Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

NASA Claims Evidence of Flowing Water on Mars; Trump Unveils Tax Plan; House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy to Seek Speakership; Kelly Gissnedaner Will Become First Woman Put to Death in Georgia in 70 Years. 3:30-4p ET

Aired September 28, 2015 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: Will she pay any tiny sliver of that?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So this was the wrinkle that came up in court today. This thing was agreed upon. She pled guilty to two charges back in July and she is expecting really to get the sentence she was given today. But the curveball is this, the D.A. came in and said, hey, we're looking for restitution to the tune $120,000. That's the cost of just making the repairs to where the cell walls were cut. Joyce Mitchell doesn't seem to be in the position to have this money to pay. Her attorney is fighting for her saying that that number is just wild and outrageous, but there will be another hearing where the restitution will have to be ironed out.

BALDWIN: To be continued. Alex Field, thank you very much.

For the first time in 70 years the state of Georgia is planning to execute a woman, a shocking crime that out her in death row. And why her adult children say she should be spared.

Plus water on Mars. Could it mean life, current life on the red planet? We'll talk live with a scientist involved in this massive discovery, next.

You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:35:25] BALDWIN: Water on Mars, that's what NASA just announced this morning and what space experts and amateur space geeks have been waiting for. But did it begs a bigger question. Is there, was there ever life on the red planet? Scientists say, and you'll see some photos here, it's the dark streaks on the planet that are proof of salty water flowing a different seasons of the year, but they still don't know where exactly it's coming from.

So joining me now is NASA research scientist Mary Beth Wilhelm. She is one of the co-authors of this paper detailing this discovery. In fact, if I may brag on you a little bit, Mary Beth. I mean, you were the one who discovered the chemical composition based upon this spectrometer orbiting Mars for you to say, could this be what I think it is? MARY BETH WILHELM, NASA RESEARCH SCIENTIST: Yes. So, we detected the

special salt called for chlorate. And the reason that's important is because when you add the salt to water, it actually increases the stability of liquid water on the surface of Mars. And it also has a special property where it can actually absorb atmospheric moisture and make it a liquid environment within the salt. So it's a really special substance that we found.

BALDWIN: And on that note, when we keep saying liquid water. I can hear people watching and thinking, well, obviously water is liquid. But it's important to add the adjective liquid, right, because tells you it is currently liquid on the planet.

WILHELM: Yes, so the current temperature and pressure on the Mar's surface is too low to support liquid water, as we currently understand it. But if you add the salt into it, you can actually make liquid water stable. And as many people know, liquid water is an essential ingredient for life. So detecting it as a stable liquid on the surface leads us one step closer to understanding the habitability of present day Mars.

BALDWIN: I'm sorry. The habitability of what?

WILHELM: Of present day Mars.

BALDWIN: Present day Mars. So on present day Mars, the question is obviously, a, where would this, it was Jim Green last hour who was describing the weeping, right, this liquid water and the question is then could there be life currently on the red planet? What do you think?

WILHELM: Yes, I mean, I'm an astro-biologist so that's a question that drives all my research. So, and I think this is a really fundamental part of science and of questions that we ask as humans are, are we alone in the solar system and in the universe? And look at our neighbor Mars and we see that long ago it had a thick protective atmosphere, it had a protective magnetic field and may have even had oceans at one time. So it sort is tantalizing. We want to know was mars inhabited, is it still inhabited today? And these are questions that we at NASA are really interested in pursuing.

BALDWIN: If you could have, you know, let's call this dream vision, right, where like in your fantasy world, you could have one -- you do all this research. One question on about Mars answered, right now, what would it be?

WILHELM: Yes. I mean, I guess that question would be is there life on Mars today. That would be incredible to know and something I will work towards understanding in my career.

BALDWIN: Right. Well, Mary Beth Wilhelm --

WILHELM: Yes. I don't know what it look like air spike (ph).

BALDWIN: Keep going. Keep going. I love it and especially female scientists, rock on. Mary Beth Wilhelm, thank you so much. Best of luck to you.

WILHELM: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Coming up, Donald Trump unveiled his new tax plan today. Then he sat down with my colleague Erin Burnett. We'll get Erin up here onset. She will have details of her in her interview that just quickly turning around for us. Why Donald Trump says he's OK with paying more under his new plan.

Plus, breaking news from Capitol Hill. Just three days after Speaker Boehner stunned America by announcing he will step down, we have news on a possible replacement. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:40:00] BALDWIN: Got some news just in here with CNN. House majority leader Kevin McCarthy has announced he's running for the speakership to replace house speaker John Boehner.

And let me go straight to our senior political reporter Manu Raju who is live from Washington. What precisely has he said, Manu?

