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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Thousands Set Off For Austrian Border On Foot; Clerk In Jail, Office Issues Marriage Licenses; Trump Slams "Gotcha" Foreign Policy Questions; Police Reviewing Videos To Identify Possible Suspects; Teens Hiding Dangerous Drugs In E-Cigs. Aired 4:30-5p ET

Aired September 04, 2015 - 16:30   ET

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

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Walking this far and they've been walking for eight, nine hours tonight. It's just so incredibly difficult. They decided to do this, because they could not take waiting out in that train station any longer.

They could not take seeing their children sleeping in the streets like that, that life of limbo that they had, but also because they needed to take matters into their own hands, and they did not want to believe any longer and wait any longer for the Hungarian authorities, or even the German authorities to actually do something.

You see here, people handing things out. This is one of the main organizers of all of this. He's really been working hard to rally everybody. He's got chocolate, a bit of bread, and water. Other volunteers were here at well handing out things like rain jackets because it might be raining.

This family is from Aleppo, and -- she says they're exhausted, very, very tired. She says that yes, they will keep going the whole way. She says they will go all the way. And you see that sheer determination here in everybody.

Nothing is going to stop them from reaching Western Europe and Germany. Nothing is going to stop them from that dream of a future, a future that these children do not have in their homelands.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Arwa Damon, thank you so much. Great reporting.

In our National Lead, with several Republican presidential candidates rallying behind her one day in jail has seemingly made a Kentucky clerk refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses even more defiant. She is now vowing she will not quit her job, even if it means remaining behind bars. That story is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:35:59]

TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. Topping our National Lead today, the Kentucky County clerk locked up for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses says she has no remorse, and no intention of stepping down. Kim Davis, a devout Christian argues that her faith forbids her from complying with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision allowing same-sex couples to legally wed. Yesterday a federal judge sent Davis, an elected Democrat, to jail after finding her in contempt of court.

While she remained behind bars, this morning several same-sex couples walked through throngs of supporters and protesters at the local courthouse and received their marriage licenses.

Let's get right to CNN's Alexandra Field live outside the jail where Kim Davis is being held. Alex, how long is she prepared to stay in jail?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Her attorneys are not putting a time frame on it. They that she is standing strong and then leaning on her convictions here and turning to her beliefs that she cannot authorize these licenses because of her religious beliefs and because of what she says is her conscience in this case.

But that means that, yes, she could be holed up here for quite some time. Her attorney came by earlier today, spoke to Kim Davis, said that she was in relatively good spirits and here's how he described their conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW STAVER, LIBERTY COUNSEL FOUNDER: She never anticipated to be here in an orange jumpsuit treated like a prisoner in cell 151. But she's here and she accepts that. She doesn't know how long she is going to be here, but one thing she does know is she loves God. She loves people and loves her job, and cannot violate her conscience. If she's here for a longer period of time, she's prepared to be here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FIELD: Her attorney says that they will file an appeal, but you heard him say that she is prepared to be here for a period of time. She did have the opportunity to get out of jail. The federal judge asked five of her deputy clerks if they would follow his orders and issue these same-sex marriage licenses or marriage licenses, really, to same-sex couples.

And then he asked if she would authorize that, if she would allow it, if she would agree not to interfere with it, but because her attorney could not agree to that, she remains in jail today -- Jake.

TAPPER: So as we noted earlier and as you just alluded to, marriage licenses have been granted now to same-sex couples by her deputy clerks. Has she had any reaction to the fact they've been carrying that out?

FIELD: We asked her attorney about that today and she seemed to have no negative personal opinion to any of the deputy clerks who chose to do that, but there was a feeling that these clerks were brought to the stand, they were asked by the judge to do this, to follow the orders. She seems to be of the opinion along with her attorneys, and it's been expressed by some of the deputy clerks that issuing these licenses is maybe not something that they personally agree with, but people after seeing Kim Davis get taken to jail, are going to go ahead and follow the court's order.

So they are issues they licenses, the licenses do not have Kim Davis' name on them. Kim Davis' attorneys have questioned whether the licenses are actually valid because they don't have the clerk's names on them, but the people that picked them up today believe these the real things, the things they've been fighting for.

TAPPER: All right, Alexandra Field, in Kentucky, thank you so much.

Let's bring in former Arkansas governor and current Republican presidential candidate, Governor Mike Huckabee to talk about this case and other news in politics.

Sir, thanks for joining me today. A pleasure to see you as always.

MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Great to be with you.

TAPPER: So John Adams said we are a nation of laws, not of men. Why, in your view, does this clerk not have the obligation to follow the law?

HUCKABEE: Because the Supreme Court cannot make a law. They can review a law, they can interpret a law, but they can't make one. This is what Jefferson was so clear in saying. Lincoln said it. Hamilton said it, that the courts don't have the constitutional authority to just create a law.

They can interpret and say one is not appropriate, but then the people's elected representatives have to codify into law the specifics. That has not been done.

[16:40:02] So what we end up having is the first example of the criminalization of a Christian for believing their traditional definition of marriage. It is very, very shocking to say the least.

TAPPER: So, in other words, I know that you're a supporter of the Loving versus Virginia decision in 1967, which outlawed all bans on interracial marriages, I'm not questioning your position on that.

But in your view, after that ban -- after all the bans were struck down by the Supreme Court, even though there might have been Mormons or adherence to Bob Jones, who at the time thought of blacks as inferior as taught by their religion.

You would have said that the states still have to step in and make laws. It's not enough for the courts who have ruled? And if there were, Mormon or Bob Jones adherence, you would have said they have the legal right to defy the Supreme Court.

HUCKABEE: It's not the same case. That was an interpretation of marriage, but it was still man/woman. This is a completely new, total redefinition of marriage, Jake. I think what's important is we have a county clerk not accommodated for her faith, but was jailed without bail.

For God's wake, John Wayne Casey, the Boston strangler, they got bail, so did Jeffrey Dahmer. This is a county clerk not given any accommodation. Secondly if we're going to be this strict about it, I want to know, will Gavin Newsom be arrested, the lieutenant governor of California.

Because when he was mayor, he performed same-sex weddings, even though it was blatantly illegal in his state. You have multiple examples of people who said well, I know what the law is, but I'm not going to follow it.

Barack Obama said 23 times that he couldn't enact the Dream Act, it would be against the law then he turned around and did it. My question is, why is there a double standard, two sets of rules, one for politicians on the left, and another set of rules that is applied to a county clerk in Kentucky, who by the way, is a Democrat.

TAPPER: That's right, an elected Democrat. I know you'll by having a rally on this on Tuesday in Kentucky, but I do want to move on to a couple other issues if that's OK with you, sir.

HUCKABEE: Sure.

TAPPER: Donald Trump struggled yesterday in an interview with Hugh Hewitt addressing some foreign policy questions. He seemed to confuse the Iranian Quds force with the Kurds fighting ISIS in Iraq, about the names of some terrorist leaders.

He says -- Trump says that Hugh Hewitt was asking gotcha questions and that he as president would hire people with expertise there. Do you agree with Trump or do you agree with Senator Santorum who said commander in chief is not an entry-level position, you need someone who understands these issues on day one.

HUCKABEE: Rather than me get into the squabble between Donald Trump and Rick Santorum, let me say questions are fair, but I don't think you elect a president because he has encyclopedic knowledge of geography or of the personnel of countries, you elect them because of judgment.

Sometimes I've been in interviews where someone springs something on me about, can you name the vice minister of education, you know in Bangladesh, and you know, the answer is probably not, but I'm not sure that's important.

It is important to elect somebody with good judgment. I'm going to leave it to Donald Trump, to Rick Santorum and others. I'm going to focus my campaign on talking about the issues that I think are important. Donald Trump is getting all the attention he needs, Jake, on yours and every other network. I'll leave it at that.

TAPPER: All right, Governor Mike Huckabee, thank you so much. I look forward to seeing you on September 16th on the debate stage. HUCKABEE: I'll see you then. Thanks.

TAPPER: Coming up, a potential significant lead in the hunt for three suspected cop killers. Police saying they now have video from the area. Did it catch the three men as they fled?

Plus teenagers getting high in class and teachers cannot prove it without a lab test. The CNN investigation coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:48:03]

TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD. In national news, new details in the urgent manhunt for three alleged cop killers suspected in the shooting death of Lieutenant Joe Gliniewicz Tuesday morning about an hour north of Chicago.

Officials in Fox Lake, Illinois say they're in possession of several videos that may help them identify those responsible for taking the life of the beloved veteran officer. Up until this point, investigators have only described the suspects as two white men and one black man.

Let's get right to CNN's Rosa Flores live in Fox Lake, Illinois. Rosa, what are detectives hoping to see in this video?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, the description that they have right now is so vague, Jake, that they're hoping that they can get a good picture of the suspects, but think about it the videos are of the surrounding areas. They don't have videos of the actual acts. So it's like putting a puzzle together, knowing that some of the pieces are missing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FLORES (voice-over): Investigators have been tight-lipped about many of the details involving the killing of Lieutenant Joe Gliniewicz in Northern Illinois, but today new revelations authorities are calling golden nuggets, newly discovered surveillance videos from homes, businesses, and even the Department of Transportation. Police say they've seen three people on the videos they want to speak with.

GEORGE FILENKO, LAKE COUNTY MAJOR CRIMES TASK FORCE COMMANDER: They have intersection cameras. One of the things that we have historically known about those cameras is that that's usually recycled within a matter of several hours. They were astute enough to hear about this officer's slaying, and they have held video from some of the intersections that are key to that exact location.

FLORES: Experts believed that by mapping the videos geographically and chronologically, they can paint a clear picture of what happened before and after the slaying of the officer whose weapon, authorities say, was recovered at the scene, a 40 caliber, which was found near his lifeless body. [16:50:06] FILENKO: I can confirm today that it was the officer's weapon that was recovered at the scene. We received confirmation yesterday and we're following up on some forensics from that weapon as we speak.

FLORES: They are also putting boots on the ground, taking canine units back to the scene looking for clues. Law enforcement presence beefed up ahead of the holiday weekend, which usually brings in tens of thousands of vacationers.

FILENKO: Yes, we know it's a holiday weekend, and yes, we know it's a partially -- a partial resort community, so we have put in place plans in those situations where people suspect somebody may have been in their home squatting, and we've taken it to the extent of addressing even the issue of some of the boats that are docked, that they may have been used as some kind of a hiding spot or something just accessing that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FLORES: The FBI also pumping more resources into this case, a web site dedicated for this case, $50,000 in reward for tips that come in and lead to an arrest as well.

Now, Jake, we are also learns more about the funeral for this beloved police officer. It's scheduled for Monday. A briefing probably about an hour ago, we learned they're expecting about 1,000 law enforcement from all around the country, and about 3,000 to 5,000 people descending on this community to pay respects and to honor this beloved police officer.

TAPPER: Rosa Flores, thank you so much.

Coming up next, teenagers doing drugs in plain sight in a way that teachers and parents, and even their doctors can't necessarily detect. We'll explain. Our CNN investigation next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:56:10]

TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD. Our Buried Lead today, a dangerous narcotic trend alarming law enforcement officials nationwide while helping to drive the sales of electronic cigarettes sky high.

The colorful neon devices are marketed as a safe alternative to nicotine, but a CNN investigation takes a closer look at a disturbing trend. E-cigs also being used to high the use of serious and sometimes deadly street drugs. Our Sara Ganim filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On any given afternoon, Broward County deputies come across this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They told me $5 for that little bug. The high they get will last several hours.

GANIM: This is flacka, just one of the inexpensive synthetic drugs ravaging South Florida, and there's a new twist that's making fighting these drugs even harder, e-cigarettes or vaporizer pens.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just a huge challenge. It's affecting our entire communities from prevention to rehabilitation.

GANIM: Lieutenant Ozzie Teanga says vaping drugs is so discreet, teens can do it right in school.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no scent. They sit in the back of the room, think it's funny. What they're vaping, I cannot determine.

GANIM (on camera): If you were trying to get high, it used to be you would smell.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly. All of it has changed.

GANIM (voice-over): And that same secrecy makes it tough for police to know what's inside the vape pen. They have to get it tested.

(on camera): You can't determine what is in it right away?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not at all. In fact, these individuals can smoke it right in front of you.

GANIM (voice-over): A recent study now found that e-cigarette use more than triple among middle school and high school students in 2014. It's not known how much of that is drug-related, but young users are posting videos of themselves getting high on YouTube.

(VIDEO CLIP)

GANIM: The Drug Enforcement Administration is so concerned because synthetics can be so dangerous no matter how they're ingested.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've seen it time and time again they've overdosed and have died. There's significant number of overdoses that are occurring related to these types of drugs.

GANIM: All of this is so new, no one's keeping track. No one knows just how many people have been injured or have died from vaping synthetic drugs. Already emergency rooms are seeing an increase, and the stories are disturbing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have had patients in my practice in the emergency room that I have walked in on that are actually vaping at the bedside.

GANIM: This doctor says recently a patient was discharged after an overdose, and went into a hospital bathroom on his way out of the hospital, vaped more drugs and had to be taken back to the ER.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think these devices do have a role in helping people get off of actual cigarettes. They may be proven safer in that case, but in the hands of teenagers and drug abusers, they definitely a very dangerous thing to have.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GANIM: The thing to remember here, Jake, is these are not classified as drug paraphernalia, so there's no federal age limit on who can buy them, though many states do have restrictions. These shops are popping up everywhere. Not to mention they can easily be bought on the internet.

The industry says that vaping is a great thing for a lot of people. That it's helping people to quit smoking, not helping people to start smoking.

They of course say everything is subject to abuse by drug addicts and of course, there's a study that shows many of these teens who are vaping, they have never smoked before. This is new to them.

TAPPER: All right, Sara Ganim, thanks for that report. Don't miss this Sunday's "STATE OF THE UNION." We'll be talking to DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and former Republican vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin. That's 9:00 a.m. and noon Eastern.

That's it for THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper, turning you over now to Brianna Keilar in for Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM."