russian counterparts today in geneva to work out a deal to avert on strike on syria but making things more difficult is the op-ed from he questions american exceptionalism and lectures the president about not using military force to get his day. we'll have a lot of reaction from the u.s. and across the world this morning. very controversial. >> a lot of people will have a lot to say about that today. if you're in colorado this morning, you're watching this right now from kmgh. they've been in break news coverage throughout the night covering those deadly flash floods there. deadly flash floods and there's at least one person killed so far, buildings destroyed and rescue crews are out trying to save trapped residents. look at all that water, one official telling everyone to move to higher ground. we'll have much more in just a moment. then we dive back into the gun debate this morning, one state almost passed a law that would have made federal gun laws

illegal. what does that mean? this as another state is now allowing blind people to own guns. that certainly has a lot of people upset. we'll get into all of that, coming up. we begin this hour with three critical developments that could change the course of the crisis in syria. first, vladimir putin's stunning opinion piece "new york times" in the prompting u.s. officials to warn the russian president it's time to deliver. second, secretary of state john kerry seeking a diplomatic solution in syria, jetting to geneva to meet with russia's foreign minister to work out a deal. third, weapons paid for by the cia now reportedly finding their way into the hands of syrian rebels, many lawmakers on capitol hill will say finally heading to syrian rebels. a lot of moving parts to this story and we are using the global resources of cnn to cover all the angles. let's begin with brianna keilar live at the white house this morning. >> reporter: one administration official calls this op-ed by

russian president vladimir putin irrelevant. this official saying, you know, he put forward this proposal. he'll have to deliver on it. he owns it, trying to say that that is positive. i will tell you, that doesn't mean u.s. officials aren't smarting at putin's words. secretary of state john kerry and russian foreign minister sergey lavrov's high stakes meetings occur as pressure grows. president obama pitching his opinions to the american public on tuesday night. >> the facts cannot be denied. the question now is what the united states of america and the international community is prepared to do about it. >> reporter: this morning, russian president vladimir putin is criticizing u.s. policy in an op-ed in "the new york times." saying u.s. military action in syria would hurt civilians and spread conflict. he says a strike would increase violence and unleash a new wave of terrorism. putin also suggests the u.s. is being duped by the rebels and

that bashar al assad may not be responsible for recent chemical attacks, saying there is every reason to believe it was used not by the syrian army but by opposition forces to provoke intervention by their powerful foreign patrons. putin has emerged as a sort of peacemaker in these negotiations and the obama administration has cautiously backed his proposal for syria to surrender their chemical weapons stockpiles to international control. >> it needs to be credible. it needs to be verifiable. >> reporter: now putin is taking aim at obama's claims that america is an exceptional nation, stating it is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional. whatever the motivation. we are all different but when we ask for the lord's blessings, we must not forget that god created us equal. and the leader of a country who has been accused of using force to get his way is now criticizing the u.s. he writes, it is alarming that

military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the united states. one american lawmaker's reaction on cnn. >> i have to be honest, i almost wanted to vomit. >> chris, that shows the unenviable position that the obama administration is in here. the guy they are relying in to deliver a peaceful outcome to this crisis in syria, at least as it comes to chemical weapons, is someone who makes many u.s. politicians stomach's turn. >> it was not the dinner he was talking about, brianna. >> no, it wasn't. secretary of state john kerry is touching down in geneva in the last hour. he's supposed to be meeting with the russian foreign minister sergey lavrov to talk about how to hammer out a diplomatic approach to disarming so syria. let's bring in jim sciutto. he's with the secretary, live

from geneva this morning. >> reporter: good morning, chris. flying in with secretary kerry and his team, they're coming here with a healthy dose of skepticism, in their view, this is a chance for the russians and syrians to show their cards in effect, are they serious. secretary kerry has in his team chemical weapons experts, security experts, they'll be getting to the nitty-gritty here to see if there is a way forward, to catalog syria's chemical weapons and collect them and destroy them. one u.s. official told me on the plane that this is, quote, a chance for us to test if the russians are seriously talking about this and if the syrians are serious about their promises. one of the first steps is going to be, are the syrians coming forward with an exact accounting of their chemical weapons, do they lay those cards out on the table so the russians and americans can begin working on a plan on getting rid of these things. it's interesting. a couple of notes with be first on putin's op-ed. we asked them on board the plane what they thought of that. listen, we read it but the russians are bringing this plan

to the table so we have to take it seriously. they said they've had preliminary discussions about this and it's always been about syria's chemical weapons and despite the fact that president putin in that editorial questions whether the assad regime was behind this chemical attack, they say from the beginning they've been talking about a way forward for getting rid of those weapons. in effect, his comment in that op-ed irrelevant. one more note, how is the syrian opposition reacting to all this? they're not happy, they are upset, they don't have a lot of faith in this process but the americans are telling them, don't prejudge, give it some time. >> tough for them to do when they read that op-ed and realize they're all being called terrorists by the russian president. thank you. let's bring in cnn's jill doherty. she has extensive experience covering russia. she's live in moscow right now. thanks for joining us. the op-ed, obviously the topic of discussion this morning.

the russian president questioning the intelligence that the american president said was incontrovertible. the russian president questions it. he questions the intentions of the american people. the first question is, how is this playing in russia? do people believe these are the words of their president? >> reporter: a lot of what mr. putten is saying, chris, he said a lot of other times before. this time, though, he's addressing the american people. so what he's trying to do is say to the american people, i wouldn't take it as a big criticism, it's more kind of putting his arm around mr. obama and saying, look, is this in your own interest? to take this military action, to do this? because it can backfire. that is what putin would say, it could backfire, create more problems. it could destabilize the situation. chris, you know, a lot of what he is saying actually has been heard in the halls of the u.s. congress.

it's not that wild. take away the part about the opposition carrying out this attack. a lot of the other points that he's making aren't that extreme, even in the united states. but i think it's the fact that the president of russia made them and you heard from that lawmaker that he wanted to throw up when he heard it, coming from putin. that's the unfortunate context that no matter what putin says, he's going to have a tough sell. >> it's not always the message. it's often the messenger, right? the question becomes do the contradictions inherent from this coming from putin wind up outweighing the message? there in moscow, the idea that the president is talking about the love of god and equality when they have problems with gay freedoms there, what is the reaction to this apparent contradiction? >> well, i would say just judging by the russian media it's very early. they haven't really reacted specifically to this. again, the points have been made and i think that opinion is

shared by a lot of russians. now, there are certainly people who would criticize mr. putin for the anti-gay law and many other things but when it comes to the u.s., you know, as the russians would look at it, throwing its weight around the world and intervening as putin said, militarily in a lot of places, a lot of russians share that view. and it's not only russians. i would say there are countries around the world, brazil, china, et cetera, that at least share some of what mr. putin is saying. >> and just quickly, jill, is there confidence there in moscow that this is a real deal, it's not about stalling or delaying the inevitable? they believe there's a chance for diplomacy? >> well, that's the big question. the russians seem to be saying, in fact lavrov said there's a chance for peace. but what is their deeper motivation? very hard to say. it would appear that they do

want to make sure that chemical weapons are not used, that they shut them down, get them to store it, because they're worried about chemical weapons as well. what's their other motive in a political, strategic way? that's another deal. >> all right, jill doherty, thank you very much. the message very confused because it's coming from the russian president and russia, the main supplier of arms to syria. another big story we're watching, a scary night for folks in colorado. deadly weather there. heavy rains triggering major flash flooding in bolder county. a flash flood emergency now in effect. multiple homes and structures have collapsed. at least one person has died. indra petersons is tracking this exteam weather. >> we're looking at heavy rain, it's been raining since yesterday evening, storm after storm has gone over the exact same region. between 4:00 and 8:00 yesterday evening we saw 4 inches of rain

in 4 hours. incredible amount of rain. with that we've been seeing flash flooding. a breather but then by midnight, heavy rain, about an inch per hour fell and then a breather, now more rain is forecast to inundate the area, especially again overnight tonight in through tomorrow. we're talking about 3 to 5 inches of rain possible. we could see an inch of rain within a half hour. we'll take you to the weather map. we'll show you, we have a low. remember winds go counterclockwise around a. they go clockwise around a high. why that matters? the winds are extra strong right in between them, bringing all that tropical moisture in from the south. you have all that moisture out there and then you have cold air from the low. it triggers extremely heavy thunderstorms. as long as that remains in place, we'll be looking at that in the forecast for the days to come. chris and kate. >> thanks for the update.

let's go to michaela for the latest. let's look at the headlines, with a vote on military action in syria now delayed, congress is getting back to work trying to prevent a government shutdown on october 1st. on wednesday, gop leaders put off a vote on the stop gap plan. they say they would vote against it. athena jones is live on capitol hill. >> reporter: even without syria, there's plenty of issues for folks here on capitol hill to fight about. and one of the big sources of contention within the republican party is how far to go to try to block the health care law. some conservative republicans don't want to approve any spending that would go to implementing obama care. they wouldn't go along with this vote yesterday because it doesn't fully defund it, link the spending to defunding obama care. now this vote gets pushed off into next week so party leaders can work this all out.

some republicans are worried if they push this issue and it leads to a government shutdown, it will be bad news for republicans. our new cnn/orc poll shows nearly three-quarters of americans happens and lasts for a few weeks, it will cause a crisis or major problems for america. more than half, 51% of folks would place responsibility on republicans. just a third would blame the president. this morning, republican and democratic leaders in house and senate will be meeting to talk about these upcoming fights and what we know is sure to be a long road, a tough road ahead. >> athena jones with the latest from the hill. thanks so much. a new satellite photograph shows what looks like steam coming out of a north korean nuclear reactor that was shut down in 2007. this is prompting concerns that the north may be restarting the complex, the facility is capable of producing plutonium.

the clover fire in northern california claimed its first casualty. a 55-year-old man who failed to evacuate was found dead inside of it. it's scorched a thousand acres, damaging or destroying more than 100 buildings or homes. it's threatening 300. it's 50% contained. firefighters are hoping to have it totally under control by sunday. the tribute in light marking the 12th anniversary of the september 11th attacks about to fade with sun rides. 88 lights went on at sunset, projected to the heavens. that tribute capping a day of somber remembrances. the medical examiner who performed trayvon martin's autopsy will sue for wrongful termination after being fired last week. he gave conflicting testimony at zimmerman's murder trial. he won't face charges for now after a domestic dispute meanwhile with his estranged wife. authorities are hoping to recover video taken by shellie

zimmerman on an ipad which zimmerman reportedly smashed. a utah man owes his life to a home run ball. the 62-year-old man's wheelchair went into an irrigation ditch sending him face down into the water. parks worker bart griffith stumbled upon the man when he went searching for a home run ball. he pulled the man's head out of water, called 911. the man survived but police say without griffith's help it could have been quite a different story. isn't that crazy? >> boy, oh, boy. >> wasn't his time to go. >> some say there are no coincidences. >> i agree. >> lucky that happened that way there. coming up on "new day," the gun control debate. raging right now in several states, two lawmakers losing their jobs over it and one state going as far as trying to make federal gun laws irrelevant and illegal. allowing people to fight back against federal authorities. plus, also ahead, pope francis raising more than a few eyebrows. is the vatican ready to

reconsider its position on celibacy among priests? ♪ ♪ i've got something for you too. (announcer) fancy feast delights with cheddar. a meal that is sure to delight your cheese lover. now available in the classic form she loves. fancy feast. the best ingredient is love.

jim, i adore the pool at your hotel.ver had to make. anna, your hotels have wondrous waffle bars. ryan, your hotels' robes are fabulous. i have twelve of them. twelve? shhhh, i'm worth it& what i'm trying to say is, it's so hard to pick just one of you, so i'm choosing all of you with hotels.com. a loyalty program that requires no loyalty. plus members can win a free night every day only at hotels.com

identity thieves. they can find your personal information and do some serious damage. like your birthday or your mother's maiden name. you need a new friend. lifelock. we scour billions of data points every day, and if we discover that any of your personal information is misused... lifelock is there. call us at 1-800-lifelock or go to lifelock.com today.

