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New Day Saturday

Plane Search Under Way Off Jamaica; Obama Vows To "Degrade And Destroy" ISIS; How Did Joan Rivers Die?; Plane Search Under Way Off Jamaica; Ukraine Cease-Fire Holding; Alibaba Makes Rumblings on Wall Street; Power-Packed Storm Hits Chicago; Serena Williams Advances in U.S. Open; Obama, U.S. Will Degrade, Destroy ISIS; Power-Packed Storm Heads Northeast; How Joan Rivers Changed Comedy

Aired September 06, 2014 - 08:00   ET

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

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Nothing to be afraid of except if you see it suddenly coming at you in the dark, 22 million views on YouTube already. Yes, if you see that and that would freak me out a little bit.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: It would anybody.

PAUL: We're just trying to wake you up in the morning. Look at these people freaking out. There you go. Thank you as I said for starting your morning with us.

SAVIDGE: Next hour of NEW DAY starts right now.

PAUL: It is 8:00. We just want to make sure you got a smile on your face as you get going. I'm Christi Paul.

SAVIDGE: I'm Martin Savidge. If you are taking your dog out for a walk, don't dress him like that. It is 8:00 and this, of course, is NEW DAY SATURDAY.

PAUL: Yes, and we want to switch gears here begin with a search at sea because that is underway right now for the single engine aircraft lost in the Caribbean after its pilot stopped responding to air traffic controllers.

SAVIDGE: Efforts to contact that small plane for more than four hours on Friday turned into an international incident. With U.S. fighter jets dispatched, Cuba was even granting rare permission for those military aircraft to enter its air space.

PAUL: Our aviation and government regulation correspondent, Rene Marsh, has the latest for us. Good morning, Rene.

RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION AND GOVERNMENT REGULATION CORRESPONDENT: Christi and Martin, a plane flying with the pilot apparently unconscious while the pilot did not declare an emergency, radio transmissions revealed the pilot was in trouble just about an hour and a half after takeoff.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MARSH (voice-over): A search mission underway right now for the small plane after it crashed 14 miles off the coast of Jamaica. It took off from Rochester, New York, bound for Naples, Florida. On board, Larry Glazer and his wife, Jane.

Over North Carolina, the pilot told air traffic control there was a problem, but did not declare an emergency. He was cleared to descend to 25,000 feet, but asked to go lower.

UNIDENTIFIED PILOT: We need to descend be down to 180. We have an indication that is not correct in the plane.

UNIDENTIFIED CONTROLLER: Maintain level 250.

UNIDENTIFIED PILOT: 250. We need to get lower. 900KN.

UNIDENTIFIED CONTROLLER: Working on that.

MARSH: About an hour and 15 minutes after takeoff, the pilot stopped responding to radio calls. U.S. military F-15s tracked it along the east coast of Florida. One fighter pilot looked through the window.

UNIDENTIFIED PILOT: I can see the head rising and falling. Right before I left, the first time we could see that he was actually breathing.

MARSH: The pilot was slumped over and the plane's windows frosted. Both are signs the pressure may have escaped leaving the pilot without enough oxygen to stay conscious.

The aircraft flew over the Bahamas and south to Cuba where a Cuban fighter jet took over the pursuit. Four and a half hours after takeoff, the plane crashed near Port Antonio, Jamaica.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARSH: Well, if this pilot suffered from hypoxia and was unconscious as the plane continued to fly, that type of incident is rare, but not unheard of. A similar situation last weekend where the FAA lost contact with a private plane. It flew into restricted air space over Washington, D.C. The pilot was unresponsive to radio calls from air traffic control.

Eventually that plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. Then there's the Payne Stewart incident in 1999 in which the famous golfer and five others were killed when that plane crashed near Aberdeen, South Dakota.

In that case, the plane traveled about 1,500 miles, most of it while the pilot, co- pilot and passengers apparently were unconscious or dead --Christi, Martin.

PAUL: All righty, Rene Marsh, thank you so much.

A pledge and a promise to destroy ISIS. President Obama says NATO allies are committed to doing just that, but he warns it's not going to happen overnight.

