Return to Transcripts main page

NEW DAY

Two Teens Go Missing While Boating off Coast of Florida; Donald Trump's Presidential Candidacy Examined; Rep. Meadows Files "Motion to Vacate the Chair"; Tom Brady: "I Did Nothing Wrong"; Lion on the Loose in Milwaukee?. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired July 29, 2015 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:02] MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: The situation grows more dire by the hour. These young boys went on a fishing trip six days ago. They haven't been seen since. Coast Guard officials say really it's only possible to survive in the waters for up to five days. Alina Machado is live in Jupiter, Florida, with the very latest for us. Alina?

ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Michaela, the Coast Guard is very busy searching and tracking down any potential lead. The most recent one came last night off the Georgia coast where a good Samaritan says he spotted an object in the water. The Coast Guard sent out a helicopter last night to check it out but did not find anything.

Right now they're back out in that same area just to make sure they didn't miss anything even though their computer models say it is not on area where the teens are likely to be found. So far they have searched more than 30,000 nautical miles and have only been able to find the teens' capsized boat. Authorities say as the time goes by, the situation grows increasingly dire for these teens. And yet their families are still very hopeful.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA COHEN, PERRY'S MOTHER: We are 100 percent committed to finding and rescuing those boys as is the Coast Guard. And we will not stop until we get them back home with us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACHADO: The community continues to rally behind this family. They continue to host prayer vigils to pray for these boys to come back home. Meanwhile, the families have already raised more than $133,000 to help pay for private searches they say they are determined to find the missing teens. Michaela.

PEREIRA: And one is praying for a miracle. All right, Alina, thank you for that.

Turning to politics, Donald Trump's entry into the presidential contest didn't come smoothly, even within his own party. Republican leaders are telling him to tone down his attacks to keep from damaging the GOP. Is the Republican Party warming up to the idea of a Trump presidency? CNN's Don Lemon spoke with Mr. Trump and joins us more -- with more now on what he had to say. Quite a conversation.

DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Republicans love him. Everybody loves him according to Donald Trump. But it really does appear that a lot of people love him. If you look at the polls, people love him. And he says even among veteran some polls show people choosing him over McCain for veterans. So people do love Donald Trump. We spoke about everything from the job market to stocks to whether or not the RNC loves him, who loves him, who doesn't, and why he is doing so well in the polls.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Is the RNC getting warmer towards you, or do you think that, because I read in the Hill that possibly you would do a third-party bid, are they worried about that? And will you do it?

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I think they've become very warm since they see that I'm leading in all the polls. And you know, I've hit a chord. The middle class is really liking me a lot because we have to bring back the middle class in our country. And they're really liking me. The vets are loving me, you're seeing that more than anybody. That's been resonating.

The -- on the border the people that want -- in Phoenix I had 15,000 people in Phoenix, it was an amazing day, an amazing day. These are people who want border security. They want to stop the inflow of illegal immigrants coming in.

There are a lot of groups that agree with me. I call it the silent majority, to bring a word back from the past, but I call it the silent majority. And there is a huge silent majority out there, Don, and they're sick and tired of watching incompetent people or people that aren't necessarily incompetent but they just want to keep their jobs, meaning politicians, and the they talk and they don't do.

LEMON: Enough of a silent majority to give you enough momentum, you think, to be a viable third-party candidate, would you consider this?

TRUMP: A lot of people want me to do that.

LEMON: Will you do that?

TRUMP: No, but I don't want to do that. I want to run as a Republican. I'm the leader in the Republican -- obviously I think that's better from my standpoint from the standpoint of winning. I am leading in the Republican Party, in some cases, you see yourself because you have the polls, in some cases leading by a lot. And I would much rather do that than do the other. And yes, they are treating me nicely. I think there has been a new level of respect since people have seen the poll.

