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U.N. Report: Global Warming is "Real"; Shutdown Showdown; U.N. to Vote on Syrian Resolution; Davis Running For Governor Of Texas; "The Hammer" Returns

Aired September 27, 2013 - 08:00   ET

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

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Your NEW DAY continues right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

ANNOUNCER: What you need to know.

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: The president says, "I'm not going to negotiate". I'm sorry, but it just doesn't work that way.

ANNOUNCER: What you just have to see.

(LAUGHTER)

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

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KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome back to NEW DAY, everyone. It's Friday, September 27th, 8:00 in the East.

Coming up this hour, just three days remain until a possible government shutdown, the Senate about to vote on a temporary spending bill. That, of course, puts the pressure back on the House. Will they strike a deal before it's too late?

CUOMO: And he was known as "The Hammer", regarded as one of the real heavy hitters in Washington. But a money-laundering conviction drove Tom DeLay out of office. Now, the former House majority leader has been vindicated, the charges against him overturned. He's going to join us live to discuss his reaction and this is a man who knows something about government shutdowns and pressure tactics in politics. He's going to talk about what's going on in D.C. today.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: But there's a bit of a bike craze grouping the Apple, everyone is ditching cabs and taxi trains and instead cycling around town.

So, against our better judgment, Chris, Kate and I decided to try it for ourselves. The girls might have had a little fun at Chris' expense, maybe. That would never happen. BOLDUAN: Did we survive? Questionable.

PEREIRA: The drama ahead.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: I thought it was a fun day. There you have it.

Before we get to that we have an eye opening report from the United Nations this morning placing the blame for climate change squarely on you, the changes in sea levels, temperatures in melting ice are evidently man made thanks to driving cars, coal and oil-fired power plants. And there's not much that can stop the trend.

We're covering all the angles on this story, Chad Myers will have more from Miami. But let's start with Indra Petersons in our studio -- Indra.

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, the biggest thing coming out of this morning is the percentage. Does climate change exist and is it caused by humans?

Well, scientists now from the IPCC panel are saying they are 95 percent certain that it exists and most of it is existing due to human contributions. That's a big change if you look back at 2001 where they were only 66 percent sure.

So, that is the big takeaway from this. More takeaway -- let's talk about what we're talking about, very likely that changes have occurred in the sense that we're seeing warmer days and warmer nights, and the fact that is caused by humans. Now, a lot of people say, well, what about tropical storms, hurricanes?

Well, they actually have low confidence in both areas for that. But then we're going to talk about sea level, still likely that we're seeing a change and that humans are responsible for that change.

I think the one thing most of us understand -- yes, we have carbon, it is going up and therefore, we're talking about temperatures about one degree Fahrenheit.

Everyone is going to say, well, who is putting out this report? Well, it's part of the U.N., we're talking about 1,000 experts from around the world chosen by their own peers. So very highly respected scientists.

And then the report, why does it matter? Well, this is the report all the politicians are going to be using around the world to make policies and make effective change moving forward.

So that's the key here. Again, we talked about what everyone knows we have been warming since 1950. Well, you want to learn that and realize if we're warming, then the water actually expands. If you understand that and you realize we continue to pump carbon into the atmosphere at the highest rate we're talking about another three feet of the water rising in just the year 2100. Now, even if we stop completely, we don't put out any carbon out there, the effects take time. So, even with that, we're still, according to this report, going to be rising about another foot. Now this right here is one of the controversial things everyone is talking about, because it only has to deal with water warming that's already existing.

But there's another factor here. If the water, the temperature rises you're going to melt more ice, you're going to add more water and that warmer water expands and you could actually talking about 20 feet more higher -- we're talking about that sea level. So that's the controversy, is this not bullish enough?

BOLDUAN: All right. Well, let's talk about the sea levels. Indra, thank you so much.

With all that information the focus shifts to what do we do about it?

In the last five years, we've seen examples of cities near water sustaining major damage. So what's the right approach to keeping cities near the shoreline safe?

For that let's go to CNN meteorologist Chad Myers in Miami this morning, taking a look at this side of the story.

Good morning, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Kate. You know, it appears you can build things higher and higher and higher and houses higher on stilts, but the problem is we have an ocean that's warming. If you have a depth of an ocean of two, three five miles deep -- think about a thermometer, that's five miles tall and you warm it up, the top of the thermometer, that level, that mercury, that alcohol is going up just like any thermometer so our sea level is going up as well, that's what we're experiencing here on a regular day.

Miami Beach floods without getting any rain.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MYERS (voice-over): The ocean is rising quicker than in decades past, and predictions made by some research scientists make the situation sound pretty dire.

