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Reaction to Democratic Presidential Debate; At Least Three Israelis Killed. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired October 14, 2015 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[00:00:00] JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL REPORTER: The White House, Martin O'Malley, Jim Webb, Lincoln Chafee, kind of put up a fight, but frontrunner Hillary Clinton and her main rival, Bernie Sanders, literally and figuratively took center stage. They covered a lot of issues a lot of topics but one of the most memorable exchanges embolden issue that Republicans have been hammering Hillary Clinton with her e-mails. And Democrats rallied around her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, PRESUMPTIVE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE: But tonight, I want to talk not about my e-mails but what about the American people want from the next president of the United States.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Senator Sanders?
BERNIE SANDERS, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me say this.
Let me say -- let me say something that may not be great politics. But I think the secretary is right, and that is that the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn e-mails.
CLINTON: Thank you. Me, too. Me, too.
SANDERS: You know?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And joining me here right now Mark Preston, Executive Editor of CNN Politics, Jeff Zeleny, our senior Washington correspondent, also U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
I'd like to start with you.
REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, (D), FLORIDA: Sure.
VAUSE: When you look at this debate, how do you feel? How did go for you?
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Oh I'm so proud of our candidates and of our party. You know, we got more done and had a more substantive discussion into one an a half hours and -- the Republicans had a nearly 10 hours of their first two debates. It was a clear opportunity to see A, the 45th in the United States America on that stage tonight and B, a discussion of how any one of our candidates would move our nation forward and build on the progress that we have made the Republicans who have proposed to take us backwards.
VAUSE: You must have an opinion about who finished this debate out on top and who did not.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: My opinion is not relevant. My job is to make sure that I can get our party ready to make sure that we can launch our nominee eventually to the White House and make to sure that I manage effectively a neutral nominating contest.
VAUSE: OK. One of the issues leading up to this is issue number debate. Some of the candidates had been asking for more after tonight. You just said it was a huge success. Would you think that motivates to be a good idea?
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Like I guess, we had a very robust and substantive -- and two and a half hours. There are five more, you know, down the pike and candidate forums as well as an up close and personal opportunity in the early primary states, which is critical during our nominating contest. You know, there's a variety of ways that voters can and should see our candidates debates are just one of those.
VAUSE: OK. Congresswoman, stay with us because I got a couple of questions for our CNN folk here. Jeff, we haven't spoken to you so far to night. So, you take in the debate. A lot of people scoring high marks for Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Clearly, Martin O'Malley not too bad. What's our take?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: I think there's no question on Hillary Clinton commanded the evening. She, you know, it was an example that experience matters. She's been through this rodeo many times before 25 times. If I remember from the 2007-2008 campaign which we all covered. So many -- she made it clear that she's ready to be president. That was her chief goal here.
I'm not sure though that they should be resting so easy to this e-mail controversy is behind them. Bernie Sanders of course basically gave her a lifeline. You know, saying enough of the damn e-mails, but that's maybe for a Democratic primary.
For a general election, for other voters out there, there are still questions here. But overall, no question, she commanded the evening. But Bernie Sanders, I think, did pretty well. It was his biggest audience ever. But I'm not sure he made as much an argument for his policies and didn't. Some of his supporters really wanted to see a distinction. I'm not sure that happened. Martin O'Malley of course, you know, we saw more of him than we seen ever before. But, I'm not sure he did enough on what he have to do, to sort of break out.
VAUSE: My impression watching this Mark is that essentially a lot of the campaign, not much has really changed. Hillary is still out in front, Bernie Sanders is still in the race, and then you got the three other guys.
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Right and I think that one name that we haven't talked about is Joe Biden. I think if Joe Biden was watching tonight, I think he got to be saying to himself, you know what, maybe I'm not going to get into this race, because Hillary Clinton was not damaged, she did look presidential, she did what she had to do. I do agree with Jeff, the e-mail controversy is something that won't play in the primary, potentially could go into the general election. We'll see what comes out of that. I think Bernie Sanders did well. But again, to Jeff's point, I don't know if he pushed it over the limit.
But again this biggest audience shed, he will certainly see some kind of bump in the polls, but the race really is a long way to go. There's a lot of road ahead of us right now.
VAUSE: And congresswoman on the issue of Vice President Biden if he was watching this tonight. What do you think is going, you know, was his calculation after seeing this tonight?
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Well I think he took a look at a field that I'm sure he'd be very proud of because, again, the contrast between the two fields couldn't be more clear. You know, I think he'll probably agree that voters won tonight because they get a chance to see, you know, our party and our proposals to build on the success that we've and, you know, all they've seen from the Republicans is, you know, folks trying out right-wing one another and, you know, talking about policies that would take us backwards to failed policies economically and who want to kick, you know, more and more immigrants out of the country and take away healthcare faster and shut the government down and backwards policy.
[00:05:00] VAUSE: Do you think he will look at a very strong Hillary Clinton and think will maybe this is not the right time?
