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New Day Saturday
NYPD: 2 More Bikers in Custody; Tornado Pummels Parts of Nebraska; House Plans Piecemeal Funding Votes; Snow Slams Midwest, Plains; FAA Furloughs 3,000 Safety Inspections
Aired October 05, 2013 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: The next hour of "New Day" begins right now. I'm Poppy Harlow, happy Saturday, everyone.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, two men now in custody for that clash between bikers and an SUV driver. And new questions about why an undercover cop who was there did nothing?
HARLOW: Also new this morning --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hard crash. Violent. Hard tornado. Wow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Tornadoes strike the Midwest. Destroying buildings, rolling cars and injuring residents. One local mayor calls the damage heartbreaking.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like the real enemy?
BLACKWELL: Remember that "SNL" moment? Now, Sinead O'Connor is in a war of words with Miley Cyrus on the eve of Cyrus' "SNL" appearance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Can't we all just get along? Can we all just get along?
HARLOW: No, there would be no news.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow.
BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Seven o'clock here in the East Coast. This is NEW DAY SATURDAY.
HARLOW: All right. Just in this morning, New York police have two bikers in custody accused of involvement in a crash between a group of bikers and an SUV driver earlier this week.
BLACKWELL: And police say one of the men, the one seen smashing out the driver's side window with the helmet, you've seen this.
CNN's Margaret Conley is with us now on the phone.
Margaret, what else do we know about the suspect -- oh, she's here with us in person. What do we know about this suspect?
HARLOW: Good morning.
BLACKWELL: Good morning, Margaret.
MARGARET CONLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor, Reginald Chance, he was identified by police as that man who was pounding his helmet into the window and smashing the window of that SUV van with a family trapped inside.
Chance, he's being questioned now, he's also suspected of being involved of beating that SUV driver. Police say Chance came to them voluntarily. And he is -- the charges for him, they are pending.
Now, the second biker, he's also in custody. Robert Simms, he turned himself in on Friday. He was captured getting off his bike in the middle of the road and approaching the van and trying to open the door of the SUV before it sped off.
HARLOW: So, Margaret, we've also learned -- there have been a lot of developments just in the last 24 hours. One of the things we've learned an off-duty police officer was actually one of the bikers who witnessed the incident. So, that raises a lot of questions why didn't he come forward to superiors sooner. It took three or four days. And why, frankly, didn't that officer step in?
What do you know about that?
CONLEY: Right, Poppy. As Susan Candiotti reported last night, there was an undercover police officer who was there. He belonged to a bike club. So, that's why he was there. But he was there on his off time. But that is the big question, Poppy, that everyone wants to know.
He -- the incident happened on Sunday, he didn't come forward until Wednesday. That's four days after the incident occurred.
So, right now, they're saying that could be a violation of NYPD policy. So the district attorney is investigating. And it's also being investigated by internal affairs.
HARLOW: Now, a lot of questions on this as it continues to develop. You know, it happened right on the west side highway. A place Margaret I know very well-being a place in New York, and a very, very scary thing, and it all playing out in a new video being released now as well.
So, we'll keep following it, Margaret.
CONLEY: Very crowded area.
HARLOW: Very crowded area. You're right. Thank you for the reporting. Wee appreciate it.
CONLEY: Thank you.
HARLOW: And we're now hearing from the man who witnessed the beating and helped stop the attack on the SUV driver. Sergio Consuegra spoke exclusively to CNN's Anderson Cooper. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: So, you were actually standing between one of the people who was hitting the guy with this helmet and the man on the floor, the driver.
SERGIO CONSUEGRA, HERO BYSTANDER AT SUV-BIKER ATTACK: Yes.
COOPER: You stood between them?
CONSUEGRA: Yes, between them. Yes, there was many.
COOPER: Were the motorcyclists saying anything back to you?
CONSUEGRA: Yes, one of the them with helmet on top of him and he say, no, because -- I told him, please stop. Don't -- let him go. One of the men, a short guy, he say, no, because he run one of us. So, I didn't understood what he was saying because I didn't know what happened before, you know, before anything else.
COOPER: He was saying that the driver ran over one of them --
CONSUEGRA: Yes, that's why he said -- that's what I heard him saying. But when I -- I kept -- you know, I didn't want to talk to him, engage in any, whatever situation that happened before. So I kept saying the same thing. You know, I stood my ground. And I looked at them in their eyes and they look at me.
So, basically there was a little tense moment of maybe a couple of seconds of looking at each other, they somehow got -- I don't know how they stopped, but somehow they stopped.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Sergio Consuegra stepping in to help there in a really dire situation. We're going to keep you updated on this story all morning as we learn more.
