following on "new day." a fisherman tossed from his boat, forced to tread water for nearly 24 hours to survive. the story remarkable. what he told himself to keep pushing to stay alive. and people chatting away on their cell phones wishing we could do something about it. this guy took matters into his own hands. we probably don't suggest this. that's coming up. >> i'd have been proud of that guy coming up. >> people are checking a suspected chemical site in damascus. the white house and secretary of state kerry no longer cautious about saying they believe the assad government is using chemical weapons. the question, will syria pay a price for crossing the infame us red line set by president owe ba that? we have this story covered like

no one else including the only western network reporter inside syria. first chris lawrence inside the pentagon. >> the white house ruled out ground troops and a no fly zone but a presidential decision on a limited action could be eminent. the question is at what cost because this morning there is a new warning from russia, warning the u.s. of catastrophic consequences if it strikes syria. within days, president obama's national security team will present him with its final detailed options. the administration is already making the case for taking action against syria. >> presidnt obama believes there must be accountability for those who would use the world's most heinous weapons against the world's most vulnerable people. >> reporter: secretary of state john kerry accused the assad regime of gassing its own people and called it -- >> moral obscenity. >> reporter: if the president gives the order a senior defense

officials says four navy destroyers in the mediterranean sea could execute a mission within hours. u.s. and british submarines are also likely nearby, all armed with cruise missiles. the extremely accurate tomahawks can be fired from 500 miles away, with an ability to change course in mid flight. the potential targets include the delivery systems that can be used to launch weapons, militia training camps being run by bashar al assad and most importantly, the syrian government's command and control centers. >> allahu akbar! >> reporter: they are not designed to overthrow assad's government but send a message to deter any further use of chemical weapons, president obama's red line. >> any time you throw down a diplomatic gauntlet your words have repercussions. >> reporter: now the president is under some pressure to back up his own ultimatum. while the u.s. is consulting with its allies officials tell

us the u.s. does not feel it may be under any pressure to sort of go ahead without a formal coalition and execute an action. in terms of russia, the u.s. has canceled a meeting with russia on syria and the time frame of all of these strikes have to be weighed against the president's supposed visit to russia coming next week. kate in. >> the time line is definitely interesting. that's for sure. thank you, chris. let's go from washington straight to the ground on syria where today weapons inspectors are expected to return to one of the sites of that suspected chemical weapons attack in damascus to look for evidence. cnn is the only western network now reporting from damascus and that is where fred pleitgen is standing by. anything we've learned on what they've learned so farp? >> reporter: they did say their first day yesterday of looking for things was quite productive. they say they managed to get a lot of samples. it's unclear what that is.

there was some video that came out that the opposition put online of a cupical of weapons inspectors standing in front of some plastic bags. it's unclear what was in there and they managed to speak to some victims of the alleged attack, also some of the doctors at the field hospitals who are of course the ones who collected that initial information and as that attack was going on, on wednesday. the syrian government is clearly hearing the message from the united states. the foreign minister on syrian state tv talking about the matter. he said he was in contact with secretary of state kerry on thursday and told kerry to wait for the weapons inspectors to do their work and that the syrian government "also has interest of getting to the bottom of this." what we're seeing on the ground seems to paint a different picture. the syrian government at this point is absolutely pounding the area outside of damascus with artillery right now as we speak and the administration has said that artillery fire can lead to

evidence being compromised in areas where allegedly chemical weapons were used. we turn to home where one of the largest wildfires in history is threatening yosemite national park. it's consumed more than 160,000 acres. crews are determined to keep it from spreading further into yosemite. the question is will they? cnn's nick valencia is live in brooklyn, california. >> reporter: chris, good news this morning, containment is up 20%. it's very difficult to breathe, we're all wearing masks which lets us know this fire is still raging. huge plumes of smoke fill the sky as the rim fire continues to rage nearly out of control. firefighters made small progress on monday saying the fire is still less than a quarter contained, but the dangerous inferno is still rated to have extreme growth potential as

massive flames ignite groves of trees and dry brush. the fire grows is an area roughly the size of chicago. more than two dozen aircraft are being used to fight the fire. the steep terrain making it nearly impossible to access some of the forest by land. campgrounds turned into ashes, this car completely charred. the flames are miles from one of the biggest yosemite landmarks, yosemite valley, home of the half dome, a rock formation that attracts visitors by the thousands of t s per year. the reservoir supplies power sources for san francisco. >> all the ash and loose debris onto the water. >> reporter: as well as several groves of towering sequoias, some of the oldest living things on the planet. groveland, california, is looking more like a ghost town. the owner of this bar says it's peak season leaded into labor

day. when the highway business closed her business is down a staggering 98%. >> everyone who owns businesses here is terrified. >> reporter: the economic impact yet to be seen but businesses and residents are grateful for the firefighters risks their lives to try and contain the inferno. for as much personnel as there is out here this morning, kate, there's only been two injuries reported to the firefighters, minor injuries. for as large as this fire is, no one has died. kate, back to you. >> important to point out. thank you for the update this morning. much of the midwest and the plains states are baking in a late summer heat wave and torrential rain and flood something causing major problems in the west and southwest. indra petersons, what is going snon. >> just imagine temperatures 20 degrees above normal as you're starting the school week and in the southwest the opposite problem, we have the tropical moisture producing flash

flooding. one of the first lessons of the new school year how to beat the heat. students huddle around fans just to stay cool. water bottles, popsicles and ice are small pieces of relief. >> students brought in fans, my friend brought in ice. >> we'll stay hydrated, i think. >> it's just really hot and it's just hard because we're sweating you an all that stuff like that. >> reporter: temperatures across parts of the midwest are soaring into the upper 90s with heat indices in the triple digits. many of the schools aren't equipped with air conditioners, causing some to call for early dismissals and others to cancel the day all together. >> we don't dismiss just cause kids are hot. we dismiss because learning suffers. >> reporter: parents say it's the right move. >> i think it's the right call. it's hot. there's no air conditioning. >> reporter: it may be a heat wave in the heartland but in the

desert it was a wave of dust, a monstrous dust storm called a haboob swept through southern arizona monday evening with visibility less than a quarter of a mile. in southern california, residents are recovering from this weekend's flash floods that waterlogged stores and neighborhoods. the rising water stranded drivers and claimed one life. the national weather service reported a 77-year-old california woman was swept away in her car. unfortunately this huge dome of high pressure will continue to bring heat well above normal for days to come. minneapolis, minnesota, looking for heat warnings there, temperatures that feel like 110 degrees. let's talk about the temperatures, that dome of high pressure bringing them 20 degrees above normal and this isn't a dry heat. this is the warm, humid, hot air that makes it difficult to breathe, 103 expected in des moines. minneapolis, 96, that's 18 degrees above normal. barely a change, maybe one degree of cooling so still, 15

to 20 degrees above normal even all the way in through thursday so this heat is here to stay and unfortunately that means for these poor children very tough start to the school week. >> thanks so much for the update, indra. we heard very emotional testimony from survivors and family members who were left behind following the 2009 massacre at ft. hood. army major nidal hasan is facing the death penalty. witnesses told the military court how hasan's actions turned their lives upside down. ed lavender has more from texas. >> reporter: this was the immediate aftermath of athe ft. hood massacre, emergency crews scrambled to save lives but the real impact of that horrific day is only now coming into full view. the jury in the trial of nidal hasan is hearing emotional testimony from a dozen witnesses including relatives of those killed and victims who survived. staff sergeant patrick zeigler was shot four times, once in the

head. doctors had to remove 20% of his brain. zeigler says he's retiring from the army in october and fears he'll never be able to hold a regular job. he told the jury it's affected every facet of my personality. i am a lot angrier, a lot darker than i used to be. 20-year-old private francesca va l valez was pregnant, others could hear her screaming "my baby! my baby!" before her voice went silent. her father said this man did not just kill 13 people. he killed my daughter and grandson and he killed me slowly. prosecutors will be calling more victims relatives and survivors to testify tuesday and it will be nidal hasan's final chance to

speak and then the jury will have to determine if the army psychiatrist will be sentenced to die or spend the rest of his life in prison. ed lavandera, cnn, ft. hood, texas. >> thank you for that. there is a lot of news developing at this hour. straight to michaela with the latest. >> the body of an arizona teenager who had gone missing last week in oregon has been found. 1-year-old jonathan croom's body was spotted a short distance from an suv, his death being investigated as a suicide. he was grieving the end of a relationship and talked about running away from society, like in the book "into the wild." now that george zimmerman has been acquitted in the death of the unarmed teenager trayvon martin, zimmerman's legal team plans to ask the state of florida to pay up to $300,000 of his legal expenses, that would cover some of the money spent on expert witnesses, under a florida law an acquitted

defendant can ask the court to pay some of the costs in the case. a break of measles eight a megachurch, all leegd to the eagle mountain megachurch. most of the people who had gotten sick had not been vaccinated against measles. the church is offering vaccination to its members. a small drone aircraft that was capturing video of the event dropped suddenly from the sky into the stands. remarkably officials say just four or five people suffered minor injuries. finally, who is that goat in the mirror? this baby goat named charlotte didn't care for what she saw, felt that goat was disrespecting her. head butted her in the mirror.

charlotte, sometimes i feel like doing the same thing. >> like on monday, no, no, no! >> here is a bigger request he, why is a goat in the house. >> pet goat, can they be house trained? >> i don't know. >> not mirror trained. >> that's good. >> not mirror trained, think about that one. it worked. >> we're ending it there. that was good. let's take a break everybody and we'll rejoin after this. back to school means a lot of things for a lot of kids but the students in newtown, connecticut, have a very unique experience returning to class after eight months since the big massacre. who does it mean for them? what's it like being back at school? new safety and the same fears. plus, would you pay extra for a child-free flight? there's a price for that on one budget airline and we're going to bring you the details. play close. good and close. discover the new way to help keep teeth clean and breath fresh. new beneful healthy smile food and snacks.