welcome back to "new day." the gun control debate is in full swing in several states this morning. in missouri, a controversial measure that would have prevented enforcement of federal gun control laws. that has failed. but in colorado, two lawmakers have been recalled for supporting stricter gun control laws. to break it all down, let's bring in cnn's george howell, joining us live from chicago. >> what a wild week in the swing states of the midwest, like colorado, where voters reminded politicians they are on thin ice when it comes to gun rights laws. in missouri, similar efforts to

try to override a governor's veto of that controversial gun rights law fell short. a controversial measure, attempting to nullify federal gun control laws in the state of missouri failed to become law. this, after a push by some legislators to override the governor's veto fell short by one vote in the state senate. >> this bill does not eliminate our ability to put reasonable regulations in place. but it does prevent the federal government from forcing unconstitutional infringements on missouriens. >> reporter: the proposed law would have given citizens the right to take legal action against law enforcement officers who enforce federal gun laws and make it illegal to publish the names and addresses of gun owners in the state. >> basically putting a sign on missouri that says, okay, criminals, it's okay to come to missouri, we won't prosecute to the fullest extent of the law like illinois, like kansas, like

arkansas, like every other state in the union. >> reporter: in the state of colorado, it was a different story. gun rights activists are celebrating the unprecedented recall of two democratic state senators who got the boot this week for backing some of the nation's strictest gun laws. >> what we did was the right thing. i said months ago, if doing this costs me my political career, that's a very small price to pay. >> reporter: still scarred by the mass shoot innings columbine and aurora, it was a huge blow for gun control advocates in colorado who vastly outspent the competition and still lost. when we're talking about spending, keep in mind new york mayor michael bloomberg gave more than $300,000 to help fight that recall effort. the nra, though, in a tweet gloated the mayor, quote, wasted his money. chris, kate. >> george, thank you very much for the reporting. interesting question when you deal with colorado and missouri. it's hard to know how much is about feelings of guns and

straight politics and the use of money and the push back against the money. >> the debate continued to simmer while maybe the national attention has moved away from gun control debate. obviously still hot and heavy in colorado. still ahead on "new day," coming up next, president obama taking a lot of heat on capitol hill. some lawmakers say he has lost his credibility, saying he's been upstaged on syria by vladimir putin. how should he respond now to putin's opinion piece? you hear about tom hanks serving on a jury in a domestic assault case when both sides suddenly decide to settle. did the oscar-winning actor that could have triggered a mistrial? the l.a. city attorney is investigating. we'll tell you the story. today, that's easy. ge is revolutionizing power. supercharging turbines with advanced hardware and innovative software. using data predictively to help power entire cities. so the turbines of today... will power us all...

into the future. ♪ 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. real fruit plus real nuts plus real multigrains equals real delicious! quaker real medleys, your on-the-go burst of goodness! quaker up.

vo:remember to changew that oil is the it on schedule toy car. keep your car healthy. show your car a little love with an oil change starting at $19.95.

you're watching "new day" with chris cuomo, kate bolduan and michaela pereira. >> welcome back to "new day." it's thursday, september 12th. coming up in the show, the governor of massachusetts blasting the decision to conduct a disaster drill at boston's logan airport on 9/11. he says it was just a dumb idea. now, you may remember two planes that hit the world trade center took off from logan airport. so obvious question is what were they thinking. plus, he never played a juror in the movies but having tom hanks on a real life jury in los angeles was something a prosecutor just couldn't ignore. we'll tell you what the prosecutor did and how it affected the outcome of the trial. first let's get to michaela for all the top stories right now. good morning. a plea for caution from russia's president, vladimir putin writing an op-ed in "the new

york times." warning that a u.s. military strike against syria will unleash a new wave of terrorism. and potentially spread the current conflict beyond syria's borders. a white house official says putin is fully invested in disarming syria. it's time for him to, quote, deliver. this as secretary of state john kerry is in geneva for meetings with his russian counterpart. deadly flooding overnight into colorado. one person is dead, homes collapsed after a severe night of storms. bolder county government building will be closed thursday as a result of the severe flooding. people are being advised to seek higher ground. a montana judge expected to rule today on whether a newly wed wife charged with killing her husband of eight days will remain behind bars or be released to home confinement. 22-year-old jordan linn graham is accused of pushing her husband off a cliff to his death just eight days after their wedding. prosecutors say she lied to police and tried to cover up the

crime. she faces life in prison if she's convicted much more later in our show. dramatic pictures out of idaho showing firefighters narrowly escaping serious injury when a house collapsed in front of them. you can see the three-story home up in flames and then suddenly falling to the ground. this happened in boise august 1st. the images captured by a firefighter's helmet camera were just released. still no word on what caused the fire. getter call saul. attorney saul goodman is indeed getting his own spinoff from "breaking bad." it will be a prequel, tracing the character's evolution before broke bad. no spoilers for "breaking bad" fans. the series has three episodes left. are you caught up. >> i am. >> are you officially invested. >> i am. it's a lot of interesting story lines, especially his. it's surprising.

as you get to know that character, it will be interesting to see what kind of decisions they have to make on tv shows. he is a questionable judgment of what is the right thing to do. >> shady character. >> one of the many television shows that i am seemingly behind on. >> a lot of shows to get to. >> netflix. let's turn now to our political gut check. vladimir putin taking his turn addressing the american people in his own "new york times" opinion piece. cnn's chief national correspondent john king is here to break it all down for us. john, quite an interesting read to wake up to this morning, i think everyone would agree. what do you think the impact of putin's plea for caution will have not only on the public view of the -- towards the syrian crisis but also on capitol hill? >> folks, if you haven't seen this yet, go online or pick up a "new york times" and read this. it has a nice try young man, step aside and let the big adults handle this tone from president putin to president

obama. you almost want the bookses on tape version to hear him say what he writes in this article. what is it going to do? the white house has to say we're going to turn the other cheek, pretend he doesn't say these things about our president and our country and hope to move the diplomacy forward. robert menendez, the chairman of the senate foreign relations committee, an important player in all of this, he said last night on cnn that reading this made him want to vomit. in it, he's very critical of the president. he's critical of american foreign policy. and the priceless part, this is the president of russia who persecutes, discriminates against gay people, persecutes his political opponents. he ends by saying we're all different but when we ask for the lord's blessing we must not forget god created us equal. might want to buy a mirror. >> exactly. i think this is a pretty strange tactic of appealing directly to the american people. does this change on the very day that secretary kerry is meeting

with the russian foreign minister? has this changed the white house's approach or calculation in how this is all playing out? or do you think the president is like, par for the course? >> at the white house what they're doing is biting their tongue. we tried to get them to comment. they're saying essentially, look at the parts of it where he says we'll try to advance this proposal, try to get this done in nobody wants the war in the middle east. we will forget the criticism and what they view as the snarkiness of it. the substance of that meeting today in geneva is what matters more than that. the politics of it are just delicious. it will be interesting to see, people at the white house have pride. they're politicians, campaigners. we'll see if they can keep their mouth shut. >> everyone's trying to work on their statement that they're putting out and biting their criticism in response if you look back on capitol hill, the old fights seem to be picking back up once again.

we're starting to hear conversations about a government shutdown and the debt ceiling fights that we've kind of not paid attention to because the syrian issue has been so front and center. the issue of some house republicans wanting to tie funding for the government to defunding the president's health care law, also back to the forefront. what's happening with all of this? >> there is a huge struggle, the soul searching with the republican party has been on this question. we talked about this before. should at every opportunity, republicans in congress and both the house and senate try to kill the president's health care plan. they're using any maneuver they can. some tea parties and other activists are saying, yes, they so dislike the law, they want to try every possible vehicle. the leadership says, no, we can't do this all the time, we have to pick our fights. the house leadership thought it had a proposal, a continuing resolution. you know what that means, kate, from your days on the hill. we're not going to pass a big

budget but keep the government running. they have a conservative revolt saying we want to use that piece of legislation, that vehicle to defund the president's health care plan. you have the prospect, most don't think it will happen but you have a fight again. here's one of the reasons the republican leadership does not want to do this. who would get blamed if the government shuts down? look at our latest poll. 51% of americans say they would blame the republicans. 33% say they would blame the president and 12% say they would blame both. 63% would blame the republicans. 51% solely. if you look at this politically, the leadership thinks we don't want to do this heading into an election year. this is fun drama. >> they're up against a serious deadline here. they would have come back from august recess and this would have been the fight we would have been talking about. obviously for good reason, the syria issue has been the focus. we'll see if they can get anything done. that's always the big question.

>> congress, day care. >> thanks so much, john. talk to you soon. coming up on "new day," the people's pontiff shaking up things at the vatican again. pope francis embracing atheists earlier this week and now reported he might be prepared to open the debate on priestly celibacy. details ahead. tom hanks serving on a jury in a criminal case that suddenly came to an unexpected halt. did the actor's presence, just his mere presence in the courtroom, influence the outcome? if there was a pill

to help protect your eye health as you age... would you take it? well, there is. [ male announcer ] it's called ocuvite. a vitamin dedicated to your eyes, from bausch + lomb. as you age, eyes can lose vital nutrients. ocuvite helps replenish key eye nutrients. ocuvite is uniquely formulated to help protect your eye health. now that's a pill worth taking. [ male announcer ] ocuvite. help protect your eye health. and now there's ocuvite eye + multi. an eye vitamin and multivitamin in one.

welcome back. let's go around the world starting in israel where a senior government official has come out in favor of a proposal that would force syria to give up its chemical weapons. jim clancy has more on that. >> reporter: uncertainty and doubt across the middle east and

especially here in israel, chemical weapons experts wondered aloud about the technical obstacles that remain. all sides need to stop shooting and rebels have rejected that outright. syria says it's going to provide a complete list of its chemical arsenal but who will verify it? the weapons are believed scattered in dozens of sites. what if syria tries to transfer those to groups like hezbollah? it's a mission impossible. kate, back to you. >> jim, thank you so much. now, supporters of catalonia's independence from spain forming a 250-mile human chain to bring attention to their cause. here's al goodman on that. >> reporter: holding hands for independence from spain. hundreds of thousands of people in spain's northeast region of catalonia whose capital is barcelona formed a human chain for 250 miles, from the french border in the north to the southern part of catalonia,

hoping to increase pressure on madrid to allow a referendum on self-determination next year. here in madrid, the spanish government says quite simply, no. back to you, kate. >> all right, al, thanks so much. the 2014 edition of guinness world records comes out today. >> reporter: the guinness world records 2014 is out today. the book is packed with incredible and sometimes zany achievement. this is the duchess, the world record holder for the longest nails. is that comfortable? >> not for a baseball game but for me it's good. >> reporter: there's also the world's smallest dog at 3.8 inches tall. who can resist happy skateboarding into the world record at 118 feet in 25 seconds. back to you, kate. >> i'm sorry, i can't focus on the goat. did you see the fingernails? >> holy cow, i've never seen anything like that before. >> hopefully she does not have

contacts. >> she has to live -- how do you live? >> i don't know. i don't know. >> she's worth an entire story. >> exactly. >> wow. from that sign of the times to another possible sign of the times from the vatican. the emphasis is on possible here but a top aide to pope francis did hint that the church could re-evaluate its policy on priestly celibacy. it's just the latest in a string of unconventional ideas from the office of the new pope. let's bring in cnn's miguel marquez who tells the story behind it. >> reporter: we knew pope francis was different. he drew millions to his final mass on the beaches of rio, solidifying his rock star status around the world. this morning, we're seeing just how different he is. the pope's recently hand picked secretary of state not even in the job yet has discussed the role of priestly celibacy, a practice dating back to the

middle ages. >> we're hearing maybe it's on the table for at least discussion and that's all really people are asking. >> reporter: in an interview with venezuela's newspaper, the archbishop said efforts the church made to keep eee -- >> the exception of the papacy has changed with francis. >> reporter: the trend is clear, there was the 76-year-old pontiff taking on the equally sensitive subject of gays in the church by saying whom am i to judge? he even used the word gay. another first. in a newly published letter, the pope once again called for dialogue between the church and nonbelievers. the pope is extending his man of the people touch by making cold calls to several who have written him, including an italian woman pressured by her boyfriend to have an abortion.

