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NEW DAY

Some Pills Found Ineffective For Many Women; Heckler in the House; Syria Peace Talks Set for January in Geneva; Pope Francis Hosts Russian President Putin

Aired November 26, 2013 - 06:30   ET

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


CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: "Use your executive order," says the man in the crowd.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right.

CUOMO: "I can't", says the president.

OK. Article 2, executive power is pretty light. Presidents are allowed to use executive orders to motivate existing law, not to make law -- obviously, that's Congress.

But the president says I can't, but he has -- at least twice in furtherance of immigration reforms that he liked -- with the waiver, in terms of the whether or not, you know, the waiver process, whether or not you come in illegally and leave and with young people who are in the country who have come in. So he has used it before. What do you think of that answer?

KING: There are executive authorities and there are executive suggestions. The president doesn't want to say publicly that he has anymore leeway because he wants the Congress to act. If the people believe the president can do more and more and more, then where's the impetus to push for action in Congress?

But you're exactly right. Just think to what we call the DREAMers. The president essentially told the Justice Department, you know, stop deporting young people if they come into this country, if their parents brought them across the border when they were very young.

So the president has powers of authority. He also has some powers of suggestion. He was indicating in that answer he's not inclined at the moment to use either of those but let's watch this debate go into 2014 again. Again, if Congress won't act, there will be pressure on the president to do whatever he can.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: To do just that, take executive action.

John, great to see you. Thank you.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, good morning, guys. I want to bring you up to date on the latest headlines.

We're watching a killer storm that's expected to cause chaos for millions of Thanksgiving travelers -- rain, sleet, snow and freezing rain all in the mix for the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast. The worst of it could actually hit Wednesday morning, potentially stranding millions of air travelers and making driving extremely dangerous.

The mother of 12-year-old Rebecca Sedwick, the Florida girl who committed suicide after relentless online bullying said she will sue those she believes are responsible for her death. Tricia Norman is also promising to go on an anti-bullying crusade and push for a state law called Rebecca's Law that would criminalize bullying. Two girls age 12 and 14 were originally charged with cyber-stalking in Sedwick's death, but those charges were later dropped.

Coming up live at 8:30 right here on NEW DAY, Tricia Norman will join us live to talk about her mission.

A week after she was charged with alleged assault on his girlfriend, new court document reveals a slew of weapons were found in George Zimmerman's home. Zimmerman, acquitted of murder in the death of Trayvon Martin earlier this year, was arrested last week on suspicion of having pointed a shotgun at his girlfriend. Officials searched his home and found five weapons and more than 100 rounds of ammunition. Zimmerman is currently free on bail and has pled not guilty.

A setback for Olympic skier Bode Miller in a custody fight over his toddler son. A New York judge returned the little boy to miller's ex- girlfriend, Sara McKenna. McKenna relocated from California to New York when she was seven months pregnant. She says she moved to go to school but Miller said she wanted more sympathetic courts. Another hearing is set for next month.

A pair of would-be robbers in west Seattle got more than they bargained for. They walked into a mini mart Saturday night apparently trying to rob the place. But the clerk -- well, the clerk didn't believe they were serious. The gun didn't look real to him so he challenged them, saying, I got a bigger than you. And when he reached for the floor, they took off running.

Police looked for the robbers but could not find anyone. He called their bluff.

CUOMO: It makes for good TV, but, man, is that dangerous.

PEREIRA: No, it's dangerous. It really is dangerous.

CUOMO: That is dangerous.

PEREIRA: It's a dangerous situation. Those are your headlines, guys.

BOLDUAN: Thank you.

PEREIRA: You're very welcome.

BOLDUAN: Coming up next on "NEW DAY": a shocking warning about the morning after pill. It may not work for all women. What you need to know if you're one of the millions who use it.

CUOMO: And a deadly storm could strand thousands of holiday travelers at airports this week. We're going to let you know how to avoid becoming one of them. There is a shot. We'll tell you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Welcome back.

