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New Day Saturday

LAX Terminal Three Remains Closed After Shooting; Shooting Shines Spotlight On Security; Boston Celebrates World Series Wi; Official: Gunman Cited "New World Order"; Obama's Second Term Missteps; Web site Slows Obamacare Sign-up; Red Sox Victory Parade in Boston

Aired November 02, 2013 - 08:00   ET

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

ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Alison Kosik.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. Welcome to your weekend. It's 8:00 here on the East Coast. This is NEW DAY SATURDAY.

KOSIK: And it won't be easy for workers at Los Angeles International Airport to return to work this morning.

BLACKWELL: Yes, they're going to return to an airport where one terminal is a crime screen, Terminal Three where yesterday's shooting left one TSA officer dead and two more injured. Here is the latest. Counselors will be on site for anyone who just needs to talk after yesterday's shooting.

A lot of passengers are still waiting for word on when they can collect their luggage left behind. Also the FBI says the suspected gunman is 23-year-old Paul Ciancia and they are learning why his family was concerned about his behavior before the shooting.

CNN is bringing you coverage of this story like no one else can with crews on the ground from Los Angeles to new details about the accused gunman from his hometown.

KOSIK: Let's go ahead and begin this morning with the latest developments from LAX and Dan Simon. Dan, tell us how did this all go down?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Alison. Authorities are still trying to determine the exact motive here, but it seems that this is someone who had extreme hatred towards the TSA. We are also learning that he had writings on them that made reference to, quote/unquote, "the new world order." As for Terminal Three, it remains closed. It is not clear yet when it will reopen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This has got to be a major, major incident working here at LAX.

SIMON (voice-over): Los Angeles International Airport, 9:20 a.m. local time. The FBI says 23-year-old Paul Anthony Ciancia enters Terminal Three, pulls a rifle from a bag and opens fire. CHIEF PATRICK GANNON, LOS ANGELES AIRPORT POLICE: He proceeded up into the screening area where TSA screeners are and continued shooting and went passed the screeners back into the airport itself.

SIMON: At the security checkpoint, TSA officers who are not armed are shot. One, 39-year-old Gerardo Hernandez is killed. He is the first TSA officer to die in the line of duty since the agency was established in 2001. Authorities say after his way through the security checkpoint, Ciancia manages to make it all the way down this hallway. They say he is stopped by police in the food court area. Hundreds run for their lives.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was complete panic. People were screaming. I saw children crying.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pure and utter mayhem. People are tripping over each other on the floor, bags everywhere. Crying, screaming.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody started like flying down the hallway and they were just like jumping over chairs and people, hiding -- we were kind of trapped at the end of the terminal.

SIMON: Trapped with nowhere else to escape. Some passengers run onto the airport tarmac. Others use anything they can to protect themselves.

LINO LINARES, EYEWITNESS: The first shot just caught us off guard. Second shots went in, and then I just grabbed luggage and started making walls and walls out of luggages. I could see the guy walking towards the escalator.

SIMON: After making it hundreds of feet into the terminal, the gunman is shot by police multiple times in the chest and lives. Though the motive is still unclear, a federal law enforcement official says investigators found information on the suspect expressing anti- government sentiment and also angry at the TSA specifically. But what is clear, the gunman was intent on causing much more destruction. Authorities say he had additional ammunition.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were more than 100 more rounds that could have literally killed everybody in that terminal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIMON: Airport police fortunately able to take down the suspect, but CNN has learned that airport police were actually removed from TSA check points earlier this year. They had been there since 9/11 and it certainly raises questions because if those officers were at that checkpoint, perhaps they could have engaged the suspect earlier and had a different outcome -- Alison.

KOSIK: OK, Dan Simon at LAX this morning. Thank you. Paul Ciancia attended an all boys Catholic high school in Wilmington, Delaware and he lived just across the Delaware River in Pennsville, New Jersey. That is where CNN's Chris Lawrence is this morning. Good morning, Chris. What are people in Pennsville telling you about Ciancia? CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Alison, they're basically saying this would make a whole lot more sense if it were someone else. If there had been a mistake and this is the wrong man. Friends are telling us that they never had any indication about any sort of ties to any sort of radical thoughts or groups. The family is telling police that they had no indication he had any mental health issues. That they did not know that he owned a rifle.

And they say he was back here at home just this summer for a wedding and nothing seemed to be the problem. The only indication or the first indication that they say they got was a text message on Friday morning from Paul Ciancia to his little brother here at home. That text message was alarming. It indicated that Paul Ciancia might try to harm himself.

At that point, the brother told his dad, look, something is wrong. Look at this text message. The daddy immediately called the local police who then called their counterparts in the LAPD to try to check out what was happening with Paul Ciancia, all of that time not connecting it to what was going on simultaneously already at LAX.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF ALLEN CUMMINGS, PENNSVILLE, NEW JERSEY POLICE: To be honest with you, I don't think that any -- we were able to connect any of this together. You know, small town like Pennsville, we followed it up. And our procedure is if someone is concerned about a family member, we call that local police department and do a well-being check, and that's basically what we did. It came back he wasn't home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE: Basically at that point by the time the LAPD had got to the apartment, his roommates were home but he was not. The roommate said they had seen him the night before and he seemed fine at that point. He was already at the airport -- Alison.

KOSIK: Chris, any idea if the family had any links to law enforcement? I ask this because there's a question of how he got a hold of these kinds of weapons or the weapon.

LAWRENCE: Yes. The dad is well-known in the community, local business owner. He is also an associate member of the Fraternal Order of Police, longstanding relationship with the police chief. That's how he knew to call him. It's interesting though. I talked to someone who knew Paul Ciancia here. He said, well, I didn't really know him that well.

And I asked him, you know, who are his friends that he sort of kept in contact with? Remember, he lived there his whole life. He just left and moved out west about a year and a half ago. And he told me, I don't know anyone who he was really close to, a close friend that he was still in contact with. So it doesn't appear that he had really deep fingertips or social ties here in the very community that he grew up in.

KOSIK: OK, Chris Lawrence in Pennsville, New Jersey. Thank you.

LAWRENCE: Of course, the shooting is shining a light on airport security again. And police say Ciancia was armed with an assault rifle when he entered LAX and then just started shooting. Now some people are asking whether airport security needs to be even tighter.

CNN's Nick Valencia is at world's busiest airport, Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson. Nick, good morning. What is security like this morning there?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Victor. I just want to point out yesterday we were here hours after the shooting at LAX and we saw airport police quickly ushering along people that were dropping off their friends or family today this morning here at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. It doesn't seem to be that way.

We were inside a little while ago. Security lines are moving quickly. In fact it's taking less time to get through security checkpoints today, this morning, than it usually does, though airport officials do tell us, Victor, that they have increased security in plain clothed officers.

So even if we don't see those officers in official uniform, they say that they are here and around. Earlier, I was talking to passengers who were getting ready to board flights. Some had no idea what happened yesterday, believe it or not, while others say that they were a little nervous. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIMYRA MILHOUSE, TRAVELER: Hopefully nothing happens. I'm praying that nothing happens. I'm praying for the people over at LAX. It was very tragic what happened. But I think that as you can see, everybody else is going to get on their flight as well. So hopefully nothing happens and hopefully the nation will be able to come together on this.

(END VIDEO CLIP

VALENCIA: And so far no major delays here this morning, but it's definitely on the minds of what happened yesterday, definitely on the minds of some people traveling out today -- Victor.

BLACKWELL: Nick, you and I fly in and out of Hartsfield-Jackson several times a week. Describe, if you would, everything that there is before you get to a security checkpoint and if there's anything that's changing from officials there.

VALENCIA: I mean, there might be some long-term changes, of course, and that would come with time. But anything that would happen here in hours or days after the shooting might be perceived as a knee-jerk reaction. But there's a lot going through, in fact, I was just talking to a man now, as you get passed TSA, there's Atlanta police officers that are sort of overlooking. And there was an armed police officer there. It didn't appear to be the case there at Los Angeles International Airport. I'm from Los Angeles, very -- two very different airports here and the processes of going through screening. It's a standard screening that you get from TSA, but not the same barricades that you see here in Atlanta as you would see in Los Angeles.

