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New Day

Another Bouncy House Accident; "Brady Bunch" Alice Has Died; Bowe Bergdahl Released; Phil Mickelson Investigated

Aired June 02, 2014 - 06:30   ET

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


JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Juan Carlos of Spain has decided to abdicate, paving the way for his son, Prince Felipe, to take over. The prime minister says the king is stepping down for personal reasons. But the 76-year-old king's popularity has begun to decline after long-running corruption probe of his daughter and her husband. Spaniards also began to lose confidence in the king when he went on a lavish hunting trip during Spain's financial crisis.

New details on that fiery private plane crash that left a prominent Philadelphia businessman and six others dead this weekend. Former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell now says he turned down a seat on this flight. The plane was owned by Philadelphia Inquirers co-owner Lewis Katz. He died in the crash when the jet ran off the Massachusetts runway during take-off. The NTSB is investigating the cause of that accident.

This news hit a lot of people hard last night. Ann B. Davis, known for her role as Alice in the "Brady Bunch" has died.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The manual says that in case of a double compound fracture in both arms, the victim must be completely immobilized.

ANN B. DAVIS, PLAYED ALICE ON "THE BRADY BUNCH": Will you do me a favor the next time you ask me to volunteer for something? Immobilize my big mouth before I can answer.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: That delivery that made her so famous. A close friend tells CNN that Davis hit her head after falling in the bathroom. She never regained consciousness. She was an Emmy winner for her role in the 1950s sitcom, "The Bob Cummings Show", it is as Alice that she will be remembered by generations. I have to say, frankly, I spent more time I think with Alice than members of my own family for about five years watching reruns on channel 56 in Boston growing up. But you know, such a great funny, funny actor.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: That show had some good life lessons for the whole family. BERMAN: She's great. Like I said, I liked her more than any other member of the Brady Bunch, the most likable person there. And she wasn't even part of the family.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: And he says it in complete unqualified fashion. What was the name of her boyfriend?

BERMAN: Sam the butcher!

CUOMO: Sam the butcher.

(LAUGHTER)

Big part of our lives.

BERMAN: He never proposed, which was -- I always thought was a little bit unfair.

BOLDUAN: Very modern of them.

CUOMO: We thank her family and all of her loved ones of giving us the gift of her. She really was a big part of so many childhoods out there.

All right, so listen to this one: a day of fun quickly turns to terror again. And a bouncy castle is to blame again. Two children hurt after they become trapped inside an inflatable bounce house that was picked up by some huge gust of wind. That's what you're watching on the screen right now. There are kids inside there as they get tossed across this field in a Colorado park.

Ana Cabrera has more on this terrible scene.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANA CABREARA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Panic and fear when this bounce house takes off into the air with two young children inside. Parents and players watching helplessly as a strong gust of wind blows the inflatable slide across a field and into the middle of a Colorado lacrosse tournament.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We thought the girls were going to get taken out because this thing is massive.

CABRERA: Witnesses recall the horrifying scene.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As the wind picked up it would tumble and just -- like a bag in the wind.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then all of a sudden, it picks up, and there's a girl going down the slide. She flies out about eight feet in the air.

CABRERA: A 10-year-old girl was thrown from the bounce house right away. But an 11-year-old boy continued to tumble another 200 or 300 feet before the slide finally came to a stop. Both are recovering from minor injuries.

Air bound, (ph) the company operating the bouncy slide says they maintained all safety precautions, including having their staffing (ph) on site. We did have the inflatable property staked into the ground. We do wish that we had been able to foresee the microburst wind and shut the ride down prior to this incident occurring.

This isn't the first time these party favorites have gone airborne. Just last month, three children playing inside this bouncy house in upstate New York, were sent flying right nearly two stories high when the inflatable structure was blown right off the front yard.

In 2011, 13 people were injured when another bouncy house was swept into a crowd of onlookers at this soccer game in Long Island. And that same year, another accident caught on camera at a fifth grade graduation party in Tucson, Arizona.