Let's go "Around the World" now, starting in Syria where peace talks to end that bloody civil war could begin by the end of January. More now from Fred Pleitgen in Damascus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kate, the Syrian government has said it's willing to participate in some sort of peace concrete and talk to the opposition. However, it's not clear which opposition would show actually up. The main opposition that is supported by the U.S. and many other Western countries seems to be losing a lot of traction on the ground here among fighting groups in Syria.

And if you talk to many ordinary people here in Damascus, a lot will tell you they're skeptical as to whether this conference will actually happen and if it does happen, if it can have success. But most people you speak to will also say the one thing that they want at this point after three years of civil strife is for the fighting to simply end -- Kate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Fred, thank you very much.

And a big day at the Vatican where Pope Francis hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks focused on Syria.

Phil Black has that story for Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Vatican described the talks as cordial and constructive. As expected, the president and pope talked about Syria and both agreed on the need to find a peaceful, negotiated settlement to the conflict involving the country's ethnic and religious groups.

But after his papal meeting, President Putin sought some very different company. Russian state media says he went to dinner with his good friend the former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi who is currently fighting convictions for tax fraud and having sex with an underage prostitute.

Back to you, Kate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

Foul weather, not just here but overseas is foiling Prince Harry's attempt to race to the South Pole alongside a team of Britain's wounded war veterans.

CNN's Max Foster has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: This epic race has been delayed, because all the teams are being snowed in in Antarctica. They do hope to get going by the weekend. Prince Harry has tried to do something like this before. He tried to go to the North Pole but had to pull out early because of his brother's wedding. And William says he's jealous of Harry's trip because it allows him to get away from a screaming child.

Back to you, Kate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Antarctica or screaming child, how do you decide?

CUOMO: The prince is going to have to learn, you have to love all of it with a newborn. Otherwise, it will make you crazy.

BOLDUAN: Guess what? There's no other option.

CUOMO: That's absolutely. Love knows no bounds when it comes to your child.

Now, we're dealing with a situation back here about the storm that's coming. We're trying to keep you updated.

Indra Petersons is going that for us.

Just tell us what you're seeing as this moves across the country.

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'll tell you one thing, it's going to make a lot of people go crazy today with all these travel plans, the conditions are only worsening. Now, take a look right now. We're still starting to see a little of bit of snow into the Northeast, down to the South. We're talking about the heavy rain starting to fill in.

We have a pattern here -- we have a moisture pulling in from the Gulf and also that cold air diving down from Canada. So, today is the day these two systems get close together when we start to get that big mess as far as your travel plans.

Notice in the Southeast, anywhere from two to four inches of rain closer to the Gulf. Now, today, it's spreading into the Carolinas, even into Virginia, talking about a wintry mix in between and on the backside of it.

Look at this, over a foot of snow expected, really it's around the lakes and tapering off as you get back through Kentucky and Tennessee. So, why are people getting rain, why are people getting snow? Go back to the basics again as that low makes its way at the coastline. You're on the front side of the low, out of the South, you're getting warm air and rain on the backside, cold winds coming from Canada. That's going to bring that snow and that wintry mix.

So, let's take it day by day. I know this is so important to so many of you. Look at the heavy rain starting to spill into the Carolinas and Virginia. Still seeing snow into the Northeast. That's going to transition back to rain as that warm air makes its way up the coast line and notice the heaviest rain and snow will really pick up throughout the day today. Toughest time period, tonight through tomorrow morning. But notice as we go through Wednesday and through Thursday, the system kicks out of here but you're still going to be stuck with travel delays, thanks to just the wind.

And I don't want to be the only bearer of bad news. So, for the other half of this, this is probably the worse side, travel.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I know.

PETERSONS: I have Christine Romans for you.

ROMANS: And you have to have a strategy. Millions of people are trying to start their strategy, let's start here.

You need to know your rights when you buy a tickets, they're -- there all this fine print that will let you know what your airline will do if your flights cancel due to weather. Sometimes they are not obligated to get you on another airline, right? That means you could be waiting for days to get another seat on the airline your ticket is in. So check out that fine print to see.

Second, try calling the airline. You might be sitting in line already at the airport, but a call could move you ahead, really important there. You've got to be covering both angles.

Also try social media, most airlines have their own twitter line set up dedicated to trouble shooting these issues. So try social media. Also, consider nearby destinations if you're flying to New York, for example, JFK, and it's canceled, maybe sit here and talk to the airline, try to get over to Newark or Philadelphia as an alternative.

Remember, you have 24 hours after a flight's booked to cancel it without penalty. So hurry. And you know what, you should know this. But you're much likelier to get somewhere at the airport gate if you're nice. Please be nice. Don't yell at anybody.

Also, I want to tell you this. Delta, U.S. Airways, American Airlines, they are waiving flight change fees now because of the storm. You can check online to see what your rights are and the flight change fees. Of course, Southwest Airlines never has flight change fees. Some of the lower cost carriers do, some don't. Just please make sure to check. You don't want to get stuck footing the bill or waiting in the airport, guys.

BOLDUAN: I wish you could keep the smiley face over our shoulder all day. Feel better.

ROMANS: Be nice. I know this is unscientific but if you are nice to the people -- the people who are working at the airports are having a terrible day, too, right? Be nice. You'll get farther that way.

BOLDUAN: I like that advice. Thanks, Christine.

If I could only follow it, that would be good.

CUOMO: Yes.

BOLDUAN: You get behind the scenes look, it's very cool, at the world's busiest airport, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson international airport with CNN's Digital Project. It's called "ATL24". You can see it on CNN.com/atl24.

PEREIRA: I love that kind of thing, seeing behind the scenes of it all happens.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

PEREIRA: Coming up on "NEW DAY", an emergency contraceptive pill may not work for all women. For many of them, in fact.

A new warning and what it means for women who rely on Plan B. We'll have that just ahead on "NEW DAY".

CUOMO: Plus, 'tis the season for freaky, the scary snow man. It's our must-see moment of the day.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: Good thing he's got no arms.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: Welcome back to "NEW DAY". A startling warning about the morning after pill. It's an emergency contraceptive manufactured in Europe identical to some that are sold right here in the United States. They're found to be ineffective in women weighing more than 176 pounds.

Let's try and get to the bottom of this. Senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen is live from the CNN Center. Explain this. First of all, it's very similar to the one that we have right here in the United States. Why would it work differently in these larger size women?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, no one's quite sure why, Michaela, but the prevailing or one of the prevailing theories is that for a drug to work, it has to reach a certain concentration in the bloodstream. And for larger people, it may require a higher dose --they're larger, they may need more of the medicine. But this drug is given in one dosage.

And so, what they found is it just wasn't working in women who weighed more than 176 pounds. This is the over-the-counter version of the morning-after pill. So in Europe, they're going to put that on the label, warnings about what to do if you weigh more than 176 pounds and we're told by the FDA, they are looking it whether they should do the same thing in this country, too.

PEREIRA: -- to clarify here, this isn't overweight women. You could be 176 pounds and 6'2" and it still wouldn't work, a healthy weight and it still would not work for you, correct?

COHEN: Right. According to the European studies and labeling, that is correct. So if you're 176 pounds and five feet tall -- so you're overweight -- it appears that it won't work for you -- if you're 176 pounds and 6 feet tall. So it's inappropriate weight, it still won't work for you. It's all about getting the right concentration in your bloodstream and what matters is your weight, not your height.

PEREIRA: OK. So what's the alternative here because you were talking about the fact that it comes in a single dosage. You can't just take two pills and it will be effective. What is the solution?

COHEN: Right. The solution here is that women over 176 pounds, if you look at the European labeling, should not just go and buy this over-the-counter morning after pill. They should call their doctor. There's a prescription morning-after pill that could work for them. So they need to talk to their doctor about whether that will work, whether there's another treatment that would work.

