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Erin Burnett Outfront

Jacksonville Airport Completely Evacuated; House Votes On Three Funding Bills; Republicans Revolt Fails To Stop Shutdown; Rockslide Kills Five Family Members In Colorado

Aired October 01, 2013 - 19:00   ET

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

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: Good evening, everyone. I'm Erin Burnett. And I want to begin with some breaking news that we have tonight coming out here on CNN from Florida. This is a live picture of the Jacksonville International Airport. We're not in control of this camera right now. You can see police cars, but this airport is now completely evacuated. There are no active operations at this time amidst reports of multiple suspicious packages, according to the airport spokeswoman, Debby Jones.

Now I want to emphasize this Jacksonville Airport is one of the busiest cargo airports in the entire United States of America, a very busy cargo center there. So that is part of what makes this story even more significant. We're going to continue to monitor this breaking news throughout the hour and bring you updates as soon as we can get them. But obviously right now, multiple suspicious packages found at that airport in Jacksonville, Florida. So we'll monitor that. We'll give you-up dates through the hour.

And I want to get to our top breaking story as well, the House about to vote on three bills that Republicans say will ease some of the pain of the shutdown. Now the piecemeal funding measures would apparently put an immediate end to delayed veterans benefits. We open the closed national parks and memorials and give the District of Columbia to use its own revenue to continue operations.

Dana Bash has been on Capitol Hill all day and all night following every twist and turn. Now Dana, do these bills really make a big difference or are they a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing?

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, ultimately, it will be the latter. But if these bills were to have passed, were to have gotten to the president's desk, they would have made a little difference for the veterans, for people wanting to go to the national parks ask some people here in the District of Columbia.

But several things will stop that. Number one, the White House has already issued a veto threat and we have already seen even before the votes have started which should happen momentarily. The House Speaker John Boehner's spokesman releasing a statement reacting to the veto threat and I will read you part of it.

It is, how does White House justify signing the troop funding bill, but vetoing similar measures for veterans, national parks and the District of Columbia? The White House position is unsustainably hypocritical.

But the issue for a lot of Democrats up here and I think we'll see at the end of the day with these votes, most Democrats believe what the Republican strategy to do is to cherry pick some of the easy things, the most symbolic things to reopen, but not some of the more controversial parts of the federal government. Listen to what Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader said about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPRESENTATIVE NANCY PELOSI (D), MINORITY LEADER: It's not about the parks. It is about the affordable care act. So urge our colleagues to see this for what it is. It is pathetic. It is not responsible. It is beneath the dignity. I keep saying that but we keep getting further beneath the dignity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, the whole Democratic argument is that they believe what the House Republicans are trying to do is fund the government in and around the agencies that would actually fund Obama care. It is a way the defunding the Obamacare strategy. People who followed the House closely might ask, why could we wear what Democrats are saying?

Because they usually don't matter because the House has such a big majority, in this case, the way the House Republicans have set up this vote, it does matter. They will need two-thirds majority to pass and it that's why they need Democratic support and it doesn't look like they'll get it -- Erin.

BURNETT: All right, well, Dana, thank you very much. As Dana, of course, indicated, that veto from the White House so, well, maybe a nice headline, but basically a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing.

Now the impact of the shutdown, you could sight this morning, tourists, as Dana indicated, don't bother. The Lincoln Memorial along with the United States other national parks, closed at an estimated cost of $450,000 a day in lost revenue. At the World War II Memorial, a group of veterans took matters into their own hands storming the barriers. We're going to have more on that story later in the show.

NASA television dark, along with 97 percent of NASA's work force, they are just some of the 800,000 Americans who are not getting paychecks today. And if you are an animal fan, and we know some of you may laugh at this, but this is just among the things that happened. You will no longer be able to watch the National Zoo's panda orangutan, clawed otter or others.

Look at the overall picture. Congressman Mark Zandi told me, if the shutdown lasts only until the end of this workweek. All right, so I'm talking about a three to four days shutdown. The total economic hit to the United States of America would be $32 billion. That adds up. So what are those in Washington who are still getting paid doing about the shutdown that they caused?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I will not give in to reckless demands by some in the Republican Party. I will not negotiate over Congress's responsibility to pay bills it has already racked up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: One man who did try to stop thought is our second story, OUTFRONT, Republican Congressman Peter King who tried to convince his fellow party members to revolt last night and vote with the Democrats, a last-ditch effort to prevent a showdown. As you know, of course, that effort failed and that the matters for America's entire economy. There is no bigger money and power story tonight in this country.

OUTFRONT now, Congressman Peter King. He sits on the House Financial Services Committee. And Congressman, always good to have you with us. So let me ask you. Your thought here, you needed about 20 other Republicans to prevent a shutdown. You obviously thought you had those votes but in the end, only two moderate Republicans, and one of them was you, actually stepped up and voted to stop a shutdown. What in the world happened?

