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Trump Breaks Silence Following Anti-Muslim Remarks; Hillary Clinton Speaking in New Hampshire; Man Arrested in Series of Shootings in Phoenix Highway; U.S. Intelligence Concerned About Secret Satellite Launch; Mother, Boyfriend Arrested for Baby Doe Death; Interview with Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen; General Says Bowe Bergdahl Should Not Go to Jail; Brain Disease Found in Deceased NFL Players; Aired 1- 2p ET

Aired September 19, 2015 - 13:00   ET

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


[13:00:00] JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking his silence with a string of tweets for the first time since he failed to correct a supporter who called President Obama a Muslim. Also seemed to insult Muslims in general in the U.S. Trump tweeting this morning, quote, "Am I morally obligated to defend the president every time someone says something bad or controversial about him? I don't think so -- exclamation point." He's scheduled to speak tonight in Iowa.

CNN's Sunlen Serfaty is at the Michigan Leadership Conference in Mackinac Island.

And Sunlen, Trump sending out those series of tweets. What was he saying? And I suppose, also part of the question is, what was he not saying or addressing in those tweets?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Jim. That's equally important. This is the first time we're hearing from Donald Trump since this controversy on Thursday evening, since that moment he had with that New Hampshire voter. And really what we're hearing is a defense by Trump, but in a different way than what his campaign has said. First his campaign said that he didn't hear the question coming from the voter, but now in a series of tweets tweeted out by Donald Trump this morning, we're seeing him push back in a different way.

I want to read you these series of those tweets, he says, quote, "This is the first time in my life that I have caused controversy by not saying something." He later goes on to say, "If someone made a nasty or controversial statement about me to the president, do you really think he would come to my rescue?" And this next tweet, almost the closest that he gets to explaining that moment, really more of an excuse for why he didn't interject and correct the man.

He says, "If I would have challenged the man, the media would have accused me of interfering with that man's right of free speech. A no- win situation." And lastly, tweeting this, quote, "Christians need support in our country and around the world. Their religious liberty is at stake. Obama has been horrible." And then he adds, "I will be great." Now it's important to note there in this defense, certainly no apology

coming from Trump. Certainly doubling down. And really not disputing these allegations, many of which have offended many Muslims in our country, but the allegations specifically about President Obama, that he's American, that he's a Muslim, no disputing there by Trump from this voter.

So certainly, Jim, this will be interesting to watch if Trump comments on this later today in Iowa when he hits the campaign trail -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: We had some of the Republican candidates, Christie and Graham, criticized Trump, Santorum support him yesterday. What are the other candidates saying about this today and Trump finally commenting on this?

SERFATY: That was interesting, we're here on Mackinac Island where a lot of the Republican candidates are showing up. We just heard from Senator Cruz, he spoke to this gathering of party activist here in Michigan, and he didn't make reference to that. We also know that he really didn't make sure to condemn Donald Trump when he was asked about this in South Carolina yesterday. So interesting that some like Senator Cruz and like Rick Santorum, are coming a bit to his defense, saying that this is the media swirling up controversy, but we are, of course, hearing from many other Republican candidates.

Chris Christie, Lindsey Graham, who are calling this really almost a test of leadership that someone should make sure to correct the record, holding up that now famous example of John McCain in 2008 when he was really caught in the same sort of situation. He corrected that voter saying, no, ma'am, no, ma'am, Obama is not a Muslim -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: Sunlen Serfaty in Mackinac, thanks for joining us today.

I want to bring in someone who says Donald Trump did nothing wrong after those anti-Muslim remarks. She is Katrina Pierson, she's joining me now on the telephone, spokesperson for the Tea Party Leadership. She also was a former Texas congressional candidate.

Katrina, thank you for taking the time on the weekend.

KATRINA PIERSON, SPOKESPERSON, TEA PARTY LEADERSHIP: Hi, Jim, it's great to be with you.

SCIUTTO: So, Katrina, early on, you and other Trump supporters said that he did not hear the questioner. We didn't hear that from Trump today. Trump didn't claim he didn't hear the remarks. His argument, his line was, in effect, that it's not his position to challenge those remarks. Did he hear what the questioner was asking?