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: You know, I think deciding whether you're going to run for president is a very difficult decision. There are a lot of factors that go into it and, you know, certainly, you know, where you fit in the field would be among those factors.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, John, what's interesting about was interesting about chairwoman --Debbie Wasserman Schultz said, she's not having in here. It answers questions about the candidates getting very personal on attacking one another. That's something the chairman of the Republican National Committee after our last debate had to do because we saw 11 people ...
VAUSE: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... on stage and they got very personal. It didn't get personal here tonight. There was some definitely policy, different scenario attacking each other, but it was over policy. It wasn't personal. And I think that's a distinction right now that we're seeing this race.
VAUSE: In fact, I talked to Martin O'Malley shortly after the debate and I said, you know, you're stronger in your written statements and certainly in the campaign trail that you are sitting right next to her he did not want introduce himself to this party, it was biggest audience yet by taking on a very popular person in the Democratic Party. Hillary Clinton is viewed in a strong light among Democrats, not this primary is all about.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Can I just add? You know, what our debate showed tonight was that coming out of our primary when we have a nominee that because we don't have a massive golf between our candidates on issues. It allows us to make sure that we can be unified and our candidates will rally around one another, you know, behind it -- behind the nominee and it will help us make sure that when we mobilize and organize we can put more power and assistance behind our eventual nominee and not the case on the other side.
VAUSE: And that's the thing. When you don't have a debate where you have, you know, the mudslinging and, you know, the insults flying and -- as you have on the Republican side, clearly, you're going to be looking at the genera election. You know, this is going to be much easier run for the Democratic Party than is going to be for the Republican, at least in terms of that.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Certainly not going to be easy. But, you know, I don't envy my counterpart on the other side of the aisle. He's going to have lot of messes to clean up, a lot of pieces to pick up. You know, let's put Humpty Dumpty back together when they have a nominee for us. You know, we have a unified effort and view that we've got a build on the successes we've had, help people reach the middle class and eventually that will make it easier for us to get behind our nominee.
VAUSE: And (inaudible) sort of debating who came out on top, who did better. I think there's pretty much a general agreement on who did really badly, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Listen, who did the work?
PRESTON: I don't think we should put the chairwoman in this position because I think she's actually going to answer the question. But let me do that -- let me do that for our audience around the word and I'm sure Jeff will back me up.
Listen, Lincoln Chafee, and I'm honest (inaudible) had more energy than I thought he would ever have on stage. It just, I mean, he just didn't resonate. I think Jim Webb for a lot of Democratic voters are looking and saying are you really a Democrat, I mean, because I don't necessarily know if he portrayed himself as a Democrat.
I think Martin O'Malley has another day to live. I mean he had a decent performance, but that what he needed was needed Hillary Clinton had a bad performance and he needed Bernie Sanders to flameout in some ways, and that did not happen.
VAUSE: OK. Mark Preston, Jeff Zeleny, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, thank you ...
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Thank you.
VAUSE: ... for being with us. We appreciate your insights. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Thank you CNN.
VAUSE: Thank you very much. Thanks guys.
And there were some moments when the front-runner were certainly challenged. Martin O'Malley went out to Hillary Clinton, her sense on that no fly zone in Syria even though the former governor endorse Clinton for President back in 2008. O'Malley says no-fly zone could increase U.S. tensions with Russia. Even using the words cold war, it was that exchange with Secretary Clinton.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTIN O'MALLEY, FORMER GOVERNOR MARYLAND: I believe that a no-fly zone in Syria, at this time, actually, Secretary, would be a mistake. You have to enforce no-fly zones, and I believe, especially with the Russian air force in the air, it could lead to an escalation because of an accident that we would deeply regret.
CLINTON: We are already flying in Syria just as we are flying in Iraq. The president has made a very tough decision. What I believe and why I have advocated that the no-fly zone -- which of course would be in a coalition, be put on the table is because I'm trying to figure out what leverage we have to get Russia to the table.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Let's bring our senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh for more on this. And so, Nick, we heard from Secretary Clinton that her plan is no-fly zone. It's all about leverage, trying to bring the Russians to the table. You spent a lot of time in Syria. How do you think that would work?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It does seem like a policy still being formulated in Hillary Clinton's head. I mean no-fly zone, yes, OK, that has been long debated by the U.S. military, a much more complicated task and they had the Russian air force in the air as well. You can have to delineate the space and then tell Moscow you can't fly there. Well, that's a tough challenge. But also too, she's putting in the context of we're going to think about that because we want to have leverage over the Russians so we can get them into the political mix to get a diplomatic solution out of this.
It does sound a little bit like I say a politics still being formulated inside her head. And frankly, it a bit by Hillary Clinton to try and look like she has something more decisive to add to the quagmire of Syria than Barack Obama.
[00:10:04] The White House very clear it wants to trail and equip as little as it really can to be said to be doing something but not doing so much distracting to the war. It's attacking ISIS from the skies with drones and jets, but it's definitely never going to put ground troops in there and probably never going to put much finance behind backing a rebel movement is often go (ph) elements of Al-Qaeda and its (inaudible). So Hillary Clinton here perhaps coming out with a policy that sounds decisive, sounds good and harks back to the 2012-2013 time when she and David Petraeus radicating (ph) a much more forceful American intervention inside of Syria. But, frankly, in 2017, if she becomes president and has to implement a Syria policy, well, things no changed and much no-fly zone is no really a longer talking point, but very definitively here trying to sound like she's going to bring something else to this mess that Barack Obama recent. John?
VAUSE: OK, Nick, thank you. Nick Paton Walsh live this hour in Beirut. And during this debate, Hillary Clinton defended her opposition to the transpacific partnership. That is despite supporting it while she was Secretary of State supporting it on 45 different occasions. Listen to what she had to say just a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: I did say when I was Secretary of State three years ago that I hoped it would be the gold standard. It was just finally negotiated last week and it looking at it, it didn't meet my standards, my standards for more new good jobs for Americans for raising wages for Americans and I want to make sure that I can look into the eyes of any middle-class American and say this will help raise your wages, and I concluded I could not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Our Asia-Pacific editor Andrew Stevens joins us now live from Beijing. So Andrew, listening to what Secretary Clinton had to say about this agreement she in fact she at the time she said it was the gold standard not that she hoped it would be. So obviously as a politician running for president her opinion has changed, but from an economic perspective and from a business point of view, you know, is this a good deal? Will this result in high wages and more jobs?
ANDREW STEVENS, CNN ASIA PACIFIC EDITOR: As one of those questions on the answer depends on who you ask, John. I mean if you -- if you talk about why the Obama administration wanted to do this, they'll say, absolutely that it does open up a whole new range of new jolt and specifically new markets, cheap markets across this Asia Pacific area, 12 countries and a lot of American goods can get into these countries now where they used to face tariffs in Texas. They're not going to face that anymore.
The unions on the other hand is saying, this is just going to be like NAFTA. 700,000 jobs will lost in the 20 years after NAFTA was introduced. That's the agreement between Mexico and Canada and U.S., the same is going to happen with this TPP, and jobs will be shipped offshore once again. So it's really -- it's a bit of the political football. You're right, John, that Hillary Clinton was a big support. But as we heard to say there that it didn't meet her gold standards anymore. She's siding with Bernie Sanders on this. It might be politics will play here as well.
One of the things she had said that what wiser about this agreement is there's no -- there's no provision there for currency manipulate is going, after currency manipulator. The countries can -- can unofficially push their currency down to make their goods cheaper, which would push Americans out of job on -- because it would be too competitive for them to produce it. That's one point she has made.
But generally, it really is considered broadly. A pretty good deal as far as trade is concerned. It is a massive deal 40 percent of the global GDP is involved in the deal, John.
But it was interesting really, that the China, that the TPP didn't really resonate in this debate. We heard very, very little about those two deals, particularly about China but also the TPP was really Hillary was the only one commenting on that.
VAUSE: Yeah Jim Webb was the only one who brought the issue of China and the South China Sea, what he called their aggression, but that was just an almost like an passing (ph) statement. Andrew, thank you. Andrew Stevens live this hour in Beijing, but an issue which did get a lot of oxygen. Immigration is been a hot topic of discussion among candidates from both parties. Let's listen now to Martin O'Malley in the different approach. The Democrats are taking on this issue in compared with the Republicans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O'MALLEY: I am for a generous, compassionate America that says we are all in this together. We need comprehensive immigration reform.
COOPER: Senator Webb.
CLINTON: There is such a difference between everything you're hearing here on this stage, and what we hear from the Republicans.
O'MALLEY: Here. Here.
CLINTON: Who have demonized hard-working immigrants who have insulted them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: OK, let's bring in CNN Espanol correspondent, one of the debate moderator is Juan Carlos Lopez. So, was that the answer that you're looking for? Is that what you're expecting?
JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, CNN ESPANOL CORRESPONDENT: I think is the answer they have given all along. That's what the Democrats have been saying for a long time. But the reality is there is no immigration reform.
[00:15:01] And one of the issues we brought up tonight was, for example, 2007, the White House, the Republican White House with the George W. Bush will wanted to go ahead with reform but it didn't pass in the Senate. Then President Obama came along. Immigration reform didn't happen. It was a bipartisan bill the Senate recently. It didn't happen. So, they say the right things, but we haven't seen action. VAUSE: So explain to our audience, explain to people who are not really familiar with how, you know, things work in the Congress, and, you know, with the U.S. government. Why is this issue so difficult, why is it so hard for these two parties to come together and agree on a solution.
LOPEZ: Because of the political consequences of passing immigration reform. So, one of the narratives is Republicans don't want to give this as a victory to Democrats because then they'll have the Latino vote forever. And then Democrats, some say, and this is speculation going around is that they don't mind having this as a wedge issue against the Republicans, so they might not always go the distance because this benefits in the future.
Reality is that Democrats control Congress and the White House. There was no immigration reform was being push. Now Republicans control it but the harder more conservative Republicans are not interested in this issue because a lot of people believe it's a law and order issue. If you break the law you should be punished. There's not a lot of discussion about how the people who come or are in the states because the immigration law has been reduced to very low minimum is that somebody is hiring them and somebody (inaudible) from that later.
