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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Shutdown Day 3; Inside The Speaker's District; Service Academy Federal Gives To Go On Despite Shutdown

Aired October 03, 2013 - 05:30   ET

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

ZORAIDA SAMBOLIN, CNN ANCHOR: So, the government still shut down this morning. It is day three of the shutdown and thousands of government workers are out of work. They have been furloughed. Many are protesting saying they want to get back to their jobs. They need to get back to their jobs.

As for the leaders who are supposed to be solving all of this, there's no sign of that happening. The heads of the Senate and the House got together at the White House meeting with President Obama, but at least one called it unproductive. Neither side is budging.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R) HOUSE SPEAKER: I would hope that the president and my Democrat colleagues in the Senate would listen to the American people and sit down and have a serious discussion about resolving these differences.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If John Boehner, the speaker of the House, puts a bill on the floor to reopen the government at current funding levels, so that we can then negotiate on a real budget that allows us to stop governing from crisis-to-crisis, it would pass.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAMBOLIN: The house has been working to pass piecemeal funding measures to keep things like national parks and the National Institutes of Health open, but the Senate says it has no plan to consider those bills.

BERMAN: So, at the center of this entire battle maybe the man who could end it if he wanted to may be the man you just heard from, House speaker, John Boehner. His constituents back in Ohio have their own opinion of the job that he's doing. Here's Joe Johns.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is where John Boehner came from, working class Cincinnati. He's been in Congress since 1990, now at a pivotal moment in Washington and in a bitter battle over Obamacare. House Speaker John Boehner has a 48 percent unfavorable rating which is an all-time high in CNN polling.

BOEHNER: Nobody knows what the rules are. JOHNS: At Andy's cafe, which Boehner's family owned, the shutdown was no big deal, though, government growth and bureaucracy are still an issue. But when I asked Jim Brigger if that means he's with Boehner and the Tea Partiers in Congress, he wouldn't say.

JIM BRIGGER, OHIO RESIDENT: The government is way too big and they need to reduce the size of the government. However, you want to take that, you take it that way.

JOHNS: In Boehner's district, they were more blunt about it.

IRENE BOEBINGER, OHIO RESIDENT: When John Boehner lived here, he gave the message that he was completely for the people, for the citizens of the country. Since he's been in Washington, I don't know. It just seems like some times he goes completely the other direction and sometimes he stays with us.

JOHNS: So, what makes Boehner tick? He comes from a catholic family of nine boys and two girls, went to Moeller High School, a linebacker at one of the famous football schools in a sport of (INAUDIBLE). His coach, Jerry Faust (ph), is a legend in Ohio who went on to lead the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Faust told me, "I never found a better team player. He always put his teammates first and insisted on playing even when hurt. A former Boehner spokesman said he's driven by a refusal to give up.

TERRY HOLT, FORMER BOEHNER SPOKESMAN: We have seen John come back from trouble many, many times. He keeps chugging at it. He's a team builder, and because he's an eternal optimist, I think he can get up every day and go back to work in a very, very difficult circumstance.

JOHNS: So now, for Boehner's constituents, the question is, what he stands to gain in the shutdown?

JOHN O'CONNOR, OHIO RESIDENT: Now did it back in 1996 is when they reopened, you know? Didn't improve anything or do anything else. They're back in the same mess right now.

JOHNS (on-camera): John Boehner comes from one of the most Republican districts in the State of Ohio, so there are people here willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but there are also Republicans and Democrats alike who are truly annoyed with both parties in Washington and that includes the speaker of the House.

Joe Johns, CNN, near Cincinnati, Ohio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAMBOLIN: Our thanks to Joe.

For that, a horrific crash in a Tennessee highway, and this morning, eight people are dead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SAMBOLIN (voice-over): Did you see the pictures here? This is unreal. A church bus carrying mostly seniors was returning from a conference in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It apparently blew a tire on Interstate 40. It crossed over the median. It slammed right into a tractor-trailer and an SUV. That tractor-trailer burst into flames. Investigators say that they're not jumping to any conclusions here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. BILL MILLER, TENNESSEE HIGHWAY PATROL: They will gauge the brakes to make sure the brake mechanisms. If at all possible that this crash will, you know, permit, in this case, to take place, we will look at the braking system and make sure that the bus was functioning properly. We also look to see if there is any possible, any possible other mechanical failures that could have led to this incident.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAMBOLIN: Six of those killed were on the bus. Two were in the other vehicles. And more than a dozen people were injured as well.

BERMAN (voice-over): We have new developments this morning in a different frightening incident that was all caught on camera. Charges had now been dropped against one of the motorcyclists accused in an assault on an SUV on a busy New York street. The second biker, Christopher Cruz, has been arraigned on reckless driving charges. He's now out on bond.

But about a hundred bikers gathered outside a hospital on Wednesday in support of a rider who was hit by the SUV as it tried to get away. Edwin Mieses (ph) is in a medically-induced coma. Right now, he's paralyzed right now. Some of the motorcyclists insist it was the SUV driver who was in the wrong here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEXIE FILPO, WITNESS: I was behind the car. So, I saw when he hit the person and everybody, you know, they were telling him, slow down, stop, because the video did not show what's that, about what people were actually telling him. Nobody was being (INAUDIBLE) until he ran people over. Out of panic, out of what?

Nobody was being aggressive with him. When you hit someone, you're supposed to stop and that is the law. He did not do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Investigators are now asking public for help identifying other people involved. They're putting out these pictures here. The driver of the SUV has been identified as Lexian Lien (ph). He was dragged from the SUV while his wife and two-year-old daughter were inside the vehicle. He was beaten.

SAMBOLIN: An Indiana man caught on camera aiming his gun at another driver has gone before judge now. Dr. Karen Dobbins is out on bond after pleading not guilty to endangerment charges in Kentucky. David Collar (ph) says he was heading home when he noticed an erratic driver and took out a camera to record the license plate. That is when Dobbins is seen apparently, you're looking at it right there, pulling out a gun and aiming at him.

BERMAN: That's a terrifying sight right there.

An air search today for two missing hikers in the southwest part of Washington State. Crews were able to rescue two other hikers missing along the pacific crest trail after a massive snowfall Monday stranded them. Look at that. But, Alejandro Wilson (ph) and Christopher Zitowit (ph) still have not been found.

One searcher who had gone looking for the hikers was grateful. Some of them have been located, but concentrated for the others.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STUART DOTY, THURSTON COUNTY EXPLORER SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM: It was a good feeling. It was a relief, because I was worried about their condition. I hope they stay dry and get a good shelter and last out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: He's obviously concerned for the others. The weather in the area is expected to be better today, allowing for more extensive search by air. Authorities say they're trying to ping the missing hiker's phones in an effort to find them.

SAMBOLIN: I hope that works.

So, a judge says no to a confessed child murderer getting out of jail. Pedro Hernandez admitted to the 1979 slaying of six-year-old Ethan Patz in New York. He was arrested in 2012 after a tip led police to him. The case was a watershed moment, sparking child abduction fears nationwide. On Wednesday, Hernandez's attorneys said getting to trial was taking too long. But the judge ruled the 52-year-old should remain behind bars.

No new trial for Jerry Sandusky. A three-judge panel in Pennsylvania ruling unanimously that no mistakes were made during his trial last year, so they would not grant the new one now. The former Penn State assistant football coach was convicted last year of 45 counts relating to the sexual abuse of ten boys. He's serving a sentence 30 to 60 years in prison. Sandusky's defense says it plans to ask the state Supreme Court now to review the case.

And for the first time in more than five months, a grand jury investigating a notorious Ohio rape plans to meet again this week. But it has yet to issue any serve criminal charges. This is in the case of a 16-year-old girl raped in the city of Steubenville. The grand jury was looking into whether coaches, school administrators, or other adults knew of allegations that the girl had been raped by two high school football players and that they failed to report the allegations to authorities. BERMAN: A plea deal for a gay Florida teen facing felony charges after allegedly having sex with a 14-year-old female schoolmate. Hunt will formally enter a no contest plea during a hearing today. Under the terms of the deal, Hunt would be sentenced to four months in jail and two years of house arrest with electronic monitoring and nine months of monitored probation after that. Hunt have refused at least two other plea deals.

So, a man is in custody after leading police on a wild high-speed chase. This was in California. The pursuits started near Woodland Hills, went on to the free before moving back to the side streets. The chase ended after about 30 miles in East Los Angeles when the man ditched the motorcycle.

He was obscured from helicopter view by trees, but a person matching his description was seen at a nearby auto parts store and he was eventually arrested.

All right. Take a look at a sight here you do not see every day. That is an alligator in the bathtub. What's it doing there?

SAMBOLIN: Hanging out.

BERMAN: Just one of the surprises police found in an apartment of Warwick, Rhode Island (ph). Thirteen snakes, some 12 feet long, were also part of a couple's extensive reptile collection. Local animal control officials are now trying to find a proper home for these exotic animals. My sense is the bathroom is not the proper home.

SAMBOLIN: You know, somebody mentioned here, what if you're visiting them and you have to go to the restroom?

(LAUGHTER)

SAMBOLIN: And you end up seeing that in the bathtub? The police, by the way, were there because of a domestic dispute. So, that's what they found when they entered.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN (on-camera): Crocodiles and alligators, man, breaks up a marriage every time.

SAMBOLIN (on-camera): I'd say so.

Indra is here with the forecast. Do you imagine that, Indra?

(CROSSTALK)

SAMBOLIN: -- use the bathroom and there's an alligator in the tub.

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No biggie, right? I mean, it's normal. I mean, what's weird with that? Have no -- all right. Everyone, take you guys out of the tropics, because there is something we are going to continue to monitor here. Now, about an 80 percent chance that we could see what is in the Caribbean now develop into Karen.

So, this is what it looks like. Remember, yesterday, I showed you the spaghetti model. What is that? It takes all the weather models and kind of look to see what they're all thinking, where they're going to go, and actually (ph), some -- Yucatan, some ride them (ph) over towards Texas all the way through Florida. And now, we're getting a lot more consensus if it develops what direction it will go.

So, let's take a look at one of the models here and kind of show you this is the European model. It looks like it will bring right around New Orleans and Biloxi. So, we'll be looking for that. It would be like a Saturday night landfall. Right now, just a very weak tropical storm or maybe a stronger depression so that's kind of current thinking. The biggest thing here, of course, will be strong winds and heavy rain.

We're talking about right around the gulf, itself, probably about four inches and that kind of seem that taper off as it makes its way a little bit higher in north, probably towards Arkansas. Otherwise, northeast beautiful. We're looking at temperatures still staying warm. Everything is beautiful out there, but of course, some rain chances by overnight tonight really in through tomorrow. So we're watching out for that.

SAMBOLIN: I know Berman is very concerned about that. He has to cut his lawn and he's trying to figure out when he need to do that.

(CROSSTALK)

PETERSONS: -- rain for the lawn.

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: I try to pay very close attention when you're not distracting me. It's important.

SAMBOLIN: Wow!

BERMAN: Yes. Thank you very much. Indra, thank you very much.

(LAUGHTER)

BERMAN: We really do appreciate it.

All right now. This is very, very cool and very, very, very old. Not talking about Zoraida.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

BERMAN: -- a crew working on an oil pipeline up in Alberta, Canada. It's not clear what kind of dinosaur this was or just how old it was. That is really cool. It was found about seven feet below the ground. Look at that. Paleontologists are working at the site to see if there are any other fossils up there. Look at that. Such good condition. SAMBOLIN: Yes.

All right. Coming up, once cleared of murder, but now back on trial. Amanda Knox's ex-boyfriend on the record about the woman that they are accused of killing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAMBOLIN: Forty-five minutes past the hour.

We're hearing this morning from the ex-boyfriend of Amanda Knox. Convicted and then later acquitted of his role in the murder of Meredith Kircher. Amanda Knox was also acquitted. The pair are now back on trial in this case. Raffaele Sollecito tells Piers Morgan the facts show that two of them had nothing to do with the murder.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAFFAELE SOLLECITO, AMANDA KNOX'S EX-BOYFRIEND: Me and Amanda are innocent. What the -- I don't know what is going on in the mind of the judges and I just think that in the Italian system, there's something really wrong in the way -- in the rules that they -- sometimes they are not respected.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAMBOLIN: Listen to something else he says. He doesn't blame Knox for getting caught up in this murder case, but he wishes he had never met her.

BERMAN: I'm sure they both wish they had never be gotten in this whole thing.

All right. Let's take a look at what's coming up now on "New Day." Chris Cuomo and Kate Bolduan, what's going on, guys?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Happy Thursday, you two.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're obviously talking about day three of the shutdown. There was meeting wound up meeting nothing. Why? What happened there? We'll tell you. We have reporting on it.

Also, there's this intrigue going on here that within the GOP, there is this small group. Why would a small group of conservatives have so much influence if they really are just a small group? It doesn't make sense. Congressman Steve King is going to be on today. He's a member of this group. He's going to give insight into why it is that there's so much strength in the Republican Party right now coming from relatively short amount -- short number of Congress members. We're going to get into that.

BOLDUAN: We're also going to be covering the growing controversy that surrounding that terrifying incident between a group of motorcyclists and an SUV. One rider, one of the motorcyclists is facing charges. Another is still in a coma, but we have new images that give us a little more insight into what happened when the video stopped.

And we're going to talk with one of the motorcycle riders who was there. So, who is the real victim here? That's still part of that growing controversy.

BERMAN: Yes. A lot of questions there. No doubt about that. All right, guys, appreciate it. See you in a little bit.

BOLDUAN: All righty.

BERMAN: coming up here, hello, Cleveland! Could the Indians' miracle season continue? Could they win the wild card game against the Tampa Bay Rays?

SAMBOLIN: Wow!

BERMAN: Andy Scholes gives us the answer in the "Bleacher Report" coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: So, the government shutdown will not keep the service academies from hitting the field this weekend. The Department of Defense announced late last night that this weekend's football games will go on as schedule.

SAMBOLIN: That is some good news. Andy Scholes joins us now with this morning's "Bleacher Report." Good morning.

ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Good morning, guys. Well, Air Force and Navy and Army and Boston College, those are the two games that were in jeopardy because of the government shutdown, but after submitting plans outlining how they would not use any government funds to travel to the games, the service academies were given the go ahead to play this weekend.

Now, navy's athletic director says this weekend's air force game would bring in about $4 million and not playing the game would have been devastating to the program, especially since revenue from football also funds navy's 32 other sports team. Now, Air Force and Navy, they've played every year since 1972. This year's game is another sellout and it will be televised nationally on CBS.

Rays and Indians squaring off in the one game winner-take-all wild card matchup. Delmon Young got the scoring started for Tampa in the third inning. A towering solo home run and that's all the Rays would need. Alex Cobb and a trio of relievers shut out the Indians. Tampa Bay wins 4-0. They now advance to play John Berman's Boston Red Sox in the divisional series. The playoffs roll on tonight on TBS.

St. Louis Cardinals host Pittsburgh Pirates in game one of their five- game series. First pitch at 5:00 eastern. That one is followed by game one between the Dodgers and Braves at 8:30. Now, Dodgers part owner, Magic Johnson, has been a big part of the team's turnaround over the last couple of years and he's agreed to basically bare it all if the team wins it all. Take a look. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have a present for you.

JAY LENO, HOST: Oh, wow!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is what's going to happen.

LENO: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we win the World Series, I'm putting them on and give you --

LENO: All right. Yes, yes! Yes!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: According to Vegas, the Dodgers are the favorites to win the World Series. So, we could see that happening.

All right. One of the top stories on BleacherReport.com, today is about how 49ers safety, Donte Whitner, wants to legally change his name to Hitner. When Whitner got permission from his mom before his lawyer filed paper work in Ohio to formally remove the "W" from his last name. Now, he's known as a big hitter and he's fined $21,000 just this last Thursday for crushing a Rams wide receiver.

And guys, this could be a pretty costly name change for Whitner because according to NFL rules, if he changes his name mid-season, which is what he wants to do, he has to go out and buy all of the NFL merchandise that still has Whitner on -- includes all the jersies, all the T-shirts. So, who knows how much that would go?

BERMAN: This sounds crazy.

SAMBOLIN: I still can't get Magic Johnson out of my mind --

BERMAN: Exactly.

SAMBOLIN: -- in the Speedos. That's is really interesting.

BERMAN: Yes. Let's hope the Dodgers don't win for that reason.

SAMBOLIN: Let's hope the Dodgers win.

SCHOLES: Yes. Just for that reason.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

SAMBOLIN: -- great TV. (LAUGHTER)

BERMAN: Thank you so much, Andy. We'll see you soon. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: We are this close now to Friday here. That is all for EARLY START.

SAMBOLIN: Thank you for reminding me.

(LAUGHTER)

SAMBOLIN: Happy Thursday. Take it away, Chris and Kate.

BOLDUAN: Thank you, thank you. We will see you guys a little later.

CUOMO: All right. You ready to start your "New Day?" Of course, you are. Let's go.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: There's a simple way out. Pass a bill. See if it can win a majority.

CUOMO: Shutdown stalemate. Congressional leaders meet with President Obama but lead no closer to a deal as more become affected by the lack of government. Find out why the country's ability to fight the flu may be compromised.

BOLDUAN: Happening now. Tropical storm Karen could form within hours. A slow hurricane season so far is now picking up steam. We have the storm track.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Huge setback. A jury finding that a concert promoter is not liable in Michael Jackson's death. Now, his family denied an enormous payout. What happens next?

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. Welcome to "New Day." It's Thursday, October 3rd, six o'clock in the east, and we are now in day three of a government shutdown.

If there were any hope that the president finally meeting face-to-face with Congressional leaders would jump-start negotiations, that hope was dashed when those leaders left and reached the microphones. We will tell you what they said and did not say.

We're also going to look at the growing effects of the shutdown. Your health may now be at risk. Not only because flu vaccine production may slow, but also, the food you eat may not be inspected as thoroughly now as before. We'll tell you why.

BOLDUAN: And there's also new evidence this morning in that dramatic confrontation between a pack of bikers and family in an SUV. We've seen the video leading up to the alleged assault, but we now have photographs that show what happened after the video stopped. We're going to be talking to one of those bikers who was there. Don't miss that.

PEREIRA: Also we know that the first few days of Obamacare exchanges were pretty rocky. Has it gotten any better? Well, our Dr. Sanjay Gupta is traveling across the country in kind of a rock star bus. He has been at a call center when they're fielding all sorts of questions from people that are trying to sign up. He's going to have a live report for us ahead.

CUOMO: All right. So, here is the latest with the government shutdown, and it's all about what there isn't. There are no compromises, there are no deals and, frankly, no surprises. Let's bring in Brianna Keilar kicking off our coverage live from the White House. Leaders of both parties finally agreeing to meet with the president. They talk for about an hour and then what happens, Brianna? Good morning to you.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Chris. Well, not a whole lot, Chris. That is the headline. Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, called the meeting, quote, "unproductive." And sadly, that may be the one point where there was bipartisan agreement.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR (voice-over): For the first time since the government shut down, Congressional leaders met face-to-face with President Obama at the White House Wednesday night. Both sides emerging with no deal and no signs of progress to end the stalemate.

BOEHNER: The president reiterated one more time tonight that he will not negotiate.