PIERSON: I think you could tell by looking at the video how after the gentleman started speaking, he was leaning over, and then there was a delayed laugh. And he kind of blew it off, which made it look like he didn't hear it at first. But when he blew off the first part of the question and only answered the second part, which is really where the controversy or the fake controversy is coming from, simply that he did not correct the gentleman. But I really have a question for everyone who is assuming that Donald

Trump should be apologizing for something. And how is it that the Muslim community is somehow outraged because the president was called a Muslim? I mean, is it a bad thing? Is being a Muslim bad? I'm confused here.

SCIUTTO: Well, let me -- let's play the sound again so people are clear. Because the questioner didn't just talk about the president, the question talked about Muslims, seemingly all Muslims in America. Let's have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a problem in this country. It's called Muslims. We know our current president is one.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know he's not even an American.

TRUMP: We need this question, this first question.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Birth certificate, man. But anyway, we have training camps growing where they want to kill us.

TRUMP: Mm-hmm.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's my question. When can we get rid of them?

[13:05:02] TRUMP: We're going to be looking at a lot of different things. And you know, a lot of people are saying that, and a lot of people are saying that bad things are happening out there. We're going to be looking at that and plenty of other things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: So, Katrina, that statement there, "We have a problem in this country, it's called Muslims." If the questioner had said, we have a problem in this country, it's called Christians or it's called Jehovah's Witnesses or it's called Jews, would -- would Donald Trump have responded?

PIERSON: See, that's not what the outrage is about. The outrage is that Donald Trump did not correct this man for saying what he said. The outrage isn't about what he said, the outrage is about Donald Trump being responsible for correcting this man about what he said about President Obama being a Muslim.

And that's why I appreciate you, Jim, for talking about this issue because it needs to be clarified. If we're going to talk about what Donald Trump said, let's talk about that, or are we going to talk about what the gentleman said, which nobody can seems to find now?

SCIUTTO: Well, the question really is about putting an idea out there, that Muslims in America are a problem. And we have seen, to be fair, I know a lot of folks like to talk about the media focus on this. But you've seen two other presidential candidates, Lindsey Graham and Chris Christie, comment on this and criticize Donald Trump, not only for the comments -- the questioner's comments about the president, but just about Muslims in general. And we saw John McCain make a similar statement in 2008, when a questioner asked the same thing.

Why not if -- I'm just curious, from your perspective. It's just a point of view. Why, if someone's running to represent all people in America, and someone makes that kind of criticism, a supporter, in public, why not challenge it?

PIERSON: Well, because it's not really his role to challenge it. And others can do so as they please. But let's remind everyone, this criticism came out because in 2008, Hillary Clinton's aides leaked those pictures of Barack Obama wearing garb. And we wonder why there's suspicion? Do people not have a right to their suspicion? Because Donald Trump would also be representing people who are suspicious of their government.

But the question still remains here, the fallout, the outrage and the criticism from both sides of the aisle, including the media, is that Donald Trump did not correct this man. And I've got to tell you, it is not his responsibility. It is not his role to pick a fight with a supporter because he did probably what I would have done, is ignore the ridiculous part of the question, and just said, you know what, we've heard a lot of things, we're going to look into it and move on. He did absolutely nothing wrong, Jim.

SCIUTTO: And Katrina, I do want to note, as you say, and that is CNN's reporting as well, that during the 2007, '08 presidential race, there was a picture of President Obama in what appeared to be Muslim garb and that was traced to Clinton campaign staffers. To be fair, the candidate Clinton denied any involvement in that, I think later criticized it. But to be fair, and you are right to note, that this is not confined, that question has not always been confined just to the Republican Party.

Katrina Pierson, thank you for taking the time again. It's always good to talk to you.

PIERSON: Good to be with you, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Donald Trump will be a guest of Jake Tapper on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION," that is tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. Eastern here on CNN.

And I want to go now to some news from the Democratic presidential hopeful. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is in Manchester, New Hampshire, for the Democratic Party State Convention. Hillary Clinton spoke there just a short time ago, is live on our air.