VAUSE: Very quickly, there was a difference though between Bernie Sanders and Henry Clinton on this issue, right?
LOPEZ: Not really.
VAUSE: In terms of deportation and immigration that kind of stuff.
VAUSE: Yeah, they have -- they're saying -- I guess what they think voters want to hear, but it's obviously going to be up to -- if they make it to the White House to see if they do something.
VAUSE: OK. Juan Carlos Lopez ...
LOPEZ: Thank you.
VAUSE: ... thanks very much and congratulations, and good night.
LOPEZ: Thank you.
VAUSE: Appreciate it. A lot more from Las Vegas after show (ph) breaking including new post-debate reaction from the spin room. Find out which Democratic presidential candidate wishes he had some more time to speak. Also a big night for the Democrats running for president. Donald Trump had quite a bit to say. He was tweeting all night, and we'll have this reaction.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) [00:21:10] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought it was great night. I mean I felt that this is really a breakup moment for our campaign for most people watching at home. This is the beginning of the Democratic Party.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just -- would like to had more time here in order to make our cases, you know, these lateral thing about whoever challenges whoever is it makes it very difficult to get into the discussion.
SANDERS: I think the American people want substantive debate on the real issues that are affecting their families.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Through the Democratic presidential candidate Marin O'Malley Jim Webb and Bernie Sanders talking about how their first debate went. How they thought their performance. Welcome back everybody. I'm John Vause. We're joined now by CNN political commentators Hillary Rosen, who was a Democratic, S.E. Cupp, a Republican, and Rana Foroohar who is our economic analyst and also assistant managing editor with Time Magazine.
S.E., I want to start with you. We heard just Bernie Sanders saying Americans want a substantive debate about the issues. That's not what happen in the Republican debate, isn't it?
S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think a little bit certainly not the kind of debate we saw tonight. And it seem were very pleased that they were able to have a civil debate where they disagreed but not disagreeably which I -- I wish my Republican friends would take a lesson from.
Unfortunately, though, the state of politics, the climate of politics (inaudible) that's not entirely maintainable. You're going to have to. If you're Bernie Sanders and you actually want to you usurp Hillary Clinton instead of just sort of competing with her. He's going to have to really take her on and a lot more substantive ways than he did tonight.
Martin O'Malley tried but Martin O'Malley didn't, you know, didn't have as impressive a night as I think Bernie Sanders.
VAUSE: Hillary Rosen's response that. Do you think at some point if Bernie Sanders wants to win this thing he's going to have to hit Hillary Clinton hard?
HILLARY ROSEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah I think tonight was there, you know, they were both setting a tone, both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. I mean Hillary took some shots at him overdone. He took some veiled shots at her over that, you know, Glass-Steagall, which is our banking regulations.
Bu there's no question that as they go on the trail and in a go through a few more debates. This is going to get joined a little more intensely because the one thing that was clear tonight is that this is a two-person race right now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, I'm fascinated too that Wall Street didn't become a bigger issue between Sanders and Clinton, and particularly that he didn't called her out on some of the deregulation of the legacy of her husband Vera (ph). I don't if you thought some of that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah. I mean she got mean very defensive not in a not -- not a miscondescending (ph) way. She got very defensive about her record on Wall Street, and I think made a very passionate argument. But he had many opportunities ...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... to come back and challenge her on some of the -- yeah, in ways that I think the American people would really, you know, appreciate hearing. So, I think over the next five debate of the Democrats have, I think you're going to have to see more of that Bernie Sanders wants to really make a case that he can be an electable alternative.
VAUSE: So from a Republicans, Hillary, so from a Republican point of view though, anything happen tonight that would have change your opinion that that Hillary Clinton is still the most likely person who is going to win the nomination.
ROSEN: I think she did great tonight again. There were a lot of sort of unchallenged moments that I think she'll confront, but I think she did really, really well. And if anything maybe closed the door for Joe Biden. It did not look like Joe Biden needed to swoop in and rescue the party tonight. I mean change tomorrow. But tonight at least on the party looked OK.
CUPP: Well, next week Hillary Clinton is going to be testifying before the so-called Benghazi committee. So, she could get some big momentum over these couple of weeks. But, you know, I was talking at the Bernie Sanders people before, they're actually pretty pleased with his debate performance. He actually didn't prepare that well. He likes to think of himself. I think a little too much as an unconventional candidate. Perhaps what happened tonight may be missing a few opportunities means that he's going to go practice a little more for some later outings because he's got a message Democrats really like and, you know, he can be crisper in his delivery on it.
[00:25:11] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, S.E., I actually want to draw you out on comparing contrasting Carly Fiorina's style ...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... with Hillary. You know ...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... two women with very, very different debating style, different presence. What do you think about that? CUPP: Yeah, I mean, Carly knew to make the most of that opportunity. She fought her way into every conversation, which was hard to do with 11 people on the stage. Hillary Clinton had four other opponents. She has done 25 debates. She knows she's going to get her time. She was in the middle of the debate. She waited patiently for the most part. She took her moments. It was difference of necessity, I think. Hillary didn't need every second the way Carly did. And Carly made the most of every second in that debate.
