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CNN NEWSROOM
House Approves Federal Worker Back Pay; Rough Weather Sweeps across U.S.; NYPD: Two Bikers in SUV Clash in Custody; Carey Sisters: Miriam Was Not Delusional; More Charges For Alleged Newlywed Killer; Gulf Coast Braces For Tropical Storm; Iran's Supreme Leader Weighs In On "The Call"; NATO Airstrike In Question; Ventura: Presidential Bid A "Maybe"; House Approves Federal Worker Back Pay; Siri More Than A Voice
Aired October 5, 2013 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And we're going to continue to watch because there is still potential other activity taking place on Capitol Hill, and then perhaps we'll hear from other representatives of the U.S. government, i.e., the president or even other members of Congress later on throughout the morning.
And we're also keeping a close watch on lots of severe weather making the news this weekend. People on the Gulf Coast are bracing for tropical storm Karen, while people in the heart of the country are trying to recover from a blast of storms, tornadoes hitting in three states and a destructive October snowstorm slamming another.
Plus, we'll talk about new developments in the biker investigation. One source tells CNN an off-duty police officer was among the group. And if so, why didn't that person step in to help?
And the family of Miriam Carey is talking. She's the woman who was shot and killed in Washington, D.C. after that chaotic chase near the White House and Capitol Building. Her sisters are talking to CNN about Miriam's mental state and why they want to conduct their own investigation.
Hello, everyone and welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
The House just approved a bill to give back pay to furloughed federal workers. House Republicans are expected to speak shortly and we expect to hear from Democrats later on this hour. This measure is the latest move to ease some of the effects of the government shutdown.
Athena Jones is now joining us from Capitol Hill. So Athena what's happening this morning? We even heard the President yesterday who said this is one of the piecemeal deals that he would actually agree to. Everything else he wants a full budget.
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, Fredricka. And we did expect the House to pass this bill. The President has said he would sign it. We don't yet know how soon the Senate will vote on it. There are no votes scheduled for today. But as you just mentioned any minute now we'll be from House Republicans talking about where they stand.
And I can tell you we don't expect to hear much new. All week we've been hearing the same lines for the same arguments on both sides. The Senate Democrats and the President want the House to bring to a vote a spending bill that would fund the entire government. House Republicans are choosing to take a piecemeal approach, passing smaller bills funding specific programs.
Let's listen to some of the debate we heard on the floor of the house earlier today. This is from Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings followed by Republican Hal Rogers. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS (D), MARYLAND: Today is day five of the shutdown created by the Tea Party extremists who are harming our country by holding our government hostage. They're placing our economy and our national security in jeopardy by waging an ideological war to overturn the law of the land.
REP. HAL ROGERS (R), KENTUCKY: The House has approved 15 different options to fund a government, sent them over to the senate. Sadly the only response is a loud snore.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: So there you hear the arguments coming from both sides. Now Senate Democrats say these smaller funding bills are dead on arrival because we want to see the House bring to a vote and pass a spending bill to reopen the doors of the government all together and then we'll talk about these -- these budgetary issues that are of so much importance. That is not where things are standing right now. And that is how it's been for the last several days.
Here we are on the fifth day of the shutdown still totally unclear when this all going to end. And we expect to put that question to these Republican leaders that are coming to the mikes in just a few minutes -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And so Athena you know how is the rest of the day expected to play out? Will these lawmakers be on The Hill all day trying to work something out? Or is this the only activity and then we're going to have that press conference and then they might resume another day. What do -- what do we expect?
JONES: Well this is the -- the house is finished with the business for today. And so we expect lawmakers to head home to their districts they'll be reconvening on Monday night. I just spoke with a representative from Tennessee. A Republican who is planning to head home and have a whole series of activities there speaking to constituents. The Senate is in, but there are no votes scheduled. There could be speeches on the floor but there are no press events.
So that's what's going on at least in public. In terms of what may be going on behind closed doors, I guess a lot of people are hoping that discussions are happening. But certainly no public movement and no real sense of when this is all going to change at least not right now -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right Athena Jones, thanks so much. I appreciate that of course when some of those lawmakers take to the microphones.
JONES: Thanks.
WHITFIELD: We'll take that live and also monitor some of their comments for you. And this programming note: Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz is talking exclusively about the government shutdown Sunday on "STATE OF THE UNION" with CANDY CROWLEY at 9:00 a.m. and noon Eastern Time.
WHITFIELD: All right the Plain States were hit hard by storms overnight.
We're getting reports of as many as 18 tornadoes touching down in three states, Iowa, South Dakota and Nebraska. In Wayne, Nebraska a tornado destroyed as many as a dozen homes and fortunately no one was killed. And if you are wondering, yes it is rare to see a tornado this time of year. But not completely unheard of the storm also knocked out power to half the residents of Rapid City, South Dakota.
Nebraska isn't the only state getting pummeled with severe weather. From California to the Midwest and down to the Gulf of Mexico, rough weather is sweeping across the U.S. Alexandra Steele, very busy in the CNN Severe Weather Center.
So some states are hit by this tornadic activity and then we're also talking about snow in others.
ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And more -- yes. You know, Fred, it's really the weather trifecta here around playing around the country. Of course the snow we've been talking about. Another 15 to 20 inches potentially. Of course the tornados that we saw again 18 potentially, six thus far have been confirmed in three states. And also a fire threat that's pretty dramatic in southern California.
So let's walk you through it and show you some images, and let's start off with the snow. Incredible snowfall totals. Look at this picture out here in Wyoming -- heavy, wet snow once again today, Eastern Wyoming, Western South Dakota. The bulls eye today, Rapid City, South Dakota, maybe another 10 to 15 inches making it a top ten potentially snowfall. But also coupled with this, the winds that are ferocious -- 40 to 50-mile-per-hour winds, so blizzard conditions there.
Now to two, to the tornado threat we've seen yesterday of course we certainly had it. Today it's certainly not quite as robust but that threat has moved eastward. Large violent, long track tornado we saw again, 18 preliminary reports. Six thus far have been confirmed in three states. Again, as you said uncommon but certainly not unheard of. We've had 11 in October in 2001. The National Weather Service is out today doing a post-storm survey to assess the damage.
And now farther West to Southern Cal, of course, the fire threat is there. Of course, October is fire season. California, Santa Ana winds howling. Southern California this weekend red flag warnings are up. Winds -- the problem is, those winds could really push any small fire out of control already; 77-mile-per-hour winds in Laguna Park and Ventura County; 52-mile-per-hour winds in Los Angeles County, Fred.
So that has just begun just to exacerbate the troubles with the fires that are already present there -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: Nasty stuff. And then we're not done with the weather scene. There is more we talked about and alluded to the whole activity in the Gulf.
STEELE: Right.
WHITFIELD: Alexandra a tropical storm, well it is moving closer to the Gulf shores. I know this is something you need to be saying and not me telling everybody but it could be hitting southeastern Louisiana later on this evening. The good news here, it has broken up quite a bit. The hurricane watch has been cancelled but coastal residential areas are being warned of dangerous storm surges.
CNN's Indra Peterson is in Pensacola Beach, Florida with more on that. Indra the beach looks beautiful. You know we know that there have been threatening skies. But what's the latest. Is this tanning weather now? Or is this still something threatening?
INDRA PETERSON, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, there's definitely something still threatening. This is not as strong as what we saw before we definitely still have the concerns. The one thing that happened that is so good for everyone is the system slowed down.
Want to see what it looks like out here. And you can see we have some seas, yes they're picking a little bit as the system makes it's way a little bit closer. But again the key ingredient was the system continues to break apart because it's this one area that if it has moved through it quickly we actually would have seen this really hold together.
But unfortunately it is now -- well, I should say fortunately -- it slowed down; now only seven miles per hour. It's making its way to the center. It's making its way north, so like that circle of a circulation is going north. Meanwhile the winds are kind of ripping the other side of it off to the east. So with that it's almost like tearing this guy apart.
Now there was a thought it would faster through this region and not get inundated by all that breaking apart into dry air and start to turn to the northeast. If it had done that but still expected to do that. But if it had done it quicker it wouldn't have ripped apart as much, it will be holding together stronger.