Suzanne, what did we hear from her today?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, we really heard some new lines from her. Obviously, this is a very supportive crowd. There are about 4200 people, more than 1,000 delegates but a lot of big Bernie Sanders fans as well. But what she really needed to do and she did it was excite this crowd. And she's addressing young women, she's addressing independents and moderates. So we heard her economic agenda, talking about the need to increase the minimum wage, to create equality. But we also heard her very specifically going after the GOP candidates and specifically Donald Trump, the frontrunner, saying a couple of zingers here.

One of them saying, it was time for Donald Trump to stop cherishing women and to start respecting them. She went after his campaign slogan as well, about making America great, saying America is already great. It just needs to work for everyone. And then, finally, she weighed in again -- she talked about it yesterday, but she weighed in again about the fact that Trump did not correct that man in the town hall for the anti-Muslim comments that he made. And here's how she put his campaign, the tone of his campaign, which led to that moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Don't be distracted by their flamboyant frontrunner, trying to bully and buy his way into the presidency. His latest outrage, the way he handled the question about President Obama was shocking. But not surprising. He's been trafficking in prejudice and paranoia throughout this campaign.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And who we're going to hear from next is Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Now it is important to note what is happening here in New Hampshire and how critical it is for them to win this primary state.

[13:10:08] Bernie Sanders, really, the surprise in all of this. Four different polls showing him he is ahead of Hillary Clinton. Even one of those polls showing by 23 points when it comes to the new voters and when it comes to those independent voters. As you know, Jim, this is a state that is full of independents. Moderates have an open primary. So that is going to be the key to actually winning over those voters and those delegates.

SCIUTTO: No question. The other candidate, Joe Biden, the "Wall Street Journal" reports today him moving closer to a decision to join the race. But CNN's reporting is different. Where do we stand on the Joe Biden candidacy, possible candidacy in 2016?

MALVEAUX: Well, certainly there is enthusiasm for it. And we do know that even here, there's a Draft Biden movement. We went to a table of volunteers who were passing out literature and stickers. So there is a move afoot. Our own political reporting saying that the vice president has not made up his mind yet, but certainly that window is closing, Jim. As you know, the debates, the CNN Democratic debates, three weeks away. You have Hillary Clinton who's going before a congressional hearing just a week after that.

So there are things that are happening. So he has to move quickly. But one of the things that we know from the super PAC, Draft Biden, from an internal document is this. After he went on the Stephen Colbert show and talked about the agony, the potential agony of running, whether or not he has the emotional energy and strength to do this, this is what they found. 800 percent increase in daily signups and Web site traffic also increasing by 600 percent. So they're looking at those numbers. They're looking at that enthusiasm. But again, our political reporting from our team is that he has not yet made up his mind, but it's getting pretty close -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: It's incredible how he, expressing those doubts, actually energized more supporters. You know, just the honesty and directness of the candidate. It's funny how that's worked to his favor.

Suzanne Malveaux, great to have you there with Clinton and the Democrats.

And still ahead, highway terror. The man who police say shot at cars on a busy Arizona interstate is in court today. Details on the charges he is now facing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:15:18] SCIUTTO: The man who police say terrorized drivers for weeks in Arizona is brought up on charges just hours after his arrest. Police arrested Leslie Allen Merritt Jr. late last night after storming a Wal-Mart. He was arraigned just a couple of hours ago. Investigators say Merritt is the man who shot at passing vehicles along Interstate-10 in Phoenix.

Governor Doug Ducey quickly tweeting, "We've got him," just moments after that arrest. But the area cannot breathe a sigh of relief just yet. Police can only link him so far to four of those 11 shootings. It is possible there may be more gunmen out there.

CNN's Nick Valencia has been following these developments. Nick, what are we learning today?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Certainly still some nervous people in the phoenix area. This suspect only linked to four of the 11 shootings that happened over the course of the last three weeks, but police are saying this morning that they believe that they have the person who started this shooting rampage in custody.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA (voice-over): After more than two weeks of terror, police make an arrest in a string of highway shootings.

