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New Day
Domestic Violence Scandal in NFL Continues; Rabbi Helps Children with Cancer; 87-Year-Old Runs For a Seat in the House
Aired September 19, 2014 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDRA BULLOCK, ACTRESS, "THE BLIND SIDE": Tony here is your quarterback, all right. You protect his blind side. When you look at him, you think of me, how you have my back, how you have his. Are you're going to protect the family, Michael?
QUINTON AARON, ACTOR, "THE BLIND SIDE": Yes, ma'am.
BULLOCK: Good boy. Now go have some fun.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Sandra Bullock there in her Oscar winning portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy in the 2009 blockbuster hit "The Blind Side." The Tuohy family welcomed Michael Oher into their family as a homeless teen, went on to adopt him.
He went on to be a Super Bowl winning lineman in the NFL. Oher came from a situation that was ripe with domestic abuse. An issue that is certainly at the center of several scandals involving NFL players. Joining me now with so much perspective on what's going on in the NFL, Leigh Anne Tuohy, the mother who was portrayed in that football film. We should also say the proud founder of Making It Happen Foundation which improves standards of living for underprivileged youth.
Leigh Anne, you're my kind of lady. Good morning to you, my dear.
LEIGH ANNE TUOHY, STORY INSPIRED FILM "THE BLIND SIDE": Good morning. How are you, Michaela?
PEREIRA: Well, we're all sort of frustrated and concerned about what's going on in the NFL and I'm sure you are. You're an NFL mom. What do you make of all of this?
TUOHY: Well, you know, the truth of the matter is, the bar's been set so low for so long in this country that we all need to pull our moral compass out and figure out what we need to do. But with that being said, I kind of have a mom's hat on here because it's very confusing to me is (ph) why we're really cutting the herd with the NFL. You know, this is a problem that is epidemic in the United States, in the world, domestic violence against women. We see it everywhere, every day, and we really have to step up. It's never too late to do the right thing. So if the NFL can take the lead on this --
PEREIRA: Sure.
TUOHY: A little bit I look at it and think it's like getting a prenuptial agreement after you're married. I mean I think they're coming in behind the eight ball, really.
PEREIRA: Yes.
TUOHY: But I don't think it's too late to do the right thing. But why are we cutting the herd with, you know, a couple of players in the NFL? Because you look at anything you want to, whether it's our judicial system, whether it's our political system, it's Hollywood, I just read about this Fuller (ph) pat down in, you know, Alabama -
PEREIRA: Right.
TUOHY: With this judge that -- you know, there's just story after story after story. So why are we cutting the herd with the NFL? Now, come on, Roger, you know, show up, show out, let's take the lead here and let's let everyone emulate what we're doing. We all can do our part. There are issues that need to be resolved and I think, you know, women are at the forefront. We don't need a lot of men telling us how to do this. We need to kind of be the ones that go, hey, look at us, let us tell you how to handle this.
PEREIRA: Well, to that end -
TUOHY: Because it's been kind of the good old boy bro code.
PEREIRA: OK. To that end, we see that Roger Goodell has hired, I think, four or five women to now advise him on policies and matters within the NFL that pertain to this. Is that enough?
TUOHY: No, it's never enough, because, you know, I would like to see some mothers, some social workers, I want to see some grassroots people on these committees. You know, committees are great. I'm not a very good committee member, as you can well imagine. But I do think that it's a start. So we have to begin somewhere.
The beginning of this has already been written. How the end is written is up to us. As individuals, we need to step up and do the right thing. You know, have your eyes open, your ears perked, look around. If you see someone that's in a situation that is bad, you know, do something about it. Doing nothing is what has caused us to be in the situation that we're in, in this country, and we need to get a little backbone, we need to stick up for each other. And, you know, when you see something that doesn't look right, say something to someone about it.
PEREIRA: Yes.
TUOHY: Whether it's child abuse. People are scared to do anything because they're afraid they'll get in trouble for it.
PEREIRA: Yes. TUOHY: And we have created an environment of a bunch of scaredy cats. And the truth of the matter is, that's what has allowed this to fester and become like it is today, just an epidemic level. These players in the NFL, we - you know, we put a lot of credence in them like they're really, really special -
PEREIRA: Right.