REP. PETER KING (R), NEW YORK: Now, first of all, I was hoping to get 20. There were 20 or 25 who had committed themselves back on Saturday, but it is a long way from Saturday to Monday. Having said that, there were two, as you said, two votes on the first rule, nobody ever voted against the rule before on this process.

And then on the second, there were nine Republicans voted no on the rule and also on the final passage of the bill, it was 12 or 13 voted no. If we can get 20 or 25, this could be over. So the fact that we did go from two to nine to 13, again, shows that there are breaks. We saw a number of Republicans coming out who said they did want to reopen the government and have a vote on a clear C.R.

BURNETT: I see what you're saying. I see you have to see the glass half fulfill some of those Republicans voted with you because they didn't -- they didn't think the bill went far enough in dismantling Obamacare. So you had Michele Bachmann, for example, on there --

KING: On the second one, all nine voted against it a second time. At least eight of the nine were what you would call moderates.

BURNETT: So let me ask you though because you talk about how a lot changed. You thought you had 20 or 25 and all right, you know, you're spinning this positively, but are you disappointed in John Boehner? I mean, earlier this year John Boehner said, I would be risk the full faith and credit of the American government over Obamacare, a direct quote from John Boehner. Yet here we are, someone like you goes to him last night, tries get help for a rational, reasonable thing and are you disappointed in him? KING: John Boehner is in a very, very tough position. He does not want to do this. He told us as recently as three weeks ago that we wouldn't do this. We had a Ted Cruz wing in our party, which really cares about nothing but their own agenda, the Ted Cruz agenda, their agenda, and they basically threatened to bring everything down.

What John Boehner is trying to do is keep the party united as long as he can while minimum damage is being done. It is a tough spot he's in. Also let me just say, I've been very critical of Republicans. We are where we are. I would say it is time for President Obama to get engaged. This is his government.

Whether it is our fault or not, the Republican Party's fault or not, he is the president. He has to come in and he cannot just stand back and let this go forward. So I'm calling on him to get involved. I think the Republicans have this wing of 30 or 40 or 50 people driving us over a cliff.

We have to stop listening to Ted Cruz. It is time for the president to get engaged, too much at stake. I mean, we have good people out of work, as you said, the damage that will come to the economy. This cannot be allowed to go on. This is madness.

BURNETT: Well, of course, it has been 787 days since we lost the AAA rating and that was because of the debt ceiling and now you have that next battle coming up. Before you go though, I wanted to just -- you know, you heard the president say he won't negotiate. You heard that earlier today, but he declared a victory a little bit today and I wanted to play that for you quickly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT OBAMA: They've shutdown a whole bunch of parts of the government, but the affordable care act is still open for business.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Was that taunting?

KING: It was, but it also showed what a fraud Ted Cruz was because he was saying all along if we voted to defund Obamacare, he would be able to kill the whole thing in the Senate. Obviously, defunding Obamacare was never going to stop it to begin with. Secondly, Ted Cruz couldn't defund it. The president is playing a game here. He is still in campaign mode. This is too important for that. Let him say he won the battle. I don't care who wins the battle.

I want the government to reopen. If he wants to play golf on Saturday, if he wants to say he is not going to negotiate with Boehner, but he will negotiate with Putin, it's going to come back to him and not only is he going on end up losing or being drag down with us, but the government will stay shut, people will be out of work and we'll have real risks here.

Many people in the intelligence community have been laid off. A significant number of people, army reservist who's do counter terrorism work. They are being laid off. So there is a security dimension to this in addition to the other inconveniences.

BURNETT: Thank you very much, Congressman Peter King, trying to exert some leadership on Capitol Hill. Still to come, a rock slide in California with tragic results, five members of the same family killed. One person saved thanks to a self- less choice and we're going to have that story for you.

Plus, Benjamin Netanyahu coming out today, guns blazing on Iran's new president. The Israeli leader said Rouhani has no credibility.

And a Hollywood couple detained by police in South Carolina, was it because of their race.

Plus the dramatic confrontation caught on tape. We are learning more about this battle tonight.

We also continue to follow the breaking news out of Jacksonville, Florida with multiple suspicious packages, closing the airport in Jacksonville International, one of the biggest cargo airports in the United States. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: Our third story, OUTFRONT, a deadly rock slide in Colorado. Five members of one family killed yesterday. They were on hike together, a family hike. There was one survivor, 13-year-old Gracie Johnson. She was with her parents, her sister and two cousins when the massive rock slide just came crashing down on them.

