Return to Transcripts main page

New Day

Durst in Court; Business Headlines; Machete Attacker in New Orleans; Smart Money Plans for Millennials. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired March 23, 2015 - 08:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:33:05] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Real estate heir Robert Durst expected in a New Orleans court room this morning. He's being held on a murder warrant from California and gun charges from his arrest in Louisiana. But Durst's lawyer says he should be released. CNN's Jean Casarez is following the latest developments in New Orleans for us.

Jean.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn.

There are so many twists and turns in this case, I don't think anyone thought that Robert Durst would be here in New Orleans but he is and he still is. He's facing a judge in a few hours here in Orleans Parish Criminal Court for a bail hearing. And I don't think anyone expects him to get bail, but it's what will happen other than that that everyone is interested in this morning.

You know, this case really began 33 years ago prosecutors say. It was in 1982 when Durst's wife, Kathie, disappeared out of New York. She was just gone out of thin air. Robert Durst gave an alibi. He was looked at. The case was never solved. But he had a very close friend, a confident, during that time named Susan Berman, that became his spokesperson on the disappearance of Kathie Durst.

In the year 2000, she was gunned down and murdered in her home in Beverly Hills. Robert Durst said he had no idea who could have done it. In the same year, he moves to Galveston, Texas, under an assumed name. In 2001, he was arrested for the murder of his neighbor, Morris Black. In 2003, he was out and out acquitted of that murder but he pled guilty to tampering with evidence, which was dismemberment. Now in the next years, we really didn't hear about him.

But this January, there was an HBO documentary that had him front and center as the interview subject. And then it was the day before the finale that he was arrested right here in New Orleans, charged out of an arrest warrant from Los Angeles, first degree murder of that good friend and confidante, Susan Berman.

He waived extradition last week. Everybody thought he was going to go straight back to Los Angeles. But New Orleans and Louisiana said, not so fast. We've got local charges. So he sits here charged with a convicted felon and possession of a weapon. And today we'll see if he gets bail.

[08:35:10] Michaela.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, thanks for walking us through all of that. it was a lot to get through. Thank you, Jean.

Time now for the five things you need to know for your new day.

At number one, the United States pulling out troops out of Yemen. That country now on the brink of civil war. Shiite rebels seizing control of the central city of Taiz.

The White House announcing President Obama will meet with Iraqi Prime Minister al-Abadi on April 14th. The two are set to discuss the fight against ISIS.

A so-called hit list of some 100 American troops has been posted online by a group calling itself the Islamic State Hacking Organization. The group releasing personal information on the service members as potential targets for attacks in the U.S.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz, first out of the gate, launching his campaign to become the Republican nominee for president in 2016. He made it official just after midnight Monday morning with a message posted on Twitter.

Today, the Supreme Court takes up the case of Texas banning license plates with the confederate flags. An appeals court has already ruled the state cannot prohibit the plates just because they're offensive.

For more on the five things to know, be sure to go to cnn.com -- newdaycnn.com for the latest.

Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, it's time for CNN Money now. Chief business correspondent Christine Romans in the Money Center.

Hey, Christine.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Chris.

Starbucks baristas will no longer write the phrase "race together" on coffee cups. After the campaign to get customers talking about race, that campaign was widely and roundly criticized. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz says the first phase of his "race together" effort was always meant to end after about a week.

A self-driving car -- a self-driving car is making the first ever coast to coast trip. The car with Delphi technology can navigate four- way stops, it can merge onto highways, it can maneuver around bicycles without any help. People are riding along, of course, to take over if anything goes wrong from California to New York. Riding shotgun, but the car is doing all the work.

Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, Christine, thanks so much for that.

Well, a machete attack at an airport foiled thanks to a TSA agent who shot and killed the suspect. But even after all of our security measures, are airports still glaringly unsafe? We will speak to a top official from LAX who says yes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:41:10] CAMEROTA: A terrifying ordeal at New Orleans International Airport this weekend raising new questions about airport security. A TSA agent shot and killed a man who was wielding a machete and carrying a bag of Molotov cocktails. Joining us now is someone who says airport security is still woefully inadequate, senior lead officer at LAX Airport and president of the Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers Association Marshall McClain.

Mr. McClain, thanks for being here.

MARSHALL MCCLAIN, PRESIDENT, LAX PEACE OFFICERS ASSN.: Good morning, Alisyn. Thanks for having me.

CAMEROTA: So this attack was terrifying and it really exposed some vulnerability that still exists at airports. How can someone with a weapon run through security?

MCCLAIN: Well, that is troubling. This is something that was brought up in 2012 by our organization, myself and President Paul Nunziato from Port Authority Police. We went and met with then TSA Administrator Pistole and raised these concerns, those five areas, and this was one of the areas that we talked about could happen.

CAMEROTA: Let me get to those five areas, those five recommendations that you believe would actually save lives. This is what you proposed in 2012. Let me read those for our viewers.

You say fortify the TSA screening area. Makes sense. You say TSA should immediately report to police in the event of an incident. You say, have a central repository for all airport cameras with real-time access. You say there should be mandatory screening for all employees, including TSA personnel. And you say have definitive rules laid out between airport police and the TSA. These suggestions are so commonsensical. Please tell us that these were immediately implemented.

MCCLAIN: I wish I could. And, you're right, they are common sense. We thought they were. But some are still not in place today. For example, after TSA changed their uniforms and went to the metal badges, I know at LAX specifically they stopped screening all TSA employees. They claim that the metal badges --

CAMEROTA: And what's the thinking? Just -- yes, explain that. What is the thinking? Why wouldn't they screen TSA employees?

MCCLAIN: Well, they claim the metal badges would set off the metal detectors. But that's pretty ludicrous seeing that everyone, when they're going through screening, checkpoint, has to be searched except for on-duty law enforcement. Even if the mayor was flying out of LAX, he would go through screening.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

MCCLAIN: The chief of police would go through screening.

CAMEROTA: I mean, and given what we now know about ISIS and other terrorists who are always looking for a loophole, it just feels as though it would make sense to screen everyone. Is it possible that they will do that now at airports?

MCCLAIN: Well, I don't think it will happen unless it's mandated. We've been working with several members of Congress. Our current mayor, Mayor Garcetti, is very supportive of law enforcement here, unlike, unfortunately, some of the other areas, they don't have the support of their mayors and some Congress folks are not in support of local law enforcement.

With respect to everything that's going on right now, what happened in San Francisco with the drug ring, what happened in Atlanta with the weapons getting through and being stolen weapons being sold, this is absolutely the time to have mandatory screening. But it has to be mandated, otherwise people will not do it. They -- there's no reason why they shouldn't, but it has to be forced upon them, unfortunately.

CAMEROTA: Are TSA agents armed?

MCCLAIN: They are not.

CAMEROTA: At one time, police officers were stationed right around the screening checkpoint, alongside of TSA agents. But five years ago, that went away. What happened?

MCCLAIN: Well, again, that was a mandate that came down from the Hill, from Department Hamill and Security TSA; that was a mandate after 9/11 that there would be a law enforcement officer in close proximity.

That mandate was loosened. And as most things would happen, if it's not regulated, then it went away. LAX is one of the last airports to still have police officers in the general vicinity at a screening station. Our compromise here is to have at least a 300-foot rule where you don't necessarily have someone sitting as a sitting duck in a podium, but they're able to roam around and still being able to quickly respond to an incident, not having to wait for TSA to pick up a phone or let you know that something's happened. You would at least will be in proximity to respond quickly.

CAMEROTA: See, Mr. McClain, what's so baffling about all of this is that we all have to take off our shoes, we all have to empty out our laptops, we all have to go through all these hoops when we go through security. And to hear your reports of how it is still woefully inadequate, what is the answer to fortifying airport security today? MCCLAIN: Well, myself, again, Paul Nunsiato from Port Authority, two

of the largest airports -- Category X airports. What we suggested is not to try and tackle every airport in the United States but let's start with the Category X airports, the busiest traveled airports, and come up with common sense standards everybody can get their arms around. If we simply leave it to airport operators, they're going to cut costs, they're going to look at their bottom line, and unfortunately public safety is not always paramount in their list of agendas.

CAMEROTA: Let's hope they take some of your suggestions. Marshall McClain, thanks so much for sharing with us.

MCCLAIN: Thank you have for having me.

CAMEROTA: Let's get to Michaela.

PEREIRA: All right. Millions of Americans are saddled with student debt. So how can parents help their kids from ruining their credit? We are going to ask a very difficult book, brilliant author of a new book on millennials and finance. She happens to be our chief business correspondent, Christine Romans, and she joins us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:50:53] PEREIRA: It is no secret that Americans are drowning in student loan debt, but you don't have to fall into that trap. We have managed an exclusive interview with a new author.

Chief business correspondent Christine Romans is here.

ROMANS: Very hard to book me.

PEREIRA: She's out with a new book. The writer, she has "Smart is the New Rich: Money Guide for Millennials".

I'm so glad you wrote this book. It's such an important topic you shared with us before. What are some of the biggest mistakes that millennials are making when it comes to student loan debt?

ROMANS: Well, I think it's millennials and it's their parents, too. It's their parents who are helping them make these mistakes.

PEREIRA: Blame Mom and Dad.

ROMANS: Because they want them to have everything. They want them to have what they want, and they think that the world is their oyster. And that's true but they have to pay for that oyster.

The biggest mistake they're making is they are not graduating in four years. On borrowed money, four years, five years, six years -- 39 percent of kids graduate in four years. That number is way, way, way too low.

Another thing they're doing is they're borrowing more money than their future earnings are ever going to allow them. So look at it this way. If an engineering student is going to make on average $63,000 getting out of school, an engineering student can afford -- it's usually a five year program, too -- they can afford to borrow that much money. Maybe even a little more. But a humanities major is only get $43,000 to $45,000 -- if they get a job right away. If they're borrowing a lot of money, it's going to hold them back.

