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Political Gut Check; Troubled Past for Stowaway; U.S. Cuts Aid to Egypt; Edward Snowden's Father in Russia; Wing Suit Flyer Accident in China; Fat-Burning Supplement Pulled; Cardinals Do It Again

Aired October 10, 2013 - 06:30   ET

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


KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So, John, the president following the meeting with House Democrats yesterday is kind of offering the clearest sign yet that he's open to a short-term extension of raising the debt -- of raising the debt ceiling. And House Republicans giving some -- some indication that they're moving in that direction as well. Do you think this is real momentum that we're seeing, finally?

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Finally, yes, but I would add a capital B, but, believe it when you see it, if you will.

A big meeting this afternoon, Kate, the House Republican leadership will go to the White House. There are a number of other important meetings during the day on Capitol Hill. Perhaps by tonight or this time tomorrow we'll see some signs. But on the clear question just of the debt ceiling, the president says he's open to an extension.

House Republicans are trying to sell their rank-and-file on approximately six weeks, you would raise the debt ceiling so the government could pay its bills. And then you would get a commitment from the president to negotiate those issues we talked about yesterday -- tax reform, spending levels, Medicare, Social Security, other entitlement reforms.

That is the outline of the deal House Republicans want to try to sell to the president today that would get us through what the president says would be a catastrophe, not raising the debt ceiling. It would not deal with what we call a crisis, that is re-opening the government.

BOLDUAN: Right.

KING: So we would still have government by band-aid but perhaps, perhaps one that would lower the temperature just a bit.

BOLDUAN: And so there's still a big difference as you're indicating between getting this extension and getting the government fully open again. That's one thing that they have to deal with. But you have these meetings at the White House today, Senate Democrats meeting with the president, House Republican leaders meeting with the president separately.

Do you think this is a sign at least they're now talking since they're finally meeting? Or is this -- I don't want to be cynical, but how can you not be, in another instance of checking the box to say that you tried if things don't work out.

KING: But if things don't work out, that's just what it will be. And it's hard not to be cynical. Remember, I'm the guy who sat in this chair several weeks ago saying, look, I've known some of these people from 15 or 20 years, there's no way they're going to shut the government down. They understand the stakes, there's no way they'll take us to the verge of default.

BOLDUAN: Right.

KING: They understand the stakes and here we are. So it's hard not to be skeptical and cynical. Usually we use these terms when we're talking about the Israelis and the Palestinians or the potential of the United States sitting down with Iran. Diplomats say you have confidence building measures.

So if the president can sit down with House Republicans, not agree but at least start to understand each other a little better, start to respect each other a little better or at least just find a common interest. As we said yesterday, in some ways, you know, the president even though he's winning politically here to a degree, needs to help John Boehner if he wants to get anything done for the rest of his presidency or at least over the next year and a half or so.

So they do have some common goals even if they're more cynical political goals. And let's see if they can agree on something.

BOLDUAN: Yes. No kidding. So there was a Gallup Poll that was released yesterday that's getting a lot of attention. The Republican Party -- the Republican Party's favorable rating now at 28 percent, which is a record low in Gallup Poll -- in Gallup polling. That's down 10 percent from just -- 10 points from just last month.

It makes you wonder, though, as this fight drags on, and we've said all along, the Republicans while everyone is being blamed for the shutdown and this crisis, Republicans are taking more of the blame.

Do you get a sense that Republicans are concerned about these numbers when you see that 28 percent at the moment? Or do they think they're in the middle of a fight, they have to deal with this fight and they can make up for that favorable rating later?

KING: Now an overwhelming majority of Republicans when you talk to them, they get this, Kate. Because they know they're coming out of two presidential election cycles where they have other problems. So they can't get the vote of people of color. The Republican Party has become a white rural or ex-urban party and has, you know, very little standing in urban America and suburban America, which is where the people live, and which is, let's be honest, urban and suburban America, you're reliant on government than you are in rural America.

