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Search Intensifies for Teens Lost at Sea; Poll: 49 Percent Approval Rating for Obama; Joyce Mitchell to Be Arraigned Today. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired July 28, 2015 - 07:00   ET

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


[07:00:13] ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Meanwhile, the Coast Guard says this search is challenging, but they are vowing to continue.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MACHADO (voice-over): This morning, rescue teams are beginning day five of their search for missing teenage boaters Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen. On Sunday, crews located the boys' capsized boat off the coast of Florida. Perry and Austin, nowhere in sight. Only a single life vest floating alongside the 19-foot vessel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's a negative. We just confirmed nobody is on board. They're trying to find any other gear.

CAPT. MARK FEDOR, CHIEF OF RESPONSE, COAST GUARD, 7TH DISTRICT: It is positive news in that it helped validate our search efforts, that we were looking in the right area. Obviously, disappointed that the boys were not clinging to that boat.

MACHADO: Now, with the Gulf Stream in mind, they're searching north of where the boat was located, about 77 miles off the coast of St. Augustine.

FEDOR: So it's been an all-hands-on-deck-type effort.

MACHADO: The operation aggressive. The U.S. Coast Guard executing at least 36 different searches with the help from the Navy. Crews have now scoured more than 37,000 square miles. That's more than the size of Indiana.

CARLY BLACK, MOTHER OF AUSTIN STEPHANOS: These boys have been out there doing this forever. It's not new to them. They -- they prepare for these situations.

MACHADO: The boys' moms say their sons are both licensed and experienced boaters.

PAMELA COHEN, MOTHER OF PERRY COHEN: I think a lot of people think about that the boys are only 14 years old, what were they doing out on a boat? We live in a boating community, and this is part of the lifestyle here.

MACHADO: The Coast Guard says right now the good conditions could work in Austin and Perry's favor, saying a person could survive in these warm waters for four to five days.

COHEN: The boys are raised on the water; they're raised on boats. So it really is second nature to them. They are going to be OK.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACHADO: The families have established the Perry and Austin Rescue Fund to help pay for private searches. So far, they've raised more than $44,000 -- Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: All right, Alina. Thanks so much. And we will have much more on the search for these two boys. Later in the program, we will be joined by a Coast Guard guest.

Moving on to politics, a brand-new CNN/ORC poll reveals a bunch of stuff Americans do not like right now. But when it comes to President Obama's job performance, the numbers are in the positive territory for the second month in a row.

So let's get the latest from CNN's Athena Jones. She is live at the White House. Tell us what's going on there, Athena.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn.

Well, that's the bit of good news in this poll. The president's job approval rating at 49 percent. That's about where it was a month ago.

But it's not all good news. Let's look at the economy. When it comes to the economy, just 41 percent say economic conditions in this country are good. Nearly 6 in 10 say they are poor. That is a big change from April. Back in April, 52 percent said they felt that economic conditions in this country are good. And we know, from our polling, that economy, the economy is the top issue on voters' minds. So these bad numbers may not bode well for folks running for White House in 2016. It could provide an opening for Republicans to argue, hey, why send another Democrat to the White House?

More bad news, also, when it comes to views of the president, of the deal struck with Iran, a nuclear deal reached with Iran. Fifty-two percent say Congress should reject that deal. The president has been trying to sell the deal, from press conferences to "The Daily Show." But it's looking as if that sales pitch is falling short.

Opinions about the deal break down along party lines, with Republicans more likely to oppose the deal.

Now Congress is in the middle of their 60-day review period, after which they will vote to approve or disapprove of the deal. And Republican critics of this agreement may take heart in these poll numbers -- John.

BERMAN: All right, Athena. Thanks so much.

Let's dig deeper into this CNN/ORC poll and a new poll just out from the key battleground state of New Hampshire. Joining us live now from the White House, political director for

Ronald Reagan and contributing editor to "American Spectator," Jeffrey Lord; and former senior adviser to Bill Clinton and a writer for NewYorker.com, Richard Sacarides.

Jeffrey, let me start with you, because we have this new poll from Monmouth University, from the Granite State, the great state of New Hampshire, showing Donald Trump at 24 percent. In second place, Jeb Bush is at 12 percent. So, I'm not great at moth, but he is doing twice as well as any other Republican candidate, Donald Trump is.

