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New Day
Deadly Storms Rip Through Eastern U.S.; Obama and Texas Governor to Discuss Immigration; What's Behind the Immigration Surge?; Israel Steps Up Gaza Strip Offensive; Brazil Loses in World Cup Stunner
Aired July 09, 2014 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, violent and deadly storms tear through the eastern United States. Ripping roofs off, knocking out power for hundreds of thousands of people. And among the five people killed, a young boy, killed when a tree falls on his church camp.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Border crisis. President Obama heading to Texas in a meeting with the governor there. A day after asking for nearly $4 billion to help stem the flow of undocumented immigrants crossing the border. But is he doing enough to address this problem?
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: World Cup stunner. History made in Brazil, after a thrashing of epic proportions by Germany. How on earth did one of the best teams in the world lose so horrendously?
BOLDUAN: Your NEW DAY starts right now. Good morning and welcome to NEW DAY, everybody. It's Wednesday, July 9th, 6:00 in the east. John Berman kind enough to return and be with us once again. Chris is off.
We'll start with breaking news overnight. The wild weather as severe storms and tornadoes swept across the eastern U.S. At least five people are dead from the storms. In upstate New York, four people were killed and several homes were destroyed, and at a Maryland campsite one child was killed. Eight others injured by falling trees. Downed pour lines have left hundreds of thousands of people without electricity this morning.
Indra Petersons is here with much more. What happened? It happened so quickly, Indra.
INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's the problem. We had fast moving systems. Six reports of damage from tornadoes alone. Severe weather system made its way from the Ohio Valley and eventually spread right into the northeast.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETERSONS (voice-over): Heavy wind and rain pummelled Central New York as severe storms sweep across the northeast spawning at least three tornadoes, destroying homes and killing at least five people including one child. The powerful storms downed power lines, cracked utility poles and uprooted massive trees leaving over 400,000 people without electricity this morning. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can't even see out the windows it was raining so hard.
PETERSONS: In Maryland, the storm moved in quickly killing one child at a church camp who was trapped under a tree and injuring eight others as they ran for safety.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something like this has never happened in our history, and it was a freak storm that came up, and, unfortunately, this is what's happened.
PETERSONS: In Syracuse, New York, homes almost completely leveled, leaving four dead and authorities still searching door to door for survivors.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got our search dogs out right now looking around. We're just picking up houses looking to see if anybody is underneath them.
PETERSONS: The fast moving system leaving destroyed cars, overturned trees and a trail of significant damage prompted a state of emergency in the New York are as crews work to clear roads blocked by debris.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Went from bad thunderstorm to crazy and, I mean, just -- that's about the way we can describe it. It was just crazy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PETERSONS: Take a look at line of storms that really pushed through the Ohio Valley eventually making its way into the northeast. That same frontal system is there still this morning you can see the very end of it kind of sagging into the southeast. That will continue to fire up some storms into the southeast today.
Meanwhile into the northeast, high pressure is building in, so we'll get nicer as we get closer to the weekend but another frontal system is out there eventually by Friday making its way into the Midwest. Showers are still on the forecast. Looking at the biggest threat farther down in the southeast kind of right around the Carolinas where we still have the frontal system this morning -- John.
BERMAN: Thanks, Indra. Now to the border crisis affecting tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants, many children, after some political back and forth. President Obama and Texas Governor Rick Perry will meet today to discuss this immigration crisis, but the sparring is only beginning in Congress after the president's emergency request for almost $4 billion to address this issue. Senior White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, joins us now with the latest -- Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. Later on this afternoon, President Obama and Texas Governor Rick Perry will be getting together for what promises to be a tense meeting over the crisis at the border. The meeting will be taking place in Dallas. And back here in Washington, there's another showdown brewing over the president's border plan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA (voice-over): With the ink barely dry on the president's nearly $4 billion plan to halt the flood of undocumented immigrants flowing across the U.S. border, prominent Republicans in Congress have said no deal.
REPRESENTATIVE BOB GOODLATTE (R), VIRGINIA: They have asked for a blank check and an awful lot of money coming to tens of thousands of dollars for each one of these children.
