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President Obama Travels to Kenya; Trump Speaks in Iowa; Hillary Clinton to Testify on Benghazi in October; Ted Cruz Calls Mitch McConnell a Liar; Interview with Daymond John; Tracing Louisiana Theater Shooter's Past; Aired 1-2p ET

Aired July 25, 2015 - 13:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[13:00:21] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now in the NEWSROOM.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It seems like he was going for the easiest target. His hand was shaking. He was obviously shooting very much at random.

WHITFIELD: Inside the shooting at a Louisiana theater. Witnesses telling CNN how it unfolded and their desperate escape.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was blood everywhere. That's when we realized what was going on. So we ran.

WHITFIELD: And new details uncovered about the shooter's past. His rants on the Internet. And stories of violent and destructive behavior as police tried to keep it all together.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why did he pick this movie theater? Why did he buy that ticket? Why did he go in there?

WHITFIELD: Plus Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz with some surprising words to the leader of the Senate.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: These hundred senators have to be able to trust that when a senator says something, he or she will do it.

WHITFIELD: Why he says Mitch McConnell is lying.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Hello, again, everyone. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We're about a half an hour away from hearing from Donald Trump in Iowa. Live pictures right now from an auditorium at a rally the GOP front runner is holding in Oskaloosa, at the high school there. But reporters from the state's largest newspaper are not being allowed to cover the event from inside that auditorium or inside that high school. Trump's camp has barred the "Des Moines Register" from today's event over its editorial earlier this week which stated Trump should drop out of the race.

MJ Lee is at the Trump event.

So, MJ, how easy is it for them to keep any unwelcomed reporters out of that event?

MJ LEE, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. There's a lot of security here and there's a lot of staffers making sure that the media that are only on the list are being let in. So I think it actually will be pretty difficult for any reporters who are not on the list to get in.

This is an interesting development in the Donald Trump's atypical campaign. Not letting a certain reporter from a publication to come to this rally because he was not happy with an editorial, as you mentioned, earlier in the week. It does raise some questions about well, what would a President Trump do when reporters write things that are critical about him, or report things that are critical about him.

WHITFIELD: And then what's the expectation of the kind of message he is delivering today? We know he is usually unscripted and once again no teleprompter. He has said he wouldn't use such a thing. What are people being told to expect from Donald Trump today?

LEE: Well, he's very unpredictable as you know. It was just a week ago that he was in Iowa and he made comments about John McCain and questioned his war hero status that started a new set of controversy, rather, and he has said, you know, strongly worded things about illegal immigration that a lot of people have found upsetting.

So I think anything is really -- you know, your guess is as good as mine, but anything is really on the table in terms of what he will say. I think that immigration is definitely something that he will talk about. It is one of his favorite topics to discuss, how he plans to create jobs and make the country better, and you know, these are all things that the people here are very excited to hear him talk about. They're also just excited. You can hear a lot of cheering going on behind me.

They're very excited to see this person that they've been seeing on TV for many, many years. I think the celebrity factor is definitely a draw here -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. MJ Lee in Oskaloosa, thanks so much.

We understand when he does take to the stage there he is expected to talk about for 40 minutes and there's even an overflow room that apparently his camp says he will actually address them individually as well.

All right. Also, we're learning new details now about John Russell Houser, the gunman in the Louisiana theater shooting. The investigation now uncovering past of extreme erratic behavior which included legal and mental problems. This picture surfacing of Houser flying a swastika flag outside his tavern after his liquor license.

We also now know that he legally bought the 40 caliber semi-automatic pistol used in the attack which he purchased at a pawn shop in Alabama last year. And photos showing a home Houser once inhabited. These pictures of the destruction that he left after being evicted and apparently -- reportedly may have booby-trapped it just before he was forced to leave after the home was sold at auction last year. The home's new owners detailing the damage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[13:05:12] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put cement in every drain and sink, lavatory, commode, everywhere he could, shower.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Walked in where he had a -- a gas line.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gas log.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A gas log that was unattached and lit with gasoline cans in front with -- he's waiting for us -- whoever to come in and it to blow up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oddly enough, one thing not strewn about the house, his wife's wedding dress still hanging in the closet. That same wife removed all the guns and weapons from their home in 2008. His wife, daughter and her finance and his parents at the same time sought a protective order against Houser. They say he was behaving erratically and made ominous and disturbing statements that his daughter's pending marriage would not happen.

