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Thousands of Refugees Arrive at Austrian Border; Who are the Refugees?; Police Close to Identifying Suspects in Texas Shooting; Huckabee to Visit Jailed Kentucky Clerk in Jail; Clinton Stumps in New Hampshire, Attacks Donald Trump; Secretary Kerry Calls Russian Counterpart Over Military Buildup in Syria; Actor Helps Kids with Cerebral Palsy; Aired 1-2p ET

Aired September 05, 2015 - 13:00   ET

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


[13:00:31] MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, a growing crisis in Europe. Families walking for hours, trying to reach safety after buses and trains are stopped. And refugees' question to the world, where are you?

Plus, did escaped drug kingpin El Chapo give away his location? What we're learning about a picture his son posted on Twitter.

And a Kentucky clerk says she'll stay in jail for as long as it takes after refusing to approve same-sex marriage licenses. I'm talking to a state senator who supports her about what happens next.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Hello, I'm Martin Savidge. Thanks for joining me. I'm in for Fredricka Whitfield who has the day off.

We're going to begin now with the desperate migrant crisis in Europe. There are thousands of refugees there. There are some fleeing war- torn countries and they've finally arrived at the Austrian border. Families have walked for up to nine hours on a highway from Budapest on Friday. They began this trek after the Hungarian government stopped the train bound for Austria but overnight the government deployed a fleet of buses to take them to the border.

This exodus of refugees is expected to continue -- taking asylum in Germany and the United Nations is desperate to find some kind of a solution. The U.S. is one of those countries trying to help out. It will mostly likely take in at least 3,000 Syrian refugees by the end of this month. That's according to the State Department spokesman John Kirby.

Joining me now live is CNN's Frederik Pleitgen who is at the border where the refugees continue to arrive.

And, Fred, the Austrian government there has been standing by. What are they doing to try to help them?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're actually doing quite a bit, Martin. I want to pan around here and you can just see it really isn't the Austrian government. It's more the people of the small town called Nickelsdorf. And they have started a massive aide drive early this morning because they only heard early this morning at around 5:00 a.m. that these refugees were actually arriving.

And you can see the amount of water. You can see the amount of clothing and shoes that they have donated just today. And also things like medical supplies. The Austrian government also has put in -- and the Austrian government is also bussing these people from the border with Hungary all the way to here.

Now this is a very interesting place, Martin, because this is a small town with a railway station where trains go to Vienna but also to Munich and Germany which is of course where many of the refugees want to go. And we can pan over there, you can see the railway station, there's some Austrian police officers standing by here. And the refugees, you know, at this point of their journey, they're very, very exhausted.

If we pan down, you can see there's a family right there with three little children. It's very, very cold here today, Martin. It's been raining a lot, it's very cold. You can see the children. They received some toys, they've received some blankets, so they're actually quite happy now being able to play. But it is very, very tragic just to see how exhausted these people are after these very difficult days that they have spent on the road, especially of course the last couple of days in Hungary where you had that standoff at that train.

You had some of them camping out a lot. So they're looking forward to try and getting on some trains to get to the cities of Vienna and Munich and hopefully from better to better shelters where they can actually bed down and stay a while -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: All right. Frederik Pleitgen, and to watch that drama play out there as you pointed, is just truly amazing to see. Hopefully those people will find the shelter in some time. Thank you very much.

There is that young Syrian boy, it's that photograph that you just can't shake. He has become the symbolic face of this refugee crisis in Europe. And he was laid to rest yesterday and we warn you that that image, the image you're about to see is really disturbing. Two- year-old Aylan Kurdi was found face down on a Turkish beach. He drowned at sea while crossing the Mediterranean with his family. Yesterday his body was brought back to his native home of Kobani, Syria where he was buried with his older brother and his mother.