HAROLD R. WANLESS, DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI: By the mid-part of the century, 2050, 2060, most of the barrier islands in the world are going to have to be evacuated.

MYERS: And that includes Miami. It's hard to imagine, iconic Miami Beach deserted, but it is obvious that rising water is already a common problem here. On a sunny day, a high tide is enough to flood some streets.

JAMES MURLEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SOUTH FLORIDA, REGIONAL PLANNING COUNCIL: We live on lime stone. It's like a porous sponge. We really can't use levees to hold back the water. MYERS: While the city continues to find ways to deal with the excess water, many experts say there's no way to stop it.

(on camera): We saw barricades and sandbags all along Alton because the water just sits there during high tide. Let's put one more foot of water on top of this for just a one-foot sea level rise from here from Miami Beach. What does that look like?

So, you're telling me, every single street that's blue is going to have water in it if we get a one-foot rise in sea level?

PETER HARLEM, GEOGRAPHIC INFO SYSTEMS CENTER, FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY: Yes.

MYERS: That's a problem.

HARLEM: The king tides, it will be higher than this, but this is seasonally showing you the places that are going to be affected first.

MURLEY: The important thing is, is to keep observing what's happening, to look at all the ranges and projections and then come back to the policymakers and say here's the actions you have to take.

MYERS (voice-over): The Southeast Florida climate change compact has been created to monitor and mitigate the harsh consequences of climate change.

MURLEY: They're not sticking their heads in the sand. They know this is a real problem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MYER: Chris, even at low tide, some parts of Miami, some parts of Miami Beach in Hollywood, only about a foot above sea level so when it rains and you put three or four inches of rain on those streets, it takes forever, it takes hours for that water to run off. Sometimes it takes an entire high tide cycle for that water to run off and it takes 12 or 14 hours for that batter to go away.

It is a mess and it's not getting better. The warmer ocean is still going up and people here know it.

CUOMO: All right, Chad, appreciate the reporting this morning. Thank you for it.

One thing's for sure -- the disaster brewing in the nation's capital is completely manmade. Imagine just three days until we have to prevent a government shutdown.

Today, the Senate is expected to vote on a short term spending bill without the language from the House defunding Obamacare. If that bill passes, it still has to go straight back to the Republican-controlled House, setting up another shutdown showdown.

Let's go live to CNN's Jim Acosta at the White House.

Good morning, Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Chris.

That's right. Senate Democrats are confident that they will get a bill out of the Senate later on this afternoon that will avoid a government shutdown and continue funding the government, perhaps until the middle of November. But the honest truth is, after that, Chris, nobody knows what will happen in the House. House Republicans even admit that.

Meanwhile, over here at the White House, the rhetoric is getting white hot as both sides sound like they're heading towards a shutdown.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA (voice-over): Three days and counting and there was no compromise in sight that could avert a government shutdown.

And right behind that September 30th shutdown deadline, the nation could go into default roughly two weeks later, unless Congress raises the debt ceiling.

Despite warnings from economists of a disaster, Republicans say they will approve an increase in the debt limit only if the president agrees to their demands, like delaying Obamacare by a year, and more budget cuts.

But President Obama says he won't negotiate over the debt ceiling.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To suggest America not pay its bills, just to try to blackmail a president into giving them some concessions on issues that have nothing to do with the budget. I mean, this is the United States of America. We're not a deadbeat nation.

ACOSTA: The White House is ratcheting up the rhetoric and accusing some Republicans of acting like terrorists.

DAN PFEIFFER, SENIOR ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT OBAMA: We are for cutting spending. We are for reforming out tax code. We are for reforming our entitlements. What we're not for is negotiating with people with a bomb strapped to their chest.

VOICE: American people -- this is the GOP. We have your economy!

ACOSTA: The Democratic Party is echoing that message, releasing this fake debt ceiling ransom call from the GOP.

VOICE: Clock is ticking. We hope you don't make us do this!

ACOSTA: Republicans say that kind of talk is an outrage.

REP. CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS (R). WASHINGTON: It's completely unrealistic for the president to say that we're not going to negotiate over the debt ceiling, that he thinks somehow that we should just be giving him another blank check to continue these record deficits?

ACOSTA: GOP leaders point to new polls showing Americans want the president to negotiate, trading budget cuts for an increase to the debt ceiling.

BOEHNER: The president says, "I'm not going to negotiate." Well, I'm sorry, but it just doesn't work that way.

