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New Day Saturday

Plane Search Under Way Off Jamaica; Obama Vows to "Degrade and Destroy" ISIS; Clinic Investigated in Joan Rivers' Death; Ebola Patient Being Treated in Nebraska; Dad Indicted in Son's Hot-Car Death; iPhone 6 Rumors: Bigger, Better, Faster

Aired September 06, 2014 - 07:00   ET

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

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Happy Saturday. Yes, you've made it to the weekend. And I know that always feels so good. I'm Christi Paul.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Martin Savidge. I'm in for Victor Blackwell. It is 7:00 in the morning. It's NEW DAY SATURDAY.

Nice to be with you.

PAUL: So glad to have you here.

SAVIDGE: Thank you.

PAUL: Well, of course, we want to begin with a search for some answers this morning. Rescuers are scouring the seas off Jamaica for any sign of a single engine plane that crashed after its pilot stopped responding to air traffic controllers.

SAVIDGE: This private TBM 900 set off Friday from Rochester, New York. It was headed to Naples, Florida. But about an hour later, that's around 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, the pilot asked to drop his altitude because something was, quote, "not correct in the plane."

PAUL: The pilot's next words were not clear. He sent his call sign twice, we know. Then there was silence. Fighter jets in the U.S. and Cuba were scrambled and at 2:11 Eastern, the plane dropped off radar.

SAVIDGE: Onboard were New York real estate developer Larry Glazer and his wife Jane, and we are expecting any time now to be talking to Mary Schiavo. She is, of course, a former inspector general of the U.S. Department of Transportation, as we try to get more insight into what happened. It is believed that hypoxia may have played a role in this accident, only because of what the aircraft that were flying along beside it. They saw a pilot slumped over and indications that there was some frosting on the side.

PAUL: Right, on the windows.

(MUSIC)

PAUL: Now, let's talk about the battle against ISIS, because President Obama says NATO allies are committed to fighting that terror group.

SAVIDGE: He warns that it's not going to happen overnight, but he says the U.S. and its allies are moving in the right direction.

CNN's Erin McPike joins us now from the White House. And CNN's Anna Coren joins us from Irbil. That's in northern Iraq.

And, Erin, let me start with you. Tell us more about the coalition nations that are ready to help the U.S. in this fight against ISIS? Who are they?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Martin, that's a very interesting question because actually what President Obama said yesterday is that he didn't get any pushback from NATO members, U.S. allies, on the need to fight ISIS, but he didn't get any more specifics on how involved those countries are willing to get militarily.

Now, he did say that his strategy is becoming clearer essentially. He compared the fight against ISIS to the fight against al Qaeda that they're going to have to dismantle the leadership of the network, take down its financial capabilities, and that's what they're going to do. But he's focused really on airstrikes, has not really laid out anything other than to degrade the capabilities that ISIS has, Martin.

PAUL: So, Anna, you've been on the front lines and have seen a lot of this and what's going on, the battle on the ground. What's happening there right now?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christi, yesterday, we were given exclusive access to a mission taking place here in northern Iraq with the Peshmerga, the Kurdish forces. They were retaking a strategic position, a particular mountain and villages which had been captured by ISIS when they made their lightning advance across much of the north of this country back in June.

It was an offensive that started at dawn. There was artillery and mortar really pummeling those ISIS positions. But we got firsthand evidence of those U.S. airstrikes and the impact that they are having. We saw these huge plumes of smoke, you know, in the distance, several kilometers from where we were. We could spot the fighter jets up in the sky. You could certainly hear them.

But they are having a huge impact on the ground. Obviously taking out the artillery of ISIS, taking out the vehicles, the convoy of vehicles that they have been traveling in. It's really sort of changing the way that they operate, but certainly then allowing those ground offensives to move this with that air cover.

But the Peshmerga, within a couple of hours managed to retake this very strategic position. But once again, it is a partnership. They can't do it by themselves. They need the U.S. and they definitely need those air strikes.

SAVIDGE: Erin, let's get to that. The U.S. is focusing on airstrikes, but we know it's beginning to require troops on the ground in some form. I presume they're thinking Arab troops at this point?

