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New Day Saturday
Senate Plan on Fiscal Crisis Gains Momentum; Starbucks CEO: Stop the Stalemate; Powerful Cyclone Bears down on India; Stocks Surge on Debt Deal Hope; Shutdown Closes National Monuments; Battle Over Redskins Name
Aired October 12, 2013 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): "Breaking Bad" may be over, but "The Walking Dead" is just beginning. We have a preview that will hopefully comfort anyone still mourning Walter White.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: And you made it to the weekend. Good morning to you. I'm Ana Cabrera.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. Seven o'clock here on the East Coast. This is NEW DAY SATURDAY.
CABRERA: There are growing signs this morning, Republicans in the Senate are fed up with their House colleagues and sources say they're giving the House just a couple of days max to make a deal on reopening the government and raising the debt ceiling.
BLACKWELL: If that does not happen, Senate will move ahead, aggressively with its own plan. It's spearheaded by a Republican and a Democrat.
CABRERA: CNN's Athena Jones is at the Capitol where both the Senate and the House will be working again today.
And, Athena, what do we know about the Senate plan?
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Ana and Victor.
Well, this plan that Maine Senator Susan Collins presented to President Obama when the Senate Republicans had their turn, meeting the president at the White House yesterday, would do a couple of things it would both raise the debt limit and reopen the government, which is something the president has said he wants to see out of any plan. It would also repeal a medical device tax that helps fund Obamacare. Support for that repeal or delay of that tax has seen some bipartisan support in recent times.
The other thing this would do is it would give federal agencies more flexibility to manage these forced spending cuts -- these deep spending cuts these departments have been operating under. So, that's one of the plans under discussion. We note that the president heard that plan. They called this meeting productive but inconclusive. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney spoke about where the White House stands on all this a few hours after that meeting. Let's listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It is our position that there is no acceptable reason to keep the government shut down. All it does is, you know, harm Americans who are out there trying to make ends meet. So our position hasn't changed there. And our position on the debt ceiling hasn't changed, which is that it ought to be removed by Congress as a tool or a cudgel in budget negotiations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: So there's a restatement of where the White House stands on all this. There is -- people are pleased that both sides are talking, that the rhetoric has been dialed back. But a final deal hasn't yet been sealed -- Ana, Victor.
BLACKWELL: Athena, it's interesting, that while the government was open, many of the weeks in Congress, four-day work weeks, now that it's shut down, a lot of them are six-day work weeks, they're back today.
What do we expect the Senate and the House to try to accomplish?
JONES: Well, interestingly enough, what they have planned at least right now for today, doesn't really have a lot to do with the latest plan we've heard from the Senate on the House side, they're hoping to hold a vote today on the plan that would extend the limit for just six week weeks until November 22nd. That's something the president is very cool to, as you know? But that could take place today.
On the Senate side, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is planning a vote that would raise the debt ceiling for a year. That's something we have indications from Senate Republicans, doesn't have a lot of support.
I spoke with one Senate Republican who said that's just a political stunt, that won't help us move forward. Members of Congress move forward on finding a solution that both chambers can pass and get to the president's desk. So, that's what's on tap today.
BLACKWELL: All right. Athena Jones at the Capitol, we'll check back in. Thank you.
JONES: Thanks.
CABRERA: She's been standing out there in New York harbor for 12 lonely days without any visitors. And now, the Statue of Liberty and other federal landmarks will be reopening. The state of New York says it is just losing too many tourist dollars because of the shutdown. So, now, it will pay the National Park Service $61,000 a day to operate Liberty Island. Meantime, Arizona has struck a similar deal with the federal government to reopen the Grand Canyon. It will pay the national park service more than $650,000 to operate the park for at least one week.
BLACKWELL: Good to see them open. Even just for a short time now.
The head of Starbucks says the American people have had enough with the stalemate in Washington.
CABRERA: So, now, Starbucks is having customers sign a petition to Washington, urging lawmakers to get the government up and running again.
And our Nick Valencia is at a Starbucks right here in Atlanta.
Nick, how many people have signed the petition there?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Victor and Ana.
Already one million signatures for this petition that just started yesterday, and Starbucks expects the number to go up significantly throughout the weekend. They've got about 11,000 stores nationwide, they average 20 million customers per weekend. So, if they're able to get every single one of those customers, which they're trying to do to sign the petition, do the math. That's a lot of signatures.
