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Massive Earthquake Strikes South Asia; Carson Leads in New Iowa Poll, Sends Trump on the Attack; Ben Carson Compares Abortion to Slaver; OSU Parade Crash: 25-Year-Old Suspect Due in Court Today; 5 Dead, 1 Missing in Whale-Watching Accident. Aired 9-9:30a ET
Aired October 26, 2015 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00] CUOMO: That's what I'm talking about.
CAMEROTA: 21 inches long? Yes?
PEREIRA: Baby.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was the size of two diapers. Three weeks old.
(LAUGHTER)
CAMEROTA: That is a proud father.
CUOMO: He gets that from you.
PEREIRA: Congratulations. Bring him in. Bring him in.
CAMEROTA: Great job.
PEREIRA: All right. Why don't we head to the "NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello.
Our family is growing here at CNN.
CUOMO: Carol Costello, 11 pounds.
PEREIRA: Hey, now. Stop it. Look at him.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: You said I weighed 11 pounds at birth?
CUOMO: Eleven pounds. I read it in your bio.
COSTELLO: I weighed 13. Oh, my goodness. It's time to wrap this up. You guys have a great day.
NEWSROOM starts now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, Donald Trump throwing jabs at the new Iowa frontrunner.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Ben Carson is lower energy than Jeb, if you want to know the truth.
COSTELLO: But he's taking as many punches as he throws.
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: His position on immigration, six months ago, is nothing like what he's saying now. And even what he's saying now borders on the absurd.
COSTELLO: Can Trump fight the up and comers?
Also, a deadly day at sea. A whale watching boat capsizing off the Canadian coast, killing four people. How did it happen?
And horror at homecoming. A car rams into parade watchers, killing four. Today, the suspect faces a judge. What was she doing in the hours before the crash?
Let's talk. Live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.
We begin with breaking news. The death toll rising after a massive 7.5 earthquake strikes South Asia. We're getting new images of the rubble, collapsing structures, and the potential of widespread disaster across Afghanistan and Pakistan.
News agencies are reporting dozens of deaths. 12 of those killed were schoolgirls killed in a stampede as they tried to exit their school. They were crushed in a stairwell.
The quake's epicenter was in northern Afghanistan but tremors were felt hundreds of miles away.
CNN's India bureau chief Ravi Agrawal is live in New Delhi with more for you.
Hi, Ravi.
RAVI AGRAWAL, CNN INDIA BUREAU CHIEF: Hi, Carol. That's right, the tremors were felt far and wide, especially here in India, where I am, in New Delhi, which is about 750 miles south of the epicenter of today's earthquake. And where I am here in this news bureau, we're about seven stories up in this apartment building and it was shaking. The walls were shaking. We could see the lamps swaying around us.
And when you looked out of the window, you could see people rushing out of office buildings, as well, trying to -- you know, panicking, trying to get somewhere that was out in the open. But much closer to the epicenter, we've also been hearing from our teams closer. So in Kabul, when we spoke to our producer there, he said that this was actually the worst earthquake that he had ever felt. People were really panicking. The walls were shaking. Everyone was
running out of whatever buildings they were inside because they were so panicked about the severity and the intensity of the earthquake. And that's just in the big cities that we're learning and hearing about what's been going on. But further up, in the north of Afghanistan, where we actually don't have much comm., that's where we're beginning to get news of people who've been killed.
You've just mentioned the 12 girls who were killed in a stampede in a school in the northeast of Afghanistan. That's what we're the most worried about right now. Hearing more stories like that, of people panicking as buildings and structures around them begin to crumble. And that's where people tend to die in earthquakes like this.
COSTELLO: All right. Ravi Agrawal, reporting live for us this morning. Thank you.
Hillary Clinton turns 68 years old today but her best birthday gifts may be coming from squabbling Republicans. Ben Carson takes the lead in Iowa and takes the heat from Donald Trump. He's now simmering in second place and ready to draw blood.
Here's the Donald from last hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Bush is very embarrassed. Carson is very embarrassed by what happened to him in New Hampshire because he's getting killed in New Hampshire and plenty of other places.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Marco Rubio scoffs and slashes in a CNN exclusive. Listen to him dismiss Trump and the immigration plan that electrifies Trump's supporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUBIO: Well, now his rhetoric is a little louder but if you think about where he was six months ago, his position on immigration six months ago is nothing like what he's saying now. And even what he's saying now borders on the absurd. He's going to deport all these people and then he's going to allow back in the ones that are good. His plan makes no sense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Jeb Bush fires up a crowd, but can he pry open their wallets? With his massive war chest running low, Bush tries to harness the presidential clout of his father and brother to rejuvenate his -- fundraising, rather, and Chris Christie feeling the bite after barking inside Amtrak's quiet car. Did you hear about this?