MCPIKE: Well, Martin, yes, they want to work with partners on the ground, but Secretary of State John Kerry said at the NATO summit yesterday, he basically said it's a red line, that no U.S. troops will be put on the ground, so the administration is boxing themselves into a corner on that.

Now, I would point out that Congress is ready to act ahead of any request that the administration has made, yet they have not asked Congress for anything specifically just yet. But Democratic Senator Bill Nelson as well as Republican Congressman Frank Wolf are already preparing legislation to authorize U.S. force in the form of airstrikes when Congress comes back on Monday, Martin.

PAUL: And, Anna, one last question for you. You were talking about Kurdish Peshmerga forces, and we know that they've seized back these key territories from ISIS. Is there a belief that they're going to make a move on Mosul?

COREN: Yes, look, we asked that of them. They said it's certainly not out of the question by them taking this particular position. There's high ground. It then rolls on to the plains, which heads to the heart of Mosul. Now, Mosul falls outside of the borders of Kurdistan, but according to the Kurdish officials, they are prepared to go beyond their borders. They do not want ISIS as their neighbors.

So, the problem with Mosul is it's densely populated. It's Iraq's second-largest city. Has more than one and a half million people, and it is an ISIS stronghold. So, it's not just going to be a military action which will be the Kurds and the Iraqis working with the U.S. in those airstrikes. It will also take a political solution, and that's what we're seeing happen in Baghdad at the moment.

They need to form that inclusive government, which will then bring the Sunni tribes back into the fold, because it's going to take the Sunnis to rise up against is. I mean, they're the ones that have allowed ISIS just to walk in and take ownership of these towns. So, it's going to take those Sunnis to rise up and kick ISIS out if there is going to be, you know, real gains here on the ground, at least in northern Iraq, Christi.

SAVIDGE: Erin McPike and Anna Coren, thank you both very much.

PAUL: Thank you, ladies.

SAVIDGE: Now some stories that are making news this morning.

PAUL: First, the outpatient clinic where the late Joan Rivers suffered complications from an elective surgery is now being investigated by the New York State Health Department. We know officials are looking for science of malpractice by the doctors and their staff, but remember, Rivers died Thursday, a week after suffering cardiac arrest during a minor elective procedure. The funeral for the 81-year-old comedienne is in Manhattan tomorrow.

SAVIDGE: A third American infected with Ebola is being treated at a hospital in Nebraska. Dr. Rick Sacra is in stable condition this morning. Doctors say they're treating him with aggressive supportive care, including fluids and electrolytes. They're also exploring "experimental options", that's a quote. Sacra was delivering babies in Liberia when he contracted the Ebola virus.

PAUL: And it's a charter plane carrying 100 American military contractors is now in Dubai this morning after being forced to land in Iran. Now, the Fly Dubai charter plane was headed from Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan to Dubai when Iranian officials ordered it to land or be intercepted.

There were 140 passengers onboard. Tehran told the pilots their flight plan was outdated, but the plane was kept on the ground in southern Iran for a few hours as it was inspected, and then it was allowed to leave.

Brutal tactics and Hollywood techniques, this is all part of a strategy by ISIS to recruit new jihadists. Why some experts say terrorists may be taking cues from Hollywood, and we're talking about hits like "Homeland," "Hurt Locker," "Zero Dark Thirty," those kinds of things to entice new fighters.

SAVIDGE: You are watching NEW DAY SATURDAY. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Most folks are probably aware, but we should remind you, is uses some brutally senseless and sometimes horrifying ways to kill their victims.

Now, when it comes to recruiting and trying to get new members, the terrorist group seems to mimic Hollywood.

PAUL: Oh, my goodness, take a look at this. On the left, that's the opening of the video created by ISIS that shows American journalist Steven Sotloff's execution. On the right, you're going to see a clip from the opening of Showtime's terrorism drama "Homeland."

SAVIDGE: Then, we'll show you another one here. On the left, you see an ISIS video that looks remarkably similar to the scene in "The Hurt Locker," which it definitely does.

PAUL: It does, doesn't it?

And look at this. The left, an aerial drone movie that resembles the movie "Zero Dark Thirty." If it seems like a coincidence, people are telling us, listen, think again. A lot of experts say, what we're watching here is no accident.

SAVIDGE: So, we want to dig deeper on this whole fascinating premise.