That's not what's going on. It's actually slowed down even more in the latest update. So tonight it looks like we're still going to be looking at some heaving rains and some strong winds around Morgan City, Louisiana. They still have the actual warning within 36 hours. So overnight tonight this evening they're going to start seeing those strong winds and some heavy rain move through the area. Then the question is does it hold together at all when passing over? We'll have to see. Either way it looks like by tomorrow it will continue to weaken into a depression. But it will start to make that curvature to the northeast starting to inundate more of the Gulf and then maybe here over towards Pensacola, Florida.
So that's what we're going to have to watch. How fast does the sky continue to move? Slow. If so, the conditions look better for the rest of us. As it starts to speed up things could change. So we'll have to keep that monitoring.
WHITFIELD: Ok very good. Well it's encouraging news that it is breaking up. But of course we also know that you know with this kind of storm could still bring some kind of storm surges and some flooding. So, still threatening a lot of these coastal areas. Indra Peterson, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
All right let's head very much north now to New York and new developments in that clash between a group of bikers and the driver of an SUV. Two bikers accused of being involved in that violent incident earlier this week turned themselves into police. And one of them is the man seen right there pounding the glass with his helmet. Bikers soon after that taped incident apparently dragged the driver from that SUV and then beat him.
CNN's Margaret Conley is covering this for us in New York. So Margaret, what more do we know about the two men who have turned themselves in? What kind of charges and where is this investigation going?
MARGARET CONLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred those two men they did turn themselves in. One of them we know is still in custody. Reginald Chance he was the one in that video seen using his helmet smashing the window of that SUV car. It actually took place right here.
The West Side Highway is about four blocks from West 178th street. That's where the SUV pulled off the freeway and the bikers then caught up with him and used that helmet to smash the windows of that car right behind me right there.
Now Reginald turned himself in. He's still being questioned and the charges for him are pending. The other man, Robert Simms, he was the biker that you saw in the video going up to the SUV, getting off his bike in the middle of the road and opening up the door in the middle of the road. And now he has been charged with attempted assault in the first degree, gang assault in the second-degree and also he was charged with criminal possession of a weapon. We do not know what kind of weapon that is at this point -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: And so an official says, Margaret that an off-duty police officer may have been riding with this group and actually saw the confrontation. Do we know if, A, that is true and if so what was that person's role in all of this?
CONLEY: Right. CNN's Susan Candiotti reported last night that one off-duty police officer was riding in that group. He also worked as an undercover officer but he is just part of that motorcycle group.
Now he could be a key witness, because we're being told that he not only saw the SUV hit the biker but he also saw the beating. But there are a lot of questions Fred about why we're just hearing about this now. This incident happened on Sunday. We didn't know about this until Wednesday. And there are a lot of questions about why it's been four days.
WHITFIELD: All right Margaret Conley, thanks so much. Keep us posted throughout this investigation.
All right the sisters of suspected D.C. shooter Miriam Carey says that she was treated for postpartum depression with psychosis but she was not delusional. Amy Carey Jones and Valerie Carey say they are still trying to put the pieces together of exactly what happened in the Nation's Capitol.
Miriam Carey allegedly drove her car into a White House barricade before leading police on a chase to the capitol. She was then shot and killed. Her one-year-old was still in the car. The one-year-old was ok, not shot.
Her sisters talked to Anderson Cooper last night about her initial diagnosis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMY CAREY JONES, MIRIAM CAREY'S SISTER: It wasn't something that was displayed. It was a momentary breakdown when she had to go and have emergency care. Once she understood what the diagnosis was, she knew how to move the forward.
She had her challenges as a new parent. And I always spoke closely with her. I am a parent. I have two children. So you know she's just like anyone else she had questions. And you know we dealt with that as a family. But there was nothing out of the ordinary.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "AC360": Did she seem in recent days to be off medication or to be unstable?
JONES: No. She didn't appear to be unstable.
COOPER: The care she got when she had the psychosis and the depression, how long ago was that? Do you know?
JONES: The diagnosis came a little bit after her birth of her daughter -- maybe a few months after.
COOPER: And her daughter is about a year old. Is that correct?
JONES: Her daughter is a year, she's one-year-old. I did recently ask her about the medication. I talked to her often about that. And she told me that the doctors told her that she was -- she didn't need the medication anymore because the plan was for her to come off the medication within a year. And they were confident that she was better. They tapered her off her medication, and she said she felt fine.
COOPER: Do you know for a fact that that was something that the doctors had recommended she get off the medication? Or is that something that she -- she told you?
JONES: No that's what the plan was. The plan of care for a patient that has depression with psychosis is medication and treatment and not to have long-term medication like a bipolar or schizophrenic. She didn't have prior history of any type of psyche history. So that is why they told her one year. And they did go with that plan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Shooting victim Miriam Carey's family says they want to know if D.C. police followed protocol when shooting Miriam. They say they're going to conduct their own investigation to see what happened exactly.
All right in Montana newlywed faces new charges in the death of her husband. He died after falling off a cliff. Find out what she told the court.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right.
Just about 20 minutes or so ago the House voted a partial measure to give back pay to furloughed federal workers. And now a response from the GOP leadership -- let's listen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- in the final hour that would fund the government. Most Americans don't realize that our final bill that all we asked was for the Senate to sit down and talk about our differences. Well, that didn't happen.
Now earlier I read and saw where the President canceled his trip to Asia. That's a unique opportunity being if he's here this weekend, we are here this weekend. This can all end. All the President has to do is sit down along with the Senate Democrats and we can move forward.
So let's recap what has gone on this week. On Wednesday the House passed opening the national parks, funding the NIH and local funding for D.C. On Thursday the House passed funding our guard and reserves, funding our veterans. Friday we passed the National Emergency Disaster Recovery Act; Friday, nutrition assistance for low-income women and children; and today as the leader said, we made sure all the federal employees and also made sure the military was able to have service on Sunday.
The senate, Wednesday no roll call votes; Thursday no roll call votes; Friday no roll call votes. But they have worked. They did adopt the National Chess Week.
This has got to stop. Everyone hurts in a shutdown. We never desired to shut down. We never asked for a shutdown that's why we fully funded the government. We continue to fund the government each and every day as we go forward. I think now is the time, since everyone is in town to pick up the phone, to work together and to solve the problem.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: While Senate Democrats and the President refuse to --
WHITFIELD: All right. You're listening to some of the GOP leadership there on Capitol Hill talk about this one measure that was approved by the House today -- that being back pay to federal workers. But you also heard the litany of motions that were made or some partial initiatives that were made that have not been able to pass through Congress. Opening national parks, funding NIH, the national recovery act and you heard earlier Senator Eric Cantor -- perhaps you didn't hear him because he spoke just before we took him; talked about still wanting to sit down with the President to negotiate further.
So let's talk about where we are right now as it pertains to the budget, the government shutdown. What's on the agenda?
It has been five days now of the government shutdown and it doesn't seem as though there is much movement on the House and Senate side as it pertains to coming up with a budget.
Let's talk further about this. We have two guests with us now. We have CNN political commentators Donna Brazile and Will Cain, both joining us now.
Ok. So you're hearing from the GOP leadership right now, Donna, say that there had been some partial measures that have been initiated but still nothing. You heard the President reiterate yesterday, saying no, we're not looking for any kind of piecemeal deals. We're looking for a budget.
So are we at an impasse? And if so for how much longer?
DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I don't know. Maybe when they come back next week we can proceed for a discharge motion in the House that takes seven legislative days. So the earliest is October 14th when House Democrats along with Republicans like Dennis Ross, a Tea Party member from Florida -- 19 of them can join with the Democrats and we can have a clean bill. The Senate can take it up -- excuse me -- the Senate can take it up and then we can get back to whatever normal looks like in Washington, D.C.
Look, this back and forth, back and forth like volleyball, it's, you know, it's childish. It's stupid. If they want to go over to the White House and have some coffee or deliberate a little bit longer, fine. The bottom line is we need a clean continuing resolution bill to continue to fund the government, reopen the government and then focus on the debt ceiling. That's the next looming crisis.
