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NEW DAY

Iran Nuclear Talks; Cruise Ends in Boy's Death; Bush Heart Condition; Dodgers' Rookies Lead The Way In Game 3

Aired October 15, 2013 - 06:30   ET

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


MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: She's been suspended from the volleyball team for five games and stripped of her title as captain. That girl's mother sued but a court ruled it had no jurisdiction.

And a computer glitch led to chaos and empty shelves for a couple of Wal-Mart stores in Louisiana. Managers of stores in Springfield and Mansfield alerted police when throngs of shoppers emptied store shelves using electronic benefit cards. The debit-type cards issued under the state's food stamp program seemingly had no limit after the Xerox system suffered an outage.

A spokesperson for Wal-Mart told CNN customers were only letting customers charge up to $100 while the system was done.

What a mess, and kind of unhard -- I was going to say -- hard to undue.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Very hard.

PEREIRA: Very difficult to take that all back.

CUOMO: Also goes to the pressure people are feeling right now also.

(CROSSTALK)

PEREIRA: Very true.

PEREIRA: We'll see more of this kind of thing, I predict.

CUOMO: Absolutely right. You know, and it's interesting. We're focusing on what's happening in D.C.. There's so much else that's also going on.

When we come back on NEW DAY: the U.S. and Iran are having face-to- face negotiations in Geneva, but are the Iranians really serious about scaling back their nuclear ambitions? Remember how big all these questions were? We forgot about it with the shutdown. It's going on right now. We'll tell you about.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Also ahead, a tragedy at sea. A 6-year-old boy drowns in a cruise ship swimming pool and passengers say there wasn't a lifeguard in sight.

(COMMERCIA BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Welcome back to NEW DAY, everyone.

Let's get a check from Indra Petersons of the weather of what you need to know before you go out the door.

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's one area, right? One system is out of the area, the next one we'll be tracking already today. Hanging out pretty much in the Midwest, going to be focusing around Chicago this morning for stronger winds and heavier systems, kind of pushing through, all thanks to an upper level low.

So, yes, we have storms in the Midwest, we also a cold front hanging off of it. That stretches down through Texas. Anywhere you see this cold front we'll be talking about rain. The bulk of it light except for in through Texas. The reason for that is we have tropical depression Octave here al the way in the Baja.

But keep in mind -- look at this moisture fueling into Texas. This is a big concern. They had flooding all weekend long. Now we're combining the tropical moisture with the next system making its way through, another three to five inches is possible today.

So, the flooding concerns will be high in the region. The other story is going to be the cold air behind this cold front making its way through the country. So, notice all the cool temperatures in the Pacific Northwest, all of that will be spreading into the Ohio valley and tomorrow, too. Even Chicago, highs into the 50s.

BOLDUAN: Oh, wow.

PETERSONS: The Northeast is one place it's still warm today. I'll take that.

BOLDUAN: Take care. Thanks, Indra.

CUOMO: Octave. Unusual name.

Have we ever used that one before?

PETERSONS: No, not that I remember. Let me check.

COUMO: All right. Let's take you overseas now.

Nuclear talks with Iran are getting under way in Geneva. They're the first between Iran, the U.S. and five other world powers since the election of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Now, he's made it a priority to ease the crippling sanctions imposed because of the country's nuclear activities.

CNN's Jim Sciutto is live for us in Geneva this morning.

What do we know about the talks so far? Jim, good morning.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Chris. In one of the most hostile relationships for the U.S., but with Iran, this is really an unusually hopeful time. And the morning session just broke. We're getting our first read. I was speaking with Iranian officials and European officials expressing cautious optimism.

But from the Western side, including the U.S., is that the ball is very much in Iran's court. The word that U.S. officials keep using is they're coming into these talks, quote, "clear-eyed". That's really code for saying, we want to see what Iran is going to be putting on the table to see if there's actually substantive change in their position.