LEMON: I want to ask you about China because their stock market really tanked. You often talk about China and the manipulation of currency. What do you make of --

TRUMP: I have also said China is a big bubble. LEMON: So do you think that's reflected in the stocks?

TRUMP: Well, the world is a very shaky place because financially it's all built on hope and dreams. You look at interest rates being where they are. They're artificially low. You look at what went on in China, and in the case of China, if we have a great leader, we can benefit by China's collapse, frankly. Not that it's a nice thing, but we can benefit. If we have a stupid leader, the China collapse is going to take us down with them. So they better elect Trump or they have a problem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[08:05:04] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Don Lemon, stick around with us. We're also going to bring in CNN political commentator and Republican strategist Kevin Madden and former White House political director and contributing editor of "The American Spectator" Jeffrey Lord.

Leading into the segment Don Lemon said everyone loves Donald Trump. Donald Trump loves Donald Trump and Donald Trump claims everyone loves Donald Trump. But Kevin, we spoke to Rudy Giuliani just a short time ago. And he said he could see himself perhaps endorsing Donald Trump, he could see Donald Trump as president. Do you get the sense, Kevin, that Republicans are backing off their harsh criticism to an extent, they're letting this play out a bit more?

KEVIN MADDEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No. I think there are many folks inside the Republican Party, I think they're putting a premium on two things -- electability, they very much want to win in 2016, and governing. And they don't think that Donald Trump is representative of the party on the issue of governing, that he is a celebrity. He's interested in getting attention for himself but he's not serious about governing and not serious about where he would take the country.

So I think you'll see folks like Rudy Giuliani, from New York, may have had a long-time relationship and has been a friend of Donald Trump say some nice things. There are many folks how believe that's the way to get Donald Trump out of the race, which is don't pay him some compliments. Don't give him too much attention. Don't give him the oxygen that he wants as a celebrity, and eventually he'll go away.

But I think there are others in the party that believe what we need right now is a confrontation. You saw that coming from Rick Perry. We need a confrontation and we need somebody who is going to do a better job of representing conservatism in the Republican Party.

LEMON: Kevin is saying keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: And I think that's good wisdom, that's a good strategy. But I also think, Alisyn, that people who have been doing this for a long time, the folks in Washington, the party leaders, I think they're underestimating Donald Trump. I think Donald Trump appeals to the people. And he's not appealing necessarily to people who have run traditional campaigns. There is nothing traditional about Donald Trump. This is in many ways the new way.

Imagine if he wasn't in the race what we would be talking about, how bored we would be. Strangely enough, oddly enough, I left at 11:00. Met a friend I hadn't seen in a long time. He said I saw your Donald Trump interview. This is a staunch liberal. He says, I love him. I love him because he is unfettered. He does not rely on talking points. He may not say exactly what you want to hear, but at least he's saying it, it's not talking points and it's not canned.

CAMEROTA: Jeffrey, what's your take?

JEFFREY LORD, FORMER WHITE HOUSE POLITICAL DIRECTOR: You know, I think Don has got it exactly right. And Kevin, with all due respect, when you say this is about governing, that has become a negative buzzword, if you will, for a lot of conservatives who see this, when they hear somebody say this is about governing, it's about basically Republicans managing what the liberals left behind and just keeping it that way until the next liberal gets in office. What they want is somebody who is going to do very different things, who is going to break up the quote, unquote, "governing coalition" as you see it right now. And so this is exactly what the grassroots doesn't want and this is exactly why they're responding to Donald Trump.

CAMEROTA: Gentlemen, I know the three of you would like nothing more than this morning to talk about breast pumps. So let's do that right now because there is a "New York Times" article this morning about during a 2011 deposition Donald Trump was under oath and the lawyer on the other side deposing him had to take a break. She had a newborn. She was going to go use her breast pump. This was already prearranged. And she says that Donald Trump freaked out at the notion of a breast pump. Here is Elizabeth Beck whom we just had on NEW DAY. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH BECK, ATTORNEY CALLED "DISGUSTING" BY DONALD TRUMP: It makes you wonder what kind of a presidential candidate who can't even handle a legal proceeding, a deposition, that involves a breast pump, and he has to just run out of there and just basically have a meltdown. What kind of a -- of a leader of the United States would that be? Is he going to behave that way when he's negotiating treaties with China or Russia?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: OK, Jeffrey, is this a relevant story? She says that Donald Trump called her disgusting and he ran out of the deposition. Is this relevant for the race?

LORD: Alisyn, let me tell you what's going on here. Whether it's the breast pump story today or the rape story yesterday, let me give you four quick examples. In 2012 Mitt Romney was accused as a teenager of being with a bunch of boys who held a kid down and cut his hair. The kid was supposed to be gay. Mitt Romney was therefore typecast as the bully. In 2008, it was John McCain, front-page story he was having an affair with a lobbyist.

[08:10:04] In 2000 a couple days before the election it was George W. Bush with a DUI when he was 30 years old. And you go all the way back to Barry Goldwater, 1964, and I thought I'd read this too you. They asked, liberals asked 12,356 psychiatrists, do you believe Barry Goldwater is psychologically fit to serve as the president of the United States. They got 1,189 negative responses that said, among other things, that Goldwater was like Hitler and Stalin, described him as paranoid, unstable, dangerous --

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: That was a different time.

LORD: That's what this is about. They'll do this to any Republican. He is the leader. This is what they do.

BERMAN: Let me say this. Kevin, I want to put this to you because you've been in the middle of these campaigns before. Jeffrey is calling it a liberal media thing. I submit this is in fact a media thing. This is vetting candidates the way that real candidates should be vetted if they are running for president. Look, Barack Obama had his life turned upside down from the time that he was a student through the time that he was a presidential candidate. Hillary Clinton's past is certainly open game. So in a way, this is treating Donald Trump, Kevin, like he's a legitimate candidate.

MADDEN: I think the question on whether it's relevant for some voters, it will be very relevant. For others it is not relevant. And I think that's the two key things. First is that this is the routine, routine level of scrutiny that presidential candidates get. So welcome to no longer being a celebrity, Donald Trump. Welcome to being a presidential candidate.

The second part of it is running for president and voting for a president is a very personal thing for voters. And they want to see a revelation of character. They want to see a revelation. They want to know more about your temperament. And when voters walk into the voting booth, they ask themselves is this somebody that I would -- would leave with my children? Is this somebody I want to have a beer with? All those questions go to the personal nature of voting for a president. When you see or hear stories like this, it does become a revelation of character. And for some voters it is a red flag.

CAMEROTA: What do you think, Don?

LEMON: It's awful if it did happen. But is anyone surprised that Donald Trump has a temper? You see it. You guys have spoken to him. If you jump in, he's like, excuse me! Excuse me! It's Donald Trump's personality. I think, again, that's why people like him, because he is honest. If that happened with the breast pump or whatever, then that's not good.

But to Kevin's point, although people may like him, they want to hear him, they like that he's like a bowling ball and just busting everything up. They love it. Does that necessarily translate into votes? I don't know if it does because maybe they like him, but at the end of the day when they get in the voting booth they want a traditional person who has some governing experience. I don't know. But it's certainly interesting. What else would we be talking about right now?

BERMAN: What interests me, and I'll put this to you, Jeffrey, is the newness to this. We really don't have a frame of reference here. As we head into the debate, which is next week now, one week from tomorrow, when the Republicans, nine on stage with Donald Trump, we have no way to judge how will the world view this. And I'm just curious, the next day what will that feel like with nine traditional politicians debating against Donald Trump?

LORD: Well, I think it is a bit unusual, although in American history we have had this before. Just in our recent past we've had Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura, and then of course Ronald Reagan. People who come from non-political backgrounds who are suddenly elected governors of their state or in Reagan's case president. So I think there is some precedent for this. But it's going to be interesting. I must say I'm going to want three or four bags of popcorn for the debate, no question.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: You're going to need more than that. I think he's going to tear it up. I think he is downplaying -- when I asked him, I think you guys ran the sound bite earlier, how he is preparing, if he has a debate coach. He said I just want to be me, Don. If I don't do so well, I'm going to ride off into the sunset. I have never heard him speak that way before, but I think that he's trying to downplay it.

MADDEN: What's interesting, Don, that was the first time where he was actually acting like a conventional politician. He was doing what they all do when it comes to debate time, managing expectations lower. And I found that pretty interesting as well.

CAMEROTA: Yes, we did too. Great interview. Don, Kevin Madden, Jeffrey Lord, always great to talk to you guys. Thank you.

LEMON: Great to be with you.

LORD: Thanks, now.

CAMEROTA: Michaela?

PEREIRA: All right, meanwhile, there is a developing rift in the Republican ranks. Congressman Mark Meadows of North Carolina moving to oust House Speaker John Boehner. This rarely used resolution has only been tried once more before, more than a century ago. Let's bring in CNN's Athena Jones live from the White House with more on this. Interesting. Athena?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Michaela. It is interesting. It took House leadership by surprise. This is coming from a conservative Republican who has clashed with Speaker Boehner in the past. Mark Meadows who brought this said he is doing it to try to start a, quote, "family discussion" and to try to force the leadership to listen to members from across the political spectrum.

[08:15:00] Meadows and his allies don't like the job Boehner is doing. They don't think he is conservative enough for their liking.

Meadows and his allies don't like the job Boehner is doing. They don't think he is not conservative enough for their liking. Right now, it doesn't look as though Meadows can garner enough support to actually oust Speaker Boehner, but it's still going to create a big headache and a big distraction for the speaker and for Republicans more broadly. Republicans are presenting a united front to try to stop this Iran nuclear deal.

And now, when they go home for the August recess, they may not be talking about Iran with their constituents, they maybe instead answering questions about whether they support Speaker Boehner and keeping him in the speaker position. Of course, this all comes as Secretary of State John Kerry and others are heading become to Capitol Hill today to appear before a Senate committee to try to win support for the Iran deal. And later this afternoon, House Democrats are due here at the White House to talk about Iran.

So, you have this sales push going on at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue on the Iran deal and meanwhile you have an effort to oust Speaker Boehner creating havoc for Republicans and messing with their unified message on Iran. So, very, very interesting development here -- Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: It is going to be an interesting day there. Athena, thanks so much for all that.

Meanwhile, former prison worker Joyce Mitchell tearfully confessing that she helped convicted killers David Sweat and Richard Matt escape from the prison in June. Now, Mitchell herself faces two and a half to seven years as part of a plea deal.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. New this morning, Tom Brady, he speaks out, responding. The New England Patriots quarterback is defending himself after the NFL upheld his four-game suspension over deflategate. NFL Roger Goodell says Brady tried to hide evidence by destroying his cell phone.

So, how does Brady explain that?

CNN's Coy Wire live with the details -- Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS: Good morning, John.

Brady took to Facebook this morning guns ablazing with a seven paragraph post that he reinforced his persistent, consistent and vehement denial of any involvement in the deflating of footballs. Most notably, he explained why he destroyed the cell phone that the NFL wanted to see.

He said, in part, I replaced my broken Samsung phone with a new iPhone 6 after my attorneys made it clear to the NFL that my actual phone device would not be subjected to investigation under any circumstances. As a member of a union, I was under no obligation to set a new precedent going forward, nor was I made aware at any time during Mr. Wells investigation that failing to subject my cell phone to investigation would result in any discipline.

It went on to say there is no smoking gun in this controversy. It is manufactured to distract from the fact they have zero evidence of wrongdoing.

According to the NFL, that smoking gun cell phone contained record of correspondences with one of the alleged deflators, an equipment assistant with whom Brady communicated excessively following the infamous deflategate game. The NFL wanted to see it. Brady would not allow it.

Now, this battle most certainly heading to federal court. Remember, in an interesting move, the NFL actually filed suit first yesterday in Manhattan where league offices are located, requesting that a judge approve the appeal decision. Brady's team now wants to file suit also, in addition to filing an injunction requesting a stay be placed on Brady's suspension while the case is sorted out in court. It's reported that they'll do that in Massachusetts or in Minnesota where the judge has often sided with the players -- Michaela.

PEREIRA: All right, Coy.

We move from controversy to mystery now. A big cat mystery in Milwaukee. Police started receiving reports of a lion-like animal roaming the streets of Milwaukee. Now, people there are on edge. The mystery has gone viral.

Let's get to the bottom of it. Ryan Young is live with more on this so-called Milwaukee lion.

What is going on?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Michaela.

Look, a lot of people are wondering whether or not the lion exists. But I can tell you for people in the neighborhood who have seen it, they definitely believe it exists. We had a man who walks around this area and said he saw it for himself.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HERBERT BALL, WITNESS: Man, this is a real lion. I mean, when I seen that no fake animal -- this is a real lion.

YOUNG (voice-over): You can hear it in Herbert Ball's voice. No tall tale here. He is reacting to the oversized cat he spotted near his front yard.

BALL: The cat were right -- right there, laying under this bridge right here. And under the bridge, you know, just taking a little nap. And the cat turned around and looked at them. And that's when they took off and ran back towards their house. YOUNG: The hunt for the mystery cat all began last week on the east

side of Milwaukee, putting this city of 600,000 on edge. This grainy cell phone footage catching the large animal stalking through a backyard.

KAREN SPARAPANI, EXECUTIVE DIR., MILWAUKEE AREA DOMESTIC ANIMAL CONTROL COMM: So, now, we're focusing more on the likelihood that it is an exotic large cat. It could be an African lion. But whatever it is, it is large. We have seen tracks. Now we're going after it as it is basically a large, escaped pet.

YOUNG: The big cat, now an even bigger sensation on the Internet, trending on Twitter while keeping residents here watching closely and wondering when the big feline will pop back up.

[08:20:07] BALL: Standing next to my car right in front, checking my oil, when she said, Herbert, look, look at that big cat. Before you know it I said holy (EXPLETIVE DELETED), let me get on the phone and call the police.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

YOUNG: You understand his sentiment there. Yesterday we saw a bunch of kids running around the neighborhood trying to track the cat down themselves. That's something obviously animal control doesn't want people doing. They do have traps out in the area in case to try to catch the cat. They believe it knows this area so it's staying around here. People are keeping a lookout for it.

PEREIRA: What's the leading theory, Ryan? That it was somebody's pet? I know a lot of people keep exotic animals as pets.

They do. There are like some three or five thousand people in the states that do it. Honestly they do. Is that the leading theory?

YOUNG: They do have lax laws in the state. It could be an exotic pet. Right now, no one has come forward and raised their hands and saying, hey, I'm missing a big cat. At this point everybody is waiting to see if the traps will work. I'm wondering if they have a trap large enough to catch a cat of this size.

PEREIRA: That is no mountain lion, by the way.

CAMEROTA: I'm not comfortable with the neighborhood children mounting a search party. He looks at them like lunch.

PEREIRA: I know.

BERMAN: But the mystery machine in Scooby Doo, you meddling kids.

CAMEROTA: Exactly.

Thanks to Ryan.

All right. Back to our story, the family and friends of two boys missing at sea are still praying that they will be found today even as the Coast Guard admits it's getting close to the time of making some very tough choices.

BERMAN: We'll bring you the very latest on the search and speak with the friend of the missing boys.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:25:20] CAMEROTA: The search continues for those two missing Florida teenagers lost at sea. And their community coming together to say they have not lost hope after six days. This is the sixth of searching.