Investigators looking into Thursday's shooting say they don't know what led him to Lafayette, Louisiana, or why he was staying at a motel there before the attack.

As for the victims Lafayette Police Chief Jim Craig says four of the wounded have been released from the hospitals and of the five still hospitalized four are in stable condition. One in critical.

As more details come out about Houser's mental state and erratic behavior, we're also learning that he was estranged from his family. His brother told CNN after 10 years Houser visited him last month and asked for money. He also shared this message for the victims' families.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REM HOUSER, LAFAYETTE SHOOTER'S OLDER BROTHER: You know, we're not prepared to say really a statement right now because, I mean, we're a little overwhelmed with what's going on. But what we do want to say, our hearts and prayers go out to the families that have lost loved ones. And we're so sorry and we also are praying for the families that have members of their family that were wounded, that are in the hospitals, that they have a speedy recovery. And we pray for the doctors that are looking after them, we pray for

the nurses that are taking care of them and their families. So we just appreciate you getting that word out for us.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Were you close to him?

HOUSER: Not really. I mean, you know, we haven't been close in years. And I'm not sure the right -- we were just separated from our family and just different emotional depression issues, psychological problems, and that type of thing so.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: When was the last time you saw him?

HOUSER: Probably about a month ago.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Under what type of circumstance?

HOUSER: He just needed money to continue moving on, living on, you know, living and surviving, and so we gave him some and that was the last we'd heard of him. We hadn't heard of him probably in 10 years, prior to that, and hadn't heard from him since. We didn't know where he was, he didn't know anything about him. And so this was a complete shock. We didn't -- he hadn't had any contact except that.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: So he reached out to you to ask for money?

HOUSER: Yes, reached out and then closed the door immediately.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: That's it.

HOUSER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You went out to him in Phoenix City?

HOUSER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: About how much money did he need?

HOUSER: You know, I just go -- I'm not prepared to just get into an interview right now. We just kind of get our arms around what's going on but thank you so much for coming and again our hearts and prayers out for the family members that lost loved ones and the families that are with their loved ones that are in the hospital. But thank you all so much for coming out today.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Just one more question, and I thank you for speaking to us. Did he ever, you know, show any kind of erratic behavior or --

HOUSER: No. Nothing. No.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: At least think about politics?

HOUSER: No, nothing that would -- not beside the normal passionate person that you would have thought would have done something. I mean, you know, it's like talking to you about whatever you're passionate about. I wouldn't think anything of it, if you carried it to the next level.

(CROSSTALK)

HOUSER: Nothing that made me alarmed, that would signal that something like this would happen. I never saw that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Boy, very tough situation for the family members of the gunman Houser.

Joining me now from New York is CNN law enforcement analyst and retired New York police detective, Harry Houck.

So, Harry, every time something like this happens meaning, it involved someone opening fire on just innocent people, of course we're left to try to figure out what were the signs, how is it this could happen?

When you hear from that family member who described all of that from, you know, being estranged or separated, you know, from his brother for a period of years, having seen him recently a month ago, needing money, knowing that there were some mental instability as well.

How does this kind of information equip law enforcement to prevent the next thing or potential thing from happening or at least reflect on what were the signs leading up to this? How do you use this information to the advantage of the public?

[13:10:04] HARRY HOUCK, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, actually it's not really going to prevent anything. I mean, even though he had some erratic behavior in the past. You know, the problem here is how did this guy get a gun. And the fact was that he never had any criminal record to the point where we'd stop him from obtaining a weapon, but his psychological condition is very important here.

The fact is, how do we find out when you conduct a background check for purchasing a weapon whether or not he has psychological issues or not, or whether he has been treated before, and because of privacy issues we're not going to find that out. So what has to occur here is that there has to be some type of legislation be able to release this information everybody -- every time somebody tries to purchase a weapon.