BLACKWELL: Let's talk about the weather overnight. A powerful tornado ripped through Nebraska last night. No one was killed fortunately, but flying debris, downed power lines and trees across the city of Wayne. The storm ripped off roofs, flipped vehicles.
Look at this house, crumbled belongings there. You could see this it's had a bus that's flipped over. Simon Brewer is a meteorologist and a storm chaser. He's on the phones with us from Sioux City, Iowa.
Simon, you were there when this tornado hit Friday. What was it like? SIMON BREWER, STORM CHASER (via telephone): Well, it was a very large and violent tornado. The conditions in the area were perfect for a tornado outbreak to occur. So, we're expecting all of these dangerous tornados to develop and cause destruction and injuries and possibly loss of life.
BLACKWELL: We've seen tornadoes over the year that either hop from one community to the next. And one house is demolished. The one next door is untouched. And then we've seen damage like the one we saw in Moore where communities are gone.
How would you compare this tornado to those? I mean, what is -- how widespread is the damage?
BREWER: Well, I'm not actually sure how widespread the damage is. But the tornado itself, how long a track it was, it went several -- tens of miles. And there are many tornadoes that were pretty long track and they're very strong. They're definitely high end tornadoes.
So, if these tornadoes were to go through heavy populated area, they would cause damage at least in some areas up there with the Moore tornado from earlier this spring.
BLACKWELL: Wow, we're going to see more pictures as the sun comes up over Nebraska.
Are tornadoes like this, you say there's one that went for miles and then others, are they uncommon this time of year?
BREWER: They're very uncommon this time of year but they're not unheard of. There have been F-5 tornadoes in October. In fact, there was an F-5 tornado in October in the state of Iowa quite a few years ago. I believe it was in the 1960s, if my memory serves me correctly.
So they're not unheard of, but they're very rare. And they have to have a special situation, kind of like yesterday, to occur.
BLACKWELL: Wow. All right. Meteorologist and storm chaser Simon Brewer. Good to have you with us this morning.
BREWER: Thank you.
BLACKWELL: As we look at some of these pictures and get a better idea as the sun comes up over Nebraska. We can see what happened last night.
HARLOW: And we want to tell you about more severe weather down south, along Gulf Coast, residents are preparing for tropical storm Karen. The second named storm to hit the U.S. this year. Karen might not be the strongest storm they face but it could bring some really serous severe flooding.
Our Indra Petersons is in Pensacola Beach, Florida, with more.
Indra, tell me what you're seeing this hour, because I know that it has weakened but still serious. INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. I mean, there's definitely a lot of concern here. The big question is will it or will it not hold together?
Yes, you talked about it weakening. Yesterday, we were concerned this could be a category one hurricane. It was right in the borderline of a strong tropical storm or cat 1. Today, it's weakened enough that it's actually one mile per over a tropical storm.
So, currently, 49-mile-per-hour winds, 39 miles per hour. That's what make it a tropical storm. If it weakens, it will be a depression. So, it's right on that borderline, which is a much better picture, and lot of people are here watching this or monitoring it closely, because they want to know will it hold together, will it even strengthen? What is going on?
The big changes that actually that it has slowed down significantly, only moving to the north at miles per hour. You can almost see the center of the guy trying to make its way north and all the clouds kind of streamed off to the right. It's really like ripping apart. And that's what we're looking at.
If it continues to go slow, it will continue to rip apart. Notice all the dry air in the vicinity. However, get over this speed bump, it start to curve to the northeast like it is expected to overnight tonight, then it could even have a tiny chance of strengthening, but at least it will be holding together, and we will have these concerns, of course, of a tropical storm.
Now, you already have Morgan City under tropical storm warning. That means the next 36 hours, they're going to start to see this strong winds out there. So, at least 39, 40-mile-per-hour winds, some stronger gusts out there. Heavy rains. Some places could see as much as six inches.
The majority of places, though, since it has weakened only about one to three inches and that's good. And we keep talking about those winds, that's going to be that big concern here as the storm pushes closer.
HARLOW: And, you know, whenever you have a storm weakening, I think people say I don't have to take it as seriously. Having gone through, you know, all of us in New York, Sandy, superstorm Sandy we know what these things can turn into even last minute. Are people there taking the threat seriously?
PETERSONS: You know, they're all saying, this is a gorgeous day, it's a beautiful weekend. But we are definitely smart enough. We've been through this before. We're going to continue to focus on what the forecasts say. Will it turn, will it not? Will it hold together?
They're watching hour by hour to make their decisions important leave or they stay. Like you say, they do have to take it seriously regards of what happens here even if it continues to weaken, that storm is making its way in, more rain in an area that is already 10 to 15 inches over for rain. There are flooding concerns and, of course, trees were just uprooted out of the ground so quickly that the ground so saturated. Still a lot to be concerned with.
