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New Day

Budget Battle Ahead; Lawsuit Demands Back-Up Cameras; Under Siege by Feral Pigs; Benches Cleared, Atlanta Braves Brawl;

Aired September 26, 2013 - 06:30   ET

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

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Newark mayor and Senate hopeful, Cory Booker, grabbing some headlines for exchanges he made with a stripper named Lynsie Lee on Twitter. It appears to begin with Lee's public tweet to Booker where she says, "If you're ever president of the United States, I call dibs on first lady."

Well, "BuzzFeed" posted a direct message exchange, date stamped February of this year, where Booker replies, "The East Coast loves you and by the East Coast I mean me." She responds, "Well, now I'm blushing." Why do I feel like a 13-year-old as I'm reading this?

Booker's spokesman calls the whole thing pretty innocuous.

An adorable 5-year-old girl from Long Island getting credit for saving mama's life. Jillian Gibbon and her mom were dog sitting for a neighbor when the child's mother, a diabetic, fainted. The little girl promptly reached for the phone and knew exactly what to do.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

JILLIAN: Hello. My mom is diabetic and she is -- she is in a room -- and my mom is like passed out. I'm 5 years old and I tried to call my daddy but it didn't work, because I don't know the phone number.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

PEREIRA: Jillian says she knew how to call 911 because her mother taught her how. And did you see how calm she was? Do you hear how calm she was on the phone?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: That's the part. That's remarkable.

PEREIRA: Well done.

BOLDUAN: Good job, mommy and daddy.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: That is a phenomenal kid.

BOLDUAN: Five years old.

CUOMO: Note to self. That's why most parents drill those phone numbers in. It's hard for a kid to remember the 10 digits that go along with a number. She remembered the three that mattered most.

BOLDUAN: Very good point. All right. Let's move now to our political gut check.

Counting down the government funding deadline only four days away now. Also now, excuse me, also now, House Republicans are recalibrating their strategy. Have they decided to forgo a government shutdown fight and gear up for a new fight on the nation's debt ceiling?

CNN chief national correspondent John King is here to break it all down for us.

I'm breaking down, clearly, and getting very emotional about the fact that we're doing this all over again, John.

So it looks like house Republicans are working towards a new approach, saying let's get past the government -- let's get past the government shutdown and really focus on fighting it out over the debt ceiling.

What is the strategy that you're hearing that they're working on?

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, this is where the leadership wanted to wage this fight all along. They didn't want to get bogged down in the government shutdown fight, but a conservative revolt within the House Republican ranks forced them to get there. So, we'll know much more by the end of the day today.

The leadership now has a strategy, it's going to meet with the rank- and-file today and essentially say, look, we can't win this shutdown fight. So, let's keep the government open and let's plan the our flag again in the debt ceiling fight. Why do they think that's a better strategy? The leadership thinks number one, arguing about my way or the highway on the health care bill with the risk of shutting down the government, you can't sell that to the broad swath of American people.

Arguing that the government spends too much and borrows too much and they should be able to get something from the president in exchange for negotiating a higher debt limit, letting the government borrow more money. The Republicans think that is safer ground politically. The question is, can they actually get anything from the president?

BOLDUAN: Right. I mean, the president has said all along that he will not negotiate on the debt ceiling. So, do Republicans think that he is bluffing or this is just kind of an opening bargaining position for him?

KING: Well, here's their point. The president has negotiated in the past.

BOLDUAN: True.

KING: They know that.

And so, they believe number one, he has in the past, maybe he will in the future.

Number two, they believe it is a much more tenable position to say to the American people, wait a minute, we have divided government. Of course the president has to negotiate. That's the price of divided government. And so, they think they can put the president on the defensive, saying you just told us we were having a "my way or the highway" debate.

But now, you're trying to have a "my way or the highway" debate. If you want more authority to borrow, then you've got to give. We control the House of Representatives. They think that's a much stronger political position to be in than saying that we're not going to fun your health care plan, if the Senate Democrats won't go along, we'll shut down the government.

And on that regard, we'll see what they get from the president. But it is a much safer place politically for the Republicans to be.

BOLDUAN: It does seem so. But when you look at the laundry list of the proposals they want to attach to the negotiation over the debt ceiling, it's like a conservative Christmas list -- approval of the Keystone pipeline, a one-year delay in the individual mandate for Obamacare, tax reform, entitlement reform.

I'm looking in this and I'm wondering, where did the talk go of a grand bargain? It seems like a very different approach now.

KING: Out the window.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

KING: But it went out the window because they don't trust each other, because the president and Republican leadership were unable to strike that grand bargain back at a time when they might have, emphasize, might have a better political environment to do it. Forget about that now, heading into the midterm election year.

And when you put that list up, there's no way Senate Democrats will go along with everything there and then there's no way the president will go along with everything there.

The president is not going to willingly delay his health care plan by a year. However, again, it could potentially force some tough votes by Senate Democrats up for re-election next year and maybe the Republicans can get something. Maybe they get the Keystone pipeline. Maybe they can negotiate something on the issue of tax reform.

If they plan the their flag again and say my way or the highway, they won't win but they do believe, Kate, it's a much better place to be in and if nothing else, it puts some pressure on the Democrats after several days in which we've been having the conversation in which the Democrats have been watching the Republicans fight amongst themselves.

BOLDUAN: Yes. And I think the key is just as you said at the beginning, the House Republican leader is meeting with rank and file today. When they come out of that meeting, we'll clearly get a better temperature if there's more unity or every man for themselves on this issue. But we'll see.

KING: Watch for steam around the Capitol today. BOLDUAN: Exactly. It's not just the temperature outside.

KING: No.

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: Thank you, John. We'll see you tomorrow.

CUOMO: Isn't it weird they would think the debt ceiling is something they have more political leverage with when if they mess it up, they can't fix it whereas they can with the shutdown if these things are just delayed?

BOLDUAN: That's an excellent point. You talk to every analyst that says a government shutdown, it is a headache. Debt ceiling that can have catastrophic repercussions.

CUOMO: Your head comes off.

BOLDUAN: Exactly.

CUOMO: Those are the noises we're going to hear.

Coming up on NEW DAY, rearview cameras in every new car. Congress ordered them to become law more than two years ago. So, the question is, what happened? Safety groups claim feet are being dragged, that's not unusual, but lives are being lost and it matters. We'll tell you why.

BOLDUAN: Also ahead, Bill Clinton turning the tables on Bono. What's going on here? We showed you the U2 front man's imitation of Clinton yesterday. It's quite a great moment. How well did the former president do his impersonation of the rock star?

CUOMO: So full of himself he wears shades in interviews, the former president.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Welcome back to NEW DAY.

Let's go around the world now, starting in Pakistan where the death toll is climbing and damage is worsening after this week's earthquake.

Saima Mohsin has the latest from Islamabad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The death toll continues to rise, more than 500 people injured and there's huge concern for survivors too who remain in the area. As we head into October, the hottest month of the year in Baluchistan, temperatures soaring to 40 degrees Celsius, more than 100 Fahrenheit.

Now, people there don't have any shelter. There certainly isn't enough shelter and they don't have clean drinking water to survive the heat and extreme temperatures. Twenty-one thousand homes are believed to have been obliterated.

Back to you, Kate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Saima, thank you so much.

Now, to China where a young man there is getting ready for a remarkable transplant surgery.

CNN's Paula Hancocks has that story from Hong Kong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A man in China will soon have a new face, thanks to an intricate reconstructive surgery. Chinese state media says they grew a nose on the man's forehead and they plan to transplant it to his nasal cavity soon. The man lost his nose due to infection from a car accident last year. CCTV says that doctors took a skin tissue expander and managed to shape the new nose, using cartilage from his ribs. It took nine months to grow.