And then how do you weigh the facts here also? Because somebody is depressed should they not be able to get a gun because everybody who's depressed doesn't go out and do something like this? So it's a real hard question, you know, to answer.

WHITFIELD: Right.

HOUCK: But it's something our law enforcement looks at and then what we do is we go forward and we try and get legislation passed so we can change things.

WHITFIELD: So describe the level of frustration that this then, this predicament that you just described kind of promotes for our law enforcement?

HOUCK: Well, yes, I mean, the fact is that, you know, a lot of times, you know, we as people walking on the street that have been released from mental institutions all over New York and all over the country. Some that are violent, some that aren't violent. And police officers have to deal with that every day but there are privacy issues that we have to just follow. I mean, these are laws and until those laws are changed, it's very frustrating for police officers and for victims here. The victims here in this terrible tragedy that occurred.

I mean, their families are looking back and saying listen, my daughter is dead. And why is she dead. How did a guy get a gun like that with a psychological problem that he had? We have to be able to identify that and take a look at that before somebody purchases weapons.

WHITFIELD: All right. Harry Houser -- thanks so much. Harry Houck, I'm so sorry. Thank you so much. I appreciate that.

HOUCK: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Up next President Barack Obama on his historic trip to Kenya. CNN's Jim Acosta is traveling with him.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, that's right. President Obama is on his father's home turf but he got into a dust-up with Kenya's president over the issue of gay rights. We'll have the story coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:15:27] WHITFIELD: All right, President Obama making a bold statement on the issue of gay rights today on his trip to Kenya. Kenya has come under criticism for its laws that threaten gays in the country with imprisonment. President Barack Obama had already faced some criticism for the trip because of Kenya's human rights record and its stance on gay rights.

Here is part of what the president had to say at a news conference when asked.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As an African-American of the United States, I am painfully aware of the history of what happens when people are treated differently under the law. And there's -- there are all sorts of rationalization that were provided by the power structure for decades in the United States for segregation and Jim Crow and slavery, and they were wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Let me bring you in CNN senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta traveling with the president there from Nairobi.

So, Jim, earlier you said the White House was prepared to address this, knowing that this question was going to come up.

ACOSTA: That's right. That's right. They knew this question was going to come up, Fredricka, because of the intense criticism of the issue of gay rights and how same-sex couples are treated in Kenya and in Africa where they face a lot of discriminatory practices.

The Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta, has essentially said all along that this is a nonissue for Kenyans, and so because the White House and President Obama have been very much engaged on this issue over the last several weeks, you'll recall it was just a couple of weeks ago when the White House was lit up in rainbow colors after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage should be legal across the country.

That this was potentially going to be an issue once the president got here and in fact he was asked about it and you heard the president use some pretty stark language comparing how same-sex couples are treated in Africa to the way African-Americans were treated before the Civil Rights Act of the 1960s.

And so, you know, that is tough talk but Kenya's president, Uhuru Kenyatta, was giving it back just as much as he was taking it. He disagreed with the president and did so sharply. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UHURU KENYATTA, PRESIDENT OF KENYA: It's very difficult for us to be able to impose on people that which they themselves do not accept. This is why I repeatedly say that for Kenyans today the issue of gay rights is really a nonissue. We want to focus on other areas that are day-to-day living for our people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And the Kenyan president also said it's just not consistent with their culture here to have the same sort of gay rights that are enjoyed back in the United States.

But we should point out, Fredricka, this was really the lone area of disagreement in the course of this press conference. President Obama and President Kenyatta were very much in agreement especially on security issues, including the fight against al-Shabaab, the al Qaeda linked terrorist group that has wreaked so much havoc in this part of the world. President Obama did say that he believes the U.S. and its partners here have greatly reduced the territory controlled by al- Shabaab but he said that problem has not been resolved and President Kenyatta described the fight as an existential fight for all Kenyans.

