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Snowden to Remain at Moscow Airport for Now; Anthony Weiner Talks to CNN; Family that Zimmerman Helped Due to Speak; Selling Obamacare to the Young; Amanda Bynes Held for Mental Evaluation

Aired July 24, 2013 - 10:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. It is 30 minutes past. We do have a bit more of breaking news about Edward Snowden. It seems he's not going anywhere just yet. A few hours ago, Russian media reported the NSA leaker was given a temporary visa. That would have allowed him to leave the Moscow Airport legally while Russia considers his request for asylum.

But in the last few minutes his lawyer came out and says that they haven't received the paperwork. So what's up with that? Phil Black is inside Moscow's International Airport. So please explain.

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Certainly, Carol. Yes, as you mentioned a short time ago there was a flurry of Russian state media reports that suggested Edward Snowden had received paperwork that would allow him to finally leave this airport and enter Russia. It was not the full temporary asylum he applied for, but according to Russian state media it was supposedly short-term official status allowing him to enter Russia while that asylum application is being processed.

His lawyer has gone in to visit him today, a Russian lawyer who has been assisting him with his asylum application. He walked in and spent an hour in his company. Walked out of the secure area of the airport and said no, not true. He has not received any documents, any paperwork that would allow him to enter Russia.

So the status is this. His asylum application is still under way. It will take up to three months to get any sort of official ruling on that asylum status that would then allow him to stay here for a year.

Any time within that three-month period his lawyer says that he could in theory receive documents that would allow him to enter the country and normally that would happen within the first week of an asylum application.

But his lawyer says because this is an extraordinary situation, sort of extraordinary circumstances, a great deal at stake and as we know this is a fairly key issue, a pivotal issue in terms of U.S.-Russian relations right now, it is not happening. He's not receiving that documentation; he is not leaving the airport any time soon. But according to his lawyer it could still happen in theory at any time -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well I know because the United States. I mean once Snowden leaves that airport the United States wants Russia to expel him from the country so he can come back here and face espionage charges. So I guess it's a changing situation there.

Phil I know you'll keep an eye on it. And thanks so much for clarifying. We appreciate it.

Coming up in the NEWSROOM, Anthony Weiner just spoke to CNN's Dana Bash minutes ago. We will talk to Dana to find out what Anthony Weiner had to say.

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COSTELLO: It is a happening morning here let me tell you some more breaking news to tell you about. Just moments ago, CNN caught up with former congressman turned New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner as he left his apartment.

Our photojournalist got him on camera. We don't have the tape in our bureau yet but our chief congressional correspondent Dana Bash is well versed on what Anthony Weiner had to say this morning.

So let's go to our New York Bureau and join Dana now. Dana what did Mr. Weiner say?

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well first of all you're right. He was -- it was our intrepid photographer Ricky Shine (ph) and producer Laura Dolan who caught up with him and what he said effectively was when people stopped and talked to him and ask him questions, he said that they don't ask him about the past. But they ask about their future.

And he also said the past is the past. That is the gist. And we hope to actually hear from him very soon, as soon as we get that tape. But look, the bottom line is that he has not stopped campaigning. And he has not stopped moving ahead with what he insists will be a mayoral run that will continue.

He was leaving his apartment. We know that he has a couple of public events, campaign events, later today, one on public housing at the housing authority. He's going to testify there.

So he is insisting he is going the keep on keeping on. Despite the fact that never mind his -- as he mentioned yesterday, his opponents understandably calling for him to get out of the race but a very, very powerful editorial. Lead editorial of the "New York Times." Obviously everybody understands how powerful the "New York Times" editorial page is. Particularly in the city saying in a very harsh way, that Anthony Weiner just needs to get out of the race for -- for him, for his wife and for the people of New York City.

COSTELLO: So Dana you've been around a long time, covered a lot of politics and a lot of different cities across America. What's your best bet? I mean -- will he continue just to -- to stay in the race? Despite all of this negativity coming at him and -- and will voters forgive him again?

BASH: Well, I can just tell you what -- what my analysis is based on my reporting on this situation. And that is two things. One is just talking to people who are very well informed about -- about the race and about the polling and kind of the sense of the electorate. It is that -- you know, second chance, fine. Maybe he was obviously doing pretty well considering.