And you've got to be sure that you can pay it back 10 years. So there's major math going on before the money's borrowed, and a lot of families aren't doing it.

Another thing, people are borrowing as much as they're allowed. They're not borrowing as much as they need.

PEREIRA: Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

ROMANS: Right, right. This happened even when I was going to college. People would go to spring break -- plan their spring break as soon as they got their student loan check. Not a good use of your funds.

And finally, this is the most important one. Don't overlook the public instate schools. It is some of the best values out there. If you can't pay even for some of the college, you need to look at those instate -- I'm a product of Iowa State University, and a proud (INAUDIBLE). Those are some really good values there.

But, again, if you go to one of those big instate schools, make sure you're graduating in four years.

PEREIRA: Another chapter of the book that I think is going to be really valuable not just to millennials, but anybody really, "Money and Love". Oooh, that can be a sticky topic but it can be handled properly, bringing up the conversation about money with your significant other.

ROMANS: I am so surprised how many millennials said I would never ask how much student loan debt had. I would never ask what their credit card bills were. Tthey even move in together and they don't find out until someone's signing a lease that their credit score is 400 and there's all these unpaid bills.

This is something that millennials, everyone, but millennials really have to talk about here. Because if you are getting into a relationship with someone with $100,000 in student loan debt, you have to know that that is going to affect your household budget.

PEREIRA: You're part of that.

ROMANS: Every penny somebody's paying in student loans, they're not paying for your retirement planning together, your home-buying together. I'm not saying dump someone if they have a lot of loans. You have to really understand what the investment you're going to make.

PEREIRA: All right, so instead of just asking for their sign, ask what their FICO score is. I think that's a really good idea. OK, it may not seem romantic, but trust me on this one.

I really like the story of why you decided to write this book. We talked about it in our offices this morning. And I want you to share with people, what led you to specifically target millennials?

ROMANS: I'll you that when I was 21 years old, my parents -- even before that, my parents sat me down, public school, talked to me about money, talked to me about expectations about money, how I had to earn it, and I had to give some to charity, I had to pay to the future. They really showed me how to do a budget.

When I got my first job, my first boss sat me down and signed me up for 401(k). He put in like 12 or 15 percent away every month. Somebody helped me do that; I wouldn't have done it on my own.

PEREIRA: You want to do it for others.

ROMANS: I want to pass that -- I want other people -- I have this knowledge about money that could help these kids who have so much time. Time is the most important ingredient for prosperity. They can build wealth even if they have student loan debt.

PEREIRA: And let me tell you, people, she's generous with this information. She will tell all of us what we should be doing with our money on a daily basis and we appreciate it.

ROMANS: Oh.

PEREIRA: Thanks for sharing this; thanks for writing this book. Congratulations.

ROMANS: Thank you.

PEREIRA: Chris?

CUOMO: I must correct one point. Romans, very smart, cares about you and your money. Very generous with information. But another virtue that makes her good in this --

ROMANS: But?

CUOMO: Tight as two (INAUDIBLE).

PEREIRA: She is not!

CUOMO: She does not want to spend a penny on anything and she wants to help you be just as (INAUDIBLE).

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: As tight as two coats of paint.

[08:55:00] ROMANS: I take that as a complete.

CUOMO: Coming up next on the Good Stuff. Another woman who's on an incredible journey, not just Romans, and the incredible officer who would not let her stop. This is a good one.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: All right, this is good Good Stuff. Today's edition: Asia Ford. She is on a quest to turn her life around; she dropped more than 200 pounds in two years. Did it the right way, by the way. Centerpiece of her turnaround, a 10-K over the weekend. But by mile five she was having some trouble.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The EMS guys got out, talked to her, went to check on her. She's like I'm not stopping, I'm not stopping, so she kept going.

ASIA FORD, 10K RUNNER: And he said, you are going to finish the race, aren't you? I said, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I said I'm not going to stop. We're going to do this together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: So Asia tried to stop, he threw her on the ground and handcuffed her and people felt that that was over the line!

PEREIRA: Hey, stop it!

CUOMO: No, he literally gets next to her and says I will escort you the entire way. The young man on the other side -- listen to this part.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is what being a police officer is about.

FORD: I'm thankful to you because you are my angels.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[09:00:00] CAMEROTA: Oh, that's great.

CUOMO: On that side was her son.

CAMEROTA: I hope everyone knows that you always insert a joke into the stuff, which I love and always a surprise.

CUOMO: Because you always want to make it counterintuitive. And the son said, hey, cops like this make me believe that there are good guys out there who protect and serve.

CAMEROTA: Absolutely.

CUOMO: Everybody won and she crossed the line.

PEREIRA: A great way to finish our show and head over to the "NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello. Good morning, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR, "NEWSROOM": It is a great way to start --

PEREIRA: She's running too.

COSTELLO: I am running. I'm back from vacation and I think I'm a little bit still there. Have a great day. Thanks so much.

"NEWSROOM" starts now.