Now, what we know the Iranians did this morning is they presented their proposal in English. It's the first time these talks have been place in English between the U.S., in Iran, really in 20, 30 some odd years, it was a PowerPoint presentation. And the name of the presentation was closing unnecessary crises, opening up new horizons.

The Iranian foreign minister gave a couple ideas of what might be in that proposal, saying they expect an agreement within the year. They believe it's possible. They want to leave these talks here not with a final agreement, but at least a road map for going forward.

And Iran wants to address a key issue, one of the concerns from the West, particularly from Israel, that they're not buying time here, killing time as the Iranian foreign minister said to do other things, including say proceeding towards a nuclear bomb.

So, they want to leave here with hard deadlines and concrete proposals. But the real test will be, what are those proposals? And that's what we're going to be hearing over the next couple days.

CUOMO: Certainly, Jim, if it's all about sanctions, they're going to have to give before they get when it comes to Iran.

Thank you very much for the reporting. Appreciate it.

BOLDUAN: Sad story to tell you about this morning. New question for a popular cruise line after a 6-year-old boy drown in the ship's on- board pool Sunday. The Carnival Victory was wrapping up a four-day trip. Police say what happened looks to be a tragic accident.

But why were there no lifeguards on board? Of course that's what many people are asking this morning.

"EARLY START" anchor John Berman is joining us with more details on this story. It's so sad.

JOHN BERMAN, "EARLY START" ANCHOR: You know, the answer is because there don't have to be lifeguards on duty. That is shocking to a lot of people this morning especially after this heartbreaking scene unfolded aboard the Carnival Victory on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN (voice-over): It's a nightmare for any parent, a family vacation turns tragic when this 6-year-old boy, Quintin Hunter (ph) drowns in a pool aboard the carnival cruise ship "victory." on the last leg of a four-day Caribbean journey.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I saw the little boy with his family enjoying himself. Out of nowhere I heard all of this commotion and I realized it was the same little boy I had seen playing with his older brother and his mother and his father.

BERMAN: The young boy was swimming with his 10-year-old brother when the cruise ship's deejay saw him struggling just before 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The deejay announced someone was drowning and someone jumped in and pulled him out.

BERMAN: These photos show people feverishly trying to resuscitate him.

SHAINA SHAW, PASSENGER WHO TRIED TO SAVE BOY: I actually lifted the boy up. I helped prop his body up in proper position so they could perform the CPR.

BERMAN: Sadly, the efforts were not enough. Police say the drowning appears to be accidental.

SHAW: Everyone was crying. The family was distraught. They had to pull the mother away and the father. The father was next to his son, pleading and begging his son to stay alive.

BERMAN: The cruise line said in a statement, "Carnival extends its heartfelt sympathy to the family during this very difficult time. The company's care team is providing assistance and support."

Carnival Cruise Lines tells CNN they do not have lifeguards on duty at their pools because their policy requires parental supervision for children under 13. Cruise operators are not required to have lifeguards on duty. Although drownings aboard cruise ships are infrequent, some say this tragedy amplifies the need for safety measures.

ANDREW WALKS, MIAMI CRUISE INJURY ATTORNEY: The best way of trying to secure safety of the young children in addition to parental supervision is to have someone there as a lifeguard who's going to focus on the children who are using the pool.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: You get the sense of the issue that drowning really is in this country. It's the fifth leading cause of unintentional injury death in the U.S. It makes you think about the policies that exist on some of these cruise ships.

Yes, they say parental guidance. It should be run by the parents if their kids are in the pool. But still, a lot of kids, a lot of people swimming at once.

BOLDUAN: A lot of people swimming at once. They're at sea. It seems to be asking for trouble. CUOMO: They are treating it like a hotel but it's much bigger than that. There's a lot more volume. Legally, it breaks down fairly simply in terms of whether or not it's negligence. It's about what the duty of care was. They put their signs, you have to be here with your kids, there's no lifeguard. There's no lifeguard.

