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New Day
Budget Battle in Boehner's Court; Wendy Davis for Governor?; Car Crash Warning Systems; Chelsea Opens Up; Mariano Says Goodbye To Yankee Stadium
Aired September 27, 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: And in Lakeland, Florida, long-time friends Harris Woodsby and Matthew Fellows say they tracked this 560- pound gator for years but they got him. They reeled in the 12 1/2 footer earlier this month and call it a catch of a lifetime.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: That's a swamp dragon.
PEREIRA: You know what? That's a better name than alligator. It's true. It's swamp dragon.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: We've seen that a few times now. We have oversized gators.
(CROSSTALK)
PEREIRA: Yes. What do they eat?
BOLDUAN: I have no idea.
CUOMO: You. You is what they eat.
PEREIRA: There's a plentiful supply.
BOLDUAN: Small children.
CUOMO: No joke.
PEREIRA: But I'm just saying. If they're that big they're clearly getting a lot of food.
CUOMO: I wouldn't let it eat you.
BOLDUAN: They're going to continue that conversation. We're going to move on to the political gut check.
Three days from a potential government shutdown and the war of spending bills continue. House Speaker John Boehner already saying that House Republicans will reject the Senate bill expected to pass today, while President Obama is accusing Republicans of gaming the system and making the rest of us pay for it.
CNN's chief national correspondent John King is here to break it all down for us. The war of words, John, is nothing new. I mean, they think they're getting more creative on how they can hit back at each other. But where we are today, the Senate is going to vote today. Likely it will pass. It goes then back to the House.
The House has announced they're going to work through the weekend, but what are they going to be working on? House Republicans have not come to a resolution to what they can agree on.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We might need those big gators to bring a little discipline to Capitol Hill.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: The answer is, Kate, we really don't know, because the Republicans in the House are demanding negotiations with the president and his fellow Democrats but at the same timing their biggest priority is negotiating amongst themselves. What Speaker Boehner hoped to do, is let's assume the Senate puts back in the money for President Obama's health care plan. That looks almost certain to happen. They send it back to the House.
What Speaker Boehner hoped to do, just pass that, keep the government running and then transfer this fight over to the bigger battle about raising the government's borrowing authority, lifting the debt ceiling. But several members, many members of the Republican conference say, no, we don't want to do that, we want to try again, we want to add something else to that -- it's called continuing resolution. It's essentially the paperwork to keep the government running.
They want to try something else and maybe send it back to the Senate with that deadline clock ticking. So, the House Republicans have their own little internal feud going on. And then, there's the bigger question of whether they can get the president to the table, assuming, it's -- we'll watch this through the weekend, assuming they keep the government open.
BOLDUAN: Well, and then that -- let me ask you that question, though, about -- can they get the president to come to the table? Because the president yesterday accused Republicans of trying to blackmail a president. Those were his words. Why did Democrats in the White House think there is no into need to compromise on these issues?
KING: Well, the president thinks that he can characterize the Republicans as the my way or the highway, the obstructionist party that first was threatening a government shutdown and then is threatening something even more dangerous to the global economy, not just the U.S. economy, the faith and credit of the United States government, the borrowing authority of the United States government.
The president believes that he can make that case and he has the bully pulpit. Even though, remember, the president's own poll numbers are pretty weak.
BOLDUAN: True. KING: His approval rating is down. And so, that's why Republicans think, wait a minute. Look, the president says I won't negotiate on this issue. No president would negotiate on this issue.
However, there is a little bit of history. Remember that thing called the sequester, the forced budget cuts? That came from negotiations back in 2011 over what? Raising the debt ceiling.
BOLDUAN: Excellent point. History repeats itself, which let's hope it does not when it comes to the sequester, because everyone hates that, but they all voted on it. That's the amazing thing.
KING: This is no way to run a railroad. We do this every six months, really, or every year, and it's just -- the operations of the United States government. It looks kind of silly. You could laugh, except the stakes are so high.