It is a situation you may have seen when you drive by on the road or you're hiking and you see a pile of rocks. You think what are the chances they would ever come down when you walk by? A horrific thing happened to this family and a tragedy occurred on the trail about 120 miles southwest of Denver. Kyung Lah is in Buena Vista, Colorado tonight. She is OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Risking life and limb, rescuers pulled the bodies of five members of the same family. All crushed under boulders the size of cars. Here in the large debris area about half the size of a football field.

SHERIFF PETE PALMER, CHAFFEE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: You see the steepest of the slope. You see the size of the boulders. This was a risky, risky operation.

LAH: The only survivor, 13-year-old Gracie Johnson pulled by a first responder.

UNDERSHERIFF JOHN SPEZZE, CHAFEE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT.: He did not see Gracie at first. But he heard somebody screaming and he actually saw hand sticking out of the rocks. And when he heard her scream, he was able to start digging.

LAH: Gracie is now in the hospital with a broken leg. Annie Yates is a family friend.

ANNIE YATES, FAMILY FRIEND: I'm so happy you're still here for your brother and for your family. And you're just a miracle. Everyone has faith in you. That's in your name. How can we not?

LAH: Gracie's middle name, Faith. The miracle of her survival celebrated outside the high school where her parents both coached. In this small town, Duane and Donna Johnson were deeply rooted. Duane, an electrician, coached football part time. Donna waited tables at two restaurants to support her family but still had time to help coach track. Their daughter, Kiowa (ph), Gracie's sister, was also killed, was a senior here.

The two nephews, Paris and Beigeon were visiting from Missouri. They decided to go hiking that morning on the popular trail recommended in guidebooks for children. The sheriff's department says recent heavy rain and freezing temperatures loosened the massive boulders and triggered the slide. The reason Gracie is alive, her father saw the boulders coming.

(on camera): Gracie told the rescuing deputy, is that father shielded her from the boulders and pushed her out of the way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doesn't surprise me one bit. Duane, he would have been there for you. And not knowing you. If you were close enough to him and he saw it coming would have done the same thing for you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAH: A gentle heart, the high school expected to have a candlelight vigil tonight. A thousand people from this town, about half the population of this place, is expected to show up here at the football stadium behind me. And Erin, here at the gymnasium is where they'll held to memorial for these two beloved coaches. Erin?

BURNETT: All right. Kyung Lah, thank you very much.

In our fourth story it OUTFRONT is Benjamin Netanyahu's blistering attack on Iran's new president. So, at the United Nations today, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu finally had his chance to take the stand, and he was firm. Calling out his Iranian counterpart again and again with the hopes of shredding Hassan Rouhani's credibility when it come to Tehran's claim that it wants to process yellow cake uranium to make fuel and medical devices, not weapons.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: He fooled the world once. Now he thinks he can fool it again. You see, Rouhani thinks he can have his yellow cake and eat it, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Jim Sciutto is OUTFRONT. Now Jim, Benjamin Netanyahu is always very good with these memorable one-liners or the images he provides. But this was a guns blazing speech against Iran. Not at all like the conciliatory tone President Obama struck just last week.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: No question. President Rouhani of Iran had his charm offensive, you can call this his truth offensive from Benjamin Netanyahu. Some real biting attacks there. One, he said that Rouhani is a wolf in sheep's clothing. That's really his message here, that this charm offensive has no substance to it, that it is just a way to buy time for the Iranian government to build a nuclear weapon.

BURNETT: So there's been a lot of talk about negotiating with Iran, right? That's what all this comes from. And Rouhani said last week, though, at a meeting I was at with him, there is no way -- he said categorically -- there is no way Iran will stop enriching uranium. So what was it that Netanyahu said that made it sound like there would never be an agreement? Because he seemed to lay down a line on the opposite side.

SCUITTO: Well, Netanyahu's point of viewwas they would have to give up enriching uranium entirely in addition to reducing the number of centrifuges, etc. and closing down some nuclear facilities. But this is a difference actually between Israel and the U.S. because the American president, President Obama has said that Iran does have a right to enrich within limitations, up to 5 percent, for instance. So that's a difference between the U.S. and Israel.

And there is a way forward here where you can allow Iran to enrich up to say, five percent, which is well below weapons grade. Also reduce the number of centrifuges and reduce the amount of enriched uranium in the country to keep them well away from a nuclear breakout capability. Those are the outlines of a potential deal. But in that deal, Israel would have to give up -- give at least grant the right to have some enrichment.

BURNETT: Right, which would be a big concession for Netanyahu, and I know a lot of people wonder whether they would move to strike on their own.

Now, Jim, something just happened that I know you saw that I wanted to ask you about. The chairman of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, tweeted Iran's president this afternoon questioning whether Iranian who, of course, don't have access to social media now, can read the tweets of their president. Now obviously, Iranian government uses the Twitter account @HassanRouhani, but they refuse to directly verify it. They refuse to take accountability for it. But that account did reply to Jack Dorsey.