HARLOW: All right. Indra, thank you. Appreciate it. Reporting for us in Pensacola Beach, Florida.
BLACKWELL: House lawmakers will be on the job today voting on spending bills for select government programs that may sound like a good thing but it's not going to end the five-day government shutdown. Five days thus far.
We were going to play President Obama's remarks on the shutdown from his radio address but as you can see, the shutdown has shut down the radio address.
CNN's Jill Dougherty now at the White House.
We're learning as we go through this, Jill, what actually is not accessible because of the shutdown.
What are you hearing about criticism of Senator Ted Cruz this morning?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, oddly enough, both sides, both Democrats and Republicans, are beginning to criticize him, the Tea Party approach. You have Dick Durbin and you also have Peter King, both from the opposite sides, and here's what they're saying about Ted Cruz.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DICK DURBIN (D), ILLINOIS: For goodness sakes, this is irresponsible and it's reckless. Why does this senator or the Tea Party Republicans think they can pick and choose the priorities of the American government?
REP. PETER KING (R), NEW YORK: You knew this could never work. You knew that from the start. That's why this was a fraudulent advertising on his part. And he's basically just being a con man. And how the House Republicans allowed themselves to be suckered in by this guy is beyond me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DOUGHERTY: Yes, so this is -- everybody has been caught in the cross fire in this one, Victor.
BLACKWELL: Our CNN's Jill Dougherty covering the government shutdown from the White House this morning. We're seeing how this is not only a fight between the White House and Congress, but also a civil war of sorts within the party, Republican Party. Jill, thank you.
HARLOW: All right. Well, House Speaker Boehner, you know him for a lot of things, one of the things he's also been known for are his tears.
BLACKWELL: Yes, he's OK with crying occasionally. A new political ad takes the crying to a new level.
HARLOW: Yes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(BABY CRYING)
AD NARRATOR: Speaker John Boehner didn't get his way on shutting down health care reform, so he shut down the government and hurt the economy.
House Majority PAC is responsible for the content of this advertising.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Yes, that's a tantrum-throwing, kind of whining, crying baby being likened to the speaker of the House. It's being released by the House Majority PAC, which supports Democratic candidates.
HARLOW: And the ad will air this Sunday, tomorrow night, in Boehner's district, during the Cincinnati Bengals-New England Patriots game, pulling out all the stops here.
BLACKWELL: Yes. We'll see if more ads come as the shutdown continues.
HARLOW: I would think so.
BLACKWELL: The car chase in the heart of the nation's capital ends in gunfire. Now, the driver's family, they want answers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why was my sister shot and killed with her 1- year-old daughter in the car and she was unarmed? Why?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Also in Washington, a man sets himself on fire on the National Mall, horrified onlookers rush to save him. We're going to tell you the latest on this bizarre and frightening incident.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: Well, the family of the woman who was shot and killed by police officers after leading police on a high-speed chase between the White House and the Capitol, her family said she did not deserve what happened to her.
BLACKWELL: Miriam Carey's 1-year-old daughter was in the backseat of that car. The child was not hurt. But now, the woman's sisters want to know why the officers fired the fatal shots.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VALARIE CAREY, MIRIAM CAREY'S SISTER: Why was my sister shot and killed with her 1-year-old daughter in the car and she was unarmed? Why? My mother deserves to know why. We deserve to know why. And we deserve a proper notification. The Carey sisters ask and demand for it. My mother demands it and respects that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Well, Carey's family tells CNN that she has been diagnosed with postpartum depression with psychosis, and she dealing with it, taking medication. But they also said that Carey recently told them that doctors have informed that she didn't need to be in her medication and that she could start tapering back from it.
BLACKWELL: And one day after that fatal car chase, there was another bizarre incident in the heart of the nation's capital.
HARLOW: Yes, a man is hospitalized this morning, in critical condition after he apparently set himself on fire on the National Mall. This happened yesterday afternoon.
Our Brian Todd is following the story for us in Washington -- Brian.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor and Poppy, a very bizarre incident at the end of a very disturbing week in Washington.
Late Friday, we got word that a man was on fire in the middle of the National Mall. This occurred just outside of the Air and Space Museum, only about six blocks away from the U.S. Capitol, the scene of where that car chase and deadly shoot-out ended on Thursday.
But on Friday afternoon, what a witness said he came across at that moment was a man on fire in front of the Air and Space museum, right in the middle of the National Mall. This witness said that he you saw the man's gas can next to him.
Police are not saying definitively whether the man set himself on fire but the witness indicates he believes that the man did do that. This witness said that five or six people had their t-shirts off, trying to put the fire out. We got there as emergency technicians and police were there loading the man on to a stretcher an on to helicopter to be medevac out.
We were told that he was later taken to the MedStar Washington Hospital Center. A report by police in the scene that the man at the time on the scene was reported to be conscious and breathing -- Victor and Poppy.
