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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Debt Default And You; "We're Not Bad Parents"; Red Sox Advance To AL Championship Series

Aired October 09, 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): A father demanding answers after his nine-year-old son sneaks past security and on to a Vegas- bound plane without a ticket.

ZORAIDA SAMBOLIN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): He must have snuck past his parents, too. Don't you think?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN (on-camera): Something went on there. 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: And welcome to shut down day nine.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN (voice-over): And it seems like we keep repeating ourselves --

SAMBOLIN (voice-over): We do.

BERMAN: -- awful news it's because, in fact, we do. Now, it is only a partial shutdown because some services are operating, though many government workers, a lot of them, thousands are not getting paid. And people who can solve this, well, they keep talking past each other. President Obama and House speaker, John Boehner, spoke on the phone yesterday. That must have been a charming conversation.

The president is saying afterwards that he's open to negotiations about debt if, if, as long as they do not happen with what he calls a proverbial gun to his head. What the Republicans think of that, some say that they're open to talking, but Speaker Boehner says doing that would be an unconditional surrender. So, no dice.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The greatest nation on Earth shouldn't have to get permission from a fewer responsible members of Congress every couple of months just to keep our government open or to prevent an economic catastrophe. REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R) HOUSE SPEAKER: This isn't about me. Frankly, it's not about republicans. This is about saving the future for our kids and our grandkids. And the only way this is going to happen is that, in fact, have a conversation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAMBOLIN: And this is really awful. Because of the shutdown, the families of four soldiers killed last weekend in Afghanistan will not get money from the military to pay for their funerals. And the families won't be even getting help getting to Dover, Delaware, to collect their loved ones' bodies. The Pentagon saying it's not authorized to make the payment. House Republicans say that's not true, and that this is a political decision.

BERMAN: The shutdown also causing problems amid a horrific situation in South Dakota. An early season snowstorm brought about four feet of snow on the state earlier this week and that's let thousands upon thousands of cattle dying, entire herds in some cases. Ranchers say that the remains are everywhere. They're being disposed of, but because of the shutdown, because Congress never passed a new farm bill, there's no relief money available to help those farmers.

SAMBOLIN: And that is their industry. So, that's a dire situation for them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAMBOLIN (on-camera): And this may all sound like political bickering, but in the end, the debt default could be really bad if the experts and economists are right about this. Tom Foreman has a look at what this could mean for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The recession started in the housing market and neighborhoods around the country is where a default could be felt if, in fact, one comes to pass. I say if, because it's not at all a certain thing. But if it did come to pass, why would that be? Because one of the outgrowths of this would probably be higher interest rates. Higher interest rates remain fewer people could afford to buy homes.

That means that your home value which was rising could now start falling again because fewer people want to buy it. And not to say anything about what -- two million or so people who work in construction. And it's not just homes, if you want to buy a new car or open a business, interest rates on that also could play a role.

Concern number two, basic payments from the government. Let's say you or somebody in your family gets a Social Security check or some kind of student aid or food stamps, anything like that. About 148 million Americans do just that. And those people very often rely on that money. That's about half the country. If that gets cut off, what do you do? Let's say your father counts on veterans benefits and now he's not getting them anymore. What does he do about that? Third concern, very basic one here, your job. In the last recession, about eight million jobs were lost in this country, and those have only started coming back. We're not totally back with those yet. That's an area that's a big concern even without a new recession. If a new one comes on, look out, heaven knows what might happen to people out there.

And beyond that, there is the question of the future. What do you do if you've been saving money for your kids or for your golden years, your retirement, what do you do with those savings? They're in 401(k)s, they're in mutual funds, they're in other stocks. In the environment we just described, all of those could lose a tremendous amount of value. That's why the default may not be just about D.C. It could be about you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN (on-camera): All right. Our thanks to Tom Foreman for that.