VAUSE: Does any come out of this debate, which can be used later by the Republicans in a general election?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
CUPP: Yes. I mean I just saying earlier ...
VAUSE: Do tell.
CUPP: No, usually its Republicans were fairly criticized for running too far to the right during the primary and then having to correct unconvincingly for a general. I was very surprised at how left wing some of these candidates went tonight. I mean at the end of the debate, you have the candidates naming the enemies that they are most proud of and that included gun owners and coal miners and insurance companies and Republicans. They basically named the country.
So, I mean, that's going to be tough in the general for anyone of them to say, "OK, well, I thought my way through that liberal primary, but now I want to represent all of you." It was an interesting shift for Democrats.
VAUSE: (Inaudible) Hillary say good night. Do you agree -- do you think that, you know, as Republicans move to the right, Democrats moving to the left?
ROSEN: You know, Hillary Clinton gotten more progressive and, you know, as this primaries done on because that's where Democrats are. But I thought actually she modulated a few areas. She didn't, you know, she vowed -- she was avowed capitalist, right? She didn't go to, you know, she went out there and support small business. She was careful to be clear on, you know, national security issues that she was much more moderate.
You know, Bernie Sanders is who he is. He was always way to the left of much of the country. His task is to make people convinced that that's the right path from the middle class but I don't think Hillary Clinton actually went too far left.
VAUSE: Very quickly Rana.
RANA FOROOHAR, CNN GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST: Well, I think that that pivot too toward small business saying, you know, look we're not trying to reshape capitalism here. Let us just support small business. We don't need to tear apart Wall Street. That was a very good pivot on her part. VAUSE: OK, Rana Foroohar, S.E. Cupp, we appreciate it. Republican Hillary Rosen, a Democrat. Thank you for being with us. Thank you for your thoughts. You'll stay with us for a little longer. We'll take a short break here. A lot more from Las Vegas this hour long with some other major international news which we are following including move violence in Israel. We'll tell you about the steps the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to take to improve security.
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[00:30:20] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello, my name is Ruth (ph). I am a photojournalist.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello. My name is Deja (ph). I am a photojournalist.
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are just a small group of girls who escaped from Sinjar last August when ISIS brutally encroached upon their homes, killing and capturing many. They now heal through photography at a camp for displaced Yazidis.
Many hundreds didn't have the same chance. This video circulating online shows ISIS fighters selling captured Yazidi women. But for those who escaped, life to the lens captures tales of tragedy and hope. It is a chance to rebuild and to heal.
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VAUSE: Welcome back everyone. You're watching CNN's special coverage of the Democratic debate. I'm John Vause live in Las Vegas
ISHA SESAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And I'm Isha Sesay in Los Angeles. We'll have much more from Vegas in just a moment. But first, let's take a look at some of the international stories we are following for you.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says he'll head to the Middle East soon as clashes continue between Israelis and Palestinians. On Tuesday, at least three Israelis were killed and the violence is prompting the prime minister to search for ways to improve security.
In one attack, surveillance footage captured images of a man driving into a bus stop in Jerusalem. Israeli police released the footage in full and edit on Israeli T.V. CNN has edited out some of the material due to its graphic nature, still the images maybe difficult to watch.
Our Ben Wedeman has the story.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Chilling surveillance video catches the attack and all its graphic details. The car plows into a group of people. The driver jumps out and immediately starts hacking away with a meat cleaver before a man shoots him repeatedly with a handgun before he eventually dies. One 59-year-old man was killed and three people were wounded, one critically. The attacker, a Palestinian resident of east Jerusalem.
This was just one of five attacks in Israel Tuesday in a wave of what appear to be lone-wolf attacks now well into its second week and which has left at least five dead.
Under mounting pressure to take decisive action to bring it all to an end, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spent most of Tuesday in meetings with senior security officials.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translation): Israel will settle its account with the murders," he vowed, "with all those who attempt murder and with all those who assist them."
The attacks are taking place against a background of spreading violence in the West Bank where Palestinian parties declared yet another day of rage.
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WEDEMAN: In Bethlehem, one Palestinian was killed by Israeli fire Tuesday. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 30 Palestinians have been killed, including several of the attackers since October 1st.
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WEDEMAN: Israeli forces fired hundreds of tear gas canisters, sprayed hundreds of gallons so-called skunk water at a crowd of Palestinian youths.
Israeli troops have been dealing with this kind of clash for decades. Israel installed the Iron Dome system to stop missiles from Gaza. It built the separation barrier to keep out suicide bombers. But this latest wave of attacks -- Israel seems at a loss as to how to deal with it.
Harsh measures are under consideration, including sealing off Palestinian neighborhoods in east Jerusalem and accelerated demolitions of the homes of attackers -- measures that might bring the wave of attacks to an end, or might spark even more unrest.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, Bethlehem.
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SESAY: A criminal probe is underway in the Netherlands into last year's downing a Malaysia Airline Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine. 298 people were killed in that incident. The Dutch Safety Board on Tuesday revealed the conclusions of its investigation. Their reports says the plane was brought down by a surface-to-air missile made by a Russian company. [00:35:04] It did not determine who fired the missile. However, Ukraine's president is calling for the international tribunal to reveal the names of the people responsible for shooting the jet.