But Aylan's family is just one of thousands who have attempted this very dangerous journey. CNN's Arwa Damon has been walking alongside these families for the past month, and she shares their stories in this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The flood of humanity making its way across Europe is mostly made up of refugees. From the warzones that are Iraq and Syria. They are the father who carried his daughter on his shoulders because

back home she was his little princess and he just wants to give her that back again. They are the mother with the law degree who cries every single time she talks or even thinks about her children that she had to leave back home making the trek on her own in hopes that they will be able to join her.

[13:05:20] They are youth, students, groups of young men who also want to bring their families over to Europe, who are looking for opportunities that no longer exist for them in their respective countries. Things like jobs, education, and just the chance of living a dignified and respectable life.

They are people fleeing violence over which they have no control. People who don't want to die, who don't want to watch their children die, so yes, parents make the impossible decision of bringing over their little ones, their babies, because as they keep telling us, if they were to stay home they believe that they would end up dead. So why not take the chance and try to make it to Europe?

They are people from as far away as Myanmar and Afghanistan, from various African nations who are fleeing abject poverty, corrupt and oppressive regimes. They are people of different backgrounds, from all walks of life who share one thing in common -- a belief, a dream that Europe will offer them a future. Any future.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: Yes, make no mistake about it. What we're witnessing is history. Let's talk more about Europe's deepening refugee crisis. Joining me now from New York is CNN global affairs analyst, David Rohde.

So, David, you know, this crisis didn't just materialize overnight. It's been years in the making. Many of these migrants are fleeing violence and persecution in Syria and Iraq. And you say that the policy makers here in the U.S. can't ignore what's happening. So what do you want to see the United States to do?

DAVID ROHDE, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, there's been calls for members of Congress since last fall for a large increase in the number of refugees the U.S. would take in from Syria. That was dismissed. People in this country warned that because they are Muslims and Syrians, they could be terrorists. And you know I believe that's a mistake. That plays into a narrative that I think ISIS and Islamic extremists, they want the West to be seen as biased against Muslims. They want the West to be seen as indifferent towards these refugees.

And they want that division by religion. And I think what Germany and Austria is doing, what that town, that Frederiksen is doing, you know, ends that myth of a heartless West that doesn't care about these people.

SAVIDGE: But the problem, of course, still exist back in the countries from which they flee, which is Syria and in some cases Iraq. So what should the U.S. be doing there. I mean, is that kind of a humanitarian military operation? I mean, what are we doing to try to stop the root cause?

ROHDE: Well, I think the Obama administration has waited to deal with the Syria crisis until it could get this nuclear deal with Iran. There is a hope that the war in Syria, which is in many ways a proxy war, you have Iran and Russia backing the Assad government, and the U.S., at least verbally and with some limited training and Turkey and the Gulf states has backed the anti-Assad rebels. So I think there could be a new diplomatic push in Syria. I don't think there's a military intervention that will end it.

And the reality is we live in a more interconnected world. This refugee crisis shows that the recent economic problems in China, having such an influence, you know, in the American stock market, there is no easy answers here. You know, we can't solve these problems, but building fences I don't think is a solution.

SAVIDGE: And you mentioned the economics here. And there is going to be a lot of money spent in some way. Who's going to pay for it?

ROHDE: That's the problem. I mean, there's one estimate that it's trillions of dollars spent in dealing with all these crises. And as you mentioned earlier it's been building over time. There's at least 15 conflicts that have started or restarted in the last five years that is fuelling this unprecedented level of displacement. There are now 60 million people, 6-0, displaced worldwide from conflict and Syria is the largest source of that.

But, you know, as Arwa Damon mentioned, we're talking about people fleeing Myanmar, Afghanistan, parts of Africa. So it's a difficult period but and again, there's no easy answers but engagement, diplomatically, you know, has to occur here. We can't sort of ignore these problems or as we see, they come back to haunt us.

SAVIDGE: Back in this country, though, you know, we can't even agree on any kind of immigration policy. And I'm wondering what makes you think that when it comes to Syria or those from Iraq that Americans are going to agree on that policy?

