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NEW DAY

Phthalate Effects on Pregnancy, Children; Massive Hack Leaks Sony E-mails; 2015 Golden Globe Nominees Announced

Aired December 11, 2014 - 08:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, it's a NEW DAY, it's a new you. Common household products may be harming your children. A new study finds most of them contain a chemical called phthalates which can harm your child's IQ. These common household items. Here to discuss it all is CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Good to have you with me, Dr. Gupta.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

PEREIRA: My - me and my green friends out in California have talked about the issues with phthalates for some time, but bring us up to speed. Why - what are they? Why are they harmful? And what's the concern?

GUPTA: Yes, I mean, look, a lot of people talk about this and I'll tell you - and I think especially women who are pregnant always wondering what they should avoid, what's OK. Phthalates is something that comes up a lot. Phthalates are the things that make plastics bendier, if you will.

PEREIRA: OK.

GUPTA: Yes, so it make plastics easier to bend. It also is associated with a lot of scented products. Hair sprays that have scent to it, air fresheners that have scent to it. Things that you put - that oftentimes food is packaged in. Those are the types of phthalates. And they've been something that has been looked at for some time for all sorts of different health effects. This one specifically looking at pregnant women and the impact on the babies a few years later.

PEREIRA: Here's the question, is the exposure sort of a lifetime exposure or is it specifically when the woman is pregnant?

GUPTA: So, for this study, and there's been all kinds of studies -

PEREIRA: Right.

GUPTA: But this study specifically looked at women who were pregnant. There was 328 women. They're all in New York City. And they basically followed them along. And what they found was that women who had the highest concentration of a couple of phthalates in their third trimester of pregnancy, those children, the children that were born subsequently, had IQ points that were a few points lower by age around seven or so. So by the time those kids turn seven, IQ points slightly lower.

Now, this is not a cause and effect study. Those are very hard to establish.

PEREIRA: OK.

GUPTA: But this is -- they're concerned that phthalates may have something to do with that lower IQ.

PEREIRA: And concern is enough for parents. So the parents that are watching right now, pregnant women especially, what can they be on the lookout for, doctor?

GUPTA: You know, I think there's some simple things you can do without, you know, turning your life upside down.

PEREIRA: Right.

GUPTA: You know, because it's always a risk/reward thing and it's impossible to avoid all phthalates, again just because of the numbers of products they're in. But we made a list of a few things. One question always comes up, you know, do you microwave foods, you know, in these plastic containers? And the answer is, don't do that. Those - again, those food packing often has phthalates in it. Microwaving it can release those even more.

Scented products, makes a lot of people's sort of nose itch as it is, but scented products often times have more phthalates, which allows the scent to travel. And also, if you're really being careful, you know, look at - look for these labels on recycled plastics, 3, 6 and 7. If you see those, those have higher concentrations of these particularly concerning phthalates.

Again, impossible to avoid completely -

PEREIRA: Right.

GUPTA: But especially for pregnant women, you know, some reasonable, I think, and easy-to-do advice.

PEREIRA: And for the rest of us, not bad guidance as well?

GUPTA: Yes, I think not bad guidance. Look, I don't want you -- be very careful not to say that, you know, people, adults out there who are being exposed to phthalates on a regular basis, there's some particular harm. We don't know that.

PEREIRA: Right.

GUPTA: These chemicals are what are known as endocrine disrupters. They sort of interfere the way hormones communicate signals throughout the body. That's particularly relevant when a baby is developing, you know -

PEREIRA: Right.

GUPTA: But on adults, you know, it's just not clear yet.

PEREIRA: We're so grateful for you and your knowledge. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much.

GUPTA: Thanks, Mic, appreciate that. Thank you.

PEREIRA: Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks so much, Michaela.

A massive hack of Sony Pictures is exposing some nasty e-mail exchanges between studio execs. Find out what one top Hollywood producer said about Angelina Jolie.

Plus, award season is here. The Golden Globe nominees are being announced this morning. Who is? Who's out? We'll tell you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: Here we go with the five things you need to know for your NEW DAY.