Turkish president speaking publicly for the firs time since the deadly bombings in Ankara. Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he feels his whole country was a target and he knowledge that was not enough security at the peace rally that day. 97 people were killed and 206 were wounded in the explosion at a train station in Ankara. So far no one has taken the responsibility but the government says it suspects ISIS.
VAUSE: And we'll have much more of the Democratic debate after a very short break, including Donald Trump. He was even the focus of tonight's debate. That's going to hurt but that did not stop him from trying to steal the spotlight.
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CLINTON: I just came by to thank you, because I know how hard so many of you are working for me. Audistine (ph), thank you for your leadership of my campaign. Thanks to each and every one of you. We're going to win
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Hillary Clinton speaking just a few moments after the first Democratic debate here in Las Vegas. Hello everyone, I'm John Vause along with our senior reporter for politics and media Dylan Byers. And one of the people who wasn't here kind of try to muscle his way into the action was Donald Trump. He promised that he'd tweeting throughout the night. Kind of let down.
DYLAN BYERS, CNN SENIOR REPORTER FOR POLITICS AND MEDIA: No, it's a total let down. He promised to sort of -- look, it's the first debate of the cycle that he's not on stage.
VAUSE: Yeah.
BYERS: And he was sort of pledging to make it about him once again by tweeting and sort of throwing punches on all the Democratic contenders. And he didn't do that, right. I mean his tweets were just sort of lame and tame and mild.
[00:40:00] VAUSE: So let's look at some of the tweets. So the first one we've got up here. This one came out, he said, "All very scripted and rehearsed too at least should not be on the stage." To be honest, I think everybody was saying that, especially when it came to the two candidates it should be there.
BYERS: Look there's political analyst or strategist who wouldn't tell you. Look, Lincoln Chafee, Jim Webb, Martin O'Malley, those guys have to prove why they're here. And there isn't single one of those strategist wouldn't tell you after the debate that they were very scriptive, right? So I mean he's not -- you would think that Donald Trump would be saying some very mean sort of bullying things. Some of the tweets you're seeing from him to candidates both Republican and Democratic throughout the last two months, but another is (inaudible) to make.
VUASE: And on that issue, I mean he had this tweet for Hillary Clinton and again it lacked the punch like the venom. He tweeted out the hardest thing Clinton has to there is defender bad decision-making including a Rockford e-mails et cetera. Again.
BYERS: That's probably what her strategist told there as well, you know. It's weird if you get the sense that the Trump is almost not even trying anymore. And of course he is still very much in the race. His hasn't given any indication that is intending to, you know dry powder or dial it back or be more civil, but yet, you know, you just (inaudible) from him.
VAUSE: One thing to do is follow his following his Twitter accounts, you know, periodically throughout the debate, it kind of retweeted a lot of ...
BYERS: I means of retweeting, yeah. If you follow closely and unfortunately I've had the phone close for (inaudible) time. He does a lot of his retweeting, right, so he'll get a follower, support or maybe has three or 30 followers who says, you know, Donald Trump you're the best. We love you. And Hillary tweet needed a lot of that tweeting other people's criticisms tonight. Some of the criticisms which were -- that were far more high-impact than his own.
VAUSE: OK. He also talked about, you know, there wasn't a style that came out of this debate. And again, most people would agree with that. But, you know, were voters looking for start to come out to this debate tonight?
BYERS: I, look, I think voters were looking for Hillary Clinton to do some things to prove, A, that she was sort of likable and authentic, but also to serve her that she can be commanding and presidential and he needed Bernie Sanders to also proved that he had wider appeal than his socialist base, but they were absolutely looking for Martin O'Malley, Jim Webb and Mike and Chafee to approve if not stars, that they were at least, you know, had some reason to be here.
So I do think people were looking for fireworks. I don't think anyone was expecting the sort of fireworks that the Republicans are put up in the first two debates with Trump himself is put up. But, you know, they want to see a show and there was some highlights must very substantive sort of, you know, tame debate.
VAUSE: One of the sort of lowlifes, I guess if you like was that Lincoln Chafee moment when he was washed about why he didn't -- how he voted, how he did and basically put a bunch of excuses was like, you know, the dog ate my homework and the car out of gasoline.
Surely, is that a sign that his campaign if they were really was a real campaign year, is it over? BYERS: Yeah. Look he didn't prove why he's running for president, right? I mean just sat in the spin room behind us recently and he's running almost no media attention. If you're serious about running for president, if you're coming in to one of six debates with absolutely no supporting the polls, you have to do more than come up with dog ate my homework excuses, and you actually have to go after some of the front-runners, if not Hillary Clinton then Bernie Sanders, and which is didn't see him doing any of that or at least doing that effectively tonight.
VAUSE: I guess one other thing as far as these other -- the other three guys, let's call them. I felt that they didn't really go after Hillary Clinton as much as everybody would have expected. I'm wondering why that was the case.
BYERS: Well a couple things. And in fact, I'd say that most poignant moment in the debate was when Bernie Sanders actually came to Hillary Clinton's defense on the e-mails. Look, I think there is sort of scared of going after her. I think they all also serve out of her depth. I mean, Hillary Clinton has been doing debates for a long time. She's been in politics for long time. It is not as easy to go after Hillary Clinton, as you think it might be. All of these guys are not -- not presidential contenders in the past and they're trying to prove their presidential contenders now, but the fact that they didn't go after Hillary Clinton didn't land the punch suggests they still have some work to do in their front.
VAUSE: Yeah. Interesting when you compare to 2008 when Hillary Clinton was debating, you know, John Abe (ph) was a trial lawyer and Joe Biden and Barack Obama a totally different feel (ph).
BYERS: This is a relative cakewalk for her. My feeling has always been that her greatest challenger is herself. Can she overcome the idea that she is an authentic, can she overcome the various scandals that reflect your campaign over the last few months. She is far more worried about doing that and communicating the American voters, and she is about, you know, eating Martin O'Malley or Jim Webb.
VAUSE: You're doing quite -- thanks for being with us.
BYERS: Thank you so much.
VAUSE: Appreciate it. Cheers. OK. So, Bill Clinton was not in the audience tonight, but what did the former president thinks of his wife's performance. Well, he had a tweet as well. He put this out, "I'm proud of Hillary Clinton tonight. She shows why she should be president." He also tweeted a picture of himself watching the debate from his hotel room.
Much more from Las Vegas just ahead including a look at the best and most memorable moments of the night.
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[00:47:19] VAUSE: Welcome back everybody. I'm John Vause here live from Las Vegas where the Democrats had finished their first debate of the 2016 campaign. Let's take a look at some of the highlights and the lowlights.
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CLINTON: I'm a progressive. But I'm a progressive who likes to get things done.
SANDERS: We're going to win because first we're going to explain what democratic socialism is. And what democratic socialism is about is saying that it is immoral and wrong that the top one-tenth of 1 percent in this country own almost 90 percent -- almost -- own almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent.
COOPER: Secretary Clinton, is Bernie Sanders tough enough on guns?
CLINTON: No, not at all.
SANDERS: This was a large and complicated bill. There were provisions in it that I think made sense. For example, do I think that a gun shop in the state of Vermont that sells legally a gun to somebody, and that somebody goes out and does something crazy, that that gun shop owner should be held responsible? I don't.
CLINTON: Senator Sanders did vote five times against the Brady bill. Since it was passed, more than two million prohibited purchases have been prevented. He also did vote, as he said, for this immunity provision. I voted against it. I was in the Senate at the same time. It wasn't that complicated to me. It was pretty straightforward to me that he was going to give immunity to the only industry in America. Everybody else has to be accountable, but not the gun manufacturers. And we need to stand up and say "Enough of that."
SANDERS: The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn e-mails.
CLINTON: Thank you. Me, too. Me, too.
SANDERS: You know? The middle class -- Anderson, and let me say something about the media, as well. I go around the country, talk to a whole lot of people. Middle class in this country is collapsing. We have 27 million people living in poverty. We have massive wealth and income inequality. Our trade policies have cost us millions of decent jobs. The American people want to know whether we're going to have a democracy or an oligarchy as a result of Citizens United. Enough of the e-mails. Let's talk about the real issues facing America.
CLINTON: Thank you, Bernie. Thank you.
LINCOLN CHAFEE, FORMER GOVERNOR OF RHODE ISLAND: If you're looking ahead, and you're looking at someone who made that poor decision in 2002 to go into Iraq when there was no real evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, I know because I did my homework, and so that's an indication of how someone will perform in the future.
CLINTON: I recall very well being on a debate stage, I think, about 25 times with then Senator Obama, debating this very issue. [00:50:03] After the election, he asked me to become Secretary of State. He valued my judgment.
It's always the Republicans or their sympathizers who say, "You can't have paid leave, you can't provide health care." They don't mind having big government to interfere with a woman's right to choose and to try to take down Planned Parenthood. They're fine with big government when it comes to that. I'm sick of it. You know, we can do these things.
We should not be paralyzed -- we should not be paralyzed by the Republicans and their constant refrain, "big government this, big government that," except for what they want to impose on the American people. I know we can afford it, because we're going to make the wealthy pay for it.
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VAUSE: OK, let's go more hour in the debate. Some of the highs and lows. Rana Foroohar, our CNN analyst, Eric Bradner, our CNN political reporter and Peter Beinart, again, our CNN political analyst. And Peter, I want to start with you. Was there anything which is lead down to this debate tonight? Were there some issues which they should going to do, which they didn't?
PETER BEINART, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I think it was less on climate change than what it might have expected. I think that Sanders was hurt by the fact that there wasn't as much on economic inequality as you might have like and what the conversation. It did take two places in the second half of the debate.
I think one of things that really hurt him was that the first part was about gun control and foreign policy so much two issues on which is weaker.
VAUSE: And as far as income inequality. This is something which ...