BLACKWELL: All right, Nick Valencia there at Hartfield-Jackson for us covering the story. Thank you, Nick.

KOSIK: And shifting gears, it's been a rough six months for Boston, but the Red Sox, the team hoping to heal the city. Alexandra Field is live in Boston with a preview of the big day for Red Sox fans -- Alexandra.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alison, crowds are already arriving by the thousands to celebrate the Red Sox victory. In Boston, I'm Alexandra Field. We'll have more on a moving tribute that the team has planned coming up on NEW DAY Saturday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Live look at Boston this morning. Boston Strong as crowds come out to celebrate the Red Sox World Series title. This parade starts at 10:00. It's going to start at Fenway Park and finish in by the Charles River, two dozen duck boats as part of this celebration today. Again, I've said it several times this morning, not just the city of Boston, but people across the country celebrating for a city that's still healing after that April bombing at the marathon.

KOSIK: A much needed celebration.

BLACKWELL: Absolutely.

KOSIK: From worst to first and from tragedy to Boston Strong.

BLACKWELL: In just under two hours as we said the Red Sox fans getting ready to show the home team just how much they appreciate Wednesday's big World Series victory.

KOSIK: CNN's Alexandra Fields is live in Boston with more. Alexandra, good morning.

FIELD: Alison, it's a morning filled with emotion here in Boston, much of it good emotion, of course. Right behind me the crowds are gathering by the thousands in the same spot where they stood six months ago to watch the Boston marathon. They now have a reason to celebrate and to cheer.

They will be out here applauding and paying tribute to the Red Sox World Series champs. But we are told the team will also stop along the parade route. They will pause at the marathon finish line to pay tribute to the marathon survivors. Here is what one of those survivors is saying about that honor this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HEATHER ABBOTT, BOMBING SURVIVOR: It felt like we were a city that had such a tragedy happen and we were able to be resilient and heal over the course of the baseball season coincidentally.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FIELD: Today's parade taking on special meaning, but this is a town that loves baseball and this is a town that loves the Red Sox. So these parades have always drawn huge crowds. Back in 2004, it's estimated that more than 3 million people lined the parade route. And back in 2004, it's estimated there were about a million people cheering on the World Series champs -- Alison, Victor.

KOSIK: Alexandra, let's talk about security. Obviously it's going to be pretty tight. What extra measures are you seeing at this point?

FIELD: Well, Alison, this is the largest public gathering, of course, since the marathon and of course, this parade follows part of the marathon route. So security is top of mind this morning. We are seeing uniformed police officers all over the city. Boston police say that they have added, of course, extra uniformed and non-uniformed officers.

Their presence is important to the crowds who want to be here today. We are also told that anyone who brings a backpack out here to the parade could have that backpack randomly searched. So again, security is the most important matter this morning -- Alison, Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right, Alexandra Field in Boston this morning. Thanks for that. Stay with us throughout the morning. We'll be covering the parade live when it kicks off in less than two hours. Again, at 10:00, you can check out the parade on cnn.com/live.

And we have a big get this morning. We've got Boston famed Red Sox announcer, the announcer for the Boston Red Sox, Joe Castiglione who is on the phone with us right now. He is at the parade route. First, I want to ask you about the energy there and the feeling because this is no ordinary parade for a team that just brought home the pennant.

JOE CASTIGLIONE, RADIO ANNOUNCER, BOSTON RED SOX (via telephone): People are so fired up because the Red Sox went from worst to first. They lost 93 games last year and won 118 this year. And it was a big surprise and we're very excited.

BLACKWELL: Give us an idea of the level of responsibility that the players took on. I mean, we remember that moment when David Ortiz walked out and said this is our city after the bombings. Talk about what changed for the players.

CASTIGLIONE: Well, that night after the marathon bombings, we went to Cleveland and every player went out to dinner together, which doesn't happen very often in baseball. It sort of brought them tight together and they really understood the responsibility. But they really understood what was -- what they could do to help. They went in groups of five to visit the victims in the hospitals and I think it really helped unify this team. KOSIK: This is Alison Kosik here as well with Victor. Tell me about the parade. Who is going to be involved in it? Who could we see?