At number one, new calls for CIA Director John Brennan to step down in the wake of the shocking Senate report on the agency's torture tactics. Brennan, for his part, is going to hold a news conference this afternoon.

American officials now claim a terrorist may have survived a U.S. air strike. Initially it was believed that a Khorasan bombmaker was killed when his car was hit in the attack last month.

A powerful storm expected to pack hurricane-force winds and send heavy rain slamming northern California. Bay area schools, in fact, classes have been canceled there for the first time since the terror attacks of 9/11.

Security is amped up even higher in the West Bank as a senior Palestinian official who died during a clash with Israeli troops is laid to rest. In response, President Mahmoud Abbas has suspended all security coordination with Israel.

The fate of a government shutdown now in the hands of the House when they vote today on a major spending bill. Democrat Elizabeth Warren is urging progressives to not back the bill until one provision is nixed.

We do update those five things to know, so make sure to stay on top of it by visiting newdaycnn.com for the latest.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Mic?

PEREIRA: Yes.

CUOMO: Hollywood is an ugly place and we can prove it.

PEREIRA: Oh, you need (ph) to tell me that.

CUOMO: The hack attack of Sony, that may have been wrong, but the e- mails are out there now. And let me tell you, it is revelatory about what's going on in that place. Let's bring in senior media correspondent, host of "Reliable Sources," Brian Stelter.

A seat at the table deserved here, sir. Let's take a look at some of these things that have come out here and what they mean.

PEREIRA: Goodness.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: These are incredible.

CUOMO: All right, here's the first one. You ready? This is from a big- shot producer, Scott Rudin, to another one, Amy Pascal, and they're talking about Angelina Jolie. You see it on your screen. "I'm not remotely interested in presiding over a $180 million ego bath that we both know will be the career-defining debacle for both of us. I'm not destroying my career over a minimally talented spoiled brat who thought nothing of shoving this off her plate for 18 months so she could go direct a movie." Also known as "Unbroken," which is going to be a heck of a film.

STELTER: In a couple of weeks, yes.

CUOMO: What do you see in that?

STELTER: I think what we see is so far from the glitz and glamour that we like to think Hollywood is all about, this is the more real, honest side of Hollywood. This is what really happens behind the scenes that we never get to see and that the executives would deny ever seeing happen, except now we have the proof.

PEREIRA: Honest and ugly. They go on.

STELTER: Yes.

PEREIRA: Having a discussion between two of these big-wigs. One of them is attending a breakfast with the president of the United States and asked her colleague what she should ask the president. Would he like to finance some movies? I doubt it. Should I ask him if he liked "Django," -

CUOMO: Uh, oh.

PEREIRA: "12 Years a Slave," -

CUOMO: Woops.

PEREIRA: Or "The Butler" or "Think Like a Man"?

CUOMO: What do those all share in common?

STELTER: Well, they sure sound like racial messages that we're hearing from them. These are all films, you know, about African-Americans, all those themes. And I know some people have already called these e-mails - that particular e-mail racist. I would at least say it's racial, not necessarily racist, but definitely racial.

PEREIRA: And was it - weren't' both of these people contributors to the Democratic campaigns?

STELTER: They were. They were. And I'm sure they will be in the future as well.

PEREIRA: Really? Might need to spend a little more money now and make a phone call to the White House.

CAMEROTA: Yes, I mean, this is not good for Scott Rudin.

STELTER: No.

CAMEROTA: The big Hollywood type (ph).

STELTER: Several of the most, you know, shocking e-mails that have come out in this leak are from him. He is a famed man in Hollywood, known for his temper, known for this kind of language and tone, lots of folks have gotten into fights with him, but we never really see them in public.

CUOMO: Right. The business is portrayed this way in movies and TV shows about the business, but you think it's exaggerated.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

PEREIRA: And people talk about it actively in Hollywood. And, Brian, you know this, they talk about the fact that, oh, it's an ugly place, it's an ugly place.