SCUITTO: It did. And it said you can expect some movement possibly on this. And just so you know, the Iranian foreign minister actually has a Twitter account as well, which he used to attack President Obama. That one is verified.

I spoke to the Iranian vice president on Friday. I asked him this question. He said expect some relaxing on Internet freedom in Iran. He said these bans were the policies of the last administration, Ahmadinejad, and they don't consider it their policy. So it is possible that we'll see Iran relax some of these restrictions, possibly on Twitter. We haven't seen it yet, and as you know in our experience, with the Iranian government, you will have to see it to believe it. But there is a possibility there, at least a hinted by several Iranian officials. BURNETT: That's right. Certainly got to see it to believe it. We'll see. At least now, even if they don't verify these accounts, you've put out promises on them. People can hold to you account.

SCUITTO: No question.

BURNETT: All right, Jim Scuitto. Thank you very much. Reporting, as we said, on the major speech today at the U.N.

Still to come, a Hollywood couple detained by police in South Carolina. They say their race was the reason.

Plus, more bad news for the post office which has absolutely nothing to do with the shutdown. We have it for you tonight.

And we continue to follow the breaking news in Jacksonville, Florida. Multiple suspicious packages are under investigation at the airport. That entire airport has been evacuated. As I said, a crucial cargo airport in this country, 90 percent of all bags from the company Coach, for example, go through that airport. We're following that story this hour. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: Our fifth story OUTFRONT tonight: Did police profile a Hollywood couple? Tonight, the Marion County Sheriff's Office in South Carolina is investigating claims that an officer detained two black actors who had stopped along a road to take some pictures. Now, according to the couple, the officer who cuffed them made several accusations as to why they were being detained. The couple claims those allegations simply did not add up.

David Mattingly is OUTFRONT. And David, what is the couple saying actually happened?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Cherie Johnson and Dennis White were in South Carolina driving to Myrtle Beach, they say, for a little bit of vacation. They pulled over on the side of the road. That's when they got out of the car to take pictures of a cotton field, something a lot of tourists might try to do in that area.

But while they were doing that, a sheriff's deputy pulled up behind them. He ordered them to get back in their car and then they say very aggressively started asking a lot of questions about who they are, what are they doing there and what is in their car. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DENNIS WHITE, ACTOR: He said that he thought maybe we had a dead body in the car and that we had all type of drugs --

CHERIE JOHNSON, ACTOR: And he kept saying, if you have marijuana, just let me know and I'll write you a citation. It was like five times. I said, sir, I'm sorry, I don't have drugs. And he went on to ask, do you have cocaine? Well, do you have prescription drugs in your purse? I said no, sir, I don't do drugs. I don't have drugs at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: And it got even worse from there. The couple ended up being handcuffed them. They agreed to let the deputy search their vehicle. When he went through it, he went through all of their belongings, questioned them about money they were carrying, continued to ask them about drugs. And even then, when they started asking him questions, he responded with what sounded like some threats. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNSON: Sir, can I ask for a watch commander to come out? And then I was told, oh, you want to play that game? We can play. I can arrest you for trespassing and petty larceny.

WHITE: It was very, you know, I think he was trying to provoke. I think he was trying to provoke me - I think he was trying to provoke me, or I don't know what the situation was. But it was just really uncalled for. And I felt violated. I still do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: The couple says that this deputy actually told Cherie Johnson that there was a warrant out for her arrest, which he later admitted was not true. And he eventually let the couple go, but not without first giving them a citation. They're not exactly sure what it was for because when you look at the citation, he just clicked that it was for "other." Whatever that means, Erin?

BURNETT: And now, you're saying that you just heard him say he feels violated. And you're obviously talking about how they felt racially profiled in this. What does the sheriff say in response to that allegation?

MATTINGLY: The sheriff isn't able to say a lot because he says it is an ongoing investigation. But he did release a statement, and here's what he said. "Discrimination in any form, including racial profiling, is strictly prohibited by this department. He assures everyone that he "will take immediate and appropriate actions to investigate these allegations."

He actually asked the state to step in and investigate this deputy as well. I got confirmation today from the state of South Carolina. Yes, that investigation is going on.

BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, David Mattingly. We'll obviously be following that story.

Still to come, the latest from the government shutdown. World War II. Vets storm a memorial today. A special report.

And new information about this violent confrontation. What led the group of bikers to do that to a motorist? Slash the tires, attack him. Someone might be paralyzed now for life.

An outrage over Justin Bieber's recent behavior. What he has done tonight in China.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: Welcome back to the second half of OUTFRONT on Tuesday.

We're continuing to monitor the situation at Jacksonville International Airport. It was completely evacuated after reports of multiple suspicious packages, according to the airport's spokeswoman Debbie Jones.

Now, at this moment, there are no active operations. You can see the police activity. We've learned from a spokesman at Southwest Airlines that two flights have been diverted to Orlando. An AirTran flight is being held on the ground in Atlanta to prevent it from taking off.

We are waiting for a media briefing to begin any minute. We will take that live to see exactly what is happening in Jacksonville tonight.

Well, the U.S. Postal Service has defaulted on a $5.6 billion payment for retiree health benefits. Now, this actually has nothing to do with a government shutdown. There is a congressional mandate that requires the Post Office to set aside billions of dollars for retiree health care every year. The problem is, like a lot of companies and a lot of government agencies in this year, they don't do it, which is why we have a crisis coming.

Anyway, this chart from BTIG shows why you the post office is failing to get the money, because in 2001, 208 billion pieces of mail were shipped. That number has plunged 25 percent over the past 10 years.

Justin Bieber has been waves again, this time for pictures that appear to show his body guards carrying them on their shoulders while they scale the Great Wall of China. We don't know if Bieber made his body guards carry him or not, or if they just were joking around. The Twitter account where the pictures are is a fan account. Not a verified account. It is however followed by the official, verified Justin Bieber account.

We've reached out to Bieber's representatives for comment, we have not yet heard back from them.

In our sixth story OUTFRONT: Storming the gate. Busloads of veterans broke past the barricades to the World War II memorial today. It was close because of the government shutdown. And there were members of Congress on site saying the vets deserved entry. Of course, the same members of Congress who let the government shut down in the first place.

CNN's Chris Lawrence is OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wheelchair- bound veterans came just to see the World War II Memorial, only to be greeted by barricades.

SEN. TOM HARKIN (D), IOWA: I don't get it. I don't get it. I'm furious.

LAWRENCE: Members of Congress seemed surprised. But when they vote to shut down the federal government, monuments do, too.

HARKIN: If I can walk around here, why can't I walk down there? It makes no sense.

LAWRENCE: That's exactly what some are saying about negotiations on Capitol Hill.

JUDY MARCHESINI, VISITING FROM GREENVILLE, MS: I feel like our government is wasting our taxpayer money.

(CHEERS)

LAWRENCE: Onlookers applauded as the veterans broke past the barricade.

JAMES BROWN, WORLD WAR II VETERAN: Well, it fills you with pride and make you proud as you were pulling up.

LAWRENCE: Lawmakers who came to greet the veterans also laid blame for those barricades.

REP. STEVE KING (R), IOWA: This is a spiteful decision that was ordered from the White House.

LAWRENCE: The politicians made no mention of their own role.

REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: We're trying to protect the lives and the health care of these wonderful veterans who did for us.

LAWRENCE: But as they postured, within a mile of the memorial, thousands of federal workers were being furloughed.

BARRINGTON GOLDSON, FURLOUGHED FEDERAL WORKER: Everyone is angry. I mean, angry.

LAWRENCE: Send home without pay. They're scared for themselves and their co-workers.

SUSAN LAKE, FURLOUGHED FEDERAL WORKER: I just bought a house. I can't make the mortgage payment.

LAWRENCE: Angry, worried, and incredibly frustrated.

GOLDSON: Because I don't see why we the people should really suffer because of this disagreement.

LAWRENCE: Despite it all, the shutdown won't stop one 93-year-old's father who will get to see the memorial that honors him.

MARCHESINI: We're just glad to get on the plane at this point.

REPORTER: And you're still going on enjoy this day.

MERCHESINI: Oh, yes, it's going to be great.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: But the thing is, there are hotels and flights book for a dozen more veterans trips over the next week. Park officials say they are looking for "guidance" on how to handle those. Translation, we can't believe the folks in charge left us here to block elderly veterans from an open concrete space -- Erin.

BURNETT: Chris Lawrence, thank you very much.

Well, our seventh story OUTFRONT is the political blame game. So, you know, you just saw people like Michele Bachmann at the memorial today, some of the same people who are part of the shutdown. The congressional stalemate, the cost of government shutdown is showing no signs of stopping tonight, and with no way out of the gridlock, lawmakers are looking on assigning blame for the first government shutdown in 17 years, which as I reported at the top of the hour, one exert told me is going to cost $32 billion by Thursday or Friday night.

So, who has the most to lose? OUTFRONT tonight, executive editor at "The Daily Beast", John Avlon, former adviser to Bill Clinton, Paul Begala, and former spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, Terry Holt. A perfect group.

All right. John, here we are, a day into the shutdown. Look, we got a little count -- 19 hours, 37 minutes and 57 seconds -- for people who don't keep military ties. That's because it's 7:00 at night.

OK. But the president did not talk to John Boehner today. Made a call at the last minute last night. Who needs to make the first move now?