BOLDUAN: Excellent point. We're obviously going to be talking about this next week and for weeks to come, I'm sure, but even though the deadline is right around the corner.
I want to ask you on a completely different topic, though. I do want to get your take on Wendy Davis. You remember this name because this is a Texas lawmaker, a Democrat who made her name for herself national name, when they held that 13-hour filibuster over a controversial abortion bill in that state. She's expected to announce next week that she's going to make a run for governor, a Democrat in a very red state.
Do you think she has a chance?
KING: A chance, yes. But she has to be near perfect in running this campaign. Texas is changing. If you look at the big cities in Texas, the demographics of Texas, it's becoming more blue but it is not blue. It's a reliably red state.
Ann Richards, you have to go back that long, in 1990 --
BOLDUAN: Oh, yes.
KING: -- the last time a Democrat is elected, a governor from the Democratic Party. Rick Perry is stepping aside. The attorney general, Greg Abbott, is the likely Republican candidate.
Does she is a chance? Yes, will there be a ton of national money put into this race? Yes. If you have to place a bet today, would you beat D or R, the safest bet in Texas is still R.
BOLDUAN: All right. That will be a fun race to watch. That's for sure. She made quite a name for herself.
John, great to see you. We'll see you.
KING: Have a great weekend.
BOLDUAN: You, too. Thank you. CUOMO: All right. Coming up on NEW DAY, there are new gizmos to let your car help you avoid accidents. The question is; do they make driving better or worse? Before we ask question, do they even work at all? Carmakers were put to the test and we have the results.
BOLDUAN: And a big fight over some very big cats. Nine tigers living in one man's home, even sleeping in the same beds with his three daughters. Now wildlife officials want to step in and take them away. What's going on?
CUOMO: Why? What's the risk?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: Welcome back.
Let's go around the world now starting in Russia. The International Olympic Committee says they are satisfied there won't be discrimination against gay athletes or spectators in the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
CNN's Phil Black has more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The International Olympic Committee says Russia's controversial anti-gay propaganda law does not breach the Olympic movement's own rules on discrimination. So, they say Olympic officials do not have the right to criticize it. In Russia, it is illegal to tell children gay and straight relationships are equal. Gay activists say that restricts freedom of speech based on sexual preference, so it must be considered discrimination. They're outraged by the IOC's ruling and they say it shows the Olympic charter is meaningless.
Back to you, Kate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: All right. Phil, thank you so much.
So, a Brazilian animal lover has quite the menagerie in his home, including two lions and seven house-trained tigers. Yes, I said seven. Now, a legal fight is brewing over whether the family can keep the big cats.
Here's Shasta Darlington.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A Brazilian man has brought nine tigers to live with his family. Burgess (ph) feeds them directly from the table. They drink milk from a bottle. He even lets his granddaughter occasional ride on their backs and his daughter takes them for a swim in the swimming pool. Now, Burgess doesn't have any animal training, but he rescued two of these tigers from a circus a few year back. Now, he wants to open an animal park. In the meantime, they have free range of the place.
Back to you, Kate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: All right. Shasta, nine big cats.
CUOMO: Nine, no. That's crazy. Cat crazy.
All right. Another one for you -- automakers now advertise sophisticated systems. They say they can warn you before a crash, even stop your car in the nick of time. Sounds great, maybe. But how well does it work?
Car safety group says they have the answers.
CNN's Rene Marsh is live in Washington with them.
Good morning, Rene.
RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Good morning, Chris.
You know, for that distracted driver, it could help them avoid rear- ending someone and if you're cut off on the highway, if you're from New York, you know about that, manufacturers say it could help the driver avoid collision in that situation, too. One group put the in- car technology to the test and here are the results.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARSH (voice-over): They cause thousands in damage, serious injuries and even death.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says high-tech systems in new cars aimed at preventing or mitigating front-end crashes are, in fact, keeping drivers safer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep your foot off the brake. Keep your foot off the brake. Did it stop you?
MARSH (on camera): Yes, it did.
(voice-over): It's called collision avoidance technology. The institute tested several to determine if they're effective and worth your money.