[09:05:02] The boisterous New Jersey governor is sent packing after mistakenly violating the sacred silence of the quiet car. Passengers got angry, he was talking too loudly. And they have the conductor kick him right out into the quiet car and into the cafe car.
Right now Donald Trump is front and center at a town hall gathering in New Hampshire. He has slipped to second in another early voting state. He gets a boost in one new poll out this morning.
Joe Johns is our senior Washington correspondent. He joins us from that gathering in Atkinson, New Hampshire.
Good morning, Joe.
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Donald Trump giving his characteristic almost stream of consciousness performance here in New Hampshire this morning. Loaded with one- liners. Slamming the media, playing up the polls that show him leading, playing down the polls in Iowa that show him trailing Ben Carson. And after that, giving an interview with NBC in which he renewed his concerns about t he U.S. accepting thousands of Syrian refugees, saying it could be a danger to the U.S. homeland. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: This could be the greatest Trojan horse of all time. We're going to take them in and put them in our country. It's going to cost, Matt, billions of dollars. It was just reported, over a 10-year period, doing that is going to cost -- I said, if that happens, I'm sending them back. It shouldn't happen --
(CROSSTALK)
MATT LAUER, HOST, "TODAY" SHOW: But words matter. You just said it yourself.
TRUMP: But, Matt, let me tell you.
LAUER: You just said it could be a big Trojan horse.
TRUMP: Could be.
LAUER: It probably isn't.
TRUMP: No, probably.
LAUER: And they're all going back?
TRUMP: Matt, probably is not acceptable. The word probably is not acceptable. These people could be ISIS. They could be fighters. They could be doing something. That's why I say, it could be a Trojan horse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: Trump also this morning here in New Hampshire attacking Ben Carson once again as a low energy candidate. A new AP poll suggests that Donald Trump is seen by 7 out of 10 Republicans as the most electable candidate -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Interesting. Joe Johns reporting live from New Hampshire this morning.
And in the meantime, Ben Carson, you heard Joe mentioned him, with his soft voice and warm smile is basking in the lead. Iowa evangelicals love Carson, and this is why.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've allowed the purveyors of division to make mothers think that that baby is their enemy and that they have a right to kill it.
Can you see how perverted that line of thinking is?
During slavery, and I know that's one of the words you're not supposed to say, but I'm saying it. During slavery, a lot of the slave owners thought that they had the right to do whatever they wanted to that slave. Anything that they chose to do. And you know, what if the abolitionists had said, you know, I don't believe in slavery, I think it's wrong, but you guys do whatever you want to do. Where would we be?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: All right. Let's talk about this. With me now, political -- CNN political commentator and op-ed columnist for the "New York Times" Ross Douthat. Also with me, CNN political analyst and editor- in-chief of the "Daily Beast," John Avlon.
Welcome to you both.
JOHN AVLON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Carol.
ROSS DOUTHAT, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Good morning. So, Ross, you just heard what Carson said. Evangelicals seem to love this. Is that why he's up in Iowa?
DOUTHAT: Yes. I mean, I think it's a combination of three things. One is his life story, his amazing background. The second is actually the style that Trump is now attacking him for. I think that, you know, Trump is right, Carson is a little bit low energy, especially compared to Trump, but he is -- you know, what you were saying about his soft-spoken graciousness. I think a lot of voters find that appealing and attractive.
And weirdly, Trump and Carson can both do well in the polls because they're appealing to very different groups. Carson is appealing to people who like Carson's style and Trump is appealing to people who like Trump's style. And then finally, you have things like the clip you just played, which is that Carson is saying the kind of things that, frankly, are sort of commonplace things to say in the pro-life movement among religious conservatives.
And in comparison between abortion and slavery, you can hear all the time, but you don't usually hear presidential candidates saying them. And I think, again, especially in a state like Iowa, a lot of evangelicals like hearing that from someone running for president.
COSTELLO: OK. So let's concentrate on the low energy accusation by Donald Trump, John. Because this is the way Ben Carson fought back. He delved into his youth and said, I almost stabbed someone in my youth. Now I've changed. I just found that kind of a strange response. But is it effective?
AVLON: Well, it's an unusual element of biography, but I think, presumably, all of a sudden, makes his mellow demeanor sort of a road to Damascus moment as opposed to a terminally low energy state of mind or state of being. But I mean, you know, I think Ross is discussing that's worth delving a little deeper into, which is the style versus substance issue.
[09:10:07] Yes, he is a gracious demeanor and obviously very accomplished as a surgeon. But if beneath that gracious demeanor, you compare abortion to slavery, you compare Obamacare to slavery, you know, you're dropping Hitler references and slavery references all over the place, how gracious is that really? And when 70 percent of the Republican Party is saying that that's perfectly a reasonable thing to say, does Ross want to associate himself with that, or does he think that's a problem inside the Republican Party that needs to be addressed?
