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NEW DAY SUNDAY

Cold Weather Coming to U.S.; Spaceship Explosion over Mojave Desert; Republicans and Democrats Fighting for Youth Votes; Coast Guard Saving Illegal Immigrants from Cuba

Aired November 2, 2014 - 06:30   ET

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


CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: It is 6:29. Yes, in the 6:00 hour right now. I'm so glad to have you with us. I'm Christi Paul.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. Let's start with five things you need to know. Up first, an Egyptian court has sentenced eight men to prison for three years for attending a same sex wedding.

They were convicted of debauchery. A 1-minute video of the wedding went viral. It shows one man putting a ring on another man's hand. They hugged as a crowd around them cheers. Human Rights Watch is condemning those convictions.

PAUL: Number two, in a new video, the leader of Boko Haram claims reports of a cease-fire within a Nigerian government is false. The schoolgirls they abducted in spring will not be freed. The notorious leader even laughed while explaining how the girls were converted to Islam and then married off.

BLACKWELL: Number three, some unintended results of a nightly fireworks display at Disney World. Look, sparks set fire to a building that's part of the park's newest and very popular ride "The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train." Passengers were able to get off safely. The fire was put out quickly. Also good news here, nobody was hurt.

PAUL: Number four, four people were killed at sea north of San - San Francisco, rather, when a rogue wave crashed into them capsizing their 32-foot fishing boat. A fifth passenger we know was found alive clinging to rocks in the frigid water. We're hearing no one aboard was wearing a life vest.

BLACKWELL: And number five, in the heart of South Carolina, snow -- snow already. Some places got between --

PAUL: What?

BLACKWELL: Yes, two and four inches yesterday. So --

PAUL: Got it here in Georgia, too.

BLACKWELL: Yeah, and north of Atlanta. What is driving this early winter blast in the south? Let's bring in meteorologist Jennifer Gray. Jennifer, it's too soon. JENNIFER GRAY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, I agree. It is way too soon. You know, Columbia and South Carolina, got the earliest snowfall ever on record. We saw snowman out of there. But you see this trough right here with that cold front? It was position a little yesterday. It allowed for all that very cold air from Canada just to dip down and invade a large portion of the south. So, that's what we dealt with for today. Today, the snow will be in Maine. And we could see up to a foot in some places. We'll also see very windy conditions. Winds could be up to 50 mile per hour gusts with wind chills, of course, below freezing for tonight.

So another very chilly day for the Northeast. The snow has wrapped up though. And we are looking at a very cold rain across North Carolina and also South Carolina. Here's your snow forecast. Over the next 24 hours or so, we could see six to ten inches around Bangor, Maine. So another snowy day for the northeast.

Current temperatures outside, 34 in Atlanta. 28 in Chicago. 42 in New York City. When you factor in that wind chill, look at these temperatures drop. It feels like 23 right now in Atlanta. Feeling like 33 in Charlotte. Feeling like 35 in New York City. We still have that freeze warning in effect. And yes, even including southern states and this goes all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.

So all of this out still waking up, yeah, another day with chilly temperatures. But they'll continue to warm up as we go through the next couple of days. Look at this. We'll be back in the 60s tomorrow in Atlanta as well as D.C. A lot of these cities will be close to 70 by the time we get to Tuesday. So a very fast swing. The cold only lasting for a couple of days, guys.

BLACKWELL: All right, something to look forward to.

GRAY: Yes.

BLACKWELL: But past these 30s.

GRAY: Exactly.

BLACKWELL: Thank you, Jennifer Gray.

PAUL: I like the 30s.

BLACKWELL: Well, you can have it.

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL: Let me keep it. All right. What a unique look we have at the Virgin Galactic here. We want to say first of all, don't expect answers anytime soon as to what brought down that spaceship 2. But the ongoing investigation we understand may take up to a year.

NTSB investigators are going to be back on the ground this morning as they look for these clues and they don't just have to find and recover debris that spans some five miles across the Mojave Desert, but they're going to spend months analyzing this wreckage. Investigators also have not been able yet to talk to the surviving pilot, Peter Siebold. He is still in the hospital for treatment. And we do not have word yet of his condition. But his co-pilot Michael Tyner Alsbury died in that incident.

Virgin Group founder Richard Branson said the pilot's bravery cannot be overstated. And the goal of commercial space flight is still unchanged, he says.

Earlier this year, CNN's Rachel Crane gained access into Virgin Galactic secretive manufacturing facility in California. And she's joining us now. So, Rachael, we really appreciate you being us with. First of all, the fact that you were able to get into this facility, what struck you most about it?

RACHEL CRANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what struck me most was really the stage in which they were in the development and manufacturing of the space ships. Virgin Galactic was hoping to have a fleet of five spaceships. And they were about 60 percent done with spaceship 2, serial 2 when I was there, which was - would to be the second edition to the fleet. And I actually got inside that spaceship. And there were no seats yet. But the windows were there. They were working away. And the spirit of the people who were the engineers at the facility, I mean they were incredibly dedicated to doing this. They were all expecting at this flight to be happening, and just a matter of months. But really, like the spirit there, I have to tell you, they were completely dedicated and all - all of them really space nerds themselves.

PAUL: Is it true that these pilots, we've been reading about, were best friends? I mean talk to us. I'm wondering about the camaraderie of all the people involved here.

CRANE: You know, it's a very small community in Mojave. And actually, it's been reported that the children of both pilots were actually in school with one another. So, of course, this is certainly hitting home. It's incredibly tragic. And, yes, I mean they have been working side by side for years. So I think everybody in the community is feeling the blow of this catastrophe.

PAUL: So, since you have had rare access to the site there and you've been inside even this particular craft, what do you think is the future of Virgin Galactic and the facility as it stands?

CRANE: Well, just to be clear, I was not actually inside the craft that actually crashed. It was spaceship 2 serial 2 that I was in, which would be the next addition to the fleet. But this catastrophe is obviously a huge blow to space tourism. I mean it is an industry that is dependent on the public's perception of their ability to carry out these missions safely.

Now Richard Branson announced that nobody has asked for a refund. There's been 700 people that have already paid, $250,000 to get on one of these flights. So it seems as though the people that have, you know, already signed up are still very confident that Virgin Galactic will be able to persevere, that they will move on and that they will perfect this technology and get people up into suborbital space. PAUL: Yeah, I think I heard that they said, there was a customer who

even bought a flight after. Right?

CRANE: Right.

PAUL: After the - What do you - I mean you were there. What do you think is so enticing about this? I mean do you feel the energy when you're there at the facility?

CRANE: Certainly. And you know, this -- where this crash happened is not where these flights are going to be taking off. Now, that will happen in New Mexico at Spaceport America. And I was at Spaceport America just a matter of weeks ago. And that is a - it's outside of truth or consequences, new Mexico, about an hour outside of that town, which is a town of only about 6,000 people.

Now the people there have been waiting anxiously for these flights to actually happen. People that have actually moved to the area and started businesses to profit off of these emerging space tourism industry and everybody there was incredibly excited about the fact that these flights were going to be taking off in a matter of months. You know, they were - for everything from the guy creating a tea shirts, that they would be selling the tourists and not just the tourists that would be taking off on these flights, but also what they would refer to as terrestrial tourists. The tourists that would flock - flood to the area just to see these missions take off to the hotels. There is one hotel called the Rocket Inn that had just been renovated to capitalize on this industry. So certainly a lot of excitement, and not just in Mojave.

PAUL: Oh, yeah. I bet. All right. Well, Rachael Crane, we so appreciate the fact that you're, you know, sharing your experience with us because it was so rare. Thank you.

CRANE: Thank you. Sure.

BLACKWELL: We know young voters helped fuel Democratic election victories in the past eight years or so. But we are going to tell what you the GOP strategy, the young Republican, the college Republicans are going to do to get those millennials to show up on Tuesday.

Also ahead, we ride along with the U.S. Coast Guard to show you alarming numbers of migrants being rescued off the coast of Florida. This is a CNN exclusive. You'll want to see this. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: All right. Now to politics and the millennial vote. In 2008, Democrats rode Obama's star power and his message of hope and change to victory. But in this week's midterm elections, the party cannot count on millennials for rock solid support, not anymore. They're up for grabs. And the GOP is aggressively going after them.

Now, in the Senate, 36 seats will be contested next week. Republicans need to swing six of them to take control. And in the House, Republicans are counting on the young voters to increase their 33-seat lead. But how are they going to create that turn around? Listen to this from outfit of the "New York Times." The public isn't necessarily turning neoconservative or pining for the days of Bush.