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welcome back to "new day." students in newtown, connecticut, return to school this morning for the first time since the december massacre that left 26 people dead. most of them children. parents and children are on edge tess bite new safety measures and many are wondering what it will take for these kids to stay safe again. pamela brown joins thus morning. >> this is not your typical back-to-school in newtown, connecticut. first off kids who would have attended sandy hook elementary will be going to another school instead. they will be facing teachers and more armed guards. this is a solemn reminder. >> it's still day to day and we have better days than others. >> reporter: as mark and jackie

bardens and their two children, 11-year-old natalie and 13-year-old james, back to school in newtown, connecticut, it's yet another painful reminder of what's missing. >> this will be our first time back to school without daniel. >> reporter: daniel was one of 20 children and six educators killed during the horrific shooting spree last december. the bardens still struggling with what were once joyous occasions. >> we don't know how we'll deal with thanksgiving and december and all of that is coming and i don't want to think about it. >> one of the big milestones is back to school. >> imagine him going to second grade. >> reporter: as the newtown system welcomes back more than 5,000 kids today the school board says it's doing everything it can to put families at ease. >> this is no normal back to school on tuesday. >> no, it's not a normal back to school but we're trying to put

the resources in place. >> reporter: resources like better locks on doors, real time monitoring systems and more armed guards at every school. >> parents will definitely see armed security at each school and there will be additional guards at multiple schools. >> reporter: the gardens want to see changes like more kindness toward others to make sure the tragedy that took their son's life never happens again. >> we have to try to do the good work that he was supposed to do here. we're going to try our best to do it for him. >> talking about the good work the garden family gave me this bracelet here, "what would daniel do" and the whole idea is to show acts of kindness day to day for people and we talked about safety changes and more are expected to take place in newtown schools over the course of the year. it's not just newtown, by the way. school districts across the country are adding more armed security guards to their schools especially elementary schools.

three states have recently pass laws allowing teachers to carry handguns on campus and some changes are controversial. >> yes, the armed guards we have them in colleges, high schools and on the elementary level, that's the question. what did you get the sense in terms of how the community feels about having the armed presence? >> there's definitely mixed reaction to this. the barden family for one said they're concerned having more armed guards especially at the elementary schools might alarm the kids, might be a reminder of why they have to be there. so there was some concern among the parents. she told me the officers have been trained to talk with the kids so that they are not too alarming when they show up for school today but certainly there's mixed reaction. the barden family for one thinks they need to start within the school talking about showing acts of kindness and more social awareness, that's the biggest change they want to see. >> obviously it's controversial

but they had enough votes to move in that direction because there's pressure to keep our kids safe. kate? >> thanks, chris. coming up next on "new day" the brewing political fight over raising the debt ceiling. deja vu all over again? john king will break it down in the political gut check. would you pay extra to make sure children were not sitting next to you on a plane? at least one airline now giving you that option. [ male announcer ] these days, a small business can save by sharing.

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>> announcer: this is "new day" with kate bolduan, kate bolduan and michaela pereira. >> welcome back to "new day." it is tuesday, august 27th. coming up a rodeo clown running scared, he's gotten death threats over a bid he did about president obama. it's gone viral and now he's speak being the controversial ordeal. >> possible controversy or maybe not at all, one airline isn't kidding around, it's created a in kid zone for travelers who don't want to deal with unruly children during their flight. is it helping passengers or just another way for the airlines to charge you? >> or both. first let's get to michaela for top stories now. taking a look at syria, it is our top story at this hour. u.n. inspectors expected to examine alleged chemical weapons attack sites around damascus for a second day. the obama administration believes chemical weapons were used and blames the ashad reseem.

secretary of state john kerry calls the evidence undeniable. he says president obama will be making an informed decision on a response to in the coming days. to california where the massive rim fire keeps spreading north and northeast. firefighters have made some progress in containing it. the fire has destroyed part of yosemite national park. the fire is 20% contained now. there is an army of 3,600 firefighters furiously trying to get the upper hand on that blaze. convicted killer jodi arias will have to wait a little bit lang longer to find out when her sentencing retrial will begin. the judge will give prosecutors time to respond to monitor the activity of jurors on twitter. arias was convicted of murdering boyfriend travis alexanders but jurors deadlocked on whether she should get the death penalty. a man from yarmuth, massachusetts, drove a truck

into a convenience store. he tries to back up, striking a post several times before finally getting out and driving off. police caught up with him eventually about three miles away. i want to show you this, this is quite some video, the city of nara, japan, being overrun by seika deeika deer. they apparently visit down to cool down. drivers generally get out of the way and sometimes they see some of the potted plants in the area get nibbled on. otherwise folks take pictures and carry on their way. they're not spooked at all. >> like the middle of the city, beautiful. >> flash mob. deer style. >> michaela, thanks so much. let's move now to our political gut check all the news you need to know come out of

washington. the big story this morning the white house telling cnn that president obama will be presented with final options for possible military action against syria in the next few days. here to break it down for us is cnn's chief national correspondent john king. it's amazing how the priorities before the administration and congress can change seemingly overnight. the president indicated telling chris that it's an abbreviated time frame that he is looking at. what are the factors that he's taking into consideration and the pressures that the president is facing in terms of how to, what to announce and when. >> well, number one, they're trying to look and scrub these military options to get a sense of what would be most effective. they want to deliver a blow to the assad regime, want to get the regime's attention, want to do it in a way that does not cause any damage in terms of the stockpiles. you're trying to decapitate the regime's ability to launch any further attacks. they're trying to build an international coalition, they don't believe they could go to

the united nations so the president and secretary kerry, secretary hagel at the defense department reaching out to traditional nato allies like britain and france and arab league countries. they say a formal endorsement is not necessary. would they like one, yes. do they think they'll get one, they said that's not necessary but they're trying to reach a broad consensus for action. ifts told the urgency is to get to a decision point for what happens in the next few days, not weeks. >> you get a sense this is kicking into high gear, this is the focal point for the administration. how does it also play into this the fact that the president is set to leave for russia next week for the g-20 summit. >> you're going to have a large international gathering with a number of nations who will support the president in the early days with the military action under way or just completed and you'll have some huge objections at the g-20. we assume russia among them, the key benefactor of syria in the region.

the president would like to have clarity of mission here for that big international meeting and also clarity of mission for the american people. remember, this is something this president has been very, very, very i could keep going on the verys hesitant to do. he knows public opinion, 25% of americans support military action, 46% oppose it. one recent poll, this president came to national prominence in politics saying i'm going to get out of the middle east, end iraq and afghanistan but they decided they're past the point of no return and among the things look for the president and others to do over the next several days is release to the public more intelligence, satellite images and "the new york times" says some signal intelligence, radio or telephone conversations that the administration says you heard secretary kerry say "without a doubt, without a doubt" proves the regime was behind this attack. >> when you take into account the poll numbers, the country is war weary, there is no question about that and you also look back home to what congress and washington was traditionally

going to be dealing with when they come back from the august recess. do you think any military action or especially an extended engagement would completely overshadow some of the battles we were expecting, more of the political battles we were expecting come september like the debt ceiling fight? >> yes and no. no in the sense conservatives will dig in saying this president spends too much, they don't want to raise the debt limit unless they get significant concessions. republicans haven't passed a budget for next year but will they have a fight over another sequester but spending limits. will we have a fight over the health care plan? yes, no question about that. you are in the middle or right around a significant military action overseas there tends to be a rally around the president. i'm not trying to connect the two at all. if the president makes this tough decision we've seen in the past any president regardless of party tends to get a bit of a rally around the commander in

chief moment in the early days of such an episode. >> when you look at the debt ceiling fight the treasury secretary saying you're going to need to raise the debt ceiling earlier than expected, they'll come up upon their borrowing limit mid-october. >> it adds urgency to it. congress will be back and a lot of the lawmakers have been home in august checking in with constituents. everything that happens is a brick in the foundation of the 2014 midterm elections and the president's allies are going to come back saying let's prove we can keep the government running and get this over with. conservatives are going to say we want more concessions. deja vu all over again. we're going to go through a fight we've seen many times before. one thing you don't hear as much as did you in the past go arounds is the idea of shutting down the government, but let's see when they come back. sometimes we get surprised when congress comes back. >> thank you so much, john. we'll talk to you soon.

coming up on "new day," here's a provocative question, where is lamar odom, basketball star, husband of reality figure khloe kardashian. his agents say they know where is he. plus do you have a wish your air travel came with a little less kicking and screaming from someone else's child? one budget carrier may have an upgrade that you just can't refuse. we'll have those details ahead. and before we go, time for another "crossfire" classic lookback. >> well the country is about to celebrate the 50th anniversary of dr. king's "i have a dream" speech. at this point it's almost impossible to imagine that it was ever controversial to want to honor dr. king, but in 1983, it certainly was to jerry falwell when he came on "crossfire." >> why not a martin luther king day? >> i just feel that there are

other black americans and the corporate body of black americans who are due honor more than one recent individual about whom there is a great question mark even to this moment. >> what is the question mark? >> the question mark is that so far all the records are sealed and neither you, tom more i know what they'll say. >> you talking about his personal character and personal life as well as any connection -- >> he may be as clean as billy graham but we don't know that because the records are sealed. nope eeeeh... oh, guys let's leave the deals to hotels.com. nice bear. ooh that one! nice. got it! oh my gosh this is so cool... awesome! perfect! save up to 30% plus an extra 12% off with coupon... now until labor day. only at hotels.com

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welcome back to "new day." we start in the west bank where israeli forces opened fire on a palestinian refugee camp. gym clancy has more. >> reporter: israeli troops killed three palestinians and wounded 15 more in a refugee camp on the west bank near

jerusalem. israel insists a mob attacked the soldiers with rocks and building materials. palestinians contend some victims were shot inside their homes. the violence was the worst since the resumption of peace talks and while it may not stall the process, clearly it isn't going to help. kate, back to you. >> jim, thank you so much. deadly mudslides are wreaking havoc in mexico and the worst may not be over. nick parker has that from mexico city. >> state media reporting at least 13 people have been killed in the eastern state of veracruz after tropical depression fernand made landfall. it brought heavy rains, triggering a series of mudslides in several places, burying homes. the storm has weakened but it's expected to dump eight inches of rain over several mexican states. forecasters are warning of further mudslides. kate? >> nick, thank you so much. and in switzerland, they've put i guess you could call a new twist on what some would say is

the world's oldest position. erin mclaughlin explains. >> reporter: kate, zurich opened up its first sex drive-through. the largest city in switzerland now home to nine garage-style structures equipped with alarm buttons and security personnel. the so-called sex boxes will be open from 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. and can only be accessed by vehicle, part of a program designed to increase safety for sex workers as well as cut back on open street prostitution and it's all perfect legal in switzerland. back to you, kate. >> all right, erin, thank you so much. sex boxes. moving on, now to the latest trend in flying, would you pay extra a specially designate nod kid zone? be honest. low cost asian airline is giving passengers the option to do that, carving out a space where children under 12 aren't allowed. other airlines are following suit, it sounds like heaven to

some but the pressing question, is it fair? cnn's christine romans is here. >> who cares if it's fair? i need to get a quiet bit of work on an airplane. is my kid we're talking about, too, so i come to this with a little bit of prejudice. would you pay, chris cuomo, $15 to fly on a flight and not listen to this? >> that will wake you up. >> adorable but for $15 you don't have to listen to toddlers or screaming kids. nobody will be kicking the back of your seat unless it's a grown adult. under 12. kid free zone. the airlines say we love your children but we'll put them someplace else in the airplane, the seats are $15 extra, more leg room and the young children are somewhere else on the flight. >> mom, i have a question. logistically, where is this trave, voices travel. they have lungs on them. >> the proximity has power.