FOROOHAR: Well I agree with that. No. And in fact, I think it was interesting because he could have hit much harder on Hillary regarding Wall Street, the fact that she is very chummy with a lot of financiers and donors. He could have hit harder on the fact that a lot of the deregulation that led the aspect the 2008 crisis happened under her husband and that did not happen. I think he was little bit off his game in that respect.
VAUSE: OK. And Eric, we heard before the debate that Sanders -- Senator Sanders was going to play nice that he wouldn't attack Hillary unless he was attacked by her. I guess he lived up to that especially with that e-mail moment.
ERIC BRADNER, CNN ANALYST: Yeah he did. And really, I think he was taking it back in the beginning with the gun control moment when she really went after him was also like he was not prepared for that. He wasn't expecting that kind of direct challenge, but yeah with the e- mail moment he gave her a total pass which might not play well with general election voters would does with the Democratic primary voters who, while they might not think Hillary Clinton's progressive enough, they do still like her for favorability ratings with them are still high.
VAUSE: And Peter, in terms of foreign policy, Hillary Clinton seems to have a look in all of that. And this is one area where Bernie Sanders was meant to try and gain some ground improvement that he could be a president. Do you think he did that?
BEINART: No. He's not as good on foreign policy. I mean there are some vulnerabilities, for there, it's not just the Iraq war. She is more focused than were most Democrats are on issues like Syria, for instance, Afghanistan which they didn't really get into. But Sanders doesn't have the same level of confidence on these other issues. He speaks at a fairly high level of generality, she responds with the series of policy specific and then he can't really go back at her at that level of detail. I think that is what came out relatively unscathed from the.
FOROOHAR: Yeah, I totally agree with that and I think, you know, particularly when he was asked about when he would use force would you use force. He didn't seem like a commander in chief at that moment, whereas I think every time Hillary was asked a question about foreign policy, she had a set of answers. You got a sense she'd been there, she'd been in the room. There was a confidence that I think was unique.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, one of her moments is when she was talking about the Iraq vote. And noting the President Obama challenged her repeatedly on that in the 2008 election and said, well, you know, he criticize me for that but then he picked me as Secretary of State.
FOROOHAR: Yeah. Yeah that was strong.
VAUSE: That look to me like they've had a lot of time to work on the air so they -- what do you think?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. I mean it wasn't effective answer. If you think it doesn't entirely make sense. I mean Obama chose her to be a secretary of state to implement his policies, right? He's still fundamentally believe that she had a fundamental mistake or that. But I think that she was -- she get what you saw, again and again she hugged Obama close and that was also part of what distinguish Sanders. I think that Sanders was talking about much more fundamental change -- clear Hillary Clinton recognize that among Democrats, there's a strong degree of support for the parties leaders. It's like the climate in the Republican party or you want to tear things down and she used if Obama affectively to associate yourself with that.
VAUSE: Do you think that the -- the presence of Bernie Sanders and people like Elizabeth Warren, Senator Warren, are they dragging Hillary Clinton to the legislation? She's like income and inequality.
FOROOHAR: Well they certainly have, I mean particularly Elizabeth Warren. I think, you know, within the last year has definitely pushed her to the left. I thought what was interesting though is she retook some ground the comment about Denmark, look were not Denmark, you know. I mean the revolution is not going to happen. We're not going to be Denmark. We're large diverse country. You can't just import, you know, European social democratic policies wholesale.
I think she really gave Sanders a run for his money there and sort of took back some of that ground that maybe she been pushed into.
VAUSE: And Eric, (inaudible) politically the moment the candidates is I have to try and explain to people what a socialist is, that's not a good stuff.
BRADNER: No. It's tough. It's a tough sell to make.
[00:55:02] Bernie Sanders when he is explaining his basic ideology is not really going to earlier that. And you got this policies came out that most Americans would prefer to have an atheist or Muslim before they have a socialist as a president. Did Sanders do anything to change?
BRADNER: Well, interesting, though, if you look at younger American, millennial you actually find the socialist is more popular. I think that yes, the socialist may not sound good as Cold War memories, especially older Americans but actually, I think Sanders basic economic thrust is quite compelling, and the fact that he's willing to call the political system corrupt and the economic system rigged, I think is at the core of why liberals respond so strongly to him.
You notice that even when she's fairly close to him on policies, she doesn't make the same kind of indictment of the system as a whole and I think that's part of the reason that while he may seem radical to some general election voters that he released happen the court amongst progressive.
VAUSE: OK, Peter Beinart, we appreciate you're being with us, Eric Brander, Rana Foroohar, we'll see you next hour, I hope. I think ...
FOROOHAR: Yes.
VAUSE: ... you're sticking around with us.
FOROOHAR: Yeah.
VAUSE: And you'd been watching CNN's continuing coverage of this Democratic debate here and Isha, of course, as all these candidates now wrap up and they the campaign trail. We've seen an energized Hillary Clinton out there rallying the support already, and many people now believe that she may have done what she needed to do which is reset the conversation, get some energy and excitement back into her campaign.
SESAY: Yeah. It's going to be very interesting to see John what happens to the poll numbers the next time they come out. Very, very interesting indeed. I'm Isha Sesay in Los Angeles. John and I will be back with much more news right after this.
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