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Dr. Oz Takes Critics On; Nominating CNN Heroes; New Season of "Parts Unknown". Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired April 24, 2015 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:30:00] NASSER JUDEH, JORDAN FOREIGN MINISTER: I hope that this is a gateway towards addressing the wider issues of the region.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Your excellency Nasser Judeh, thank you so much for being on NEW DAY.
JUDEH: Thank you very much.
CUOMO: We very much anticipate Jordan's leadership in the region at the U.N. Security Council.
JUDEH: Thank you very much. Look forward to it.
CUOMO: Alisyn.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: OK, Chris, well, Dr. Oz is fighting fire with fire. We'll tell you what he said to turn the tables on his critics.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. MEHMET OZ, HOST, "THE DR. OZ SHOW": You may have seen the headlines attacking me this past week after a brazen letter from 10 mysterious doctors call for my removal from Columbia University Medical School where I have proudly been on the faculty for almost 20 years. I was surprised since my life's work has been built around one simple message, you have a right and a responsibility to become a world expert on your own body.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Dr. Oz coming out, swinging on his show Thursday. Dr. Oz addressed a group of doctors who want him removed from Columbia University over medical advice he gives that they find questionable. Oz, for his part, saying they were attacking his freedom of speech and even went after their own credibility. Brian Stelter, CNN's senior media correspondent, host of "Reliable Sources," is here. He's been watching all of this happen. He was on the "Today" show today. You watched that interview.
[08:35:04] BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's been like a weeklong blitz by Dr. Oz.
PEREIRA: It's been - it's been a defensive strategy. How - has it worked? Is it working?
STELTER: Well, he's trying to take the narrative back.
PEREIRA: Yes.
STELTER: This time last we were talking about whether he should be credentialed at Columbia University. Now we're talking about whether his critics are legitimate. So in some ways this has worked.
PEREIRA: Mmm, he changed it, right.
STELTER: In other ways, though, we're still thinking about Dr. Oz and talking about whether he's a quack. You know, that word is in a lot of peoples' minds. And there's a very legitimate debate to be had about whether people should just blindly believe what they hear on that show.
PEREIRA: He is my question. In some of - he's been out front. He's been in a "Time" essay. He wrote the "Time" essay. He was on NBC -
STELTER: Yes.
PEREIRA: In a sit-down interview talking about it. And he makes the point, he says, I'm a doctor and I'm coming into their lives to be supportive of them, but it's not a medical show.
STELTER: Right.
PEREIRA: The show is called "Dr. Oz" and he's wearing scrubs. I'm not going to watch his show to get sports analysis -
STELTER: Right.
PEREIRA: Or economic advice.
STELTER: That was the strangest argument I thought he made in this, you know, entire PR blitz. A lot of what he's saying is legitimate. But the idea that his show is not a medical show because "Oz" is the biggest word in the title, it's like saying "Anderson Cooper 360" is not a news cast because Anderson's name is in the title. Clearly it is a medical show in the same way that this is a news show. And for him to try to step away from that feels like it falls short and kind of seems hollow.
This isn't going away for Dr. Oz. You know, yesterday, eight physicians from Columbia - eight faculty members that is, weighed in. They said some good things about him. They don't want him removed from the faculty necessarily. But they want it to be made clear on his show that what he's saying does not represent Columbia. They say they have to deal with Oz-ism in their practices.
PEREIRA: So we're seeing them - we're seeing them distance a little bit. He was asked on the "Today" show this morning if he can - if he believes that he can survive this.
STELTER: Right. PEREIRA: I'm curious what you thought of his reaction.
STELTER: He says he can. He says he's not going anywhere. He's been pretty strong saying that. But he's right about that, I mean he's got long-term contracts with his television syndicator, Sony. He's got stations all across the country and he's got strong ratings.
PEREIRA: But is it going to harm his brand?
STELTER: Well, it definitely is a dent, so to speak, right? It's definitely a little bit of - of damage to him. Something that people probably aren't going to forget about. But I think this might be good for him and for viewers over the long term.