But for the children involved in this most recent accident, this attraction providing more fear than fun.

Ana Cabrera, CNN, Denver, Colorado.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: They've got to figure out how to keep those things on the ground.

BOLDUAN: I just don't want to get in one after you see those videos.

CUOMO: Right?

BOLDUAN: I mean, until they figure out, if they ever.

CUOMO: It just can't be random like that. There will be another layer to this story. And we'll be on it when there is.

Coming on NEW DAY, Bowe Bergdahl now free. What's the road ahead going to like for him? Remember, five years in captivity. They say he had trouble with English when they found him.

We're going to speak to another American who was held captive in the Middle East and get some perspective.

BOLDUAN: And also ahead, one of golf's great players facing serious legal troubles. Why is Phil Mickelson implicated in an insider trading investigation? We're gonna tell what you the golfer has to say about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Welcome back to NEW DAY.

Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl is recovering in a German hospital this morning, finally free after being held by the Taliban for five years. Very few people can relate to what Bergdahl is going through. But Roy Hallums can. Hallums was working as a contractor in Iraq when he was kidnapped by insurgents in November of 2004. He was held prisoner in a windowless basement, blindfolded, tied up until he was rescued by the U.S. military some ten months later.

Roy Hallums is joining us now to discuss.

Mr. Hallums, it's so great to see you. Thank you so much for your time. As I said, you were one of the very few who has the unfortunate perspective of relating to what sergeant Bergdahl has gone through. What was your initial reaction when you heard that Sergeant Bergdahl was released?

ROY HALLUMS, HELD PRISONER BY INSURGENTS: Well, I saw it, and when I saw him in the pictures of him, it reminded me of when I was released and how I thought it was -- couldn't possibly be real that I was actually rescued. But it reminded me of the day of the kidnapping actually. Because when that's happening, you think, well, this can't really be happening. And then the rescue, in his case, the release, it's still like you're in the twilight zone, and you can't believe what's going on.

BOLDUAN: So when you're released -- it seems like he went through the same thing. He did not believe the Taliban had said that he was going to be released, that they had told him that once before, which obviously that had not happened. And then he broke down crying when he found out that it was special forces who had rescued him. Can you describe that emotion when you realize for the very first time that you were safe?

HALLUMS: Yes. Well, I was in a little room under a farmhouse in Iraq. And I heard a lot of noise in the room above me. But I didn't know what it was for sure, whether it was the gang trying to come in and kill me or whether it was somebody trying to rescue me.

And then a soldier jumped down in the room where I was and pointed at me and said, "Are you Roy?" And I said, "Yes". And he said, "Come on. We're getting out of here". So that was the first instance I knew that I was actually free.

BOLDUAN: You were held for ten months. You were finally rescued in 2006. It's been eight years from now. You can still remember what those first days were like when you were released, when you were safe? But also starting what appears to be a very long road to recovery and reacclimating to quote/unquote "ordinary life". What are those first days like? What should Sergeant Bergdahl be expecting?

HALLUMS: Well, for me, it was just, you're sort of in a fog. Because for so long, your -- your whole world is so tiny. You can't go to the bathroom. You can't get a drink of water. You can't get anything to eat unless somebody else approves it and lets you have it.

And then all of a sudden, boom, you're -- you're free. And you can do what you want, which doesn't sound like a big problem. But it's an adjustment you have to make to where your world opens up again. And you have to get used to doing it. It takes time. BOLDUAN: And it may be a little bit different because were you a private contractor. Sergeant Bergdahl obviously, active duty. Tell me, what was -- what can you describe as the involvement of the U.S. military in that reacclimation? Were you able to speak to your family right afterwards? Was it suggested that you not communicate with them immediately afterwards because you needed to reacclimate yourself?

HALLUMS: Well, unbeknownst to me, there was a military psychiatrist who was in charge of me. There were different people walking around, but the psychiatrist was in charge. And I was dealing with the FBI. And I had asked to speak to my family on the phone. But the psychiatrist had told them, don't you let him talk to anybody or call his family until I tell you it's OK.

