Return to Transcripts main page

New Day Sunday

Pope Wrapping U.S. Visit; House Speaker's Resignation Sparks Succession Fight. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired September 27, 2015 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00] COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS: I would be on a roster. As I said, I have no regrets whatsoever.

So, we want to know what you think. Did disclosing his sexual orientation derail his NFL career? Here's where you make the show, tweet us your response using #NewDayCNN and post on our NEW DAY Facebook page and we'll share some of your insight coming up in the next hour.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, that will be good to hear that. Coy, thank you so much. Always appreciate it.

Thank you for starting your morning with us.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: A lot more ahead on the next hour of your NEW DAY. It starts right now.

(MUSIC)

PAUL: The pope wrapping his visit to the U.S. with one packed day in Philadelphia today. He is meeting with seminarians, priests, prison inmates and families before celebrating mass for an estimated 1 million people.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SINGING)

POPE FRANCIS (through translator): I won't speak about mother indoors.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: A whirlwind stop for the pope. Fireworks and music, as you heard a few jokes at the festival of families.

PAUL: Well, a happy Sunday to you! We are so grateful for your company as always. I'm Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good to start a Sunday with you.

PAUL: Yes, we are in the final hours here of Pope Francis' first visit to the U.S. And I want to share with you some live pictures where the pope is going to celebrate his final mass as the sun coming up there in Philadelphia. This could be one of the largest outdoor masses ever, more than a million expected to attend.

BLACKWELL: And, you know, the pontiff's schedule has been jampacked than it is this morning. It starts with a meeting (AUDIO GAP) St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in about two hours. Followed by what could be one of the most memorable moments of his trip here to the U.S., a meeting with about a hundred inmates from the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility on the outskirts of Philadelphia.

PAUL: The pope is likely still basking in love and warmth of that speech that stirred the crowd last night. This is at the Festival of Families. He threw aside his script and just spoke from the heart. And with it, a bit of humor as well, which was nice to see.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Big hardy laughs from the pope last night.

CNN's Miguel Marquez joins us live from Ben Franklin Parkway.

I guess we, in answering the question I was about to ask, about people lining up already. I could see them behind you.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, this thing has been called a whirlwind. It's not a whirlwind tour. It is a tsunami. He is taking this country by storm. It is nine hours, you guys, realize. Nine hours from Erie, Pennsylvania. And you guys been traveling all night and just here for today. Excited?

(CHEERS)

MARQUEZ: The estimates are as many as 2 million will line this way. I want to give you an idea where we are. This is the route where the final mass will be. We are about a quarter mile from the stage itself and it goes all the down that way. This is the last point where you can actually if you don't have a ticket you can get in pen people are lining up along here. You can see the giant reserves of water that way.

And you have people out here who have been up since 4:00 in the morning. Out here since 4:00 in the morning from the Philippines, from Guatemala, but they all live in the U.S.

This is Dolce, who is 24.

Why are you out here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I really believe in the pope and what he comes out here to say. I love the fact that he is so fresh and he brings new ideas and he is changing everything. So I'm really happy he is actually making a difference and standing up for what he believes in.

MARQUEZ: You live on Long Island. This is your mother?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I live in Staten Island.

MARQUEZ: I'm sorry, Staten Island. This is your mom? And has this pope brought you closer to the church?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Yes. I had actually stepped far away from the church and I disagree with a lot of things the church has stated but I love the pope is actually very nonjudgmental and that actually is something really believe in and I really like he is stepping up and just letting us know, you know, that we are not supposed to be judging people and he is very open --

MARQUEZ: Thank you very much. Enjoy. Good luck.

This is a gentleman from Argentina who lives here now.

This is Beatrice from Connecticut.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I'm from Williamstown, New Jersey.

MARQUEZ: Williamstown, New Jersey, but you're originally from Colombia?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is correct.

MARQUEZ: What do you make of this pope and his thoughts on immigration?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't agree with his thoughts on immigration.

MARQUEZ: Why not?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I do believe, I'm an immigrant myself, but I came here as a resident, and then I sponsor my brothers, and they have to wait in Colombia for 13 years before they got their papers. So, if I went through the right system, I think everybody should do the same.

[07:05:00] Now do I agree? I agree this should give them like a visa for three or four years where they can start doing the process, but I do believe the United States has a process, a system in place for immigration and they should be either everybody in the same page or they are going to have to take and overhaul the whole system.

MARQUEZ: But you don't think this pope is saying the right things on immigration or you think he is?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean he is pro immigration. I don't agree with him.