So you have this big split in American politics right now. And that Gallup Poll shows you it is getting worse, not better. Now the big leadership in the party gets this, the hard part is trying to sell this to an individual House member who's going home to a district where he or she got 55, 60, 65 percent or maybe was unopposed in the last election. They don't worry about national polls. They worry about back home.

And that's the split in the party you have right now as the speaker and other leaders try, first, let's see if they can get a debt ceiling deal today, but then they still have to deal with the question, can they get those conservatives to drop their obsession with Obamacare and re-open the government somehow?

BOLDUAN: All right. We'll see. Today we could see a first step maybe. Let's have hope while we can and we'll figure out tomorrow.

KING: Yes, I hope -- let's hope we're having a more happy Friday by tomorrow.

BOLDUAN: There you go. We can hope. Thanks, John.

CUOMO: Every Friday is happy, first of all. And the polls clearly show that it takes two to tango. I mean, I do think that's one part that's ignored here. There's no question the polls also show there's a little bit of unequal thing.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

CUOMO: But, you know, the left has this -- it's what they're call the equivalency narrative? Or something like that, where you're saying the Democrats are somehow involved. Of course they are. Of course it takes both sides. You see it in the polls, you see in the practicality. So hopefully both sides move forward together. Of course that'll make a lot of pundits angry.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

CUOMO: But hopefully make the rest of us very happy.

Coming up on NEW DAY, a dad who says he can't control his 9-year-old son. You've been hearing about this boy, the one who somehow got past TSA agents on to the plane, went to Vegas. Turns out there's a lot more to the story. Going on in this family, the boy's father has something he wants everyone to know.

BOLDUAN: Also ahead, a popular diet supplement linked to liver damage in more than two dozen people. One victim has even died from this. Now the product is being pulled from store shelves. What you need to know, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Welcome back to NEW DAY. Indra Petersons is here with what you need to know before you head out the door this morning.

What can we expect?

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I wish I could say good news but unfortunately I'm already getting yelled at a lot this morning. It all has to do with the rain that we know is heading our way or depending on where you are, is already there. I mean, take a look at the low. It is a slow-moving system. So get comfortable with this guy. It is your new friend as you go through the weekend. Look at the amount of rainfall we're expecting in the mid-Atlantic and into northeast over the next several days. This is for the next three days. Three to five inches into the mid- Atlantic. The reason for that, it's just going to hang there, it's going to pull that moisture off the coast day by day.

Of course that's not bad enough so we're going to add in the winds. You have a high and a low close to each other. When you have that, you're talking about strong northeasterly winds. Of course some beach erosion also going to be a concern over the next several days.

Let's talk about the temperatures, also cool. So obviously you have a storm in the area. We're going to be talking about below normal temperatures in many places. Almost 10 degrees below even for fall. So even to some highs today. D.C. just into the 50s.

Someone is asking, well, where is it nice? Where can I go? Go to the middle of the country. That's where temperatures are good, 15 degrees above normal. It is beautiful there. But of course once you go to the pacific northwest you see that big contrast there between the middle of the country and just west of it. So every time we see that, of course we're going to be talking about the threat for severe weather.

Thanks again to the system kind of moving out of the Rockies, from the Dakotas to the panhandle of Texas today. We are going to be concerned with some heavy thunderstorms. So hope everyone has some -- I don't know, is this football weather?

I don't know, Kate. You like the football, rainy, nice, cold, windy?

BOLDUAN: Every kind of weather is football weather.

PETERSONS: It's all good?

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: So just remember that. Just remember that.

PETERSONS: Done deal then.

BOLDUAN: Right?

CUOMO: Absolutely.

BOLDUAN: Thank you.

PETERSONS: Makes my job easy.

CUOMO: Thank you for the weather appreciate it. Again, you look very nice this morning. I hope the weather continues.

BOLDUAN: Stop (INAUDIBLE).

CUOMO: I'm trying. Now that I know she controls the weather. I thought she was just reporting on it there for a second.

All right. We want to talk to you this morning about the story about the 9-year-old kid who somehow found his way on to a plane and went to Vegas. His father now is making a plea for help. And it's a bizarre twist. That's him there. All covered up. But he wanted to hold a press conference because he wants to reveal something else. Not himself but some information.