TUOHY: Because they drive a great car, wear a big old necklace, fancy shoes. That doesn't validate them as individuals. And we need to all be very watchful of what goes on and we need to - this needs to be stopped. I mean this is not something that we need to curtail or cut down on.
PEREIRA: It needs to be stopped.
TUOHY: It needs to be stopped, exactly.
PEREIRA: Leigh Anne, I want you to put your mom hat on again for me. I want to talk to you about something that we brought up with some of the players and one of the wives, in fact, early on when these scandals were starting to break in the past month, about this notion that, you know, these are warriors that are trained to go out and play in this very, very violent game and that some fellows struggle to turn that off when they go back to real life. Talk to us about Michael. Talk to us about the young men that you know. What are the tools they have to turn off that aggression and what kind of support they get in that respect?
TUOHY: Well, I'm going to call a little - I'm going to call that a cop-out.
PEREIRA: OK.
TUOHY: I'm going to call that an excuse.
PEREIRA: Fair enough.
TUOHY: You know, because, I mean, you have kids that play violent video games. We have soldiers that go to war. You watch some of the movies. I flip the channel on TV because body parts are flying. So, once again, I think that's just an excuse, that's grandstanding, because we see violence in so much of our lives today in so many different genres. But the truth of the matter is, they do need to be taught, children from an early age, this is much greater than domestic violence. This starts with alcohol abuse. This starts with children in a home growing up to teach them to respect women. We need to educate our kids about that. I told my two boys from the day they're born, you touch a woman and you will -- I will kill you personally. You don't hit women, under any circumstance ever, regardless of the situation. So I don't care if you --
PEREIRA: How did you approach it with Michael? How did you approach it with Michael, who had come into your family with a history in his situation and community of domestic violence? How did you - how did you then sort of say late in the game, this is not how we operate and this is not how you should operate?
TUOHY: Well, I mean, I'm a big proponent of living, you know, in the environment and not of the environment. So when Michael came into our home, there were rules. And he had the same rules that my two biological kids had. And it was, you know, you respect people, you respect women, you do the right thing, you take the high road, and you teach your kids those. And we're missing out.
You know, we have to start teaching kids at a young age and -- because it's a vicious cycle in this country. We have these kids and they're born to teenaged parents who can't parent themselves who didn't have parents themselves, and we expect them all to turn out perfect and do the right thing. Well, that is just not reality, people. The reality of it is, we've got to get with these kids when they're young and teach them about doing the right thing, respecting people, being givers, making a difference, standing up for your fellow man. And we taught Michael all those things. Michael with as a wonderful human being. We just allowed Michael to become the person he was supposed to become.
PEREIRA: Wow.
TUOHY: And he understood that you did -- if you're going to live in our house, that these were the rules that you played by.
PEREIRA: You -
TUOHY: And we need to set more rules for kids.
PEREIRA: We - you know, I like what you said about the moral compass and I also like the fact that you understand that, you know, kids are not lost causes, that it doesn't matter how late in the game you get to them, there's so much they can still absorb.
Leigh Anne Tuohy, thanks so much for joining us today. A delight to have you with us on the air to talk about this, OK?
TUOHY: Thanks for having me.
PEREIRA: Be sure to tell us what you think. You can join our conversation. It's ongoing on facebook.com/newday.
All right, he is an ex-governor, ex-congressman and ex-con. Now Edwin Edwards is trying to get back into Louisiana politics, making a bid for Congress and political watchers say he may just win. We join him on what may be the strangest campaign this year.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PEREIRA: All right, here's your Friday edition of the five things you need to know for your new day.
At number one, the votes are in, Scotland will remain part of the United Kingdom. The majority of voters rejecting independence in an historic referendum. France has launched its first air strikes on ISIS this morning with
air strikes in Iraq. It comes after the Senate gave its stamp of approval to President Obama's plan to train and arm moderate Syrian rebels to fight ISIS.
Home Depot has confirmed a staggering 56 million credit card numbers were compromised during a five-month-long security breach. That's far more than the 40 million cards that were breached at Target last year.
Ecommerce giant Alibaba set to begin trading this morning on the New York Stock Exchange for $68 a share. The Chinese firm's IPO is the largest of all-time raising nearly $22 billion.