>> is there demand for this or just another way for airlines to make money? >> there's demand for it and another way for them to make money. we've seen malaysian airlines also a long haul flight, jumbo jet about a child-free zone in coach class and the first seven rows of coach in air asia x are quiet zone, no one under 12 and malaysia airlines banned infants from first class. baby going up and down and the ears start to pop it's difficult. >> whatever, it's mixing business and vacation. the business people are there for business, professional travelers, they got work to do and having kids, look, i got three of them. christine and i were -- >> you want to see that. >> i pay extra to put my own kids in a different area. >> how about hiring a nanny, somebody for $15 take my child to the back of the plane while i sit in the front. i don't think they're going to do it in the u.s. because there's a sensitivity to discriminating against families who are traveling and that is a

big part, but will you see -- >> families may want it. i would like to be around all other people who are all in the same suck, you know what i mean, not putting it on somebody else. >> same joy. >> there is no joy. >> it's painful for me to watch my children kicking someone else's seat. we try figure that out. >> what happens when that section completely fills up, though? >> the way they're making money in this country is charging you for everything else. the list of things i have -- >> your bag is like $500. >> change fees have gone up. this year they've gone up to $200 from $150 on the major carriers. so if you want to change your flight, 200 bucks like now if you're a family traveling, you're talking about another 1,500 bucks because it's 200 bucks a ticket. $6 billion in fees last year, that's why i think things like paying extra to not sit next to kids is something that at least the airlines might consider in this country but i don't think it will fly. >> i'm wondering if that's a

business expense. >> it's easier for the families to be around each other, some of the worst spousal flights happen. people giving you looks, your kids act out because they know they have power because they know you can't do what you'll normally do because of the other people around. >> it's like putting a tornado in a bottle on an airplane, a tornado in a bottle next to you. >> and right when they land they go to sleep. bill cosby skit is the best. >> jeffrey, jeffrey. i pay 15 bucks but who is going to take care of my kids? >> i will any day says the woman with no children. thanks. coming up next on "new day" a bombshell report was the famous battle of the sexes tennis match rigged? and we got some fishermen that got a lot more than they bargained for. their catch of the day is our must see moment. #%tia[

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. ♪ ♪ you are a wild one welcome back to "new day." today's must see moment comes from a boat off the coast of the dominican republic. look at this incredible video. >> whoa! >> that, my friends, is -- >> [ bleep ]. >> that's a really, really close

call. fisherman hooked a fish and were reeling it in, suddenly a 350-pound blue marlin unexpectedly leaps into the boat and nearly spears one of the crew members. they struggle for several minutes before getting it under control. this crew usually releases all the fish they catch back into the ocean, but this one apparently died of self-sustained injuries and they ended up giving it to local fishermen. >> also known as for trying to kill us. >> we will kill you. >> i cannot comment on that but the fish did not live to tell the story. >> sport fish something amazing. that was a really big marlin but can you imagine being that guy, how lucky he was? >> it really shows. >> just by seconds. >> the sheer strength of these fish. >> it could have killed him easily. >> i love that it was all caught on tape. >> the captain was shooting it, the captain's above them on the fly bridge. >> i bet it was jumping around all over the place and i bet he

was going this is going to be a good one. >> once that guy stopped freaking out, it was him who took him a few minutes to calm down, not the fish. >> that's a good point. >> i ju'd jump in the water. coming up the obama administration believes the syrian government poisoned its own people. question, what happens now? we'll tell you. and firefighters some progress in the fire in the yosemite national park but it is still spreading. where does the fire fight stand? we'll have that at the top of the hour. miley cyrus getting a lot of criticism for what many people are calling her raunchy performance last night at the awards show. remember the good old days when the most embarrassing thing a member of the cyrus family would

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did you know that college football players aren't supposed to get paid for ining autographs? >> no way. >> allegedly why did heisman trophy winner johnny "football" manziel, he could soon be disciplined for signing autographs for money. andy scholes told me. was that right, andy, did i get it right? >> you got it right. the entire college football world is waiting to see what will happen with johnny football in college station. according to espn officials from the ncaa questioned manziel for about six hours on sunday about his involvement with various autograph brokers and if the ncaa determines manziel accepted money to sign autographs he could be ruled ineligible for the entire season.

a day after a report surfaced that lamar odom disappeared after an apparent fight with his wife khloe kardashian. his agent says khloe knows where he is. odom will release a statement saying he's addicted to prescription drugs. trending on bleacherreport.com, first round of the u.s. open serena williams was dominating francesca schiavone. poor schiavone was so demoralized she goes over to the ball boy to get a hug. that's mid match. she said after the match it was just a really, really tough day. >> that's actually really sweet and the ball boy has no idea what to do. >> he's like yeah, want a ball? oh. >> hand you a ball or a towel,

hugs were not included in my contract, very awkward. thanks, andy, i'd hug you but you're on a tv screen. time for the rock block, quick roundup of stories talking about today. >> can you get rain checks for hugs. i don't know. driving blindly. "consumer reports" found many of the 2014 cars, trucks and suvs have bigger blind spots. efforts to reduce tobacco sales to minors, all 50 states and washington, d.c., met an overall goal of cutting sales to minors. when does a baby start learning how to talk? a study from finland claims babies can learn words heard frequently inside of their mother's womb. debt ceiling drama on the way. treasury secretary jack lew says the u.s. will reach its borrowing limit by mid-october. republicans say there's no way

the deal will be done without spending cuts. fidelity investments average 401(k) balance came in $80,600. have you been employed for your plan, your average is more like $211,800, up next 19% from a year ago and drum roll, please, facebook's total market value stands at $100 billion, facebook stock up nearly 2% yesterday closing at $41.34 a share. nais book up 55% this year compared with a 16% gain for the s&p. facebook a year after the ipo finally paying off for investors. indra petersons has the weather. we'll take you one by one, temperatures 20 degrees above normal, making it very tough even almost to breathe in the midwest, 103 expected in des

moines today. taking it farther to the east, severe weather around the great lakes and spotty showers into the northeast and back out west tropical moisture still in the picture. hint of good news could mean showers around yosemite where they need it. they are concerned in burn areas too much rain at once. they have flash flood warnings in the bare today. >> just getting hit twice. thank you. we're now at the top of the hour which means it's time for the top news. >> make no mistake, president obama believes there must be accountability for those who would use the world's most heinous weapons. >> target syria. the u.s. taking aim at a possible military strike in syria. we're the only network live inside. yosemite on fire, a wildfire taking aim at the park's most treasured sites. firefighters now gaining the upper hand as wild weather sweeps across the nation. just look at this giant dust

storm. rigged? a bombshell new report on the epic battle of the sexes. billie jean king versus bobby riggs. did he throw the match as part of a deal with the mob? >> your "new day" starts right now. >> what you need to know. >> we don't dismiss because kids are hot. we dismiss because learning suffers. >> announcer: what you just have to see. this is "new day" with chris cuomo, kate bolduan and michaela pereira. >> good morning, welcome back to "new day," tuesday, august 27th, 7:00 in the east, coming up this hour, former students of donald trump's "university" are coming forward slamming the program. one man says the program is a fraud and that donald trump needs to do the right thing by those he duped. the donald is facing a $40 million lawsuit over this.

he denies the accusations but the alleged proof could be fairly significant, we'll show it to you. you remember the rodeo clown who created an uproar when he wore a mask of president obama during one of his performances at a state fair. the stunt got him banned from the fair. he's now speaking out saying it was only a joke and that it had nothing to do with race but the fury may not have fully died down. he also says he's received death threats. we'll have an update. we have an exclusive here on "new day." you remember the story about the fisherman who went overboard during the storm, treaded water for 24 hours without a life vest off the coast of florida? we get to speak with him live about that unimaginable experience, how does he able to do it and what was that moment of rescue like? that's coming up. we begin with breaking news overnight out of syria, the u.s. and its allies appear to be laying the groundwork for a response to the syrian regime

and its alleged chemical attack on its own team. u.n. inspection has been postponed again because of security concerns. we have this story like only cnn can including the only western reporter in syria. we start with chris lawrence at the pentagon. >> chris, u.s. officials don't need to wait on the u.n. inspectors and now we may be on the verge of finding out why. the u.s. could release its intelligence estimate of what happened at that alleged chemical weapons atack as soon as today. but russia is already warning of "catastrophic consequences" if the u.s. goes ahead with a strike on syria. within days, president obama's national security team will present him with its final detailed options, and the administration is already making the case for taking action against syria. >> president obama believes there must be accountability for those who would use the world's most heinous weapons against the world's most vulnerable people.

>> secretary of state john kerry accused the assad regime of gassing its own people and calling it -- >> a moral abis enity. obscenity. >> reporter: if the president gives the order a senior defense officials says four navy destroyers in the mediterranean sea could execute a mission within hours. u.s. and british submarines are also likely nearby, all armed with cruise missiles. the extremely accurate tomahawks can be fired from 500 miles away, with an ability to change course in mid flight. the potential targets include the delivery systems that can be used to launch weapons, militia training camps being run by bashar al assad and most importantly, the syrian government's command and control centers. >> allahu akbar! >> reporter: the options are not designed to overthrow assad's government but send a message to deter any further use of chemical weapons, president obama's red line. >> any time you throw down a diplomatic gauntlet your words

have repercussions. >> reporter: now the president is under some pressure to back up his own ultimatum. they have the president coming forward to explain to the american people what's going to be done but in between that and the president traveling to russia at the end of next week seems to be a narrow window where a strike could take place. kate? >> getting narrower as we speak. thank you for that update from the pentagon. with the u.s. possibly leaning toward military action in syria, what is going on inside the country? cnn's fred pleitgen is the only western network in the country. he joins us live from damascus. despite warnings from the united states of destroying evidence on the ground, you said last hour that you're still seeing syrian forces are pounding that area. what more are you learning?

>> they're pounding it more than i've ever seen them hit it before. artillery strikes as well as mortar strikes on the suburbs of damascus, the areas where the chemical weapons were allegedly used. however the syrian government also appears to be hearing the messages that it's getting out of washington. there was a press conference by the syrian foreign minister which is actually still going on where he said the reason why the syrians are pounding those areas so heavily is because they are afraid that they will get overrun by the armed opposition, that of course controls that area. as we said the u.s. doesn't buy that at all. they think that the syrians are tryinging to destroy evidence out there. the interesting thing about this press conference is that the syrian foreign minister directly addressed secretary of state kerry saying that it was not the syrians who were holding up the chemical weapons inspectors. they've been asking for chemical weapons inspectors to come into the country for months and it was the international community that was delaying their coming down here, of course today we're hearing that the weapons

inspectors are not going to be able to go out and collect evidence today because of security concerns. the syrian government says it's because different rebel groups have not been able to reach some sort of compromise as to securing the weapons inspectors on the ground. however, of course, it is another blow to the mission that's already been delayed for a long time. kate? >> a defiant it seems in the face of all of its growing international pressure to face the music on this. thanks so much, fred pleitgen in damascus, thanks. there's been a lot of talk on the situation. joining us is "daily beast "senior writer and sear o senio fellow, do you think there will be military action? >> very likely. >> do you think it will be air strike or on the ground? >> air strike. i think the obama administration is pretty clear they want to avoid u.s. troops on the ground at all costs. >> unilateral or through coalition and if so who is in that coalition? >> i think probably britain and

france, germany. i'm sure the united states would love some at least rhetorical support from some of the arab countries that are against syria as well. >> is that advisable for the u.s. to go it alone? >> the obama administration is trying to walk a line. they don't want to get so involved that the cost could be high, the american people are against that, and they're frankly concerned about the rebels fighting against assad. i'm not sure they want to bring them to power but they want to send the message you can't use chemical weapons today. >> if they're worried about punishing assad but not too much because they don't believe the rebels are ready to rule. what situation -- >> that's right if you looked at kerry's statement, he said almost nothing about the larger syrian civil war and assad himself. he focused only on chemical weapons. i think they're going to try to narrowly focus this on the international norm that you should never use chemical weapons to punish that for future foeshl dictators who might but to stay out of the

larger conflict. >> the u.s. situation is starting to remind me of kosovo here where you want to get in, there's human atrocity but don't know how to get out. i think the suggestion is here it might only be for days and in kosovo we want to change battles on the ground. they're trying to send a message that nobody can use chemical weapons and get away with it. >> we interviewed the president last thursday night and he says hold on, chris. the international community and we have laws and american people and afghanistan, slow down, take it easy. now they look like they're in a hurry to use force as quickly as possible. why? what is the calculation? >> obama's larger desire is not to get america into a third middle eastern conflict. but he had gone out and said himself that if the syrian regime used chemical weapons

that would be considered a red line. once he put himself out there, i think it was difficult for him given the gravity of this attack, a truly horrendous attack with chemical weapons for him to do nothing. >> ironically, quick take, does russia saying don't do this help the chances that it doesn't have to be a military response? >> no, but my guess would be we're trying to send a message to the russian this is is going to be a limited strike. we're not trying to overthrow assad and that will lead their response to not be that severe. >> peter beinart thank you for the insight. let's turn to dangerous weather at home, the fierce wildfire burning in and around yosemite national park showing no signs of letting up and it's threatening san francisco's water supply and power grid. the rim fire burned through almost 161,000 acres so far, the 13th largest wildfire inle kaical history. cnn's nick valencia is live in groveland, california, tracking it all this morning. good morning, nick. >> reporter: good morning, kate.

good news this morning, the containment is up to 20%, up from 15% yesterday but the smoke this morning is just miserable. constant reminder there's a wildfire still raging. huge plumes of smoke fill the sky as the rim fire continues to rage nearly out of control. firefighters made small progress on monday saying the fire is still less than a quarter contained, but the dangerous inferno is still rated to have extreme growth potential as massive flames ignite rows of trees and dry brush. the fire inched near yosemite national park growing to an area roughly the size of chicago. northern two dozen aircraft are used to fight the fire, the steep terrain making it impossible to access some of the forest by land. campgrounds turned into ashes, this car completely charred but the flames are still miles from one of the biggest yosemite landmarks, yosemite valley, home of the half dome, a rock formation that attracts

thousands of tourists every year. >> visitors are here by the thousands, going through the north entrance. year to that's not going to happen. >> reporter: the reservoir supplies power sources for san francisco. >> all the ash and loose debris onto the water. the water gets contaminated, that's bad. >> reporter: as well as several groves of towering sequoias, some of the oldest living things on the planet. groveland, california, is looking more like a ghost town. the owner of this bar says it's peak season leaded into labor day. with the highway closed into yosemite, she says her business is down a staggering 98%. >> everyone who owns businesses here is terrified. >> reporter: the economic impact yet to be seen but businesses and residents are grateful for the 3,700 firefighters risks their lives to try and contain the inferno. given the size of this fire, chris, and how many firefighters are fighting it, it's remarkable to note that one has died. back to you.

>> it is important. it shows you it could be worse what's going on out there. a late summer heat wave has parts of the midwest and plains states sweltering. heat advisories are in effect for seven states. let's figure out what this means. we have cnn meteorologist indra petersons on it of course tracking these high pressure systems. what does it mean? >> temperatures literally 20 degrees above normal. you add in the humidity many feel like 100 to 110 degrees. one of the first lessons of the new school year, how to beat the heat. students huddle around fans just to stay cool. water bottles, popsicles and ice are small pieces of relief. >> students brought in fans, my friend brought in ice. so we're going to pass out ice. >> we have water bottles right up there so we'll stay hydrated i think. >> it's just really hot and it's just hard because we're sweating you an all that stuff like that.

>> reporter: temperatures across parts of the midwest are soaring into the upper 90s with heat indices in the triple digits. many of the schools aren't equipped with air conditioners, causing some to call for early dismissals and others to cancel the day all together. >> we don't dismiss just cause kids are hot. we dismiss because learning suffers. >> reporter: parents say it's the right move. >> i think it's the right call. it's hot. there's no air conditioning. >> reporter: it may be a heat wave in the heartland but in the desert it was a wave of dust, a monstrous dust storm called a haboob swept through southern arizona monday evening with visibility less than a quarter of a mile. in southern california, residents are recovering from this weekend's flash floods that waterlogged stores and neighborhoods. the rising water stranded drivers and claimed one life. the national weather service reported a 77-year-old california woman was swept away in her car. you can see what a huge area the

midwest is dealing with advisories and warnings. minneapolis, temperatures feeling like 115 in some places, 100, 105 when you combine the temperature alone with the humidity. let's talk about the temperatures that dome of high pressure holding in strong and these temperatures are 20 degrees above normal. that's without even factors in the humidity alone. des moines today 103 degrees. talking about 96 degrees in minneapolis, st. louis 96. is it just a one-day event, are we going to get relief? unfortunately not. through tomorrow barely any relief, maybe a degree. 101 expected in des moines, still about 94 degrees, taking you further in through thursday that high pressure is holding on and we're talking about temperatures. that's 90 to 100 degrees without the humidity. combine that 110 degrees it's way too hot. >> it's 20 degrees above the norm, amazing. >> no thank you. >> but thank you, indra. let's move to texas where we're expecting another dramatic day of testimony in the sentencing phase of army major

nidal hasan's court-martial. prosecutors expect to call more victim's relatives and ft. hood survivors to testify, pushing for a rare military death sentence for hasan. ed lavandera is live in texas with more. give us a preview, ed. >> reporter: good morning, kate. this trial is now into its fourth week and yesterday's testimony is by far the most exh na excruciati excruciating. victims talk about depression and thoughts of suicide. the wounds from that day are more than just physical. this was the immediate aftermath of the'hood massacre. emergency crews scrambled to save lives but the real impact of that horrific day is only now coming into full view. the jury in the trial of nidal hasan is hearing emotional testimony from a dozen witnesses including relatives of those

killed and victims who survived. staff sergeant patrick zeigler was shot four times, once in the head. doctors had to remove 20% of his brain. zeigler says he's retiring from the army in october and fears he'll never be able to hold a regular job. he told the jury it's affected every facet of my personality. i am a lot angrier, a lot darker than i used to be. 21-year-old private francesca valez was prg naent when she was gunned down in the processing building. other survivors said they could hear her screaming "my baby! my baby!" before her voice went silent. her father juan velez testified "this man did not just kill 13 people. he killed my grandson and he killed me slowly." for the first time in court, nidal hasan appeared flustered, repeatedly asking the judge for breaks during the testimony. prosecutors have seven or so more witnesses they want to call

to the witness stand to talk to the jury about the impact of the ft. hood massacre has had on their lives and then it will be nidal hasan's turn, his last chance to speak to the jury and it's unclear how he's going to react and what he may or may not say. kate and chris? >> many twists and turns in this court-martial so far. good morning to you at home. george zimmerman's legal team plans to ask the state of florida to pay up to $300 of his legal expenses to cover some of the money spent on expert witnesses, travel expense answer transcript fees during his murder trial. he was acquitted in the death of unarmed teenager trayvon martin. under florida law an acquitted defendant can ask the court to pay some of the costs in the case. army private bradley manning's decision to drop the bombshell he wanted to live as a woman named chelsea happened after a military prison said it would not provide hormone treatment even though manning had been diagnosed with gender

identity disorder by an army psychiatrist who testified had the ace trial. his attorney revealing new details to the associated press including chelsea manning's new middle name elizabeth. democrats in congress want to know if the nss has supplied the dea with intelligence. reuters report claims a secretive dea unit passes nsa information out to agents from the irs, the fbi and the department of homeland security. little sarah murnaghan the brave 11-year-old who endured two adult lung transplants in june, she is going home. doctors say she's come a long way, she is free of oxygen from using an oxygen tank for the first time in two and a half years. she still needs a machine to help her breathe. murnaghan has end stage cystic

fibrosis. earlier this year a judge allowed her to be considered earlier on the adult lung transplant list. we wish her a wonderful welcome home. bad case of road rage in russia. distracted driver talking on the phone nearly causes an accident. guy gets out of his car, reaches out and smash the guy's cell phone on the ground. sometimes, folks, you might feel like doing this. i highly, highly suggest you don't. not only because of the legal ramifications our legal expert here on the set will tell you about but also because you don't know what that person might do in reaction to that. people don't react well. >> he is doing what i have thought about doing so many times. >> but no lady, don't do it. >> but it does make people, put you into a rage, you look over. >> put the cell phone down. >> almost crashed because you're not paying attention. >> we can go on and on. >> we will list all the moments.

it's a happy day. let's move on. coming up next, confessions of a rodeo clown. he says the stunt he pulled at the missouri state fair mocking president obama he says it was a joke but he's getting death threats. we'll hear from him. plus trump university, was it really the scam operation that new york attorney general says it was? you'll hear for the first time from a student who says he did get taken. straight ahead. ( bell rings ) they remind me so much of my grandkids.

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welcome back to "new day." the rodeo clown who sparked outrage after his act mocking president obama is now speaking out. he says his act at the state fair was just a joke but now

he's receiving death threats for the stunt. cnn's athena jones is live in washington with more. what's he saying? >> good morning, kate, this man faced threats of violence, one woman spit in his face and walked away and that's just some of the reaction he's gotten to this act that offended a lot of people. >> i didn't do this to do any hating on anyone, i did it to be funny. i did it to be a joke. >> reporter: an uproar. >> president obama, hey, i know i'm a clown. he's just running around acting like one, doesn't know he is one. >> reporter: this is the rodeo clown whose act mocking president obama ignited controversy, abact some called racist. his bit got him banned from the missouri state fair for life. now he's talking to kctv about the controversy. >> i've had somebody threaten to run me over, one of them wanted to burn the house down.

this clown bit has been around for generations and i didn't think anything more of it than what we've done 15 years ago, 10 years ago, 5 years ago, when we've done it with bush and clinton and ronald reagan. >> reporter: some conservative talk show hosts who came to his defense ingreed. >> this is infant ile, childish. >> reporter: the president hasn't commented but his spokesman did. >> as a native missourian it's not one of the finer moments for our state. >> reporter: now that the dust has settled over the rodeo routiru routi routine, he'd like to clear a few things up. >> i don't care if they're blue, white, green, polka dotted, striped, doesn't bother me one bit. >> reporter: he'll be at another rodeo coming up in mo mop. >> if president obama turns out, i'd be honored to shake his hand. >> one more thing the rodeo clown wanted to clear up, when

asked if he was a democrat or republican, he said, i'm a rodeo clown. kate? chris? >> that is one way to answer the question but also good to hear his side of the story. thank you so much, athena. when we come back on "new day," donald trump says in typical donald fashion there's no way his real estate school ripped off its students. 98% approval he said. now we're hearing i guess from the other 2%, a student who comes forward saying that he got taken. and did robby riggs take a dive when he lost his legendary battle of the sexes match to billie jean king, tennis legend? a new report says riggs threw the match to satisfy his gamb gambling debt. ipmunks go all th. ♪ [ female announcer ] when your swapportunity comes, take it. ♪ what? what? what? [ female announcer ] yoplait. it is so good.