DAVID ZUBY, INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY: We find that they help reduce crashes with other vehicles by about 7 percent.
MARSH: That's just the work of the warning system, which alerts drivers a collision is coming. With an automatic braking system, the institute says the effectiveness doubles. The top performers, the Subaru Legacy and Outback, Cadillac ATS and SRX, Mercedes-Benz C-class and Volvo S60 and XC60. Without auto brakes, damage exceeds $28,000. But with auto brakes, less than $6,000 in damage.
Now, compare the two.
ZUBY: We think it's worth the money.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have two cameras mounted up here.
MARSH: Inside the top-rated Subaru Legacy, Dominic Infante (ph) calls the two cameras a second pair of eyes.
(on camera): I was able to take my foot off of both pedals, the brake and the gas and the car stopped on its own. That's how it was meant to work?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly. What you've got, two cameras, those cameras are seeing if there's a vehicle in front of you, it's slowing down, it starts to bring on the brakes as you get closer and it has the power to bring the car to a complete stop and keep you stopped.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARSH: All right. Well, cost varies. It could cost hundreds. It could thousands depending on how advanced the system is. It's mostly optional at this point and about 5 percent to 10 percent of new cars being sold have these systems -- Chris and Kate.
BOLDUAN: That's a fascinating look, Rene. Thank you so much.
What do you think?
CUOMO: I don't know that I want it.
BOLDUAN: You don't want it.
CUOMO: I want to drive. I'll take the warning system.
BOLDUAN: I like the warnings. I don't want the car to do something for me that I'm not doing.
CUOMO: I know, I stole your opinion.
BOLDUAN: Yes, thank you.
CUOMO: I had a different one. I liked yours better.
BOLDUAN: This is why we're not allowed to talk on the commercial break.
All right. Coming up next on NEW DAY -- I love you so much.
Over the years, Chelsea Clinton has kept a fairly low profile but now, the former first daughter speaking out about her potential political future. Plus, what she says is one of the biggest threats facing the world. That's coming up.
CUOMO: And a provocative question --
PEREIRA: Who stole Willie Nelson's armadillo? I said it, Chris.
CUOMO: I did. I almost said it.
BOLDUAN: Wait, what is the provocative question?
PEREIRA: That, who stole his armadillo?
BOLDUAN: Got it.
PEREIRA: It was apparently taken from the stage during a recent concert, caught on video, of course. It's our must-see movement.
CUOMO: It's got to be Bieber or Rihanna.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CUOMO: Welcome back to NEW DAY. She is 33 years old, never held elected office, but she's trying to make a positive difference, and has a name that says politics. So, you can understand why Chelsea Clinton is mentioned as a potential politician. She spoke with CNN's Piers Morgan about a wide range of topics including her future, her mother's future and threats facing the country both foreign and domestic. Here's a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PIERS MORGAN, PIERS MORGAN LIVE ANCHOR: There is an issue now with the radicalization of home-grown terror, whether it's in America or Britain. We don't know where all these terrorists came from. But you have this disaffected youth, this unemployed youth. But you also have a youth that can be susceptible to being radicalize. How do you think is the best way for a country like America to actually deal with this kind of problem?
CHELSEA CLINTON, VICE CHAIR, THE CLINTON FOUNDATION: The greatest risk factor is arguably an unemployed young man to any social system, to any society anywhere in the world. And so, insuring that young people feel like we are collectively investing more in their future than in kind of either harboring past grievances or in kind of protecting the status quo is, I think, the best antidote to that.
And, in some ways, I think Kenya was attacked because they have been transcending historic tribal barriers and strife. They have come a tremendous way since the 2007-2008 election violence and have been repudiating kind of the historical forces that were trying to keep Kenya back.
And, so, I think because young people sit up in this last election and said we're not going to have a violent election, we are going to have free, transparent and open elections. We are going to move our country forward, sadly, we've seen the backlash.
MORGAN: Have you ever thought of running for high office?
