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Duck Dynasty Fallout Not Fading; Cracker Barrel Resumes Selling Duck Dynasty Merch; Louisiana Lieutenant Gov Says Duck Dynasty Good for Tourism; Two Teachers Save School Bus Kids; Transplant Kid Improving; ILC Dover Makes Spacesuits; Charles Ramsey Signs Book Deal; Apple Gets iPhone Deal in China; CNN Reviews Year in Politics
Aired December 23, 2013 - 15:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOSH ROGIN, SENIOR CORRESPONDENT, "THE DAILY BEAST": So, once those facts come to light, independent businesses who have gotten their media bounce out of attaching themselves to Dennis Rodman's ridiculousness, often find the downside is greater than the upside.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah, we were all wondering exactly which NBA stars or former players would be going along.
And, strangely enough, no names, we have found now names thus far, so we'll see --
ROGIN: Exactly.
BALDWIN: Right?
ROGIN: I mean, I don't go to bed with mass murders. I don't wake up with mass murders. That's how I live with myself. I'm not sure how Dennis Rodman does.
BALDWIN: I don't know. Josh Rogin, thank you very much, "The Daily Beast," there for us today. Appreciate it.
ROGIN: Thank you.
BALDWIN: And now to this, the fallout from the "Duck Dynasty" controversy shows few signs of fading. In fact, this is only getting bigger.
The star of the show, Phil Robertson, you know the deal. He's been suspended after those remarks he made to "GQ" magazine sparked both outrage and support.
A&E, the network home of "Duck Dynasty," suspended Robertson indefinitely. And, last hour, I talked to someone who is taking action against A&E.
He's a sheriff of Douglas County, Georgia, who says he refuses to work with A&E -- they film some shows in his county -- until they allow Phil back on the show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SHERIFF PHIL MILLER, DOUGLAS COUNTY, GEORGIA: I don't believe you should be punished for your belief in the Bible and what it says.
That's no disregard to anybody. I think you have a right to believe what you want to believe, but when somebody punishes you for your belief and your Christian values, which is the foundation of this government, I believe, it's been a part of our history throughout our history, and I believe a person ought to get to believe in the Bible without repercussions.
If A&E does the right thing, I'll do the right thing.
BALDWIN: So, what is the right thing? Bringing Phil back on the show?
MILLER: Well, I think so. If his punishment was for what he said that the bible said, then I think the right thing to do is no harm, no foul, and let him do what he was doing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Sheriff Phil Miller had previously worked with A&E on other shows. "Duck dynasty" hasn't even been filmed in his county.
But also swept up here in this controversy, Cracker Barrel. Over the weekend, the restaurant announced they were pulling all "Duck Dynasty" merchandise from their shelves, but that announcement didn't go over too well with fans of the show.
And joining me now, Nick Valencia on all things "Duck Dynasty" today. So, let's just begin with Cracker Barrel.
What happened when they said, hey, we're yanking all the stuff?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Quite simply, they were facing a boycott and they caved to that pressure.
They have a lot of loyal support, "Duck Dynasty." Phil Robertson has a lot of loyal fan. And they started to hear pushback from those fans.
So, they decided to do an about-face on the decision to remove the items. And they told us why.
They released a statement to the media saying, "When we made a decision to remove and evaluate certain 'Duck Dynasty' items, we offended many of our customers.
"Our intent was to avoid offending, but that's just what we have done."
They went on to say, Brooke, "You told us we made a mistake, and you weren't shy about it. You flat out told us we were wrong. We listened. Today, we're putting all 'Duck Dynasty' items in stores."
This is a very popular show. At its height, 14 million viewers.
BALDWIN: A week. VALENCIA: A week, right.
$400 million merchandising base here, so this really comes down to money.
BALDWIN: So, this is all about the patriarch of the show. This is Phil Robertson.
VALENCIA: Right.
BALDWIN: And we have not heard much from him since this whole thing broke since he talked to "GQ" until now.
VALENCIA: Until now.
And "Daily Mail," the British tabloid, they had an exclusive interview with him over the weekend.
He held a Bible study in West Monroe, there in Louisiana, and he was defiant. He stood by his comments, saying he's not going to apologize. He's not a lover -- he's not a hater. He's a lover of all men and women.
And he went on to explain that his comments in that "GQ" magazine, saying, "I'm just reading what was written over 2,000 years ago. Those who live like this will not inherit the Kingdom. All I did was quote from the Scriptures, but they just didn't know it.
"Whether I said it or they read it, what's the difference? The sins are the same. Humans have not changed."
And not only is "The Daily Mail" reporting he's getting support, but also that people are thanking him for saying what he said.
BALDWIN: Galvanizing a whole group of Americans.
VALENCIA: That's right.