COL. FRANK MILSTEAD, DIRECTOR, ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: The weapons and the man who we believe that was responsible for what started this spree in Arizona is in custody.

VALENCIA: Though authorities have declined to name the suspect, two government officials told CNN the detained man's name is Leslie Allen Merritt Jr. CNN affiliates say this is Merritt arriving at an Arizona state police office. He was arrested Friday night at a suburban Glendale, Arizona, Wal-Mart in connection with at least four of the 11 shootings, most of those occurred along busy Interstate-10. BART GRAVES, ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: He was arrested at

that Wal-Mart with a woman and a 5-year-old child. They were not taken into custody. And he was.

VALENCIA: A Phoenix city councilman told CNN the break in the case came after the suspect pawned a 9-millimeter handgun. Police say their lab results showed it was the same gun used in at least four of the highway shootings.

MILSTEAD: The subject is in custody because the weapon that he owned is forensically linked to these crimes.

VALENCIA: The suspect is only connected to first four shootings. Police are unclear whether there are more suspects.

MILSTEAD: Are there others out there? Are there copycats? That is possible. We will continue to investigate.

VALENCIA: As of September 10th, there have been no other shootings reported. In Friday night's arrest, police accused the suspect of starting the spree on August 29th. Late last night, affiliate KNXV tried to get a reaction from Merritt's father.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you like to tell me about him or say anything on his behalf?

LESLIE MERRITT SR., FATHER OF ALLEGED I-10 SHOOTER: Yes, but I'd like -- yes, I'll say plenty on his behalf. Whoever said he is the I-10 shooter is a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) moron. Have a good night.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA: Merritt's father is adamant that his son is innocent, saying it's simply not in his character, though police believe they have the right man.

They were quick to emphasize at that press conference, though, Jim, that he could have inspired some copy cats, so again some still nervous people in that Phoenix area after what they've been through -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: No question. Sobering thought. Nick Valencia, great to have you on the story.

And coming up next, North Korea flexing its military muscle again, building a secret launch pad. The unloading zone, out of view of U.S. satellites. What are they trying to conceal? That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:22:28] SCIUTTO: U.S. intelligence has growing concerns about North Korea. Kim Jong-Un's regime has been warning that it is ready to use nuclear weapons against the United States at any time. Now the North is trying to conceal feverish activity at a launch site.

Is it preparing for a secret launch? CNN Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, has been looking into this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The Pentagon has long thought the North Korean military is all about deception and it looks like they're up to it one more time.

(Voice-over): North Korea has already shown the world it can launch a satellite into space. Now U.S. intelligence believes some time in the next few weeks, the regime will do it again. But this time, in secret, from this launch pad, hoping to avoid the prying eyes of U.S. spy satellites overhead. North Korea insists its only plan, launching the satellite on top of a long-range rocket. But?

JOE CIRINCIONE, PLOUGHSHARES FUND: There isn't a country in the world that has a space launch facility that looks like this. No country in the world hides their assembly of their space launch vehicle. You can observe it for days, for weeks. North Korea is clearly trying to develop a military capability here.

STARR: This launch facility constructed with concealment as the priority. An underground rail line delivers the missile parts inside this movable building. The parts are loaded out of view of spy satellites, then the whole structure is moved to the launch pad. At the other end, the missile is assembled with a large crane that experts say might look like this. A cover on the launch tower conceals the assembly and fueling of the missile.

The result, the U.S. only sees a missile shortly before launch with little or no warning. If it all works, it gets Kim Jong-Un closer to his apparent ultimate goal.

CIRINCIONE: It's very clear the North Koreans want to develop what they do not have now, the ability to launch a nuclear missile and hit the United States.

ADM. HARRY HARRIS, U.S. PACIFIC COMMAND: You have a leader of North Korea who has nuclear weapons and is seeking the means to miniaturize them and deliver them intercontinentally and that causes me great concern.

STARR: It all comes as Pyongyang says it has restarted a nuclear reactor to make fissile material. The North Korean news agency says the regime's nuclear arsenal is being improved in quality and quantity.

