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GOP Hopefuls Spar with Media over "Bias"; More Protests and Walkouts Planned at Mizzou; NASA to take Astronaut Applications. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired November 10, 2015 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:29:50] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: But for Carson the fight has been a lucrative one. He claims he's raised $3.5 million thanks to the scrutiny from what he says is a biased media. Just this morning Carson asked his supporters for even more money, saying the press is going off the rails.

But my next guest says, when you run for president, you don't get a break. That's how a democracy works.

David Zurawik is the media critic for "The Baltimore Sun". He joins me now. Good morning.

DAVID ZURAWIK, "THE BALTIMORE SUN": Good morning -- Carol.

COSTELLO: You're very familiar with Ben Carson. What do you think his demeanor will be like tonight?

ZURAWIK: you know, I think he's really embraced this feisty, going to war with the press persona. It's interesting because it's at odds with his kind of normal Mr. Rogers-delivery style, like he's talking to a classroom of children who can't follow what he's saying because he's so smart and we're not.

But this really combative tone that he embraced Friday night in that press conference in Florida after the stormy day he had Friday really started on CNN with Alysin Camerota's interview in the CNN piece, which I though was very good work and then the Politico story.

By the evening he was at war with the press. He's really upped the ante. For me I think it's a mistake. I think the graveyard of American politics is littered with the careers of people who have tried to run by running against the press, making that one of the central tenets of their campaign. Sarah Palin most recently. You can go back to Spiro Agnew if you want. How did that turn out?

So I don't think this is a great long-term strategy for him.

COSTELLO: Well, I think that Donald Trump might go on the attack. Because he's already poked fun at Ben Carson's story like, you know, he's poked fun at Ben Carson supposedly hitting his mother over the head with a hammer. Do you think -- but let's say Donald Trump does they go after Ben Carson's back story, how will Ben Carson he respond? ZURAWIK: Well, that's a great question -- Carol, because as you

know in the last debate, I was struck by how cozy Trump and Carson were. Even at one point Trump winked at him, like they were running a game together on this press conference.

I don't think Trump wants to go after Carson face-to-face. I can't wait to see the dynamic of that tonight if he does go after him face-to-face, how Carson comes back at him. I mean that is one of the story lines.

But a lot of these -- I have to say, Carol, some of these candidates have been kind of weasely that they say stuff about their opponents on the campaign trail, and then when they stand next to them at the podium on these debates, they act like they're great statesmen and they're all in this together against this evil thing called the press.

COSTELLO: Oh, that's politics, isn't it, David?

A final question. This debate is supposed to be all about substance -- it really, really, really is. And Ben Carson is going to have to articulate his economic plan, his tax plan. Something he was unable to do in the last debate. If he can't do that, do you think that will matter to his supporters?

ZURAWIK: You know what, I think at this point in the campaign, it will not, Carol because what has Trump articulated? You know, Trump and Carson seem to be absolutely bulletproof when it comes to articulating any hard policy. They get away with murder on this. And their base seems to love it.

You know, as soon as a tough question comes about the economy and somebody follows up when they start going blah, blah, blah, you know what, they're going to turn it into, oh, look, the press is attacking me and then they're going to rally their base supporters that way.

I think it's a terrible strategy. It's very tough for people. You know, I think Anderson Cooper did a really good job in his debate. I think Megyn Kelly did a good job in the Fox debate. But since then these guys have won with that.

Their other strategy is every time you give a quote back to Ben Carson, you say, Dr. Carson, you said this, blah, blah, blah, he says, No, I didn't say that. And unless you have it in front of you and you can cite chapter and verse, they'll do that all night to the debate moderators. They got away with that on a couple of debates.

COSTELLO: Well, I will say, Maria Bartiromo is a fine journalist and I believe that she will be prepared -- right.

ZURAWIK: Yes.

COSTELLO: Yes. And she's done it -- she's like, you know.

ZURAWIK: I think you're right. I'm looking -- yes.

COSTELLO: She's moderated a debate before, so she can do it. Thank you so much for being with me -- David Zurawik.

ZURAWIK: She's not a rookie, yes.

COSTELLO: No, she's not.

ZURAWIK: Thank you -- Carol.

COSTELLO: You're welcome.

On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders is lending his voice in the fight for better wages. Any minute now, Sanders is expected to join contract workers from the U.S. Capitol. Actually, he's already there, you can see him there.

These people are protesting poverty. It's all part of a larger nationwide strike of fast food workers as they push to raise the minimum wage.