HARLOW: All right. Brian, thanks. Appreciate the reporting.
BLACKWELL: All right. Still to come on NEW DAY, do you think 600 bucks for a cell phone is high?
HARLOW: I think so.
BLACKWELL: I think 600 bucks could be a lot.
HARLOW: How about $6,000? Plus, you know the phrase "sinfully delicious?" We'll show you a burger that takes it to a new level. Chicago restaurant's unholy burger. That's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: Hear the coins, that means it's "Money Time." Twenty-two minutes after the hour.
Let's get a check of some business headlines.
HARLOW: All right. The Dow ended the week lower after eking out some gains on Friday. See the green there.
Investors have been rattled by the government shutdown, needless to say and the looming fight over the debt ceiling.
BLACKWELL: Usually, cheese and bacon make everything all right. But a Chicago restaurant is serving up a communion burger as its burger of the month. It's topped with unconsecrated communion wafer and comes with red wine reduction. Now, in this case, people think it's in poor taste, that's because the burger pays homage to a Swedish heavy metal band that mocks the Catholic Church.
HARLOW: All right. Have you ever wanted to get behind your own Mercedes? Probably all of us have. Well, the carmaker is now offering a CLA, that's a model that starts around $30,000. It's their effort to attract young buyers, to put them behind the wheel of a luxury car. Thirty thousand bucks is still price?
BLACKWELL: It's still pricey. Yes.
HARLOW: But (INAUDIBLE) like $11,000.
BLACKWELL: Yes. I'm going to keep my 2005 Nissan.
HARLOW: Your pickup truck.
BLACKWELL: Yes, old Rufus as I call it. No, time now to talk more business. Facebook is building a sweet apartment complex for the workers.
HARLOW: Yes, as if they don't get enough perks already.
BLACKWELL: Yes, the social media giant is working with the developers that have constructed almost 400-unit apartment complexes. Look at this thing. Resort style pool. It's a got doggy day care. Sports bar, gym, rooftop entertainment, deck, a few different themes there.
According to "The Wall Street Journal", the apartments will go for market rates. Now, the apartments will be no more than three miles from Facebook.
HARLOW: You know the strategy here, like free food at Google. The longer we can like keep you near here, you're going to be working.
BLACKWELL: Yes. But there are times even when I want to live, work, and just do something else.
HARLOW: Right.
BLACKWELL: I mean, I love to work. But at some point, I don't want to have to live in the man's house, too. I want to go home.
HARLOW: You don't want to live here at the CNN Center?
BLACKWELL: Yes, listen, we've got a hotel I can see from here.
HARLOW: We do right there, through the window.
BLACKWELL: But at some point I want to go home.
HARLOW: I'm sure it's pretty sweet, though, if Facebook is building it right there, in Menlo Park.
All right. Furloughed workers catching a few breaks. Hyundai, the car company, one of the companies offering a little bit of help. They are allowing furloughed employees to defer payments while the government is shut down. I guess they're hoping it's not going to be more than a few months or it's going to hurt them.
All right. Z-Burger, it's a franchise in D.C., they're offering free hamburgers to federal workers.
BLACKWELL: It's nice.
HARLOW: Very nice.
And then also wants some ribs (INAUDIBLE) --
BLACKWELL: Yes, please?
HARLOW: Pork Barrel BBQ, that's in Virginia, giving away free pork sandwiches for government employees. But -- this is an important but -- not giving them to members of Congress. They are paid, so they can buy their pork.
BLACKWELL: You could pay for your pork.
HARLOW: Done eating? How about a glass of wine? This is the one I would take. Glass of wine on the house, Mocking Bird Hill in D.C. offering a free glass of sherry to furloughed workers.
BLACKWELL: Well, that's nice that they're reaching and it's great that you can get a cheeseburger, you get two ribs and a glass of wine.
HARLOW: Yes, I think people just want their job back and the government --
BLACKWELL: That's true. They'd rather have the paycheck than the wine.
All right. So, how much would you pay or how much did you pay for your cell phone? Sometimes, they come free with a plan. And that's cost when they do. Most phones cost a few hundred bucks.
Not the constellation. Listen to these features -- it's made by a company named Virtu. This is going to run you $6,000.
HARLOW: Wow.
BLACKWELL: OK, here's what you get -- 4.3 sapphire crystal screen that can only be cut by a diamond. They can only be scratched by a diamond. Cats skin case. Access to private members club and closed door shopping experiences.
And the ring tones, this is my favorite part, they were recorded by the London symphony orchestra.
HARLOW: Look if that's necessary. All I have to say until you drop it --
BLACKWELL: Oh, yes, until you drop it. It's like, oh, OK, is there insurance for a $6,000 phone?
HARLOW: I don't know, I saw one of the stores in Las Vegas. I was wondering why is the cell phone store so nice? Now I know, 6,000 bucks a pop.
BLACKWELL: Yes, it beats your ring tone you get with the phone.
HARLOW: London symphony orchestra.
All right. Well, coming up, only essential workers on the job during this government shutdown. So, you'd think that airline safety inspectors would be essential. Apparently, that's not the case. We're asking is air safety at risk?
BLACKWELL: Plus, it looks like a blizzard, but it's not even winter yet. Snow is already slamming parts of the Midwest. Up next, we'll tell you if more is on the way.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: Mortgage rates dipped a bit this week. Take a look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: Welcome back. Bottom of the hour now, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow. Happy Saturday.
BLACKWELL: I'm -- I'm sorry. I would never want to cut you off. We're wishing folks a happy Saturday. I'm Victor Blackwell.
Here are five things you need to know for your NEW DAY:
First up, two bikers are now in police custody. They're accused of involvement in the clash between an SUV driver and a group of bikers this week in New York.
Now, an NYPD spokesperson says one is the man seen smashing the driver's window in the video. His name is Reginald Chance. The other is Robert Simms. They've not yet been charged. The bikers have said they were retaliating after the SUV ran over another bike.
HARLOW: Number two, a tornado smashes as many as a dozen homes in Wayne, Nebraska. Incredibly, no one was killed. The mayor there, though, says several people were hurt. The American Red Cross is sending teams to help that area.
And number three, authorities say four people died when a small plane crashed in northern Arizona. Witnesses say the Cessna 340 appeared to clip some tree and possibly a radio tower and plummeted to the ground and exploded. An investigation is under way.
BLACKWELL: Number four, fall just started but it looks like a blizzard hit South Dakota. An early storm shut down the roads look at this.
HARLOW: Unreal.
BLACKWELL: It's early October.
Tens of thousands of people have no power. Some parts of the state could get two more feet of heavy wet snow today. Officials are urging drivers just stay at home.
And five, more snow shut down parts of the interstate in Wyoming next door.
This is a good time to bring in meteorologist Alexandra Steele.
HARLOW: Yes.
BLACKWELL: She's in the CNN weather center.
What is going on? We've got snow in the beginning of October.
HARLOW: This is nuts.
ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, that's right. It's like the weather trifecta. We've got show. We've also got tornadoes, which are very rare where we saw them. And also, got a tropical storm making landfall.
So, certainly and the fire danger in California. We'll speak to all of it throughout the morning. But again, more snow is on the way. Yes, it's certainly is. Here's kind of a bull's-eye, right around Rapid City. So, no question about it, snow for this time of year, one of the top ten potentially. Even from Casper to Cheyenne, Wyoming, another 3 to 5 inches of snow expected.
All right. That's front, no pun intended, also the severe weather angle the tornado is not as strong today, not as robust. And also, the biggest threat today will be the winds even gusty winds coupled with some hail. Tornadoes size isolate. But here's where Chicago, down to St. Louis. That moves eastward. And then, of course, tropical storm Karen. Our own Indra is on the beach there. We'll take you there and talk about when it will make landfall and what we can expect. That's all coming up.
Victor, back to you.
BLACKWELL: Thank you very much, Alexandra.
HARLOW: All right. Let's talk about air safety in this government shutdown. Did you know that a third of all the FAA employees are sitting out -- sitting out at home right now, during this government shutdown?
Air traffic controllers, they, of course, are still on the job. Still on the towers but you might be surprised to learn that the FAA considers 3,000 safety inspectors among its nonessential workers. So, we're going to talk about some of the experts in the field.
Travel expert Mark Murphy, author of "Travel Unscripted".
And also, Mary Schiavo. She's an aviation attorney. Also, she was formerly the inspector general at the Department of Transportation during the last government shutdown, end of '95.
So, two good people to talk about this.
Mary, I want to start with you. So, these are workers that inspect repairs that are done. They inspect upgrades on claims. They're responsible for both that are done both here in the U.S. and overseas on our planes.
So, my question to you is, is air safety at risk as a result of this?
MARY SCHIAVO, AVIATION ATTORNEY: Well it depends how long this shut down is going to last. Technically, what these inspectors do is they oversee the designated inspectors who are employed by the airlines, by Boeing. And those people actually continue on the job because their paychecks are paid by the company.
So, the FAA appoints them to inspect and then the FAA oversees them. So what happened in '95 is they just stayed on the job. This time, it's a little different. So, if it's a short shutdown, they won't have a backlog of inspections to do. But really what the FAA does is they look over the shoulder of designated inspectors.
HARLOW: So, Mark, I want to bring you in on this, because talking about what it means for the traveler here, this is a relatively short shutdown so far. Who's to say how long it's going to go. But what does this mean for flyers? I mean, what steps are the airlines taking because of this to ensure that the fliers are safe?
