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New Day Saturday
Tap Water Turned Off in Lyons; Obamacare Fight May Shut Government; Shutdown Could Close Popular Attractions; Syria Details Chemical Arsenal; Chicago Mayor: Violence Must End; Anti-Obamacare Ads Push the Envelope
Aired September 21, 2013 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If this legislation is not enacted and we embark on a government shutdown, the consequences are severe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Closed for business. That will be the message from Washington if Congress doesn't pass a budget in the next nine days. We'll explain exactly how this is going to affect you.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: If Uncle Sam came in while you were getting a sensitive medical exam, would you find it kind of creepy? Well, opponents of Obamacare hope so.
YELLIN: Superman got his powers from Planet Krypton. Spider-man got his from a spider bite. What the newest superhero is making waves from where his powers come from -- drugs and alcohol.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: Hey, good morning, everyone. I'm Jessica Yellin.
BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Seven o'clock here on the East Coast. This is NEW DAY SATURDAY.
Well, first came the floods and the water. That was enough. But now, an entire Colorado town's drinking water is contaminated with E. coli. It could be months before the water in Lyons is fit to drink.
CNN's Dan Simon is following this for us out in Boulder, Colorado.
Dan, tell us what's happened in Lyons. Are people still there? And tell us kind of how this all happened?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Victor, as if these folks haven't had enough to deal with already.
As we have seen with these floodwaters, they have the ability, Victor, to take out infrastructure. They took out roads and bridges. And in the town of Lyons, they also took out septic systems and sewer lines and that caused this toxic sludge, if you will, to get into the town's water supply. Tests have confirmed that there is E. coli in the water supply.
I want you to listen to how one official put it to the town.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICTORIA SIMONSEN, TOWN ADMNISTRATOR: Our 12-inch water transmission line has been compromised. We think it's been compromised in several locations. The water system does have E. coli in it now, which means that there has been a breach. And we don't want you using any of the water. So, it was turned off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON: So here's the deal, they want residents to leave the area of town. They don't want people there, obviously. But if people are going to stay, they're obviously going to have to provide their own drinking water. So it is just a miserable situation for people living there -- Victor.
BLACKWELL: And there's been a loss of life. We know there are a lot of people who are unaccounted for as this has gone on. Let's talk about the property damage and the flood insurance. Are we hearing that a lot of people had insurance and can rebuild?
SIMON: Well, in fact, a lot of people did not have information. Especially when you go into some of these areas that are not prone to flooding, say you live in an area where there might be a flood every 500 years, why would you get insurance? Well, we talked to one such family who found themselves in this situation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA BEACOM, FLOOD VICTIM: So this was a finished basement.
SIMON (voice-over): Jessica Beacom and her husband built and moved into his house only 18 months ago.
(on camera): What did it look like down here when you had the water?
J. BEACOM: Armageddon, total devastation.
SIMON (voice-over): These pictures show part of the aftermath. They estimate the damage to be about $100,000. But Beacom and her husband had opted against flood insurance.
(on camera): When you moved to this area, did you ever think if you had heavy rains that the home could flood?
DEAN BEACOM, FLOOD VICTIM: Not a chance.
SIMON (voice-over): That's because they live in what's call a 500- year flood plain. That means the chance of this area flooding was less than 1 percent each year.
J. BEACOM: We asked about it just to make sure we covered our bases when we moved in. They almost laughed. Ton of money, you don't need that.
D. BEACOM: We would have had it if we knew this would happen, or even if we had an inkling that it might happen. I mean, really, I don't even think we have that.
SIMON: The Beacoms likely represent a substantial portion of flood victims. Authorities say it's still too early to know how many affected homes didn't have flood insurance. But the devastation was so widespread that it went beyond places prone to flooding.
GARRY SANFACON, RECOVERY MANAGER, BOULDER COUNTY: It's something kind of beyond our imagination, beyond something we could even fathom. So, it's understandable that people didn't sign up for flood insurance in most cases.
SIMON: But the Beacoms right now aren't thinking about their lack of insurance. They're still trying to keep more water from getting into their house and hoping to find any precious belongings.
J. BEACOM: I found it. I found it. I found it.
SIMON: A prices memento, one that won't be able to pay for all the repairs their home is going to need.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIMON: The family does have private insurance, but private insurance doesn't cover floods. They like other families have applied for FEMA relief. It's only limited in scope. It's really only meant to be temporary. It's not going to begin to pay for all the repairs that they and other families are going to need.
