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New Day

Miracle In The Mountains; It's A Deal!; Grumbling On Both Sides; Clashes In The Ukraine; President Obama Returns To U.S.; Mandela's Body Lying In State; Kerry: No New Iranian Sanctions; NSA Piggybacking "Cookies" To Spy; Source Behind "Zero Dark Thirty"; Parents Want Answers; Dow Fall Below 16,000 Level; Compromise in Washington

Aired December 11, 2013 - 06:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An incredible finale to a dramatic story of survival. A Lovelock, Nevada family of six, including four young children were found alive and in fairly good condition Tuesday after being stranded in the rugged winter terrain of seven troughs mountain range about 120 miles north east of Reno. Family, friends and search teams said this rescue is truly a miracle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a huge relief. I was expecting the worst.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was the work of a lot of people in the community.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That way?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

ELAM: For two days, search teams and more than 200 volunteers covered 6,000 square miles. By air and land, off-roading through the snow and mud in search of James Glanton, his girlfriend, Christina McIntee and the children, ages three to 10.

According to police, the family set out to play in the snow on Sunday when their jeep slowly tipped over in the soft snow, slipping and then completely overturning down a ravine. The condition at the time of the accident is brutal with temperatures plunging to 21 degrees below zero.

But officials say Glanton and McIntee did a fabulous job of keeping their kids and McIntee's niece and nephew warm. The 34-year-old father even heated rocks to battle the biting cold.

DR. DOUGLAS VACEK, PERSHING GENERAL HOSPITAL: The first thing he did was built a fire. I think that really prevented any serious medical problems for them.

ELAM: Police say it was a join the effort that led to the family's rescue Tuesday afternoon. A couple of pings from his cell phone led the Civic Air Patrol to the family. Meanwhile, Glanton's friend, using binoculars located them while scanning the mountainside. CHRIS MONTES, FRIEND WHO HELPED WITH RESCUE: He's one hell of a guy, that's for damn sure. He kept them alive and warm. My hat is off to him because not a lot of people are capable of that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM: And the family was brought here to the hospital in Pershing County. This is where they are resting, hopefully getting some good sleep. Apparently they only had mild hypothermia and some dehydration, but all in all, everyone is going to be OK -- Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Stephanie, it is so nice to start off with some good news. People did not think this was going to end this way. Thank goodness. Thank you so much.

Later this morning, we're going to talk with the rescuer who led the search efforts to find that family, get his perspective on how they did it.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: You said everyone thought it would end this way. I was talking to rescuers overnight, they flat out told me they did not expect to find anyone, maybe ever, let alone alive.

BOLDUAN: Doesn't turn out this way that often.

BERMAN: It really is a miracle. On the subject of miracles, compromise in the capital, lawmakers in Washington reach a rare bipartisan deal on the budget Tuesday. That would avoid another government shutdown. But the question is, will this plan make it through Congress?

CNN correspondent, Athena Jones, joins us live from Washington with that. Athena, break down this deal for me. What are the main points?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. Well, this would be a two-year deal. It would avoid another government shutdown because it would reach a deal before the mid-January expiration of the current deal. It would raise spending to just over $1 trillion, that splits the difference between the smaller budget that House Republicans wanted and the bigger budget that Senate Democrats wanted.

This deal would not raise taxes. But what it would do is eliminate some of the forced spending cuts, $63 billion in across the board spending cuts. It means it would restore funding to areas like defense, education, infrastructure and medical research -- John.

BERMAN: This is a long, long way from a grand bargain, Athena. I guess we could call it the itty bitty bargain. Still, there are people who are not terribly happy with this deal.

JONES: That's right. We've seen some positive words from folks on Capitol Hill. Speaker Boehner called it a good first step, but there are other people who aren't going to be happy. Some Democrats aren't going to be happy because the deal does not include an extension of unemployment insurance for all these folks that are out of work. They say that's important to help these people and also to help keep the consumer engine of the economy going.

And Republicans aren't going to be happy because it restores the spending that was cut and it doesn't deal with issues like entitlement reform, reforming Social Security and Medicare to bring down costs. In fact, Senator Rubio is one of the folks who has come out and said that he opposes this deal because of those issues. Restore something of the spending and not dealing with the bigger long-term fiscal issues.