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: He said that's what exactly he is doing. He's running for speaker of the house. And we have known this since John Boehner made that very surprising announcement on Friday he was going to resign at the end of October. McCarthy, of course, is Boehner's number two. The current house majority leader. And he comes into this race really as the person that widely considered to assume that speakership position. He's the heavy favorite. He has deep relationships throughout the house Republican conference.

But the challenge and the question for him is whether or not he can also win over those same conservatives who did not like John Boehner. Members of the house freedom caucus that are roughly 30 members or so of this group. And what McCarthy needs to do is limit defections to no more than 29 votes. And that's going to be the big number we're going to look at in the coming days as he locks down support. But expect right that he is the heavy favorite. He just needs to make sure that he prevents any of those defections from going in large number.

[15:45:16] BALDWIN: All right. Kevin McCarthy. Manu, thank you so much from Washington on that about that news today.

Meantime, Donald Trump, he may be losing some ground in the polls here, but he's getting specific about his campaign platform, specifically on taxes. The Republican front-runner is first but barely in this new NBC News/"Wall Street Journal" poll, just one point ahead of his competitor Dr. Ben Carson. This poll comes out as Trump releases details of his tax plan today. Bottom line, lower taxes for all including the wealthy who will lose some benefits under Trump's plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The bracket of 25, the big difference is many of the loopholes and many of the deductions which all and have been there for years are (INAUDIBLE) in many cases or have put there because a lot of the people that get these deductions are contributed to Hillary, they are contributing to Bush, they are contributing to every candidate but Trump because I'm not taking any money. I'm self-funding. And these people want these deductions. There will be people, we're reducing taxes, but believe me, there will be people on the very upper echelons that won't be thrilled with this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So that's how other folks would be affected. But what about Donald Trump himself? How would his tax plan perhaps help him?

Well, my colleague Erin Burnett got that question and he dodged it earlier today. You sat down with him just a little bit ago. You are back, by the way. Welcome back. Happy baby number two. So you asked him how he would be personally affected. What did he tell you?

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST, OUTFRONT: Well, you know, it is interesting. So he talks about how the wealthy are going to have problems with his plan, perhaps the upper echelon.

BALDWIN: Right.

BURNETT: But he's not very specific on what loopholes that they benefit from that he would close that really cost a lot of money. So the question I said is what would this do to you? You know, he says he's a billionaire, would this end up causing a lot more money. And here's how he answered the question.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I will probably end up paying more money. But at the same time, I think the economy will do better so I'll make it up that way. But I will probably end up paying more money. I believe in the end I might do better because I really believe the economy is going to grow beautiful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: So, Brooke, I mean, I think the question here is he used the caveat probably. A lot of people looking at this plan would say the answer needs to be most definitely because this plan is about slashing rates for everybody. That means he's really betting on growth making up for the difference. And that is a big question mark.

BALDWIN: That's the big question, running through her and (INAUDIBLE). And so, I'm wondering how? You know, yes, it would help people short-term, but long-term growth wise, job wise, deficit wise, he wasn't so sure.

BURNETT: Right. I mean, and you talk about he says companies have a lot of money overseas. They do. They have a lot of money. We have some major tax problems in this country on that. He's saying well, if they bring it back t it will create more jobs. George W. Bush did a plan like that. The estimates are about 92 percent of the money that came back to the United States went to shareholders. It didn't go to buying a building and factories. It didn't go to creating new jobs. So it's not a sure thing that doing something like that is going to necessarily create job growth.

BALDWIN: OK. This was a piece of your sit-down. We will watch for the rest of it. She's back at 7:00 this evening, "ERIN BURNETT, OUTFRONT" with Donald Trump.

BURNETT: Yes. We talk polls, Putin, Hillary Clinton, all of it.

BALDWIN: There you go. Thank you very much. 7:00 tonight, Erin Burnett, "OUTFRONT."

We are just one day away from a woman being executed on death row in the state of Georgia. She was convicted of convincing her lover to kill her husband, but still her kids say on this night before she's to be put to death she should be spared. We'll speak live with a woman who actually served time with her about how she says she's changed behind bars.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:53:05] BALDWIN: Very shortly, President Obama and Russia's Vladimir Putin will meet for the first time in just about two years. It comes just a short time after they toasted. Here they were at lunch today at the United Nations general assembly. President Putin also met with Iranian president Hasan Rouhani. During the show, Rouhani spoke with CNN about the criticism from the public end about the Iran nuclear deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HASSAN ROUHANI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Some of it was quite laughable. It was very strange. The things that they spoke of. Some of them wouldn't even know where Tehran is in relation to Iran. Some didn't know where Iran was geographically. Not distinguishing one is the capital of the other. So what they spoke of was quite far away from the truth. So the people of Iran were looking at it as a form of entertainment, if you will. And found it laughable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Again, the meeting between President Obama and Putin happening in just about an hour from now here in New York. Stay tuned to CNN for coverage of that.