MARQUEZ: Wow!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't agree with him.

MARQUEZ: You may be the only one out here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I don't agree with him.

MARQUEZ: But you love this pope still? Why? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love him. He bring freshness into the

catholic church. I do believe -- like, his ideas of the church to be married I think is a very good idea. Also his bring the Jews into the church which is promoting people to be common to the Catholic religion without so much of the conservativism.

Also, I like the idea he talks about homosexuals being a part of the church and don't condemn them and I think a great idea. Where, before, that was a taboo for the Catholic Church.

MARQUEZ: It is amazing to hear the people sort of talk about that renewed sensibility and changing of the church.

I also want to show you down here. Actually, the number of people waiting already in the non-ticketed area which we are seeing here are some of the buses and the police they are bringing down and they will pass by here in a second. They are bringing into the area to cover this thing all the way down by the stage area. It is a massive, massive logistical effort here that they are expecting 2 million people for.

Back to you.

BLACKWELL: It's interesting to hear from the woman you spoke with, although she disagrees with the pope on several issues, it's the tone she appreciates.

Miguel Marquez for us there on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, thanks so much.

PAUL: It's been such a busy trip for the pope. It was a long day yesterday, culminating at the World Meeting of Families festival. That was hosted by actor Mark Wahlberg, featuring musicians, dancers, singers, including the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. At the end of the festival you see some humor from the pope. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE FRANCIS (through translator): Families have the difficulties. Families will quarrel. And sometimes plates can fly. And children bring headaches.

I won't to speak about mother indoors. But in families, there is always light.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: I love that. In families, there is always light.

Let's talk about what's come today with CNN religion commentator Father Edward Beck and senior Vatican analyst John Allen.

First of all, John, what do you think is the most significant moment we see today?

JOHN ALLEN, CNN SENIOR VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think they are all going to be significant moments, Christi. If you ask Pope Francis what the most significant thing he is going to do today, I suspect he will tell it's probably that meeting with inmates that is going to occur this morning.

Look, I mean, he is very carefully prepared the message he wants to deliver to bishops this morning and we should say this is not just American bishops, from bishops from all over the world taking part in this World Meeting of Families. There are delegations from more than a hundred countries here.

And certainly the homily he will give at that huge mass this afternoon, I mean, he understands that is his final message on this trip and he has invested a great deal in it. But, you know, following Francis around, and I've followed him on all ten of his foreign trips, it is very clear to us that the moments that mean the most to him are when he can get into personal contact, these kind of small settings when he is with real people. That's when you see Francis come alive, and particularly when he has the opportunity to meet people that he feels have been marginalized or excluded in some way.

Of course, concern for prisoners is one of the hallmarks of his papacy. You heard him say on this trip that he is opposed to the death penalty. He is opposed to life imprisonment. He wants people to have the opportunity to turn their lives around.

Today is an opportunity for him for a sort of one brief shining moment, to stop being a statements or a celebrity, and go back to what he really is in his heart, which is a pastor.

[07:10:03] I like to think of Pope Francis, Christi, basically as the whole world's parish priest.

PAUL: We want to talk about, Father Beck, that has not yet happened, and we don't know that it will possibly, possibly a meeting with clergy sex abuse advisers. Now, we talk to Pennsylvania State Representative Mark Rozzi. He claims that he was abused as a young man by someone in the church. Let's listen to this quickly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STATE REP. MARK ROZZI (D), BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA: He better not be patting the bishops on the back. That is unacceptable. His other statement he said was he realized how much the pain in recent years has weighed upon the bishops.

Are you kidding me? Is that a joke? I have three childhood friends who have committed suicide that, you know, their families are suffering, they have suffered, their entire lives from this tragedy and it's the church that has turned the back on victims and they continue to turn their back on victims.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Father Beck, do you think the pope will meet with any victims? And, if so, how do you think he can speak to them in a way that might be impactful if they carry with them the same scarred memories that we see from that representative?

FATHER EDWARD BECK, CNN RELIGION COMMENTATOR: Christi, I certainly think we might see a meeting. It's happened six times before. Benedict has met five times with victims of abuse. And this pope, Francis, in Rome met once with victims of abuse. So, it's quite possible I think that he will do it again today. It has to be today since he leaves later.

This is probably where, again, Francis is best. He will engage with people, he will listen to their pain, their struggle, and he will, again, apologize. It's not as if this pope has not apologized to victims.