REP. ERIC CANTOR (R-VA), HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: We call on the president now to sit down with us, Harry Reid, to sit down with us, and let's solve the problem!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Now, a House Republican leadership aide tells CNN that they do not have a plan at this point as to what happens next, when the Senate is expected to pass that continuing resolution to continue to fund the government. This Republican leadership aide tells CNN they are going to have to see what Republican lawmakers can accept, what they can get in order to find 218 votes to get something passed out of the House.

But, Kate, I talked to this aide and he said at this point things are, quote, "very fluid", and it is expected to be that way throughout the weekend -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: It also sounds, at least looking from the outside in, that there are no negotiations going on anywhere.

ACOSTA: That's right.

BOLDUAN: And we are three days away.

ACOSTA: At this point, you're right. That's right.

BOLDUAN: All right. Jim, you'll be working hard this weekend, thank you.

ACOSTA: OK.

BOLDUAN: We also have major developments in two critical Middle East hot spots to talk about this morning. The U.N. preparing to vote on a legally binding resolution requiring Syria to surrender their chemical weapons stockpiles. Meanwhile, the U.S. and Iran held face-to-face talks for the first time in over three decades, with both sides agreeing to meet again next month.

Let's talk about this with CNN's chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto, live in Washington this morning.

So, Jim, can we call it progress?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we can and, Kate, the U.N. is not -- we're used to seeing progress but in 24-hour surprising progress on two the of the U.S.'s most intractable problems in Syria. It's going to now move more quickly. First, around the highest level talks between U.S. and Iranian officials in 34 years. Secretary Kerry and the foreign minister Mohammed Zarif sitting right next to each other, discussing Iran's nuclear program. They also had a private meeting on the sidelines. Secretary Kerry coming out of it said, quote, "One meeting and a change in tone are not enough".

But he did say the Iranians put some possibilities on the table, which Iran has said it hopes to implement within a year. Now, the U.S. is exploring those possibilities, and U.S. and Iranian officials will be meeting again next month in Geneva.

Now, Syria, just two weeks after Secretary Kerry first floated this idea, which seems crazy at the time, the U.S. and Russia have reached agreement on a U.N. resolution governing the complete elimination of Syria's chemical weapons. The Security Council will vote on that as soon as tonight and on Monday, a team of experts will travel to Syria to make preparations for inspectors arriving there.

Enforcement, though, still an issue if Syria doesn't comply to impose sanctions including military action, Chris, the U.S. would have to go back to the U.N. Security Council for another vote, and that's a place where we can expect Russia to veto any military action. So lots of challenges ahead.

BOLDUAN: I hope that means we're not back to square one then.

CUOMO: At least they're talking.

BOLDUAN: Yes, you're right. Yes.

CUOMO: Right? Especially for what's going on in D.C. We'll take what we can get right now.

Jim, thank you very much for the reporting.

BOLDUAN: Thanks, Jim.

CUOMO: A lot of news going on. So, let's get right to Michaela for the latest -- Mick.

PEREIRA: All right. Here we go.

Here's a look at your headlines. Interpol has issued a red alert, looking for Samantha Lewthwaite, the so-called "White Widow". They say she is part of a terrorist cell linked to al-Shabaab, which carried out those deadly attacks at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi. A man who told authorities he was victim in the attack now being treated as a suspect, after machine gun ammunition fell out of his pocket when he was being evacuated from the Westgate Mall.

Terrifying moments at 34,000 feet -- a united airlines flight from Houston to Seattle had to make an emergency landing in Boise, Idaho, Thursday. The pilot suffered a heart attack. The Boeing 737 did land safely. The pilot rushed to the hospital. We have no word yet on his condition. One hundred sixty-one passengers and six crew members were aboard. Passengers were able to get on another plane to get to Seattle.

A man is in custody after leading cops on a dangerous high-speed chase. Four people were hurt when the driver slammed into another car at speeds over 100 miles an hour. The end was all caught on camera.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PEREIRA (voice-over): Dramatic video of a dangerous high-speed chase, watch as a Florida state trooper barely escapes collision after the fleeing suspect slams into another car and spins out of control.

It all begins when a trooper pulls over this man, 30-year-old James Maddox, on suspicion of DUI. The trooper asks him to step out of the vehicle.

TROOPER: Do me a favor and step out, sir.

PEREIRA: Watch as Maddox flees the scene at speeds over 100 miles per hour. Seconds later, the suspect runs a red light and bangs into another car, the driver of that car, thrown from his vehicle.

Maddox then barely misses the trooper's cruiser as his car goes up in flames. He's ejected from the Prius as it careens off the road and inside the car, an 18-year-old passenger who is trapped in the burning wreckage.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have one over here!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's inside?

UNDIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

PEREIRA: Officers move quickly to pull that teen to safety.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Need a fire extinguisher. >

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PEREIRA: Maddox is slapped with a number of felony charges. He's still recovering in the hospital. The two people in the car Maddox hit were also injured.

Another news, Wendy Davis is ready to announce she is running for governor of Texas. The Democratic state senator gained national attention back in June, as you might recall, when she embarked on an 11-hour filibuster in an attempt to block an anti-abortion bill from passing in the Texas legislature.

She'll formally announce her candidacy October 3rd. Texas has not elected a Democratic govern since Ann Richards in 1990.

And because I believe you need sweetness in your life, this is my gift to you. A sleeping baby, but wait, a baby who laughs in his sleep. Just watch it and enjoy. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: I want to know what the baby is dreaming up and what is funny to a baby. You know, what is funny to a baby?

BOLDUAN: A lot of stuff. Like -- well, often my face, whenever a baby sees me.

PEREIRA: I can't stand it! This on a Friday.

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN: You're welcome, America. All right. Thank you, Michaela.

PEREIRA: You're welcome, Katie.

BOLDUAN: Let's get straight to Indra Petersons keeping track of the weekend forecast for us.

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'm just still jealous of the baby sleeping. I'm sorry. Are we not stuck on this right now?

BOLDUAN: There you go, Indra.

PETERSONS: But it's the weekend. We're getting there, right? Tomorrow, Saturday, the big day I sleep in. All right. What are we looking at weather wise for the weekend? Well, northeast down to the southeast, this is water vapor. All you need to know, all this brown stuff means it's dry. We are not talking about rain.

The only place we may see a hint would be the typical afternoon thunderstorms in through Florida. Otherwise, temperatures, look at this, they're beautiful. We're talking about 70s into the northeast, even down in the southeast, warmer so some 80s will be in the forecast there. The big story still remains that cold and I do mean cold storm that actually brought snow a few days ago into the Pacific Northwest.

Temperatures still 15 degrees below normal in the region, many go into the plains, temperatures about 15 degrees above normal. The reason that matters so much is when you see that cold front make its way through the area you have that temperature clash and we talk about severe weather.

So, Nebraska today down through Texas, we're going to be talking about concern for thunderstorms. Not major -- one to two inches of rain. It's really not a biggie, but of course, you have that condition. You could fire something up a little bit stronger. So, otherwise, I think everyone does have a good weekend. That's rare.

BOLDUAN: I like that forecast. Everyone's going to have a good weekend. Thank you. CUOMO: Coming up on NEW DAY, former House majority leader, Tom Delay, fresh out of this bed situation he was in. Case dismissed. Now, back in the spotlight, there he is. We're going to talk about his case, his newfound vindication, and, this is a man who knows politics. What does he make of what's going on in D.C.? His advice to his colleagues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Welcome back to you. Former House majority leader, Tom Delay, is making headlines once again. Now, you may remember, Delay resigned in scandal in 2006 after 20 years in Congress. But just last week, his conviction for money laundering was overturned. He's going to join us live in just a moment with his attorney, but first, a look at the man they call "The Hammer."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO (voice-over): Tom Delay was once one of the most powerful men in Washington. The congressman from Texas was Newt Gingrich's lieutenant in the Republican revolution of 1994 when the GOP stormed back to take control of the House. Later that decade, Delay was one of the leaders behind the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.

TOM DELAY, (R) FMR HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: The president has established a pattern of conduct of lying, of covering up, of stonewalling, of attacking his opponents. I just think that if the president wants to put this behind him, he ought to do the honorable thing and that is to resign.

CUOMO: By 2013, he'd climbed even higher, becoming the majority leader in the House, but two years later, the man known as "The Hammer" was indicted for trying to influence local elections in Texas.

DELAY: This morning, in an act of blatant political partisanship, a rogue district attorney in Travis County, Texas named Ronnie Earle charged me with one count of criminal conspiracy, a reckless charge wholly unsupported by the facts.

CUOMO: Delay stepped down from Congress the next year and was convicted in 2010.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's it like to go through all this?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's tough. What can you say?

CUOMO: Last week, vindication for Delay as his conviction on money laundering charges was overturned. An appeals court finding the evidence against him legally insufficient.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO (on-camera): Joining us now from Houston is former House majority leader, Tom Delay, along with his attorney, Mr. Brian Wice. Thanks, gentlemen. Good to have you both here.

DELAY: Good morning, Chris.

BRIAN WICE, TOM DELAY'S ATTORNEY: Good morning, Chris.

CUOMO: So, congressman, tell me, I saw your family emotional there. Did you start to believe that this day may never come?