Instead, it mostly reflects a result-based verdict on what seems like poor execution in which the White House's slow response to ISIS is of a piece of the Obamacare rollout and the VA scandal and various other second term asleep at the tiller moments. Let's talk about it. We have Alexandra Smith, chairman of the College Republican National Committee and Atima Omara, president of Young Democrats of America. Both join us from Washington. Good to have you. I want to come to you, Tim, first. How do young Democrats overcome this Obama albatross factor?

ATIMA OMARA, PRESIDENT, YOUNG DEMOCRATS OF AMERICA: Well, I wouldn't call it Obama albatross factor.

BLACKWELL: I'm sure you wouldn't.

(LAUGHTER)

OMARA: I wouldn't. Young people are very responsive to the Democratic message across the country. You'll see polls that in the last couple of weeks that show that two to one Democrats are leading among the young voters in crucial Senate races across the country. They're responsive to the Democratic message. They're very much in favor of Obamacare. And raising the minimum wage. So I wouldn't see this an albatross at all but actually as a benefit. Because young people respond to the Democratic message that we put it out there.

BLACKWELL: Alexandra, Fatima, Atima, rather, makes a point here that typically the Democrats can't rely on those younger voters. How is the GOP going to change that?

ALEXANDRA SMITH, CHAIRMAN, COLLEGE REPUBLICAN HATIONAL COMMITTEE: Well, we're going to change it by talking directly to them where they are on campus and online. That is something that our party previously hasn't done. Something the college Republicans are doing this election season. We've had staff on the ground for about two months and we are running online ads specifically targeted to 18 to 24-year- old independent voters and we're seeing a great response from those efforts.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk about one of those ads. They say yes to the candidate campaign which has really been derided -- we have a clip of it -- it compares the candidates to a wedding dress. Let's watch a portion of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is a big deal for me now that I just graduated from college.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Rick Scott is perfect.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Rick Scott is becoming a trusted brand. He has new ideas that don't break your budget.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Is this the best way to reach young female voters? Some have called this ad condescending and sexist. What do you say?

SMITH: Well, so, let me just start by correcting you first. This is an ad about picking a wedding dress. This is an ad - a parody to the show "Say Yes to the Dress" on TLC. This was written by myself and the other female colleagues that I have in the College Republican office. We tested this out in focus groups. We've seen that young people are tuning out politics as usual. That we have to get creative if we want to reach them. These typical political ads that you see, the candidate direct the camera, the dark scary political issue ads, young people are just not listening to them anymore. So, we knew that we would have to kind of get creative to reach them. And this tested incredibly well. And we're seeing that the results that are coming in from it online are incredible.

BLACKWELL: There has also been a lot of criticism of that ad as well, but I want to come back to you, Atima. What we know from the Obama campaign that they know how to work an online campaign, an Internet strategy, maybe some of the Democrats who are running on Tuesday are not as effective. What is the Internet strategy to get young people out since so many young people, most young people spend more time on their phone instead of a television?

OMARA: There are several online strategies happening. But primarily we're doing a lot of messaging on the ground. Lots of candidates have youth operations running. And the most - biggest thing that we are putting out there is that young people are smart. They're savvy. They don't want to look at comparing candidates to a wedding dress. They understand the issues that are current today and they specifically want to make sure that they're able to innovate, have meaningful careers, not be crushed by student debt which is why this president has worked hard on the student loan reform. Be able to have access to affordable health care, which is why he's championed the Affordable Care Act. So, the message out there is working and is resonating online and on the ground.

BLACKWELL: All right, Alexandra Smith, Atima Omara, thank you so much for joining us this morning.

SMITH: Thank you.

OMARA: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Programming reminder for everyone, get all your election night coverage on CNN this Tuesday starting at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Christi?

PAUL: Already, Victor, the Texas border isn't the only concern in the immigration debate. Coming up, a CNN exclusive, our Alina Machado and her crew go onboard a coast guard cutter for a few days. And the things they saw are staggering. You are going to see it --

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: The Coast Guard is seeing a record number of migrants trying to make it to the U.S. This week they found about 640, just this week, 640 migrants off the Miami Coast and at least four died in the journey.

PAUL: My goodness. Well, in the CNN exclusive, our Alina Machado went along with the Coast Guard and she's giving us a first-hand look at this crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got eyes on them.

ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A dramatic scene plays out in the Florida Straits.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You got them, Chris?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, I got them.

MACHADO: A United States Coast Guard plane spots this small boat packed with 29 Cubans including several women and at least one young boy. The boat is taking on water.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So the Norvell is on, coming on scene.

