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Chrysler Car Sales Jump; White House Jumper Arraigned Today; Interview with Rep. Michael Burgess; Texas Governor to Hold Press Conference About Ebola Case; Congress to Discuss Marine Held In Mexico; Interview with Rep. Ed Royce

Aired October 01, 2014 - 09:30   ET

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

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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: More breaking news to tell you about, and it's good news again. This morning, the auto industry has reason to celebrate. Chrysler reports car sales saw a boost in September. The increase comes on the heels of a strong summer closing. In August, the auto industry hit some of its highest sales levels in a decade. So let's bring in CNN's chief business correspondent, Christine Romans, to celebrate further.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: This is what a recovery looks like, Carol. I mean, think about it, if someone's going to buy a car, it could be tens of thousands of dollars. They have to be confident about the housing market, confident about their job, they have to have some money in the bank. So this shows you the consumer is able to, after many years of being very frugal and very careful, the consumer is buying cars again. Chrysler sales up 19 percent, very strong. Nissan sales were up, also very strong. 18.5 percent. We're still waiting for Ford. And we're waiting for GM. But what this tells you that in the month of September, auto sales did very, very nicely.

So where a lot of people are expecting for the rest of this year and even 2015, Carol, to be even better. Some very good news here for people who are car buyers, there are a lot of incentives out there. Also, used car prices are falling as more people are starting to go in and buy new cars again. So if you're looking for a used car, those prices are falling.

COSTELLO: So where are people getting this money? Because people are still tapped.

ROMANS: They are. The job market is recovering a little bit. The average car on the road is 11 years old, you know, so some people have to, to get to their job, they need to get a new car. There's also incentives. There are also -- credit is flowing again. Even for subprime borrowers, credit is flowing again.

Now, one thing to be careful about, if you stretch those payments too far, you could get yourself in trouble because you're still paying the car off when you're also having to pay for costly repairs. So some people are really stretching their payments far to keep a low monthly payment. So be careful about that.

But there are incentives out there. And this month there could be even more incentives because you've got the new car year coming up, the new model year. So dealers want to get last years off the lot.

COSTELLO: Awesome. Christine Romans, thanks for brightening our day. I appreciate it.

ROMANS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: This morning in Dallas, health workers are going from door to door searching for anyone who came into contact with the first person diagnosed with Ebola on U.S. soil. Just minutes ago the city of Dallas reported that all three members of the ambulance crew have tested negative. That was the crew that transported the Ebola patient to the Dallas hospital. They're fine so far. And along those lines, the government is reassuring Americans that the overall threat to the public is quite low.

My next guest calls the situation grave though. Michael Burgess is a Republican congressman from Dallas, who has practiced medicine for nearly three decades.

Welcome, Congressman.

REP. MICHAEL BURGESS (R), TEXAS: Thanks, Carol, for having me on.

COSTELLO: Oh, thanks for being here on this very important topic. You were briefed on this case moments after the news broke. How worried are you?

BURGESS: Well, I am worried and I have been for several months. And I will say to the credit of the CDC, they've done a good job of keeping me and my office up to date really since mid-Summer when they sent their first 30 workers over to western Africa. But make no mistake, it is a serious situation. This is the first person who has been diagnosed in this country, but it's -- this person did not actually become infected in this country. And, of course, now the issue that has us all concerned is, will there be a case of someone diagnosed in the United States who actually became infected as a result of patient contact in the United States. That's what's sort of pending at this point.

COSTELLO: Right. This man actually went to the hospital because he was very sick and the hospital -- doctors sent him home with antibiotics. He returned two days later by ambulance and they diagnosed Ebola. That's disturbing, isn't it?

BURGESS: It is troubling and, of course, we don't know the details of the visit and with patient privacy protections it's not likely we'll learn a lot. But, yes, it is concerning and certainly the takeaway for anyone who's practicing ER medicine right now is, boy that travel history in a (INAUDIBLE) patient is extremely important and don't overlook it.

COSTELLO: So officials in Dallas are going door to door now just as a precaution to find out if anyone's been exposed to this man. How difficult a task is that?

BURGESS: Well, it is difficult, but it is something -- I mean this is what public health does. This is -- this is sort of like epidemiology 101, you identify the contacts and then the close contacts of those contacts are also identified. People need to be monitored for any elevations in their temperature. Remember, the incubation period for this virus is from two to 21 days. So that's a pretty long period of time that the people will have to be kept under surveillance. And the key is, if no one in 21 days has shown evidence of the disease, then that's a pretty good sign. But anyone who then does show evidence of having a fever or a fever associated illness is going to have to be under some pretty close scrutiny until it's either confirmed or denied that they have the disease.

COSTELLO: I know that we have patient confidentiality laws, but wouldn't it be easier for authorities if they were able to release this patient's name?

BURGESS: You know, it's -- I share your frustration there. And it would be great to go on the radio in Dallas, Texas, and say, anyone with any contact with this individual, please contact the Dallas County Health Department, and involve yourself in the surveillance that's ongoing. Patient privacy laws are what they are. This is one instance where you might think that the public health interest might trump that.

COSTELLO: But you would not be for naming this man?

BURGESS: You know, look, there's a lot that's going to be learned about this case. This is the first case. I think they're -- you know what, this is -- this is what's key here from -- really from top to bottom. Business as usual may not be -- may not be the order of the day. This is a different sort of threat that we're facing today with Ebola that they have faced for several months in western Africa. It can't be business as usual. There has to be flexibility in federal agencies and federal law, and the protection of the greater public really has to be what's paramount.

COSTELLO: Congressman Michael Burgess, thanks for joining me. I appreciate it.

BURGESS: Thank you.

COSTELLO: We know you have a lot of questions about Ebola, so we're going to bring back Dr. Sanjay Gupta in the 10:00 Eastern hour to help us. So go to my Twitter page carolcnn -- @carolcnn and submit your questions, #ebolaq&a. We'll answer as many as possible at 10:30 Eastern Time. I'm back in a minute.

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COSTELLO: Back to the other big story of this morning, those shocking lapses in security by the Secret Service. Today, Omar Gonzalez, the Iraq War veteran who jumped the White House fence and entered the executive mansion last month is set to be arraigned in Washington. Joining me now, CNN justice correspondent Pamela Brown, HLN legal

analyst and criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson, and CNN political commentator L.Z. Granderson.

Want to start with Pam. What charges are -- is Gonzalez facing?

PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, yesterday a grand jury returned an indictment of three charges against Omar Gonzalez, one of federal charge, two D.C. violations. That federal charges is entering a restricted building while carrying a dangerous or deadly weapon. The two D.C. violations, unlawful ammunition and carrying a weapon outside the home. And as you pointed out, Omar Gonzalez will be appearing inside a courtroom here today. This is an arraignment. He will likely enter a not guilty plea, which is usually standard during arraignments. And this is going to be happening at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time today, Carol.

COSTELLO: Joey, this man has a history of mental illness and authorities, frankly, have known that for quite some time. So how will that enter into this criminal case against this man?

JOEY JACKSON, HLN LEGAL ANALYST: You know, interestingly enough, Carol, what happens is the criminal justice system's predicated on three things, right, punishment is number one and then there's the deterrence because we want to deter you and other people, and then, of course, there's the other thing, which is the rehabilitation. So that's what it's premised on.

Now, having said that, mental illness is relevant. It's a factor. The case hasn't been adjudicated yet. He'll get his day in court. He's simply being arraigned today which is to determine whether he should be detained, released, what ends up happening. But I think in sentencing what you're going to see is the attorneys, if it gets that far and he's convicted or enters a plea, move for what's called a downward departure. And what that means is, he's mentally ill, he served his country, consider it, judge, as a factor in lessening the amount of punishment he receives for this offense.

COSTELLO: Pamela, somehow I don't think federal prosecutors are looking at it quite that way.

BROWN: Well, not necessarily, Carol. I do think that that's going to be something that perhaps they factor in. But then you look at the mandatory sentencing for these types of charges. For the federal charge here, entering a restricted building while carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon, that carries a sentence of 10 years. So there are some pretty stiff penalties here that Omar Gonzalez faces, Carol.

COSTELLO: And, L.Z., a question to you about Julia Pierson, the Secret Service director. Everybody is wondering, why hasn't she been fired, because we're not only talking about Mr. Gonzalez, but there was another case in Atlanta, in an elevator, a convicted criminal with a gun beside the president. Like, how can that happen?

L.Z. GRANDERSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, you know, there's -- the primary reason why she should be fired isn't necessarily because of the gaps. Those are horrible. But because of the cover-up after the gaps. That's where you start to lose trust and confidence and not only in the American people, but obviously in the man you're supposed to be charged with serving and protecting. I wonder why she's not fired myself. But then there's a long list of people in Obama's administration who have done bad or seemingly incompetent things, like Kathleen Sebelius, when you wonder why hasn't this person been fired.

COSTELLO: Well, let's go down the list. That's interesting you bring that up, so let's go down the list because the president does have this history of not firing people. Instead, the White House usually says, the president has full confidence in the person, and then someone resigns or retires, like you said, L.Z., Kathleen Sebelius, Eric Shinseki, the pervious Secret Service director, Mark Sullivan. The administration, this time, says Mr. Obama has complete confidence in Pierson. So what gives with this?

JACKSON: Loyalty.

GRANDERSON: Well, I think it goes back to his tendency not to want to throw people in his circle under the bus, it's a long process to go through, because at the end of the day, even if you fire that person, you still have to dedicate resources and time to replace that person, which may be taking away from using resources and time to fix the problems. So I can understand that rationale, but from an optics perspecitve, it doesn't look strong to continually have incompetent people surrounding you and making these sort of errors.

JACKSON: Well when someone gets into the White House, you know, that's a problem, Carol. When somebody can just go into the White House, we have to be very concerned, so leadership certainly needs to be questioned.

COSTELLO: Yeah, and sometimes optics really do matter. L.Z. is completely right about that. Pamela Brown, Joey Jackson, L.Z. Granderson, thanks to all of you. I'll be right back.

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COSTELLO: A bit of breaking news to pass along to you, now. Texas Governor, Rick Perry, will hold a news conference this afternoon, 1:00 Eastern Time. And of course, he'll be talking about the first diagnosed case of Ebola on U.S. soil. We'll bring you that news conference live.

We also know you have a lot of questions about Ebola, so we're going to bring back Dr. Sanjay Gupta in the 10:00 Eastern hour to help us. So submit your question, #EbolaQandA, or go to my Facebook page, facebook.com/CarolCNN or @CarolCNN on Twitter. We will answer as many of your questions as is possible, 10:30 Eastern time.

Also this morning, the plight of a jailed American Marine in Mexico comes front and center in Washington. Next hour, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs meets to discuss the deteriorating condition of Marine Sergeant Andrew Tahmooressi. He's been behind bars in Mexico for six months now, where he accidentally crossed the U.S./Mexico border with weapons in his truck. He was heading to California for treatment for PTSD and he has not received any treatment since.

Nick Valencia has been following the sergeant's story since his arrest. He joins us now with more. Good morning, Nick.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good Morning, Carol. I just spoke earlier today with the family of Andrew Tahmooressi and they're in Washington, D.C. for that congressional hearing today on Capitol Hill.

Their message is simple, it's time to let Andrew Tahmooressi go. Get him out of Mexican prison. The family did receive some good news earlier this week. On Monday, a court-ordered psychiatrist visited the marine in prison and he concluded what the defense has been arguing all along, that this marine has PTSD but this psychiatrist, Carol, went a step further and said that Tahmooressi needs to be released from Mexico so he can go back to the United States and receive the proper PTSD treatment.

