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Obamacare Hearings; Toronto Council Meeting; New Obama Poll; HealthCare.gov "Fixer" Due on Capitol Hill; NCAA Basketball Takes Center Stage

Aired November 13, 2013 - 09:30   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

We have two big stories we're following for you this morning.

In Toronto, the embattled mayor, Rob Ford, fighting for his political life. He is expecting to speak at any time now as the city council decides whether to give the crack smoking mayor the boot.

And in Washington, D.C., the White House's top tech officer forced to answer questions from the House Oversight Committee. We'll monitor Todd Park's testimony as he tries to explain the online debacle known as healthcare.gov.

Speaking of Todd Park, he is on Capitol Hill thanks to a subpoena from the House Oversight chairman, Darrell Issa. His third Obamacare subpoena since October 1st. Issa, that is. And that has some of Issa's colleagues accusing him of trying to delay or even derail any fixes to the website. Issa's Democratic counterpart, Elijah Cummings of Maryland, saying, in part, quote, "it pains me to say this, but it's about trying to make sure there's another road block to making it work. Joining me now from Washington is CNN chief congressional correspondent Dana Bash.

Good morning, Dana.

So, what is Issa hoping to find out today?

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you see that he's begun his opening statement and certainly what the Republicans are trying to figure out is what went wrong and why from Todd Park, whom, as you say, they subpoenaed in order to get him there. The White House says it wasn't a question of whether Todd Park was going to come, it was when. They very much wanted Todd Park to be focused on the issue at hand, which is fixing the website, not taking the countless hours it takes to prepare for a congressional hearing. But, nevertheless, he came because he had no choice because of the subpoena. So a lots - going to be a lot of the questioning going on for him in terms of the past.

But I think one of the most interesting things that we're going to be looking for, and I think members of the panel are going to be looking for, is any indication of when this website is going to be ready for prime time. Looking towards the future, you certainly have heard the administration say that they hope it will be done by the end of the month, but November 30th. And these are the people who can answer the question about technically whether or not that is going to happen. And that is, obviously, the big issue. Never mind the -- sort of the past and the problems that have happened, but in terms of the future and people - well, consumers out there wanting to know when they can actually get on to the website without waiting countless hours, that is going to be a very big question, an important question that these very people who are testifying might be able to answer.

COSTELLO: Right. Right. We do know the White House is supposed to release some numbers as early as today, right?

BASH: Exactly. Some numbers on enrollment. They might be able to answer that, although because these are technical witnesses dealing really with the website, with its security, with its - you know, the chief IT people, unclear if they're going to sort of leave their lane and answer those questions. But you're right, Jim Acosta is reporting that we might get the enrollment numbers, the official numbers, from the administration as soon as today. But with regard to sort of the website, that is going to be an interesting thing to look for.

And then even more broadly, Carol, the whole question about the frustration that you're hearing, not just from Republicans but from Democrats. That is something that might bubble up during this hearing beyond the issue at hand, which is the website, but also the question of the president keeping his promise that people could keep their health care, as he said. That is something that is going - that I'm certainly going to be following it and we're going to be listening for. Democrats in the hallways on Capitol Hill, but it might actually be seen in this hearing today because you have such a large panel of Democrats who are again hearing from their constituents, not just about problems with these websites, but letters and calls they're getting from the insurance companies saying your insurance policy is canceled.

COSTELLO: Right, right, right. And we're going to be monitoring that. You're going to be monitoring this for us. And, of course, when Todd Park begins his testimony, we'll take the hearing live.

On to Toronto now. The city council is meeting. On the agenda, what to do about Mayor Rob Ford now that he's admitted to smoking crack cocaine. There is a motion on the floor that recommends he take a leave the absence. And the mayor is expected to be in the chamber today. He's expected to be rather defiant. In fact, he termed it, it's going to be like a rumble in the jungle. CNN's Paula Newton is on the phone from Toronto. She's actually in that room you're looking at.

Good morning, Paula.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): And good morning.

We just saw the mayor come in. He, again, seems (ph) that he was confident. Says he's having a good day, didn't have much else to say to us as he made his way in.

Carol, what they're going to do is debate this motion at city hall. The motion saying that the mayor should apologize to council and the city for misleading it, but crucially, Carol, they want the mayor to step down for a period of time to take care of what many admit, including the mayor, has been a very chaotic personal life. Having said that, the mayor and his supporters still saying that they absolutely do not think that he should have to step down no matter what. Even if it means that he is dealing with those personal problems.

Carol, a very interesting poll out in the city this morning that many people are talking about, saying that two-thirds of the city now believe that the mayor should either -- either step down or seek help. Now the thing with this poll is, though, Carol, it does still show a good base of support somewhere around 40 percent for people who approve of the job that he's doing and do not want him to step down.

Carol.

COSTELLO: I understand his brother is going to make an appearance too. What might his brother - what role will his brother play in this?