Arizona's governor, Jan Brewer, is coming to the defense of a state representative for some controversial comments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN (voice-over): Republican Brenda Barton compared President Obama to Adolph Hitler, saying they both had similar leadership styles. The president was, quote, "dictating beyond his authority." And in one Facebook post, she calls him "the fuhrer." The government was asked about that -- the governor was asked about that and had this to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JAN BREWER, (R) ARIZONA: I thought that it was a little bit over the top. After reading the whole thing, however, I think, that she had an explanation for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Right. State Representative Barton is standing by the comparison insisting there are similarities over issues like gun control and national health care.

SAMBOLIN (voice-over): Settlements for 19 victims of former Penn State football coach, Jerry Sandusky. Attorneys for the claimants confirming many of the young men have already received checks from Penn State, the money coming from a $60 million fund that was set aside by the school. Sandusky is serving 30 to 60 years in prison for the sexual abuse of ten boys over a 15-year period.

BERMAN: Lawyers for former New England patriot, Aaron Hernandez, will be back in court today expected to ask for a gag order in the murder case. They say publicity about the trial could taint the jury pool and an informal gag order did not slow the media attention. Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to murder and gun charges. He's being held without bail. SAMBOLIN: Also in court today, and a school official charged in connection with the rape by two high school football players in Steubenville, Ohio. William Rhinaman, the Steubenville High School Director of Technology is accused of tampering with evidence. Beginning on the night, two football players raped a 16-year-old girl. He's the first adult to be charged in connection with that rape case.

So, a search of that black Infinity driven by a woman who was shot and killed at the Capitol building, it turned up no gun, no motive. That according to just released court documents, but there was a passport and foreign money found inside Miriam Carey's (ph) car, also her driver's license and Social Security cards for both her and her daughter. That daughter was in the car, but luckily, the little girl was unharmed.

SAMBOLIN: In San Francisco, there are big questions today about safety and security at San Francisco General Hospital, that after a body was found in a stairwell. A law enforcement source tells CNN the body appears to be that of a patient, Lynne Spalding (ph), that's a picture of her, who had gone missing two weeks ago. She had been in the hospital for treatment of an infection. An employee found the body, and now police are investigating what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is a not very often used stairway. It is exterior. It is a fire stairway. And I do not know how the person came to be where they were found.

DAVID PERRY, SPOKESMAN FOR FIND LYNNE CAMPAIGN: It's distressing anytime to find a dead body in the stairwell of a hospital. Hospitals are places for healing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAMBOLIN: Friends say Spalding may have been disoriented because of some medication she was taken. They worry, however, the hospital isn't being forthcoming with information about what happened.

BERMAN: A deadly brain-eating amoeba now found in yet another Louisiana water system. Officials say testing it shown the presence of the amoeba in Desoto Parish, though no one has yet become sick from the bug. The system is now being flushed with chlorine. A child died in August in nearby Saint Bernard Parish after being infected with that amoeba.

SAMBOLIN: All right. So, this so-called revenge porn could soon be banned in New York as well. Three state legislators are trying to eliminate websites where people post racy pictures of their exes. California recently passed a law banning revenge porn, but the law has come under fire since it doesn't cover pictures taken by the person whose image is posted. You chimed in earlier on that. What was that?

BERMAN: I think there's bipartisan, you know, opposition to revenge porn.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN (on-camera): That is an area where Democrats and Republicans can come together. A glimmer of hope amid the impasse in our political system. Meanwhile, Indra Petersons, on an unrelated note, has a check of today's weather.

SAMBOLIN (on-camera): I know. You're not going to --

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Thank you on unrelated note. I appreciate that one, yes. Let's just talk about cold.

(CROSSTALK)

PETERSONS: Yes. Definitely a very chilly morning. This morning, we're talking about freeze and frost -- frost and freeze warnings. Let me try that again. So, definitely chilly out there. A huge difference with all the cold air coming in from Canada. We're talking about 40s this morning. Notice upstate New York really seeing those 40s once you get into Vermont even at the freezing mark right there at 32.

So, of course, if we start off the morning chilly, we're going to end the afternoon a little bit colder as well. Temperatures will continue to go down even more so than yesterday. It's about average temperatures for fall. I mean, it is October, guys. We are supposed to be seeing some of these mid-60s. However, as we move into tomorrow, the temperatures drop even more. We'll actually start to see some of those lower 60s.

