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How Great is the Russian Threat?; China Worries; A Look at 2016 Campaigns in Iowa and New Hampshire; Buffalo Bills Coach Signs I.K. Enemkpali. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired August 13, 2015 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It seems he's saying that Russia is more of a threat than ISIS. Is that what he's saying?

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, I'm not sure I would interpret it that way. I think they could cause more problems and be more of an existential threat to the United States be -- just because of some of the things that they're doing right now. We have seen over the last several years that they have shifted from attempting to partner with us and even doing some bilateral exercises and training programs with us. Now they're invading countries and they're trying to establish some frozen conflicts as they're called, not only in Ukraine but in Georgia and Transnistria and Negarna Corabac (ph) in -- between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

So there's some growing concerns. They've poured more money into developing new weapons systems and training their force. And, truthfully, Mr. Putin's intentions are partly known and partly unknown. And that's what's most disconcerting. We're not really sure what he's looking for. But we do know, because he said this, that he feels threatened, he feels threatened by NATO and what the west's moves are and he is not going to allow this and he wants to return to the age of having a great influence for Russia similar to the old Soviet Union.

COSTELLO: So as far as a direct threat to the United States, what might that be?

HERTLING: Well, you know, what we're seeing in Ukraine right now is very dangerous. They are not an ally, but a partner. And should Russia decide to do things in other countries that are, in fact, our NATO allies -- and I'll tell you from experience the governments and the militaries of the Baltic countries, Estonia, Lithia, Lithuania, from Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, they all feel threatened by Russia and some of the things that are going on. And that's not to mention what's happened in Georgia. So if Mr. Putin was to try and intimidate those countries that are NATO members, I think you would see some different approaches by the United States in terms of what we're doing. Right now with Ukraine, we're partnering with several other countries to help the Ukrainian military improve their capability, but we're also learning a whole lot from those Ukrainian soldiers about what they've experienced in the Donbas (ph) and Eastern Ukraine.

COSTELLO: So final question. The U.S. has already imposed sanctions on Russia. What else should it do?

HERTLING: Well, I think what you're seeing is there is an increased emphasis on putting forces and the potential for forces in eastern Europe. That's happening. There's an exercise right now called "Atlantic Resolve" where we have several European forces, U.S.- European forces partnering and putting equipment in some eastern European countries. The ones I mentioned before are all three of the Baltic countries, as well as Poland, Romania and Bulgaria. That's ongoing and it will occur in the spring.

You're going to see some rotational forces, not only Army, but also some Air Force, some increased exercises by U.S. and NATO naval forces in the North Sea, the Baltic and the Caspian. So all of those things are going to occur to say, we are still worried about Europe. We are still looking to provide stability and security and we're trying to reassure our partners that we will be there for them to prevent any kind of incursion by Russia and Mr. Putin into their sovereign space like they've done in Ukraine.

COSTELLO: General Mark Hertling, thanks for being with me. I appreciate it.

HERTLING: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Investors bracing -- you're welcome.

Investors bracing, all eyes on China after yesterday's currency curve ball. The opening bell rang just moments ago and the Dow's actually up 11 points. So let's head to Alison Kosik to check in, to find out more. We're expecting the markets to be down, Alison, and they're actually up, which is a good thing.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It is a good thing. We're seeing caution and also big questions like, what does this devaluation of the yuan mean for Americans? Well, for one, if you like to buy stuff made in China, this is good news for you because China's weaker currency means goods that China exports here to the U.S. become cheaper. And I'm not just talking about, you know, those little plastic tchotchkes and toys. You know, China makes everything from computers to clothing to furniture. So you can see cheaper good there.

Also, the devalued currency will push gas prices even lower. Oil is priced in dollars. So the purchasing power of the Chinese is going to be reduced. So they're going to use less oil. Less demand leads to lower prices.