CLINTON: Well, Piers, people have been asking me that question for as long as I can remember. Literally, one of my earliest memory --
MORGAN: What's the truthful answer?
CLINTON: Well, the truthful answer is, thankfully, the truthful answer, I guess. And that I'm deeply grateful for my life now. I love my life. I love being able to do this work. And I'm grateful that I live in a city, in a state, in a country where --
MORGAN: That's a brilliant politician's answer.
(LAUGHTER)
MORGAN: This is what I mean. This is why you'd be so perfect.
(LAUGHTER)
MORGAN: -- talk an entire minute without referring remotely to either yes or no.
(LAUGHTER)
CLINTON: Well, the answer is I don't know. And that is the honest answer.
MORGAN: Is your mom running for president?
CLINTON: You'll have to ask her that.
MORGAN: Huh?
CLINTON: You'll have to ask her that.
MORGAN: OK. She's actually on the back. I might bring her out.
CLINTON: So, we won't take it personally if you race out the back.
MORGAN: If I have to. I'll do what it takes for CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BOLDUAN: Very good at avoiding that question.
(CROSSTALK)
PEREIRA: Yes. I'm sure. She's had plenty of opportunity to work on that.
Hey, must-see moment, are you ready for it?
(CROSSTALK)
PEREIRA: We're on a hunt. Yes, we are. It's a manhunt to search for a beloved stuffed armadillo. A woman stole this prized possession from singer, Willie Nelson. This precious armadillo was stolen from a show in Port Chester, New York last week. Look at that, right there, caught on video, red handed. You can see the woman take the armadillo known as Ol' Dillo.
(CROSSTALK)
PEREIRA: Has not yet --
BOLDUAN: Brazen thief.
PEREIRA: Brazen. And she did look back. And she's kind of hiding it behind her back. But I want you to know, if you have a taste for Texas roadhouse, they're actually offering $1,000 gift certificate for information leading to the armadillo's safe return. It kind of cracks me up. They got a wanted poster for Ol' Dillo.
BOLDUAN: I'm sorry they have to acknowledge it. I did not know armadillo is born so small. I thought they were larger creatures.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: That one is stuffed. Go with your Google, armadillos or something like that?
BOLDUAN: No. I just -- in my mind's eye --
PEREIRA: You thought they were big.
BOLDUAN: I thought they were larger.
CUOMO: I think you Google them.
PEREIRA: I think you --
CUOMO: I didn't know it was stuff. I had my dander up. I had may hackles up because I thought it was a live armadillo.
PEREIRA: No. It's a stuffed one.
CUOMO: The bieber, Rihanna reference is totally misguided now.
PEREIRA: Yes, it is.
(CROSSTALK)
CUOMO: Because they're only using live exotic animals.
(LAUGHTER)
BOLDUAN: Right, exactly. All right. Well, I'll let you know if we have an update on that one. And the armadillo search continues.
Coming up next on NEW DAY, a new U.N. report on climate change is out this morning and it says humans are to blame for extreme weather in the world. The dire outlook, coming up.
CUOMO: And, a massacre avoided. Police in Texas say a gunman had his finger on the trigger inside a Ft. Worth McDonald's, but thank God his gun wouldn't fire. An amazing story for you coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CUOMO: Anyone with baseball in their heart felt it skip a beat when a tearful Mariano Rivera gave his final farewell to Yankee Stadium last night after 19 amazing seasons. Exit sand man. Andy Scholes joins us with this morning's "Bleacher Report." Truly, we lived during the time of one of the greats. He's not dead. I shouldn't be that mournful, but he is dead to baseball and that is a sad thing. True?
ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Yes, very true, Chris. You know, whether you are a Yankees fan or not, watching Rivera bid farewell to the Bronx last night definitely got the water works going. You know, Rivera entered in the eighth inning and after retiring four straight batters, Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte, instead of manager, Joe Girardi, came out to get him one last time.
Now, Rivera, very emotional. He started falling while embracing both Pettitte and Jeter. And there wasn't a dry eye in the stadium when Rivera made his final walk towards the Yankees dugout.