I know you actually have written somewhat flatteringly of Donald Trump here. So why? Why is this happening? Why does this continue to happen? This is no longer a fluke. This is sort of across the board in both national polls and key state polls.

JEFFREY LORD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "AMERICAN SPECTATOR": John, you are absolutely right. One of the things that Donald Trump has in common with Ronald Reagan is that he is consistently underestimated. You know, people didn't think he was going to get in the race, and then they wouldn't release his financials, and he wasn't serious and nobody people wouldn't take him seriously.

[07:05:10] And time after time after time, we are seeing these polls, which says to me that he really does resonate with folks. There is something going on, a lot of which is tied to your poll right there. And that 59 percent of the folks who think the economy is in bad shape. As I remember the Clinton/Bush campaign in 1992, the line from the Clinton folks was, "It's the economy, stupid." And they were right. And to be perfectly candid, you're always right about that in American politics unless there's some foreign trauma.

So I'm not at all surprised that a guy who -- who, you know, talks about jobs and has a solid record of creating jobs himself for thousands and thousands of people, is ahead.

CAMEROTA: OK. So let's look at that poll, Richard. Because that -- 59 percent believe that the economy is poor. And by the way, there's another new CNN poll just out this morning about the economy. And it says that only 41 percent, as you see here, think that it's good. And that compares with back in April, just a few months ago, 52 percent thought it was good. It's on the decline. And what Jeffrey is saying, is that that's good for Trump and probably bad for Hillary Clinton.

RICHARD SACARIDES, WRITER, NEWYORKER.COM: Well, let me FIRST say that I think the numbers, overall, in this poll, for -- are very good for President Obama. I think the White House is going to be very pleased. I mean, his approval rating is...

CAMEROTA: Let me put that up: 49 percent approval rating, disapprove 47 percent, which is almost a wash.

SACARIDES: Well, his approval rating is net positive. And that's what you -- that's what people look for in this day and age. We are a very divided country, but his approval rating is net positive. Overall, people think that the -- that their own personal economic situation is improving.

CAMEROTA: It doesn't seem like it.

SACARIDES: No, but those numbers -- those numbers are very good. Then voters are asked about their own personal economic situation, the poll shows that they feel more positive than they had before.

CAMEROTA: So why is the number about the economy slipping?

SACARIDES: Well, I think that you saw a big swing from last month on that, and I think that part of that reflects people's IRAs. You know, the stock market was way down.

So I think these numbers, overall, are very good for not only President Obama but for Democrats generally.

And I think this Trump phenomenon is really, you know, really going to -- is probably really upsetting Republicans. Because Donald Trump is really on the margins of our political discourse.

BERMAN: Before you pile on Donald Trump, let me talk about this poll, because you say it's all good for the White House. Is it good that on the Iran deal now, the majority of Americans say that Congress should not approve the Iran nuclear deal? The president needs to get this deal through. And more than 50 percent now say that they want Congress to vote against it.

SACARIDES: Well, I say that there's only a four-point swing on the Iran question. And I think that question reflects the fact that the president and the White House have some more, you know, talking to do. They have some more explaining to do.

I think that, you know, there's been a lot of heat around the Iran deal from the Republicans running in the Republican presidential primary.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

SACARIDES: So, I think that number, while we'd like it to be better, is not too bad. I think that they've got some educating to do; they've got some explaining to do. But a four-point swing on the Iran deal, you know, is not really intuitive that you'd want to make a deal with Iran.

CAMEROTA: Jeffrey, what do you think about those numbers, about the Iran deal and that most Americans don't support it. And in that way, do you think that Mike Huckabee's comments about these very graphic Holocaust terminology about what it does to the Israelis might not be as rejected as some people think they should be?

LORD: Yes. I don't think they are rejected. I think there are a lot of people concerned about this. I will say, I do think it's the economy, with foreign policy coming up as it sort of traditionally does. But let's remember that back there in 1980, when Ronald Reagan was running against Jimmy Carter, the lethal cocktail was the mixture of the bad economy and a bad relationship with Iran, in that case, hostages.

If this deal with Iran is shown to be bad or, let's say, the perception of it by the American people, and that only increases because the Iranians themselves increased that impression, then I do think that's a big problem for Hillary Clinton as we go down the road and, certainly, it's a problem for the -- you know, the deal itself.

SACARIDES: Can I just -- can I just say about those -- about those Governor Huckabee remarks, I mean, I really think that that is -- you know, these -- those remarks were really pathetic and shameful. And I think that the -- what we're seeing now is an attempt by certain Republicans to, you know, give a jump start to some of their poll numbers in advance of these debates.

(CROSSTALK)

SACARIDES: But these guys, I mean, I think they're ratcheting up the rhetoric. But I think it's so clear that Donald Trump and Mike Huckabee, neither one of these people are going to be president of the United States. What they are -- what they are trying to do is they are trying to raise their profile so they can improve their television ratings, you know, after the fact, after this election is over.

LORD: I don't think so.

CAMEROTA: Go ahead, Jeffrey. Go ahead.

[07:10:05] LORD: Well, there's easier ways to do it than that. Mike Huckabee did have a good television show anyway so, you know -- I'm not all that big of a Huckabee fan, but I certainly don't think he's doing this for television. This is a really serious...

SACARIDES: You seem to be quite a fan of Mr. Trump, and Mr. Trump is, like, making a -- you know, making a fool -- making a mockery of our political system and making a fool of himself.

LORD: Well, you see, the people in New Hampshire don't think so. Obviously, these polls don't reflect that.

I mean, with all due respect, once you get out in the countryside and once you get out between New York and Los Angeles and you talk to regular folks, they have an entirely different opinion.

SACARIDES: Well, I will tell you what he is doing. He is presenting himself in a very authentic way. And I think what is appealing to people is his raw authenticity, which we don't often see in politics and which I think we should see more of.

But I think on the substance, he is really -- you know, he's not doing himself or the Republican Party any favors. And you know, I'm sure that Mr. Bush and Mr. Rubio and other people who are serious contenders for the Republican nomination are ripping their hair out.

BERMAN: Jeffrey, at a minimum, has he raised the bar, has he made it harder for other candidates to get attention? Does he make it necessary for people like Mike Huckabee to say things that are... LORD: Sure. Sure. As the overused phrase -- I'll overuse it one more time -- you suck the oxygen out of the room. That -- that is true. There's no question about that.

BERMAN: All right. Well, let's see how long he can keep that oxygen in those lungs inside that billionaire body. Jeffrey Lord, Richard Sacarides, thanks for being with us. He's got to hold his breath for 468 more days and 16 hours.

CAMEROTA: Yes, I mean, sure, until the election. But the debates are next month. So...

BERMAN: And next month is like a week. It's next week.

CAMEROTA: They're in a week. Richard, Jeffrey, thank you -- Michaela.

PEREIRA: Four-eighty-six will go by in the blink of an eye. Come on.

All right. So in the news here, Joyce Mitchell, the former prison worker in upstate New York accused of helping convicted killers Richard Matt and David Sweat escape, well, she is expected in court today. Could she strike a plea deal?

Jason Carroll is following today's hearing for us. What are we thinking?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, she certainly has been cooperating with police in providing them with a great deal of information. So we'll see if that works out with her in court today.

She is expected for her arraignment in court later on today. She's facing a number of charges, including first degree, promoting prison contraband; and fourth degree, criminal facilitation.

In terms of what lies ahead for her, she could be looking at as much as eight years behind bars. But her attorney tells me he is hoping for some sort of plea deal, hoping that all of that cooperation is going to pay off for her in some way.

Just to recap, in terms of what she is accused of, remember, she was supposed to be the so-called getaway driver for both Richard Matt and David Sweat but apparently got cold feet at the last minute and backed out. She provided them, allegedly, with tools, including those hacksaw blades to help them cut through those prison walls. Remember, she was the one who helped smuggle those hacksaw blades into the frozen bits of hamburger meat. Her cell phone used to help contact members of Matt's family.

Her relationship with David Sweat under investigation. Remember, she -- David Sweat told investigators that he did not have sexual relations with her. But that is also under investigation. She denies she had sexual relations with both David Sweat and Richard Matt.

One other point, and that is about this alleged, so-called murder plot. Remember, she was also accused of plotting to murder her husband, who also worked at the prison. David Sweat told investigators she was a part of that. She denies it. Her attorney denies it, as well. She is not facing any sort of charges related to those allegations.