The president did go on to talk about his roots here in Kenya. Obviously his father was born here in Kenya and the president said he looks forward to getting back to this country after he is president, after he's out of that White House bubble, when he has a little more time to spend here. He won't have that much more time. He gives a big speech to the Kenyan people tomorrow and then it's off to Ethiopia -- Fredricka. WHITFIELD: Right. When he does make that return, it's unlikely he'll

be wearing a suit.

(LAUGHTER)

All right, Jim Acosta.

ACOSTA: That's right. That's right.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

All right. Still ahead, deja vu, come October Hillary Clinton will testify again in the investigation on the Benghazi, Libyan's consulate attack. Details on that next.

And we're just minutes away now from Donald Trump speaking in Iowa at a campaign rally there. You see everyone is in place. We'll take you there as soon as it begins.

[13:19:33]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Hillary Clinton will have to take a break from the campaign trail come October. This morning we learned that Clinton will indeed testify on the Benghazi consulate attack that killed four Americans. The special committee's investigation has grown into a political fight over Clinton's e-mails on her private server.

CNN's Sunlen Serfaty has been following this for us.

So, Sunlen, what are you hearing about this upcoming October 22nd date?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the date October 22nd, that's according to the Clinton campaign who says that this hearing has been set, and it will be a public hearing. But in a statement just released by the committee, they say that no date has been sent yet. They want to wait to make sure that the Clinton -- campaign agrees to the terms that they want and also agree that there will no limit to the questioning.

So clearly some major points of contention here still have to be worked out and this comes after a really extended and drawn-out period of negotiations that's already happened between the Clinton campaign's lawyers and the committee.

Now this won't be the first time that Clinton is testifying on Capitol Hill over Benghazi. And she has in the past defended her role when she was secretary of state and saying that she had no role in the security decision at U.S. facilities. Republicans have hit back, they suggest that she should have been responsible and she really ignored the security lapses at that U.S. consulate. This comes as committee has been pouring over many e-mails released by the State Department, some of which leading up to the attack, and after the attack those e- mails sent by Secretary of the State Hillary Clinton at the time. And this really, though, has cast a huge shadow over the secretary of

-- her time as secretary of state and also really seeped over into the campaign trail. Many Republicans are using it as a line of attack against her.

[13:25:06] So of course, Fred, this hearing is likely to be very intense, very fiery. Now the Clinton campaign, though, they say that they are confident that she will be able to hold her own in front of the committee -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Sunlen Serfaty, we'll leave it there. Thanks so much.

All right. It's not something you normally hear on the U.S. Senate floor. Senator Ted Cruz to GOP leader to Mitch, you are a liar? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Most mortgage rates down a little bit this week falling from nearly yearly highs. Have a look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Hello, again, everyone. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Live pictures right now at Oskaloosa High School because in any moment Donald Trump, Republican presidential candidate, will be entering the room and speaking to a full house there. But conspicuously absent is any representation of the state's largest newspaper especially after in an editorial saying earlier this week that Donald Trump's actions and some of his words have been disgraceful. And so Donald Trump disinvited their presence.

And this is what the "Des Moines Register" said. "If he were merely a self-absorbed B list celebrity, his unchecked ego could be tolerated as a source of mild amusement but he now wants to become president which means that he aspires to be the leader of the free world and the keeper of our nuclear launch codes," end quote.

[13:30:12] So here to talk about it, Ford O'Connell, a political analyst and a Republican strategist who worked on the 2008 McCain- Palin presidential campaign. Also with me CNN contributor, former Democratic South Carolina state representative, Bakari Sellers.

All right, so, Ford, you first. If anybody wants to be president, wouldn't they want to include all media outlets at a rally to get the kind of coverage they need?

FORD O'CONNELL, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, guess what if Donald Trump wants to win the presidential nomination on the Republican side, get -- this is a good thing. A lot of conservatives hate the mainstream media.

WHITFIELD: What do you mean? What's a good thing? What do you mean?

O'CONNELL: Banning the "Des Moines Register." Basically "Des Moines Register" wrote an editorial telling him to drop out of the race. He wants to project himself as a fighter who won't back down. So guess what, his followers are going to see this as a great move.