COSTELLO: Ross, do you?
(LAUGHTER)
DOUTHAT: I'm just a humble analyst, Carol. I don't associate myself with anyone.
(LAUGHTER)
AVLON: You're much more than that. Don't be so modest.
DOUTHAT: Since John's nightmare Republican primary at the moment, right? Because it's -- at the moment.
AVLON: No. It's a circus.
DOUTHAT: Between Trump and Carson, covering the waterfront of eccentric and extreme GOP views and comparisons and analogies, and neither men has much of a filter, and with Carson, it's sort of gracious and soft spoken, and with Trump, it's noisy and belligerent, but both of them say things that are outside the mainstream. And I mean, no, I wouldn't associate myself with Carson comparing Obamacare to slavery and I think that these kind of comments will eventually catch up to him.
I think once you get to a point where voters are really paying attention, where you have a narrower field in the debate and where people are starting to think, OK, we're really going to nominate this person, I'm very skeptical that the whole -- the combination of being soft spoken and saying slightly wild things will actually work. But if you're trying to win 25 percent of the vote in Iowa, which is what it will take to win a primary there, I think it could very well work caucus.
COSTELLO: OK. Well, let's --
DOUTHAT: In the caucus.
COSTELLO: Last question -- yes, the caucuses. I just want to concentrate on Iowa before I bid you both adieu. So, John, Rick Santorum won the Iowa caucus in 2012. Why do we continue to care so much about Iowa?
AVLON: Well, I mean, Iowa is a great state. Republicans, above all, approach -- appreciate tradition. It's actually a very representative state in the general election. The problem is, as Ross just indicated is, that the caucus system that's taking a third of the Republican cohort, which is only a third of the state. So it can have these unrepresentative results. I think the problem is, perceptions of Iowa and the caucus end up distorting candidates' tactics, their strategy, even the way they ignore general election electability or even their true beliefs and attempt to pander to what would otherwise be a fringe cohort.
That distorts the national debate because we spend nine months walking up to it, and it gives an unfair impression even on the Republican field. So the problem isn't Iowa. I think it's the caucus system that ends up elevating one-third of the third of the citizens who are Republicans. That's the distortion.
COSTELLO: Interesting. OK --
DOUTHAT: And in fairness to Iowa, Rick Santorum did actually ran pretty well against Romney.
AVLON: Yes.
DOUTHAT: And given the options that they had, if not Romney, Santorum might not have been the worst one.
COSTELLO: All right --
DOUTHAT: I'm just saying, I mean, they could have picked Herman Cain. Well, actually maybe they -- you know, you follow me.
COSTELLO: I do. I have to leave it there. Ross Douthat, John Avlon, thanks to both of you.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, a day of celebration turns tragic. The driver of that OSU parade crash due in court today. A friend of the couple who was killed will be with us after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:17:32] COSTELLO: To that deadly crash during Oklahoma State University's homecoming parade. This morning, a new horrific image of the aftermath. The impact also caught on camera. I want to warn you, you might find this disturbing.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
COSTELLO: The woman behind the wheel of that car due in court today. You heard the impact. You heard the screams from the video.
Her name is 25-year-old Adacia Chambers. She's now facing multiple murder charges. She's been accused of being under the influence, but a lawyer said that's true, claiming she suffers from, quote, "mental illness".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY COLEMAN, ATTORNEY FOR ADACIA CHAMBERS: It's been shared that there were several days that she would go without sleeping, a very uneasiness about her, uncertainty about her future, her perception about herself, her perception about what others thought about her. She wasn't a drinker. She wasn't a person known to do drugs. In fact, the only things I've gotten from folks has been, you know, these are Christian people. Her entire family are Christian people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Overnight, students gathering on campus to light candles and pray for the victims. The youngest, 2-year-old Nash Lucas. Nikita Nakal, a visiting MBA student, also killed. And retired OSU professor Marvin Stone along with his wife, Bonnie.
With me now is Paul Weckler, a friend of Bonnie and Marvin Stone.
Mr. Weckler, thank you so much for joining me this morning.
PAUL WECKLER, FRIEND OF VICTIMS: Thank you for having me here.
COSTELLO: First of all, tell us about the Stones.
WECKLER: Well, I first met Marvin over 30 years ago, when I was looking at graduate school. He recruited me to come to Oklahoma State as a PhD student. He was one of my PhD advisers, and just a mentor.
And later on, back in 1999, he, again, was one of the reasons I came back to Oklahoma state to be a faculty member in the same department with him. So, I've known him and Bonnie for over 30 years.
