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NEW DAY

Search Intensifies for Teens Lost at Sea; 911 Calls in Movie Theater Shooting to Be Released; NATO Meets to Discuss Turkey's Campaign Against ISIS; Northeast Hit with Heat Wave; Obama Job Approval at 49%; Huckabee Won't Apologize for Holocaust Remark; Trump: 'No Interest' in Third-Party Run. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired July 28, 2015 - 06:00   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A frantic search began on the sea and from the air. The two 14-year-olds remain missing.

[05:59:05] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the warm water, you can survive for quite a few days.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know he's coming home. I just want him home now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't give up. This is about our children.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Obama's approval remains steady, but voters have a big problem with one top issue.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm tired of watching these all talk, no action politicians.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Full contact campaigning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The name calling from all sides really needs to stop.

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is not the way we're going to win elections.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're creating a culture that is not conducive to good policy or politics.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ten rounds went off.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Survivors of the Lafayette shooting speaking out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I screamed to everybody, "He's reloading. Get the hell out of here now."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota and Michaela Pereira.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Tuesday, July 28, 6 a.m. in the east. Chris is on assignment this morning. John Berman joins us. Great to have you here.

Meanwhile, up first, the search continues for two Florida teenagers lost at sea. The two 14-year-olds, Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos, missing since Friday afternoon when they set out on what was supposed to be a routine fishing trip. Their boat found capsized two days later with a single life jacket on board.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: The massive search intensifying on the Florida coast. The U.S. Navy and other agencies joining the Coast Guard. They're currently searching the area roughly the size of Indiana, all in hopes that they find these two young boys alive. CNN's Alina Machado is live in Jupiter, Florida, with the very latest on those efforts this morning -- Alina.

ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Michaela.

Yes, the Coast Guard says the search for these missing boys is anything but easy. But they are vowing to continue to search for them. The families are still very much hopeful and praying for a miracle.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MACHADO (voice-over): This morning, rescue teams are beginning day five of their search for missing teenage boaters Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen. On Sunday, crews located the boys' capsized boat off the coast of Florida. Austin and Perry, nowhere in sight. Only a single orange life vest floating alongside the 19-foot vessel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's a negative. We just confirmed nobody is on board. They're trying to find any other gear.

CAPT. MARK FEDOR, CHIEF OF RESPONSE, COAST GUARD, 7TH DISTRICT: It is positive news in that it helped validate we were looking in the right area. Obviously, disappointed that the boys were not clinging to that boat.

MACHADO: Now, with the Gulf Stream in mind, they're searching north of where the boat was located, about 77 miles off the coast of St. Augustine.

FEDOR: So it's been an all-hands-on-deck-type effort.

MACHADO: The operation aggressive. The U.S. Coast Guard executing at least 36 different searches with the help from the Navy. Crews have now scoured more than 37,000 square miles. That's more than the size of Indiana.

CARLY BLACK, MOTHER OF AUSTIN STEPHANOS: These boys have been out there doing this forever. It's not new to them. They -- they prepare for these situations. MACHADO: The boys' moms say their sons are both licensed and

experienced boaters.

PAMELA COHEN, MOTHER OF PERRY COHEN: I think a lot of people think about that the boys are only 14 years old, what were they doing out on a boat? We live in a boating community, and this is part of the lifestyle here.

MACHADO: The Coast Guard says right now the good conditions could work in Austin and Perry's favor, saying a person could survive in these warm waters for four to five days.

COHEN: The boys are raised on the water; they're raised on boats. So it really is second nature to them. They are going to be OK.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACHADO: The families of the teens have set up the Perry and Austin Rescue Fund to help pay for private searches for the missing teens. And so far, they have raised more than $44,000 -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Lena, thanks so much for all of that background.

And we're joined now by Captain Mark Fedor. He's the chief of response for the U.S. Coast Guard, 7th District, in South Florida.

Captain, thanks so much for being on NEW DAY. Can you give us the latest on your search efforts? How big an area have you searched and what have you found?

FEDOR: Yes, good morning. We have -- we've executed over 36 different search-and-rescue patterns, covering an area over 28,000 square miles. So equivalent to Indiana, as you referenced there.

So we've covered a vast area. But we have to keep up that we're looking for a very small search object. When people are floating in the water, all you really see is their upper torso and their head. And we're searching over hundreds and thousands of square miles in the ocean. So while conditions are good, it's a very challenging environment we're working in.

CAMEROTA: Captain, what's the latest thinking on why the ship, the boat capsized?