So after several discussions with the FBI, I finally was able to talk with them, because I think the psychiatrist wanted to make sure I was mostly OK. And then just as in his case, the psychiatrist would tell me they want me to go to Germany. But I didn't want to do that. I wanted to come back home to Memphis. And because I was a civilian, I was able to do that. Because Sergeant Bergdahl is a soldier, he's going to have to go to Germany and do the process, which is probably best.

BOLDUAN: Right afterwards, you had lost 35 pounds. And you had also said that it was difficult for to you talk, to speak right after you were rescued. We're also hearing that Sergeant Bergdahl is having trouble at the very least speaking English. What does that tell you?

HALLUMS: Well, in my case, my problem was, I hadn't been able to speak for 10 1/2 months because the gang had told me and the other hostages I was with, if we spoke to each other, they would kill us. And so, it's like your vocal chords are like your muscles in your arm; if they don't get any use, they get out of shape, so that was my problem. I didn't have any problem speaking English. I don't know what his problem might be, but I didn't have the English problem. Mine was a physical thing with my vocal chords.

BOLDUAN: Roy, is there an easy way to sum up how dramatically different life is after the fact compared to the life you had before you were captured?

HALLUMS: Well, I mean, you -- you learn to appreciate your family and every little thing that you go through each day. I mean, when I came back, it wasn't -- the big thing -- just going to the grocery store. You know, when I first got back, I went to the grocery store with my two daughters, and that was strange because here are kids running around, people just doing their everyday life. But you learn to appreciate simple things like that when you get back.

BOLDUAN: Even eight years later now, do you still struggle with any -- do you think you still struggle with any residual issues or any memories from captivity?

HALLUMS: Well, I mean, I don't have nightmares or anything, if that's what you mean. I -- I recall it from time to time, especially with this going on right now. But it's not in a scary or negative way. It's just, to me, it's something that happened to me. It's like my right arm. It's part of me now. And, yes, it happened, but my life's in the future and keep moving forward.

BOLDUAN: And hopefully, in your words, someone who would know better than anyone. Bowe Bergdahl's family can take some comfort in that, that life keeps moving on, and that is for sure.

Roy Hallums, it's great to meet you. Thank you so much, Roy.

HALLUMS: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Of course. Chris?

CUOMO: Coming up on NEW DAY, golf great Phil Mickelson now answering insider trading allegation. What he's saying about the FBI and SCC investigation that now involves him when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Exciting. Exciting. NBA finals.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

CUOMO: We now know who it is. We've got the Spurs. They beat the Thunder, Oklahoma City. And Kevin Durant, the MVP, went down. Sets up round two with LeBron James and the Miami Heat.

Let's bring in Andy Scholes, new daddy, with this morning's Bleacher Report.

Andy, good to see you, my brother. Tim Duncan, namethesque, saying the Spurs are going to get their revenge. Do you agree?

ANDY SCHOLES, "BLEACHER REPORT": You know what? I think they've got a good shot. They've got the home court advantage. And you know, Old Man Riverwalk, as they call Duncan, you know, he said the Spurs, they've been waiting for his moment ever since they collapsed and lost last year's final in seven games. And he said, this time, they're going to get the job done.

This will be the first NBA finals rematch since Michael Jordan, the Bulls, beat the Jazz two years in a row way back in 1997 and '98. Now Vegas, they have the Spurs as a slight favorite to win this series. And in the Heat's quest for a three-peat, we'll have to see if it'll happen. Game one will be Thursday night in San Antonio.

Trending on bleacherreport.com this morning, is last night's amazing game seven finish in the western conference finals. The L.A. Kings came through in a clutch again, pulling off a stunner against the defending champions Chicago Blackhawks. Alex Martinez, (ph) wrister in overtime gave L.A. the win. The Kings are an amazing 7-0 in this year's playoffs when they were facing elimination. And it's now going to be east versus west in the Stanley Cub final as the Kings are going to host the New York Rangers. Game one is Wednesday night.