ACOSTA: Nearly half of the $3.7 proposal is to care for unaccompanied minors from Central America. The rest goes to detention and removal costs, more border patrols and surveillance and immigration legal teams to speed up deportation proceedings. Administration officials say GOP critics want to have it both ways.
CECILIA MUNOZ, DIRECTOR, WHITE HOUSE DOMESTIC POLICY: They don't get to acknowledge this is a serious humanitarian problem and then say offhand that they won't provide the support to make sure we can deal with the problem.
ACOSTA: Part of the problem, existing U.S. laws, that require border crossers to be returned quickly if they come from Mexico, yet the undocumented from Central America receive special legal protections, a distinction former president Bush signed into law to fight human trafficking.
DORIS MEISSNER, MIGRATION POLICY INSTITUTE: It is the protection that is required under U.S. law, but it has now escalated to the point of creating a migration emergency.
ACOSTA: Making the border crisis tougher solve is the political brawl between the president and Texas Governor Rick Perry. After an exchange of insults --
GOVERNOR RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: I have to believe that when you do not respond in any way that you are either inept or you have some ulterior motive.
JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The truth is it's hard to take seriously Governor Perry's concerns.
ACOSTA: The two leaders will meet in Dallas hundreds of miles from the border, aides say, the president won't be visiting.
SENATOR JOHN CORNYN (R), TEXAS: I hope the president reconsiders. He needs to go and see this for himself and not rely on his advisers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: As for that meeting between the president and Rick Perry, officials here at the White House and down in Austin have plenty of differences, but, Kate, they do have one thing in common. They are being very tight lip about how this meeting is going to go on later today in Dallas. Very few details. BOLDUAN: But a lot of people watching. Jim, thanks for sure. Jim Acosta at the White House. Jim asked the question and we all do. What's behind the surge nun documented children coming into the country and what is the fix? What's the way to fix it? Here to kind of discuss this further, explore it is anchor and senior correspondent for CNN Espanol Juan Carlos Lopez. Good to see you.
JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, CNN ESPANOL ANCHOR SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
COSTELLO: It's caught up in politics. You can't deny that. What does the evidence show that you've seen so far? What is behind the surge of children and families coming across the border?
LOPEZ: There are many reasons, Kate, and many of them might fit the talking points of different party, but one of the main reasons we've been hearing about is violence in Central America. This started 2008- 2009. It didn't start some weeks ago as many might understand from watching news coverage. It's been going on, and the numbers have been growing exponentially every year, so many pointed to lack of economic opportunity, the violence in Central America, the drug war in Central America and a very difficult economic situation for many.
BOLDUAN: That does push back on that one question of how did they not see this coming though, right, because this has been happening for years?
LOPEZ: If you look at the numbers and border patrol numbers on posted on the website. We have two different flows of children. If you look at the children that come from Mexico, it's been stable, around 17,000 since 2009. If you look at the number from Central America, you combine them, in 2009 it was 3,400 kids. This year we're almost at 40,000. If you look at 2012, it was almost 11,000, so this isn't something that happened overnight. Somebody wasn't obviously looking where they should, but this has been building up, and it's at the point where we are right now.
BOLDUAN: A couple of things I want to talk about that people point to part of the problem that the government is facing, part of the reason behind the influx, the 2008 trafficking law put in place to try to help children, to make sure that they weren't sent back to dangerous situations in Central America. The government has said that this is hindering their ability to deport them in a speedy manner if they don't meet that threshold. What role do you think that plays in this?
LOPEZ: There's an interesting discussion between those who say this is an immigration crisis where you have undocumented crossing the border, and then you have others who say this is a humanitarian crisis where you have refugees looking for asylum. Now, which one is it? Is it asylum? Are we receiving the children of a conflict in Central America and are they looking for a safe haven or is this an immigration influx? That's a debate that hasn't been defined.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The government talks about (inaudible), but still wants the proses to send these kids back in a quick manner. If you look at the information from the United Nations high commissioner for refugees they have information that it's not only the U.S. they are coming, to the main country, many have relatives here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LOPEZ: I spoke to the first lady of Guatemala. Most children she spoke with in Arizona where she visited told her they were trying to reunite with the families, but the U.N. says asylum requests for Panama, Mexico, Costa Rica, countries south of Honduras is up by 700 percent, so people want to leave these countries and obviously things there aren't very good right now.
BERMAN: The U.S. isn't alone. I want to get your take on this. What about the comments that we have heard from President Obama over the past couple of years when he's been talking about the D.R.E.A.M. Act, when he's essentially said we're not going after young kids. Listen to an example of it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Classmates of our children who are suddenly under this shadow of fear through no fault of their own. They didn't break a law. They were kids. Send me a law that gives them the chance to earn their citizenship. I will sign it right away. It makes no sense to expel talented young people who for all intents and purposes are Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Juan Carlos, Republicans say that the president has essentially brought this on himself because he's sending the wrong message to Central America in making those comments. Are you seeing that there?
LOPEZ: The numbers simply don't back that up. If you look at the numbers, the deferred action program was announced June 2012, implemented at the end of that year, so if you look at the numbers for 2012, that year you had over 10,000 kids coming in from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, which is more than triple what you had in 2009 so that flow had already started. If you look at the number of kids from Mexico, it was bloat average, so it's not deferred action. It's interesting to believe that people in central are so privy to our immigration policy.
There are many reasons. Maybe some parents do believe that they will benefit from deferred action, but from CNN Espanol we'll be reporting on the requirements and they are very strict so there's a combination of issues, but there's no simple answer, and there's no simple explanation.
BOLDUAN: Absolutely not especially when politics becomes very much involved. Juan Carlos, great to see you. Thank you so much.
LOPEZ: Have a great day. BOLDUAN: Of course, John.
BERMAN: Thanks so much, Kate.
Now to the Middle East where hundreds of rockets and missiles were fired between Israel and Hamas overnight. Hamas firing more than 130 rockets towards Israel in just the last day. Some of them being fired at civilians as far away as Tel-Aviv where they were intercepted by Israel's missile defense system, the iron dome. Israel warning of a possible ground invasion as it launches 160 air strikes against militants. That was overnight.
Let's get to Diana Magnay live in Israel near the Gaza bothered, and you've seen a lot of activity over your head in the last several hours.
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi. Well, John, that's true. We've seen intercepts in the sky when rockets have come over from Gaza. The iron dome missile defense battery system behind me is one of the mobile units that they use to make these interceptions and there have been interceptions from long range missiles out of Gaza late yesterday evening.
Towards Tel Aviv and beyond over Jerusalem. That is, of course, the big fear when Hamas starts aiming towards those cities. Israel says that it is going to get very serious and clearly their end game now, the Israeli defense forces, not just to stop the flow of rockets but to really make sure that they damage once and for all Hamas' capability to wage rocket terrorism. Let's take a look at the last few stages of operation protective edge.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAGNAY (voice-over): Overnight Israel launched at least 160 strikes on the Gaza strip. Middle East on the brink. Hamas responding with just four rockets overnight. One of Hamas' rockets, an M302 just like the missile shipment Israel intercepted from Iran four months ago leading Israel's defense force to believe that Iran is supplying Hamas with weaponry.
On Tuesday the border between Israel and the Gaza strip illuminated by the flames of war. Video released by the Israeli military shows Hamas militants stealthily emerging from the Mediterranean Sea, guns in hand, ready to attack. The next shot show Israeli soldiers crouching in wait firing at their incoming enemies and targeting rocket attacks and reportedly eliminating the Hamas militants.
LT. COL. PETER LERMER, IDF SPOKESMAN: They came to the wrong beach party. Should have stayed on their own side of the fence and paid dearly for this.
MAGNAY: Sirens echoing the battle cries of Hamas and Israel. My own crew, myself, running for shelters at the sound of the sirens in Western Israel on Tuesday afternoon. Many moments of normalcy cut short. One Jewish wedding in Israel interrupted by air raid sirens. The bride seen crouching in fear at the altar as the ground shakes and running down the aisle with her wedding guests seeking cover. Even as Hamas pulls back, Israel says it's not backing down.
LERMER: We're beyond that point now. Hamas are going to pay for the attacks that they are carrying out. It's just unacceptable.
MAGNAY: Israel's iron dome defense system has intercepted dozens of Hamas' rockets. Meanwhile, craters and rubble dot landscape where homes and buildings once stood, as the people who runs inhabited them are left injured, mourning and struggling to survive this all too familiar scene of warfare.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MAGNAY: And on this side in Israel, of course, you hear the sirens and people run for cover but there's no injuries. Iron Dome proving extremely effective in Gaza. It is a completely different story even though Israel says that it tries to operate with precision. It has these knocks on the roof as they are called, warning family that it's about to strike a house.
We know there had been 26 civilians dead, 26 casualties so far, some of them civilians and eight of them children and that is the pain really of this conflict when you have, you know, types of armaments being used on each side. However precise it is in a highly crowded population like the Gaza Strip. You will have civilian casualties -- John.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thanks so much, Diana Magnay, for us right along the board they are in Israel.
Michaela?
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Let's take a look at our headlines. It's quarter past the hour.
We start with breaking news overnight. North Korea firing two short range missiles off its east coast into the ocean as South Korean officials say they are believed to be short range ballistic missiles. Japan says they are looking into the launch and plan to lodge a protest with the North Korean government. The North has reportedly test-fired missiles about 90 times since February.
The U.S. Marine Corps reservist jailed in Mexico says he's more optimistic than ever that he'll be released after a court hearing today. Sergeant Andrew Tahmooressi says he took a wrong turn on California side of the border into Tijuana back in March. Mexican border officials detained him for possessing three guns registered in the U.S., but not legal in Mexico. Because of several delays, today will be the first time that a judge hears directly from Tahmooressi.
The CDC is investigating how vials of the smallpox virus turned up in a storage lab used by the Food and Drug Administration. Workers discovered the vials last week in a lab that is not authorized to store the virus. The samples will be destroyed after they were tested first to see if the virus is still viable. There is no indication that anyone was exposed. As you'll recall, smallpox was wiped out worldwide back in the '70s. It's still uncurable and at least 30 percent fatal.
The voice of Disney's Pinocchio has died.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PINOCCHIO: I can move. I can talk. I can walk!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PEREIRA: Takes you right back to your childhood, doesn't it? Richard Percy Jones known as Dick Jones passed away at his home Monday in Los Angeles. The cause of death not determined.
Jones was a child actor who started work when he was just 3 years old, appearing in nearly 100 movies including 1940s "Pinocchio." Jones was 87 years old. He apparently beat out some 200 other children for that role.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Really?
BERMAN: Cut throat. It's a cut throat business, edged them out.
PEREIRA: Take you right back to your childhood.
BOLDUAN: How can you not say ah?
All right. Coming up --
BERMAN: You got a lot of Disney movies in the near future.
Get used to hearing that voice.
BOLDUAN: Many of them coming from you.
Coming up next on NEW DAY, this is not all worthy. All the hopes and dreams of the World Cup shattered in seven painful goals. People of Brazil completely distraught. Look at those faces after the loss to Germany.
We're going to take to you Brazil to see how they are coping this morning after the loss.
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BOLDUAN: That's the shot right there, guys. The little guy crying in his Coca-Cola cup kills me every time.
I'm serious. Don't laugh.
A World Cup stunner, Brazil's dreams to make it to the finals shattered after suffering what's an agonizing loss to Germany, and it wasn't even close. From the first minutes in a staggering 7-1 blowout, worst loss by a host team in the World Cup -- in World Cup history, disbelief, sorrow, written all over the fans' faces.
CNN's Amanda Davies is live in Brazil this morning with much more. What was it like to watch it from on the ground Brazil, Amanda?
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, they won't be pleased to be hearing that music this morning, I can tell you, Kate. It is one of the most uncomfortable nights I've ever experienced at a football match. Been luck you enough to go to a few and that was harrowing, and I wasn't even supporting either of the sides. I was a neutral. You can only begin to imagine what those home fans went through.
Of course, this is a nation that loves its football, and this was them being beaten on the biggest stage by one of their great rivals with the whole world watching. They will be waking up this morning hoping that it was just a dream, but you suspect they will be feeling a whole lot worse. Despite the glorious morning here, the sun shining and the cockerels crowing, you just wanted it to end for the host.