WHITFIELD: And we're talking October 17. So Will Cain, you know, this is getting to be a broken record, is it not? I think everyone is in agreement. They're frustrated with hearing the same kind of jargon from either side whether it be House or Senate; Republican or Democrat. Where are we? WILL CAIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think Donna just answered your question for you Fredricka. First, Donna said she doesn't know when this is going to end. That's the appropriate answer. No one knows when this is going to end. This is a day-by-day issue.
But we know this. And I think Donna voiced as well, the President's position is clearly -- and the Senate Democrats' position is clearly "we're not doing anything unless you give us a clean continuing resolution to fund the government". What that means -- no attempts to defund Obamacare.
I think that's fascinating. That's just a flat out admission we will not negotiate. The position is essentially this. This will end when we stop arguing, when you stop debating us and you just do what we want. That would be what's best for the country. If we just do what Democrats want, that's what's best for everyone.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Democrats would say that about the Republicans; that that's exactly the jargon that they're using. We want this -- we want change in health care --
(CROSSTALK)
BRAZILE: We're not going to defund Obama care. We're not going --
WHITFIELD: We're not going to do anything until you get --
BRAZILE: -- that's right. We're not going back to the status quo, Will. We're not going back to debating a law that now the Supreme Court has reviewed and has said is constitutional. We're not going back. So that is the position that the President has told. It's the law of the land. If you want to continue to make changes or continue to try to defund it go ahead and do that.
But don't hold the economy of the United States of America, the reputation of the country, don't hold the American people hostage while you try to deny medical care to people who are uninsured and need access to health care.
CAIN: Ok, a couple of points. First of all the fact that the Supreme Court found Obamacare constitutional has no merits on this debate. That's a legal analysis. It has nothing to do with how popular or wanted it is by the American public.
BRAZILE: Yes. Let's overturn the Supreme Court -- let's go back to Bush v. Gore.
(CROSSTALK)
CAIN: Donna, if I could -- I didn't interrupt you.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: But I guess the issue -- but the issue here Will is, is this the appropriate time in which to have this debate one more time?
CAIN: Yes.
WHITFIELD: And yet one more vote on health care when it's holding up everything else -- the progress of everything from people getting loans, from children getting meals to the elderly getting care. Is this really the appropriate time in which to attack health care? The health care law?
CAIN: Yes. There are so many assumptions --
WHITFIELD: Why yes?
CAIN: I'm going to tell you. I'm going to tell you guys why this is the appropriate time.
WHITFIELD: Convince the 80,000 furloughed workers that now is the time.
CAIN: Ok. First of all, let me explain to you something. The fact that there's a government shutdown seems to be completely lost on most of America. The markets have trudged forward -- have lost one percent this week. Most people outside the Washington, D.C. and New York City media and political bubble woke up this week, and you know what they did? They went about their lives just like they did the day before.
This idea that we can't live without the government is the falsehood that's being exposed --
BRAZILE: No, Will.
CAIN: That's over. Now this is an argument for anarchy but it's an argument against your side is suggesting like a protection racket -- like a Mafia protection racket you really need us. Things go really poorly when we're not here. That's being exposed as a falsehood -- a complete and utter falsehood.
BRAZILE: That's a boldface lie.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: -- then 30 days later it's a different argument?
CAIN: I'm sorry Fredricka, I didn't answer your direct question. I didn't answer your direct question. Why is now the time?
WHITFIELD: Well, we're talking about the immediacy -- the immediacy of the effect. For some people they're feeling it right away. For others they may feel it next week, the week after. Is that not important enough?
CAIN: No, it is important. It isn't an argument for anarchy.
(CROSSTALK)
BRAZILE: As a taxpayer, I want my government to work for everybody. As a small business owner, I want my government to work. As a taxpayer, I want those workers to inspect our food when it's coming into our markets. I want those air traffic controllers to know when I'm flying and you're flying that we're safe in the skies.
I believe we should let the American people get back to work those who work in the public sector. This notion that it's not impacting people outside the Beltway, that's crap. I've been in Nebraska, Minnesota, Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina this week, and in every local newspaper they talk about the impact whether on Head Start or, you know, the local military basis where people, the civilian workers who are working all sides of those bases, they're hurting.
This is hurting our economy. And we should find ways to end the shut down now.
CAIN: Beyond you saying that -- there's no evidence of that. The country has moved on --
BRAZILE: There's a lot of evidence Will.
CAIN: It's just so demeaning to continue to tell the American people that you can't live without the government. You can't move on without the government.
BRAZILE: Oh God. Oh yes, ok.
CAIN: I'm sorry Fredricka. I didn't answer your direct question. You asked me why now earlier. Why now? I'm going to tell you why it's appropriate to have this debate once again.
WHITFIELD: Yes. All right.
CAIN: Yours and Donna's point that there's been an election -- it's a worthy point. The President was reelected with this part of his agenda, but it doesn't end the debate. And Congress's constitutional duty is to fund laws. It's not just to say it's the law and it's over. And they have chosen and those congressmen and senators represent a very good portion of this country. They have chosen to say we don't want to fund this very unpopular law.
WHITFIELD: And it's also very important that you fund the government to keep things working.
BRAZILE: Well, the majority should rule. The majority should rule.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: And that part isn't working right now either. There's an incredible impasse. And it is -- it is causing quite a gridlock.
BRAZILE: And I respect their right to debate. Fredricka, I worked on Capitol Hill, having lived through the last, you know, so called government shutdown. I respect their right to debate. I understand minority rights. What I don't understand is that they are putting not just barricades but obstacles over the economy growing. And because they oppose this law, a law that has an individual mandate that every Republican going back to Richard Nixon, the Heritage Foundation, Ronald Reagan supporter, they're throwing cold water over a bill that will help save people's lives.
WHITFIELD: All right. I have to leave it there. Donna Brazile, Will Cain -- I know we're going to have this conversation again because nobody sees that there's any end in sight tomorrow and maybe not even Monday.
BRAZILE: I respect Will Cain. He's a thoughtful Republican.
WHITFIELD: All right.
CAIN: Thank you Donna. Thank you.
BRAZILE: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much to both of you. Appreciate that. All right -- this programming note. Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz is talking exclusively about the government shutdown tomorrow Sunday on "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley, 9:00 a.m. and noon Eastern time.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, the stakes just got higher for a woman accused of pushing her husband over a cliff just a few days after they got married. Our CNN's Casey Wian has that update for us.
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, a not guilty plea to first- degree murder charges for newlywed killer Jordan Graham.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WIAN (voice-over): Prosecutors originally charged Montana newlywed Jordan Graham with second-degree murder for pushing her husband, Cody Johnson, off this cliff in Glacier National Park. But now a grand jury has added a charge of premeditated first-degree murder, which carries a minimum sentence of life in prison.
The couple was only married for eight days when they got into a fight on July 7th. Still upset they decided to take a hike where the fighting continuing. Things got physical and Johnson pushed her husband in the back, sending him face first off a cliff.
Prosecutors say Graham admitted nine days later to pushing Johnson off the cliff in a fit of anger. Her defense attorneys say it was all an accident and following her arrest last month, Graham was allowed to live here with her parents under home confinement, where she remains today.
Levi and Lytaunie Blasdel have known Graham since childhood. Levi introduced the couple. Levi says the bride-to-be was acting strangely before they walked down the aisle. LEVI BLASDEL, FRIEND OF COUPLE: She was crying hysterically before she even got to the altar. There was no joy that she was about to get married.
WIAN: After her husband's death the Blasdels say they noticed more strange behavior from the widowed bride.
LYTAUNIE BLASDEL, FRIEND OF COUPLE: Whenever I saw her she was just herself. Nothing happened. No emotion, nothing. It was her same old life. So we always had that bit in the back of our mind saying I think she may be involved.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIAN: Graham is also charged with making false statements about her husband's death to authorities for allegedly concocting a story about a trip to the part with out of town guests. Her attorney admits she has been deceptive to authorities, but he calls the murder charges reprehensible -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Casey Wian.
All right, he's an outspoken former pro-wrestler and no stranger to shaking things up in the political world. Jesse Ventura is at it again. We'll tell you what he's up to now next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Welcome back, bottom of the hour now. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are five things crossing the CNN NEWSROOM that you need to know. Number one, Tropical Storm Karen is headed right for the Gulf Coast. A hurricane warning has been canceled, but tropical storm watches are still in effect. The storm is expected to hit Southeast Louisiana tonight or tomorrow. Coastal residents are being warned of dangerous storm surges and flooding. Karen is expected to weaken to a tropical depression tomorrow.
And number two, Iran's supreme leader is talking about the recent phone call between Iran's president and President Obama. Iran's official news agency reports that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised President Rouhani's diplomatic, but he said other parts of the trip to the U.N. were in inappropriate and undesirable. He didn't specify what moment he didn't like. The phone call was the first time the president of Iran and the U.S. had spoken since 1979.
And number three, NATO-led forces in Afghanistan are investigating reports that an air strike killed a group of civilians. The strikes were meant for five insurgents. A local government says five people were killed while sitting in the garden. It's not known whether they were civilians or insurgents. An initial NATO-led investigation didn't confirm any casualties.
And number four, former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura may run for president in 2016. CNN's "CROSSFIRE" host, S.E. Cupp asked the former pro-wrestler if he'll run, he said, quote, "maybe." Ventura said he's a member of no party and he called for the abolishment of political parties. If Ventura runs in 2016, he says wants his running mate to be radio host, Howard Stern.
And number five, the House has just voted to give back pay to federal workers who have been furloughed in the government shutdown. The measure now goes to the Senate, which starts its session at about noon Eastern Time today. It still doesn't appear that either side is closer to agreeing on a bigger spending plan to end the government shutdown.
In fact, Democratic House leaders are expected to come out and speak soon. We just heard from the GOP leadership less than 15 minutes or so ago. Democrats are up next. We'll take that live.
All right, if you think that iPhone's Siri is a computer generated voice, you would be mistaken. It's actually a real person. You'll meet the real Siri coming up.
And next I'll tell you why the Dow Jones lost ground this week.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Just about 40 minutes ago, the House voted on a measure to give backpay to furloughed federal workers. The GOP said that's a start. Now members of the Democratic leadership, Nancy Pelosi, let's listen in.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), MINORITY LEADER: -- the 200 Democrats have assigned a letter and others who will vote with us, but some just philosophically don't sign letters. I want to add. At the beginning of this year the speaker said he wanted regular order. He said that at the White House. He said that all along. He wanted regular order.
And that regular order means when the House passes a bill, which it does, and the Senate passes a bill, which it has, then you go to conference. And then he said, after that, he said under the rule, and so he didn't appoint conferees. Why are you not appointing conferees to the budget conference?
His statement was under the rules if you appoint conferees and after 20 days there's no agreement, the minority has a right to offer motions to instruct. Which become politically motivated bombs to throw up on the House floor so to be frank with all of you, we're following what I would describe as a regular order.
Well, to be frank with him the regular order is not how he designs it. It's the regular order of the House. Under the rules, any member would have the privilege to bring up the Senate position. Mr. Van Holen spoke to that issue on the floor the other day. So, in public and otherwise the speaker has said that his concern is the motion to instruct.
Today, we standing here are making an unprecedented offer by the minority to the majority, to the speaker of the House. If you will agree to pass a short term bill and move the conference to a final budget discussion for this final year, we will not offer any motions to instruct. This is news, my friends. Please recognize it as such. The speaker said that's his concern. We want to take that concern off the table. So today we are giving Republicans yet another opportunity to end their shutdown, the very opportunity that the speaker has been asking for. Thank you.
We have accepted their number, as unpleasant as that is for us to do and we have voted to pay the federal employees for not working. Why don't we pay them for working by opening government? We can have it opened over this weekend and certainly in full force by Monday. Our public employees want to work.
The American people want government to be open and it's in everyone's interest that the speaker accepts the offer of nearly 200 votes and not to offer motions to instruct. We have tried to accommodate and relay their concerns. Let's open government. Give us a vote, Mr. Speaker. And now I'm pleased to yield to the distinguished Democratic --
WHITFIELD: All right, you're listening to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi there giving a real challenge to the House leadership, saying let's go ahead with a short-term measure. A short-term bill, she says, while the House has gone ahead and agreed to giving back pay to federal workers she says, why not go ahead and pay those workers to work.
She also noted John Boehner has been inconsistent on how they would agree upon voting him and challenging him to get that caucus together and go for a short-term bill. We'll have much more on the back and forth on Capitol Hill as we get it. Again, about 45 minutes ago, the House did vote on a measure to give back pay to federal furloughed workers.
All right, meantime, something else we're watching. She's been a mysterious figure on the Apple iPhone, but now she's coming out of the shadows. Meet the real Siri.
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WHITFIELD: All right, millions of people had heard the voice of Siri on the iPhone. Did you think it was a computer generated voice? Most people do, but believe it or not, it is a human being. The voice of Siri introduced herself to the world in this red chair interview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN BENNETT, VOICE FOR SIRI: Hello, I am Susan Bennett. You probably know me. I'm the voice actor who provided the voice for Siri. The first time I actually heard my voice as Siri was when my friend e-mailed me and said, isn't this you? Not bad, only two meetings today. And because I didn't have the newest version of the iPhone, I went to the Apple site, and that's where I heard the voice, and where went -- that is me.
Siri, would you like to be interviewed by CNN? This is about you, Susan, not me. I started my life as a machine quite young. I was the voice of "Tilley, The All-Time Teller," the first ATM machine.
The Siri voices were recorded in 2005, in the month of July. Four hours a day for the whole month. So when I recorded those voices, I had absolutely no idea where they would end up. My voice can be heard on many GPS systems, many telephone systems.
Siri, who is the real voice of Siri? When I first discovered that that was my voice, to be honest, it was a little creepy. Yes, it appears to be raining.
I'm used to hearing my voice maybe in the airport, thank you for using Delta Airlines. But this real thing that you can interact with in your hand was a little -- it took some time for me to get used to it. But she and I are friends now. I'm leaving now, Siri. Have a nice day.
Thank you, Susan. I hope you have a nice day as well.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: That's Susan Bennett or Siri. Thanks so much.
We're going to have much more in the NEWSROOM straight ahead.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE CORRESPONDENT: The new health care law makes it a magnet for con artists. I will tell you what to watch for to avoid getting scammed.
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WHITFIELD: This week marks the first time people could enrol in the health insurance under the affordable care law. It also means that con artists were cashing in. Zain Asher has more on what to look out for to make sure you don't fall for a scam.
ASHER: Hi, Fred. The affordable care act really does represent a huge opportunity for scam artists and there are a number of scams we want to warn viewers about, number one, watch out for fake state exchange web sites. These are sites that may look like a state exchange site. They may have the appearance, but they're not real. You type in your state exchange web site into the browser, misspell it by one letter, say it happens, and you're redirected to a fake site. Be vigilant.
Bottom line, be safe, go to health care.gov and find the exact link to your exchange. I find this really scary, people impersonating navigators. Navigators are certified professionals who are trained to help you shop the health insurance, but an impersonator may say here is $300 and we will help you sign up. Obviously anybody asking you for money shall especially a navigator should be a huge red flag.
Watch for phrases like act now or limited time offer. That should also be a red flag too. And another thing, sadly seniors often do become targets with these kind of things. Someone may call a senior, say they'll lose coverage if they don't get a new Medicare card and then they'll press for the social security number. Bottom line, it is important to emphasize you don't need a brand new Medicare card under the affordable care act. Important people know this. Tell their parents the same thing. And lastly, watch for companies offering cheaper alternative to insurance on the exchanges. These so-called medical discount plans are bogus, falsely claim to exempt you from minimum insurance coverage requirements, and it is important to watch for them. Bottom line, stick to federal exchanges if you're unsure -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: Great advice. All right, thanks so much, Zain Asher. We'll have much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM and it all starts now.
Hello again, everyone. I am Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the top stories we're following in the CNN NEWSROOM. We are talking about some new developments in the biker attack investigation. An undercover police officer was said to be part of that group and saw what happened --