Jenna Jordan, she is an assistant professor of international affairs with Georgia Tech, an expert on Middle East terrorism. She joins us again this morning. And, you know, we take a look at these videos.

I'm sorry, I should mention we are also joined by General Spider Marks as well. Thank you, sir. I didn't mean to overlook you.

GEN. SPIDER MARKS (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Martin, it's fine. SAVIDGE: All right. Thank you, sir. You're very gracious. You

know, when you see those striking similarities, should we think that this is just coincidence? Because I definitely do not.

Let me start with you, Jenna. What do you think?

JENNA JORDAN, ASST. PROF. OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, GEORGIA TECH: Yes, I think these are very intentional. Al Qaeda -- or ISIS, rather, has used their propaganda and videos in two very different ways. One way is they've created these very sort of positive kinds of videos. Different from the sort of videos that we just saw where they show positive messages of children being happy and, you know, showing that it's so great to come and identifying on behalf of the Islamic State, sort of appealing to Muslims worldwide to show a very positive sort of message.

On the other hand, we have these very negative videos that show the things like the beheadings and the very brutal tactics that al Qaeda or that ISIS, I'm sorry, is engaged in. And they both have the effect of mobilizing support and mobilizing in particular foreign fighters, which is really what they're trying to appeal to right now, to really broaden their base of support. I mean, that's -- it's been a very effective mechanism and they have upwards of 10,000 foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria right now, which is remarkable.

PAUL: It is.

And, General Marks, I want to ask you, because we were talking about the story out there, the ISIS bride, the woman from Scotland who one minute is hugging her father, and two days later, they get a call that she's in Syria and she's going to join ISIS. And they had no idea.

Do these videos -- how do they make these videos so enticing that they could take somebody who's living in her home with her family and encourage her to join is?

MARKS: Well, I think Dr. Jordan would agree that what you see with these individuals, through which they are getting this population of support, have already been self-radicalized in various ways.

And what these videos do and what these recruiting efforts really do is it provides what I would call the very last step. It provides a destination for where they can employ themselves in their self- radicalized world. I don't think these videos take a raw recruit and then convince that individual to march through this path of radicalization, and then you end up in Syria or northern Iraq.

These folks have already gone through a metamorphosis, a change. There's some deep psychological adjustment that's taken place. These are folks that have been raised in an environment with the sanctity of the individual, it starts with the individual's rights, and for whatever reason, they've completely turned their world upside down, and they've become these radicals that we see on the battlefield. These videos simply are what I would call a final push or a nudge that gives them motivation to pack a bag and end up in Syria. SAVIDGE: I would think, General, that these videos, as much as we

look and say, boy, they're really well produced, they must be a wealth of intelligence. There must be something that can be gleaned for U.S. experts.

MARKS: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. We need to look at these very, very closely.

What it gets to, obviously, is what we call tactics, techniques and procedures. If we start at the very, very bottom level, in terms of how they employ themselves, what we've learned from a lot is that ISIS -- what we've seen ISIS is a very, very professional force. It presents itself in multiple ways, both as terrorists and as conventional military units, that present a footprint that can be attacked and we can go after that.

So, there is quite a bit of information that we can glean from these. And let me tell you, our intelligence community is doing that right now.

PAUL: So, Jenna, the State Department we know has its own web campaign that uses actual ISIS videos to mock the group's message.

JORDAN: Right.

PAUL: The warning for the U.S. to one of the militants, think again before you turn away. Is that a strategy that is workable, that's successful?

JORDAN: I think at this point, it hasn't been that effective and the ISIS videos have been so effective at recruiting the kinds of people that are very radicalized already. But these videos I think in the long run, counterpropaganda videos, have the potential to be effective, to kind of show potential recruits that when you actually get to the Islamic state, things are not as rosy as these propaganda videos show, that things are not so happy, it's not this wonderful place, and that there's lots of violence and it is a struggle.

So, I think the videos can be effective in that way. But in this point, I think it's too early to tell what kind of effect they've really had.

SAVIDGE: Yes, I think very much that people can think that you look at this video and you're buying into maybe a TV show. You're almost feeling like you're part of something cool, which is it definitely not.

JORDAN: Yes, the videos are very slick, very well-produced. It's really quite remarkable and it really shows the capabilities that ISIS has right now beyond just propaganda, but how much money and how much sophistication, and how much infrastructure they really have.