Remember, in those instances that the gentleman spoke about, he was speaking to his bishops as father to sons, and he said we have to do better, but he also wanted to give them encouragement. I mean, the Catholic Church has come a long way if you look in the last 15 years of this abuse crisis, where it is today is very different from years ago and great strides, yes, there is more to do. He was trying to be encouraging as a father to his sons with his bishops. He wouldn't call them father to sons, he calls them his own, his equals.

But I think we have to understand Francis deals with people as individuals and, today, if he, in fact, meets with victims, I think with we will see a pastor tending to his flock.

PAUL: Father Beck and John Allen, so appreciate both of you this morning -- thank you.

BLACKWELL: We've got some new details on this developing story out of Arizona where at least a dozen people were hurt when the crowd rushed the stage at a music festival. We'll get you some more on the injuries suffered here and exactly how all this all went.

Plus, the battle brewing over John Boehner's resignation. How this fight could shape the future of the Republican Party, not just in House leadership but beyond. Maybe the nomination for president as well.

And, of course, we will bring you continuing coverage of the pope's visit to the U.S.

And as we go to break, a bit more of the massive fireworks display during last night's festival of families.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:16:52] BLACKWELL: We know there could be a battle brewing now for the House speakership between establishment and Tea Party, maybe more conservative Republicans, of course, after House Speaker John Boehner and the stunning announcement from him on Friday that he will resign in October after years of contention between the two wings of the Republican Party.

We've got back with us, CNN political commentator and conservative radio talk show host Ben Ferguson, and joining the conversation, CNN political commentator, Jeffrey Lord.

Good to have both of you this morning.

JEFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Hey, Victor, Ben.

BLACKWELL: Jeff, I want to start with you. And let's look forward here to the possible replacements. We've got Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and let's start there.

Is there any challenge, in your opinion, any challenge likely to his ascension to that position? Or maybe Cathy McMorris-Rodgers or Steve Scalise?

LORD: There is also Congressman Daniel Webster from Florida --

BLACKWELL: Yes.

LORD: -- who I believe is going to throw his hat in the ring.

There is a problem here. There's just no question about it. I mean, this is an extension. This is the congressional version of what's going on in the presidential campaign.

And you've got the insiders represented by Mr. McCarthy. Frankly, if you exchanged McCarthy or Boehner for McCarthy, I think there are a lot of people that are not going to see any difference. So, this is a big deal.

I would also add this goes back to the Reagan/Ford, Reagan/Bush divisions of years past. It's sort of the same thing.

BLACKWELL: Yes, what would this mean, Ben, if we transfer this to the GOP nomination fight and now that Boehner is out, does this relay a message to more establishment candidates for the nomination, Bush or Christie?

BEN FERGUSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It absolutely does. The main reason so many people have not been excited about Jeb Bush because he has been labeled the GOP establishment candidate. And we have seen him struggle to stay up at the top.

It's the same reason why you see Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, and Donald Trump all doing so well, they are all not politicians. And for at least the last six years, true conservatives have been just absolutely disgusted with the way that Speaker Boehner has run the House. They don't feel that he has fought against the president near enough, they don't believe he has fought for conservatives like he promised he was going to do. And that it finally caught up with him.

When he says this has nothing to do with him, you know, retaining the speakership, it's laughable. He was going to be in serious trouble and it was getting a lot worse. And when he saw Eric Cantor go down, I think he goes, I don't want to be the next one to lose a speakership in that way, much less maybe even Congress, my seat in Congress, and I think it tells you about the political climate in this presidential election. People don't want a GOP insider and they do not want an establishment guy at the White House.

BLACKWELL: So, Jeff, let's talk about possibly this brewing fight. Not in October, or by October 1st, to fund the government over Planned Parenthood. But I wonder after Boehner leaves, that this create a litmus test for the next speaker, or for that selection that when they have to vote on the debt ceiling, or have to fund the government in December, that more conservative members of the party are going to require to get their vote for speaker, you have to be willing to shut down the government?

[07:20:14] LORD: You bet there is going to be a litmus test here. I mean, Mr. McCarthy may well be able to carry the day, but this is exactly the same issue as with Speaker Boehner. So, basically all you're doing is changing, you know, a brown suit to a brown striped suit here. There is no difference in the minds of conservatives.

So, yes, you are absolutely correct, Victor. There will be a litmus test on this.

BLACKWELL: So, do you believe, Ben, that this makes, after, you know, there is a vote to fund the government through December 11th I believe it is that that will make a shutdown more likely in December?

FERGUSON: I don't think it will. And here is the main reason. Republicans understand that if you shut down the government, it hurts all Republicans and the brand. I think what you're going to see is the Republicans said I'm willing to get rid of the toxic leader John Boehner over this because he doesn't lead on anything. I think actually with him stepping down, it will make it less likely that you'll have a government shutdown and more likely that you'll get some sort of consensus around the new speaker.

I mean, the new speaker does not want to go to war in the same way that Boehner has gone to war with many of the newer members of Congress, some would say Tea Party members, et cetera.

I think if McCarthy comes in, if Kevin walks in there, he knows that he has to repair some relationships that John Boehner pretty much destroyed. I mean, some of his biggest enemies were actually within the GOP caucus, not on the Democratic side of the aisle. So, if he is smart, when he comes in, he is going to say, let's avert a government shutdown. I really want to listen to what you have to say. Let's push some of your ideas in here and fight for some of this stuff and hopefully that will be a new day.

BLACKWELL: All right. Ben Ferguson, Jeffrey Lord, thank you both.

LORD: Thanks, Victor.

PAUL: Well, a woman arrested after her photo goes viral. Why police say her picture is sitting on a sea turtle is no joke.

And we are now in the final 12 1/2 hours of Pope Francis' visit. This one now in Philadelphia. On tap today, a prison visit, as well as a mass for an estimated million people or more who are already lining up this morning as we speak. Take a look at a little bit of Aretha Franklin from last night's

festival with the pope.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:26:31] BLACKWELL: At least seven people were rushed to hospitals in Tempe, Arizona, after crowds just flooded toward a stage in an outdoor music festival and some in the concert describe the seen as just chaos. But the concert reportedly resumed after the injured were treated.

PAUL: Federal investigators say the duck boat involved in that fatal accident on a Seattle bridge had an axle that has been sheared off. Now, when the axle broke and whether it was a factor in Thursday's collision is still unclear this morning but we know four international student from North Seattle College were killed and about 50 other people were injured in that crash.

BLACKWELL: A quarterback for a New Jersey high school football team died after leaving the game with an injury. Now, officials there have not released any more details about Evan Murray's injuries or cause of death, but the senior's teammate didn't find out about his passing about until after the game.

PAUL: Listen, in case you did not know, please do not mess with the Florida fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Take a look at this picture. A woman was arrested this weekend after officials got hold of this picture, that one there, when it went viral, apparently showing the 20-year-old sitting or riding on the back of a sea turtle. This was in Melbourne, Florida. She is facing felony charges, this is serious. Not clear whether she has retained a defense attorney just yet.

BLACKWELL: All right. An important meeting on tap for President Obama, he'll be meeting with the Russian President Vladimir Putin Monday at the U.N. Can these two world leaders find some common ground here on the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine? Of course, those will be the top of the list in the discussions.

Also, France begins airstrikes in Syria against ISIS. What impact did that have on the war on terror there?

PAUL: But, first, New Orleans, you know it for its Cajun cuisine. Well, now, two guys are bringing street food from around the world to the Big Easy. This is a small business plan with a global taste.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEVIN FARRELL, CO-FOUNDER, BOOTY'S STREET FOODS: : I'm Kevin Farrell.

NICK VIVION, CO-FOUNDER, BOOTY'S STREET FOODS: And I'm Nick Vivion. And we are the co-owners of Booty's Street Food.

Before we started Booty's, I was actually a travel filmmaker. I posted definitely over a hundred videos on YouTube. I absolutely did a lot of sampling of food and turned my travel filmmaking career.

I don't want to say it. But it tastes like chicken.

I really was interested in bringing street food from around the world into a space that had air-conditioning and cocktails.

Ordering one meat, one Cuban, one burrito.

New Orleans at its core is an international city, and port cities have also had a great connection to worldwide foods.

FARRELL: The type of food we do it's easy to change the menu. As soon as something is a hit we take it off the menu and try to convince people other things we are trying to have them fall in love with.

OCTAVIO YCAZA, CHIEF, BOOTY'S STREET FOOD: I've been cooking for like 17 years. So, working under one roof, we can do all this things. It's super fun for me.

I'm going to do a couple of these (INAUDIBLE). They're El Salvadorian food.

There's 16 countries on the menu.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Street Food is always appealing to us and always where you get an essence of what the place is all about.

VIVION: A lot of people have had the pleasure to be able to travel and they have these memories. So, when you create a dish and it's really exciting to bring back the travel memories for people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)