So, this is really a tough situation. This is a situation where people legitimately thought there was no reason to spend a bunch of money on something they didn't truly believe they were going to need me -- Victor and Jessica.
BLACKWELL: Yes, once every 500 years. You might skip it.
Dan Simon for us in Boulder, thank you
YELLIN: The mayor of Chicago is calling for an end to violence. Rahm Emanuel consoled grieving families after a shooting at a basketball court Thursday night injured 13 people including a 3-year-old boy. Deonte Howard was shot in the face near his ear. He's heavily sedated and he'll need plastic surgery. His grandmother pleaded for gang violence to stop.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEMEHCA NUNN, SHOOTING VICTIM'S GRANDMOTHER: It need to stop. It need to stop. Y'all out here killing these innocent people, kids, parents, grandparents, mothers, fathers, it got to stop. Y'all need to stop.
(END VIDEO CLIP) YELLIN: Now, police say the suspect used an assault-style rifle, and the shooting appears to be gang-related. So far, no arrests have been made.
BLACKWELL: So, let's talk about this possible government shutdown. Maybe what, nine days away if it's going to happen. Still, what, just more than a week.
Cancel your national park getaways, soldiers say good-bye to your paycheck possibly. If you need a passport, good luck with that.
House Republicans' distaste of Obamacare is at the heart of the shutdown threat. CNN's Erin McPike is in Washington rather with the latest on this.
Explain for us, explain for me because Jessica is here and she knows what's going on. And myself and the viewers, explain what's going on. Walk us through this.
ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor, and as Jessica knows, of course, the House of Representatives has voted more than 40 times to try to stop Obamacare in some ways. So, it was first passed in 2010. But as Jessica well knows, Congress can tie a bunch of different issues into one bill. And this time, the House has tried to do this to this federal attached Obama care defunding to this federal spending bill that will keep the government running through mid- December.
But this time, they think this particular vote will matter more because they're forcing the Senate to vote on it, too.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCPIKE (voice-over): In the coming week, the battle will shift to the Senate. But on Friday, it was a rare moment for House Speaker John Boehner -- united Republicans celebrated their vote to defund Obamacare.
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: The American people don't want the government shutdown and they don't want Obamacare.
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: The ayes are 230, and the nays are 189. The joint resolution has passed. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.
MCPIKE: All but one Republican voted for the measure and two Democrats joined them, prompting this exuberant response.
REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA), HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP: That why today when we acted, it wasn't just a group of Republicans, but it was a bipartisan vote.
MCPIKE: It was a show of partisanship by conservatives, who insisted on defunding Obamacare as a condition for approving a bill that keeps the government running. But their effort is dead on arrival in the Senate. And Democrats seized on the potential consequences. REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: What is brought to the floor today is without a doubt -- without a doubt, a measure designed to shut down government. It could have no other intent. Its purpose is clear.
MCPIKE: House Republicans are working to shift blame for the threat of a government shutdown on to Democrats who control the Senate.
REP. ERIC CANTOR (R-VA), HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: Now, it is up to Senate Democrats to show some responsibility and follow the House's lead.
MCPIKE: They're putting the squeeze on vulnerable Democratic senators up for re-election in red states.
CANTOR: I want to know where Senator Pryor stands on protecting the middle class --
(CHEERS)
CANTOR: -- from the consequences of this horrific bill.
MCPIKE: Cantor singled out Arkansas Senator Mark Pryor and three other Democrats -- Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, and Mark Begich of Alaska. But two of these senators, Landrieu and Begich, have already told CNN they won't vote to strip money from health care, just nine days remain for the Senate to vote on its plan to fund the government without cutting Obamacare, and pass the buck back to the House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCPIKE: So essentially yesterday's vote was just a symbolic vote. It was a political statement that House Republicans were making. The Senate will have to take up this bill in the coming week. And just yesterday, the House announced that they will be in session next weekend, too. So, it will be doing this sort of same vote all over again -- Victor and Jessica.
YELLIN: All right, Erin, thanks for staying on top of it for us. That's CNN's Erin McPike.
BLACKWELL: Now, remember, if Congress and the president can agree on this bill, that's a second shutdown threat that's coming in mid- October because Congress must raise the debt ceiling by then so the Treasury can pay the bills.
The president called House Speaker John Boehner last night that he will not negotiate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States of America is not a deadbeat nation. We are a compassionate nation. We are the world's bedrock investment. And doing anything that threatened that is the height of irresponsibility. That's why I will not negotiate over the full faith and credit of the United States.
I will not allow anyone to harm this country's reputation or threaten to inflict economic pain on millions of our own people, just to make an ideological point.
So, we're running out of time to fix this. But we could fix it tomorrow. Both houses of Congress can take a simple vote to pay our bills on time, then work together to pass a budget on time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: And the mere threat of a government shutdown is making some investors nervous, a lot of them. Dow Jones Industrial tumbled 185 points Friday. And just Wednesday, stocks hit a record high. Near that record, investors buckle up for a bumpy ride on Wall Street. It's coming next week possibly.
YELLIN: Yes, and it is just not Wall Street. The government shutdown could impact Americans across the country. Reporter Margaret Conley is following that part of the story for us.
Hi, Margaret.
MARGARET CONLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
From California to New York, a government shutdown could impact millions of Americans. I'm Margaret Conley. And we'll be back with more after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: Fourteen minutes after the hour now, according to my clock. Your clock says it, too.
You know where else that clock says 14 minutes after? D.C. Every hour matters now, because in just nine days the U.S. government could be closed for business. It's more than just government offices, though. The national parks, the national zoo -- a lot of places you typically visit would close.
And if you think a government shutdown would actually save money, think again.
Margaret Conley joins us now from New York.
Break this down for us, Margaret. And what people will see every day as they go about their life for this possible shutdown?
CONLEY: Victor, in 1995 and 1996, those shutdowns cost taxpayers well over $1 billion. Here's a look at what could happen this time.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CONLEY (voice-over): A government shutdown threatens to close some America's greatest treasures, from the statue of liberty here in New York to the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, to Yosemite National Park in California. Museums and federal offices with visa and passport services across the country could close, just as they did in the mid- 90s.
JULIAN ZELIZER, PRINCETON POLITICAL HISTORY PROF: Anyone who lived through '95 and '96 remembers that, you know, there were certain services such as national parks, national zoo in Washington, that when they shut down, they had big effects. Not simply on people trying to get in. But on the tourist economy that depends on these parks throughout the country.
CONLEY: Chris Haywood from New York City's official tourism office says tourism here is a $55.3 billion industry. And it will stay on track at record levels, regardless of a shutdown. But --
CHRIS HAYWOOD, NYC AND COMPANY: If this expands to our airports, then, of course, that's a different story. We want to make sure the entry process is flawless moving forward, because we need to welcome more visitors. This is an economic engine for our entire country.
CONLEY: The last shutdown cost taxpayers an estimated $1.4 billion. Another possibility casting a shadow over the country's economic outlook.
ZELIZER: There's some evidence that some of the swings we've seen in the economy have been responses to the idea that there will be either government shutdowns, or failure to raise the debt limit, with the U.S. government going into default.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: OK, but, Margaret, not every door will be locked. Give us an idea of what will continue. What's going stay open?
CONLEY: Critical services, Victor. Those are going to stay open. Things like air traffic control, national security, border protection. And at the parks, they're still going to have some government employees there to maintain the parks and as to protect them -- Victor.
BLACKWELL: All right. Margaret Conley there for us in New York -- thank you so much.
Young kids in fancy dresses, heavy makeup, walk be the runway. It's too much for at least one country -- and now backlash as lawmakers in France look to ban child beauty pageants. Could the U.S. be next?
Also, why a fast food worker who did not serve a customer is being called a hero for his actions.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: Twenty-one after the hour. And it is "Money Time" on "NEW DAY."
The makers of BlackBerry, we don't want to pick on you too much this morning -- but they're losing a lot. YELLIN: This is such bad news for BlackBerry owners. BlackBerry, you see it here, says it lost nearly $1 billion in the second quarter of this year and that loss, combine with a lack of demand by some people for its product, how BlackBerry is announcing that it will cut 40 percent of its global worker force. Forty-five hundred people will be out of a job and BlackBerry is going to reduce the number of smartphones it offers by just four.
My goal for the end of today is to increase the number of BlackBerrys sold. Just a few.
BLACKWELL: OK, just by three or four.
YELLIN: Just by three or four to increase market share.
BLACKWELL: Jessica is doing her part.
A bad day for BlackBerry turned into a great day for apple. It's almost a guarantee that whenever a new iPhone comes out, die-hard fans -- I'm talking about people who will not touch another phone -- they're going to wait in line for hours. And that's what you see here. No different from yesterday's release of the iPhone 5S or 5C.
Except some people turn to task rabbit to pay someone else to sit in line for them, $14 an hour. That's what the job hiring service recommended for line sitters to be paid. So, why not?
YELLIN: I guess if you need to get it that much earlier than everyone else --
BLACKWELL: You know, it's still a phone. That's why I say. It's a phone. I like mine, but it's a phone.
YELLIN: They want it early. Fourteen dollars isn't a bad rate for just standing in line.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
Well, let's talk some more business here.
YELLIN: Toddlers and tiaras is big business here in the U.S.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
BLACKWELL: Even with the show by the same name on TLC -- get this -- child beauty pageants may soon become illegal in France. Now the Senate there just voted to make it illegal -- again, this is in France -- made it illegal to enter any child under 16 into a beauty pageant.
YELLIN: Why?
BLACKWELL: The fine here would be 30,000 euros.
YELLIN: That's crazy.
BLACKWELL: Now, what the supporters, they say, that children at thing age should be focusing on knowledge and schooling, instead of trying to be sexualized. That's what they say this is.
YELLIN: Right. That never happens in French fashion magazines, for example. Totally different.
BLACKWELL: Touche.
OK, this one -- this is probably the most interesting of this block. You've heard of the dollar shade club? Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Each razor has stainless steel blades and aloe vera lubricating strip and a pivot head. It's so gentle, a toddler could use it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: He's an energetic pitchman. Hey, the company is just what it says. They sell razor blades for a dollar a month. OK. But now they're getting into the business of, let's say, your business.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, me again. People ask me, Mike, when are you going to do video number two? You want to talk about number two? Great, let's talk about number two.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Yes.
YELLIN: Oh.
BLACKWELL: This is an ad for the new product One Wipe Charlie.
Yes. One Wipe Charlies. I went to the Web site because I'm just amazed that this is a product. And they are -- forgive me if you're in the middle of your Cheerios -- butt wipes made for men.
YELLN: Really?
BLACKWELL: Yes. That's what it is, four bucks a package.
And they have some NFL players who have lined up to be spokesperson for this -- Travis Frederick from the Cowboys, John Sullivan, the Vikings, Eric Wood, Buffalo Bills, Nick Hardwick from the Chargers. I want to hear the pitch from their agents for these guys to say do you want to endorse butt, One Wipe Charlies?
YELLIN: I don't want an explanation, but they do say it's different when it's for men?
BLACKWELL: As opposed to babies?
YELLIN: Yes.
BLACKWELL: I don't know. And you know, I don't want to get too graphic.
YELLIN: No.
BLACKWELL: But, usually, one wipe really isn't --
YELLIN: OK.
BLACKWELL: Wait, no, I do want to say this, it has a gentle peppermint smell and one of notable ingredients, marshmallow herb. Who knew?
YELLIN: OK, I'm not touching that.
OK. Well, as it turns out from that to this -- sex does not always sell.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO: Penthouse magazine is in big financial trouble they'll file for skankruptcy -- is that skankruptcy? Bankruptcy! It's bankruptcy! I I'm sorry!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: Friend Finder Network, the owner of "Penthouse" magazine, just filed for Chapter 11.
BLACKWELL: Wow.
YELLIN: The company, which also owns several online dating sites, up to billion dollars in debt. And it seems that there is more online content online, lessening the demand for paid adult content. Not entirely shocking.
BLACKWELL: You know the most interesting thing from this story was the owner of "Penthouse" has a group called Friend Finder. It just seems so like nice and gentle and --
YELLIN: You know, friendly. Warm.
BLACKWELL: Friendly.
YELLIN: Looking for a companion?
BLACKWELL: Friendly. We'll leave it at friendly.
All right. Here's what we got coming up.
YELLIN: The Florida woman who gained national attention for her nonstop hiccups is back in the spotlight. But this time, it's for murder. And the verdict is in.
BLACKWELL: Plus, we're looking into these strange new Obamacare ads. Have you seen these? They've been called creepy, sexist. Some have called them deplorable. We'll have more after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
YELLIN: Mortgage rates eased quite a bit this week. Have a look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
YELLIN: Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Jessica Yellin.
BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell.
Let's start off with five things you need to know for your NEW DAY.
Up first, more violence in Syria, even as the government is handing over details of its chemical weapons arsenal. Syrian President Bashar al Assad must account for his regime's chemical weapons and destroy them under a U.S./Russian proposal or face potential military strikes.
YELLIN: Number two, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel spoke out last night calling for an end to violence in the city. He consoled grieving families after a gunman shot and injured 13 people at a park Thursday.
Police say the gunman used an assault-style rifle and the shooting could be gang-related. Among the recovering victims is a 3-year-old boy who was shot in the face.
BLACKWELL: Number three for you this morning. Remember the woman in Florida, she made news all over the country for those nonstop hiccups?
Her name is Jennifer Mee. She's 22 years old now, and she was found guilty of first degree murder on Friday. It was for the death of a man in 2010 she met online. Now, she cried as the judge read the verdict in court. And she's been sentenced to life in prison without parole. She's got 30 days to appeal the decision.
YELLIN: Number four, damage from deadly floods that wept through parts of Colorado could keep some residents out of their homes for months. The administrator for the town of Lyons said E. coli bacteria has contaminated the town's drinking water and the tap water has been turned off. About 2,000 people live in Lyons.
BLACKWELL: Number five now, national parks, the monuments, keeping track of the upcoming flu system they could all be victims of a government shutdown. That's because house Republicans have pushed for a bill to fund the government starting October 1st but it's stripped out cash for Obamacare. And that sets the stage for this battle with the Democratic-led Senate.
YELLIN: And with just over a week before the Affordable Care Act opens for enrollment, we're seeing a wave of advertisements trying to convince people to buy in or stay away.
BLACKWELL: Now, one new campaign aimed at turning young people against signing up is being called provocative. Some people say it's shocking. Other people call it downright creepy.
CNN's Rene Marsh has the story. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jessica and Victor, the new rules are intended to cut carbon pollution generated from the power plants but it's getting major pushback. Some coal advocates say the new rules will mean job loss and industry price hikes and some expect this fight will land in court.
(voice-over): Dueling videos on both sides of the health care debate and on the opposing side the videos are pushing the envelope.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's have a look.
MARSH: Just days before Americans begin to enroll for health care insurance under the Affordable Care Act, self-described libertarian group Generation Opportunity released two web videos, hoping to convince people, not to enroll.
Lucas Baiano helps conservative politicians to get their message out. He says the advertisements targeting 18 to 29 year olds could change enough minds to make a difference.
LUCAS BAIANO, POLITICAL ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: In the YouTube society that we live in it's important to produce content that's going to be innovative in some technique. And this is one aspect that does that. Whereas disturbing and it's new and fresh, because if you just stay below the bar and put something out that's very standard, it won't fly and it won't resonate.
MARSH: One ad tracking agency says ads opposing the Affordable Healthcare Act outnumbered those for it by 5 to 1. But as the cost ticks and critical deadlines for implementation of the law fast approaches, ads encouraging people to enroll are showing up on the airwaves.
AD NARRATOR: Minnesota land of 10,000 reasons to get health insurance.
MARSH: Health care, the policy issue that's created a war between two sides in Washington has become a political cash cow for advertisers. One ad-tracking agency estimates by 2015 more than $1 billion will have spent on ads, most of them making the case it's a bad deal.
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: It is a train wreck. It has to go.
MARSH (on camera): While existing plans --
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: All right. Rene Marsh there for us -- thank you, Rene.
YELLIN: It's got people talking at least.
BLACKWELL: Certainly. And still to come, the pope's latest change of tone has some conservative Catholics pushing back. You're going see this heated debate. Did you see this? You will want to watch it if you haven't.
Plus, Miley Cyrus, she still has us talking the "T" word.
YELLIN: Twerking.
BLACKWELL: I was going to let you say it.
YELLIN: I love it.
BLACKWELL: And now, music legend Cher is weighing in and she is not holding back. Up next, why Cher had to backtrack on her Twitter slam of the provocative performance from the VMAs.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: All right, we got about 21 minutes until the top of the hour. And we are in the "E-Block." "E" stands for entertainment.
YELLIN: Oh, I learned something new.
Let's start with Cher slamming Miley Cyrus after the provocative VMAs.
BLACKWELL: Wow is all you have to say after this.
Cher told "USA Today" that, quote, listen to this, "She could have come out naked and if she just rocked the House I would have said you go girl. It just wasn't done well. She can't dance. Her body looked like hell. The song wasn't great. One cheek was hanging out and chick don't stick your tongue out if it's coated."
(LAUGHTER)
YELLIN: So much to discuss.
BLACKWELL: I mean, Cher, really.
YELLIN: I know, for somebody who's had some pretty outrageous performances herself.
So, you're not going to be shock to know that it was not long before the 67-year-old diva who is also known for outrageous outfits and performances was apologizing sort of. She sent out a tweet that said, quote, "What I should have said was, I didn't like it that much but she's pushing the envelope, being an artist, she's talented and didn't commit a felony."
BLACKWELL: To me, that seems like the rolling eye, like, "what I should have said was".
Hey, joining us now is Star 94 Radio host Jimmy Alexander.
Jimmy, was Cher out of line? JIMMY ALEXANDER, STAR 94 RADIO HOST: I think Cher went to the old school for a couple of seconds of maybe your parents told you this. You know, if you don't have anything nice to say about somebody, come sit by me.
(LAUGHTER)
YELLIN: Love her for that.
ALEXANDER: But I think once she realized, you know, she said, you know, you have one cheek hanging out. I think we saw Cher performances where she had cheeks hanging out. So, it shocked me that she was so upset by it.
But I think she realized, you know, when you look back at the performance, it's been a month, on the 25th will be a month since we saw Miley twerking on stage. And that it's still being talked about, it's a genius.
To me, if I was Stephanie Cutter and Newt, and I watched "CROSSFIRE" every night at 5:00, every night I would come out and twerk every night. It would be a huge hit.
BLACKWELL: Oh, my gosh.
YELLIN: Pre-twerk and post-twerk. That's how we define.
BLACKWELL: The idea of Newt Gingrich twerking really --
ALEXANDER: Oh, I've seen it --
(CROSSTALK)
BLACKWELL: Let me ask you this, is it punching down? I mean, Cher is an icon.
ALEXANDER: I think what we -- I think Cher is like, listen, I'm a legend in this business. I've been relevant since the '60s. That's a kid.
And I think Miley's been unfairly just hammered. I mean, she's still a kid. It's not like she was drunk or high on stage. She did a performance and some people don't like it. Some people do. But we're still talking about it a month later.
YELLIN: Well, let's talk about her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, was on Piers Morgan this week, and he defended his daughter and showed up wearing something unusual. Let's look at him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILLY RAY CYRUS, MUSICIAN: She's an artist, she's real. I think that what's happened over the years, Miley has been reinventing her sound. She's evolving as an artist herself. I think that it's all of what everyone is calling controversy now, I'm still -- that's still my Miley. (END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: All right. There's a whole lot going on there. Let's talk what about he's saying.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
YELLIN: Is this what you expected him to say or --
ALEXANDER: Or, gravy train. He hasn't had a hit since 1991, "Achy Breaky Heart." It's been a long time. The kid --
YELLIN: Is that fair? He's living off of her is what you're saying?
ALEXANDER: Well, it was a TV show that he was you know, co-starring on. It was her show. I think -- obviously, he's proud of his daughter but he doesn't want to bite the hand that may feed him in the future.
BLACKWELL: All right. So, let's talk about Zac Efron, quickly. According to reports, he's 25 years old, star of "High School Musical". You know him. He successful completed a stint in rehab in the spring.
YELLIN: Who knew.
BLACKWELL: No one knew. I think that's my first question, how he kind of glided through without people knowing about it?
ALEXANDER: Well, it would show other celebrities, if you have problems, you can keep it on the down low.
YELLIN: Good PR.
ALEXANDER: Absolutely.
And what's really sad is, this guy won the lottery of life. He's great looking, a movie star, and the sad thing he has a monkey on his back, which is -- the report was cocaine, which is -- you know, that is just severe. And in that article, it said that some of his problems were the people he hung out with. And that is -- the first thing you do is get rid of all of those friends.
Yu know, my mom used to say the crumb bums. Get rid of them, because look at your friends, that's who you are. You don't want those people dragging you down, sucking the life right out of you.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
YELLIN: Well, we wish him the best. And I don't how we're ever going to forgive you of the image of Newt Gingrich twerking. That is imbedded in my friend forever.
BLACKWELL: You got to go back to D.C. with that.
ALEXANDER: He twerks hard for the money. YELLIN: Jimmy Alexander --
BLACKWELL: Jimmy Alexander, thank you so much. We're both at the same time, time to end this.
ALEXANDER: Speak with the twerk.
BLACKWELL: All right. OK.
ALEXANDER: I have them all.
BLACKWELL: A lot of -- you know what, I'm not going to read that. It's the wrong time to say it on television. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: This week on "THE NEXT LIST" -- putting ideas to work.
Jim Newton is a lifelong do-it-yourselfer who is passionate about making.
JIM NEWTON, INNOVATOR: Humans were made to make things. That's why we have thumbs. We've gotten away from making so much. There's that instinctive drive for people to create.
GUPTA: It's one of the reasons he started Tech Shop. It's an innovation workshop where members can have access to the tools they need to bring their ideas to life.
NEWTON: They say, wow, I really can do this. This is stunning. They're stunned.
GUPTA: And Graham Hill, who is a designer, an entrepreneur, who believes people would be a lot happier with less.
GRAHAM HILL, DESIGNER: I love things and I love having great things, but I don't want too many. I don't want to be overwhelmed.
GUPTA: Hill built his dream micro-apartment, by crowd sourcing design on the Internet and he got some amazing ideas. But the best part of living with less more freedom.
I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Join me this Saturday at 2:30 Eastern on "THE NEXT LIST."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: A terrifying scene at an upscale shopping mall in Kenya's capital today. Witnesses say gunmen started shooting inside the mall in Nairobi. The mall is popular, with expats living there.
Now, the Kenyan Red Cross says at least three people have been injured -- video from the scene here. Police have surrounded the mall. They're telling people to stay away, of course, and to stay off the nearby roads for their own safety.
YELLIN: Pope Francis, he is sending shock waves through the Catholic Church. It's just amazing speaking out and seemingly softening his tone on everything from abortion to same-sex marriage to contraception. And even the role of women in the church.
BLACKWELL: Yes. In his most extensive interview yet published in "America Magazine", the pope says, and this is a quote. The church has sometimes locked itself up in small things and small-minded rules. The people of God want pastors. Not clergy acting like bureaucrats or government officials.
A lot of liberal Catholics saw the comments as a big shift for the watch this. Some conservative Catholics insisted nothing has changed.
Well, watch this -- CNN's Chris Cuomo sat down with Bill Donohue, the president of the Catholic League on NEW DAY, and he got into a heated debate about sexuality and the church's sex abuse scandals.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL DONOHUE, PRESIDENT, THE CATHOLIC LEAGUE: When men have sex with adolescent men, it's called homosexuality. It is not pedophilia. John Jay College of Criminal Justice is not a conservative right wing organization. Less than 5 percent of the priests involved in molestation are pedophiles.
I will never stop telling the truth, and the pope never said we should either. I'm against gay bashing. To say that because you're gay you're going to be a molester --
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: That is exactly what it sounds like.
DONOHUE: No, no, no. If most of the molesters are gay, that is true. It is not true that most gay priests are molesters. That is a gay- bashing comment. People have to make critical distinctions.
I have nothing against gay people any more than I do against straight people. I do have against molesters. Whether they're straight or gay makes no difference to me, but I'm not going to lie about the figures. What I just said about the figures is absolutely true, it's not negotiable.
CUOMO: Well, but that's the problem. Isn't it? Because --
DONOHUE: What?
CUOMO: -- there are so many who would say not only is it negotiable, but it's irrational, what you're saying, because you have so many people --
(CROSSTALK)
DONOHUE: Explain it to John Jay then, to all this -- they just made it up, I guess. Do you think I made up those figures, Chris?
(CROSSTALK)
CUOMO: I think you're parsing them.
DONOHUE: No, I didn't parse them.
CUOMO: And I think you're cherry-picking them and I think that the most important part is your motivation. You just heard what the pope said.
DONOHUE: The pope didn't say --
CUOMO: Why wouldn't you try to move past the parsing rhetoric and try to be what your church is supposed to be about?
DONOHUE: This is a problem with the left. They're trying to take what he says and then run with it like "The New York Times" said, the bishops are on the defensive because they're concerned about abortion, contraception, homo -- and gay rights or gay marriage.
No, no, no, the Obama administration is the one who is foisting this on the bishops. The bishops are reacting. They will continue -- there's nothing that Pope Francis has said that would give any relief to these people who are saying all of a sudden now the conservatives should shut up. We're not going to shut up because we're in constant compliance with the pope says.
CUOMO: He's saying the word "Catholic" means "universal."
DONOHUE: Yes, that's right.
CUOMO: He says the rule of the religion is love.
DONOHUE: That's right.
CUOMO: Not to cherry-pick statistics and blame homosexuals for being pedophiles.
DONOHUE: Who ever said that?
CUOMO: Look --
DONOHUE: Who said that homosexuals are pedophiles? Did I say that?
CUOMO: The suggestion is all of this was consensual because of the age of the victims.
DONOHUE: Consensual? When people get raped, it's not consensual.
Look, as far as I'm concerned the Catholic Church didn't handle this right. I would have put these guys in the slammer a long time ago. Instead, they just think they can reform them. They send them off to the psychiatrist. That's plain stupidity.
CUOMO: There are few who will disagree with that. I mean, the way the church handled the situation is a large part of the stain on the church right now. But it is the discussion of homosexuality and the blame of them as somehow predatory, that is what --
DONOHUE: I'll say it again.
CUOMO: Your pope telling you not to say --
(CROSSTALK)
CUOMO: This is what your pope is telling you.
DONOHUE: Most of the molesting priests were gay, and most gay priests are not molesters.
CUOMO: Good.
DONOHUE: I think people who --
CUOMO: Stop there.
DONOHUE: But I've been -- that's all I've ever said!
CUOMO: Who says the molesters were gay?
DONOHUE: I'm telling you, if --
CUOMO: Who says the molesters were gay?
DONOHUW: They weren't girls, and they weren't --
CUOMO: Who says the molesters are gay?
DONOHUE: If a man has sex with a man, what do you call that?
CUOMO: He could be a deviant pedophile and a sick person. He could be a rapist.
(CROSSTALK)
DONOHUE: Not if the kid is 18, 17, 16 years of age. A rapist could be straight or gay, I'll give you that much.
(CROSSTALK)
CUOMO: Being homosexual doesn't make you predatory.
DONOHUE: You're running away -- look, you're trying to say that anybody who points out the obvious, that the Catholic Church had a homosexual scandal, therefore, you're anti-gay. This is absurd.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
YELLIN: Fascinating discussion.
BLACKWELL: Yes, and I wonder how many discussions there were similar to that around the country after reading the pope's comments.
YELLIN: The pope really touched a nerve. It opened up a good conversation.
BLACKWELL: Certainly.
BLACKWELL: Changing tones, a spectacular view of the world from the sky high perspective. A camera strapped to the back of an eagle, believe it or not. It is today's buxie (ph) moment coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: OK. So the fans of superman, they know where he gets his power. Iron man gets it from that suit. But there's now a new character of the dark horse comic series that gets his power from drugs and alcohol.
YELLIN: Great.
BLACKWELL: Yes, but the writers of the comic "Buzzkill" say the series is intended to show case the powers of addiction. They say it's not about a superhero who is an alcoholic, instead about an alcoholic who is a superhero and who has done some horrific things and is trying to figure out what those are.
YELLIN: Ok, we've got to read it before we judge it.
BLACKWELL: Indeed, indeed.
(MUSIC)
BLACKWELL: All right. This is what I look forward to every week.
YELLIN: The music?
BLACKWELL: The music is good.
YELLIN: I like the music.
BLACKWELL: But also the good stuff. It's part of the show where we feature stories about the good news out there. A dairy queen employee is being called a hero and his act of kindness has now gone viral.
YELLIN: Joey Prusak is the manager at this Minnesota Dairy Queen. And about one week ago, one of his regular customers came in and ordered a sundae. Now, that customer is blind. So, the man placed his order, paid and then accidently dropped a $20 bill on the floor.
BLACKWELL: And then, of course, another customer picked it up. But instead of returning it to the man, that woman put it in her purse.
Prusak says he confronted the woman and gave her an ultimatum, either she'd return the money, or he would refuse to serve her. So, she left with the $20 but -- OK, this story gets better. Prusak handed the man $20 out of his own pocket. That is good customer service.
YELLIN: It really is.
And now, for today's must-see moment. Do you wonder what it is like to get a bird's eye view of things?
Well, you don't have to wonder any longer.
BLACKWELL: Yes, talk a look at this -- someone, we're not sure who or how, or even why, strapped a camera on the back of an eagle and the result is amazing. Look at this. The footage captures breathtaking views as this majestic bird soars above an area. This is the French Alps, lush green hills. Look how long this flight is. Just kind of soaring up there.
Amazing video. Again, we don't know who or why or how they strapped this camera to the back of this eagle. But it's great video.
YELLIN: That can't be easy itself. But that's just gorgeous. It's also a little bit causing vertigo. Can you imagine?
BLACKWELL: But we appreciate whomever did that. Thank you for starting your morning with us.
YELLIN: The next hour of your NEW DAY starts right now.