And at number five, Darrell Hammond heading back to "SNL." The 14-year alum of "Saturday Night Live," also noted impressionist, will be the show's new announcer, replacing the legendary Don Pardo, who died last month.
Those were the five things to know for your new day. Now here are a few extras to help brighten your day.
(PURINA AD)
BOLDUAN: Now to this week's CNN hero. He's lending a hand to children diagnosed with cancer. Since losing his own daughter, he's turned to martial arts to give these kids a weapon to fight their pain.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RABBI ELIMELECH GOLDBERG: When children get a diagnosis like cancer or any major disease, they lose any sense of feeling that they're controlling their lives. They're prodded and poked and they're often so afraid. Our daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. She was such an incredible little soul who taught me about the power that's inside of ourselves.
Are you ready?
KIDS: Yes, sir!
GOLDBERG: OK. Begin.
After our daughter passed away, I started a program that provides classes to children who are sick to teach them the martial arts to make them feel powerful.
Every single type of martial arts uses the breath to take control.
I'm a black belt in Choi Kwang Do.
Hold it.
We use the martial arts as a platform for meditation, for relaxation, to allow children to gain these tools.
You're totally in control. To really face down so much of the fear, the anger that accompanies
pain.
Breathe in.
And you could see that light on their face. I feel like their souls are shining.
Hey! You did it!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BOLDUAN: What an amazing man and what amazing children.
If you want to learn more about Rabbi Goldberg and his work, go to cnnheroes.com. Please do.
Still ahead, a former politician is looking for a fresh start and he's doing it at the age of 87, and after also serving nine years in prison. Despite all that, some folks say Edwin Edwards has a chance in Louisiana. He talks to CNN. That's coming up.
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BOLDUAN: Welcome back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOLDUAN (voice-over): Edwin Edwards served in Congress almost 50 years ago before three stints as governor of Louisiana. His next stint after that was in lockup, serving almost nine years for extortion. But Edwards is now looking to get back into politics, running for a seat in the House. So at 87 years old, why now and can he really win? CNN'S Gloria Borger is taking a look.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's Sunday morning at the New Life Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. But the man preaching to the choir is no minister.
EDWIN EDWARDS, FORMER MEMBER OF CONGRESS: My God is not finished with me.
BORGER: He's Edwin E. Edwards, ex-four-term governor, ex-four-term Congressman, and ex-con.
EDWARDS: I may be old and rancid butter, but I'm on your side of the bread.
BORGER: Unrepentant and unapologetic, Edwards is in church not looking for forgiveness, but for votes. Because at 87, after almost nine years in prison, the flamboyant showman of Louisiana politics has a fresh act, running for Congress.
Co-starring his new 35-year-old wife and their 1-year-old baby.
BORGER: Can you tell the story of how you two met? TRINA GRIMES, WIFE OF EDWIN EDWARDS: You want his story or you want my
story?
BORGER: Trina Grimes began as Edward's prison pen pal which led to love at first visit.
GRIMES: I was expecting him to be angry or bitter and he just wasn't.
EDWARDS: She said if you don't mind I only live 30 minutes from here. I'd like to come back and visit you for, that's like throwing a rubber raft (inaudible).
GRIMES: He was so full of life and he had such a good time, even in the situation that he was in, it was really an amazing thing. I've never known anybody like that before.
EDWARDS: We agreed to stay together when I got out. When the gates opened for me to leave, she was there with open arms and we haven't spent a night apart since.
BORGER: : After marriage, along came Eli, a miracle of science. So now Edwards is the father to children in their 60s, a wife half their age, and a baby.
GRIMES: He changes diapers, he bathes him, he puts his clothes on, he feeds him.
BORGER: What's your secret?
EDWARDS: I never smoked, never used tobacco products of any kind, never used alcohol. Nobody believes that, nobody believes that, but I never used alcohol and it all boils down to two things, genes and moderation.
BORGER: What if they say this is ridiculous, you're in your 80s?
EDWARDS: They said that when I announced that Trina and I were going to have a baby. But you know, I have living proof they were wrong.
BORGER: You do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor Edwin Edwards awaits sentencing --
BORGER: Edwards went to prison after a felony conviction for extorting millions in exchange for riverboat gambling licenses. After serving his time, he's now living in a suburban chateau with reminders of himself as a younger governor. And the silver fox loves motoring around the neighborhood in a golf cart.