Already at this store behind me, 120 people have signed this petition. And earlier this morning, I spoke to one of those people. And she told me what she thinks about this petition that the CEO, Howard Schultz, is putting together.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: What about this gesture by the CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, to want to do this and encourage customers to sort of send the message to Washington? What do you think about that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he's awesome. I think he's -- I think it kind of goes along with the same thing where he did with the small businesses, trying to just trying to get everybody involved. Trying to get everybody to band together and make a difference. So I think it's great.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: Other people that we've spoken to, Ana and Victor, say that this is a very good idea. They don't understand how tangible the results will be. These petitions, they don't know what kind of message they will send to these politicians working on the partial government shutdown in Washington.
BLACKWELL: Hey, Nick, the Starbucks CEO, Schultz, he's no wallflower. He has waded into the political arena several times. He's talking about the debt ceiling. What does he say about what could really happen if this debt ceiling is not raised, especially in the next few days? VALENCIA: Well, he didn't mince words about it he spoke yesterday to our Poppy Harlow. They sat down for an interview in New York. And just take a listen. He talks about dire consequences if we don't end this partial government shutdown.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD SCHULTZ, STARBUCKS CEO: The consequences are dire. Our standing in the world, the fracturing of consumer confidence, the psyche of the American people, small and large businesses across the country will be significantly affected. No one will be immune.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: And it's very clear on the petition, they want three things. They want to reopen this government. They want to pay our debts, so we don't go into another financial crisis and they want a bipartisan and comprehensive long-term budget deal by the end of the year -- Ana, Victor.
CABRERA: Well, having this conversation over coffee is an example of bipartisanship, I suppose.
Thanks, Nick Valencia.
BLACKWELL: Got to start somewhere.
CABRERA: Yes.
BLACKWELL: Yes, for the second time this week, a top commander in charge of the country's nuclear missiles has been relieved of his command. The U.S. Air Force says it lost trust in Michael Carey's leadership. He had been under investigation over reports of misbehavior. A few days ago, the deputy chief of command at U.S. Strategic Command was demoted, reportedly over gambling allegations.
CABRERA: A potentially deadly tropical cyclone is bearing down on northeast India. We're watching this thing closely. It is gigantic.
BLACKWELL: Huge, Phailin is more than 1,500 miles wide. Think of this, it's roughly the distance from Maine to Miami. And it's packing maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour.
CABRERA: So, that's equal to a strong category 4 hurricane. People are clearing this area. More than 440,000 people already evacuated. Authorities say hurricane-strength winds could affect nearly 8.5 million people.
BLACKWELL: Phailin is expected to make landfall in give or take, five hours, maybe. Indian officials are taking what's called a zero- casualty approach. They're forcing everybody to get out, even if they don't want to leave. If they want to stay put, they still got to get out.
CABRERA: And they've learned from past storms that have turned deadly.
Let's bring in meteorologist Karen Maginnis in the CNN weather center to talk more about just how bad this storm could be in the storm's path right now -- Karen.
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is devastating. Could be devastating and is being compared to the tropical cyclone that made landfall just about in the same area back in 1999 that had over 10,000 deaths. Now, it's very close to shore and already on the backside of this. This is where we're getting some of that storm surge and they're estimating it could go up to ten feet.
And as this moves onshore, this is very low-lying area. There's a river basin, a number of river basins across this region. So the water is going to be pushed inland fairly deeply.
We'll expect it to reach category 2 or the equivalent of a category 2 hurricane. By Sunday, 70-mile-per-hour winds associated with this. It still has legs, moves into the interior sections of the state of Odessa, they're saying about 35 million people are in line or in the vicinity of this system that could wreak some devastating effects.
All right. We go into the mid-Atlantic, Cape Hatteras, over six inches of rainfall. That was a record. Also, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., not just for the day, but just all week long it's been very dreary, an area of low pressure offshore. That begins to move a little bit.
So, the good news is it starts to pull away. But in the meantime, we do have flash flood warnings and watches out for coastal sections of New Jersey, all the way down towards Maryland. You might expect another inch or two.
Frontal system slips across the Midwest. Breezy weather conditions and temperatures cooler. Chicago, you go from temperatures in the 70s, to Readings mostly in the 60s, in Nashville, 80s to 60s coming up.
And for Texas, rainfall is going to be coming down the next couple of days. Two to four inches, all the way from Houston stretching towards Del Rio, you'll see some isolated heavy amounts, not everybody is going to see that much.
Back to you, Ana and Victor.
