Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Bush, Trump Escalate Feud in New Videos; Remembering WDBJ's Adam Ward and Alison Parker; Russia Extends Arctic Ambitions. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired September 01, 2015 - 10:30   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[10:29:49] DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I lived in New York City and Manhattan all my life, OK. So, you know, my views are a little bit different than if I lived in Iowa.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Partial birth abortion.

TRUMP: I'm very pro-choice. I am pro-choice in every respect and as far as it goes.

As far as single payer, it works in Canada, it works incredibly well in Scotland.

The fact is that 25 percent for high-income people should be raised substantially.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So there you have Governor Bush trying to make the point that Donald Trump is not a true conservative. Bush says that he is a proven conservative and once more people get to know the kinds of things that Trump has said in the past, the kinds of views he's espoused then they'll begin -- you'll see a drop in his support.

But Carol -- it's been a kind of a slow ramp up to see Bush really respond to Trump, really hit back at him. It's as though he didn't really feel like he needed to respond to this reality TV show star who happens to be leading the GOP pack. So now he's trying to step it up, making this argument that if you really look at what Trump says, people are going to have doubts.

The big question here, of course, Carol is whether this is going to move the needle for Jeb Bush, who has been faltering in the polls. The fact is that even the data we've seen, for instance in that new Iowa poll, shows that Trump's supporters really seem to like him not so much for what he says but for who he is and for how he is -- a successful businessman, a tough talker, not so much for his specific policies.

65 percent of his supporters say they trust him to figure things out when and if he gets to the White House. They don't need specifics from him. So that's going to be the big question when we see Bush trying to attack here, how effective will it be -- Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Athena Jones reporting live for us this morning. Thank you.

Despite taking aim at Jeb Bush and some of his other Republican rivals, Donald Trump tells CNN his focus is on his campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I just want to talk about my accomplishments. I'm not looking to attack anybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Except for that ad attacking Jeb Bush. Joining me now to talk about this: Patricia Murphy, columnist for the "Daily Beast" and Ron Christi former special assistant to President George W. Bush.

Patricia, is it unusual to have ads, you know, of this tone in the primary season?

PATRICIA MURPHY, "DAILY BEAST": In the primary season, yes, it is a little bit unusual, but everything about Donald Trump is a little bit unusual. And it's so clearly getting all of the other candidates off their game.

And to see Jeb Bush try and respond with an ad that's kind of an attack ad, kind of not an attack ad, it doesn't really hit Donald Trump specifically with sort of saying you say you're not a conservative -- you say you are a conservative but you're not. It's just not a tight, aggressive attack ad, and I think that is what Jeb Bush opponents don't like about him. They also don't think that Jeb Bush is particularly conservative himself.

So you see all of these candidates trying to say should I try to be as aggressive as Trump when he's coming after me? They don't really know what to do with him or how to go about it. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is on the stump adjusting every day, attacking everybody he feels like doing and I have talked to a ton of Trump supporters. They say they like what he says and they like the way he says it. They trust him, they believe him. And it's very hard to see how anybody but Donald Trump is going to get rid of Donald Trump in this process.

COSTELLO: Of course, in this latest poll though, Ron, Ben Carson has tied Donald Trump. And Ben Carson is totally opposite Donald Trump. He's a nice guy. He doesn't attack anyone. People kind of like his gentle nature. So what do you make of that?

RON CHRISTIE, FORMER SPECIAL ASST. TO GEORGE W. BUSH: Good morning -- Carol. I think a lot of the American people are now starting to tune into this election cycle. And they're looking at some of the attacks and looking at what Donald Trump is saying about the field and they're saying, you know what, I don't like that. I don't like people attacking other folks.

And remember for goodness sakes, it's September 1st, we're talking about an election that's over a year away.

And I think that this strategy by Jeb Bush to attack Trump will backfire. I think Trump's attempt to attack Bush will backfire. And you exactly see why Ben Carson has risen very quietly but steadily in the polls. I think they want a nice, positive vision of how somebody would lead, how they would differentiate themselves from what the Democrats have done for the last eight years. And I think Ben Carson, John Kasich, Marco Rubio -- these sort of sunny candidates, if you will, are going to be forces to be reckoned with.

COSTELLO: Interesting. So Patricia -- interestingly enough, Donald Trump is not attacking Ben Carson. Will he start now?

MURPHY: No, he won't. I don't think he should. And I actually was out last week and saw Ben Carson campaigning, and he -- I think what people don't understand about him, he is a celebrity among evangelicals and homeschoolers. His book has sold 350,000 copies. Conservatives know who this man is. Conservatives like who he is.

He is probably the most evangelical -- just to see him speak, he has a very kind, quiet demeanor. People also understand that he's a brilliant man, a pediatric neurosurgeon at johns Hopkins who has done a lot of incredible things. So there's a lot for evangelicals to like there.

[10:35:00] They don't like the way that Donald Trump is going after all the other candidates, but they like the fact that Trump and Carson are outsiders. So if you're going to have two outsiders, two very smart men obviously but one man is deeply religious, deeply evangelical, and somebody who these evangelicals have known for years. That's why they're going with Ben Carson.

COSTELLO: You're saying, Patricia, that Ben Carson's favorite book really is the Bible?

MURPHY: It is literally. It's not his own book, and it is the Bible, yes.

COSTELLO: OK. Well, Ron, just a last question about Ben Carson because something else that Donald Trump and Ben Carson have in common, they don't have fully formed policies, but voters don't seem to care very much.

CHRISTIE: Well, I think Patricia's last point is exactly spot on and why you have seen both of them rise in the polls. They want an outsider. They want someone who is not business as usual. People are sitting around saying a country of over 300 million people, why do we have another Bush, why do we have another Clinton on the ticket?

We want fresh. We want outside. We want a different perspective. We don't want a career politician. And I think that's why those folks are doing well in the polls, because the American people want to hear what they have to say. They're willing to give them a little bit of a slack and say we'll see what your policy positions are later but we want to hear more from you now.

COSTELLO: All right. Ron Christie, Patricia Murphy -- Thanks to both of you. I appreciate it.

CHRISTIE: Thank you.

MURPHY: Thank you.

COSTELLO: And you -- you're welcome - and you will not want to miss the next Republican debate hosted by CNN on September 16th. It will take place at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California. CNN will also host the first of six Democratic debates October 13th in Nevada.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, a community in mourning as it prepares to bury one of two journalists gunned down live on television. Coming up next, I'll talk with one of Adam Ward's close friends.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:41:06] COSTELLO: In Roanoke, Virginia, at the First Baptist Church, the funeral for WDBJ cameraman Adam Ward begins in just about 20 minutes. Friends and family gathered yesterday at his former high school to pay their respects.

As you well know, a disgruntled employee shot and killed ward and reporter Alison Parker last week while they were live on the air. A third victim, Vicki Gardner, is recovering.

Andy May was a close friend of Adam Ward. They used to work together. Andy joins us by phone. Good morning, Andy.

ANDY MAY, CLOSE FRIEND OF ADAM WARD (via telephone): Hi, good morning.

COSTELLO: We haven't heard much about Adam. Tell us about him.

MAY: Well, Adam is one of those guys, as you could tell with all the pictures that have been circulating, he had one of the goofiest smiles you could ever see. And he was just constantly just laughing and checking on people. And I've never met somebody that was so concerned for the well-being of others that every time you walked in the door he was checking on you, see how you were doing. If you were having a down day, he was trying to give you a pick me up.

COSTELLO: Yes. He seemed so very outgoing. I think that's one of the things that you need to be an effective photographer.

MAY: Absolutely. And he had no problem going up to people and like everybody in our industry knows we're with people in the worst of times and to have somebody like him there to comfort people. You can really get to know a lot of people in the interviews because of the comfort level that you can get with the photographers.

COSTELLO: You were an intern with him, with Adam?

MAY: Yes. We began as sports interns I believe it was around 2008, 2009, and then I got hired a year later and then the following year Adam got hired and within about two months of him getting hired, people were getting us confused and calling me Adam. I was like I have worked here for a year and that's just the type of person he was. He left such an impression on everybody that everybody was thinking about him.

COSTELLO: I know that he was engaged to marry Melissa Ott. Do you know how she's doing?

MAY: Yes, I was able to talk with her and see her on Saturday. Of course, this is probably the most horrible thing that could have ever happened to them, but she's staying strong. She's surrounded by friends. She's surrounded by family. And we spent Saturday night the entire station just talking about stories of Alison and of Adam and reminiscing. There were tears and there was laughter. There were embarrassing stories. She's strong.

COSTELLO: I just can't even imagine. You know, we all try to make sense of a friend's death and we try and try, and I mean have you been searching yourself for answers?

MAY: Yes. This is one of the harder things I have been through. The support system of WDBJ was amazing. I used to work there and I was able to go back and we all leaned on each other. It's sort of a roller coaster and everybody is riding it right now, but the good thing is everybody is riding it together.

[10:44:00] COSTELLO: All right. Andy May, thank you so much. I appreciate it. I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: President Obama is making climate change a top priority this week with a visit to Alaska. And today the White House unveiled plans to boost investments in the region by calling on Congress to speed up the delivery of new coast guard icebreakers to the Arctic. The U.S., which once had seven icebreakers in its fleet, now only has two that are fully functional. That's a far cry from Russia which has 40. And with Russia now appearing to set its sights on the Arctic, keeping up with the competition could be critical.

CNN senior international correspondent Matthew Chance has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: On state controlled television Russia projecting its power into the Arctic. In recent months the Kremlin has staged some of its biggest ever military exercises in the region. Deploying a newly created Arctic brigade raising concerns this could be the next frigid flash point in its standoff with the west.

"You know the Kremlin's ambitions better than (INAUDIBLE) Russia's top Arctic explorer and President Putin's special adviser on Arctic affairs. ARTUR CHILINGAROV, PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER ON ARCTIC AFFAIRS

(through translator): It's our home. The Arctic is Russia's home. Lots of our regions are up there. We are the Arctic country. We're in favor of international cooperation, but, of course, we care about Russia's security, too.

[10:50:08] CHANCE: Security and resources along with the other northern countries with Arctic territories, including the United States, Russia is acutely aware of the vast potential beneath the melting ice. Up to a quarter of the world's undiscovered oil and gas but also the lucrative new trade routes opening up as the polar ice cap recedes.

It was Chilingarov who led a Russian expedition for the Arctic seabed in 2007 to stake the country's claim to a vast swathe of polar territory. In recent weeks Russia has re-submitted to the U.N. Its claim of sovereignty. The issue has struck a nationalist chord among many Russians.

How far will Russia go to enforce its claim over the Arctic? I mean we've seen increased militarization, some former soviet bases have been opened up, there have been big military maneuvers in the Arctic region. Is this a region where you see the potential for conflict in the future?

CHILINGAROV: No, no, no. There shouldn't be any conflicts in the Arctic. There's a mutual understanding in the international community that is developing fast and I believe will develop even further.

CHANCE: But protection of its Arctic interests is emerging as a major Kremlin theme and one which could easily draw Russia and its Arctic neighbors into conflict. Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:55:53] COSTELLO: OK, Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush, you see him there answering questions at a town hall meeting in Miami and I think he's speaking Spanish right now so I want to dip in. Do we still -- let's listen for a second.

We're going to step away because I think that Jeb Bush is going to continue to speak Spanish and I wish I could translate but I cannot.

But earlier Mr. Bush addressed gun control issues and specifically in light of those two young journalists being killed, live on the air in Virginia. Let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Two reporters -- sadly a reporter and a camera person was shot down by a person who was deranged. And I think that's where we need to focus our issues is the mental illness. There was nothing -- he bought a gun apparently legally. He had no criminal background record.

And so I don't know how you would solve that problem unless we begin to identify people that have mental health issues which this person clearly did. He committed suicide after he killed two people. He was deeply depressed to do something like that. And we don't identify people with mental health issues way early enough. And then you have privacy issues we need to work on.

So I think having a society that is much more in tune with the people that are kind of on the margins of society would be a better solution than imposing more gun restrictions.

What happens when you pose -- you know, every time a tragedy takes place the natural inclination is to do something -- that's what people generally want to do. They want to immediately kind of act on this, pass a law. And historically when this happens, the 99.9 percent of the cases of people using guns, you know, safe in terms of using them safely, using them for their private pursuits, using them legally, their rights get restricted and it doesn't necessarily solve the problems of these isolated, sad, tragic cases.

So I do think that if you have friends, for example, that are kind of more and more living in their own world and they're on the Internet all the time and they've kind of no longer have contact with their friends, they're socially kind of alone, that we have a duty to make sure our friends know that we care about them, that we're involved, that families need to do the same thing. We need to connect back with people before they just tumble down into such a place of despair that they would kill someone and commit suicide.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: All right. Jeb Bush's views on more gun control and whether it's worthwhile. We'll continue to discuss this throughout the day here on CNN.

Checking some other top stories for you at 58 minutes past the hour. The Supreme Court rules that a Kentucky clerk cannot refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. But the clerk, Kim Davis, is not backing down. Already this morning she's turned away several eligible couples citing religious objections. She's facing fines or jail time if she does not comply, but still she's not alone.

A couple hours ago we heard from another Kentucky clerk who said it would violate his beliefs and he says state law may protect him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASEY DAVIS, CASEY COUNTY CLERK: That the government has a duty to, when someone has a conscientious objective, to by the least restrictive means offer a way that they not have to go against their conscience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Davis would not specifically say if he would defy the Supreme Court ruling, and by the way, this isn't the first time the same-sex issue has returned to the high court since its June ruling that cleared the way for gay couples to marry nationwide.

We could learn as soon as today whether star quarterback Tom Brady will miss the first four games of the upcoming NFL season. Brady took the league to court over his suspension in the so-called Deflategate scandal. The judge in the case has said he will make his ruling on the case sometime today or maybe tomorrow.

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

[11:00:00] "AT THIS HOUR" with Berman and Bolduan starts now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: Brace yourselves for ugly. The Dow plunging 400 points right after the open. A new hit to your 401(k), and new fears --