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Mideast Peace Talks Resume Tonight; Obama: "I Won't Twiddle My Thumbs"; Major Jewelry Heist in Cannes; Derek Jeter's Comeback; Amazon Hiring 5,000 New Workers; No Federal Bailout for Detroit

Aired July 29, 2013 - 06:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's it going, let's get it going. Welcome back, everybody, to NEW DAY. It is Monday, July 29th. I'm Chris Cuomo.

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

Coming up in the show, a brazen hotel jewel heist. Amazing. Straight right in broad daylight on the French Riviera, and there's good reason why it feels like something out of a Hollywood movie. We're going to be live in Cannes with the details.

CUOMO: Plus, oh, this is a good one. We needed a comeback. And here we have it this morning. Our first look at 6-year-old Nathan Woessner. Remember him? Buried under 11 feet of sand for nearly hours. How did he survive? His parents say he's living proof miracles do happen. We're going to hear from them straight ahead.

First, we want to get to the wild weather around the country. Michaela has that and other stories you need to know about this morning.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Absolutely. Yes, it's been kind of crazy. Making news:

Punishing wet weather on both ends of the nation. Philadelphia, check it out, broke an all time record for one-day rainfall. While Collettsville, North Carolina, took a tragic hit. Two people were swept away at a rain swollen creek, including a 10-year-old girl.

In Arizona, a tour bus leaving the Grand Canyon was no match for a flash flood. It was flipped and swept downstream. All 33 passengers crawled out a window to safety.

The death toll rising to at least 38 in a terrifying bus accident in southern Italy. That bus plunging 100 feet off of a bridge into woods below. It was packed with pilgrims returning from a weekend visit to a Catholic shrine. A newspaper photographer on the scene estimates ten other vehicles were involved in the crash. What caused the accident is unclear.

A tense time in Cairo right now. The Egyptian military expected to soon clear out a pro-Morsy sit in from Tahrir Square. Egypt's interim leader Adlai Mansour is warning supporters of ousted President Morsy to end their incitement and hateful speech.

Elsewhere in Egypt, an attack on a military installment in Rafah near the border with Gaza has left one soldier dead, eight others wounded.

Pope Francis heading home, closing his trip first overseas in epic fashion. An estimated 3 million people packing Copacabana Beach in Rio for mass on Sunday, making it one of the largest papal masses in recent history. His message to the faithful: reject selfishness and intolerance to help create a new world.

A big surprise for the crowd at a Cleveland Music Festival this weekend. Look at that. That's Amanda Berry. She hit the stage. That's her in the sunglasses.

She's one of three women held captive in a Cleveland home for years. She didn't say anything. It was her first public appearance since being freed in May. Her captor Ariel Castro just pleaded guilty in her case to nearly 1,000 counts in a deal to avoid the death penalty.

And finally, the Philly Phanatic and Mr. Met have nothing on baseball mascot from top three. Check out these guys having a mascot dance- off, busting a move at the Korean all-star game. Dancing, flipping, shaking their mascot groove things. They did it all while wearing the giant mascot heads. I think it's actually pretty impressive stuff.

But when you do the black flip, it kind of helps anchor you. I sound like I've done it.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

CUOMO: I kow.

BOLDUAN: It's OK. Back handspring with a massive foam head. Either restricting you or it could help because, if you don't make it, you just land on your big foamy head.

CUOMO: I will second that as a man with a huge head. When I do a back handspring, it often helps. Although I tell you what, I was like in shock there. Did you just diss the Philly Phanatic and Mr. Met at the same time? Two of the most vicious fan bases you could take on.

BOLDUAN: Kind of get --

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: Just slide my chair a little bit to the right.

PEREIRA: Should we show the picture of Kate, what she did this weekend, involving something inflated and bouncy?

BOLDUAN: Whoa!

PEREIRA: And bouncy.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: I've got breaking news in my head. Breaking news right now. Something's going on somewhere. I'm distracted.

BOLDUAN: All right. We're moving on. Yes, that's right we are. What else do we move on to?

A political gut check -- all the stories you need to know coming out in Washington this morning and around the country.

First up, Mideast peace talks resume for the first time in some three years, resuming tonight in Washington. But, of course, the question is what makes this time different? CNN White House correspondent Brianna Keilar is here with all of it to break it down.

So, Brianna, good morning. How are you?

CUOMO: Look at this. What did we interrupt? So here I am taking a look at my latest iPhone pages.

BOLDUAN: All right. We're having some technical difficulties. Guys, we'll be back right after a break.

CUOMO: There she is. I'm on TV today. Who knew?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: All right. Let's get back to political gut check with Brianna now.

First up, Mideast peace talks resume for the first time in nearly three years tonight in Washington. What are the chances of success?

Let's get to Brianna, our CNN White House correspondent. So, Brianna, talk about a tough task for Secretary of State John Kerry with very little certainty of success. What's different this time around? At least what's the administration saying is different this time around?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You know, when you look at what Israel has agreed to, which is releasing these 104 Palestinian prisoners, I think the administration looks at that as a tremendous move by Israel because you have a lot of these Palestinians who are convicted of actually murdering Israelis. They are considered by Israelis to be murderers. They're considered to be freedom fighters by Palestinians. This is something that certainly Prime Minister Netanyahu has said is very painful.

But at the same time, I think this is seen as somewhat of a concrete step. But I would also say that anyone who's done anything on Mideast peace looks and realizes that this is one, even though significant, small step towards any sort of resolution. And there's still so much to work out. I think that a lot of natural inclination from anyone who's dealt with this, Kate, is to kind of be a little pessimistic even though they're hopeful.

BOLDUAN: Yes, a little cynical about it for sure. KEILAR: Yes.

BOLDUAN: What are you hearing about the timing of the talks coming back up? Obviously, Secretary Kerry and the White House has very immediate, pressing foreign policy issues facing them right now -- the violence in Egypt over the weekend, as well as obviously the continued bloodshed in Syria.

KEILAR: That's right.

Well, we're expecting that this is a process that will take nine months. So, you, obviously have some time there, but huge issues to be resolved. You heard about the prisoners, but two of the big issues still to be resolved have to do with Israel still refusing to stop those settlements in contested areas like the West Bank, and then also this issue of where do you start when you start talking about where your borders are going to be. What is the starting point for that huge outstanding issue as well, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Talking about domestic politics. The president sat down with "The New York Times" for a pretty lengthy interview, doesn't often do this with any newspaper. One of the things he said -- he said a lot. But one of the things he said is he's not going to sit around and twiddle his thumbs for the next 1,200 days if the only message from folks is no.

I mean, I guess, everyone would kind of hope that he's not sitting around twiddling his thumbs. But what's he trying to signal here?

KEILAR: I think what he's trying to signal is that he views that congressional Republicans have been constructionist. He's not going to sit around and do nothing. The White House strategy has been, and I think continues to be, that they're going to do things that they don't need Congress' approval on. They've had some successes.

Most recently, we talked about that student loan deal a whole lot that was brokered, obviously, resolved not to everyone's liking, but it was nonetheless resolved between the White House and Congress. And I think this is the White House saying, hey, on some things, we're going to find work-arounds. We're not going to agree on things like climate change, we're going to kind of do our own thing.

CUOMO: What kind of troubling to look forward, Brianna, that I want your take on -- shaping up for 2016, abortion rights seem to be becoming a hot button issue politically. You've got members on the right trying to say, this is going to be a big part of the platform. Let's try to restrict rights to reproductive rights in the Senate. What are the politics at play?

KEILAR: The politics at play are that social issues are huge motivators for voters, and what you've seen recently is a lot of Republicans who on one of those issues, same-sex marriage, have gotten on board. So, it's kind of taken the sort of -- it sort of, I guess, defused that as what Republicans can really use. It's not in their political arsenal so much. So, it really comes down to abortion. What they're trying to do here is this is a bill being discussed in the Senate that would say at 20 weeks. So, you're looking at close to five months here. At 20 weeks, you wouldn't be able to get an abortion. And a lot of Americans -- a majority of Americans support late-term abortion ban.

So, this is the way they can use the politics of abortion. And we're talking Marco Rubio, who's looking at signing on to lead this. Talk about the politics not just of abortion in general, but of late-term abortion, which a lot of Americans are opposed to.

BOLDUAN: All right. Bianna, thanks so much.

KEILAR: Perilous though.

BOLUDAN: Yes, exactly, no kidding. Thanks so much.

CUOMO: It always fascinates me how politicians want to talk about reproductive rights without ever bringing in science. You know, the fact that we don't really know when life begins. They just kind of set it aside and talk about the timing anyway.

BOLDUAN: Well, and the politics of this one is specifically is that it's likely will not pass in the Senate because it's Democratically- controlled. And if it does, the president will veto it. So --

CUOMO: What a thing to play with though.

BOLDUAN: I know.

CUOMO: Anyway, moving on now. How about this one? Has all the makings of a film noir classic. I do don't know what that means, but I do know this.

A daring jewel heist in broad daylight. A thief walking away with $53 million in jewels from a swanky hotel on the French Riviera.

Erin McLaughlin is live in Cannes with the details. Tell me about it, Erin. You look good.

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Chris.

Well, the Carlton is considered to be the place to stay in Cannes, known for its glitz and glamour, it's where you'll find all the stars from the annual Cannes Film Festival. So, you can imagine the shock and surprise of people heard that a man armed with a gun was able to enter the hotel and steal millions of dollars in jewelry.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCLAUGHLIN (voice-over): It's a story straight out of a Hitchcock film.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Filmed on the beautiful French Riviera.

MCLAUGHLIN: One man walks into a hotel in Cannes, France, and walks out with $53 million in diamond jewelry.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Diamonds, the only thing in the world you can't resist.

MCLAUGHLIN: The Carlton Hotel, the setting for the iconic movie "To Catch a Thief," was the site of one of Europe's biggest jewelry heists Sunday morning.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was a gun, and nobody stopped him, nobody -- I don't know, there was nobody around. They just gave him $40 million worth of jewelry. It's just incredible.

MCLAUGHLIN: Police say a robber whose face was covered by a hat and scarf threatened to shoot visitors and guests during the hold-up.

Cannes, home of the international film festival, is known for its glitz and glamour. But, lately, it's become a magnet for jewelry theft. In May, a $2.6 million necklace belonging to jeweler de Grisogono was taken from a hotel party. Later that same month, over $1 million worth of Chapur jewels were stolen from a safe in the Novotel Hotel.

This latest heist comes two days after a member of the notorious Pink Panther jewel thief gang escaped from a Swiss prison. However, it's too soon to say if there's any link to this incident.

Authorities this morning are looking for surveillance footage of the crime.

DONALD PALMIERI, GEMPRINT CORPORATION CHAIRMAN: Diamonds are like cash. They're the most concentrated form of wealth on the face of the earth. So they can be very influential in acquiring weapons, in acquiring drugs, or anything else that we want to keep out of society.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCLAUGLIN: Thankfully, no one was hurt in yesterday's heist, not a single shot was fired, and this morning more questions than answers as to how this could have happened, why there wasn't more security. Officials this morning have no new information to add -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: All right. Erin, thanks so much.

Let's go around the world, starting in Spain this morning. The driver in that deadly train derailment now charged with 79 counts of negligent homicide.

CNN's Karl Penhaul has more from Spain.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're outside Santiago de Compostela Cathedral. And this is journey's end for thousands of pilgrims who come to worship here. It's also a symbolic journey's end for Train 151, the train that crashed last Wednesday. Tonight, there will be a memorial mass held here for the 79 people who were killed. A death toll that includes two Americans. In other developments, a judge has now formally charged the train driver with 79 counts of reckless homicide, but he is also granted unconditional release until investigations are concluded.

Back to you, Kate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: All right. Karl, thanks so much.

Now to Benghazi, Libya, which is being rocked by protests and explosions following the escape of 1,100 inmates in a prison riot.

CNN's Arwa Damon has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It most certainly sounds like a dramatic escape that left 1,200 inmates on the loose. Some people are saying that it was residents just outside of the prison that's located on the outskirts of the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi that facilitated the escape. Others are saying it was actually clashes that broke out inside.

Either way, authorities have not been able to rein the situation back under their control, only managing to recapture 18 of them. And this comes after Benghazi itself has seen a series of political assassinations, and then also over the weekend, bombings that took place in the city itself. None of this, of course, boding well for Libya, a nation already on the edge -- Kate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Arwa, thanks so much.

And to Russia -- Russian President Vladimir Putin's fishing trip is getting a lot of attention online over quite a big catch. Just how big was it, is the question.

CNN's Phil Black is in Moscow with a story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Video of Vladimir Putin's summer vacation in Siberia shows him catching and kissing an impressive pike. His people say it weighed around 45 pounds. But Russians say no way, estimating the weight at half that. That's what the only controversy surrounding the president's latest adventure. Russian bloggers believe the video is really from 2007, because they think he's wearing the same clothes he was seen in back then.

Not true, says the president's spokesman, insisting it was a new fishing outfit.

Back to you, Kate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: So 45 pounds -- do you think it was 45 pounds?

CUOMO: The outrage is that he wore the same outfit.

BOLDUAN: I know, well.

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN: I don't have multiple fishing outfit, so I would wear --

CUOMO: You have to.

BOLDUAN: I know.

CUOMO: You have to. Different fields, different temperatures. Contrast of the water.

BOLDUAN: See, you learn something new everyday, everybody.

CUOMO: Any fish can be any weight. It all depends on how much weight you put inside the fish.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: That's all I'm going to say.

BOLDUAN: OK. OK.

CUOMO: I don't want to create international tension.

BOLDUAN: More than already is existing (ph) right there.

All right. Coming up next on NEW DAY, riots erupting in the streets of Huntington Beach, California following the U.S. open of surfing. Just look at that. Police called in to calm the chaos, but what triggered the violence? We're going to have live report coming up.

CUOMO: Not fighting over the weight of Vladimir Putin's fish, by the way.

Plus, this, check this out. I've never seen anything about it. I don't know. It's the moment of the day. Two huge horses, one huge guy, and a parachute, and there's a woman caught in the middle. What is going on?

BOLDUAN: Just something --

CUOMO: That's a must see moment right there.

(LAUGHTER)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: OK. I'm going to thrill you because it is time for today's must see moment that not only is from Cuomo's personal file of goodness but also under my do not dare try this ever. OK. Really, all it involves is a parasail, a stuntman, his lady friend, who happens to be kneeling astride a pair of Clydesdales, which in its own right is a feat. But then she essentially allows him to parasail as the Clydesdales run. Now, here's my question.

CUOMO: He's holding the horses, too.

PEREIRA: I know. Well, yes.

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN: New recreational industry here.

PEREIRA: The dust and the face. That's what my concern --

CUOMO: He's eating it like a man. He's holding on to the Clydesdales. This is like a man law hero of the moment.

PEREIRA: Is this your next mancation?

CUOMO: I can't do that. I don't have anywhere near any of the skills you need --

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN: I would love to watch you attempt it.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: All I would be is tragedy. That's all.

PEREIRA: Do not try this.

BOLDUAN: Here's the problem.

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN: You really knees those Clydesdales to start off fast because your tush could be dragging.

PEREIRA: Oh, that would be awful.

CUOMO: Is that the technique involved?

(CROSSTALK)

PEREIRA: There you go. Must see moment.

BOLDUAN: All right. Coming up next on NEW DAY, severe thunderstorms and flash flooding really devastating many parts of the country right now this weekend. We're going to track the extreme weather and bring you the latest. CUOMO: Plus, we've been showing you this video of these riots in Huntington Beach, California. It was after a surf and skate contest. What's up with that? We're going to tell you how this started and what it took to stop it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": O.J. Simpson attended a parole hearing yesterday in Nevada. He pleaded with the court for leniency. He said they needed his prison cell for younger up and coming NFL players.

