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One Day Left To Avoid Government Shutdown; Trying To Strike A Deal On Obamacare; Ted Cruz's Stand On House's Vote; Church Deacon Charged With Murder; U.N. Kicks Off Week With Two Big Speeches; How Businesses Plan To Deal With Upcoming Changes From Obamacare; Testing Communications Devices During Flights

Aired September 29, 2013 - 16:00   ET

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

ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Alison Kosik, in for Fredricka Whitfield. These stories are topping our news this hour. It's down to the wire, in less than two days, the government could run out of money. We're going to tell you why prospects of averting a shutdown are actually dimmer than ever. And what House Republicans are about to do to get the public on their side.

Using your cell phone or laptop while flying, just how dangerous is it? We'll put all your mobile devices to the test.

And an American daredevil rockets through the sky attempting a jaw- dropping stunt in one of the world's most unique locations.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

KOSIK: Congress might be a little quieter today as you may expect especially if it's just 30 hours away from a government shutdown. The Senate is not going to be voting today on the spending plan that the house passed just after midnight.

Speaker John Boehner lashed out saying waiting until Monday to vote is an act of what he calls breathtaking arrogance by the Senate Democratic leadership. And right now, House Republicans are rallying calling for the Senate to act but the House plan doesn't really have much hope in the Senate anyway and that's because of two amendments that are attached to it. One would delay Obamacare for a year and the other would repeal a medical device tax.

So here is where we stand. Just over one day left to avoid this shutdown - the deadline is midnight on Monday and we are covering all of the angles of this story starting with Brianna Keilar who is live at the White House and Erin McPike is in our Washington, D.C. bureau. Let's go ahead and start with Brianna.

You know, this all has, you know, boiled down to a big blame game at this point, hasn't it? I mean, what response are we hearing today from the White House and lawmakers.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the White House says Alison that Congress should just pass a bill to fund the government and avert the government showdown. They don't want House Republicans obviously messing with Obamacare as they would see it. They say and we heard this from President Obama. They will negotiate on issues, budgetary issues, taxes, or spending or entitlement reforms, budgetary issues but they don't want House Republicans trying to make these big changes to the president's signature healthcare reform law.

Now to hear some Republicans say it though - they say look we've actually budged on this because initially we were talking about defunding the entire program and now what we're trying to do is just delay its implementation. Listen to what Senator Rand Paul said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: Republicans and Democrats are supposed to find a middle ground but right now it's the president saying "My way or the highway if I don't get everything I want, if I don't get Obamacare (INAUDIBLE) Democrats passed without any Republicans or the Democrats are saying they're willing to shutdown the government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Now, President Obama has said that he welcomes it if Republicans want to improve the law. They can make some mutually agreed upon changes basically but no one really expects that to be done either separate or related to this bill. You know, President Obama says this is a legitimate bill that Congress pass and the Supreme Court upheld it. And the message really from White House officials here, Alison, is that Republicans just need to move on. But there's really no indication that's happening and the sense is that the likelihood of a government shutdown - but it is pretty likely. So we're looking as the clock ticks because that would take place, if it does happen tomorrow night in the Tuesday morning.

KOSIK: OK. Thank you, Brianna.

There is a lot of kicking and screaming in this fight but somehow Republicans told the "Washington Post" saying "we're happy about our plan."

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann said "We're very excited." Erin McPike joins me live in Washington now. Erin, you talked to one senator who's also been pushing very hard to defund Obamacare, what did he tell you?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alison, that was Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican and he has been leading the charge in this Senate. Now, of course, he was one who wanted to defund Obamacare completely and as Brianna mentioned Republicans are starting to budge a little bit with the delay. But here's what Ted Cruz had to tell met his morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCPIKE (on camera): The House has passed a one-year delay. Is that good enough for you? You wanted to kill it.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: I think it is a strong step in the right direction. We get to study the exact terms on how that delay will operate. But I support anything that mitigates the harms that millions of Americans are feeling because of Obamacare.

MCPIKE: How likely is it though do you think that for a short time the government may shut down this week?