BALDWIN: And we heard, when this whole thing broke a couple of days ago, we were quoting the likes of Sarah Palin and Ted Cruz and Bobby Jindal.
And now we're hearing from the lieutenant governor of Louisiana who's saying this is great for Louisiana, tourism-wise.
VALENCIA: He's upset at A&E, saying that the suspension of Phil Robertson directly ties into the tourism.
A lot of people go to Louisiana because they want to see where the show was shot and filmed.
BALDWIN: Do they really?
VALENCIA: That's what he's saying and he's saying that this decision by A&E has a direct impact on tourism. And he touts his role in boosting the tourism of Louisiana. This, he is saying, is going to be detrimental.
BALDWIN: OK, Nick Valencia, stay on it.
VALENCIA: We will.
BALDWIN: Thank you. Appreciate it.
Coming up, this is a story you saw here first on CNN, this little girl, long denied a desperately needed lung transplant because of her age, finally gets one, and in doing so, gives a second chance to so many other children.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH MURNAGHAN, CHILD TRANSLANT PATIENT: I'm not going for easy.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You're not going for easy?
S. MURNAGHAN: I'm just going for possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Oh, this is an amazing story. Stay tuned for this exclusive interview. We will show you what possible looks like today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Two teachers in South Carolina jumped into action after a bus full of kids started to veer out of control, and the whole thing caught on camera.
Watch this with me. The driver was tossed from his seat after he apparently ran a stop sign, tried to make a late turn.
Sign language interpreter Lee Morris here is grabbing the steering wheel.
And that's when fourth-grade teacher Amy Ryan leapt over to jam the brake.
ANN RYAN, TEACHER WHO SAVED STUDENTS ON BUS: Honestly, I remember thinking I have seen this on the news. I cannot believe this is -- I'm in this situation. This is happening to me.
At that moment, I don't think I was fearful. I was very scared when we went through the stop sign. I was very scared when it felt like we were going to tip.
At that moment, when I actually went over the bus driver to get to the brake, I don't think I was scared at that moment. I just knew the bus had to stop.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: You hear the screaming on the bus.
Amazingly, despite what we're looking at, no one was hurt. The company that hired the driver says he doesn't work for them anymore.
And now to a story we first brought you right here on CNN, the story of a 10-year-old girl who was dying of cystic fibrosis.
Sarah Murnaghan's family was so desperate to save her life, they were willing to do anything to get her the new lung she so desperately need.
So, they sued, challenging this ruling that made it nearly impossible for children to get adult donor lungs, and you know what? They won.
Earlier this year, Sarah was put on the waiting list. The first lung failed, but now, after much doubt and concern from her doctors, her progress is remarkable.
CNN's Jason Carroll has this exclusive update on her recovery.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: Four months ago, Sarah Murnaghan could barely move in her hospital bed without help after receiving two lung transplants, the surgeries necessary because she was dying from cystic fibrosis.
Her goal then was very clear.
S. MURNAGHAN: I'm not going for easy.
CARROLL: You're not going for easy?
S. MURNAGHAN: I'm just going for possible.
CARROLL: This is what possible looks like now, Sarah at home in her bedroom, doing physical therapy with her mother and her home nurse nearby.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shoulders back.
CARROLL: She's walking, thinking about Christmas.
S. MURNAGHAN: I asked for a Furby.
CARROLL: And focusing on how far she has come.
MURNAGHAN: I knew what I was going through was possible. And it was possible for me to save myself.
CARROLL: Sarah's family, overjoyed by her progress, but still frustrated. For weeks, the Murnaghans pressured Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to change the so-called "under-12 policy," which they say discriminated against children.
Sarah was getting sicker waiting for her transplant, restricted from the adult pool of donors was she was 10.
Meanwhile, adults who were less sick were eligible for transplants under the policy. JANET MURNAGHAN, SARAH'S MOTHER: What we were trying to say is Sarah was being treated unequally, as are other kids in her age group.
CARROLL: The Murnaghans sued, along with another family in the same situation.
A judge ruled in their favor, temporarily suspending the policy, the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, allowing some exceptions for very sick children like Sarah until June 2014. Then the policy is up for review.
Now, Sarah's biggest challenge isn't her lungs, which work fine. It's her muscles, which atrophied and her bones which weakened while she waited for her transplant.
J. MURNAGHAN: So, now, here we are, climbing out of it. And she will.
But she shouldn't have been in that position. She shouldn't have had to go through this much.
CARROLL: Sarah knows she still has a long way to go.
S. MURNAGHAN: I told myself I can do it, and I push myself.
CARROLL: Do you feel like you're getting better every week, every day?
S. MURNAGHAN: Every day, I get a little bit stronger.
CARROLL: And gets a little better, one step at a time.
Jason Carroll, CNN, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Go, Sarah, go.