NEWTON: Well, you know, his brother has been his supporter in chief throughout all of this. Many people have blamed him for not taking a more active role in his brother's personal life. It certainly is his business to try and make sure that he gets that under control. His brother has been absolutely steadfast, saying the people who once supported his brother and now do not saying, look, there is no reason he needs to step down.

And in terms of what we're going to see right now in the city council chambers, Carol, both brothers are saying, look, bring it on, we're ready for whatever happens. Doug Ford himself said, look, my brother's going to go through a public flogging. We'll see if that happens. I spoke to the deputy mayor going in, Norm Kelly. He's saying, look we want this to be reasonable, responsible and quick. He is not expecting the fireworks.

And there goes Mayor Rob Ford, Carol. He's just gone in and he'll be momentarily in city council chambers to face what his brother calls a public flogging.

Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. And when the mayor begins speaking, we'll go back to Toronto and we'll check back with you. Paula Newton, thanks so much.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, problems with the Obamacare website aren't just on line. Now the president is seeing his poll numbers take an absolute dive. Will his signature legislation leave a negative - sorry, a less than negative impact on this presidency, but how bad could it get? We'll talk about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: He has apologized, he's vowed to fix the technologically challenged website, but a new poll from Quinnipiac University shows health care may be taking a toll on how Americans view President Obama. A majority of Americans, 52 percent, now say they do not believe the president is honest and trustworthy. That's compared with 44 percent who say he is. The same poll finds the president's approval rating at an all-time low for this survey at just 39 percent. Joining me now to talk about this, CNN political commentators Ana Navarro and Charles Blow.

Welcome to you both.

ANA NAVARRO, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Thank you, Carol.

CHARLES BLOW, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Glad to be here.

COSTELLO: OK, Charles, I'll start with you. I think the president would be most concerned about the numbers on his trustworthiness. This is the first time those numbers have sunk this low. This is really hurting him, this health care rollout.

BLOW: Right. I think you're right that that's probably the number that would worry them more. I think the overall approval ratings, there's a lot that goes into that. And - and then - and to be honest, those swings are not huge in the sense that they're single digit, low single digit drops. But the president has always, on a personal level, been approve the approval numbers so that even if you didn't like him and you didn't like the -- his policies, on the personal metrics -

COSTELLO: Oh, come on, Charles.

BLOW: What do you mean come on? I'm sorry. I'm sorry. What --

COSTELLO: All of his numbers are down. All of them are way down.

BLOW: What are you saying? I was making a point, which is that, on the personal qualities before, he always had -- that was always higher than the approval numbers. And now that hurts him. And I think that that is probably more worrisome than the approval numbers themselves. So I don't know what the, oh, come on, Charles, means.

COSTELLO: No, I'm sorry I interrupted you. You're right. I apologize.

So, probably the primary reason these numbers are slipping, as far as trustworthiness is concerned, Ana, is because the president promised people could keep their insurance plans and some of them can't. Bill Clinton came out and said, you know, maybe the president should fix that, even if it means changing the law. Should he do that? Would that help the president?

NAVARRO: I think he's going to need to do something and I think it's going to be under pressure from red state Democrats and other Democrats. I was looking at the Obamacare related headlines today and they're pretty bad. It's Bill Clinton wagging his finger at President Obama and telling him, honor your promise, honor your word. It's Dianne Feinstein, a blue state Democrat senator saying, I'm joining the push to amend and change this law. It's his approval numbers down. It's his trustworthiness numbers down. And it's the fact that the website might not be working by November 30th, as they had also promised.

So he's going to have to do something about this because I think he is losing the trust of the American people. And not only that, Obamacare is losing the approval, the trust, the support of the American people. And you know, Carol, you only get one chance to make a first impression, and this first impression has not been good.

COSTELLO: Well, Charles, what should the president do? I mean there are congressional hearings going on again today and we're going to hear all about what's wrong with Obamacare yet again and this will only hurt -- further hurt the president. So what should he do to stem this tide?

BLOW: Well, I don't know exactly what he can do at this point. I think they're trying on a number of fronts. One is to take personal responsibility. I think he's tried to do that by personally apologizing. The other thing is to work feverishly on all fronts to try to fix the website problems and I think that they are trying to do that.

The problem that the president confronts is something that's a bit bigger than what they can manage at this point because I think that it's -- it's kind of out of their hands. It's kind of a media narrative at this point and not a false media narrative that there's a problem, there's a credibility problem, and how do you overcome that without the actual fix? And right now we don't have the actual fix. And for as long as we don't have the actual fix, the media narrative sticks and it is not without merit. And I think that that is a problem.

COSTELLO: What if -- what if Todd Park, he's this chief technology guy the guy that's supposed to fix HealthCare.gov, what if his testimony is outstanding today? Will people change their minds if he comforts them, if he kind of -- he kind of says everything is going to be ok just chill? Will that help at all Charles?

BLOW: Well I don't -- I don't think you can say. At this point I think it's really about doing. I think you know part of it is a crisis of confidence issue. Do you believe that the thing is fixed? The thing about the American people is they don't always concentrate on big complex things. But they do concentrate on simple things and whether or not a Web site works or not is a very simple idea.