MARK MURPHY, TRAVEL EXPERT: Well, I think you have to look at the airlines they want to have planes that are flying safely. And just like Mary mentioned, you have different levels of safety on the ground. I will point out that earlier this year, the inspector general came out with a report that talked about the maintenance facilities and the actual FAA inspections taking place and saying that those weren't adequate with those folks on the job. So, I think air safety is critical.
HARLOW: Wow.
MURPHY: And, Mary, to your point, with regards to these maintenance facilities. A lot of people don't realize a lot of the maintenance and repair are actually done outside of the U.S., in lower labor cost areas, hence, that's where I think one of the focuses needs to be and that's where it's been lacking.
HARLOW: So, can we talk, Mary, about who's going to certify the planes and say yes, indeed they are ready to fly?
SCHIAVO: Well, for the big manufacturers for example, let's take Boeing. Boeing already does about 95 percent of their own certifications. So they will go forward. What's really going to be crucial here is foreign inspections for one because the FAA does not cover them very well as it is, there are some foreign stations who almost never see the FAA, but also smaller operations in the United States, on demand air travel, private aviation, all of them don't have their own inspectors.
HARLOW: Right.
SCHIAVO: Those kinds of operations are going to be hurt.
HARLOW: Well, and interestingly, you know, Boeing who does most of their own certification, but not all has warned recently that the shutdown may delay its ability to deliver new plane to the customers.
So, Mark, looking at the customer impact, we have no idea how long this is going to go on. So, let's say it's two months, let's hope it's not, what does that mean for travelers?
MURPHY: I think what happens if you get to a month, two months, three months, that's where you're going to see the impact as far the flying public, because this can't go on forever. These people also are involved in the training of air traffic controllers and other folks that are critical to the air traffic system. So, if that continues, then you're going to see an issue.
Let's hope that it doesn't. I think if it does go further than where it's at right now, you know, two, three weeks out, we're going to have bigger issues to deal than just about getting people from point "A" to point "B."
HARLOW: Yes. Safety is number one. They can deal with the delays, but safety is the number one issue.
Mary, appreciate it. Mark, thank you for joining us this morning. This affects so many people -- thanks, guys.
MURPHY: Thanks.
SCHIAVO: Thank you.
HARLOW: All right. Well, the stalemate in Washington could mean higher dairy prices, milk prices in the aisle as well, that's because as long as Congress is gridlock on a budget, it's unlikely that lawmakers will pass a new farm bill.
BLACKWELL: That means you could see higher milk prices as soon as January. The farm bureau says the price of milk could double to as much as $6 a gallon.
HARLOW: Wow.
BLACKWELL: Other estimates put the price tag at $8 a gallon.
Gas is high. Milk is going to be higher maybe.
More fallout from the government shutdown. The Labor Department did not put out its monthly unemployment report on Friday.
HARLOW: Yes, it's a number that I'm basically always waiting for. I mean, this is an important economic number. Arguably, the most important one of the month. And the shutdown and no movement towards the solution has our CNN iReporters venting about this. Here is their message to Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am dying because of the political games that you are playing right now.
MICHAELA MARSHALL, CNN IREPORTER IMPACTED BY SHUTDOWN: Hopefully, this inspires some sort of voter participation so we can actually elect officials that are willing to go in there and compromise.
MARK IVY, CNN IREPORTER IMPACTED BY SHUTDOWN: Anyone paid attention to the last few clips which the nation has tethered on over the last five years should have known that the writing was on the wall.
KEVIN MCNALLY, CNN IREPORTER IMPACTED BY SHUTDOWN: I am married, two young children, and I am a federal employee. I have bachelors and masters in electronics in computer engineering. I work in the field of cybersecurity.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a 90-year-old World War II veteran. I don't recognize the country I fought for anymore.
MCNALLY: I know that many people have are certain disdain for federal employees that believe they're non-value-added. They believe they're all part of the jobs program. But I assure you that's not true.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is the Republican Party just there to obstruct everything? It seems that the Republican Party is united on one concept and that's obstructing and opposing anything. But has they brought up any ideas up to replace the things that they're opposed? MCNALLY: Most of the people I work with over the last years with the Navy, when the military at war, have gone above and beyond to ensure that the Navy has the best war fighting capability in the world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Enough already.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
BLACKWELL: Wow, those two words at the end from that 90-year-old World War II veteran are the most pointed I think. It's good to hear from all of them but enough already.
HARLOW: Yes. And, look, if you want to weigh in, just go to CNN iReport. Let us know what you think because one thing we know, this is impacting so many people.
BLACKWELL: It is. Quick break. We'll continue in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: Sixteen minutes to the top of the hour. We're now in the E-block. That means it's time for --
HARLOW: The fun block in the morning.
