Return to Transcripts main page
New Day
Business Headlines; Kerry Will Not Apologize for Letter to Iran; Horrifying Race Car Crash; Wounded Warrior Surprise. Aired 8:30- 9a ET
Aired March 16, 2015 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
08:32:37
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Time now for the five things to know for your new day.
Number one, Secretary of State John Kerry back at the bargaining table with Iran. The secretary of state also signaled a willingness to negotiate with Syrian President Bashar al Assad to bring a political transition to help end Syria's war.
Another British teen arrested today, accused of trying to join ISIS in Syria. This comes after three British teens suspected of trying to join ISIS were arrested by authorities in Turkey. They are now back in London and out on bail.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has reappeared for the first time in 11 days at a meeting this morning with the president of Kyrgyzstan. That happened in St. Petersburg. This comes after rampant rumors about his health. Putin remarked, it would be boring without gossip.
Manhattan real estate heir Robert Durst is in a New Orleans jail this morning on a murder warrant. He has been linked to two killings and the disappearance of his wife. A hidden mike picked up what could be a confession in the finale of an HBO documentary.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he will put off a confirmation vote on Attorney General Nominee Loretta Lynch until the Senate passes a human trafficking bill. Democrats are holding up the bill because of what they call an anti-abortion provision inside.
For more on the five things you need to know, go to newdaycnn.com for the very latest.
Alisyn.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: OK, John, it is time for CNN money now, "Your Money." Business correspondent Alison Kosik is in our money center. Actually, she's right next to me.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I am. Hi.
CAMEROTA: Hello. KOSIK: Good morning.
CAMEROTA: Tell me what's going on with crude oil.
KOSIK: We are watching crude oil prices head lower yet again. They've been hovering around $44 a barrel. They fell as low as $43.67. That's actually the lowest point of the year. And extra supply in crude has pushed the price down, as well as concern about where to put all that surplus supply. So investors, at this point, they're looking for a bottom in oil prices and they're not seeing it.
Do you like to drive your Tesla? Well, it looks like you'll be able to go even farther on a single charge. CEO Elon Musk hinted on Twitter that a new software update will end what's known as range anxiety. The standard Model S gets 208 miles per charge, but Musk did not say how much the battery life will increase by.
Good news if you're a binge watcher. Grab your popcorn because you may be able to stream "Seinfeld" soon. Sony is in talks to sell streaming rights to the hit NBC sitcom from the 1990s for almost, get this, a half million dollars per episode. That's according to "The Wall Street Journal." Hulu, Amazon and Yahoo! are all in talks to buy the rights to stream this show. I'm going to be on that because I didn't see all of them.
<08:35:09> CAMEROTA: Is that right?
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Nothing to do with some people (INAUDIBLE).
KOSIK: I know.
CAMEROTA: I didn't know there was one person left (ph) because I was like, what (ph) you hadn't seen all of them.
KOSIK: OK, I didn't see it.
PEREIRA: Go easy on our Alison.
CAMEROTA: OK, thanks so much, Alison.
KOSIK: You got it.
PEREIRA: All right, well, time is ticking. Officials have two weeks to come up with a framework for an Iran nuke deal. What are the chances the deadline can be met?
BERMAN: Plus, an amazing video out of Florida. A drag racer's car buckles, there it is, breaks in half, sends the whole thing soaring. Amazingly, the driver is OK and he is live with us coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: I'm not going to apologize for any -- for an unconstitutional and unthought out action by somebody who's been in the United States Senate for 60-some days. That's just inappropriate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: That's Secretary of State John Kerry hardly hiding his contempt there at what Senator Tom Cotton from Arkansas did, writing a letter to Iran's leaders over the nuclear negotiations. The secretary is in Switzerland this morning meeting with Iran's foreign minister, with the deadline for a framework for a deal sometime within the next two weeks, depending on who you think is setting that deadline. Here to weigh in on this is CNN's national security commentator, former congressman, former House intelligence committee chairman Mike Rogers.
08:40:08
I can keep calling you chairman, so I'll refer to you as chairman throughout this whole interview, that's what I'm used to.
MIKE ROGERS, FORMER CHAIR., HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: OK.
BERMAN: Mr. Chairman, would you have signed that letter?
ROGERS: I probably wouldn't have signed the letter. I think Senator Corker had the right approach by trying to put a bipartisan group together to oppose the Iranian deal. And they've done that. There's several proposals in the Senate, bipartisan, that say, hey, not so fast. I think that was probably the better approach.
BERMAN: You would not have signed it because why?
ROGERS: Well, if that letter were directed to the president, I think that letter would have been entirely fine. You have to ask yourself, what did you accomplish by sending it to a foreign leader? I don't think there was anything unconstitutional or illegal or any of that. I just thought that maybe the addressee could have changed and changed the impact of that letter.
Now the focus is on everything other than what is the structure of the Iranian deal. And that's why I thought Senator Corker's approach was much better. It focuses on the framework of the deal. Which, if you think about it, in in a bipartisan way in the Senate and the House they're opposed, our allies, our Arab league partners are opposed, a lot of people are opposed to the framework, let alone what the final deal looks like. That ought to send shivers up everyone's spine, I think.
BERMAN: We'll talk about the specifics of what's inside the deal in a second here --
ROGERS: Yes.
BERMAN: Because Senator Tom Cotton responded a little bit to the, you know, thinly veiled disdain in Secretary Kerry's comments right there. Senator Tom Cotton essentially says, hey, I'm sort of helping you out here. Let's listen to what he says. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TOM COTTON (R), ARIZONA: The fact that President Obama doesn't see this letter as a way to get more leverage at the negotiating table just underscores that he is not negotiating for the hardest deal possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: What do you make of that? Essentially what Tom Cotton is saying is that -- is that Secretary Kerry could be, hey, look, I have these crazy guys back here in the U.S. Senate who aren't going to back anything. You better negotiate with me because I'm the best option you have.
ROGERS: Well, listen, if I were in the negotiating room, I would use every piece of leverage we have. The problem is -- and I -- again, I saw this from the very, very beginning -- the framework that they laid out already set us in a place that most people think we shouldn't be, which is allowing some enrichment capability to exist in Iran. And so, again, I think the problem is, you have -- the president has isolated himself from members of the Senate and the House, both Republicans and Democrats. I always think that's a bad idea. And now they're in this position where I think people are taking it personal about they're going to get a deal or not going to get a deal. That is a dangerous place to be. I think they all ought to sit down for a minute, hopefully over a cocktail, and work this out simply because the ramifications of this deal are so serious.
Saudi Arabia has already announced that they will have a nuclear deal with South Korea that would allow them enrichment. They said this week that if Iran gets that deal, we will start where Iran starts. That's trouble. That means a nuclear proliferation across the Middle East. So it's not just about Iran any more. Those negotiations have to factor that. And with this tit for tat between the Senate and the president, I just don't think it's helpful.
BERMAN: Mr. Chairman, you were essentially saying this deal, as we know it right now, the framework is a bad deal because it allows for enrichment, correct?
ROGERS: It allows their capability to exist, yes. Now they're talking about how many centrifuges, which is -- are the things that spin and make highly enriched uranium, how many of those they get to have. It should have been zero. Now they're up into the thousands of those.
BERMAN: Right.
ROGERS: And I think that's a problem.
BERMAN: But they have thousands already. They have thousands right now. The sanctions that were in place did not stop that. So what then would you do to stop them from having even more centrifuges that allow even more enrichment?
ROGERS: Yes. Two things. Now, the talks are fine. But you remember, the talks for the simplest case of getting a deal, not productive. So what the sanctions we were finding is, finally it was risings up. Those sanctions were starting to take a bite on the elite, car parts, cash. So if you think about what happened is -- and the president, by the way, opposed all of those sanctions. He ended up signing those bills, but they came through a bipartisan House and a bipartisan Senate vote to the Senate's desk -- excuse me, the president's desk, and I don't think he thought he could veto it. So he had already been on record opposing sanctions.
The first thing they did to get talks was ease sanctions. The one thing that Iran needed more than anything was cash. They gave them cash, access to precious metals, and that certainly was concerning. That eased the tension. So the whole point of sanctions is to make your life pretty miserable so that you'll come to the table and negotiate. We did it backwards. We gave in, we gave all the pressure off, and now we're trying to get a better deal and they're saying, well, maybe we'll get around to it, maybe we won't, but you are going to allow us to enrich. Remember, that's the key thing. So that's what Israel opposes. That's what Saudi Arabia opposes. Places like UAE, will aren't allowed to enrich, by the way, are going to change their deals and come back and say, well, if they get it, we're going to enrich, too. That's what I think so many people are concerned about.
08:45:00
BERMAN: Of course there are people who will say that the sanctions, as they were, could not last forever. There wasn't the international consensus to do that. That will have to be a discussion for another day. Mr. Chairman, always great to have you with us. Thanks so much.
ROGERS: Hey, thanks for having me.
BERMAN: Alisyn.
CAMEROTA: All right, John, I have to tell you about our next interview because a heart-stopping scene. At a drag race in Florida, this car breaks in two, but the driver, Larry Dixon, lives to tell about it. We will talk with him live straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hold on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PEREIRA: Heart-pounding moments this weekend as a drag racer ends up in a terrifying crash, going almost 300 miles an hour. It happened to three-time NHRA champion Larry Dixon during a qualifying round for the Gatornationals. The race car buckled, breaks in half, launches the car and Dixon into the air. Not only does he survive, he walks away from that frightening scene, and walks right to our studio. Larry Dixon joins us right now.
My friend, first of all, you do not look like a man who was just launched into the air as his car was torn in half on a racetrack over the weekend. How are you feeling?
LARRY DIXON, PROFESSIONAL DRAG RACER: I'm doing good. How's that for an entrance, right?
PEREIRA: Right. For real! Do you know the moment that something went wrong?
DIXON: Oh, gosh, yes. Yes. Because, I mean, you're getting towards the end of the run and the car's picking up speed as you travel down the racetrack and it's -- it's running close to 320 miles an hour. And -- but the -- it's so fast. I mean I knew the front end collapsed based on, unfortunately, experience, having that happen -- that happen again. And really, you know, I mean it goes up in the air and you're -- you're trying to focus, you know, on something and just hoping that you land back on the racetrack and not into the -- into the grass, where the car could tumble. You want to land on the asphalt and then scrub all that 300 mile an hour speed off. And, fortunately, I did.
<08:50:26> BERMAN: I think I heard you say this was not the worst crash that you had.
DIXON: No.
BERMAN: How on earth is that possible that this was not the worse crash that you've had?
DIXON: Any time you can walk away from something like that, that's not a -- that's not bad. I mean, all the equipment that we wear, you know, my team owner, Bob Vandergriff, and especially our sponsors, C&J Energy and Casedhole Solutions, they're as safety conscious as I am about things. And you really -- every time you go down the race track, you're prepared for something like that to happen. You hope it doesn't. But if it does, you have all your equipment in place to take care of you. And that's why I'm comfortable in what I'm doing and why I'm comfortable about getting back in the car and, you know, getting ready for our next race next week in Charlotte.
CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh. Now, Larry, when we watch this video, it looks like the front of your car just buckles. What went wrong?
DIXON: Yes. The chassis failed.
BERMAN: A little.
PEREIRA: Yes.
DIXON: You know, it's to be determined on the cause of it. But, obviously, it shouldn't have done that. And so the NHRA, which is our sanctioning body for the races, they kept the car. They impounded it overnight --
PEREIRA: OK. DIXON: And their investigators looked at it. And then they gave -- they released the car to us yesterday morning. So we loaded it in our hauler. It's headed back up to our race shop in Indianapolis right now. When we get up there, we'll get a better look at things. And, obviously, try and prepare the -- our next car so it doesn't do that again.
PEREIRA: You keep uses words like next and the next time you do this, your next race. There are people in your life, Mr. Dixon, that are probably saying, we need to sit down and have a good talk with you. What do you tell them about that? That you were made to do this? That you're built to do this? That you're going to keep getting back in the car?
DIXON: You sound like you've talked to my wife. She sent me a text later in the day. Obviously I called her from the ambulance, let her know everything was already, but she sent me a text earlier in the day the other day and it said, as long -- how many of your nine lives have you used up? And if you're as six or seven, you can go to Charlotte. So --
PEREIRA: Look, here's the deal, happy wife, happy life, Larry Dixon.
DIXON: You've got it.
PEREIRA: Take care of that beautiful wife of yours and stay happy, stay healthy and, please, try and stay inside the car in one piece.
DIXON: Yes, I'd rather get on your show for doing -- you know, with trophies and such --
PEREIRA: Yes.
DIXON: As opposed to doing, you know, 300-mile-an-hour somersaults.
CAMEROTA: Right. Let's work on that.
BERMAN: Please. Yes.
CAMEROTA: But, truly --
DIXON: Right on.
CAMEROTA: Yes, clearly he's bionic I think we could say.
PEREIRA: Yes, I think he is.
BERMAN: Well, it didn't even mess up his hair.
PEREIRA: I know.
BERMAN: I mean you see that crash and his hair looks perfect this morning.
CAMEROTA: It really does. BERMAN: All right, just a few minutes to go for us. Up next, the story of two best friends -- one, an American hero, the other happens to be the president of the United States. It's the good stuff, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
<08:57:07> CAMEROTA: All right, time now for "The Good Stuff." In today's edition, an extraordinary homecoming for an extraordinary guest of honor. CNN's Pamela Brown reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When most people move into a new home, they don't get a welcome like this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three -- got it.
BROWN: Or a guest like this.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a pretty nice house you've got here.
BROWN: But then most people aren't as remarkable as Sgt. First Class Cory Remsburg.
OBAMA: I didn't bring my swim shorts, though. That's the only problem now that I look at this pool.
BROWN: President Obama visited Remsburg's new home just outside of Phoenix on Friday. The first time the two have reunited since last year's State of the Union Address.
OBAMA: Sgt. First Class Cory Remsburg never gives up and he does not quit.
BROWN: Remsburg first met the president before he was injured at a D- day re-enactment in Normandy in June 2009. Later that year, he was struck by an IED in Afghanistan. He remains partially paralyzed on his left side and blind in his right eye. He later met the president again, this time at his bedside at Walter Reed Hospital.
BROWN (on camera): What's it like to be admired by so many people?
SGT. CORY REMSBURG, RECOVERING FROM TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY: (INAUDIBLE) good to know that the face (ph) of those (INAUDIBLE) warriors brought together a divided Congress.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are the most remarkable young man. You have inspired an entire nation with your charisma --
REMSBURG: Oh, stop.
BROWN: Remsburg's new home is the work of countless volunteers and charities, and is specially equipped with railings and ramps to help him regain his independence. CRAIG REMSBURG, CORY REMSBURG'S FATHER: We built in safety features in
this house. There's a lot of things that maybe mom and dad can take a step back.
BROWN: As for how Remsburg feels?
REMSBURG: Appreciative and I'm very grateful. I cannot say thank you enough.
BROWN: At the housewarming party, it was the president saying thanks.
OBAMA: Cory, God bless you, man. Rangers lead the way.
BROWN: Pamela Brown, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PEREIRA: How about that?
BERMAN: We should say the president showed up, when he showed up, he showed up with White House beer as the housewarming gift.
PEREIRA: All right.
BERMAN: And you can tell, I mean, look, presidents meet a lot of people, but you can tell when someone gets under their skin and --
PEREIRA: Yes.
BERMAN: Sgt. Remsburg has gotten under this president's skin and you can tell there's a relationship there.
CAMEROTA: I can see why. It's so powerful listening to him.
PEREIRA: Oh, look at the difference it has made in that young man to have that support of his community and his family behind him. It's really extraordinary.
You're sticking with us all week, huh?
BERMAN: I'll b here all week. Can't get rid of me.
CAMEROTA: A glutton for punishment.
BERMAN: That's right.
PEREIRA: Don't forget to tip your server.
All right, time for NEWSROOM with Randi Kaye. She's in for Carol Costello this morning.
Good morning.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: I am. Good morning to all of you. Have a lovely Monday. Nice to see you all.
CAMEROTA: You too, Randi.
09:00:00
KAYE: NEWSROOM starts right now.