COSTELLO: Just the way it happened, this car suddenly plowing into a whole bunch of people who were having fun and enjoying the day. It must seem surreal to you.
[09:20:04] WECKLER: I was in town on Saturday. I knew something bad had happened. I heard there was an accident at the parade. My kids have been in that parade at least a dozen times with our local county 4-H Clubs. I've been in that exact spot, picking up 4-H kids off the floats.
Yes, Stillwater is a small town and it was hard to get information because it was such a crazy scene. I knew it was bad when I kept seeing more and more medical helicopters flying into town.
COSTELLO: So, you'll be teaching classes this morning?
WECKLER: Yes. I've got to teach class later this morning, in the same department that Marv was a professor in for almost 30 years. He's one of the most outstanding faculty members at Oklahoma State. He was awarded the Eminent Faculty Award several years ago. But also one of the most humble men you'd ever meet. And so, just truly revered.
COSTELLO: What will you say to your students?
WECKLER: You know, I'm still -- I'm still trying to figure that out. It's going to be a difficult morning. Marv was beloved by all the students that have had him for decades and decades. He and Bonnie were just such a close couple. For over 20 years, they ate lunch together in our department lunchroom. And so, it's just been a tough day here.
COSTELLO: Paul Weckler, thank you for joining me on a difficult morning. I do appreciate it.
A boatful of --
WECKLER: Thank you.
COSTELLO: You're welcome.
A boatful of tourists capsizes off the coast of British Columbia. The pictures are quite shocking. Twenty-seven people were onboard this whale watching boat. At least 5 of them died, one is still missing, 21 were rescued from the frigid water.
The owner of the whale watching company says it is cooperating with Canadian investigators to find out how this could have happened.
CNN's Boris Sanchez is covering the story for us.
Hi, Boris.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
We just learned a few moments ago, I should tell you, that those five people that were found passed away on the shores of Western Canada are all British citizens. We got that information just a few moments ago. We're still working to learn more about it.
Right now, the focus is still on that one person that's missing. Investigators are also looking at how exactly this boat was capsized. Witnesses told them that yesterday was a clear, beautiful day. So, there's no indication as to the weather playing a role in this incident. It's clearly a long investigation ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ (voice-over): Breaking overnight, a popular whale watching tour boat capsizing and sinking off the coast of Tofino, a small costal town on Vancouver Island. This morning, five passengers dead and one remains missing after the Leviathan 2, a 65-foot tour boat run by Jamie's Whaling Station and Adventure Centers, sank while carrying 27 people. Twenty-one rescued as the desperate search for survivors continued through nightfall. More than a dozen have been treated at local hospitals.
According to Canadian rescue officials, the vessel making a distress call late Sunday afternoon on what witnesses describe as a clear and sunny day.
JOSIE OSBORNE, MAYOR, TOFINO, CANADA (via telephone): It was a beautiful day here in Tofino, and there were -- there were some big swell on the ocean but one don't know anything about what may have happened at the scene.
SANCHEZ: Search officials eventually locating the capsized boat eight nautical miles west of the tourist town. The cause of the accident not yet known.
Today, the transportation safety board of Canada deploying a team of investigators to the scene. According to records from the TSB, the boating company that operated the whale watching tour also had a fatal incident in 1998.
This as the mayor of Tofino commends residents for their outpouring of support. "Tofino's thoughts and prayers are with the passengers, crew, emergency responders and their families. Thank you all for your messages of support."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Now, Jamie's Whaling Station and Adventures Center, the company that operates this tour also put out their own statement, in part, calling yesterday a tragic day and also writing, quote, "Our entire team is heartbroken over this incident and our hearts go out to the families, friends and loved ones of everyone involved. We're doing everything we can to assist our passengers and staff through this difficult time."
They also go on to write, "We are cooperating with investigators to figure out exactly what happened."
You can imagine, they will be pressed to find out more about the crew that was leading this tour, Carol.
COSTELLO: Yes, because it's just -- because your first inclination to ask is, was it a whale?
[09:25:01] Is there any indication it was?
SANCHEZ: None so far, but, obviously, that's something investigators will look into.
COSTELLO: All right. Boris Sanchez reporting for us. Thank you.
Still to come in THE NEWSROOM: U.S. commandos on a dramatic rescue mission. New video this morning as hostages are rescued from an ISIS prison. I'm only in my 60's. I've got a nice long life ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair says he's sorry for, quote, "mistakes" made in the Iraq war. In an exclusive interview with CNN, the high-profile foreign ally of President George W. Bush in that 2003 invasion apologized for mistakes in intelligence and planning, but he does not regret bringing down dictator Saddam Hussein.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[09:30:00] FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST, "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS": Given that Saddam Hussein didn't prove to have weapons of mass destruction, was the decision to enter Iraq and topple his regime a mistake?