BLACKWELL: Entertainment! Yes. Let's start with the feud between Miley Cyrus and Irish singer Sinead O'Connor. And right now as O'Connor threatening legal action.
They've been going back and forth with each other this week through tweets and open letters.
HARLOW: And in one of those letters, O'Connor wrote, quote, "I'm extremely concerned that those around you have led you to believe or encouraged you in your own belief that it is in any way cool to be naked and licking sledgehammers in your videos. It is in fact the case that you will obscure your talent by allowing yourself to be pimped, whether it is the music business or yourself doing the pimping."
BLACKWELL: Now, Cyrus shot back on Twitter. In one tweet, she posted a picture of Sinead O'Connor's "SNL" performance -- remember this one? 1992, she was on "SNL", she finished the song, she ripped up a picture of the pope and said, as you heard, "fight the real enemy."
Now, in another, Cyrus references O'Connor's struggle with mental illness by comparing her to troubled actress Amanda Bynes.
All right. Let's talk about it all with V103 entertainment correspondent Kendra G. She joins us now on studio.
Thanks for coming in.
You're like, you can't wait to get in that. So, is it hypocritical? What's your take on this feud?
KENDRA G., V103 ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Oh, hypocritical is the word.
First of all, Sinead O'Connor, she does have some point, but she went about it all wrong. You wrote an open letter and belittled her in front of -- all of the world to watch. And like you just said, let's bring you back in 1992, when you're ripping up the picture of the pope. You have been down his line that Miley Cyrus is currently going in.
So, if she would have brought her to the side and said I want a side conversation with you, it could have been more meaningful.
BLACKWELL: Because it is not the way you do it, if you are really concerned.
KENDRA G.: Yes.
BLACKWELL: Like you don't write an open letter to say, hey, everybody I have this to say to you.
KENDRA G.: Right. BLACKWELL: Some would say that Sinead O'Connor because of that '92 performance, she is either the wrong right for the exact right person to give advice on how to and how not to perform?
KENDRA G: No. I think she's the right person -- well, she could be the right person, if she really means it in a nice and caring way. To me this open letter doesn't show that she really cares about Miley Cyrus. A lot of profanity utilized in the letter that obviously we can't say here on CNN. I didn't like the way she went about it.
HARLOW: But one of the messages in the letter was about the music business and music executives. Sinead talking about I guarantee those executives will be on their yachts in Antigua making more money off of it than you. Don't be taken in.
So, there was an interesting and arguably very important message. You just think the delivery was wrong?
KENDRA G.: Yes, don't get it twisted. To say, frankly, Miley Cyrus has a lot of money. So, she's on a yacht, too. She's not broke by any means necessary here.
So, I understood what Sinead O'Connor is saying. But I think she's bitter, to be honest. She's older woman in her career, and right now, she's quite bitter.
BLACKWELL: Yes, we hadn't said the name Sinead O'Connor in quite a while.
KENDRA G.: In a long time.
BLACKWELL: Let's talk about the next one. Actress Mia Farrow dropped a bombshell this week. She revealed that Frank Sinatra may be the baby's daddy. And by baby, we mean the father of her son Ronan.
HARLOW: Right. So, they have this son Ronan. He's the biological son of Farrow and Woody Allen. You know, after this news came out or Mia Farrow said this, Ronan, his son, sent out a tweet saying listen, we're all possibly Frank Sinatra's sons. So, I mean, making light of that.
What else you're going to do? How awkward is that?
KENDRA G.: First of all, is that bad that I really want Frank Sinatra to be the dad? How cool is that saying Sinatra is the dad? Plus, and I'm going to take you back some, Woody Allen is married to his adopted sister. He once said that he's my father and also my brother-in-law at the same time. So that would change if Frank Sinatra is the father.
I don't know. I kind of think it's ridiculous. I don't --
BLACKWELL: It's all a little uncomfortable. Speaking of little uncomfortable.
HARLOW: She's back.
BLACKWELL: Let's talk about the Britney video.
KENDRA G.: Oh, my gosh!
BLACKWELL: So, Britney debuted this new video for a new single. And it's got whips and chains and all things. There's no yellow python in this one. There's no boa.
But she says this is the tame version for the new video. She said actually she left out some scenes because they were too sexy now that she's a mother of two.
Is this still too sexy for a mother of two?
KENDRA G.: It is too sexy for the average mother of two. But not too sex for Britney Spears. I mean, first of all, her body looks amazing. It's the kind of body I would go to church in a bikini in. It's like, yes, sir, I'm sorry, the world had to see this body. Two children in.
But you know what? Britney is back like she never left. She's a bad mama gamma. I enjoy her. And the video to me is quite good. But it is very sexy.]