WHITFIELD: Really? Bakari, do you see it that way? I heard an --

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think that this strategy is --

WHITFIELD: From you.

SELLERS: This strategy is so bombastic, so unorthodox that it's actually working. People see Donald Trump as not bound to the same rules that mainstream D.C. is bound to. And this next -- this last move with the "Des Moines Register" is just something else that's uncharacteristic of any other candidate but it seems to be working. And it's kind of dangerous, I might say.

O'CONNELL: Guys, let's not forget here that the "Des Moines Register" fired the first shot by telling Trump to drop out of this race. OK. And remember, he's going to need the "Des Moines Register" if he actually becomes a nominee in the general election. But right now this works for him and guess what, it's going fire up and energize his supporters.

WHITFIELD: So for you, it was really incendiary of -- you know, of the newspaper, you know, firing the first shot, so to speak, but at the same time, Donald Trump loves the attention. So why would he not want to capitalize the kind of attention that he's getting from the state's most popular newspaper?

O'CONNELL: Because he's getting it from everywhere. He's clicked it from all media sources.

SELLERS: Exactly.

O'CONNELL: Whether it's actually state newspapers, national news, we're talking about it right now. So guess what, he's getting all the attention he wants.

SELLERS:: Exactly.

O'CONNELL: And he's willing to do any interview. And no other candidates are willing to do interviews at the drop of a hat with any outlet.

WHITFIELD: And, Bakari, you know, the newspaper at least in that editorial is saying that, you know, quote, "his run even threatens to derail his campaign but the manner in which we choose our president," talking about his style is making an impact on the presidential process and that it's dangerous.

SELLERS: Well, I actually agree with the "Des Moines Register," but that doesn't matter because I'm not a GOP primary voter. What happened -- what is happening right now is Donald Trump is leading in the polls. Day in and day out. He's actually registering, this new style of politics, if we'll call it that, is actually registering with the great deal of voters. I don't necessarily understand it but it's not my primary.

WHITFIELD: And what does that mean that it's registering? Meaning, you know, there are huge crowds, as Donald Trump will say, you know, people love me, and look at the crowd and the people who are here to greet me.

Are they there because they are supporters of him and his message or is it because it's, you know, entertainment, it's become sort of a side show that --

SELLERS: Well, I think --

WHITFIELD: You know, people can't stop looking at?

SELLERS: I think it's both. I think he has become somewhat of a sideshow. I think that he is a larger-than-life figure. But he is speaking to a certain base. There's no other candidate that's talking about immigration in the terms that he is. Now I don't agree with it, but he is talking about immigration and he's striking a cord with many Republican base voters throughout the country.

And those people want to have those issues talked about. And the sad part about it is there's no other candidate. We saw the former governor of Ohio announced that he -- or the current governor of Ohio announced that he is running for president of the United States. And no one even turned the channel to watch, all because Donald Trump was on TV.

(CROSSTALK)

O'CONNELL: Bakari, let me --

WHITFIELD: Yes, but then, Ford, you know, I wonder --

SELLERS: Talking about him tomorrow.

WHITFIELD: Yes, so then, Ford, I wonder if you're -- you know, willing to dispute that. That maybe it's not a sideshow. This has become the main event.

O'CONNELL: Well, it is the main event. And I think that if you underestimate Trump you do so at his peril. He's taking page six tabloid tactics and bringing it to presidential politics. And not only do his opponents in the Republican primary not know how to deal with it, neither does the mainstream media. And a lot of Republican voters are sick and tired of the establishment wing and the mainstream media telling them who to vote for and who they should like. And for them, this is extremely refreshing and not to mention he's throwing in a lot of energy and charisma that keeps us all talking 24/7.

WHITFIELD: All right. And now let's talk about another person who's on the campaign trail, you know, vying for the White House. We're talking about U.S. Senator Ted Cruz who called Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell a liar, and he said that right over the Senate floor over some amendments to a funding bill. Let's take a listen to what he said. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRUZ: I cannot believe that he would tell a flat-out lie. And I voted based on those assurances that he made to each and every one of us. What we just saw today was an absolute demonstration that not only what he told every Republican senator but what he told the press over and over and over again was a simple lie.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[13:35:10] WHITFIELD: Ford, what's at the root here?

O'CONNELL: This spat couldn't come at a better time for Ted Cruz who's running for president. OK. He sees this as corporate cronyism, and guess what, he's a populous fighter, and Trump-mania is taking up, sucking all the oxygen in the room, and he can't get his message across. This is a way for him to remind voters that he's a populous fighter and he will fight for them should Trump blow up.

WHITFIELD: So, Bakari, was this an attempt to try to upstage Trump who is sucking out all the oxygen as people are putting it.

SELLERS: Of course it is. It was nothing but a gimmick. Just last week when we asked Senator Cruz to condemn Donald Trump for his ignorant comments on Mexicans coming across the border, I believe his quote was, I have never impugn the character of any Democrat or Republican, and I won't start today. But then he goes to the Senate floor and impugns the -- the character of his leader?

I find it to be a little bit disheartening and disingenuous. Ted Cruz is out there trying to find some space in this very, very large Republican field, and he's not doing it quite well.

WHITFIELD: All right. Bakari Sellers, Ford O'Connell, thanks to both of you, gentlemen. Appreciate it. Good seeing you.

O'CONNELL: Thanks for having us.

SELLERS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. A family reunion for President Barack Obama this weekend in Kenya. But he also took care of some business. I'll talk to a successful entrepreneur who is helping the president in Africa by way of helping entrepreneurs.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:40:08] WHITFIELD: All right. Live pictures right now in Oskaloosa, Iowa, where Donald Trump is speaking. He's addressing a full house there and uninvited anyone representing the "Des Moines Register" newspaper. And in fact he's talking about that right now. Why?

TRUMP: You look at -- you look at the prosecutors, they're all Democrats, and they want jobs and they want to continue onward and, you know, the attorney general is a Democrat, right? No, that's different. Now you agree with that. But -- so you have all of these people, and it's just a game that goes on in Washington. It's terrible what's going on. And you look at General Petraeus as an example.

So he was a general, did a very good job, although -- I don't know. You know that whole thing is such a disaster with what's -- but he did a good job and he was a respected guy. And he did much less than Hillary. Much less. In terms of information, in terms of importance, in terms of volume. And then he gave a little bit. It took about years and years and thousands of e-mails. And they destroyed his life. His life is over. They've destroyed him. He's like a ruined man. I saw him, he's like a ruined man.

And with Hillary, she's supposed to be running and she's favored to win. Not against me, she's not favored. I'll tell you that.

(LAUGHTER)

But she's favored to win. So.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

Look, if the prosecutors are honorable, and they maybe, if they're fair, if they're just, sadly bad stuff has to happen because what she did is very criminal and very serious. And it's too bad. It's too bad.

(APPLAUSE)

And I don't -- I don't know how a person with that cloud over their head actually could be running for the office of president. You know, you wouldn't think so. So we'll see what happens. It'll be very interesting.

WHITFIELD: All right. You're listening to Donald Trump there, Republican presidential candidate. He was just now talking about Hillary Clinton and his thoughts about her and the lingering questions about her role as secretary of state during the Benghazi, Libya attack.

And also at the very top just as I was tossing to him at that live event at this high school in Oskaloosa, Iowa, he said that I am number one in the polls yet they tell me to drop out. He is referring to the "Des Moines" Iowa newspaper, the number one state newspaper there. An editorial early this week, saying, quote, "It's time for Donald Trump to drop out of the race for president of the United States," saying that very bluntly and he was responding and he has uninvited, disinvited any of the reporters from that paper to be at that event.

All right. Meantime all this taking place in Iowa while today and this weekend President Barack Obama is in Africa, enjoying his first visit as president to his father's birth place of Nairobi, Kenya. He is there meeting about security, trade and pushing a White House initiative to help foster entrepreneurship.

