Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

First Lady: Obama Sings All the Time; Obama to Honor 16 with Medal of Freedom; Kevin Ware's Off-Court Trouble; Government Struggles With Insurance. Keeping Kids Safe from Detergent Pods; Bush Trades Late Night Jokes with Leno

Aired November 20, 2013 - 10:30   ET

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

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: So the first lady opening up about life inside the White House. And in particular, some habits of the president in particular, apparently singing.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Maybe you remember this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm so in love with you --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: (inaudible) there he manages to nail that.

ROMANS: The first lady appeared on BET yesterday and she told the audience that, you know, that the president, he has this habit of you know performing -- performing for something he likes to do around the house a little bit. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: That was pretty awesome. I mean, he's got a pretty good voice.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He does.

OBAMA: I always think my husband's got swag.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, Michelle.

OBAMA: He's got a little swag.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He definitely does.

OBAMA: Yes. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes it was really sweet.

OBAMA: But he sings all the time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh? OBAMA: Oh, yes. He's in the bathroom all the time. He's always willing to sing. You want me to sing that? You want me to sing something for you? But he's got a good voice, so that was very sweet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: I'm sure the president will be thrilled, thrilled that the first lady was talking to people. He's in the bathroom all the time. You know that's what people are going to remember there.

All right 31 minutes after the hour. They are some of the biggest names in politics, sports, entertainment, really, anywhere. But today, President Obama will honor 16 people for, in his words, dedicating their lives to enriching our lives.

ROMANS: We're talking about the nation's highest civilian honors. The presidential Medal of freedom it's an event that the president said he looks forward to every year.

Senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta joins us now from the White House with a preview of what we can expect. Good morning Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, guys. That's right. And what makes this particular day for the presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony so interesting is that it is the 50th anniversary of the executive order signed by President John F. Kennedy establishing the presidential Medal of Freedom.

It's so very interesting that this day is really going to be steeped in Kennedy mystique and legacy and you're going to see some of that starting to play out here at the White House at around the top of the hour when the president honors really a very long list of very impressive individuals.

You name it. We've talked about Bill Clinton, the former president who is obviously high on this list. Oprah Winfrey -- you know, I remember the days when she was a local anchor in Baltimore, Maryland; look how far she has come. And then Ben Bradlee, that man who really helped Woodward and Bernstein put that story of Watergate on the front page of "The Washington Post" all those years. People from top culture -- cultural legends like Loretta Lynn, Arturo Sandoval the Cuban jazz trumpeter so, it's really an amazing, amazing list of people.

But of course, you know, guys, one thing that we're going to be watching is this body language of course just to get to some politics between President Obama and Bill Clinton. They're going to be not only together today at this Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony, they're going to be over at Arlington National Cemetery later on today laying a wreath at the eternal flame honoring President John F. Kennedy and marking the 50th anniversary of his assassination.

And then the president later on this evening is going to be honoring the Kennedy legacy and some remarks that he's going to be making over at the American History Museum here in Washington. He's going to be introduced by the son of Caroline Kennedy. So this day is really going to be steeped in Kennedy mystique and legacy. But of course, there's a political subtext to all of this. And we're going to be watching just how things are sort of going between the president and former President Bill Clinton because of those comments that Bill Clinton made last week when he urged the president to keep his pledge, if you like your plan, you can keep it, speaking of Obamacare.

But a very, very fascinating Gloria Steinem is going to be here. Ernie Banks, I know John is a big baseball fan so he'll get a kick out of that as well. So this is one of the really cool, this is one of the really cool days at the White House that we're going to be witnessing today guys.

ROMANS: And you're still looking for politics Jim Acosta. You are still looking for the political subtext.

ACOSTA: I know well I can't help myself.

BERMAN: And keeps (inaudible) himself by saying he grew up watching Oprah in Maryland on local TV.

ACOSTA: Yes. I'm sorry about that.

ROMANS: Jim Acosta -- breaking news -- is not 25 years old anymore.

ACOSTA: No, I'm not.

BERMAN: Young-looking Jim Acosta.

ROMANS: Thanks.

BERMAN: All right, as Jim mentioned, of course it was President Kennedy who -- who first brought forth the Medal of Freedom so much today. CNN's first will bring you the Medal of Freedom ceremony when it begins in about half an hour. Chief Washington correspondent Jake Tapper will host a special coverage beginning at 11:05 a.m.