[10:34:57] Still to come in the NEWSROOM -- the Mizzou protests are not over. I'll talk to one of the associate professors urging faculty to walk out of classes again this morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Protesters at the University of Missouri warned yesterday's campus revolt was just the beginning. While their calls for the university system president's resignation were answered their fight against growing racial tension is far from over. Even some faculty are again threatening to walk out of classes today.

Associate professor Elisa Glick joins me now. Welcome.

ELISA GLICK, UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI: Hi. Welcome to you.

COSTELLO: Thanks for being back with me.

GLICK: It's a beautiful day here at the University of Missouri. So, welcoming you to our campus where change is in the air.

[10:40:05] COSTELLO: Thank you so much.

You helped stage Monday's walk out. Are you also encouraging faculty to walk out again today?

GLICK: Absolutely. We concerned faculty group pledged to walk out both Monday and Tuesday. There has been some pressure to return to work, but we've pledged our support to our students, which is the real priority right now, letting them know that while their campsite is up, we are supporting them on their side, advocating for racial justice and social justice here on campus.

COSTELLO: But the President stepped down. The chancellor stepped down. Are you looking for more administrators to step down?

GLICK: No. Certainly those were very important and, to my mind, positive changes. But I think the message that we're trying to get out is that students and faculty are united in keeping the pressure on administration to make substantial changes, policy changes and that we plan to hold them accountable for steps they take in the coming 90 days.

COSTELLO: As you might expect, there are those who say this whole thing is over the top and exaggerated. Some say there may have been slurs but certainly nobody got hurt. Rush Limbaugh said colleges have become an endless parade of victims. Your response?

GLICK: Well, I would say that it's actually difficult to exaggerate the degree to which our campus is in crisis, has been in crisis for some time. As I have been telling people yesterday, there are faculty members here at the University of Missouri who have been here for 20, 30 years and have never seen anything like it. I've been here for 15 years and have never seen anything like the state our campus is in.

I mean some of our activists are truly talking about being called the n word on a daily basis. There have been trucks with confederate flags cited by the camp site. Students feel -- continue to feel threatened and unsafe. And I think we, the faculty, and administrators need to make sure that all of our students are safe, included and protected here on campus.

COSTELLO: All right. Elisa Glick, thanks for joining me.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM -- want a job that's exciting, adventurous and involves a lot of travel to far away places? Well, NASA is looking for a few good men and women.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:47:42] COSTELLO: Looking for a job? You might want to check out nasa.gov because the space agency is taking applications for its next class of astronauts. Granted, your chances of getting into Harvard are much higher than in being accepted into the program. But take a look at the help wanted ads. The pay is pretty good -- $66,000 to more than $144,000 year. You'll need a bachelor's in science, engineering or math, and you have to have good eyesight.

You can join the likes of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin while you quote, "carry deep-space exploration missions that will advance a future human mission to mars." They even have a new commercial.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLIE BOLDEN, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: Hi. I'm Charlie Bolden. I'm an astronaut myself and I'm recruiting the best and brightest Americans to join me. You see, NASA's on a journey to Mars and we're on the lookout for a new generation of space pioneers. Do you think you have what it takes to join NASA's next astronaut class?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Retired NASA astronaut, Leroy Chiao joins me now. Welcome sir. LEROY CHIAO, RETIRED NASA ASTRONAUT: Nice to be with you.

COSTELLO: Nice to have you here.

So I never thought there would be a day where NASA would have to actually advertise for astronauts.

CHIAO: Well, I don't think they actually had to advertise. I was a little surprised myself. This is the first time I think they have actually put out a video making a call for astronauts. But usually -- there are plenty -- well, there always have been plenty of candidates applying for the next class.

COSTELLO: Do you think, though -- I mean I don't know that little kids dream of being astronauts any longer. Do you think they'll be successful in their recruitment efforts?

CHIAO: Oh, I think actually I disagree. I think kids do dream about being astronauts. I go talk to a lot of school kids every year and they're all very excited about space. They're dreaming about having a chance to go to Mars maybe and that's what I tell them.

Maybe one of you young people in this room will be the first person on Mars. I think the dream is alive and well. It's become more common place that we travel to space than back in the 60s but I think the dream is still very much there.

COSTELLO: I know that NASA has really been pushing its Mars mission. We see those beautiful pictures coming back from Mars. It's so fascinating. They're putting out information in a much more interesting and understandable way. But still, NASA and its missions don't have much support from congress.

[10:49:58] CHIAO: Well, you're right. We have not had the political and financial support that we enjoyed back in the old days of Apollo and even shuttle and space station. Frankly, you know, we've been a little bit disappointed, those of us who in the business.

But we're doing -- we're still moving forward. We're still building the next generation government vehicle called Orion and the space lodge system. We're moving ahead with commercial crew with SpaceX and Boeing, building commercial space craft. And you know, we're putting the building blocks together to explore beyond lower earth orbit. That's very exciting.

COSTELLO: I know that private dollars are involved, too, but how long do you think that the United States alone will send someone to Mars or some other place?

CHIAO: I think that right now we've seen the International Space Station. It's a wonderful example of international collaboration coming together and not only pushing us forward in space, but I argue that the relations between the countries have become much better because of this relationship. And so I would look for future international collaborations, certainly on with efforts to go back to the moon and then on to Mars. I think it makes a lot of sense. You see the Russians and Europeans have been talking about going

to the moon together. China, of course, it's an open secret they intend to go to the moon. I would look for more international collaboration in the future and the U.S. is the natural leader of that collaboration.

COSTELLO: Ok -- so last question, and it's for you. If you could, are you dying to go to Mars yourself?

CHIAO: You know, when I was a kid, I was an eight-year-old kid when I watched Apollo 11 land on the moon. That's what started the dream for me. My dream has always been to go to the moon. I would love a chance to be there.

If I did have a chance to go to Mars, frankly, I think it will be someone much younger than me to get that chance, but if I'm still around when we go to Mars, I'll be watching with baited breath. If I ever did have chance, they'd call me and say we want you to go. You bet, I would go, as long as I was coming back.

COSTELLO: Me, too. Leroy Chiao -- thank you so much for joining me.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM -- there were huge booms and then a dozen cars were swallowed up. You can certainly call it a huge mess but don't call it a sinkhole.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:56:17] COSTELLO: Checking some top stories for you at 56 minute past.

A fraternity at the University of Virginia filing a $25-million defamation suit against "Rolling Stone." The fraternity is furious over that the now debunked article detailing an alleged gang rape on campus. Phi Kappa Psi also named the writer of the article in the suit. No comment from "Rolling Stone."

President Obama joined Twitter last May and now he has a brand new Facebook account. He announced it yesterday and is already posting videos like this one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's a fox somewhere on the ground because I've seen it. It's wandered around the Oval Office. There's a hawk that some kids named Lincoln who flies around here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

The President went on to encourage everyone to protect the environment, mentioning the dangers of climate change. He also says he wants his account to be a place where he can have real conversations with everyday people. Online retailers are going to get a big boost tomorrow from

singles day. It's an anti-Valentine day where singles treat themselves to something nice. Last year those gifts added up to more than $9 billion in online sale. That dwarfs the amount spent on Black Friday or Cyber Monday in the United States.

Recognize this face? That would be Prince George, Britain's Prince George. Not right now but what he might look like in a few years. Scientists used facial analysis software to get a sneak peek at how Prince George will look at age seven, age 20, age 40 and age 60. Why did they do this? I don't know. But there you have it.

Something opened up in an IHOP parking lot that swallowed up a dozen cars. But whatever you do, do not call it a sinkhole. CNN's Jeanne Moos has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You pull into an IHOP thinking about this. And then all of a sudden, your car ends up pancaked.

This is drone footage showing the dozen or more cars that fell into a 30-foot deep hole when IHOP's brand-new parking lot collapsed in Meridian, Mississippi.

JASON HARTWIG, SHOT DRONE FOOTAGE OF IHOP HOLE. It was a big deal. We finally got an IHOP and as soon as it opens, this happens.

MOOS: But what is this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not going to call it a sink hole. I'm not going to call it a cave-in. I'm going to call it an accident.

MOOS: Though first called a sinkhole, it became apparent that the collapse of an underground storm drain was the likely culprit. Now, this is a sink hole.

Eight vintage Corvettes fell into one at the National Corvette Museum in Kentucky. For purists, a sink hole is when rock is dissolved by ground water, leading to a sudden collapse but we tend to call anything that causes things to suddenly sink into a hole a sink hole.

At the Meridian IHOP, no one was hurt. This Chevy was the luckiest car. The night of the collapse, three tires were left on the pavement and by the next day, only two were still on. It was the first car to be removed.

Sink hole or no sink hole, for now, let's just call it the international house of holes, IHOH.

The drone footage was so impressive that a city official asked its operator Jason Hartwig to go lower to look at a pipe.

Your drone got swallowed by the hole, did it not?

HARTWIG: Yes. MOOS: It clipped the side of the trench and ended up in it. The

fire department came to the rescue.

HARTWIG: They got a big long stick with a hook on it basically, yanked it out.

MOOS: For now, IHOP is closed and I'm hungry. This non-sink hole makes me want to sink my teeth into a stack of flapjacks -- not a stack of cars.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Thanks for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello.

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