Return to Transcripts main page

NEW DAY

Laser Attacks Spark New FBI-Probe; Jets & Pats OT Drama; Stocks Market Soar; Dick Cheney Opens Up About His Heart

Aired October 21, 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: Police stumbled on the stash after checking on the car, which appeared to have hit a curb. All three teens have been charged. Police say the 18-year-old driver admitted to breaking into an air marshal trailer.

Well, it seems like people will do just about anything to set a world record. Check this out: 21 people in Cleveland set themselves on fire in a purpose Saturday night in an effort to break the Guinness World Record for most people forming full body burn. A big you didn't know that category existed.

A representative from Guinness was flown in to make it official. Event was for a great caused. It raised money for the Cleveland food bank and a charity to help impoverished families in South Africa.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: So, it wasn't just condition, it was also duration, because they're not being put out?

PEREIRA: Sure. Yes.

CUOMO: Also known as the longest period of dumbness.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: For a great cause, though.

PEREIRA: Yes, for a great cause.

CUOMO: A way to support the cause. No, it didn't get national media attention, apparently.

PEREIRA: Sure did.

BOLDUAN: I would love to know what is not in the Guinness book.

PEREIRA: I'm not sure there is anything. Maybe that's a category unto itself. Not in Guinness.

BOLDUAN: Great question.

CUOMO: Coming up on NEW DAY, you remember when Vice President Dick Cheney was in office, there was so much speculation about his health. He was always very dismissive. Wait until you hear what he told Sanjay Gupta. Here why he was afraid terrorists would hack his defibrillator. A lot of admission you haven't heard before.

BOLDUAN: And an incredible piece of art drawn over 11 acres of land. See who inspired the newly unveiled portrait.

CUOMO: Now, that's a report. That's what we're talking about.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: I know. The song plays on my head all the time.

BOLDUAN: Modern (INAUDIBLE).

CUOMO: What a coincidence.

Welcome back to NEW DAY. It is "Money Time".

Christine Romans is here with all the business news you need to know. Isn't that right?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Good morning you guys.

It looks like we're going to have a higher day for stocks. Investors are starting the week at a record for S&P 500 for the year.

I want you to look at this. The Dow is up 18 percent. The NASDAQ is up 30 percent. And the S&P 500 up 22 percent.

Now, the wait is finally over. Tomorrow, the September jobs report will finally be released. They have been delayed by that shutdown, by that jobs report, expected to show 183,000 jobs added last month, unemployment rate about steady at 7.3 percent.

Speaking of jobs, the Treasury Secretary Jack Lew speaking out in a "New York Times" op-ed. He says, quote, "We must come together to fix the blunt spending cuts known as sequestration once and for all." He says those are costing jobs, slowing the economy, slowing jobs growth. They need to go. That is the new front in the fight with Congress now will be over jobs creation and the sequester, you guys.

BOLDUAN: So women then the fight begins again, there we go. Just to make sure we were clear on that.

Christine, thanks so much.

All right. Let's get over to Indra Petersons now with a look at the forecast and it's starting to feel a lot like fall.

The one time we are seeing that pattern we have been waiting for. Now, look at these highs today right around Minneapolis and Green Bay. We are talking 30s for the high.

That is below normal for them, almost 20 degrees below average for this time of year. Chicago, your high today, only in the upper 40s, St. Louis 55 degrees.

So, what is going on? Why are we seeing all this chilly air? We've had a series of cold fronts, continually bringing in all this cold dry arctic air if from Canada. Every time you see that, you're going to you see that chill out there. The third one is an Alberta clipper. What is that? That's like fast moving system from Alberta, Canada, that is so wind out there, because it's dry air. We're talking about that cold, windy dry air out there. That's what we're going to be continually watching.

Now, keep in mind, if it is dry, you're not seeing a lot of rain or snow out of it. In fact, in the next day or so, the Dakotas, maybe the Quad Cities, in Chicago will see a light dusting. That story will remain, that cold air spreading farther to the east.

Now, in the Northeast, eventually all this will come as well. New York City, 65. Look at that drop by Wednesday, down to 53.

Back to you, guys.

BOLDUAN: All right, Indra, thank you very much.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is finally opening up about his chronic heart condition. Cheney had his first heart attack at just 37-years-old, and four more followed until his transplant last year. So now, Cheney details his health woes and triumph in a new book, "Heart: An American Medical Odyssey."

CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta spoke with him for CNN's "60 Minutes." Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You were instrumental in many decisions including going into Afghanistan and Iraq.

DICK CHENEY, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: And terrorist surveillance program an enhanced programs.