You know, a lot of women were very pleased when the morning-after pill went over-the-counter, but if you weigh more than 176 pounds, it doesn't appear that that would be a great idea for you.

PEREIRA: Well, thanks for unpacking this all for us. And on the side note, it's a very festive effect, the shot behind you has given us. It looks very holidayish with the rain on the lens. I love it.

(LAUGHTER)

COHEN: Isn't it beautiful?

PEREIRA: It really is.

COHEN: Happy holidays to you, Michaela.

PEREIRA: You, too. Have a great Thanksgiving.

COHEN: Thanks. You, too.

PEREIRA: Let's move on to our "Must-See Moment" for the day, speaking of the holidays. Nothing like a jolly snowman to get you going, right? Not this one.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PEREIRA (voice-over): This is a spooky, sneaky mean snowman that is sneaking up on people and scaring them out of their shoes. Happening in Boston to the unsuspecting victims. I'm sorry.

CUOMO (voice-over): I don't see enough of these guys protecting --

PEREIRA: He did. (CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN (voice-over): What's he trying to do?

PEREIRA: I think that's the point, Kate.

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN: Is this like an advertisement, like, I'll scare you --

(CROSSTALK)

PEREIRA: You know what people do with their free time and a camera and YouTube. What's interesting is --

(CROSSTALK)

PEREIRA: A shot to the solar flexes. You can see some law enforcement guys there, getting enjoyment out of it. Oh, holiday fun.

BOLDUAN: Got a scary, pointy nose. Maybe that's --

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO (voice-over): That's a repeat. That last one was a repeat.

BOLDUAN (voice-over): All right. We ran out of video.

PEREIRA (voice-over): We did.

(LAUGHTER)

PEREIRA: So there you go. Happy holidays.

CUOMO: You know what I like about --

PEREIRA: What's that?

CUOMO: No kids. It's cool do it to us --

PEREIRA: Don't --

CUOMO: But don't do it to kids, because you know, if you have kids, you know this already, it never goes away with them.

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN: I have permanently damaged one of my nieces for something that I did. That is very true.

CUOMO: You actually did it yourself? That's just sick.

BOLDUAN: Long story. Unintentional.

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: Let's just move on. Why did I tell that story?

CUOMO: We'll do a documentary on and I'll help you up. My wife did this awesome job for Halloween, doing the hallway in front of our apartment, in the city we wind up living in apartments. And, she got this great witch.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: Our three-year-old sees this thing, the eyes are flashing, that was two days, she wouldn't go near the door.

PEREIRA: I know full-grown adults that don't even -- that can't be around a clown because of the very same thing.

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN: Clowns are scary.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: They should have never existed.

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: Especially that one in the U.K. that was walking around at night. Remember that one?

CUOMO: You know what, and we never learned what happened.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: Only they wanted the big apple circus, the one grandma, that's an acceptable clown.

PEREIRA: OK. Acceptable and unacceptable clowns next on --

BOLDUAN: Yes, exactly.

CUOMO: I tense up around clowns. But snowmen, we got to be nice.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: Frosty is one of the last good things we have left.

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN: Do not make the tooth fairy scary.

CUOMO: All right. Enough --

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: Coming up on "NEW DAY", here's something else that's very scary and we can't do anything about, a storm, the storm that's beat up the Midwest. It's making a bee line for the eastern third of the country. All those flying may be stuck. We hope not, but that's the possibility. So, what do airports do in situations like this? We're going take you inside one of the busiest. You may be surprised what goes on.

BOLDUAN: Plus, the two sides of Obamacare. We're taking a closer look at two people, one case where the law has helped them, another where it has failed.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: How are you doing there? This is a dominating performance last night in football. I was trying to change this really to spice up a little bit. I was going to say this, if you have the 49ers returning to the Super Bowl, you're feeling good about last night. If you have RG3 in your fantasy lineup, you're not. To explain, let's bring in Andy Scholes with this morning's Bleacher Report.