CABRERA: All right. Karen Maginnis, thanks.
Still to come on NEW DAY: incredible video to show you as a fast- moving train slams into a tractor-trailer, sending debris flying everywhere.
BLACKWELL: Plus, another New York police officer investigated in connection with that violent clash involving bikers and an SUV driver. Wait until you hear what job he has in the department.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CABRERA: Stunning video out of Midland County, Texas, a freight train colliding with a tractor-trailer that was stuck at a railroad crossing. You can see that impact, sending the truck's flatbed full of pipes just flying. The train pushing the big rig down the tracks for about half a mile. Look at that.
Thankfully and amazingly, no injuries, the driver of the semi, in fact, had left the cab just before the crash.
BLACKWELL: That is amazing.
CABRERA: Well, three bikers have now been indicted in connection with the violent clash involving the SUV driver in New York.
BLACKWELL: Yes, Craig Wright, Reginald Chance, and Robert Sims are all accused of attacking Alexian Lien in front of his wife and child.
CNN's Margaret Conley is live in New York with more. Margaret, what's the latest on the investigation?
MARGARET CONLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor, seven bikers have now been arrested in the SUV driver's assault. Part of a high-speed chase with motorcyclists. Here in New York that was captured on video. That went viral.
Alexian Lien, by the way, the driver of the SUV, he was seen for the first time in public on Friday afternoon. You can see him in video shot by CNN affiliate WABC leaving his apartment building.
Lien was treated at a hospital after he was attacked and beaten by bikers two weeks ago. The incident also left one biker seriously injured after his SUV ran over him. But now onto the bikers who were arrested, three of them have now been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury.
They have been individually charged with either striking the SUV driver, using their helmet to smash open the SUV window or stomping on the driver's head after he was pulled out of his vehicle. Their next court appearance is going to be their arraignment. That's scheduled for October 30th, that's when their charges will with be made public. That's when they can enter their plea, about two and a half weeks away. The police are still looking for at least four other bikers who may have attacked the SUV driver.
BLACKWELL: So, there's a mention of this off-duty police officer, at least one of them, maybe more on the scene. What do we know about them?
CONLEY: Victor, one has been arrested. And we now have photos of him. His name is Wojciech Braszczok. He's 32 years old and worked as an undercover detective. We now know he was involved in infiltrating organizations including the Occupy Wall Street movement. We don't know why it took him three days to report to his superiors that he was there. And CNN has now learned that a third officer could have been on the scene. And this one works for internal affairs, the same department that's investigating this whole case.
Here's more on that from CNN's legal analyst, Paul Callan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: It's hugely significant. IAD officers are supposed to be the guys who really enforce the law. They enforce the law even against fellow police officers, The letter of the law. And to think that an IAD officer might in fact be involved in this incident, I think the public will be very upset and disturbed about this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CONLEY: Now the officer's lawyer told our Susan Candiotti that his client has worked with internal affairs for five years and he didn't see any of the assault take place. He said the officer didn't do anything wrong. Now, of course, Ana, Victor, all of this continues to be investigated.
BLACKWELL: Surprising the potential that there are three officers on this scene. When we heard of the first one, it was surprising.
All right. Margaret Conley in New York for us, thank you.
CABRERA: Now, it seems like people just keep coming out of the woodwork. >
BLACKWELL: Yes.
CABRERA: Still to come here on NEW DAY: the debt ceiling and Obamacare aren't the only things people are fighting about in Washington. A new fight has everything to do with football and one team's name. But will anything really change?
BLACKWELL: Plus, Cadillac goes luxe with its first plug-in car with a price tag to match. We'll tell you how much and why Cadillac says it's worth it.
(MUSIC)
CABRERA: But first a good morning to viewers watching in Atlanta. Gorgeous day in store here, sunny skies, 81 degrees. Got to love that.
Thanks for starting your day with CNN. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: Going to the table means it's money time.
Twenty-one minutes after the hour now. And on Friday, the Dow surged and investors pushed the index higher on hopes of a debt deal out of Washington. By the end of the week, the Dow gained back all of its losses since the shutdown began.
CABRERA: That upward trend began on Wednesday when the president announced he would nominate Janet Yellen to replace Ben Bernanke as Fed chair. Investors believe Yellen will continue with the Fed's current policies.
Computer sales are taking a bite out of Apple. Sales of the Mac computer fell last quarter. Apple was the only one of the five major PC makers that saw a drop in shipment. Some analysts say a lack of updates to the MacBook Air may to be blame.
