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NEW DAY

White House Responds To Putin Letter; Intense Floods In Colorado; Admitted Drunk Driver To Plead Guilty; Bad Connection? AT&T Sorry For Tweet; Montana Newlywed Murder Case; Apple Takes Its Lumps; One Chart Rules Them All; Anger At Logan Airport 9/11 Drill; "She's Part Of My Family"

Aired September 12, 2013 - 07:30   ET

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


KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Also coming up, terrible timing, a fire drill at Logan Airport, the site where two of the 9/11 planes took off from. What were they thinking?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Welcome back to NEW DAY, everyone. It is Thursday, September 12th. Coming up in the show, the Montana newlywed accused of pushing her new husband to his death is back in court today for a bail hearing. Prosecutors say she's a killer who tried to cover up her crime. So why then could she possibly be getting out of jail today?

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to hear from Kali Hardig, the brave 12-year-old girl who somehow survived a brain-eating amoeba that is always almost always fatal. She's going to join us with her incredible story. She'll be here live. A lot of news for you this morning so let's get right to Michaela -- Mick.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, here we go. Lots of reaction this morning to Vladimir Putin's letter in "The New York Times," the good, the bad, the ugly, the Russian president argued against a military strike on Syria, claiming the rebels were behind a chemical attack and even slammed the idea that the U.S. is exceptional.

A senior White House official tells CNN Putin is now fully invested in Syria, giving up its chemical weapons and everything else he wrote is irrelevant. Meantime, Secretary of State John Kerry is in Geneva for talks with his Russian counterpart.

Intense flash flooding turning deadly in Boulder, Colorado, that rushing water has killed at least one person, washed away homes, closed roads and prompted evacuations. Rescue crews are having difficulty getting to some people of rock slides in the area. The National Weather Service is warning people that it is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation. They are being advised to seek higher ground.

The man who made a stunning online confession to killing a man while driving drunk is set to plead guilty. Matthew Cordle pleaded not guilty in a procedural move at his arraignment, but his attorney says Cordle will change his plea when he goes before another judge. In the online video, Cordle says he wants to take full responsibility and begs people not to drink and drive.

Touching or tacky? A lot of people thought AT&T's 9/11 tweet was in poor taste. The company posted a picture that showed a hand holding up a smartphone with the tribute in light on the screen. It did not go very well in the Twitterverse. Many thought mixing commerce with tragedy crossed the line. The company has since took the picture down and apologized.

Here's a dramatic video to show you from raging waters. A Colombian TV station says the man stuck in this flood, 92 years old. A group of passersby banded together, were able to pull Roberto Blanco to safety as he held on to what looks like a rope or a cable. Blanco said he was in the area looking for things to recycle when he got caught up in that fast moving water, 92 years old.

BOLDUAN: Thank goodness people were there to help him.

CUOMO: Right. Another happy ending.

BOLDUAN: Thanks so much, Michaela.

Some incredible new details this morning on that alleged newlywed murder in Montana. You cannot make this stuff up. Jordan Graham in court Wednesday charged with killing her own husband just eight days after their wedding. Well, now prosecutors say evidence shows that she tried to cover up the crime.

CNN's Kyung Lah is in Montana where she spoke with a very close friend of the victim. What are they saying, Kyung?

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Kate. We actually heard the detail about the cover-up in a detention hearing. Now, first up, before we know anything more about how prosecutors will try to try this case, we are learning and will learn today, whether or not this defendant may walk out of custody.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anything at all you would like to say?

LAH (voice-over): Graham's mother emotionless as she left court with defense attorneys, testified in court that her daughter should get home confinement, not jail. While tight lipped, the defense argues Graham is not a threat, has no criminal history and no prior record of any violence. Except for admitting that she pushed Cody Johnson, her husband of just eight days, off this cliff, face first in the Glacier National Park during a heated argument. The victim's uncle says his side of the family wants her to stay behind bars.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was always an annulment. There was always divorce.

LAH: Prosecutors say Graham tried to cover up the crime by creating a bogus e-mail account and writing fake e-mails from a made up friend, an account that traces back to Graham's home address. The victim's friends say she seemed cold and calculating in the wake of her new husband's death.

(on camera): Was she texting during the funeral?

CAMERON FREDRICKSON, GROOMSMAN AT CODY JOHNSON'S WEDDING: She was on her phone, whether it was texting or a mobile app.

MAXIMINO ROCHA, CODY JOHNSON'S CO-WORKER AND FRIEND: I knew right then and there something was not right.

LAH: What was in your gut? What were you thinking?

ROCHA: My gut was that she had involvement with the process. I knew that there was a point in situation where Jordan probably could have done the right thing, even if it was an accident and the right thing wasn't done. So now we are trying to pursue what the right thing is.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAH: now, the right thing for the friends is for this woman to stay behind bars. We are expecting the judge's decision on that bond sometime this morning, just within hours -- Chris, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Such a sad story. Thank you so much, Kyung.