PEREIRA: All right. We'll watch to see what happens in court today. Thanks so much for that, Jason.

Be sure to tune in tonight for a Randi Kaye special report here on CNN. "The Great Prison Escape" will air tonight at 9 p.m., only on CNN.

CAMEROTA: We'll be talking to Randi about that later in the program.

Meanwhile, authorities in Oregon investigating a number of suspicious package deliveries to government buildings. They say packages were sent to at least five government offices across the state on Monday, some containing a, quote, "unknown substance." A postal official says it's unlikely the mailings are -- sorry, it's likely that the mailings are related, but unlikely that there is any risk to the general public.

BERMAN; A dramatic conclusion to a police chase that started in New Jersey and ended in Pennsylvania. Police pursued an armed robbery suspect in a white van on highways, surface streets, residential neighborhoods, even through a toll booth. The chase finally ended about two hours after it began when a police cruiser used the pit maneuver to make the driver lose control. The van flipped; the suspect was arrested.

PEREIRA: You know, I was in L.A. for a long time. And that was sort of a regular occurrence. You just -- your heart is in your throat when you watch these things happen. Unaware people driving, minding their business.

CAMEROTA: Right.

PEREIRA: Cars going the wrong way, unnecessary speeds. I mean, it's just -- it's so horrible.

CAMEROTA: Yes. The irony in L.A. is that the only time there's no traffic is when there is a chase. Otherwise, you're usually just bumper to bumper traffic.

BERMAN: ... at New Jersey at this point? Is that what you're saying?

PEREIRA: More traffic is what you're looking for.

CAMEROTA: Yes, people. Officials, take my word for it.

PEREIRA: Says the girl from New Jersey.

CAMEROTA: All right. Meanwhile, back to the very serious top story that we're following. That's the Coast Guard searching desperately for those two missing boys off the coast of Florida. How long can they survive at sea? We will speak with the Coast Guard about where the search is this morning. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:18:49] PEREIRA: The Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy, other agencies are intensifying their search for two teens missing at sea since last Friday. Officials estimate 14-year-old Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos, his friend, can survive four to five days in the warm Florida waters. The two have been at sea now and been missing four days.

We're joined now by -- on the phone by Captain Mark Fedor. He's chief of response for the U.S. Coast Guard 7th District in south Florida. They are sort of leading the search.

Sir, thanks so much for joining us once again. Can you give us an idea of the conditions that rescuers are currently facing out there?

CAPTAIN MARK FEDOR, CHIEF OF RESPONSE, U.S. COAST GUARD, 7TH DISTRICT (via phone): Yes, good morning.

PEREIRA: Good morning.

FEDOR: The conditions -- the search conditions are actually pretty favorable. Not very high seas, good cloud cover as far as searching. The challenge is, we're searching for a very small search object. In the water, all you see is about their chest up to their head. And you're looking for a very small object over a huge area of open ocean. That's the main challenge.

PEREIRA: And that's a big challenge. We know you've got a lot of eyes out there.

Let's bring up that map, again. Because I think many of us who perhaps aren't mariners struggle to understand. These young boys last were spotted in Jupiter in the morning. They were gassing up their boat, about a 19-foot motor boat. But the boat was found so far away, far to the north there. Explain how the currents work and why the boat would get that far away.

[07:20:18] FEDOR: Sure. So they -- when they left Jupiter, they headed east, and they entered into the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream is a very strong current that runs from the south towards the north. And it runs at about 3.5 knots current, and that is very fast.

So once they became disabled or the boat was capsized -- we're not sure exactly what happened to them. But once they were separated from their vessel, the boat started drifting north. And that's why we found it so far north. And that was actually within our search parameters. We thought we'd find something in that area. So it was a positive sign when we found the capsized vessel, because it validated our search efforts. Obviously, we hoped to see Austin and Perry there. We're going to continue searching.

PEREIRA: How far offshore would that have been, where the boat was found?

FEDOR: It was 67 nautical miles to the east of St. Augustine, Florida.

PEREIRA: You talked about the fact the boat could have been disabled or it could have capsized. Let's talk about both scenarios. In terms of a boat capsizing, how does that happen? Is that just a question of high seas? The boat taking on water? What are the scenarios that can have something like that happen?