[13:25:05] (On camera): The U.S. believes the most likely date for a launch will be October 10th. The 70th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party in North Korea. Anniversaries and dates very important to the regime.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: That is a truly alarming story.

Coming up next, disturbing new details in the death of Boston's Baby Doe. Our Sara Ganim is there.

SARA GANIM, CNN INVESTIGATIONS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Jim. Yes, this morning we talked to a law enforcement source who gave us disturbing new details and we'll have those for you after this break.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: Mortgage rates slipped this week. You can have a look right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: Hello, and thanks for joining me. I'm Jim Sciutto in today for Fredricka Whitfield.

Disturbing new details in the death of Bella Bond, who was, until yesterday, known simply as Baby Doe. Police are now saying that the boyfriend of Bond's mother Michael McCarthy, is responsible for her death. The toddler's mother, Rachelle Bond, charged with accessory to murder after the fact. Bella's remains were found on a Boston shoreline back in June.

Our Sara Ganim joins me now from outside the home where Baby Bella lived.

Sara, what are these new details telling us about her death? Sorry, we lost Sara Ganim there. She's outside that house. We'll come back to her later. Here is her report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[13:30:06] DANIEL CONLEY, SUFFOLK COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Her name was Bella.

GANIM (voice-over): After nearly three months of investigation, Baby Doe finally has a name -- Bella Bond.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bella, happy 2nd birthday, monkey, yay, yay. Happy 2nd birthday. Whoo.

GANIM: This is Bella at her 2nd birthday. Friday, authorities revealed she's the mystery toddler whose composite picture captivated millions when she was found wrapped in a trash bag on a Boston shore in June.

CONLEY: And the tragedy of her death is compounded by the fact that her short life ended not by illness or accident. But we believe by an act of violence in the very place where she should have felt safest, in her home.

GANIM: Authorities have determined earlier this year from pollen on her polka dot pants that Baby Doe was likely from the Boston area. According to officials, it was a tip this week that led them on in an intense 24-hour search resulting in the arrest of Bella's mother, Rachelle Bond, and her boyfriend, Michael McCarthy. McCarthy charged with murder and Bond charged with accessory after the fact.

CONLEY: We alleged that McCarthy caused Bella's death. That he did so intentionally, that he and Bond took specific steps to keep Bella's death a secret and to avoid prosecution.

GANIM: Neighbors say they remember a troubled household. According to CNN affiliates WHDH and WCBB, court documents show Rachelle Bond had an arrest record that included drugs and prostitution.

YESSIOMARA TORRES, NEIGHBOR: It's shocking and it's sad because she's so young for that to happen. I feel sorry for that little girl. She should have been in better hands.

GANIM: An official from the Department of Children and Families tells CNN that between 2001 and 2006, Rachelle Bond had her parental rights terminated for her two other children. The agency also said they had been in contact with Bella, twice in response to neglect. The agency did not say why she was not removed from her mother's custody.

Neither McCarthy nor Bond have issued any statement since their arrest. Officials say they are blaming each other for the child's death. It's still unclear exactly when or how she died.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: Just a sad story. We want to discuss this case further with CNN legal analyst, Mel Robins, and HLN legal analyst, criminal defense attorney, Joey Jackson.

Mel, beginning with some of the details here, the mother charged as accessory to murder after the fact, appears the details here, the boyfriend hit the child, so he's charged with murder. They're due in court on Monday. How quickly does this case proceed now? What do we expect to happen on Monday? Do you hear me, Mel?

(CROSSTALK)

MEL ROBBINS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: On Monday, Jim and Joey -- yes, I can hear you. Can you hear me?

SCIUTTO: I hear you well. There you go.

ROBBINS: They're going to be brought into court on Monday morning and they're going to formally charge -- and you know, what's amazing about this case, Jim, is accessory after the fact is only punishable by seven years in prison under Massachusetts law. And so if that's the only crime that she's charged with, it seems stunning to me that a woman that knew that her child was dead, that helped in the concealing of that, that helped hide the body, dispose of the body, could only face seven years in prison. To me, that just adds to the sickening nature of all of this, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Yes. By all accounts, no question.