CRUZ: You know, I don't know. I hope it doesn't. I don't think we should have a government shutdown. And the only reason we might is if Harry Reid continues to refuse to compromise, to refuse even to talk. If Harry Reid draws the line and says he will shut down the federal government rather than treat the American families with the same exceptions that have already been given to big business and members of Congress.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCPIKE: Now, Alison, we have understood today, from a Senate democratic leadership aid, that is there is not a way for Ted Cruz to stand in the way of the next Senate vote which we understand will occur tomorrow. It will be just one simple vote. And the Democrats just need a 51 vote majority to strip out these amendments that the House has passed and send the bill right back to the House. So we will be in very much the same place tomorrow sometime when the House votes on this again. But as we heard Dick Durbin, the second ranking Democrat in the Senate say earlier today, some of them do very much expect a government shutdown to happen. Allison?

KOSIK: All right. And we'll be watching every move. Erin McPike, thank you.

Now, if there is a shutdown, here is what would happen. Thousands of government workers would be furloughed, although Congress would still get paid. Essential stall like the military, FBI, and air traffic control would still stay on duty, but paychecks - they can be delayed. And if you're planning to take a vacation to lets say a national park, forget it. They're going to be closed. Passports and government loans won't be issued. Now there are some things that won't be affected, will not be affected. That includes Medicare, Medicaid and you'll still get your mail delivered. You can find out more at CNN.com/ healthcare.

And if you don't currently have health insurance, we want to hear your story. Log on to CNNireport.com and share your photo or a video describing your experiences.

A church deacon is charged with murder after allegedly shooting a pastor during the middle of a service. It happened in Lake Charles, Louisiana, about 130 miles from Baton Rouge. Woodrow Kerry on the left turned himself in and even led police to the murder weapon. Deb Feyerick has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): People gathered outside the tabernacle of Praise Worship Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana after reports of the crime.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A telephone call from one of the members that was coming to the (INAUDIBLE) tonight (INAUDIBLE) shooting.

FEYERICK: The (INAUDIBLE) sheriff's office says Pastor Ronald Harris was killed while he was preaching. They say this man 53-year-old Woodrow Kerry has been charged with second-degree murder in the case, after he allegedly called dispatchers and admitted to the killing. This morning, new information about the suspect who had direct ties to the church.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've been told that Mr. Kerry is a member of the church. He was a deacon of the church. It appeared as though this investigation is involving some issues that occurred with the church.

FEYERICK: Witnesses told police Kerry walked into the church, shot the pastor once then again at close range after the pastor had fallen to the floor. The gunman then fled the scene.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These people thought they were going to church to hear a message from god. Instead, they witnessed a pastor being gunned down in the middle of the service by the deacon.

FEYERICK: During his arrest, deputies say Kerry directed them to two guns, a shotgun and a pistol that were thrown in a wooded area.

Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: The community of Lake Charles will hold a candle light vigil for Pastor Harris on Tuesday. And his funeral has been set for October 12th.

Parts of Oregon and Washington state are getting slammed by unrelenting rain and fierce wind gusts. Rainfall records were shattered over the weekend in several cities and more downpours are expected tonight and tomorrow. Flash flood warnings are also in effect.

Gay and lesbian companies across New Jersey are celebrating a judge's ruling in favor of same-sex marriage. The state already allowed civil unions but Judge Mary Jacobson ruled that's not enough. Jacobson said in her ruling this week, "the label civil unions is illegally preventing same-sex couples from getting federal benefits." Governor Chris Christie has indicated the case will be appealed.

The Olympic torch begins its journey from (INAUDIBLE) to Russia for the 2014 Winter Olympic games. The flame was lit this morning during a ceremony in Greece. The torch first travels around Greece, and for the first time ever, it will head to the International Space Station where - which is operated by Russian astronauts and after that, the torch heads to Moscow to begin a tour across Russia. The opening ceremonies begin on February 7 of next year.

He cheated death once already. Now, this daredevil is taking another plunge. This time into a 10-foot crack into a mountain. We're going to hear from this brave flier and show you his jump.

Plus, an unmanned SpaceX rocket blasts off on a test flight. The company hopes it will some day take astronauts to the space station.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: The United Nations General Assembly begins the week with two big speeches. Syria's top diplomat takes the podium tomorrow and then a day later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks.

Nick Paton Walsh is live in New York.

Hi, Nick, let's start talking about Syria, first. You know, tomorrow, chemical weapons inspectors are going to be heading to Damascus to being eliminating the country's arsenal. So what do you think? What kind of picture do you think the Syrians are going to paint tomorrow at the U.N.. Is Bashar al-Assad going to try to win back some international support?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Syrian foreign minister Walid Muallem will take the stage in the morning. I think really given Syria has already said by joining the chemical weapons convention before that key U.N. vote late last week. You know, give up its chemical weapons and agree to U.N. terms.

They're unlikely to shake away from that. You'll hear a lot of noise about how they had those chemical weapons because they wanted a deterrent against Israel's own alleged weapons of mass destruction nuclear bomb program. But I think also they will be wrestling with one key thing that slipped into that U.N. resolution late last week. It was an endorsement to something called the Geneva peace plan which effectively was agreed between America, Russia and the European powers last year basically saying Assad has to step aside, the Syrian president has to step aside for a transitional government to bring peace to the country. That has kind of slipped in the resolution and now has the endorsements of U.N. Security Council through that vote.

They've also clearly come out in Damascus and says that simply is not going to happen. But I think you'll see a lot of that noise reiterated tomorrow in the U.N. forum.

KOSIK: You know, Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu's speech last year to the U.N. GA certainly made headlines. You know, when he took out that drawing of a bomb with a redline representing the point where Israel would no longer tolerate Iran's nuclear ambition. So this past week, Iran agreed to talk about its nuclear program. Should we expect to - are we going to see an equally passionate speech from Netanyahu this time around on why Iran should not be trusted?

WALSH: He's already been pretty clear that he say he'll come here to tell the truth, despite all the smiles. And I think, you know, New York is in so many ways recovering as I'm sure they are in the White House from the sheer fusiveness of Iran's diplomacy in the past week. The highest level meeting between John Kerry and Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister and then that phone call between Hassan Rouhani and Barack Obama. A huge (INAUDIBLE) change in the tone and nature of their relations. But so far, we've seen nothing concrete. We even actually heard (INAUDIBLE) today on ABC saying quite simply they wouldn't give up their right to enrich. That's all we had to say. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMAD JAVAD ZARIF, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Negotiations are on the table to discuss various aspects of Iran's enrichment program. Our right to enrich is nonnegotiable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH: Now, those cynics who think that Iran is simply buying time with all of these fresh-faced negotiation desire for peace will seize upon that. Barack Obama said he's OK with Iraq having access to nuclear technology. The question is is that compatible what Hassad Rouhani has been saying in his speech at the U.N. which is look "We're not giving upon our scientific knowledge. It will be unrealistic to us to do so. The status of how well enriched the uranium inside Iran actually is absolutely going to be key to these negotiations. Both sides looking for concrete steps and I'm sure Benjamin Netanyahu will be pounding home that particular idea that simply the Iranians are buying time because their technology is improving, getting near the ability to making the bomb. They just to keep the world distracted by talking peace until that moment arrives. Alison.

KOSIK: OK. Nick Paton Walsh, thanks.

And now to Israel where a suspected spy is under arrest. The Israeli government says the suspect, Ali Mansori was spying for Iran and was carrying photos of various sites around Israel including the U.S embassy in Tel Aviv. They say Monsori is from Iran, but also is a Belgian citizen. Israeli officials claim Monsori has admitted to being a spy and was promised a million dollars for setting up a spy network in Israel.

Could using your cell phone on a flight cause electronic interference that brings the plane down? People have been speculating about that for years. Now we'll finally get some answers and the in-flight rules? Yes, they could change soon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: A government shutdown looking more and more likely, despite the fact the House Republicans had passed a plan that keeps it open, the government open. But the problem is that it attaches delaying Obamacare to that measure. So, yes, the battle is getting ugly day by day, hour by hour.

I want to show you something that happened on the House floor last night when a Democrat tried to speak against the GOP plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DONNA EDWARDS (D) MARYLAND: I want to be very clear. I don't even have a voice. But I want to let America know that House Republicans are shutting down the government. They're doing it intentionally. They're doing it on purpose. Mr. Speaker, the House is not in order.

REP. JOHN BOEHNER, HOUSE SPEAKER: The House shall come to order. The gentle lady deserves to be heard. Gentle lady from Maryland, you may -

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: Ron Brownstein, CNN's senior political analyst and the director, the editor of the "National Journal," has it really come to this? Boos on the House floor when a member is speaking?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, compared to "You lie," when the president is giving the State of the Union address, I supposed it's relatively tame. Yes, it has come to this. We are seeing steadily the confrontation between the parties escalate. Any kind of traditional, historic, Geneva convention that limited the tools that were used in (INAUDIBLE) warfare is being torn part.

And look, I mean, this government shutdown, as dramatic as it is, may be the second most important confrontation we're heading toward. In the middle of the month, the possibility of the U.S. defaulting on its debt as the House Republicans continue their effort, congressional Republicans against the Obama healthcare plan. So just an extraordinary level of conflict encapsulated very well by that exchange on the House floor.

KOSIK: Yes, hey, maybe they're getting all revved up for what's coming in a couple of weeks. We hope not, but you never know. So the speaker actually issued a statement this afternoon saying that if the Senate stalls until Monday afternoon instead of working today, it would be what he calls an act of breathtaking arrogance by the Senate democratic leadership. What do you make of House Speaker Boehner's actions? Is he running the House? Or is it just speaker in name only?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, right now, it feels like House leadership feels something like a contradiction in terms. I mean, you know, we've seen the extraordinary set of events over the last several weeks. Lets remember less than a year ago, after the 2012 election when Mitt Romney ran on repealing the Obama health care law, the president won 332 electoral college votes, 51 percent of the vote, won by five million votes, the Speaker went out and said the election changes things.

The Obamacare is the law of the land. And, in essence, he was signaling that it was time to move on and if Republicans had any hope of over turning this, they had to elect a president. I believe it is fundamentally true and that deep down he fundamentally believes that but he simply has not had the ability to control this caucus.

Last week, we saw the extraordinary episode of Senator Ted Cruz huddling with House conservatives to undermine the plan of action that the speaker ostensibly wanted the caucus to follow. So I think right now ostensibly wanted the caucus to follow. So I think right now, you'd have to say that he is in control of the House nominally at best, in name only.

KOSIK: So you look at what's been happening the last time. You know, Republicans, they got blamed the last time there was a shutdown. Do they not get it that a shutdown might not be a good idea? Or is it that they hate the president's health care law that much that they don't care about shutting down the government.

BROWNSTEIN: Well, there's a variety of things. First of all, the last shutdown was, in political terms, kind of eons ago, 1995, 1996, there's no question that there was a turning point in the presidency of Bill Clinton. He trailed Bob Dillon in every poll going into the shutdown. He went ahead of him during the shutdown and never trailed again and of course, won re-election. But the Republicans did not lose the House, even though they lost seats. And there's a certain inexorability to this, Alison. I think we've been heading toward this moment for well over two years since the Republicans won the House. They were sent here by constituencies by and large that are very hostile to President Obama and his agenda. And this is something they have wanted to do. They have wanted to ratchet up this confrontation.

As I said this may not be the last point even if we get through this and I think it's hard to see how we do it, not at least some shutdown. We're going to be facing this again in a matter of weeks, something even more consequence, possibly defaulting on the federal debt for the first time in U.S. history.

KOSIK: So let me get to ask you what you think about the House's inclusion of a military exemption in the event of a shutdown.

BROWNSTEIN: Right. I think that's designed to make the shutdown less onerous and thus easier to sustain. I mean what they've done there is take the point of maximum vulnerability of a shutdown. The idea that soldiers in the field would not be paid and take that off the table.

And the idea, of course, is to make the rest of the shutdown more palatable which they think will increase their leverage on the president to make a concession. Now I think the Senate instinct would be not to include that for those obvious reasons.

They wanted to make the shutdown as difficult as possible when it happens. The pressure of the House Republicans to back down. But it may be that that idea is so attractive, as Tim Kane said today, Senator Tim Kane of Virginia, the democrats may have to accept it. If a shutdown happens, you know, Democrats believe that Republicans will be blamed.

But, you know, the polling has been relatively narrow. We're in a highly polarized era compared to even 15 years ago when we're polarized and while I think the president would have the advantage, not necessarily an overwhelming one if the government shuts down.