But then the analysis becomes, is the risk so great that's not enough? That's examination if there's going to be any case.

BERMAN: It was the deejay who saw the kid drowning in the pool.

PEREIRA: We all know it just takes a second. You can turn your back for a flash and they go under. So heartbreaking.

BOLDUAN: We're looking into.

Thanks, John.

CUOMO: We're going to take a break on NEW DAY.

When we come back, former President George W. Bush, known for being fit, right? But he had quite a scare this summer. We're going to tell you about a very serious heart condition the president was allegedly having to deal with it and how looking good on the outside may not mean everything is OK on the inside.

PEREIRA: And remember this iconic movie from "Big"? Who could forget it? Imagine 25 years later, the question: does Tom hanks still have the chop sticks? Our must-see moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to NEW DAY. What was originally thought to be a minor heart condition turned out to be a serious health scare for George W. Bush. A source close to the former president says he had a 95 percent blockage in one of his coronary arteries back in August and needed a stint to clear it. CNN's Erin McPike is following these developments. She is live from our Washington Bureau -- Erin.

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Michaela, friends of the former president say he's back to his standard routine, traveling around to events, and even playing golf. But a new report suggests he's lucky doctors caught a serious health scare in time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCPIKE (voice-over): George W. Bush has long been considered one of our country's most athletic presidents, both in office and after the presidency. But the 67-year-old former president's recent heart problems may be more serious than previously thought. The "National Journal" is reporting that a major blockage in a coronary artery discovered during his annual physical in August had almost completely shut off blood flow to one of his heart's chambers.

A close friend of the former president tells CNN the blockage was in the ballpark of 95 percent. Over Memorial Day weekend, Bush led these wounded warriors on an annual long distance bike ride at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. Bush notably gave up drinking alcohol on his 40th birthday.

He was even listed in the superior category of fitness for men his age after an annual physical exam late into his presidency. His only hiccup was gaining four pounds because he said he had --

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Probably ate too many birthday cakes.

MCPIKE: But those infamous eating habits may have caused the blockage to his artery doctors found during this August exam. Bush had surgery the next morning to insert a stent to unblock the artery.

DR. WARREN LEVY, CARDIOLOGIST: Certainly, President Bush was at significant risk having a 95 percent blockage in one of his coronary arteries. That doesn't mean he was going to have a heart attack, but certainly, he was at significant risk of a heart attack and something did need to be done.

MCPIKE: A close Bush family friend tells CNN that the former president is very grateful that the blockage was found and fixed when it was. Bush recently joked about his health in an interview with ABC News.

BUSH: Other than the fact I nearly bled to death when I nicked myself shaving because I'm taking blood thinner, I'm doing pretty good.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCPIKE (on-camera): Now, we should point out aides to Bush won't confirm the report and no one said in August back when it happened that it was a big concern. Even the former first lady kept a scheduled appearance for a speech in San Diego to a travel group instead of staying in Texas during his heart surgery -- Michaela.

PEREIRA: All right. Erin, thank you so much. Let's bring in Dr. Tara Narula. She's the associate director of the Cardiac Care Unit at Lenox Hill North Shore LIJ hospital right here in New York. We're so glad you could be with us this morning. So, let's talk about it. He was at significant risk of a heart attack. He did not have one. Ninety-five percent blockage. My goodness, that sounds terrifying. Is it as dangerous as it sounds?

DR. TARA NARULA, ASSOC. DIR. CARDIAC CARE, LENOX HILL NORTH SHORE LLJ: Yes. I think they made a good point in the piece you just saw, which is that we don't always know which are the lesions that are going to rupture and cause a clot formation which could lead to a heart attack. We make a difference between stable packs (ph) and vulnerable packs (ph).

And many times, it's the vulnerable packs that are only 50 and 60 percent lesions. And the 80 or 90 percent lesions tend to be more stable. So, just finding a significant lesion like that doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to cause a heart attack. That being said, 95 percent is definitely something that probably deserves to be fixed.