Back to you, Kate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: No way.

BOLDUAN: That is remarkable.

CUOMO: No way.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Well, OK.

CUOMO: They grew a nose -- oh, yes, because I saw it. They grew a nose on his head.

BOLDUAN: On his forehead.

PEREIRA: It was right there.

BOLDUAN: They're going to put it on his nose area.

PEREIRA: That's remarkable.

BOLDUAN: I mean, that is amazing. Thank God for doctors.

PEREIRA: You want one, an extra nose?

CUOMO: Science.

BOLDUAN: There we go. Day two (ph).

CUOMO: That is impressive. That is impressive. It makes this next story fall flat by comparison but important nonetheless. It's no nose on the head but let me tell you -- rearview cameras matter. You have one. You know this. They're recommended by the government.

The key word is recommended. They're not required. Of course, many carmakers haven't put them in.

That wiggle room is costing lives. That's what car safety advocates say. They're suing the federal government to make a change.

CNN's Rene Marsh is in Washington with more.

They're saying it costs lives. Accurate?

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Chris.

You know, the group that's suing, they want systems like this one in all new cars so that when you reverse, you see exactly what's going on behind you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. GREG GULBRANSEN, SON KILLED IN ACCIDENT: As I was backing up I felt a lump, a little bump.

MARSH (voice-over): It was October 2002 when Dr. Greg Gulbransen got into his car, checked the mirrors, looked over his shoulder and reversed.

GULBRANSEN: I look down, and there he is, 2-year-old boy, blue pajamas, I never forget it, hold on to his blanket, looking straight up, bleeding furiously from his head, as a pediatrician I knew right away I had lost him.

MARSH: He accidentally ran over his son Cameron. In 2008, Congress passed a law in the child's name, requiring the Department of Transportation do something to prevent backup accidents. But more than two years past the congressional deadline, still no action.

Gulbransen and two safety groups are now suing the government, calling for mandatory rearview cameras in new vehicles. This PSA shows what a driver can missed without one.

NARRATOR: Behind the vehicle are 62 children and not a single one could be seen.

GULBRANSEN: Never drive a car forward with the same poor visibility that we have going backwards without a camera.

MARSH: The government says more than 200 people are killed and 18,000 injured every year in back over crashes. Gulbransen now has a video system in his SUV, he has no blind zone. But he says until all new cars are required to have rearview cameras, more children will suffer the same fate as Cameron.

GULBRANSEN: It's effective. It's available. And it is worth a fraction of what I would pay to have my son back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARSH: All right. This week, the Department of Transportation recommended that new cars have video systems like this one but the mandatory rule isn't expected until 2015. They are still analyzing the impact of what a mandatory rule would mean -- Chris, Kate.

CUOMO: Impact means money, right?

BOLDUAN: Yes.

CUOMO: Thank you, Rene, for the reporting. Hope you make it to work on time. Seem to be running late, still in the car.

BOLDUAN: She's probably right outside the --

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: Sometimes you think, you're just trying to make it easy, or it's better to be responsible, pay more attention. Just look back and drive, the numbers tell a different story. That's why the experts are so high on the cameras. There's tons of problems and injuries because we don't have the cameras.

BOLDUAN: You can't see little things back there.

CUOMO: Right.

BOLDUAN: Coming up next on NEW DAY: some wild pigs on the loose in a very unexpected place. They're eating garbage and scaring neighborhood kids. Now, some hog hunters are trying to get them out.

Why is this a story? Because it's crazy. We'll tell you where this is happening.

PEREIRA: You might recall that this week, U2 singer Bono showed off his Bill Clinton impersonation. Not to be outdone, the former president getting pay back. It's our must see moment.

CUOMO: I like the rose-colored glasses.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Welcome back to NEW DAY.