The distraught father says that he has a family in crisis, that he has been trying to do things but now he is at the end of his rope.

CNN's Miguel Marquez is in Minneapolis with the very latest here.

Some real turns in this story, Miguel. What do we know now?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The turns only get turnier there, Chris.

Look, this kid is only either brilliant, bored or bad, possibly a mix of all three. We know that the day before his history-making flight to Vegas, he was here at the airport, he grabbed a bag off the carousal and left. That's a really bad boy. The day that he was -- went to Vegas he was on the escalators playing like any other 9-year- old would. Then he got through the security barriers by following a family in. And now this bizarre press conference by his father.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are asking for help.

MARQUEZ (voice-over): A tearful and disguised father of the 9-year- old boy who, ticketless hopped a plane from Minneapolis to Las Vegas, makes a very public cry for help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have been asking for help. No one stepped up to help.

MARQUEZ: The man says the last he knew his rambunctious son took the trash out. The next thing he knew for sure his kid was in Vegas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is a 9-year-old child. He went through screening. He boarded the plane. How is that possible?

MARQUEZ: He says officers threatened to arrest him if he physically punish his troublesome son.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I whoop my son, I get locked up. If I let my son keep on doing what he's doing, I get in trouble.

MARQUEZ: Just in the last few weeks, the 9-year-old was suspended from school for fighting. That's when he not only stole this delivery truck but then apparently purposely crashed it into the squad car.

The "Minneapolis Star Tribune" found more. He had a history of rising the light rail to a local water park and sneaking in with a large family. V.J. SMITH, FAMILY SPOKESMAN: He's not this monster.

MARQUEZ: A family spokesman says it is hoped the boy will be returned to his family on Friday.

SMITH: He's just a kid with a lot of energy and a lot of creativity that needs to be channeled in a new direction.

MARQUEZ: A defiant 9-year-old and a family struggling to deal with him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ: Now the airport is reviewing its security arrangements based on this situation. We know that this young man went through a hearing in Vegas. That was closed and sealed. We expect him back here on Friday. When he gets back here, my guess is he's going to have a lot more attention on him. It might be a little more difficult to do this in the future -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: It's a very good point. Thanks so much, Miguel.

All right. Let's go around the world now starting in Cairo where people are reacting to the U.S.' decision to cut off aid in Egypt.

CNN's Ian Lee has that.

IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's supposed to send a message to Cairo by withholding hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid that Washington is upset with the current pace of Egypt's transition, back to democracy and violence on the streets. Over 1,000 people have died in clashes with security forces since the army ousted the country's first freely elected president last July.

No reaction from Egyptian officials yet but the public is divided, some want the aid gone altogether while others are upset as this comes as the country fights a low-level insurgency.

Back to you, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Ian, thank you so much.

And to -- to Moscow now where Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency's leaker now living there, could be reuniting with his father today.

Phil Black has more on this story.

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Lance Snowden arrived at the same airport his son spent around six weeks living in earlier this year. He flew in from Toronto, saying he's come to Moscow to learn more about his son's situation, his health and his legal options. But he made it very clear he doesn't speak to Edward.

He said despite previous reports they haven't been in direct contact and he hopes that the opportunity presents itself, they'll get to see each other. And he thanked the Russian people, the Russian president for insuring his son's safety and freedom.

Back to you, Kate.

BOLDUAN: All right. Phil, thanks so much.

A scary story with a very sad ending. A Hungarian wing suit flyer has died after a jump into a gorge in China goes horribly wrong.

Pauline Chiou has more on this.

PAULINE CHIOU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kate, I want to share a sad story from China. Rescuers have found the body of wing suit flyer Victor Kovacs. He was last seen on Tuesday during this practice jump ahead of the World Wing Suit Championship. Nearly 200 rescuers combed the rocky terrain to find him. An investigation is under way. But it's believed he crashed into a cliff after his parachute didn't open.

