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Sanders Gets Endorsement; Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2015. Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired October 08, 2015 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:32:59] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders getting his first endorsement from a member of Congress. Hillary Clinton already has more than a hundred. So why aren't more members of the House and Senate feeling the burn? Let's discuss with Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva, who's endorsing Bernie Sanders, joining us right now.
Congressman, thank you for joining us. So, tell us, what's he got that she ain't got?
REP. RAUL GRIJALVA (D), ARIZONA: Well, I don't think it's -
CUOMO: He's got you, that's what he's got.
GRIJALVA: Bernie's a friend. And I wanted to do for Bernie's campaign what I can to reinforce his message. I think the strongest thing that Bernie has, it's a message, it's an agenda. It is resonating well with the American people. And it's resonating well because there's a connection. And the connection is, Americans' frustration with where we are, where the economy is, where wages are, where inclusion and participation under democracy isn't, Bernie's talking about that. And that consistency, I think, is something that not only will - has drawn me there and he's a friend, but I think as other members begin to also hear from their constituents, as other members begin to look at what the motivation that Bernie is creating across this country, I think more and more people will begin to give very, very serious consideration to his campaign.
CUOMO: Well, you've said the word "consistency" a couple of times. Do you see that as a distinguishing characteristic between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton?
GRIJALVA: No, I want to be also - I think Bernie's been great at making sure that he sticks to the issues. And he has an historic record with those issues. He's been good to stick with the issues, hasn't demonized, degraded any of our opponents, Hillary in particular. And I respect her. A formidable person, capable person. But when I mention consistency, the hardest thing in politics is to stay on course. And Bernie has done that for decades. And so I want to reinforce that message because I think Bernie's absolutely correct, we're in a transformational period in the political life of this nation and I want to be part of doing what I can to bring that transformation about. And - [08:35:14] CUOMO: So -
GRIJALVA: OK.
CUOMO: So it's not that Hillary is wrong, it's that Bernie has been more right for more time?
GRIJALVA: No, I - that's part of it. And also I think you have to understand that this is a - Bernie is representing a point of view, a message, a value and a vision. And this is not new. He didn't put on these shoes yesterday morning. This hasn't been an epiphany. It's just that this is who Bernie is and this is the time in the history of our nation where that message is not only being heard but being understood. And I think that's the big difference.
CUOMO: Well, look, we've had the senator on the show many times. We are always enthusiastic with (ph) giving him a chance to test his message. We're hoping to get him on tomorrow to see where his head is leading into the debate. But when you're making this determination, you have to decide which message you like better and also you have to weigh that with the practicality of who has a better chance of winning. Do you see Bernie Sanders having a legitimate chance of beating Hillary Clinton?
GRIJALVA: I do. I think it's going to be an intense campaign, an intense fight. But I - just like Bernie is in this thing to win. I've endorsed him and the people that are supporting him are in this thing to win and to change the tone, the texture of American politics. And that's - and that is the struggle. And so we have a messenger. It's Bernie Sanders. And I'm comfortable with it. I choose to support him because I believe in him. I choose to support him because he's a good, honest, decent human being. And I choose to support him because he is lending voice to issues that have been muted in American politics for so long.
CUOMO: What are you hearing in the hallways of Congress among your Democrat brothers and sisters? Why are they slow in doing the same as you?
GRIJALVA: I think all of us come to our own conclusions. We all end up in Congress by the same way. We have to go appeal to voters. I - I don't - I'm not going to browbeat any of my colleagues. I'm not going to say - strong arm anybody. What I believe is that people will come to their own conclusions. And I - I respect that and I think people are seriously thinking about it. And that's what's important at this point.
CUOMO: What do you want to see out of the senator in the debate? As we know, a debate, you've been in plenty, they are a contact sport. Even if you want to say I'm not going talk about the other people, that's not how I am, you have to in a debate to a certain extent. You have to find a way to establish distinctions and there is an inherent negativity. What does he have to do?