In the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers look like they may have finally shaken off their Super Bowl hangover. Colin Kaepernick who took criticism from fans after the team's first two loses. He threw two touchdowns last night. Frank Gore rumbled for more than 150 yards on the ground as the Niners y crushed the Rams 35-11. They're now 2-2 on the season.
And trending right now on BleacherReport.com is what Yankee's second baseman, Robinson Cano, is seeking this off-season in free agency. According to reports, Cano wants a ten-year deal worth more than 300 million. That would be the richest contract in sports history.
And to put it in perspective, guys, the Red Sox, Dustin Pedroia, he recently has the richest deal for a second baseman. It was eight years $110 million. So, as you can imagine, the Yankees and Cano and his representatives are about $150 million apart in this negotiation.
BOLDUAN: Oh, you know, not that -- so they're close is what you're telling us?
SCHOLES: Not close, no.
(LAUGHTER)
SCHOLES: At all. I don't think they want another A-Rod contract up there in New York.
BOLDUAN: Wow! All right. Andy, thank you so much. You are worth $300 million to us. Thank you very much.
CUOMO: That smile alone.
BOLDUAN: Exactly. Have a good weekend.
You hear the music, you know what it means. It's time for the "Rock Block," everyone. A quick roundup of the stories you'll be talking about today. First up, Michaela.
PEREIRA: Here we go. First up in the papers from "The New York Post," the chairman of Barilla Pasta infuriating gay rights advocates saying he'd never feature a gay couple in his commercials because he doesn't agree with them.
In "USA Today," a University of Iowa said he finds fish may not be brain food after all. Older women with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids did not show better memory or thinking skills than women with lower levels of omega-3.
Christine Romans and business news.
All right. Federal notices as the federal workers will go out in the next 24 hours warning of a government shutdown and that has investors nervous and stock futures lower. Stock is down five in the past six days on budget jitters. But the Dow and S&P did gain some ground yesterday.
It seems like the Federal Reserve's decision to hold off on tapering the cash that's been pumping into the bond market that has helped mortgage rates. The 30-year fixed hit a nine-week lo coming in at 4.32 percent for mortgage.
Finally, let's get to Indra Petersons for the weather.
INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's Friday, and all anyone (ph) care about right now is the weekend, right? I know. I don't have to ask you that. We're talking about dry conditions, finally. Somehow in the past few weeks, it was always raining on the weekend, but no, not this time. Notice, even in Florida, dry air pushing through the area.
Just a few thunderstorms for them. And temperatures, they are amazing. We're talking about 70s and even a lot of 80s, especially as you make your way into the southeast. So, the bigger story is really going to be right in the middle of the country, Pacific Northwest. Remember, we just had snow a few days ago. Well, all that cold air with temperatures, 10, 15 below normal.
All of that is riding up against warm air. So, we're talking about the threat for thunderstorms really as they go through the weekend. But, so nice in the northeast and southeast.
BOLDUAN: All right, Indra, thank you.
We're now at the top of the hour, everyone, which means it's time for the top news.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CUOMO: Scary climate concerns. Global warming is very real says a just-released report. The east coast of the United States could be evacuated in just 30 years? Details ahead.
BOLDUAN: On the brink. We are now three days away from a government shutdown and neither side is budging. And the rhetoric, getting even hotter with the debt ceiling fight on the horizon. Is our economy and your bottom line in trouble?
PEREIRA: Tragedy averted. A gunman tries to fire at least five times inside a crowded McDonald's, but incredibly, his gun would not work. The heart-pounding moments all caught on video. You don't want to miss it.
CUOMO: Your NEW DAY starts right now.
ANNOUNCER: What you need to know --
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To suggest America not pay its bills, we're not a deadbeat nation.
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 Friday, September 27th, seven o'clock in the east.
New this morning, a ground-breaking agreement finally reached by the U.N. Security Council forcing Syria to give up its chemical weapons. The obvious question, will it stick or fall apart? We will ask it and give you some perspective.