DELAY: Well, it did seem bleak back then, but we've known all along that this was a trumped up charge by a rogue district attorney in Austin, Texas, and we knew that once we got out of Travis County, that I would be exonerated and that's what's happening.

CUOMO: Do you feel that it is fair to criticize you for having done anything wrong in this situation?

DELAY: Not at all. I didn't do anything wrong. I certainly did (ph) launder money. I was indicted on a law that, frankly, doesn't even exist in Texas.

CUOMO: So, let me ask you, Mr. Weiss, are you worried about appeal on the state side? Do you think they'll keep going?

WICE: Well, I think they have to. I think they've lost face. I think any time you take the kind of beating in the court of appeals that they took in a case of this magnitude, they're going to go as far as they can, but I've clerked at the court of criminal appeals. I've argued there a number of times.

I've followed court since the summer of 1942. I'm cautiously optimistic that the judges will see there's nothing about this case, Chris, that warrants their intervention as the state's highest court for criminal matters.

CUOMO: Now, congressman, again, you know, your daughter there. She was upset about this. She was disgraceful for you, but there has been criticism that you didn't actually serve time in jail. You remained out of jail during this process. Fair criticism?

DELAY: No, I'm not guilty, and I've been acquitted on the facts of the case, and the fact that the prosecution never presented evidence proceeds of a criminal activity and without proceeds from criminal activity, there's no money laundering. So, I shouldn't serve time because I'm not guilty.

CUOMO: What is this period --

WICE: No. Anybody that didn't sleep through civics class, Chris, recognizes that unless the government presents proof beyond a reasonable doubt as to every element of the offense, you go home and the beauty, one of the protections of the system is that you're entitled to bond pending appeal unless and until a court of appeals has decided that your case doesn't present any reversible error.

And thank goodness that Tom was able to live his life over the course of the last two and a half years while we finally got what we wanted which is a level playing field. You know, Gregory Peck said to kill a mockingbird, the one place any man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom. It took us two and a half years. We did it. We're confident. That's something that will ultimately be the lasting mark in Tom's case.

CUOMO: All right. So, the most important question for you then if the case is behind you is, is "The Hammer' back? Are you going to get back in the game? Are we going to see you back in D.C.?

DELAY: Well, I know the Democrats thought they had me down and out, but I've been working all through these eight long years of being under this cloud. And yes, I'm coming back. I'm working on a book called "Shutter Down," talking about constitutional revival. I never left and I won't leave and I'll keep fighting for what I believe in.

CUOMO: Now, shutter down, you lived through the 1990s with Newt Gingrich. You know shutdowns. I know that's not the reference to the book, but I'm going to use it as a segue anyway because that's what do you on TV.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: What do you make of the current efforts going on down in Washington, D.C. Do you advice pushing a shutdown as leverage?

DELAY: No. Shutdown is not what you want, but, there if there is a shutdown, this notion that it hurts the Republicans is totally wrong, because in 1995, we won. We won the budget cuts we won it. We showed Bill Clinton that we'd take him off a cliff and we got welfare reform balanced budget and we won seats in the next election. So, I don't know where they come up with this notion that a shutdown hurts Republicans.

CUOMO: Well, because Newt took a beating in popularity, right? The president's numbers soared at the time, President Clinton. He wound up driving a lot of the debate. It just raises the question of political cause. What is your advice to your colleagues in Washington, D.C.? Looking at the debt limit situation, knowing what it can do to the country, what do you give them as advice?

DELAY: My advice is hold firm, stick to your guns, stand strong, and you'll ultimately win.

CUOMO: Even if you wind up screwing up the credit of the United States of America, what if that happens?

DELAY: It won't end up screwing up the credit of America. We're very strong. We're still the strongest economy in the world. That is all false notion. Every shutdown and there's been many shutdowns, frankly, the American people never miss the government.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: I hear you on that. of course, the debt ceiling a different issue, but Congressman Delay, thank you for sharing time with us on NEW DAY today. Good luck to you going forward. Mr. Wice, always good to see you. Beautiful tie.

WICE: Thanks, Chris.

DELAY: Thank you, Chris.

CUOMO: Kate over to you.

BOLDUAN: Thank you, Chris.

Coming up next on NEW DAY, Michael J. Fox back in primetime on his own show. Nischelle Turner takes a look at how the show tackles his Parkinson's disease and the mix of laughs and inspiration.

Also, remember that brave little boy who asked Santa to stop kids from bullying his sister? Well, it looks like Santa answered, sending some very devoted people to help. It's the good stuff, ahead.

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