CASTIGLIONE: Now all the players will be on duck boats, which, of course, is a Boston tradition and they'll go down Boston streets and go by the bombing site. After that they go into the Charles River and have some fun there.

KOSIK: Any baseballs in the river?

CASTIGLIONE: There may be. There may be people throwing baseballs.

BLACKWELL: Joe, after that long drought, many called it the curse, there was the '04 win, there was the '07 win, but those were on the road. This is the first World Series win since 1918. What does it mean? Put it in perspective for us at Fenway Park since 1918?

CASTIGLIONE: The first two were tremendous. So I don't think it was -- it was different, the one at home, because the fans and -- the fans are very well behaved. People stay in their seats for an hour and a half and two hours after the game was amazing.

KOSIK: Just an amazing comeback from last year?

CASTIGLIONE: Yes, it was night and day from 93 losses to 108 wins, really sensational. So many people involved, the players, general manager, the manager, they all did such a wonderful job.

BLACKWELL: What's the role of this team in the city? We all know people from Boston, but especially now as the healing continues just a few months after the bombing? What is their new role if it has changed or intensified in this city?

CASTIGLIONE: Well, I think the Red Sox has always been number one, so I don't know if the role has changed. But I think the players are more civically aware of what's going on and what their responsibility has been. They really got -- took this thing to heart and I think this was part of the thing that drove them, and they really were the instigators of Boston Strong.

KOSIK: Did you happen to cover the marathon, the bombing, were you there?

CASTIGLIONE: No. We were out in the box getting ready to go to Cleveland about 45 minutes after the game ended.

KOSIK: But you certainly felt the effects, didn't you?

CASTIGLIONE: Yes, we did. In fact my family was heading over there and I called to stop them because they had gone to the game, which, of course, is always a big sell-out. And it was certainly a very, very scary time. And many times our players' wives run in the marathon. There were none this year, but it happened about 50 minutes after the game ended.

BLACKWELL: And give us an idea of the energy and the feeling. We talked about today, but that night when it was clear and everybody watched it on television, the Boston Red Sox, World Series champions. Take us in Fenway Park that night.

CASTIGLIONE: It was a 6-1 game. So after we ended the curse in '84 after 86 years without a win, I think people expected us to win. There was great anticipation. But a lot of joyous people, I think, and they celebrated in the right way. You know, they still are sort of pinching themselves that this happened because of the worst to first.

BLACKWELL: All right, Joe Castiglione, the announcer on radio for the Boston Red Sox. It is a pleasure to talk to you this morning. Enjoy the parade. Of course, sir, we celebrate with the city of Boston and the team.

CASTIGLIONE: Well, thank you so much.

BLACKWELL: Thank you for speaking with us. And we'll continue or coverage throughout the morning with the big celebration in Boston and the parade that starts at 10:00. We'll have it her on air, but you can watch it online at cnn.com/live.

KOSIK: OK, but first it's been a decade since an American male won a tennis grand slam event, but John Isner would like to break that dubious streak in 2014. Here's this week's "Open Court."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think you can too.

PAT CASH, HOST, "OPEN COURT": Well, John's great asset is his height. That height gives him the opportunity to get angles the normal players don't get.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where are we in tennis in the U.S.?

JOHN ISNER, NUMBER ONE RANKED U.S. PLAYER: I think in the '70s, '80s, '90s, I think American tennis fans were spoiled. I think you've got to look at the era that our guys are playing in. Djokovic, Federer, we were a bit spoiled in the past.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: So, if you're heading to the parade in Boston for the Red Sox, what's the weather going to be like?

BLACKWELL: Let's bring in meteorologist, Alexandra Steele, to tell us. How about it?

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: All right, well, actually pretty nice. I mean, not as warm as yesterday. Yesterday was 72 degrees. For a high in Boston, you should be at 53 currently cloudy skies and 54 so temperatures today rising into the 60s, well above average, 64 will be the high. But tomorrow temperatures fall down 40 degrees. We are going to see temperatures only at 45 in Boston.

So a big time cool down behind the front, but a beautiful day, no question about it, today with cloudy skies and warmer than average. And don't forget when you go to bed, fall back, daylight saving time ends so an extra hour of sleep for all of us tomorrow morning -- guys.

KOSIK: Alexandra Steele, thanks. Music to my ears, extra sleep. Love that.

BLACKWELL: Still to come on NEW DAY, a gunman at LAX was apparently after TSA officers and now we're learning he may have believed a conspiracy theory, one involving a secret plot for a shadowy group to seize power. We have details on that still ahead.

KOSIK: Christine Romans has a preview of "YOUR MONEY" coming up in an hour from now. Good morning, Christine.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Alison and Victor. Your political leaders playing a dangerous game, gambling with the financial future of all Americans. Poker champion Annie Duke is holding the winning hand to end the stalemate. She's going to reveal her cards right here at 9:30 a.m. Eastern on an all new "YOUR MONEY."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back. I'm Alison Kosik.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. A pleasure to have you, of course.

Here are five things you need to know for your NEW DAY. Up first, law enforcement at Los Angeles International Airport are mourning the TSA officer shot and killed at the airport on Friday. They plan to wear black bands on their badges in honor of Gerardo Hernandez. He was working as a travel document checker when he was shot. TSA says he would have turned 40 next week.

KOSIK: And number two, from worst to first and from tragedy to Boston strong. In about 90 minutes the remarkable historic an unexpected Red Sox World Series parade is kicking off. Security is a priority and the streets are expected to be packed. We're going to be covering the parade when it kicks off at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. You can also check it out on CNN.com/slide.

BLACKWELL: Number three, a suspected U.S. drone strike had killed a Taliban leader in Pakistan. The U.S. believes that Hakimullah Mehsud played a role in a deadly attack on a U.S. military base in Afghanistan back in 2009. Three other people were also killed. The Pakistani government issued a statement saying it strongly condemns the drone strike.

KOSIK: Number four, Edward Snowden wants to testify on Capitol Hill. That's according to a German lawmaker who met with the NSA leaker in Moscow. Snowden has previously sent the lawmaker a letter offering his testimony to German officials. Snowden's lawyer says he will only testify once his humanitarian situation is resolved. He now has temporary asylum in Russia.

BLACKWELL: Five now. The U.S. attorney with the support of the FBI will investigate the death of a Georgia teenager. 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson was found dead in a rolled gym mat at school. Now police say he died accidentally. No foul play, his parents think he was murdered.

And this all follows an ongoing CNN investigation. We've uncovered new details and raised -- well at least passed on the questions from the family about the initial sheriff's department investigation.

KOSIK: And back to our lead story this morning. CNN has learned new information about the suspected LAX shooter. Accused gunmen Paul Ciancia may be a conspiracy theorist. Federal officials say he had materials referencing the New World Order.

BLACKWELL: CNN's Barbara Starr is live in Washington. Barbara what are officials saying about this angle?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well so far what they are -- federal law enforcement official is telling CNN that materials found on the shooting suspect included a rant that appeared to reference The New World Order as well as anti-TSA, anti-government claims. Not clear what gave rise to these references.

Federal investigators so far say they've found no links to known groups or anything in the suspect's background to explain any of this. When people talk about the New World Order it generally refers to a conspiracy theory that there are mysterious elites out there who are forming an authoritarian single government. This is the general theory of what the New World Order is. Investigators, of course, still looking into all of this.

KOSIK: Barbara CNN has learned actually earlier this year that armed police officers were actually removed from TSA check points at LAX for the first time since 9/11. Do we know more about what was behind that decision?

STARR: You know we don't at this point. Our CNN's Dan Simon out in California is reporting that these officers were removed from TSA checkpoints at LAX earlier this year. They've been stationed there since 9/11. The decision was made that they could now roam the terminal and move around with the provision that they were never more than two minutes away from a checkpoint.

And what we do know of course is there was a massive law enforcement response when this tragedy unfolded. Not clear what the new procedure, why it was really put into place.

BLACKWELL: So Barbara reportedly President Obama spoke with the mayor of Los Angeles and the head of TSA. Any details of that conversation?

STARR: Well, look. The President, of course, expressing his condolences to the TSA workers, to the family of the fallen officer. But also, make no mistake this is now a very critical law enforcement investigation for the FBI; whatever the motivation, whatever the circumstances security analysts are pointing out that this is the closest an armed gunman has really gotten to a cockpit since 9/11. That may not have been the person's motivation in this incident, but it does mean that they really need to really take a hard look at security and see if there are any changes they're going to want to make.

BLACKWELL: Barbara Starr in Washington. Thank you very much for that.

KOSIK: Miscues and stumbles, President Obama's second term seems to have been filled with them. Our NEW DAY political panel is going to weigh in live.

But first --

BLACKWELL: Heartache and loss are no strangers to country music stars. The songs often capture the pain (inaudible). But country singing star Clint Black is taking his star power off the stage to make an impact on a mysterious disease that hit home. Fredricka Whitfield reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Country singer Clint Black is known for his signature cowboy hat and his classic sound. But beyond the music, Black is supporting the fight against a disease called Rett Syndrome.

CLINT BLACK, COUNTRY SINGER: My niece Courtney, my brother Kevin's daughter was afflicted with this and lost her battle with it at age 16.

WHITFIELD: Rett Syndrome almost always affect girls, it's usually diagnosed by 18 months. Children can't communicate and require constant care. There is no cure, yet.

BLACK: I think the human knee-jerk reaction is to look away. Because it's really hard to see and it's real suffering but the more I see, the more I see the families and how hard they fight, the more I realize we can't look away. We have to look. We have to see.

WHITFIELD: Black is the Ambassador for the Rett Syndrome Foundation and his efforts help fund research. He said it all comes back to family and the music.

BLACK: I'm a songwriter so I do a lot of self-examination and soul- searching. And so I've always felt and tried to do what I can. And as I fight you know for my own successes, I feel like part of the battle has to be for those things I can help along the way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: Good morning, Washington, D.C. we're taking a live look at the White House there. It's going to be a mostly sunny day with a high of 68 degree. There it is. I'm sorry we had the Washington Monument in the background.

BLACKWELL: Just part of their --

KOSIK: You know I -- I see the White House and you can't help but think of President Obama and just the headache he's got over Obamacare. I mean is that going to define his presidency.

BLACKWELL: Well listen it's the second term curse. The history books are filled with the presidents who encounter the second term curse. If you go through Reagan and the Iran contra, you've got Clinton and the Lewinski scandal, President Bush the second -- President Bush the first didn't have a second term -- but President Bush and the economic downturn. And we know how it turned out for Nixon. Now Barack Obama he's got some account of his own.

KOSIK: The government shutdown, Syria, the NSA spying scandal that exploded, Healthcare.gov imploded to the delight of Republicans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. GREGG HARPER (R), MISSISSIPPI: So the President ultimately is responsible. While I think it's great that you're a team player and you're taking responsibility, it is the President's ultimate responsibility, correct?

KATHLEEN SEBELIUS, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: You clearly -- whatever. Yes. He is the President and he is responsible for government program --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: And "Business Week's" magazine's digital cover, you look at it there -- it kind of sums up what's going on here. A partially downloaded picture of the President, he kind of appears stuck with the wait icon spinning away indicating that President, you need a reboot.

BLACKWELL: All right so let's unpack all of this. Let's talk to a couple of CNN political commentators from both sides of the political spectrum. We've got Maria Cardona in Washington, Reihan Salam in New York. Good to have both of you.

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning.

REIHAN SALAM, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning.

BLACKWELL: Before we talk about what some may call missteps, let's talk about a step that didn't happen. "The New York Times" quotes a new book, it's "Double Down", saying that "Obama aides looked at the possibility of replacing Joe Biden on the 2012 ticket with Hillary Clinton."

My question is how big of a deal would that have been and would it have mattered in the 2012 election? And let's start with Maria.

CARDONA: Well no because President Clinton -- I mean President Obama actually won the 2012 election. So you know and that, I think, was the point of even having considered if that was actually the case, putting Hillary Clinton on the ticket. President Obama won.

(CROSSTALK)

BLACKWELL: Well aside from -- aside from his winning, what would that have meant for her potential 2016 run?

SALAM: I think it would have meant --

BLACKWELL: Let go to Reihan for this.

SALAM: I think it would have meant a tremendous amount. I think that it would have definitely solidly established her as the heir apparent. And it also would have had big implications for Joe Biden because one complaint from the Obama camp seems to have been drawing on the book "Double Down" that Biden was promoting himself and his own political future a bit too much.

So that apprehension about Biden, might have meant that the Obama folks would have said, "Hey let's have Clinton come in there." But from the perspective of the Clinton camp they might have thought well, do we really want to be associated with the Obama presidency over the next four years given the difficulties that second term presidents often encounter. So there is a lot of maneuvering on all sides I imagine.

KOSIK: Ok so let's go back -- go ahead Maria.

CARDONA: I was just going to say, I think it's pretty clear that she is still the heir apparent. If you look at everybody you know that's talking about her potential run. That has not changed.

KOSIK: Ok so let me -- let me ask you this and then we'll switch the focus to Obamacare. You know the President's team is bringing all these techies from Google and Oracle and RedHat you know to go and fix this HealthCare.gov. The administration is promising the site is going to work by the end of the month. Is this really the defining moment of the presidency for -- of President Obama's years in office? Reihan go ahead.

SALAM: I think this certainly is President Obama's main domestic policy goal. I think that he's going to be remembered for it. And think that there are a lot of open questions about how well this is going to work. It was very difficult to get this passed and I think it's very dear to the President's heart and that of many of his allies as well.

So it's really crucial that this work well for the President's legacy to be soundly established.

BLACKWELL: Maria?

CARDONA: I think Reihan's absolutely right. I mean this is clearly his legislative, his "big accomplishment", quote/unquote, and that is exactly why they're, working so hard to make sure that the Web site gets up and running. But I also think we need to take the long view here, which is exactly what the President does so well. This is a Web site glitch right now. And as long as it gets fixed, this is going to be a dim memory by next year. And what people are going to be focused on are all of the benefits that people are already receiving and the 30 million Americans who couldn't get health care before and who can now get it and will be able get it at decent prices. And I think that's going to be his big legacy.

BLACKWELL: One of the things that people believe the Obama folks did well was run a Web site. I mean we remember the Web site from 2008 and 2012. And isn't this about more than just the technical element? Because for this plan to work, you've got to get young healthy people into the program.

I mean we'll continue this conversation. I'd just been told by my producer we're out of time. But you got to get it in.

SALAM: I think you're right and I think that it's much deeper than a Web site problem. I think that there are some deep structural questions about whether this plan is going to work.

CARDONA: We'll see.

KOSIK: All right. We'll say thanks to both of you. Our CNN political commentators, Maria Cardona and Reihan Salam. Thanks so much for your time.

BLACKWELL: Never enough time for these conversations.

KOSIK: Never.

SALAM: Thank you.

CARDONA: Thank you so much.

KOSIK: All right. Still to come on NEW DAY, a lone gunman puts an entire airport on lockdown. And we'll hear from eyewitnesses describing the terror and the confusion at LAX.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEON SARYAN, WITNESS TO SHOOTING AT LAX: I went and kind of cowered in a corner. And the shooter was just calmly walking down the corridor. He saw me cowering there. He had his gun. He looked at me and he said, "TSA?" And I just shook my head. And he kept going.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: That's really chilling, isn't it? You know, when those gunshots -- when those people heard those gunshots, you know, all they could do was run.

BLACKWELL: It was only after police caught a lone shooter yesterday inside Terminal 3 that those people could stop and take a breath and really think about what they had been through. Here are some of their stories.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: This incident apparently started with the shots fired. There are injuries. We've seen people evacuated and we've seen people who have been injured.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard a couple of popping noises and just turned to look. It just sounded like somebody banging on something. But there was a stampede of people coming my way and I realized that something was very wrong.