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♪ don't go out tonight >> announcer: this is "new day" with chris cuomo, kathleen kennedy and michaela pereira. and kate bolduan. >> welcome back to "new day," it is august 27th. coming up an olympic speed skater has been banned from the sport for two years after tampering with another athlete's skates. we'll talk with him live about the controversy. a new report says the battle between riggs and king was fixed. syria's foreign minister denying charges that syria is stalling. he says the regime is not delaying u.n. weapons inspectors access to the site of suspected chemical weapons atacks. u.n. inspectors were supposed to

visit sites today but postponed their plans now. secretary of state john kerry calls evidence of the attack undeniable, says president obama will be making an informed decision on a response in the coming days. progress slow but steady on the fire lines near yosemite national park. 3,600 firefighters actively involved battling one of the largest wildfires california has ever seen, it has scorched more than 160,000 acres, right now just at 20% containment. that has more than doubled what firefighters had in terms of containment yesterday. moments of chaos in a very veer, massachusetts courtroom. the suspect is accused of stabbing his friend to death nearly 70 times, hearing all the details, the victim's brother couldn't take it. russo was later released on his own recognizance.

the racism and sexual harassment lawsuit against paula deen has officially been dismissed, a federal judge signing off on a deal between deen and a former employee. no word on a possible settlement but the suit was dismissed with prejudice so it cannot be refiled. during a deposition in that case deen admitted to using racially insensitive language in the past, that admission sent her career into a tailspin. it would appear the material girl is living up to her name, "forbes" says madonna took in more cash than any other celebrity between june of 2012 and june of this year. she earned about $125 million. legendary filmmaker steven spielberg came in second on the list. "forbes" estimates he made about $100 million and rounding out the top five, e.l. james author of "50 shades of grey" and simon cowell and howard stern making

about $95 million over the past year. those are our headlines at this hour. over to chris. one of the former students at trump university is speaking out about the lawsuit filed by the new york attorney general against donald trump. kevin scott says he dropped 25,000 bucks on the courses and now calling it one of the biggest mistakes of his life. alison kosik is here with more on the story. >> it's interesting to read about the allegations and the lawsuit and hear about them from one of the students and you know, it really is stark that we've heard from donald trump, we heard from the attorney general and once again hearing from one of his students who says that he thought or he was led to believe that he would get rich but wound of thousands of dollars in debt after he took those classes. >> people loved the school. the school was terrific. >> reporter: as done alleged

tru donald trump went on defense new details emerged from the lawsuit, as former students start speaking out. >> i think i am a victim and a lot of other people are victims, too. >> reporter: the lawsuit alleges that students were misled in an elaborate bait and switch scam originally signing up for a three-day course for $1,500, but being pressured to pay for the full year-long elite course for a whopping $35,000. the lawsuit even alleges students were guaranteed they'd get their investment back with one student saying he was promised the money would be recouped within 60 days. >> in the end it was fault hope and empty promise. >> reporter: they were promised access to hard money lenders that would be ready to invest in their plans. >> the problem is they weren't presenting to hard money lenders. what's the harm in me contacting them directly? nope, you got to bring us the deal first. in the end did they ever exist? >> if the attorney general can prove that this was a fraudulent

attempt to defraud students there is the possibility that trump could pay compensatory and punitive damages, perhaps even $40 million. >> we got sued for lots of different reasons primarily want to get publicity. >> reporter: that's trump's view of kevin scott's claims. he denies all of the charges and told "new day" students at his school are overwhelmingly supportive. >> we gave a report card on every student who took the support. we had 98% >> they sold us a whole bunch of nothing. they got a lot of money out of a lot of people in a fairly short period of time and in the end delivered nothing. >> reporter: and right here on "new day" yesterday asked if he would accept a plea deal the attorney general said he's open to a discussion about it but at this point it's a zra straightforward case. trump says "if i thought i was wrong i would settle." what do you think? >> he says it would have been

easy for him to settle it but believes it's politically motivated so he's going to fight it. the question is when you look at the papers from the attorney general he seems to have a number of scotts, and a number of sets of proof that prove his allegations. >> you think about the pr, it's not good pr even for donald trump who doesn't shy away from the spotlight this is not good for his image. >> you never know, the donald has a great way of turning a negative into the positive. cobecome the outsider, the rebel, the government didn't want me to give you these secrets, but he has to balance that against how much he's antagonizing the law. the attorney general is nobody to play around with. >> we shall see. >> seeing the person behind the lawsuit is helpful. >> makes all the difference. >> thank you very much. coming up next on "new day" an american olympic speed skater is banned from the sport for two years after tampering with a competitor's skates. we'll talk with him live. did robby riggs take a dive when he played bill i-jean king during their famous battle of

the sexes in 1973?

welcome back to "new day." the iconic 1973 battle of the sexes match between billie jean king and bobby riggs they say was rigd. rachel nichols has more on this. say it ain't so. >> well a lot of people will tell you this is sour grapes. that's what billie jean king says. there's a lot of men who at the time didn't like the fact she beat a man on national televisi television, they don't like it now and this is sour grapes you want to believe this. there is compelling evidence in the espn report. they interviewed thoroughly a man who said he was a witness to a meeting of several mobsters setting up this event but also

bobby riggs' son who said that some chicago mobsters visited his father in the weeks before the event. bobby riggs is not here with us anymore unfortunately. this is someone who worked at a club nearby and said he mistakenly overheard a shadowy meeting in the darkness. >> why did it not come out after it happened? >> the witness is approaching the age of 80 and said he finally feels can he get this off of his chest. he told a friend last year. that friend told someone else of course and made its way into the media. so he felt as if now he is free to say this. he was scared before to say anything else because of the people he said who were involved. >> for the benefit of the folks that weren't alive when all of this happening he was known as kind of a hustler and he had a

gambling habit, did he not? >> he gambled all the time. bobby riggs bet on his own matches, something that has gotten pete rose out of baseball's hall of fame in tennis, that doesn't do that for you, but he bet on his own matches, he was known to bet on golf, known to bet on horse racing so he was a gambler and the article postulates he was in debt to some chicago mobsters and that is why he agreed to fix the match. he played margaret court the number one women's player in the world a few months earlier, beat her handily. in the time in between he gained weight, was partying a lot and sort of took billie jean king lightly and there were people who feel that because of that which is why he looked so bad, other people will say he did all of that on purpose and that he threw the match. >> so the buzz around the time, was there? >> no. the buzz was they couldn't believe that billie jean king was going to beat him. that's why it became so important. >> she was a very heavy underdog. he took all the money in the

betting parlors so that feeds into this report but you have to also remember what that match meant to people. >> this report diminishes what billie jean king did. >> this was a time where a woman couldn't sign for her own credit without her husband signing for her, a time when women in the workplace were told of course you're not equal, that's ridiculous. they were saying we can compete on the same field as men in all kinds of areas and here was a woman who was competing on the same field as a man and when she won, it was amazing. women marched into their offices the next day and demanded raises, secretaries said you can't touch me there anymore, boss. >> absolutely. >> all kinds of things, empow empowered women all over the country and increased the legitimacy of tennis as a sport. >> what does billie jean king say? she needs to have her say on this report. >> she says, sour grapes as this started with. she says look, i understand. i get it. i've been hearing it since the

beginning, since this happened that men don't want to hear that a woman beat them, that i actually pulled this off. >> i thought one of the things that helped her during that match, i watched it a lot growing up, if anything, when you watch the match it looked like she was taken it a half a step easy on him especially during the end of the set she was putting the ball closer to him, giving him a chance. >> we have the u.s. open on right now and if you look at the strategy billy jean employed in that match she ran him around the court in a way that margaret court hadn't done a few months earlier, took advantage of the fact he was fatter and older and slower and she played smart and that was another thing that was such a win for women. >> that is how you win games. >> kind of like when we compete. >> exactly. >> you take advantage of him being older. >> barely. >> a big discussion at the u.s. open this week i'm sure. >> well put, well put. rachel thank you very much. we'll take a break. coming back on "new day" we'll meet the fisherman who fell

overboard, survived nearly 24 hours treading water, no life vest. how did he do it? we'll talk to him exclusively. and also we're going to be talking about miley cyrus taking plenty of heat for her raunchy appearance at the mtv video awards but it looks like she's laughing all the way to the bank. >> sex sells in america, say it ain't so. for your wrinkle cream to work? clinically proven neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair. it targets fine lines and wrinkles with the fastest retinol formula available. you'll see younger looking skin in just one week. one week? that's just my speed. rapid wrinkle repair. and for dark spots rapid tone repair. from neutrogena®.

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♪ welcome back to "new day."

it's time for the top four with our nischelle turner. >> i get introed with the slow jam this morning. we like that. the pop four, the fourth story this tuesday morning, will matt damon be born again? universal studios denied it but rumors are swirling matt damon could sign back continue to the bourne franchise. we love him as jason bourne. tina fey and amy poehler are asked to host the golden globes once again. bryan cranston has reportedly signed on as superman's arch enemy lex luther in the upcoming sequel to "man of steel." the deal according to cosmic book news includes at least six appearances as the iconic character in a variety of films and if people didn't like the ben affleck casting they will

love this one. the number one story popping this morning has just burst, the controversy surrounding miley cyrus' performance at the mtv video music awards, people called it disturbing, lewd, weird, but it's the performance everyone's still talking about. former disney darling miley cyrus twerking her way into infamy with this outrageous performance on mtv's music video awards. all that twerking set a record with more than 306,000 tweets a minute, many by celebrities. billy ray sigh-rus. mia is worried, got to go, miley's at my door waving that giant finger and twerking my dog. miley weighed in, as well,

smilers. my vma performance had more than 306,000 tweets per minute. that's more than the blackout or the super bowl. #fact. how is this image of former child star miley cyrus appropriate for 14 year olds? ironically, miley's father, billy ray cyrus, is a member of that group's advisory board, but it's not clear he had anything to do with the statement. robin thicke's mom said she wasn't impressed by miley's dirty dancing to her son's hit "blurred lines." >> i think she's misbegotten in this attempt of hers. i think it was not beneficial. >> but maybe all this controversy is what miley was looking for. >> this was a calculated business and p.r. decision. of course, to help her album, but to advance her second career, as well. i can guarantee you this, e! bravo, are all talking to her

people about a reality show right now. >> she believes, of course, all publicity is good publicity. okay, we've had a day to digest. anybody feel any differently after 24 hours of miley's twerk? >> never bothered me. i thought her singing was a bit of a problem, especially compared to robin thicke. that's what she should be embarrassed about. the idea we're going to turn our nose up because this is too much, she's being too sexy, hypocritical, that's such a joke, especially the music business. it's how they get known. then you get this faux outrage. please. how do they enforce this outrage in their business? it's a bunch of hooey. >> i'm not expecting mtv to change anything, but i still think it was pretty raunchy and i did not enjoy watching it. >> when these insiders come out, it's too much, please, you're all trying to find a way to get

ahead. she found one. it's common sense. >> we change the channel. >> when we see these images, of course it makes families upset, of course, you don't want those images, but that's what the culture is becoming. >> that is true. that is true. it's interesting to hear all the different perspectives. i've heard every perspective in the last 24 hours. for me it was just a foam finger. it was just weird. >> miley's happy we're still talking about her. do want to remind our viewers, though, tonight billy ray cyrus will respond on "piers morgan live," that's 9:00 eastern. i'm interested to hear what he has to say. >> his opinion matters the most. my daughter, we'd have a different discussion. >> there you go. >> unless it makes her successful -- >> you stop right there. coming up on "new day," firefighters are making progress against the wildfire threatening yosemite park. that's good, but the massive blaze is spreading. we'll show you the latest.

also ahead, the obama administration convinced the syrian government used chemical weapons on its own people. how will the u.s., how will the president, respond now? ( bell rings ) they remind me so much of my grandkids.