CUOMO: All right, listen to this one. Again, from him to this Amy Pascal, this other big producer. "You better shut Angie down before she makes it very hard for David Fincher," a filmmaker, "to do Steve Jobs' biopic." And then she says, "do not f-ing threaten me." And he says, "I have zero appetites for the indulgence of spoiled brats and I will tell her this myself if you don't. Watch how you talk to me."

STELTER: I mean this is maybe the most revealing one because it shows how talent is talked about behind closed doors. And that's not just true at Sony. I'm sure that's true elsewhere.

CUOMO: Not here.

STELTER: The issue here was they wanted David Fincher to direct a different movie than the one he was working on. It was this sort of tug-of-war that was going on over talent. And I've got to imagine it's going to be a lot harder for some of these folks to work with people, like Angelina Jolie, in the future now.

PEREIRA: But it's kind of interesting, Scott Rudin's response, right? What did - what did he have to say, deflect, deflect, deflect, right?

STELTER: Well, you mean his statement about all of this?

PEREIRA: Yes. Yes. CUOMO: What about -

STELTER: He's come out and said, this is not about salacious e-mails. This is about a criminal act. He says it's about a criminal act and the people behind it should be treated as nothing more nor less than criminals. And he's getting to the point that these are hacked e-mails and we're talking about things that were, you know, found by hackers, published on the Internet in a way that it is a criminal act.

Once these are out there, though, they are fair game. We've seen lots of media outlets covering them.

PEREIRA: Where do you stand on it? It's fair game.

STELTER: I did just talk to an executive at Sony who said, God forbid this happened to your media company because this has been so damaging for them.

PEREIRA: (INAUDIBLE).

STELTER: But the person also said, it's still business as usual. We are still up and running. We are still releasing movies. It's just a whole lot harder now because of all this damage that's been done.

CAMEROTA: But are you allowed to be critical publicly like this of Angelina Jolie, who is the "it" woman in -

CUOMO: Well, he didn't think it would be public.

CAMEROTA: Of course. But, I mean, now that it has become public, where does he go to get his reputation back?

STELTER: Right. There have been predictions that it's going to be harder for Stony to work with some of these stars and some of these directors in the future. I'm not so sure about that. I think everyone sort of is in on the joke sometimes. They probably know that you act like friends at the parties but you might be enemies behind the scenes.

CUOMO: You think he was just a few emoticons away from these e-mails being OK?

STELTER: No, no, I'm not saying that.

CUOMO: One of these?

STELTER: I'm saying that everybody knows, behind closed doors, it's a nasty business. And I think something like those e-mails about Obama that seem racialized, that's a different issue.

PEREIRA: Those racial, ignorant - that's - that's a different issue and a lot of people are going to have problems with that.

CUOMO: Yes.

STELTER: But in terms of the relationships, it's kind of a frenemy (ph) sort of business, right, friends and enemies at the same time and these e-mails sort of show just how much that's true.

CAMEROTA: Good to know. Brian, thanks so much.

STELTER: Thanks.

CUOMO: All right. And because of these e-mails, when we start talking about the Golden Globe nominations which are being announced, I bet you the seating order may change at the event. Who made the cut for the year's best? That's a live picture right now. They're giving us what the nominations are. We're going to tell you what they are as they come out, so stay with us for that.

We're also going to give you the latest installment of cnn.com, the original series "Wish You Were Here." This time, a blind adventurer takes a nearly 300-mile whitewater kayak journey through the Grand Canyon. If you want more on that story, you go to cnn.com/wishyouwerehere. But here's a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC WYMAR (ph): My name is Eric Wymar and this is what it's like to kayak the Grand Canyon blind.

The Grand Canyon is a real iconic, beautiful place in the world. And even though I can't see it, I can still experience it, you know, with my hands touching the rocks and experiencing the sound of the canyons the way they echo.

But I thought, you know, it would be really intriguing to see if a blind person could sort of flourish in all that chaos. It sort of feels like you're an astronaut going into space, you know, launching to the moon or something.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: Oh, Hollywood's awake right now, yes. Nominations for the 2015 Golden Globe awards have just been announced. Here to break it down for us is "Entertainment Tonight" host, oh, that gives me such joy to say, and CNN contributor, Nischelle Turner. Good to have you with us, darling. You've had a busy morning.