Joey, the father blamed here, it appears, for hitting the child, so he faces the murder charge. What would he face in a case like this?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Sure, Jim. Good afternoon. Good afternoon to you, Mel. You know, interestingly enough, just going backwards before going forward, in even bringing this to a court of law, it just shows you the modern technology and what could happen. 50 million people were really exposed to what was going on here. And as a result of tips to that, Jim, they were able to really crack the case and bring this forward.

Under Massachusetts law, what happens is, is that a murder conviction, presuming he's convicted and found guilty in this case, would be punishable by in fact life in prison without the possibility of parole. And so to make no mistake about it, it's very serious. And what I'm interested to know is whether he'll prevail or even put forward some type of defense that's predicated upon his mental condition.

We're understanding that he's saying she was possessed and as a result of that he hit her. I mean, I don't know that that will carry the day at all in terms of a what a jury would buy or not buy. But even the fact that he would act upon that or make that allegation seems to me to go to his state of mind.

SCIUTTO: No question. Just to be clear, I called -- I said that he was her father. It's actually the boyfriend of the mother.

JACKSON: Yes.

[13:35:01] SCIUTTO: But, Mel, I want to ask you, the Department of Children and Families had two neglect investigations in the past with Baby Bella. One in 2012, the other in 2013. Just because that case was closed, why would they skip over Bella in the search for her identity? And does that also show negligence on the part of the community there for having taken away her parental rights and then this happens?

ROBBINS: You know, it's a terrific question and in all of these cases, Jim, I think we all are left scratching our heads when you have a history of child services being involved and a parent who's had custody removed from former children still is able to have a case closed after two neglect appearances. Certainly, it's a question. You've got to look ahead about reform. But one thing I want to point out, Jim, that is also -- however, the next-door neighbor whose daughter was playing with Bella, who actually noticed that Bella was gone, who assumed that the Department of Children Services had just gotten involved and taken the child away never said anything to the police.

There are relatives that noticed that Bella was not around. Nobody close to the case that we know of actually said anything about this child being missing, even though they were following the Baby Doe case and the developments, Jim. And I find that to be so incredibly sad and so troubling, that people that were close to this young girl noticed that she was gone, knew about the missing child, knew about the troubles with this family and said absolutely nothing.

SCIUTTO: Yes, you just wonder if there were missed opportunities to save her life.

Mel Robbins, Joey Jackson, we'll have to leave it there, but thanks for joining us.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:40:23] SCIUTTO: Pope Francis is now just a few hours away from landing in Havana, kicking off his historic trip to Cuba and here in the United States. His plane due to touch down at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. There will be a meeting with President Raul Castro at the airport. And tomorrow the Pope gives mass to thousands in Havana's Revolutionary Square. Afterwards, he meets with a group of young people there.

He then heads to the U.S. for three days, where he addresses a Joint Session of Congress, as well as the United Nations, ending his trip with a huge mass in Philadelphia.

We're going to be at all those stops. I want to bring in now Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. She fled Cuba with her family when she was just 8 years old. Came to the U.S., became the first Hispanic woman to serve in Congress. She's also been an ardent critic of the Castro regime.

Congresswoman --

REP. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN (R), FLORIDA: Thanks, Jim.

SCIUTTO: You, as we know, oppose normalization of relations between the U.S. and Cuba. How about this Pope visit to Cuba? Do you see that as a positive?

ROS-LEHTINEN: I do. I'm glad that the Pope is going to Cuba. Because of the Castro's disastrous policies through the years, the Cuban people have nothing. So the Pope will bring them a message of faith, of hope, of optimism. And the Cuban regime has learned how to live with Popes. At first, they were very fearful. But Popes have come, Popes have gone. The Castro regime continues.

Now remember that Fidel was a student at Belen Jesuit School in Havana. When he took over illegally in '59, one of the first things he did is kicked out and expelled the Jesuit priests. He outlawed Christmas. You could not celebrate the birth of Christ, incredibly enough. But now he welcomes the Pope. Why? Because he knows that it's not a threat to their iron grip and power. And that's what people have to understand.