So, prepare yourselves. Not only will be cool, but even a little bit windy out there which could make it feel just a little bit chillier. You can actually feel on the coastline we are starting to pick up some of these winds. Farther south, you actually see (ph) that, especially causing -- potential for some beach erosion. Thanks to a low kind of hanging around the Carolinas.

So, cool, windy. Got to add rain in the mix, right? You don't want to miss out on this, guys. So, definitely more rain. Thanks to that low. Just kind of hugging that cold sign of cools and all that moisture right off the gulf. Heavy spot today again right along the Carolinas and then that low creeps itself all the way up the coastline. So, eventually, by the end of the week, we are looking at it here into the northeast as well.

BERMAN: The trifecta, cold, windy, and rainy.

PETERSONS: Love it, guys. Fall is here. Yes!

(LAUGHTER)

BERMAN: All right. Thanks, Indra.

PETERSONS: Sure.

SAMBOLIN: All right. We're hearing now for the first time from that father of that Minnesota nine-year-old -- are you OK -- PETERSONS: I'm good.

SAMBOLIN: OK. Good. Indra tripped there. So -- who managed to stow away on a flight to Las Vegas last week. The dad who doesn't want his name or face revealed says his son's behavior has been a problem since he was five years old. On the night he disappeared, listen to this, the boy took out the trash and then never came back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't understand. You got so much check at these airports. How can you let a nine-year-old sneak past security, get on the plane without anyone stopping him, questioning him, or anything? We're not bad parents. We didn't think nothing -- we thought he was at a friend's house.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAMBOLIN: The father also said he and his fiancee have been trying to get help for his son's behavior problems for years now, and he insists that they are not giving up on him. You know, this story goes on and on. I read that he had snuck into a water park. He pretended to be somebody else's son. So, this is not uncommon behavior for him and they say that he's very challenging.

BERMAN: There's a lot going on.

SAMBOLIN: Yes, there is.

All right. Coming up --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will not be sending my children to school today until this situation is rectified, and we know what's going on. It's -- we consider it not safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAMBOLIN: What? A high school accused of causing cancer. The shocking claims keeping kids out of class this morning. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAMBOLIN: It is 44 minutes past the hour. In Malibu, California, there is concern this morning that a school is making teachers and students sick. At least four teachers at Malibu High School have been diagnosed with cancer, three within the last six months. Others are complaining of migraines, these mysterious rashes, hair loss, and breathing problems. Students say they've been suffering from the same health issues as well. And parents are just trying to make sense of all of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They want to make sure that their kids are safe, obviously. I know some of these things get blown out of proportion pretty easily. I just wish that they had let us know what was going on beforehand.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would like to. I hope I can. It depends what kind of studies they're doing and who's doing them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAMBOLIN: So, for now, the district has closed one building and has relocated the students there as that environmental review that she was referring to continues.

BERMAN: Got to be concerning.

SAMBOLIN: Wow. No kidding. But at least they're doing a review now to try to figure out what's going on.

So, time now for the morning rhyme. Our tweets of the day, first this one, from @SheilaEgan. Kind of bringing home the absurdity of the government shutdown. So, we told you earlier the families of service members are not getting death benefits. Well, Sheila was upset about this, so she tweets, "Our dead warriors deserve our best. Useless Congress should give their egos a rest."

BERMAN: Clever and true.

SAMBOLIN: Absolutely.

BERMAN: On much lighter note, also clever and true. This one comes from Sean Murphy. He does traffic out on Los Angeles for an affiliate there. He gets up very early for work, and he says, "In the a.m. before I apply my Flo Rida, I flip on the tube to John and Zoraida."

(LAUGHTER)

SAMBOLIN: I love that. That's fantastic.

BERMAN: Well done, Sean.

SAMBOLIN: We do this every morning. So, you have to join us on Twitter. Although, somebody said to me it's not fair that we should allow them to do morning rhyme on Facebook as well. What do you think?

BERMAN: They can do whatever they want.

SAMBOLIN: There you go.

(LAUGHTER)

BERMAN: We're inclusive. Join us, on Twitter, the hash tags are morningrhyme, #EARLYSTART. Same thing on Facebook. Come on in. Join the club.

SAMBOLIN: All right. So, let's take a look at what's coming up on "NEW DAY." Chris Cuomo, Kate Bolduan, good morning.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I feel like we need to join the club. We need to start rhyming.

SAMBOLIN: Hey, bring them on. It's good they'll make it (ph).

BERMAN: Not feeling the hate. Go for it, Kate.

BOLDUAN: There's the big thing --

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: Don't be late. Get on that, Kate.

BOLDUAN: You got it Berman. That didn't rhyme. All right.

(LAUGHTER)

BERMAN: I'll be squirming.

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: Just get going.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, I don't want to join any clubs this morning, I'll tell you why. I'm looking to kick people out of the club this morning. We're going to start taking a little bit of different angle into the shutdown not just because it's day nine, but because the toll is starting to be paid by people who shouldn't be paying it.

When you start hearing about the families of fallen service members, when you start hearing about people who are living paycheck to paycheck now having to go on unemployment, and for what, because there's political impasse. But guess what, politics is about compromise. It doesn't seem to make sense anymore why the people who should know that best seem to know it the least.

So, we're going to tell you what is seeming to be the best chance for negotiation here. We're going to bring experts. We're going to have Senator Tom Coburn here to talk about what may come next or what may not, because now this new idea that's coming out of the government is that, you know, you go past the debt ceiling, it's not the worst. They will be fine. Really? We're going to talk about that this morning.

BOLDUAN: I would also love to get our viewers' thoughts on this story that we're going to be talking about today. A middle school in New York is taking safety to a whole new level. Students are not allowed to play with football, not allowed to play with baseball, not allowed to play with a lot at recess, tag, cartwheels. They have to be supervised by a coach now.

So, are they going a little too far on the safety spectrum or are they doing their job to try to keep kids safe? We're going to talk about it. BERMAN: Interesting here what the school has to say about that. Kate Bolduan, Chris Cuomo, thank you so much. See you in a bit.

Coming up next here, the biggest story of the day, maybe the biggest story of the month, folks. One step closer to World Series, the Red Sox moving on. It is a great day for everyone. Andy Scholes will be here to talk all about the magic coming up in the "Bleacher Report" next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAMBOLIN: So, do you have any insight on how chemicals interact?

BERMAN: Apparently, not enough to win the Nobel Prize.

(LAUGHTER)

BERMAN: But there are --

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: -- about chemistry and Nobel Prize. The Nobel Prize and chemistry just awarded. This is a live picture from Stockholm where the announcement just being made. The winners are from Harvard, Stanford, and USC. Martin Karplus Michael Levitt, and Arieh Warshel, they apparently discovered new insight into how chemicals interact. And we thanks them for that and congratulations. I actually love Nobel Prize --

SAMBOLIN: I know you do. I know.

(CROSSTALK)

SAMBOLIN: All right so --

BERMAN: On the subject of greatness and human achievement.

SAMBOLIN: It is a glorious morning. You know why. I'm just going to let you do this.

BERMAN: The Boston Red Sox are going to the American League Championship series.

SAMBOLIN: He's so excited.

BERMAN: I feel --

SAMBOLIN: Giddy?

BERMAN: -- vindicated. Giddy. All sorts of feelings raising through me right now. Andy Scholes is here with the "Bleacher Report." Good morning, Andy.

SAMBOLIN: Do you see, he's been showing this all morning.

BERMAN: My Red Sox baseball. (LAUGHTER)

ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: You got props. You got to bring props on a day like this, right?

BERMAN: My big papi action figure. I got it all.

(LAUGHTER)

SCHOLES: Good morning, guys. You know, what a difference a year makes. Last season, the Red Sox, they were the worst team in their division. This season, they got best record in baseball. Now, of course, they're headed back to the American League Championship series for the first time in five years.

Now, Boston, they were trailing for the majority of last night's game with the Rays, but they scratched out three runs in the final three innings to get the win. They take the series three games to one. Now, the Red Sox will meet the winner between the Tigers and A's. Detroit trying to stay alive in the series with the win last night. There was a little controversy in this one in the seventh inning.

