Return to Transcripts main page
Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Veterans "Cross The Line" Despite Shutdown; Second Biker Arrested After Confrontation; Government Shutdown Puts Games On Hold
Aired October 02, 2013 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): This happened. A driver ducking gunfire catches the criminal on camera who tried to run him off the road.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was holding it like this, and it shot the nail in, and it bounced and it hit my chest.
ZORAIDA SAMBOLIN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A Minnesota man really lucky to be alive after accidentally shooting a nail right into his heart.
BERMAN: You said you thought you had problems. That guy shot a nail into his heart. He's doing fine this morning.
SAMBOLIN: Two days later, hanging out with his family.
BERMAN: Great to see him.
SAMBOLIN: it's an incredible story.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN (on-camera): All right. Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. I'm John Berman.
SAMBOLIN (on-camera): And I'm Zoraida Sambolin. Thirty minutes past the hour.
BERMAN: All right. There is plenty of heat but no light and certainly no progress in Washington as the federal government shutdown enters a second day. Both sides blaming each other for the shutdown that has 800,000 federal employees off the job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One faction of one party in one House of Congress in one branch of government shut down major parts of the government all because they didn't like one law.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, (R) MINORITY LEADER: Neither the Senate Democratic majority nor the president of the United States have any interest whatsoever in entering into any discussions about how to resolve this impasse. REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R) HOUSE SPEAKER: My goodness, they won't even sit down and have a discussion about this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Republicans have said the Democrats won't talk, but Republicans will not budge off their insistence that democrats derail, defund, or somehow, delay the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, the Republicans failed in their efforts last night to fund certain parts of government of their choosing.
SAMBOLIN: How do you feel about all of this?
BERMAN: I think it's lack -- it's embarrassing that our government can't come up with solutions about this.
SAMBOLIN: Yes. A lot of people are angry about this. Many people are angry about the government shutdown. Not the least of them, veterans. They were set to visit a memorial marking their service. Chris Lawrence has that part of the story.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, John and Zoraida, it took thousands of dollars of donations to get some of these veterans here. They weren't going to let a piece of tape, yellow or red keep them out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE (voice-over): Wheelchair-bound federates 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: I can walk around up here, why can't I walk around 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.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
LAWRENCE: Onlookers applauded as the veterans broke past the barricade.
JAMES BROWN, WORLD WAR II VETERAN: Well, they fill you with pride and make you proud that you were part of it.
LAWRENCE: Lawmakers who came to greet the vets 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's angry. I mean, angry.
LAWRENCE: Sent home without pay, they're scared for themselves and their co-workers.
SUSAN LAKE FURLOUGHED FEDERAL WORKER: I just bought a house. I just need to make a 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.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE (on-camera): And the thing is, flights and hotels are already booked 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 entering an open concrete space -- John, Zoraida.
BERMAN: All right. Our thanks to Chris Lawrence for that.
While the government closed, Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act --
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN (voice-over): a key part of it was open for business for the first time. Millions of visitors on day one overwhelmed the system of the insurance exchanges calling delays and computer crashes.
Government officials say 2.8 million people visited the healthcare.gov website with 81,000 people reaching out to call centers and 60,000 people requesting live chats. The Obama administration says it is working to fix the problems and speed up the size that were a number of glitches and snags, though, to say the least.
SAMBOLIN (voice-over): In other news, it is a stunning turn of events in two national cold cases spanning decades. An elderly Missouri couple is in custody, suspects in two murder inversions. Police charged 74-year-old Alice Udin (ph) with shooting her ex-husband in the head and dumping his body in an abandoned goldmine. And 71-year-old Geral Udin (ph) is suspected of killing his first wife and her two children. Neighbors who knew them as a quite elderly couple are simply shocked.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were just old (ph) neighbors next door. They were good people. We've known them for about 12 years now. And, they're the kind of neighbors you'd lean over the fence and talk about your chickens with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAMBOLIN: The couple reportedly raised two adult children, regularly attending church in their small town. Now, they face extradition to Wyoming to answer murder allegations unpunished for more than 30 years.
BERMAN: A bloody rampage tore through a New York City park on Tuesday. An emotionally disturbed homeless man wielding scissors slashed and stabbed five people, including a two-year-old boy. The attacks came on a sunny fall morning in Riverside Park. It's a beautiful park on Manhattan's west side, home to a lot of parents with young kids. Witnesses described the scene as utter chaos.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JESSICA WENZELL, WITNESS: People are like don't go there. Don't go there. There's a man stabbing people. And so, we saw the cops move up. And, we walked over to the area. We saw them tackle a guy to the ground. And the woman who had been stabbed was at this point in the cop car and she had been screaming.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: This random attack began when a man jumped out and stabbed a 30-year-old woman in the chest. This entire ordeal lasted about ten minutes. The attacker is now in custody. All of the injured are expected to survive.
All right. Check this out. Amazing pictures here. Extreme road rage caught on tape. Police say the man seen here pointing a gun at a fellow motorist. He's a doctor, folks. Fifty-one-year-old Perrin Dobbins (ph) was arrested Tuesday charged with wanton endangerment. The driver who captured the video says that Dobbins was driving recklessly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When he comes down, he pulls out the gun and fires. Almost immediately, he fires. And when I saw the gun come up, I just hit the brake and he missed me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Police say the cell phone video helped to bring about the quick arrest. Dobbins has reportedly been suspended from this job as a doctor in a prison. He faces up to five years in prison himself.
SAMBOLIN: And now to this Central Florida coast where a small plane turned State Road 415 in Samsula into a runway. James Boulware (ph) ended up parking the beach craft T-34 mentor trainer in an equestrian club's driveway. He told the "Daytona Beach News Journal" that he took that vintage plane on a test flight for the owner who brought it to his shop for maintenance. He and his mechanic who are on board are OK.
BERMAN: Pennsylvania State Supreme Court is taking up same-sex marriage. A county court has appealed a lower court's order for him to stop issuing marriage licenses to gay couples. This judge argues the order had legal and factual errors. He began issuing them after the U.S. Supreme Court knocked down a key part of the defense of Marriage Act in June.
SAMBOLIN: Remember to keep your cool after a breakup in California. Governor Jerry Brown has signed a brand-new law banning so-called revenge porn. That is when someone posts naked pictures of an ex online. The penalty is six months in jail or $1,000 fine. Supporters say this move is ex essential since technology has outpaced the law.
BERMAN: All right. They are calling him the luckiest man alive. I'd say it's an understatement. This morning, 58-year-old Eugene Rakow is just insanely lucky. The self-employed Minnesota carpenter shot himself in the heart with a nail gun and he lived to talk about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EUGENE RAKOW, SURVIVED NAIL GUN TO HEART: I was holding it like this and shot the nail in and then bounced and then hit my chest and went off again.
DR. LOUIS B. LOUIS, CARDIA SURGEON: The nail missed several key structures in his heart by only millimeters.
RAKOW: That the Lord saved me, saved my life. It's His doing. You know, the nail could have went either direction. We could be at a funeral.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Doctors performed open heart surgery. They had to obviously delicately and gingerly remove the nail. Two days later, this man home with his wife and his seven children. He's been ordered to take it easy for the next three months. Can you imagine?
SAMBOLIN: That must be the structure that he was building. We keep on showing pictures of it. A fine job he was doing, right?
(LAUGHTER)
BERMAN: A fine, fine job. A fine carpenter, but the nails go in the wood, my friend.
(LAUGHTER) (END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN (on-camera): He is lucky to be alive. He wants to go back to work, but I'm sure the three months --
SAMBOLIN (on-camera): Oh, my gosh! I would say hire someone on that one.
BERMAN: All right. Let's take a look at what's coming up on "NEW DAY." Chris Cuomo and Kate Bolduan join us. What's up, guys?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's an amazing story. Good morning, you guys.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He lived the big fear. If you've ever used one of those things, every time it goes -- hooh!
BOLDUAN: There's clearly a reason I have never used one of --
CUOMO: That's more gun than nail.
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
CUOMO: Lucky for him, he's OK.
Now, obviously, we're going to be talking this morning about the shutdown. We have an interesting development going on. We're going to have a Republican congressman, Mike Grimm, on. He says he's ready to sign a clear resolution, that he's ready to just fund the government and deal with Obamacare, the Affordable Care act, afterwards.
And he says it's a growing number of people like him within the party. So, we'll see. Could this be an end in sight?
And then, we have a little special treat for you today of the citizens who are outraged about the shutdown. No group maybe more articulate than the one we sit down with today, and they're only nine years old, the Kitty Cabinet. We're going to introduce to you what they think about what's going on and how to solve it.
BOLDUAN: Hope Congress is listening. They've got some good suggestions.
And you remember the daredevil who flew through a rock formation in China. It's really heart-stopping to even see from afar. I believe the rock formation was something like ten feet wide at one point. His name is Jeb Corliss (ph) and he is going to be talking to us about this amazing feat and what he's going to take on next, which I don't know if there's much more that guy can take on.
SAMBOLIN: Like what would you --
(CROSSTALK) BERMAN: That man more sane than congress, and those kids, more mature than Congress.
(LAUGHTER)
BERMAN: Chris and Kate, we'll see you in a little bit. We appreciate it.
SAMBOLIN: And coming up --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAMBOLIN: Two men on motorcycles now arrested in a road rage assault. All of it was caught on camera, well, most of it. But the controversy of who attacked whom is just beginning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: Two men now arrested in that shocking confrontation between bikers and SUV driver in New York City. The biker pounding his helmet on the window of that Range Rover has turned himself in. Police say the driver was pulled out, beaten up while his wife and two-year-old daughter were in the vehicle.
The NYPD says it all began when the Range Rover accidentally hit a biker breaking his leg. When the driver pulled over, police say the bikers surrounded the SUV, started attacking it. The driver then pulled away and hit three more bikers. One of them is reportedly paralyzed now and in a coma.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YOLANDA SANTIAGO, INJURED BIKER'S MOTHER: All of his ribs fractured. His lungs are so badly bruised that he's still on the ventilator.
DAYANA MIESES, INJURED BIKER'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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: The driver of the SUV has not been charged, but NYPD commissioner, Ray Kelly, is not ruling it out. Crazy story. Crazy pictures there.
SAMBOLIN: Tragic, right?
BERMAN: Totally.
Forty-five minutes after the hour. Let's get a check now of the weather. Indra Petersons is here. Hey, Indra.
INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Let's talk about tropics. You know, it's pretty late in the season. We're not seeing much out there, but there may be something we are going to have to watch. Now, we do have tropical storm Jerry (ph). It's way out in Atlantic. It's actually not what we're focusing on as it's expected to stay away from land.
We are going to be watching about the 30 percent chance of hanging out in the Caribbean. Let me show you what the weather models want to do with this. It looks like some of them bring in the Yucatan, but some of them actually have its strengthening just a hint and going into the gulf. So, I want to show you what some of these models look like. This is the European model.
Notice as it makes landfall about. This looks like about Saturday evening, around New Orleans or Biloxi, still likely only a depression here on this model. But I will show you another weather model, and it actually strengthens it a little bit more, possibly a tropical storm, and this one will make landfall about Saturday afternoon, Pensacola, Panama City. So, kind of more in that panhandle of Florida.
So, this is something we are definitely going to be watching as we go through the weekend here to see what direction it goes and whether or not it actually does hold together. Let's take you to the northeast now where temperatures are amazing. Ten to 15 degrees above normal. It's still beautiful out there.
The temperatures will hang on through Friday, but we will slowly start to see a little bit of rain as the system kind of makes its way a little bit farther east each day. As we kind of take you across, we'll see it maybe in through like Chicago, for tomorrow, and then by Friday maybe into New York. But overall, a tiny little rain maker. Still warm.
SAMBOLIN: Not bad. All right. Thank you.
Forty-seven minutes past the hour. Coming up, the government shutdown extending into the world of sports. Oh, no, Andy Scholes.
(LAUGHTER)
BERMAN: He's going to join us with the big game that is now being postponed. It's awful. That's next in this morning's "Bleacher Report."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: So, this government shutdown affecting the entire nation now spilling over into the world of sports could put a college football game in jeopardy this weekend.
SAMBOLIN: Andy Scholes explains why in this morning's "Bleacher Report." Good morning.
ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Good morning, guys. Well, this weekend, Air Force is scheduled to play Navy, and Army is supposed to play at Boston College, but because of the shutdown, both of those games might not happen. The defense department temporarily suspended sports competitions at the service academies yesterday as a result of the shutdown.
A spokesperson said they are trying to determine if they can fund travel for the games with non-government money. Now, Air Force and Navy have played every year since 1972. This weekend's game is a sellout. A final decision on whether or not they will play the two games is expected by tomorrow afternoon.
Well, for the first time in 21 years, the Pittsburgh Pirates hit the field for a postseason game. The Buccos hosting the Reds in the N.L. wildcard matchup, and the Pirates, they jumped on Cincinnati starting pitcher, Johnny Cueto, early and they never looked back. Francisco Liriano with seven solid innings giving up just one run. Pittsburgh wins the game 6-2. They move on to play the St. Louis Cardinals in the divisional series.
On the lineup section of BleacherReport.com today, you'll see that hockey season has started. Last night, Chicago Blackhawks raised the championship banner and showed off their new fancy rings. Their title Chicago defense getting off to a good start. They scored three goals in the third period to put away the Washington Capitals. Chicago wins their opener 6-4.
Well, two-time Olympic hurdler, Lolo Jones, is attempting to make it as a bobsledder for the upcoming winner Olympics. And get this, as part of her training, she's downing 9,000 calories a day.
(LAUGHTER)
SCHOLES: That's not easy.
SAMBOLIN: No kidding.
SCHOLES: Yes. Lolo drinks two milkshakes that are 1,300 calories each. Then she makes late night runs to get bacon double cheeseburgers. Now, her track weight is 133. She's 157 now guys, trying to get to 160. Her dream is to get to 170 pounds. Now, my dream is to one day be able to down 9,000 calories a day and not weighs 500 pounds.
BERMAN: That's amazing.
SAMBOLIN: You would never hear many girls admitting to that, right?
(LAUGHTER)
SCHOLES: Nine thousand calories a day. I'm here to help if she wants to, you know, go out for some shakes or have some burgers. That would be great. All right, Andy. Thanks so much, man. Appreciate it.
SAMBOLIN: We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BERMAN: All right. We're getting some breaking news right now. We just learned that President Obama has called the leaders of Malaysia and the Philippines to tell them he will not be visiting next week. Why? Because of the government shutdown. The shutdown having a major impact on U.S. foreign policy.
Asian outreach has been a big hallmark or wanted to be a hallmark of the Obama administration, but, now being seriously hurt by this government shutdown, the president will not be making that trip, obviously. The site of Air Force One traveling around the world while there are 800,000 furloughed workers not a good image, and the president, I think, wants to be here.
SAMBOLIN: I'm sure that factored into it as well. So, that's it for us today. We're going to go ahead and go over to "NEW DAY." Chris and Kate, take it away.
BOLDUAN: All right, guys. Thanks so much. We'll see you later.
CUOMO: Everybody, it is time for a "NEW DAY." Let's get it going.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OBAMA: Republicans in the House of Representatives demanded ransom just for doing their job.
CUOMO: Shutdown struggle. Some Republicans are pushing for a strategy shift that could end the shutdown as the country starts to feel the pain. Why clinical trials for hundreds of sick kids could be on hold until the crisis ends?
BOLDUAN: Breaking overnight. A major Florida airport closed down and evacuated. A destructive package found, planes grounded, passengers stranded. Who is behind it?
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Battle on the road. The shocking video that everyone's talking about. Now, two of the bikers arrested. The family inside the car has been identified. They could face charges, too.
CUOMO: Your "NEW DAY" starts right now.
ANNOUNCER: This is "NEW DAY" with Chris Cuomo, Kate Bolduan, and Michaela Pereira.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CUOMO: Good morning, good morning. Welcome to "NEW DAY." It is six o'clock in the east, and it is Wednesday all over the country. It's the second day of October, and the second day of the government shutdown. While the parties are no closer to a deal, the Republican Party making closer to a deal with itself. We'll tell you about that.
We now know thousands of FAA safety regulators, the people charge with checking to make sure our planes are safe have been put on lead. So many are frustrated by Congressional constipation, but no group seems more articulate, concerned, and constructive about a solution than the one you're going to meet on "NEW DAY" today. Hear this all-important constituencies message to Congress.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOCELYN HARRIS, 4TH GRADER: I say you should act better and set an example for all of the children. You're going to have like babies when they can figure it out, how come you can't?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: Hmm. Much more from this group of nine-year-olds.
BOLDUAN: All right. Much more of that ahead.
And amid all of this, a key part of the president's new health care law went live on Tuesday, and it did not go completely smoothly. This was what many people found when they've tried to sign up online, an error page. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta is traveling across the country to see how well it's working for Americans, and you'll want to hear their reaction.
PEREIRA: Also, could Bill Gates be forced out of Microsoft, the company he founded decades ago? Some members of the board are calling for Gates to resign, but you know, this man will not be booted easily.
CUOMO: No. All right. Now, as we told you, it is day two of the government shutdown. We're looking for a reason to believe that it could end soon, and that's proving hard to find amid all the trash talk from both parties.
But CNN will give you all the angles on the impact of the shutdown, and also, the debut of the law at the middle of it, the Affordable Care Act a.k.a. Obamacare. We begin with Brianna Keilar live at the White House. Good morning, Brianna.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Chris. Good morning to you. I thought -- Congressional constipation I think you said. That sort of has a ring to it here in Washington. But we've seen this sort of cycle going on now where the House passed as something the Senate dismantles it and it goes around in the cycle. We saw that for a fourth time last night.