MACHADO: Yet, when the Coast Guard cutter Margaret Norvell arrives to help, the group's leader refuses to cooperate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE). They're claiming that they're entering to that - alert.

MACHADO: Eventually the group gives up and gives in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yeah, they got them now.

MACHADO: Joining the growing number of migrants rescued while making this dangerous and sometimes deadly journey to the U.S.

CAPT. MIKE FEDOR, U.S. COAST GUARD: We've been seeing the highest migration levels that we've seen from Cuba and Haiti in the past five years.

MACHADO: Roughly 10,000 migrants have been found in this area just this year. That's more than 3,000 than the year before. The biggest spike, Cubans whose numbers have doubled since the Castro government lifted travel restrictions in 2012.

(on camera): You have to be pretty desperate to jump - you know, to go into open water and just try to make it, no?

LT. KIRK FISTICK, U.S. COAST GUARD: Yeah, it is.

MACHADO: I mean it's dangerous, it's very dangerous.

FISTICK: Most of it is economic. You know, they're looking for a better way of life.

MACHADO (voice over): Lieutenant Kirk Fistick is the commanding officer of the Norvell, one of the agency's newest high-tech ships in the Coast Guard's seventh district.

FISTICK: This is the frontline of Coast Guard operations. This is where the action happens.

MACHADO: We wanted to get a first-hand look at the action. So we spent a few days onboard the Norvell and what we saw was sobering. A few hours into our journey, the Norvell takes on ten migrants. The lights of the U.S. shine in the distance. This is the closest this group will get.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One more.

MACHADO: A doctor is concerned the last one may be suicidal refusing to eat after telling the Coast Guard this was his ninth attempt to reach America.

(on camera): So you see, they put the man on the stretcher on the cutter safely. But it doesn't appear that he is responding at this point. It's unclear what they're going to do with him. We know that the remaining nine migrants are all in the same area on this boat. And they'll probably be here until the process runs its course.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are going to do something for --

MACHADO (voice over): In the early morning hours, another group of Cuban migrants is found barely moving, idling in what appears to be the middle of nowhere.

Each one is given a life vest before being transferred to the cutter. Their small boat is then filled with gasoline and shot up with a 50 caliber machine gun. A fire sinks the tiny boat. On the cutter, the migrants wear tieback (ph) suits to stay dry. They're given red beans and rice to eat twice a day and a rubber mat to sleep on. Some interact with Coast Guard members like Ronald Garcia, a Cuban-American himself.

RONALD GARCIA, U.S. COAST GUARD: It's difficult to see the situation that they're in.

MACHADO: In all, we saw about 80 Cuban migrants in just four days with the Coast Guard. All of them with desperation in their eyes. For most, their search for a new life over at least for now.

Of the 80 migrants we saw, 29 Cubans who were found on a U.S. territory were actually allowed to stay in the U.S. because of a long standing policy that only applies to Cubans. Most migrants who are found at sea regardless of their country of origin are usually sent back. Alina Machado, CNN, Miami Beach.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Thanks to Alina. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: We're shining a spotlight on the top ten CNN heroes of 2014, and remember, you vote for the one who inspires you the most at cnnheroes.com.

PAUL: Now, we want you to meet this week's honoree, Elimelech Goldberg.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: I really hate when it hurts. It's a really sharp pain. I get all teary, the shots really scare me a lot. They still scare me now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on.

ELIMELECH GOLDBERG: When children get a diagnosis like cancer or any major disease, they lose any sense of feeling that they're controlling their lives. They're prodded and poked and touched and they're often so afraid. Our daughter Sarah Basya was diagnosed with leukemia. She was such an incredible little soul who taught me about the power that's inside of ourselves.

(on camera): Are you ready?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILDREN: Yes!

GOLDBERG: OK. Begin.

(voice over): After our daughter passed away, I started a program that provides classes to children who are sick to teach them the martial arts.

GOLDBERG (on camera): Good.

(voice over): To make them feel powerful.

(on camera): Every single type of martial arts uses the breath to take control.

(voice over): I'm a black belt in Taekwando.

(on camera): Hold it. And then release.

(voice over): We use the martial arts as a platform for meditation, for relaxation to allow children to gain these tools.

(on camera): You're totally in control.

(voice over): To really face down so much of the fear, the anger that accompanies pain.

(on camera): Breathe in. (voice over): And you could see that light on their face. I feel like their souls are shining.

(on camera): You did it!

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: I do have the power to make the pain go away. And nothing's impossible. Nothing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)