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Pataki Considers Presidential Run; Deaf Doctor Defies Odds; David Letterman Signs Off Tonight After 33 Years. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired May 20, 2015 - 08:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:32:36] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Are you running for president?

GEORGE PATAKI (R), FORMER GOVERNOR, NEW YORK: I am going to announce that next Thursday in Exeter (ph), New Hampshire.

CAMEROTA: Now the fact that you're going to announce it in New Hampshire, if you weren't running you could just announce it from your living room?

PATAKI: That's very true.

CAMEROTA: But if you - New Hampshire might be a place that you would announce that you are running?

PATAKI: Yes, there are some things going on in New Hampshire. I think it's called a primary, something like that.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

PATAKI: First in the nation. But, no, I am - I am very serious about this. I think conditions have gotten worse, both domestically and overseas. And if you believe in your ability to lead and you sit it out, shame on you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: That was former New York Governor George Pataki essentially announcing his presidential intentions moments ago on NEW DAY. The field of Republican contenders, wow, it continues to grow by the day. So how is he going to stand out in the crowd?

Joining us now, Michael Smerconish, CNN political commentator, host of CNN's "Smerconish."

Radiant in blue. And I really mean when I - when I ask this question, I'm being mostly glib, and I don't mean to disparage at all the former governor of New York or anybody else.

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Sure.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Or altercations (ph). You know a hit's (ph) coming. PEREIRA: Does everybody and their dog think that they can be president, because it seems like this field is getting more and more crowded by the day?

SMERCONISH: I think that speaks to the fact that there are - despite some of the early punditry, there really is not a front-runner in all of this. And Jeb stumbling this past week with regard to his conversation about Iraq I think it's a direct reason why you have Governor Pataki going pretty far, by the way.

CUOMO: What's he got that I ain't got? Yes.

SMERCONISH: I mean he essentially said I'm in, didn't he?

CAMEROTA: It sounded like it.

PEREIRA: It sounded like (INAUDIBLE).

(CROSS TALK)

CUOMO: I feel like we - we missed it. I think we were - or at least I - I'll own it. I feel like I was so thrown by the candor -

SMERCONISH: Right.

CUOMO: That I missed that I think he was actually saying, when you said -

PEREIRA: I'm going to announce that.

CUOMO: Are you announcing and he said I'm going - are you running, and he said, I'm going to announce that -

CAMEROTA: That.

CUOMO: Next week. I think he announced.

SMERCONISH: I think he do, too. Look, I button-holed him in the green room, of course, trying to get him on my show.

CUOMO: Did you try to get my mug back?

SMERCONISH: And he said -

CUOMO: And is that - not (ph) as a political contribution.

SMERCONISH: He said to me - he said to me, look, you don't walk into a restaurant to announce that you're - you're not here to have dinner.

CAMEROTA: Yes. There you go. Right, New Hampshire's a big restaurant. I agree with that.

SMERCONISH: It certainly is. He's there to eat.

CAMEROTA: You know we were impressed with his candor. I mean like his possessions or don't like his positions, at least he gave some positions just now. And one of the things that he said, which was pretty eyebrow raising, is that in order to fight ISIS, to beat ISIS, he believes that the U.S. will have to put boots on the ground to root out their training camps. That's different than what other candidates are saying.

SMERCONISH: Yes, very - and he also gave you a very direct answer I think with regard to Iraq. The question is, is there enough oxygen in the room for him because he really is an establishment type Republican. And in this field, Jeb Bush seems to own that territory. Chris Christie might think that he stands poised if, in fact, Jeb stumbles, but I think Governor Pataki is a very sellable candidate in a general election.

[08:35:20] :CUOMO: And whether or not that's reflective of a weak field or a strong field is up to the voters to decide. But when you look at Jeb versus Governor Pataki, Governor Bush versus Governor Pataki -

SMERCONISH: Right.

CUOMO: What do you - how do you plus/minus it?

SMERCONISH: It depends really if Jeb is going to be a carbon copy of his brother. As we've discussed in the past, he's reluctant thus far to distinguish himself from the positions that his brother had while in office. You won't get that from Governor Pataki. I think Pataki knows, as he gave you that direct answer about Iraq being a mistake, that he's prepared to distinguish himself from the rest of the group. I don't know that Jeb is yet poised to distinguish himself from his own brother.

PEREIRA: We also - you guys also asked about same-sex marriage. Let's listen to what governor -

SMERCONISH: Sure.

PEREIRA: We don't have that ready yet? OK.

CUOMO: We'll paraphrase.

CAMEROTA: Paraphrase.

PEREIRA: Paraphrase. Paraphrase a little.

CUOMO: That was good. Jinx. Give me a Coke.

CAMEROTA: Yes, (INAUDIBLE). He said the states should decide.

SMERCONISH: Yes, well, I think that will be a very popular position within the GOP. It's not exactly him opposing same-sex marriage, it's not him embracing it either and it's taking a very state's rightest position, which will be in concert.

CUOMO: But that may be - that may sound better than it actually has purchased legally. If the Supreme Court finds that there is a right of equal protection with the right to marriage and gays, forget about them saying it's a class, if they say LGBT has this right with marriage, it's no longer a Tenth Amendment question. It's no longer to the states, it's the law of the land. Just because something's popular doesn't make it just.

SMERCONISH: Chris, they will be relieved if that's the outcome, because then they will get to take a pass on this whole issue. And I think that they are all wise enough, the Republican field, to know that this kind of a wedge issue is not one on which you get elected. Maybe nominated, not elected.

PEREIRA: All right, we wanted to bring up Hillary because -

SMERCONISH: Sure.

PEREIRA: We know, of course, she's on the campaign trail, finally taking some questions from the press. We'll get to that in a second. But maybe pair those two up, Pataki/Clinton. How does that look?

SMERCONISH: Battle of the empire state, right? I - look, I think that we could have the election tomorrow if she's the Democratic nominee, and unless something happens, she probably is. And 47 percent of the people are prepared to come out and vote for and against her. There are very few, I think, who are truly undecided. So we could cut to the chase and role that election now.

CUOMO: Do you think he's their best bet right now?

SMERCONISH: Who?

CUOMO: George Pataki.

SMERCONISH: I think that George Pataki is the type of Republican who could win a general election. I think that he is sellable to independents. Forty-three percent of the country told Gallup in January, I'm not an "R" and I'm not a "D," I'm an "I."

CUOMO: Can he survive the primaries?

SMERCONISH: Ah, different question. Much more difficult.

CUOMO: He's - he's pro - he's - he's not pro-choice. He is - he is playing the field of same-sex marriage, which is probably the smart choice as you're saying. Does he side - can he survive those conservative primaries?

SMERCONISH: Very difficult for him to survive that process until - here's the path, Jeb stumbles, he's there to be the establishment candidate and all of the other very conservative candidates fight for that sliver of the pie and allow him, ala Romney, to slide in and take the nomination. It is conceivable. He needs to raise money, though.

PEREIRA: Well, we'll leave the rest of the topics up to you over the weekend to talk about that.

SMERCONISH: Thanks for that.

PEREIRA: Check out "SMERCONISH" Saturdays at 9:00 a.m. Eastern on CNN. You can hear him on Sirius XM also at 9:00 a.m. Eastern.

Good to have you here.

CAMEROTA: Great to see you.

SMERCONISH: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: Alright, what a good-bye. David Letterman signs off tonight as the host of "The Late Show." Bill Murray sends the comedian off the best way he knows how.

CUOMO: That's Oprah.

CAMEROTA: That was Oprah. And that's Tom Hanks.

CUOMO: That's Tom Hanks.

CAMEROTA: We'll show you all of it when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:42:45] PEREIRA: Alright, here we go with the five things you need to know.

And at number one, a big one, 34 million cars being recalled because of potentially dangerous air bag from manufacturer Takata. It is the biggest auto recall in U.S. history.

To Iraq, where ISIS is pushing east after taking Ramadi. Shiite fighters have managed to hold their ground so far but Iraqi government officials are planning to move even more fighters in Anbar province in an effort to stop ISIS.

Vice President Biden's son, Beau, hospitalized at Walter Reed Medical Center. The exact reason is unclear, but a source calls the situation "serious." Beau does have a history of medical issues.

One of the biker gangs involved in that deadly brawl in Waco, Texas, has reportedly agreed to cancel its annual rally that would have brought hundreds more bikers to Texas over the weekend.

CBS is keeping a bit of a lid on tonight's David Letterman finale, only saying there will be one last top ten list. Bill Murray, Letterman's first guest back in 1982, made an appearance last night, as you see there, popping gracefully out of a cake.

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

Chris.

CUOMO: Alright, going through medical school is hard enough, right? Imagine doing it without your hearing. But one man became one of the first deaf physicians certified in the United States, and Dr. Sanjay Gupta has his story in today's "Human Factor." Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Open your mouth.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dr. Philip Zazove always knew he wanted to follow in his parents' footsteps by becoming a doctor.

DR. PHILIP ZAZOVE: Bend your knees, please.

GUPTA (voice-over): Despite his hearing loss.

ZAZOVE: When I was about four, the expert told my parents that I would be lucky to be able to be a janitor.