One more thing though. Here's the downside of this devaluation of the Chinese currency, jobs. And here's why. Because many U.S. companies, they do a big chunk of their business in China. You know, think of Apple. It makes its iPhone and iPad there. But the stronger dollar, when you compare it to the yuan, it means that any income in China actually loses value as that money comes back to the U.S. That could lead to lower profits for companies. And if the companies don't do well, people could lose jobs. So you see this sort of domino effect that could happen. At the moment, though, as you said, we are seeing stocks in the green. We shall see how the day goes. [09:35:04] Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Alison Kosik reporting live for us from the New York Stock Exchange.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, the Iowa State Fair, an important campaign stop, kicks off today. So why do candidates court voters in places like Iowa and New Hampshire anyway? Are they that important? We'll talk about that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Checking some top stories for you at 39 minutes past. ISIS is claiming responsibility for a deadly bombing at a Baghdad market that's left at least 36 people dead and dozens more injured. Officials say the bomb was packed onto a truck and detonated shortly after dawn.

The White House says it's launching an investigation into that toxic river spill in Colorado. The announcement comes after both Democrats and Republicans put the Environmental Protection Agency on blast for a slow response. The EPA is claiming full responsibility for the accident, which turned the Animas River bright orange for nearly a week. Federal officials say contaminant levels are now back to pre- accident levels.

[09:40:21] The list of Bill Cosby accusers keeps growing. Three new women have come forward accusing the comedian of sexual assault. Appearing together on Wednesday with their attorney, they provide disturbing details of their encounters with Cosby. The women join a list of more than 40 others who claim to have been sexual assaulted by Cosby. He's scheduled to appear for a deposition in a separate case in October.

Fried foods, butter sculptures and a hearty helping of presidential candidates. Today, the annual Iowa State Fair kicks off. The Midwest tradition is a valuable campaign stop for presidential hopefuls. Consider this, at least one million people are expected to attend. One of the biggest highlights, "The Des Moines Register" soap box, where Republicans get to make their case to potential voters. At least one Republican candidate will not be participating, and that would be this man, Donald Trump, though he is expected to make a weekend appearance at the fair.

Right now, Trump is ahead of his competitors in Iowa. According to the first CNN/ORC poll in the state this cycle, Trump is on top with 22 percent.

So let's talk about this and more with Larry Sabato, he's the director at the University of Virginia Center for Politics. I'm also joined by Andy Smith on the phone. He's the director at the University of New Hampshire's Survey Center.

Welcome to both of you.

ANDY SMITH, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE'S SURVEY CENTER (via telephone): Good morning. LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS AT UNIV. OF VIRGINIA:

Thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: Good morning. Thanks to you both for being with me.

Larry, let's talk about the Iowa caucuses for just a moment and the Iowa State Fair. If you recall, back in 2012, Rick Santorum won the Iowa caucuses. Mike Huckabee won in 2008. Larry, what does that say about the CNN/ORC poll numbers and the Iowa State Fair?

SABATO: Well, I think you have to take everything with a grain of salt this far in advance of the voting in Iowa or New Hampshire and certainly the general election. Look, Iowa and New Hampshire are traditions. Iowa goes back to 1972, those caucuses. New Hampshire, I believe, goes back to 1920. And I think they have been more influential at other times because, first of all, you had -- you had a fewer number of primaries and caucuses. In 1968, for example, there were only 17 primaries. In 2016, there are going to be about 40. So there are more contests, more states to campaign in and, most of all, a heck of a lot more money thanks to super PACs so that candidates can last well beyond Iowa and New Hampshire as we march through the states.

COSTELLO: Interesting. OK, so, Andy, I know you're a New Hampshire guy, but I'm going to ask you about Iowa. How much does it matter?

SMITH: Iowa, I think, is important in the nomination process, but not so much on the Republican side. Historically, what -- there hasn't been a single non-incumbent president who's won both the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. And the New Hampshire primary, according to the policy of political scientists who look at this, it has a great impact on who the nominee is than Iowa does.