But the goals kept going in, they kept going on. And the faces of the fans around us were just something to behold. It went from stunned silence to humiliation and then finally it went to anger. There was a few scuffles that broke out in the stands behind us.
Now, the postmortem is well under way. You suspect that that will go on much longer than Sunday's final.
BERMAN: All right. Our thanks to Amanda Davies in Brazil.
And we did just get news into CNN. Germany just scored again. It was crazy. It was crazy.
Joining us to talk about this is Grant Wahl, senior writer for "Sports Illustrated", who is in Brazil. One of the best soccer writers on earth.
Grant, so, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate seeing you this morning.
GRANT WAHL, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: Yes, good seeing you.
BERMAN: So, you were up late writing about this game, this event, this epic moment in sports history. You call it simply stunning. This doesn't happen in soccer like ever.
WAHL: It really doesn't, you know. You know, the stakes of this game were so big. We're here in Brazil, the greatest country in the history of soccer as far as World Cup performances and not only do they lose on home soil but lose 7-1, and that's something that's just inconceivable. It still is.
I can't believe I'm saying it right here, 7-1, Germany over Brazil, in Brazil in the World Cup semifinals. This is something that will take decades to sort out here in Brazil.
BERMAN: There were a couple hundred records broken in this game. Let me review just a few of them now. It was the most goals scored in a World Cup semifinal. The most goals scored by a player in World Cup history, Miroslav Klose scored broke the record held by a Brazilian, Ronaldo, by the way, the most goals scored by a country in World Cup history, the worst loss by a host team in World Cup history and the fastest team to score four goals and the fastest team to score five goals in World Cup history.
So, what happened? Was this Germany just playing out of control good or Brazil playing out of control bad?
WAHL: Well, it was both actually and Brazil obviously didn't have their two best players, Neymar and Thiago Silva. One was injured, one was suspended, but they shouldn't make that much of a difference. Brazil sends thousands of players professionally around the world to play this game and yet they had guys here who were completely overrun in this game.
And I think part of it was tactical, part of it was mental. I think this Brazilian team has been riding on emotions the entire tournament. We saw them break down in tears after they won a penalty kick shootout in the round of 16. We saw this team just completely implode when Germany started running right through their midfield and their defense last night.
Four goals in six minutes is something the World Cup has never seen before, ever, and it happened at a semifinal against Brazil, the team that's won more World Cups than anybody, and that's just really hard to process.
BERMAN: Is anyone getting out of bed there this morning in Brazil? Have you seen signs of life on the streets?
WAHL: You know, there is sign -- there are signs of life. People are going to work here so the town hasn't completely shut down here in Rio. It's a little strange because the temple of Brazilian soccer is right behind me, and Brazil will end up not playing here even once during the World Cup. They played in so many different cities and everyone was pointing to the final here in Americana, where Brazil would end and end the curse of 1950 where they lost here. Now, that's not going to happen.
BERMAN: So, Grant, I have to ask you the final question here. Does the transitive proper of soccer happen here? The U.S. lost to Germany 1-0, Germany beat Brazil 7-1. So, can we say the United States is officially better at soccer than Brazil now?
WAHL: Go ahead and say it. It won't be right, but that's OK. You know, the transitive property of sports is one of the more fun things we have.
BERMAN: Fantastic. Grant Wahl, a pleasure to speak with you. I love reading your stuff in "Sports Illustrated" and on Twitter. Enjoy the finals, enjoy the semifinals today.
Go Netherlands. That's my official statement on that.
WAHL: All right. Thanks. Take care.
BERMAN: Kate? BOLDUAN: You have very unique math abilities, John Berman. That's for sure.
All right. We got a lot coming up on NEW DAY, including this -- the Georgia father accused of leaving his toddler to die in a hot car led an alternate life online. What investigators are saying about Justin Ross Harris' use of social media, and what does it mean for the case?
And also this. Texas Rangers slugger Prince Fielder baring it all and making a statement. Why his picture in ESPN body's issue is causing such a stir. Former Tiger, just so everyone knows.
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