SAVIDGE: All right, Jenna, thank you very much.

And, General Spider Marks, we thank you very much.

MARKS: Thank you, both.

SAVIDGE: We appreciate both of you for joining us this morning.

JORDAN: Thank you for having me.

PAUL: Thank you, both.

You know, friends and family are preparing to say goodbye to Joan Rivers tomorrow in a private service. Fans of the comedy legend are setting up makeshift memorials, and this is happening from Manhattan to Hollywood.

SAVIDGE: And then there is this story. Right now, a volcano in Hawaii rumbling and spewing lava. We'll tell you why people in the area need to take this seriously.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning to you, Atlanta.

Look at this sunrise, a cloud-free start to your weekend. Gorgeous out there. We'll have a couple of scattered showers and storms possibly move in a little later this afternoon, but get out early and enjoy that sunshine. You just can't beat it.

Plus, this afternoon it's going to be so hot you probably won't be able to stand it. We have 90s again today, Atlanta. But we are looking at some strong storms that could possibly move to the Northeast. We have a cold front that's moving across the country. We have some very warm moisture air that's pulling ahead of that, to do plan on some isolated showers as we go through the early afternoon in places like New York, even Boston, Portland, all the way up into Northern Maine.

We're going to see a slight risk of severe weather today. And that means large hail and damaging winds could be a concern as we roll into the afternoon. U.S. open going on today, so we could see some scattered storms mess up some of those matches. So, we are seeing quiet conditions right now early, but that rain is going to be pushing in as we get into the afternoon.

So, time to get it all out for you, just scattered storms for much of the southeast for today. Showers and storms popping up ahead of the front, and then the main event coming in later this evening, this is 10:00 tonight. It should be pushing through new England and then cooler air will come by in its wake. So, we are going to see those temperatures finally start to drop a little bit after we have been baking in the 90s for quite some time.

So, U.S. Open forecast for today, men's semifinals, we are going to see afternoon showers and storms. High temperatures in the low 90s. It is going to feel very, very warm with winds about 10 to 15 miles per hour.

Look at this. Temperatures are 12 degrees above normal. In New York City, D.C., the same with three degrees above normal, and Atlanta feeling like the 90s.

But temperatures are going to be coming down. That cold front is going to move through. We'll be back in the 80 in New York by Sunday. And then, by Monday, high temperatures in the mid 70s. In New York, D.C., Atlanta, even dropping down to the low 80s, that's going to feel like a nice change. Chicago, 76 degrees by Monday.

We'll have much more coming up after the break. Stay with us.

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PAUL: Your mortgage rates held steady this week. Here you go.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Look who's here with us today at the bottom of the hour, one Mr. Martin Savidge.

SAVIDGE: I was here at the top of the hour, too. I don't want you to think I only come in for the end.

PAUL: Yes,

SAVIDGE: I'm Martin Savidge.

Let's give you the five things you need to know for your NEW DAY. And here we go.

Number one: we've got searchers, and they are scouring the waters off of Jamaica for signs of a small plane. This story riveted people yesterday. It crashed after its pilot stopped responding to air traffic controllers. Efforts to contact that aircraft turned into an international incident, with U.S. fighter jets dispatched. Cuba granting rare permission for those fighter jets to enter its air space.

PAUL: Number two: a cease-fire in Eastern Ukraine appears to be holding despite shelling by rebel fighters. This is according to a Ukrainian official. But Ukraine's government and pro-Russian rebel leaders did sign the deal yesterday. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says the cease-fire is based on a peace plan that he hashed out and a phone call he had with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

SAVIDGE: Number three, smoke, flames, and lava, lots of it pouring from Kilauea, that's the volcano in Hawaii, and it's threatening to cut off the big island beach community. Officials say the lava could reach homes within five to seven days, fortunately, plenty of warning. They've issued that warning to people in the area. Kilauea has been active since 1983, with 61 recorded eruptions.