Third chance, which -- this is what it effectively is, not so much. That this is just not going to sit well with voters. The question that you asked, whether he's going to get out of the race, I can just tell you from two years ago covering this very closely, this whole question of whether he would resign from Congress, which he ultimately did, remember, Carol, it was not something that he did overnight. He had to be pushed and prodded and people called and begged him and pressured him.

People who are very close to him and very good friends with him; people who went to his wedding. And so it was not easy for him -- an easy decision for him to make. He is a stubborn guy. Just the fact that he decided to run so quickly after resigning from Congress kind of gives you a sense of where his head is. So I don't think that he's going to go -- go quietly. It would be hard to imagine.

COSTELLO: OK, so -- so Dana I want you to stay with us. And I want to bring in Gail Saltz right now. She's an associate professor of psychiatry at New York Presbyterian Hospital. Thanks Gail for being here this morning.

DR. GAIL SALTZ, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PSYCHIATRY, N.Y. PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL: A pleasure.

COSTELLO: So -- so Dana called Anthony Weiner stubborn. Other people might say he's delusional because this wasn't having an affair -- an extramarital affair. This to me is -- stranger because he's sexting pictures of his private parts to young women and he kept doing it even after he resigned from Congress.

So as Dana says, but he's going to stay in the race, he's going to stick it out. So what drives him? I would be embarrassed.

SALTZ: You know, I -- I think the question really is going to come down to, you know, did he have treatment basically after all of this? Because -- this reflects basically very poor impulse control. Right? If you're caught and you're -- you have a career demise and you still feel compelled to do something, then your ability to control your impulses, you know, is very questionable. And I think that voters do have a right to be concerned about that. About -- you know, are they going to elect someone who has really poor impulse control and urges that they cannot contain.

However, people can change. And treatment can really change people if they're truly engaged no matter how persistent, let's say, they seem to be. If they can understand what is unconsciously driving them to do that. And so I think that -- you know he has alluded to having been in a lot of therapy and -- I guess the question is, you know, since this all occurred, has he really been in intensive treatment. Does he continue to -- to get treatment, to deal with this?

And -- I think that's the for question. I also think, unfortunately, it was a mistake to not have revealed that he, you know, that this went on past when he stepped down. Because had he revealed all of it, you know, before he went in the race, then it wouldn't appear to be a third time. It would all be part of the same mistake which -- which -- which really was.

COSTELLO: And Dana, his wife was beside him this time. She spoke in his defense this time. How valuable is that, do you think?

BASH: Well, it's about as valuable as he's going to get. You know, that was -- maybe you can call it a Hail Mary but you can also call it -- perhaps at the end of the day secret weapon although that might hard to see. She is somebody who is, you know, if you kind of Google her name, you probably find notoriously private in most of the articles written about her because that is historically true.

She is -- the classic behind-the-scenes woman to one of the most powerful and most well-known politicians in the world. And that of course is Hillary Clinton.

Having said that, she also is known and -- I know her a little bit but I know people who know her very well as incredibly smart and incredibly savvy. You know I think that people who are kind of looking at this and saying poor Huma, that's understandable and goodness knows there should be a lot of sympathy for her.

But she also is -- she's -- she knows what she is doing. And she made a decision that she wanted her husband to be mayor. She wanted to back him doing that. And she's all in. And when this came out, she was pretty clear she felt she had no other choice based on how out there she was in favor of his candidacy, again, just two years after he resigned from Congress embarrassing her publicly.

COSTELLO: OK. We'll continue to follow this story. Of course Dana Bash, Gail Saltz, thank you so much for joining me this morning.

SALTZ: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Still ahead in the NEWSROOM, emergency medicine. The White House and the health industry launch a sales blitz for Obamacare.

We'll be right back.