This is a huge victory for the defense. I spoke to Tahmooressi's defense attorney, Fernando Benitez, who says he is expecting to file a motion this week to dismiss the trial on humanitarian grounds. Now, there is no shortage of critics for Tahmooressi, especially on the Mexican side. There are those that they say that he broke the law, he should not receive special treatment just because he's a marine, and that he should go through the process of the Mexican judicial system. Others though, Carol, say that the Mexican government is trying to make an example of Andrew Tahmooressi. All of this will be talked about today on the congressional hearing on Capitol Hill. Jill Tahmooressi, his mother, is expecting to testify. Carol?

COSTELLO: All right, Nick Valencia, many thanks for that update.

So let's talk about this subcommittee hearing with California Congressman, Ed Royce. Good morning, sir.

REP. ED ROYCE (R), CALIFORNIA: Good morning.

COSTELLO: Congressman, we love our troops in this country. Is it unusual, though, to have a congressional hearing to push for the release of one marine?

ROYCE: Carol, here is what is different here. And part of my view of this comes from Robert Buchanan, one of the marines who served with him. Buchanan himself was wounded and he explained to me the fact that this is an individual who was one of the bravest men he had served with, who was injured in the line of combat here with PTSD, two tours in Afghanistan, and I went down to the prison in Tecate and visited with this young man. And Andrew has suffered through this now for six months, without being able to get the treatment. The treatment, frankly, had been laid out 9 days before when he was in San Diego at the Veterans' center there, and then this has happened. So we're having this hearing in order to raise the case that on humanitarian grounds, he should be released so that he can go back and get the treatment he really needs.

COSTELLO: And my heart goes out to him, you know, as he's suffering from PTSD. I wrote an op-ed on this. And I only ask you that questions because Congress has not debated going to war against ISIS, which could affect the mental health of thousands of U.S. troops.

ROYCE: Well, here's what we do know about this case. We have traded -- we've seen the administration trade five Taliban terrorists in order to get one U.S. serviceman returned to the United States. In this particular case, what has been done over the last six months to get this marine back to his family? If we have the capacity here in our Committee on Foreign Affairs to hold a hearing and to lay out the argument where, under the laws of Mexico, the Attorney General would have the ability, on humanitarian grounds, to release him, and I have the report, I talked to the Attorney General from Mexico last Thursday.

And we talked about this aspect of the law, and so I got the report from our hospital in San Diego, where the V.A. had done this study on him, and I sent it right to the Attorney General. I think if we can focus on this issue, we can probably obtain his release, and I think that for the family, and certainly for him, and for his colleagues, who right now are going to testify, you're going to have a chance to hear Robert Buchanan testify, you know a medal of valor recipient, talk about what his service meant to him.

COSTELLO: Right. And I totally get your concern for this marine. I'm just wondering why not more concern for other soldiers that might be exposed to future war? Why not talk about that, too, Congress as a whole?

ROYCE: Well, we debated that for six hours and we took a bipartisan action in the House of Representatives and in the Senate, with large votes in order to support the president in the request that he made to us for the action to take airstrikes against ISIS. What we did not do was pass an authorize to put combat troops on to the ground in that theater of operation, and frankly, one of the reasons we have not put combat troops in there is because of concerns for what might happen. We don't want to send the 82nd Airborne in. What we did want to do was have the airstrikes and then arm the Kurds and others and the Christian units and other Sunni units who are struggling right now against ISIS. That's something we can do and that's something we have done.

Now we need to follow up and make certain that the Kurds get the armaments they need. There's 190,000 Peshmerga Kurdish forces fighting ISIS right now on the ground without the heavy equipment they need, we're trying to get that to them. But that's a different subject than looking after one of our young marines who served this country and has now spent six months -- now, we were able to get him moved from the Tijuana jail to the Tecate jail, which is a much better environment for him to be in, but where he deserves to be right now is with his family and getting treatment back here in the United States. His friends are waiting for him and they're going to testify on his behalf here today.

COSTELLO: Alright, we'll be watching. Congressman Ed Royce, thank you so much for joining me.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM after a break.

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