CUOMO: All right, coming up here on NEW DAY, fire and smoke billowing from Logan Airport on the anniversary of 9/11. It terrified many, understandably. Now, the airport admits probably not the best day for a drill.

BOLDUAN: Also ahead, a man who nursed a baby bear back to health now wants what he considers his pet back. But are wildlife officials willing to listen or do they have a point?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: There's one way to start us off. Welcome back to NEW DAY. It is money time. Christine Romans is here with all the business news you need to know. Starting off, what happened to Apple?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I know. Apple had a horrible day, investors bailing on that stock. Two new iPhones, a better camera, fingerprint passwords. Investors and analysts said they weren't impressed. It's a big move for one day, 5 percent down, but Apple stock had been up 20 percent in the month before this product launch. It has a habit of rising before and then falling after the big news. Just for the record it's ticking up a little bit in the premarket right now.

The billionaire, Carl Icahn, he said in an interview yesterday that he bought more Apple stock because it was so cheap. Obviously, he's trying to protect his investment there because he bought it recently.

Now this chart I'm going to show you says it all for Facebook. The stock is up 70 percent. Facebook is up 70 percent since late July that's when it said that it was finally making money on mobile. The stock hit an all time high, an all-time high now for Facebook on Wednesday.

That means founder Mark Zuckerberg now has a stake worth $22 billion. Can I tell you, Kate? Can I tell you that every time the stock goes up $1, he personally makes $425 million. He is the founder. He has all these shares, 425 million bucks every time it goes up. If you bought that stock at $17 a share, you are loving life right now.

BOLDUAN: That's great. That's absolutely right. All right, Chris, let's go over to you.

CUOMO: All right, here's the question. What were they thinking? That's what so many are asking after officials at Boston's Logan Airport held a fire drill on the 12th anniversary of 9/11. And be clear, it wasn't just a simple drill, a plane was on fire. There were plumes of black smoke in the air so many are demanding answers.

CNN's Susan Candiotti joins us with the latest. This is a tough one to explain, Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hard to believe, isn't it, Chris? Just plain dumb. That's how the governor of Massachusetts is describing the incredibly bad timing of a training drill at Boston's Logan Airport, held on the anniversary of 9/11.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): At Boston's Logan Airport, an intense disaster drill, a dummy plane spewing flames and smoke on a tarmac, preparing for the real thing that can strike any time, any day, but why on this day, the anniversary of 9/11?

DEVAL PATRICK, MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR: I didn't know it was going to happen. It's just dumb. I mean, the timing could not be worse.

CANDIOTTI: Who can forget that two of the hijacked planes that struck the World Trade Center took off some Boston, apparently someone did. Logan officials quickly issued a statement apologizing. Safety and security is our top priority, but the exercise should not have taken place on the anniversary of 9/11.

Despite the mea culpa, social media lit up. Never forget? Clearly someone forgot. Are you kidding me? Of all the days to do this, you pick 9/11? And heads should roll, but it wasn't all negative. Thanks, Logan, no hard feelings. You, just like many others, played a huge role on that day.

And it is preparation, not disrespect, the embarrassing episode, a painful reminder of 2009. New Yorkers panicking when Air Force One and an F-16 flew over the Statue of Liberty, all because a White House planner failed to warn officials about a publicity photo shoot. Now, Boston Airport is equally red faced.

PATRICK: To people who experienced 9/11, many of whom work at the airport, I feel so sorry. (END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: Remember what happened to that White House official, he resigned. Now officials at Logan did say they were sorry and Governor Patrick says he's confident in the airport's leadership but Chris, ouch.

CUOMO: The only justification would be if it were about preparation and to show that on this day, look, we're ready. It won't happen again but still --

CANDIOTTI: Sure.

CUOMO: -- it seems to be just a bad process.

CANDIOTTI: Yes. Clearly they were trying to do a good job but it just backfired.

CUOMO: All right, Susan, thank you very much. Appreciate it -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Later on in the show, an Arkansas man devastated when authorities take his pet bear away. Should he get the bear back or is that a very bad idea? We're going to find out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: Welcome back to NEW DAY. We begin this hour with an Arkansas man fighting for his pet bear. He says he found the abandoned cub injured six months ago, nursed her back to health, even naming her Savannah. She has lived with him ever since. Local authorities, however, have other ideas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's part of my family.

PEREIRA (voice-over): To Robert Baysinger, Savannah is more than just a bear cub. She's family.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She'll jump up in my arms. She'll lay down in my lap and take a nap.

PEREIRA: Baysinger first found Savannah six months ago when he rescued her trapped in the middle of a controlled fire. The two have been inseparable ever since, climbing trees, even picking blackberries together. But all that changed when he came home Monday only to find a ticket taped to his front door and Savannah gone.

ROBERT BAYSINGER, BEAR "OWNER": I don't know where she's at, at this time, but I know she is not where she can climb trees and pick blackberries.

PEREIRA: The ticket was from Arkansas Game & Fish who along with law enforcement took her away citing it illegal to have a pet bear.

BAYSINGER: She is crying. They came in there as total strangers and took her by force and put her in a strange place she's not used to. She's crying. She cried just like a kid.

STEVE WILSON, ARKANSAS GAME AND FISH: We all love bears. We all love wildlife. They're cute and cuddly, but it's called wildlife for a reason.

PEREIRA: Officials stand by their decision saying the purpose of removing the bear was to get it away from humans in hopes of teaching it to survive on its own.

WILSON: This is not only about his safety. It's about the bear's safety as well.

PEREIRA: Baysinger planned to release Savannah back into the wild when she got older. He says he's tried before, but she kept coming back. Now he's not giving her up without a fight.

BAYSINGER: You know, I want to bring her back home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PEREIRA: So authorities say that the bear was sent to a nearby rehab facility. They are refusing to tell Baysinger exactly where. They say it is up to the rehab center to decide whether Baysinger can get some sort of visitation rights to see Savannah, but they all consider it very unlikely given the fact that the idea is to make sure this bear now has very little human contact going forward so it can eventually be returned to the wild.

BOLDUAN: I'll tell you. I have gone 180 on this story. I mean, I was one to think you should not have wildlife as a pet, but that man just broke my heart.

PEREIRA: It is heart breaking, but it's a wild animal.

BOLDUAN: I know.

PEREIRA: Once they grow up to be full grown bears --

BOLDUAN: You think I'm being too soft?

CUOMO: No. You? Never. I think it falls under the category of just because you have the right to do it doesn't mean it is right to do it. They snuck in there. They took the bear when he wasn't home. They probably --

PEREIRA: They could have handled it better.

CUOMO: Absolutely. I think the way they did it was in poor taste and they probably had to know especially if he is not living in a suburban area word must have gotten there. They must have understood the situation.

PEREIRA: But what about the bear?

CUOMO: That's a tough call. Obviously, we hear stories all the time about these large, wild animals wind up destroying who they're with. But it is how you do it too -- broke this man's heart.

PEREIRA: We need to have humanity.

CUOMO: For me a lot of these things usually fall on where are they on the list of how important this is to deal with.

PEREIRA: But for him it was really important.

CUOMO: How big a deal was it for the state authority to act in this one case this way?

BOLDUAN: Right.

CUOMO: I don't like how you did it. There it is. Now you know.

Next, coming up on NEW DAY, one lawmaker says it made him want to vomit. That extraordinary op-ed from Vladimir Putin lecturing the U.S., talking about God, scolding the president, what was the message there? Did he achieve it? Talk to you about it.

BOLDUAN: We're also continuing to track flash flooding in Colorado at least one death reported in Boulder County where severe flooding is causing homes to collapse. A live report on the very dangerous situation at the top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We certainly have a long and winding history with the Russians. We're going into this eyes wide open.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: Happening now, Secretary of State John Kerry about to meet with the Russians, a Syria deal on the table, but Vladimir Putin ripping into the U.S. in a scathing op-ed. What does it mean? We'll break it down.

BOLDUAN: Breaking overnight, deadly flash flooding sweeping across Colorado, evacuations and rescues still ongoing. We're tracking it all.

PEREIRA: Miracle recovery, the 12-year-old girl who did the impossible, surviving a rare, brain eating ameba, she joins us live this morning.

CUOMO: Your NEW DAY continues, right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was the most terrifying moment of my life.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: My feet got hurt. My whole body got hurt.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BOLDUAN: Good morning. Welcome back to NEW DAY. It is Thursday, September 12th, 8:00 in the east. Thanks for joining us. We're going to be covering throughout the hour that controversial "New York Times" editorial by Russian President Vladimir Putin taking a dig at President Obama and America's exceptionalism. Many calling his piece, among other things, hypocritical, the op-ed coming as Secretary of State John Kerry is in Geneva for meetings with the Russians. We're going to have all the latest.

CUOMO: Take a look at what is happening out in Colorado, an extraordinary night of rain. It's flooding like this. One person left dead. Buildings leveled. More is on the way. Indra Petersons is going to be here with a late breaking update on these floods.

PEREIRA: You know who else is going to be here? Anthony Bourdain, season two of "PARTS UNKNOWN" debuting this very weekend. We'll have the preview for you later this hour with the man, himself.

BOLDUAN: We begin with the high stakes talks in Geneva. Secretary of State John Kerry will sit down in Geneva with Russia's foreign minister to discuss implementing a plan for Syria to turn over all of its chemical weapons so it can avoid a military strike. The meeting is being overshadowed by Vladimir Putin's "New York Times" op-ed.