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welcome back. that music means it's time for the rock block, a quick roundup of stories you'll be talking about today. >> first up in the washington post, baby boomers who held on to top federal jobs during the economic downturn retiring at almost double the rate of 2009. newspaper citing retirement accounts. in the new york times, charter schools changing the rules. the average at a traditional

public school is 14 years. and in usa today, the virginia parking garage where deep throat revealed the secrets of watergate will soon be demolished. he held late night meetings there with fbi official mark felt. time for business news and christine roman. >> the treasury secretary announces the borrowing limit mid-october. legally, u.s. can't borrow more than $16.699 trillion. no debt ceiling deal without spending cuts. a blog say this is a done deal, you'll be able to walk into a retail store, trade up from an old model for a new one. there are mcnuggets and mcbites, how about mighty wings? deep fried chicken wings. reports say the chain will introduce them next month, just in time for football season. deep fried chicken wings. yum. >> can't have chicken wings, you

have to deep fry them. yeah, a lot of mixed weather today, still looking for flooding into the southwest, a lot of heat into the midwest and storms into the northeast. let's take them one by one. speaking of the heat, unbelievable amount of heat. look at des moines today, 103. this heat is not expected to go anywhere, look for it to stay another two days. farther east, severe weather around the great lakes, scattered showers in the northeast, and down to the southwest, flooding concerns. all that tropical moisture kind of fuelling, but does mean a chance of rain around yosemite where they need it, but too much rain leads to flash flooding, as well. >> all right, indra. thanks for that update. we're now at the top of the hour, which means it's time for hour, which means it's time for the top news. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com our sense of basic municiic

is offended. >> the point of no return, tensions rising as the u.s. ratchets up against syria. a military strike could be next. we're the only network live inside syria. the battle for yosemite now turning in the firefighters' favor. across the midwest, a scorching heat wave is forcing schools to cancel classes. speed skating scandal. he's the american olympic champion, now suspended for tampering with a competitor's skates. why did he do it? he joins us live this morning. your "new day" continues right now. >> announcer: what you need to know -- >> everybody who lives here and owns businesses here is terrified. >> announcer: what you just have to see. >> we'd love for them to come forward and tell who they are so we could give them some gift certificates. >> announcer: this is "new day" with chris cuomo, kate bolduan,

and michaela pereira. >> good morning and welcome back to "new day," everyone. it is tuesday, august 27th, 8:00 in the east. coming up this hour, florida taxpayers may have to cover george zimmerman's legal fees. he was acquitted in trayvon martin's shooting death and now may get to recoup some costs. his lawyers expert to ask for travel expenses, other things, all coming up. >> plus, take a look at this video. this is an enormous dust storm called haboob. it's swallowing parts of arizona, including phoenix. one example of the wild weather battering the country this week. we have a "new day" exclusive today. we're going to introduce you to a man who has one undeniable will to leave. he's a fisherman who fell overboard during a storm, he was forced to tread water for nearly 24 hours without a life vest.

nice man, fought against the elements before he was rescued. his wife will join him. we have questions for her, like is she going to let him go out on a fishing boat any time soon. >> thanks so much. first up this hour, military action against syria is looking more and more likely as the obama administration canvass allied for support, the british military is said to be making contingency plans for a strike on syria, but syria remains strong, they won't be deterred and the government denies the use of chemical weapons on their own people. the only western network reporter in syria right now, let's start, though, with chris lawrence at the pentagon this morning. good morning, chris. >> reporter: kate, we're getting some new information here in just the last few minutes, a u.s. official telling us that the u.s. may be releasing an

intelligence report as soon as later today with proof, what the u.s. says is proof, that the syrians were behind a chemical weapons attack. the official says that the information has already been shared with senior obama administration officials and that a declassified version of the report was being prepared. the official says the report will include intercepted communications among senior military commanders in syria, as well as what he calls forensic evidence. within days, president obama's national security team will present him with its final detailed options and the administration is already making the case for taking action against syria. >> president obama believes there must be accountability for those who would use the world's most heinous weapons against the world's most vulnerable people. >> reporter: secretary of state john kerry accused the assad regime of gassing its own people and called it --

>> immoral obscenity. >> reporter: four navy destroyers in the mediterranean sea could execute a mission within hours. u.s. and british submarines are also nearby all armed with cruise missiles. the extremely accurate tomahawks can be fired from 500 miles away, with an ability to change course in mid flight. the potential targets include the delivery systems that can be used to launch weapons, militia training camps being run by bashar al-assad, and most importantly, the syrian government's command and control centers. the options are not designed to overthrow assad's government, but send a message and deter any further use of chemical weapons, president obama's red line. >> any time you throw down a diplomatic gauntlet, your words have repercussions. >> reporter: defense secretary chuck hagel is traveling in asia right now and told the bbc today

there doesn't need to be anymore military planning, that the military is ready to go on the president's order, and that really fits into what a defense official was telling me, basically saying once that order is given, those units could execute the mission within hours. chris? >> of course, chris, the question isn't whether or not the united states can do it, it's what will they do, what will the impact be, these are all big questions we're trying to chase down. chris, thank you for helping us with your part of it. now we go to syria itself, where u.n. inspectors will not be working at the site of last week's chemical attack, they cancelled over security concerns. cnn is the only western network reporting from damascus. here's fred pleitgen with more. >> reporter: the syrian government seems to be hearing the messages out of washington, but they are sending back a message of defiance of their own. the military here is pounding the outskirts of damascus, which is, of course, exactly the area the opposition said the chemical

weapons attacks allegedly took place. the syrian government, for their part, says the only reason they are shelling these areas continuously is because they are afraid they'll get overrun by the opposition otherwise. that, of course, is something that the u.s. doesn't buy at all. they believe the syrians are trying to destroy possible evidence of the chemical attack. he addressed those remarks that john kerry made last night and the emotional speech. he said the message to the u.s. administration is the syrian government is not the one that's trying to hold up this investigation, in fact, they asked for the weapons inspectors to come to this country a long, long time ago. however, today there's been another setback. the weapons inspectors are not going to be able to get on the ground to the suburbs of damascus to collect further evidence. the syrian government says it's out of safety concerns. once again, a message of defiance from the syrian government. they said if the united states

decides to attack them, the syrian government will retaliate. kate? >> all right, fred pleitgen in damascus for us this morning. fred, thank you so much. that's a developing story we'll be watching closely throughout the day. also here at home, slowly but surely fire crews are making headway against a monster wildfire. some 3600 firefighters have 20% containment on the blaze that's been threatening the northern california landmark. nick valencia is live with more on this. good morning, nick. >> reporter: good morning, kate. some very good news this morning in that the containment is up to 20%, that's up 5% from 15% yesterday, but there's still a lot of thick smoke this morning, and that is a constant reminder there is a wildfire still raging. huge plumes of smoke fill the sky as the rim fire continues to rage nearly out of control. firefighters made small progress on monday, saying the fire is still less than a quarter

contained, but the dangerous inferno is still rated to have extreme growth potential. as massive flames ignite rows of trees and dry brush. the fire has grown to an area now roughly the size of chicago. more than two dozen aircraft are being used to fight the fire, the steep terrain making it nearly impossible to reach some locations by land. the flames are still miles from one of the biggest yosemite landmarks, yosemite valley, a rock dome that attracts thousands of tourists every year. >> visitors through here by the thousands. this year that's not going to happen. >> reporter: the fire also threatens a reservoir that supplies both water and power sources for san francisco. >> remove all the ash and loose debris out of the water and the water gets contaminated, that's bad. >> reporter: as well as several rows of towering sequoias.

groveland, california, is looking more like a ghost town. the owner of this bar says it's peak season leading into labor day, but with the highway closed, she says her business is down a staggering 98%. >> everybody who lives here and owns businesses here is terrified. >> reporter: the economic impact yet to be seen, but businesses and residents are grateful for the 3,700 firefighters risking their lives to try to contain the inferno. and, chris, fire officials pointed out to us yesterday that there is a lot of personnel fighting this fire, but for all the personnel fighting it, there's only been two minor reported injuries. this is to say it could be much worse. chris, back to you. >> true, nick, silver lining there to be sure. it is downright steamy in the midwest and plains states, heat warnings there and advisories in effect for the seven states in that area. indra petersons is tracking that late summer heat wave. what's going on with that, indra? >> poor kids going back to school, you'd like to think fall

and cooler temperatures, instead, temperatures 20 degrees above normal. heat indexes from 100 to 115 degrees for the start of the school year. one of the first lessons of the school year, how to beat heat. students huddle around fans to stay cool, water bottles, popsicles, and ice are just small periods of relief. >> parents brought in fans, friends brought in fans, brought in ice. we're going to pass out ice. >> water bottles up there, we'll stay hydrated, i think. >> it's just really hot, and it's just hard because we're sweating and stuff like that. >> temperatures across parts of the midwest are soaring into the upper 90s with heat indexes into the triple digits. many of the schools aren't equipped with air conditioners, calling for some to call for early dismissals and others to cancel the day altogether. >> we don't dismiss because kids are hot, we dismiss because

learning suffers. >> and parents say it's the right move. >> i think it's the right call. it's hot, there's no air conditioning. >> it may be a heat wave in the heartland, but in the desert, it was a wave of dust. a monstrous dust storm called a haboob swept through with visibility less than a quarter mile. in southern california, residents are recovering from this weekend's flash floods that water logged stores and neighborhoods. the rising water stranded drivers and claimed one life. the national weather service report add 77-year-old woman was swept away in her car. one look at the map and you can see how many people are dealing with extreme heat. minnesota, iowa, nebraska, south dakota, even through michigan. so many people dealing with temperatures that feel like 105 to 110 degrees. let's talk about this. even without the humidity factor, this is what your stand-alone temperatures are. des moines, 103 today.

96 in minneapolis. you think minnesota, they should be cold. 18 degrees above normal. chicago, 96 degrees, and that is just today. unfortunately, everyone's asking is it here to stay, at least for another two days we're still dealing with the heat. these temperatures aren't changing. through thursday we're still talking about this triple digit heat, again, that's without the humidity. throw in the humidity and it is hotter than that. we know what that feels like, just stuffy. >> thank you for that update. let head to texas where the court marshal from major nidal hasan. hasan, convicted in the attack, is now facing the death penalty. witnesses told a military court monday how hasan's actions turned their lives upsidedown. we go live now to cnn's ed lavandera. >> reporter: good morning, four

years has not even come close to healing the wounds of the fort hood massacre and people are still dealing with the ramifications, depression, thoughts of suicide. the wounds from that day just aren't physical. this was the immediate aftermath of the fort hood massacre, emergency crews scrambled to save lives, but the real impact of that day is only now coming into full view. the jury is hearing emotional testimony from a dozen witnesses, including relatives of those killed and victims who survived. staff sergeant patrick ziegler was shot four times, once in the head. doctors had to remove 20% of his brain. ziegler says he's retiring from the army in october and fears he'll never be able to hold a regular job. he told the jury, it's affected every facet of my personality. i'm a lot angrier, a lot darker than i used to be.

21-year-old francesca velez was pregnant when hasan gunned her down. other survivors said they could hear her screaming, my baby, my baby, before her voice went silent. her father, juan velez, testified this man did not just kill 13 people, he killed my grandson and he killed me slowly. for the first time in court, nidal hasan appeared flustered, repeatedly asking the judge for breaks during the testimony. and it's possible that at some point today nidal hasan gets his chance to speak to the jury. it's not clear if he will do that or what he might say if he does choose to do that, then it's up to this jury to decide whether or not nidal hasan lives or dies. kate and chris? >> thanks for the update. a lot of other news to tell you right now, let's get to michaela. >> zimmerman will ask the state of florida to cover up to $300,000 of his legal expenses.

because zimmerman was cleared, florida law allows him to apply for repayment of legal fees. a sad end to a story we have been following here at cnn. the body of an arizona teenager who had gone missing last week in oregon has been found. the 18-year-old's body was found a short distance from his suv and his death is now being investigated as a suicide. his father said he was grieving the end of a relationship and talked about running away from society, much like the book "into the wild." a indiana boy who shot his grandmother will not be charged because he's too young. his grandmother was taking care of the young boy when he found a gun in her purse, he shot smothers from three or four feet away. the d.a. said the boy thought it was a toy gun. the treasury department putting congress on notice

saying unless lawmakers raise the debt ceiling, the u.s. will lose the ability to pay all its bills in october, meaning congress will face two budget deadlines two months apart. let's show you a kitten that was looking for trouble when it attacked this pit bull. the dog, though, takes it all in stride. hays on his back in the most submissive position and almost has the cat climb into his mouth, daring him to take a bite. he keeps going for his mouth. this is a very, very, very patient dog. oftentimes this breed gets a lot of criticism. we've seen them in the news a lot, so we thought we'd show you a different side of a pit bull being very, very, very, very gentle and submissive to this cat, who clearly runs this house. >> indra petersons is a pit bull owner, she says this is a real pit bull. >> indra petersons is not a pit

bull, she's a pit bull owner. >> let me give you some confidence, only you think that i just called indra petersons a pit bull. i don't know why, i don't know what's going on, maybe it's the hairspray, only you. no one is at home -- i didn't know, wow, she's good at the weather for a pit bull. >> i give up. >> she says they do get a bad rep. she sent me that video. also shows how crazy cats are. >> i like cats and i'm the defender of cats. >> we are the cat bias on this desk. >> you, him, i will defend the cats. >> it's going to happen, it's going to throw down. moving on, because i ruined that. coming up next on "new day," when you think of speed skating, scandal doesn't come to mind, we'll talk to a rising u.s. star who's been hit with a two-year suspension. >> plus, we all see back to school as a great day for kids, but not to the survivors of last

year's massacre in newton. the extraordinary measures in place to help make them feel safe. la's known definitely for its traffic, congestion, for the smog. but there are a lot of people that do ride the bus. and now that the buses are running on natural gas, they don't throw out as much pollution into the air. so i feel good. i feel like i'm doing my part to help out the environment. i don'without goingcisions to angie's list first. with angie's list, i know who to call, and i know the results will be fantastic! find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust. it's delicious. so now we've turned her toffee into a business. my goal was to take an idea and make it happen.

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welcome back to "new day." today is a somber first day of school for the students of sandy hook elementary. they head back to a different school building than where last december's massacre took place, but the scars of that shooting, of course, remain. cnn's pamela brown joins us with more on this. >> good morning, kate. this is very much still a community in healing, the time of year the kids board the bus, head back to school, but for students in newton, this is anything but ordinary, and for at least one family we spoke with, this time of year is a solemn reminder. >> it's still day-to-day and we have better days than others. >> as mark and jackie barden

send their two children, 11-year-old natalie and 13-year-old james back to school in newton, connecticut, it's yet another painful reminder of what's missing. >> this will be our first time back to school without daniel. >> reporter: one of 20 children and six educators killed during the horrific killing spree in sandy hook elementary last december. the barden's still celebrating with what were once joyous celebrations. >> thanksgiving this year, of course, all of december, all of that is coming and i'm not even wanting to think about it. >> of course, one of those big milestones is back to school. >> right. >> imagining him going to second grade. >> reporter: as the newton school system welcomes back more than 5,000 kids today, the school board says it's doing everything it can to put families at ease in the wake of newton and the recent school shooting scare in georgia. >> this is no normal back to school on tuesday. >> no, it's not a normal back to school, but we're trying to put

the resources in place. >> reporter: resources like better locks on doors, real-time monitoring systems, and more armed guards at every school. >> parents will definitely see armed security at each school and there will be additional guards at multiple schools. >> reporter: the bardens say they want to see changes, like more kindness towards others, to make sure the tragedy that took their son's life never happens again. >> we have to try to do the good work he was supposed to do here, we're going to try our best to do it for him. >> sandy hook elementary is being turn down and kids will head to a new school instead. more safety changes are expected to take place over the course of the year, but officials could not elaborate on exactly what that will entail for security reasons, but we're seeing these security measures in schools across the country, especially armed guards at more elementary schools. it used to be uncommon, but in the wake of newton and what

happened in georgia, we're seeing more of that. >> it's part of the debate and wake of these massacres. i was looking back. after this massacre, i was looking back at some of the tributes families put together and we put out there of all the children killed, the one of daniel is so cute. when th he earned those two front teeth and fearless pursuit of life earned him many ripped jeans. thanks so much, pamela. >> thank you. >> chris? thanks very much. when we come back here on "new day," an athletic scandal you need to pay attention to. doesn't involve performance-enhancing drugs, just cheating. a speed skater suspended for two years after tampering with a opponent's skates. and an amazing tale of survivor. we're going to talk live with the fisherman who had no choice

but to tread water for nearly 24 hours, no life vest. he made it, how'd he do it? he'll tell us. [ female announcer ] are you sensitive to dairy? then you'll love lactose-free lactaid® it's 100% real milk that's easy to digest so you can fully enjoy the dairy you love. lactaid®. for 25 years, easy to digest. easy to love.

this is "new day" with chris cuomo, kate bolduan, and michaela pereira. >> can't get enough of that james earl jones. welcome back to "new day." coming up this half hour, an american olympic speed skater banned for two years for tampering with a competitor's skates. he says he did it, but has an explanation why that you want to hear. plus, a "new day" exclusive ahead, the fisherman that

survived treading water in the gulf of mexico for nearly 24 hour. how did he do this? he has an incredible story and he's going to share it with us. first, michaela, the five things to know for your new day. >> the obama administration says all options are on the table for syria and an intelligence report about the suspected chemical attack is expected out today. the country's foreign minister denies using chemical weapons. slow and deliberate progress on the fire lines in california. the yosemite wildfire now 20% contained. there's less concern now about ash in the reservoir that feeds san francisco's water supply. more heart wrenching testimony expected today in the second day of the fort hood shooter's sentencing phase. a judge could decide today if he gets the death penalty. the 11-year-old double lung transplant survivor expected to go home today. she has been at the children's hospital of philadelphia since february. and the newborn giant panda who has captured hearts at the

national zoo will get a second exam today. researchers got their first look at the cub on sunday and deemed it healthy, a nice bright pink color. nice and healthy. we're always updating those five things to know, so go to newday.cnn.com for the latest. i edited ".com" in there. cnn.newday. >> got it. shocking announcement from the world of speed skating. a top u.s. skater banned for two years for tampering with an opponent's skates. we will speak with the suspended bronze medalist simon cho live in just a moment. first, cnn's rachel nichols is here with more on this story. >> simon cho has been skating since he was a toddler and when he grew up, he turned into a star in the olympic movement, bronze in the vancouver olympics when he was just 18 and since won at the world championships. as the sochi olympics approached, he was being billed as the next apolo ohno, except

now he won't be at the sochi olympics. the olympic sport of speed skating is not exactly the first place you'd expect tales of sabotage and scandal, but american simon cho was suspended this week for tampering with the skates of a canadian rival. the decision by the international skating union means cho will not be able to compete in the olympics in sochi in february, a huge hit to the u.s. team that had been counting on cho as one of its best and brightest. cho won a bronze medal in vancouver in 2010. he was also crowned a world champion in 2011, although he has since confessed that at that competition he secretly bent canadian oliver jean's skate. he said he didn't want to commit the crime, only did it after being badgered by a former coach. the coach, jae su chun, has denied the account, although he too was suspended.

the incident coincides with the 20th anniversary of another olympic skating sabotage scandal, the attack on figure skater nancy kerrigan by associates of her rival tanya harding. and while bending a competitor's skate blade before a race is hardly on the level of taking a metal club to someone's knee, cho's suspension reminded those in the olympic community the ice rink might just be a more treacherous place than it looks. >> sabotaging an opponent really considered up of the worst things you can do in sports. it's one thing to cheat by upping your own advantage, performance-enhancing drugs, that sort of thing, but ruining someone's chances gets the ire of the rest of the sporting community. chris, you've got a lot more on this story. >> i do, rachel, thank you. we have simon cho joining us. simon, what is it like hearing the story about yourself, hearing the allegations, you've admitted them, but what does it

mean to you? >> i certainly department expect to be on cnn for something like this. picturing back four years ago when i was at the last games, if somebody told me, hey, you're going to be on cnn, i didn't quite picture it to be like this. >> you worked hard. you're an olympic athlete. you're a medalist. why did you do this? >> so, this event took place in 2011, start my coach jae su chun, my coach and fellow korean. started when he severed ties with the canadian team when he used to work for them, came to the u.s. to coach our team. there was a particular event where we were eliminated by the canadian team. at that point, he took it a little to heart and took it really personally and that's when he took to encouraging his team to be obnoxious and rude, you know, as for the ice you report, he says he encouraged skaters to be obnoxious, sit on their massage tables, spill soup

