Return to Transcripts main page

New Day

A White House Ice-Breaker; How Has the President Handled Ferguson?; UVA Response to Sex Assaults Under Fire; Apple on Trial Over iPod Music

Aired December 03, 2014 - 07:30   ET

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

JOHN KING, CNN HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": This is a good way to -- curtain raiser, a good way to set tone for the meeting. I get it from the Republican perspective, they think we won the election big and the president takes the action on immigration, but the president had promised he was going to do it.

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, "THE WASHINGTON POST": This had been his promise all along. He had said in the summer then he quickly did it and he's done all of these other things. It will be interesting to see what that conversation is like where there is middle ground. It doesn't seem like there's any.

Maybe the hiring heroes act, which they laid out in one of their op- eds, Boehner and McConnell, but even you know they're talking about a trade deal. They're not a lot of Democrats, who are behind the trade deal. Not a lot of House Republicans are behind the trade deal, either. So it's hard to see where they come together.

KING: So it, are we looking for anything big here? I was checking in with folks on both sides who said don't look for any announcements today or in the near future. What are we looking for if we don't think both of these guys have pressure?

The president has pressure on the left. Don't cut big deals with Republicans. We've seen both Speaker Boehner and Mitch McConnell even facing some pressure from their members, who say shut the government down if necessary over immigration. They both said that won't happen. Is this just a getting to know you?

TAMARA KEITH, NPR: Well, I think they haven't spent that much time together so perhaps they should get to know each other and it is after lunch so bourbon could be an appropriate beverage. Mitch McConnell coming out of the big win said he wanted to get something done.

They need to govern. The only way he gets something done, is if he can do something that President Obama supports or that, so they actually have to have a meeting of the minds on some level, if -- if President Obama wants to pad his legacy and if Mitch McConnell wants to get something done.

KING: I do think at the same forum, he has said this other times. Mitch McConnell made an interesting point to watch going forward. He was talking about how to deal with immigration. He said bust it up into pieces.

Most things health care, immigration, comprehensive, I do think you see from Leader McConnell an effort to say why don't we try some things incrementally, to see if we can get step by step as opposed to doing it all at once.

HENDERSON: They talked about it last year, you know as well. Doing something more small ball and piecemeal. The House Republicans didn't really want to move on that, either. Maybe something -- you know, they seem to be admitting that they're not going to be able to repeal Obamacare, maybe they'll do some small fixes.

That they can get Democrats behind, but the White House -- the folks I talked to in the White House do seem to think that Mitch McConnell is the adult in the room. They feel like he's a reasonable guy.

Some of the deals they did make, given Vice President Biden was the person making those deals and doing a lot of negotiations. They do feel like there's some room there.

KING: The only question left for the Senate is the number, will it be 53 or 54, and that will be settled this weekend when Mary Landrieu, the Democratic incumbent from Louisiana has the run-off against Republican Bill Cassidy.

Most people think Cassidy will win and win in a walk. At the last minute there's has been effort by Mary Landrieu. Reaching out to the president saying help me turn out African-American voters. Too little, too late, smart?

HENDERSON: I think can you get every black voter in Louisiana to come out and vote for Mary Landrieu. They were 30 percent of the electorate this last time, 94 percent voted for her. The problem is she got 18 percent of the white vote. That's not enough and that's been the problem of the southern Democrats over the last really 50 years almost.

KEITH: And in the early voting that's come in, Democratic voters have dropped off as have in a big way, African-American voters. These are the people she needs. If she has any hope at all, which -- she probably doesn't have that much hope.

KING: That's great political analysis. That's exactly, that's about right, actually. If you're Mary Landrieu, right now, we'll see. Voters sometimes surprise us, but that one looks like it's a done deal.

I want to show you pictures from the House of Representatives floor yesterday. Another symbolic protest, this by several members of the Congressional Black Caucus, another symbolic protest in favor of what's happening in Ferguson.

Michael Brown and his family and the protests, we saw the gestures, we saw it by the St. Louis Rams during the football game. This is America, you have free speech rights. You have rights. Whether you disagree or agree. This is a symbolic gesture, you wrote about the substance of what the president has been trying to do. You made the point he's trying to strike the right balance.

HENDERSON: Yes, that's right. I don't think you know any expectations for instance that he go to Ferguson, give a big race speech. He probably isn't going to do that. Not clear that that would even help. This isn't a president who has thought that talking about racial tensions really does anything.

So he's opted to go incremental approach. Everyone is talking about body cameras now, six months ago, I don't think most people knew what body cameras on police were about. So he is doing this small ball approach and I think CBC has a role to play. Protesters have a role to play.

And as president he's walking a very difficult line, but can use whatever levers and bully pulpits in ways that might actually to make a difference.

KING: And perhaps in this case maybe more likely to get a broader support in Congress for some of these physical steps, new rules for transferring military equipment, these body cameras, maybe some training?

KEITH: I think that's what he's going for. I think when he was waded into race. It hasn't always gone well for him and I think that he is being cautious. You know, the Congressional Black Caucus can get out there and can be fiery and say these things. President Obama I think feels he has to be more cautious.

KING: One of the topics at the White House briefing yesterday was some of the qualifications or questions about the qualifications of some of the president's choices and we get this is every administration to serve as U.S. ambassadors overseas.

Two were confirmed yesterday, one to Argentina, the other to Hungary. One has not only raised a lot of money for President Obama, but her other qualification -- listen to Josh Earnest here responding to a question about her qualification being she's a soap opera producer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: She certainly is somebody again that is has had her own distinguished private-sector career.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As a soap opera producer?

EARNEST: As somebody who obviously has succeeded in the business world and she is somebody that the president has confidence will be able to maintain our relationship with the government and the people of Hungary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: That was Colleen Bell at issue there. There were questions if she understands the Vladimir Putin dynamic. You do a piece this morning also about another gentleman, who is about to be the ambassador of Argentina, never been there.

KEITH: There was at the confirmation hearing a year ago at this point. That was just terrible where he had to admit he hadn't been to Argentina. And Senator John McCain, who sort of took it upon himself to just expose, just the lack of knowledge of the countries of these people will be going.

KING: I offer myself up, Alisyn, as we get back to new york, I'm going to find a small island with a beautiful beach, rum drinks and umbrellas that I've never been to and I offer myself up. I can't make any political contributions so I don't think I'm going to get the job.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Ambassador to Bermuda, ambassador to Fiji, any of those things, suit your fancy?

KING: Never been to Fiji, so you're on, you got it. Thank you, Madam President.

CAMEROTA: You're welcome.

OK, John, great to see you. All right another top story that we've been following, the University of Virginia under intense scrutiny over its handling of sexual assault scandal. We will speak with a reporter from the student newspaper, about whether students think enough is being done.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: The chair of the Sexual Misconduct Board at University of Virginia is Dean Nicole Eramo and she is under fire after that "Rolling Stone" article, which detailed stories of rape at the university and talked about how the university does or does not deal with those allegations.

However, the dean is getting support from a very unlikely source -- a victim of rape. Listen to what she told CNN's Don Lemon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMILY RENDA, UVA GRADUATE: One of the things that I think is detrimental that's come out of this article in some ways is that Dean Eramo in particular is being criticized for doing what quite frankly is literally the first page of the advocacy handbook about giving people options and not coercing in any way, shape or form.

And frankly, we can have a conversation about how deans of students and the officials in that capacity should handle these cases. If we want them to be advocates or we want to contract out. But she did advocacy best practice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: Catherine Valentine is a reporter for the "Cavalier Daily" and a student at the UVA. She interviewed Dean Eramo at length back in October. Catherine, it's great to have you on the show.

Your interview was really the only look we've gotten at the dean, her tone, her disposition and her answers and substance about this. Do you think it is fair to blame the dean for the procedures of the school in dealing with this?

CATHERINE VALENTINE, REPORTER, "THE CAVALIER DAILY": Absolutely not. This issue is so huge it does not come down to one person. Or two people. And I've said this before. But this is not a problem that is specific to UVA. I think that UVA has a real opportunity here to come out as a leader especially in policy.

I think UVA has a real opportunity to set the tone for how schools should handle sexual assaults. But no, this does not come down to one person at all.

CUOMO: Even not just to single someone out. But in terms of what the dean did in these situations, what does your reporting reveal? Did she do the right things? Do people feel she was supportive?

VALENTINE: I conducted the interview in September and I've had quite a bit of time to think about her responses. I was clearly surprised in the video, but I think that her comments really show that there is. It is very difficult to protect the rights of students who are accused and to help victims through the process.

And I in no way doubt that is a difficult, difficult process. But I do think that her responses show that the policy itself is confusing. And I think that the board deserves to establish a zero tolerance policy to show they think it needs to be little more clear.

CUOMO: One of the distinctions is when is something student conduct and when is it criminal behavior for the police and not the school to deal with many institutions wrestle with that?

Let me ask you this. The school paper, you're going to have an advantage doing the reporting here, any new information about any allegations? Any holes being poked in what "Rolling Stone" came up with?

VALENTINE: I don't think that UVA journalists are poking holes. But I do have a couple concerns about the "Rolling Stone" article. My fear is that because it is such an egregious act and everyone can really obviously see that.

I worry that that date rape and that offenses that are not necessarily gang rape are going to be seen as, as not, not that it's not quite as bad, but I'm worried that students are going to miss the point.

I think everyone can agree that gang rape is horrible. But a lot of the offenses that are occurring at colleges are stickier situations. And I'm worried that students are going to not see that.

CUOMO: It's teaching people and not just young people, all people, how to respect what the gray areas are, where consent is and where it isn't, where acceptable behavior is and how to come forward. It's often tricky and situations that cause the trouble.

Let me ask you something else that's been hard for us to figure out on our side. The article comes out. We hear from a lot of student leaders and people at the university. We've been dealing with this already. It's just new to you, not to us. But then it took time, it took a couple of weeks for your president to come out.