Strong performance last night but said different things about different teams, didn't it, my brother?

ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Yes. You know, that's right, Chris. This is a big road win for the 49ers. You know, coming into last night, they lost back-to-back games. They're just 6-4 on the season. So a dominating performance is just what they needed. And Colin Kaepernick, he's gotten a lot of criticism, so far, this season, but he showed up in a big way last night. He threw three touchdowns in the game.

Now, his counterpart, RG3 on the other hand, he had a very rough night. He was sacked four times by the Niners defense as San Francisco, they cruise to an easy 27-6 win.

Ten former pro-hockey players have filed a class-action lawsuit against the NHL claiming that the league hasn't done enough to protect players from concussions. This comes less than three months after the NFL settled their lawsuit with its former players. The NHL says argues that the league continues to contribute to injuries today by refusing to ban fighting and body checking. The lawsuit seeks damages and NHL-sponsored medical monitoring for the players.

One of the top stories on BleacherReport.com today is about the new two-year $48 million extension to Lakers gave Kobe Bryant out of nowhere yesterday. The Lakers tweeted a pic of Kobe and a table signing his new deal. Then later on, Kobe tweeted out a pic of his signed contract with #lakerforlife. There you go. There's the picture of Kobe signing the deal.

Then next, you'll see the contract. Guys, this deal is getting a lot of criticism, because now, Kobe is going to be the highest paid player this year and the next two seasons. And of course, he's 35 years old, coming off a season-ending injury and now this -- him making so much money is going to really hurt the Lakers in terms of trying to sign more players.

BOLDUAN: We know one thing, it's going to be happy holidays in the Kobe Bryant household.

SCHOLES: Yes, that's right.

CUOMO: We also know, Andy, it's a business. I mean, they're making a determination of what's going to get heinies in seats in their stadium. And I'll tell you what, you know, as a sports lover, if he comes back and is able to play at or near the level that he was, it may be, it may be the best comeback from injury we've ever seen in professional basketball.

That's an Achilles tendon injury is supposed to just end it. You never supposed to have the explosiveness that you had before, especially at that age and stage. So, if he can do it, I'm watching this one. I'm rooting for him. And I'm not even a Laker fan.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: I'm a Knicks fan and that is it as with football, with basketball.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: -- you need to have someone (INAUDIBLE). All right.

SCHOLES: That would be huge (ph).

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: All right. We're now at the top of the hour which means it's time for the top news.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hopefully we'll be there and we'll be all right and still be able to visit family and enjoy our week.

CUOMO: Bracing for the worst. That massive storm system marching north and east. Your travel plans could be at risk. New this hour, we take you inside one airport as it readies for the storm.

BOLDUAN: Also new this hour, the cover-up, four adults, including the superintendent of schools now implicated in the Steubenville rape case. We talk live to the man bringing the charges.

PEREIRA: CNN exclusive. The self-help guru who oversaw that deadly sweat lodge session four years ago is out of prison and finally telling his side of the story.

CUOMO: Your "NEW DAY" starts right now.

ANNOUNCER: What you need to know --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've had patients come to me saying please do whatever you need to do, because I don't know if I'll be able to come back to see you after December.

ANNOUNCER: What you just have to see --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've given me a wonderful life. I love you all.

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 Tuesday, November 26th, seven o'clock in the east.

And we're going to get to that major storm that's headed this way, but first, here's what happened overnight. President Obama strongly defended the temporary deal to freeze parts of Iran's nuclear program. Israel and some on Capitol Hill are criticizing the deal, saying too much of the program remains intact while giving Iran too much relief from sanctions. In response, President Obama says that the U.S. cannot close the door on diplomacy.

BOLDUAN: Another important story overseas, the United States and Afghanistan are at an impasse this morning. The White House delivering a final ultimatum to President Hamid Karzai. National security adviser, Susan Rice, asking him to sign a security agreement or face a total pullout of U.S. troops next year.