KOSIK: OK. Ron Brownstein, thanks so much.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.

KOSIK: CNN's "CROSSFIRE" is going to have the latest on the possible government shutdown and the fight over the president's health care plans. Special guest tonight include Ralph Nader and Carly Fiorina, tune in tonight at 7:30 Eastern for a special coverage.

You know, there are a lot of people trying to just figure out how Obamacare will affect them. And that includes small business owners. So we're talking to some of them to find out what they're doing to get ready.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back. I'm Alison Kosik. Here are five things crossing the CNN news desk right now.

Number one, an impending government shutdown is looking more likely with the Senate not even working today. That means a vote on the House's version of a spending plan would not happen until tomorrow. Even then, Senate majority leader Harry Reid has already said the measure won't pass because it will also delay Obamacare. So it appears things are still at square one. A little over a day before the deadline.

Number two, Chicago police have arrested a fifth person in that shooting which wounded a three year old boy. Thirteen people were injured at a Southside Park. Three-year-old Deanta Howard left the hospital earlier. He was shot in the face and has multiple plastic surgeries ahead of him. Teams showed up to that park this weekend for a peace event. Police say they're expecting more arrests in the case.

Number three, we now know more about how 19 firefighters were killed in a Yarnell Hill fire in Arizona in June. Investigators have released their report. And among their conclusions, investigators say there was no indication of negligence, reckless actions or violations of policy or protocol but the hotshots crew had radio communications challenges. It also noted that during limited time aircraft were not available because of bad weather and refueling (INAUDIBLE).

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five, four, three, two, one, lift off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Number four, this SpaceX Falcon lifting off this morning from Brandenburg Air Force base in California. The unmanned rocket is testing upgrades for its upcoming launches. The rocket is 22 stories tall. SpaceX has contracts for more than 50 launches.

And number five this week from USC Athletics says it all. Head football coach Lane Kiffin fired. The announcement doesn't come as a surprise to many. The Trojans have lost seven of their past 11 games including (INAUDIBLE) conference games this year. Their overall record in four years under Kiffin 28-15. Former (INAUDIBLE) Ed Orgeron will be USC's interim head coach. That's according to ESPN.

House Republicans don't like Obamacare and they've made it clear, very clear, by passing a spending plan that would delay the healthcare law for a year. So how does Obamacare affect Americans and would it have a severe impact on small businesses? Margaret Conley joins me now from New York. Margaret, I know you've been talking with a small business owner. Tell me what he's saying.

MARGARET CONLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alison we talked to Zane Tankel. He owns 38 Applebee's restaurants in the New York area. He openly criticizes the Affordable Care Act. Now that that October 1st enrollment deadline looms, he talked to us about how up he's going to handle it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CONLEY (voice over): Zane Tankel owner of all New York area Applebee's Restaurants sparked controversy last year when he threatened to stop hiring because of Affordable Care Act cost.

ZANE TANKEL, OWNER, APPLEBEE'S: We won't build more restaurants. We won't hire more people.

CONLEY: A year later from his newest restaurant in East Harlem --

TANKEL: This wall is all living.

CONLEY: Zane says he'll find a way to continue his business. And his best people are his full time people.

TANKEL: Am I going to penalize my best people because the president has put into place something penalizes me? No. I've got too much at stake.

CONLEY: These crucial decisions facing business owners like Zane have dire economic consequences. Lawrence John Goodman from the National Center for Political Analysis.

JOHN GOODMAN, NATIONAL CENTER FOR POLITICAL ANALYSIS: Our small businesses are being forced to provide a very expensive package of health benefits for their employees. And the new law gives them no additional help, there are no subsidies.

CONLEY: Cost is the single biggest concern for companies according to human resources consultant Julie Stone.

What kind of impact is that going to have on this country?

JULIE STONE, CONSULTANT, TOWERS WATSON: I think it has sizemicproportions (ph) long term for our country. It's going to change the fabric of who we are and how we go about our daily life.

CONLEY: Ultimately for Zane, he's taking each phase of reform at a time.