Since the national policy was changed this summer, 10 other kids like Sarah have also been approved to receive lung transplants.
The Murnaghans tell us what they ultimately want is better policy that would benefit all children.
Coming up next, Apple has a new mobile deal with China. So how big is this new market that the company has clinched?
Here's an idea. China's largest telecom operator has twice as many subscribers as the entire population of the U.S.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Astronauts on the International Space Station could wake up Christmas morning with something they have wanted for two weeks now, a fixed cooling line.
Tomorrow's spacewalk to finish repairs on the line would be the second ever on Christmas Eve. Remember, it was pushed back a day because of a concern there would be water in the suit, and NASA definitely does not take those issues, those concerns, lightly.
CNN's Jason Sanchez got to see how complicated they are when he toured the inside of this factory where spacesuits have been made ever since the Apollo program.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NEIL ARMSTRONG, ASTRONAUT: It's one small step for man. One giant leap for mankind.
JASON SANCHEZ, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: Since the start of the Apollo missions, every space suit, including the ones worn by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon, has been made here at ILC Dover's facility in Delaware.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: By 1965, we won the contract as a prime contract for the Apollo spacesuit.
We, in the 1970s, win the space shuttle contract, we go on to build those suits and now we're building for the space station, an identical type suit.
SANCHEZ: Each suit is handmade over the course of a couple months with extensive testing for flexibility and durability.
But just climbing into the suit can be a challenge. Would-be astronauts first have to put on a suit filled with tubes of liquid cooling water.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're in the suit for six, seven, maybe eight hours working, you're working very hard, you generate a lot of heat, a lot of humidity in the seat. This helps relieve that by the cooling tubes up against close to the skin.
SANCHEZ: And getting the entire suit on requires a bit of help.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's many layers of this. It makes it a little difficult to get in. There you go.
SANCHEZ: Once it's on, ILC Dover runs the suit through exercises to test its range of motion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As far as mobility, you have almost 180 degrees of rotational mobility.
And, if the suit seems cumbersome now, keep in mind it's dealing with earth's gravity, 300-pound space suits are designed to work best in a weightless environment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And, of course, if you're in zero-G, it's a lot easier. You don't have to fight the G-force where I am, where you have the whole suit laying on your shoulders and on your legs.
SANCHEZ: ILC Dover said they never had a suit fail on a mission, and testing done at their lab is part of the reason why. After all, there's no margin of error for clothing in space.
Jason Sanchez, Frederica, Delaware.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: That's too cool, he got to try that on.
And now to this, remember this guy? The man who helped free those three women after a decade of captivity in Cleveland is ready to tell his story.
You remember Charles Ramsey. Guess what? He has now signed a book deal. He gained fame after describing how he helped these three escape after a time after visiting McDonald's.
He talked to Anderson Cooper that week, told him what happened next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLES RAMSEY, CLEVELAND KIDNAPPING RESCUER: I'm trying to get the door open. I can't. Because he done torture chambered it some kind of way and locked it up, right?
So, I did what I had to do and kicked the bottom of the door. And she crawled out of it. She grabbed a baby, which threw me off.
All right, so, fine. I got some girl and her kid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, now you can look out for Charles Ramsey's book. Also, Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus are also coming out with books in the next couple of years.
Apple's iPhone might be manufactured in China, but you couldn't even buy one from China's largest carrier until now.
This is a landmark deal with China Mobile. Apple now has access to more than 700 million cell phone customers.
Seven hundred million, Zain Asher,that has to be this massive, massive deal here with China and Apple.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Think about that, 700 million, twice the population of the United States, four times the number of users that AT&T and Verizon has combined.
Apple is basically expanding their client base without even having to come up with a new product. Imagine that.
Here's why China is important. First of all, it's the world's second- largest economy. Also, they have a rapidly growing middle class, great news for Apple, and the world's largest Internet base as well.
For Apple, their growth rate in the U.S. has been slowing because, when you buy an iPhone, you typically keep it for several years before you get a new one, so they have been needing new territory. Obviously China does give them that.
One headwind they do have is how to price the iPhone in China. Smartphones in China cost roughly around $100. The iPhone 5C, which is the cheaper one, costs about $700. They'll have to figure that out.
But Wall Street definitely likes this news. Apple shares rising three percent right now.
BALDWIN: Has to be great news for the bottom line, yes?
ASHER: Yes, absolutely. Apple did make a comeback with the iPhone 5S and 5C and will probably have their most lucrative quarter ever.
When you open that up to the world's second-largest economy that does, of course, mean billions. Analysts estimate that could mean 20 to 30 million new customers for Apple next year alone in China.
BALDWIN: Zain Asher, thank you very much.
Coming up, this is the fun part about the end of the year, because we remember all these fascinating moments like this one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SENATOR TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: I do not like them here or there. I do not like them anywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam I Am.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Remember that? How about this one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: The fact is we have four dead Americans.
Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided they would go kill some Americans? What difference at this point does it make?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The top 10 political moments of 2013, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Just looking back at this year, we had the presidential inauguration, GOP infighting, debates over drones and filibusters. 2013 was quite a year in Washington.
Here is "STATE OF THE UNION'S" Candy Crowley with the top 10 political moments of 2013.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It was the year of living angrily.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sit down and shut up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you stand for you country, or do you want to take it down?
REPRESENTATIVE NANCY PELOSI (D), MINORITY LEADER: This place is a mess.
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I resoundingly reject that allegation.
CROWLEY: White hot rhetoric, icy cold relationships -
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I, Barack Hussein Obama, do -
CROWLEY: That said, 2013 started as inaugural years often do -
OBAMA: So help me God.
CROWLEY: -- nicely enough.
OBAMA: My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment and we will seize it.
CROWLEY: He was a popular president with an ambitious agenda, revamping the tax code, reforming schools, better job training and new energy policy and improved voting process, immigration reform and gun control.
None of it has happened. Turns out January was the kindest month. The president ends the year with an approval rating that has gone south and focused on saving the healthcare reform he won in the first term.
OBAMA: There was a time when I was a young invincible. After five years in this office, people don't call me that anymore.
CROWLEY: Another year like this and they will call him lame duck.
Paul, Cruz and Rubio, sons of the tea party, newbie's on the block, 2016 rising.
This son of Cuban immigrants catapulted to star status, pushing his reluctant party toward immigration reform.
SENATOR MARCO RUBIO (R), FLORIDA: I simply wasn't going to just leave it to Democrats alone to figure out how to fix it. CROWLEY: Libertarian at heart, Republican by party, Rand Paul blocked a presidential nominee trying to get clarity on the administration's use of drones.
SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: I will speak until I can no longer speak.
CROWLEY: And a one-off politician from the Lone Star State --
SENATOR TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: Keep up the good fight. Thank you very much.
CROWLEY: Ted Cruz staged an overnight faux filibuster to make the case against ObamaCare, filling time with a bedtime story for his kids.
CRUZ: I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam I am.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: Welcome to New Jersey.
CROWLEY: In a moment all his own, another of the 2016's rising, New Jersey governor Chris Christie wins a landslide re-election and sounds like he's opening a presidential campaign.
CHRISTIE: I know that if we can do this in Trenton, New Jersey, maybe the folks in Washington, D.C. should tune in their TVs right now, see how it's done.
CROWLEY: Also in a league all her own, the former first lady, former senator, former secretary of state, left Washington for something else, but not without a few choice words.
CLINTON: The fact is, we have four dead Americans. Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided they'd go kill some Americans? What difference at this point does it make?
It is --
CROWLEY: Hillary Clinton's Benghazi moment.
If she runs for president, expect Republicans to make it a TV-ad moment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I now declare you spouses for life.
CROWLEY: Number five brought to you by the U.S. supreme court. Less a 2013 moment than a page in history for gay rights.
Under the cover of boring, Senate Democrats blew up the status quo with the first major rules change in more than three decades, banning filibusters for all presidential nominees except the supreme court, and sending Republicans into orbit.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MINORITY LEADER: And let's not forget about the raw power, the raw power at play here. CROWLEY: The change will essentially give any president with a Senate majority the power to reshape the lean of federal courts. This 2013 moment, another one for the ages.
Coming in at number three --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Further proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
CROWLEY: -- the moments that didn't happen, work left undone, mega- problems unaddressed. Gridlock, it's not just about traffic anymore.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Senate stands adjourned.
CROWLEY: The first government shutdown in 17 years, and people -- read that "voters" -- largely blamed Republicans, producing the Democratic talking point of the 2014 election, Republicans as obstructionists.
PELOSI: If we don't have our own way, we are going to shut government down. You and that attitude are a luxury this country cannot afford.
CROWLEY: By year's end, Republicans had a counterpoint, the president's Affordable Care Act.
ObamaCare got off to a troubled start with the Web site from hell.
OBAMA: If you like your health care plan --
CROWLEY: And his broken you can keep your insurance promise.
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), MAJORITY LEADER: When we get to January 1st it will be clear that more Americans will have lost their health insurance than will sign up under the new ObamaCare policies.
CROWLEY: As it happens, the final moments of 2013 are the tee-up for the politics of 2014, shutdown versus meltdown. Let the midterm elections begin.
Oh, and happy new year.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Candy, thank you very much.
We want you to vote on the top 10 overall stories of 2013. Go to CNN.com/YIR, stands for "Year In Review."
I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you for being with me. Happy holidays to you this week.
And now, in for Jake Tapper, Dana Bash, "THE LEAD" starts right now.