BOLDUAN: While we don't know the symptoms that he may or may not have had, this came up in his annual physical. So, it kind of lends you to believe that he wasn't showing symptoms or didn't notice the symptoms leading up to that. Is that common that if there is a 95 percent blockage, that someone wouldn't be showing symptoms?

NARULA: Typically, if you have a 95 percent blockage, you're going to have some sort of symptoms. I think if you ask people in retrospect, though, they may have had symptoms they didn't recognize that were related to their heart. They may say, oh, I felt some heartburn or I got a little tired or a little lightheaded, had some jaw pain or arm pain, and they don't recognize that that really can be a sign of underlying heart disease.

CUOMO: So, what's the message in this, because -- what's the confusion? The president is incredibly fit, this guy. He eats rights. He exercises. He outruns and bikes everybody, and then he winds up having this type of blockage. How do those two go together?

So, the message is that heart disease is a combination of risk factors. It's not just one thing. So, you can exercise and be in great shape and still have a significant amount of heart disease. That comes from other factors like high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, whether you're overweight, whether you have a family history, and what your age is. This all play into the development of coronary artery disease.

But likely, the fact that he was in such stellar condition probably helped him on the back end to recover from all of this, correct?

NARULA: It definitely helped him recover and or probably also helped his heart be stable with a 95 percent blockage.

PEREIRA: And quickly, how much does stress -- he's the former president. I mean, let's just talk about stress factor there. Stress has got to play a factor in this, is it not?

NARULA: Stress absolutely plays a factor. And more and more, we realize that there is a mind/body connection. And not just stress but also depression and anxiety. And we, as cardiologists, are now asked to screen for those things because they really do make a difference in somebody's, you know -- whether they're going to get heart disease or not.

PEREIRA: Dr. Narula, thank you so much for -- it is an important message. Just because you're a picture of health, you don't always know what's going on inside. Most important, make sure you go to those doctors for those yearly physicals.

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN: We talk about heart disease with men a lot, but I'm learning more and more every day. It's a huge killer of women and it's very important for women to pay attention to the symptoms as well.

NARULA: That's right. Number one killer of women.

BOLDUAN: That's an important statistic.

PEREIRA: "Must-See Moment," is everybody ready? You want to stick around for this. You might enjoy this. You like Tom Hanks?

NARULA: I do.

PEREIRA: Who doesn't? Remember this? remember we're all children and watch this iconic scene, 1988, what a great year. "Big" starring Tom Hanks playing the chop sticks for the giant floor piano. I wanted one so badly. Fast forward, 25 years, Tom Hanks recently made an appearance on a British talk show promoting his new movie, "Captain Phillips."

Some folks unveiled a big (INAUDIBLE) piano challenged Hanks to show off his skill, and they are, my friend, up to par.

(LAUGHTER)

PEREIRA: Not only did he prove it with extra help, look at this, guess who came by. Sandra Bullock who was there to promote her movie, "Gravity" in stilettos, I might add. Come on.

BOLDUAN: She didn't do the last note.

(CROSSTALK)

PEREIRA: It could be a problem.

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: Your height determines how long you can play that song --

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: Trivia question, who was he playing with in the original movie?

PEREIRA: The little boy which was --

CUOMO: No -- well --

BOLDUAN: I don't know.

CUOMO: No, the little boy was playing with who's --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Robert Loge.

BOLDUAN: There you go. That was just like a classic.

PEREIRA: 1988.

BOLDUAN: Everyone loved that movie.

PEREIRA: What a year. CUOMO: Italian.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN: -- like I didn't sigh up for this. I need to go now.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

PEREIRA: Enough said.

BOLDUAN: Exactly.

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN: All right. Coming up next on NEW DAY, no deal yet, but, Democratic and Republican leaders appear to be closing in on one. We're going to talk with the senator involved in the bipartisan talks that could help end the shutdown and avoid a default.