At the beginning, it was complete panic. People were screaming, you know -- I saw children crying. You know, I mean people here are still very shaky.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of a sudden I heard a shot. But it didn't really register until everybody started like flying down the hallway and they were just like jumping over chairs, jumping over people. Hiding in -- we were kind of trapped at the end of the terminal. It seemed like an eternity. But finally the security came and opened up the door and we all piled out onto tarmac and just kind of hid underneath the plane.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's probably the worst experience I've ever been in, in my life. I mean it's the most terrifying --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were telling us to run different directions. People ran into a bathroom to hide. Then they pulled us out to the side walk and said we were going to get bussed out. But then they pulled us back into the international terminal and been told we were not allowed to leave.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was actually in a very bad place. I was leaning against the wall right outside where the shots were fired. I only found that out after we were evacuated. And we were standing probably 12 feet from a high-powered rifle -- an AR-15 rifle on the ground with three clips nearby and a pair of black shoes and some people's shopping bags and other people's carry-on luggage strewn about. But police were taking pictures of that rifle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: Just to amazing to hear those accounts.

BLACKWELL: Yes. And you know, a little more than six months ago, we were listening to accounts after a tragedy from folks in Boston.

KOSIK: Yes, good point.

BLACKWELL: But this morning, we're going back to Boston but for a celebration because People are already packing the streets there for a day to remember. It is the Red Sox victory parade. We've got it all covered. But this season the team's World Series win is much bigger than baseball. We'll talk more about both angles.

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BLACKWELL: They're crowding in the streets in Boston for the Red Sox victory parade -- starts in about 90 minutes. It's going to start on Boylston then go down Ipswich, then Tremont, Cambridge, Blossom and then finish at the Charles River. And those duck boats, two dozen of them, are going to be part of this celebration as well. The city of Boston though has been celebrating this team all season long.

KOSIK: Yes. And after the marathon attack in April, you know, the team came to represent so much more than the game, so much more than baseball. And now the Sox are the epitome of what it means to be Boston strong.

BLACKWELL: CNN's Alexandra Field has more on their remarkable story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: National champions -- the Boston Red Sox; and national treasures -- the marathon bombing survivors. After more than six months, they are celebrating victories together.

HEATHER ABBOTT, BOMBING SURVIVOR: It felt like, you know, we were a city that had such a tragedy happen and we were able to kind of be resilient and -- and heal over the course of the baseball season coincidentally.

FIELD: Back in April, the Sox were coming off a last-place finish in their division last year. And the city of Boston had just taken a devastating hit. After a pair of explosions near the marathon finish line, Heather Abbott lost part of her leg. She had just left the game at Fenway. A planned return would help her heal.

ABBOTT: I practiced in physical therapy.

FIELD: While she was still using a wheelchair to get around, Abbott accepted an offer to go back to the ballpark.

ABBOTT: When I threw out the first pitch and I had just left the hospital -- you know, that was really a big deal for me.

FIELD: And you can now say you pitched for the World Series champs.

ABBOTT: I guess I did.

FIELD: Over and over again, the team invited Abbott and other survivors home. Most memorably for a tribute alongside James Taylor during the seventh inning of second World Series game.

ABBOTT: You know, it felt like they were very supportive of us and I think at least I felt supportive of them in return.

FIELD: Abbott had come a long way during the baseball season. With her new prosthetic leg, she could now walk on to the field. As for the Sox, after 93 losses last year, they were now playing for the World Series championship.

ABBOTT: You know, it kind of felt like we were moving along now with the Red Sox every step of the way as they were, you know, continuing to improve their season as well. And that whole "Boston strong" mantra kind of stuck.

FIELD: In six games, Boston's team proved its strength winning the series.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Boston, the marathon, all that stuff is bigger than us.

FIELD: In six months, Abbott show the world how strong she is.

ABBOTT: To know that only six months have gone by and I'm pretty much totally independent and have a few different legs that I can used. I started running again. I think for me that's an important success to celebrate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)