SAVIDGE: No, it definitely will not and then calls for action against ISIS are continuing to grow louder so do the president's critics. CNN's Erin McPike has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Returning from talks in Europe over how to deal with the ISIS threat, President Obama now faces a return in Congress and lawmakers demanding a strategy.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: There was unanimity over the last two days that ISIL poses a significant threat to NATO members.

MCPIKE: The strategy alluding the president for weeks is becoming clearer.

OBAMA: What we can accomplish is to dismantle this network and this force that has claimed to control this much territory so that they can't do us harm. And that's going to be our objective.

MCPIKE: But achieving that goal in Syria with the government the U.S. doesn't support remains a challenge. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including Republican Frank Wolfe in the House and Democrat Bill Nelson in the Senate already are preparing legislation ahead of any presidential request to authorize U.S. air strikes inside Syria.

So far, Mr. Obama pledged no U.S. ground troops will enter Syria stressing that the U.S. and an international coalition will prop up partners on the ground there. Like the relatively moderate Free Syrian Army to take the fight directly to ISIS.

OBAMA: They have been out gunned and out manned. That's why it's important for us to work with our friends and allies to support them more effectively.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: And now CNN's Erin McPike joins us from the White House. Erin, tell us more about this coalition of nations that are ready to help the U.S. in the fight against ISIS.

MCPIKE: Well, Martin, so far what we've heard from President Obama is there is broad agreement on the need to cripple ISIS and its capabilities. That is far as we have heard so far.

The British, the French and the Australians so far have said that they agree with that. They have been involved in some humanitarian air drops, things of that nature. It is unclear yet how involved those countries will get militarily -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: Erin McPike, thank you.

PAUL: So you have to wonder, you the NATO coalition and how it might modify the strategy of this mission to destroy ISIS. We want to ask Shadi Hamid. He is a fellow at the Brookings Institution Center for the Middle East Policy and also the author of "Temptations of Power Islamist and Liberal Democracy in a New Middle East."

SAVIDGE: We are also joined by Chris Dickie. He is the foreign editor of "The Daily Beast." And thank you both for joining us. Let me start first by asking the question. We talk about NATO getting involved here.

I suppose the real debate is NATO does not have any of the nations that are currently involved directly on the ground with the fight against ISIS. So how do you tackle that, Shadi?

SHADI HAMID, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION CENTER FOR MIDDLE EAST POLICY: So this is actually, I think, something that is a bit worrying. There does seem to be more of a strategy based on Obama's remarks at the NATO summit. That is very focused on Iraq. There still is nothing approaching a coherent strategy on Syria.

There is talk about supporting the more moderate rebels on the ground there. We have not really heard any details beyond the $500 million. That doesn't come close to doing what is necessary to build up a third force. In Syria, that can fight the regime. That suggests this strategy is still developing.

Obama has been reluctant to be involved in Syria and to really commit greater resources. We shouldn't under estimate what we're facing here. I mean, ISIS controls a very large swath of territory in Syria. This would be a massive under taking. If the goal is to defeat ISIS, then there is a total mismatch between means and ends.

PAUL: So Chris, let me ask you this, wondering what influence these ten countries might have over Arab nations because a lot of people have looked at this and said they are noticeably absent.

SAVIDGE: It is all kind of a western doctrine here that's being used. These Arab nations will have to really do the fighting.

PAUL: Chris, what do you say to that?

CHRIS DICKEY, FOREIGN EDITOR, "THE DAILY BEAST": The most important country in the coalition is Turkey. It borders Syria and it borders Iraq. It has almost 300,000 men and women under arms. It is a NATO power. It was in on the meetings and it is part of the coalition.

The question is what is Turkey going to do and what will its role be in the coalition. It is also a largely Muslim majority country with a very Muslim government. So all of those things are very important. We are not hearing much about it.

You can stand on the Turkish border and see the black flags of ISIS flying. So I think the big thing for the Americans right now is to figure out how they're going to work with the Turks and bring the Turks into this picture. There is also Jordan --

SAVIDGE: The question here about Turkey though would be the fact that it doesn't look like Turkey is going to step in militarily. It looks like Turkey is going to be there to protect its borders and to basically provide border security. Who will provide as we say the boots on the ground?

DICKEY: Well, you know, it is not as if the Turks have never moved across any borders. They move across borders all the time to attack the PKK. I think there is a big question about what they are going to do. It is not just about their borders.

It is about 49 of their people who are being held hostage by ISIS ever since the fall of Mosul. The other country that's very important is Jordan. Jordan's King Abdullah was at the NATO conference, which I think is certainly very important because Jordan is not a member of NATO.

PAUL: OK, so Shadi, we are talking about the countries that are important here. What about the leaders of ISIS, al-Baghdadi? I mean, if you can take him out, which is what people are talking about.

SAVIDGE: Assassination.

PAUL: Yes, in terms of assassination. If he disappears, how much would that fracture ISIS if at all?

HAMID: This has been the strategy of the Obama administration with other extremist groups across the region, which is targeting their leadership and slowly degrading their capabilities. This is the kind of law enforcement approach to al Qaeda.

But I don't know how effective that would be in the case of ISIS. Yes, it would be a significant blow. Baghdadi is after all the caliph. There is a lot of symbolic power in that respect. ISIS is a movement. It's a quasi-state. It controls a lot of territory and millions of people live under its rule.

So we have to be careful about comparing it to al Qaeda, which was primarily a terrorist organization. ISIS runs local governments, it dispenses justice. It provides some degrees of law and order in the territories it controls.

It is not just a terrorist threat, a military threat. It's an ideological threat. It does retain some local support in Iraq and Syria because it is able to provide the law and order that other groups have not been able to provide. This is a different kind of threat that we're facing.

PAUL: All right, Shadi Hamid and Chris Dickey, we so appreciate your perspectives, Gentlemen. Thanks for being with us.

HAMID: Thanks for having us.

DICKEY: Thank you.

SAVIDGE: Frightening imaging of terror straight out of, I guess, we'd say the Showtime series "Homeland." Now ISIS is using high production to lure recruits to the cult. PAUL: Also, friends and family are preparing today to say good-bye to Joan Rivers. The clinic where the comedy legend suffered those deadly complications from an elective surgery is now under investigation. We will tell you more in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: It's 15 minutes past the hour right now. So glad that you are with us today. A charter plane carrying 100 American military contractors is in Dubai after being forced to land in Iran. I wonder what the announcement on the radio was.

SAVIDGE: Ladies and Gentlemen, a diversion here.

PAUL: The plane was headed to Dubai yesterday when Iranian officials ordered it to land or be intercepted. Tehran told the pilots the flight plan was out dated. It was kept on the ground before it was allowed to leave then.

PAUL: Gritty. Gruesome. Also really highly polished. Sort of like a horror film straight from Hollywood.

SAVIDGE: Somehow don't expect a terrorist group to be savvy. We are talking about is. The propaganda videos using production techniques and stages shots just like American movies and TV shows to do it. Could that strategy back fire? Our Brian Todd has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a slick horrifying video with Hollywood-like production techniques. This is the opening of that video created by ISIS showing Steven Sotloff's execution.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We will be vigilant and we will be relentless.

TODD: Look familiar? This is the clip from the opening to Showtime's terrorism drama "Homeland."

PRESIDENT OBAMA: We must and we will remain vigilant.

TODD: Similar phrase, similar grainy video effect.

MATTHEW LEVITT, WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: No coincidence here. This is western media production personnel for ISIS drawing on their knowledge of western popular culture to not only get our attention, but kind of stick it to America.

TODD: One ISIS video has a scene similar to the one in the film, "The Hurt Locker." An ISIS-drone video looks eerily like a scene from "Zero Dark 30." But strangely enough these productions could harm ISIS.

In this recent video showing Syrian soldiers being paraded in the desert in their underwear to their executions, the camera at one point jaggedly swings around to show militants on the production team. One man holding a camera. One with his face shown driving.

(on camera): Are these screen grabs for western intelligence?

LEVITT: When western intelligence looks at a frame grab like this, they are looking to see is there someone's face or if they could recognize. The frame like this is not useful. You can't see anything about his face here. Maybe you can see that he is right-handed.

But given that there are so many westerners involved in the slick ISIS propaganda machine on social media, digital media. One of the things I'll be looking at is to see if this is one of the known Westerners.

TODD: CNN has learned investigators are looking at whether Akmar Abu Samra, an American from Boston who is on the most wanted terrorist list has now joined ISIS and whether he may be behind some of its social media campaign.

RICHARD BARRETT, THE SOULAN GROUP: These groups understand that you need to get somebody who understands the vernacular, if you like. You need to get somebody who knows what images are going to appeal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: How effective has the ISIS media campaign been? Effective enough for the U.S. government to produce a counter narrative. This new video from the State Department sarcastically tells potential ISIS recruits they can, quote, "Learn useful new skills" like blowing up mosques, crucifying and executing Muslims.

They showed gruesome images to that effect. Much of the rest of this video is too graphic for us to show you. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

SAVIDGE: Brian, thank you very much for that.

Well, as friends and family prepare say good-bye to Joan Rivers tomorrow at a private service, fans of the comedy legend are setting up makeshift memorials from Manhattan all the way to Hollywood. We will have the latest on the funeral plans and the investigation into her death.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: People have been waiting to find out what the autopsy would say about Joan Rivers and why she died. It came back inconclusive.

SAVIDGE: Which you were surprised by.

PAUL: Well, I kind of was because you think she was 81 years old in a controlled environment with doctors. You thought there could be some answers. Inconclusive basically means there is no exact cause and manner of known death at this point.

SAVIDGE: That is not stopping the New York State Health Department from investigating the outpatient clinic where the 81-year-old suffered those complications from an elective surgery. We have CNN's Alexandra Field live in New York with the very latest. Good morning, Alexandra.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Martin and Christi. The Medical Examiner's Office says that they are going to need to do further studies to try and determine the cause and manner of Joan Rivers' death. Many people have been coming to her home in Manhattan leaving tributes to the legendary comedian.

You can see some of the flowers and the cards that have piled up outside her house. While fans mourn, there are three separate investigations into her death. We are following all of them this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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

RIVERS: I am 81 years old. I could die any second. Like that. I could go like that. Do you understand how lucky it would be? 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, OWNER, LAURIE BEECHMAN THEATRE: 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 healthy and vital. She looked great. She always great.

FIELD: The next day, Rivers was rushed to Mt. 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 gave the clinic its accreditation is also investigating. Together they will look at the clinic's staffing, life-saving protocols, and which drugs may have been given.

(on camera): Which sedative is used in a case like this?

DR. GEOFFREY KEYES, PRESIDENT, ACCREDITATIN ASSOCIATION: Some facilities use a combination of Versed, which is like Valium, intravenous Valium, and maybe another type of sedation. More commonly today, Propofol is used. Propofol is newer medication. It provides a really adequate level of sedation to do this type of a procedure.

FIELD (voice-over): Doctors say medical professionals would have 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: The State Health Department that Yorkville Endoscopy Center has no history of violations. Rivers' friends and family will say good-bye a few blocks from her home here in New York. Christi, Martin.

PAUL: We can see how people been leaving so many bouquets of flowers and notes at her door. Alexandra Field, thank you so much. I want to program note here. Later, we will speak to Tony Tripoli. Joan Rivers' lead writer and friend. He will tell us what it was like to work with the comedy legend. Stay with us for that.

SAVIDGE: As Congress gets ready to return from summer recess, a growing number of lawmakers are requesting President Obama for information on ISIS. Some say it is a lack of strategy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: It's 8:30. Where have you been? We have been up for a couple hours already.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: (INAUDIBLE).

PAUL: You are allowed. It's the weekend. You can stay home and relax. I'm Christi Paul.

SAVIDGE: I'm Martin Savidge. Welcome to the bottom of the hour and much more. Here are five things that you need to know for your new day.

Let's start with number one, it seems a good place doesn't it? Searchers scouring the Caribbean waters right now for signs of a small plane that crashed after its pilot stopped responding to air traffic controllers. Pilots of the U.S. fighter jets were, we should say U.S. fighter jets were scrambled to track that aircraft and they said they saw the way (ph) (INAUDIBLE) pilot slumped over the windows (INAUDIBLE) both sides of possible oxygen deprivation.

PAUL: Number two, a cease-fire between Russian separatists and the Ukrainian government appears to be holding at this hour. That there were reports of shelling after the agreement went into effect last night, but things do appear to be calm at this hour.

Meanwhile, the European Union issued a new round of economic sanctions on Russia to start Monday. Russia says it will respond if those go through.

SAVIDGE: Number three, Chinese ecommerce mogul Alibaba, it does not sound like a Chinese name I should point out, could make the biggest stock debut in history. The company said Friday, Plans to sell shares for between $60 and $66 a piece that could bring its total value to somewhere between $148 billion and $163 billion. That is the largest IPO in the U.S. to date. Well, the one previous that was Visa, it raised nearly $18 billion before its debut. So, we're (ph) kind of reference of scale.

PAUL: Right. Yes.

I hate number four, severe thunderstorms slammed into the Midwest. We're talking about strong winds ripping up trees, thousands of people didn't have power. And that included at least 110,000 in the Chicago area. Now, officials are telling people stay at least 20 feet away from downed power lines there.

SAVIDGE: Number five and I'll apologize? No. Serena Williams continues crushing her competition. The top ranked female player in the world earned her spot in the U.S. Open finals yesterday after trouncing --

PAUL: Ekaterina Makarova.

SAVIDGE: Makarova. Thank you very much.

PAUL: No problem. Anytime.

SAVIDGE: (INAUDIBLE) in the semis and then tomorrow Williams faces her very good friend which is Caroline Wozniacki.

PAUL: Yes. Beautiful.

SAVIDGE: Thank you very much. In the finals by the way.

Well, there is no disease that becomes easier to treat the longer you wait. Those words from Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio won in a growing chorus calling on President Obama to act quickly to destroy ISIS.

PAUL: Yes. This poll is really ramped up this week after the beheading of American journalist Steven Sotloff.

Speaking from the NATO summit yesterday President Obama vowed to take down the terror group.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to achieve our goal. We are going to degrade and ultimately defeat ISIL the same way that we have gone after al Qaeda.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: With us now CNN commentator Errol Louis and CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein.

His language I presume we should say the president here was more determined yesterday that we've heard before. So, Ron, what do you make of that? This definitely seemed like he has listened in some way and paid attention to his critics.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, you know, the president acts on his own timetable. That's one thing we have learned throughout his presidency and the conscious echoing of the language that he's using is (ph) al Qaeda, I think, sends a pretty strong signal that more is coming and in all likelihood, some kind of use of force inside Syria, at least drones, if not air strikes. But there is no question that the general trajectory of elite opinion on the foreign policy establishment in both parties is diverging to some extent from public opinion.

I think there is a systematic (ph) pressure that is not going to go away for more. Whatever he is doing the pressure from the foreign policy establishment of both sides is going to be for (ph) more. The public, however, is still, you know, in that post-Iraq, post- Afghanistan period of a great deal of skepticism about extensive U.S. involvement. So, it is going to be a tightrope for this president and in all likelihood the next president.

PAUL: Errol, you know, not only the president, but Secretary Kerry as well made the point this week too that there will not be boots on the ground in either Iraq or Syria. Do you think that ISIS can be taken down without any boots on the ground?

ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It is an interesting question, Christi. I'm not so sure. I'm not sure the president thinks so either. I mean, there's a key word in the phrase that you played which is ultimately. That might be two months (ph), that might be two years, that might be 10 years. It's completely unclear what it is they are prepared to do. But it is absolutely in the DNA of this administration and it's supported by pulse of the public.

The American people do not want the boots on the ground. This administration has pledged ever since the 2008 campaign that they were not going to recklessly rush in with boots on the ground and the secretary just confirmed it again yesterday. So, yes, drone strikes, but more importantly, something more durable. Something that we all know has to be done which is to create a coalition of nations that are going to help contain this threat. I mean, if it were as simple as Senator Rubio suggested that it was just a disease and you can just sort of vaccinate the world against them, that would be great but it is not nearly that simple.

SAVIDGE: Well, let me ask you this though, who is going to be in this coalition? I mean, who is supposed to make up the fight? Is it the coalition of the willing? Who is in it?

(CROSSTALK)

SAVIDGE: Either one of you. Go ahead.

LOUIS: Well, I mean - I'd say, look, at a minimum because it was talked about at the NATO summit, there will be some NATO partners and they're important of course. But the key partners are going to be the ones in the region. It's going to be Turkey. It's going to be Jordan. It's going to be Saudi Arabia. It's going to take some time. It's not going to be something that will get resolved in time for the November elections for sure.

SAVIDGE: Ron.

BROWNSTEIN: You know, I agree. I mean, I think, you know, clearly all indications are that the actual fighting on the ground is going to be - have to be undertaken by the frontline nations. Certainly the Kurds, the Iraqi forces and the moderate Syrian opposition to the extent one can really be build up. I mean, as you know, the president historically has been enormously skeptical of that. And now, I think, by necessity, is putting more emphasis on that potential force. But this is a long term problem.

I mean, you know, Foreign policy problems tend to be managed, not solved. That is the reality. Look at, you know, the other story we are dealing with Russia and Putin. I mean, we can say many of the same things about this. Does anyone believe that what is happening, you know, the cease-fire is the end of that problem? A lot of what we are discussing today is probably going to be on the plate of whoever is president as well in 2017. And that is a reality, I think, that we're all going to have to deal with.

PAUL: Errol Louis and Ron Brownstein, so appreciate your insights gentlemen, thanks for being with us today.

LOUIS: Yes. Thank you.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL (voice-over): All right. Well, listen, there is a thunderstorm rolling towards the northeast. I don't know if you can see it out of your window yet this morning if you are there but we're going to tell you, well, you got to baton down the hatches for today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, good morning. I'm Michael Smerconish.

President Obama says he plans to degrade and destroy ISIS. House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Ed Royce and the panel ranking Democrat Eliot Engel both join me to explain what the U.S. should do.

Plus could medical marijuana be the solution to drug addiction? I'll talk with the lead author of a startling new study and why women need to go to college. It's not for a B.A. but for an MRS. That's according to one woman who wrote a book on the topic.

It all begins at 9:00 eastern. Christi and Martin.

PAUL: That's going to be a good one Michael, thank you so much. "SMERCONISH" airs this morning at the top of the hour, 9:00 A.M. eastern.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY FALLON, HOST, "LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON": All right. I feel bad for this lady here. A new station in southern Ohio sent a reporter out to cover a big storm. And just watch this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of lightning and heavy rain in the area. Gabrielle (ph). UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, Leticia (ph), the wind is blowing very

hard. It just broke my umbrella. I'm soaking wet. The lightning is very bright.

FALLON: You heard it here folks. Rain is wet and lightning is bright. OK. We understand the lightning is very bright, Gabrielle. The rain, wet?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Oh, I feel bad for her. Somebody put her in that position.

(CROSSTALK)

SAVIDGE: I know. This is what happens when news directors stay behind and you go out in the field.

PAUL: When they sit in the chairs and watch you.

SAVIDGE: Yes. They're comfy (ph) and dry go (ph), how does that happen?

PAUL: We're not ripping on our boss or anything.

SAVIDGE: No. No, not at all.

A severe thunderstorm though we should point out it's heading to the northeast (INAUDIBLE).

PAUL: And it is wet and it's windy.

SAVIDGE: All you reporters out there, get ready to - get ready to hit the street. 365,000 people without power (INAUDIBLE).

PAUL: Yikes. Yes. Jennifer.

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It was a bad one. Definitely it's going to be wet and bright across places in the Midwest and northeast as we go through the next 24 to 48 hours. And yes, really hit hard in Michigan and northern portions of Illinois.

Look at the storm reports from yesterday. We have 152 winds reports, eight hail reports. In fact we have a video out of Michigan showing the storm. It was just awful. At one point, 385,000 people without power. Now that number is down to 365,000 customers. And it looks like it could take days to get power restored. More than 2,000 power lines down with this storm. So, it was definitely a nasty one.

This is all part of the same system that's going to be heading to the northeast later today. Right now, not so bad. We have completely quiet conditions all up and down New England from D.C. all the way up to Boston into Maine. But some very warm moist air is fuelling the storms and that is what's going to pull in a slight risk of severe weather for today.

Your main threats of course being very gusty winds, large hail, slight possibility of a tornado. But the hail and wind threat definitely going to be out there. So, U.S. Open for today could impact some of those matches. 91 degrees, your afternoon high of course. This is going to be pushing off shore as we go through tomorrow. But we could see some nasty ones across the New England area. A much cooler air, guys, coming in right behind it. We will see temperatures dip in the 70s next week.

SAVIDGE: Very nice.

PAUL: I could go running again.

SAVIDGE: Open the windows.

(CROSSTALK)

PAUL: Jennifer, thank you.

SAVIDGE: I have been in that young lady's position of standing up in (ph) that (ph) weather.

PAUL: Yes. Yes. And it is not easy.

SAVIDGE: No, it isn't.

PAUL: And when it is coming at you like that, God bless you.

SAVIDGE: I thought (ph) she did great. Absolutely.

PAUL: She did. She did.

SAVIDGE: Moving on. She dished out harsh critiques and she made people around the world laugh while do it. After the break, we will talk with the man who helped write some of Joan Rivers' punch lines and it (ph) was very close friend of the comedienne.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOAN RIVERS, COMEDIAN: My hot flashes are so bad, I was hit by a heat seeking missile. You (ph) don't (ph) know (ph).

If you want to see people make tons of money and have no talent I will not watch you guys, I will watch the Kardashians.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What happened to your eye?

RIVERS: I scratched it on Al Roker's zipper.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: She still just cracks us up. Joan Rivers doing what she does best there. Just making us howl laughing.

SAVIDGE: Yes, she does. She really does. I mean, my respect for her has been great, but now when I hear so much about her after her passing, it grows greater.

The 81-year-old comic legend had people around the world laughing of course since the 1960s. And think about that that is a long time. While comedians and artists have come and gone, Rivers never lost it. She was as good as ever for more than half a century.

PAUL: She probably offended you or someone you know over the years at some point but, I mean, the impact that she had on women and comedy and entertainment just cannot be matched nor (ph), you know, can you forget it. You can't (ph) (INAUDIBLE).

SAVIDGE: No, you can't. And which is why we ask Tony Tripoli come and join us. He's not just a friend of Rivers he was also her head writer. And he joins us now from New York.

And if it is possible to do this, to describe, tell us what it was like to know and to work with Joan Rivers.

TONY TRIPOLI, JOAN RIVERS' HEAD WRITER: She was the most singular person you could ever be around. No one -- anything even close to Joan Rivers. And I have to say, being on CNN on an ear piece talking about Joan Rivers, I do reserve the right to angrily storm out of the studio if her spirit possesses me. So, just please know I may have to honor her by angrily leaving.

PAUL: You can see why he was her writer right there.

TRIPOLI: She just -- you know, I feel like she is up in heaven right now saying, yank that ear piece out and curse a blue streak and leave, you know, that's the best way you can honor me.

She would do anything for a joke. She would -- nothing was off limits. And she never wanted to offend people. She never was trying to be scandalous. She just felt like there were so many things in life that are so terrible and so horrible, the only way to survive them is to find that one thing in there that you can make fun of.

(CROSSTALK)

SAVIDGE: Is there -- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you but just a memory of the one you cherish because you saw her, you worked with her in a very different way than the rest of us, of course, ever did.

TRIPOLI: Yes. I mean, it was an honor to get to go over to Melissa's house every Wednesday and go through the 20 pictures in the show for that week's "fashion police" and, you know, put together all these jokes. And to read Joan Rivers a joke that you wrote and to have her throw her head back and just laugh and laugh is one of the things in my life that I am the proudest of. How many people got to have that experience? I'm very lucky.

PAUL: Yes. And to make her laugh had to be -- then you know it had to be a good one because she was so good at coming up with them I'm sure herself as well.

TRIPOLI: Unparalleled. The fastest.

PAUL: In the documentary, there was a moment where and I think you were with her when she went - she had a tearful moment about Johnny Carson. Do you remember that moment? Can you tell us about that? Because that is the Joan Rivers...

TRIPOLI: Yes.

PAUL: ...we don't see a lot of.

TRIPOLI: Well, it is funny because I saw Jimmy Fallon the other night talk about having her on the first episode and they all did the bit with people came on and gave him (ph) the $100 bills. And the version of that story that Joan told me was a little different. We were on a break once from "Fashion Police" and we had just a minute. And I said, you know, Joan, I've always wanted to ask you what's the real story with Carson. And the tears immediately came down her face.

I mean, the pain was so fresh for her and she told me what that whole thing was like and how he never spoke to her again and how she really carried a lot of pain from that. But she always loved going on Jimmy Fallon's show. And she said that the day that Jimmy found out he would take over "The Tonight Show," which was got to be about a year before he started, right?

PAUL: Mm-hmm.

SAVIDGE: Mm-hmm.

TRIPOLI: He called Joan up and said, I just want you to know you're on the first episode and the ban is over. And that made her cry. And he really did a beautiful thing for her.

So, the night after - the night that she did that very first show, she called me and she sounded like a 16-year-old girl that had just gone to her first prom and kissed a boy. She was giddy with excitement. And you know, and she said, I'm 81 years old. And now I know what closure is.

PAUL: Wow.

TRIPOLI: It was like this full circle moment for her. So, I really -- I never met Jimmy Fallon, but if I do, I have to hug him for what he did for her.

PAUL: You (INAUDIBLE) - we just -- we thank you for sharing...

SAVIDGE: Yes, we really do.

PAUL: ...these memories with us.

TRIPOLI: Yes.

PAUL: I know that it is a really difficult time for you. We both know that. And we're grateful that you took the time. So, if you want to take your ear piece out and go for it.

SAVIDGE: Storm out.

PAUL: You can storm out if you want to. We understand.

TRIPOLI: Oh, curse, curse, curse.

PAUL: Tony Tripoli, we are so grateful to you. Thank you. And our thoughts and prayers are with you and everybody else.

SAVIDGE: His own very special tribute to Joan Rivers...

PAUL: Very much so. Yes.

SAVIDGE: ...on CNN. Thank you very much.

Well, we will take a quick trip to the grocery store. It can be a huge undertaking. And for parents of special needs children are especially difficult.

PAUL: Yes. A new shopping cart though is making that a little bit easier for you. Find out why the U.S. military is taking note with this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: All right. Wake up all of you in Maryland. It's 9:00 a.m. on the East Coast. We wish you a good morning. We're (ph) looking (ph) at a live picture there of Fort McHenry.

SAVIDGE: I'm sorry. It's for me. Anybody who had forgotten.

PAUL: Wake up (INAUDIBLE).

SAVIDGE: The war of 1812. Fort McHenry by the way. And that was the place that successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from the British. And there was a song written about it, did you know?

PAUL: I didn't.

SAVIDGE: Yes, Francis Scott Key. The Star - Spangled Banner.

PAUL: The Star-Spangled Banner.

SAVIDGE: OK (ph). (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: This Navy wife and mom in San Diego. You know, you push your daughter around in a wheelchair and then you try to pull a shopping cart at the same time. That is not easy.

SAVIDGE: No, big challenge. And there is a new invention that has been dubbed Caroline's cart. It is now making those grocery trips much easier. It was created by an Alabama military mom of a special needs child. And now several military bases around the country had adopted (ph) it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a big, big win for our special needs community.

It was fantastic. She is so happy. She smiled. She looked around. She got to participate and see the groceries. And it is something that is as ordinary as the task sounds. It's huge when you never have been able to do it before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: A sweet little girl there too. Not just for kids though Caroline's cart can support as much as 250 pounds. So, adults can use it, too.

SAVIDGE: Wonderful.

Oh, sure, you heard about it. It has been blogged about. Now, we're going to show it to you "THE MUST SEE MOMENT." Imagine what you would do if you saw a giant mutant spider with a dog's head running toward you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: All right. Now you get the picture. When it's dark, yes, it would freak you out. Admit it. Watch these two. I mean, it would freak me out. I'll be really honest with you. That is a little frightening. And of course as we go toward Halloween, sure. But you know what? It is just one sweet dog dressed in a spider suit, people. 22 million views on YouTube already.

SAVIDGE: He has been scarred for life.

PAUL: I think he might just be happy about it. He's a little dog. That gives him a little more power. Thank you so much for sharing your morning with us. We'll see you again in an hour.

SAVIDGE: "SMERCONISH" starts right now.