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GOP Tax Plans; Water on Mars; "The Carol Burnett Show: The Lost Episodes". Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired September 29, 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] ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS, BEN CARSON'S BUSINESS MANAGER: Cutting entitlement programs and those issues that Republicans often discuss, but you also must talk about some of those sacred cows that Republicans try to protect. The problem is, everybody wants to protect their own interests -

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Sure.

WILLIAMS: And they don't want to make the sacrifice. And everybody's going to have to come to the table, work with Congress, make the tough sacrifices in order to work for every day Americans who have not realized yet the American dream.

CAMEROTA: Therein lies the challenge. Jeffrey, what about that?

JEFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes.

CAMEROTA: What about the Republican base? Are they OK with Donald Trump saying not only is half of the country not going to pay income taxes, I support them. I champion their cause of that.

LORD: Yes, there may be some who believe, you know, the skin in the game kind of concept, but I think basically -

CAMEROTA: That's what Fred (ph) and Mort (ph) just talked about, that - that - no skin in the same.

LORD: Right. Right. But basically I - I do think they're on board with this. I mean, after all, I mean Reaganomics worked. It was a huge success for several decades, a couple decades. So, you know, you're getting right to the heart of the, you know, the Republican affection for Ronald Reagan and Jack Kemp and their economic programs which were so successful. So, yes, I really do think that they would respond to this.

CAMEROTA: OK, there you go. Jeffrey Lord, Armstrong Williams, thanks so much for helping us understand both sides here.

LORD: Thanks, Ali (ph).

CAMEROTA: Great to see you guys.

What's your take on these tax plans? You can tweet us using #newdaycnn or post your comments on facebook.com/newday. Also a quick programming note for you. CNN and Facebook host the first

Democratic debate. It is two weeks from tonight on October 13th. You don't want to miss it. Set your clock now, John and Michaela.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: It's set. It's done. Multiple clocks, in fact.

All right, now we will look into some news that is out of this world, water flowing on Mars' surface. How much of a big discovery and development is this in the search for life on the red planet? Well, we'll ask a former astronaut, see what he thinks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:36:03] PEREIRA: Here are the five things that you need to know for today.

At number one, Afghan forces aided by a U.S. airstrike overnight, fighting to retake the northern city of Kunduz (ph). It was seized Monday by Taliban fighters in a surprise pre-dawn attack.

President Obama convenes a United Nations summit on ISIS and violent extremism today with a focus on preventing extremism at early stages. The president also set to meet Cuban Leader Raul Castro, the first time, formally renewing - since renewing those diplomatic ties.

A ruling could come today on a request to delay the trial for the first officer to be tried in the Freddie Gray case. A hearing is set for this afternoon. Officer William Porter's trial is scheduled to begin in two weeks.

Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump vowing to slash taxes for all, including the rich. He said he wouldn't benefit from his own plan in the short-term, but he says he will in the long-term because he's betting the economy will boom.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Florida Congressman Daniel Webster both pitching themselves as the next speaker of the House. Republican members will meet today to discuss their future.

You can always get more on the five things by visiting newdaycnn.com.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, a potential breakthrough in the search for life on Mars. NASA says water still flows on the surface. How big of a deal is this? Flowing rivers of life? We're going to ask a former astronaut. He joins us next.

PEREIRA: There he is.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:41:29] PEREIRA: I'm going to geek out on this one. NASA making a big announcement, scientists have found signs of water on Mars. Images captured by the Mars recognizance orbiter yielded the strongest evidence to date. That water flows down martian's slopes every summer, and I say that in parentheses, and freezes during the colder months.

What does this mean for finding life beyond earth? Joining us now, a real life astronaut. Mike Massimino, a former NASA astronaut, and the senior advisor of space programs at the Intrepid Museum.

We should say this is new but not really because it's now confirming what they had suspected back in April. This is big.

MIKE MASSIMINO, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT: It's - it's a big - it's a big announcement. They've had signs of water at the - at the caps, at the polar caps, frozen water. And they - it looks like there was old river beds, ancient river beds. But the idea, the hypothesis that there was actually water still flowing was something that would be new. And now there's confirmation of it. Or very good - strong evidence. Yes, strong - strong evidence.

BERMAN: Yes, this - this is martian streams right now.

MASSIMINO: Yes.

BERMAN: I mean that part is new. You have like the Hudson, although not quite as big -

PEREIRA: Well -

BERMAN: Flowing on Mars right now.

MASSIMINO: Yes, that's right, it's these - these lines of water that during the warmer month is, as you mentioned, water looks like it's flowing down these slopes, and that's - that's very exciting. Yes, we never knew this before. There was no evidence of this before.

CAMEROTA: And they - they think because it's not frozen that it's salt water.

MASSIMINO: Yes.

CAMEROTA: But follow this line of logic. So therefore, what?

MASSIMINO: Therefore - there's - there's two things when you find water. One is, is that maybe there's some sort of life there. Right, not - not like a martian/alien necessarily, but some kind of microbial life maybe even under the surface so that -

PEREIRA: Or that there had been life.

MASSIMINO: Or there had been. Right. Exactly.

PEREIRA: Right.