Now I know you're at the university. I know you're a student. I know that that comes with certain concerns about how critical you are about the university. What is the feeling on campus about whether or not the response was fast and strong enough?

VALENTINE: I think what has been an incredibly emotional semester for students, in part because we love UVA. I think that the board decision to establish a zero tolerance policy was a fantastic first step.

But I was really encouraged by President Sullivan, by her speech on Monday. In that speech the one thing that really stood out to me was she said we will lead. I think that is absolutely the right way to look at this.

CUOMO: Katherine, let me give awe little push-back on that she's the first woman president of UVA, right. We don't want to put people in boxes, but obviously this is an issue that women have do come forward on because they have to be their own advocates on it. So did that create a different bar for success for President Sullivan. Do you think she passed that bar?

VALENTINE: Well, it did seem like when the "Rolling Stone" article came out, that the administration was absolutely in shock, And I don't deny, I don't doubt that they were. But I think the speech that President Sullivan gave on Monday was really the speech that we've all been waiting for. It really was.

I think in that speech she really, gosh, I think she did a fantastic job. And yes, there's a problem and one speech is not going to fix that. The suspension of fraternities is not going to fix that establishing a zero policy without implementing it fully is not going to fix that.

But I do think that on Monday, President Sullivan, really reached out to students in a way that we haven't seen yet. And I was incredibly encouraged. So I think students are feeling a bit relieved.

CUOMO: Well, Katherine Valentine, good to have you on the show. You go to college to learn about yourself and learn about the world and you're certainly getting a heck of an education on this issue, that's for sure. Thanks for being with us. Good luck and stay in touch going forward.

VALENTINE: Thank you so much, Chris.

CUOMO: Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, Chris, Apple is on trial, a lawsuit about digital music is playing out in federal court. The key witness in the case is apple's co-founder, the late Steve Jobs. Do his emails paint a different picture of the CEO?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: The company Apple is on trial in federal court in California. The case stems from a class action anti-trust case where consumers complained that the iPod would not play digital music from providers other than Apple when the device was released a decade ago.

The testimony is coming even from beyond the grave, e-mails and a videotaped deposition from the late Steve Jobs. Let's get into this with Brian Stelter, CNN's senior media correspondent and host of "RELIABLE SOURCES." Nice to see you.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: You, too.

CAMEROTA: These e-mails supposedly showed Steve Jobs in a different light. That he is using perhaps a more brusque manner than he does or even it's just a window into his manner.

STELTER: One of the reasons why Apple is so successful and continues to be and one of the reasons why he was so legendary was because he was aggressive. Sometimes he didn't think the rules applied to him, sometimes he thought he could bend the rules.

We see that in these e-mails, lawyers at Apple and lawyers involved must be horrified in some of this, some of the ways Apple did what it did. For example, Steve Jobs was very aggressive about talent. He didn't want poaching from Apple and he didn't want his company poaching from Google and others.

That's the kind thing you don't want to have e-mails recorded about, but now we are seeing some of those e-mails.

CAMEROTA: OK, I have a couple of the e-mails, this is one is about, to a Mac owner whose laptop got wet and he was complaining about it. So this is what Steve Jobs responded.

"This is what happens when your MacBook pro sustains water damage. They are pro machines and they don't like water. It sounds like you're just looking for someone to get mad at other than yourself."

STELTER: There's a charm in it and another e-mail that came to light, a student journalist reached out to him directly, why isn't apple's public relations getting back to me, he just said "leave us alone." it's that manner.

I love that he's replying to e-mails directly, but it's the kind of behavior that lawyers grapple with and advise against probably because you're not supposed to say those things over e-mail.

And more importantly when it comes to poaching talent or collusion over eBooks or the new iPod lawsuit, lawyers would not want these things to be on the record. CAMEROTA: Another e-mail a response to the makers of the iPod rip, which Apple threatened with a lawsuit, Steve Jobs wrote "ching your app's name, not that big of a deal."

STELTER: Again, I love that he was in touch, I love he was responding directly to people but it shows a kind of confidence, maybe an ego that you maybe need to have to be a CEO like run a company as big as Apple.

CAMEROTA: Of course, he did have an ego and a confidence.

STELTER: It is a side of him we weren't as aware of in life and years ago. I think we started to see it with Walter Isaacson's remarkable biography of Steve Jobs. We see it strangely from beyond the grave in the lawsuits. This is the third big class action lawsuit against apple. This one about the iPod starts in Oakland today.

CAMEROTA: This is his response to an iPhone 4 owner who was the victim of antenna gate. "Just avoid holding it that way." Simple solution.

STELTER: I'm holding my new iPhone 6 and had a few problems with it, but unfortunately I can't e-mail Steve Jobs anymore. The Tim Cook still does reply occasionally to customers. Maybe one day we'll see those e-mails, too.

CAMEROTA: Michael Brown's stepfather's words to burn this blank down. Was that an emotional outburst or did it incite violence? This is the latest controversy out of Ferguson. We'll give you the update ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)