If you don't challenge the status quo, you're a wonderful visitor to Cuba. If you're going to challenge the Castro's grip, then they're not going to allow you to come back in. So they're not challenged by the Pope. SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this. I wonder. Does this kind of trip,

this kind of visit to Cuba for the president, Raul Castro, for Fidel Castro, it's a bit of a feather in their cap, diplomatically. Do you think that there's a danger in that? That it bolsters a regime that you see as an authoritarian regime and maybe glosses over its record?

ROS-LEHTINEN: Oh, absolutely. There is nothing for a disastrous, horrible, sadistic communist regime like the Castro brothers better than to have the Pope come and bless their country and bless the people. Because it makes them look like a real international player, like they're just another country. Oh, going to Havana, check. Going to New York, check. Going to Washington, Philadelphia. It's just another city on the itinerary. And it makes -- it almost makes it look like the Pope is saying, what you're doing is great.

Now what people don't know is that in this past year, what has happened since the president announced diplomatic relations with Cuba? There has been more repression, more arrests, 4,000 arrests of human rights dissident, and what we've seen, more rafters coming to the United States. Just last week we had rafters come. They did not get the memo from the Pope or Obama saying that everything is great in Cuba. They want to come here where there's freedom.

SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this. The Pope, of course, coming to the U.S. on Tuesday. He'll be here for a number of days. He's going to address Congress. I know you're going to be there.

ROS-LEHTINEN: I'm excited.

SCIUTTO: He is not shy -- he's not shy, as we know, in speaking truth to power. Scolding, perhaps a bit. And you know his comments and his latest encyclical criticized the U.S. economy, wealth disparity, et cetera. Are you expecting him to scold the U.S., scold Congress a bit in that address?

ROS-LEHTINEN: Well, not anymore than President Obama does every time he does a Joint Session of Congress. We get scolded also. I'd rather take it from the Pope than from President Obama. So, yes, I know that the Pope is an anti-capitalist. I love capitalism. Having come from a communist country, I think capitalism is great. And I wish that he would speak more about his pro-life views and human rights.

But he can speak about whatever he wants to speak. We can take it. He is -- he's a man of God, the servant of God here on earth. So I will not be getting into a grudge match with the Pope. He wins, I lose. I'm fine with that. But remember, we all have different missions. The Pope's mission is not to safeguard America's security. That's our mission in Congress and the American people. So we have different missions.

I'm not going to criticize him for saying things that I don't agree with. He's a man of faith, a man of God. And to God, what is God's, and to Caesar what is Caesar's. I'm in the world of Caesar, he's in the world of God. And we hope that they meet sometimes by advancing good things in humanity. [13:45:16] SCIUTTO: Congressman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, we know you're

going to be there. We're going to be there at every stop as well for the Pope's visit. Great to have you on.

ROS-LEHTINEN: I'm psyched. Thank you, Jimbo. Thanks.

SCIUTTO: Please don't miss our special coverage of the Pope's historic visits to Cuba and the U.S., that is tomorrow and all of next week. And don't forget to watch a CNN SPECIAL REPORT, "The People's Pope." It airs on Tuesday night at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: An army general has testified that he does not think former Taliban prisoner Bowe Bergdahl should go to jail for desertion. Sergeant Bergdahl was freed after five years of captivity in a controversial swap for five detainees at Guantanamo Bay. But once back in the U.S., the army charged Bergdahl with desertion and misbehavior. He could spend the rest of his life behind bars if court-martialed then convicted.

[13:50:12] Our Martin Savidge is following this case for us.

Martin, this was a preliminary hearing into whether Bergdahl should be court-martialed, but this testimony from the general, that's a pretty significant advocate, is it not, for Bergdahl in this proceeding?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. The charges against Bergdahl are desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. And they are very, very serious. But the fact that the Army's lead investigator here, this is a two-star general, who talked to Bergdahl, who listened to all of the evidence that was gathered about why he left his post, the fact that this man would say, under oath, he doesn't believe that Bergdahl should go to jail would possibly carry a lot of significance.

Now, ideally in a court of law like this, it should have no bearing, but we also know that that is not necessarily the way things work in both the real world and the military world. He carries a lot of weight. It should be pointed out he also explained for the first time why Bowe Bergdahl left and the reason that he left, according to the general, is that he was under a delusion that he believed his company, his command was being improperly led, so much so that his fellow soldiers were in jeopardy.

So Bowe Bergdahl, his plan was to leave his post, run for the night, go to another base, and there he would meet with a general, and tell that general, you've got to do something. That never happened because after he left his post, he was quickly apprehended by the Taliban.

It also brings up another point. It was said that many soldiers had died trying to find Bowe Bergdahl. This same general said the investigation found not a single soldier did. Lastly, the attorney that represents Bowe Bergdahl, Eugene Fidell, spoke about all the negatives that had been said without much to back it up. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EUGENE FIDELL, BOWE BERGDAHL'S ATTORNEY: There's no mystery about the extent of vilification and hostile coverage that Sergeant Bergdahl has sustained. I've said before, and I'll say it now, that I think that it seriously threatens his right to a fair trial.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: That was our Martin Savidge there on the case of Bowe Bergdahl. And as he noted, some significant notes of support from the general investigating his case. A controversial one.

Checking other top stories. Families and business owners in three Midwestern states are cleaning up today after suspected tornadoes ripped through the area. At least one tornado touched down in Kansas. It destroyed homes and damaged a high school. It also hit a campground. People there said they heard a roar just moments before their tornado overturned their campers. A few people were hurt. Nobody was killed, thankfully.

Authorities in Mexico have arrested 13 more suspects in connection with drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's elaborate escape from prison. Sources tell CNN the arrest includes three high-level officials inside the federal prison system there. Surveillance video recorded Guzman's escape in July. You can see it there. Seven prison workers have already been charged with helping him escape.

Now history could be made tomorrow night at the Emmy Awards. For the first time, an African-American woman could win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Viola Davis and Taraji Henson are both nominated for the award for their roles in "How to Get Away with Murder" and the series "Empire." They're up against Claire Danes, Robin Wright, Elisabeth Moss and Tatiana Maslany. The Emmys air tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

We'll be right back after this break.

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[13:57:41] SCIUTTO: The NFL is facing more pressure after a new study highlights the dangers of head trauma and concussions in the league. According to a report from the Concussion Legacy Foundation, evidence shows repeated hits like this lead to a brain disease known as CTE in 87 of 91 brains donated to science by former NFL players. It's a disease that can only be diagnosed after death.

CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the hard facts on what CTE can do.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, CTE, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is a brain disease. It's a progressive brain disease for which we have no known treatment, no cure. And frankly, it's not something that we even knew about until seven or eight years ago. Research in this really began about in 2008.

I had a chance to visit the lab in 2011 where the science is taking place where they were examining the brains of former NFL players and other people as well.

Now this most recent study says 96 percent of people whose brains were examined had evidence of the CTE. Now I want to make something clear here. These are people who probably during their lives worried that something was wrong and donated and had their brains donated to science after they died. So there was already some concern about it. There's no way to suggest that 96 percent of all NFL players will develop CTE, but there is obviously a lot of science here.

And when you look at the brains of these people, what they found were these protein deposits that were very similar again to what you might see with Alzheimer's disease. In life, these people often had anger issues, depression, and memory loss. Those are the three, that sort of constellation of symptoms that people often develop and it was often younger players whose brains are still developing that may have been most at risk.

There's a lot of interest in this. Obviously, a lot of research going on in this area, how to keep these players safe and how to prevent CTE or at least diminish it in those players after they retire.

Back to you for now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: That was Sanjay Gupta and the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

Hello, and thank you for joining me this weekend. I'm Jim Sciutto in today for Fredricka Whitfield. And we are following new details on a major political story today. Donald Trump breaking his silence with a series of tweets for the first time since he failed to correct a supporter who called President Obama a Muslim, seemed to insult other Muslims in America.

Trump tweeting this morning, "Am I morally obligated to defend the president every time somebody says something bad or controversial about him? I don't think --

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