Whether or not you said that you know somebody could keep a health care plan that some people end up not being able to keep, whether or not they were good or bad or whatever, or whether or not the ones they may get may be more expensive or not, but they do understand the concept that something was said that turns out not to be precisely true in the way that it was said.

Things like that do sink in over time. And also the fact that people are able to come to microphones and constantly say and use whatever adjective they want, the caller, the disaster, wrote out, debacle or whatever.

Over time and now we have six weeks of this, eight weeks of it, it starts to sink in. And even people who are not really concentrating on the particulars of the really gigantic piece of legislation, that starts to set in on people. And I think that that part --

(CROSSTALK)

NAVARRO: Look Carol --

COSTELLO: Quick last word, Ana.

NAVARRO: Look he could -- the chief technology officer could come in and sing opera and it's not going to make that much of a difference because people need to see results not just words. And it's just about the Web site right now. It's about people being very angry at a broken promise and canceled policies. It is about a tangible problem people are facing.

COSTELLO: All right. Ana Navarro and Charles Blow thanks so much.

We're continuing to monitor two live events right now. The House Oversight Committee, where the White House's tech chief is testifying, or will testify. This is the Chairman Daryl Issa he's still making his opening statement.

We'll also check into the city council hearing in Toronto where Mayor Rob Ford is expected to address council members.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Checking our "Top Stories" at 53 minutes past.

Tears, screams and drama for Alec Baldwin and this was no movie. The actor was in court facing off with Genevieve Sabourin. She's accused of stalking and harassing Baldwin and his wife. At one point Sabourin shouted at Baldwin as she cried, "He's lying." Today she'll get a chance to testify. If found guilty, Sabourin faces up to one year in prison.

Hawaii poised to say Aloha to same-sex marriage. This morning, Governor Neil Abercrombie is expected to sign a bill the legislature passed last night. It will take effect on June 1st and make Hawaii the 16th state to legalize marriage between same-sex couples. Early estimates suggest the move could boost tourism by more than $200 million in the first three years.

An American Airlines plane made an emergency landing in Orlando after the crew noticed -- get this -- a crack in the cockpit windshield. They didn't see until the plane had already reached cruising altitude but they managed to land it safely. Actually the pilots did. All 156 people on board are ok. The exact size of the crack or the cause of the crack is not known.

If you thought Google Glass was way out there. Listen to this. Google is working on a temporary tattoo that would stick to your throat and communicate with your smart phone. It could even be used as a lie detector.

According to the patent application, Tattoo can include a skin response detector that registers whether the user is fibbing.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM Mike Tyson and his bombshell announcement -- he reveals that he used crack cocaine -- I'm sorry -- cocaine before fights.

We'll have that and more after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: College basketball season has begun. Andy Scholes is here with "Bleacher Report."

ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Hey Carol. Last night was our first good look at Kansas Andrew Wiggins and Duke's Jabari Parker. Now these two guys are expected to go one and two in next year's NBA draft. Wiggins is the most hyped 18-year-old basketball player since LeBron James.

COSTELLO: Wow.

SCHOLES: Now two companies are already reportedly going to spend $180 million on this guy when he goes pro.

COSTELLO: Wow.

SCHOLES: Sixty-eight NBA scouts are in attendance to watch Wiggins and Parker go at it last night. Now Parker led all scores with 27 points in the game but Wiggins outplayed him down the stretch as Kansas beat Duke 94-83.

Trending on BleacherReport.com today's Mike Tyson's shocking revelations in his newly-released autobiography. In his book, Iron Mike said he first tried cocaine when he was just 11 years old and he used cocaine until right before he entered the ring. Tyson said he would fool the drug tests with the help of a device in his shorts.

Tyson spoke with ABC News recently, plugging his book and he admitted that he still has good and bad moments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE TYSON, FORMER PROFESSIONAL BOXER: Once I get outside and something confronts me, I don't know if I'm going to be calm and comfort. At the moment of I'm calm and comfort, if I have peace right now here with you in your presence, yes. When I get outside and somebody throws egg at me or some paint or blood, I will scream. I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How are you going to react to that?

TYSON: Exactly.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SCHOLES: All right. Carol, you've got to see this video. Two ladies sharing an energy drink at a college basketball game. And the lady on the left takes a big swig and says to the lady on the right; she's like "Hey, try this. It's going to keep you awake." And she's finally going to try it. And Carol safe to say she doesn't really like the taste of this energy drink. That was at the Wichita State game the other night. A game that late -- it was in the wee hours -- you've got to do something to stay awake.

COSTELLO: I need some of that right now.

SCHOLES: I can go for it, if you want.

COSTELLO: Exactly.

Andy thanks so much.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts now.

Four big events that we're watching for you at this hour.

A high stakes hearing on the Obama care Web site; in the hot seat, the man in charge of solving the site's problems. A live report from Capitol Hill coming up for you.

Also right now, the Toronto City council meeting is underway. Toronto mayor, Rob Ford could face what his brother terms a public flogging.