Finally, guys, I want to introduce you to a future hall-of-famer. Meet Camden John Scholes. Here's currently 9 1/2 pounds, 22 inches long. And his fast ball is already clocked at 1 mile per hour. Scouts are saying the boy should arrive in the big leagues in about 21 years. I've got my fingers crossed.

BOLDUAN: Twenty-one years, you've got a lot of work to do.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: I'll tell you --

BOLDUAN: Congratulations, Andy. Congratulations.

CUOMO: -- great for having that newborn at home. Makes me think are you pulling your weight in the situation right now?

SCHOLES: Well, yeah. It's 70/30. My wife's doing a great job.

BOLDUAN: She's watching right now because there is a 6:52 feeding. I know that.

SCHOLES: You'll be there soon, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Exactly. That's what I'm saying. You should look more tired, Andy. Just kidding.

CUOMO: You find a diaper cream of choice yet? What's the diaper cream of choice?

SCHOLES: Desitin?

CUOMO: Desitin. It's good. It's good.

(CROSSTALK)

SCHOLES: And Chris, I have to say. Your advice has come in handy.

BOLDUAN: What? There's your first mistake.

SCHOLES: All the advice you gave me about the flying fluids and whatnot. That's -- the pump fake when you're changing the diaper.

BOLDUAN: Andy Scholes, love it. Congrats, Andy.

CUOMO: Always expect the unexpected. Do not judge the look on the boy's face by what his intentions are.

SCHOLES: I'm learning.

CUOMO: Congratulations, brother. It's good to have you back.

BOLDUAN: Let's -- let's stay talking -- we can talk about that all hour. That's what I'm thinking.

Let's go on about sports, though. Golfer Phil Mickelson hitting a pretty rough patch and not just on the links. This morning, the five- time major champ says he's cooperating with the FBI in a major insider trading probe that reports they say not just Mickelson, but a top Las Vegas gambler and a billionaire investor. What is going on? CNN's Christine Romans is here with the very latest.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a really interesting web. You know, there he is. He's playing golf, and he's having to say, "I didn't do anything wrong. I'm cooperating with the FBI. I hope this is all going to be over soon." What this is, is an investigation into potential insider trading.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Phil Mickelson.

(LAUGHTER)

ROMANS (voice-over): World-renown golfer Phil Mickelson is being investigated by the FBI and the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of a probe into insider trading trade, according to law enforcement sources. Over the weekend, he denied any involvement after teeing off at a tournament in Dublin, Ohio.

PHIL MICKLESON, PRO GOLFER: I have done absolutely nothing wrong. And that's why I've been fully cooperating with the FBI agents.

ROMANS: The probe centers around stock trades made by billionaire investor Carl Icahn three years ago. The FBI is examining whether Mickelson, along with a well-known sports gambler, Billy Walters profited from information not available to the public.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're going to be looking at a pattern of trading in particular stocks. And they're going to be looking to connect relationship between Mickelson, between Walters and between Icahn.

ROMANS: Law enforcement sources tell CNN that back in 2011 Icahn invested in shares of Clorox and then proposed a $12.6 billion takeover of the company causing a spike in the company' share price. Now authorities want to know if Mickelson and Walters were possibly tipped off by Icahn, allowing them to cash in on the share increase.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With respect to Icahn, you have to prove that he deliberately leaked the information and that it was privileged or very confidential information and that he knew it was at the time that he leaked it.

ROMANS: CNN could not reach representatives of Icahn or Walters for comment. But Icahn told the "Wall Street Journal" that the suggestion that he was involved in improper trading was, quote, "inflammatory and speculative", telling the paper, "we are always very careful to observe all legal requirements in all of our activities."

Walters told the "Wall Street Journal", "I don't have any comment about anything."

So far, there are no allegations of wrongdoing, and no charges have been filed against anyone in this case. MICKELSON: It's not going to change the way I carry myself. I -- honestly, I've done nothing wrong. I'm not going to walk around any other way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS (on-camera): Often when talking about insider trading cases, it's about somebody inside a company who is leaking information and somebody profits on it. In this case, you're talking about the billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn, trying to go in and push change, get a big stake in the company Clorox. He wasn't an insider. He was an outsider and have been talking about what he was trying to do.

How this all wraps up could be quite interesting as well because there's no wiretap here. We're told, "Wall Street Journal" is reporting that there's a problem here. A lot of times they do wiretaps. And that's how they get -- they get these convictions in these sorts of cases. This time, the news was leaking before they could do any wiretapping, so that's something that could be -- could hold back law enforcement.

CUOMO: That's why they're allegations at this point.

ROMANS: They're allegations. It is a probe. It is a probe. It is not charges. It is a probe.

CUOMO: Allegations sounds strong. But it's a suggestion without proof.

ROMANS: And Phil Mickelson said he did nothing wrong.

BOLDUAN: There you go.

CUOMO: There you go. And until we hear more from the other side in the way of proof, that's what you go with.

BOLDUAN: Thanks, Christine.

ROMANS: You're welcome.

CUOMO: All right, there are a lot of stories to be following as you start your new day. Bergdahl is home, but the deal is controversial. Five terror suspects freed for the American private.

And the president is revealing a huge measure to combat pollution without Congress.

And beloved house-keeper Alice from the Brady Bunch is being remembered this morning. Hope you're having a good NEW DAY.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Freedom is yours. I will see you soon, my beloved son.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Point blank, did the U.S. negotiate with terrorists?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We didn't negotiate with terrorists. Sergeant Bergdahl is a prisoner of war.

BARACK OBAMA, U.S. PRESIDENT: I refuse to condemn our children to a planet that's beyond fixable (ph).

UNDIENTIFIED FEMALE: President Obama is going around Congress to enforce a steep cut in carbon emission.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The administration has set out to kill coal and its 800,000 jobs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Possession of explosive material.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The FBI is engaged in a nationwide manhunt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's considered armed and dangerous.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: Good morning, welcome back to NEW DAY.

Two big announcements are drawing more unwanted criticism for President Obama. First, a potentially historic change in environmental policy is coming today. And it is sure to rankle the GOP.

But, first, the big story is the prisoner swap to bring Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl home after five years. It is now raising questions. We have new pictures this morning of the five terror suspects freed in the deal arriving in Qatar.

So the question is, is Bergdahl's freedom worth the cost? Let's start our coverage with Nic Robertson in Germany where Bergdahl is getting medical attention. Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Chris. He's not just getting medical attention here. Part of the reintegration process has been described to us as the way his welfare, his psychological, his physical well-being will be held.

Part of that process as well will be to make an assessment of what he learned during those almost five years in captivity. Does he have any useful, timely military intelligence that could help operations under way in Afghanistan right now?

And of course, very importantly as well, what did he learn about his time being captive with the Taliban that could help other soldiers in the future, if they fall into the same situation? And, of course, they'll want to know and understand precisely how Sergeant Bergdahl did fall into this situation, did become a captive of the Taliban.

What doctors here are saying, though, they're going to proceed at a pace of reintegration that he is comfortable with. They're going to let it be dictated by him. They say that they respect and are sensitive to everything that he's been through in Afghanistan.

And of course, no one really knows at the moment how he was captured, what happened during those five years. For example, was he held in situations where his life was threatened with mock executions? How often did that sort of thing happen? And that's all going to affect his speed and pace of recovery before he can get back to his parents, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Nic, thank you very much for that update from on the ground in Germany.

So while Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl has been returned to safety, it sure did not take long for many Republicans, some Democrats, to question the deal, taking to Sunday's shows soon after his release to slam the Obama administration for how they pulled it off, and the precedent it may set. Take a listen.