PAUL: And number four -- guess what, Starbucks is shrinking, so to speak, I hearsay. The coffee giant apparently planning to roll out several new store sizes, including some bite-sized express outlets. So, they're aiming basically at busy commuters. But just so you know, they're going to have fewer food and drink options. You will get back on the road faster, though, they promise. SAVIDGE: Number five, a Chinese online retailing giant is getting ready to raise $24 billion, wow, in its initial public offering. The Alibaba Group will begin trading later this month. It plans to price its shares between $60 and $66. If all works out, Alibaba could be managing the biggest stock debut in history. Lots of folks on Wall Street and elsewhere are going to be following that closely.

PAUL: Yes, they will. I know a lot of folks too are watching what's happening with Joan Rivers and the autopsy, which was inconclusive. That's how it came back, which means the exact cause and manner of the comedy legend's death, those are still in question.

SAVIDGE: That isn't stopping the New York state health department from investigating the outpatient clinic where the 81-year-old suffered those complications from an elective surgery last Thursday.

CNN's Alexandra Field is live in New York now with the very latest.

Good morning, Alexandra.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Christie and Martin. Good morning. You know, fans and friends are getting ready to say a final goodbye to Joan Rivers, her funeral is scheduled for tomorrow. But there are still so many questions about how and why the legendary comedienne died.

This morning, we're following three separate investigations, all of them trying to answer those questions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD (voice-over): Joan Rivers lived for laughs and joked about death.

JOAN RIVERS, COMEDIAN: I am now 81 years old. I could die any second. No, no. Don't applaud. Like that, I could go like that. Do you understand how lucky you would be? Do you understand you would have something to talk about for the rest of your life?

FIELD: She lit up the stage for the last time last week in New York City.

STEVE OLSEN, LAURIE BEECHMAN THEATRE OWNER: Well, she gave a tremendous performance her last performance. She was particularly on that night. She came in. She was in a great mood. She left in a great mood. She was very healthy. She was very vital. She looked great. She always looked great.

FIELD: The next day, Rivers was rushed to Mount Sinai hospital in critical condition. The comedy legend was put on life support and never recovered. Rivers went into cardiac and respiratory arrest during a procedure at the Yorkville Endoscopy Center.

The clinic is now the focus of an investigation by the New York State Department of Health. The board that gave the clinic its accreditation is also investigating. Together, they'll look at the clinic's staffing, life-saving protocols and which drugs may have been given.

(on camera): What kind of sedative would be used in a case like this?

DR. GEOFFREY KEYES, PRESIDENT, ACCREDITATION ASSOCIATION: Some facilities use a combination of Versid, which is like Valium, intravenous Valium, and maybe another type of sedation. But more commonly today, Propofol is used and Propofol is newer medication with respect to some of the others, but it provides a really adequate level of sedation to do this type of a procedure.

FIELD (voice-over): Doctors say medical professionals would have had to determine that rivers was healthy enough to undergo the outpatient procedure.

One night earlier, Rivers sold out her final show, taking the stage at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, where at 81 years old, the legendary comedienne was still testing out new material.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD: And according to the New York State Department of Health, that Yorkville Endoscopy Center was inspected before it was open back in 2013. There was no history or record of any violations for the center, but we do know the state has sent in inspectors to start reviewing documents and medical records. They will also be interviewing staff and physicians there -- Christi, Martin.

PAUL: Hey, I want to ask you real quickly, Alexandra, any details on the funeral? We know it's being held in Manhattan tomorrow.

FIELD: That's right. It is being held in Manhattan. She's a lifelong New Yorker. We know it's going to be at Temple Emanuel, which is just a few blocks from Joan Rivers' house, where we are seeing so many people stopping by these last few days, leaving flowers, trying to leave these tributes to really a remarkable woman in the comedy landscape.

And you know, Joan Rivers talked a lot about the very grand funeral that she wanted. She joked about it in some of her books. I think that we can chock a lot of that up to comedy. But I think that we can count on that she'll have a lot of friends and supporters there. It is a private funeral, though, something really for the family and those who truly knew and loved Joan rivers.

SAVIDGE: Yes, that's true. But there's so many people that will publicly want to sort of mourn her passing.

PAUL: Yes, and I'm interested to know of the details because I do wonder if they will honor some of her even comedic wishes for her funeral, because you know that she wants to leave people laughing at the end of the day.

Alexandra Field, thank you so much.