GRIJALVA: I think he just has to stay - look, for me, Bernie continues to talk about the issues at that debate. He continues to defend those positions. And he continues to speak this those terms. I think he will defend himself well by sticking to the issues and he will defend himself well by the mere fact that he's on a stage as a co-equal. Those values and those ideas now have been legitimized. And by being legitimized, I think it's legitimized a candidate. And, more importantly, he doesn't have to do anything different than to stick to being Bernie and stick to talking about those issues.
CUOMO: Being on equal footing is all he needs, that's what you're saying.
OK, Representative -
GRIJALVA: At this point, yes. But I think we're in it to win.
CUOMO: Representative Raul Grijalva, you are paving a new path for Bernie Sanders as a Congress member coming out and endorsing him. Let's see who follows suit. Take care, sir. Thank you for joining us.
GRIJALVA: Thank you so much, Chris.
CUOMO: All right. So, are you #feelingthebern? If so, why? If not, why? Now tweet us. Use the #newdaycnn or post your comment on facebook.com/newday.
Mic.
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Here's something that you and I like talking about a whole lot, Chris, ordinary people doing extraordinary things and making a difference. Ahead, we're going to reveal the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2015.
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[08:43:02] PEREIRA: All right, here we go with the five things to know for your NEW DAY.
At number one, Ben Carson criticized by survivor of the Oregon campus massacre for saying the victims should have rushed the shooter instead of, quote, "doing nothing."
Hillary Clinton coming out against the Transpacific Trade Deal she supported as secretary of state. Clinton now prepping for the first Democratic debate that is going to be held Tuesday, October 13, 8:30 p.m. Eastern here on CNN.
House Republicans hold a private vote today for their nominee for speaker. A conservative group of lawmakers is rejecting House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and instead supporting Congressman Daniel Webster of Florida. The big House floor vote is October 29th.
Russia striking ISIS infrastructure sites in Syria overnight. Defense Secretary Ash Carter ruling out cooperation with Moscow against ISIS. Two U.S. military planes were diverted from the path of a Russian fighter jet over Syria.
Families of the El Faro crew are in mourning after the Coast Guard calls off the search for survivors. The U.S. Navy now readying an underwater search for the wreckage.
For more on the five things, be sure to visit newdaycnn.com for more.
Chris.
CUOMO: All right, thanks, Mick.
So, from a woman who rescues sloths in South America, to the doctor who cares for homeless people in Pittsburgh, we have picked the top ten CNN Heroes of 2015. And by "we" we mean Anderson Cooper. And, yes, the Coop is here to reveal our top 10, next.
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[08:46:17] ALISON KOSICK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Welcome back. It's time for CNNMoney Now. I'm Alison Kosick.
Fiat Chrysler has averted a strike today that would have affected thousands of workers. The United Auto Workers Union says it reached a deal with the automaker that secures significant gains for its members. Now it just has to pass a member vote.
And a new chip-enabled credit card that you're getting in the mail these days, all of those cards, well guess what? They are not enough to protect consumers. The world's largest retail trade group is telling Congress a pin should be required, otherwise the new cards won't stop breeches and they force businesses to spend 35 billion dollars on new technology.
Don't go away. NEW DAY coming back in just a moment.
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PEREIRA: All right. Good to have you back with us here. I want you to be relaxed for this. Because this is important.
CUOMO: I'm -
(CROSSTALK)
PEREIRA: OK. We love this time of year because we share with you every day about a everyday person changing the world, a CNN Hero. Today we get to reveal the top ten heroes of 2015. Take a look at the finalists.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, AC360 (voice-over): Bhagwati Agrawal is fighting the water crisis in his homeland. His nonprofit created a rain water harvesting system that now provides water to six villages, more than 10,000 people in India's driest region.
BHAGWATI AGRAWAL, PROVIDES WATER TO INDIA'S DRIEST REGION: Safety net. Anybody home?