In fact one of the president's named ambassadors for global entrepreneurship is FUBU clothing line founder Daymond John. You know him best as one of the hardnosed investors on the hit television show "Shark Tank."

Well, before heading to Africa with President Obama, John told me face-to-face that the message he has for Kenyan entrepreneurs is similar to what he tells Americans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAYMOND JOHN, FOUNDER OF FUBU: First of all, it's about don't think because you don't have access to capital, that you can't make money first. That whole OPM theory, it doesn't really work. It's not true. And OPM, I always say, can be other people's marketing, other people's manpower, other people's mind power, and you can always make money off other people's mistakes. So you don't have to always have this capital. That's one of the first things we need to do when we talk to these individuals out there, as well as then talk about strategic relationships and how they can benefit off of working with the entire community.

WHITFIELD: So Nairobi, Kenya is unique, though, because we are talking about a very industrialized nation.

JOHN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: I know this. This actually happens to be my birth place. This is something different to have the White House initiative involving this country and bringing someone such as yourself, you know, who has a record of $350, you know, million revenue with FUBU. And you're trying to appeal to them in what way?

JOHN: They are also a catalyst on what we're trying to do internationally. So when we go there and we spread the word from that standpoint, it travels to all other places that may not be as advanced as they are in regards to entrepreneurship. But that's where we're meeting people. Not on our turf, on their turf.

WHITFIELD: And perhaps there's a particular gravitas because we are talking about the president of the United States, President Barack Obama.

JOHN: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Who has roots in Kenya.

JOHN: Of course. I believe that this is going to be his first trip there. And you know, we're going to go out there and the entire world is going to converge on that spot, and we're going to share our message and we're going to share hope and access to capital and information.

[13:45:06] WHITFIELD: And what does it feel for you personally to be a part of this?

JOHN: It's an honor. I never thought that I would be affiliated with the White House and with president and, you know, being able to wave the flag for our nation, empower people such as that. I mean, I was just a little brown boy from Queens who just came up with a couple of hats and some hopes and dreams. And I want to share with people that if I can do it, anybody can do it. I didn't -- I didn't have any special skill set besides this iron drive.

WHITFIELD: You make it sound really simple. But it can't be that because there are so many people who would say you know what, I have a great idea, but I don't know, you know, how to get that idea to fruition.

JOHN: You know what, it actually is simple. You know, because if you have that great idea and you have a passion for it and you believe that it's going to benefit somebody, not necessarily you, you will, no matter what, you will be successful. I cannot say that you're going to make money but you will hopefully change people's lives and you will hopefully have a great time and the journey trying to make it happen.

I didn't think that FUBU was going to be anything than just a store that my friends and I could maybe sell clothes out of. But it inspired people and I would have dressed people for free for the rest of my life if I could have.

WHITFIELD: Didn't you also hear from a lot of people, though, you know, you can't reinvent the wheel, and you know, going into fashion or, you know, redesigning hats? What a big risk, who's going do it.

JOHN: Right.

WHITFIELD: And then what kept you on track to say that I got this idea, or envision something? I see that there's a need, and then you kept ongoing with it.

JOHN: First of all, it was my passion for it, number one. Number two is I started off with a very small segment the people were ignoring. A group of people who love this music called hip-hop. This few disruptive technology at the time. Also I surrounded myself with like-minded people, and then I found mentors. And that's exactly what we're doing with the PAGE program. We are becoming mentors to many individuals to show them the route to take to go from step A to B to C, to D. And I kept doing that and I failed so many times.

WHITFIELD: Really?

JOHN: You know what, I wish I could tell you all the times that I failed. But every time I failed --

WHITFIELD: Describe what's a failure.

JOHN: Failure is creating a bunch of product and going out there, and setting the cost at maybe $50 and you really can only sell it $20, but you paid $30 for it, so now you have a loss, or going out there -- especially in fashion, designing something, and they'd go, why did you put ruffles on only one of the sleeves of all the shirts? Right? You know, so --

(LAUGHTER)

JOHN: So I went through it all the time but, you know, I learned and it got me, you know, it got me to the point where I'm sharpening my skills and then I realized what people do want.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. So again, Daymond John traveling with the president in Kenya. But tomorrow I talk to him about his many projects including "Shark Tanks," a separate non-televised search for good people and good ideas in a tap-the-talent contest and then get this, why he is now a bee keeper. No joke.