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COSTELLO: Well, I thought we were going to hear Alicia keys. Because here it goes -- here's Alicia Keys.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(ALICIA KEYS PERFORM AT PRESIDENT OBAMA'S SECOND INAUGURATION)

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COSTELLO: That's Alicia Keys at the President's second inauguration singing "Obama is on Fire". Who could forget? The President hopes to (INAUDIBLE) his youngest constituent. Obama supporters have asked celebrities like Alicia Keys, Oprah, Bon Jovi to sell Obama care to young people. Why? Because the White House needs 2.7 million young and healthy adults to buy health care to keep premium costs low for older Americans. If this doesn't happen, critics say Obama care will go bust.

Anne Filipic is a former Obama White House official and now overseas "Enroll America" -- a nonpartisan group whose mission is to convince young people to buy insurance. Welcome, Ann.

ANNE FILIPIC, ENROLL AMERICA: Hi, Carol. Thanks for having me.

COSTELLO: Thanks for being here. So basic question -- how much would young people pay per month for health insurance under Obama care?

FILIPIC: Well, Carol, I think the important thing to remember here is that whether it is young people or moms or family members across the country, too many folks are staying awake at night worrying that an accident or an illness may lead to bankruptcy. And the great news is that this fall there are going to be new opportunities available to whether it is young people, families, for affordable health coverage.

COSTELLO: OK. So we are concentrating on young people, though. From what I understand, young people are being urged to buy health insurance through state health care exchanges set up in individual states and there are three levels to the insurance. Cheapest level is $141 per month for young people. That's what they would pay for health insurance in general, right?

FILIPIC: Well, if -- it varies. It depends on -- you know, the amount of money you make but to your point, there is going to be financial assistance available to folks for the first time. There's also going to be better coverage available in these marketplaces. There's going -- the basic health care is going to be provided to folks.

So I think it's important to remember, one, what's going to be available to folks. What's going to be included in these plans? And also the fact that financial assistance is going to be available to many.

COSTELLO: Right. But still it's going to cost young people a certain amount of money every month for health insurance. The penalty if they don't do that in 2014 is 95 dollars per year or 1 percent of your income which is, of course, less than what they would pay for insurance. How do you convince young people who are healthy to buy insurance under this plan?

FILIPIC: Well, we have done research much on this. First, I would say, you know, in recent polls we found that three out of four young people actually believe that having health insurance is very important. The problem is that in the past they have not been able to find care that is affordable or that meets their needs.

So -- it is not that people don't want this. It is that they haven't found something that works for them. We know that the interest is out there. And Enroll America with our "Get covered America" campaign, we are focused on spreading the word. Making sure that moms are talking to their adult sons and daughters to make sure they have the information they need to choose what is available to them.

COSTELLO: I understand and I'm sure that many young people want health insurance but it is going to be a tough sell.

I want to bring in our intern, Meghann Ludemann, she's a senior at Syracuse University. And she's going to one day be forced to buy health insurance. So Megan I just wanted to ask you, will you buy health insurance under Obama care and are your friends interested in doing that?

MEGHANN LUDEMANN, INTERN, CNN: I must say as influential as Alicia Keys is, I must say my bank account is not on fire. So I would -- probably pass on paying for health insurance because the fine would be cheaper for me versus paying $141 for health insurance.

COSTELLO: So Anne what do you say to Meghann and others like her?

FILIPIC: Well, I think -- you know we have been talking to young people across the country. We know that Part of this is about financial security. Meghann may not be going to the doctor right now or think that she needs help but, you know, the problem is that if -- Meghann or another person like her were to get into a car accident and didn't have health coverage, that could, unfortunately, lead to bankruptcy the way that the system works now.

COSTELLO: But I think that, Meghann and we've had the discussion. Meghann understands that on some level but do your friends think about that every day?

LUDEMANN: Definitely not. Most of my friends believe that they are invincible and nothing is nothing is really going to happen to them. It is kind of naive to think that but at the same time, though, how can you predict those events?

COSTELLO: Especially since you don't a high-paying job just yet.

LUDEMANN: Yes. Every penny counts.

COSTELLO: And Anne, you know, I don't want to beat you up or anything but I'm illustrating to people what a hard sell this will be.