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hi.

PEREIRA: Hollywood is wide awake.

TURNER: Yes.

PEREIRA: So, let's talk.

TURNER: Yes, I don't know if I am, but Hollywood is. Let's talk because there is a lot to digest for the Golden Globe announcements, just announced like two minutes ago. Here's how high-tech I am, guys.

PEREIRA: Go ahead. TURNER: I took all my notes on my iPhone, so that's how I'm kind of breaking it all down for you this morning.

PEREIRA: So, let's talk about best picture, because there's been a lot of conversation about some of the great films that are already coming out this year, who do we have?

TURNER: Well, there were a lot of nominations. Can we put them up on the screen for me real quick?

CAMEROTA: We'll try.

CUOMO: Don't count on that. You know how it works.

PEREIRA: There they are.

TURNER: Only because the Golden Globes actually they break them up into two categories. They break them up into the drama and the comedy category, and in the best movies it's "Boyhood," "Foxcatcher," "Imitation Game," "Selma," and "Theory of Everything." That's in the comedy, I'm mean, excuse me, in the drama category. Now the interesting thing about this, there aren't any big studio films in there. I mean, "Selma" is the one that would be closest to that, but everything here is independent, they're smaller films, they're kind of arty films.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

TURNER (voice-over): So, you know, the studios aren't getting a lot of love for their big budget films, but a lot of actors are saying, you know what? We're doing movies that matter, and we're showing some video from "Selma" which I actually just saw last night. It's a powerful film, it's a wonderful film, and an important film.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

TURNER (on camera): Ava DuVernay was also nominated for best director for this movie. David Oyelowo was nominated for best actor in a drama for this movie, so it will be interesting to see what happens with that on Golden Globes night.

CAMEROTA: Okay, and then is there a comedy category? Which one do you want to do, best actors now, Nischelle?

PEREIRA: I don't know if Nischelle - -

TURNER: Sure, we can talk about the best actor category. I think this is actually one of the strongest. Again, the Golden Globes, they give a little more leeway because they break it up into two categories. I want to tell you guys a couple of surprises that I saw in this category. Number one, Joaquin Phoenix nominated for "Inherent Vice." Now, this is a movie that is just going to be coming out, it is a Paul Thomas Anderson movie, it is a ride. I saw it the other day. You have to just surrender and let yourself go. I'm not sure that I still understand it, but it's very interesting and it was a surprise to see him nominated. Also, Bill Murray was double nomineed today, nominated for "St. Vincent," which was another little movie but was widely lauded as one of the best movies this year and his performance as one of the best. Also nominated for "Olive Kitteridge" on the television side. So those were two big nominations for the actors this year.

Also, you know, a strong field. I just mentioned David Oyelowo. We also saw Michael Keaton nominated for "Birdman." So this will be a very strong category again. I actually think the men had very strong performances this year. I'm not sure the women's category for the acting is as strong.

PEREIRA: Okay, tell us who's in that category, who was nominated for actress.

TURNER: Well, there's a wide range. I mean, again, we're seeing women that are in kind of smaller films. Reese Witherspoon nominated for "Wild" this year. Julianne Moore nominated for "Map to the Stars." But she's been really kind of touted and lauded for "Still Alice." And so that was kind of the movie that the role that she played this year as an early onset Alzheimer's patient that everyone said, this is a defining moment for her. So, it was interesting to see her nominated for "Map to the Stars" this morning. Also, Emily Blunt nominated, so I know it will be a good morning for her, she'll be very excited for "Into the Woods," a very cute role. She plays the bakers wife, it was a really good musical, so it was interesting to see her nominated. By the way, Meryl Streep also got nominated in the supporting category for "Into the Woods." That got a lot of love, also nominated for best movie comedy or musical this morning.