All right, Daymond John, tomorrow.

All right. Also we're continuing to monitor the Donald Trump's speech underway right now in Iowa. We'll have more on his messages coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:51:53] WHITFIELD: All right. Checking our top stories.

After a decade's old deposition revealed comedian Bill Cosby obtained Quaaludes to give to women, we are now learning where he got those drugs. Cosby said a Los Angeles gynecologist named Leroy Amar prescribed the drug for a sore back. And in that same deposition, Cosby said he intended to give the drugs to women he wanted to have sex with, and that Amar, Dr. Amar knew he had no intention of taking them for himself. Dr. Amar died before the deposition was given.

And a volcano named Kick 'em Jenny is rumbling beneath the Caribbean Sea off Grenada's north coast. It could erupt very soon. Scientists warn that if it does, that it could sink ships in the area. They have set up a three-mile exclusion zone around the volcano to try to keep vessels safe. And NASA scientists have revealed their latest discovery of planet Pluto. The space agency conduced a successful fly-by of Pluto almost two weeks ago, making history as the closest encounter human kind has had with that planet. And at a press conference Friday evening NASA said the fly-by unveiled so much information that it will take months now to download it all.

We're also learning more now at this hour about the funeral arrangement, having been set for one of the victims in Thursday's theater shooting in Louisiana. 21-year-old Mayci Marie Breaux will be laid to rest on Monday. Also investigators have learned that Louisiana theater shooter John Russell Houser had a history of extreme erratic behavior. These pictures surfacing today of him flying a Nazi flag outside his tavern after losing his liquor license.

CNN senior investigative correspondent Drew Griffin reports on how Houser's rapid mental decline and personal problems set the theater shooting tragedy in motion.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The son of a tax collector, he was educated with a law degree. But mental illness added to a lifetime of hate, violence and bizarre behavior. The 59-year-old once ran for public office and in blog postings and editorials expressed stern views that the U.S. was headed downhill. A Muslim fundamentalist said it right, even showing admiration for Adolph Hitler.

He has a long history of domestic abuse and erratic behavior dating back at 1989 when he was arrested for trying to burn down an attorney's office. And in 2008 his wife filed a protective order pleading with the court to have his guns taken away.

The suspect's own brother says the shooter has been out of touch for years.

REMBERT HOUSER JR., BROTHER OF SHOOTER: You know we haven't been close in years -- and I'm not sure of the right -- we were just separated from our family and just -- different emotional, depression issues, psychological problems and that types of things so.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: When was the last time you saw him?

HOUSER: Probably about a month ago. He just needed some money to continue moving on, living on, you know, living and surviving. And so we gave him some. And that was the last we heard of him. And we hadn't heard of him probably in 10 years prior to that. I haven't heard from him since. We didn't know where he was. We didn't know anything about him. And so this was a complete shock.

[13:55:13] GRIFFIN: His mental health continued to decline and seems to have led to divorce proceedings, alienation, bankruptcies and unemployment. In Alabama the local sheriff said the shooter was evicted from a home just last year. He left it vandalized, pouring cement in the plumbing and rigging gas lines in an attempt to make them explode.

But even with his record and known mental illness, there was no legal recourse according to the sheriff to keep him off the streets.

SHERIFF HEATH TAYLOR, RUSSELL COUNTY, ALABAMA: The state is allowing a lot of these people that should not be walking around to be out in the community. And you know, that's a scary scenario that we are dealing with every day.

GRIFFIN: The biggest missing piece of this mystery is why and how the shooter left Alabama and ended up living in a Motel 6 in Lafayette, Louisiana. And why he chose to lash out violently this time in a movie theater showing a comedy.

Drew Griffin, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And the next hour of NEWSROOM, starts right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. hello, again, everyone, and thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We now know when one of the Louisiana theater shooting victims will be buried.