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Top Headlines of 2014; Pope Delivers Christmas Blessing; Religion in 2014; Politics in 2014; Naughty and Nice People In Politics

Aired December 25, 2014 - 08:00   ET

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

(YOUNG PEOPLE'S CHORUS OF NEW YORK CITY PERFORMING "JINGLE BELLS")

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Merry Christmas. Welcome to a special holiday edition of NEW DAY. It's Thursday, December 25th. You know what that means, Christmas morning and here you are with us. Great. Eight o'clock in the morning in the East.

I'm Chris Cuomo. Alisyn Camerota, one gift, Michaela Pereira, another gift for me you tolerate. We're joined the Young People's Chorus of New York City and amazing rendition of "Jingle Bells."

They have a new album "Cool Side of Yuletide." You can get it on iTunes, or CD.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: So, we have so much to talk about this morning. Like you've heard moments ago, we'll look at religion in 2014.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Guess who is stopping by, Anderson Cooper is going to be here this morning.

CUOMO: That's a gift.

PEREIRA: He's going to give us a very special look at his roots.

CUOMO: But the news always matters, so let's get you a check of your headlines at the news desk.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good morning to you, and merry Christmas. I'm Alison Kosik.

Pope Francis delivering his Christmas message at the Vatican this morning. He put up focus on conflicts around the world and the plight of innocent lives caught up in violence, especially in the Mideast and Africa.

Let's get right to John Allen live on the ground in Rome -- John.

JOHN ALLEN, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: Hi, Alison.

Yes, this was in some ways a very sobering Christmas message from Pope Francis for Christmas. He sort of did a survey of global conflict situations beginning with Iraq and Syria, where he talked about people there suffering a brutal persecution, and called on the international community to mobilize, to make sure that refugees can make it through a very harsh winter. The pontiff became visibly emotional talking about the suffering of children around the world. So many children are in situations where they are abused and exploited in particular mentioned both victims of abortion and also children caught up in conflict situations.

As I say, it was in some ways a downbeat, worried pontiff but, of course, all of this was also a call to action to treat these situations not simply as immutable, but to make sure that something's done about them, Alison.

KOSIK: All right. John Allen live in Rome.

Tensions not simmering down overnight in Berkeley, Missouri, following the police shooting death of a teenager Tuesday night. Demonstrators blocked a major roadway, several people were arrested. Demonstrators swarmed the gas station where Antonio Martin was shot just miles from Ferguson. Meantime, several angles of surveillance video appears to show the teen pointing what looks like a gun at the officer.

The comedy "The Interview" set to hit about 300 movie theaters across the U.S. today. President Obama, who is vacationing in Hawaii for the holidays said he's happy Sony had a change of heart.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm glad it's being released. Merry Christmas, everybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: And sellouts are being reported at some theaters that have decided to show the movie. The film is also now streaming if you can't see it in the theaters, you can see it for a price on several sites including YouTube and Google Play. It could prove to be part of the wave of the future of movie releases.

Here's something you never thought you'd see before. President Obama donning a tiara. The commander-in-chief couldn't say no to a group of girl scouts at the White House Science Fair in May, even though he opted against wearing a navy football helmet the previous year. At the time, he said the president doesn't wear things on his head, calling it politics 101. But apparently these cute faces were able to convince him otherwise. Oh.

Those are your headlines. Now, back to a special holiday edition of NEW DAY. Merry Christmas.

CUOMO: We want to begin this morning by talking about the role of faith and some of the biggest headlines of the year. We have our own group of wise people with us.

Are you ready? Father David Dwyer, host of "The Busted Halo" on Sirius XM, Reverend Michel Faulkner of Harlem's New Horizon Church of New York, and Reverend Christine Lee, she's a vicar at All Angels Church.

It's great to have you all here again with us.

So, here's an opportunity. Have a little Christmas gift. You want a Christmas gift from me? I know you're surprised.

Let's talk about anything that you three want that you believe doesn't -- that doesn't get enough attention especially on Christmas, OK?

I'll start with you, Reverend. What do you want to talk about?

REV. CHRISTINE LEE, ASSISTANT RECTOR, ALL ANGELS' CHURCH: I mean, I think sometimes the harder the Christmas message gets lost.

