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GOP Hopefuls Head to Iowa State Fair; At Least 50 Dead, Hundreds Injured in China Blast; U.S. Embassy in Havanna Reopens Tomorrow; Brady, Goodell Face Off in Court. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired August 13, 2015 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:29:51] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And also Mr. Trump is sitting pretty and the latest CNN/ORC poll shows him leading this time especially among Tea Party voters. Trump comes in at 19 percent followed by Ben Carson, Scott Walker and Ted Cruz.

Note: Rand Paul fares poorly but he is fighting back with his own Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have now people up there who say such profound things as, "You're stupid. You're fired. You're a pig. You look terrible. You only have half a brain." When you respond with an argument, it's like, "you're stupid". Or my favorite is, "The reason I tell women they're ugly is because I'm so good looking."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: As you might expect Donald Trump returning fire over all of that and a Rand Paul ad that shows Trump praising Democrats over the years. In a statement Trump said, in part quote, "I feel sorry for the great people of Kentucky who are being used as a back up to Senator Paul's hopeless attempts to become president of the United States. Weak on the military, Israel, the vets and many other issues. Senator Paul has no chance of winning the nomination and the people of Kentucky should not allow him the privilege of remaining their Senator. Rand should save his lobbyists and special interest money and just go quietly home."

So let's talk about all of this. With me now is Scottie Nell Hughes, news director for Tea Party News Network and columnist for townhall.com. Thank you so much for being with me -- Scottie .

SCOTTIE NELL HUGHES, TEA PARTY NEWS NETWORK: Fantastic. Thank you for having me. And what a great segue it is, to be honest with you. I mean I couldn't have phrased it better than what you just said.

COSTELLO: Well, I wanted to talk about Tea Party support for Donald Trump because in the CNN/ORC poll it shows that Tea Partiers do support Donald Trump and I wondered why.

HUGHES: It's very simple. Because Donald Trump represents honesty. Sure, we might not necessarily agree with everything Donald is saying or how he's saying it but we know he's being honest. I think that's a lot of the reason why Donald Trump is popular with everybody.

There's such a mistrust of Washington, D.C., and politicians these days that at least Donald is saying exactly what he's thinking, something that we can't necessarily guarantee with anybody else that's running for office.

COSTELLO: Well, it's interesting because George Will had an interesting op-ed this morning in the "Washington Post". He is surprised by Tea Party support for Donald Trump. He says quote, "From what GOP faction might Trumpites come? The establishment? Social conservatives? Unlikely. They certainly are not Tea Partiers -- those earnest, issue-oriented, book-club organizing activists who are passionate about policy."

And Will goes on to say "Trump has no definitive policies." So why would the Tea Party support him?

HUGHES: (INAUDIBLE) George Will is that this obviously shows he's uneducated about what the Tea Party is all about. He is right that we are about policy, we are about fiscal issues, primarily national security, and immigration as well as protecting our rights. That's what we deal with.

And the truth is right now, we have not been able to see any policy or very little policy from any of the people that are running for president right now. They have not been necessarily given the opportunity or the platform to do that. Whether they do it on their actual Web site, some of them are starting to leak it out. But the truth is we've not been able to be given a chance for any of the candidates to tell us exactly the definitive of what they want to do in certain areas.

Now in defense of Donald Trump, he has been able to tell us what he would like to do with China. He has laid out a deal with dealing with ISIS and the national security and the threat there. And whether you like it or not, he has said when it comes to the border, he is going to build a wall and he is going to find a way to make sure that Mexico pays for it.

That right there -- now, granted, we need to know specifics but that's more than we've gotten out of a majority of the rest of the candidates that have been up there running for the 2016 GOP nomination.

COSTELLO: Well, I would disagree with you there because Jeb Bush just gave a long policy speech on his foreign policy and what he would do about ISIS and he has specifics in there.

HUGHES: That just came out. We're just now getting it -- that speech. And this is I mean -- (INAUDIBLE) I could have sat there and told you everything that Donald Trump wanted to do concerning China just by watching what he said back in 1987 in an Oprah interview. That is people want to sit there and say you don't see policy out

of Donald Trump, well, it's been actually consistent all along in regards to how he would handle the number one issue to the Tea Party which is the economy. We know how he wants to deal with trade. We know that he has this idea of negotiating to a certain extent, but treat it more like a business deal than necessarily diplomacy government deal that has gotten us in the situation that we're in today where we pay for more stuff that's going out than pay for more stuff coming in than what's going out of the United States.

COSTELLO: Well, let me go back to George Will's op-ed in the "Washington Post". It's titled "Counterfeit Republican". He calls Donald Trump a counterfeit Republican. In other words, he's saying that Donald Trump is just saying all these things that people want to hear, but he's not really serious about it because he's changed his mind so many times over the years.

[10:34:58] HUGHES: Regardless though, you have to remember his background as well. He hasn't necessarily always supported staunch Republicans or the good conservatives. You can see that George Will from the very beginning has had his daggers out for Donald Trump. You can consider where the source is coming.

But for anybody that sits there and wants to say that Donald Trump has not been a consistent Republican, well, neither was Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan actually voted for abortion amendment when he was governor of California. He also voted for a pro-amnesty act when he was president, things he later regretted completely.

The old saying is I didn't leave my party, my party left me. And I think a lot of cases with Donald Trump, it happened to be that way. The difference between the Donald and possibly other candidates like Jeb Bush and others, he hasn't flip-flopped within the past few years. These are things that he has been (INAUDIBLE). Whereas you're looking at people like Mitt Romney -- or Rick Perry who actually endorsed Al Gore back in 1988.

And all of them have a track record of flip-flopping on issues. It's one of those if you live in a glass house, please stop throwing stones.

COSTELLO: All right. Scottie Nell Hughes, thank you so much for your insight. I appreciate it.

HUGHES: Thank you for having me.

COSTELLO: You're welcome.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM a symbol of the warming relations between the United States and Cuba. John Kerry poised to make his very first visit to the country. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:40:41] COSTELLO: At least 50 people are dead after a series of deadly explosions so powerful and so violent they could be seen and felt for miles. They even registered as earthquakes. The blast came from a warehouse in northern China that handles hazardous materials and created a fireball that charred buildings and actually melted cars.

CNN's Will Ripley has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The first thing they saw, the orange ball of flames followed by the blast.

"When I heard the first explosion, I thought we were finished" says Xian Jiping (ph). He and his wife Gao Jing (ph) are migrant construction workers, two of Tianjin's 15 million citizens, a city jolted awake by powerful explosions heard and felt for miles.

"The house collapsed. We didn't know what happened," she says. "So we just held each other." Strangers pulled them from the rubble, barefoot, barely clothed, barely feeling the jagged shards of broken glass in the street.

They managed to carry some clothing and belongings leaving all their money behind, a choking chemical smell fills the air. They have no choice but to breathe it in as they run to this convention center parking lot.

When you look around at all the devastation here, it's remarkable. One just all of the damage that was done to this convention center building, the windows smashed in, the doors smashed in as well.

Take a look at this car. It clearly caught fire. The windows smashed. It's crumpled. And we are standing two kilometers from the blast site.

At the nearest hospital a severely burned man is wheeled past waiting crowds. Others collapse from the pain or the anguish of losing someone they love.

During my live report from outside the hospital tempers flared. An angry mob demanding to see the pictures on my phone forces me off the air. Police don't stop them. Emotions are high.

"One moment we were asleep. The next we were here on the street," she says. "We don't know what to do, where to go." A sleepless, terrifying night, an exhausting, confusing day, and still no answers for all the people now surrounded by devastation.

Will Ripley, CNN, Tianjin, China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: John Kerry will visit Cuba tomorrow to help raise the American flag and formally reopen the U.S. embassy there. It will be the first time a U.S. Secretary of State has visited Havana since 1945. The Cuban government raised its own flag at the embassy last month after both countries agreed to restore diplomatic relations that were severed more than 50 years ago.

Patrick Oppmann is live in Havana with more for you. Good morning.

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Just about 24 hours from now we should have Secretary of State John Kerry here in Havana. And the U.S. flag, if all goes according to plan should be raised for the first time in 54 years over the U.S. embassy in the Cuban capital -- obviously a historic moment.

Cubans of all stripes, literally everyone that I know here says that they will be coming even if they have to stand outside the embassy just to catch a glimpse of this momentous occasion. Furious pace of work here to get everything ready.

It's been somewhat surreal to see Cuban and U.S. officials who for so many years have been at odds with one another working quite closely to prepare for this visit. And it'll be the last moment to get everything ready but they say they will be ready.

He'll be here for less than a day, has meetings in the afternoon with members of Cuban civil society we're including dissidents. No word yet on any meetings with Raul or Fidel Castro.

But coincidentally today is Fidel Castro's birthday. He's 89 years old and he had an article in Cuba's state-run media where he talked about how the U.S. owes Cuba millions of dollars, he said, for the economic embargo over the years. Despite that comment though, the party is going ahead and it's going to be something of a celebration of the new relationship between Cuba and the U.S. -- Carol.

[10:45:00] COSTELLO: All right. We'll see what happens tomorrow. Patrick Oppmann -- many thanks.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Tom Brady or the crypt keeper? The sketch that got the Internet talking -- next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Tom Brady is facing off against the NFL over Deflategate, but it's this face that's getting all the headlines. Yes, it's a courtroom sketch. It's supposed to be Brady. Do you see any resemblance? Critics now taking to the Internet with hilarious memes like this one. "Tom Brady, more like ET". Or this -- a real thriller here, right? There it is.

[10:50:05] Finally, check out this bunch of Bradys. There they are in all their glory.

As for the longtime sketch artist who made Brady look like Lurch, she is now saying she's sorry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel really bad when I do a bad sketch. I apologize for not making him look pretty enough for the world. Tom Brady is a very good looking guy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Although I'd enjoy talking more about this, Rachel Nichols, I suppose we have to get down to business.

RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN SPORTS: I don't know -- Carol. What do you think would do more long-term damage to our image of Tom Brady -- that he may or may not have cheated or that picture?

COSTELLO: Well, thank goodness that Gisele was not in the courtroom and she didn't --

NICHOLS: It could have been bad, absolutely. It was an interesting day in court. For those of us who have had to follow the story for more than 200 days and have had to listen to the participants duck and weave and evade answers, answering any questions, it was fascinating to see Judge Richard Berman in federal court actually question the lawyers for both sides in a place that they couldn't run and hide anymore. They were under oath, and he was very pointed.

On the NFL side, he basically poked holes in a lot of their case. He questioned whether there was any direct evidence linking Brady to any scheme to deflate footballs. He also questioned whether Ted Wells, the investigator who came up with sort of the guilty verdict for Brady, was independent or whether he was just basically being paid to find the verdict that the commissioner wanted. A question, by the way, that we here at CNN, Carol, asked back at the Super Bowl.

But I will say that he also poked holes in the NFLPA's case. He questioned about Brady and that cell phone and destroying it and why Brady wasn't more cooperative and whether the footballs really were deflated.

And the whole point of this was as we talked about yesterday Judge Berman is known as a settlement judge. He wants the sides to settle. They were both very dug in in their positions believing they were right, they couldn't lose, and he wanted to show both sides, hey, you both have problems. You both have ways that you could lose this case, and I could rule in a way that wouldn't make you happy at all. So get back to the bargaining table.

When they left court, they decided to proceed on two separate tracks. They were going to continue in federal court with this litigation but they were also going to continue a mediator trying to work out a settlement. If they don't reach one by next week, we will see them back in court next Wednesday.

Who knows what the pictures will look like from that one, Carol. We could get a whole new set of Internet memes.

COSTELLO: And it could mean 200 more days for you.

NICHOLS: Don't say it.

COSTELLO: I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Rachel Nichols -- thanks so much. I appreciate it.

NICHOLS: Thanks.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, eagle versus drone. The high- flying battle next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:57:09] COSTELLO: Checking some top stories for you at 57 minutes past.

Take a look at this video outside -- it came from outside of Minneapolis filmed at the nightclub First Avenue. It shows the moment a ceiling collapses during a concert. One thousand people were inside at the time, just two were sent to the hospital. If the club looks familiar it might be because Prince filmed scenes from the movie "Purple Rain" here.

Starting today Verizon is no longer offering two-year contracts. It's a trend that started a couple of years ago with brands like T- Mobile. From now on new Verizon customers will have to buy their phones outright and pay monthly service bills. What about current customers? Well, if you currently have a contract with Verizon and you like it, you can keep it as long as you want.

And finally what happens when a territorial eagle spots a high- flying drone? The answer is caught on camera. Here is Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When we send in the drones what must the animals think? It's enough to make a gator glare and a ram wonder. Does that thing bite?

The latest confrontation pitted an Australian eagle against a drone. The eagle used its talons to knock the drone out of the sky.

The videographer wrote, "This is the last thing a small bird sees when a wedge tailed eagle decide that you are dinner."

The eagle was said to be uninjured.

The drone operator had some advice for his fellow pilots. "If you see a bird of prey while flying, land."

The same could be said if you see a chimp waving a branch at a zoo in the Netherlands. Tushie demolished a $2,000 drone and she and her friends had their mug shots taken as they examined the debris.

Who needs a stick when you have got horns? A New Zealand ram named Rambro head-butted a drone. Then went after the guy who came to retrieve it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Slow down.

MOOS: At a zoo in Naples, Florida an agitated alligator could do nothing but lunge. While elsewhere in Florida, a swarm of bees engaged in aerial combat -- with a TV news drone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you see the video, it looked like, you know, "Star Wars."

MOOS: Even landing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is sitting there trying to sting the lens.

MOOS: For a pair of weeping labs the drone was nothing but an expensive dog toy, a Frisbee with blades.

Perhaps the most futile effort to down a drone was made by a golfer who missed by a mile when he threw his club. That doesn't count as a birdie. But this does.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello.

"AT THIS HOUR" with Berman and Bolduan starts now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: Donald Trump on top. Joe Biden still deciding but is the GOP's best --