on the canadian skaters, ordered me to tamper with their skates. >> what does that mean to tamper, you're in the united states, you're a free man, you control your own self. what do you mean he forced you? >> in olympic sports, you know, i wouldn't want to say we play by a different set of rules, but in our line of work, there's so many factors that come into play where it's a make or break situation, and when you have an authority figure like a coach who has ultimate control over making or breaking your dreams, sometimes it steers you to do some things that you don't necessarily believe in. but -- i was approached by my coach, told him no after he ordered me to do this. ultimately, he gave me a vendetta. you're going to be a man about this, do you want to be a leader for this team, or what? you need to pay your dues. >> if i were to ask you about

this situation in a teaching environment, what would you tell the athlete to do when a coach comes to them and says, do this, cheat, because i'm telling you to. what would you tell someone to do? >> obviously, i would discourage that. but cheating is a strong word, especially in this case, because cheating would suggest i gain some kind of competitive advantage over my competitors at that particular competition, but, you know, that wasn't the case. it was strictly one man's vendetta against a group of skaters. >> if you bend the skate of somebody, i don't understand anything about skating, but if you bend the skate, obviously, you're putting them at a disadvantage, so how did you not gain advantage? >> at that point, our u.s. team had already been eliminated. like i said earlier, jae su had taken things personally and wntt and instructed our u.s. team to do obnoxious things, ridiculous things. >> you are rationalizing this by

saying it didn't help me because i was already out, but you did hurt the canadian skater. >> i did. it wasn't sportsmanlike of me. i regret my actions and this is something i have to live with the rest of my life. i'm not the same naive 19 year old when i went ahead and did the tampering. i'm here today, hopefully any fan or young boy looking up to me can learn from this experience, and if they are able to do that, i've made the best of this decision, even though i do regret my actions. >> that's why i'm pressing you, you want your message to be clear. either you're going to own this, or you're not. right? if you're going to own it, you did the wrong thing, not about your coach, not about not being in contention, it's what you did and it was wrong. is that your message? >> that is my message. you know, at some point i do have to take responsibility for my actions. i am at fault here. do i consider myself a tool for one man's abusive, you know,

coaching behavior, yes, but, you know, i was 19. that doesn't deter from the fact i need to own up to my actions and i hope that's something everyone can take from this experience. >> the coach denies any wrong doing and says the canadians were just as unsportsmanlike. would that make it okay? >> that would not make it okay. jae su has denied allegations of physical, emotional abuse, so it is what it is, you know, it's really up for the fans of, you know, sports to decide for themselves. >> so you say to me you're going to spend these two years on your ban going to school, working on yourself, and i hope telling kids about your story and teaching them about sportsmanship? >> absolutely. i definitely want to advocate, you know, sports ethics and behavior, you know, sometimes when you're lost and you're chasing a dream, you want to be the next michael jordan or michael phelps of your sports, sometimes you get tunnel vision and lose sight of things. hopefully, young athletes in this generation are able to take

away from my experience. >> we're hearing about athletes making mistakes all the time. good to have one of these coming forward, owning it. i wish you good luck going forward. hopefully, the next time i talk to you it's for good reasons. >> thank you. >> thanks for being with us. kate, over to you. thanks so much, chris. now this to week's "impact your world." brad kez louis making a differe the track with a new program that's moving full speed ahead. >> hi, i'm nascar driver brad keselowski and i believe we can make an impact on the lives of our veterans. the checkered flag foundation was created to help out those who make sacrifices for us as americans. the program is the race for recovery, it's a chance for several search men and women who have gone through traumatic events to come to the racetrack and experience a race weekend.

and then on the third day we come back and we take them for rides in the race cars at full speed. my goal with our veterans when they get done with the experience, leave the program and feel like they can stand a little straighter, walk a little prouder, and help them to reintegrate stateside. they need someone to show them the way. join the movement, impact your world, cnn.com/impact. >> love those pieces. impact your world. >> all right, that was a great message there. coming up on "new day," we have the exclusive. he is lucky to be alive. we're going to hear from the florida fisherman who survived by treading water for almost 24 hours. think about that, out in the open water, no life vest when he fell off his fishing boat. how did he do it, he'll tell us himself. and this guy won't hassle

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welcome back to "new day." imagine spending nearly 24 hours lost at sea, no life vest, no flotation device, just treading water to try to stay alive. it happened to one florida fisherman. he, along with his wife will be

joining us exclusively in just a moment for his first television interview. first, here's a look at his incredible story. it's an amazing story of survival that made nationwide headlines. veteran fisherman steve mamorse found alive in the gulf of mexico after treading water for nearly 24 hours without a life vest. the 51 year old set out early for a day of fishing in his 16-foot boat. that afternoon he texted his wife this picture of his catch. at 8:00 p.m., and no word from steve, cia contacted authorities. fear set in when steve's boat was located nine miles from the boat ramp, but he was nowhere to be found. the following afternoon a family out fishing heard yelling, it was the man treading water for almost a day. they pulled him onboard and brought him to shore, exhausted and lucky to be alive. >> we got him on board.

he was fairly coherent. >> he says he was tossed overboard in a storm. miraculously, he only suffered dehydration and some extreme muscle soreness. he's now not only reunited with his family, but also his boat. >> wow, wow, wow. steve and his wife cia joining us live from florida for their first tv interview. it's so great to see you both and happy to speak to you both this morning. steve, first to you, how are you doing? you look fabulous considering the story we just played. you just got out of the hospital friday. how are you doing? >> feeling a lot better. the soreness is still there, still have a raspy voice, but overall just thankful to be alive. >> no kidding. take us back to that moment, you get thrown overboard, what's going through your mind? >> actually, my motor stopped.

i was trying to restart the motor, actually 4.6 miles away from the boat ramp, and i decided i still had plenty of time to mess around before the phone came, and i was going for the life vest, believe it or not. it looked pretty underneath the compartment, but as i reached for it, i think i had it in my hand and i don't want to call a rogue wave, the boat actually tipped about 45, 50-degree angle. i went over like you were flipping a burger on a grill. my first instinct was just to go after the boat. immediately the boat was about ten yards away from me. >> so the hours continued to tick by -- the hours tick by and you're still treading water. what's going through your mind, and how did you make it through? because we've been talking about this, treading water for several minutes in a pool is tough enough, let alone in the open ocean and you don't know if you're going to make it through. >> that's exactly what went

through my head. i actually told myself, you have about a half hour to live. based on the fact that when you do that in the pool, real hard to keep treading water. then i decided, i said, you got to make a plan and stick with it and don't give up. i was going to give up when i took a breath and it wasn't air anymore, it was going to be water. i told god he's going to have to pull me down by the heel if he wants to take me, because i'm going to give it all i got. i have my family, wonderful friends, i kept that in mind, and the will to survive, i guess, life is sweet. >> so strong, that will is amazing. cia, what's going through your mind? i saw you just shaking your head when we were running that piece. what's going through your mind as the hours are ticking by and no sign of your husband? >> well, initially, he's an outdoorsman, so i had high hopes. the only problem, like i told the authorities, is if he got

hurt coming out of the boat. i knew he wasn't on the boat the moment the phone wasn't answering. he was smarter than that, had a little bit of an issue with his boat prior. i didn't lose hope. i didn't lose hope, but, of course, reality comes in, 20-something hours i knew that things were looking pretty grim, but i knew if anyone had it in him, just like everyone that we know knows steve, it would have been him. i knew he would be fighting if he was in the water: >> and what a fight that was, nearly 24 hours treading water. finally, this family scallop fishing sees you, comes over and pulls you on to that boat. what was that moment like, in your mind, steve? >> to be honest with you, i don't know if they saw it -- mr. todd and jennifer hoye, wonderful people and their family. when i grabbed the boat, i actually tapped the boat on the

side. i didn't know if i was hallucinating or not, believe it or not. that was my biggest fear, hallucinating and passing out, you think you're standing on rocks, you're ten feet under breathing. i told them, my name is steven, they were looking for me. they told me, we know. you're going to have to grab a piece of me, i can't help you bring me in. they lifted me up and took very good care of me. >> of course, sia, then you get that phone call from your husband. can you even describe what that was like? >> no. i can't. it was -- i get it from the lady that was, you know, that had rescued him and she says, he told us to call you. he's alive. and that's all i needed to hear, because it wasn't the authorities and i knew somebody had found him, so he was coherent enough to give them my phone number and to tell them to call me, so i knew he was good. just glory be to god is what i

said. if that's all i could utter at that moment. just so thankful for -- grateful for everyone that was involved in the search and for the rescuers and to god, of course, because i truly believe we all witnessed a miracle that day. >> miracle that you can tread water that long and those people came there to get you at just the right moment. steve, sia, great to meet you. i do want to ask you one thing, is sia making you dock that boat, are you allowed to go fishing alone ever again? >> she knows me, i'll go fishing again, even by myself. i'll wear the life jacket. just like to take the opportunity if i could to thank the coast guard, the sheriff's department, the florida wildlife commission, all the friends and family there for me, my extended family, and all the prayers from all over the nation for me. >> you got it. you felt them out there. it's great to be able to speak with you. thank you both so much for joining me this morning. steve, wear the life jacket.

talk to you soon. >> i will. >> he will. >> thank you. >> chris? >> solution is easy, new boat. that's what that man needs and fish again. time for the good stuff. i remember my pop telling me that integrity is about what you do when no one is looking. that's what we see in today's edition. manager recently received a call no retailer wants to hear. listen. >> we got a phone call from the police department saying that there had been a break-in at the store. >> but when they checked out buddy's, there was nothing missing, but get this, there was something added, money on the counter. so they watched the security video. it reveals these shoppers. turns out the mall buddy's is in closes at 7:00, but buddy's closes at 6:00. all the lights were still on. turns out the lock on the door wasn't working so these guys thought buddy's was open. they called for a cashier, so

did some quick math and left the right amount of money on the counter before taking their items. buddy's is overwhelmed by the customers' honesty, especially when with a broken lock, imagine what could have happened. >> buddy's really wants to thank them, so we'd love for them to come forward and tell us who they are so that we can give them some gift certificates and hopefully just say thank you in person. >> every opportunity to do the wrong thing and they did the right thing. buddy's has since fixed its locks, but there's nothing to fix with these guys, they did the right thing, showed they have the good stuff. >> that is really good stuff. love that. keep bringing it. >> keep bringing it so we can give you the good news. love to do it. coming up next on "new day," john berman takes us for a ride to the '80s for a trans am that talks. i've had surgery, and yes, i have occasional constipation.

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time for the award of the day, means john berman, our own super hero coming from washington, where all great men are. >> is there a cape lurking underneath that blaze sner. >> always a cape and tights. i want to introduce you to chris palmer from detroit. what did he do? decided to build a replica of kitt from "knight rider ". took about three years. started with a 1991 trans am.

listen to what he said. >> i have completely transformed it into kitt by changing the fenderse fenders, the hood, the hood, and the dash. >> of course, the season four nose and the season one dash. chris palmer, you win our award today. it is the "gosh i hope you're already married" award. why? i'm not completely sure about this, but i'm thinking it might not be the most effective pick-up line. i'm just saying. enjoy your car, pal. >> exactly. wow, john, i didn't even know it was going to take that turn and i'm proud. that's it for us, let's toss it over to cnn "newsroom" with carol costello is up next. heroed complete and balanced meals with 23 vitamins and minerals.

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