Return to Transcripts main page

New Day

Alabama Wins National Championship; Democrats Weigh in on Oprah; Another Cold Blast Coming; North and South Hold Talks; Wolff's Book Cites People Around Trump. Aired 6:30-7:00a ET

Aired January 09, 2018 - 06:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:33:37] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Alabama back on top of the college football world, beating Georgia for the National Championship in an overtime thriller. Coy Wire has the latest for us in the "Bleacher Report."

And, Coy, Chris promises even I will love this story.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: My goodness! Why'd you jinx me, Chris? Here we go.

The legend of 18-year-old from Hawaii, Tua Tagovailoa has begun. A true freshman. And here in Atlanta he led Alabama to a thrilling come- from-behind win over Georgia for the Tide's fifth national title in the past nine seasons.

President Trump was on the field for the national anthem. He sat in the press box in the luxury suite, I should say, with owner Arthur Blank of the Atlanta Falcons. He did miss -- leave the game at half time and missed the epic comeback.

It was a bold call from Nick Saban, the Tide's head coach, down 13-0 at half. Second year quarterback Jalen Hurts was struggling, so Saban calls Tagovailoa's number. And with under four minutes to play, fourth down, Saban goes for it and the true freshman Tua tosses the touchdown in a stinger. Look at that. Calvin Ridley. Hurts was the first one to congratulate him.

Now, the Tide would get the ball back and have a chance for a 36 yard field goal for the win. But, no, it's wide left. Saban says oh, gosh, here we go to overtime. Bulldogs strike first with a field goal, but Bama would have to match it. Tagovailoa says, uh-uh, forget that, we're going for the win, baby, and they get it. A 41 yard touchdown toss. And DeVonta Smith gets the victory, 26-23 for the Tide.

[06:35:06] Look at this emotional scene, though. The young Tua there with his dad, his two younger sisters, his brother were there. He's Alabama's hero, but he wanted to be with his hero, his family, after winning that National Championship.

TUA TAGOVAILOA, ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE: I told my family we did it. I told my family I loved them. That's the only people I wanted to see after the game. But all the glory goes to God.

JALEN HURTS, ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE: I just told him, man, play your game. Do your thing. He looked me in the eyes and he knew that it was all genuine, you know, all that. It's all together.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's unbelievable, honestly. I can't even describe it. To go out like this, (INAUDIBLE) and go out like this, it's a real -- a real (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Now, second National Championship must not have been surreal enough for Alabama Captain Bradley Bozeman. He was proposing to his girlfriend. Drops on a knee right there on the field. That's Nikki Hegstetter. And she said yes.

Alisyn, Chris, I asked, why'd you choose right then and there to propose? He said, well, I kind of thought I was going to be getting a ring so I wanted her to have one, too.

CAMEROTA: Oh, that's great. That is wonderful. I do like that story. That is a fantastic story.

As you know, Coy, I omitted something that the writers wanted me to say in the intro to you.

WIRE: Say it.

CAMEROTA: Roll tide.

WIRE: There you go.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, no, you can't say that. That is a reference to this horrible tide, this fungus that went through Alabama and killed half of the state.

CAMEROTA: I was worried about --

CUOMO: That's what they called them, the Crimson Tide.

CAMEROTA: Right, I kind of knew that but I also kind of felt like, why am I talking about laundry detergent? So I just omitted it.

CUOMO: More of a --

CAMEROTA: Now --

CUOMO: More of a Downey girl and hand washing.

CAMEROTA: I just took it.

CUOMO: Well done, Coy, you make it interesting and what a great story. I told you, right?

CAMEROTA: I love it. I loved the (INAUDIBLE).

CUOMO: That kid. He just wants to see his parents afterward.

CAMEROTA: Fantastic.

CUOMO: Awesome.

All right, back to politics.

Ivanka Trump praising Oprah Winfrey, calling her Golden Globe speech, quote, empowering and inspiring. The president's daughter's tweet triggering quite the backlash because the White House is looking at Oprah and saying, bring it on. Next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:41:06] CAMEROTA: All right, let's talk Oprah. Democrats seem to be mixed on whether or not Oprah Winfrey should run for president in 2020. The legendary talk show host fueled speculation after delivering that rousing speech at the Golden Globes.

So joining us now are CNN's senior media correspondent Brian Stelter and CNN political commentator Symone Sanders.

