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House GOP Meets on Immigration; Student Loan Bill Fails in Senate; Former Sanford Police Chief Speaks Out; Jeter To Rejoin Yankees Today

Aired July 11, 2013 - 06:30   ET

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


JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Now, the same problem for Democrats, only nine Democrats go home to districts carried by Romney. So they feel safe. They don't feel pressure to compromise or vote with the other guy.

Let me give you a couple of examples of what I mean. And remember, look at how much red there is in America. The president won the big urban areas and the suburbs, but if you're Steve King and you're in Iowa, you're a Tea Party congressman, you're telling John Boehner, no, I don't want to give a path to citizenship. Why? He goes home to a district that's 92 percent white, only 5 percent Latinos. Steve King feels no pressure to give the speaker, the Republican Party, or the president of the United States this deal.

I'll give you one more. You come over to Pennsylvania, a blue state, right? The president carried it big, just like he carried Iowa. But look at all the red in the middle.

You got another Republican congressman prominent on this debate, Lou Barletta. He goes home a district, Kate, 89 percent white, only 5 percent Latino.

So, when you think about this debate in the House, and you think, boy, Republicans have to fix this problem -- remember, at the House level, most of them go home, they don't see it. They see politics as local. They don't see the problem.

So it creates a problem for Speaker John Boehner in trying to get a comprehensive bill. And it means the president might not get what he wants.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, and then when you look at those numbers that you just showed and you also then now have the reality that Republicans came out and they're making very clear that if they do anything, it's going to be kind of a go-slow approach, they're not going to push anything through quickly. Does that tell you that this is going to be likely a big issue in the midterms then?

KING: Well, we have to see what happens between now and then.

Look, the best hope for any large reform bill is the House passes something, may not have a path to citizenship. It passes something that becomes a vehicle for compromise negotiations with the Senate. The same conversation we have about student loans, can they get to a point where they're sitting in a room trying to say, here's my plan, here's yours. Let's try to figure if you can get find common ground.

But if you don't get common ground and some people think if the president can't get almost everything he wants, he's going to say no. Instead of signing something short of his goals, instead of getting some bill, he'll carry the issue that helped him in 2012 into 2014 and beyond.

BOLDUAN: And then the big question is: if the House passes something without some path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, is there any hope that it's going to eventually pass the full Congress? I would say, probably not.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, they have to do something. It's too important.

And also, as John well knows, just because people are white doesn't mean they don't want a path to citizenship for new immigrants.

KING: Right.

CUOMO: Just about everybody who is white here came through immigration. So, it's something where people --

BOLDUAN: That's the case Republicans need to make in their district.

CUOMO: Well, that's what leadership is.

KING: They don't feel the pressure back home. That problem is enough of them don't feel the pressure back home to say I'm going to give you that. They still call it amnesty and when they go home, they get reelected. So, they don't feel the pressure.

CUOMO: Right. But that's what being a leader is all about.

Now, speaking of leadership, John, the loans, OK? Now, we shift from -- we thought it was going to be the problem with the House, we go to the Senate. Democrats couldn't get it done there either. Where do you see this in terms of the help for students?

To me, as I watch this process, it seems like it's getting worse, not better.

KING: It's getting messy, anyway. Sometimes when things seem messy and confusing, we should fall back on old adages, right? If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

You know, the Senate Democrats wanted to do this. Some of them think, let's just do a one or two-year fix and deal with this down the road. Most Republicans, even a lot of Democrats can see that's a political stunt. They want to do something temporary, and have the issue again next year. So much in Washington is driven by election politics.

BOLDUAN: Right.

KING: It's not about good policy. But, look, they did it. They have their vote. It didn't work in the Senate so this gives them an opportunity to take a deep breath, step back.

And again, if the Senate can pass something, it can then sit down with the House and negotiate a compromise. The House position is our plan is not all that different from President Obama's. Why can't we get in the room and negotiate?

If you want to get something done, the Senate Democrats, they would have their own argument, saying, "We don't trust the Republicans" -- good. Pass the bill, call their bluff, get into negotiations, have the debate publicly but pass the bill first and try to move the process forward.

After yesterday, there's an opening for that. You want to be an optimist that Washington will work, good luck.

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: You keep ending every one of these segments with the perfect button that we cannot top.

John King, great to see you.

CUOMO: That's why he's John King.

BOLDUAN: Nice to see you back at the magic wall. I haven't seen that in days.

KING: Wanted to be on NEW DAY. It's been complaining to me that it hasn't been on NEW DAY.

BOLDUAN: And you do not make the magic wall angry, OK? You just don't do that.

CUOMO: I've been making a mockery of that wall compared to John King. I need a tutorial from you.

BOLDUAN: John has been talking to me about that offline. Believe me.

CUOMO: You hear these politicians talking about wanting to get the young vote, wanting to reach out to all people, what would be a better issue than helping people get to college? I don't get it.

BOLDUAN: There's a disconnect between politics and doing what's right for your constituents. They're always had been in recent memory when it comes to politics.

CUOMO: You'll have to tell me all about that. It's very confusing.

BOLDUAN: I know. You know nothing about politics.

CUOMO: I don't understand. It makes my head hurt. We have to take a break so I can settle myself. When we come back, the former police chief of Sanford, Florida, speaking exclusively to CNN. He says he didn't want to arrest George Zimmerman, let alone charge him for the shooting of Trayvon Martin. How he claims the case got hijacked out from under him.

BOLDUAN: Now, plus, have you ever wondered what it would be like to, I don't know, shampoo your hair, not just in any place, but maybe outer space?

CUOMO: Yes.

BOLDUAN: The how to video, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Welcome back to NEW DAY, everybody.

A CNN exclusive interview now with the former Sanford, Florida, chief of police. Remember, when this first happened, police believed Zimmerman's accounts of what happened. Former chief Bill Lee says the George Zimmerman investigation was hijacked by outside forces, telling CNN he was pressured to make an arrest, even though he felt there wasn't enough evidence.

CNN's George Howell sat down with him and joins us live from Sanford, Florida.

Very important interview especially now, George.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Chris, good morning.

So police chief bill lee and his own investigators, they all testified in court and Lee believes it came out in court that they did their job to the letter and they were not able to make that arrest only as a matter of law. But Lee believes he still ended up taking the fall.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Are you saying this was the result of political pressure that you lost your job?

BILL LEE, FORMER SANFORD POLICE CHIEF: I believe it was political pressure and the fact that I upheld my oath.

HOWELL (voice-over): Sanford, Florida, a town caught in a divisive racially charged death investigation. Neighborhood watch captain, George Zimmerman, admitted to shooting and killing unarmed teenager 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. And at the time, Bill Lee was the police chief.

LEE: We wanted to find out what truly happened and seek justice.

HOWELL: Lee says the investigation started that night. They took Zimmerman into custody for questioning, but he claimed self-defense, and the Sanford Police Department let him go. (on camera): Your lead investigator, Chris Serino, suggested manslaughter on the initial police report. Why is it that, you know, for 40-plus days, George Zimmerman walked a free man?

LEE: The laws of the state of Florida and the Constitution require you to have probable cause to arrest someone. The evidence and the testimony that we had didn't get us to probable cause.

HOWELL (voice-over): Martin's parents hired Benjamin Crump, a skilled civil rights lawyer, and his persistent demands that George Zimmerman be arrested lit the fire of a national uproar.

(on camera): When you look back at what happened, was there a lot of pressure on you to make an arrest?

LEE: There was pressure applied. You know, I'm -- you know, the city manager asked several times during the process, well, can an arrest be made now? And I think that was just from not understanding the criminal justice process.

HOWELL (voice-over): In a statement, city manager Norton Bonaparte tells CNN, quote, "Lee told me he took an oath of office and could not make an arrest. Once he told me, I don't recall ever asking him about arresting him."

Police passed the case on to the state attorney's office. The governor assigned it to special prosecutor Angela Corey who charged George Zimmerman with second-degree murder but it was too late for Bill Lee.

LEE: That investigation was taken away from us. We weren't able to complete it.

HOWELL: After only 10 months on the job, Lee was temporarily suspended and later fired.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: So you'll remember -- think back to that 911 call and the nine emergency calls that were played for the family, also released to the public. Bill Lee says that he was against that. He says those tapes should have been played individually for each family member, that they should not have been played in city hall with the entire group, as it could -- as it did, he says, bias their interpretation of what they heard.

CUOMO: That's right, George. I mean, it was certainly an issue at trial, the judge dealt with it, and now, we're going to wind up seeing how it concludes there.

I appreciate you bringing the interview. Great work, though. Thank you, George.

Kate, over to you.

HOWELL: Thank you. BOLDUAN: All right. It's time for a quick check of news making headlines around the world.

First, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan is under way, while the religious observance -- will the religious observance calm tensions in Egypt or make them worse.

Reza Sayah is in Cairo with more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Where in the world is ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy? No one's seen him in public for more than a week. No one's heard from him.

Finally, we're getting some new information about his whereabouts although details are scant. Authorities telling CNN he's in custody for his own well being, that he's being treated well and not facing any charges. It's not clear where he is. What is clear he's not a free man.

And in the meantime, Mr. Morsy's supporters still demanding his reinstatement, but the temporary leadership here in Egypt not waiting, pushing forward with a new caretaker government -- Kate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: All right. Reza, thanks so much.

Now to London where a prank phone call earlier this year to a London hospital where the duchess of Cambridge was being treated for morning sickness. Well, it could now trigger a criminal probe in Australia.