FEDOR: So a boat can capsize. A 19-foot boat is not very big to go out -- to go out far offshore. In south Florida, especially at this time of year, we have a lot of strong squalls that come through there. Very sudden storms; winds can blow 40 to 50 knots. And it can kick the seas up temporarily. Even though it's short term, it's pretty severe. So if they were caught in one of those, especially if they were disabled, that means they're less maneuverable, it's very easy to capsize. You can take water on, and the boat can quickly capsize. And it really doesn't take that much to find yourself in a very dangerous situation.

PEREIRA: We've got a lot of fishermen on our staff here. And one of the guys was commenting that a 19-foot boat is not the type of boat that is wise to be taking out into the open ocean out there. Give us an idea of the challenge of boating on that open ocean, in that blue water, as you -- as you say.

FEDOR: We always encourage, you know, all mariners, even for the most experienced mariners, it can be a potentially dangerous situation to go to sea. So we encourage everyone to file what we call a float plan. Let somebody know where you're going and when you expect to be back.

We also encourage people to have the proper life-saving equipment, especially personal flotation devices, a radio, and some other means to contact folks. And then always keep an eye on the weather.

PEREIRA: Yes.

FEDOR: Like we said, especially here in south Florida, things can change on a dime.

PEREIRA: It really can. Mother Nature is nothing to contend with.

We've heard from the parents. They say that these boys were as comfortable on land as they were on water or vice versa. That these were experienced boaters; they had licenses; they knew what they were doing. Yet, you say even for an experienced boater, it can be difficult.

We understand that the searching has been going on -- the search effort has been going on through the night. Tell us about that and what kind of resources and technology you're using to do that.

FEDOR: So yes, we have been searching pretty steady since Friday evening. Took for the current time. We've executed 36 different search patterns for both aircraft and surface vessels. And at night, different assets have different sensories and capabilities, from radar to infrared technology. So we're using everything at our disposal to try to find Austin and Perry.

PEREIRA: We know that everybody, including you, who are putting your own lives at risk, looking for these young boys, everybody wants them found. Is it reasonable to think these two kids, that anybody could survive four or five days out there?

FEDOR: It's -- we will never discount the will to live out there. So we will do our best and keep searching aggressively. But obviously, at some point, you reach a time period where someone can only survive so long in those waters. And we reevaluate those searches every day, and we'll see where we are and we'll determine the probability of our future searches for success. And make a decision from there.

PEREIRA: Well, certainly, everybody is hoping for a miracle. Captain Mark Fedor, thank you so much for joining us here on NEW DAY.

FEDOR: You're welcome. Thank you.

BERMAN: The president's popularity up. Support for the Iran deal, down. Feelings about the economy, way down. So, what does that mean for the president, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump and you? John King goes "Inside Politics," next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:28:36] BERMAN: Still no sign of two Florida teenagers lost at sea since Friday. Fourteen-year-old Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos disappeared after going out alone on a fishing trip. Their capsized fishing boat was found with one life jacket nearby. The Coast Guard has expanded its search, now focused some 60 miles off the coast of Jacksonville.

PEREIRA: President Obama ending his historic trip to Ethiopia by making more history. He is the first American president to address the African Union. So far during his speech, he has touched on his African heritage, and he's focused on making sure all women in Africa have equal rights. He spoke about Africa's democracy being at risk, saying leaders must step aside when their presidential terms end.

CAMEROTA: "Entertainment Tonight" reporting that Bobbi Kristina Brown's funeral will be Saturday in the Atlanta area. Initial autopsy results reveal no obvious cause of death, though more tests are pending. Brown was found unconscious in a bathtub earlier this year. And now, the mother of Brown's boyfriend, Nick Gordon, speaking out on his behalf, saying he has, quote, "suffered greatly." Brown's legal conservator filed a $10 million lawsuit against Gordon before she died, saying he had physically abused her.

BERMAN: A Florida family striking gold off the Florida coast. Treasure hunter Eric Schmidt uncovered more than a million dollars' worth of gold coins in 15 feet of water off the coast of Ft. Pierce. Schmidt and his family found 52 coins that went down with a Spanish ship during a hurricane 300 years ago for a company that reclaims valuables. One of the coins, minted in 1715, is worth half a million dollars alone.

CAMEROTA: Wow!