MASSIMINO: So maybe there's fossil evidence of it. So that's one thing. The other thing is, is that if we go visit this place, there's possibly a water source for us to use to support our life. This is - this is - this is two big things.

PEREIRA: Let me not throw water on your theorems here - CAMEROTA: (INAUDIBLE) could be there.

MASSIMINO: Yes.

PEREIRA: But it - could - could the rover be wrong? Because this is - this is Mars.

MASSIMINO: Correct.

PEREIRA: This is - this is really far away.

MASSIMINO: Right.

PEREIRA: There - this is a planet that we don't know a terrible lot about.

MASSIMINO: It's - Michaela, you're absolutely right. I mean so these are - these are - this is the first evidence of it, right? They took images. They saw these lines. They used spectroscopy to analyze what those - very fancy word.

BERMAN: Every male over 40 (ph).

MASSIMINO: There you go. Exactly. So -

PEREIRA: Every two years.

MASSIMINO: And in every plant over a few billion. So they've analyzed it and they're pretty sure of what it is. I think the next step is to maybe try to get a sample. You'd love to send people there to see whatever it is. But that - you're trying to piece it together. But you're right, there's always that - there's always that maybe we're wrong sort of thing.

PEREIRA: Right. Right.

MASSIMINO: But this is pretty compelling evidence.

BERMAN: That (INAUDIBLE) matters in this case because what are the qualities of this water that we know so far?

MASSIMINO: The quality - it's salty, which is -

PEREIRA: And how do we know that?

MASSIMINO: OK. So they look through the spectroscopy, they can analyze what's inside of it. There's a couple reasons. One is, is that it's - it's there at the colder temperatures. So salt, like when you throw salt on ice in the wintertime that's coming here in a few months, it will melt - it will melt the ice. And so having salt in the water will allow the water to flow and now - it will freeze as the lower temperature.

PEREIRA: At lower temperature, right.

MASSIMINO: So that's - that's one thing. And then they can look at the spectroscopy, which is going to look at the spectrum, the colors, the properties of it, and try to see what type of - what salt it is. They think it's perchlorate, which could also have an exciting possibilities that you can possibly use that for some type of fuel.

CAMEROTA: Now, even in Mars' summer, it is still, I believe, -10 degrees Fahrenheit.

MASSIMINO: It's cold.

PEREIRA: A wee bit chilly.

MASSIMINO: It's further from the sun than we are. Look at it that way.

[08:45:01] CAMEROTA: Right.

MASSIMINO: The sun's the heat and they're further away.

CAMEROTA: So the idea of colonizing Mars is not working for humans yet.

PEREIRA: Humans. She was looking to get some investment property.

MASSIMINO: Bring a blanket. Yes, no, we are still - think the other thing it shows is that we - you know, we think of, hey, we can get to Mars and we can - it - but it's - there's a lot to learn. It is another planet and a completely different orbit. The moon kind of follows us around. It is closer and easier to get to. This is much further away. So we are learning and more and more. And I look at this as getting us the information we need to actually send people there. This is a good thing to know before you get there.

PEREIRA: Absolutely. You want to know what's waiting at the campsite.

MASSIMINO: Right. Exactly. What do I need? Exactly.

PEREIRA: Do I need to bring water?

MASSIMINO: Exactly.

PEREIRA: Does it speed up then the idea of, okay, let's start raising the money and get a craft that can take people there so that we can see with our own eyes?

MASSIMINO: I hope so. I think it is creating a lot of interest. And we're saying well this is maybe -- maybe this planet is closer to earth than we expected. But absolutely. I think there is a lot we have to do to get there. We have to - you know, propulsion, spacecraft, how to protect people from radiation, how to keep them there for that long, when to go, when you can come back and there's a lot of stuff to figure. But I think this gives us the motivation to continue.

BERMAN: And the space guys, is it frustrating to you that we're not doing more in space exploration and to get to Mars faster?

MASSIMINO: We always want more, right? No matter what we have, we'd like to be there faster, we want more funding, we want - But I think the reality of it is as a space guy is that this is not easy stuff to do, you know. 200 years ago it wasn't so easy to go from New York to Australia, right? And that's kind of -

PEREIRA: We have bigger goals. Loftier goals now.

MASSIMINO: Well that's what we're talk - Now, but it's kind of that. These are really tough problems. So in some ways, yes, I wish we were there. But I'm very glad that it seems like with a lot of the young people I teach at Columbia and that I see, they're very excited about going there and if we can have this as a goal and we keep learning, I'm happy.

PEREIRA: Well, we're happy to have you here --

MASSIMINO: Thanks for having me. It's a pleasure.

PEREIRA: Always a pleasure. Mike Massimino.

MASSIMINO: So much fun. Thank you.

PEREIRA: Always a delight. Thank you.

CAMEROTA: You had us a propulsion. Thanks so much, Mike.

All right. Meanwhile, comedy legend Carol Burnett is back with more big laughs -- So exciting. Lost episodes of her classic TV show finally being released on DVD. She will join us next on NEW DAY.

PEREIRA: I can hardly stand it. Best day ever.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[08:50:37] CAROL BURNETT, ACTRESS, "THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW": That did it! That absolutely did it! I am leaving this house and I am not coming back until the end of the football season! In case you missed it, here's the instant replay.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: Oh. I can't. The iconic comedian and television legend, Carol Burnett, in a clip that hasn't been seen for more than 40 years. The first five seasons of "The Carol Burnett Show" have never been in syndication or DVD. But now after a little legal wrangling, those clips are finally available on a new DVD. It's called "The Carol Burnett Show: The Lost Episodes."

The one, the only, Carol Burnett joins us now and I have to say it quickly because I'm a little overwhelmed by this. You have brought such joy to my family, as you have to countless people. In fact, the crew was even marveling. We're so glad to have you here. You brought us smiles for years.

BURNETT: Thank you. Thank you. PEREIRA: I was watching you watch it. "The Lost Episodes." How does

it feel to see it all?

BURNETT: Well, I feel a little like Norma Desmond in "Sunset Boulevard," I'm looking at myself - I'm just kidding.

PEREIRA: Time plays tricks on us.

BURNETT: Yes, it does.

PEREIRA: But do you remember those moments as though they were yesterday or do they feel a little removed now?

BURNETT: They are some that I do - That I totally remember and then there were some that I watched that I said, did we really do that?

PEREIRA: They really are the lost episodes.

BURNETT: Yeah, they were lost in my mind, you know. But it's -- I'm just tickled that we can have them out now.

PEREIRA: I am too. Especially now. The world could use some laughs now in particular. I want to take us back in a time machine and I want to read you a "Time" review from 1962. I think we have it up. Can we pull it up on the screen so I can read it?

"The biggest yuk to hit television since Sid Caesar's salad wilted is a Goofty-Cousin-Clara sort of girl with a grin full of teeth, a manner both tentative and brash, and a talent that comes bubbling up every time she opens her big mouth, shakes a leg, or crosses an eye."

When you hear that, when you look at that all those years ago, what comes up for you?

BURNETT: Well, for one thing, I don't remember that review but how nice it was. You know, I -- it's -- it's -- I can't really explain it. I look at it and I see that girl there. And I thought, oh, wow. Time has really passed. But on the other hand, how wonderful that we can see it again.

PEREIRA: That we can. Not many of us get to look back at our own lives that way in a way that you are able to.

BURNETT: Well what's neat about this is that, you know, we weren't necessarily topical. So that the sketches we did, I think they play well today.

PEREIRA: Sure.

BURNETT: I doubt -- I really would challenge anyone who watches the Dennis sketch with Tim and Harvey not to laugh. And just totally crack up. And that is over 40 years old. So what I say is funny is funny.

PEREIRA: You and Lucy were among the first women to have shows bearing their own names. We've come a long way, yet we haven't. If you look at the late night line up now...

BURNETT: I know, that's true. And I'm very disappointed that there's not a woman in the late night lineup.

PEREIRA: So we've kind of gone backwards in a way.

BURNETT: Well, we sure haven't gone forward as far as that is concerned. However, you do have a lot of wonderful women today in comedy.

PEREIRA: A lot of funny ladies. What is it going to take to get them out front then, do you think?

BURNETT: Probably someone in the network who isn't a guy.

PEREIRA: What a concept. What a concept. So obviously right now we're in full election mode here at CNN and politics is rife for laughs for comedians. What do you think about that relationship between the comedian and politics?

BURNETT: Well, I think it's okay. I'm not one to do that. I think it's more done by standup comics. You know, I'm a sketch comedian. Ed Wynn who was an old vaudevillian who was guesting on "The Gary Moore Show" one week, he said well, the difference between a comic and a comedic actor is the comic, like Bob Hope, says funny things. A comedic actor, like Jack Benny, says things funny. So Benny could take one word and go well, and get -- and it wasn't a joke.

[08:55:04] PEREIRA: Right. Absolutely. Or even the way you could with just one look at the camera or one movement. So physical.

BURNETT: Well that is what a comedic actor does is they say - That's what I wanted to do -- was to say things funny.

PEREIRA: I could talk to you all day. Carol, I'm so glad we've had this time together.

BURNETT: Thank you.

PEREIRA: Thank you, to steal one of your lines.

BURNETT: Thank you.

PEREIRA: What a what a pleasure. What a pleasure.

BURNETT: Thank you.

PEREIRA: Be sure to pick up a copy of "The Carol Burnett Show: The Lost Episodes." It's in stores now.

Stay tuned, we've got "The Good Stuff" coming your way next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: It is time now for "The Good Stuff." We want you to meet Samuel Meixueiro. He's a Kansas City man who has fallen on hard times. He sleeps in a church and he walks five to six hours to get to and from work. Last Tuesday he was taking a nap in a park when someone called 911 to report a suspicious person. Luckily for him, the responding officer knew just what do.

Officer Zack Stamper not only drove Samuel to work, but he later returned with a duffel bag in which to carry all of Samuel's belongings and a new bicycle.

PEREIRA: Oh my god.

BERMAN: Good. Nice guy.

PEREIRA: There are good people in the world.

BERMAN: Time now for "NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello.