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NEW DAY

Airtran Flight Diverted; U.S. Freezes Some Egypt Aid; DiMaggio Left Life Insurance To Hannah's Grandma; Flooding In Russia; Saudi Man Weighs 1,345 Pounds; Daycare Workers Fired; Up In Flames; "The Calling" Singer Robbed; "Are We Best Friends? "; Maternity Dress Madness

Aired August 20, 2013 - 07:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to NEW DAY, everybody. It is Tuesday, August 20th. I'm Chris Cuomo.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kate Bolduan. Good morning, everyone. We're here with news anchor, Michaela Pereira.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

BOLDUAN: Coming up in the show, two Virginia day care workers have lost their jobs for using Instagram to bad-mouth the toddlers they were caring for. We're going to talk with one of those mothers live who says her son was mocked online.

CUOMO: Plus we have a big exclusive one on one with Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, that's going to air tomorrow. You'll want to hear what he says right here on NEW DAY. A lot of news for you this morning as well so let's get right to Mic.

PEREIRA: All right, guys. Here we go. Here are the headlines at this hour, Airtran Flight 265 from Baltimore to Austin, Texas diverted to Memphis last night after a passenger tried to open up an emergency exit while in flight. Thankfully no one on board the flight was injured. CNN affiliate WREG says the FBI detained that suspect for two hours once the plane landed in Memphis. He was later taken away in a police cruiser.

Close to 50 wildfires burning in 11 states, but there is a possible break for firefighters in Central Idaho, an aerial assault along with several thousand firefighters on the ground helping to turn the tide on the Beaver Creek fire. More relief expected today in the form of wet weather.

To the west, most of the people who live in the small town of Atlanta, Idaho, defied evacuation orders to help fight the 8,000 acre Little Queens fire.

The U.S. freezing some military aid to Egypt, U.S. officials the Obama administration is reprogramming aid while it decides the best approach to the situation there. Also Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has picked Mahmoud Azat as its new temporary spiritual leader after their leader was arrested for allegedly inciting violence.

Another strange twist in the Hannah Anderson kidnapping case, James DiMaggio, the man who abducted Hannah Anderson after killing her mother and brother left $112,000 insurance policy naming the teenager's grandmother as beneficiary. DiMaggio was killed during Hannah's dramatic rescue. According to his sister, he wanted the money to go to Hannah and her brother, Ethan, but thought the parents' relationship was too unstable to leave the money with them.

Incredible pictures from Russia where rescue crews had to rescue two brown bears, that's them in the cage being airlifted out in the path of floodwaters that had drenched the region east of Moscow. The flooding is the result of torrential rains that forced some 20,000 residents from their homes.

And a little something to make you smile on this Tuesday, she may be very little but that doesn't mean she can't help out with the chores, cleaning windows. It is an interesting approach. I'm thinking it will take her a lot of time. We might give her a squeegee for Christmas. Look at the face and the bow in the top of the hair is too cute.

BOLDUAN: Delicious.

PEREIRA: She thinks the window is delicious as well.

BOLDUAN: If I can't eat I'll chew on the window.

CUOMO: When you have kids you think I wonder what she's thinking and the longer you have kids you think she's not thinking anything, the glass is cold and it feels good.

BOLDUAN: There is new hope this morning for a man who is one of the heaviest people in the world. The Saudi Arabian citizen weighs in at more than 1,300 pounds and can't move on his own. Well, now, on order of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia he's being air lifted to a hospital for emergency medical treatment. CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meet Hali Bin Musenshari. At 1,345 pounds he may be the heaviest man in the world and he's not even 21 years old. He hasn't been able to leave his bedroom for more than two years. These pictures show the dramatic moment when he was taken out of his home using a forklift. Part of it had to be demolished to bring him out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's obviously an extreme case. The chances that this guy is really sick are really high.

COHEN: It's unclear how he got to be this severely obese, but Dr. Robert Lustig, a leading pediatric endocrinologist has a theory.

DR. ROBERT LUSTIG, PEDIATRIC ENDOCRINOLOGIST, UCSF: I don't think can he eat himself to 1,345 pounds, but he can certainly drink himself to it. Liquid calories don't stimulate satiety like solid calories. It's hot there and goes down easy.

COHEN: Liquids don't fill you up the way food does so perhaps he never felt satisfied. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah is paying for a military plane to transport Shari to Riyadh to undergo medical treatment. Step one, says Lustig, a restrictive diet, not weight loss surgery.

LUSTIG: You can't do surgery on them now. It's too dangerous. You basically would have to keep him in the hospital for years on a restricted calorie diet. At some point, it will become safe to do a bariatric procedure.

COHEN: According to the "Guinness Book of World Records," the heaviest living man in the world has been Manuel Uribe from Mexico. He topped out at 1,235 pounds, but has managed to lose some weight and is down now to 980 pounds. Shari is not alone. Obesity is a serious issue in Saudi Arabia with more than 35 percent of its citizens considered severely overweight. Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: Wow. Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much for bringing us the story. Eighteen, 20 years old, that's how young he is.

CUOMO: You get wowed by it because it's extreme, but Elizabeth gave us a really good factor as did the doctor in the piece, drinking.

BOLDUAN: Liquid calories.

CUOMO: It's at least a third of our caloric intake and something we don't pay attention to. News you can use. We'll take a break and when we come back, a shocking story, two day care workers accused of using Instagram to make fun of the kids they're supposed to take care of. We're going to talk to one of the parents and she'll tell you what happened to her child.

BOLDUAN: And terrifying moments for actor, Dick Van Dyke, his car went up in flame and he's inside. Details about the amazing rescue coming up in our "Pop Four."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Welcome back, everybody. This morning there are disturbing allegations against two Virginia daycare workers fired for allegedly mocking the children they were supposed to be caring for. One woman reportedly posted pictures of a kid on Instagram and made fun of him. We're going to talk a mom whose 2-year-old was targeted in this situation in just a moment. But first, take a look at the background of the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO (voice-over): Ethan Jordan is a happy, energetic 2-year-old, but here he is sitting in a highchair, which he no longer uses, his usual smile replaced by a frown, and his mother is heartbroken about it, that's because workers at Heavenly Haven Learning Center Two placed him in the chair and posted this picture to Instagram purely to make fun of him.

The daycare center's manager joined in poking fun at Ethan's delayed speech development writing in part "thinking, because sure can't talk." In another incident the employee also mocked another child for his teeth. When Ethan's mother, Melissa saw the photo on Instagram she was furious. She alerted the daycare center and the media.

Both the employee and the manager have since been fired for violating the daycare's privacy policy. In a statement the daycare says, a Heavenly Haven's position on the actions of the employees involved zero tolerance and the employees have been terminated. Virginia's Department of Social Services is now investigating.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: All right, joining us now on all of this is Melissa Jordan, her little son, Ethan is the one you saw there at the top. Melissa, thank you for joining us this morning.

MELISSA JORDAN, PHOTO OF SON POSTED ONLINE: You're welcome. Thanks for having me.

CUOMO: Now I hear Ethan is there. I heard he's in a little bit of a mood. I got a toddler at home so I appreciate you just letting him do his thing because as we know you're not going to make them do whatever you want but tell us --

JORDAN: Not going to happen.

CUOMO: He's unaware of this at his age, but you know what this is about all too well, yes?

JORDAN: He's doing well. Yes, he's unaware of what's going on because he's only 2.

CUOMO: But you know what this is about and it's got to hurt and I'm sorry for that. Tell us how you found out about this?

JORDAN: I found out through a mutual friend who happened to be Instagram friends with her so she came upon the picture and said, this looks a lot like Ethan, and she forwarded it to me and from there I was like wow, that looks a lot like Ethan and the outfit the little boy had on was what Ethan wore to daycare that day. I was like wow this really is Ethan and that's a how I found out about it.

CUOMO: Now look, putting your kid on Instagram without your approval that's an obvious no-no, but there's something deeper to talk about. Ethan has delayed speech development, a lot of kids have that, they can grow into t get help, but you put this kid into the care of these people and you see the photo online and how they're using it. What did it mean to you?

JORDAN: It meant -- at my house we don't make fun of each other of our shortcomings, things that are out of our control and things that we -- things that we need extra help with we don't tease each other about. It was so foreign I figured they don't care about Ethan. He's not important to them if they can do this to him and that's how I felt from that.

CUOMO: That's your rule among family, those who have somewhat of a right to talk about each other. Here --

JORDAN: Exactly.

CUOMO: This is one of the biggest fears I'd imagine. You're putting your kid, who matters more to you than him, nobody, daycare, the big word is care in there. So what did it mean the people you were trusting with your child would treat him this way?

JORDAN: Well, it just means to me that it wasn't somebody that I could trust and that they obviously don't love Ethan and care for Ethan anywhere near how I love Ethan or care for Ethan.

CUOMO: Do you think there's any good excuse for this? Do you think that the daycare center could come back and the people say it's a misunderstanding, you know, we love the kids, we were just being funny. Do you think there's any of that here, any chance of that?

JORDAN: That hasn't happened so I feel if they tried that, maybe it would be a little bit more understanding. Like OK, it was an inappropriate joke. I'm not OK with it. There's no excuse for it, but at least I can understand the human error but that hasn't even happened.

CUOMO: Now the place we're talking about, Heavenly Haven Learning Center Two, they didn't want to do an interview with us. They put out the comment you heard in the piece there. Have you heard from them?

JORDAN: No. No one's reached out other than me -- when the incident first took place I took off work and I had a face-to-face with the director and other than that, there has been no contact. Other than the contact I initiated.

CUOMO: Right and that was the right thing to do. There are other kids involved here. We have to make sure our kids are getting the best care possible especially by those supposedly trained and paid to do so. What is your message to the employees, to the daycare center, what do you want them to know about how you feel?

JORDAN: I want you to know that if you don't genuinely love and care for children and it's not a passion of yours, this isn't something you should be involved in. If you think it's funny that a child is delayed or if they're not perfect or they have shortcomings, if that's a joke to you or something you think you should tease about that's not a job for you. That's how bullying starts, how children become bullies and insecure and that's how -- that isn't anything I want for Ethan or I'm sure any parent wants for their children.

CUOMO: They are reinforcing the worst of behavior and we are hoping they're going to teach our kids to be their best.

JORDAN: I agree. I agree.

CUOMO: Well, listen, Melissa, you did the right thing, thank you for bringing out this story. We'll follow the investigation and see where it goes and give the little man a hug for us. I don't want him yelling and screaming on my show, but you can give him a hug for me.

JORDAN: I will. Thank you.

CUOMO: All right, good luck with everything, Melissa. Kate over to you.

BOLDUAN: All right, Chris, thank you. Coming up next on NEW DAY, a close call for one of America's most beloved entertainers, Dick Van Dyke and his wife narrowly escaped a raging car fire.

Also coming up, a 12-year-old girl from Michigan gets mauled by a bear and thankfully lives to tell the story. Abbey Whetherel and her mother will be here to join us live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Welcome back to NEW DAY, everyone. It's time for the Pop Four, which means Nischelle Turner is here.

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: The business this morning. You're supposed to be on my side, Kate Bolduan, what's up with this?

BOLDUAN: I am Switzerland.

TURNER: NEW DAY team ganging up on the new chick. All right, here we go, number four, our story. I love it, I love stealing Cuomo's good news. I got some for you, after Dick Van Dyke and his wife escaped their burning car after it burst into flames on a California highway, 87 years old he is, here's the video posted right after the fire. That's his wife. Despite the dramatic images, no one was injured. I love that.

Our number three story this morning, the lead singer of soft rock band, "The Calling" says he was abducted, beat up, and dumped on the train tracks. He tells CNN he was forced into a van and robbed as he left his Michigan hotel. Police are investigating this and he insists to CNN this is not a hoax.

And a kiss and a fist bump. It's our number two story. Kid president sat down with Beyonce. He gave her a kiss, we saw that. He gave her the actual exploding fist bump. Not just the bump, bam, blew it up, blew it up.

CUOMO: She should be interviewing him, he's the president.

TURNER: I don't think she's a journalist, though. I've been trying for two years to get an interview with Beyonce, how do you do that?

BOLDUAN: I'm not saying you're not the most beautiful woman you've ever met, but you've got to be that cute.

TURNER: She's trying to make up for siding with Cuomo.

CUOMO: No apologizing for the truth.

TURNER: Number one and I'll keep moving this morning, NEW DAY team. Did you like the Duchess Catherine's family portrait dress? I think a lot of people did, yes, it's the same style that she wore during her second outing with Prince George. According to the company web site, the dress was already back ordered before the portrait was even revealed so now good luck getting your hands on that one, not going to happen.

BOLDUAN: That Kate effect is really amazing.

TURNER: Can you tell me one more time how beautiful I am?

BOLDUAN: You're so beautiful, you're so beautiful, you're so beautiful.

CUOMO: Even more beautiful when you're wrong. Pizza is not fast food. That's what we were talking about.

TURNER: I want you to tweet Cuomo and tell him pizza is fast food.

CUOMO: Pizza is not fast food. Not saying you should eat it all the time, but it's an important topic.

TURNER: It's food, fast food.

BOLDUAN: Nischelle has spoken.

CUOMO: She's good looking, so we'll let her end it.

Coming up on NEW DAY, so we can continue our little pizza thing going on here, close to 50 wildfires in 11 states, we're going to tell you about it. Hard hit Idaho, finally some encouraging news, as well. We're going to have a live report at the top of the hour.

BOLDUAN: And also the court martial have accused Fort Hood shooter, coming to a close, but will army Major Nidal Hasan testify? That's the big question.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: Something we can all agree on.

BOLDUAN: Yes, exactly, exactly. That music means it's time for a quick roundup of stories you'll be talking about today. First up, Michaela.

PEREIRA: All right, Kate, let's look in the papers. First up from the "Miami Herald," the FDA setting new guidelines for gluten free foods, a product must contain less than 0.002 percent gluten.

From "USA Today," a new study revealing 29 percent of white high school females use tanning beds. This is raising alarms among doctors and health officials concerned about rising skin cancer rates.

From the "Hollywood Reporter," pop star, Demy Lavato joining the "Glee" in its fifth season to reportedly appear in a Beatles tribute episode and will sing alongside "American Idol" Adam Lambert. Time now for business news and Christine Romans.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Is this the end of the bull market? That's what some investors are asking following the longest losing streak in stocks since December. The Dow down for four days in a row, losing 440 points, stocks falling because interest rates are rising.

August 29th is the day fast food workers say they'll hold a national strike. The workers have staged a handful of one-day walkouts in the past few months. They want $15 an hour and the right to form a union. Let's get to Indra Petersons for the weather.

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Now we have a red flag warning near the Beaver Creek fire in Idaho today. The reason for that we're actually talking about some strong winds and dry lightning. Here's the reason why. We have a low moving into the area, which for today will mean the windy conditions, more rain by the end of the week. It should help conditions. It's got to get through the tough stuff, too.

Otherwise, the southeast, way too much rain, imagine living there, dealing with this, one to three inches of rain in the forecast, even two to four inches not out of the question in those heavier thunderstorms. In the northeast, it's beautiful. We're talking about temperature 5 to 10 degrees about normal. If you don't like above normal, it gets even nicer towards the weekend, perfect on the money temperatures this weekend.

BOLDUAN: All right, thanks so much, Indra. We are now at the top of the hour, which means it's time for the top news.

CUOMO: Breaking overnight, a passenger tries to open the exit doors while in flight. The plane gets diverted and we'll tell you who was onboard and able to restrain him.

BOLDUAN: Brave survivor. She's the 12 year old who survived a bear attack not once, but twice, even playing dead. She joins us live.

PEREIRA: Photo controversy, tech titan, CEO of Yahoo! So why is this magazine glamour shot causing so much controversy? We dive into the debate.

CUOMO: Your NEW DAY continues right now.