Return to Transcripts main page

NEW DAY SUNDAY

Greek Voters To Determine Country's Future; Two Dead, Three Missing After Boat Capsizes; Safe Holiday Festivities After Increased Security; War Of Words Between Jeb Bush And Donald Trump; U.S. Faces Japan In Final. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired July 5, 2015 - 06:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:00:10] VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: A very difficult decision for Greece. Voters deciding right now do they want another bail-out or do they want more control on how to get their country out of default? A shake up that could extend from the prime minister's office to your 401k.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN GUEST ANCHOR: War of words between two Republican rivals. Jeb Bush claims Donald Trump just wants attention. Trump says Bush is out of touch. The race for the White House is getting red hot.

BLACKWELL: And fighting over the flag. Opponents of the confederate flag are out in force. But is there a way that supporters can keep this symbol flying?

KOSIK: Good morning. I'm Alison Kosik in for Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good to be with you.

We are starting this morning with the debt laden Greece crisis where voters are lining up the polls right now deciding the fate of that country.

KOSIK: Those stakes are very high. The country is broke and its banks are on the verge of collapse.

BLACKWELL: The IMF has offered Greece an emergency bailout package, but it comes with tough terms and the promise of more austerity for a country already struggling after years of cutbacks. Today, the Greeks will vote on whether they want to accept the money and the terms.

KOSIK: A yes vote allows Greece to continue negotiating for the money, while a no vote would reject the IMF terms and that could put Greece on the path to leave the euro as its currency.

Elinda Labropoulou is live in Athens. Elinda, do you have any indication yet which way Greeks are voting at this point?

ELINDA LABROPOULOU, JOURNALIST: Well, at the moment the last exit polls we've seen show that the two sides are really neck and neck with one percentage point, which is really within the error of margin. So it's impossible to tell.

So far people here are divided and they don't really seem to understand what they are voting on. The question is quite complex so people have to break it down to their own terms. Those voting for no seem to suggest they're voting for an end to austerity and a bailout on better terms for Greece.

Those voting for yes seem to think that getting a bailout even without getting the best conditions is the only way to keep Greece in the Eurozone. Let's take a listen to what some of the voters had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I believe yes should prevail. There is no other salvation. I hope things will improve. The situation right now is dramatic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): No matter what the outcome is, the measures will be harsh. We should try something different anyway. We've already tried one option so let's try the other option now and let's see what happens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LABROPOULOU: So you see really very different opinions on such a critical question in such a critical time for Greece. When we get to the end of the day, a decision will need to be made. If the yes wins, then the finance minister has already said that he will step down.

He's not prepared to sign another bail-out for Greece that does not include debt relief. We believe there is going to be a lot of pressure for the prime minister to take a very strong stance and many say for him to step down as well.

So what we're looking at, at the moment, could be a day of very fast political developments for Greece and of course, we are looking at crucial financial developments for Greece. The banks have been shut for a week. The main question in everybody's minds at the moment is how are the banks going to reopen and when.

KOSIK: And that is a question that we are still waiting to see what the answer is. Elinda Labropoulou, thanks.

And while that vote may be taking place overseas, it most likely will have an impact here at home, setting the tone for trading this week. Many traders say a yes vote or accepting more austerity could cause U.S. markets to surge.

If it's the more market friendly outcome even if the Greek government is upended, and that's because Greece would get a financial aid package. A no vote rejecting the terms would cause even more uncertainty, something the markets don't like.

Traders say one thing you can expect if Greece does work through this though, more volatility in the markets, at least in the coming days. But interestingly enough, what's happening in Greece didn't happen overnight.

It isn't necessarily a shock to the market. Whatever the outcome it may be dramatic at first, but many believe won't impact U.S. markets in the long-term, especially since Wall Street has more than just Greece on its radar.

Second quarter earnings season begins this week when we get the report cards of U.S. companies from April through June and that may actually wind up being a bigger market mover than Greece.

BLACKWELL: Two people are dead. Three are missing after a rental boat capsized in Kentucky. Officials believe nine people were on the boat and four survivors are now in the hospital. Officials have not been able to send divers into rapidly moving waters, but they continue to search for survivors from the surface.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF GREG FREDERICK, LOUISVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT: We're continuing our search including searches down river of the dam. We still believe we have possibly three additional people in the water and we're going to continue that search with multiple agencies out here. We've also had the metro police helicopter up doing search patterns as well to look for any other survivors.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Now some believe the boat may have struck a bridge, but there are conflicting reports about what exactly caused that pontoon to flip.

KOSIK: More than a dozen people were injured, two critically, when a deck collapsed at a beach house in North Carolina. Police say the victims were all posing for a family photo when the one-story high wooden deck snapped under their feet.

Reuters reports one patients' injuries were to severe that they had to be air lifted from the scene to a local hospital. This comes one month after a balcony collapse in California killed six college students.

BLACKWELL: An increased terror threat force U.S. leaders at home and abroad to increase security ahead of the July 4th holiday, but this morning it seems the extra measures seem to be successful.