BLACKWELL: Cadillac will release a luxury plug-in car early next year. It's the Cadillac ELR. It is pretty. It's got a pretty luxe price tag, about $69,000 after the tax credits.
Cadillac says the high price tag comes from the car's greater flexibility. Now not yoga flexibility. But the ELR can flip between electric and gas, which allows it to drive for greater distances than a traditional electric car.
CABRERA: You're a car guy, aren't you?
BLACKWELL: I like that, that's just pretty. That's pretty.
CABRERA: Yes.
BLACKWELL: Hey, time now for the Biz Block talkers. And we're going to begin with Facebook. A new chapter in this long-running privacy back and forth. The site is now making it harder for its more than one billion users to hide online. A lot of us like to hide online.
A privacy feature that allows you to hide your profile from other users is now history. Facebook is now probably not making a lot of friends with the new change. But it is defending the move by calling the privacy tool outdated and confusing.
CABRERA: Hey, if you have a Facebook account, isn't that the whole point, you want to interact with more and more people?
BLACKWELL: Some folks. I don't understand how it was really confusing. Was it?
CABRERA: I think Facebook is confusing, period. I'm not somebody who embraces technology.
BLACKWELL: I'll give it to you. It's hard to cope up with the changes.
All right. Well, normally you would get arrested if you left a restaurant without waiting for a check, right? Well, not any more. Now you're covered.
A new app for the iPhone is called cover. It let's you pay the check, you can even add in the tip without ever having to wait for the bill to be dropped off at your table.
Here's how it works. You register your credit card with this app. The app works with restaurants, but mostly those restaurants are in New York right now.
The idea is to make more convenient for you, since you don't have to wait for the check and makes it easier on the restaurants, who don't have to pay the processing fee of running your credit card. So, it should be a win-win I suppose.
BLACKWELL: It sounds like a good idea, hopefully they expand it. I would try it. I guess you got to keep your phone, though.
CABRERA: Yes, but everybody has their phone.
BLACKWELL: Washington's famous monuments are closed. But what on earth does the government shutdown have to do with crabs?
CABRERA: Plus how many kids do you have? One, maybe two? Well, imagine trying for baby number 20. A family with 19 apparently wants to try for another.
We have details coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CABRERA: Mortgage rates held steady this week. Have a look. We're back in a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CABRERA: Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Ana Cabrera.
BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good to be with you this morning. Here are five things you need to know for your NEW DAY.
CABRERA: Number one: evacuations underway in India, as the potentially catastrophic tropical cyclone turns towards shore. More than 440,000 people have fled so far. Phailin is more than 1,500 miles wide, just a huge storm. That's roughly the distance from Maine to Miami.
This storm is strong as a category 4 hurricane, with winds as strong as 150 miles per hour. They're already looking to coastal areas. Landfall is expected around noon Eastern.
BLACKWELL: Number two, President Obama and Michelle Obama welcomed Malala Yousafzai to the White House. Their daughter, Malia, was there, too, you see her in the picture. The Pakistani teen survived being shot by the Taliban for saying the girls have as much right to be in a classroom as boys. President Obama said Malala is helping the dreams of girls around the world come true by speaking out so courageously.
CABRERA: Number three this morning -- Minnesota Vikings star, Adrian Peterson, is mourning the death of his 2-year-old son, an apparent victim of child abuse. The boyfriend of the infant's mother has been arrested, charged with aggravated assault and battery of an infant. If convicted, he faces up to 40 years in prison. Now, Peterson says despite the tragedy, he plans to suit up and he'll be ready to play football tomorrow.
BLACKWELL: Number four, authorities in New Mexico are looking for this man -- his name is Scott Chandler, and he's the director of a ranch for troubled kids.
Well, he's missing, along with nine teenagers who police say were abducted from the ranch. Chandler's lawyer says all the teenagers are safe. But an Amber Alert remains in effect.
CABRERA: Number five, a zoo keeper was killed by an elephant at Missouri's Dickerson park zoo. It's not yet clear what caused the 41- year-old elephant to charge and then crush John Bradford, a 30-year veteran of the zoo. According to reports, the animal will not be euthanized.
Stocks are rallying and Wall Street is hopeful that a debt deal may be within reach.
BLACKWELL: And investors pushed the Dow higher Friday, gaining back all of the losses since the shutdown, and even adding to it.
CABRERA: Finally, a little good news this week.
