Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Trump and Clinton Make Waves in Iowa; Computer Glitch Caused Flight Delays in East Coast; Clinton in Iowa: Addresses Email Controversy; A New Era Begins. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired August 15, 2015 - 16:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:00:11] POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow joining you this afternoon from Atlanta. 4:00 Eastern.

We begin where all the political attention is today, the Hawkeye state, Iowa, Des Moines. The political stampede is going on there at the famous, the world renowned state fair in Des Moines. 2016 hopefuls from both parties mingling with voters in the first caucus state. Two "A" listers, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump making the most waves there today, that is for sure. Here's Trump speaking just moments after arriving.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What Jeb Bush is a puppet to his donors. There's no question about it. He's got lobbyists. I know them. He's got lobbyists. And he made statements over the last couple of days that are incredible, trying to justify the war in Iraq, it can't be justified. Then he said skin in the game. I don't know if you saw his recent statement. He says the United States has to prove to Iraq that we have skin in the game.

We've spent $2 trillion, thousands of lives lost, wounded warriors who I love all over the place and he said we have to prove that we have skin in the game. I think it may be one of the dumbest statements I've ever heard. Skin in the game, we don't have to prove anything. First of all, the Iraqi officials are a bunch of crooks, if there even is an Iraq, which I don't think there is.

Iran is taking over Iraq. It was one of the dumbest things ever. And I think what happened because I understand psychology, I think his brother probably said, "hey, you're killing me," that was his war and he looks very bad. So Jeb Bush tried to push back. But when he said, we have to prove to Iraq that we have skin in the game and we've lost all of those lives and all of that money, I think he should apologize to the families of the people.

UNIDENTIFED MALE: You're critique of him as being a puppet, you admit that you were essentially a puppeteer controlling -

TRUMP: Well, I was one of the threats (ph). But now I'm on the different side. I know how the system work better than anybody. Many of the people that gave to Jeb and to Hillary and to everybody else, they're friends of mine or enemies of mine but they're people I know.

These are not people that are doing it because they like the color of his hair, believe me. These are highly sophisticated killers. And when they give $5 million or $2 million or a $1 million to Jeb, they have him just like a puppet. They'll do whatever they want. He is their puppet. Believe me. And with me, I had yesterday a lobbyist call me up, it's a friend of mine, good guy, smart as hell, he's for his client. I don't blame him. He said, "Donald, I want to put $5 million into your campaign." I said, I don't need it, I don't want it. He said, "No, no, I want to put 5 million in." I said "I don't want it. Because when you come back to me in two years and you want help for a company that you're representing or a country that you're representing, I'm going to do the right thing for the people of the United States. And I don't want to have to insult you.

So honestly, I appreciate it, I don't want your $5 million. I'm turning down so much money. But if he put it up, I'd feel obligated because I'm a loyal person just like Jeb Bush. Jeb bush and all of them - I'm not just talking about Jeb Bush. Hillary, too. Believe me, nobody played the game better than I did. I know the game from the other side. And that's the way it works.

I think the voters like me, they understand me and they know I'm going to do the job. When you put out policy like a 14-point plan, a lot of times in the first hour of negotiation, that 14-point plan goes astray. But you may end up with a better deal. That's the way it works. That's the way really life works. When I do a deal, I don't see, here's 14 points. I go out and do it. I don't sit down and talk about 14 points.

But I know the press wants it. I don't think the people care. I think they trust me. I think they know I'm going to make good deals for them. That's what it's all about.

She just asked, am I going to take questions from reporters? What am I doing? Am I taking questions from reporters. They'll tell you I'm taking questions.

By the way, unlike Hillary, this is unlike Hillary, do we agree? You are going to love me in terms of immigration and illegal immigration. We're building a wall, it's going to be a wall that is not - nobody's going through my wall. Trump builds walls, I build walls. We're building a wall. It's going to be strong. It's going to be solid. It's going to be policed.

Somebody said they can tunnel under. Well, that's true. But with x- ray equipment, they can't. All you have to do is fly a drone over it. They can see that immediately. So nobody can go under it. Nobody's going over it. And you know what? We're going to have a big door for people to come in legally. We're going to have a big, beautiful door for people to come in legally. I want people to come into the country. But they have to come in legally. I don't think I've made mistakes.

I mean every time somebody says I made a mistake, they do the polls and my numbers go up. So I guess, I haven't made any mistakes. Look, when I said Mexico is sending, I was talking about illegal immigration. The people understood it eventhough the president want them too. My numbers went up.

When I talked about John McCain, I was saying how bad he's treated the veterans because the veterans are treated badly. Then they do a poll, who do you like better, to the veterans, John McCain or Trump? I swamped him in the poll. The veterans like me better because they know I 'll take care of them. He hasn't taken - after 30 years, he hasn't taken care of them.

The last thing with Fox, I mean I love Roger Ales but all you have to do is ask Roger Ales who won. So I don't think I've made any mistakes. I'm sure I will at some point. But so far, you have to say, it hasn't worked out badly. Right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: CNN's political reporter, David Chalian is with me. Also CNN senior Washington correspondent Jeremy Diamond is with us. They're both at the state fair, you both have the (INAUDIBLE) what the folks on the ground are saying.

To you first, Jeremy, Donald Trump, billionaire New York businessman, billionaire real estate developer, Hillary Clinton has faced so many questions about if she's relatable to the average voter because she and the former president, Bill Clinton, have made millions and millions of dollars. Is Donald Trump relatable to the voters? Why is he at the top of the polls?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON REPORTER: Well, I think that as far as money goes with Donald Trump he doesn't shy away from it, not one bit. He plays it up. That's actually his selling point is the fact that he's a billionaire, that he's this real estate tycoon, really. And people - his supporters like that.

Because they think that because he's been successful in business, because he's able to seal the deal in so many different ways that he can kind of take that to the White House and bring that experience, bring that business acumen and really translate that to his slogan, which is to make America great again.

HARLOW: So that's it, not shying away from it, not saying, I know what the average American has gone through because frankly he doesn't when it comes to money, finances.

David, to you, he did not waste any time taking jabs at his competitors. You heard him going after Jeb Bush there and others. That tactic is what we see over and over and over from him. He did say in passing, by the way, I'm going to lay out sort of the beginning of my comprehensive immigration plan tomorrow on "Meet the Press." This would be the first time we got specifics.

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Right. We're now clearly moving into the next phase of the Trump campaign for president. There was the phase of him skyrocketing to the top of the polls and getting all this attention and now he's moving from phenomenon to front- runner. He's now starting to put an organization on the ground here and to your point, Poppy, getting the policy piece out.

So starting with immigration, I think he said taxes would be next.

HARLOW: Right.

CHALIAN: This is going to be an opportunity to see more details and not just the one-line, sound bite rhetoric. Listen, I think he's right that voters do not press for tons of specifics. But when you come to Iowa, when you go to New Hampshire, these are very informed voters. And they are used to hearing specifics from all the other candidates.

So it does put Trump into a different place. And now I think he's sort of playing a little bit of catch-up and getting into the same place with his competitors saying, hey, I've got a plan, too.

HARLOW: Jeremy, turning to Hillary Clinton, she did take - Donald Trump said she didn't take reporter questions at the fair. She did right before he did, she took reporter questions including one from our Jeff Zeleny. I want you to listen. It's about her e-mail scandal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's not anything that people talk to me about as I travel around the country. It is never raised in my town halls. It is never raised in my other meetings with people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Is that right? Do the voters on the ground not care about the e-mails and it's just us, the press?

DIAMOND: I think that it's a little bit ridiculous to say that no voter cares about it at all. I mean a lot of voters care about it. When you look at the polls, you look at her numbers in terms of trustworthiness and honesty, that's where you're seeing the ramifications of the e-mail scandal hitting. That's where it hits. That's the direct result.

16:10:02

So voters, some voters definitely care about it. Her most ardent supporters maybe don't care. A lot of people do think that it's a side issue. Her campaign certainly seem to think so.

But with some voters, it definitely raises questions about Clinton's honesty and transparency.