FEDOR: It's hard to say right now. We know that they left on Friday after they purchased some gas at about 1:30 in the afternoon. We found out about it Friday evening, about 5 p.m. And we started our intense search efforts then. We saturated the area.

It's hard to know exactly what happened to them during the voyage. They could have become disabled. There were some squalls in the area, some severe weather, which is typical to south Florida this time of year, which they may have gotten caught in.

A key thing here to know is, even for experienced mariners, it's dangerous to go to sea. And that's why we encourage especially recreational boaters, when you go to sea, you want to make sure you have the proper life-saving equipment, personal flotation devices. You tell somebody where you're going and when you're going to be back.

We also encourage you to let folks know when you're going to be back so that, if you were missing, they could call the Coast Guard.

CAMEROTA: And you know, we've heard from the boys' moms that these were experienced fishermen. Do you know how many life jackets were on board?

[06:05:07] FEDOR: We don't know how many life jackets were on board. We know one was recovered from the capsized vessel. So, that's really all we know. We're hopeful that maybe they've had -- they both have one, because that would certainly increase their chances for survival, if they had some type of flotation device.

CAMEROTA: Yes, of course. When a ship capsizes -- and we're looking at the video right now of when you found it -- is it customary for the boaters to stay, to climb on top of the capsized boat and stay with the ship?

FEDOR: That would be optimal. And you'd certainly want to do that. The challenge is, if you capsize in a squall, it is very easy to get separated from your boat if there's any type of weather. It may sound easy: boat flips over, you could swim right to it. But if you're in rough seas, even if they're temporary due to a squall, it's very difficult to swim through that and find -- find that boat. Your height of eye is very low. So that boat could be 15-20 feet away from you, and you could have a hard time seeing it if you're floating in the water. So it's easy to get separated.

CAMEROTA: Thank you. That helps explain why they wouldn't just be waiting. But can we put up the search area, because I want to show our viewers where you have searched.

Now, they took off from Jupiter. That's the marina sign right there. And then there was some early indications that they might have been heading to the Bahamas, which you see is relatively close to Jupiter, though the family has refuted that. But where the boat was found is so far north. And what is the latest theory on where they were going?

FEDOR: Right. So they left Jupiter at about 1:30 in the afternoon. There were some indications on social media that maybe they were going to the Bahamas, so we did search in that area.

But we focused more of our efforts in the middle of the Gulf Stream, where we thought they might have gone fishing. Now the Gulf Stream's a very strong current that runs from the south to the north at about 3.5 knots of current. That's very strong. And so what we think is, if they became disabled or they were capsized, the Gulf Stream pushed them north from Jupiter up to where that boat was found capsized. So when we found the boat on Sunday, we were able to recalculate our search efforts based on the data. And now, we're looking a little bit to the north of that position. CAMEROTA: Captain, everyone who is searching is saying that they

are remaining optimistic, even though it has been more than four days now. And I know that for you, this is personal. Can you tell us about what you're experiencing and why?

FEDOR: Sure. We -- the Coast Guard dedicates our best efforts in every search-and-rescue case. So we will do our best, and we've certainly garnered a lot of different resources. Within the Coast Guard, we have five different Coast Guard cutters out there. We've brought in aircraft from three different Coast Guard air stations. As you mentioned, there's a Navy ship that's involved. Customs and Border Protection. Also, our local here, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has dedicated a lot of effort.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

FEDOR: So we've surged the assets.

Personally, you know, this hits home because I have a 14-year-old and a 13-year-old son at home. So I can certainly empathize with the family and why they remain hopeful. And so do we. We want to be aggressive; we're going to continue searching. But we recognize this is a challenging and very dangerous situation with every day that we go through this search effort.

CAMEROTA: Yes. Captain, we're praying for all these boys and for the searchers and praying for a good outcome. Captain, thanks so much for joining us on NEW DAY.

FEDOR: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: Let's get to Michaela.

PEREIRA: All right, Alisyn. President Obama's approval ratings holding in positive territory for the second month in a row. But according to the latest CNN/ORC poll, a growing number of Americans are not happy with the economy nor with the nuclear deal with Iran.

CNNs White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski is live in Ethiopia. She is traveling with the president. She joins us now -- Michelle.

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Michaela.

So the good news with President Obama is his approval rating is still tipped just in his favor, 49 percent to 47. It's been growing over time. Steady in the last few months. It's better than George W. Bush was doing at this point in his presidency, worse than Clinton and the same as Reagan.

Now, where things turn weird is on the economy. Forty-one percent say that it's doing good, but 59 say it's in a poor state. That's a big drop from April when 52 percent of people said that it was good.

The biggest drop we've seen is among Democrats, down 18 points since April. That was only three months ago. Eighteen points. Still, more people say that they're doing better than they were three years ago than say they're doing worse.

Also on the Iran deal, when asked should Congress approve it, 44 percent said yes; 52 said no. Now that's interesting, because that's almost a complete reversal from April. That was before there was a deal. The people were asked, should the U.S. make such a deal with Iran? And back then, 53 percent said yes; 43 percent said no. So now that there is a deal, and it's out there, about as many people as said yes before now say, "No, no, no" -- John.

BERMAN: All right, Michelle Kosinski for us. Thanks so much, Michelle.

The frantic 911 calls from the Louisiana movie theater shooting could be released today, this as investigators uncover more disturbing details about the shooter and hundreds say farewell to the two victims killed.

CNN's Ryan Nobles live in Lafayette, Louisiana, with the latest.

Good morning, Ryan.

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, good morning to you.

It's been five days since two people were killed and nine others were wounded in a shooting here in Lafayette. And the community is slowly starting to improve.

On Thursday, they will hold a community-wide healing event. Yesterday, the funerals for Mayci Breaux and Jillian Johnson were held. Hundreds of people came out to pay their respects.

Of those nine people wounded, seven have left the hospital. The two that are still being treated are improving. And police have learned a lot more about the shooter, John Russell Houser. They're currently in the process of analyzing hundreds of pieces of evidence from the theater here behind me and at a local motel where he was staying.

Inside his motel room, they found a journal. And in it, he made note of the 7:15 showing of "Trainwreck."

Meanwhile, this theater is no longer an active crime scene. The owners have taken back control and are in the process of a massive clean-up. Police tell us, they vow to reopen -- Michaela.

PEREIRA: A first responder is going to join us a little later, Ryan. We'll get her account of arriving on scene that fateful day. All right. Thank you.

Breaking overnight, a teenager is in police custody linked with the death of a California girl. Eight-year-old Madison Middleton was last spotted Sunday night riding her scooter at her family's Santa Cruz apartment building. Police say a body was found Monday inside the Dumpster at the complex, and they believe it to be Madison's. The 15-year-old suspect, who also lives in that complex, is now

being questioned by police.

BERMAN: The Boy Scouts of America ending its ban on openly gay leaders. And that has Mormon officials threatening to pull church affiliation with the organization. The new policy allows church- sponsored Boy Scout units to choose leaders who share their beliefs, even if that means excluding gays. But despite that compromise, the Church of Latter Day Saints says it is deeply troubled by the new policy and is considering separating from the scouts.

CAMEROTA: A Boston-area detective with more than 30 years of experience now placed on leave for threatening to shoot a wrong-way driver in the head. That driver, identified only as Michael, happened to have a camera mounted on his dashboard during this confrontation. In the video, you can hear Michael react when he realizes that officer Stephen Lebert is an off-duty law enforcement officer. Michael admits he drove the wrong way through a traffic circle, but he said he did not see a sign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL, DRIVER: I didn't know (EXPLETIVE DELETED) -- I didn't know you were a cop.

STEPHEN LEBERT, LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: I'll blow a hole right through your (EXPLETIVE DELETED) head. I'll put a hole through your head. Pull over.

MICHAEL: OK, OK, OK.

LEBERT: You're lucky I'm a cop, because I'd be beating the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out of you right now.

MICHAEL: Geez.

LEBERT: Give me your license. Give me your license!

MICHAEL: OK. I also want to let you know -- OK, I just want to let you know I have a dash camera.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Medford's police chief says he'd like to see what happened before the stop. Still, he calls Detective Lebert's actions troubling.

BERMAN: Happening now, a NATO envoy is holding a rare emergency meeting on Turkey's two-prong defensive against ISIS and also Kurdish militants. Ankara, once reluctant to get involved, is now behind a series of ISIS-targeted airstrikes in Syria. It's the first time this has happened. Senior -- CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is live with more.

Good morning, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

This has been called, this emergency meeting, has been called by Turkey under Article 4. So it's the fifth time ever that NATO has been called together under -- under Article 4. What it means is that Turkey has a concern about is territorial integrity or security. So what those NATO ambassadors will be expecting to hear from Turkey today is for it to outline what its concerns are and how it is tackling those concerns as we have seen increasing strikes against -- against target -- ISIS targets inside Syria, first time ever. And also turning back to its old enemy, the PKK, the Kurdish terrorist organization that it believes is the main threat to stability inside Turkey.