GUPTA (voice-over): Dr. Zazove's parents pushed back and they placed him in public school where few special accommodations were given to deaf students.

ZAZOVE: we are talking about 1955. The teacher would say, oh, no way can I have a deaf kid in my class," and my parents would have to insist.

GUPTA (voice-over): Bullying became another obstacle.

ZAZOVE: Some kinds who would speak with their mouth behind their hands.

GUPTA (voice-over): But Dr. Zazove persevered and went on to medical school. He worked twice as hard to keep up with his hearing classmates.

ZAZOVE: I probably spent a lot more time reading and rereading the material. I never doubted myself.

GUPTA (voice-over): Today the husband and father of two is department chair of family medicine at the University of Michigan.

[08:45:03] ZAZOVE: Many patients don't even know I have a hearing loss. They just think I'm born someplace else and have an accent.

GUPTA (voice-over): He also inspires others like him to pursue careers in medicine.

DR. MICHAEL M. MCKEE, FAMILY MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: Seeing people that are successful is always a help for all of us that may have a little bit of a struggle.

GUPTA (voice-over): Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL MURRAY, ACTOR: Can you help me? Come on, let's move. Can we see if we sing loud enough?

(CHEERING)

CROWD: All we are saying -

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: That was Bill Murray covered in cake saying good-bye to his friend, David Letterman, on "The Late Show" last night. Murray was Letterman's very first guest when Letterman's show started in 1982. Tonight, Letterman signs off.

[08:50:02] So what will we see on the finale? Let's bring in CNN senior media correspondent and host of "RELIABLE SOURCES", Brian Stelter, and former managing editor of "People" magazine, Larry Hackett. Guys, great to see you.

LARRY HACKETT, FORMER MANAGING EDITOR, PEOPLE MAGAZINE: Good to see you.

CAMEROTA: We don't exactly know what will be on the finale, but we do know something really interesting, and that is that Jay Leno was invited to be on the finale, but what happened?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Invited but apparently passed. We have not heard from Leno, but we've heard from Letterman's executive producer, Rob Burnett, who says yes, the invitation did go out, would have been a big deal because the two men have not been on television together ever since Leno beat Letterman to the "Tonight Show" job in 1992. But it was not meant to be.

CUOMO: What's the hype, Larry? Is there bad blood there or do you think it was just scheduling or not wanting to make drama? What do you think?

HACKETT: I think it's hard to bury 20 years of agronomy jokes, all that kind of stuff, it would have overshadowed the show. I think what is interesting, even watching Bill Murray jump out of a cake last night, he is trying to acknowledge the fact that he is leaving, but he is trying to do his ordinary show, and I think having Jay on, it would just overshadow things, maybe press conferences later on. One wrong move could have ruined it. So I think Jay probably said thanks but no thanks. It works for both of them, right? He got invited, he decided not to go, the show goes on.

STELTER: Right. Right.

PEREIRA: Very little being released about what is going to happen tonight. And I like sort of the intrigue, right? But we understand not a lot of sentimentality because it's not what he wants. David Letterman doesn't want a lot of weeping and teary-eyedness.

STELTER: The producer says Letterman has not even written a good-bye, it will come from the heart and will be spontaneous. They will show some highlights, they will have some surprise people who come out on stage, but no sit-down guests. And I think there is something about that, about how Letterman's show was about spending time with him. It was not about the crazy, outlandish - at least toward the end - it wasn't about the crazy, over-the-top gags, it wasn't about the made-for-the-web sorts of clips that we see from Fallon and Kimmel nowadays. It was just about spending an hour with a guy you liked, and that's what he will do tonight.

HACKETT: I agree. And he will consult the bible of Johnny, right? What did Carson do? Carson had clips, he went out, there was a little emotion there, but he was trying not to be sentimental. He learned from the master, this is where he goes whenever he is looking to do these kinds of things. I think there will be definitely -- he will look back and see what Johnny did. It may not be exactly the same - certainly won't be - but I think that idea of no sentimentality, do the show, I'm done, I take my lunch pale, I go home.

CAMEROTA: Speaking of Jimmy Fallon, there are so many people who credit Letterman with being their inspiration and Jimmy Fallon is one of them. In fact, it stretches all the way back to his grade school yearbook. Listen to what Jimmy Fallon told his audience about this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY FALLON, HOST OF "THE TONIGHT SHOW": My eighth grade yearbook at St. Mary of the Snow School and a the end, my teacher makes predictions about what her students were going to go on to do. I don't know why she has the talent, well, she thinks she does, but anyway, she made this thing that says "James Fallon will replace David Letterman on 'The Late Night Show'". I want to go to the racetrack with this teacher in two weeks.

(LAUGHTER & APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: He was not alone. So many people say that he was their inspiration.

HACKETT: What strikes me, 35 years ago, that was David Letterman talking about Johnny Carson. It was exactly the same way. The absolute worship of, you know, the man above him. It's identical.

STELTER: Kimmel even says, don't watch me, watch Letterman.

PEREIRA: Right. How about that? He is going to run a rerun tonight.

STELTER: That's similar to when Comedy Central went dark when Carson signed off. So Kimmel is just saying, go over and watch CBS instead.

HACKETT: A huge change from the old days when, you know, Leno and Letterman were going at it and there was all this talk about acrimony and fighting. Now they all love one another.

CUOMO: But he was different too, Letterman. I think, you know, often in the business on the entertainment side, especially, being different. You know, whether it was just throwing the pencil at the camera or the irreverence of testing power, you know, he did that in a way that maybe Jon Stewart should give a nod to as much as these other guys.

STELTER: That's a good point.

HACKETT: Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, everyone, they all do this. I mean, he completely changed the world.

STELTER: That was a phrase that the producer said yesterday that actually struck me a little bit. He said Letterman is a trusted broadcaster now. Yes, a comedian, but now a trusted broadcaster also.

PEREIRA: But it's so funny because he also made irreverence kind of the norm, when you list all that stuff, you know, laughing in church kind of thing. So now which direction do they go? Because you have to pivot from that to stand out from the crowd, so what does Colbert do?

HACKETT: That's interesting. That's going to be very, very difficult. What strikes me, too, about the show, if you look back to Steve Allen, if you came down as an alien and watched the show now, 65 years from the beginning, it looks the same. It's a guy behind a desk and some chairs, right? And Letterman managed to break it but leave it the same way.

(CROSSTALK)

STELTER: Well, they are emptying out the office right now, you know, so Colbert can move in. They are clearing out already at the theater.

HACKETT: And we will see what he does, you know. Do people want something different? We have been watching the same notion for 65 years. Yes, with pencils and yes, with some irreverence, and Dave did change things. But basically, guy, desk, chair, jokes, music. We will see if he changes that around.

CAMEROTA: This morning, the Mayor of Indianapolis has declared today Dave Letterman day.

HACKETT: Well, that changes everything.

CAMEROTA: Going forward. As well as the Indiana Power and Light has a special banner going around saying "Thanks, Dave" -

CUOMO: Now he has made it.

HACKETT: It gets bigger and bigger.

CAMEROTA: Now we want take a live picture outside of the late show, the Ed Sullivan Theater. People, it looks like, are already clustered -- or that could just be a hot dog vender. Hard to know what is going on.

CUOMO: That is actually someone selling second-rate wear right in front of it.

(LAUGHTER)

[08:55:06] PEREIRA: We'll all be watching tonight, whether it's time shifting or watching it live.

STELTER: Live, I think, maybe this one time.

PEREIRA: Yeah, right.

HACKETT: You want to avoid the recaps tomorrow and you want to see it tonight.

CAMEROTA: Yeah, that's for sure. And we would love to know what your favorite memory of the David Letterman's show was. You can, of course, tweet us, you can tweet us all individually, you can go to Facebook.com/newday.

CUOMO: And a little note in there about Camerota's hype of what the scene was outside "The Late Show" was also respected.

That was good stuff but we've got more for you coming up. "The Good Stuff". Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: "The Good Stuff". Life really gave 10-year-old Alyssa De La Sala's family lemons. Listen to this. Their Florida home destroyed by fire, this contractor, they hire him to fix it, he leaves them high and dry. So Alyssa decides to make lemonade out of these lemons. Literally. Old-fashioned lemonade.

She does it in a stand, simple enough, she's just trying to sell lemonade to get money to help her family. Word gets out, the entire community comes to help. One person paid $500 for a cup of lemonade, another $1,000. Piles of supplies donated to help rebuild. In all, Alyssa's lemonade stand raised nearly 10 grand for her family.

PEREIRA: Oh my.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENN DE LA SALA, ALYSSA'S MOM: We knew we had a good community, but when you just see everyone here it's really overwhelming.

[08:59:59] ALYSSA DE LA SALA, SOLD LEMONADE TO RAISE MONEY FOR BURNED DOWN HOME: (INAUDIBLE) overwhelmed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Oh, that's beautiful. She is so cute.

PEREIRA: Doesn't matter how small the pint (ph) is, you know.

CAMEROTA: So great.

PEREIRA: You can change things.

CUOMO: That's why we started "The Good Stuff". People, ordinary, doing the extraordinary for one another. Beautiful.