we know he has a love of small cars. francis has accepted the gift of a 1984 renault from a priest in northern italy. the pope says he used to have one just like it. it's a new pope mobile for a new kind of pope. miguel marquez, cnn, los angeles. >> so much to discuss. >> if there are security concerns, they could pick up the car and carry the pope away. >> i guess so. looking at the celibacy issue kind of, into larger context of pope francis, he just continues to break the mold. and has since the moment he began. >> this was the fascination with him as a candidate. >> was it even a fascination when he was a candidate? i can't remember that. >> the celibacy issue, no, but it's that he's a common man, he thinks about things in a plain way. celibacy is a huge issue in the united states. it's not as big an issue that the church confronts around the world. they have bigger issues like

poverty and genocide. father beck was saying it's just on the table. that's probably the best way to put it. even allowing a discussion of it means something in the vatican. does it mean a change? according to cardinal dolan, no. >> even the fact that it's on the table is a far cry from where the church has stood forever. >> you have to take baby steps. >> he knows what he's doing. he's trying to broaden the conversation. >> the common touch is great, the letter writing. it gives a different perception of the papacy. >> can we go back to the car? is that a gift from mr. beam? what a sweet gesture. >> i thought it was a la car at first. >> it's good looking. coming up next on "new day," he was just doing his civic duty but tom hanks' star power inadvertently affected the outcome of a case. we'll tell you how that happened. plus, smile, you're on

youtube. a rare, white hump back while spotted off the coast of australia, it is our "new day" must-say moment. eay moment. eay . . . my mantra? always go the extra mile. to treat my low testosterone, i did my research. my doctor and i went with axiron, the only underarm low t treatment. axiron can restore t levels to normal in about 2 weeks in most men. axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18 or men with prostate or breast cancer. women, especially those who are or who may become pregnant and children should avoid contact where axiron is applied

as unexpected signs of puberty in children or changes in body hair or increased acne in women may occur. report these symptoms to your doctor. tell your doctor about all medical conditions and medications. serious side effects could include increased risk of prostate cancer; worsening prostate symptoms; decreased sperm count; ankle, feet or body swelling; enlarged or painful breasts; problems breathing while sleeping; and blood clots in the legs. common side effects include skin redness or irritation where applied, increased red blood cell count, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, and increase in psa. ask your doctor about the only underarm low t treatment, axiron. vietnam in 1972. [ all ] fort benning, georgia in 1999. [ male announcer ] usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation.

because it offers a superior level of protection and because usaa's commitment to serve military members, veterans, and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve.

♪ everybody comes to hollywood welcome back to "new day," a case of jury tampering question mark starring tom hanks. the actor was serving on a jury on a domestic violence case in los angeles when his role suddenly went from supporting to

lead. "early start" lead anchorman john berman joins us with the details. >> the mustache isn't a problem although it is a problem for a lot of us here. it's inadvertently part of the settlement. he's been on a jury for a domestic assault case in los angeles. they were due for closing arguments yesterday but they never happened. why? because on tuesday, an employee for the l.a. city attorney's office apparently approached hanks when they were out of court and thanked hanks for his service on the jury. now, at first that might sound innocuous enough but you can't do that. why not? there's a latin term for that. >> ex parte. >> you can't have contact with the jurors even when the jury is -- >> tom hanks. >> i fill in the blank. i love this. the defense immediately asked for a mistrial that never happened. instead, they reached a settlement.

they decided that the defendant would plead to a lesser charge of disturbing the peace. he agreed to a $150 fine. that's a lot less than what he could have gotten. he could have gotten a year in jail for the domestic assault charge. hanks, i should add, he's not commented publicly on all of this. the defense attorney said, i was going to vote the way of justice. didn't say which way that was. >> clever, clever, man. >> i'm voting for conspiracy. >> chris cuomo, you were a lawyer. >> i am a lawyer, john. >> you are a lawyer. >> no, he wasn't on tv. >> they often make odd decisions, counterintuitive ones. you want the smartest, most engaged people you can get on the jury, even if they're somebodies. you don't want them to be a distraction, or have an agenda. >> if you put a celebrity like a tom hanks on a jury, everyone will listen to what tom hanks says no matter what he says. >> this is not the first time a celebrity has served on a jury. >> oprah. >> 2004. i covered oprah winfrey when she

sat on a murder trial in chicago. they voted to convict and then oprah brought the whole jury on the show to talk about it. if oprah is on a jury, it's all about what oprah wants and not what happened in the courtroom. >> that seemed to be the case. someone just thanked him, to be fair. he didn't weigh in on the merits. >> some say celebrities can be a distraction. >> there are people who say they need to be treated just like everybody else. they put their pants on wug lon at a time. >> up until this moment, they say he was a model juror. >> he's basically innocent from what we understand of the situation. he'll do anything to encourage people to serve on juries. >> this defendant is like i'm going to watch every movie he ever made. >> do your civic duty, maybe you'll get lucky and get an autograph. >> don't do it.

a rare sight off the coast of australia, a white humpback whale. a boater capturing the images of the which has been named migaloo. he's said to be the most famous white humpback having first been spotted in 1991 and one of only a hand flg to exist. they prefer to be called hyperpigmented. australia granted him extra protection. technically no boats are allowed within 1,500 feet. obviously these guys got much closer. migaloo. apparently there's a migaloo jr. calf found a few years ago. m.j. they called him. >> beautiful. >> i wonder if they're going to move away from humpback. to be correct about it. you think about it. coming up on "new day," john kerry arriving in geneva overnight for talks with his russian counterpart on syria. a meeting now overshadowed here

at home by vladimir putin making his case to the american people directly in a "new york times" op-ed. we'll tell you all about it. and there is flash flooding in colorado. one person has been killed so far. homes and structures washed away. look at this water. we're tracking the severe weather, coming up.

a rough day for some new york sports fans. first the yankees derek jeter says he's out for the season and now, on a much lower level, mark

sanchez, the jets quarterback could also be done for the season, possibly forever with the j-e-t-s. >> two different playing fields, guys. basically what we know now, mark sanchez has a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder. it could require season-ending surgery. he was checked out by dr. james andrews. he can have surgery now, call it a season or try to play at some point and then have surgery at the end of the season. the feeling is whether he goes under the knife now or later, his days with the jets are certainly numbered. now, yankee shortstop derek jeter is definitely done for the season. the team placed him on the d.l. yesterday for the same ankle injury he's been dealing with since last october. the 39-year-old says he is not done with baseball. he expects to return next year for his 19th year with the new york yankees. and trending right now on bleacherreport.com, lebron james and his high school girlfriend,

savannah brinson will say i do this weekend. it will be a three-day bash at the grand del mar in san diego. travel and leisure called that the number one resort in california. jay-z and beyonce are expected to be there. they have two kids together and they were engaged on new years eve a couple years ago. >> they've been together for a very long time. >> yes, since high school. >> james very much a family man. >> early congratulations to them. it's time for the rock block, a quick roundup of the stories you will be talking about today. from the papers, "the new york times," a study by the university of pennsylvania finds the female sex hormone estrogen plays a much bigger role in middle-aged male weight gain than previously thought. in the "washington post," richmond california becomes the first in the nation to help borrowers by seizing underwater

mortgages for the power of eminent domain. a miss america first, a tattoo. teresa veil of kansas became the first contest and to the show off a tattoo during a preliminary event in atlantic city. business news time with christine romans. >> thank you. call it the september surge, the dow a winner in six of the september trading days. the dow soared 404 points. good news in housing. the fewest foreclosures since september 2005. nevada, florida, ohio, maryland and delaware. the school's name is mud but the diplomas are gold. harvey mudd college tops the list with graduates averaging $143,000 a year. the u.s. naval academy and the california institute of technology following close behind. let's get to indra petersons for the weather. big stories today. from the midwest to the northeast, huge changes, especially through the weekend. new york city, 85. rochester, 75.

as a take you in through tomorrow, rochester down to 56 degrees. the question is, what is that? well, there you go. there's the cold front expected to slide through the ohio valley and overnight tonight into the northeast and in through tomorrow morning. rain is in the forecast. look for several inches of rain in fact, especially a chance for severe weather. isolated tornado, not out the question. that's from maine all the way down through pennsylvania today. the big story is, it's going to cool down. little rain to get there. >> all right. thanks so much, indra. we are close to the top of the hour which means it's time for your top news. what we had not seen until this week was a willingness bit russians to actually move forward and act. >> putin lashes out on 9/11, he sends america a message not to spread terrorism. lecturing about god's will. does it put the syria deal at risk? breaking overnight, move to

higher ground. deadly flash flooding across colorado, residents told to prepare, rescues are happening at this hour and we're tracking it all. horrible timing, the major u.s. airport that held a fire drill, complete with real flames on 9/11. flyers terrified and upset. the fallout this morning. your "new day" starts right now. >> announcer: what you need to know -- >> i thought there was a tornado. lightning was going crazy. it was like a movie. >> announcer: what you just have to see. this is "new day" with chris cuomo, kate bolduan and michaela pereira. >> good morning, everybody. welcome back to "new day," thursday, september 12th, 7:00 in the east. coming up this hour, sounds like it's made up, this headline. but vladimir putin writing an op-ed, speaking to the american

people directly, scolding them about spreading terrorism, on 9/11, of all days. in this op-ed he warns washington, a military strike against syria will only lead to trouble. now the u.s. is firing back, putting the russian president on the spot. we'll tell you about it. plus, the debate gun control rage in three states and it's getting ugly. one state even allowing the legally blind to own guns. that is stirring controversy. we'll talk about it. and 12-year-old kali hardig is the arkansas girl who became the third known person to survive a brain-eating amoeba infection. doctors initially had her chance of survival at 1%. she is here with us today. let's begin with russian president vladimir putin warning the u.s. not to carry out a strike on syria. he lays out his arguments in a "new york times" op-ed piece, this as secretary of state john kerry arrives in geneva for

talks with russia's prime minister. a lot going on here. we'll cover this story like no other network can. let's go first to brianna keilar at the white house this morning. good morning, brianna. >> good morning. u.s. official seeming to respond to this putin op-ed by calling it irrelevant. it kind of sets the stage to blame russia if this process falls through, saying russia, president putin put forward this proposal. he's invested, he, quote, owns this. but at this time, i will tell you, there are politicians who these comments do not sit well with. secretary of state john kerry and russian foreign minister sergey lavrov's high stakes meetings come as pressure grows on how to handle syria's chemical weapons. president obama pitching his plans to the american public tuesday night. >> the facts cannot be denied.

the question now is what the united states of america and the international community is prepared to do about it. >> reporter: this morning, russian president vladimir putin is criticizing u.s. policy in an op-ed in "the new york times." saying u.s. military action in syria will hurt civilians and spread conflict. he says a strike would -- putin also suggests the u.s. is being duped by the rebels and that bashar al assad may not be responsible for -- saying there is every reason to believe it was used not by the syrian army but by opposition forces to provoke intervention by their powerful foreign patrons. putin has emerged as a sort of peacemaker in the negotiations. and the obama administration has cautiously backed his proposal for syria to surrender their chemical weapons stockpiles to international control. >> it needs to be credible. it needs to be verifiable.

>> reporter: but now putin is taking aim at obama's claims that america is an exceptional nation, stating it is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional. whatever the motivation. we are all different but when we ask for the lord's blessings, we must not forget that god created us equal. and the leader of a country who has been accused of using force to get his way, is now criticizing the u.s. he writes it is alarming that military intervention and internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the united states. one american lawmaker's reaction on cnn. >> i have to be honest, at dinner i almost wanted to vomit. >> reporter: now, one official here saying that you need to is actually sious about russia removing chemical weapons that up until now, that is what they've been saying that they're doing, chris. but it just shows you the sort of unenviable position the white

house is in at this point. trusting a man to take care or help in this problem, a man who many politicians here in washington, quite frankly, their stomachs turn because of him. >> all right, brianna, thanks for starting us off this hour. ? just a few hours, secretary of state john kerry will sit down in geneva to begin two days of critical talks on a plan to put syria's chemical weapons under international control so they can be destroyed. jim sciutto is live in geneva with the latest. good morning, jim. >> reporter: good morning, kate. if i can, first about that putin editorial, we asked senior administration officials about it on the flight, in particular, this charge in the editorial that the assad regime may not have been responsible for last month's chemical weapons attack and the administration's response is that all of their conversations leading up to these talks have been about removing assad's chemical weapons, as long as that's the topic of the conversation, here in geneva, they don't mind what

putin is writing in "the new york times." i think it's safe to say they're coming into these talks with a healthy dose of skepticism. in their view, this is a chance for the russians and syrians to show their cards and they very quickly, the u.s. side, wants to move this from the 30,000-foot level to the ground level. they have experts with them, chemical weapons experts, security experts. they want to talk about the nitty-gritty of cataloging these weapons, collecting them and destroying them to see if this is real. as one u.s. official told us on the flight, we can test if the russians mean what they're saying and more importantly, if the syrians mean what they're saying. they're not looking for a written agreement but they are looking for what this deal might look like so when they leave here, they can go back to the british, the french and chinese and so on to say we have something here we can move forward on. and the first test of whether this is real is beginning to be how open the syrians are about chemical weapons, cataloging them, saying where all these things are hidden so they could find them and get rid of them.

one more thing, the syrian opposition -- honest or upset, they don't believe -- but to give it time. >> jim sciutto, thank you very much. in geneva with the secretary of state. joining us now to break down these developments, cnn chief correspondent christiane amanpour, the host of "cnn eyes amanpour." >> putin is putin. he's squarely behind owning this diplomatic initiative. that's just what the u.s. wants him to be. this is your idea, mr. putin. i've done all i can to do this peacefully. i will have to reconsider my

options. i think where putin goes off on these crazy tangents is when he writes in "the new york times" that he thinks that the rebels have used these chemical weapons and not only that, they're planning another chemical weapons attack against israel. this kind of stuff is not based on any kind of evidence we've seen them produce. >> now, what does it say about how the -- that he does speak directly to the american people, that he tried to send parliament to meet directly with congress? >> everybody has been doing lobbying ahead of what had been thought to be a congressional vote to authorize strikes. yes, they were sending their ministers. he said in this op-ed but then again, he gets into a twisty thing at the end. but i don't understand this thing about american exceptionalism. nobody's exceptional. we're all created equal under god. he slaps away that idea. but of course the idea, of course, is that the united states does stand up for the

highest moral principles or it should, that's what we expect of the united states, and that's why it is standing against the idea of using weapons of mass destruction. >> which takes me to the next point about perception. you have their senator menendez saying it made him want to vomit when he read this. now, is that a sign of political immaturity given the perspective internationally of the u.s. actions so far in seasyria. >> i think everybody plays to their base. i'm sorry he felt like he wanted to vomit. some think that putin and syria stepped in to help president obama. now it seems that putin stepped forward and the real pressure is to keep the pressure on putin. let's not be at all questioning why this is happening. the credible threat of military force has brought putin in great part to this place where we see putin admitting they have

weapons of mass destruction. nobody doubts chemical weapons were used in syria. he hasn't said that as strongly up until now. and has brought syria to say, yes, we have chemical weapons. yesterday, the most extraordinary interview by a syrian cabinet minister, they are falling over themselves trying to explain their chemical weapons. he said our chemical weapons are the poor man's nukes. he said we had them to try to create strategic balance with israel. you know, so they're admitting it. the russians have said to me, yes, the same is to destroy them. >> he did mention, of course, russia is heavy on arming the syria regime also. which gives them a little bit of interest where peace is involved. >> it has been throughout, yes, assad is a client state. you know what, it's not good for russia if this thing came to a military confrontation. one thing putin does say, this is his major bugaboo. he believes, contrary to what many others believe, that the entire syrian opposition are

jihady maniacs, al qaeda affiliated jihady maniacs. >> which may resonate with the american public. >> it may but the thing is, it's not true. a certain group are but they're not. they're getting superfunded because the west has not stepped up to fund the moderate opposition. we are reaping what we have sewn by inaction. that is the problem. >> christiane amanpour, thank you for the perspective. >> thank you. deadly flooding in colorado this morning, the national weather service has issued flash flood emergencies for bolder and jefferson counties, at least one death is reported so far in boulder county. indra petersons is tracking this extreme weather and if you look at that flooding, it is extreme, indra. >> we have seen an incredible amount of rain out there, kate. especially last evening. we saw 4 inches of rain near boulder in four hours. whenever you see rain that heavy you'll see the threat of flash flooding. at this hour, parts of colorado under water, it happened suddenly, massive

flooding from boulder to jefferson county. >> just another woman being rescued and moving very slowly. >> reporter: watch this rescues athree people were cherry picked from their balcony as high-rushing waters flooded their home. at the university of colorado boulder, students played in the rushing waters. and two days ago near denver, watch this cell phone video as a flash flood almost swept away this young mom and her 6-year-old daughter. >> it was the most terrifying moment of my life. >> reporter: a good samaritan drove through nearly 4 feet of water to save the family. the mom shielding her daughter from the tormenting hail. >> it was hailing. my feet got hurt, my whole body got hurt. >> reporter: and it isn't over. >> look at the size of those rain drops. >> reporter: parts of the southwest are expected to get 3 to 5 inches of rain. in the midwest, chicago's intense heat wave forced several schools to close on tuesday. >> the humidity and warm weather was making it uncomfortable for

kids to learn. >> reporter: fans in the hallway weren't enough for the 95 degree heat. >> you couldn't really concentrate, it was that hot. >> reporter: in downtown detroit, the sweltering heat played a role in a major power outage. in the northeast, relief is in sight. friday's forecast calls for an incredible 30 degree drop in temperatures in just two days. however, the strong cold front is expected to bring severe thunderstorms right along with it. >> let's take a look at the southwest and explain what's going on, why are they seeing heavy rainfall in the denver area. winds go counterclockwise around a low. wons go clockwise around a high. you put the winds together and you get strong winds coming out of the south. all that tropical moisture is enhancing the threat for thunderstorms. the cold air from that low triggers the floodithunderstorm the flooding concern. another 3 to 5 inches of rain are still possible.

we just mentioned we have thunderstorms also to the northeast today as a cold front moves through. look for severe weather from maine all the way down through pennsylvania. chris? >> all right, indra. thank you very much. there's a lot of other news developing at this hour. let's get to michaela. with the syria vote off the table for now, congress is getting back to work and gridlock. house republican leaders postponed a bill to fund the government and avoid a shutdown at the end of the month. athena jones is following developments live from capitol hill. >> reporter: syria had been getting a lot of attention on capitol hill in recent days but there are plenty of issues for folks here to fight about. one big source of contention within the republican party is how far to go to block the health care law. conservative republicans don't want to approve any spending that would go to implementing obama care. they wouldn't go along with this vote yesterday because it doesn't link the spending to defunding obama care. now this vote in the house gets pushed off till next week so

party leaders can try to hash out an agreement within the republican party. some republicans are worried if they push this issue, it will end up leading to a government shutdown which could hurt republicans. our new poll, welcome at this poll here, shows nearly three li three-quarter americans believe a government shutdown will lead to a crisis or major problems. a third would blame the president. this morning, republican and democratic leaders in the house and senate will be meeting to start talking about all of these upcoming fights. >> athena jones reporting from the hill, thank you so much. to the wildfire situation in the west, the clover fire claimed the life of at least one person in northern california. the body of 56-year-old brian henry was found inside his home. sheriff's investigators say henry was ordered to evacuate but chose to defy those orders. the fire burned some 8,000 acres and is 50% contained. it appears north korea is close to restarting a nuclear

reactor that con produce weapons grade plutonium. american researchers say a recent satellite photo you're seeing here appears to show steam coming from a building at a complex. that indicates the electrical system is ready to go online. that reactor was shut down in 2007 as part of an agreement to send aid to the north. a former tsa screener arted and facing up to 15 years in prison. authorities say this man, 29-year-old, called in threats on the same day he quit his job. they found a threatening note in his apartment that referenced the 9/11 attacks. the man was suspended earlier this summer for chastising a teen about her clothing. a woman from hawaii says she's under pressure from county officials there because her long last name doesn't fit on a standard driver's license. take a look at it. i'm not going to try and say it. it is 36 letters long.

janice had to carry two pieces of i.d., a drifver's license an a state i.d. with her full name. the new one featured the same abbreviation as her driver's license. janice says she won't change her name out of respect for her late husband's hawaiian heritage. >> have you attempted to pronounce it? >> i tried to and i felt i was going to butcher it. >> you always wonder when you see sports jerseys how they fit the name on the back. >> they have to curve around a little bit. have you been wondering recently what's up with the royals? >> yes. >> i know you have. prince williams three-year stint as a rescue pilot has officially come to an end. kensington palace releasing the new father's plans for the future. it looks like william has made very important life decisions. who else would we go to for

this, our royal correspondent, max foster, live in london this morning. good morning, max. >> reporter: hi, kate. he said in the past that he's got fed up with this really long drive from here, london where his home is up to anglesey. he does it every week. it takes hours and hours. he's been involved in missions over the years which have saved 149 lives. his colleagues are sort of singing his praises, saying he was a very good pilot, a good search and rescue member of the team. he had to decide what to do and he's decided to leave the military altogether, which was a surprise for a lot of people because he loves the military, that sense of normalcy he gets from the military. but for the next year, he's going to become a full-time royal. after that, he may take on another public service job of some sort, but i think basically his flat will be ready, his apartment atkinsingen to palace in the next few weeks.

he'll move there with his young son, spend time with him, do more charity work. a big moment for him, kate. >> absolutely. but royal duties are calling. i think many people expected this because especially not only the long commute but it was demanding on his schedule. we will watch it all unfold. thank you so much, max. in a programming note for all of you, this sunday, prince william's passion, new father, new hope, airing sunday night on cnn, 10:00 p.m. eastern and pacific. you don't want to miss it. let's take a quick break here. on "new day," within we come back, should you have to be able to see reasonably well to own a gun? think it's an obvious answer? well, don't. we'll break down a debate for you. a bail hearing today for the montana newly wed accused of pushing her husband off a cliff. prosecutors say she tried to cover up her crime but could she be allowed to go home?

. so clinically proven dermatologists recommend it twice as much as any other brand? neutrogena®. recommended by dermatologists 2 times more than any other brand. now that's beautiful. neutrogena®. ♪ 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. (announcer) scottrade knows our and invest their own way.

with scottrade's smart text, i can quickly understand my charts, and spend more time trading. their quick trade bar lets my account follow me online so i can react in real-time. plus, my local scottrade office is there to help. because they know i don't trade like everybody. i trade like me. i'm with scottrade. (announcer) scottrade. voted "best investment services company." 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.

welcome back to "new day." the gun control debate reignited in several states with controversial measures that have sparked fiery reaction. tuesday it's missouri and colorado held key votes this week that could shift the national discussion. cnn's george howell has some of the details from chicago. good morning, george. >> kate, good morning. we're talking about the wild week in the swing states of the midwest like colorado where voters reminded politicians they are on thin ice when it comes to gun rights laws. but in missouri, similar efforts to try to override a governor's veto of a controversial gun rights law fell short. a controversial measure attempting to nullify federal gun control laws in the state of missouri failed to become law, this after a push by some legislators to override the

govern governor's veto fell short by one vote in the state senate. >> this bill does not eliminate our ability to put reasonable regulations in place. but it does prevent the federal government from enforcing unconstitutional infringements on missourians of their second amendment rights. >> reporter: the proposed law would have given citizens the right to take legal action against law enforcement officers who enforce federal gun laws and make it illegal to publish the names and addresses of gun owners in the state. >> basically putting a sign on missouri saying it's okay to come to missouri, criminals, we won't prosecute to the fullest extent of the law, like arkansas, every other state in the uni. >> reporter: they are celebrating the unprecedented recall of two democratic state senators who got the boot this week for backing some of the nation's strictest gun laws. >> what we did was the right thing. i said months ago if doing this

costs me my political career, that's a very small price to pay. >> reporter: still scarred by the mass shootings in columbine and aurora, it was a huge blow for gun control advocates in colorado who vastly outspent the competition and still lost. so when it comes to spending, keep this in mine. new york mayor michael bloomberg gave more than $300,000 to help fight the recall effort in colorado. the nra in a tweet gloated in a way, saying, quote, the mayor wasted his money. kate? i'll pick it up there, george. thank you very much. the last thing you said about bloomberg spend 300,000 may be a clue to why this happened in colorado. ben ferguson is with us. thank you very much. >> good morning. >> let's start in colorado. is this about gun theory and gun debate or is the clue, in

columbine and aurora, not so much about politics? what happened there. >> i think in the end this had everything to do with politics. a lot of people that may not have gone to the polls and vote and recall these people or vote in the election normally showed is up. a lot of it is because they felt like there was too much outside influence in this election. when you have bloomberg as an individual coming in to colorado where he's not a resident, where he has no jurisdiction, where he's never been elected and spends $300,000 plus of his own money to interfere as many people looked at it, as a local state election, this is not running for u.s. congress. and a lot of people, i think it was a reprimand on him as much as it was on the issue of guns, because they're sitting there going why are you coming in, trying to tell us what we should do? we can decide this on our own. >> right. this isn't a referendum necessarily on how they feel about what happened in columbine and aurora, more about the process. maybe missouri is more instructive of what we may be

seeing as a trend here. what's your take on the move to at the state level say what the federal laws say, we don't care? >> yes. i'm not surprised by this new trend, because they learned the people that use this and tried to do what they were going to do in missouri learned it from eric holder in the way that the federal government has said to states, here's the laws that we are and are not going to enforce. look at the letter that was sent by the justice department about marijuana use, that we're not going to prosecute it in these states and we're not going to also do things with illegal immigrants in arizona and other states. states look at this and go if they're going to pick and choose what's laws, they're going to enforce it. they have they're supposed to be doing, fooi fine, we'll flip it the other way and decide what federal laws we're against and we don't like and we'll just do the exact same thing you did, which i tell i don't you, precedent is everything with law. supreme court says that. and when eric holder sent out those letters saying what laws he's going to choose to enforce

and not enforce, he opened up a very big can of worms that i don't think he was prepared for. >> okay. we get now, i want to bring in iowa. okay? >> yes. >> because now we get to where this seems to be an odd situation. they had a law in iowa that physical disability can't exempt you from gun ownership, right? that was the basis of it. >> right. >> in physical disability we have people that are legally blind. now in iowa, you can be legally blind and own a gun. intuitively, that just seems wrong, ben. what's your take? >> one of the issues here is the majority of people that are declared legally blind in this country are in fact not totally blind to the point where they cannot see anything. and that's where you have to really look deep near this. i went to school and one of my classmates is legally blind, however, she was able to see things on the board. she had to sit at the front of the class. she was able to have almost a completely normal life. for someone like that, if

someone breaks in her house, she knows if a bad guy is kicking in her back door, for example, i think that's where the state was saying, you can't have this overreaching that anyone that's declared legally blind doesn't have a right to defend themselves. a lot of legally blind people can see images, can see certain things and should be able too protect themselves. >> that has to be the line, though, right? it can't be if you can't see you can still have a gun, right? that would be too far, don't you think? >> i think you have to clarify that. we talked about this issue. i had someone that called in and said, ben, i cannot see anything but if i'm laying in bed, i live alone, she was actually 60 years old, i know when my alarm goes off and someone kicks in my back door where to aim the gun and i can't see anything, because i'm blind, should i be less able to protect myself in my home at night? and if i was blind, and i was in the middle of the home at night and someone is kicking into my

back door i'd want to defend myself rather than having a stick or baseball bat when i can't see. >> we have to make determination about requirements for owning a dangerous weapon, right. >> sure. no doubt. but i can't imagine in that situation not being able to see and then the state telling you you have no right to be aible to protect yourself in your home with a firearm. i would look at that as being set up for failure. you're already living in this life of fear because you can't not see everything. i think we have to be very careful with that, because if a lot of people watching today lost their vision, does that mean you should lose your right to protect yourself. >> interesting question. ben ferguson, thank you for your take on this this morning. >> good to be here. >> kate, over to you. coming up next on "new day," the newly wed accused of pushing her new husband off a cliff will make another appearance in court. could she get out of jail in favor of home confinement? also coming up, terrible timing, a fire drill at logan airport, the site where some of the 9/11 planes took off from.

what were they thinking? [ male announcer ] these days, a small business can save by sharing. like carpools... polly wants to know if we can pick her up. yeah, we can make room. yeah. [ male announcer ] ...office space. yes, we're loving this communal seating. it's great. [ male announcer ] the best thing to share? a data plan. at&t mobile share for business. one bucket of data for everyone on the plan, unlimited talk and text on smart phones. now, everyone's in the spirit of sharing. hey, can i borrow your boat this weekend? no. [ male announcer ] share more. save more. at&t mobile share for business. ♪

[ drumming ] ♪ ♪ ♪ it's go time. ♪ [ van damme ] it's go time. godaddy.

>> announcer: you're watching "new day" with chris cuomo, kate bolduan and michaela pereira. welcome back to "new day," everyone. it is thursday, september 12th. coming up in the show, the montana newly wed accused of pushing her new husband to his death is back in court today for a bail hearing. prosecutors say she's a killer who tried to cover up her crime. why then could she possibly be getting out of jail today? >> we'll hear from kali hardig, the brave 12-year-old girl who somehow survived a brain-eating

amoeba that is always almost always fatal. she'll join us with her incredible story. she'll be here live. lots of reaction this morning to vladimir putin's letter in "the new york times," the good, the bad, the ugly, the russian president argued against a military strike on syria, claiming the rebels were behind a chemical attack and slammed the idea that the u.s. is exceptional. a senior white house official tells cnn putin is fully invested in syria, giving up its chemical weapons and everything else he wrote is irrelevant. meantime, secretary of state john kerry is in geneva for talks with his russian counterpart. intense flash flooding has killed one person, closed roads and prompted evacuations. the national weather service warning people that it is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation. they are being advised to seek

higher ground. the man who made a stunning online confession to killing a man while driving drunk is set to plead guilty. matthew cordle pleaded not guilty in a procedural move but his attorney says he will change his plea when he goes before another judge. he begs people not to drink and drive. touching or tacky? a lot of people thought at&t's 9/11 tweet was in poor taste. the company posted a picture with a hand holding up a smartphone. many thought mixing commerce with tragedy crossed the line. the company since took the picture down and apologized. here's dramatic video to show you from raging waters. a colombian tv station says the man stuck in this flood, 92 years old. a group of passers by banded together and pulled him to safety. he was in the area looking for

things to recycle when he got caught up in the fast moving water. 92 years old. >> thank goodness people were there to help him. >> another happy ending. >> thanks so much. incredible new details on that alleged newlywed murder in montana. jordan graham in court wednesday charged with killing her own husband just eight days after their wedding. now prosecutors say evidence shows she tried to cover up the crime. cnn's kyung lah is in montana where she spoke with a close friend of the victim. what are they saying, kyung? >> reporter: good morning, kate. we heard the detail about the cover-up in a detention hearing. now, first up, before we know anything more about how prosecutors will try to try this case, we are learning and will learn today, whether or not this defendant may walk out of custody. >> anything at all you would like to say? >> reporter: graham's mother emotionless as she left court,

testified in court that her daughter should get home confinement, not jail. white tight lipped, the defense argues graham is not a threat, has no criminal history or prior record of any violence. except for admitting that she pushed cody johnson, her husband of just eight days, off this cliff face first in the glacier national park during a heated argument. the victim's uncle says his side of the family wants her to stay behind bars. >> there was always an annulment or divorce. >> reporter: they say she tried to cover up the crime by creating a bogus e-mail account. the victim's friends say she seemed cold and calculating in the wake of her new husband's death. was she texting during the funeral? >> she was on her phone, weather it was texting or a mobile app. >> i knew right then and there something was not right. >> reporter: what were you thinking. >> that she had involvement with the process.

i knew there was a point in situation where jordan probably could have done the right thing, even if it was an accident. and the right thing wasn't done. so now we are trying to pursue what the right thing is. >> reporter: now, the right thing for the friends is for this woman to stay behind bars. we are expecting the judge's decision on that bond sometime this morning, just within hours. chris, kate? >> such a sad story. thank you so much, kyung. coming up here on "new day," fire and smoke billowing from logan airport on the anniversary of 9/11. it terrified many, understandably. now, the airport admits probably not the best day for a drill. also ahead, a man who nursed a baby bear back to health now wants what he considers his pet back. but are wildlife officials willing to listen? or do they have a point? nnounc] 1.21 gigawatts. today, that's easy.

ge is revolutionizing power. supercharging turbines with advanced hardware and innovative software. using data predictively to help power entire cities. so the turbines of today... will power us all... into the future. ♪ ♪ (woman) this place has got really good chocolate shakes. (growls) (man) that's a good look for you. (woman) that was fun. (man) yeah. (man) let me help you out with the.. (woman)...oh no, i got it. (man) you sure? (woman) just pop the trunk. (man vo) i may not know where the road will lead, but... i'm sure my subaru will get me there. (announcer) love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru.

folks have suffered from frequent heartburn. but getting heartburn and then treating day after day is a thing of the past. block the acid with prilosec otc, and don't get heartburn in the first place. [ male announcer ] one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn. [ male announcer ] one pill each morning. the math of retirement is different today.ek. money has to last longer. i don't want to pour over pie charts all day. i want to travel, and i want the income to do it. ishares incomes etfs. low cost and diversified. find out why nine out of ten large professional investors choose ishares for their etfs. ishares by blackrock. call 1-800-ishares for a prospectus, which includes

investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. read and consider it carefully before investing. risk includes possible loss of principal. there's one way to start us off. welcome back to "new day." it is money time, christine romans is here with the business news we need to know. apple had a horrible day, investors bailing on the stock. two new iphones, a better camera, fingerprint pass words. investors and analysts said they weren't impressed. apple stock was up 20% before this product launch. just for the record it's ticking up a little bit in the premark the right now. carl icahn, he said in an interview he bought more apple

stock because it was so cheap. obviously he's trying to protect his investment because he bought it recently. this chart i'm going to show you says it all for facebook. the stock is up 70%. facebook up 70% since late july when it said it was finally making money on fobmobile. that means founder mark stuckerburg h-- zuckerberg has stake. he has all these shares, 524 million bucks every time it goes up if you bought that stock at $17 a share, you are loving life right now. >> that's great. that's right. what were they thinking? that's what so many are asking after officials at boston's logan airport held a fire drill on the 12th anniversary of 9/11. and be clear, it wasn't just a simple drill, a plane was on fire, there were plumes of black

smoke in the air. so many are demanding answers. susan candiotti joins us with the latest. >> hard to believe, isn't it, chris? just plain dumb. that's how the governor of massachusetts is describing the incredibly bad timing of a training drill at boston's logan airport. held on the anniversary of 9/11. at boston's logan airport, an intense disaster drill, a dummy plane spewing flames and smoke on a tarmac, preparing for the real thing that can strike any time, any day. ♪ but why on this day, the anniversary of 9/11? ♪ >> i didn't know it was going to happen. it's just dumb. i mean, the timing could not be worse. >> reporter: who can forget that two of the hijacked planes that struck the world trade center took off some boston. apparently someone did. logan officials quickly issued a

statement apologizing. safety and security is our top priority. but the exercise should not have taken place on the anniversary of 9/11. despite the mea culpa, social media lit up. never forget? clearly someone forgot. are you kidding me? of all the days to do this, you pick 9/11? and heads should roll. but it wasn't all negative. thanks, logan, no hard feelings. you, just like many others, played a huge role on that day. and it is preparation, not disrespect. the embarrassing episode, a painful reminder of 2009. new yorkers panicking when air force one and an f-16 flew over the statue of liberty. all because a white house planner failed to warn officials about a publicity photo shoot. now, boston airport is equally red faced. >> to people who experienced 9/11, many of whom work at the

airport, i feel so sorry. >> the white house official resigned. officials at logan did say they were sorry and governor patrick says he's confident in the airport's leadership. but chris, ouch. >> the only justification would be if it were about preparation and to show that on this day, look, we're ready, it won't happen again. >> sure. >> it seems to be just a bad process. >> clearly they were trying to do a good job but it backfired. >> susan, thank you very much. appreciate it. kate? later on in the show, an arkansas man devastated when authorities say his pet bear away. should he get the bear back or is that a very bad idea? we're going to find out.

when is the last time you have been to a shop? >> to buy kids' costumes and clothes. kids love the thrift shop. as if the weight of the world is resting on your face. but sudafed gives you maximum strength sinus pressure and pain relief. so you feel free. liberated. released. decongested. open for business. [ inhales, exhales ] [ male announcer ] powerful sinus relief from the #1 pharmacist recommended brand. sudafed. open up.

♪ >> welcome back to "new day." we begin with an arkansas man fighting for his pet bear. he says he found the abandoned cub injured six months ago, nursed her back to health, naming her savannah. she has lived with him ever since. local authorities, however, have other ideas. >> she's part of my family. >> to robert bassinger savannah is more than just a bear cub. she's family. >> she'll jump up in my arms, lay down in my lap and take a nap. >> bassinger first found savannah six months ago when he rescued her trapped in the middle of a controlled fire. the two have been inseparable ever since, climbing trees, even picking blackberries together.

but all that changed when he came home monday only to find a ticket taped to his front door and savannah gone. >> i don't know where she's at, at this time, but i know she is not where she can climb trees and pick blackberries. >> the ticket was from arkansas game & fish who along with law enforcement took her away citing it illegal to have a pet bear. >> she is crying. they came in there as total strangers and took her by force. and put her in a strange place she's not used to. she's crying. she cried just like a kid. >> we all love bears. we all love wildlife. they're cute and cuddly but it's called wildlife for a reason. >> officials stand by the decision saying the purpose was to get the bear away from humans in hopes of teaching it to survive on its own. >> this is not only about his safety but about the bear's safety as well. >> bassinger planned to release savannah back into the wild when she got older. he says he's tried before but she kept coming back.

now he's not giving her up without a fight. >> i want to bring her back home. >> authorities say the bear was sent to a nearby rehab facility. they are refusing to tell bassinger exactly where. they say it is up to the rehab center to decide whether he can get visitation rights to see savannah, but they all consider it very unlikely given the fact that the idea is to make sure this bear now has very little human contact going forward so it can eventually be returned to the wild. >> i have gone 180 on this story. i was one to think you should not have wildlife as a pet, but that man just broke my heart. >> it is heart breaking. it's a wild animal. >> i know. >> once they grow up to be full grown bears -- >> you think i'm being too soft? >> you? never. i think it falls under the category of just because you have the right to do it doesn't mean it's right to do it. they snuck in, took the bear when he wasn't home. they probably --

>> could have handled it better. >> absolutely. the way they did it was in poor taste and they had to know if he is not living in a suburban area they must have understood the situation. >> but what about the bear? >> that's a tough call. obviously we hear stories all the time about these huge wild animals wind up destroying who they're with. but it is how you do it too. broke this man's heart. >> we need to have humanity. >> a lot of these things usually fall on where are they on the list of how important this is to deal with. >> but for him it was really important. >> how big a deal was it for the state authority to act in this one case this way? >> right. >> i don't like how you did it. there it is. now you know. next, coming up, one lawmaker says it made him want to vomit. that extraordinary op-ed from vladimir putin lecturing the u.s. talking about god, scolding the president. what was the message there? did he acalihieve it?

we're tracking flash flooding in colorado at least one death in boulder county where severe flooding is causing homes to collapse. a live report on the very dangerous situation the top of the hour. [ jen garner ] what skincare brand is so effective... so trusted... so clinically proven dermatologists recommend it twice as much as any other brand? neutrogena®. recommended by dermatologists 2 times more than any other brand. now that's beautiful. neutrogena®. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] 1.21 gigawatts. today, that's easy. ge is revolutionizing power. supercharging turbines with advanced hardware and innovative software. using data predictively to help power entire cities. so the turbines of today...

will power us all... into the future. ♪ into the future. a writer and a performer. ther, i'm also a survivor of ovarian and uterine cancers. i even wrote a play about that. my symptoms were a pain in my abdomen and periods that were heavier and longer than usual for me. if you have symptoms that last two weeks or longer, be brave, go to the doctor. ovarian and uterine cancers are gynecologic cancers. symptoms are not the same for everyone. i got sick... and then i got better.

♪ (train horn)

vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities. we certainly have a long and winding history with the russians. we're going into this eyes wide open. >> happening now. secretary of state john kerry about to meet with the russians. a syria deal on the table. vladimir putin ripping into the u.s. in a scathing op-ed. what does it mean? we'll break it down. >> breaking overnight, deadly flash flooding sweeping across colorado. evacuations and rescues still

ongoing. we're tracking it all. miracle recovery. the 12-year-old girl who did the impossible, surviving a rare, brain eating amoeba, joins us live this morning. >> your new day continues, right now. >> you need to know. >> it was the most terrifying moment of my life. >> my feet got hurt. my whole body got hurt. >> what you just have to see. this is "new day". >> good morning. welcome back to "new day." it is thursday, september 12th, 8:00 in the east. thanks for joining us. we'll be covering throughout the hour that controversial "new york times" editorial by russian president vladimir putin taking a dig at president obama and america's exceptionalism, many calling his piece, among other

things, hypocritical, the op-ed coming as secretary of state john kerry is in geneva for meetings with the russians. take a look at what is happening in colorado. an extraordinary night of rain. it's flooding. one person left dead. buildings leveled. more is on the way. we'll have a late breaking update on these floods. >> anthony bourdain will be here, season two of "parts unknown" debuting this very weekend. we'll have the preview later this hour with the man, himself. we begin with the high stakes talks in geneva chlgt secretary of state john kerry will sit down with russia's foreign minister to discuss implementing a plan for syria to turn over all of its chemical weapons so it can avoid a military strike. the meeting is being over shadowed by vladimir putin's "new york times" op-ed. the russian president urged caution concerning syria and said a strike would unleash a new wave of terrorism.

let's go live to the white house. how is the white house reacting to this? >> reporter: well, one administration official, kate, i've spoken with this morning is sort of ignoring what i think the administration may see as some bluster from vladimir putin and they're focused instead, actually calling it irrelevant, focusing instead on the fact that he is shepherding some of the process through, saying that he put forward a proposal. he has invested, he, quote, owns this is what another u.s. official said but at the same time the comments are really rubbing some lawmakers the wrong way. secretary of state john kerry and russian foreign minister sergei lab rov's high stakes meetings come as pressure grows on how to handle syria's chemical weapons, president obama pitching his plans to the american public tuesday night. >> the facts cannot be denied. the question now is what the united states of america and the international community is prepared to do about it. >> reporter: but this morning russian president vladimir putin

is criticizing u.s. policy in an op-ed in the "new york times", saying u.s. military action in syria would hurt civilians and spread conflict. he says a strike would increase violence and unleash a new wave of terrorism. putin also suggests the u.s. is being duped by the rebels and that bashar al assad may not be responsible for recent chemical attacks, saying there is every reason to believe it was used not by the syrian army but by opposition forces to provoke intervention by their powerful foreign patrons. putin has emerged as a sort of peacemaker in the negotiations, and the obama administration has cautiously backed his proposal for syria to surrender their chemical weapons stockpiles to international control. >> it needs to be credible. it needs to be verifiable. >> but now putin is taking aim at obama's claims that america is an exceptional nation, stating it is extremely dangerous to encourage people to

see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. we are all different, but when we ask for the lord's blessings we must not forget that god created us equal. and the leader of a country who has been accused of using force to get his way is now criticizing the u.s. he writes, it is alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the united states. one american lawmaker's reaction on cnn. >> to be honest, i almost wanted to vomit. >> reporter: it sort of shows the unenviable position this administration is in. the guy that they are relying in part on to help deliver syria's chemical weapons to international control is also someone who really turns the stomach of many people here in washington. >> all right. thank you for the reporting. we know secretary of state john kerry is in geneva at this hour trying to broker a deal with the

foreign russian -- russian foreign minister to disarm syria. talks are scheduled to begin about five hours from now. cnn's chief national security correspondent has this report from geneva. >> reporter: well, on the flight in i was constantly testing u.s. officials' confidence in this process. i think it's safe to say they're coming here with a healthy dose of skepticism but say they wouldn't be coming if they didn't have some confidence this could move forward. very quickly, they're going to move from the 30,000-foot level down to the ground level. that's why they've brought with them chemical weapons experts, security experts, so they can start building a plan to see how they would reliably catalog syria's chemical weapons, collect them, and destroy them as one u.s. official said to me onboard, we can test if the russians mean what they're saying and probably more importantly if the syrians mean what they're saying in terms of removing these weapons from their control. the outcome from this meeting not a final plan, not a ten-point plan, but at least the outlines of a plan for going forward that the americans can bring back to their allies, the

french, the british, the chinese as a possible way to move forward and one of the first tests u.s. officials say is how forthcoming are the syrians going to be about their chemical weapons sites. how much are they going to share so that the americans and russians can work out a plan to catalog those weapons, collect them, and then destroy them. kate? >> all right. thanks so much, jim. for more on this, let's bring in democratic senator from wisconsin, tammy baldwin. senator, it's great to see you. thanks for coming in. >> thank you. >> of course. i want to get your take. when you woke up this morning and you read this op-ed what do you think of president putin's advice to the u.s.? >> well, i agree with some of your commentators that this is really a lot of bluster, but that said, we know and we're clear eyed about who putin is and that russia is an ally of the assad regime. what's really important in all of this and that we can't lose sight of is that in the past few

days a new path developed that we have to in a determined fashion walk down, and that path does not involve the use of unilateral military force against syria that's long been engaged in civil war. it doesn't involve us in that war. and that path is very important because it engages the international community. i've said all along what assad did is a global atrocity but a global atrocity demands a global response. we've got to make our international institutions like the u.n., like the security council work. we know russia is a key vote on the security council and so that's why we have to pursue this with all intention. >> you call it a bit of bluster like some of our commentators have. putin's op-ed. do you think his direct appeal to the american people -- he is speaking to you as well as a member of congress, do you think this helps or hurts the chances

of a deal? >> you know, what i think is important is keeping our eyes squarely on what we need to do here. what we need to do here is get the chemical weapons stock piled in syria under international control. it needs to be secured and then destroyed. and we have to have answers when these challenges come up again. the problem is right now that we have these treaties and these conventions that have been signed on to by almost all the world's nations, and yet we don't have an effective international mechanism to respond to global challenges when a country like syria uses them. we all agree these are crimes against humanity, but the answer can't be unilateralism from the united states going alone and especially in this case where we're talking about military authority in a country engaged in a long civil war. instead, we've got to strengthen our international institution and that's what we have to keep our focus on right now.

global atrocities demand a global response. >> let's talk about the immediate question at hand. we had senator bob casey on with us yesterday and he said, we shouldn't kid ourselves. the chances of this happening are a lot less than 50%. he's talking about these diplomatic efforts, these negotiations with the russians, and believing the word of the syrians that they'll turn their chemical weapons over. so how optimistic are you? >> well, i think that we have to put our all into making this work. or else we'll be back where we started and that's not a tenable place. we've got to have functional international institutions like the u.n. to be able to uphold treaties that the vast majority of the civilized world has signed on to. and that's what we've got to focus on right now. we have an immediate issue of securing and destroying the syrian chemical weapons stockpile but we have the broader issue of how do we respond when these shocking atrocities occur?

>> and that broader conversation does need to occur, but when you look at the immediate question of what to do about syria as more people are dying every day, we know -- i know you're against a military strike, but what happens if the diplomatic deal falls through? does that change the equation for you? would you then support a military strike? >> you know, i cannot support unilateral military action in syria's war, but i believe we have to have a global response. i don't think no response is the answer. i think we have to strengthen our global institutions and create the capability to act. what has happened because president obama brought this issue to the congress is we focused the world's attention on this issue, and the discussions really a global one right now. >> it is. it needs to be decided in days. >> i don't think the countries of the world will turn their heads after where we are right now. and i think we do have good odds

of this being successful. it may not be pretty in getting there, but i think we do have a great chance because the whole world right now is invested in trying to secure and destroy syria's chemical weapons stockpile. >> do you have any indication of when congress, when the senate, specifically, will get a vote on any of this? >> you know, i think as the president asked, we are putting aside the resolution authorizing the use of force for sometime. we're beginning to debate other issues. and we will let the new path that opened up that doesn't involve military force to play out. and then if necessary hopefully it will be successful. but we will watch it very closely. we will, you know, the secretary of state kerry is meeting with his russian counterparts right now. i think the world pressure has to be on to make this work. >> all right. we will see.

tammy baldwin, senator from wisconsin. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> of course. chris? >> all right. kate, happening right now, take a look at the flooding in colorado this morning. at least two people have died. several homes have been destroyed. rescue crews can't get to people who are trapped because of rock slides. cnn's new correspondent is live in boulder joining us by the phone. can you hear us? >> reporter: i can. this has been an intense situation here in colorado, really, a statewide issue this morning where rescue crews are working furiously to try to get to those people who need help. as you mentioned, we have confirmed two people have died in this flooding. the latest fatality within the last 15 minutes actually down south of denver in the colorado springs area. the other fatality here in boulder county where we are currently located working to bring you a live picture of what's happening here. hopefully we'll get that for you shortly. here's what i can tell you. they are seeing huge debris

floats, mud slides coming out of the foot hills. boulder is right on the edge of the rocky mountains. buys cli in the mountainous areas. so they're dealing with steep terrain and darkness right now. it's only 6:00 here local time and so the sun has not come up. so it's been very difficult for the rescue crews to get to the people who are calling them by the dozens we're told saying we need help. we are trapped and there is debris and mud flowing through several canyon areas. so right now the task at hand is trying to get to those people and assess them of the damages. at this point a lot of boulder, the city of boulder is shut down to traffic because they, too, have seen flooding here. the university of colorado is closed today. they've had flooding inside buildings. several homes were damaged. at this point no word on the number of people who may be injured and those who need help. >> all right. ana, those conditions are terrible for getting a satellite picture to show live television.

we're lucky to get you on the phone. thank you for the reporting. for more on the extreme weather hitting central colorado let's get to our meteorologist. >> this is an unbelievable amount of rain inundating the area and we just heard they had possibly 6 inches of rain in the last two hours. in boulder yesterday late evening 4 inches of rain in four hours. you can literally see this on the radar. we're just training here. that means rain over the same place for a long period of time and heavy rain, literally large, large amounts of rainfall in a short period of time. what is going on? here's the situation. we have a low here on the west coast. now, remember, winds go counter clockwise around a low. there is a high just east of it. winds go clockwise around a high. the reason that matters is you get double the strength of the winds coming out of the south. in the south is where all the tropical moisture is. we're enhancing the moisture able to produce heavy thunderstorms. you have the low with a little cold air in it and it triggers those heavier thunderstorms. with that, large amounts of rain. the question is will this

continue? unfortunately, yes. we should see a lull throughout the day but overnight tonight another round of storms as a little short wave kicks through the area. we could see another 3 to 5 inches of rain in the forecast. we still have a long ways to go. i say it all the time and i'll say it again, 6 inches of water. all it takes to sweep you right off your feet. two feet of water can take away an suv. flash flooding is one the biggest killers of all weather events combined. >> thank you so much for that. floods in one area, fires in another. some of the top stories we're following this hour. >> california has been bad. bad fire season. the clover fire, northern california has claimed the life of a 56-year-old man. the body of brian stanley henry was found inside a mobile home that was destroyed by fire. the wildfire has been burning in shasta county since monday. the flames have consumed about 12 1/2 square miles. 50% containment is reported. the texas woman accused of

sending ricin laced letters to president obama and new york mayor michael bloomberg must await trial behind bars. the federal judge determined shannon richardson is a flight risk. the letters were sent in may and richardson initially told authorities her husband had sent them. she has pleaded not guilty. dramatic video to show you of firefighters barely escaping a house collapsing in boise, idaho, taken six weeks ago by a fireman wearing a helmet camera but just released. the firefighters are about to rush in when the entire structure comes down. there were two minor injuries. officials still don't know exactly what started the fire. botox now a government approved way to take the effects of time off your face. the fda has put its official stamp on botox as a treatment for crow's feet. doctors have been using it for years. the big government approval only came this week. still do not expect insurance to cover botox for cosmetic purposes. finally, got to show you

this. who needs a swifer when you got this guy around and his friend? you got two felines saying i want to help with the housework. mom, i feel like you're already doing too much. let me help you. let my fur help you. >> help me help you. >> look at this. >> the other guy gets right in on it. >> i love the none shah lance of it. i wonder what they think. they're not attacking it. you think they think it's a ride? >> yeah. he's thinking i need to get to the living room. this seems like the only available mode of transportation. >> like a bus. >> catching the bus. >> they call it the mop in that area. >> look how nonchalant. if an older cat came would you give up your position? >> very funny. >> we're over analyzing the cat mop. >> we do very well. all right. coming up next on "new day" we'll hear live from caylee

harding. the 12-year-old girl who beat the odds and survived after getting attacked by a brain eating amoeba. and have you seen the new popemobile? there it is. it's an '84 renault. money troubles at the vatican? no. this is a message from the new pope that he is one of the people and it was a gift. we'll tell you all about it when we come back. ♪ ♪ unh ♪ ♪ hey! ♪ ♪ let's go! ♪ [ male announcer ] you can choose to blend in. ♪ ♪ yeah! yeah! yeah! or you can choose to blend out. ♪ oh, yeah-eah! ♪ the all-new 2014 lexus is. it's your move.

the all-new 2014 lexus is. over 20 million drivers are insured with geico. so get a free rate quote today. i love it! how much do you love it? animation is hot...and i think it makes geico's 20 million drivers message very compelling, very compelling. this is some really strong stuff! so you turned me into a cartoon...lovely. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

welcome back to "new day." you heard what is going on with pope francis. he seems determined to break the mold. he wants to be seen as more ordinary. personal phone calls to the faithful. off-the-cuff remarks. saying no to the popemobile in favor of what we'll show you in a second. makes you think maybe he would even consider discussing

something like celibacy for priests. crazy, you say? just wait. here's more. >> reporter: we knew pope francis was different. he drew millions to his final mass on the beaches of rio, solidifying his rock star status around the world. this morning we're seeing just how different he is. the pope's recently hand picked secretary of state not even in the job yet has discussed the role of priestly celibacy, a church practice dating back to the middle ages. >> we're hearing now maybe it's on the table for at least discussion. that's all really people are asking. >> in an interview with venezuela's newspaper the archbishop said, efforts the church made to keep celibacy, to impose celibacy, have to be taken into consideration. >> i think perception is everything. and the perception of the papacy has changed with francis.

>> reporter: the trend is clear. there was the 76-year-old pontiff taking on the equally sensitive subject of gays in the church by saying, who am i to judge? he even used the word "gay" another first. in a newly published letter the pope once again called for dialogue between the church and nonbelievers. the pope is extending his man of the people touch by making cold calls to several who have written to him including an italian woman pressured by her boyfriend to have an abortion. we know the pope has a love of small cars, and he's throwing his security team another curveball. francis has accepted the gift of a 1984 renault, with nearly 200,000 miles on it from a priest in northern italy. the pope says he used to have one just like it. a new popemobile for a new kind of pope. cnn, los angeles. >> doesn't get more common than that. i owned one of these as a

teenager. i always wanted another one. >> he got it from a buddy. >> i know. it came from a priest. has to be okay. >> it wasn't a bad deal i'm sure. it is amazing. >> these are things we just didn't anticipate coming out of the vatican, out of the pontiff. >> right. >> and the discussion of something like celibacy would have been heresy a few years ago. doesn't mean the discussion will go anywhere but it is an interesting conversation to even have. >> there is no down side to how he is handling the papacy. isn't it bet tower be more connected? >> the conservatives, orthodox, would say you are above. you are the direct link within the understandings of catholicism. so there would be that argument kind of like you got into it with the royals. we want you to be different and special. this is even more so. >> fun to talk about. >> it is very much. continue on the break. >> up next on "new day" a fight over obama care derails a stop-gap budget vote in the house. congress needs to get something passed before the end of the

month to avoid a government shutdown on october 1st. oh, yes. we are talking about a government shutdown again. >> where in the world is chef anthony bourdain going next? you won't believe the answer. we will tell you straight ahead. right now he is in the green room. of getting something "new." and now, there's a plan that lets you experience that "new" phone thrill again and again. and again. can you close your new phone box? we're picking up some feedback. introducing verizon edge. the plan that lets you upgrade to a new verizon 4glte phone when you want to. having what you want on the network you rely on. that's powerful. verizon. upgrade to the new droid ultra by motorola with zero down payment. before mike could see his banking and investing accounts on one page... before he could easily transfer funds between the two in real time... before he could even think about planning for his daughters' future...

mike opened a merrill edge investment account and linked it to his bank of america bank account to help free up plenty of time for the here and now. that's the wonder of streamlined connections. that's merrill edge and bank of america. you feel...squeezed. congested. beat down. crushed. as if the weight of the world is resting on your face. but sudafed gives you maximum strength sinus pressure and pain relief. so you feel free. liberated. released. decongested. open for business. [ inhales, exhales ] [ male announcer ] powerful sinus relief from the #1 pharmacist recommended brand. sudafed. open up.

welcome back to "new day" thursday, september 12th. coming up, season two of anthony bored an "parts unknown." you wanted a leg up on the other bourdainians? stick here. we'll ask the celebrity chef

where he's headed next. >> makes me hungry. plus, the incredible recovery of an arkansas girl battling a deadly brain eating amoeba. she is back home this morning and joins us live with her mother and the inspiring story. coming up. with the syria vote now delayed, congress can turn its attention to another growing crisis, the threat of a government shutdown. budget battle looming very large for lawmakers as they always seem to be and of course they are up against the clock once again. athena jones is tracking the latest from capitol hill this morning. where do things stand today? >> reporter: it seems like one crisis after another here on capitol hill. the government runs out of money on october 1st. that's right around the corner, so that means lawmakers are going to have to work fast to pass a new spending bill before then. money matters now loom large on capitol hill. >> welcome back to d.c. >> if congress doesn't pass a new spending bill, the government will run out of money

october 1st. this would mean a government shutdown. unless lawmakers raise the nation's borrowing limit by this fall, the government won't be able to pay its bills. at issue? obama care. >> we'll continue to do everything we can to protect americans from this harmful health care law. >> reporter: some conservative republicans want the controversial health care law defunded and they're willing to use the fiscal fights to try to do it, even risking a shutdown. >> encourage your senators and congressmen. do not vote for any piece of spending, any funding mechanism that includes funding for additional implementation and enforcement of obama care. >> reporter: a new cnn/orc poll shows just 39% of the public likes the law. but any attempt to block it in the republican controlled house would fail in the democrat controlled senate and the white house fears the back and forth would hurt the economy. >> threatening a government shutdown over an ideological

position is not something most americans would believe is the right thing to do. >> reporter: the poll also shows nearly 3/4 of americans believe the country would face a crisis or major problems if the government were to shut down for a few weeks. most of them, 51%, would hold republicans responsible. just one-third would blame the president. now, republicans and democrats' leadership in the house plan to meet this morning to talk about these issues. remember, the spending bill comes first, but soon after that congress has to vote to raise the debt limit. that is going to be another big fight. back to you. >> all right. thank you so much. i do wonder how the focus on syria, if it will change the political dynamic on these fights. probably not. >> we'll see. we'll be right here telling you about it. right now the five things you need to know for your "new day." >> at number one in a "new york times" op-ed russian president vladimir putin says he is alarmed by military intervention

in other countries in internal conflicts and washes the strike on syria could create more victims and spread conflict. secretary of state john kerry arriving in geneva this morning for talks with russia's foreign minister to try to hammer out a diplomatic solution to the crisis in syria. at least two people killed in deadly flooding in colorado. several homes have been destroyed and rescue crews struggling to reach people who are trapped because of rock slides in the area. montana judge expected to rule today on whether a newlywed wife, charged with killing her husband of eight days, will remain behind bars or be released to home confinement. at number five, the new parents, duke and duchess of cambridge stepping out tonight in their first official engagement since the birth of baby prince george. they'll attend an awards ceremony for the wildlife conservation group tusk trust. we always update the five things to know so be sure to visit new day cnn.com for the very latest. >> thanks very much. with all of the focus and much needed focus, on syria right now, we want to let you know you can make an impact for

the more than 2 million syrian refugees suffering right now. you can go to cnn.com/impact for a list of the many organizations that are working in the region and will tell you ways you can help. cnn.com/impact. >> a good idea. might as well go check it out. take a break. we'll give you a chance right now. coming up on new day an arkansas girl given 12% odds of surviving a brain eating amoeba. she beat them. coming up, sharing her inspiring story. anthony bourdain hitting the road once again. the celebrity chef is talking about this weekend's big debut of season two on cnn. [ male announcer ] this store knows how to handle a saturday crowd.

♪ [ male announcer ] the parking lot helps by letting us know who's coming. the carts keep everyone on the right track. the power tools introduce themselves. all the bits and bulbs keep themselves stocked. and the doors even handle the checkout so we can work on that thing that's stuck in the thing. [ female announcer ] today, cisco is connecting the internet of everything. so everyone goes home happy.

welcome back to "new day." renowned chef anthony bourdain is back with season two of "parts unknown" the show nominated for four, count them, primetime emmys premiering september 15th at 9:00 p.m. eastern. anthony will be traveling all over the world once again. we are lucky enough to land him in the studio for a moment to talk to him about it. season one was fabulous. season two you've got really exciting places you're heading. the premiere episode is jerusalem, gaza, and the west bank. the political tension there we all know very well. what did you learn from the food? >> well, i think it's something i try to do regularly on the show is go on a very complicated situation and ask very simple questions. remarkably i found over the years if i do that people let

their guard down and when you ask them simple questions like what makes you happy? what do you eat? what do you want for your kids? they tell you rather extraordinary things about themselves that they might not otherwise. so i don't know that i came back any smarter necessarily. but i saw some remarkable things and met some extraordinary people. >> what do you think you can share about what people are like? you'll have libya obviously on this next round but being in the region what can you pass along to the american audience? >> there is a science fiction aspect to the way that palestinians live in gaza that i think people will be surprised, and west bank, that people will be surprised by. i think there is a basic humanity on both sides of the issue that we miss when we watch these issues play out. an extraordinarily complex situation. but i think just looking at who are we talking about here at this most contentious part of

the world? who are these people? how do they live? people haven't seen a lot of that. what do they cook? how do they eat in gaza is something i haven't seen before. and something i was very, very surprised to see. i think it will inform you in larger ways than you might think. >> what a better way to get in and talk to people than go into their kitchens and sit down and break bread. i was thinking about the fact that one thing we know, clearly, is a premise of your show, food plays so importantly into all of our cultures. i sense we all have around the world different relationships with food. do you sense that especially when you're going to some of the places you've been this past season? >> it's enormously important in how much i enjoy a place. countries that don't really have any passion for food or any relationship with food, don't really care for it much, that is generally a pretty miserable place to be and miserable place to make television. it's those cultures that surprise you with how passionate they are about food, how much

joy there is at the table, how important hospitality is. this is a feature of the arab world in particular that surprised me again and again. where frankly you wouldn't expect them to have friendly feelings toward americans. >> explain what they mean by hospitality. >> every minute that they are not feeding you, if you have an italian grandmother, that kind of hospitality. not only is it a misery every minute you are not eating and being looked after, but it's an embarrassment to your arab host generally speaking when the camera crew is not eating. they keep constantly turning right to the camera crew. you're not eating. sit. >> they need to do their jobs! >> your host will generally sit next to you tearing off the best part and putting only the best parts in front of you making sure you're getting a good mix of everything. somebody who frankly under another situation would be perfectly happy to see terrible things happen to you, when it's dinner time and they're in a

position of host, there is an enormous -- the guard drops to a great degree, and there is, you know, something kind of magical happens. >> looking through the list of all the places you'll go in this season, some of them you think, yes, definitely you can see you know food from that area, that country, that region, but other places like here at home, new mexico, detroit. >> yep. >> maybe not top of mind when you think of food or someplace anthony bourdain is going to go. what made you choose those places? >> i love detroit and have for years. it is a place i've always connected with as i've gone on speaking tours, a book tour. and i think people will be absolutely stunned to see what we have allowed to happen to one of the great american cities. it is going to be shocking to people, inspiring in many ways and i think absolutely stunning and a warning shot in a lot of ways. this is not a problem unique to detroit necessarily.

>> in my experience the food in detroit is amazing. >> amazing in getting better. there is a resilience, toughness, sense of humor in detroit that is really hard not to love. >> is there still a place you can't get to that you haven't been to yet? >> i think even in new york city there are parts unknown. i've lived here most of my life but i think the challenge is to go many places that many people have seen and find a new perspective and way of looking at it that maybe people aren't familiar with. >> some tips for later. >> we're going to make you eat weird stuff. we're the host. we should have provided him with something. >> sushi? >> nothing. nothing. we've got mints and coffee. what do you want? >> parts unknown is premiering.

i want to make sure we get it right for everyone. season two, september 15th, 9:00 p.m. eastern. you do not want to miss it. great to see you. coming up next a "new day" live exclusive talking with an amazing 12-year-old girl who survived a rare brain eating amoeba. how caylee harding overcame the odds. you're not going to want to miss it. copd makes it hard to breathe... but with advair, i'm breathing better. so now i can help make this a great block party. ♪ [ male announcer ] advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis

and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. ask your doctor if including advair could help improve your lung function. [ male announcer ] advair diskus fluticasone propionate and salmeterol inhalation powder. get your first prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com. vietnam in 1972. [ all ] fort benning, georgia in 1999. [ male announcer ] usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection and because usaa's commitment to serve military members, veterans, and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. i tthan probablycare moreanyone else.and we've had this farm for 30 years.

we raise black and red angus cattle. we also produce natural gas. that's how we make our living and that's how we can pass the land and water back to future generations. people should make up their own mind what's best for them. all i can say is it has worked well for us. naughty friends.

welcome back to "new day." another incredible mile stone in the recovery of an arkansas girl stricken by a deadly brain eating amoeba. caylee harding contracted the infection in july, but after months of fighting for her life, literally, she is finally home. we will speak with caylee and her mother live exclusive in just a moment. first, here is cnn's senior medical correspondent elizabeth coen with her story. >> reporter: a miraculous home coming for kali hardig. by nearly all accounts the 12-year-old shouldn't be alive. during a swim at this water park in july, she contracted parasite meningitis, a rare, usually fatal infection caused by brain eating amoebas. her chance of survival less than 1%. before kali, just two patients had been known to survive. her friends and family prayed

she would be the third. doctors at arkansas children's hospital had to put her in a coma to try and save her life. and against the odds, she made it. now kali can talk, take a few steps on her own, and has been undergoing remabe. and wednesday she finally got to go home from the hospital. after nearly seven weeks. doctors credit her amazing survival in part to the experimental antiamoeba drug. they had to get it from the centers for disease control. on monday morning, another mile stone. kali will head back to school part-time. in the afternoons she'll do physical and speech therapy for the next six weeks. >> at that time, i'm hopeful that she will be ready to go back to school full-time. >> reporter: for kali and her mom and dad who were initially told the worst news possible, it's a bright future for a little girl who is very lucky to be alive. elizabeth coen, cnn, reporting. >> here to share their amazing story of courage and beating the odds exclusively kali hardig and

her mother tracey joining me now. it is so wonderful. such an under statement to say it is wonderful to see you both. great to see your smiling face this morning, kali. >> thank you. >> how are you feeling? >> good. >> do you feel a hundred percent? what's it like right now? >> yeah. it's awesome to be home. >> you just got out of the hospital. >> good to be home. >> of course it feels good. what was the first thing you wanted to do when you got out of the hospital? >> to play with my dog chloe. >> and give her a big hug? >> yep. >> have you been able to see any of your friends? >> yeah, some. >> what are they saying? i'm sure they're excited to see you. >> they're like i'm glad you're doing better. >> absolutely. >> they're psyched i'm getting

better. >> you're starting school? >> i start school. >> part-time on monday. are you looking forward to going back? >> yep. kind of. >> a perfect response for any 12-year-old heading back to school. what are you going to tell your friends when you get back to class? >> that i missed them i guess. >> yeah. that makes sense. so, tracey, you must be on cloud nine having your daughter home. >> yes, it's a wonderful feeling to have her back home. >> take me back through this terrifying ordeal that you've gone through that no one -- that's why you have number three on your shirt. she is really the third person known to survive this brain eating amoeba. take me back to that. your daughter gets sick. she goes into the hospital and she is only getting worse. then you get this diagnosis and

you learn the odds that she is up against. what was going through your mind? >> well, at first i was determined that i wasn't going to lose her, that it just couldn't be happening because i could talk to her, still. i mean, she was still awake when we took her in. it was hard for me to accept that that was what was going to happen in a few days. so we decided that we were just going to tell her she was very sick and she had to fight like mom does because mom has been battling cancer and then we were going to ask everybody to pray for her and we were going to make it through it. so we just hung in there and prayed and, you know, it just -- i'm so thankful and blessed the road we're down instead of the one we could have went down. so it's just a miracle. >> it is a miracle. was there any moment when you

were losing hope, when you knew the odds she was up against? >> well, i mean, there were several moments that i would get down because it was like riding a rollercoaster. i mean, one moment things would be going good and then the next moment something else could happen that you're just wondering if she was going to be able to overcome it or not. and there was a moment where she was just hooked up to every machine possible that you could imagine. i mean, there was hardly any room for you in the room. and, i mean, that was one of my lowest points is thinking, you know, if you just let her come back from this, i'll do whatever i got to do to take care of her. i just want to be able to take her home, so that was one of the hardest moments. >> and we should give a very big shout out to the arkansas children's hospital for their hard work and everything they've done for you and your family. and they used a new experimental

drug to help kali through this. when did you get a sense she had turned the corner? when did you feel comfortable even believing that she was going to make it through? >> it was a long haul. we were in icu for 22 days. the day before we left, they took her off the vent and i think that was the first time i could actually take a breath and let myself breathe to think that kali was possibly going to overcome this, but it was just until then, you know, i just prayed and hoped and just kept my faith that she would make it, that that's the actual moment i think that i really believed and the doctors would actually tell us that she was going to be the third survivor. >> yeah. kali, do you remember any -- you

were very sick obviously as your mom is saying. do you remember anything during the time that you were in the hospital? >> not really. >> not really. was it -- were you scared? >> yeah. >> do you realize now how special you are that you made it through and what a special girl you are? >> yeah. >> what do you think of all this attention? >> i kind of like it. >> well, we kind of like giving it to you i must say. traci, do you want parents when they hear your story to learn anything from this experience? this doesn't happen to many people, and it is so clearly fatal when it does. are you trying to send a message to anyone? >> yeah. the message that we would like to send is just awareness that this does exist, because before

kali got this, i didn't even know it existed either. and the main thing is trust your instincts as a parent. i mean, if you believe that there's something more wrong with your daughter or your son than a simple virus or stomach flu, stay in there. hang in there. talk to the doctor. be positive, you know, and reassure them that this is not a normal illness with my child. and they'll listen, because, i mean, children's hospital was wonderful with listening when i told them that this just wasn't a normal case of a stomach bug. there was something wrong with kali. >> you knew your child better than any doctor would. that's for sure. so, kali, i know you're sleepy, poor thing. you know so many people have been pulling for you and praying for you and following your story and your recovery. what do you want to say to everyone who's been watching this and hoping you make it

through? >> thank you for praying for me, everybody. >> absolutely. well, thank you so much to both of you. such a pleasure to meet you. traci, you are counting your blessings today and will be for a long time to come. thanks so much for coming on and sharing your story. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> all right. good luck at school, sweetie. >> okay. thank you. >> all right. chris? >> i love that. i love the mom has kali number 3 because she is the third to survive but you know she is number one in that family and in our hearts right now. what a great story. let's take a break. coming up, some say golf is a good sport. others say it is good for the soul. one man made it good for an entire community. find out how, in our good stuff. the humble back seat.

we believe it can be the most valuable real estate on earth. ♪ that's why we designed the subaru forester from the back seat forward. the intelligently designed, responsibly built, completely restyled subaru forester. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru.

lecoca-cola is partneringg. with nashville parent and charlotte parent magazines, along with the mayors of those cities, in the fit family challenge. a community wide program that offers free classes that inspire families to get out, enjoy moving together, and even track their activity online. it's part of our goal to inspire more than three million people to rediscover the joy of being active this summer. see the difference all of us can make... together.

all right. you'll love this. time for the good stuff. for all you golfers, the next time your beloved goes after you for being on the golf course remind them it makes a difference in the world like this guy did. 66-year-old retired teacher dale wright golfed to raise money to fill up his local library which is really hurting for books. 125 holes of golf nonstop in a single day. dale loves golf but loves helping his community even more. >> this is a very under funded library but is very important to the adams friendship community. there is a lot of reading here which as a teacher makes me happy. we'll put a nice little plaque on there donated by dale or, you

know, dale collapsed on the golf course to provide this book. >> he wasn't even wearing cleats. he went out there -- >> sprinting around. >> golf is good. that's the message. >> we'll end on that today. "cnn newsroom" with carol costello begins right now. >> have a great day. thanks so much. "newsroom" starts now. happening now, breaking overnight flood emergency in colorado. at least one person has died. streets unpassable. also, vladimir putin lashing out calling america a bully. >> i got an e-mail with president putin had to say and i almost wanted to vomit. >> the russian president in a "new york times" op-ed questioning american exceptionalism and sending a warning to p