Meantime, a mother of two convicted of conspiring to have her husband killed will become the first woman put to death in Georgia in 70 years. Hours ago a judge denied a motion to allow Kelly Gissnedaner to live. There was pressure to have her spared, pressure coming directly from her children, the children whose father she is accused of having killed, convicted of having helping hand on that. Getting down a sentence 18 years ago for recruiting her lover to kill her husband and has already come close to execution actually twice this year. She is now set to be put to death tomorrow night.

And joining me now is Nikki Roberts. Nikki served time with Kelly Gissnedaner in prison for a number of years and says Kelly really actually proved to be a positive messenger, a positive person in Nicki's life.

So, Nikki, thank you so much for joining me.

[15:55:01] NIKKI ROBERTS, SERVED WITH KELLY GISSNEDANER IN PRISON: Thank you for having me, Brooke.

BALDWIN: First, let's just set up how the two of you met. I mean, talk about a unique situation. And here you were, you were behind bars. You were incredibly upset from what I understand. And you hear this voice coming at you through a heating vent at this high security female prison. Tell me what you heard.

ROBERTS: Well, Brooke, I heard something that I definitely had not heard in the time of me being incarcerated. And that was positive messaging. And that was hope. I didn't know it was coming from someone who was under a condemned death state at the time as I was trying to take my own life. But it came from Kelly Gissendaner, the voice. And the words spoke very clearly to me about don't wish death on yourself. Don't give up your power. God created you for more than this. And to hear that -- and it wasn't a messaging about God.

I'm a preacher's child. I grew up in church hearing about god. It was the purpose driven message, a message that spoke to worthiness that I had very little of self-worth at the time about what I was to do and what I could do and how I could do other things while still incarcerated had not been spoken to me, Brooke, at all.

BALDWIN: So here she is, you haven't even met her. Here's this voice telling you to want to live, to have the will to live. You end up knowing her off and on behind bars between 2006 to 2013. And here she is this is the day before she is supposed to be executed on Georgia's death row. She is someone who apparently, you know, got to talk her lover into killing her husband. And there is this sense, you know, from a number of people trying to grant clemency. But why do you think?

ROBERTS: Well, she deserves clemency for the mere fact that she has made atonement for her sins, for her wrongdoing. She's very remorseful. I definitely have been a part of the prayers for the Gissendaner family. I've spoken with the children, Kayla Gissnedaner especially. And who are begging for their mother to be spared from death. She is a human being.

BALDWIN: But they didn't always feel that way, which is I think important to point out, Nikki. I mean, I've been talking to folks close to this and I know that the children have been at the prison today and we haven't been able to be in touch with them because they aren't, you know, allowing cell phones in the prison. But these children didn't always feel this way about their mother. Obviously they loved their father, but that has changed. ROBERTS: That has changed and that's what's significant. They lead

the way in this talk of redemption. When we talk about being able to forgive and being able to grant mercy to someone who's done wrong to us who has violated us. And Kelly has definitely, again not only been remorseful but been appreciative of her children sort of accepting her again. And I could only imagine what that's been like for them. But for them those children to stand up and say I accept you, I love you as my mother. I feel like I haven't had enough time with you. I feel like if dad was still alive, dad being the slain Doug Gissendaner who was killed by the hands of Greg Owens, that he wouldn't want my mother executed because he knew how much she would mean to us and that absence of having both parents gone.

I just would hope that there could be some way -- I could only imagine that there may not be closure per see for the victim's family, but if we could look at some other alternatives. Life without parole is certainly what we're asking for with clemency. For Kelly to die naturally in prison where she can continue to be an example to other female inmates, the staff, the security that's come forward. And that she could also have supervised visitation with her children.

BALDWIN: Well, the hearing did not go her way this morning. And just in my final 30 seconds with you, you know, whether she is executed tomorrow which it sounds like according to these hearings that will happen, 30 seconds, Nikki, what mark has she forever left on your life?

ROBERTS: She's left a great mark on my life, Brooke, that I have continued to be positive and to make great changes. I don't live up to labels or live down to them. But it's so hard for me to get a pat on my back when the one who influenced me will soon be put to death, maybe. There's still hope. As long as she's still alive there's still hope.

BALDWIN: Nikki Roberts, thank you so much for joining me. My best to you.

And thank you all for being with me. I'm Brooke Baldwin. "The LEAD" with Jake Tapper, starts right now.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: President Bush once famously said that he look into Vladimir Putin's eyes and got a sense of his soul.