HARLOW: I would be remiss not to mention Bernie Sanders who just spoke there, David, at the Des Moines Register. So far he 's polling second among caucus goers in Iowa, behind Hillary Clinton. How big of a splash did Bernie Sanders make?

CHALIAN: Well, he had a huge crowd. I've been to the state fair several times for several presidential cycles, Poppy, I've never seen any candidate draw as big of a crowd to hear the remarks at the Des Moines Register soap box.

Listen, and I was standing next to one Iowa democrat who said, "you know, I love what he has to say. I just don't know if he can win." I think that's going to be the Bernie Sanders challenge. You can draw these huge crowds. He has the ideological sort of enjoyment of the crowd. What he says, they are totally into hearing.

And he pushes those buttons for them. But then when it comes to, sort of can he convert that to an actual victory come next November and win the oval office, I think you will see some of Iowa democrats, New Hampshire democrats will begin to say, "Hey, is he the best candidate to actually win at the end of the day?" He has to answer that question throughout the campaign.

DIAMOND: Martin O'Malley came yesterday to Iowa. He was at the state fair as well. He took a shot at Bernie Sanders and said - I asked him specifically about Bernie Sanders being a declared socialist. And he said it could a problem for him in the long term.

HARLOW: It's true, it's just not what people are talking about. All right. David Chalian and Jeremy Diamond, thank you both very much.

Not every major player in this race is in Iowa right now. Happening now in Nevada, another early voting state, Carly Fiorina speaking to voters there. This is at the Bass barbecue in Nevada and in the first Republican debate, Fiorina was praised across the board by pundits for her performance, saying she was a real standout in that GOP debate. She's now trying to build on that momentum. We will continue to monitor her speech throughout the hour.

Still ahead on CNN, Donald Trump's wife, we're going to take a closer look at Melania Trump. You've seen her on the campaign trail. We haven't heard from her. This is the woman who could be the next first lady. We'll talk about it, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

16:15:43

HARLOW: While Donald Trump enjoys the lead in the polls, many voters don't know much about his wife, Melania, a former fashion model, mothered Trump's fifth child. She's also a businesswoman in her own right. CNN's Randi Kaye takes a look at the potential future first lady.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To some, she is just known as Mrs. Trump, the quiet, impeccably dressed force behind her husband. But Melania (INAUDIBLE) as she was formerly known is much more than just a sideshow to her husband's business empire and presidential ambitions. There's glitzy and glamorous magazine covers and her own line of jewelry on QVC.

MELANIA TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S WIFE: I want all women to have a piece of my jewelry because it will make them feel special, feel elegant.

KAYE: She also took a silly turn in an AFLAC insurance commercial.

UNIDENTIFED MALE: Aflac -

KAYE: Before becoming Mrs. Trump, Melania had long been a fixture on the modeling scene, beginning at just 16 in her native country of Slovenia. By 18, she had a contract with an agency in Italy, jetting as her biography puts it between Milan and Paris, building a career before moving to New York in 1996. That's where just two years later, she met her future husband, Donald Trump.

MELANIA TRUMP: We met in 1998. It was a fashion week and it was a fashion party. And we were both invited. That's where we met.

KAYE: It was her first marriage, to a man known for his famous marriages. And even more for his infamous splits. Larry King interviewed the newlyweds back in 2005.

LARRY KING, CNN HOST: You worry about women being attracted to him?

MELANIE TRUMP: No, I don't worry about that at all. I know who I am. And if a man doesn't want to be with me or I don't want to be with a man -

KING: Good-bye and good luck. Do you worry about her with men?

DONALD TRUMP: No, I know her. That's the rock.

KAYE: A successful relationship that produced a son, (INAUDIBLE), born in 2006.

MELANIA TRUMP: The energy of the children and my son, love it.

KAYE: And what of her husband's bombastic style?

KING: Is he a control freak? Does he make demands?

MELANIA TRUMP: I don't think so. Maybe he makes demands in his business because he needs to. He's kind of a general, he needs to have people in line. But not at home. We are very equal in the relationship and that's very important.

To marry a man like Donald, you need to know who you are and you need to be very strong and smart. And he needs to know that he can rely on me sometimes. And we share a lot of stuff together. I don't think he's a control freak at all.