GUPTA: Terrorist surveillance, wiretapping, enhanced interrogation, you had had four heart attacks, three catheterizations at this point, a defibrillator, bypass surgery.

CHENEY: Right.

GUPTA: Did you worry about your physical health impacting your judgment and cognition?

CHENEY: No.

GUPTA: Not at all?

CHENEY: No.

GUPTA: Were you the best you could be?

CHENEY: I was as good as I could be given fact that I was 60-some- years-old at that point, and a heart patient. GUPTA (voice-over): Cheney didn't want to show new studies that show significant connection between severe heart disease and memory loss, depression, a decline if decision-making abilities and impaired cognition or he could be one of the many patients vulnerable to these side effects.

(on camera): Did they talk at all about limited blood flow to the broken on cognition and judgment, was that something you had heard about in anyway?

Not, you didn't know about it. You weren't worry about it?

CHENEY: No.

GUPTA: Both?

CHENEY: I wasn't worried about it.

GUPTA: Did anyone counsel you on that?

CHENEY: Not that I recall.

GUPTA: What about things like depression?

CHENEY: No.

GUPTA (voice-over): And that's all he wanted to say about that. What Dick Cheney was here to talk about was his transplant, detailed in his new book, "Heart."

CHENEY: When you emerge from that gift of life, itself, there's this tremendous feeling of emotion but it's very positive. I think my first words when I came out from under the anesthetic, they said it worked great was "hot damn," literally.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: It's interesting for all we learned about the former vice president in the interview, there are mysteries surrounding what he really thinks.

So, let's get more perspective. Joining us now for more on these admissions and what we didn't hear is CNN political commentator Kevin Madden, who served as a campaign spokesman for the 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign.

Kevin, thanks for joining us this morning to give us some perspective on this.

KEVIN MADDEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good to be with you.

CUOMO: Now, we have to assume that, as any normal person, the former vice president was very aware of his health condition and the frailties and the concerns. So, let's skip to the more central question of how did he deal with it? When you were around with him, he knew he was weak. He knew that it had to be a concern for his longevity politically and life-wise, what was his demeanor? What did he project to you there?

MADDEN: I think that was about the interview how engaging he was and how informed he was about his own condition. But as far as my working for him, the two things that were really never in question when we worked on the campaign were his stamina and his workload. I mean, that was something that was so obvious during the campaign. When we had campaign traveling through places like Ohio, Pittsburgh, really demanding schedules, the vice president kept up with that schedule.

He had a lot of time traveling, a lot of time being briefed. A lot of time being brief before things like vice presidential debates and never showed any strains on his health.

CUOMO: I get why he wants to blunt any angle of yes, I wasn't sure about decisions I was making, I get it, politically.

MADDEN: Right.

CUOMO: From a human perspective, there may be a greater truth here. And speak to me about this, Kevin. Cheney wrote a resignation letter in March, 2001, just in case he was ever incapacitated. What do you know about that, and what was fueling on it his side?

MADDEN: Well, I tell you what, I know about what we learned in the interview. I think that particular revelation became, I think that came as a surprise to a lot of folks. At least those, not those, at least those like me on the company but were not in the administration at the time.

But I think what was interesting about that particular interview was just how resolute he was in answering the question about his abilities to perform the role of vice president. I think that was the key to a lot of people who are watching him.

There was never any question about Vice President Cheney's ability or his competency. There may have been a little of fragility to his health that we had not known until this point. There are never any questions about that as related to his performance.

CUOMO: And, really, you could say, imagine what he had done at 100 percent. He was more than capable of dealing with what was going on, in a very sophisticated and high level, even dealing with these ailments. Now, were you surprised, Kevin, to learn that his cardiologist took precautions against an assassination attempt by terrorists who might try to hack his implanted defibrillator.

Have you heard that?

MADDEN: Well, I'm a big fan of "Homeland." And I remember thinking that was somewhat farfetched. So, it's very interesting again to learn that that president and his doctors and I'm sure many other folks inside the vice president's inner circle had taken that precaution.

CUOMO: Quick final thing. With the new heart, there is all of this romanticism how we are hard, we use it as a metaphor for all time. Have you detected, other than new vitality, anything different in the former vice president since the transplant?

MADDEN: No, I really haven't. I think there is a level of clarity that comes from not having the burden of being in elective office. With that clarity comes new candor. I think that's one of the things that has been new is that a lot of these revelations he makes and a lot of the personality that you saw during that interview is starting to come out now. He is willing to share his story more with many other Americans who were also facing similar health problems.

CUOMO: Right, getting that message out.

Kevin Madden, thank you for your perspective. Always appreciated.