CNN's Zain Asher joins us now with everything you need to know about UPS, the UPS and downs of the market.
Zain, are markets really behaving like all is right with the world and there's nothing to worry about in.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It seems that way if only that were true. The week ended as a net positive. But it certainly was a tumultuous week on Wall Street.
You know, I think this is certainly a lesson to investors that sometimes it is better to sit and wait it out as opposed to trying to second-guess the market, especially when it comes to something as thorny as the debt ceiling.
Friday we gained back everything we had lost since the shutdown. Take a look at the chart here. The Dow actually was up by 1 percent, the S&P 500 was actually up by 0.7 percent.
So, just to give you the week in review. We started the week with losses. Not major losses per se, but significant losses. I actually interviewed several money managers who were telling me that their clients were calling them, panicking, threatening to pull money out of the market. You know, there was a real fear in the air.
By Wednesday, the tide has changed, we had Janet Yellen nominated to head the Fed. So, that calm the markets down. By Thursday, we actually saw an end in sight. We actually saw that there could be a compromise. That set the Dow, it sent the Dow up by 323 points. The biggest one-day gain by the way since December 2011.
By Friday, I think the markets had sobered up a little bit, if you will. You know, we saw a deal, we were excited about it. But then it was clear, it's not a done deal just yet. But when you talk to everyone on Wall Street, I think that the general consensus is there's no way the government is going to let us default on our debt.
You know, we've lived through 2008, we've seen the nightmare played out and we've made progress since then and I think that very few politicians are going to want to jeopardize that -- Ana and Victor.
BLACKWELL: We've got less than a week until we hit the October 17th deadline. Are we expecting, Zain, that things will taper off as we get closer? Or is it confidence, as you said, is it going to hold until we get to that day?
ASHER: We have five days left until October 17th. And I think that you know, if you watch the markets until that day, we are going to see a little bit more upheaval if there is no concrete deal before Thursday.
What I think is interesting, though, is when you talk about the shutdown and the debt ceiling, the shutdown is actually having, it's a nonevent to the markets, but it is actually having an impact on the economy. Every week the shutdown lasts, that reduces fourth quarter GDP by at least .1 percent.
On Thursday, take a look, we got jobless claims that actually rose by 66,000, partly because of all the government contract workers who are looking for work, and also consumer confidence, take a look as well. That dipped to the lowest level since 2008.
So what's interesting is that the shutdown is a nonevent for the markets. But it is certainly having an impact on the economy. We are going to be watching closely. Because the market is more concerned about the debt ceiling and we are going to be watching closely to see what happens next week -- Ana and Victor.
CABRERA: Zain, any advice for investors right now? People who are watching their money in the market and wondering, pull my money out because we don't know what's going to happen? What do you think?
ASHER: I that it is very clear we actually don't know what's going to happen. There's so much uncertainty right now. And I think this week should be a lesson to everyone. Sometimes, sometimes a little money managers say it's better to wait it out. We had significant losses on Monday and Tuesday and by Friday, as victor mentioned in the intro, we had gained almost everything back. By Thursday we saw the biggest one-day gain since December 2011.
So, sometimes it is actually better to sit on the sidelines and not try to time the market -- guys.
BLACKWELL: Yes, we've got the clock on the screen there, five days.
Zain Asher in New York --
ASHER: Five days.
BLACKWELL: -- thank you.
CABRERA: Well, the partial government shutdown has hit several odd targets, things you probably would never think about.
BLACKWELL: Yes, would you believe everything from beer to reality television. Yes, CNN's Erin McPike a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN MCCLEVE, TOURIST: I'm not a trouble-maker --
ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): But John McCleve had had enough.
MCCLEVE: You talk to your children about doing the right thing and having courage, and about being devoted to a cause. And that president is my favorite president. I love Abraham Lincoln. And I wanted to go up there.
MCPIKE: So he did. Crossing this fence and leading hundreds after him.
MCCLEVE: We just walked past and everybody followed.
MCPIKE: The Lincoln Memorial opened by John McCleve for just a few minutes, but quickly closed again by park police, along with 400 parks across the country. Closures estimated to cost neighboring communities $30 million in lost revenue every day.
SYRINA DICKINSON, RESTAURANT MANAGER: We went from having a full restaurant to empty restaurant. As you can see, it's very quiet here.
MCPIKE: Those towns just part of the damage done by a shutdown about to enter its third week.