KAYE: An equal relationship, she says, and a supportive spouse. In his wife, Melania, Trump may have the secret weapon he needs to help keep that Trump surge going strong.

Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HARLOW: And Donald Trump has said she would make a great first lady. We're going to talk about next what the White House would look like with Melania running the east wing, next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

16:22:43

HARLOW: Before the break, we took a closer look at Melania Trump, the woman who could be the next first lady. Let's talk more about her and what role she might take in the campaign with Kate Bohner. She co- authored this book "Trump, Art of the Comeback" with Donald Trump back in 1997. Thanks for being here, Kate.

KATE BOHNER, CO-AUTHORED "TRUMP, ART OF THE COMEBACK": Thanks for having me, Poppy.

HARLOW: Are you surprised that we haven't heard more from Melania front and center on this campaign, given how much we hear from Donald Trump?

BOHNER: It's interesting, I just learned more in the story you just ran about Melania Trump than I knew any of those bits before. And here I thought the whole time she was keeping a very low profile. But as it turns out, she has done a number of things and has proven herself to be a businesswoman.

HARLOW: Sure.

BOHNER: I didn't know that.

HARLOW: So maybe play that up - you know Donald Trump. You wrote a book with him, right?

BOHNER: Right.

HARLOW: Do you think the strategy down the road is have her become a bigger part, a bigger role in this campaign publicly or do we hear more from his children, who we know are already advising him?

BOHNER: Right. What I think is the Trump we know is the bombastic trump, he brings this inner power and he's able to message that out. I would think that in a vice president and probably in a first lady, he's going to want - despite all of his strengths, he's still not sure if he has the ability to bring people from both sides of the aisle, the voters, the policymakers, the stakeholders, bring them together to find common ground on issues.

So I'm imagining he's going to look to that for from his vice presidential candidate and also perhaps from his first lady.

HARLOW: So she's referred to herself as a working mom which she is. They have a child together. If you look at her twitter feed it's filled with a lot of photos of private jets, penthouses, designer clothes and handbags, clearly a very nice, opulent lifestyle. Here's the thing. Hillary Clinton has taken a lot of heat for, you've made millions of dollars, you're out of touch with the average Americans. Our political reporter was telling me earlier in the show - you know, Trump hasn't taken that heat because he doesn't shy away from the money. Is that what we're seeing? Or is she going to risk out of touch with the average voter?

BOHNER: It depends on what she's trying to message out. I would say that perhaps she's going for a kind of Jackie O, right? That she wants to show that she's at the forefront of style and of grace and dignity and that's what she'll bring to Trump who is much more of his appeal is that sort of straight shooter from Queens, et cetera, real estate developer or maybe she's not afraid of it either if he's not.

16:25:17

HARLOW: It's a very interesting point. You also brought up a fascinating sort of comparison between when you look at - not Melania, not his wife but Donald Trump and how he's disrupted this political field, akin to as you say Uber disrupting the taxi industry.

And it makes sort of the entrenched players very uncomfortable and they try to punch and fight back, take it to court. But ultimately, oftentimes, you see Uber flying, you see Donald Trump flying high right now.

BOHNER: Right. The comparison so taxicabs, yellow cabs in New York, the customer was getting more and more frustrated. There was alleged collusion among taxi companies. There was taxi companies accused of hiding behind regulations. Anyway, the service is getting worse and worse.

So Uber comes in and they say essentially "you don't have to live this way anymore. We're going to take you seriously and we're going to give you a great customer experience." There's a way in which Trump - people don't talk that much about what an amazing entrepreneur he is. And despite what other people say, he's very cunning and he's also very methodical. So I think there's a lot of strategy that goes into this. And Trump is basically bursting on the stage and saying, this political process is broken and you don't have to live this way anymore. Uber did as well.

HARLOW: Yes, interesting comparison. And then just the question is how long does it last and does he keep topping the polls, keep topping the polls, keep topping the polls? We'll see. Kate Bohner, thank you very much.

BOHNER: Thanks, Poppy.

HARLOW: Now to a story we have been following here all day. Flights - if you're sitting in the airport in D.C., you're having a hard time. Let's just put it that way. Flights slowly, finally returning to normal across the East Coast. A statement coming to us from the FAA saying the agency is working with the airlines to return to normal operations and expects to lift any remaining traffic management programs by 4:00 this afternoon Eastern Time. The FAA continuing its root cause analysis trying to determine the problem, working closely with the airlines to minimize impact to the travelers. This is after a major computer glitch at a Virginia air traffic control center. It caused huge flight delays at airports in New York and D.C..

Let me bring in CNN safety analyst David Soucie. Do we know what happened? What sort of the root cause of this? Is this a typical glitch?

DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: Well, there's nothing typical about this at all, Poppy. This is something that the FAA and Congress has approved hundreds of millions of dollars to make sure this doesn't happen. This rarely is an anomaly. It's something that shouldn't and rarely does happen except for the one time about a year ago in Chicago when someone tampered with it and actually caused a fire in a control center.

HARLOW: I remember that. How does something like this happen?

SOUCIE: Well, what happens here - this is something that I believe in early reports, at least, which shows that there was a power shutdown at the Washington air traffic control center, at the air root traffic control center, called the AARTC. That sets off so many different problems. But the problem, the real root problems is going to be that when that power shuts off, there's supposed to be a back-up system like you buy those battery systems for your computers at home that makes sure when your power goes out, you still have power, that's the uninterruptible power supply. And these are hundreds and millions of dollars worth of products that need to be there to make sure that the computers don't have to reboot every time there's a loss of power.

It appears that system didn't work here. And that's an essential system that has to be up and running. So there's going to be some heads rolling on this one. This is a really big deal.

HARLOW: Let's hope they fix it. It doesn't happen again. David Soucie, thank you.

Donald Trump says Hillary Clinton's e-mail troubles may end her campaign. He said that this weekend. But the democratic front runner certainly came out swinging in Iowa and even made a joke about it. Will this new change in strategy work? We'll discuss.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:32:23] HARLOW: Hillary Clinton is going after those who have been attacking her over her use of a personal e-mail server while she was secretary of state. The Democratic front-runner facing some tough questions after arriving at the Iowa state fair today. She lashed out at her critics for what she called their partisan games, especially over Benghazi.

The latest controversy started last night with these comments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And I know that people across the country are following us on social media as well. By the way, you may have seen that I recently launched a Snapchat account.

I love it. I love it. Those messages disappear all by themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Interesting change in strategy, focusing on the e-mail controversy.

Let's talk about it more with CNN's senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny in Des Moines, Iowa, at the state fair, along with the senior politics editor for "The Daily Beast", Jackie Kucinich.

Thank you both for being here.

Jeff, you struck a much more serious tone asking her about her e-mails this morning, though.

JACKIE KUCINICH, THE DAILY BEAST: Yes, she said. So, I'm sorry. Poppy, can you repeat the question?

HARLOW: Sure, no problem. I was going to Jeff Zeleny. Jeff, you asked Donald Trump about the e-mail controversy at a news conference earlier this morning. I want people to listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's a criminal problem. I mean, it's going to be a very serious problem for her, Jeff. It's going to be about as serious as it gets. You look at General Petraeus and he was destroyed over a much lesser event. So, I think she's got a very big problem.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: But his e-mails were marked classified. Hers were not.

TRUMP: Well, I think some of his were. And it seemed like they took a lot of markings off. I mean, somebody's got a big problem and it looks like it's Hillary.

ZELENY: Any worry Republicans could overplay their hand on this e- mail controversy?

TRUMP: Look, it is what it is. It was a terrible thing she said, which is actually a very foolish thing. There was no reason to do it. And she's got a big problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Jeff, great question there about whether Republicans might overplay their hand. I say that because some of the reporters on the ground there have been saying the voters aren't talking about this as much as the press is talking about it.

ZELENY: Poppy, I can tell you, of course Donald Trump is going to make that criticism and Republicans will make the criticism.

One thing I've been struck by just talking to Iowa voters for the last several days here is Democrats are asking those questions, too. They asked me, do you think this will be a general election problem for Secretary Clinton? We like her. We want Democrats to win the White House but we're not sure about this.

[16:35:00] We're not sure where this is going to go.

And that's one of the challenges here. And Democrats hope Republicans do overplay their hand. They hope when that Benghazi committee in the House -- when she testifies before that in October, I believe, they hope that Republicans do overplay their hand. But they can't be sure of that.

So the challenge here for the Clinton campaign going forward is they have little control over this inquiry that the Justice Department is doing and that the House Congressional Select Committee on Benghazi is doing.

So, a campaign never likes to have things out of their control. So that is what is unsettling to them, you know, no matter whether Hillary Clinton likes to make a joke about it or not.

HARLOW: It's a great point. A long fascinating "Washington Post" story on that this morning, about sort of the lack of control her camp feels over it. They don't know where it's going to go, one Clinton camp insider saying to oppose the reporter.

Jackie, to you. I mean, you know these voters. You're with them on the ground there at the Iowa state fair. What do they care about most? Is it these e-mails? What is it?

KUCINICH: You know, I was talking to Bernie Sanders supporters and they said one of the reasons -- the people I spoke to, one of the reasons they said they were giving Bernie a look is because they were upset about what was going on with the e-mails. They said it's a distraction to some of the other issues they really cared about, things like college debt, things like the minimum wage. They're worried that could become the overarching thing people are talking about instead of these issues that some progressive Iowans really care about.

So, I think that is giving Bernie Sanders an opening here that he didn't have before and that's why he's going up in the polls here so much.

HARLOW: Are they at all, Jackie, worried about whether Bernie Sanders can win, because that is something we've heard, even those that really like his message and what he stands for and what he's saying, a little bit of concern over whether he can overcome Hillary Clinton or win in a general if he gets the nomination.

KUCINICH: You know, the people I spoke to were at this point were pretty hardcore Bernie Sanders fans. And they say, where there's a will, there's a way. But when you speak to people who might be opt fence, there is a concern he can't go the distance. And there's -- but there's also the open question of who's going to be the Republican nominee? It's Donald Trump? I mean, who knows what could happen?

HARLOW: Who else, Jeff, is making headline there is at the fair outside of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders? Or is that it?

ZELENY: No, it's not it at all, Poppy. I caught up with Rick Santorum a few hours ago, just shortly after lunchtime. And you remember that this former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum actually won the Iowa caucuses in 2012. And he was doing something a little bit different. He didn't have a big helicopter to fly into this Iowa state fair. He didn't have a big entourage. But he was meeting Iowa voters one-on-one. So many people were coming up to him and talking to him and thanking him for running.

So, we saw the same for Jeb Bush yesterday. He spent 4 1/2 hours at the state fair, longer than most top-level candidates certainly spend, longer than Trump and Clinton spent combined. So, I think the state fair gives people a chance to take a measure of people are, if they find them likable, if they find them approachable. It's certainly not the defining decision, but it just adds to what people's comfort level here about them.

So, those are some of the people making headlines. And next week, Scott Walker, the Wisconsin governor, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, both of those two gentlemen will be here on Monday. So, still more time to come for these candidates to meet these Iowa voters.

HARLOW: Jeff Zeleny, Jackie --

KUCINICH: Another name I was hearing, Poppy, was Ben Carson today.

HARLOW: Yes.

KUCINICH: Ben Carson was some people are talking about.

HARLOW: Who is polling second in Iowa behind Trump and who's speaking right now in another key early voting state, Nevada.

Guys, thank you so much. Jeff Zeleny, Jackie Kucinich, at the Des Moines state fair, have fun. Have some good food.

KUCINICH: Thanks, Poppy.

ZELENY: Thanks, Poppy.

HARLOW: Thanks, guys.

Coming up next, something that has not been seen in more than 50 years. The American flag raised over the U.S. embassy in Havana, Cuba. It happened yesterday and it signals a new era of trade, travel openness. Plenty of people in Cuba, though, not ready to celebrate. Find out why, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [16:42:37] HARLOW: This weekend, for the first time in 54 years, the American flag is flying over an open for business U.S. embassy in Havana, Cuba.

The flag going up is a strong symbol of the U.S. and Cuba's new era. But many very real and still very divisive issues remain. A large number of people in Cuba feel their country's human rights record makes it impossible for them to rejoice. Our Jake Tapper reports from Havana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Not everyone here is celebrating. Antonio Rodiles is part of the pro-democracy dissidence community, a rare and brave vocal critic on the island who dares to criticize the Castro government.

He's not only spoken out himself for years, he has hosted the dissident community at his family home.

(on camera): What do people talk about here, human rights, democracy?

ANTONIO RODILES, CUBAN DISSIDENT: Human rights, democracy, social situation.

TAPPER (voice-over): Their campaign for greater freedom here has come at a significant cost. Rodiles and other activists are routinely rounded up and arrested as they try to make their way to mass at a local Catholic church. Women there dressed in white called Las Damas de Blanco bear silent witnesses to their husbands serving jail time as political prisoners.

(on camera): And how did they treat you? Does the government retaliate against you?

RODILES: Yes, they've been repressing a lot. They used to organize like a kind of police operations around the house to arrest the people that were -- they were coming here.

TAPPER: Just for what? Just for coming?

RODILES: Yes, exactly, because they don't want that kind of activities.

TAPPER: Have they ever done anything to you? Have they arrested you? Have they physically hurt you?

RODILES: Yes, I have been arrested several times, and also I have been beaten. I have been in jail for certain days, and both in the last time the situation has been changing for worse.

TAPPER: It's getting worse?

RODILES: Yes.

TAPPER (voice-over): This is what happened in July when Rodiles was arrested on his way to church, put in the back of a police car and beaten with handcuffs.

(on camera): President Obama and Secretary Kerry, they argue, look, we have tried it with an embargo and a blockade for decades, nothing has changed.

[16:45:03] Maybe by doing this, there will be more human rights and democracy in Cuba.

Do you agree with that?

RODILES: I do not agree. We really are upset because the American government doesn't want to put any pre-condition for that political process, and the Cuban government is taking a lot and they are not giving anything.

TAPPER (voice-over): As the American flag rose over the U.S. embassy in Havana today, there were no dissidents there, none on embassy grounds. Instead, Rodiles said he and others have been invited to a private ceremony with the secretary of state at the ambassador's residence in the afternoon, but he declined their invitation.

(on camera): Do you think that Obama and Kerry doing this hurt the cause of people like you, people fighting for freedom?

RODILES: Sometimes, yes, because first, the government has more legitimacy in the international community. They feel more free to repress us. But at the same time, the signal for the people fighting the government, making a huge confusion, because right now, people don't understand who are their friends that are supporting the changing for democracy, and who are the people supporting the government.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Pedro Freyre is the former chair of the Cuba Committee of the Miami Chamber of Commerce. He joins me now.

Thank you for being here.

I mean, it's -- you heard the situation that that man is in, right? And what he's had to go through.

John Kerry, secretary of state, telling CNN yesterday after raising that flag above the embassy there in Havana, Cuba will not get a pass on human rights. He said, and let me quote here. He said, "I think what's happened is there is a certain amount of habit and it's playing out. And that's what has to change and we will confront those situations."

What's your take? How do they walk that line?

PEDRO FREYRE, FORMER CHAIRMAN, CUBA COMMITTEE OF THE MIAMI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: It is not an easy line to walk. We need to understand that Cuba is still a far, far ways to go in terms of recognizing and respecting human rights. But I think Secretary Kerry took a very strong stance both at the public ceremony at the embassy and then at the private reception in the ambassador's home. I was there at both of them.

And he emphasized the point that the United States will continue to advocate for human rights and that we will continue to be the beacon for democracy around the world. The point being made by Secretary Kerry is that the United States believes that it will be a far more effective way to bring forth positive change in Cuba by having diplomatic relations than by having isolation and giving the Cuban government the excuse that they've had up to now that the United States is to blame for everything.

HARLOW: One person who certainly does not agree withes that a Cuban American senator, Senator Marco Rubio. I want you to listen to what he said yesterday, saying this decision undoes several generations of work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: President Obama has rewarded the Castro regime for its repressive tactics and its persistent, patient opposition to American interests. He has unilaterally given up on a half century worth of policies towards the Castro regime that was agreed upon by presidents of both parties. He's assured the regime will receive international legitimacy and a substantial economic boost to benefit its repression of the Cuban people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: When you talk about it, Pedro, for the families, people who might want to return to Cuba to be with their families, what challenges do they face and does he have a point?

FREYRE: I have to tell you, I think that the president's policy is the correct one because one of the things that will effect change in Cuba is the ability of folks to come back and forth more freely. There's about 2 million of us Cuban-Americans on this side of the water and when you go to the airport, you just see the flow of family help going to Cuba. And that's at a very human level.

The other thing that is happening and you sense it in the street is a sense of hope. When you talk to the taxi drivers, the servers and the private restaurant that are beginning to flourish all around Havana, what they will tell you is, we love Americans, we love Cuban Americans, we want you to come here, we want you to talk to us. That's a change that is very organic, very integral and very grassroots.

HARLOW: Yes, I think we have certainly a long way to go and history will be the judge. We will see. It's been a divisive issue.

Pedro, thank you for your perspective.

FREYRE: Thank you, Poppy.

HARLOW: Still ahead, switching gears, in a major way here, fairgrounds, fried food and farm animals. Our own Chris Moody gets a crash course on how to survive the legendary Iowa state fair if you are a presidential candidate. His guide his -- his how-to guide when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:54:02] HARLOW: All right. We're keeping an eye on Nevada, not exactly the Iowa state fair but another big event drawing candidates for the White House. You're looking at images of Ted Cruz speaking just a few moments ago at the bass barbecue, a must-go for a lot of politicians in this race in that critical early voting state of Nevada. We'll keep an eye on that.

Turning to the Iowa state fair now, the annual event is not your typical meet-and-greet with voters but an endless maze of fried food, amusement park rides and life-size butter cows. CNN's Chris Moody recruited some veteran operatives for some tips on how to make it through unscathed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS MOODY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do you think that if people see me eating this and they're like, I'm voting for that guy, he eats just like me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no.

MOODY: No?

(MUSIC)

MOODY: The Iowa state fair is a must stop for presidential candidates. So, we brought to Iowa political consultants to take us around and to show us how not to mess it up.

[16:55:02] TIM ALBRECHT, REDWAVE DIGITAL: The thing that Iowans value more than anything is authenticity. And if they even get a whiff of you trying to be somebody you're not, it's going to turn them off right away.

MOODY: And what kind of conversation should I make with people? Should I say things like, hello, fellow Iowan, how are your crops?

ALBRECHT: This is another case where you want to be as natural as possible.

JENAE JENISON, REDWAVE DIGITAL: An Iowa greeting is, hey, how it's going?

MOODY: Hey, how's it going? The crops are just the right height, aren't they?

ALBRECHT: No.

JENISON: No.

MOODY: You can't take the heat, don't run for president, whether it's at the soapbox or here at the grill.

How do I stand with the hay bales to look more presidential? When I make a point, do I do this?

ALBRECHT: We have a great stage right here for you. It's is a lot firmer footing.

MOODY: What if I say the Iowa caucuses are overrated and should be done away with?

ALBRECHT: Your campaign probably ends right here on these hay bales.

JENISON: Yes. You will be booed.

MOODY: When you get heckled, keep it cool.

Food is a huge liability. There are 75 foods on sticks here. And there's one you should never eat.

The corn dog isn't the image you want coming out of the state fair.

MOODY: It's really hot.

Too hot for TV. They just Snapchatted me.

JENISON: In Iowa, there's a joke, I don't know who I'm going to vote for until I've met them. You'll most likely meet them at the state fair or at a pizzeria.

ALBRECHT: Shake every single hand that you can because the fact of the matter is, Iowa is still a retail campaign state. You can't throw a few million dollars up on the television and radio airwaves and hope to be successful here. It's meeting people. Meeting them again in many cases and asking them for their vote.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Chris Moody telling it like it is at the Iowa state fair, a fair that's a crucible for the candidates testing them in front of voters and reporters. And Donald Trump as he arrives in Trump fashion today, living out to his reputation as a candidate willing to tell it just like he sees it. What he said, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)