MADDEN: Good to be with you.

CUOMO: We're going to talk later with Sanjay about the interview. So, stay with us, because there's the smile.

Kate, over now.

BOLDUAN: All right. Chris, thanks so much.

Let's go around the world now starting in Australia where out of control fires have destroyed hundreds of homes and over 200,000 acres of land at this point.

Let's go to -- Robyn Curnow has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As you can see, firefighters coming into this bush controlled center after a day of trying to battle those blazing fires that we've seen ravage out of control around this area we know that kilometers and kilometers of land have been destroyed, roughly the amount of New York City has been burst here in Australia. Authorities are concerned it's going to get worse as temperatures continue to warm up and the winds become more erratic.

Kate, back to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Robyn, thank you so much for that.

And an amazing piece of art is now spanning 11 acres of land in northern Ireland. Atika Shubert has a breathtaking aerial view of it all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It spans of 11 acres. It's made of 30,000 pegs, 2,000 tons of soil and 2,000 of sand. In fact, it's so big, you can only see this first picture from space or with the help of a satellite photo. Cuban-American artist Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada created this giant portrait of a local child for the Ulster Bank Festival in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

And he used the help of local residents, including the fire and rescue services to move almost tons of limestone and soil. It was only supposed to be five acres, but the artist said it just grew. Back to you, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Just amazing. It's just a piece of public art just so people can enjoy --

CUOMO: I don't get how the artist keeps the perspective on how the picture looks when you just, you know, these massive apples.

BOLDUAN: It was beautiful, though, and very fun for us to see.

CUOMO: It is. Let's take a quick break here on NEW DAY. When we come back, a potential scare on takeoff and landing. Lasers, you can get them anywhere, it seemed coming there (ph) at them, blinding pilots aimed at the cockpit. Is your safety at risk? We'll talk to you about it.

PEREIRA: And these images that we're going to show you here makes you wonder if maybe Wal-Mart has changed their practices on hiring greeters. No. We're going to tell you what happened when an alligator wandered a little close to a Wal-Mart.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Welcome back to NEW DAY. Headline, lasers are no joke. The FBI is launching a new terror task force after two incidents last week of laser pointer attacks on planes. Officials say the attacks have become a growing threat nationwide. CNN's Rene Marsh is in Washington. Rene, lasers, what's the big concern?

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Chris, you know, it's becoming more common than people may even realize, a startling flash of light targeting cockpits and pilots. It's a dangerous distraction midair, and it has federal investigators very concerned.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARSH (voice-over): This video from the FAA shows the blinding glare of a laser aimed at an airplane's cockpit. It's a scenario that replayed itself thousands of times throughout the country. Listen as a plane is coming in for landing at New York's JFK airport last year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just got lasered up here. Two green flashes into the cockpit. It caught the first officer's eye.

MARSH: In New York City, the FBI says incidents targeting planes have jumped 17 percent.

RICHARD FRANKEL, FBI AGENT: We don't have an idea as to why the increase, but it has been a 17 increase over last year regarding these incidents. So, they are concerning to us.

STEVE WALLACE, AVIATION SAFETY CONSULTANT: Laser is not going to physically hurt the airplane, but the laser can blind the pilot at least contemporarily blind the pilot and also just the effect of this startling burst of light into the airplane cockpit.

MARSH: A dangerous distraction for pilots. According to the FAA, the number of laser incidents is 13 times higher now than previous years. Compare more than 350 incidents in 2006 to more than 3,400 incidents in 2012 and while these lasers have never caused a crash, the blinding light often appears during takeoff and touchdown.

WALLACE: The worst case scenario is that in the critical phase of flight, a pilot loses control an airplane, potentially, a tragic accident.

MARSH: The most recent incident happening last week, a commercial plane was coming in for landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport when a blinding green laser light illuminated the cockpit. Later that night, a private plane reported a laser two miles southwest of LaGuardia. No injuries reported in either case.

But earlier this year, several commercial pilots suffered significant injuries, including a burnt retina, according to the FBI, which is leading the investigation.

WALLACE: We need to train pilots better to how to cope with them. we need to train the public in the hazard that these things can represent.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARSH (on-camera): Well, experts say a part of the reason we may be seeing an increase is because these lasers are inexpensive and available online. Right now, there is no evidence of a link to terrorism. A lost signed last year makes It a federal crime to aim a laser pointer at an aircraft and that would explain why the FBI is now investigating. Back to you, guys.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PEREIRA (voice-over): All right. Time now for today's "Must-See Moment." Check this out. Staff and customers at a Florida Wal-Mart caught quite by a surprise when this fella dropped by. A six-foot long gator creeping out of a nearby lake Saturday night, loitering in front of the big box store in the city of Apopka.