SAVIDGE: Prosecutors say that he left his 22-month-old son to die in a sweltering SUV. Most of you know this story. Now, a Georgia man has been indicted and he could face the death penalty. That's if he's convicted. We'll tell you what makes this case so unusual.

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SAVIDGE: This particular story I've covered almost since it began and I was out there for the indictment. Today, it is still mind boggling.

The Georgia father accused of leaving his 22-month-old son to die in a hot car. He's now been indicted -- that is -- on eight charges, and the charges that are against Justin Ross Harris for the death of Cooper Harris include malice murder.

In many states, it's often referred to as murder in the first degree. It carries the possibility of the death penalty. Also two counts of felony murder.

But there is a twist among the charges that doesn't appear to be directly related to Cooper's Death. Sexual exploitation of a minor and that's where Harris is accused of requesting a nude photo of a minor's genitalia and also sexting nude photos of himself to numerous women, including one who was under age.

So, let's bring in our legal minds in this. And that is CNN commentator, legal analyst Mel Robbins and criminal defense attorney, HLN legal analyst Joey Jackson.

Good morning to the two of you.

Mel, let's begin. What's the significance of the sexting charge?

MEL ROBBINS, CNN COMMENTATOR: Well, the significance is enormous, because what the jury is going to have to take a look at and consider is did the dad leave this adorable little boy in the car intentionally or was this a tragic mistake?

And so, they're going to take a look at everything that Justin Harris did that morning and if what he was doing was busy sexting, the jury is going to weigh -- well, does that go to motive? Does that mean and prove that this is a guy that wanted to get rid of his family? Or is it going to go to what the defense I think is going to argue, which is look, this guy wasn't doing things he was supposed to be doing, he was having an affair like a lot of people do, and he was very distracted. So it's a huge piece of evidence.

One more thing, Martin, is jurors are going to look at this and they're going to really hate this guy, because you've got an adorable kid that is dead, and now you've got a dad who not only forgot the kid, or left the kid in the car, but was also engaging in something that's creepy and illegal at the same time, Martin.

SAVIDGE: Yes, I would argue that was the point.

PAUL: Well, that's the point of including that charge in the indictment, because it isn't truly connected to the death unless you look at it in the sense that it happened the same day. And that may be the only connection. But, Joey, I'm wondering, because they brought up a malice charge,

malice murder, that itself does imply intent? Do you believe that they have, you know, some other evidence obviously that we just aren't privy to at this point?

SAVIDGE: Yes, requesting overreach here.

JOEY JACKSON, HLN LEGAL ANALYST: In a big way they do.

Good morning, Christi. Good morning, Martin. And good morning, Mel.

Listen, the bottom line here is that if you look at the evidence as we have it, and remember, it's a continuing investigation, they're going to continue to try to show intent in a major way. They're going to point you to the Web sites he was looking at, how to survive in jail, how to live a child-free life.

They're going to point to the fact that he was engaging, Christi, in a routine day. He took his child to daycare and he had breakfast, right? He failed to take his child to daycare, but he always did, every other day.

Why was today any different? Particularly when he was eating with his child right at the Chick-fil-A, and then his office is just minutes away. Not even, 0.6 miles and he forgets. Really? And then he remembers the light bulbs at lunchtime to come back to the car, but he still doesn't know his child is there.

So, yes, Christi, what they will do is they will show that this was an intentional act, or at least attempt to, the prosecution will, and by adding the element of the sexting, they're going to say this was unusually cruel, unusually inhumane, how could he do that.

And finally, if it doesn't go to the issue of intent, the prosecutor will say, because they will argue in the alternative. They will say if he wasn't intentionally doing it, he was at least negligent, and guess what? That makes him eligible for a life sentence with regard to a negligence charge.

SAVIDGE: Mel, let me ask you this. We've talked about the possibility of the death penalty. The D.A. says in two to three weeks they'll decide. Do you think it will be a death penalty case?

ROBBINS: Well, I think if they have a mountain of evidence that actually proves that he intentionally killed his kid in this manner, because he was tired of family life and he wanted to be a single person and going on these sexcapades, heck yes you're going to see them go for the death penalty.

But I think what Joey just said is the critical piece in this case, which is let's say they cannot get over the hurdle of proving intent, OK? Let's just say that they get to a point in this case where beyond a reasonable doubt, they can't prove that he intentionally did this, or the jury isn't buying it.