Tigers were down 4-3, and then Victor Martinez sent this fall (ph) deep right. Take a look. Josh Reddick going up to make the catch. Two fans reached over to get the ball. Umpires reviewed it. They give Martinez the home run. Tigers go on to win the game, 8-6. Winner-take-all, game five, will be Thursday night on TBS.

All right. Number one on the line up section on BleacherReport.com today, you'll see Texans quarterback, Matt Schaub. Why? Well, some angry fans went to his house in Houston to yell at him about his poor play. Schaub had to call the police and the fans left on their own before they arrived. Schaub has fallen out of grace with Texas fans after throwing an interception that was return for a touchdown in four straight games. That is an NFL record that you don't want to have.

All right. A team in even worse shape than the Texans is the New York Giants. They're 0-5 off to their worst start in 34 years. So, a popular gentlemen's club in Manhattan has a new policy, G-strings, yes, G-men, no. Rick's Cabaret says it will no longer be playing Giants games. Patrons at the club have become depressed and upset watching them loose. And guys, the dancers have actually been complaining that the boos are distracting them.

BERMAN: Sounds like an important business decision was made -- I will say that the Giants always have a way of coming back, because bad as it looks (ph) for them, Tom Coughlin does find a way to turn it around usually.

SCHOLES: 0-5 is pretty bad, though.

BERMAN: It's pretty bad. Doesn't get it any worth (ph) than that, does it?

SAMBOLIN: Hey, Andy, you know, I have this David Ortiz figure here, and it's not open. And I took it from Berman, and I threatened to open it, he went epileptic (ph).

BERMAN: It's in mint condition.

SCHOLES: Yes. You got to keep that in mint condition.

BERMAN: Andy Scholes knows.

(CROSSTALK)

SAMBOLIN: -- inside and up, Berman.

(LAUGHTER)

BERMAN: It's about right. That's about right. We'll be right back.

SCHOLES: You don't open starting lineups and things like that.

SAMBOLIN: Really?

(LAUGHTER)

BERMAN: That is all for EARLY START this morning.

SAMBOLIN: Time for "NEW DAY" with Chris and Kate.

BOLDUAN: Oh!

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: That could have been memorable. Thanks, guys.

CUOMO: Better put that down before he hurts himself.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: All right. It's time to get you the top news.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OBAMA: You can't make extortion routine as part of our democracy. Democracy doesn't function this way.

CUOMO: Paying the price. The shutdown isn't just hurting politicians. Families of killed service members aren't getting benefits. Tens of thousands are applying for unemployment. And why the markets are hinting at what may be to come.

BOLDUAN: On strike. Boston school bus drivers surprise parents and administrators by not showing up for work. 30,000 kids stranded. The mass scramble to get them to school this morning.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: New twist in the case of the driver allegedly assaulted by bikers. A New York police officer now under arrest. Was he part of it or working undercover?

CUOMO: Your "NEW DAY" starts right now. ANNOUNCER: This is "NEW DAY" with Chris Cuomo, Kate Bolduan, and Michaela Pereira.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PEREIRA (on-camera): I'm rolling my eyes at you.

CUOMO: Good morning. Welcome to "NEW DAY." It's Wednesday, October 9th, six o'clock in the east. You heard elected officials say lately, look, shutdown is undesirable, but it's not that big a deal. Tell that to the families of deceased service members who aren't getting their benefits. Senator John McCain summed up what many are thinking when he was on the floor of the senate. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MCCAIN, (R) ARIZONA: I'm ashamed. I'm embarrassed. All of us should be. And the list goes on and on of people of innocent Americans who have fallen victim to the reality that we can't sit down and talk like grown-ups.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: People are feeling pain, but it still seems to be no match for the pull of politics down in Washington as both sides basically stand their ground, but there may be a new chance for hope. We'll get into that in just a moment.

BOLDUAN: We will. And plus, we have the shocking story out of San Francisco for you this morning. For more than a month, the family of this woman has been searching for her, even asking the public for help. Well, she vanished while being treated at a hospital there. Now, a grim discovery. She was found dead at the hospital. How could this have happened?