EDWARDS: You are only as young as the woman you feel, and brother, it's fun feeling her.
BORGER: If this seems like reality TV, it was, briefly.
GRIMES: I'm the governor's wife.
BORGER: So tell me about doing a reality show, what was that like?
GRIMES: It was horrible.
BORGER: Horrible?
EDWARDS: It was unbelievable.
BORGER: They admit they're a bit of an odd couple.
EDWARDS: We're having fun.
BORGER: And it's not just about age. Trina is a Republican and Edwards is an old-time populist Democrat.
EDWARDS: If it wasn't for you I'd be the only old man here.
BORGER: Who wants to return to Congress exactly 50 years since his first stint there.
So when the seat came up, what went through your mind?
EDWARDS: That's my chance. I've got a second chance and I'm going to take it. And I'm going to surprise everybody.
BORGER: Were you for this congressional race?
GRIMES: Not particularly. I would naturally support him in whatever he chose to do, but it's really not my thing.
BORGER: So what about people who also say he's a convicted felon, why do I want to send him to Washington, DC to represent me?
EDWARDS: People say well, they're all crooks anyhow, you might as well send an experienced one. But all this clamp trap about how crooked I am and what I stole -- nobody's ever charged me or accused me of taking money from the taxpayers. It had nothing to do with my career as a public official. Nothing.
BORGER: A local political columnist, I'm going to read this to you, said if he cared he'd ask for forgiveness for making us a laughing stock for so many years.
EDWARDS: I don't pay any attention to it and I don't think many people do.
Some things that are known about me not too good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has talked about this until he's blue in the face, and he knows that if he keeps talking about it, it becomes non- controversial.
EDWARDS: I would be much better off financially if I behaved myself and stayed home with my wife and my baby, but that's not what turns me on. It's not what I was born to do. I was born to serve people.
BORGER: If Edwards had his choice, he'd be running for governor again, but he has to settle for a federal office because felons can't run for Louisiana state office until they've been out of prison for 15 years, when Edwards would be 98.
BORGER: If you live long enough you can run for governor.
EDWARDS: You're right. If for no other reason but to please my friends and shock my enemies.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BOLDUAN (on camera): Quite a character. Thanks, Gloria.
CUOMO: Interesting for a lot of reasons.
Alright, we want to keep you alerted to this, the Pennsylvania man wanted for gunning down two state troopers is now on the FBI's most wanted list.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
CUOMO (voice-over): We're going to take you live to the manhunt active, ongoing. Look at the picture on your screen. More news ahead.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CUOMO (on camera): The Good Stuff doesn't get better than what it is today. It is time, almost for the NEW DAY family to expand.
BOLDUAN: This is true. It's a very exciting day and also one that is super, super, super bittersweet. This is going to be my last show until the baby arrives, and I just wanted to make sure we shared all of that with you.
It has flown by, hasn't it? I mean, maybe not for you.
(CROSSTALK)
BOLDUAN: I just wanted to thank the whole NEW DAY family and all of you for being so supportive and all your well wishes all throughout and being very kind when a pregnant lady on TV does not feel so pretty. And I really, really appreciate it and I hope to have some very exciting breaking baby news for you all very, very soon.
INDRA PETERSONS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Plenty of photos. I'd say we'll miss you but you're going to send us, like, a selfie every day, right?
(CROSSTALK)
BOLDUAN: Its going to be great.
CUOMO: I'm going to miss you very much.
PEREIRA :We all are, we all are.
CUOMO: Even though we live across the street from each other.
BOLDUAN: This is true.
CUOMO: I'm still going to miss.
BOLDUAN: Thank you, guys.
CUOMO: This is going to be the best thing in your life.
PEREIRA: Just beginning.
CUOMO: So much news, we'll get you to the "NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Kate, you're the most beautiful pregnant woman ever.
BOLDUAN: Carol, now I'm really going to cry.
COSTELLO: I can't wait to meet the little girl in person.
BOLDUAN: Thanks, sweetie. Thank you.
COSTELLO: Have a great weekend.
"NEWSROOM" starts now.