JOHN AVLON, THE DAILY BEAST: We are in a total stalemate. And unless Speaker Boehner decides to start thinking about his legacy, to break the stalemate, there's not actually going to be an incentive for either side to take this seriously until we get closer to the debt ceiling. That's the problem here. We're looking at --

BURNETT: And that's October 17th.

AVLON: Oh, yes. We're looking at more like two weeks, not two days here, folks, because that's the immovable object that's going to have to start getting discussions started seriously. Otherwise, the White House holds the cards and even Boehner knows he doesn't have a strong hand to play.

BURNETT: Terry, House Republicans are getting more of the blame for the shutdown than anybody else. Now, there is blame to go around by the polls but they are getting more. When you look at the Quinnipiac poll, it shows now on a generic pole, a Democrat has a 9-point lead in a generic congressional ballot over a Republican. That, of course, would be a problem if it were sustain.

I don't know if you heard Peter King on this program, but at the top of the hour, he referred to what Ted Cruz is doing as a fraud, and said that the Republicans need to stop listening to Ted Cruz. Are you worried the GOP could lose the majority because of this?

TERRY HOLT, FORMER JOHN BOEHNER SPOKESMAN: If we go back to 1996, the last time there was a shutdown, the Republicans retain their control of the Congress. They lost some ground admittedly. But the next election is a million years away from now. I heard the legacy mentioned by the last guest. And the legacy here is at stake. Obamacare is the singular accomplishment of this president.

And as long as he has a political advantage, as long as his poll numbers show that he is doing OK, he is going to stay where he is. He has no reason. He can play golf on Saturday. Harry Reid cannot go to work on Sunday and they're happy to have this last as long as it takes.

BURNETT: Well, they can take advantage of the gorgeous fall weather. I say that, I guess I'm joking but in a very disgusted sort of a manner.

Paul, speaking an even last night, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie weighed in, obviously seen as one of the main contenders in 2016 for the Republican Party. Someone asked him how he would handle the stalemate and here's what he said about if he were president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: My approach would be, as the executive, is to call in the leaders of the Congress, the legislature, whatever you're dealing with and say that we're not leaving this room until we fix this problem, because I'm the boss. I'm in charge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Now, Paul, why did not the president get personally involved sooner? You know, he made those calls last night to John Boehner but they were at the last minute. You can say, oh, Boehner should have done this or that, or whatever, but ultimately, he is the president.

PAUL BEGALA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: He is the president. But, I mean, I don't -- I actually do know how things work in New Jersey, and the national government like New Jersey, we have a separation of powers. Actually, a president is not the boss of the Congress. They are co- equal branch.

BURNETT: Right.

BEGALA: And here's the problem -- the real negotiation here is not between Harry Reid and John Boehner. It's not even between Speaker Boehner and the president. It's between Speaker Boehner and the Tea Party Caucus. That's what has to be resolved.

The truth is, the Democrats are united, they're really to fund the government at a much lower level than they want, which is a huge concessions that the Republicans, if I were advising them, should just bank. And so, that's the real negotiation.

So, Governor Christie is right. But it's not Boehner, Reid and Obama who need to be in the room. It's the speaker and Ted Cruz -- actually just Ted Cruz who is apparently de facto speaker of the House. It's the Tea Party that is running things right now. And if the Republican Party wants to reassert itself, it would be a very good thing.

BURNETT: Terry, what about that? What Paul just said, that Ted Cruz is essentially the speaker right now? Should John Boehner do what Peter King just said on the show and say, hey, Ted Cruz, you're a fraud or whatever he's going to say, take him on and put his legacy on the line? Or would not be smart?

HOLT: The Republicans have been remarkably united throughout this process. The votes that you've seen over the last couple days show a united Republican Party.

The speaker is managing a difficult situation. He has a Tea Party wing of the party that he's made commitments to. They have wanted to shut the government down for their own political ideological reasons, and in some ways, they share this mess with President Clinton. Because in some ways, it serves both of those groups to give their constituency this kind of a message that they're willing to go to the wall for their principles.

But the speaker of the House has made a commitment to his conference that if he can keep them united, he's going to keep them marching in the right direction.

AVLON: Yes. But I mean, I think what we're seeing is the veneer of unity that's the thrill when people jump off a cliff together, but when they've been convinced to join -- you know, run into the bayonets. I mean, you know, you go an inch deep down in this and people including the speaker know this is a bad idea, that they have effectively been forced into this for fear of losing their own seats in a primary or losing a speaker challenge.

This is not a smart political strategy. Everyone knows that except the folks who have been drinking a little too deep in the Kool-Aid.

HOLT: Well, and you don't need to have a Ouija board to figure out that it's an advantage for the president.

AVLON: Well, thank you.