Among the other targets? The U.S. Chemical Safety Board, all but three of their career employees furloughed, putting a halt to 15 investigations, including the probe into this deadly fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, last April.
(EXPLOSION)
MCPIKE: Also affected? Craft beer and wine makers across the country seeking permits for new products.
SMITH MATHEWS, SOUTHBOUND BREWMASTER: We can't, one, put our formula in for the approval, or, two, even get a label to register it with the state to sell it to our distributor. So, we're completely prevented from brewing the next beer because of the government shutdown.
MCPIKE: And even -- reality TV.
FORK COLBURN, DEADLIEST CATCH: We're basically locked down.
MCPIKE: The cast of "Deadliest Cash" and other Alaska crab fishers can't open their season as planned on Tuesday, because the government hasn't set crab quotas.
COLBURN: If the government doesn't get their act together by the middle of next week, we're going to seriously impact our price at the dock. That's going to spiral down to coastal communities, little guys, processors. It's not just 80 fishing boats up in the Bering Sea.
MCPIKE (on camera): It's not just fishermen and brewers hoping for a resolution to the shutdown. This week, federal workers will get their first light paycheck without the money for the days they were furloughed since the shutdown began -- Ana and Victor.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CABRERA: Well, CNN's Erin McPike in Washington, everybody feeling it.
BLACKWELL: Yes, some things you never consider and the reality television angle, I haven't thought about.
CABRERA: And beer?
BLACKWELL: Yes, don't mess with beer.
Next on NEW DAY, the zombie apocalypse, last other's top-rate showed returns from the dead tomorrow. Will it live up to the hype?
Plus, Kanye West versus Jimmy Kimmel. Remember the all-caps rant on Twitter? We'll replay the rapper's enter entertaining excuse for the short-lived with the late night comedian.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CABRERA: Welcome back. We're in the E-Block. So, that means time for entertainment news.
BLACKWELL: We begin by taking a bite into the new sees be of AMC's hit show, "The Walking Dead." The zombie apocalypse is back and come this Sunday night, the scary walkers will rise again.
CABRERA: And joining us now for more, Jimmy Alexander, the co-host of Star 94's, "Mornings with Cindy and Jimmy".
So, OK, last season this show unbelievably to me was the number one scripted show on television. A first for cable, and of course, a zombie apocalypse who would have thought, right? Can they keep up the crazy ratings do you think?
JIMMY ALEXANDER, STAR 94: I think so. It's the perfect family show.
(LAUGHTER) ALEXANDER: I want to let you know, they film here in Atlanta. And if you see this morning what you think are zombies, it's not zombies, just people still leaving the aquarium from last night's event. But that's a different thing.
(LAUGHTER)
ALEXANDER: It's a great show, compelling characters and you put yourself, what would I do if I was in that situation? First, what you would do is make sure your son Carl doesn't shoot your wife.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
ALEXANDER: That was kind of sad.
BLACKWELL: Early on the first season.
ALEXANDER: That kid's a little creepy.
BLACKWELL: Here's the thing, I tried to watch this show, but the first episode when the zombies at the end are eating the horse, I couldn't watch it after that. That was just it for me.
So, they've got 16, I can look at your face and I know I can't let you say what you want to say.
ALEXANDER: In France, that's a delicacy.
BLACKWELL: I knew I had to keep going, 16 episodes for this season. Eight first, you know starting now and then eight later next year. I don't like when that happens.
ALEXANDER: From the bottom of my heart, when I say I hate, I hate that.
CABRERA: If you keeps you hanging --
(CROSSTALK)
ALEXANDER: Give us, give us -- give us all the episodes at once. Stop messing around, AMC, you did it with "Breaking Bad" and now this? Give us all the shows.
BLACKWELL: Not a fan of this.
ALEXANDER: No.
BLACKWELL: We've got to talk about Kanye and Kimmel.
CABRERA: Let's talk about Kanye and Kimmel. They had kind of this ongoing dispute, finally made nice with each other. What's the latest in that feud?
ALEXANDER: You know, my partner, Cindy, puts it like this. You have friends that you listen to and people that you pay. The people you pay is going to say you're a genius, everything you do is fantastic. Your friends tell you, hey, calm down you're a jack ass. He needs more friends.