What we've heard from the prime minister of Turkey in the past 24 hours is saying that this is a synchronized effort by Turkey to target its threats at the moment. Normally, the PKK is the most dominant threat. ISIS, until recently, has really sort of been third in that list after assets of what those NATO ambassadors are going to listen for is, is this a real change of position by Turkey or is it doing this for domestic politics that it might reverse this position, i.e., stop targeting ISIS inside Syria sometime in the near future. That's what they'll be listening for.

[06:15:20] And of course these NATO ambassadors inside this important meeting have been long calling for Turkey to take this position last year at a NATO summit here in Britain. The idea and the agreement was, amongst all 28 NATO members, they would surround ISIS and cut off its supply lines. Turkey has not done that until now. Now it is beginning to do that. That, for these NATO members, is very, very important -- Michaela.

PEREIRA: Yes. We'll be watching to see what comes out of those meetings. Thanks so much, Nic.

Back here at home, millions in the Northeast are about to bake under a heat wave. Let's get to meteorologist Chad Myers with the forecast. I understand there's a policy that because of January, February, March in New York City, we're not able to complain now about the heat? Am I correct on that?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. You have to average it out. When it's hot and cold, now you average it out, and you have perfect weather, although it's going to feel like 100 in parts of New York City by the time this is over. The hot weather is moving to the east.

And the problem is that it's going to stay with us for days. Above 90 for days and days here across the northeast. Now, it's going to be hot across the south and the southeast still very muggy, as well. And temperatures in the east, all the way up and down the East Coast. I don't even see a city, unless you're in the mountains, that's going to be below 90 degrees for the next couple days and maybe even for the next week or so.

Get back out to the west, and Dallas is saying, "Nineties? Really? Just get us below 100 one day, and we'll be happy" because the heat is on. I know it's summer, but it's hot. CAMEROTA: Chad, aren't you burning your feet?

BERMAN: He's dancing.

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: Chad Myers dancing across the Northeast heat wave right now, tapping his way into your home.

PEREIRA: Thanks, Chad.

BERMAN: That new CNN/ORC poll is a mixed bag for President Obama. Americans like him OK, but the economy and the Iran nuclear deal, that has people concerned. Our panel weighs in, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:21:12] BERMAN: Brand spanking new poll numbers. You are the very first to learn that in our latest CNN/ORC poll, it shows that President Obama's approval rating is in positive territory for the second month in a row.

But it is not all good news for the president. The public's view of the economy is on the decline, and there is not strong report for the Iran nuclear deal. On the contrary, in fact.

So joining us this morning, Washington bureau chief for the "Chicago Sun-Times," Lynn Sweet; and CNN political reporter Jeff Zeleny.

Lynn, let me start with you. You know, for much of his presidency, especially the second term, the president has been under water in terms of popularity. So for the second month in a row, he's got a positive approval rating. That's not all bad.

LYNN SWEET, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, "CHICAGO SUN-TIMES": No, it's not. I think he's still enjoying the bounce he got after May from some good weeks there, dealing with the Supreme Court ruling on the health affordability act, Obamacare, gay marriage, the stirring speech he gave on race relations following the tragic massacre. So I think he's still enjoying some of that bounce, John, and, I think it's a little too soon for the true ramifications of the Iran deal, plus or minus, to actually soak in, to truly be reflected in these new poll results.

CAMEROTA: And Jeff, before we get to the Iran deal, let's look at what voters say is their top issue, and that's the economy. And here are the latest numbers. And they're really interesting this morning, because only 41 percent of the respondents say that they believe the economy is good. Fifty-two percent -- that rivals 52 percent just a few months ago. So why this downturn, Jeff?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Alisyn, it's interesting. And I think one big reason is you hear so many presidential candidates who are talking down the economy. They are saying the economy is not good under this president. They are saying that, you know, things need to be turned around.

And this is not just Republicans, of course. All 16 Republican candidates are saying that, but even Democratic presidential candidates are saying that, look, you know, things need to get better; things need to improve. So all this discussion about how things need to be turned around, potentially, has filtered into this.

But it also had not trickled down into people's direct lives. Everyone still knows someone who's either out of a job or is working a couple part-time jobs. So it is still a situation that the economy is not as good as it -- as people want it to be.

But the context here is important. It is better than it was three years ago. And for Hillary Clinton, who is running for president -- I'm here in New Hampshire today. She'll be here later on today. That is key. Having a stronger approval rating for the president and stronger economic numbers for the president, that is key for Hillary Clinton.

BERMAN: It's a good point. It might not be good for the president, the economic numbers, but they don't trickle down to her, Hillary.

Lynn, let's talk about the Iran numbers right now, because this is something that could have a big effect on what happens in Washington over the next several months. We asked people out there in the country what they think of the Iranian nuclear deal: Should Congress approve the agreement? Forty-four percent, yes; 52 percent, no. And you know, when we asked them before the deal was actually met, that was reversed. A majority thought a deal should be made. Now that they see the deal, Americans don't seem to like it, Lynn.

SWEET: Well, I think it's because that the voices against it for now, for this week, are louder than the people speaking out for it. You know, today there's a hearing on Capitol Hill. Secretary Kerry is going to be testifying. It's a big, complicated issue. And I think the first impression that people have might not have held when they hear more details.

And certainly, the comments of candidate Mike Huckabee, which you've been talking about a lot on CNN, his Holocaust-reflected remarks, incendiary as they are, I think that helps give the perception that there's a problem here.

I think it's a big job that the administration is facing -- and Jeff knows this and you know this -- to try and sell the deal and explain something so technical and so complex in a simple enough way that people can have a reflection on what this really means, outside of just some of the incendiary rhetoric.

[06:25:13] CAMEROTA: Jeff, let's remind people what Governor Huckabee, who of course is running for president, said about that. He said that basically, the Iran deal marches Israelis into the oven. I mean, he invoked kind of the most graphic Holocaust imagery that you can imagine. So he was asked last night or yesterday if he wanted to walk those statements back and reconsider. And he says, no, he doesn't. So listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will not apologize, and I will not recant, because the word "Holocaust" was invoked by the Iranian government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: There you go. Jeff, what's been the reaction to his comments?

ZELENY: Well, the reaction, of course, from Democrats, from the president, he denounced these remarks while he's traveling in Africa.

Republicans have been certainly not associating themselves with these remarks. Several presidential candidates said, "Look, I would have said things a different way."

But across the board, Mike Huckabee is reflecting the sentiment of this deep skepticism and this deep concern about this Iran deal. But he's also trying to get a bit of attention here. You know, every Republican presidential candidate is grappling for anything they can do to get in the news or get any bit of the spotlight here that Donald Trump has sort of taken away from all of them. So I think that is also behind what Governor Huckabee is saying.

And he has not been consistent on this necessarily. Eight years ago, he said the U.S. should negotiate with some in the region with, you know, this dangerous regime of Iran. So he's not been quite consistent on this.

But his remarks, I think, are designed to feed right into the base here, but it's one of the reasons that the Iran deal, there is skepticism for it. As Lynn said, it's much easier to be against something than for something. And that's what's going on here.

BERMAN: So Lynn, until this moment, this has been a Trump-free segment, but Jeff brought up the "T" word.

Donald Trump, on Sean Hannity last night, talked about something that I think a lot of people running in the Republican Party are concerned about, which is the possibility he might run as a third- party candidate if this whole Republican thing doesn't work out for him. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So many people want me to run as an independent. I don't want to do that. And why would I do that? I'm leading -- with all of the Republicans, I'm leading. And in some cases, you just stated, by a big margin. No, my preference and what I want to do is run as a Republican and win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Lynn, do you think he means it?

SWEET: I think he's situational. Let's talk about Ross Perot and Ralph Nader. OK? They had a platform until the end. And they were spoilers for the candidates who they were more closely aligned with, you know, the Republicans and the Democratic side.

If we were to Talmudically parse what Donald Trump just said, there's plenty of wiggle room in that for him to run as a third-party candidate. In fact, that's what my take away from what he's saying more than anything.

See, you can't live by the polls and be a long term-long, long- running candidate. You know, it's great to say, "I'm on top today. Therefore, you know, I'm going to run as a Republican." He knows, or should know, that he's having a good week. It may not last. So what does he say when he comes in third and fourth in a few weeks? That he's bolting? That's not how -- you know, this is a long game, not a short game.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

SWEET: That's what we should be watching for.

CAMEROTA: And we will be. Lynn, Jeff, thanks so much for helping us understand it all this morning. Great to see you guys.

What is your take? You can tweet us using the hashtag #NewDayCNN or post your comments on Facebook.com/NewDay.

PEREIRA: It is being called one of the worst cases of fraud ever in a federal agency. The alleged victims: severely disabled Americans. The disturbing details uncovered in a CNN investigation, next.

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