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New Day
Controversy Continues Over Alabama Gay Marriage; CNN Quiz Show: President's Edition
Aired February 13, 2015 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, here we go with the five things you need to know for your new day.
At number one, ISIS is attacking an air base in Iraq where hundreds of U.S. Marines are stationed, training Iraqi forces. The Marines are not being evacuated at this point. ISIS has now ceased complete control of the Iraq town of al Baghdadi.
The debate in Congress over the scope of President Obama's war time powers is heating up. Approval of his ISIS war authorization could be rocky. Both Democrats and Republicans voicing serious concerns.
The cease-fire in Ukraine just two days away, but the violence has not slowed. Ukraine's military reporting at least eight deaths in just the last few hours.
The execution style deaths of three Muslim students in North Carolina is now being investigated by the FBI as a possible hate crime. Over 5,000 people jammed a Raleigh soccer field to honor those students.
Arctic air plunging. Millions of Americans back into a deep freeze. A new storm system targeting New England. Snow battered Boston could get hit by another blizzard late Saturday into Sunday. Here we go again.
We're always updating those five things to know, so be sure to visit newdaycnn.com for the latest.
Chris.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Mic, same-sex marriage may now be legal in Alabama, but the battle is still raging. The tough stance of conservatives relying on God as the source of their beliefs on this issue. What will that mean for those running for president in 2016?
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, it's the show that everybody's been waiting for. Where your favorite CNN anchors and Chris --
CUOMO: Ohhh.
CAMEROTA: Try to answer questions about U.S. presidents. It is the CNN quiz show and we have your fun filled preview straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: This is exactly how discrimination got removed in states like yours. District courts putting through rulings that the states then had to match.
RAY MOORE, ALABAMA CHIEF JUSTICE: Nobody's arguing about racial discrimination in this case. This is not about racial discrimination.
CUOMO: It's about discrimination.
MOORE: It's about sexual -- it's about sexual preference.
CUOMO: It's about discrimination.
MOORE: These -- overcoming an institution, which has existed in our state in our United States for centuries.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PEREIRA: That was yesterday's heated debate between our Chris Cuomo and Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, who compelled Alabama judges to refuse issuing marriage licenses to gay couples despite the fact that same-sex marriage is now legal in the state. A federal judge has now sent a signal to those judges instructing officials there in one Alabama county to immediately begin issuing gay license marriages.
How is this all going to affect the marriage equality movement? And will it spell bigger problems for the GOP heading into 2016? Let's bring in our CNN political commentator and host of "The Michael Smerconish" show here on CNN, the Michael Smerconish.
My mama called me about that conversation that the judge and Chris had yesterday. This is getting a lot of buzz. I'm curious what your thoughts are.
MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Sure.
PEREIRA: We'll talk about the political ramifications. But in terms of that conversation and the stance, not even so much the conversation, the stance this judge is having, the open defiance, do you think it's going to have -- what kind of effect do you think it's going to have on the movement for marriage equality?
SMERCONISH: Well, I think that the die has been cast. And I think that the Supreme Court cast the die by refusing to get involved in this case recently. They must not have had the five votes necessary to tell that lower court judge to stand down until they rule on this matter. They're going to take it up in April. So I think it was a tell and I think that Justice Clarence Thomas interpreted it as the same way. So I think it's just a matter of months until there is full resolution of this matter.
But, you know, the judge, with you yesterday, he wants to go downswing and it's hard for me to watch that without thinking of George Wallace. I'm sure George Wallace knew he would ultimately lose the battle with regard to desegregation of the schools, but as a political matter it didn't matter to him and it didn't matter to the judge either.
CUOMO: Well, he's got the people of Alabama on his side.
SMERCONISH: Right.
CUOMO: I mean the poll numbers are there, but, you know, people forget popularity is not the bar in the United States. It has to be that it doesn't violate the Constitution as well.
But in deference to the judge's position, it is not the law in Alabama that same-sex marriage is allowed. Their Constitution says it is not. The federal court said your law is unconstitutional, therefore let it. That won't be decided ultimately until June when the Supreme Court is going to say whether any law in the states that violates this provision that they're going to lay out there is therefore unconstitutional.
CAMEROTA: So, in other words, Chief Justice Roy Moore has a point you're saying?
CUOMO: He has got a couple of good points. One, the trail of how the supremacy clause works is a messy one and it is convoluted. But, at the end of the day, what he's doing is he's putting God before the law. And, Michael, as we were talking before, the biggest objections I got to what happened yesterday, which was me testing his theory. No, it wasn't a debate. I'm not saying how -- what I think about it.
SMERCONISH: Sure.
CUOMO: Is that I said, our laws in the United States are about agreement and compromise among men and women. And they said, no, no, no, our rights don't come from man, they only come from God. And that is a big thing that has to be remembered as part of this cultural debate.
SMERCONISH: I hear this often. It's incorrect, but I hear often from radio listeners, people will say to me that they believe that the Constitution is derived from God. That's just not the case. The rule of law, by which we all live, is a rule of man. If you go into a courtroom today, you may swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, but you're not going to be prosecuted or adjudicated based on the Ten Commandments. You're going to be held accountable by statutory law and constitutional law and I think that's the point that you were making.
PEREIRA: We want to talk to you about something that is getting a little bit of buzz.
SMERCONISH: Sure.
PEREIRA: To the tune of 13 million views, I believe, on the interwebs. The president turning to Buzz Feed to promote his health care plan to more Americans and reaching out to the tune of some hits -- 13 million, as I said. SMERCONISH: Right.
PEREIRA: Some are saying that this diminishes the presidency. That's their criticism of this. Do you think that is the case or do you think it actually is a new era and he's reaching out in the way he can to these young people?
SMERCONISH: I think it's working. You know, because of the hits, I think it's working and because of the growth of registrants by the Affordable Care Act. If it were not yielding a result where young Americans, young invincibles, the people who, frankly, we need in that pool so as to have compensation that can take care of those that are not so healthy, if it weren't working, I might have more of a problem with it, but --
CAMEROTA: Can you draw a direct correlation between the goofy, some of the more like social media stuff, Between Two Ferns, this and the invincibles signing up?
SMERCONISH: Very hard to draw that causal connection, right, definitively, but at least we can say, well, people are now in the loop as a result of it. The deadline is looming. It would seem as if there's a connection, but can I prove it? No.
CUOMO: Can you prove that there isn't a connection?
SMERCONISH: Aha, see, that's a good point.
PEREIRA: Twenty-one million views, we're told, that it has had now. Why don't we show it to you for those of you who are just waking up and having a cup of coffee. Let's show you what the president did with Buzz Feed and you can enjoy it for yourself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The deadline for signing up -- the deadline for signing up for health insurance is February -- Febru -- that's not right. Feb -- man, February 15th. February 15th.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PEREIRA: And then there with the selfie stick, having a little bit of fun. Twenty-one million views. Hard to argue with.
SMERCONISH: I remember when Bill Clinton played the saxophone for Arsenio Hall.
PEREIRA: Yes.
SMERCONISH: The same kind of a debate was playing itself out as to whether he lacked the seriousness --
PEREIRA: President (INAUDIBLE).
CUOMO: (INAUDIBLE), boxers or briefs, Mr. President. CAMEROTA: That is the origin, probably, of it.
SMERCONISH: Right.
CAMEROTA: Yes.
SMERCONISH: And he's not standing for another election, this president, so I think that you may see more of this sort of thing over the span of the next two years.
PEREIRA: Good to have you with us, Michael Smerconish. Happy Friday.
SMERCONISH: Thanks, as always. You too.
PEREIRA: And have a nice Valentine's Day, by the way.
SMERCONISH: Thank you for that.
CUOMO: All right, so we're going from the subject of legal debate and politics. That I know a lot about. Now we're going to something that I don't. The game show that will make charities happy and make others completely miserable. Your favorite CNN anchors are contestants. The subject, presidential trivia. What happened when it went down? Here's a hint. Did you know Grover on "Sesame Street" is not related to Grover Cleveland? Me either.
PEREIRA: I didn't know that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PEREIRA: Good, yeah, this is going to be really good. So, here at NEW DAY we're all friends. When you get a competition started, though, the wheels fall off. All bets are off.
Alisyn and Chris are going to show you evidence of that next Monday on the CNN Quiz Show: President's Edition. Let's give you a look at the behind the scenes trash talking.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAMEROTA: If you want smack talk, you go to Chris Cuomo.
CUOMO: Some people believe --
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Jake Tapper.
CUOMO: -- that they will define themselves by how many of these questions they get right.
LEMON: Jake Tapper.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: You guys are going down.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: My sense is that the other teams will cancel themselves out with the hubris.
TAPPER: Herman went to Harvard where like every president went. So that's a problem.
BERMAN: Dead weight Jake.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: (Laughing.) Dead weight Jake. Then there's Don and Cuomo. There's the testosterone overload.
CAMEROTA: You guys are going down so hard.
LEMON: No. Guess what? We're going to win. What are you talking about?
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PEREIRA: So clearly, we showed you all the (INAUDIBLE) laughing. Two of the fine contestants, Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Camerota, here with us. Talk to us about this fascinating quiz show. Were there varied topics? Or was it sort of chaos ensuring?
CUOMO: (Laughing.) Please. No.
CAMEROTA: It was all presidential history.
CUOMO: All presidential history.
CAMEROTA: Which Chris considers one of his fortes.
CUOMO: No. I don't even know what forte means. I thought it was going to be like was this person president? These are the things that we have Google for.
PEREIRA: Oh. Did you have a chance to prepare?
CAMEROTA: Yes. They gave us a --
CUOMO: No.
CAMEROTA: -- thick book of presidential trivia that we were supposed to commit to memory, and every day before our rehearsal, Jake Tapper would say to me, you are studying, right?
CUOMO: She studied.
CAMEROTA: You're studying your book, right?
CUOMO: She studied.
PEREIRA: You crammed?
CAMEROTA: I had to cram.
CUOMO: She studied. I didn't study.
PEREIRA: Why didn't you study, knucklehead?
CUOMO: Because I was busy.
PEREIRA: We're all busy people.
CUOMO: Because I had to go and cover things, I had to do things. And I thought we were all going there just to have a good time.
PEREIRA: You thought it was a funny show.
CUOMO: Meanwhile --
CAMEROTA: I thought so, too. I mean, I really thought that this was going to be light and hilarious until Jake Tapper kept taking me by the shoulders and being like, you are studying?
CUOMO: Light and happy. (INAUDIBLE).
PEREIRA: Well listen, we're going to let you know when you can see this fantastic quiz show. First, let's get into quiz mode. We decided we're going to put you to the test to show our viewers, our NEW DAY viewers, how smart y'all are.
CAMEROTA: Oh, no.
PEREIRA: So, I want you to pay attention to the rules. This is called "Four Presidents."
CUOMO: Notice that Mick doesn't have to answer anything.
PEREIRA: I don't because I'm Canadian. We're going to put up photos of four presidents up on the big monitor behind you. You each have a bell. Can you ring it to make sure it works, please? You will ring it to tell me which fact belongs to which president. We'll tally up the correct answer and whoever has the most answers wins.
CUOMO: My bell finger is broken.
PEREIRA: Use your other finger. You have used it before. All right. Are we ready? Look at the picture --
CAMEROTA: This is like ambush.
PEREIRA: -- of the presidents. Have you seen this?
CUOMO: They're good photos.
PEREIRA: They're very good photos. First question. are we ready?
CUOMO: Not related to Grover on Sesame Street. Now I know. Next question.
PEREIRA: Are we ready? Question No. 1.
CAMEROTA: Yeah.
PEREIRA: The only president to have a child born in the White House.
CUOMO: See what I'm saying?
PEREIRA: Cuomo with a very weak ring.
CUOMO: This is what happened in the real game.
PEREIRA: Cuomo, very weak ring. I saw your hand. What's the answer?
CUOMO: I'm going with Grover.
PEREIRA: Grover Cleveland. You get a point. Ding, ding, ding. Second question. The first president born west of the Mississippi?
CAMEROTA: Hmm.
CUOMO: Grover.
PEREIRA: Alisyn.
CAMEROTA: Grover Cleveland.
PEREIRA: No. Chris?
CUOMO: Ha! You believed me.
PEREIRA: Chris.
CAMEROTA: I should say Grover to everything, actually.
CUOMO: I'll go with Herbert Hoover. I always liked that he was in the song.
PEREIRA: And another point.
CAMEROTA: What? Wow.
CUOMO: (Singing). Mister, we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again.
PEREIRA: They didn't tell me there was going to be music. All right. Third question.
CUOMO: We are kind of like (INAUDIBLE), but you're too smart to be a -
PEREIRA: Are you listening, Cuomo?
CUOMO: I'm sorry.
PEREIRA: This was your problem in school.
CUOMO: This was my problem.
PEREIRA: It really was. I'm getting a sense of that. Question No. 3, the president personally designed the current presidential seal.
CUOMO: We know this one.
CAMEROTA: I do?
CUOMO: Yeah. He's got a middle name that means nothing.
CAMEROTA: Really?
CUOMO: He's on the top left of those pictures.
PEREIRA: Alisyn.