FILIPC: Right. And I think what's important to remember is that the financial help that's available. Part of what we found in our research is that you just talk about how much, you know, Meghann might be paying for this. That sounds like lot. You compare it to what she would be paying for it otherwise without this financial assistance. That's certain to shed a light on the value that's coming here. And again, I'd also go back to, you know, maybe Alicia Keys isn't going to be the most persuasive voice to Meghann but -- we found that maybe Meghann's mom would make a big difference in that conversation. And so part of what the "Get Covered America" campaign is all about is to have neighbors talking to neighbors, moms talking to their kids and family members talking to family members about what is coming. I think that trusted voice talking about how important this is can go a really long way.

COSTELLO: OK. Mrs. Ludemann, expect the call. Anne Filipic in Washington and Meghann, thank you so much for joining me this morning. I appreciate it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanks Carol.

COSTELLO: In just a few -- you're welcome. In just a few hours we are expecting to hear from the family who got a helping hand from George Zimmerman last week. The family's SUV skidded off a road in Sanford, Florida rolled on to its side. The police say two good Samaritans stopped to help the couple and their children. One of those Samaritans, George Zimmerman, who as you know was recently found not guilty in the death of Trayvon Martin.

Joining me now from Sanford is CNN's Victor Blackwell. Good morning, Victor.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. And surprisingly all of that happened less than a mile from where George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin more than a year ago. That couple, Mark and Dana Grosser (ph), will be here right behind me at the office of Mark O'Mara. Of course, Mark O'Mara is the defense attorney for George Zimmerman.

And we are expecting them to tell us about that day. We do not know yet and we reached out to the media folks here if they will say yes, we knew it was George Zimmerman or they will tell their story. There is a lot of skepticism here. I want you to listen to the two perspectives about this crash and George Zimmerman's involvement.

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MARK O'MARA, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I mean this is quintessential George. This is the person who, I knew him to be when find out about his past before February 12, is the guy who always involved in the community, always going to lend a helping hand and here we go four days after the event, something that I could not have planned but turned out to be just pure George.

PASTOR LOWMAN OLIVER: One of the most ludicrous, (INAUDIBLE) silly stuff I have ever seen before in my life. To anything to validate a murderer I think is wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: There is a point of that pastor made also that there were no witnesses there. Other than a single deputy who we asked to speak with and Seminole County sheriff's office says they will not make that deputy available. There were eight calls to 911. Not one of them mentioned George Zimmerman. Although to be fair, some of those people were driving and possibly did not see him.

Again, today at 1:30 Eastern, the family who was, according to the sheriff's office, helped out of that vehicle by George Zimmerman, will speak -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Victor Blackwell thanks so much. We will be right back.

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COSTELLO: We end this morning on a bizarre incident that has led to more trouble for the actress, Amanda Bynes. Police say that she was hospitalized for a mental health evaluation on Monday. This happened after she was detained after she lit a small fire in front of a home in a Los Angeles suburb. One witness saw a gas can on fire near her.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. What's on fire?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is -- like a small piece of cloth and a gasoline tank which is why I am calling 911.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. And where is it? Is it in the roadway?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No it's in the driveway.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So police came, they question Amanda Bynes and then they took her into custody.

CNN's Nischelle Turner is live in New York to tell us what happened next.

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Now, Carol, this story is bizarre and it's actually very said.

She's held on what's called the 5150 hold. This is when authorities place an individual in custody after determining they could be a danger to themselves or other people as a result of a mental-disorder. Now, this is the same thing that happened to Britney Spears five years ago if you remember that.

This Amanda Bynes situation though is a result of the bizarre incident you talked about where she allegedly set a gas fire in a driveway. But this is just the latest in a string of incidents with her and the authorities. She also has a DUI case pending in southern California. She has a pair of separate hit and run charges against her that were dismissed last year. Just last May she was also sentenced to three years' probation for driving on a suspended license. And here in New York, she has a September court appearance scheduled because she's facing three misdemeanor charges for allegedly tossing a bong from her apartment in May.

There's a lot going on with her right now and I hope maybe the 5150 hold can start to get us some help here.

COSTELLO: I hope so. I hope her parents can finally intervene and just really is -- it real is sad. Nischelle Turner, thank you so much.

TURNER: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: And thank you for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello. CNN NEWSROOM continues after a break.

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