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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Shutdown Blame Game; Salmonella Outbreak; Jets Last Second Win On Monday Night
Aired October 08, 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): Rain. Dangerous storms across the country. The damage it all caused and what is coming this morning.
ZORAIDA SAMBOLIN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): And concussion controversy. Did the NFL ignore signs that its players were putting their health and safety in danger? The controversial new findings ahead.
BERMAN: This is pretty stunning stuff and a much awaited report and documentary --
SAMBOLIN: Looking forward to it. I know you have a story on that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN (on-camera): Welcome back, everyone. This is EARLY START. I'm John Berman.
SAMBOLIN (on-camera): And I'm Zoraida Sambolin. Thirty minutes past the hour.
We have some new developments to tell you about this morning in the partial government shutdown and the looming debt ceiling debate. That shutdown is now entering its eighth day. Yes, the disagreements are still running deep in Washington. The principles, President Obama and House Speaker, John Boehner, they don't seem to be budging much.
But with the debt ceiling deadline fast approaching and this is a big dire problem that is fast approaching, both sides might be giving a wee little tiny bit. Jim Acosta explains.
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm here at FEMA for a couple of reasons.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the eye of a shutdown storm that's still raging, President Obama stopped by FEMA to point out the agency is grappling with national disasters with the furloughed work force. And it will accuse House speaker, John Boehner, of blocking a vote that would reopen the government. OBAMA: My very strong suspicion is that there are enough votes there. And the reason that Speaker Boehner hasn't called a vote on it is because he doesn't apparently want to see the government shutdown end at the moment.
ACOSTA: But there could be a few breaks in the clouds over Washington. The president promised to work with Republicans on health care and the budget if they end the shutdown and raise the nation's debt ceiling.
OBAMA: I am eager and ready to sit down and negotiate with Republicans on a whole range of issues.
ACOSTA: Another hopeful sign? With a potential default on October 17th fast approaching, White House officials said the president is willing to accept a short-term increase in the debt limit instead of raising it for one year as most Democrats prefer.
JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I was simply saying that we have never stated and we're not saying today that a debt ceiling ought to be or can be any particular length of time. So, I'm not ruling out the specific duration and I want to make that clear.
ACOSTA: But Republicans complain it's the president who's risking default by not negotiating, pointing to this comment made by White House economic adviser, Gene Sperling.
GENE SPERLING, DIR., NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: The president strongly believes that if he were to sanction negotiations with those threatening default, that would actually increase -- not decrease the chances that we, as a country, undermine our full faith and credit.
ACOSTA: Sperling went on to say the president believes such negotiations would only encourage more brinkmanship, but Boehner had this interpretation.
REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R) HOUSE SPEAKER: This morning, a senior White House official said that the president would rather default than to sit down and negotiate. Really?
ACOSTA: A new CNN/ORC poll finds Americans are furious over the shutdown with 63 percent angry with Republicans, 57 percent with Democrats, and 53 percent with the president. What's worse? Nobody in Washington seems to know what might happen if the nation goes into default next week.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't tell you. We've never gotten to this point. It's very dangerous.
ACOSTA (on-camera): As for that idea of a short-term debt ceiling increase, a top House Republican aide said that that would have to go along with some spending cuts but, at this point, White House officials say that is not going to happen.
Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.
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SAMBOLIN: Insurance companies and the Obama administration --
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAMBOLIN (voice-over): -- are insisting there is enough time to fix the Obamacare online enrollment system before the uninsured start getting coverage on January 1st. The system had been plagued, as you know, with capacity and other problems since it launched last week. But now, insurance say enrollments are starting to come in at a much steadier face.
BERMAN (voice-over): A book about the botch gun running operation, "Fast and Furious," written by ATF special agent, John Dodson, has been blocked by his superiors. They say it could have a negative effect on morale, but the ACLU is now fighting back saying the ATF's actions are violation of Dodson's free speech rights. The ATF responded by saying Dodson cannot profit from his experiences while he is still a special agent.
Free speech or buying an election? That issue was before the Supreme Court today, hearing a challenge to campaign finance laws that limit on how much individuals can give candidates political parties and political action committees in a two-year election cycle. The limits have been in place since the 1970s, but opponents argue the rules limit their first amendment right to political speech.