Great to see both of you.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

CAMEROTA: I heard Brian's thoughts on this yesterday.

Symone, do you think that this could become a reality?

SYMONE D. SANDERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, I think right now it's too early to tell, but, I mean, absolutely, I think in 2020 we will see a number of unlikely and likely Democratic candidates emerge. I think upwards of 16 people are going to run for president. And Oprah could absolutely be one of those people.

CAMEROTA: But, listen, if she's one of those people, then we set up another Donald Trump scenario, don't we, whereby the biggest megawatt star -- I mean she's one of the biggest stars in the world -- easily like trounces, you know, people who are not household names but are politicians, right, Symone?

SANDERS: Well, you know, I do not think it's accurate to compare Oprah Winfrey to Trump for a couple of reasons. One, Oprah covered local politics for years. She is not only charismatic but she's extremely knowledgeable. And one could argue what we've seen from Donald Trump, you know, doesn't necessarily support that. So I think Oprah is in a different category because she is literally beloved by everyone. Look at Ivanka Trump's tweet.

But, again, it's still too early to tell. I think if Oprah decides to, you know, go to Iowa or New Hampshire for that matter, or if she goes out there and we see her going out on the campaign trail for folks in 2018, that is more of an indicator on if she's seriously going to run more than just actively thinking about it.

STELTER: Yes, for --

SANDERS: In 2006, I'll just tell you, in 2006, then Senator Obama did over 36 appearance for other Democrats in that midterm election leading up to his run for president.

CAMEROTA: Go ahead, Brian.

STELTER: I think partly what's going on right now is Oprah's in listening mode. You know, she has these high-powered friends who are calling her up saying, you really need to think about this. You really need to run. We don't see any Democrat that would be as strong a contender as you would be. And I think she has people in her ear saying, someone has to challenge this president. Who is it going to be? It should be you.

So I think a lot of this is about her taking in all of this feedback, taking it seriously, but trying to figure out what to do next. And she has the benefit of being able to call the Obama's for advice. She can all up pretty much any political strategist for advice. I don't know if we're exactly there yet, but we very well may be there later this year as all of these Dems jostle for position in 2020.

CAMEROTA: Well, if she calls the Obama strategist for advice, here's what David Axelrod would say because he tweeted about this. He says -- actually he talked to "The New York Times." Would she want to submit herself to the unforgiving, relentless and sometimes absurd process of running for president? Will there be hunger in 2020 for someone with some experience in government after Trump?

Look, unknowable, of course, but, Brian, I just want to stick with you for one second because what are her people -- I mean you got the big scoop yesterday that her friends are encouraging her and that this is actually a real thought. So are people saying, hey, we've already tried a big celebrity?

STELTER: Actually, I'm hearing the same argument that Donald Trump promoted on the campaign trail, that I surround myself with the best people. I hire only the best people. So the argument from Oprah's camp is, she will bring in the best political minds. She will surround herself with the best experts. And that will address some of the issues about her lack of governing and her political experience.

Now, I also think there's a scenario here, a lot of scenarios here, I mean if we're going to play this out for a second, there's a lot of situations you could imagine where her vice presidential pick would have tremendous governmental experience or maybe it's the other way around, maybe she starts as a VP of somebody else on a ticket.

Look, it's only 2018. We have to add all those caveats. But I think the headline, Alisyn, is, she's not ruling this out, right? She's not saying she's running, but she's not ruling it out. And that shakes up the Democratic playing field.

CAMEROTA: Speaking of vice president picks, Symone, there is nothing more fun than to get in our time machine and go back to listen to what Donald Trump has said about Oprah in the past. Here he was in 1999 on "Larry King." Listen to this.

[06:45:11] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, CNN: You have a vice presidential candidate in mind?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I really haven't gotten quite there yet. I guess --

KING: (INAUDIBLE), just, you know --

TRUMP: Oprah. I love Oprah. Oprah would always be my first choice.

Oprah would be great. I'd love to have Oprah. I think we'd win easily.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: There's the ticket. Trump/Oprah. That's -- that was at one time his dream ticket. Symone, I'm not -- just give me a couple more things. He also tweeted about Oprah twice. I want to just read them. This is in 2012.

SANDERS: I'm sure he did.

CAMEROTA: Oprah will end up doing just fine with her network. She knows how to win, he said in 2012. He also said this next one, by the way, where is Oprah? Good question. Four years ago she strongly supported Obama. Now she is silent. Anyway, who cares? I adore Oprah.

SANDERS: Donald Trump is clearly a stand (ph) for Oprah like the rest of America in the world.

Look, I think these tweets go to what I was saying earlier. You know, Oprah Winfrey not only has been -- she's like every person in this country, a lot of people in this country she's been for. She has, you know, worked her way up. She is beloved. Like every -- even Donald Trump loves Oprah. And so I think it's really hard to hear any real criticism from this White House on a potential 2020 run from Oprah except, bring it on, because --

STELTER: Well the -- yes.

SANDERS: You know, everybody -- they all like her.

CAMEROTA: I like it, Symone, just -- yes, Oprah is beloved. I think that is fair to say. But I like that you just said, Oprah is like a lot of people in this country. I think she's made us feel that way.

STELTER: She's going to make us feel that way.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

SANDERS: And I -- and I --

STELTER: But he --

SANDERS: Yes, but that's the point. That is absolutely the point, the fact that Oprah has transcended, for some point, race and even gender, to the point where you've got Ivanka Trump, the daughter of the sitting president of the United States of American touting this speech that folks are saying is Oprah's kind of -- Oprah's Obama speech from 2004. So I think that goes to the point that, Oprah, yes, has makes us feel as though she's the every woman. Now, Oprah is clearly a billionaire. She's got money we don't have, but --

CAMEROTA: There you go.

All right --

STELTER: Yes, Trump sees her as a peer. That's the bottom line. He sees her as a peer and that makes this a lot more complicated.

CAMEROTA: This would be so fascinating. That's all I can say.

Brian Stelter, Symone Sanders, thank you both very much.

Chris.

CUOMO: He will change his tune in a second if she runs against him.

CAMEROTA: This morning. (INAUDIBLE).

CUOMO: She will go from Oprah to doprah. You know it. He will --

CAMEROTA: Why did -- you just coined it. You just --

CUOMO: He'll come up with something better.

CAMEROTA: No, it can't be better than that.

CUOMO: That's one of his many talents.

CAMEROTA: You just coined it.

CUOMO: You thinks that's as good as it gets.

CAMEROTA: Yes, people have been wondering about what the nickname would be.

CUOMO: Well --

CAMEROTA: Chris answered it.

CUOMO: So much for that. Sorry.

CAMEROTA: There you go.

CUOMO: Temperatures in the East are inching above freezing for the first time in weeks. And you know what, that's something to celebrate. That tells you how cold it is. But is the cold snap really over? Science, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [06:50:45] CUOMO: Warmer temperatures, relatively, finally arriving in the central and eastern parts of the U.S. But another cold blast is on the horizon.

CNN meteorologist Chad Myers has your forecast.

I owned the bad news for you. You are welcome.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Thank you. Thank you. Honestly, it's so nice to be on TV saying something good, something warm, something melting.

You're going to get slush in the streets, yes, but, OK, whatever. Thirty-four degrees right now in New York City. That's pretty good. It goes almost over 40.

This weather's brought to you by Purina, your pet, our passion.

Yes, we do warm up today and it continues to go up. Even Syracuse gets above 32, above the freezing mark here for the next couple of days. In fact, D.C., all the way to 62 degrees.

Let's get to the good news and bad news. Yes, we still have the warm air coming in and that's the great news. But there is cold air behind it. It's still January. This isn't, obviously, over. We have this cold pool of air, the red and the purple and the blue, all the way down to the Gulf Coast for Thursday into Friday. And the weekend turns back to cold again. But enjoy a few nice days here. Saturday and Sunday are cold again. Monday's still cold.

But, finally, getting more sunshine during the day. The days are getting longer. The snow beginning to melt.

Alisyn, just watch yourself as you step off that curb. The first step is a doozy.

CAMEROTA: OK, thank you very much for that. I will wear my boots.

MYERS: I guess.

CAMEROTA: Thank you.

MYERS: You're welcome.

CAMEROTA: Meanwhile, North and South Korea are holding these rare talks for the first time in more than two years. So, what's really going on here? Christian Amanpour joins us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:55:21] CUOMO: We are following breaking news. North and South Korea are holding the first high-level face-to-face talks in more than two years. What does this mean? What does this not mean? Perfect guest, chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour.

Thank you so much for being here. Happy New Year. Congratulations on all the success you're having. One more reason that you are the best of us.

So, North Korea and South Korea are talking. What does this mean?

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It means that it's a good thing. Any time these adversaries can talk, it's a good thing.

The question is, what will the talks be about and what, if anything, will North Korea extract from South Korea? Will North Korea seek to drive a wedge between South Korea and its U.S. ally? So all of that is still yet to be seen.

But the initial sort of opening gambit was to get a North Korea delegation to the winter Olympic games, which South Korea's hosting opening in less than a month's time. And they haven't been at the winter games for a long, long, long time. So this -- you know, South Korea is pleased about. They wanted the North Koreans. They wanted the North Koreans because they didn't want the North Koreans to, you know, make a mess of the games, to potentially have any terrorist incidents, to disrupt these games.

CUOMO: Does this mean that that definitely won't happen? It's not like Kim Jong-un is going to South Korea.

AMANPOUR: Well, I think it's very, very unlikely that this would happen because you have high level diplomats and foreign ministry officials from both sides meeting today near the DMZ and pledging these next moves.

And also very canny, the North Koreans insisted that this first meeting should be televised live and broadcast to both their people. South Korea was a little bit, you know, wary of that, so they only allowed a little bit of it to be -- to be broadcast.

But this, again, did they talk about the nuclear issue. Did they talk about all the outstanding issues? And, as I say, questions are, what will North Korea get in return for sending a delegation? Some people are concerned that South Korea may pledge to hold or postpone or indefinitely put on hiatus --

CUOMO: OK. Good pivot -- good pivot point.

AMANPOUR: Yes.

CUOMO: Because this is not as clear as it would be from the American perspective. There are economic interests at play here, as well as existential ones. This is an armistice, not a peace between these two countries. So South Korea has an economic interest in opening up the trade zone again. The United States, however, may well not like that. So what do these talks mean in a way that could disadvantage the United States?

AMANPOUR: Well, look, the United States and South Korea are already in a -- sort of a no-go zone when it comes to free trade acts and free trade agreements. You know, the U.S. has wanted to sort of reorganize that issue of free trade and bilateral trade negotiations with South Korea, which South Korea was quite put out about because most people believe that these trade agreements benefit not just both parties, but the whole region. And if you start trying to have one-off trade deals with everybody, it's not going to work.

But to be very frank, Chris, this is not necessarily importantly about economics. It's very important that this should somehow be a precursor to dialing down the real tension and the real fear over a war breaking out on the Korean peninsula. So everybody who's looking at this meeting is looking at it in terms of through that lens.

CUOMO: OK.

AMANPOUR: Because, OK, economics is one thing, but making sure that there's no deliberate or accidental war is imperative. And the United States, as you know, your intelligence community has a little bit of egg on its face. It was caught unawares by the speed of the North Korean nuclear and intercontinental missile program. So there's a lot of catching up to do.

CUOMO: All right. So you have another big get also. You spoke to Michael Wolff?

AMANPOUR: I did, yes.

CUOMO: He's very much in political focus here, specifically because of these questions about fitness and his representation that literally everyone he spoke to is of one mind. Let's play some of the sound.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: I think everybody is just staggered by your declaration that 100 percent, I -- those are your words --

MICHAEL WOLFF, AUTHOR, "FIRE AND FURY": One hundred percent.

AMANPOUR: Of the people around the president believe that he is incapable, unfit of -- for carrying out the duties of this office.

WOLFF: One hundred percent. It is -- it is staggering. That is why -- well, I think that's why this book has hit such a cord. Everybody recognizes that outside of the White House, and it is the obvious thing to think, to realize that the people inside the White House, who are just the same as you and I, say, what the hell?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: I would -- I would demure and say that the reason the book is so hot is because of how the president has reacted to it. Had they ignored it, we may be in a very different place in the news cycle.

However, 100 percent of the people he spoke to feel this way. Big caveat, though, he didn't speak to the cabinet heads, he didn't speak to the vice president. Meaningful distinction to you?

[07:00:04] AMANPOUR: Look, the way -- I was trying to seek his reportorial methods. Did he go and ask all these people, do you think? Was he fly on the wall?