Erin McLaughlin has more from London.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was the phone call broadcast around the world. Two Australian deejays crank called this London hospital which was at the time treating the duchess of Cambridge for severe morning sickness. That call was later linked to the suicide of the nurse that picked up the phone.

Now, seven months later, a possible criminal investigation in Australia. Authorities handed over a file of evidence to Australian police and have asked them to consider whether any Australian laws have been broken.

Back to you, Kate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: All right. Erin, thank you so much.

And now to China where the world's largest building is now open for business. The new Century Global Center is the size of three Pentagons and has one incredible swimming pool.

David McKenzie has more from Beijing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This will soon be the tallest building in China. As for the biggest in the world, it's just been unveiled in Chengdu, coming in at a whopping 5.77 million square feet. IMAX, two luxury hotels, a Mediterranean village.

And if you get tired of the pollution in China, go inside to the 1,300 foot indoor swimming pool which crushes onto the largest LED screen in the world which is either at sunset or at sunrise.

Here in China even with the economy slowing down, it's clearly bigger is better.

Back to you, Kate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Wow, that is one impressive building. My goodness.

CUOMO: New number one.

BOLDUAN: Let's take the show on the road and go see it.

CUOMO: That's right. I get afraid of those high ones.

BOLDUAN: That is pretty. I think we're going to be afraid of that.

CUOMO: Whenever the helicopters blow you flying around, you know you're a little too high.

Let's take a quick break here on NEW DAY. When we come back, diet soda supposed to help you stay thin. New study claims diet drinks can lead to weight gain, stroke, heart disease. Who says it? Don't believe me. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is here to tell us all about it.

PEREIRA: I don't know about you, but have you ever wondered how astronauts washed their hair in zero gravity and that's been out (ph) aboard. The International Space Station gives us a fantastic and hair raising exhibition coming up.

CUOMO: Hair raising.

BOLDUAN: Hair raising.

CUOMO: I like it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: All right. Welcome back to NEW DAY. I'm personally bananas about our must see video today. Are you ready for it? Here we go. How does an astronaut wash their hair in space? Well, an astronaut, Kara Nyberg (ph), the only woman living aboard the International Space Station decided to give a hair washing demonstration. Look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What I'd like to do is start by just putting some hot water, squirting it onto my scalp. And I have a mirror here so I can kind of watch what I'm doing. Sometimes, the water gets away from you, and you try and catch as much as you can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: You can see the water droplets and her hair actually floating in ground zero. Nyberg says when she dries her hair, it actually becomes humidity in the air which gets collected by an air conditioning system and them is eventually turned into drinking water.

BOLDUAN: You got to do what you got to do.

PEREIRA: You got to do what you got to do.

CUOMO: I don't know.

BOLDUAN: A shower can be really relaxing. That seems wholly unsatisfying.

PEREIRA: She has to really scrub at her roots with the towel. Everything there, though, is so different. We have to sleep in these bags that are attached to something so you don't float away.

CUOMO: Now you know why those guys will opt to shave their heads.

PEREIRA: Yes.

BOLDUAN: She looks good, she stands out.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: She does. I respect it. Maybe I'll try it with my thick and long, luscious hair. Not so much. All right. You can think on that over some coffee. I think his hair is actually shorter --

BOLDUAN: No one is going to think about that about coffee. Maybe they should think about this, though.

CUOMO: Let's take -- oh, this. Thank you very much. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm at San Francisco airport and our airplane just crashed upon landing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: Those are some of the 911 calls placed by passengers on board flight 214 moments after it crashed on the runway in San Francisco. What will they mean to investigators? BOLDUAN: We also have a dramatic international custody battle stretching from Indiana to Cyprus. Why one mother is trying to get her kids back and she's now possibly on the verge of getting arrested.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CONAN O'BRIEN, HOST, "CONAN": A video has surfaced of Justin Bieber urinating into a mop bucket.

(LAUGHTER)

O'BRIEN: Urinating into a mop bucket.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes?

O'BRIEN: Yes. Critics are calling it the best thing Justin Bieber has ever released.

(LAUGHTER)

JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": Justin Bieber peed in the mop bucket. Horrible. But in his defense he wasn't tall enough to reach the urinal.

(LAUGHTER)

LENO: What's with Justin Bieber lately? If he's not doing number one, he's acting like a little number two.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: I will tell you, though, tweens around the globe furious at late night TV. You do not take on the Biebs.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: He was good. And he sounded like Christopher Walken in the beginning. Horrible. It was good. It was good. Welcome back, everybody. Hey, good news if you're a Yankee fan. The captain is back. Derek Jeter expected to make his long awaited return to the lineup. Everybody loves him whether a Yankee fan or not, let's be honest.

He'll be back for the Kansas City Royals game. Let's get to Andy Scholes. He's with "The Bleacher Report." He got all the 411. Good morning, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Yes. Good morning, guys. And you know, the Yankees have been without their captain for the entire season, thus far. But according to Fox Sports, that's going to change later today when Jeter makes his regular season debut. Now, the Yankee's shortstop has been out of action since breaking his ankle during last year's ALCS. He tried to play a little bit during spring training but he ended up re-injuring his ankle.

And five players have filled in at shortstop for Jeter while he's been out. They combined to hit just two-tenth. So, even a rusty Jeter is going to be an upgrade for the Yankees.

All right. Jay-Z is looking to make another huge splash in the sports agency business. According to Yahoo! Sports, the rapper is trying to recruit Dodger's rookie sensation, Yasiel Puig, to join his agency Roc Nation Sports. Jay-Z has already signed Robinson Cano and Kevin Durant this year.

Puig would be another huge edition. Puig could be in the all-star game next week if he ends up winning that online fan vote which ends this afternoon at 4:00 eastern. And guys, I would have to say he is definitely the favorite to win the online fan vote. He should be in the all-star game next week, especially the way he's been playing.

BOLDUAN: All right. We'll watch. I am fascinated by Jay-Z becoming a sports agent.

CUOMO: Yes. The jury is out, but I'd like to see him rap about Yasiel Puig and see what he could run with that.

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN: Ah! There's a challenge for you, but everyone -- do you hear that?

CUOMO: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Yes, you do. It's a good song, and that means it's time for the "Rock Block," a quick roundup of the stories you're going to be talking about today. First up, Michaela.

PEREIRA: Let's take a look in the papers, Kate. First up, from "The Washington Post," the U.S. navy completing the first successful landing of an unmanned drone aboard an aircraft carrier in the Atlantic Ocean.

From "The Seattle Times," hey, fellas, you might want to eat less seafood, it's because a study finds that men that eat too much fatty fish or fish oil supplements may increase their risk of prostate cancer.

In "The Hollywood Reporter," Oscar nominated songs and scores will have a night all to themselves. They'll be featured in a live concert just days before the award ceremony. More for us to watch and sing along, too.

CUOMO: Oscar. Christine Romans is here, all the business news that we need to know. Good morning.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Stock futures are higher, you guys, this morning. Major markets up about one percent each. Fed chief, Ben Bernanke, last night said there'll be no interest rate hikes for a very long time. Stocks like that. Also great. Housing news, foreclosures fell to pre-crisis levels down 14 percent since May, down 35 percent from a year ago. States with the most foreclosure filings, Florida, Nevada, Illinois, Ohio, and Georgia.

Believe it or not, pet insurance is one of the hottest employee benefits in the U.S. According to the AP, it's now offered by one in three Fortune 500 companies. Perks for pet owners.

CUOMO: So, you can't get good insurance for yourself, but you can get it for your dog.

ROMANS: Exactly.

BOLDUAN: Great coverage --

ROMANS: Wait until you see the premium.

BOLDUAN: The Cadillac plan.

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: Thanks so much, Christine. That's an interesting one.

So, let's get straight to Chad Myers on that in the weather center for what you need to know before you or your pet heads out the door this morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It was a random night in weather across parts of the country, an awful lot of severe weather. And that severe weather is going to make its way right into the northeast, right into your flight path if you're going from New York to the south or anywhere across the country, so expect delays for sure this afternoon in Atlanta.

We have one good piece of news, Chantal is dead. No longer a tropical system whatsoever. Lost its name, lost its circulation, no threat to Florida at this point. Guys, back to you.

BOLDUAN: All right. Chad, thank you very much. It is now top of the hour, which you know means it is time for the top news.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They just want to see him punished for taking Trayvon's life.

CUOMO: This is it. Closing arguments begin today after fireworks in the Zimmerman trial. The judge goes right at the defendant and does the prosecution have one last surprise.

BOLDUAN: Under water, parts of Pittsburgh submerged as heavy rains and flooding slammed the northeast while out west mudslides overtaking cars. We're tracking it all this morning.

PEREIRA: Diet soda shocker. A new study finds diet drinks are actually worse for you than regular soda. Could those diet colas be causing to you gain weight? Dr. Sanjay Gupta has what you need to know.

CUOMO: Your NEW DAY starts right now.

ANNOUNCER: What you need to know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are people laying on the tarmac with critical injuries, head injuries. We're almost losing one here. We're trying to keep her alive.

ANNOUNCER: What you just have to see.

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

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: Good morning, everybody. Welcome back to NEW DAY. It is Thursday, July 11th, seven o'clock in the east. I'm Chris Cuomo.

BOLDUAN: Good morning, everyone. I'm Kate Bolduan. We're joined by news anchor, Michaela Pereira. Coming up this hour, for the first time, we're hearing the 911 calls from passengers on flight 214 really begging for help in the chaos after that crash.