(LAUGHTER)

JIMMY FALLON, HOST, "LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON": Sen. John McCain said that replacing the dollar bill with a coin could lead to bigger tips for strippers.

(LAUGHTER)

FALLON: As well as stripper having to wear helmets.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: I like his legs.

BOLDUAN: See, kind of acted it out was even better than just the joke.

CUOMO: Yes. The crazy legs working there.

BOLDUAN: Stop making it rain.

CUOMO: I like that. That was good.

Welcome back, everybody. Hey, some more good news for you. Derek Jeter is back, the Yankees captain made his return in style against the Rays. Let's bring in Andy Scholes. Happy Monday to you, Mr. Bleacher Report. Great to have you.

ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Happy morning to you, guys. You know, Jeter's first return from the disabled list didn't go so well as he strained his quad in his first game back, but yesterday's comeback was a different story. Jeter received a standing ovation as he came to the plate in the bottom of the first inning. The first pitch he sees from Matt Moore, gone. Solo home run.

Amazingly, guys, this was the Yankees' first home run since the All- Star break. Bottom of the ninth, Alfonso Soriano back in pinstripes. And hey, he gave the Yankees fans something to cheer about. Walk-off single. Yankees get the win. They avoid the sweep. All right. U.S. men's soccer team taking on Panama in the championship game of the Gold Cup yesterday. Game was scoreless in the 69th minute. Check it out. On the cross, Landon Donovan whiffed, but Brek Shea right there to bury it in to the back of the net. That goal would be enough as the U.S. defeats Panama 1-0 to win their first Gold Cup since 2007.

And guys, they've also won a record, 11 straight games. Team is looking pretty good as they head into more World Cup qualifying matches later on in September and October.

BOLDUAN: Fabulous.

CUOMO: How huge will that be to have the stripes and stars in the World Cup in a strong position? Change of dynamic.

BOLDUAN: On the Derek Jeter story, I think the bigger headline is that was the first home run that the Yankees have had since the all- star game.

SCHOLES: Since the all-star game.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: Andy, I think that's incorrect. You should go back and check that.

BOLDUAN: Oh, you think that's incorrect?

CUOMO: Yes, they've had many.

BOLDUAN: Andy Scholes is never wrong. Andy Scholes is never wrong. Thanks, Andy.

You hear the music, you know what that means. It's time for the "Rock Block," everyone, a quick round-up of the stories you'll be talking about this morning. First up, Michaela.

PEREIRA: All right. Let's take a look. First up in the papers, from "The New York Times," a makeover for California's Yosemite National Park that would shrink the number of visitors. The national park service wants to reduce traffic, stop renting bikes and rafts, and close an ice rink.

From "The Washington Post," no federal bailout for Detroit. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew says the bankrupt city is going to have to deal with its creditors on its own.

And in "The New York Post," the New York Public library trying to retrieve more than a million dollars worth of baseball artifacts stolen some 40 years ago that were sold online.

Time now for your business news with Christine Romans.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Amazon is hiring 5,000 new warehouse workers, part of an expensive build-out. These are full-time jobs with health care and retirement benefits.

This photo making the rounds on Apple blogs. You can see the logo for an iPhone 5C on plastic iPhone boxes. The rumor is the 5C could be the new budget iPhone. Speaking of Apple, it's sending a team to China to look into labor conditions. New reports claim Chinese factory workers who assemble iPads and iPhones are not getting paid for their overtime.

Finally, let's get to Indra Petersons for the weather -- Indra.

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Ah, yes. Looks like we have tropical storm Flossie making its way for the Hawaii Island. It's expected to make landfall at 10:00 Hawaiian time, bringing anywhere from 6 to 10 inches of rain. Fifteen inches of rain, not out of the question. As far as the northeast, unbelievable night in Philly. About eight inches of rain. That's the all-time record for the amount of 24 hours.

Finally, they're getting a break today as far as where the heaviest rain will be today. Well, that's going to be stretching anywhere from really pretty much Kansas right into Missouri. About two to four inches of rain in the forecast for them. Tough weekend out there.

BOLDUAN: All right. Indra, thanks so much.

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