But that said, I agree with Larry, this early on, any polls that are being done are just in no way predictive of what's going to happen in the election. And to a great extent they're just mirroring the press coverage that various candidates are getting.

COSTELLO: Yes. So, you know, you're both having said that, it makes me kind of guilty like telling our viewers about those poll numbers. But in a sense they are surprising because Donald Trump has remained on top for such a long period of time. Even early on, that's unusual, right?

SMITH: Well, Donald Trump is on top by a very small margin.

SABATO: Well, Carol, if I could just --

COSTELLO: Oh, go ahead, Larry, I'm sorry.

SMITH: By a very small margin (INAUDIBLE).

SABATO: And, Carol, if I could throw in one fact here.

COSTELLO: Sure. SABATO: Oh, I beg your pardon. If I could throw in one fact here,

Carol, do you know how many people are paying close attention to the presidential contest? It's about 20 percent of American voters. Twenty percent.

COSTELLO: Wow.

SABATO: Now, as you get closer to election day, whether it's Iowa, New Hampshire or the general election, that number goes up significantly. And then people are making decisions and they tend to remain with those decisions for the most part. But we're nowhere near that point. This is the silly season. It's the summer and there are no consequences to people giving answers to pollsters about being for this one or that one.

COSTELLO: So, Andy, why to the candidates spend so much money and so much time in states like Iowa then, so early on?

SMITH: Well, what they're doing, I hope, if they're going to be successful in those states, is building organizations. They're out making phone calls and knocking on doors, identifying voters who potentially can vote for them, providing lots of information to help them make that decision.

[09:45:07] And then when the primary or the Iowa caucus eventually comes around, they're going to do their best to make sure they can get those people to the caucus on caucus day and to caucus for their candidates. It's the organizational work that's being done right now that is by far more important than anything that's in the polls or even in ads.

But unfortunately that's very difficult to see, and campaigns are usually very reticent about telling you a whole lot about what their campaign organization is actually doing.

COSTELLO: All right, Andy Smith, Larry Sabato, thanks to both of you. I appreciate it.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, a player cut by the Jets for breaking the jaw of his own quarterback has already landed with another team. Can't say the same about the guy he hit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:50:17] COSTELLO: Just one day after being cut from the New York Jets for slugging quarterback Geno Smith and breaking his jaw, the linebacker known as I.K. was picked up by the Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan. It's not the first time Ryan has come to the rescue of an NFL bad boy. Former Dolphin Richie Incognito, remember him? He's just one other player to get a second chance under Ryan. Here is what the coach said yesterday, though, about I.K.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COACH REX RYAN, BUFFALO BILLS: This isn't just a bad guy. You know, I think he's -- he made a mistake, clearly he made a mistake. There's no question about that. We believe he could be successful here, and there's no guarantee he makes our football team.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: There are also reports that the Cleveland Browns might be interested in former Ravens running back Ray Rice, who was suspended by the NFL following his arrest for knocking out his then-fiancee.

So let's talk about this with CNN sports anchor Rachel Nichols and Denise White, CEO of EAG Sports Management in Los Angeles. Welcome to both of you.

RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Good morning.

COSTELLO: So, good morning. So, Rachel, I want to start with you. What's with Rex Ryan? He's got a team of troublemakers?

NICHOLS: Well, every situation is a little bit different. This may be a major troll job, in internet terms, on his old employer, the New York Jets, who not only fired Enemkpali yesterday or a couple days of ago but, remember, fired Rex Ryan last year. Rex worked with Enemkpali the year before. He says that he knows he's generally a stand-up guy. This one incident doesn't define the player.

That being said, he did mention yesterday he hasn't even spoken to I.K. yet, so he signed him without hearing his side of the story. So it's really just about, you'd have to think, sticking it to the New York Jets. And he does know the player, though, from the year before. He felt like maybe he was getting a deal because nobody else was going to want him. And a he did point out in the clip, they're not necessarily going to necessarily have him on the team. He's bring him into training camp to see how he fits in with the group and makes sure he doesn't punch any of their quarterbacks. I don't know.

COSTELLO: Just sounds strange. So, Denise, I'm a little surprised that I.K. wasn't charged with assault. He broke Geno's jaw. He's out for ten weeks.

DENISE WHITE, CEO, EAG SPORTS MANAGEMENT: Yes, you know, it's interesting obviously Geno didn't press any charges. But I think there's some history there that we don't know about. Again, not giving I.K. a pass in this at all -- he broke his quarterback's jaw -- but at the same time there's some history.

And Rachel with attest to this, this is training camp. People are heated. They're out there two-a-days with pads. Not giving anybody a pass here, but these things do happen. Not necessarily breaking the quarterback's jaw, but we do see scuffles in practices, these guys going at it one-on-one. So it's not uncommon for these guys to get into skirmishes, but it is unusual to break their quarterback's jaw.

NICHOLS: Ryan (ph), too, Carol, comes from a culture that sort of -- if you know his personal history, he spent his entire youth in childhood getting into fights himself. He was a real scrapper, a troublemaker. Hauling off and punching a guy because he may or may not have owed you money, that was just age 15, 16 for Rex Ryan and his brother. So this is something he's comfortable with, let's put it that way.

COSTELLO: Well, let's just look at the optics as a whole. The Browns are considering Ray Rice. You know, come back and play for us. Richie Incognito and this I.K. guy are on the Buffalo Bills. Wasn't the NFL trying to clean up its image, Denise?

NICHOLS: Well, I'm not sure any player who has ever committed anything -- and Denise and I, we've talked about this before -- I don't think they should be banished from doing their job for the rest of their life, right?

WHITE: Exactly. I don't think Ray Rice is irredeemable here and I think we should stop treating him like he is. I think if he's putting in -- and this may not be the popular consensus at this time, but I do see a gaining momentum. I've seen recent articles come out with female journalists writing that Ray Rice should get a second chance. Rita Smith, who's just been appointed for the NFL, she's head of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and also consults with the NFL, believes Ray Rice should get a second chance.

I think that it's time to give him a second chance if he's putting in the work and he's doing the right things. He can be a very valuable voice against domestic violence. And I think we should use that towards our benefit in raising awareness. He did a horrible thing. There is no doubt in anyone's mind what happened with him. But I also believe in second chances and I think that he deserves one at this point.

COSTELLO: And I actually agree with both of you, he does deserve a second chance because he's been working really, really hard to get mentally healthy, right? He's been working hard and he's been very public about it.

[09:55:02] On the other hand, I really don't get Rex Ryan. And you say he's scrappy and he's been in fights himself. But seriously?

NICHOLS: Well, the idea that he didn't even talk to I.K. about this incident before signing him certainly raised a lot of eyebrows. You would expect, at least for the public face, the dog and pony show, right, to say, hey, we had a heart to heart. We had a conversation. He's really sorry. It was an isolated incident.

Instead, hey, this is Rex Ryan. He just comes out and says what he thinks, and what he basically said is, yeah, I know the guy. He's all right. Let's bring him in here. And there is the subtext of the fact that Rex Ryan was fired by the Jets last year. Maybe, who knows, that he decided Geno deserved to be punched. We don't know what Rex Ryan thinks, but we do know that he was willing to say, yes, I'll take that guy. And it certainly is a little bit of an internet troll job to the New York Jets.

And, hey, remember, the Bills and Jets play each other twice a year. So if I.K. does stick with this team, it's one more thing to throw into the mix which is already going to be a little bit spicy.

COSTELLO: Well, and Buffalo Bills need to generate interest, let's be honest. Denise White, Rachel Nichols, thanks to both of you. I appreciate it.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, there could soon be another name in the mix in the race for the White House. How about this guy, Joe Biden.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM after the break.

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