Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

2016 GOP Presidential Politics; Syrians Bike on Arctic Route to Norway; No Charges for Cop who Killed Teen; Wall Street Flat Ahead of Fed Decision. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired October 28, 2015 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:29:48] PETER BEINART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: The only thing that really bothers me is that I think a lot of these votes Rubio has missed not because he's out campaigning for votes but because he's out trying to raise money. And that I just think is a fundamentally massive problem in our political system. If he were actually going out and dealing with voters, but it's the fact that he's flying around to mansions all over the country, not him but the other candidates too and trying to raise money because you have to spend so much of your time doing that -- that seems to me the fundamental problem, but it's a problem which is bigger than him.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Ok, so let's move on to the -- go ahead, Ross.

ROSS DOUTHAT, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No, no. Go for it -- Carol.

COSTELLO: No, no. I wanted to switch topics and talk about --

DOUTHAT: No, I'm all for moving on. Let's move on.

COSTELLO: Ok, let's move on.

Let's talk about Donald Trump and Ben Carson because that presidential debate is going to be held in Colorado later tonight. And I think everybody will be looking at Ben Carson to give us something, to give us some substance. Do you think he will?

DOUTHAT: Substance or to hit back at Trump? I think that sort of what the media wants is for Carson to, you know -- Trump has sort of started to target Carson in part because Carson is actually pulling ahead of Trump in some polls. And so there's a lot of media appetite, I think, for Carson to hit back.

Whereas what's interesting about Carson's strategy overall is that it's premised on not hitting back at all. And sort of being low key, gracious, conversational, relaxed and not sort of getting into Trump's game. So that's -- on a strategic level, I think that's what people are going to be looking for and what will be interesting to watch -- this sort of clash of styles.

In terms of substance, I wouldn't expect a lot of real substance from Carson. He's doing well without delivering it to date. I think that will catch up to him, but I think it will catch up to him as the field narrows and as the actual primaries and caucuses get closer.

I think we're still sort of in the entertainment phase of the primary where saying things that suggest maybe you're not really ready to be president of the United States aren't going to put a big dent in his poll numbers yet.

COSTELLO: You see, Peter, I was taking the high road because --

DOUTHAT: You were. And I went low. I'm sorry.

COSTELLO: I was. You went low -- Ross. I was taking the high road because I actually do want to hear substance because there's going to be one main issue in this debate, and it's going to be the economy. And what these candidates would do to make Americans' lives better.

So shouldn't Americans want substance, not entertainment in this particular debate, Peter?

BEINART: Yes, but if you're looking for policy substance from Ben Carson, you're really barking up the wrong tree. I mean this guy makes Donald Trump look like a policy wonk. I mean he's stunningly ill-informed about basic aspects of American government and politics.

You know, what's interesting is that that has so far been a strength because it's part of his outsider persona. And because his, you know, his hostility to Washington and his kind of somewhat paranoid view about the way Washington and politics works has actually been appealing to people who are in an anti-establishment mood.

If you're looking for substance on policy tonight, I think you may get some from some of the other candidates, but I really don't think that's been Carson's strength.

DOUTHAT: Carol, if you want to look for the high road, I would look at if Rubio and Ted Cruz end up having a clash tonight, because I think -- I tend to think that Rubio and Cruz both have real strengths that will become more apparent in the polls as we get closer to voting. I think they have some actual differences on economic policy probably especially on taxes. So if there's going to be a clash that actually means something substantively, it might be between those two.

COSTELLO: Ok, I will keep my eye on those two. Ross Douthat, Peter Beinart -- thanks to both of you.

DOUTHAT: Thanks.

COSTELLO: You're welcome.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Syrian refugees head deep into the Arctic Circle on bicycles. They're trying to escape the country's civil war. We'll take you on their dangerous journey next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:37:51] COSTELLO: A Norwegian town just north of the Arctic Circle is on many tourists' bucket list to see the spectacular northern lights. It has also become a refugee for Syrians fleeing their country's civil war.

As senior international correspondent Arwa Damon reports many are getting there by pedaling rickety bicycles through icy weather and snow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: struggling to pedal on the fresh snow, the first asylum seekers to arrive on this day braved the bitter cold, cycling the last few hundred meters though some don't even bother to try. Russia only allows vehicles which includes bicycles to cross at this border into Norway.

We can easily see the Russian border crossing from here, but we've been asked not to film it because of sensitivities on the Russian side. The group of asylum seekers we just saw crossing are being processed, but Norwegian authorities do not allow the media to interview them at this stage in the procedures.

The first to attempt this arctic route were Syrians back in February, then only a handful at a time.

STEIN HANSEN, POLICE SUPERINTENDENT: The number has increased a lot since August this year. We went from 420 through all of August until now we are about 500 a week in October.

DAMON: The discarded bicycles still partially covered in plastic will be recycled, sold in Russia to the asylum seekers at about $200. They are of such poor quality they don't live up to Norway safety standards.

Most of those coming through here are Syrians and Afghans. They come to Russia on a visa or have residency. Eventually make their way to this remote crossing and into northern Norway temporarily housed in a recreation center dug into the side of a mountain. The skies darken by mid-afternoon -- just one of the many novelties.

[10:39:57] Heba's (ph) husband is already in Germany. He risked the sea journey from Turkey to Greece. But that was not an option for their children.

With a three-year visa to Russia when word spread about this route, Heba knew it was their best and most importantly safest option. The image of Aylan Kurdi who washed up on Turkey's shore over the summer is etched into every parents' mind. It gave Ahmed nightmares. His son is roughly the same age. But he, a civil engineer, was lucky enough to have the arctic option.

AHMED, SYRIAN ASYLUM SEEKER: It's not available to all people, that makes you feel bad. I have a kid.

DAMON: It's a deeply emotional time for the majority of those here. Many don't want to talk about the past. Don't want to be defined in that way, choosing instead to hope for a better future. Arwa Damon, CNN, Kirkenes, Norway.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, a South Carolina officer who shot and killed an unarmed teenager will not face charges. Next: the latest reaction from prosecutors and the family of the victim.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:45:49] COSTELLO: No charges will be filed against a South Carolina officer involved in the deadly shooting of an unarmed teenager there. Officials say Lieutenant Mark Tiller shot and killed Zachary Hammond during a drug investigation last July.

The officer told investigators he shot Hammond because he feared Hammond was trying to run him over with his car. CNN's Victor Blackwell is following this story. He has more for you.

Good morning -- Victor.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol -- good morning.

The solicitor in this case says that the shooting must be examined from the perspective of this officer, Lieutenant Mark Tiller, using the information he had at the time. The investigation found that he had about three seconds to determine if he was facing a deadly threat. He determined he was. The state agreed, and therefore no charges filed -- or the recommendation, therefore, of no charges filed in this case.

We've got newly released dash cam video. I want to set it up for you first. It's July 26th of this year. There's a drug investigation in Seneca, South Carolina. The silver car you're about to see on the right of the screen, in the passenger seat is Tory Morton. In the driver's seat 19-year-old unarmed Zachary Hammond. And Lieutenant Tiller is called in for backup. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put them up. Stop, stop, stop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: All right. So what you see there, Hammond ignores the officer's commands, drives off. The officer shoots into the car, state pathologist determined that Hammond was shot twice. The first shot in the chest killed him.

Now maybe you heard there, Lt. Tiller said he tried to hit me, and state investigators determined that Tiller, his fear that he would be run over was reasonable although they admit in a letter that was submitted from the solicitor to the state investigative department that the video is troublesome. Here's a part of that letter. "What may seem reasonable to any

of us who are not in the heat of the moment or at risk of losing our life is a far cry from an officer actually being in a tense situation where he is forced to make a split-second decision while facing a criminal assailant.

Hammond's family is said to be crushed. Their attorney, Eric Bland, who is a civil attorney, he said this just to CNN in the last minutes. "Lieutenant Tiller was never at risk of harm from Zachary's car, and even if it could be argued that he was, it was a risk he created by running alongside a car that was obviously attempting to flee the scene.

Zachary may have been guilty of evading arrest but this is not a capital offense in America and there was no need to execute Zachary in the Hardee's parking lot that night."

Now there were drugs found in Zachary Hammond's system, there were drugs found in his pocket, we're told. There is, of course, this federal investigation into the possibility of violation of civil rights. And we're expecting to learn more from this family's attorney as they are planning a news conference for tomorrow -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Victor Blackwell reporting live for us -- thank you.

BLACKWELL: Sure.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, is your credit card interest rate about to head higher? The answer might be coming soon as the Fed wraps up its latest meeting.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:53:36] COSTELLO: It's a fairly calm morning on Wall Street. You see there -- the Dow is up just about 103 points. The Dow turning slightly higher as the Federal Reserve wraps up a two-day meeting and investors likely have just one question, when will rates head higher?

CNN money digital correspondent Paul LaMonica is following this. So do you have the answer for us, Paul?

PAUL LAMONICA, CNN MONEY DIGITAL CORRESPONDENT: It's not going to be today. It might not even be in December. So people now betting it could be the spring of next year because the job markets had a bit of a stumble last month and the fed is still concerned about what's going on in China.

COSTELLO: So, you know -- you know, there was a lot of talk that the fed would raise the rate, like, next month, right, in October, but that's when the economy seemingly was doing well, but is the economy slowing down, and is that why?

LAMONICA: I think that might be part of the concerns. The economy definitely lost momentum in the third quarter. It does look like it's re-gaining some now in the fourth quarter which obviously usually happens ahead of the holidays. You do have strong retail sales typically.

But I think the Fed was disappointed by the weak job growth that we had in September as well as wage growth. That's really important because the Fed wants inflation to be a little bit higher than it is. And it's not right now because wages are pretty sluggish.

COSTELLO: So we probably won't -- so as you said, we probably won't see a federal rate hike for quite some time. And of course, that will make consumers happy because that means your mortgage rates will remain lower and also your credit card rates will remain lower, am I right?

[10:55:07] LAMONICA: Yes, it's a mixed bag, though. It's good if you're trying to take out a loan or if you already have one because rates are low. But there are a lot of savers, especially retirees that are being penalized for the fact that rates have been near zero for almost seven years now.

A lot of people want rates to go up because if you're saving money, then you actually get rewarded for saving. That's something that I think could come up in the Republican debate tonight because there are a lot of GOP candidates who have been highly critical of the Fed.

COSTELLO: Ok. We'll keep an ear on it. Paul LaMonica, thanks for joining me this morning.

LAMONICA: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Checking some other top stories at 55 minutes past. Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert could face up to six months in prison. That's the government's recommendation after the morning's guilty plea. Hastert admits to lying to investigators about millions of dollars in hush money. Hastert is facing another count of bank fraud, but his plea there remains not guilty. Hastert will reportedly be sentenced early next year.

Cue all the fish puns. More than half a ton of caviar shows up in one bizarre place -- a hearse. Police in Russia say men with a funeral home were smuggling the good stuff imperial class beluga caviar. That caviar goes for about $700 a pound.

Officials initially pulled them over for speeding when they say the driver claimed to be rushing to deliver a body. Police didn't buy it and searched it and they found the caviar stuffed inside the coffin. Russia banned the commercial fishing of sturgeon, the source of the caviar, back in 2002. But tons are still produced illegally every year.

It was a World Series opener for the ages. The Kansas City Royals took game one but not before a long battle with the New York Mets. It took 14 innings to muster a final score of 5-4. Game two is set for tonight in Kansas City.

And I want to update you on what's happening in space. Yes, actual space. Right now American astronauts Scott Kelly and Joe Lindgren are nearly three hours into their space walk. These are live pictures. They've got about 3.5 more hours to go.

This is the first spacewalk for both men. They're making repairs on the International Space Station. On their to-do list, that includes greasing the station's big robot arm, removing insulation and covering removing a dark matter detector. Pretty intense stuff -- right. And it isn't easy. It's also dangerous, but everything's going fine so far.

And finally: ridiculous pictures of cats shaking their heads that will leave you shaking your head. Here's Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: First, there was "Shake". Glorious photos of dogs shaking. Then came the sequel: "Shake Puppies". And now the sequel to the sequel: "Shake Cats."

From fur ball to hairless, 61 shaking cats, most from shelters, shot by a photographer who let animals get under her skin.

CARLI DAVIDSON, PET PHOTOGRAPHER: The saber tooth tiger, three- headed dog here.

MOOS: Carli Davidson was inspired by her beloved, slobbering mastiff, Norbert, since departed.

DAVIDSON: I would be on a little stepladder, like cleaning his drool off the walls.

MOOS: She took Norbert's photo shaking.

DAVIDSON: Face everywhere. There was, like tongue over here, there was some drool over there.

MOOS: And when humans drooled over her photos, she'd found her niche.

So, how do you get cats to shake? Well, they did not squirt them.

DAVIDSON: We captured the shake when we would clean their ears.

MOOS: Adding a drop or two of special ear cleaner --

DAVIDSON: Or just itch their ears. You know when you rub your cat's ears and they do that thing.

MOOS: For many furry mammals, shaking is an incredible drying mechanism. Rats shake about 18 times a second versus four times a second for dogs.

DAVIDSON: The secret is my camera shoots, you know, ten frames per second. So, I'm just laying down on the shutter the second I see the cat start to think about shaking.

MOOS: Carly couldn't resist showing off her own pet. DAVIDSON: Under that cover is my cat, Yushi. Look at that,

Yushi.

MOOS: But this is one tale we couldn't end --

DAVIDSON: Yes.

MOOS: Without tongues, the only celebrity cat in the book is Little Bob, famous for a tongue that perpetually sticks out due to a genetic defect.

Did you see that one cat kind of lick his eye?

DAVIDSON: Yes.

How crazy was that?

MOOS: The owner had predicted it.

DAVIDSON: And they were like, wah.

MOOS: This is a book that will have eyes rolling and tongues wagging.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Wow. Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello.

"AT THIS HOUR" with Berman and Bolduan starts now.

[10:59:57] JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: Will neurosurgeon Ben Carson be on the receiving end of political incisions? His first debate on top of the polls tonight -- just how far will Donald Trump go to retake the lead?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: And did she strike the officer. A mystery video apparently shows a very different side to the classroom --