When you picture a wild pig, you're probably thinking about like porky without a home, right? But no, friends you have not seen pigs like these on the farm. A Georgia suburb just outside Atlanta is under siege. Some are up to 400 pounds of bad intentions with the ability and often the desire to do damage to you, your property as well. CNN's Nick Valencia has more from Lithonia, Georgia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Unwelcome new neighbors have moved into this Atlanta suburb.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably that high and maybe four feet long.

VALENCIA: I mean, we're talking in pounds like how many --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 300, 400 pounds.

VALENCIA: Some residents say there are at least four feral pigs on the loose, eating garbage, chasing kids, and scaring parents. Feral pigs can grow tusks and become aggressive.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right there, same spot.

VALENCIA: Robin May's (ph) daughter shot this video from inside their home.

ROBIN MAY, RESIDENT: He came back here. he kind of just made his way back here and right about where you see those stumps right there. So, sure you're concerned about the kids, especially. Kids coming home with the bus stop in the afternoon and, you know, walking down the streets, going back home.

VALENCIA: So far, no one has been hurt. Carl Hinds who's from and has lived here for nine years isn't concerned anyone will be.

CARL HINDS, RESIDENT: It don't scare me at all, because you know, where I'm from, there are a lot of pigs around. (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going down to the other side.

VALENCIA: Some area residents have decided to try to fix the problem themselves.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a special remedy that we use for hogs, to bait hogs. We hunt a lot of hogs. So, we mix dog food, molasses and corn together.

VALENCIA: Dekalb County animal control also is concerned about the wild hogs.

SGT. T.C. MEDLIN, DEKALB COUNTY ANIMAL CONTROL: You know, when I first heard it, I was like I didn't really believe it. I figured it might be just a domesticated pig. But after seeing the pictures, obviously, we do have a problem.

VALENCIA: They hired professional trappers to capture the feral pigs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This will be something that is still a bit of an oddity, you know, obviously for metro Atlanta, even greater metro Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA (on-camera): And the trappers are already out here early this morning. There's a wooded area with a creek that runs right through that, right behind me here. Officials think that that's where the pigs hang out. They're hoping to put this near that and bait these pigs and get this neighborhood back to normal again. Chris and Kate, back to you.

BOLDUAN: Just seeing how big that cage is shows you how big of a problem they have. Wow, Nick!

CUOMO: -- good size guy. Look at the size of the cage.

BOLDUAN: Wow! That is amazing. All right. Nick, thanks so much.

CUOMO: Pretty big.

BOLDUAN: Did you hear the ingredients, dog food, molasses and corn. There you go.

CUOMO: That's what I had for breakfast.

(LAUGHTER)

PEREIRA: And we need a big cage for you, too.

(LAUGHTER)

PEREIRA: You thought that was our must-see moment? Oh, no. Remember yesterday we showed you Bono doing a spot on impression of former President Clinton? Let's give you a refresher if you missed it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BONO, SINGER, ACTIVIST: I felt like the rock star on that occasion. But together, you know, we did this drop the debt thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: Not to be outdone, Mr. Clinton got the U2 front man back on "Piers Morgan Live" right here on CNN last night. Check it out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've been singing so long and screaming loud at these concerts that I'm hoarse.

(LAUGHTER)

CLINTON: So, I've to be careful with my voice. That's why all my charities only have three letter names.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: He gets the laugh for sure. I think Bono did a better Clinton, but he got the laughs for sure. We sure remind you that Piers Morgan actually is going to be here. We can talk to him about his impressions of both of them.

BOLDUAN: He's been practicing, you can tell.

PEREIRA: What were you going to say?

CUOMO: He's funny, but his impersonation stunk.

BOLDUAN: No. Bono's was spot on. I still argue, if you close your eyes it sounded like Clinton.

PEREIRA: it really does.

BOLDUAN: All right. Coming up next on NEW DAY, Congress has only four more days to pass a bill to avoid a government shutdown. And even if they get that done on time, another battle is brewing on Capitol Hill. Details at the top of the hour.

CUOMO: And Iran's new president is taking heat at home over his comments on CNN condemning the holocaust. We're going to go live to Tehran to give you that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: It's an unwritten rule in baseball, when you hit a home run, you take a moment but you can't sit there and just admire it. The Brewers, Carlos Gomez, broke that rule last night and sparked one heck of a bench-clearing brawl with the Atlanta Braves. Let's bring in Andy Scholes for this morning's "Bleacher Report." This was a doozy.

ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Yes. You know what, Chris, it really was. There are only really two outcomes showing up a pitcher after hitting a home run. One, you're likely to get plunked the next time you come up, or two, an all-out brawl is going to happen and that's what we saw last night. Carlos Gomez homered off Paul Maholm in the first inning and he admired it for quite a while before he finally started running.

And Brian McCann and Freddie Freeman, they didn't like it. They exchange words with Gomez as he round up the bases. And McCann, he had had enough by the time Gomez rounded third. He confronted him before he even got the home plate and here we go.

Both benches cleared. A few punches were thrown. Gomez and Freeman were ejected from the game. And Gomez later apologized for his behavior via Twitter saying it was unacceptable.

All right. Trending right on BleacherReport.com. You can read about one of the greatest comebacks in sports history. Happened in the America's Cup. Team New Zealand had eight chances at winning the world's most prestigious boat race series, but Oracle Team USA would not give up. Yesterday, they cut off (ph) an improbable comeback winning the final race to reclaim the America's Cup trophy.

And guys, team USA, they were down 8-1 in this best of 17 series. They had to rattle off eight wins in a row to win it. Just an incredible, incredible comeback for them.

BOLDUAN: That is incredible. That was neat. CUOMO: Wow. They were going so fast they wear crash helmets.

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: It's true. I had a family member who will now thank us because the family member is saying why aren't you covering the America's Cup? This is crazy.

CUOMO: Can't say that anymore. Andy Scholes, thank you very much.

BOLDUAN: Thank you, Andy.

We're now at the top of the hour, everybody, which means it is time for the top news.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: There is no negotiating over Congress' responsibility to ensure that we do not default.

CUOMO: The clocking is ticking. A government shutdown just four days away. And now, the U.S. risks defaulting on its loans. We're breaking down what it will mean to you in dollars and common sense.

BOLDUAN: Historic meeting. Secretary of state, John Kerry, set to meet with his Iranian counterpart today. Is this the beginning of a new era of diplomacy or simply a photo-op for little hope for progress?

PEREIRA: Powerball curse. After a multimillion dollar win (INAUDIBLE) says he wishes all the fame and cash would just go away. Find out why. His advice might make you think twice before you buy your next lotto ticket.

CUOMO: Your NEW DAY starts right now.

ANNOUNCER: What you need to know --

CLINTON: I think it's interesting commentary admitting that the holocaust occurred qualified (ph) as being a moderate.

ANNOUNCER: What you just have to see --

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Kate Bolduan, and Michaela Pereira.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: Good morning. Welcome back to NEW DAY. It's Thursday, September 26th, seven o'clock in the east. Coming up this hour, this is a wacky story. So much for a change in tone. As we reported, Iran's president condemned the holocaust to our own Christiane Amanpour. Now, the fact that he even admitted it happened made news. But the state-run agency in Iran says he didn't and CNN got that wrong. What is going on here? We're going to head to Tehran for a report.

BOLDUAN: We also have chilling video out of Washington. The Navy Yard shooter caught on tape during his rampage. Now, the FBI says he was delusional. We'll have more on what authorities found on his gun and his computer.

PEREIRA: We're going to talk about home insurance. You need it to keep you safe from floods and quakes. We're going to tell you about one family that is about to lose theirs because of their pet. More and more people are trying to figure out how their insurance company can pull their coverage just because of their canines. We'll have both sides of the story coming up.