CUOMO: Our new bestie here at NEW DAY, Angie Jolie, she didn't get put in there, nominated as director for "Unbroken." What's up with that?

TURNER: Yes, very surprised about that, actually. Very surprised that she did not get a nomination for this, because, Chris, you and I have both seen this film, right?

CUOMO: Um-hum.

TURNER: And it was a tough film to watch, but you can also tell it was a tough film to make, and I think she did a great job making this movie. You know, you saw the scenes on the water, and the scenes in the cold, and it just, it was really a rough time for them, and I think, you know, with this being her second movie that she directed I think it was great. I was very surprised to see her get shut out, especially because of the Hollywood Foreign Press. And they love Angelina Jolie.

PEREIRA: They do.

TURNER: So I was surprised to see her not get a nomination.

PEREIRA: And a reminder, a lot of folks are probably saying wait, I haven't seen these films in theaters yet. A lot of these will be opening in the next weeks and days. You'll see them starting to come into theaters. The critics get a chance to see them beforehand. Really quickly, TV also part of the Golden Globes.

TURNER: Yes.

PEREIRA: Any interesting notes there that we should know about?

TURNER: Yes, one big one for me. You know, Amy Poehler is hosting once again this year. She did not get a nomination for best comedy actress this morning, but someone who did, Gina Rodriguez. Remember this name. She's the star of a show called "Jane the Virgin." It's a great show. She is so funny, and I'm so glad to see her get some love. I just announced the NAACP Image Awards with her earlier this week and she is a lovely girl, the show is really funny. So I'm glad that the Hollywood Foreign Press is recognizing her today.

PEREIRA: Very cool. And last of all, the reason we care, all of these shows matter, but this is an indicator, Right? Looking forward to Oscar nominations, this indicates which way some of the votes will go.

TURNER: You know, in some categories, it is and some it's not. In the best picture category, the Hollywood Foreign Press hasn't been great for - - out of the past ten years they've gotten it right, but if you look at the glass half full, three of the last three years, they have predicted the best picture winner for the Oscars. They do get the acting categories right a lot of times. I think nine out of the last ten years they have gone on to predict who is going to win the Oscar with who wins the Golden Globes. So, yes. You can look at it both ways with them.

PEREIRA: I'd say go take a nap now, but I know you have to be on for the rest of the day. 29th nomination for Meryl Streep btw. Amazing, congratulations to her. We want to hear from you folks at home. Did you favorites get nominated? Head to our Facebook page, facebook.com/newday and sound off. Nischelle, always a delight, darling.

CAMEROTA: Great to see you.

TURNER: Absolutely guys, see you later.

CUOMO: All right, back to the other variety of news. We have an Oregon teenager who's getting a brand new hand, but it's what he's doing with that hand. He's lending a hand to help others, and that's why he is the Good Stuff. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: It is time for the stuff that is good. We've told you about 3D printers being made to use prosthetics, I mean, amazing. This story has a special twist on that, okay?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO (voice-over): 13-year-old Dawson Riverman, he's from Oregon, he was born without fingers on his left hand. So, a 3D printer and some people who donated their time changed all of that.

DAWSON RIVERMAN, RECEIVED 3D PRINTED PROSTHETICS: I can throw a ball, I can hold bats and things. I can play my favorite sports like basketball and baseball with it.

CUOMO: Such an amazing life changer for him that it got Dawson thinking, if I were helped like this, how many others could be helped with 3D printing? So, he and his family decided to team up with a local school to purchase a 3D printer exclusively for printing prosthetics for people who need them around the world.

PEREIRA (voice-over): Wow.

CUOMO: The most amazing thing about all of it is that how little it costs to change somebody's life. Listen to Dawson's mom.

DAWN RIVERMAN, DAWSOM RIVERMAN'S MOM: It's less than $50 to make one of these hands. You can't put a value on what it does to your kids.

CUOMO: There it is.

PEREIRA: Beautiful.

CUOMO: We'll leave you with that one.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO (on camera): Thank you, Dawson, for being the Good Stuff. A lot of news, let's get you to the "NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello.