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Chris Christie In Crisis; Jailed American Flying Home To U.S.; Two Sailors Killed In Crash; Murder On The Interstate

Aired January 09, 2014 - 07:30   ET

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

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, coming up next on NEW DAY, murder on a Pennsylvania highway. A man found shot and killed in his car after making a frantic 911 call. Are more people in danger now?

Also, it's said that women make up half of the workforce, but get paid significantly less. Now a released study claims it's the women's fault. Do you agree?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Breaking news coming in, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will address the scandal surrounding the lane closures on the George Washington Bridge. He's going to be addressing them. We're told that he is going to speak at 11:00 a.m. Eastern this morning. That's been a big question.

He's put out a paper statement, but when was he going to speak to folks? And now we learned he will be speaking at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. We're going to learn much more about what he knows and if and when they're going to be firings surrounding all of this.

But let's take more about this whole scandal that is continuing to develop with Peter Hamby, our digital national political correspondent. Peter, let's talk about more of this. I mean, I think we know that Chris Christie -- everyone's going to be looking to see what Chris Christie says.

We don't know. I'm sure there's no reporting out on what he's going to say because they just announced it he is going to be speaking. But is there already political fallout or is it still wait and see do you think?

PETER HAMBY, CNN DIGITAL NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think it's still wait and see. I mean, there was a lot of rush to judgment yesterday about how it's going to impact 2016, you know, Christie's presidential chances, his political future, but it's still unfolding. I think that's why you haven't seen a lot of Republican officials, his supporters within the party, come out to his defense, like they normally would because they're still kind of waiting to see what's going to happen.

Like you mentioned, we really don't know yet what he's going to say in today's news conference, but a lot of Republicans that I spoke with yesterday, Kate, said that this is something that he needs to do. Yesterday was not typical Christie. Christie sort of hunkered down. He went to bunker mode.

His aides who are typically courteous to national media did not respond to e-mails and phone calls a lot yesterday. Republicans say he needs to come out. He needs to come out hard. He needs to fire several people and he needs to be sincere and apologetic.

CUOMO: He's facing a triple threat, right, Peter? You have -- this is the political attack. You have potential criminal investigative elements here, which takes it to an entirely different level, and then the third tier is being judged for the man that he says he is.

Remember Chris Christie is not an ordinary politician when it comes to candor and what he says himself about telling the truth when it matters and coming clean. Remember this sound that he gave to Jake Tapper about what Obama should be doing with Obamacare. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOVERNOR CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: Here's what my suggestion would be to him. Don't be so cute and when you make a mistake, admit it. You know what, I said it, I was wrong, I'm sorry and we're going to try to fix this and make it better. I think people would give any leader in that circumstance a lot of credit for owning up to it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: Fair criticism that he has not followed his own advice or is it unfair criticism because he needed time to figure it out and now is his chance to show his true colors.

HAMBY: I think that today we're going to see him come out and be apologetic. There's really no other option, Chris, for him today. He cannot be the typical blustering Christie, leaning really hard, go after his critics. The problem with this story, in isolation, perhaps politically you can make an argument that most Republican voters don't even know what the George Washington Bridge is.

But as we know the bigger problem is that this feeds a narrative about Christie that is pre-existing, that he has big elbows, that he is, you know, pretty blunt and outspoken and also that he is a bipartisan leader. His aides and himself have cultivated this image of someone that can work across party lines.

Just the day before this story broke, he was in Union City, New Jersey touting an immigration bill and how he worked with the state senate president in New Jersey to pass this bill. And now with this story we see that perhaps he has created a culture where his aides are nakedly political and are willing to go after Democrats. But again, we do not know if Christie himself knew of this. He has denied that -- Chris.

BOLDUAN: And Peter, you know -- you were there kind of reporting on the signing of that immigration bill. Coming with that signing was more conversations of this is laying the groundwork for his presidential run. It is months away before anyone will be announcing they are running in 2016.

Do you think that is the only silver lining for him here, that there is months for this to fall away from the headlines depending on the outcome here, or do you think it's almost certain that something this big will follow him if he runs for president?

HAMBY: I think it's good that it's early. The immigration bill, for example, you know, a lot of Republicans don't like the immigration bill. So the Republicans that I talked to in the early states, they said it's good for him to get this kind of thing out of the way early so he doesn't have to answer to it closer to the possible campaign.

But yes, this is probably good that this is getting out there early. You know, again, how many people, how many voters in the Republican primary, how many national voters are actually paying granular level attention to this.

I was looking at Twitter last night and a member of the Obama campaign tweeted at me and said how many voters knew about Bane Capital before the campaign started running TV ads about it throughout the campaign and it became a defining issue against Mitt Romney in the presidential campaign.

So this is something that Democrats are absolutely going to want to use against him. Again, to undercut that image of him as a bipartisan figure and to actually reinforce an image of him as a bully, which a lot of Democrats say he is.

BOLDUAN: And the imagery that would linger for the Republican Party, the National Republican Party at large as they're trying to rebrand in 2014 so a lot to discuss and we'll be following it very closely. Peter, thank you very much for that.

So just a programming note, CNN will be carrying Governor Chris Christie's press conference, his address to the media live at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. You want to stick here for that for sure.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, let's take a look at our headlines. We begin with breaking news on a story that we've been following very closely right here on NEW DAY. CNN can now confirm that 29-year-old Shezanne Cassim has left the UAE and is flying home to the U.S. He is traveling with his father. Shez left Dubai early this morning. He is expected to arrive in Minneapolis later today. He was arrested for making a parody video, but the government of Dubai there saw it as a threat.

A second sailor has now died after a Navy helicopter crashed off the Virginia coast. That chopper went down in the frigid waters about 20 miles east of Cape Henry in Southern Virginia. A frantic search is underway at this hour for another soldier. Two others were rescued. They're said to be in stable condition at the hospital.

New developments for you in the Jahi McMath case, the lawyer for the brain dead girl's family say that she is improving after receiving two procedures. He added that the 13-year-old should have gotten treatment four weeks ago. McMath was declared brain dead after going into cardiac arrest after a tonsillectomy. The attorney for the family also said he and the girl's uncle have received death threats.

The U.S. Forest Service is billing a Wyoming man $6.3 million for the cost of fighting a wildfire that threatened an entire town back in 2012. The 77-year-old James Anderson allegedly sparked the fire by letting twigs and paper in a rusted out barrel get out of control. The fire consumer 5 square miles and residents were warned about a possible evacuation before crews could contain it.

Look at that, video from the Toronto zoo. A male polar bear cub that is 2-months old today takes his very first steps, manages to get up on all fours at least temporarily.

BOLDUAN: Looks like us every morning before caffeine.

PEREIRA: Zoo officials say the 2-month-old cub weighs more than six times what he did at birth. Yes, it's cute, but I agree, this is the last time this will be cute and cuddly because that right there is a predator of man.

CUOMO: Polar bear is the largest bear. When it looks at you it sees one thing, food.

PEREIRA: Right there.

BOLDUAN: He's waving. Cute alert. Thank you.

CUOMO: Somebody will make the gross mistake of taking one as a pet. And we know how that ends.

Coming up on NEW DAY, a terrifying scenario we want to show you. An SUV driver shot to death just after he called 911 to say he was being chased. It may not have been a random act of road rage. The question, are more people in danger.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Welcome back. This morning, police are on the hunt for a gunman who killed a man on a Pennsylvania interstate and may strike again. Timothy Davison was found in his car shot multiple times after calling 911 to say he was being chased. At first, police suspected road rage, but now they worry it could be much more. CNN's Jean Casarez has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Timothy Davison made his first 911 call along Interstate 81 to Maryland dispatchers at 2:10 a.m. Saturday morning. He said he was being chased. His call dropped when he crossed into Pennsylvania. He called again as he was driving northbound on the interstate back home from Florida to Maine in his silver Mitsubishi Montero after visiting family for the holidays. He was found in his car with multiple gunshot wounds including one to the head and later pronounced dead at a local hospital. Police tell CNN the victim says on 911 calls he is being chased by a vehicle and that the driver is very aggressive. The shooter is still at large.

Law enforcement believes the shooting was not random. Eight hours earlier, another driver was allegedly shot at from a black pickup. The location, just 30 minutes away from the fatal crime scene.

TROOPER ROB HICKS, PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE: Due to the fact that we've had a similar case with the same mode of operation, we are concerned that this individual could strike again.

CASAREZ: Police think silver paint from the victim's car transferred onto the driver's side of the suspects damaged truck, potential evidence left behind when the suspect rammed Davison's SUV off the road. They are asking the public to be on the lookout for the vehicle.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was always up beat and friendly and nice.

CASAREZ: Davison's father tells CNN Timothy was a great guy and an easy kid to raise. He cared for everyone around him. He was a rugged kid, extremely sensitive. Davison's uncle tells CNN the family wants justice before someone else gets hurt. Jean Casarez, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: All right, thank you so much for that.

Let's get another check of the weather. We bring in Indra Petersons with the good stuff.

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We're talking about temperatures warming up significantly, Minneapolis, 4 degrees yesterday. In New York City below freezing, 22, all of this is changing by the time we go to the weekend. Look at the difference. The highs will be above normal by about 20 degrees. New York City, you're talking about 50s.

Loving this in January. D.C., by the way, you're going to be seeing some 60s. Yes, it's takes time. So today, we are seeing it retreat out of the southeast first. Of course, towards the poles, you're still a little bit below normal. Keep in mind though although it is warm there is still some rain in the system about an inch and a half in the northeast.

Keep in mind, the Pacific northwest, good 5 inches of rain expected in that region. But I did want to bring something up, I tweeted you guys just yesterday, a little payback for all the hazing I've had around here. Notice there is an anchor desk outside in Cleveland, Ohio with temperatures 30 below. It was the -- it was the anchors outside. So next time we are in 30 below guys, that's for you.

PEREIRA: Do I need to bring the video of Friday while you two were away and you were in the field?

PETERSONS: Yes, thank you very much. You and I are good.

BOLDUAN: Not a competition. Not a competition.

CUOMO: To the extent that it is, yes, I did see you outside. I happen to have done on my first assignment at CNN, a blizzard where I stood out there for hours -- in the cold.

BOLDUAN: But I will add, during my vacation I chose to go skiing, which put me in very cold weather.

PETERSONS: Going to a lodge, and having coffee, I don't think so.

CUOMO: I'm not going to wear all 19 layers that you have on with those goofy boots.

BOLDUAN: I actually was going to ask about that, Met. It's probably short for meteorologist.

We are going to take a break here on NEW DAY. Coming up, are women competitive enough in the workplace? A new study is now suggesting why women earn less than men. We have the details when NEW DAY returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: Welcome back. In the year 2014, sobering here, women are still earning 80 cents for every dollar that a man makes. But a new study out of Columbia University may offer key insight into why the gender pay gap still exists. We put Christine Romans on the topic. It is really surprising and I want you to tell people what this paper is about.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It was so interesting it was presented at a big conference Friday. Let me give what you the money line is in this study. They found that individuals who are overconfident and overly competitive have significantly higher earnings expectations.

They also found confidence and competitive must and negotiation were the three things that make up for a big chunk of why there is a difference between how men and women earn money. There has been so much done on this. This is the latest big research.

It does show women have -- asked young women how much you expect to earn. They will give you a number. You ask men how much they expect to earn, they will give you a higher number.

PEREIRA: What's interesting too is if you look at the paper, it also talks about choices made in college, about the course of study. ROMANS: Right. Confidence, aggressiveness, ability to negotiate, men are more likely to go into things like business and finance. Women more likely to go into things like the humanities. It is choice of college major. A lot of other studies have shown this, too, even when you adjust for choice of college major, men and women in the same job and same major are even making different money. It has been confounding to economists that try to figure out why is there this difference and how do you fix it?

CUOMO: While it is a little bit circular, what does this say, this study in terms of whether or not this is being done to you or you are doing it to yourself?

ROMANS: They don't make that -- like it is your fault, women. It is your fault because you don't negotiate well. We know that in the workplace if you are confident or -- overly confident, you are a woman, sometimes there is a "b" word associated with that. It is not being aggressive and go-getter. It is being something else. So women -- also women in some industries, in particular, don't have role models ahead of them who have done this.

PEREIRA: Mentor.

ROMANS: Mentors. It's sponsors. I like to talk about sponsors. A mentor is somebody who you can look up to, but a sponsor is someone that pulls up with them. As more women get into the work force and rise up the ladder, you know, it is interesting. Cheryl Sandberg, quoting "Fortune" editor, Patty Sellers, said that men think of their career as a ladder, up, up, up.

Women succeed by thinking of it as jungle gym. Moving laterally and moving up and learning more skills, broadening out their base of people who are their sponsors and mentors, and also moving sideways when you have to because you are having a baby then moving up again after that.

So women should think differently about how they rise through the ladder than men do. I think that's interesting, the ladder versus the jungle gym, isn't it?

PEREIRA: It really is. I hope a contrary note is women don't think they just have to suddenly having to act like men. We can stay in our gender but do it better.

ROMANS: Well said.

PEREIRA: Well, it was kind of bumpy. Christine Romans, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

BOLDUAN: All right, we are going to take a break. Coming up next on NEW DAY, big political news we are following. Governor Chris Christie planning to address this growing traffic scandal this morning, what will he say? Will there be an apology? Will there be firings? We will find out.

CUOMO: And Senator Marco Rubio will join us to talk about the Republican war on poverty. He will talk about Chris Christie, too. I guarantee you that.

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