HOLT: But look, when we get to the next election, most of these congressional seats are safe. The Republicans and the Democrats have redistricted these seats in such a way that they have to serve a narrower constituency. So, some of the same national political trends that you see, say, in that generic ballot, aren't in play when these guys are their own personal calculations.

BURNETT: All right. Final word to you, Paul.

BEGALA: I think Terry is right. That's a very good point. Although if I could give you a few data points, there are 18 House Republican who's represent districts that President Obama won. There's 19 more who represents districts that he lost by two points or less. That's 37 districts that the Democrats could win. They only need to win a net of 17.

So a week or two ago, I said I don't see any way the Democrats could pick up 20 seats. You know what? I want to revive and extend my remarks. The Republican Tea Party -- the Tea Party faction, they don't have the votes to stop Obamacare, but apparently they can get my party the votes to reinstate Speaker Pelosi. So, I do want to thank Ted Cruz for bringing back Speaker Pelosi. Mark my words.

HOLT: Good to keep in mind.

BURNETT: Thank you very much. That would be certainly an interesting turn of affairs. I can just imagine who might be the president then during part of her reign would be -- wow!

Well, still to come, a new holiday makes its way on to the calendar. But you better enjoy it now because it won't be back another 70,000 years.

Plus a violent confrontation caught on tape, and we are learning more about this battle between a motorist and a group of bikers.

Plus, we have an update on the developing breaking news situation of Jacksonville International Airport which has been completely shut down to traffic. You can see this picture, flights diverted, reports of multiple suspicious packages.

We will be back with that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: Our eighth story OUTFRONT: aggressive driving gone bad.

This video is unbelievable. A motorcyclist has now been arrested and charged with reckless driving and reckless endangerment after a confrontation with a Range Rover was caught on tape. We don't know what will end up happening to the driver of the Range Rover.

We first showed you this dramatic clash in New York City last night. Now, police say today that the driver of the SUV was with his wife and 2-year-old child. He was beaten but several bikers were also injured in the incident by the Range Rover.

OUTFRONT tonight, national correspondent Susan Candiotti has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Watch these bikers using their helmets and fists to bash the window of an SUV. One of those bikers with the design on his helmet has turned himself in to police. Seconds after the video cuts off, the SUV driver is pulled out and assaulted in front of his wife and 2-year-old daughter. It happened Sunday. The cliff begins when the man's SUV hits this motorcycle. That biker now faces several charges, including reckless endangerment.

Surrounded, the SUV stops. The tires slashed. Police say he feared for his life and then this happens, takes off.

Yolanda Santiago said her son Edwin was underneath the SUV.

YOLANDA SANTIAGO, EDWIN MIESES'S MOTHER: All his ribs fractured. His lungs are so badly bruised. He is still on the ventilator.

CANDIOTTI: Mieses seen here in a Facebook page dedicated to him is now in critical condition.

DAYANA MIESES, EDWIN MIESES'S WIFE : My husband got off his bike to help the guy. And whatever he did, he got scared, he went peeled off, and he paralyzed my husband on the way.

CANDIOTTI: It didn't end there. The bikers continue to chase the SUV. One tries to open the SUV's door, but the driver peels off again.

Until traffic backs up. The man is dragged out, assaulted. He's treated and released from a local hospital.

RAY KELLY, NYPD COMMISSIONER: That whole matter, obviously, is still being investigated.

CANDIOTTI: The SUV's driver has not been charged, but NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly isn't ruling it out.

KELLY: It depends on whether or not the vehicle was being attacked, whether or not you think you're being attacked, whether or not your wife and child is in the car. You have to look at the totality of the circumstances and that's what we're doing.

CANDIOTTI: Commissioner Kelly says this same group caused problems last year during a rally in Times Square.

KELLY: This particular group did not ask for a permit, did not file for a permit. In fact last year, they came in with over a thousand cyclists to be somewhat disruptive. They rode on the sidewalk, that sort of thing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: While police are still sorting things out, a debate going on in social media. Relatives and supporters of the biker who's in critical condition, saying they just want it known that he's a victim, too. Others weighing in that the bikers put themselves at risk, and that the driver of that SUV was justified in trying to protect his family -- Erin.

BURNETT: All right. Susan Candiotti. I want to bring in Dr. Drew Pinsky now, host of HLN's "Dr. Drew on Call."

Now, look, you've seen the video. Obviously at this point, it's unclear who started this, which is obviously going to very important. But one thing that's clear is there had to have been some pretty nasty, inappropriate aggressive behavior on both sides.

DR. DREW PINSKY, HLN HOST: On both sides, right.

BURNETT: How does this happen?

PINSKY: How does this happen? I mean, we -- I wonder how many people around the world look at this footage, shake their head and go, what's going on in this country, the government shuts down and people are attacking each other on the roads?

BURNETT: Right. But a lot of people -- that could be you or me because someone does something to you, and you give them the finger, and you yell and, you know, don't think that somebody might come and bash your car.