ROHDE: I couldn't agree with you more. And I -- we don't agree on the immigration. Neither does Europe. Hungry didn't want these migrants. Germany does. And it's a central question about the United States and Europe and the West in general. Are we going to welcome, you know, migrants of other cultures and other religious backgrounds or not. And I agree with you, we have not, you know, solved that central question or created a consensus. It doesn't exist in Europe at all.

[13:10:07] But, you know, our presidential campaign, the migrant crisis in Europe, is forcing us to have this debate. And there has to be some kind of consensus. The problem is, you know, people are pouring over these borders.

SAVIDGE: And if it wasn't for migration, many Americans wouldn't be here. That includes myself.

So, David Rohde, thank you very much. There's a lot more to talk about.

ROHDE: Thank you.

SAVIDGE: Ahead, police say that they have a significant new lead, evidence that is, in the hunt for the man who killed an Illinois officer. Police hope that evidence leads to a break. We'll have a live report coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: We may be closer to a breakthrough in that investigation in the killing of a Illinois policeman. Officials say that they're examining what they call a significant piece of evidence at the scene where Lt. Joe Gliniewicz was shot this week. So far police in Fox Lake, Illinois, are not giving any details about that evidence except that it was located by a person. And after collecting video evidence, police are also saying that they're close to identifying subjects connected to the shooting.

So let's tie it all together. Rosa Flores joins us now from Fox Lake, and Rosa, police say that they are close to identifying the suspects, but when?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Marty, there are three cop killers on the loose. This community is in mourning and investigators only have a very vague description of these suspects. And that description is, two white males and a black male. And so they are hoping for a break in the case. And now we've learned that they have discovered significant evidence in the scene. But they found this evidence four days after the crime.

Now we're also learning from investigators that new surveillance video is helping them piece together what happened before and after the crime. Now they say that they don't have video of the actual crime happening, which is a critical piece.

[13:15:08] Now they're also getting video from DOT, from the Department of Transportation, which means it might be able to map the outside area where this crime happened with vehicles perhaps, perhaps with foot traffic. But again, a lot of things are being kept quiet. Investigators tight lipped about a lot of the detail involving this case and right now the public desperate for a better description of these three cop killers -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: Rosa, it's a holiday weekend. So I'm wondering, you know, you have a lot people who've come into the area. Are they worried? Are they scared? Is there a sense of fear throughout that neighborhood and community?

FLORES: You know, during this holiday weekend, up to 100,000 people could descend in this community and quite frankly we've talked to some of the homeowners here. They tell us that a lot of the homes here are summer homes so people are not there until they come for the holiday weekend. And so investigators, Marty, actually are prepared for this. They're afraid that perhaps, you know, someone is going to go into their home, see something suspicious and they're going to get a call or a tip or a break in the case.

Now they're also thinking that these individuals could be hiding in boats because this is a boating community. And so in the last hour I received an e-mail from a detective that says that they are patrolling. They have their marine patrol here in this boating community to make sure that people are safe. And in case any of those tips come in, they want to make sure that they're on the scene as quickly as possible -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: Of course. All right. Rosa Flores, thanks very much for the update.

Let me bring in now retired chief deputy U.S. Marshal, Matt Fogg. He's from Gainesville, Georgia.

MATTHEW FOGG, RETIRED U.S. MARSHAL CHIEF DEPUTY: And thanks for being with us. There appear to be no witnesses to the officer shooting here and now police are talking about video evidence from multiple locations, you know, that they're coming through, and I've heard this talk that they're close to naming some potential persons of interest here. But I also seemed to read between the lines that they don't have a lot here. And I'm wondering what's your professional take on this.

Well, first, Martin, my condolences to the family and to all of those that are out there working hard to catch these guys. But you're right, Martin, the bottom line is, when you've got as little evidence to go on, as they have -- I've tracked folks around this country and we've tracked people now with very low evidence. So it can happen. But the bottom line is they're doing everything they can.

One good piece here was the fact that they got some new evidence here that they didn't see in the last four days, so that's really good to hear. Hopefully this video can give them a little more of a sense of a structure of who they're looking for. But this is a daunting task. And you're right, with the people coming into the neighborhood with boating homes and all that stuff, it's just any number of place that these guys could hide.

SAVIDGE: And what about the possibility they're not there at all? I mean, couldn't they have fled and be long gone from that scene?

FOGG: Right. And that was the same thing that we're dealing with the two escapees up in New York. I mean, it was always that chance of whether they were there, whether they were on it, whether they were on the scene or whether they have left the scene. Again these are the things that we're looking at. And when all of these folks start to come into their homes and the summer vacations, and so forth, you're right. This could be an interesting scenario where somebody comes home and see stuff has been overturned or changed. We just hope they don't come home and run up on these guys and it turns violent. So that's the biggest thing. And I think that's what people are concerned about.

SAVIDGE: Right. Absolutely. We are told that they did retrieve the officer's weapon, and that weapons had been fired. But we don't know whether it was by the officer or by someone else. Does that tell you anything?

FOGG: Yes, I mean, that's a real concern. They've got a critical evidence right there between the autopsy report, you see how far the shot was fired, that the officer was killed by whether in real close or whether it was at some distance to it. Yes, you could tell a world of evidence, you could tell a world of difference from that evidence and that's really important. But again, they're keeping in this stuff close lipped and again, you know, where exactly where was the officer's confrontation with these folks, and how did that confrontation take place.

SAVIDGE: And lastly, you know, we talk about this video that authorities have, if they have video why wouldn't they be releasing it? I would think the public is perhaps their best way to try to track these people.

FOGG: You're right, Martin. And that's one of the things that has me a little concerned. But again, I know how we operate and sometimes, I mean, maybe there is something in that video evidence that they fear that if they put it out there, it's going to spook some people. So that's the only thing. And I guess we're going to learn all of this later. But that would be the only reason why I would think it wouldn't be released because you're right, normally in situations like that we put out as much information as possible because we got folks on the run, we don't want them to get out there and hurt other people.

[13:20:01] SAVIDGE: We want them caught, Matt Fogg.

FOGG: That's right.

SAVIDGE: Thank you very much for joining us today.

FOGG: Appreciate it.

SAVIDGE: Well, right now we're waiting for Hillary Clinton to speak to reporters in New Hampshire. She just gave a speech there and she's expected to talk at any moment. We'll bring it to you live. As soon as that happens so stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: A reminder, we're standing by for Hillary Clinton.

In the meantime jailed Kentucky clerk Kim Davis will soon be meeting with a presidential candidate. Mike Huckabee says that he's going to visit Davis in jail Tuesday. He also has started an online petition calling for her release.

Davis refuses to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples because of her religious beliefs. Meanwhile Davis' attorney says any marriage licenses issues in her absence are invalid. Yesterday several couples celebrated their nuptials anyway.

CNN's Alexandra Field in Grayson, Kentucky, with the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Martin, Kim Davis' attorney says he plans to file an appeal of the contempt of court order that landed her here in jail. But he says she remains in good spirits. She has no plans to resign from her job and no intention of relinquishing her fight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD (voice-over): The six times the charm for William Smith and James Yates, partners for 10 years. They were cheered by their supporters. After finally getting their marriage license following five other tries in Rowan County, Kentucky.

[13:25:05] WILLIAM SMITH, JR., DENIED MARRIAGE LICENSE FOR FIVE TIMES: Each time we were rejected and each time we were told it was Kim Davis' decision. The last time we came was really, really hard because we had protesters outside. And as soon as we were rejected -- we were already, we had our hearts broken.

FIELD: Kim Davis couldn't reject the couple this time. The Rowan County clerk was sent to jail after a federal judge in Kentucky held her in contempt of court for refusing to issue licenses to same-sex couples despite a court order to do so.

MATT STAVER, ATTORNEY FOR KIM DAVIS: She can't violate her conscience. So if that means she's going to be here for a longer period of time, she's prepared to be here.

FIELD: Davis remains defiantly opposed to authorizing same-sex marriages, even as she sits behind bars.

JOE DAVIS, HUSBAND OF KIM DAVIS: If our government can bully you, then they're going to make everybody bow down to what they want to do. If we don't take our country back, we're the one that puts them in there. They work for us.

FIELD: Davis rejected an offer from the judge to get out of jail if she agreed to authorize her deputies to issue the licenses or not interfere with the process. Five of those deputies are now giving out licenses that don't bear her name.

STAVER: She needs to have her name and her authority off of the license. It could be issued under the authority of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

FIELD: Davis' attorney says a marriage license without her name on it is not valid. But lawyers for the couples disagree, which means everything to William Smith and James Yates.

SMITH: We are very happy. We're elated, actually, that we got our license this time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD: Smith and Yates both say they never wanted to see Kim Davis go to jail, they just wanted to get the marriage license they now have. Meanwhile, Kim Davis' supporters say they are standing by her. They plan to be outside of the jailhouse on Tuesday for a rally in support of her with presidential candidate Mike Huckabee -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: Alexandra Field, thank you very much.

Well, here's an interesting twist. It looks like some conservatives have about had it with Donald Trump. One group planning an offensive against the frontrunner. We'll hear about what that group is calling an educational campaign.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Mortgage rates jumping up a little this week but staying relatively low. Have a look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:30:49] SAVIDGE: Hi. Thanks for joining me. I'm Martin Savidge, in for Fredricka Whitfield.

Amid more revelations about that e-mail scandal surrounding her, Hillary Clinton is now stumping for votes in New Hampshire, or at least she's trying.

Last hour she spoke to a crowd at a Women for Hillary Clinton event. That's in Portsmouth. And she took some serious jabs at Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Mr. Trump insults and dismisses women. He's been throwing a lot of heat my way. That's fine, as Ginny said, I can take it. But I do --

(CHEERS)

CLINTON: I do find a lot of what he says pretty ridiculous. For example, he recently said, I don't have a clue about women's health issues.

(LAUGHTER)

CLINTON: Really. I mean you can't make this stuff up. He said he would do a much better job for women than I would. Now that's a general election debate that's going to be a lot of fun.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: But also making headlines a campaign aide says that Bill and Hillary Clinton personally paid this man, Ryan Pagliano, a State Department staffer, to maintain the private e-mail server Clinton used while secretary of state.

We're going to wait and hear from the -- Secretary Clinton in just a bit. But first joining me now is Democratic strategist, Nomiki Konst, she is in New York, and Republican strategist Gianno Caldwell. Thank you both for joining us. I really enjoyed the conversation we

had a short while ago. So let's continue this. We're talking about the problems that Hillary has. And now she's decided to take on and attack frontrunner Donald Trump. Good strategy or no? And I always say lady's first.

(LAUGHTER)

NOMIKI KONST, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Smart move. So I think that Hillary is trying to reinforce that she is the nominee, the presumed nominee, even though the polls in New Hampshire and Iowa are not showing that. You know, one of her strengths, her major strength right now is with women. So to attack the other frontrunner, the Republican frontrunner on his record with women is a smart move for her as she riles up her base especially in New Hampshire.

You know, they just dumped $2.6 million in ad time in New Hampshire, and most of those ads are about her mother and her record for women. I mean, this is what she's trying to run on right now to get the base. Smart move, I don't know if it's going to win her the primary.

SAVIDGE: All right. And, Gianno, let me ask you this. We've got to come back to that e-mail scandal because it's the big elephant in the room. Do you think this is going make or break the campaign?

GIANNO CALDWELL, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, the e-mail scandal has the opportunity to perhaps do a lot of damage to the campaign which it shouldn't have done in the beginning because she could have just came clean and said hey, you know, I had the personal server. There were some issues that came across there that, you know, I didn't -- I wasn't aware of or whatever the case may be. So there is the potential to damage the campaign more than it has already.

But I think the real issue here with her attack in Donald trump is the fact that Donald Trump is polling nationally -- the poll that came out yesterday that was shown in "The Hill," he's polling five points ahead of her in a national survey. So she's concerned about that. She's concerned about Senator Bernie Sanders, she's concerned about particularly Vice President Joe Biden coming against her.

So she has some real issues that she has to consider. One thing that she has a tremendous problem with is she's not able to connect with voters. Particularly so she's not her husband. He was able to connect with voters very well.

SAVIDGE: Yes.

CALDWELL: When there's an issue that comes up, she generally says well, we'll get back to you with -- you know, with our position on it because they've got poll to test it to see if it's going to be a good response or not. So she's not coming out authentic at all. So this is problematic for her in many levels.

SAVIDGE: Well, you mentioned Donald Trump there. And we've only got a little bit of time so hold on. And of course he's the frontrunner here. I want to point out that there is some people who don't necessarily like that. He's taking heat from conservatives. The "Wall Street Journal" is now reporting that the conservative group Club for Growth is planning an ad campaign targeting Trump. Here is what they said about him.

Quote, "One thing we know about Trump, because he tells us every five minutes, is that Trump has a lot of money, which means it is going to take substantial funds to expose him for what he is -- the worst kind of politician."

[13:35:13] It looks like he's headed for a bunch of negative ads here. Gianno, it does -- I mean, is it really going work? I tend to think this may backfire.

CALDWELL: See, this is the issue. Most politicians or people that are running for office generally speaking when they pontificate on their success especially after the Obama presidency, it's seen as a negative thing. That wasn't the case many years ago. The thing about Donald Trump people like is the fact that he does not run away from his success as Mitt Romney did in some ways in 2012.

He is super rich. He doesn't care how much money that he has. He wants you to know that he has been a successful business maker, entrepreneur and he has all these different companies. I think in Republican circles, people are really frightened by the fact that he is saying things that most people never say. No one can understand what kind of phenomenal -- phenomenon Donald Trump is, because the things that he says, the rhetoric in which he uses is something that hasn't been usually winning topic of discussion.

He's talking about issues that are coming to the forefront in which no GOP candidate wants to touch because it generally puts them in a bad spot.

SAVIDGE: Well, Nomiki, let me go back to this ad campaign. Do you think their efforts to try to make Trump look back are really going to just backfire on them and many people are going to say, yes, I'm still with Trump?

KONST: I think they will backfire. You know, the reason why they're launching this ad campaign against him is because they met with them, because they were frustrated that Donald Trump who supposedly is not accepting money from lobbyists or bankers or anybody from the financial industry and is running on this populist message, they're upset that he's been attacking hedge funders. And that is the big issue here. They want to protect, they want to protect their tax structure. They want to -- and he is going after that.

And that's something that's very unusual for Republicans and Democrats, to be fair. So this is -- this is the key thing. And I think that if anything it's going to excite voters at the base level which he's been able to do thus far. And it's also going to help the other side as well. Bernie Sanders is running on the same message.

SAVIDGE: Right.

KONST: So this is -- you know, this campaign is all about income inequality. And so you're going to have a lot of backlash from super PACs attacking any candidates that go against their tax structure, hedge funds, you know, tax benefits and loopholes.

CALDWELL: And that's a great point. But what you're saying Donald Trump is doing is something that's absolutely resonating with everybody because at the end of the day, guys with these big hedge funds they really pay little to no tax. And it's unfair to many Americans in a lot of ways.

(CROSSTALK)

CALDWELL: So this is --

SAVIDGE: This is a populous attitude. It appeals --

CALDWELL: It's a very populous attitude.

SAVIDGE: Yes. All right. We've got to leave it there. I'm sorry. But Nomiki Konst, great to talk to you. Gianno Caldwell, thank you very much.

CALDWELL: Thank you for having me.

SAVIDGE: Love you both for your insights.

CALDWELL: Thank you so much.

SAVIDGE: All right. Right now we're waiting for Hillary Clinton. We started that conversation talking about her. Speak to reporter in New Hampshire. She is expected to talk any time now. We'll bring it to you live as soon as it starts. So stay right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:41:29] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

SAVIDGE: Breaking news, Secretary of the State John Kerry has called Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov about possible Russian military buildup in Syria.

Joining me now is Lieutenant General Mark Hertling. He is from Orlando.

And, General, what are you hearing about this? Because clearly this is a serious escalation?

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, the intelligence community has been watching this very closely, Martin, and it certainly would be troubling. As you know Secretary Kerry has been working for some time to try and get a diplomatic solution and in fact he's been enlisting Russian help in this.

All indicators, though, what the intelligence community is saying is the Russians are actually reinforcing the Assad regime which could be extremely complicating our efforts in our fight against ISIS and also our attempt to get Assad either step down or begin a better power sharing arrangement within his government.

SAVIDGE: And the concern here is how far are the Russians willing to go? I mean, it's one thing to provide weapons, ammunition, it's another to possibly provide advisers or even military troops. Where are they in this particular process?

HERTLING: Well, that's the unknown right now. And I think many of the intelligence analysts in Washington have determined that Assad is on his last legs. He's lost several fights recently. He's pulling into a defensive zone more and more around the capital. He has lost his allies in every source with the exception perhaps of the Russians and the Iranians, although the Iranians are distracted in other places specifically in Iraq.

So this could be troubling depending on how far Russians go. If they just bring in advisers, that's one thing. It appears that they are bringing a lot of equipment, which has the potential for contributing aviation assets and airstrikes which when you're talking about this country, it would be embroiled the mix even more than it already is as we're working with the Turks to strike in the north, the Saudi Arabians are very concerned, the Israelis are very concerned about this. But it all points to some of the meetings that the Russian hierarchy have had recently with not only Assad but also with leaders out of Iran. As you know, General Soleimani has gone to Moscow recently.

SAVIDGE: Let me ask you this real quick. Of course we know that the U.S. is carrying out airstrikes in Syria. Should there be a concern now for those people, those pilots in that aircraft?

HERTLING: Well, certainly. There was always concern about the potential for engagements with Syrian aircraft, but imagine the scenario is if Russia begins.

(CROSSTALK)

SAVIDGE: Exactly what I'm thinking.

HERTLING: And that's way down the road. If Russia begins their own airstrikes in support of the Assad regime, then you have the potential airstrikes with coalition forces and Russian supported Syrian forces, so that just brings a whole another level of complexity to this entire situation.

SAVIDGE: But in theory, though, both are trying to get rid of ISIS and those that are, I guess, in some ways we seem to be on the same page.

HERTLING: Well, to a degree. But you're also talking about how do you get rid of ISIS? If Russia backs the Syrian leadership, are they not only going after ISIS but are they going after the Free Syrian Army elements? Are they going after coalition or are they going after Kurds? All of those are going against the Syrian regime. If there is an attempt at greater power sharing, that's one thing. If there's an attempt that common enemies, that's another. But I think as long as Assad is holding power without any changes in

his government, without any attempt to enlighten his government toward -- him and toward their people, you're going to have many second or third order effects to include continued refugee crisis of all the individuals that are leaving Syria.

[13:45:12] SAVIDGE: Right. Which we've talked about all day.

General Mark Hertling, thank you very much.

HERTLING: Thank you.

SAVIDGE: We'll be back with more after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

R.J. MITTE, ACTOR, "BREAKING BAD": Did you like the last episode?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Growing up with cerebral palsy, actor R.J. Mitte had to contend with a lot of nos.

MITTE: Having a physical disability, there are so many times people will say, you can't do this, you can't do that. You won't be able to walk properly, you won't be able to talk properly. You'll never have a normal life.

(CLIP FROM "BREAKING BAD")

BRYAN CRANSTON, ACTOR: Veggie bacon.

MITTE I want real bacon. None of this fake crap.

[13:50:02] GUPTA: But Mitte didn't let years of physical therapy, leg braces, bullies, keep him from his goal of becoming an actor and an example.

MITTE: So many people are afraid to put these types of characters on television. Having my disability makes me want to prove people wrong. "Breaking Bad" gave me the ability to do so much, to open doors, not just for me, but for other people.

GUPTA (on camera): Cerebral palsy is a term for a group of neurological disorders that oftentimes prevent certain parts of the brain, parts of the brain that are responsible for strength, from communicating with the muscles. The result is trouble with movement. But we know physical therapy can help.

MITTE: Do you like music?

GUPTA (voice-over): In fact, Mitte credits years of treatment at Shriners Hospital. He still volunteers there, inspiring kids like him. MITTE: There are so many times people try and they just take children

and they set them aside. What truly matters when it comes to having a disability is not letting people define you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: Moments ago, Hillary Clinton finished a campaign stop in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and now she's taking questions from reporters. So let's listen.

CLINTON: Well, first of all, I was talking about Donald Trump yesterday, but it certainly is clear that my campaign is focused on the Republicans. That's who I talk about. That's who I criticize. Because I think they've earned it.

I am very pleased to be running my campaign on the issues that I think are important to the American people. We will have a chance to debate however many times we get that opportunity. So I'm running my campaign and I am criticizing the Republicans on a very regular basis because I want the American people to know what the real choice is.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE)

CLINTON: Well, that's up to the voters in the Republican primary to determine. I was pointing out that he has insulted a lot of people and he has been blaming people and he has been bullying people. I don't think that's the kind of approach one should take in running for president of the United States. And as I also said yesterday, when you're the president of the United States, people around the world pay very close attention to what you say. So you do have to exercise some --you know, some care and thought in the words that you use.

And I'm going to continue to do my best to do that, and I think that's one of the -- one of the qualities that Americans should be looking at in who they vote for.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE)

CLINTON: Well, I've always thought this was going to be a competitive primary. And I welcome that. I think that this is a contest. It's a contest of ideas, of policies, of, you know, how we present ourselves to the American people. And I am going to work as hard as I can to earn every vote in the New Hampshire primary that I possibly can earn.

I remember very well in 2008, I faced a similar situation. I worked really, really hard to make sure people knew what I was saying and what I stood for. That's what I'm going to do again. And I am, you know, thrilled and privileged to have Senator Shaheen by my side while I do that.

SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D), NEW HAMPSHIRE: Let me just also add, you know, I've been involved in almost every Democratic primary since 1976 in the state. And I can tell you that the polls are going to go up and down. But the important thing to do is to continue to talk about what voters care about and that's what Hillary Clinton is doing.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE)

CLINTON: Oh, come on, liberate yourself and ask the question you want to ask. Well, I can't do that. That's Nick's terrain. Yes. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE)

[13:55:01] CLINTON: No, I don't think so. And we have encouraged everyone to cooperate. I feel strongly that the -- you know, the facts are the facts, and we've been repeating them over and over again. We will continue to do so and I would very much urge anybody who is asked to cooperate to do so.

With respect to personal services that he provided to me and my family, we obviously paid for those services, and did so because during a period of time, we continue to need his technical assistance, and I think that's in the public record.

SAVIDGE: And that's Hillary Clinton campaigning in New Hampshire. That last question there was clearly about the e-mail issue, which is one that has dogged her campaign for a while now.

We are going to take a break and we'll be back with more in just a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

SAVIDGE: Hello. Thanks for joining me. I'm Martin Savidge in for Fredricka Whitfield who has the day off.

The breaking news, Secretary of State John Kerry has called Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov about possible Russian military buildup in Syria.

CNN global affairs correspondent Elise Labott joins me on the phone.

Elise, what are you hearing?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS REPORTER: Well, Martin, you've seen in recent days the Russians have sent some kind of buildup indicating possible, possible advanced military support by Russia to Syria. We're talking about adding housing to its Syrian airfield in the area, delivery of a portable air traffic control system there.

(END)