Wing suit flyers wear specifically designed suit that slows down their descent but like skydiving, the flight is still supposed to end with a parachute.

Back to you, Kate.

BOLDUAN: All right. Pauline, thanks so much for bringing us that story.

CUOMO: All right. We're going to take a quick break. When we come back, we have a little bit of a diet alert for you. A very popular diet supplement has been pulled from shelves. We'll tell you why and why people are being warned to stop taking it immediately.

PEREIRA: And we're getting a bit of a lesson in crawling, compliments of a pair of dogs and a baby. Anything cuter? I doubt it. It's our "Must-See Moment." Who do you think is teaching who, however?

BOLDUAN: Good question.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: Welcome back to NEW DAY. A popular weight loss supplement has been pulled from shelves. The FDA is now warning people to stop taking it immediately. This supplement is suspected in two dozen cases of liver failure and hepatitis and at least one death.

Senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, is at the CNN Center with much, much more. What exactly is this supplement and what are we learning about it from investigators?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: So, Michaela, this supplement is marketed for weight loss. And back in September, scientists in Hawaii noticed, wow, we've got about seven people who have acute liver failure and hepatitis and liver problems like that, all of them took the supplement, and these were all people who had been previously healthy.

And they just couldn't figure it out until they figured out the link, which is that they had all taken the supplement. And now, they're looking to see if, perhaps, there are more cases in other states. Now, in Hawaii, one person has died and two people have required liver transplants. Now, let's hear from the company that makes Oxyelite Pro.

Here's what they have to say. "The cluster of liver issues in Hawaii is a complete mystery and nothing like this has ever been associated with Oxyelite Pro in all of the years our products have been on the market. We know of no credible evidence linking Oxyelite Pro to liver issues. And the company says we've taken it off the market out of an abundance of caution" -- Michaela.

PEREIRA: This is not the first time, though, that this company that makes this Oxyelite Pro has had trouble.

COHEN: That's right. So, last year the FDA said to them, hey, wait a second, you're using an ingredient that's actually illegal and could be linked to heart attacks. And so,the company took it out, but there is a history here, Michaela.

PEREIRA: But wait, OK, so this is really concerning. How on Earth does this happen? These supplements like other supplements, they're regulated, are they not?

COHEN: Well, they're regulated but not in the way you might think. So, let's take a drug. A drug has to get approval before it goes on the market. It doesn't work the same way with supplements. Supplements can go on the market and then the FDA, the burden of proof is on them to say, hey, there's something wrong here, let's take it off the market.

They don't have to get the same kind of pre-approval as a drug does. And I think people don't know that. I think people go into a store and think, oh, you know, the FDA or someone must have approved this beforehand. That's not always the case.

PEREIRA: Oh, and people start drying, will the FDA now step in no?

COHEN: You know what, unfortunately this has happened with supplements over the years that we've had these problems with this supplement or that supplement. And the laws have never really changed. I mean, there've been little tweaks.

PEREIRA: Right.

COHEN: But still, it remains the way it's been for a long time.

PEREIRA: Concerning. All right. Elizabeth Cohen with the latest on that. Thank you for that, for bringing it to our attention.

Something light now from our "Must-See Moment." Check this video out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA (voice-over): It's cute and they're off. What appears to be a race to the finish line might an actuality be a lesson in crawling. The adorable baby and his pals, a pair of beautiful, they're really beautiful Alaskan Melmutes. We cannot decide, though, who is actually teaching who to crawl, because they end up over taking him and it ends up being a bit like a car wash.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN (voice-over): The dog think it's a race.

(CROSSTALK)

PEREIRA: The one on your right or left kind of not very good at crawling.

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: Dogs don't need to crawl.

PEREIRA: No. That's true. They have those legs for a reason.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: I believe that the baby is doing what babies do, and there's probably somebody near the camera with food that is making those dogs come in that actual way.

PEREIRA (on-camera): Likely.

BOLDUAN (on-camera): And the baby. Baby bottle over here.

CUOMO: You want it? You got to do what you have to do.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: Capture the moment. They'll appreciate it later.

PEREIRA: They will.

BOLDUAN: Exactly or we can --

Coming up next on NEW DAY, some lawmakers say blowing through the debt ceiling is no big deal, but many business leaders disagree. We're going to be joined by one top financial executive with a very stern warning for Congress.

CUOMO: And you go on a roller coaster for a thrill but not a thrill like this. Stuck high off the ground for hours at a Florida amusement park. What happened? We'll have the full story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: I am sad to report that Cinderella has exited the baseball playoffs. The Pittsburgh Pirates, everybody's favorite, they hadn't been there in so long, but it ended for them. Andy Scholes joins us now with more in this morning's "Bleacher Report." They had a great run, though, right?

ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Yes, they did, Chris. You know, they had nothing to hang their head about. They had a great year. After 20 straight losing seasons, the Pirates finally made the playoffs. Unfortunately for them, though, they ran into Cardinals ace, Adam Wainwright.

Last night, David Freese got things started for the Card to the two- run shot in the second inning, and that's all Wainwright would need. He threw a complete game, giving up only one run. The Cardinals win, 6-1. They advance to the NLCS to take on the Dodgers. The Tigers and A's play tonight on TBS. Winner of that series faces the Red Sox in the ALCS.

All right. Washington Redskins owner, Daniel Snyder, is doubling down on his commitment not to change the name of his team. Snyder sent a letter to Redskin season ticket holders saying he wants to preserve the team's heritage by keeping the controversial Redskins name. Now, this comes just days after President Obama said if he were the owner, he would consider changing the name.

All right. We've seen hockey games in football stadiums, basketball games on aircraft carriers. So, what's next? How about a college football game at a race track. According to reports, Virginia Tech and Tennessee have agreed to meet halfway between the two schools and play a game at Bristol Motor Speedway during the 2016 season. An official announcement is expected on Monday.

And Chris and Kate, if they play this game at the speedway, an estimated 160,000 fans are expected to attend and that would absolutely to shatter the record attendance for a college football game.

BOLDUAN: Where is the grass, though? What am I missing?

CUOMO: The infield --

BOLDUAN: There's grass in the infield?

CUOMO: Yes, very often. And they can just put it down now, too.

BOLDUAN: Yes. It doesn't even have to be real. Thanks, Andy. I've learned something today. I'm now -- I'm now done. I can leave now.

CUOMO: The NEW DAY promise of making you smarter every day --

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: -- comes true even for us.

BOLDUAN: We're now at the top of the hour, which means it's time for the top news.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are here, ready to negotiate. That's why we are here.

CUOMO: Signs of hope. On Capitol Hill, both sides talking about a deal, but only for the short-term. We're live with the details and what could happen next.

BOLDUAN: Danger in the air. Look at this photo. A hot air balloon catches fire. Two passengers on board barely escape with their lives. So, what went wrong?

PEREIRA: Too distracted to notice a gunman. A man shot and killed on a subway. Police believe the killer could have been stopped if passengers weren't so focused on their smartphones.

CUOMO: Your NEW DAY starts right now.

ANNOUNCER: What you need to know --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think there's not an emergency on the debt ceiling and this alarm about default is just false.

ANNOUNCER: What you just have to see.

This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Kate Bolduan, and Michaela Pereira.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: Good morning. Welcome back to NEW DAY, Thursday, October 10th, seven o'clock in the east.

There's a word being kicked around Washington we haven't heard in a while. It is pronounced deal, but it's a defined term here. Why? House Republicans have a plan that would increase the debt ceiling. That's good. But for a short time, that's not as good, but it wouldn't touch the government shutdown.

BOLDUAN: Right.

CUOMO: That's bad. The president, however, has suggested he is open to this deal. The proposal would, again, not be perfect, but if this can actually happen, we'll tell you how.

BOLDUAN: And breaking overnight, Libya's prime minister kidnapped by armed militants in Tripoli then released just a few hours later. So, what was going on? Was it retaliation for the U.S. raid that nabbed a suspected al Qaeda leader in Libya? We'll have a live report.