are falling.
This folks is a Siberian husky having his way with a pile of leagues -- look at that. That looks like one happy dog. And impressive dog no question but not the most impressive dog we have for you today.
PEREIRA: Oh really?
BERMAN: Because please look at this dog as Michaela pointed out, this is a cross between a Staffordshire terrier and a German Shepherd. Now what if I told you --
PEREIRA: That looks familiar.
BERMAN: What if I told you, this might very well be the most powerful dog in the world, that this is a dog that could handle nuclear weapons, a dog that can write op-eds for the "New York times" and this is a dog that could steal your Super Bowl ring.
That's right folks, seriously look at this guy. It looks exactly like Russian president Vladimir Putin, right?
CUOMO: Except for the ears.
(CROSSTALK)
BERMAN: Had his work done, Vladimir did. Apparently a man in the Ukraine first noticed the resemblance, hope that that man is doing well at this point -- but the dog wins the "Fetch This" award because he looks like Vladimir Putin, he's not fetching anything as far as I can tell.
PEREIRA: True.
BOLDUAN: Let's get this straight. You've taken on Fabio. You took on The Rock and now you decide to take on --
BERMAN: The guy with nuclear weapons. He was in the KGB and knows judo. I have no issues.
BOLDUAN: And by the way, you know there're world leaders gathering in New York --
BERMAN: They're here. United Nations, please welcome.
BOLDUAN: Blame him, not him. Just kidding.
CUOMO: What? I'm pro-Rock.
BOLDUAN: You are pro-Rock.
CUOMO: I am pro-Rock.
(CROSSTALK)
BERMAN: But I respect your take. Let's find a dog that looks like the Rock.
CUOMO: Berman fears no one.
PEREIRA: Berman fears no one. BERMAN: Tell that to my wife.
(CROSSTALK)
PEREIRA: We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: This is my favorite song right now.
CUOMO: I do like it. Let me ask you. How are you dealing with the Mondays?
BOLDUAN: the Mondays, it's tough for everybody on Monday. At least we get to wake up --
CUOMO: With these hours and over there -- (inaudible) on the weekend? You're a pro and you've been doing this. It's hard for me on Monday. I said a pro, I'd never call old, I've felt your jab.
(CROSSTALK)
BOLDUAN: They get where we are -- next year. Next year, that means this Monday. Tomorrow with that.
PEREIRA: On the next show? Nischelle I'm so jealous.
BOLDUAN: Nischelle Turner talking to Justin Timberlake.
PEREIRA: Come on J.T.
BOLDUAN: We'll have that for you tomorrow on NEW DAY.
(CROSSTALK)
PEREIRA: That's good stuff right there.
CUOMO: But right now "CNN NEWSROOM" with the one and only Carol Costello.
PEREIRA: She's a big J.T. fan too.
CUOMO: Well, he's a fan of hers like everyone else with a pulse.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: You always make me laugh and I like that.
Thanks so much, have a great day, guys.
"NEWSROOM" starts now.
Happening now in the NEWSROOM: Saturday at the mall and then this -- al Qaeda linked militants open fire, killing innocent shoppers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We stood up and we started to turn and we heard machine guns and then we started to run and there was a second explosion which knocked us on the ground.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Worst yet Americans are believed to be part of the terrorist killing machine. We'll take you live to Nairobi --