Hundreds gathered Monday to light the night with lanterns. Look at these beautiful lanterns in that sunset, and pray for Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen's safe return.

Joining us is Isabella Murgio. She organized the light the night vigil. And Matt Lavallee, both friends of both boys.

Thanks so much for being on NEW DAY with us this morning. We're so sorry you're experiencing this terrible, terrible wait.

Isabella, I want to start with you, because you organized this vigil last night. How many people were you expecting to show up?

ISABELLA MURGIO, ORGANIZED "LIGHT THE NIGHT" VIGIL FOR MISSING BOYS: Honestly, I was expecting maybe 50 or 60 people to show up. It was insane the amount of people that showed up.

CAMEROTA: How many people did come?

MURGIO: I'm guessing maybe 500 or 600 people. I have never seen the inlet like packed with people like this.

CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh. Tell us, Isabella, the mood and what you were trying to accomplish with sending up the lanterns.

MURGIO: Well, we were just trying to send up the lanterns like a sign of hope for the boys. Like if they could possibly have seen the lanterns, that they know we're looking for them and that we need them to come home.

CAMEROTA: Oh, that's so beautiful.

Matthew, this is the sixth day of the search. Are you feeling differently today than you have in the past days?

MATTHEW LAVALLEE, CLOSE FRIEND OF MISSING BOYS: Yes. But I still have hope, and praying that they come back still.

CAMEROTA: I mean, Matthew, we talked to the coast guard earlier, the man who is in charge of organizing the whole search. And, you know, he just has to be honest. I mean, they haven't -- they haven't given up hope, but it's the sixth day. At some point, he's going to have to make a tough decision.

Is your community prepared for that? LAVALLEE: I mean, there has been so much support and love for the

boys at all the vigils and I think everyone is still giving them hope and not ready to give up yet.

CAMEROTA: Isabella, can you tell us about your friends. What should we know about these boys?

MURGIO: Well, they're really smart, intelligent boys. And I know that they -- they know what they're doing on the water. So, it's just crazy that this happened to them. I know that they're safe and that they're going to come home soon.

CAMEROTA: Matthew, you go to school with Austin. Can you tell us about him?

LAVALLEE: Yes. I have known Austin for two years, and I've been really close to him for one year. And he is -- he grew up on the water. He learned to swim before he could walk. He has owned four boats. And he is really into going out on the water, and he knows what he is doing.

CAMEROTA: And you say that he's a really funny kid, he's always messing around. Can you give us some examples?

LAVALLEE: He has a great sense of humor. He is always making jokes. He can make anybody smile.

CAMEROTA: Isabella, have you seen their families? Were their families at the vigil?

The boy -- Isabella, if you can hear me, did you see the boys' families at the vigil?

MURGIO: No, the boys' families were not at the vigil.

CAMEROTA: Matthew, what do you think happened to these boys?

LAVALLEE: Well, they put on Snapchat saying, peace out, Jupe. I don't know what that meant to them, but I think they just went out fishing and saw the storm and decided not to come in, thought they were invincible and could conquer it.

CAMEROTA: And what does that mean for where they are now?

LAVALLEE: I don't know what that could mean. I don't know how the boat got so far up, found all the way by Jacksonville.

CAMEROTA: Yes. I mean, the coast guard has told us that it's the gulf stream, that the gulf stream travels so quickly that, even if they were attempting to go to the Bahamas or whatever the theory was, that they were taken by the current and that's why their boat was found so far afield of where they might have been heading.

Isabella, what do you think the boys were doing? What do you think "peace out" means? MURGIO: I think they were going fishing offshore. They go fishing

all the time. So, it's not an unusual thing for them to be going in the ocean and going fishing. I just think the weather just messed them up. But like, in the boat -- I don't know if the boat flipped right of the inlet or what happened, but I know that they're going to come and they're safe.