CUOMO: Plus, dry ice bombs, exploding at Los Angeles International Airport for a second straight night. What's going on? Is this a prank, something worse? Who's responsible? We'll tell you what police are saying.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: We're getting close to knowing who will be in the World Series, but last night, in the National League, the Dodgers came through with a clutch win to stay in it against the Cardinals. Intrigue. Let's bring in Andy Scholes with this morning's "Bleacher Report." Big one last night, huh?

ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Yes. You know, the Dodgers really had to have this one. They couldn't afford to fall behind 3-0 in the series, and they had to find a way to get the offense going. They scored just two runs in the first two games. Dodgers rookie sensation, Yasiel Puig, he hasn't gotten hit the entire series, but check him out in the fourth inning.

He's so tired (ph) that he made contact. He puts his arms up to celebrate. The ball goes off the wall. Despite all the celebration, Puig still managed to get a triple. Dodgers going to win the game, 3- 0. The series continues tonight on TBS.

All right. Tigers outfielder, Torii Hunter, who went crashing over the well trying to catch Big Papi's grand slam isn't too happy about the celebration he saw from the Boston cop in the bull pen during BP yesterday. Hunter said he's supposed to be to protect and serve. These son of a guns got his hands up. Help me than cheer, fool. Now, Hunter who's a jokester later tweeted out that he was just kidding.

All right. The NFL has been hyping up. Colts quarterback, Andrew Luck, as the next big thing. Well, things didn't go very well for him last night on "Monday Night Football." Luck and the Colts failed to score a touchdown. They fell to the Chargers 19-9.

Finally guys, you have to go to BleacherReport.com today because on the website, you can watch a 500-pound black bear play tether ball. This is Eli. He lives at an animal sanctuary in Reno, Nevada. He was found orphaned back in 2010. He only weighed 14 pounds back then, but hey, look at him now. He's huge and he may be the best tether ball player since Napoleon Dynamite.

BOLDUAN: Yes, perfect movie reference, Andy. Very good. Can we also still talk about what happened to Andrew Luck? What's going on with my Colts? One game doesn't make a season, I guess.

SCHOLES: Yes. Just a speed bump, hopefully for your Colts there.

BOLDUAN: Thank you, Andy. Thank you, Andy.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: -- that quarterback last night a little bit of difference, being the flavor of the month can be in the real deal.

BOLDUAN: Still the flavor of the month.

CUOMO: Now, if you had green on --

BOLDUAN: He would have been worse.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: And by fine I mean worse.

BOLDUAN: All right. Thanks, Andy. Andy's gone.

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's safe to say we've made substantial progress.

CUOMO: "T" minus two days until the debt ceiling deadline. The Senate finally on the verge of compromise, but obstacles remain. The biggest, will House Republicans accept it?

BOLDUAN: Breaking overnight, reports of four dry ice bombs found at Los Angeles International Airport. Two exploded. The investigation this morning to stop the culprit behind it.

PEREIRA: Happening now. An accused terrorist on U.S. soil this morning accused of blowing up American embassies in Africa. How he got from that daring U.S. raid in Libya to here?

CUOMO: Your NEW DAY starts right now.

ANNOUNCER: What you need to know --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're making progress. Conversations have been very constructive.

ANNOUNCER: What you just have to see -

This is "New Day" with Chris Cuomo, Kate Bolduan, and Michaela Pereira.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: Good morning. Welcome back to NEW DAY. It's Tuesday, October 15th, seven o'clock in the east.

New this morning, it looks like we're closer than ever to a deal to both re-open the government and pay our bills at least for now. We're going to talk to some of the lawmakers in the trenches working the angles, putting this deal together. The big obstacle, obviously, the House all eyes on a man named John Boehner. We'll tell you about it.

BOLDUAN: Yes. And also ahead, we've got this story. Jury selection beginning today for a doctor accused of murdering his wife of nearly 30 years. Prosecutors say he gave her a lethal cocktail of drugs so he could be with his mistress.