Not everyone's happy. Both these budget chairman, Patty Murray on the Senate side and House Republican Paul Ryan say they're going to be pushing this deal, trying to sell it to their colleagues -- John.

BERMAN: All right, Athena Jones for us in Washington. Plenty of time left for drama in Washington. Thanks, Athena.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely right. Breaking overnight overseas, violent clashes in the Ukraine, riot police storming Independence Square in Kiev, it was a wild scene as security forces pushed through protesters tearing down barricades. The protests are over the president's alliance with Russia and his refusal to deal with the European Union.

Let's get more on this. Phil Black is live in Moscow. Look at that video, Phil, it's scary.

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, indeed, Kate. For almost two weeks now, the police have stayed away from Independence Square where thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands of protesters have been occupying that space. That changed when we saw riot police move in in big numbers, hundreds of them, seemingly not to clear out the protesters themselves but rather the barricades that they have erected at all the entrance and exit points to Independent Square.

The government has said previously they will not use force on peaceful protesters. It seems they're not prepared to tolerate those fortifications that were erected by the protesters that were clearly designed to keep the police out. We had these two big groups of people coming together, resisting to a point. It didn't escalate to clashes.

The protesters tried to resist, tried to slow down the police from clearing those barricades away, but didn't stop them, didn't fight back with force. Remember, this is all about many people in the Ukraine being angry that the government has decided not to sign agreements that would bring Ukraine closer to the European Union. Instead, the government says it's going to fix its relationship with Russia.

International body, the community are saying this needs to be settled by negotiation. We've had a strong comment from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry overnight, condemning the Ukrainian government for sending in force in this way, to tear down the barricades this way. The Ukrainian government says everyone needs to calm down. They are not going to be using force. Back to you, John.

BERMAN: All right, Phil Black in Moscow for us. Thanks so much. Quite a situation there.

Now new this morning, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama back on American soil after attending the memorial for Nelson Mandela in South Africa. Air Force One touched down just moments ago.

Meantime, the body of Nelson Mandela lying in state in South Africa's capital. Thousands lined procession route this morning as his body was moved in the Pretoria's Union Building. This is the beginning of a three-day tribute in the middle of this ten-day period of mourning.

CNN's Isha Sesay joins us now live for more with Pretoria where it is quite an emotional scene this morning -- Isha.

ISHA SESAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is, indeed, John. The body of Nelson Mandela is lying in a covered viewing area just behind me. As you said, the mood here at Union Buildings is very somber, very sad on this day, very different to what we saw yesterday. This really is the first opportunity for many to view the remains of the former president and it really is bringing home the fact that the beloved Madiba is no longer with us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY (voice-over): Family members and dignitaries among the first to pay their respects to the late president, Nelson Mandela. Hundreds of South Africans are expected to come here to view the body of the man who freed this country from its brutal apartheid regime.

Earlier Wednesday morning, South Africans lined the streets, trying to get a glimpse of the cortege carrying the body of Nelson Mandela. The whole country has been invited to form a public guard of honor for the former president. For the next three days, Mandela's body will leave a military hospital in Pretoria, pass through a procession and on to the Union Building, the center of government here.

(on camera): This amphitheater where Nelson Mandela will lie in state has now been renamed the Nelson Mandela Amphitheater in the late president's honor. This building already has huge significance in the history of this great man.

(voice-over): It was the scene of Nelson Mandela's inauguration as president in 1994, the culmination of 27 years of imprisonment and struggle to become the country's first black president.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: The body of Nelson Mandela will be moved from here at 5:30 p.m. local time, back to one military hospital here in Pretoria and will make the journey back here to this venue for the next two days, giving South Africans and people from around the world the opportunity to bid their final farewell. Kate and John, back to you.

BOLDUAN: You really get the sense, Isha, that amid these tributes to the president, to Nelson Mandela, that the country especially Johannesburg has come to a halt to honor him. In just shows how important he is to that country. Isha, thank you so much. We'll get back to you.