TANKEL: I don't think it's going to be so terrible. I think that people are not going to opt, at least for this first year, for 10 percent of their gross income going to Obamacare.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CONLEY: Now, Zane is just one example of how a business is bracing for Obamacare. Companies across the America are doing the math, they're checking the public and private exchanges and they are calculating Alison what their costs will be.

KOSIK: So what about other companies? What are they doing? CONLEY: Well, it all depends on their priorities. UPS and Delta, they say Obamacare is going to cost them more for sure. Trader Joe's and Home Depot, they're moving their part time workers to Obamacare Exchanges. Walgreen's is another example of another company doing things different ways. They're shifting all of their employees to a private exchange. IBM and Time Warner is moving retirees to private exchanges and Starbucks, they're not going to change their coverage plan even though they say Obamacare will raise their costs.

KOSIK: OK. Margaret Conley thanks.

Well let me ask you this. Would you pay $140,000 for a 50 year-old car? Well somebody did. Thousands of people showed up in a small Nebraska town to bid on a Chevy.

But first American Idol winner Scotty Mccreery splits his time between studying at N.C. State and touring and yet he still takes time to give back the singer and major league baseball -- the singer and major league baseball have partnered up to help inner city kids develop their baseball skills and their minds. It's today's "Impact your World."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCOTTY MCCREERY: I could have never imagined to prepare for what was going to happen to me. At 17, I was planning on just being your average high school student and, all of the sudden, Idol happened. I love that fact that now a day's kids get to look up to me. I love that responsibility and I embrace it. It seems like the only stories we hear on the news are child stars going crazy. So I want to be the opposite of that.

Right off the gate we've had up to do different things with charities. I grew up having two loves in life, baseball and music. So via our programs it just seemed like a natural fit for me and its revitalizing baseball in the inner city.

When I was growing up, I learned a lot of my biggest life lessons from playing ball whether it was perseverance, or whether it was just competition, or just hard work you know teamwork. It was my best memories made there. So it's making sure these kids get same opportunities. I can relate to these kids. I'm talking about what they're doing and the experiences they share and kind of share my stories with them. It's cool to have a kind of connection with these kids.

I'm Scotty Mccreery and together we can make an impact together on America's children.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: Car aficionados from across the country flock to Nebraska this weekend for one thing. Chevys. Late care collector Ray Lanbrecht had a collection of 500 plus cars and trucks. The big sale of the weekend was a 1958 Chevrolet Camero pickup truck for $140,000. A lot of the cars only have a couple miles on them. The collection is being called a capsule of U.S. automotive history.

Now, to that big debate over your cell phone and whether it can bring down a plane or not. A government industry group is expected to release its findings and recommendations to the FAA on the subject tomorrow. The report may lead to looser rules on phones, e-readers and similar devices on planes. Our Rene Marsh traveled to Seattle in search for answers. Here is what she found.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The FAA could decide to relax those restrictions. At Boeing's plant in Seattle, we asked the people who build the planes if it's dangerous to keep devices on during all phases of flight.

KENNY KIRCHOFF, BOEING ENGINEER: The emissions are being measured by this antenna here.

MARSH: Inside Boeing's electromagnetic interference lab, engineers have been studying the issue for years. Testing cell phones, laptops and tablets impact on airplane systems. Engineer Kenny Kirchoff tested my cell phone.

KIRCHOFF: This phone is communicating with the cell tower. And these spikes show that it has failed -

MARSH: Its emissions cross the threshold and could interfere with systems like the plane smoke alarm. Next test, a laptop.

KIRCHOFF: It goes above the limit line.

MARSH: It failed showing potential interference with the pilot's communications radios. A tablet in wifi mode also failed. But the same tablet in airplane mode tested safe.

KIRCHOFF: It's not necessarily that a phone can bring down an airplane. That is not really the issue. The issue is interfering with the airplane and causing more work for pilots during critical phases of flight.

MARSH: A recent survey found one in three passengers left their devices on because they forgot. Despite that, engineers say no electronic device has ever taken down a plane.

New planes are being built knowing passengers are flying with electronics and they want to use them. So planes like this one, being designed with technology that can counter interference.

Kirchoff recommends devices not be used in flight unless the airplane has been tested against every possible electronic device that could be used on board. And he says there's another problem.