PEREIRA: Well, one of the things that's been very interesting about his whole take is that he believes, and I don't disagree with this -
STELTER: Yes.
PEREIRA: That we should be advocates for our own body and we should know and question the things that we're sort of told, not just to believe blindly what we're told from the science community, medical community, but one might say that we might want to do the same things with what he is telling us.
STELTER: For sure. For sure. And I think that may be the best outcome here, right, that - that we trust but verify. That we check what we hear on his show like we would check anything else. I also think this might - this kind of criticism, and I think he's admitted this in "Time" magazine and elsewhere, is better for him. It makes his show better because he knows he's being watched, he knows he's being scrutinized. And that requires them - the producers of the show, the doctors on the show, to be careful and to make sure they're not going too far with some of their ideas. You know, they've backed away from weight loss supplements about a year ago.
PEREIRA: Yes. Yes. He might recalibrate.
STELTER: So they've already taken steps that would seem to be pretty appropriate steps.
PEREIRA: Do you think Monday, a week Monday, a month Monday -
STELTER: Right.
PEREIRA: Do you - what do you see the big change being on the show? Do you think it will be the same thing that we've seen?
STELTER: You know, I think he'll continue to advocate for what he advocates for and he'll -
PEREIRA: Will he be contrite? Will he be humbled?
STELTER: Maybe a little bit. But he certainly - he certainly didn't sound that way yesterday.
PEREIRA: OK.
STELTER: He sounded like a person presenting himself as the victim of a smear campaign wanting to stand up for himself and have his viewers stand up for him. You know, be - it was almost like he was the victim here.
PEREIRA: To that point, was there some hate-oration (ph) here? Was it they just wanted to see, oh, how the mighty have fallen? Is that one of those situations? Went tend to do that in America, don't we, build people up and then love to tear them down?
STELTER: Yes, there might be some doctors out there that don't have television shows that might want television shows or just might be a little envious of Dr. Oz's empire that he has built. I think there's sometimes an element of that at play that we see in these sorts of debates. However, I think if we went to our own doctors and said to them, do you think everything Dr. Oz says is legitimate, should we be skeptical, I think - I think my physician would say, yes, be skeptical.
PEREIRA: Yes.
STELTER: Sometimes he might go into areas that we don't agree with. At the same time, I think he's exposed people to alternative medicine practices that they should be exposed to.
PEREIRA: Uh-huh, which is never a bad thing. It's never a bad thing to bring it into our conversation.
STELTER: Exactly.
PEREIRA: Brian, you've been working hard on this story. He had his laptop on his knee working and tweeting just a few minutes ago.
STELTER: Oh, yes.
PEREIRA: Thank you so much for being here again today.
STELTER: Thank you.
PEREIRA: What's your tweet - your take at home? You can tweet us using #newdaycnn.
Alisyn.
CAMEROTA: I will be tweeting you right now.
Meanwhile, Anthony Bourdain is back to eating his way around the world. Where is he heading next? Stick around. Find out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:43:28] CUOMO: Welcome back.
We have a quick look at the top stories for you. The Vatican may have been a top target of suspects arrested in a major
anti-terror operation in Italy. Wiretaps show some suspects were in contact with supporters of Osama bin Laden.
CAMEROTA: And according to a source, the family of Warren Weinstein, the American hostage accidentally killed by a U.S. drone strike, did transfer money to his al Qaeda captors in 2012, but the captors then wanted a prisoner exchange instead.
PEREIRA: One of our favorite times of the year is drawing nigh. It's a whole new year of CNN Heroes. Once again our campaign honoring everyday people who are changing the world. It begins with you. Right now you can give the person you nominate a chance to have their amazing work recognized around the world. Here is our own friend, Anderson Cooper, to show you how you can do it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, ANCHOR, CNN'S "AC 360": Tonight we're recognizing some incredible acts of compassion and kindness.
CNN Heroes is looking for everyday people who are changing the world. How do we find these extraordinary people? Well, we find them with your help. You can nominate someone right now at cnnheroes.com.
Maybe your hero is protecting the environment, helping those with disabilities get more out of life, giving hope to children born into poverty, or opportunity through education, or maybe they found a unique way to solve a problem wherever they live.
Whatever their cause, nominating a CNN Hero is easier than ever. First, go to cnnheroes.com and click "nominate." We ask for some basic information about your nominee and you. But most important, we want to know what makes your hero extraordinary and how is their work changing lives for the better. It's really important to write from your heart because it's your words that will make your hero's story stand out.
[08:45:19] After you've told us about your hero, click "submit." You'll see this message that confirms we received it. And now you can nominate a hero from any device. Just go to cnnheroes.com from your laptop, your tablet or your smart phone.
But it all starts with you, so nominate someone deserving today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PEREIRA: Anthony Bourdain is returning with a new season of "PARTS UNKNOWN" on CNN, and is taking on a little South Korea, and a little something called soju. But we know soju well, don't we? (INAUDIBLE)
Anthony Bourdain, host of CNN's "PARTS UNKNOWN" joins us now.
Did you take on Korea or did it take on you, is my question? I saw this episode and it looks like it got the best of you, my friend. ANTHONY BOURDAIN, CNN HOST, "PARTS UNKNOWN": As you noticed, we tell
the story in reverse, which is something we wanted to do for some time. So I become progressively more sober as the show progresses. They drink -- they party hard, they drink hard in Korea. I am a rank amateur when it comes to drinking and partying.
CAMEROTA: And soju is not the most pleasant -- It's an acquired taste, isn't it?
[08:50:02] BOURDAIN: It's pretty good.
CAMEROTA: Describe what its.
BOURDAIN: It's basically rice whisky and it packs a punch, and any self-respecting Korean can drink a lot of it, and there are restaurants dedicated to drinking games, the eating of squid, M&Ms (ph), raw oysters, rice whisky and beer and raw oysters would seem like a bad idea in principle --
PEREIRA: Seems genius in Korea, right?
CUOMO: But this stuff packs a real punch though, right? It has ethanol content in it and you are supposed to drink it neat, right? Which is part of the culture of it, but it knocks you -- the only thing I can think about is maybe grain alcohol here, in terms of what knocks you sideways like that?
BOURDAIN: All you need to know is there is nothing more terrifying to me in this world than karaoke, I ended up doing karaoke.
PEREIRA: I am hearing that we might have a clip.
BOURDAIN: Oh, no.
CAMEROTA: Oh, I hope so.
PEREIRA: Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOURDAIN (voice-over): There is something that I have been craving since I got off the plane, bonchon, the spicy, pickley, delicious snackies that accompany your meal in Korea.
(on camera): I miss this. This is, for me, one of the most exciting things about Korean food is the bonchon.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Doesn't that just make you want to drink more soju?
BOURDAIN: Is that a hint or soemthing?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no, no.
BOURDAIN: Yes, right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know, the formality of it all.
BOURDAIN (voice-over) Appetizers? Yes, I remember these guys.
Oh, our old friend.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This looks familiar.
BOURDAIN: Bringing back memories.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PEREIRA: Talk about your moving food, but I notice the formality of pouring the drink. You can't pour your own?
BOURDAIN: To be the eldest at a table in Korea means everyone pours for you, it's their obligation to keep your glass full always.
CUOMO: Remember that.
CAMEROTA: That's a nice tradition.
BOURDAIN: I should point out that in addition to drinking hard, they eat really well. The food there is spectacular.
CUOMO: If they can catch it. (INAUDIBLE) going on on that plate with the calamari there - What was that? It was getting away.
BOURDAIN: It's a time-honored tradition, far be it from I for -
CUOMO: Why were they moving? Were they alive?
(CROSSTALK)
BOURDAIN: Live octopus tentacles.
CUOMO: They keep moving when you cut them off, I see.
BOURDAIN: It's Kardashian-like, just too dumb to know they are dead.
(LAUGHTER)
CUOMO: Oh!
PEREIRA: You said you really wanted to do, for some time, a backwards show. Why?
BOURDAIN: Yes. We are always looking to find a new way to tell a similar story. I am constantly doing the same thing. I go someplace, I eat a lot of food and drink a lot and I come home and talk about it.
PEREIRA: You've been to Korea before, so this seemed like a good fit for this -
BOURDAIN: So we are always trying to find interesting, new, creative and upsetting ways to tell that story stylist stylistically, and we've been looking for an opportunity where we could tell the story backwards.
CAMEROTA: So you start at the end -
BOURDAIN: I start the show hideously, you know, partial amnesia drunk and become increasingly sober walking the cat backwards to where I began.
CUOMO: You must really trust your crew, huh?
BOURDAIN: No, I don't at all. They are terrible people.
CUOMO: What was your song in karaoke? Own it.
BOURDAIN: "White Wedding" by Billy Idol.
CAMEROTA: Oh.
CUOMO: Strong choice.
BOURDAIN: It takes a couple of bottles of soju to get there.
CUOMO: Strong choice.
PEREIRA: I would have thought you'd be more a cruner (ph) in there. This next season, any favorite destinations we are going to see? Any teasers you can give us?
BOURDAIN: Madagascar, I think, is going to be an exciting and interesting show. We went with the filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, so you sort of see his take on the same events, and I think New Jersey, you know --
CAMEROTA: Right on.
BOURDAIN: -- my home state.
CAMEROTA: Love it.
BOURDAIN: I am making the case for New Jersey as being the finest state in America.
CAMEROTA: I am with you. I love it.
CUOMO: What does finest mean?
BOURDAIN: It's a cultural well spring, a petri dish for greatness.
PEREIRA: Okay.
CAMEROTA: I agree.
CUOMO: It's the soju talking.
PEREIRA: You are going to have to convince a few of us of that, but you got Camerota's attention. Make sure to tune in this Sunday, 9:00 p.m., it's the season premiere of "PARTS UNKNOWN" on CNN. Anthony, always good to see you.
BOURDAIN: Thank you.
CUOMO: You lost me there at the end.
(CROSSTALK)
[08:54:24] CUOMO: Friday edition of Good Stuff next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CUOMO: Time for The Good Stuff. Safe Passage, amazing organization, provides transitional employment for vets. One of the things it does, it puts them in Chicago's most violent neighbors and gives them a new mission: make sure kids get home from school safe.
PEREIRA: Oh, wow.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CEDRIK WHITTAKER, FMR. PROGRAM MANAGER, LEAVE NO VETERAN BEHIND: Somebody is going to think twice because we are there.
How are you all doing?
And because of that, there is going to be a child that gets home safe that day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: Vets say it's about more than just physical security, it's about building trust.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITTAKER: We help them get to and from school, but also while they are walking past us, we have to build a relationship with them. You say hi to them every day, eventually they want to say a little bit more than just hi.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PEREIRA: They will. Build the trust.
CUOMO: Good for vets, too. Since 2011, more than 400 vets have gone through Safe Passage and gone onto fulfilling careers as part of it.
Now we have some better stuff today.
PEREIRA: We do and we kind of want to take issue because she didn't tell us about it.
CUOMO: And that's not the good stuff part of it. Shockingly, this is about you.
PEREIRA: What is happening today in New Jersey? CAMEROTA: Today in an hour and a half in Red Bank, New Jersey, I am
being awarded the Hall of Fame award from my high school. Yes. It's the pinnacle of my life. I have arrived.
PEREIRA: Will there be a bust of you? Will there be a guilded photo?
CAMEROTA: I am not sure what it will entail, but I will report -- I will take pictures.
[09:00:01] CUOMO: If there were a bust, show us what you want as your face.
PEREIRA: Come on. Oh, no. Oh, that's it.
CUOMO: Oh, that is good. Pensive, yet compassionate.