And then after that, in honor of President Kennedy, there will be a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery and of course we will bring that to you live as well. And this is all happening as the nation prepares to mark 50 years since President Kennedy was shot, since he was killed. And now some of the nation's most prominent figures are recalling where they were when they heard the news that Kennedy had been killed.

ROMANS: Today President Obama is going to join President Clinton in that wreath laying ceremony at the JFK's grave at Arlington National Cemetery. That will be a moving -- that would definitely be a moving experience, no question.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVIE WONDER, MUSICIAN: I was in school in Lansing, Michigan and we got the announcement. And everyone began to cry in the room. I was 13 years of age. And it was a heartbreak. HARRISON FORD, ACTOR: And I remember hearing about it on the radio. It was more than -- it was more than a hero thing. It was just -- you know, it was very shocking, very shocking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Wow. Our Wolf Blitzer is going to have special coverage ahead of today's wreath laying ceremony. Our special coverage begins at noon with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: All right. Welcome back. Guard Kevin Ware has been a feel- good story this fall. Do you remember -- remember that gruesome leg injury he suffered during last season NCAA tournament? It surprised many that Ware already is back on the court helping the Cardinals defend their national championship.

BERMAN: It has been such an amazing story until now. Now there is an off the court issue that is causing Ware some trouble. Rachel Nichols is here to talk about that.

RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well it started with something that happens to a lot of 20-year-olds in this country. Kevin Ware got a speeding ticket. He decided to go to court instead of paying the fine. Except, also like a lot of 20-year-olds in this country he then missed his court date.

None of this could be a national news story except there started to be questions about the car that Kevin Ware was driving. It's a brand new Dodge Charger. And as you guys know, there's a lot of NCAA rules about what student athletes can do in terms of not only just getting gifts of things like cars from boosters, but even just borrowing cars from boosters and things like that.

So people started to ask questions. Louisville did a compliance investigation on this. And they've announced the result that in fact Kevin was doing what a lot of 20-year-old's do, he was borrowing a buddy's. It was a friend of his who he's been friends with since freshmen year, a guy who recently graduated. They said, there was no harm, no foul there.

So he is clear of any NCAA violations. Of course he still does have to pay that speeding ticket.

ROMANS: Wow what was it 95 in a 55?

NICHOLS: Yes, on a highway, but yes.

ROMANS: That's on a highway.

BERMAN: There was a -- there was another athlete, big time athlete who has been fighting to come back from injury who was just dealt another setback perhaps. NICHOLS: Yes. Lindsey Vonn who as we know had that horrific crash; she's been working in rehab and for the past few months to try to get back. Because remember she tore two knee ligaments and broke part of her leg. She's been working and working.

And she recently sent out this photo of one of her training runs. This is a great picture from her helmet cam of her going down the mountain except you'll see -- you see out there you can see her skis in the picture right pretty great. Shortly after she sent out this picture, she had another crash. And you can see in this next photo taken by actually a high school skier who was waiting at the bottom of the mountain to meet Lindsey Vonn except instead she saw Lindsey being helped off the mountain.

Now we don't know how serious this crash was. Initial reports was that Lindsey was taken to the hospital, her agent has come out and said that was not true, she just went to go see her regular doctor. So we're waiting to see. Lindsey was going to try to make her comeback in the next two weeks. We'll have to see if that was been put off and if you remember guys the Sochi Olympics are in February. Tick tock, so we'll have to see how severe this injury is.

BERMAN: All right Rachel thank you so much.

"UNGUARDED" off this week but when it returns, you have a sit-down interview with the best driver on planet earth right now. Six-time NASCAR champ, Jimmie Johnson. I look forward to seeing that.

NICHOLS: Thank you.

ROMANS: All right still to come little packets can be a huge problems for parents thousands of worried moms and dads are calling Poison Control hot lines after their kids are eating these detergent pods. They look an awful like a lot like what a big bubble gum, a piece of candy. We're going have startling numbers for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: The self-imposed end of November deadline to get healthcare.gov back up and running is quickly approaching. And many users say they're still having problems with it. For Senator Ted Cruz, the website's shortcomings just go to prove what he says, which is he thinks the whole idea of the Affordable Care Act is flawed.

Here is what he said this morning on "NEW DAY".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: The people who I think are vindicated are the millions of Americans all across this country who spoke up and said this law isn't working. It is a disaster. And we've seen in recent weeks that what all of those millions of Americans were predicting, all of that and more is coming to pass.

Already over 5 million Americans have lost their health insurance because of Obamacare. And, you know, three and a half years ago, reasonable minds perhaps could have differed on whether Obamacare would work. Today, that's not possible. In my view, coming together to stop Obamacare is the essence of pragmatism to get it back.

(CROSSTALK)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST: You don't think that you have a responsibility as a U.S. senator to do better than that in terms of offering a solution for what to do next?

CRUZ: Well, I appreciate you're trying to lecture me in the morning. Thank you for that.

CUOMO: No, no, no. Not at all. I'm worried, the same as you. Anybody who looks at the situation has worries. Families need health insurance --

CRUZ: Sir, you're worried. Did you speak out for the 5 million people that lost their health insurance? Did you speak out --

CUOMO: Absolutely. We've been covering it doggedly. We've been covering it doggedly. And you know that -- I'm sure you watch the show. The problem is, I don't have the power to fix it; you do. That's what a U.S. senator does. You sponsor law. You know this.

It's not a lecture, it's a concern. I'm asking what are you going to do about it?

CRUZ: And I share that concern and have every day been working to highlight the millions of people who have lost their job because of Obamacare, the millions of people who have been forced into part-time work. They're single moms. They're young people, Hispanics, African- Americans, people who are struggling who are now on part-time work. You can't feed your kids with 29 hours a week.

There's over 5 million people who have lost their health insurance. And the way to fix that is to stop this broken law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: You know it was interesting discussion on "NEW DAY" with Chris Cuomo and Ted Cruz. Chris was exploring affirmative ways to address some of the health issues now going on in this country.

ROMANS: All right. The U.S. Poison Control Centers have a new warning for parents. Keep those detergent pods away from the children. The group says those small, brightly colored packets were to blame in thousands of cases where kids accidentally swallowed or bit on the packaging.

Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange. Alison, we're talking about a substantial number of cases here where children getting a hold of these things -- they look like bubble gum or candy. And by the time they bite into them they've ingested a lot of chemicals a lot of poison.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, because it's so concentrated in that one bit. And you know, this is drawing attention because there are enough cases that are grabbing the attention of the poison control officials.

Interestingly enough, these detergent pods are pretty new to the market. They were just introduced in 2010 but already in the last year -- last year actually, there were 6,300 reported cases of poisoning of children. This year, there have been 8,500 cases and the year isn't even over yet. That's an increase of 35 percent. In fact, one child died in August after eating a Sun Products detergent capsule.

See the issue is that these little pods are bright-colored and they kind of look like candy. And it's a small item and it used to have, at least, clear packaging, which showed the detergent, showed the bright color and made it something that children wanted to go towards and get towards. And eating one can actually lead to a loss of consciousness, excessive vomiting. It can make it hard to breathe -- much worse than ingesting regular powder or liquid detergent which usually cause just an upset stomach.

So experts say once again and maybe because these pods are more highly-concentrated and kids can wind up putting the whole thing in their mouths instead of just a small handful of powder. S yes, this is getting headlines again because of the number of reported accidents -- Christine.

ROMANS: And it's interesting, companies aren't going to stop selling them, but they're saying that they're putting more warnings out there. And poison control officials trying to really stress to parents, 'Hey, these might be convenient. It's a fast, fast growing part of the market. But be careful. They are tantalizing to toddlers who want -- who would like to put things in their mouths.'

KOSIK: Exactly. And Tide actually -- is taking this really seriously, actually working with Poison Control on the issue. In fact, it put new warning labels on their pods and actually put a latch on the box that the pods are in so it's harder for kids to open. It also made the package opaque instead of clear so kids don't see those bright colors and aren't drawn to those.

But you said it, you know, this is a huge market. It's a big market -- $300 million market. The Tide Pods happen to be the leader but, you know, we haven't even mentioned (inaudible), Vanish, Whiff, Arm and Hammer -- they've also all got some type of detergent capsule. So if you look at the market against the entire laundry industry, the entire laundry industry is about $ 7 billion, so it's not huge but big enough because it's an area of growth because consumers like the convenience of these pods. So what these companies, Christine, are trying to do is trying safeguard this product without having to completely do away with it -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right. I guess as a parent, all you can do is make sure it's out of reach.

KOSIK: Exactly.

ROMANS: Alison Kosik, thank you so much.

KOSIK: Sure.

BERMAN: All right. still to come. This question. What is it like to be hit by a crazy train? Getting run over by a Ford truck -- a Mayor Rob Ford truck. Hear from the woman who was on the wrong side of that collision.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right. He was once the target of so many late-night laughs. But George W. Bush finally had a chance to crack some jokes of his own last night on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno.