PINSKY: We don't know who is at fault here. Vigilantism is never OK, don't take the law in your own hands, call for help.

But listen, in southern California, where I live, we've been dealing with this for a long time. To us that's an afternoon on the Santa Monica Freeway. I mean, there is -- you do not -- road rage is out of control in certain parts of this country. I think it's just a symptom of how unregulated we are, how angry we are, how frustrated we are.

And ultimately for me, I know you're pregnant, Erin, and for me it's all about how we raise our kids and we teach them to regulate their emotions rather than act them out.

BURNETT: Right. Now, let's talk about that.

PINSKY: Let's talk about raising babies?

BURNETT: Right. You're saying a lot of this has to do with how these people, whether you're the SUV driver or the motorcyclist were raised.

PINSKY: I am saying that unregulated aggression, unregulated emotion that then gets acted out is something that we should be really thinking about. And in my world, it has a lot to do with the quality of the relationships we have with the important people in our life, particularly early in our life. If we cannot regulate our emotions and they become so intense that we have to either act in -- eating disorders, drug disorders, alcohol -- or act out aggressively, that seems to be the note of the day, we're looking at this video, this is wild -- you know, it's crazy behavior and yet --

BURNETT: People understand. I think what surprises me is people watch this and say, well, you learn a lesson from it. People can understand how it escalated, they can.

PINSKY: Sure, we can all understand it, but a lot of people say who started it. Let's figure who should have been hurt here.

Nobody should have been hurt. Nobody should have done any of this. This is -- this is sort of bordering on childish behavior. Right?

I understand that there may have been more here we just don't know about. The driver might have felt threatened, maybe the bikers felt threatened in some way. But still, stop, let cooler heads prevail, ask for help. Unless you're in some sort of imminent danger, where you have to take evasive action, but that does that look like that type of situation.

BURNETT: So, why is this happening? You talk about people being angry.

PINSKY: I want to talk more about child rearing, because that's really --

BURNETT: I want to make sure, this guy or gal doesn't ever end up being one of those people.

PINSKY: We don't know yet.

BURNETT: No, I said guy or gal, I don't know.

But in Kentucky, a guy pulled out a gun on someone. You talk about that happening in California all the time.

PINSKY: Yes, there is the video. Look at that.

BURNETT: He maybe even fired a gun. That is also still being investigated. That is the video from that.

But why is this happening? I mean, it just seems like -- I know sometimes you see more video and it feels like it's happening more often, but it does.

PINSKY: I saw other footage of people -- as soon as we start talking about this, everyone is pointing at footage they know of or circumstances they know of because it is common. It's not as though it's just happening yesterday, it's just happening this weekend. This has been happening for years. Perhaps this will direct some attention to it.

But the fact that we're an aggressive society, we value aggression.

BURNETT: Yes, we reward it.

PINSKY: We reward it. But the fact is that this kind of vigilantism and acting out at other people has got to be pulled back. And really, you know, this is going to sound ridiculous and contrived and trite, but it's starting at the home. That's why I was anxious to talk to you about it today because you're about to build one with this young man or lady, I don't know what this is going to be. But hopefully, he won't end up in my rival college, as you did. But be that as it may, it's something that we all truly pay attention to in our homes, because that's ultimately where people build the capacity to regulate intense emotions.

BURNETT: I would hope the child would be assertive but not aggressive.

PINSKY: Very good.

BURNETT: There's the word we're looking for.

PINSKY: Thank you.

BURNETT: All right. Dr. Drew, thank you.

And, Dr. Drew, of course, don't miss him on call tonight, at 9:00 Eastern on HLN. Tonight, a doctor accused of drugging and drowning his wife because of an extramarital affair.

PINSKY: More aggression.

BURNETT: More aggression and horrible behavior. The daughters of the suspect are going to be Dr. Drew's special guests tonight. That is at 9:00, of course, tonight on HLN.

We're going to be back because we have some more breaking news and an update from the Jacksonville International Airport.

BURNETT: I want to update you on the breaking news out of Florida, the evacuation of Jacksonville International Airport. It was completely evacuated. There were reports of two suspicious packages -- that is a new development -- one found in the airport terminal and one in the parking garage. There are still no active operations at this time in terms of flights. People still on the tarmac, people sent to hotels, airport -- flights put on delay, sent to other airports.

The FBI in Jacksonville is telling us now that they are involved in the investigation. Due to the evacuation two flights have been diverted to Orlando. An AirTran flight is being held on the ground right now in Atlanta. Those are all things we know.

I can tell you also that they have not yet been able to search those packages. There is a bomb squad, though, on the scene. Two people have been taken into custody at this time. That is the very latest that we have.

So, let's hand it off now to Anderson Cooper.