CUOMO: The reason for the season?

LEE: Yes. It gets lost, and amidst of I think all the commercialism and even the whole dialogue on the war on Christmas, because I think at the heart, it's about the eternal invisible God becoming a human being, you know, identifying with the poorest and the most marginalized, the most invisible. And I feel like in the war on Christmas, what we focus on are the externals of things.

CUOMO: What is the war on Christmas, by the way? Help me with that, Reverend --

REV. MICHEL FAULKNER, FOUNDER & PASTOR, HARLEM'S NEW HORIZON CHURCH OF NEW YORK: The war on Christmas is where everything is materialized --

CUOMO: About stuff?

FAULKNER: It's about materials and stuff and the drama around Christmas rather than as she was saying the essential core message of Christmas, Christ at the center, Christ in the manger. That's the centerpiece and the purpose for him coming and so forth is essential. And you can't -- you really can't extract it from Christmas, but the war on Christmas continually tries to do that.

COUMO: This war notion, I'm still going to -- I'm still going to fight it, no pun intended --

FATHER DAVE DWYER, HOST, "THE BUSTED HALO SHOW" ON SIRIUS XM: OK.

CUOMO: -- Father. Because why? What is wrong with buying gifts, the exchanging of gifts, if it's an extension of generosity? Isn't that extension of the spirit you're trying to inculcate regardless of whether or not you believe the story?

DWYER: Sure. It was just a couple of weeks ago that Pope Francis in a homily said, it needs to be -- we need to be reminded that all is gift. All is grace. Grace is as we define it is just completely undeserved by us but God gives it to us anyway. So, if the gifts we give one another, whether it's in a package, or love, or forgiveness, are an extension of that gift, then great. Yes, no war there.

CUOMO: What have you got? Take over.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

FAULKNER: OK, so several years ago during a difficult time I wasn't able to buy my children anything, they were younger, wasn't able to buy them anything and we were struggling. And I remember what that felt like and it just, it was a broken heart. My kids to this day will say that was the best Christmas they ever had.

However, I want to talk about something, jobs. I heard a statistic that is amazing, that if every business in America would hire just one person, we would eliminate unemployment, eliminate unemployment from America. We could do that. That's an amazing thing, and I'll be championing that cause.

We did a job fair at our church a while back, just a few months ago, and you know, we're inviting people to come that needed to work and it's such an important value, because it values the dignity of a person, and gives them value and clarity and meaning and especially this time of year, that would be a great gift to give someone.

CUOMO: It would and now is good proof of why you'll go up and I'll go down.

Here is the pushback on that, Reverend, and I'll give it to you. The reverend is talking about something that businesses would identify as charity, comes from a religious word "caritas", right? It's Latin, but means to care for others.

There's another "C" word that businesses hold more dear which is capitalism. Often that's a big conflict between faith and reality, some would say, which I can't hire one more, I have to make money. I can't give things away.

What do you say to people who say I need more, I need to make more, I can't give what you're asking me to give?

LEE: Right. I think you have to look at what each individual person is going through, you know? I think there is a reality. People need to make money. They need to take care of their families.

CUOMO: Does that mean I'm got religious if I'm a business and very profit-oriented?

LEE: Yes, not at all. In fact, I think -- especially what I especially love people who have that for-profit mindset, but then also keep the social good in mind as well.

CUOMO: Right, do well and do good.

DWYER: Right. What you just said is so profit-oriented. That's really the key. Pope Francis took flak for what some perceived as dogging capitalism, but it's really the motivation, what gets us up in the morning. And, yes, let's be profitable. But let's not forget those who don't --

FAULKNER: And how much is enough?

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: Now, we're talking. How much is enough? The eternal quest for more.

LEE: Yes.

FAULKNER: And usually if you bring on the right person, the right people, hard-working people, they actually increase your productivity, they increase your bottom line. It's better for business.

CUOMO: There is never enough if you define yourself by what you have. There will never be enough and we all know that, and it is not a religious belief or construct. It's reality.

All right. Here's something, we're going to talk about things that don't get talked about enough. Why do I need to believe to be a good person? Why?

Let's say I reject what all of you believe in dogmatically. I do not accept the story, I do not accept the history, I do not accept any of it, but I go out of my way to do the right thing for other people, even, though the point of personal, what you would call sacrifice, the making of the holy act by what I do.

Am I less than you that way, Father?

DWYER: You are not less than me, nor are you not a good person. But I don't think religion or any of our faith tradition say that people are not good people. We merely talk about salvation. We believe salvation is from Christ our Lord who was born today who died on the cross. And we're not talking about doing good now. We're talking about our eternal souls.

CUOMO: Do I get in, Reverend, if I've done the right thing with my life? But I don't know what happens when I die.

FAULKNER: You can't earn it. It's a gift. It has to be given. You have to receive the gift.

The gift is there, it has to be received by faith, and faith alone. That's the only thing and that's the cool thing about Christianity. That's the cool thing about Christ is he has no respect to a person, whosoever will, let him receive.

CUOMO: So, you don't have to do anything for it?

FAULKER: Oh, yes, you have to believe.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: So, I just have to believe but I don't have to do anything for anybody?

FAULKNER: You have to believe and receive, and once you believe and receive, the supernatural power of God overtakes you and allows you to begin to take the steps to live the good, godly holy life that God's called us to live.

CUOMO: Wrap it up for us.

LEE: One thing I would say about Pope Francis that I really love is that he focuses on the relationship and it's interesting to look at the fact he hasn't changed any church doctrine, but his posture, his tone has changed because he sees that person is at the center.

CUOMO: He's rocking a church that has gotten caught up in its rules, instead of its righteousness.

LEE: Yes, absolutely. And I think --

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: The collar got him.

DWYER: What he's doing to emphasize your point and answer your question, he's not doing that because he has to do that in order to get into heaven. He's doing that because it comes naturally to him.

CUOMO: He's doing it because people with collars like you, Father, need to hear it to the head of your church.

DWYER: Yes.

FAULKNER: During the time of Martin Luther, we wouldn't have had the protestant reformation. There would be no need for it.

CUOMO: That's strong, that's strong what you're seeing, Reverend.

FAULKNER: This pope is powerful. This pope is powerful. He is a man of God. He's gone back to the Scripture. I mean, he is living out what I believe God has called us all as Christians to live.

CUOMO: Amen.

I'm looking forward very much to interviewing him when he comes to the United States, talk about Christmas gifts that would come.

Thank you so much for being here and helping us understand the day a little bit better. I believe now. You've done it.

Alisyn, over to you.

CAMEROTA: It's a Christmas miracle.

CUOMO: It is indeed.

CAMEROTA: It really is. Thanks so much, guys.

Well, it was a big year for politics with the GOP taking control of the Senate in the midterm elections and while some people really stood out for all the right reasons, there were plenty of naughty folks in politics. So, we have a political naughty and nice list for you.

But first, let's listen to the Young People's Chorus of New York City on this special Christmas edition of NEW DAY.

(YOUNG PEOPLE'S CHORUS OF NEW YORK CITY PERFORMING "JOY TO THE WORLD")

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: Welcome back to a special Christmas edition of NEW DAY.

2014 had its share of nasty politics with some bright spots. So let's talk about who has been naughty and who's been nice on Capitol Hill this year.

Let's bring in CNN political analyst and editor-in-chief of "The Daily Beast", John Avlon, as well as CNN political commentator and Republican consultant Margaret Hoover. They have brought their naughty and nice lists.

MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes with he did. Here it is.

JOHN AVLON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: We're ready to go.

CAMEROTA: Let's start with naughty, shall we?

HOOVER: It's always easier to start with naughty.

CAMEROTA: Exactly. OK, John, who's naughty?

AVLON: You know, I'm going beyond Capitol Hill, I'm going to the Kremlin for this one.

CAMEROTA: Oh!

AVLON: Yes, because you don't get much naughtier than Vladimir Putin this year. I mean, you know, slow roll annexation of Crimea, complicit in the shooting down of MH-17, putting rebels into Eastern Ukraine, and really reinstating the Cold War and recently calling the West, comparing the West to Hitler. This is a seriously bad dude in a serious position of power and Western liberal democracy which seems up challenged in the last decades is all of a sudden, getting a serious challenge from him and a bunch of other bad actors who don't like democracy so much. He's on the big old naughty list.

PEREIRA: He leads the way.

CAMEROTA: Did you have anybody else who was naughty?

AVLON: Oh, sure.

(CROSSTALK)

HOOVER: You got to break it up. Ping-pong.

All right. So, you guys always call me out. You say why aren't the Republicans sort of disciplining other Republicans, calling out other Republicans. I'm going to put Ted Cruz on the naughty list for this year.

CUOMO: Ooh, that's going to come with ramifications and repercussions.

HOOVER: You know what? I'm ready for that. Here we go -- here's what Ted Cruz is doing. He's gearing up to run for president and he's got a strategy to run for president which is really a divide and conquer strategy.

He has decided there are some people in the Republican Party decided we have enough white males out there that just didn't vote in 2012 and just didn't vote in 2008, but if we can get them to the polls in 2016 we have enough people to vote, so forget the demographic challenge, the broadening the base, having a party that will speak to all of America. Just go straight for the core base of the Republican Party and I think that's trouble for the party.

That's not the kind of Republican Party I want to see or a lot of Americans want to see. So, I'm putting him on my naughty list. I think he's got to change tactics if he really wants to be viable.

PEREIRA: All right. Avlon rebuttal, who you got?

(LAUGHTER)

PEREIRA: Top Ted Cruz.

AVLON: I'm going to take on a Democrat on this one. Governor Jay Nixon of Missouri.

CUOMO: Strong choice.

AVLON: Total lack of leadership at the height of Ferguson. The governor of Missouri was MIA. He vacillated. He didn't go to Ferguson until three days after the initial round of riots, preemptively called in the National Guard and held them back while neighborhoods burned and didn't communicate effectively with the mayor of Ferguson.

This is all exactly what you don't do if you're an executive in charge in a time of crisis. He was MIA. Governor Jay Nixon of Missouri on the naughty list, big time.

CAMEROTA: And, Margaret, you have a nonpolitician who you think is naughty.

HOOVER: I do have a non-politician, I wasn't going to go to that, but now I'm going to. Kaci Hickox, the Ebola nurse. You guys remember her?

CUOMO: Wow.

HOOVER: Remember her during the election. She ended up in some ways proven right but she caused a lot of trouble doing it. You might not have had -- remember, she said, you were picking a fight with the wrong redhead. She really did wreak havoc when she was trying to make her point. I mean, she did fly into Newark with a temperature and Chris Christie was trying to implement a set of really precautionary measures in order to protect --

CUOMO: Precautionary or reactionary? Don't you think ultimately she wound up in the right side?

HOOVER: If somebody comes in treating Ebola from one of those three countries that has Ebola, and you have a temperature landing in Newark? Totally reasonable to put you in a quarantine or voluntary quarantine, you know, as it turned out, she went back to Maine, caused a lot of trouble in Maine and actually ended up impacting the governor's race there. The Governor LePage mostly because of that issue in the final days in the polling.

PEREIRA: Let's not let the negative overwhelm us. Let's talk positive.

CUOMO: Why we need Mick.

HOOVER: That's why we need you, Michaela.

PEREIRA: Who is the head of the nice list? Come on, John, who do you got?

CUOMO: We're building I think to the nicest story.

HOOVER: So, we're going quick on this one.

AVLON: Yes, we're going quick. Rand Paul is on the top of my nice list.

CUOMO: Really?

AVLON: Here's why.

Republicans since 1976 haven't done any better than getting 12 percent of the African-American vote. People running for president usually don't pay a whole lot of attention if you're Republican to the African-American vote. Rand Paul a staunch libertarian made a concerted effort to try to create a new coalition, backing bipartisan bills on mandatory minimums for drug sentencing, prison reform, giving felons the right to vote, these are courageous stands he has short term political benefit for backing but that's why you get on the nice list, because you're thinking bigger and you try to create new coalitions in politics.

PEREIRA: All right. Margaret?

HOOVER: I agree with him on Rand Paul. There's another fantastic story. It's not political. It comes out of the Ferguson story. There was a woman who's on CNN, her named Natalie Dubose (ph). She runs Natalie's Cakes and More.

And we got some great cookies from her, but she still suffered a bit of damage in the riots. When you were on the street talking about the tear gas, the windows of her shop and bakery were damaged. But there are two individuals who one is David Swingle and Katherine Frobee (ph) and they set up a Go Fund Me account for her to rebuild her store. And in three days over 8,000 donors raised her $260,000.

She was actually asking people to help the other shops on West Florissant and East Florissant because they needed the help, too. So, it's a feel good story the way individuals can contribute in the face of what was a terrible tragedy.

PEREIRA: Good stuff from the Hoovalons.

CAMEROTA: That's beautiful.

AVLON: Main Street reminding us what's important.

PEREIRA: Beautiful. Well done, too.

CAMEROTA: Thanks so much, Margaret.

HOOVER: Happy Christmas!

CUOMO: I love Hoovalons. It's very Sosian (ph). It's very perfectly --

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: I would come up with three lines. Thank you very much, guys.

All right. So, the special holiday edition of NEW DAY this Christmas will continue. We're going to be looking at the kind of surprises you can find when you trace. Anderson Cooper did it. He's going to join us with a look at his journey back in time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(YOUNG PEOPLE'S CHORUS OF NEW YORK CITY PERFORMING)

CUOMO: Good morning. A little coffee, a little eggnog in there, a little leftover roast beast. That's from "The Grinch that Stole Christmas."

Welcome back to a special holiday edition of NEW DAY. Merry Christmas to you. You were listening to the Young People's Chorus of New York City. This time, they were singing "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day."

CAMEROTA: So, in just a few minutes, Anderson Cooper is going to join us to share a personal journey. He's going to go up his family tree, he's going to climb around on it. He's going to go into the past and he's going to tell us all about it.

PEREIRA: That's great. But, first, let's get the headlines. Let's head over to the news desk.

KOSIK: And good morning to you. Merry Christmas, everybody. I'm Alison Kosik.

The CDC says one of its lab workers in Atlanta may have been exposed to Ebola after samples were sent to the wrong lab. The exposed technician has no symptoms and will be monitored for 21 days. The incident is under review.

Meantime, a staffer at the United Nations mission in Liberia has tested positive for Ebola. Two staffers died of the virus three months ago.

The comedy "The Interview" is debuting in about 300 theaters nationwide today after a last-minute change of heart by Sony despite threats by hackers allegedly from North Korea. The film stars James Franco and Seth Rogen, they appeared at a late night debut to thank the crowd.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SETH ROGEN, ACTOR: We want to say thank you. If it wasn't for theaters like this and people like you guys, this would literally not be happening right now.

(CHEERS)

Thank you so much. We really appreciate it.

JAMES FRANCO, ACTOR: Hope you like the movie.

ROGEN: Hope you like the movie.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: Sellouts are being reported at some theaters that have decided to show the movie, which can also be streamed for a price on sites including YouTube.

A bizarre scene in Hong Kong, a security van spilled around $4 million onto a busy road Wednesday. The money just kind of fluttered across an eight-lane street, after plastic crates of money fell from the back of the van. About half the money remains missing after people stopped their cars to collect the cash.

People are asking -- police are asking anyone who picked up the money to return it. No word on whether those people will listen or abide by the finders keepers rule, of course.

A heartwarming holiday story out of North Carolina. A high school student took it upon himself to help a bully classmate with worn down shoes. He took to social media to find out how he could buy Jared Newby (ph) a pair of shoes without making him feel embarrassed. He got some ideas and wound up buying Newby a pair of Air Jordans.

The two posted a picture together on social media and the story went viral. Talk about a good heart.

Those are your news headlines. Now, back to a special holiday edition of NEW DAY.

Merry Christmas.

CAMEROTA: Intriguing journey into Anderson Cooper's roots. He went on trip earlier this year. It was a real eye-opener for him. So, he will share his personal experience when we come back with our Christmas edition of NEW DAY.

CUOMO: But, first, the music. Let's listen to the Young People's Choir of New York sing "I Wish."

(YOUNG PEOPLE'S CHORUS OF NEW YORK CITY PERFORMING "I WISH")

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)