BLACKWELL: Let's listen, I think we have sounds from this interview. Do we have the Kanye sound? Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KANYE WEST, RAPPER: The skit which I didn't even watch all the way through, because I didn't want to be infuriated. I said I know you, you know? So, a combination of me knowing you, but also me not knowing the person who put, you know, a bad headline on the cover of "In Touch" and me not knowing this person, I was like, this is the one person I know so I can go and let out everything that I feel about every single bogus weekly cover, every single bogus skit, every single rumor in barber shop. Everything that people is OK to treat celebrities like zoo animals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: OK. What do you think about that explanation?
ALEXANDER: Well, it seems like he's making excuses. I mean, when you set yourself up. I mean, he's, first of all, a talented guy, beautiful child, the mother of his child is beautiful. But you don't have to tell everybody how smart you are and you're a genius and you're like Jesus.
CABRERA: He's so humble, isn't he?
ALEXANDER: It's getting to the point two people who brag about themselves that much. One was Muhammad Ali. And the other was the Nature Boy, Ric Flair. He doesn't float like a butterfly, and he's not space mountain. So if he's not doing something on wrestle mania and he's going to have this feud with Jimmy Kimmel and he's going to fight at wrestle mania. It seems like it's a joke. Could he really have that little sense of humor about himself?
BLACKWELL: The album was "Yeezus", but extra points for the Ric Flair reference.
CABRERA: Kanye doesn't need any more air time.
Let's talk about the Duggars. Remember this family? OK, reality TV stars, parents of 19 children. And now apparently -- they want to have a 20th child?
ALEXANDER: That's a couple that needs a hobby.
BLACKWELL: They have a hobby.
ALEXANDER: I know, and apparently she's good at it and he's not bad. They have nine girls, 10 boys, and their 20 child. You know, if you watch their show, they're very religious and God bless them. They don't watch any shows unless it's like a documentary and I say that's --
CABRERA: They have plenty of entertainment going on in their house. ALEXANDER: You would think.
CABRERA: That many kids.
ALEXANDER: I think they need to have more, a better hobby than that, because they use all J names, they've already used the name "Jinger" spelled with a "J". I mean, if you get to Jinger spelled with J, you've run out of J names.
BLACKWELL: That's the name of the list.
ALEXANDER: I think so.
BLACKWELL: Jimmy Alexander, always fun.
ALEXANDER: Thank you.
BLACKWELL: We will do it again. Thank you very much.
Still to come, have you heard about the battle brewing in D.C.?
CABRERA: No. Not the debt ceiling? Not the government shutdown?
BLACKWELL: No.
CABRERA: We're talking about the battle to change the name of NFL's Washington redskins. We'll explain, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: Hey, buddy, you got something in you, if you could just -- yes, there's something stuck in your -- yes, Pennsylvania couple spotted this very unusual deer in their back yard. The poor guy has got a basketball stuck in his growing antlers, don't you hate when that happens?
The buck must have heard that the Pirates season ended with a loss in the NLBS. Now, he's ready for basketball.
CABRERA: How does that happen?
BLACKWELL: I don't see where it slips in.
CABRERA: The antlers will eventually come off, right?
BLACKWELL: He's dealing with it.
CABRERA: He'll be OK.
There's growing support to change the name of NFL's Washington Redskins.
BLACKWELL: A Native American group says the name is racist and needs to go. Even President Obama said, he'd take about changing the name if he owned the team. CABRERA: This is a conversation that just goes on and on, but the real owner, Dan Snyder, he's not going to budge. He says the name is here to stay.
So, what's next in this controversial and high-stakes battle?
CNN's Brian Todd reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A standoff that seems like the government shutdown, neither side budging, the president firing a news-making salvo. But this Washington drama is over the nickname of the city's NFL franchise.
Native-American groups feel they've got new momentum in their efforts to get rid of the name Redskins.
RAY HALBRITTER, ONEIDA INDIAN NATION: It's about the way our children are affected by the imagery of Washington's name and mascot.
TODD: Ray Halbritter and the Oneida Indian Nation are making a new push after President Obama's remark that if he were the owner of a team and its name offended a sizable group of people, quote, "I'd think about changing it."
The Redskins are firing back through their attorney Lanny Davis.
LANNY DAVIS, WASHINGTON REDSKINS ATTORNEY: There should not be a name change, which is not about race. It's not about disrespect. It's about loving the Redskins.
TODD: Davis cited a poll this year showing four out of five Americans don't think the Redskins' name should be changed and the only poll, which asks Native Americans specifically about it, taken almost a decade ago. That survey showed 9 out of 10 Native Americans were not bothered by the name.
(on camera): What do you make of the polling that shows -- that many Native Americans aren't offended and many others don't want the name changed?
HALBRITTER: That's a dictionary-defined offensive racial epitaph. You shouldn't be using that to sell a national sports team to America or to the rest of the world.
TODD (voice-over): NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stepped lightly into the controversy. ROGER GOODELL, NFL COMMISSIONER: If we are offending one person, we need to be listening.
TODD: Redskins' owner Dan Snyder, one of 32 owners who Goodell works for, said recently he'll never change the name.
But the Oneida Indian Nation will get the NFL's ear soon. Both sides said they'll meet with each together about the Redskins name next month. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CABRERA: Speaking of Washington, quite a sight this week. A man outside the Lincoln Memorial tackling the mother of all mowing jobs, all by himself, with his own lawn mower.
BLACKWELL: Yes, his name is Chris Cox and he's from South Carolina. He was shocked to see our national monument fall into disrepair, of course, because of the shutdown. So, he didn't shut down. He got up and went to Washington with his lawn tools, empty trash cans, patrolling on his bike at night and mowing.
So why is he doing all of this?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS COX, MAINTAINING MONUMENTS DURING SHUTDOWN: It's up to us at the end of the day, the citizens are the stewards of the memorials.
There's no reason that we can't have our open-air memorial open. As far as I'm concerned, this memorial is open. We have the tourists, we have security. We have our veterans. And if I have anything to say about it, we have maintenance and security.
And I would like to encourage all Americans to come forth and to find a memorial to bring a trash bag and a rake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: He has a flag of some sort too. I don't know what that's about.
BLACKWELL: Me neither.
CABRERA: Unfortunately, what Chris is doing, while laudable, is technically illegal and the park service eventually asked him to stop. In fact, according to Chris, one officer even told him the quickest way to get the regular guys back on the job is to not clean the monuments up, so people see it and then demand that something change.
BLACKWELL: Great attitude. But I get what that person was telling them. That if you let it get into this condition, someone will happily at some point come and do something. We just wonder how long the government shutdown is going to go.
CABRERA: And nobody can predict that.
BLACKWELL: Nobody can.
He's a pizza delivery man -- the dream of a pizza delivery man. How a magician can turn a few measly bucks into a jackpot for a guy who brings you your pie, all in the name of a decent tip. We've got that coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: Time now for the good stuff.
In today's edition, when it comes to helping people, all it takes is a little bit of magic.
CABRERA: Magician and YouTube fixture, Stuart Edge, was surprised to learn how little pizza delivery drivers make, well below minimum wage, especially once you figure in they use their own car and if they don't get decent tips, can be a tough situation for them.
So, Stuart came up with a new trick. You can see, he's got five singles, turns them into five 20s. Needless to say, the drivers thought this was pretty magical.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You made it work. So here you go, 20, 40, 100 bucks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's awesome.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. It is pretty awesome.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm tearing up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, don't. I'm sure you can use it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, definitely.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wait. Are you serious?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's not going to change back to 1s when I he drive home?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe it will change to 100s.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel like I owe you something now, definitely.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, just -- you gave me the pizza.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Yes. You gave me the pizza, we're good. That's a good question, though. Are we sure these aren't going to switch back once I get in the car?
CABRERA: Is this for real?
BLACKWELL: All those tips come out of Stuart's own pocket. October is National Pizza Month. So remember, especially tonight when you're buying some for your friends while watching the game, be sure to get something for your delivery drivers, as well.
CABRERA: Yes, give them a nice tip.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
All right. Must-see moment now. And if you're afraid of a robot takeover, probably two or three people are, I don't know, you might want to sit down for this one.
CABRERA: Well, there are crazier things. Meet wildcat. It's a military machine designed by a company called Boston Dynamics. It can run at speeds of up to 16 miles per hour, which means if this thing was chasing you -- well, yes, that would probably catch you.
BLACKWELL: Look at this. If that's not enough of a nightmare, check out this. It's the atlas made by the same company. It's a humanoid robot that can use tools, walk over the mountainous territory. Robots are to assist the military, carry equipment and other tasks.
CABRERA: It reminds me of "Star Wars."
BLACKWELL: Yes, I was just thinking about that "iRobot" movie. Remember that? Will Smith? These are amazing, keeping their balance.
CABRERA: Some smart people.
BLACKWELL: Hey, thanks for starting your morning with us.
CABRERA: The next hour of your NEW DAY starts right now.