COOPER: From Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Dr. Jim Withers. More than 20 years he's taken medicine to the streets, bringing free equality health care to city's homeless.
Monique Pool. In 2005 she turned her home into a sanctuary for sloths in the South American country of Suriname.
[08:50:07] She has since rescued, rehabilitated and released hundreds of these mammals and other animals back to the wild.
Richard Joiner has led his rural community of Conetoe, North Carolina, to better health by helping young people grow and distribute 50,000 pounds of fresh food each year.
Maggie Doyne. After graduating from high school, she traveled the world Today she helped provide a home for about 50 children in Nepal and a school for hundreds more and a visit to war-torn Nepal changed her life. Today she helps provide a home for about 50 children in Nepal and a school for hundreds more.
From Charlottesville, Virginia, Sean Gobin. After serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, this U.S. Marine found healing when he hiked the Appalachian Trail. Now he supports other combat veterans as they "walk off the war."
KIM CARTER, HELPS HOMELESS WOMEN AND CHILDREN RECLAIM THEIR LIVES: You're ready and you're willing because you wouldn't have came here if you wasn't.
Kim Carter cycled in and out of incarceration and homelessness. Then she decided it was time for a change. Today she's helping hundreds of women in similar circumstances reclaim their lives.
Rochelle Ripley, determined to keep a promise she made to her Native American grandmother, her nonprofit has delivered an estimated $9 million in aide to the Lakota people in South Dakota.
Jody Farley-Berens lost her close friend, single mother of four, to cancer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALES: Good morning.
COOPER: Since 2006, she and her nonprofit have provided assistance to hundreds of single moms who are battling the disease.
And in Chicago, Daniel Ivankovich is a surgeon who treats first and bills later.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is pretty darn good.
COOPER: Since 2010 his nonprofit has provided care to more than 100,000 uninsured or underinsured patients in Chicago's troubled neighborhoods.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PEREIRA: And here with us this morning bright and early, Anderson Cooper. The two of them have just been having quite a moment. We'll interrupt that and put it on pause for now. COOPER: I love that one of our CNN Heroes helps sloths.
PEREIRA: I know -
COOPER: I'm a little obsessed with sloths.
PEREIRA: Then she became inundated with sloths. It was my favorite --
COOPER: Who doesn't want to be inundated with sloths? They are the greatest animals.
CUOMO: It takes a long time to get inundated, though.
COOPER: I know, they're so (INAUDIBLE).
PEREIRA: But a serious point about this, and speaking of the sloths, all of the heroes - the one thing that I think all of the honorees have in common is they kind of had this a-ha moment. Right?
COOPER: Absolutely. Yeah. And I think what is so cool about them is that these aren't people who necessarily had access to huge stores of money or power and yet they saw a need inn their community or in their neighborhood and they said you know what, there is something I can actually do about this and maybe they started off really small, but they grew it every single day. And that is what's good about this CNN Heroes is not only the money that CNN gives - each hero gets $10,000 and whoever is nominated, whoever becomes the CNN Hero of the year, which is up to our viewers, they get an additional $100,000.
PEREIRA: That's so great.
CUOMO: And it's a nice alchemy that you do with the heroes. It's somebody who you look at them, you say, you know, that could be me if I were a little bit better person and a little bit more motivated to do things for others.
(CROSSTALK)
PEREIRA: But that's true. It has got this inspirational quality about it, doesn't it?
COOPER: Oh, without a doubt. I mean, I leave - you know, December 6th we're airing the "All-Star Tribute" to the CNN Heroes on CNN. And by the end of that, not only have I cried a couple of times backstage because I don't want to cry in front of people because I'm a wasp and I like to push my emotions deep down inside.
PEREIRA: OK. I'd like to know about that.
COOPER: But I end up feeling like I got to do more. You feel inspired, you feel like you actually can make a difference.