Police secured the area. Apparently, they even had to get the employees to lock the front doors because it kept sliding opened as the gator dripped its sensors. Eventually, just meandered back in to the nearby without incident, and we should say, without making a purchase. Just window shopping.

CUOMO (voice-over): I don't get the Elton John song, oh, "Crocodile Rock."

BOLDUAN (voice-over): There you go,

CUOMO: Alligator. BOLDUAN: Alligator.

(CROSSTALK)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN (on-camera): I am impressed, though.

PEREIRA (on-camera): Yes. Showing.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Just hanging out. Goes back in his way.

CUOMO (on-camera): And that they have so little going on there that this becomes a major event.

BOLDUAN: That's a major event in my world if I saw that.

CUOMO: Sure. You would immediately video it and send it into our CNN i-Report.

BOLDUAN: Might be like, oh my gosh, I don't have my camera.

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: All right. Coming up next on NEW DAY, the shutdown may be over, but the fallout continues. Find out what Americans think about Republicans in the House and the House speaker in a new CNN poll.

CUOMO: And responding to mass shootings like the one at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Why the U.S. attorney general says it is time to change the way local police are trained?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: The Jets won, beat the Patriots. And in other news, Peyton Manning received a warm welcome from fans and its return at Indy (ph), but it was really Andrew Luck and the Colts the one that's spoiling his homecoming.

BOLDUAN: All about the Colts.

CUOMO: Joe Carter in here for this morning's "Bleacher Report." Tell us about it, my friend.

JOE CARTER, BLEACHER REPORT: Hey, what's up, guys. Yes. You got to give a lot of credit to Andrew Luck. I mean, the second year quarterback all week had to listen to Peyton Manning this, Peyton Manning that. He's so great. And what did he do? He went out and he outplayed the future hall-of-famer.

They spent about two minutes really giving him a tribute. You know, he played there for 13 seasons, won a Super Bowl. He really turned that basketball city into a football town. And Robert Mathis, of course, was Peyton Manning's teammate for seven seasons. The guy wasn't allowed to come within five feet of practice. And what did he do last night? He absolutely terrorized him. And what can you say about Andrew Luck, Indianapolis is officially his city now. Luck passed three touchdowns and ran in another. And it may have been Peyton Manning's week, but in the end, it was the Colt's night. And boy, they got the good wins over the 49ers and Seahawks and now Broncos this year.

And trending this morning on BleacherReport.com, The Patriots lost to the Jets because of a never before called penalty. See in overtime, the Patriot's Chris Jones, was flagged for using his teammate. It's like a battering ram. It's a new rule this year. You can't push your teammate into the opponent's formation.

The 15-yard penalty gave the Jets a second chance at a field goal while Nick Folk, he made the most of it, nailing it for 42 yards out. And just like that, the Jets beat the Patriots for the first time since 2011. And Chris Cuomo is doing the party dance.

BOLDUAN: I'm fascinated by that new rule. I actually thought it was like smart strategy, but I'm -- wrong.

CARTER: It was put in place because of player safety, guys. And of course, the refs under a lot of pressure this year to implement any rule connected to player's safety. The NFL all about player safety. A great example right there of what the NFL is doing to try to change the game.

BOLDUAN: Enough what matters then.

CUOMO: It's a game of rules.

BOLDUAN: Thanks, Joe. Thanks so much. We're now at the top of the hour, everyone, which means it's time for the top news.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The strategy could not and would not work and, of course, it didn't.

CUOMO: Trouble for the GOP. A new CNN poll finds the majority of Americans think Republican control of the House is a bad thing, but, will the president provide the chance for a comeback admitting mistakes were made with Obamacare?

BOLDUAN: Calling for change. The U.S. attorney general with a major proposal asking police to train officers to take out an active shooter instead of waiting for SWAT teams. Could the plan save more lives or create an ever bigger risk?

PEREIRA: Dramatic rescue. Two men saved off the Massachusetts coast after clinging to pieces of their capsized boat for 14 hours. How they ended up over boards and then pulled to safety coming up?

CUOMO: Your NEW DAY starts right now.

ANNOUNCER: This is "New Day" with Chris Cuomo, Kate Bolduan, and Michaela Pereira. (END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: Good morning. Welcome back to NEW DAY. It's Monday, October 21st, seven o'clock in the east. Brand-new polls out this morning putting pressure on Republicans after the shutdown mess. More than half of Americans feel like GOP control of the House a bad thing for the country.