BERMAN: And Supreme Court under John Roberts has been changed in the campaign finance rules. They could change them even more.
Meanwhile, look at these pictures right here after the deluge, the cleanup. The northeast and mid-Atlantic states getting pounded by heavy rain and powerful winds that knocked down trees. That's a lot of people without power. Forecasters say this was all the remnants of tropical storm Karen that dumped heavy rain all across the region.
SAMBOLIN: And in Florida, it was remnants of Karen as well that dropped heavy rain on Jacksonville Beach leaving roads under water. The rain fell so quickly, it left some cars stranded with the drivers inside.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely nuts!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's water in my car. Everything is just gone. I got caught right there. I can't talk anymore. I'm so upset.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: So, check out what the weather did here being blamed for this bus carrying elementary school students and overturning on a wet road not far from Charlotte. Fog and rain together, apparently, the culprits apparently here. Authorities say the bus wound up on its side in the mud. And, when the driver tried to overcorrect, the bus rolled over. Nine people, most of them students and the driver were hurt. Those injuries are not considered serious, thankfully.
SAMBOLIN: And, let's head to South Dakota, the mountains of snow are being moved as the western part of the state cleans up from and on seasonably early blizzard there. Nearly four feet of snow fell on some areas. And it came down so quickly, some cattle ranchers couldn't get their herds out of the way. Dozens of cows and calves are said to have been lost in that storm.
BERMAN: That's too bad. Check out that snow. Amazing.
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BERMAN (on-camera): So, what's going to happen today? More snow, more rain --
SAMBOLIN (on-camera): I know who knows.
BERMAN: There's one person.
SAMBOLIN: Indra!
BERMAN: Indra Petersons, tell us all.
INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Pretty impressive. That same storm that brought the snow eventually moving to Iowa -- with tornadoes. And it's actually the same system that connected with the tropical moisture from Karen and brought us that big squall line that moved through yesterday. I mean, over a hundred reports of wind damage you're talking about.
You just saw it, right? Downed trees, power lines, even flipped cars from that system. Well, thankfully, that system has now moved offshore. So, finally, we are talking about calmer weather, but definitely cooler temperatures. Looking at New York yesterday with 76 degrees. Look at the difference today.
We're now going to be talking about those temperatures dropping way down to the 60s. Now, this is where they should be, but they're going to continue to cool as all that cool air from Canada continues to kind of stream into the region. Notice in a couple of days down about 66 degrees. The other side of this story, well, yes, that front went off coast in the northeast but down in the southeast, it's still kind of lingering just off shore.
A low has formed. The reason that matters, well, it's going to pull in all this moisture off the coastline and continue to bring more rain into the southeast. I mean, each day it's going to creep up a little further. By the end of the week, we're going to be talking about still dealing with that system, rain into the northeast. So, for now, cool and dry.
BERMAN: We'll take it. All right. Indra, thanks so much.
PETERSONS: Sure.
SAMBOLIN: And a warning today about salmonella in raw chicken. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAMBOLIN (voice-over): Hundreds of people in 18 states have now come down with the illness and then after apparently handling undercooked or raw chicken from a California processor. So, the USDA says it has traced that outbreak back to three plants operated by foster farms, but there's no recall in effect yet, and the company says it is working with federal health officials.
BERMAN (voice-over): Arizona is moving forward with a controversial change to its voting rules. The state attorney general and secretary of state, both Republicans, announcing they will stop residents from casting ballots if those residents cannot prove their citizenship. Some are calling the move vindictive in light of June Supreme Court ruling striking down the required proof of residency to vote in federal races and legal challenges to disarm (ph) plan.
SAMBOLIN: Detroit's bankruptcy may be costing it a lot more than its pride. The companies that were hired to help the Motor City deal with its $18 billion in debt have already charged the city more than $19 million. Some bankruptcy experts say the proceedings could cost Detroit taxpayers as much as $100 million.
BERMAN: No jury service for non-citizens in California. Governor Jerry Brown has vetoed a bill that would have allowed legal permanent residents to be call for jury duty -- responsibility should only lie with citizens. A key sponsor says he plans to reintroduce the legislation next year.
SAMBOLIN: And a popular short-term home renting service under fire in New York State. The attorney general there has now subpoenaed Airbnb to hand over the names of the more than 225,000 people who put their homes up on the service. The goal is to crack down on home renters who don't pay hotel taxes. The company plans to fight that subpoena and agreed recently to begin paying hotel taxes in New York City.
BERMAN: So, a controversial book is being released today along with a documentary for front line on PBS about the risk of brain damage for professional football players and what the -- sorry -- what the NFL did or did not do about it.
Brothers, Steve Fainaru and Mark Fainuru-Wada say the league ignored research, attacked scientists studying chronic traumatic brain encephalopathy, and otherwise, denied that there was a problem. The brothers insist the message the NFL sends about brain injuries goes far beyond professionals.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK FAINARU-WADA, AUTHOR, "LEAGUE OF DENIAL": The issue is not just an NFL issue, it's a kids issue. It trickles down to high school and pop warner and the three million kids who are playing and making those decisions based on, you know, emerging sentence and concerns about whether playing football and can lead to long-term brain damage. And, I think our hope all along is just to make sure we can inform people as much as possible. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: The brothers who are investigative reporter say the NFL refused to give them a statement during their reporting. But the league tells CNN they claim they have made a profound commitment to the health and safety of their players.
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SAMBOLIN (on-camera): Such a scary report. Such a tough --
(CROSSTALK)
SAMBOLIN: -- for parents to decide whether or not to let their kids -- I have this argument all the time with parents -- my kid loves football. They're passionate about it.
BERMAN (on-camera): But I think this discussion is not a discussion that was had five, 10, 15 years ago. Every parent of young children, boys, mostly, that I speak to, they're thinking, will I let my sons play football? And the answer now appearing more and more nos.
SAMBOLIN: Nos. Yes.
All right. Forty-one minutes past the hour. Coming up --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My mind was doing strange things. I saw the shark and my mind was thinking, wow, that shark is so healthy and beautiful.
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SAMBOLIN: If you saw a shark coming in your direction, is that what you would think?
BERMAN: No!
SAMBOLIN: That shark is so healthy and so beautiful. So many are (ph) shocked when he's attacked by a shark. He's laughing through it, smiling. He looks really great. His tale of survival headed your way.
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SAMBOLIN: Forty-four minutes past the hour. Welcome back to EARLY START. A California college English teacher, I'd say, is very lucky this morning. He was bitten by a shark while surfing. Look at him, he's handsome, he's smiling.
BERMAN: He got the surfer hair.
SAMBOLIN: It's like no big deal. Jay Scribner was floating in the water near Eureka, that is north of San Francisco, when he says an eight to nine-foot great white bit his board and his thigh. That's when other surfers ran to help. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Boards were thrown to the beach and everybody was sprinting down to help him out of the water. And, the primary concern at that point was stabilizing him and getting emergency vehicles out there and getting him to the hospital.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAMBOLIN: All right. So, the bite didn't break any major arteries and Scriber amazingly is expected to make a full recovery. And he says he doesn't plan to give up surfing. Really, dude?
(LAUGHTER)
BERMAN: To each his own, dude.
All right. Time now for our morning rhyme winners. These are the tweets of the day we ask you to send in your rhymes to us, #morningrhyme, #EARLYSTART. Zoraida picked this first win.
SAMBOLIN: No, no, wait a minute. I was just saying that I wasn't feeling the love at all and then somebody showed me some love. I didn't pick it. You picked it, didn't you?
BERMAN: Here's some love. It comes from Raymond writes (ph) "Who says Berman is OK, but I cannot lie, Zoraida is the real reason i wake up before 5:00."
SAMBOLIN: Yes. Thank very much.
BERMAN: It doesn't really rhyme, but it's nice.
SAMBOLIN: I'll take it. I'll take it.
(LAUGHTER)
SAMBOLIN: How about this one, instead? It's about you, John. It's a good one here. @DaveBowels writes "John Berman rhymes are really not funny. Next time, he should stay in bed with his honey."
(LAUGHTER)
BERMAN: I actually endorse that on many levels. I think that is --
SAMBOLIN: You want to stay in bed with your honey. I love that. Thank you so much. That's a great rhyme.
BERMAN: You got to get into this. you can come up with your own tweets. Send them to us #morningrhyme and EARLY START. You see them right there on your screen.
SAMBOLIN: I got to tell you, some of these are really good and I wonder, you know, how they're being that creative at this ridiculous hour of the morning. So, thank you --
BERMAN: We're not that creative this hour of the morning.
SAMBOLIN: Clearly, you're not. All right. Let's take a look at what's coming up on "NEW DAY." Chris Cuomo -- I can't talk today. You guys take it.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You got it. Good morning, you guys.
(LAUGHTER)
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right. We're going to be talking about the shutdown also. We're going to be looking as we move into the debt ceiling, how seriously they're taking it. There've been some vacillation. I don't know where I am on it yet in terms of whether there's any real change, but we are hearing that lawmakers are starting to get that.
The debt ceiling is a different animal than the shutdown. We're going to have new CNN poll that let you know how you're feeling as a collective in America about what's going on there, whom you blame. There are some surprises, and they're also going to bring on some lawmakers and experts to try and figure out what happens next here. Newt Gingrich will join us with his perspective on his own party.
BOLDUAN: Yes, on those polls. Bottom line, America is not happy with how Washington is handling this. That's for sure.
Also coming up, I'm really looking forward to this. We all are. Elizabeth Smart, you see her right there. You remember her. She survived being kidnapped in captivity for nine months into an unimaginable living conditions, horrifying treatment including sexual abuse. Well, now, she's revealing what really happened during that period in her new book called "My Story."
She's going to be joining us to talk about that. Why she wants to come out now and talk about it when you can imagine anyone else would just want to forget that that ever happened, but she says she really has a message. She has a message with her story and she's going to be sharing with us this morning.
BERMAN: An emotional -- all right, guys. Looking forward to it.
BOLDUAN: Thanks.
BERMAN: Coming up for us next, the Dodgers and the Braves, they go head-to-head for the right to get to the National League Championship series. What an ending to that game. What an awful ending to another game. Andy Scholes breaks it all down for us in the "Bleacher Report." That's next.
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SAMBOLIN: All right. The New York Jets beat the Atlanta Falcons last night in thrilling fashion.
BERMAN: Thrilling.
SAMBOLIN: Right now, they are one of the biggest surprises of the NFL.
BERMAN: They don't -- as much as everyone thought. Andy Scholes joins us now with the "Bleacher Report." Good morning, Andy.
ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Hey, good morning, guys. Well, before the season, most people, they weren't very high on the Jets. You know, they had all kinds of issues at quarterback. They were actually picked to finish last in the division. But hey, look at them now! The Jets and Falcons playing Monday Night Football. Atlanta took the lead late in the fourth with this drive.
Look at that catch by Julio Jones, one-handed. But, Geno Smith would lead the Jets down the field and in the closing seconds. Nick Folk, 43-yard field goal. That gave the Jets the win. 30-28 was your final score. New York now 3-2 on the season. The Falcons, meanwhile, a disappointing 1-4.
All right. The Braves were looking to salvage the night for sports fans in Atlanta. They led the Dodgers 3-2 (ph). Juan Uribe who just trying to lay down a sac bunt. He failed twice, so a two-strike, he was singing and there it goes. Two-run home run gives the Dodgers the lead. They win the game 4-3 to eliminate the Braves and move on to the NLCS.
All right. Things got snippy in game three between the Tigers and A's. In the ninth, Victor Martinez and Grant Balfour exchange words. They nearly come to below (ph). Both benches would clear. All this because Balfour didn't like the way Martinez was looking at him. But hey, The A's look like the way that the series is looking. They win game three. They lead the series two games to one.
All right. Number one on the lineup section on BleacherReport.com, Rays needing a win to stay alive in their series with the Red Sox. Bottom nine, tied at 4, Jose Lobaton pinch-hitting and he sends one into the Rays tank! Tampa wins 5-4 as John Berman boos.
SAMBOLIN: Nicely done. Nicely done.
(LAUGHTER)
SCHOLES: Rays is going to try to even the series tonight in game four. 8:30 eastern!
SAMBOLIN: Ouch.
SCHOLES: John, are you staying up late for that one?
BERMAN: I'll be drunk.
(LAUGHTER)
BERMAN: You said Lobaton, I'd say lobagroan. That was ugly. An ugly, ugly moment. But Andy Scholes, it was good baseball. Appreciate it --
SAMBOLIN: There you go. At least you can admit that. BERMAN: It was very good.
SAMBOLIN: All right. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: Welcome back, everyone. Just a few minutes before the top of the hour. Taking a look at the very top CNN Trends on the internet this morning. Lady Gaga has unveiled the eye-catching new artwork for her latest album, Artpop. She's not wearing anything! Completely naked! On the cover, shielded only by that large blue ball strategically placed.
She, of course, is supporting her signature blond wig. Famed New York artist, Jeff Koons, designed the album cover which also includes scattered pieces of Botticelli's classic 1486 painting, the Birth of Venus. Artpop hits the stores November 11th.
SAMBOLIN: So, it's a record for a beautiful, amazing, huge diamond. We told you about this yesterday. Just feast your eyes. This 118- carat flawless oval earned $30.6 million when it was purchased by an Asian collector who says he was preferred to remain anonymous. That is about $ million more than the previous record-holder. Where's the diamond again? Up close and personal. There it is. It's about the size of a small egg.
BERMAN: Once again, Zoraida breathless here. She will be waiting by her phone to hear from this anonymus.
SAMBOLIN: Give me a call.
(LAUGHTER)
BERMAN: That is all for EARLY START. It is time for "NEW DAY." Chris Cuomo, Kate Bolduan, all yours.
BOLDUAN: Thank you, thank you. Have a good day. We'll see you soon.
CUOMO: All right. I hope your morning is going OK. It's time to tell you what you need to know.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hit from the tree and it missed him by six, seven inches.
CUOMO: Blackout. Thousands waking up without power after a vicious storm system slams the east coast. Flash flooding, toppled trees from Florida to New England. We're live with the latest.
BOLDUAN: Prove it. The president calling out John Boehner telling him to prove there isn't enough support to pass a funding bill to reopen the government and Senate Democrats could move today to apply even more pressure. Are we at a tipping point?
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Outbreak. Amid the shutdown, a salmonella outbreak sickening hundreds across 18 states with workers of the CDC and FDA furloughed. Are they able to stop it?
CUOMO: Your "NEW DAY" starts right now.
ANNOUNCER: This is "NEW DAY" with Chris Cuomo, Kate Bolduan, and Michaela Pereira.
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CUOMO: Salmonella. Good morning. Welcome to "NEW DAY." It's Tuesday, October 8th, six o'clock in the east. And we are learning why SEAL Team Six was called back from that Somalia raid. It may have been because innocent children could have been caught in the crossfire. We'll give you a live report right ahead from the Pentagon.
BOLDUAN: And also ahead, the NFL under fire on two fronts, a new documentary and book releasing today accusing the league of putting players' lives at risk by minimizing the dangers of concussions and the battle over the Washington Redskin's name now at full pitch. The president weighed in, and now the NFL is set to meet with the Native- American tribe about it.
PEREIRA: And from the world of technology, he's one of the richest men in America. There is renewed speculation brewing about Bill Gates' future. We've heard some reports that some big investors are trying to oust him from Microsoft. But now, there's some talk that some are trying to bring him back full time.
The big question this morning, what is with this video of him going viral? The shagradelic (ph) answer, coming up.
BOLDUAN: Wow!
CUOMO: All right. But first up this morning, take a look at the violent weather that tore through the region, stretching from Washington to New England. Thousands are still in the dark this morning. If you are in the northeast, there's a good chance you felt the strong winds or got caught in the rain that flooded roads and caused big travel delays. Let's bring in Indra Petersons. She has a look at all the madness. Good to have you back. Good morning, Indra.