PEREIRA: And for all us jaded journalists, it is very important for us to feel that --
(CROSSTALK) COOPER: (INAUDIBLE) and that's actually how heroes came about is, you know, a lot of us at CNN, we were all in the field and we'd come across these people and who -- maybe they didn't fit into a story that we could do but they were just doing something amazing.
PEREIRA: Yes.
CUOMO: I also just love that CNN - you know, this was going on way before we were here. When we first came here we were joking about why we were coming to CNN, what was the draw and you know, you were certainly at the top of the list - It was, I love that heroes thing they do because it is so unusual for the media to reward virtue.
PEREIRA: But wait. Before he goes, because we know he also has a busy day on Tuesday -
CUOMO: Oh yeah.
PEREIRA: -- running off to Vegas -
COOPER: You guys are going to be there.
CUOMO: The word is you're going to bring the pain. Is that true?
PEREIRA: I'm not allowed in Vegas anymore. What is your plan?
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: Oh, you've been banned?
PEREIRA: Yeah, I've been banned. What is -
COOPER: All the casinos --
CUOMO: What are you wearing?
COOPER: I don't know. I haven't figured that out yet.
CUOMO: Are you taking suggestions?
COOPER: Yes, sure.
CUOMO: I'm saying black turtle neck. Strong.
(LAUGHTER)
COOPER: That's - for the presidential debate -
CUOMO: And because it is you, you got to roll it up.
COOPER: Black turtle neck with a (INAUDIBLE) -
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: And a beret.
PEREIRA: I feel like that part's too much.
CUOMO: Are you excited? What comes over you before you have to do one of these? What are your motivations?
COOPER: You know, I think it is like any big interview. It's a lot of pressure but there is nothing like that presidential debate, or primary debate - I mean, I've done -- this will be my sixth one. - where you're on that stage and, you know, the pressure is intense for the candidates. To see them all there. It's the first time all the Democrats will be on the stage together. I think it's going to be an interesting night.
PEREIRA: But you don't have to wrangle with 17. You only have like --
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: Right -- There is not a ton of them. It will be nice to hear from some of them and see the dynamics between them.
[08:55:03] CUOMO: Do you think at any point during the night you may have to stop Don Lemon from rushing the stage, and are you prepared to do so?
COOPER: I have other people who are prepared to do that.
CUOMO: Are you? I would like to sign up for that job.
PEREIRA: You have now been put in that position. OK. Here's the important information to give you. Vote now for your favorite hero of the year at CNNheros.com. You can vote once a day every day for your favorite honoree. If that isn't good, I don't know what it is.
CUOMO: I don't know what is. If that's wrong, I don't want to be right.
(LAUGHTER)
Well, it can't get much gooder (ph) than this. We got Coop, we got the heroes, but guess what? We have even more "Good Stuff" coming up and it's one you've never heard before.
PEREIRA: Oh. I like that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PEREIRA: It is so revealing when Anderson Cooper comes to the show. You changed lot.
COOPER: A lot happened during the commercial break.
PEREIRA: A lot.
CUOMO: He is not who you think he is.
PEREIRA: Give him "The Good Stuff." CUOMO: Anyway. So Memphis elementary schoolteacher, Carl Schneider, hears that his students walk up to four miles to and from school each day. He says that is wrong, so he starts walking his students home every day. Yes, for safety, but also for himself. He says the bond makes a huge difference.
So a picture gets out of Carl walking one of his kids home -- goes viral. But like many ordinary people doing extraordinary things, he says he's surprised by the attention.
PEREIRA: I love this guy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARL SCHNEIDER, TEACHER, WHITNEY ACHIEVEMENT ELEMENTARY: This is just a part of my routine and it's something that I look forward to. So I was kind of surprised, but at the same time I'm also really glad that people know that the teachers in this community are really invested in the community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PEREIRA: Love it.
CUOMO: And it worked. Four other teachers now do the same thing. More than 40 kids are getting walked home every day.
COOPER: That's awesome.
PEREIRA: I know a guy in L.A. that used to do this, too. Really amazing.