ROMANS: And the former president said he's glad he's not in the hot seat anymore.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, TALK SHOW HOST: Now President Obama is kind of getting the late-night jokes now. Are you --

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Better him than me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: He also delved into some family matters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LENO: I love your mom. She's so outspoken.

BUSH: Yes, well. Depends on what end of the outspoken you're on. Yes, she -- yes, she did make some news.

LENO: Well, they asked her about Jeb running for president. Were you surprised by what she said?

BUSH: I was surprised she even answered the question.

LENO: Really.

BUSH: Yes. This is the woman who when I was getting ready to run against Governor Ann Richards in Texas, I called her and said, "Hey mom, I'm going to run against Governor Richards". Long pause, she said, "You can't win."

LENO: Keeping from getting a big head. That's what --

BUSH: Anyway. Yes. I mean Jeb should run for president if he wants to. He'd be a great president.

LENO: Well let's show the clip.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mrs. Bush, would you like to see your son Jeb run. BARBARA BUSH, FORMER FIRST LADY: He's by far the best qualified man. But no, I really don't. I think it's a great country. There are a lot of great families. It's not just four families or whatever. There are just -- there are other people out there that are very qualified. And we've had enough Bushes.

LENO: Wow.

I mean there are several ways you can interpret that. If you're a little uncertain about your standing in the family you can say "The last Bush we had might have been too much."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: I think he feels like everyone with a mother feels right now. The former president also had a gift for Jay Leno. Look at that. That is a painting. A George W. Bush original you might say. The former president has taken painting as a big hobby. One of his loves, right now. He said it's changed his life. And he gave Leno a signed portrait that he did himself.

ROMANS: That is very cool.

All right. You could call it a Ford Fusion when the crack-smoking mayor of Toronto collides with someone.

BERMAN: As the scandal around him grows, so it seems are the chance of becoming Rob Ford's road kill.

ROMANS: CNN's Jeanne Moos has the story about of the city councilwoman who lived to tell about it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Imagine what it's like to get hit by a Ford -- not this kind of Ford -- this kind. If you want to know what it's like to get run over by Mayor Rob Ford, ask the lady in green.

PAM MCCONNELL, TORONTO CITY COUNCILLOR: It sounded like a crazy train bowled me over. His adrenaline had overcome his thought process. All I can remember is my eyes locking with his and realizing he really wasn't seeing me.

MOOS: Toronto City councilor Pam McConnell just happened to be in the mayor's way when he bolted to rescue his brother from what the mayor thought was a fight with hecklers in the public gallery. There had been a lot of taunting back and forth.

When Rob Ford knocked her down, Councilor McConnell got a bruise on the side of her face and a swollen lip.

MCCONNELL: Don't make me smile.

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE": It's like Canada's running of the bulls or something. MOOS: Jimmy Kimmel was exactly right.

MCCONNELL: Like a bull, seeing red, he just charged.

MOOS: Lately, it seems Mayor Ford is always charging, practically running to avoid reporters while the press swarms, a lethal combo. The mayor takes it in the face. Photographers get shoved around.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. Get off my property. Get off my property.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm leaving.

MOOS: At least Councilor McConnell was left with an apology.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Apologize to Councilor McConnell.

ROB FORD, MAYOR OF TORONTO, CANADA: Yes, absolutely, absolutely. It was a complete accident. I do sincerely apologize to you, Councilor McConnell.

MOOS: First, he ran her down. Later, he hugged her.

MCCONNELL: I felt like I was somehow in a Fellini film or something.

MOOS: She says he needs medical help. On BuzzFeed, they looped the mayor's latest collision to Miley Cyrus' song --

(MUSIC)

MOOS (on camera): Maybe Ford ought to try riding the brakes for a change -- instead of always breaking the speed limit.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: Oh, my. All right. We're going to leave you with some live pictures this morning of the Medal of Freedom ceremony. You see people gathering there in Washington for this -- there's Huma Abedin, there's Hillary Clinton.

BERMAN: She is, of course, the proud wife of a Medal of Freedom recipient today -- former president Bill Clinton.

ROMANS: Thanks for joining us today. I'm Christine Romans.

BERMAN: And I'm John Berman. Our special coverage of the medal of freedom ceremony gets underway in just a few minutes. Our special coverage with Jake Tapper begins right now.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone. I'm Jake Tapper, in for Ashleigh Banfield. It's Wednesday, November 20th. And right now you're looking at live pictures from the East Room of the White House. That's former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.