KIRCHOFF: You would be asking all the flight attendants to monitor which devices are good and what devices cannot be used and that is a heavy burden for flight attendants.

MARSH: A burden he says is impractical.

Rene Marsh, Seattle.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: And while the FAA expects to get the recommendations tomorrow, CNN doesn't know if the FAA will actually reveal what those recommendations are tomorrow.

A-Rod says he's fighting for his life. And that fight moves into the baseball commissioner's office tomorrow. A-Rod's lawyers are trying to overturn his 211 game suspension for doping. We've got your preview next.

And he's back with an all-new season tonight. Anthony Bourdain's "Parts Unknown" explores New Mexico. So come on, get fired up. Get heated up and beamed up. Anthony Bourdain, "Parts Unknown: New Mexico" at 9:00 Eastern and Pacific.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: The baseball regular season will end later today. But for Alex Rodriguez, he still has another fight on his hands. The baseball star and his lawyers will begin fighting his 211 game suspension tomorrow in New York. Rodriguez is accused of using performance-enhancing drugs. CNN's Jason Carroll has a preview of tomorrow's hearing.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the star witness in all of this may not be the man a lot of people out there are thinking of. It's a man from South Florida who ran an anti-aging clinic here. And his credibility will be key.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL (Voice over): Alex Rodriguez says he has something to prove, and not just on the field. His 211 game suspension, baseball's longest doping punishment, still very much in play. Still a sore spot with fans.

(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE): Suspend him, I say fire him.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): I believe he should not be suspended.

ALEX RODRIGUEZ, NEW YORK YANKEES: The last seven months has been a night mare.

CARROLL: Arbitrator Frederick Horowicz will hear both sides. Rodriguez claims major league baseball used unethical practices to target him because he was over paid and underperformed. And major league baseball's claim, Rodriguez took PEDs, performance enhancing drugs, including testosterone and human growth hormone. MLB's case centers on this man, Anthony Bosch founder of the now defunked antiaging clinic Biogenesis. Is Bosch prepared to testify Monday that he gave Rodriguez PEDs? If so, it would be a different account of what he told ESPN last April.

ANTHONY BOSCH, BIOGENESIS FOUNDER: I'm a nutritionist. I don't know anything about performance enhancing drugs.

CARROLL: That was then one of Bosch's former friends. Bobby Miller suspects why Bosch may have now changed his story.

BOBBY MILLER, BOSCH'S FORMER FRIEND: He told me that they paid him $5 million. They paid him.

CARROLL: Bosch's spokeswoman says he is cooperating with major league baseball but is not being compensated by the organization. MLB would not comment. Bosch has not spoken to the press since that interview last April. We tried tracking Bosch down at a hotel in Coconut Grove, Miami. No luck approaching a car connected to Bosch, either.

Can we have any sort of comment at all from Mr. Bosch? Bosch's spokeswoman says he looks forward to testifying at arbitration. Rodriguez in a fight to save his legacy.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): It's a big moment for baseball. It's a big moment for Alex Rodriguez, for Yankees fans and there will be a lot of anticipation on what the arbitrator ultimately decides.

CARROLL: A high stakes game. The reputation of one of baseball's greatest hanging in the balance.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: If the 211 game ban is allowed to stand, that would effectively end Rodriguez's career. If it's allowed to stand, a lot of people would see that as being a big blow to baseball. The arbitration process is expected to take up to several weeks before we ultimately have a decision.

Alison.

KOSIK: Thanks, Jason.

You know what; it takes guts to do what this guy does. He's plunging into a 30 foot craft in a 900 foot tall mountain. He tells us how it went next.

More than one million homeless children head to school in the U.S. each day. Going to school is stressful enough without having to worry about whether you have shoes to wear. This week's 15-year-old hero is making a big difference in their lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICHOLAS LOWINGER, YOUNG WONDER: September is back to school. And for most kids, that means back to school shopping. I used to take those things for granted until I realized that there were a lot of kids who didn't have those sort of luxuries. I remember my first shelter visit seeing kids who were just like me. The only difference being they had footwear that was falling apart. (UNIDENTIFIED MALE): I was nervous to go back to school. My shoes were old and too small for me.

(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE): When I lost my job, I had to decide either to spend money on the shoes or medicine or diapers.

LOWINGER: Kids get blisters on their feet because they have to wear whatever shoes they can get. It just wasn't right.

My name is Nicholas Lowinger, I'm 15 and I give new shoes to kids living in homeless shelters across the country. My family's garage is filled to the brim with boxes full of new shoes. Shelters send us orders with the kids' name, gender, and shoe size. I've donated new sneakers to over 10,000 kids in 21 states. Homeless children, they shouldn't have to worry about how they're going to be accepted or fit in.

It's more than just giving them a new pair of shoes. I'm helping kids be kids. Their self esteem goes up. Their whole attitude on life changes. That's really what makes it so special for me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL)

KOSIK: OK, so this has been a really crazy week in news. But there is one story that flew under the radar that we'd like to share with you. American dare devil Jeb Corliss uses a high-tech winged suit to fly. He was in China this week where he pulled off a spectacular stunt. We caught up with him yesterday and here's his story in his own words.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VOICE OF JEB CORLISS, WINGSUIT PILOT: I didn't realize, really, what I was getting myself into until I really got here and started jumping out of the helicopter. You look at the numbers, and you are like OK yes. But you don't really know what you're facing until you start to fly it. I could see instantly that it was an incredible challenge and it would be very difficult to do.

I didn't understand how nature could create such a strange formation. On stunt day, I mean, the weather, literally, it was horrible weather the entire day. We weren't going to get to do it. The stunt was cancelled and then all of the sudden, somebody said Jim; you need to come out here right now. I stepped out of the helicopter and started flying. The feeling was so overwhelming. I never felt such a sense of joy. For me, it's not about the feeling of, you know, adrenaline or anything like that. The concept is to try to push myself as far as I possibly can. And, you know, seeing what I'm capable of.

The angles are at such a way that when you enter this crack, all of a sudden you have to do a side slip. You're inside and you're actually side slipping as you're falling in, otherwise, you're going to impact the wall. And my hands came within, you know, feet of contact at over -- I'm doing 120 miles an hour. When you're jumping out of a helicopter and you're just wearing a wing suit, you're flying your body. It gives you the sensation of flying. The feeling is so absolutely unbelievable.

And it's something that, you know, human beings have been dreaming about since we've had the ability to dream. Jumping off a cliff isn't in everyone's dream. But it is in mine. And I hope that people out there, you know, have the courage to go out there and chase their dream, whatever it is.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: Cool. What do Jodi Arias, Jimmy Carter and President Obama all have in common? Well, they're all part of our week ahead and it's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: Tick tock at midnight on Monday. The government shuts down. Unless Congress reaches a deal on a spending plan, we start there for our look ahead at the week.

The House passed a measure early this morning that would fund the government through the middle of December but it would also delay Obamacare for one year. Senate Democrats say they'll never agree to it. The Senate isn't back in session until tomorrow afternoon, hours before the potential shutdown.

Also, on Monday, President Obama is scheduled to meet at the White House with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu. Last week he met Palestinian leader Mohammed Abbas on the side lines at the U.N. General Assembly Meeting. President Obama praised the two leaders for returning to peace talks.

On Tuesday despite all the uncertainty on Capitol Hill you can still sign up for health insurance coverage under Obamacare. That means you can start shopping for coverage in state-based, health insurance exchanges.

On Thursday former president Jimmy Carter is honored at the first ever Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award. The former heavyweight champ started the program to recognize those who are fighting for social justice. Singer's Christine Aguilera and Michael Boland are also getting an award.

And Friday convicted murderer Jodi Arias is back in court. A judge is expected to set the date of her sentencing retrial. Jurors will then decide whether she lives or dies.

And that's all for me today. I'm Alison Kosik and the next hour of NEWSROOM begins right now with my buddy Don Lemon in New York. Hello to you.

DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Are you coming back here soon?

KOSIK: I'm coming back tonight.

LEMON: You are?

KOSIK: Yes.

LEMON: You're leaving on a jet plane and you'll be back in the Big Apple.

KOSIK: To get ready for what is going to happen in Congress. I tell you what, this is crazy.

LEMON: I know. But you did a great job down there in Hotlanta.

KOSIK: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: All right. See you back up here soon.

KOSIK: OK.