Let's go over to Pamela now in for Michaela for some of the other headlines this morning. Good morning.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Great to be here with you. Making news this morning, Secretary of State John Kerry waging battle with Congress to hold off on new sanctions against Iran. He spent over two hours on Capitol Hill trying to convince skeptical lawmakers, he even agreed with them, saying he doesn't trust Iran, but this is the best chance the U.S. has ever had to negotiate a comprehensive nuclear agreement with Tehran.

And "The Washington Post" reports the NSA is secretly using internet cookies to hack people's computers. When internet advertisers place cookies and track consumers browsing habits, the NSA is piggy backing those cookies to hack selected targets according to "The Post." The agency is refusing to comment. The head of the NSA, General Keith Alexander, will be defending the surveillance tactics when he testifies this afternoon before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

President Obama's overall approval ratings have rebound a bit. A new CNN poll shows 42 percent of Americans approve of his overall performance while 53 percent say they disapprove of the job the president is doing in the White House. Last month, the president's approval rating reached new lows and tied his all-time lows in six national polls.

Former CIA Director Leon Panetta revealed as an unwitting source behind the controversial Oscar-nominated film "Zero Dark Thirty." Newly declassified documents show Panetta revealed secret information to screenwriter, Mark Boal and that it happened when he gave a speech at CIA Headquarters marking the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden. Through a spokesman, Panetta said he didn't know Boal was in the room.

And have you seen this? Amazing video out of California, take a look here, Marine Jeff Beamen (ph) doing some beach fishing with his wife and daughter when he said all of a sudden the line started rolling off the reel. This is why, a young great white shark. He's an experienced shark fisherman. This was a first even for him. He posed for a few shots and then he did set her free.

BERMAN: My favorite part about this story is that his name is Fang Man.

BOLDUAN: His wife was with him?

BROWN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: That would be my reaction.

BROWN: I would be running the other direction.

BERMAN: You're on your own, honey. Have fun.

BOLDUAN: They did release the shark. The fang man turns out to be a nice man. BERMAN: It's 12 minutes after the hour. So much of the country has been dealing with horrendous weather. How will things be today? Let's go to meteorologist, Jennifer Gray, in the CNN Weather Center -- Jennifer.

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi, good morning. We saw that system that caused snow yesterday in the northeast. That has pushed out. Now we're dealing with mainly lake-effect snow across much of the north. That's going to stick around for the next 24 hours at least. Very cold air is starting to sink in across the north. That lake-effect snow going to continue and temperatures are feeling very, very cold.

As far as snowfall amounts we could see about an inch or so in Chicago. Outside the city, up to 3 inches, 3 inches to 5 inches in places like Grand Rapids and then a foot to a foot and a half of snow possible in Buffalo before the day is over. Wind chill watches and warnings in effect across much of the north. We are seeing those wind chill values at 48 degrees below zero. That's what it feels like in international falls, when you factor in the temperature and wind.

This is today at 11:00 this morning and temperatures really aren't going to warm up much. So it is just going to be downright cold. That arctic air continues to push to the east and just as you're putting your snow shovels away, an icy mix could possibly return to the northeast as early as this weekend, guys. More heavy snow, rain and maybe an icy mix headed to the northeast in just a matter of days.

BERMAN: Thanks for that, Jennifer. Appreciate it. Nothing like an icy mix on the weekends.

BOLDUAN: Just what we're calling for.

Coming up next on NEW DAY, campus police say the deadly shooting of a college student there was justified, but the parents of Cameron Redus say it just can't be. They tell CNN why they want the truth to come out.

BERMAN: Then does the hand shake between President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro mean a shift is coming between these two countries or was it just a friendly gesture? We'll dig into that, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Welcome back to "NEW DAY".

Parents of a Texas college student shot and killed by police say they are waiting for answers. Family members are left planning a funeral for Cameron Redus after campus police shot him when they say he resisted arrest almost 60 times. Now an elite law enforcement team in Texas has been called in to investigate what really happened.

CNN's George Howell is live with the latest.

Good morning, George.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kate, good morning.

The family is speaking out this morning to say that they are withholding judgment, they're still waiting for all the facts to come through in this case but that there is one simple fact, one truth, that they've never doubted, their son's character.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL (voice-over): A father and mother, struggle with the unthinkable.

VALERIE REDUS, MOTHER: I'd give anything if he'd walk right through that door.

HOWELL: Twenty-three-year-old Cameron Redus, shot and killed by a campus police officer, just hours after celebrating the final day of the semester. He was set to graduate in may but now Valerie and Mickey Redus are planning his funeral.

MICKEY REDUS, FATHER: All I could see was a tragedy. It would have been so devastated about unnecessary loss.

V. REDUS: He was well loved and a favorite of the group. And excelled, I was proud. I was just proud for him. I was proud to be his mother.

HOWELL: Police paint a very different picture of the college senior, investigators say for at least six minutes early Friday morning, Cam Redus ignored 56 commands to stop resisting arrest when confronted by Corporal Chris Carter. Then, police say there was a struggle.

According to the University of the Incarnate Word, quote, "The officer drew his firearm, and was able to knock the baton from the suspect who continued to resist arrest. Shots were fired."

(on camera): The university has put out a statement. The police are releasing some facts and we still don't know all the facts.

But as a family, how do you deal with the contradiction, these two stories about who you know Cam to be and what you're hearing.

V. REDUS: I know the man I've seen for 23 years. I know what he's become. I know how steadfast and true to the way we brought him up -- I just feel like the truth will come out.

HOWELL: A young man who loved adventure, Cam Redus's parents say he was loved by many, leaving behind a legacy that, they believe, speaks for itself.

M. REDUS: We believe him to be in heaven, beginning the greatest adventure ever. For ourselves there's pain, because there's a huge hole that's left by his presence here with us.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HOWELL: Regardless of what the investigation concludes, the tragedy for this family is that their son's life has been cut short. They are planning a visitation later today here in Baytown and then the funeral, Kate, John, is set for tomorrow.

BOLDUAN: All right, George. We await the results of the investigation. But I think you have the perfect on that. Regardless of how it turns out, these parents are left with nothing but questions and their lives shattered.

BERMAN: Such a tragedy.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Thanks, George.

BERMAN: All right. It is money time now. We had a stumble for stocks Tuesday.

Our business correspondent Alison Kosik is here.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Looks like the Bears came out to play yesterday, the Dow industrials slipping below the 16,000 level. The focus is on the Federal Reserve and whether it's going to begin pulling back on its stimulus, an announcement could come at next week's meeting.

The Dow slid 52 points, the NASDAQ and the S&P also lost ground. But come one, what a year it's been. The Dow is up 22 percent for the year so far. The NASDAQ up 34 percent, the S&P up 26 percent.

More billionaires are promising to give away their fortunes. Go Daddy founder Bob Parsons and Groupon founder Eric Lefkofsky are among seven wealthy individuals and couples making the commitment, giving pledge campaign started three years ago with 40 billionaires, including Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, promising to give a majority of their wealth to charity.

Soda sales are flat, health conscious customers are buying less soda, especially diet sodas. The year-over-year decline for diet soda spending was 7 percent on cola and about 8 percent on lemon-lime drinks. The big beneficiary of all this: bottled water, and the beverage companies have taken notice. PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, they bought several brands in several years.

But if you're trying to stay away from the artificial sweetener, check out the ingredients on those flavored waters. Some of them contain that, too.

BOLDUAN: Clearly, the companies are noticing, because you can see it differently in the branding and how they're selling, you know, smaller cans and more portion control --

KOSIK: And the water is getting fancier.

BERMAN: Fizz is out of the earnings to be sure.

BOLDUAN: Wa, wa, wa. KOSIK: Good one.

BOLDUAN: Coming up next --

BERMAN: A story that bubbles to the top.

BOLDUAN: Top. Oh, quickly. We'll take a break, quickly, before John says anything else.

President Obama's handshake with Cuba's Raul Castro seems to have created an international stir. Was it just a friendly gesture or is there really more to it?

BERMAN: Then, Christmas shopping with his girlfriend sent one man over the edge, literally, to his death. He just couldn't take it anymore. All the details, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Welcome back to "NEW DAY".

Time now for our political gut check of the morning. Congressman Paul Ryan and Senator Patty Murray were able to reach a rare bipartisan budget compromise Tuesday. But will the rest of Capitol Hill follow suit? That, of course, is the question and the man with the answers, chief national correspondent John King is here to break it down.

Good morning, John.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kate.

An old school compromise, believe it?

BOLDUAN: Old school. This is old school with this Congress. So, it's modest. Everyone can agree on that. Both sides do agree on that.

But is it a good deal? It seems not everyone is in agreement on that.

KING: No, not everyone is. Just look quickly at the headlines. The bottom line on this deal is it's a two-year deal. It means no government shutdown. It means in January and even next October, we won't be having a having a countdown clock up saying the government is about to shut down.

It does increase spending modestly to just over $1 trillion, you see that right there. No tax hikes. That was part of the Republican insistence. And the end of the so-called force sequester cuts.

Now, there are people who don't like it on both extremes. Liberals don't like it. It forces federal employees to pay more into their pension plans. It also does not have a package in there to extend long terms unemployment benefits. They'll negotiate that separately. But they wanted that in this deal.

Republicans don't like it, Kate, because spending does go up a little bit. Doesn't deal with Medicare, Social Security, some of the big drivers of deficit spending in the Country.

But Paul Ryan, Patty Murray, conservative Republican, liberal Democrat, they think there are enough votes in the House and Senate that we're about to find out.

BERMAN: We'll see over the next week, John.

Paul Ryan said something interesting during the event yesterday. Paul Ryan said, you know, this is the art of the deal in Washington where you can't always get everything you want. So is this something that everyone all of a sudden realizes down there? Even though it should have been obvious for a long time. I mean, does this mark some kind of change that will stick?

KING: Well, it will stick, they think, in the House. John Boehner, the speaker, Eric Cantor, the majority leader, his deputy, came out so quickly and embraced it. That tells you they've done the head count. They believe they have the votes.

However, you're now seeing a lot of criticisms from the Tea Party. Remember, a lot of people, especially on the Senate side Republicans have Tea Party primary challenges next year. So, this is divided the Tea Party versus the establishment.

We've seen this movie before. This agreement is now the latest hot potato, the latest exhibit in that fight. The Tea Party doesn't like it. The establishment says we're part of a governing coalition in Washington. We have to do our job.

That's part of the debate in the Republican Party. Are they supposed to be part of a governing party in a coalition or oppose everything President Obama wants and take it into the next election? That's some of the tension between the Tea Party and establishment.

What's interesting, John, when it comes to Paul Ryan, is remember, he used to be the darling of the right. They used to trust him on these issues.

BOLDUAN: Exactly.

KING: He was their guy on these issues. But now, they view him as part of the establishment.

BOLDUAN: Or maybe they should view him as being a leader where you have to lead and have people follow you when it's for the right reason. What do you think is --

KING: That's the compromise versus confrontation debate in the Republican Party. What's our job? You have a Democratic president, the Republicans, John Boehner, Paul Ryan would tell you, we have a majority in the House. That means we have a responsibility to help govern.

The Ted Cruz wing, the Tea Party wing of the party says let's fight everything the president and the Democrats want. BOLDUAN: I think Bill Kristol made a good point that Republicans should probably consider -- or Tea Party Republicans should probably consider, at this point, what really is a viable alternative to what they came out with? Which I don't think -- I think the answer is really nothing, which would be another shutdown. Some folks think that might be a good idea.

Go ahead.

(CROSSTALK)

KING: Politically, that's the argument the speaker is making to the Tea Party Republicans. We will go into next year with momentum at our back, and we won't have the distraction or potentially the disaster of a government shutdown. So you should back this deal. That's his argument.

BERMAN: John, let's talk about the handshake now, which sort of unbelievably people are still talking about this morning. President Obama, Raul Castro shaking hands on the stage at the memorial service for Nelson Mandela. It seems to me this is a bit of a script that the world is following here. Before the event, everyone was asking, will they shake hands?