CAMEROTA: Harry Truman.
PEREIRA: Yes, Alisyn.
CAMEROTA: Wow. Thank you.
CUOMO: The S doesn't stand for anything.
CAMEROTA: It doesn't?
CUOMO: No, my mom told me that. I thought it was Seymour.
PEREIRA: All right. The National College Baseball Foundation recently named their Hall of Fame museum after this president. Chris?
CUOMO: See? (INAUDIBLE) the bell. The man on the bottom right.
PEREIRA: Which his name is? You had to read it.
CUOMO: George W. Bush.
PEREIRA: You get a third point for that. Oh, my lord. All right. Question No. 5, my lucky number. Are we ready? I want you to just take a deep - breathe in and out.
CAMEROTA: He can't ring his bell.
CUOMO: (Laughing.) I know. It's a metaphor.
PEREIRA: Come on. Here we go. He was the first president to recognize the state of Israel.
CAMEROTA: Okay. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Okay. Okay.
PEREIRA: Alisyn.
CAMEROTA: Harry Truman.
PEREIRA: All right.
CUOMO: Strong.
PEREIRA: It is very close.
CAMEROTA: I'm back in the game. Back in the game, folks.
PEREIRA: Here we go. Here's a good one, No. 7. I skipped one because I didn't like that question.
CUOMO: She can't even count. That's why she wasn't in the game show.
PEREIRA: The first president to have a phone on his desk in the White House. Who was the first president? Chris, that bell.
CUOMO: Hoover.
PEREIRA: Say it again?
CUOMO: Hoover.
PEREIRA: I thought you said Grover. Did he say Grover or Hoover? You get a point.
CAMEROTA: Nice.
CUOMO: I'll take them both.
PEREIRA: Chris wins. The winner is!
CUOMO: This kind of sabotage is exactly what was happening in --
PEREIRA: Okay, we need a little bit of more exuberance here. Don't forget. Thank you, people. Oh, my. You can watch Alisyn, Chris, and all the other CNN anchors that duke it out on the CNN Quiz Show: President's Edition. Its' airing Monday, February 16th, 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
CUOMO: Cooper. He's not a nice guy.
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: Cooper's not in it. I noticed that.
PEREIRA: You really have a dud bell.
CUOMO: I have a broken finger.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CUOMO: All right. Friday the 13th. We don't care. We've still got the good stuff. It's the love edition.
PEREIRA: Don't you mean lurve (ph)?
CUOMO: Lurve edition. Just in time for Valentine's Day. Thank you, Mick. A little more than a year ago, listen to this, Ashley McIntyre, Danny Robinson. They're strangers. Strangers. Danny needs help. A kidney. None of his family members are a match. Ashleigh hears about it on the radio. Feels bad about the situation, signs up. Turns out they're a perfect match, and in more ways than one. Uh-huh.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASHLEY MCINTYRE, DONATED KIDNEY TO A STRANGER AND FELL IN LOVE (voiceover): We started the testing process and it kept being a match after match and --
DANNY ROBINSON, RECEIVED KIDNEY FROM A STRANGER AND FELL IN LOVE (voiceover): We talked. When we first got on the phone with each other, it was just like, we was friends right off the bat.
MCINTYRE: I was in the hospital for three days.
ROBINSON: And I was in there for five.
MCINTYRE: We were texting the whole time.
ROBINSON: Right away, we knew.
MCINTYRE: Yeah, just, how do you feel? And, you know, is it working? Are you okay?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: Talk about traits you look for in a partner.
PEREIRA: Wow.
CUOMO: She was willing to give a kidney to someone she didn't know. Anyway ,one thing leads to another. On Christmas Day, guess what happens?
CAMEROTA: What?
CUOMO: Proposition and she said, no.
PEREIRA: Oh!
CUOMO: No, of course, she said yes. They're expecting their first child. They say only 1 percent of live organ donations come from a stranger. What are the chances like this? That's what Valentine's Day is -- Everybody's dream is something like that. Happy Valentine's Day. And thank you for being the good stuff. Happy Valentine's Day.
PEREIRA: Happy Valentine's Day.
CAMEROTA: Happy Valentine's Day. Have a great one. Happy Valentine's Day to Carol.
CUOMO: "NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello --
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Right back at ya.
PEREIRA: Kisses everywhere.
COSTELLO: Okay. We're making the audience a little nauseated now. A little bit.
CUOMO: Or jealous.
COSTELLO: Have a great weekend. That's right. "NEWSROOM" starts now.