Celebrations across the country like the annual fireworks show in New York City had been with no reported terror-related problems. In Washington, weather was the biggest factor that impacted the day. Officials even had to evacuate the National Mall as a precaution during the day.

But last night, the celebrations that went off as planned, President Obama spoke minutes before the July 4th fireworks and he had a message to people who protect our country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: On this day we thank everyone who does so much each and every day to defend our country, to defend our freedom. We are grateful to our armed services. We have grateful to our military families. We are grateful to our veterans. Without you, we could not enjoy the incredible blessings that we do in this greatest country on earth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: All right, so what now? Is the terror threat over? For more, let's bring in CNN law enforcement analyst and former FBI assistant director, Tom Fuentes.

Tom, it wasn't just the July 4th holiday, but also the holy month of Ramadan, and the increased chatter contributed to the increased security. Ramadan goes on until the 15th, I believe. So if there are people listening to ISIS and this call from the spokesman, the threat is not over.

TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: No, that's true, Victor. There are people who are listening to ISIS, but you know, the possibility of any of them going and deciding to do an attack really isn't often holiday specific.

We just saw that last month in Boston June 2nd when Usama Rahim (ph) in a recorded call a man said he was going to go out and behead a police officer. The FBI and Boston PD immediately swept down on him. He pulled a knife and they had to shoot him dead.

It didn't relate to the July 4th holiday. It didn't even relate to Ramadan. He decided in his head the time was now to go and start his attack. Luckily the FBI had a wiretap and heard that conversation.

But that's the new normal for always. These things can happen on any given day at any given time or location based on what the ISIS- wannabe decides to do whether it's Boston, New York, or Garland, Texas, the cartoon contest.

It can be anytime, anywhere and that's kind of a new normal, but it doesn't mean everybody is at this high stage of any second now we're going to be attacked. I think that was true for the July 4th holiday. It's still true during the month of Ramadan, but so far we haven't seen it.

Ramadan ends in a couple of weeks so we'll see if something happens between now and then. I also like to add, I walked all over the mall last night in Washington, D.C., which I've done many years over the July 4th holidays and it was normal.

There was actually probably less people than normal because of a major storm, they evacuated about 4:00 in the afternoon due to weather. I saw a normal amount of police officers and a normal amount of people out there, and it seemed pretty much usual.

BLACKWELL: Normal amount of police officers, normal amount of security. But there was obviously a loudly and clearly articulated concern from federal authorities about July 4th being a date on which someone who wants to put some punctuation on the message --

FUENTES: That's true.

[06:10:05] BLACKWELL: But is there someone or something that there having not been an attack that that could be attributed to? Can anybody take credit?

FUENTES: No. Whoever would have conducted an attack decided not to or it's not their time to do it. The fact there were more police on the street, they like to go kill police officers. So that would not have been a deterrent. That would have encouraged them to go out, because the more police officers out there, the easier it would be to find one to kill.

So I don't attribute the fact that more police were out to them not wanting to attack. That's exactly what they want and when they want to attack, but it's all in their heads. We can't read their mind. We don't know why they do it when they do it and we don't know why when they choose not to like yesterday.

BLACKWELL: All right, Tom Fuentes, thank you.

FUENTES: You're welcome.

KOSIK: Fighting back after a series of attacks from his Republican presidential rival, Jeb Bush comes out swinging. Now Donald Trump is throwing punches of his own. What's he's saying, next.

Plus, the pope is heading to some of the poorest countries in South America and he'll get a rock star welcome. A preview is coming up ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: To the latest punch now in this fight of words between two GOP presidential candidates, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush is sharing his views now on his rival Donald Trump. This comes after Trump made headlines calling illegal immigrants from Mexico rapists, but Bush had this to say about the real estate titan during a campaign stop in New Hampshire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[06:15:08] JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is a guy who was a Democrat for most of the last decade. I don't think he represents the Republican Party and his views are way out of the mainstream of what Republicans think. No one suggests that we shouldn't control our borders.

I mean, everyone has a belief that we should control our borders. But to make these extraordinarily ugly kinds of comments is not reflective of the Republican Party. Trump is wrong on this.

He's doing this -- I mean, he's not a stupid guy, so I don't assume he thinks that every Mexican crossing the border is a rapist. I mean, so he is doing this to inflame and to incite and to get -- to draw attention, which seems to be the organizing principle of his campaign. And he doesn't represent the Republican Party or its values.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Not long after Jeb Bush made those comments Trump said this, here's the quote, "Today, Jeb Bush once again proves that he is out of touch with the American people. He doesn't understand anything about the border or border security. In fact, Jeb believes illegal immigrants who break our laws when they come across our border come out of love.

Trump goes on to say, "As everybody knows, I never said that all Mexicans crossing the border are rapists. Jeb is mischaracterizing my statements only to inflame." All right, meanwhile, according to a recent CNN poll, Trump is seeing a sharp boost in his numbers currently in second place behind Jeb Bush.

KOSIK: And speaking of poll numbers, several presidential hopefuls try to improve their chances in two key primary states. Candidates descended on New Hampshire and Iowa for the 4th of July holiday mixing a little patriotism and politics. Jeremy Roth has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes, elect me. I think that is the right answer.

JEREMY ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): No rest for the weary as presidential candidates worked 4th of July celebrations. GOP hopefuls Jeb Bush, Rick Perry, Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio, and Chris Christie pressed the flesh at parades in New Hampshire. Jeb Bush seemed to enjoy working on a holiday.

BUSH: New Hampshire voters are discerning. They're educated. It gives me a chance to tell the Jeb story and talk about ideas I think are important.

ROTH: Even a former presidential candidate got in on the act. The 2012 Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, greeted crowds at a New Hampshire parade and took a moment to address Donald Trump's comments on undocumented immigrants.

MITT ROMNEY, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think he made a severe error in what he said about Mexican-Americans and I feel it was unfortunate.

ROTH: Campaigning in Glenn, New Hampshire, Democratic frontrunner, Hillary Clinton got specific on issues. She told the crowd she wants to be the small business president.

CLINTON: I want to take a bright light and shine it on every regulation, every licensing requirement, every tax requirement, and take a look at the difficulty of getting credit.

ROTH: Clinton's challenger, Senator Bernie Sanders, in Iowa says his campaign is about working people. SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have got the right issues. We're going to be out spent by big money interests, but we have enough money to run a strong campaign.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: And that was Jeremy Roth reporting.

BLACKWELL: Well, years of preparation come down to just 90 minutes today. The United States women's soccer team looks to rebound from their loss to Japan in the last World Cup. Those same two teams going after the title today, we are live there in Vancouver.

Plus, Billy Joel ending his independence this 4th of July with a surprise wedding. I don't know if ending the independence is what happened this weekend.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:22:25]

BLACKWELL: It's 22 minutes after the hour. Let's take a look at stories making headlines across the country. A fire at a chemical plant in Houston is now under investigation. This broke out late last night, 12 fire departments and a hazmat crew responded to this one.

Now there was a test of the air quality there. It showed low risk. But people who lived near the facility were told to stay indoors and seal up doors and windows. The fire was put out early this morning. Thankfully here, no one was hurt.

Billy Joel is a married man again at their annual 4th of July parade, the musician and his girlfriend, Alexis Roderick, surprised guests by exchanging vows. The pair had dated since 2009. They are expecting their first child this summer. This is the fourth marriage for Joel.

Now for the first time in nearly a decade, there is a new hotdog eating champion. Eight-time winner, Joey Chestnut, went down to Nathan's International Hotdog eating contest on the 4th of July, of course. The winner is Matthew "Megatoad" Stoney. You see it right here next to Chestnut, he devoured 62 hotdogs and buns in 10 minutes, two more than Chestnut.

KOSIK: Sixty two, impressive, Victor?

The Super Bowl of women's soccer just hours away and Team USA is looking for payback against the team that beat them four years ago. But there are plenty of Americans who are there looking for a party.

Coy Wire joins from Vancouver with more. Everyone's watching this one.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Everybody, Alison, Victor, good morning to you. Vancouver is only a 2-hour and 45-minute drive north of Seattle usually. It took me and my producer, Dave, five hours to get here. Thousands of fans have made the trip to see if Team USA can win the women's World Cup for the first time since 1999 and also do what no other country has done is win a third women's World Cup title.

This time around the Americans are the favorites heading into tonight's match. Team USA has been on a mission. They've only given up one goal in the entire tournament and are peaking at just the right time. Confidence is high on Team USA because they know what's on the line. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAUREN HOLIDAY, TEAM USA MIDFIELDER: We've prepared our whole life to play in a World Cup final. I think what's so special about this team is that we've trusted each other, we've trusted our coaching staff the whole time.

JILL ELLIS, TEAM USA HEAD COACH: For me personally, I think it's an amazing opportunity for two great teams. And again, I don't look back. It's the opportunity for these players to have their legacy and write history. I think for both teams they want that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Almost time to watch those lionesses on the prairie, get out there and do their thing. Kick off tonight, guys, is at 7 p.m. Eastern.

KOSIK: Coy, you know, this is almost like a home game for Americans so how excited are those in Vancouver?

WIRE: Well, they're quite excited to say the least. They've had plenty of fun things to do here in Vancouver while they wait for the game. I've checked out the fans zone yesterday, such good energy, everyone having a great time, a soccer field for the kids, games, live music, food trucks.

I even got one person to show me their goal-scoring celebration. You can still buy tickets this morning. On Stubhub a ticket is going for almost five grand. People want to be a part of this.

KOSIK: That's amazing. It's not just the game. It's a party as well. Coy Wire live from Vancouver, thanks.

BLACKWELL: All right, the fight continues over the confederate flag and it ramps up again tomorrow. Right now, protesters in South Carolina are preparing for a demonstration in the capital there. And lawmakers are going to move forward tomorrow with the plan to bring down the flag of the state capital.

But there's also this, supporters of the controversial flag are fighting for its survival and NASCAR fans look to keep the flag flying as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: Mortgage rates inched up this week, have a look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)