BLACKWELL: Yes.
KENDRA G.: So, I wonder why, what's the big takeout?
HARLOW: Moms can be sexy, too?
BLACKWELL: Yes.
HARLOW: And I didn't see the whips.
BLACKWELL: Well, maybe that's what she took out.
KENDRA G.: There's a point where she's whipping a girl on the behind in the video. That's kind of sexy.
HARLOW: Can we bring the camera when you wear your bikini to church?
KENDRA G.: Yes. And I hope it might be my last time. But just keep in prayer.
BLACKWELL: Kendra G. --
HARLOW: Next week's "E-Block."
KENDRA G.: Yes, yes.
BLACKWELL: Kendra G. Thank you so much. We always enjoy it.
KENDRA G.: Yes.
BLACKWELL: Still to come on NEW DAY --
HARLOW: She gives you directions, tells you the weather, even calls your mom. But how much do you really, do you really know about Siri?
BLACKWELL: We're introducing the woman behind the voice of Apple's personal assistant, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: If you have an iPhone, her voice practically echoes in your ear. She's Siri, Apple's personal assistant, checks your calendar, gives you direction, even calls your mom from time to time.
But do you really know Siri?
BLACKWELL: I really don't, but we are about to. Get ready to meet Susan Bennett. She's a professional voiceover artist from right here in the Atlanta area. And she's the woman behind Siri.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUSAN BENNETT, PROFESSIONAL VOICEOVER ARTIST: Hello. I am Susan Bennett. You probably know me. I'm the voice actor who provided the voice for Siri.
The first time I actually heard my voice as Siri was when my friend e- mailed me and said, isn't this you?
Not bad. Only two meetings today.
And because I didn't have the newest version of the iPhone, I went to the Apple site and that's where I heard the voice. I just went, oh!
(LAUGHTER)
Hmmm. That is me.
Siri, would you like to be interviewed by CNN?
This is about you, Susan, not me.
I started my life as a machine quite young. I was the voice of Tillie the all-time teller. The first ATM. I'm Tillie the all time teller. I work for First National Bank.
The Siri voices were recorded in 2005 in the month of July, four hours a day for the month. So, when I recorded those voices, I had absolutely no idea where they would end up. My voice can be heard on many GPS systems, many telephone systems.
Siri, who is the real voice of Siri?
When I first discovered that was my voice, to be honest, it was a little creepy.
Yes, it appears to be raining.
I'm used to hearing my voice maybe in the airport.
Thank you for using Delta Airlines.
But this real thing that you can interact with in your hand was a little -- it took some time for me to get used to it. But she and I are friends now.
I'm leaving now, Siri. Have a nice day.
Thank you, Susan. I hope you have a nice day as well.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: So, we all ask our Siri really interesting questions. Here's the first question I asked my iPhone.
HARLOW: This is for real, by the way.
BLACKWELL: Siri, why am I still single?
SIRI: An excellent question.
HARLOW: Oh, no. Last time she said, frankly, I was asking myself the same thing.
BLACKWELL: Yes, she did the last time. Apparently, there are different answers every time.
HARLOW: It is amazing.
BLACKWELL: There is my dating life with my iPhone.
HARLOW: Yes, I know. If you want to know more about her, this great story. You can go to CNN.com.
You know, our colleague who broke this story has this amazing story about how she got her to talk. BLACKWELL: The other thing is Siri actually, or the actress Susan lost her iPhone. She lost her iPhone. So, imagine you are looking for your own voice somewhere in your house.
HARLOW: And our crew here on the floor wanted to know if she gets paid every time someone uses Siri.
BLACKWELL: Oh my gosh. She'd be --
HARLOW: That would be nice.
BLACKWELL: She'd be a billionaire.
HARLOW: She would be.
All right. Coming up, a soldier says he owes his life to a 12-year- old boy.
BLACKWELL: When the man's kayak flipped over, he thought he was OK, until he wasn't. We'll tell you about that young hero's courage. That's coming up after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: You hear the music, you know what it means. Time for the "Good Stuff", where we bring you a good story that is making headlines.
This one about a soldier from Colorado, who says he owes his life to 12-year-old hero.
BLACKWELL: Yes, Staff Sergeant Wesley Patton was kayaking when rough water knocked him out of the boat. At the time, Aden Pruit (ph) was fishing with his dad. Now, when they saw that Patton went under the water, they threw him a life jacket and helped him into the safety boat.
HARLOW: And it was then when he had the asthma attack and then Aden came to his rescue, just in time, ran to the car, grab the inhaler, brought back it back to him. Patton said later about the 12-year-old, quote, "I'll live another day because of him."
Wow, brave 12-year-old boy. Good job.
BLACKWELL: Thanks for watching this morning. Next hour of NEW DAY starts now.
