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Serena Williams in Pre-Med; Bangkok Bombing; Clinton E-mail Controversy Affects Polling; Former Subway Frontman Faces Federal Child Porn Counts; FDA Approves the Female Viagra. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired August 19, 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] SERENA WILLIAMS, PRO TENNIS PLAYER: I kind of really want to focus on that in my field.

RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN SPORTS: Most professional tennis players, especially ones who are multiple, multiple Grand Slam champions are not also pre-med students on the side. How are you managing all of this?

WILLIAMS: Yes, I don't know. Actually, I was a business major for a while.

NICHOLS: Yes.

WILLIAMS: So I just switched my majors to pre-med. But, I don't know, I just -- I like education and I don't like to sit still.

NICHOLS: You've also taken the time to be a major voice in the national conversation on social issues. You recently tweeted about the college football player, the unarmed black player, Christian Taylor, who was gunned down by a police officer. You said, quote, "really, are we all sleeping and this is one gigantic bed nightmare. How many hashtags now reference to all these incidents that keep happening?" What does it feel like for you to keep reading these stories?

WILLIAMS: Well, I think not just for me, but I think a lot of people in America and outside of America are kind of frustrated and concerned. And -- but I really think it just boils down to people as a nation pulling together. And it's not just me. And it's not just me speaking out. There's a lot of people that are speaking out. And it's a -- it's a whole nation that's coming together and we're just asking the same question, why?

NICHOLS: What do you think can happen if people like you, who are in a public position, do talk about these issues more?

WILLIAMS: I mean we're in a state and now times where we have opportunities in social media to express ourselves. You know, who knows, maybe it won't help but maybe it will just reach the right ears at the right time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Rachel Nichols joins me now. She's taking pre-med courses?

NICHOLS: Yes, I mean --

COSTELLO: That's amazing.

NICHOLS: Because, you know, she's got some free time. She went on to explain later that, hey, she sits around in hotels a lot so she's been taking some online courses. She has these down periods. She and her sister have both always taken some college level classes of one sort or another on the side and this has become a big focus in the tennis community. When they first started doing this, there was a lot of sort of tut-tutting (ph) of, oh, your focus isn't right. And then they just kept beating everyone and they said, our focus is fine, thank you.

COSTELLO: It's just fine, thanks.

NICHOLS: And I love that because her sister has been dealing with this very difficult condition, it sort of spurred her to say, OK, yes, I was pre-business or taking a business major because she, of course, runs her own fashion business, but I also want to take some medical classes so I can learn more about what's happening to my sister --

COSTELLO: Oh.

NICHOLS: And, as she said, her own body because she is out there and has this finely tuned machine in her body for her job.

COSTELLO: It seems, for whatever reason, controversy follows these sisters. How do they deal with it?

NICHOLS: Well, you know, I think one thing is saying what you think. Serena is very big on, hey, this is me, this is what I think. And I think it's, frankly, earned her a lot of fans. And I think when she talks about being a role model for women and, hey, you know, we -- later in the conversation, and you can see this on cnn.com, we talk about her being on the cover of a lot of magazines. And when she was a kid, a person who looked like her was not on the cover of a lot of magazines. And she wants to make sure that little -- that young girls know people who look like me, that's great, that's strong, that's beautiful. People who say what they think, like me, as a woman, that's strong, that's beautiful. You don't have to just say what other people think you should say.

COSTELLO: Well, she sounds awesome. Rachel Nichols, thanks for bringing that to us. We appreciate it.

NICHOLS: Thanks.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Hillary Clinton is still the frontrunner, but negative opinions of her are on the rise.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:37:40] COSTELLO: CNN is learning new information about the man who may have set off a bomb at a popular Bangkok temple visited by tourists. A taxi driver, interviewed by police, says the suspect handed him a note written in English and he appeared very calm. There are more suspects in this case as well. Saima Mohsin just found out this information. She joins us now.

Saima, what can you tell us?

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, Carol, breaking news this hour. We spoke to that motorbike taxi driver. But after that, I've just spoken with the police spokesman here in Bangkok and he tells me the police have identified two men they believe could have been the accomplices to the main bombing suspect. Now, if we look at the CCTV footage, the main suspect is the man in the yellow t-shirt that came in with a backpack. So he sits down and leaves it underneath that bench. Well, in front of him are two men who stand, one wearing a red shirt, the other in a white shirt. Police want to speak to both these men, Carol. They say that they believe they are also acting suspiciously. They get up to stand in front of this man. They believe perhaps, the police spokesman has told me in the past few minutes, that perhaps they are doing that to block the view, to protect him while he can plant his bomb. And then they seem to all leave within minutes of one another. And then shortly after that, the bomb goes off.

But as you say, Carol, we've also spoken to that motorbike taxi driver who has believed he took the main suspect in the yellow t-shirt away from the scene. He handed him the note written in English. It said on it, Carol, Lumphini Park in English. Now that is a main park in Bangkok, much like Central Park in New York or Hyde Park in London. And that is where the man got off. In that journey, he was speaking on his mobile phone in a language the motorbike taxi driver has told CNN he could not identify as Thai or English.

Carol.

COSTELLO: I'm just curious, is it strange that this man handed the taxi driver a note written in English?

MOHSIN: Absolutely. And that is why, Carol, it stuck into the motorbike taxi driver's head so much. And, of course, when he saw the CCTV footage all over the television screen, he recognized this man.

[09:40:05] Now I live here. Normally what you do is you hand over an address in Thai. I've often had to go places and I've looked up the address in Thai or asked a friend to speak Thai to people. So it does seem strange that this was written in -- Lumphini Park, just those two words on this piece of paper and handed over. No words spoken. Was that because the man wanted to conceal his voice? Well, strangely enough, he did then speak on his phone in the language that the taxi driver says was not Thai or English.

So all these pieces coming together now, Carol, and police do really want tourists and local people to come together as well to help them track these men down. They're using the model of the Boston bombing. You'll remember police then took footage, video footage or photographs from social media and people who handed them into police to try and get a real 360 perspective of events leading up to the attack and afterward to try and identify the men and see where they went and where they came from.

Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Saima Mohsin reporting live with breaking news this morning. Thanks so much.

Let's get back to politics.

As Hillary Clinton moves ahead in her quest for the Democratic presidential nomination, questions about her use of personal e-mail while secretary of state are following her on the campaign trail. In Nevada, Clinton addressed reports that a server turned over to the FBI had been wiped clean.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My personal e-mails are my personal business, right? So that's -- that's all I can say.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But, to answer the question, did you try to wipe the whole server? You didn't answer the question.

CLINTON: I -- I'm -- you know, I don't -- I have no idea. That's why we turned it over. We --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But you said you were in charge of it. You were the official in charge. Did you wipe the server?

CLINTON: What, like, with a cloth or something?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. You know how it works digitally. Did you try to wipe the whole server?

CLINTON: I -- I don't know how it works digitally at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And while Clinton seems to shrug off those concerns, her tone changed when repeatedly pressed, sparking a testy exchange with reporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a simple question.

CLINTON: In order to -- in order to be as cooperative as possible, we have turned over the server. They can do whatever they want to with the server to figure out what's there or what's not there. That's for the, you know, people investigating it to try to figure out. But we turned over everything that was work related. Every single thing. Personal stuff, we did not. I had no obligation to do so and did not.

Thank you all. Thank you all very much.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Secretary Clinton, is this an indication that this issue isn't going to go away for the remainder of your campaign? CLINTON: Nobody talks to me about it other than you guys.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Clinton's response comes as a new CNN/ORC poll shows a growing number of Americans feel her personal e-mail use was wrong. Fifty-six percent say so, up from 51 percent back in March. Thirty- nine percent say Clinton was not wrong to use personal e-mail, but that's down from 47 percent. And American's opinions of Clinton are also taking a hit. Fifty-three percent of Americans now view her unfavorably. Her most negative rating since 2001.

So let's talk about this a bit with CNN political analyst and editor in chief of "The Daily Beast," John Avlon, and CNN political commentator and Democrat strategist Hilary Rosen.

Welcome to both of you.

HILARY ROSEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Hey, Carol.

JOHN AVLON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: Hi.

So, John, how did Hillary Clinton handle herself at that press conference?

AVLON: Not well. That was an incredibly awkward, testy press conference. And the Clinton campaign seems to want this to go away, but they should, by now, understand that it's not going to and that the investigation of what's on the servers is going to lead to more information. So trying to spin this is really a losing battle. And the Clintons know better than anybody that public's is perception and this doesn't pass the smell test just for most Americans, the home brew server with information. Yes, previous secretary of states have had personal e-mails. But when you know you're going to run for president, you've got to hold yourself to a higher standard and they did not and there is a real problem inside the Clinton campaign because of it.

COSTELLO: So, Hilary, if you were Hillary Clinton's strategist, what advice would you give her?

ROSEN: Well, first of all, we should mention the other important news in that CNN poll that's not getting much attention, which is that Hillary Clinton still beats every single Republican on the GOP side for president. Elections are about choices. So what Hillary said at that news conference was that she -- you know, that this is all a mistake. She -- but it's not illegal. There is a huge difference between having made a mistake and doing something illegal. There were no classified e-mails that were marked classified that she moved through.

Now, whether they get marked classified after the fact by the government is a different story, not her fault, not her responsibility. And so we're -- you know, we need to parse these facts here very carefully. [09:45:00] And I think she's just tired of answer the same question

over and over again from Fox News, who are ginned up on this by Republicans. And that is clearly what keeps going on every time she meets the press pool.

COSTELLO: Yes, but she may be tired of answering their questions -- go ahead, John.

AVLON: Yes. This is not a partisan issue at this point. I think even Democrats must feel exhausted and awkward having to spin on her behalf. This is not a partisan witch hunt. This is an objective problem from perception to legality and more information is going to come out.

ROSEN: John, you know, it's not --

AVLON: Simply saying it's a witch hunt doesn't pass credibility.

ROSEN: First of all, I didn't say it's a witch hunt. Second of all, it's not spin. The facts are the facts. That's what we're saying and that's the only thing Hillary Clinton is saying. The Justice Department and the State Department are going through the e-mails. They are what they are. She has sent over everything. She has complied with every request. And she's going to be here, you know, appearing before a congressional hearing on October 22nd from Congress.

You know, all I think she is saying is voters really want to talk about other issues. They don't want to just hear you guys slamming me all the time. And I think she is right about that.

COSTELLO: All right, I have to leave it there. Hillary Rosen, John Avlon, thanks to both of you.

I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:50:48] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

COSTELLO: All right. This breaking news has to do with Jared Fogle, of course. He used to be the Subway spokesperson. He isn't now. He is expected to plead guilty in an ongoing child porn investigation.

Jean Casarez is sitting beside me right now. She's getting miked up. You ready to go, Jean?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I am ready.

COSTELLO: All right, it's OK. We understand. Tell us more.

CASAREZ: Well, we're just getting this in and the formal charges were actually just filed today. We see the stamp from the court, but this is much more, Carol, than we thought it was. We had heard that this person -- this was the face of Subway for so many years. You remember him. He had lost 245 pounds eating Subway sandwiches. He was arrested in July on what we believed was possession of child porn.

Well, now we're learning from these documents here -- and this is federal information; it's a charging document. And there are two counts, but I want to start with the second count, which is much more concerning, in a sense. It is "travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor" and what it is alleging is this man traveled to New York on two separate occasions soliciting sex with minors and allegedly, according to the information, engaging in sexual contact with minors. That there was one minor, female, 13 years old, he said, "I will pay money to you if you then can find me other minors to have sexual contact with."

According to the information, that in fact happened at the Plaza Hotel and at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New York. So this is the second count of a two-count federal information. We believe he is going to plead guilty in federal court at any moment. To what, we don't know.

But the other count has do with possession. Because he has a foundation -- had a foundation -- based from his Subway sandwich --

COSTELLO: Right. On his commercial success, he sets up this --

CASAREZ: That's right. For childhood obesity. And the executive director of his foundation was actually charged earlier this year with production of videos of minors and possession of childhood pornography. And it also alleges in Count One that he fully well knew of the production that his executive director was doing of child pornography, allowed it to happen, and even was sent it, had discussions about it, and even showed it to someone else. I don't see anything in these documents about monetary gain at all, but obviously --

COSTELLO: How serious are these charges, Jean?

CASAREZ: They're extremely serious. I mean, you're looking at prison time. Very, very serious. Federal charges because he used the internet, went out of state from Indiana where he lives to New York to allegedly engage in this conduct with minors.

COSTELLO: Unbelievable. So he's in federal court as we speak?

CASAREZ: Federal court as we speak. Here's what's unusual. The charges were filed today; the filing date is today. So there obviously have been negotiations. There's not going to be a trial. We understand through sources he will be entering a plea, maybe doing that right now in federal court. So we'll see if he pleads guilty to the information itself or if there is a plea deal at all that allows him to maybe gain a bit.

COSTELLO: Got you. I'm just hearing that the U.S. attorney will hold a news conference at around noon Eastern Time, or was it 12:30 Eastern Time, Carolyn? I'm talking to Carolyn, our producer. She's communicating to me.

CASAREZ: And by the way, one more thing. This man, this defendant, is married with two young children of his own. COSTELLO: It's just unbelievable. All right, so when that press

conference happens with the U.S. attorney, of course CNN will carry it live. I'll be right back.

[09:54:41]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: After years of study and setbacks, the FDA has finally approved a drug to enhance sexual desire in women. Unlike Viagra men which treats a physical condition, this new drugs works a lot differently. CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us to explain. Good morning.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Carol, there's a reason why it took 15 years to come up with a sexual drug or drug to increase sexual desire for women, and the reason, as you said, is it's different for women. Women are much more complex, and what the makers of this drug did is they had to come up with a drug that worked on women's brains. And so what they did is they found a drug that worked on brain chemicals to increase libido.

COSTELLO: So -- oh, I thought we lost you for a second. So it works on your brain? There are side effects of this drug, too, aren't there?

COHEN: There are. And there's a pretty big group of women, Carol, who are not supposed to take this drug, and that is women who drink alcohol. And here's the reason why. You take this drug all the time.

[10:00:00] It's not like Viagra where you take it only before sex. And so when women are taking this all the time, they have found that if they drink, it increases the chances they're going to get low blood pressure or even fainting.