Joey just explained for all of you exactly how the prosecution can still get a conviction, because the jury could decide, it is completely negligent to be sexting six women and be committing a felony in terms of asking an underage gal to be sending you pictures of her private parts while you also have the responsibility of being a dad. So, they could take a look at that behavior in conjunction with, quote, "forgetting his kid" and say this is negligence. You're going away for life, period, because of what you were doing during the day.

And so, this is a huge, huge piece of evidence for the negligence case, I think.

PAUL: Well, and you have to wonder where the mom and wife come into play here, Joey. There has been some criticism over mom Leanna and her reaction to all of this.

What do you think her role is going to be in a trial if it gets to that, if there's no plea?

JACKSON: You know, it's an interesting point to make, Christi. Even before we get to that question, we have to get to the question of will she be charged, right? Because at the press conference the other day, the prosecution left that an open question. We're continuing to investigate, will there be other charges, not directly naming her, but certainly alluding to her, so you have to think that the investigation as to her continues.

So, will she be charged? We'll see. If not, then what role will she play, and what role will her conduct play with regard to the statements that she made to him in jail. Did he appear peaceful, that is young, beautiful Connor, and did you say too much, Justin Harris, my husband?

And so, we'll see as the investigation unfolds, Christi, whether she'll be a part of this case at the end of the day and what investigators determine to be her conduct.

SAVIDGE: We should point out, it's important to know that Justin Ross Harris says he is not guilty and the defense is maintaining this is all just a horrible accident. Of course, that's going to be determined in a court of law.

Mel Robbins and Joey Jackson, thank you both for joining us.

JACKSON: Pleasure and a privilege. Great day.

ROBBINS: Thank you.

PAUL: Thank you.

You know, for months, we've heard the rumors. About the new iPhone 6 -- oh, they say it's bigger. They say it's better. They say it's faster.

SAVIDGE: But, does Apple have enough tricks left up its sleeve to really wow the world and knock off the smart phone king Samsung?

PAUL: We'll talk about it. SAVIDGE: Oh, the drama.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Forty-nine minutes past the hour.

Well, we've got bigger, better, faster and pricier, ding, ding, ding. Yes, if you believe the rumors, that's where you can expect from the new iPhone 6, which is expected to make its debut on Tuesday, the 9th. Everybody's waiting.

SAVIDGE: A lot of people in line already. In typical Apple fashion, the tech giant isn't confirming or denying the gossip. We can spread all this for them.

But (INAUDIBLE) from the site (INAUDIBLE) shows what the iPhone might look like.

PAUL: The most obvious change, a much larger display screen. Take a look at it there. The new phones might have screen in two sizes, 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches, which is a pretty big leap from the four-inch display on the iPhone 5S and 5C.

SAVIDGE: It does look like an iPhone, though, I mean, still.

PAUL: At the end of the day.

Joining us for more, CNN tech analyst Brett Larsen.

Brett, you know, I'm going to ask, is the pressure on Apple? I think the answer already is of course, it is, because they are up against a lot of competition. Samsung has been coming on.

BRETT LARSON, CNN TECHNOLOGY ANALYST: And Samsung this week announced new phones larger and thinner and bigger displays.

It is funny to me. This is a game that Apple started. They started with the original iPhone. There were smartphones before, but they made them sexy and consumer-friendly.

And Google caught up with the Android operating system, and several players came into the market, including Samsung, which has turned out to be sort of the 800-pound gorilla in this that Apple is literally fighting it, and they are making bigger and thinner phones that do other things that the iPhone doesn't do.

And so, Apple almost has to play catch up, A, with themselves, but, B, they've got to get to where these other companies have gotten.

So, the pressure is definitely on them for Tuesday to give us something -- something with a bigger screen. We've got a slightly bigger screen with the iPhone 5, where they pop it down just a little tiny bit, they made it longer. But those bigger screens are clearly what consumers want.

PAUL: You wonder because you're saying that they are playing catch up. You know, what Steve Jobs would be thinking about if he were still here. Would we be seeing a totally different dynamic in this regard, or is this, you know, Tim Cook's vision and leadership versus what was?

LARSON: I think that's a very valid point. Steve was known for pushing people to their absolute limits and getting the absolute best out of people. He was known for saying, you know what, this isn't good enough. Start over.

And Tim Cook is more of the business person. He was the money guy there for a long time. So, he is more on the side of, you know, make this work -- get to these deadlines and make sure we get x number of these things out the door on a certain date.

And the technology industry is lacking a lot of visionaries they had in the very beginning. We are missing those people who can, you know, stare at a rock for an hour and say I have a great idea of what we can do with the new piece of technology.

Let me draw it for you and mass market it.

SAVIDGE: Let me ask you, we've got the Galaxy 4 Note and we've also got the iPhone 6. And what we know about both. Which one do you think is the better phone?

LARSEN: That's a good question.

I mean, I always fall on it depends on what you have and what you like. The Samsung phones are gorgeous. The screens are beautiful. They're big. They're bright. They use a different technology. They're all in HD.

The iPhone is great. It's got the retina display. It's also bright, and you can watch movies on it.

But I think Apple really does have to play catch up here with Samsung. Samsung has, you know, they've got the wearable stuff now. We are expecting Apple to announce a watch to get into the wearable market. So, it's a catch up game. It's a catch up game they have to try and win here.

PAUL: All righty. Brett Larsen, we always appreciate your insight. Thank you for being with us.

LARSEN: Thank you. Thanks for having me.

PAUL: Of course.

SAVIDGE: Such a shock, though, to talk about Apple catching up when they use to always --

PAUL: You never would have thought it would. I know.

SAVIDGE: Well, the NFL may have a zero tolerance policy for domestic violence, but 49ers Ray McDonald will suit up and play tomorrow.

PAUL: Exactly one week after getting arrested on suspicion of domestic violence.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Well, an NFL player set to take the field tomorrow. And this has a lot of people wondering what is going on, because he could be facing domestic violence charges.

SAVIDGE: Rashan Ali joins us now for more on this morning's "Bleacher Report".

Good morning.

RASHAN ALI, BLEACHER REPORT: Good morning.

Yes, San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Ray McDonald will actually play on Sunday when the team takes on the Dallas Cowboys. This after being arrested on suspicion of domestic violence last week. No charges have been filed yet, but the investigation is still ongoing.

Team officials say they will let the legal process play out before any potential discipline. McDonald's arrest comes less than three days after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced harsher penalties for domestic violence cases. Under the new policy, first time offenders faced a six-game suspension and a lifetime ban for a second incident.

One of the most anticipated games of the college season kicks off in just a few hours. Michigan State in this punishing defense, travels west to face Oregon's high scoring offense. This is the first meeting of the top 10 teams this season with major implications on this year's new 14-team playoff. Oregon is favored to win this one by nearly two touchdowns.

Little League World Series star Mo'ne Davis, the first girl to ever pitch a shutout in series, has become quite the celebrity. The Philly phenom sat down on the couch with Jimmy Fallon last night to talk baseball and cheese steaks. They also squeezed in a little wiffle ball.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

This was no school yard game for Mo'ne. She managed to strike out the popular talk host with her very own catcher from her Little League team. So, yes, t was a great night.

PAUL: She is awesome.

ALI: Yes.

PAUL: So is he for playing along.

ALI: Yes.

SAVIDGE: I love the way he does that.

ALI: Yes, he does a great job.

PAUL: Rashan Ali, always good to see you.

ALI: And you as well. Thank you.

PAUL: Thank you, ma'am.

SAVIDGE: All right.

(MUSIC)

SAVIDGE: Watch this video very carefully. Imagine what you would do if you saw a giant mutant spider with a dog's head running right at you.

PAUL: You had to say that?

SAVIDGE: Imagine.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

PAUL: Oh, come on. When it's dark like that, I can see where you might freak out. Watch this again. That guy -- come on. Really?

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL: Obviously, it's just a sweet lovable dog, people, dressed in a spider costume, nothing to be afraid of except if you see it coming at you in the dark. Twenty-two million views on YouTube. Yes, if you see that and that would freak me out a little bit.

SAVIDGE: It would anybody.

PAUL: Just try to wake you up in the morning to look at these poor people freaking out.

And there you go. Thank you, as I said, for starting your morning with us.

SAVIDEGE: Next hour of NEW DAY starts right now.