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Palin Endorses Trump; Flint Water Crisis. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired January 20, 2016 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:20] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, you're watching CNN. Thanks for being with me. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

To politics we go. Donald Trump and Sarah Palin. She did not appear at a Trump event this morning in Norwalk, Iowa, but she is expected to take the stage with him moments from now in Oklahoma here, Oral Roberts University to be precise. She endorsed him, of course, at a rally in Iowa last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: He is from the private sector, not a politician. Can I get a hallelujah?

CROWD: Hallelujah!

PALIN: Where in the private sector you actually have to balance budgets in order to prioritize, to keep the main thing the main thing. And he knows the main thing, a president is to keep us save economically and militarily. He knows the main thing, and he knows how to lead the charge. So, troops, hang in there because help's on the way because he, better than anyone, isn't he known for being able to command "fire"? Are you ready for a commander in chief - you ready for a commander in chief who will let our warriors do their job and go kick ISIS' ass?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: CNN senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta is on the road today there in Tulsa.

Packed house, it looks like, Jim. What - what's the head's up, any minute now, they -- they'll be on that stage?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You know, Brooke, your guess is as good as mine. We were expecting them to be out here about an hour ago. So they are running behind schedule. But that's the life here on the campaign trail. These things rarely start on time.

But you're right, this is sort of a vintage Donald Trump crowd. We're inside of a packed auditorium on the campus of Oral Roberts University. This has been a pretty critical week for Donald Trump. He's not been known as being aligned with the Christian conservative movement, but he's been trying to change that all week long. On Monday he was on the campus of Liberty University in Virginia. A university founded by Christian conservatives. Today he's at Oral Roberts, another university founded by evangelicals.

And, by the way, he's going to have the former Alaska governor, Sarah Palin, at his side. As you mentioned, she was not at that event earlier this morning, but I was told by a senior campaign official that she will be here for this event, which should be happening any moment now.

So Donald Trump checking some major boxes with just two weeks - a little less than two weeks to go before the Iowa caucuses. And even though Palin was not at his side earlier this morning, Brooke, it was interesting. Palin, who was a very strong supporter of Ted Cruz back in 2012, she wasn't here this morning. But Donald Trump went after Ted Cruz during his remarks, questioning, once again, whether or not the Texas senator is eligible to be president. Talked - accusing him of being sort of a phony Robin Hood, you know, because of these loans he got from Goldman Sachs, his wife's firm, back in 2012.

And so Donald Trump was really tearing into Ted Cruz. But, interestingly, Sarah Palin was not at his side. So - and we do know that there has been some friction between the Cruz camp and the Palin camp in the hours leading up to that endorsement for Donald Trump. So it will be interesting to see what Donald Trump says when he comes out here. Does he go after Ted Cruz with Sarah Palin right by his side?

You know, this has the potential to ruffle some feathers inside the conservative movement of the Republican Party. But in this year of the outsider, is there a better endorsement right now than Sarah Palin? It seems at this point there really isn't. And so, you know, you saw that Monmouth University poll that came out earlier today -

BALDWIN: Yes.

ACOSTA: Showing Trump with a very comfortable lead nationally. The question I think, Brooke, going forward in these next few days, what do these state by state polls say? Is there a Palin effect, a Palin bump say, for example, in Iowa. That's something that will be very critical to watch, I think.

BALDWIN: That will be the question. You hit it. Jim Acosta, I'm not going too far from you as we're going to watch and wait to see Sarah Palin and Donald Trump momentarily.

ACOSTA: OK.

BALDWIN: Thank you, sir.

Let's chat about this here and also just keep in mind this number, 34. Thirty-four. That is how many votes actually separated first and second place in the Iowa Republican caucuses just in 2012. The question is, to Jim's point, how much will Sarah Palin's support move the meter from Ted Cruz to Donald Trump? Let me bring in Bill Press, host of "The Bill Press Show" and author of "The Obama Hate Machine" and David Frum -

BILL PRESS, HOST, "THE BILL PRESS SHOW": Hi, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Hello. David Frum is with me as well, senior editor at "The Atlantic."

Gentlemen, welcome.

Let's just be crystal clear. Safe to say that neither of you are endorsing Trump. But, David, let's play this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: What the heck would the establishment know about conservatism? Tell me, is this conservative? GOP majorities handing Obama a blank check to fund Obamacare? And Planned Parenthood? And illegal immigration that competes for your jobs? And turning safety nets into hammocks? And all these new Democrat voters that are going to be coming on over the border as we keep the borders open? And bequeathing our children millions in new debt and refusing to fight back for our solvency and our sovereignty, even though that's why we elected him and sent him as a majority to D.C.? No. If they're not willing to do that, then how are they to tell us that we're not conservative enough in order to be able to make these changes in America that we know need to be made? Now they're concerned about this ideological purity? Give me a break. Who are they to say that?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:06:02] BALDWIN: Just a little more flavor for everyone from last night. David Frum, to you, who do you think this Palin endorsement is targeting?

DAVID FRUM, SENIOR EDITOR, "THE ATLANTIC": If she can move 200, 300, 400 Iowa Republicans from Cruz or from uncertainty to Trump, that's a big event. The total numbers of votes cast in Iowa are not all that large. And as you said at the beginning, in 2012, it was 34 votes that made the difference.

BALDWIN: Bill, what do you think?

PRESS: Well, first of all, I've just got to say, as a talk show host, I only have three words for that event last night, Brooke, and that is, "thank you Jesus." You know, it - it doesn't get any better than Donald Trump and Sarah Palin. But, look, David's right, this is not a dumb move on Donald Trump's part by far.

First of all, it's smart for Sarah Palin because it gets her back in the game. She's back in the spotlight. Her star was starting to fade so now she's hitched her star to Donald Trump's - her wagon, rather, to Donald Trump's star. And it's smart for Donald Trump. He's got a double whammy. It looks like a triple whammy this week, getting into the Cruz territory with almost an endorsement in Jerry Falwell Jr., the endorsement from Ted Cruz's best friend, Sarah Palin, and now he's at Oral Roberts University? You know, that could swing just enough, I wouldn't say Cruz voters, but undecided voters to say, hey, Trump's OK, let's go with it. BALDWIN: He knows how to create moments, doesn't he?

PRESS: He sure does.

BALDWIN: Bill, let me - let me - let me stay with you. You know, I was reading this quote and I just wanted to share it with everyone. Conservative radio host in Wisconsin actually compared Trump to a crocodile being raised in a bath tub. This is Charlie Sykes (ph), one of the most influential conservative talk radio hosts in Wisconsin saying, "the analogy I would use is watching somebody who has been raising a crocodile in their bathtub and suddenly the crocodile gets big enough to bite them and they're surprised by it." You're a fellow radio host, even though you are on the liberal side, what is your reaction to that host just kind of dumping on Mr. Trump?

PRESS: Well, I don't think he's necessarily dumping on Mr. Trump. And David Frum has written this same point, if I'm - correct me if I'm wrong, David, that this anti-establishment move is something that has grown up within the Republican Party and maybe they were not taking it seriously enough until now when - because the establishment's always been in a position to come back and reclaim the leadership, like they did in 2012 with Mitt Romney. This time it looks like that that anti- establishment side of the party, or the alligator, if you will, whether it's Trump or Cruz, is going to - is going to prevail. And that's got a lot of Republicans worried.

BALDWIN: Do you really want to be bitten back by this precious crocodile that you've been raising? I mean I guess you could see it both ways.

PRESS: Well -

BALDWIN: It's strong and mighty. David, what do you think?

FRUM: Well, I think Trump and Cruz are very different things. I think one other things maybe that host, if I understood him correctly, was saying, I wrote this for "The Atlantic" the other day - the word conservative is used by - in very different senses by supporters of Ted Cruz and supporters of Donald Trump. To some it means it's an ideology. It's a set of more or less coherent ideas and you have this view on guns and that hooks up to this view on federal spending and that hooks up to this view on the gold standard, although those things might not seem to have a lot in common with each other.

But for a lot of Americans, and for a lot of Republican voters, conservatism is about - it's an identity. It's a way of life. It's the way you stand as agates (ph) other kinds of institutions in the American society. And they don't care about those - those kind - that network of issues and policies that have been pulled together in the name of conservatism. And so when the Ted Cruzs of the world say that Donald Trump isn't a consistent conservative, a lot of Donald Trump's voters aren't consistent conservatives, but they have an identity and he touches them.

BALDWIN: And it seems like some of what Donald Trump has been saying, when you look at his - one of you cited that new Monmouth poll. Also a piece of that is that 36 percent of Republican voters, they doubt Cruz's eligibility to become president. When you talk to constitutional lawyers, some of whom have been on this show, you know, they seem to think, yes, it's never been tested in the courts, but it should be no big deal. Others do disagree. But it's a stunning number, which again tells me that what Trump has been saying, trying to chisel away at Cruz, it's working.

[14:10:32] PRESS: He's dumb like a fox. I mean people - look, all of us in the media have discounted Donald Trump and just said he's a joke, he's not going to run, he's not going to get to New Hampshire, he won't get to Iowa, and he out foxes us every time. And this birther question, which he used so just passionately almost against Barack Obama, it is hurting Ted Cruz. Ted Cruz still has to answer for it. On top of that, you've got the loans and now he's cutting into the evangelical territory for Ted Cruz. I would say this guy we all thought was a dumb politician has proven to be a pretty savvy politician.

BALDWIN: Final question. Just - go ahead, David, and then I've got one more for you, Bill.

FRUM: Well, I hope nobody thought he was a dumb politician. Look, other than American politics, what is going to be the top story on your broadcast today? The crisis in the financial markets and this intensifying financial crisis in China. Who is the one candidate who has been talking about what's been happening with the Chinese currency on the Republican side? Donald Trump. The other Republicans are talking about the gold standard, in fact, making the dollar even more expensive than it otherwise has been. Trump is in tune with a lot of issues - he's in tune with a lot of crazy things. He's also in tune with a lot of issues that Republicans voters care about at a time when these supposedly irresponsible people are paying no attention at all.

PRESS: Right.

BALDWIN: We will be talking about the Dow, by the way. As you can see, it's down almost 400 points here, which is a huge story. But beyond that, on e-mails, Bill, on Hillary Clinton, the new report, you know, from the inspector general saying that there were e-mails on her private server that were, quote/unquote, beyond top secret. This is going to keep popping up over the next couple of months on the trail. You know, when you look at the unfavorable numbers in our new CNN poll, it backs it up. You know, this is - this has hit her in the past. People don't trust her. You know, regardless of what the investigation finds, how does she overcome hits that her campaign will undoubtedly take the next couple of months?

PRESS: Well, let me just say this, I don't think there's a lot of fire there. I did think there's some smoke. Meaning, I don't think this is a fatal thing for Hillary Clinton. But I've got to say, it was a dumb move for her to have that private server in the first place, and the campaign and Hillary Clinton have not handled it well from the beginning. I think the only way out of it, she's got to have a news conference and just say, look, here's the exact truth. Here's what I did. And lay it out there and then take as many questions as she can from the media and put it behind her. But continuing to dance around it, I thin, this thing, you're right, is not going to go away. It will plague her if she's the nominee all the way to November.

BALDWIN: All right.

FRUM: But, Bill, it was -

BALDWIN: Bill Press -

FRUM: She already has -

BALDWIN: Bill Press and David - she has. I was just thinking, of course the camp -

PRESS: I don't think she's done it enough.

BALDWIN: Camp Hillary Clinton would say they have talked about it and talked about it and she testified for hours and hours and hours.

PRESS: Well -

BALDWIN: We'll see. We'll see.

Let's pull away. I need to - I need to go. I need to go. Bill Press and David Frum, thank you so much for now. Not a - not a graceful pivot for me, but I have to go now to Tulsa, Oklahoma. You know her, Sarah Palin, speaking here at this Trump rally.

SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: It's a fundamental restoration of America. All that is good and free and secure and exceptional about America! So we need to be in it to win it. And we're in it because we believe in America. And we can believe that our best days are ahead of us. But we're going to have to start doing things completely different. Thing that's over the last seven, eight years have gotten us into the mess that we're in.

We need - we need to elect a commander in chief who will respect our troops, a commander in chief - a commander in chief who understands that we, as Americans, you here in Oklahoma especially, you love your freedom. And when you love your freedom, you thank a vets. You thank a vet and then you realize that our vets deserve a commander in chief who will let them do their job and go kick ISIS ass.

Our vets and you deserve a commander in chief who will respect what it is that our forces go through and would never leave them behind!

[14:15:10] BALDWIN: A couple of lines. We heard them last night from the big endorsement event for Donald Trump. Here she is, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin there on the stump for Mr. Trump in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Oral Roberts University.

I want to let you know about a big event that is coming next Monday night in the state of Iowa. It will be seen only on CNN. Exactly one week before Iowa chooses. Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton and Martin O'Malley, they'll go face to face with the voters in Iowa at a CNN Democratic presidential town hall live from Des Moines that CNN's Chris Cuomo will moderate. This is the final pitch for all the candidates before those first votes are cast. And really just a unique opportunity for Iowans to ask question of these three Democrats. That is next Monday night, 9:00 Eastern, live only on CNN.

Coming up next, one of the Americans freed by Iran appearing in public for the very first time. What Jason Rezaian says he now wants to do with his freedom.

Plus, even though the coalition is hitting ISIS mostly in Iraq and Syria, American troops have just been given legal authority to strike the terrorists elsewhere.

And, as President Barack Obama gets ready to appear in Michigan, where families still do not have clean water, we'll talk live with one columnist who says he failed Flint. Hear why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:20:35] BALDWIN: You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

President Obama in Detroit, Michigan, touting how his administration salvaged the auto industry. He's making his first visit to the North American International Auto Show, but local issues are clouding his visit. Number one, more Detroit public schools closed today as teachers conducted another sick-out over poor, unsafe working conditions and education underfunding. Eighty-three schools, roughly 80 percent of the school system, shut down today. Issue number two, meanwhile, Michigan's Governor Rick Snyder is apologizing to folks in Flint for failing to better handle the city's toxic water crisis. Revelations of massive lead contamination have led to accusations of government negligence and political cover-ups. Governor Snyder concedes to the assertion that Flint is his Katrina, which he said to my next guest, but today Flint's mayor said an apology is not enough.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR KAREN WEAVER (D), FLINT, MICHIGAN: We just need people to step up, speak up and speak out about what's going on in Flint. But I'm really glad to be here because I know we're going to get more - more resources. I'm going to get to talk with the people that I need to talk with, and we're going to do everything possible to continue to move Flint forward and get us clean, quality water.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: As we mentioned, the president is in Detroit today. Not expected to travel to Flint, but he did meet with the mayor of Flint, Michigan, just yesterday in Washington.

Joining me now, Ron Fournier, columnist with "The National Journal," who has written extensively about whether state government and also the Flint water crisis.

So, Ron, nice to have you back. Let me just begin with first -

RON FOURNIER, COLUMNIST, "THE NATIONAL JOURNAL": Thanks for being on.

BALDWIN: You know, you say not only has the governor failed the people of Flint, you say you have failed the people of Flint. Why? FOURNIER: Well, you know, I'm from Michigan, born and raised in

Detroit, and still have property north of Flint. I'm probably in Flint, you know, every six weeks or so. And yet this crisis was not top of mind. It's to the point where I sat down with the governor in just - in November, actually, and then wrote a column in early December about his management style of pragmatic data driven management style that has seen some success. I didn't even ask him about Flint. I didn't include Flint in the column. I - it wasn't something that was foremost enough in my mind, and it - and it need to be.

So I went back up this week to cover his State of the State Address and spent a couple days in Flint just digging in on the issue and just realizing just how horrific it really is.

BALDWIN: Horrific on so many levels. You know, we've talked to folks - I'm sure you have, too - children are affected by all of this. It's been going on for just about two years. And reading from that initial article to sort of where you are now, even though it sounds like you have some faith in the governor, you pulled a 180. You know, what do you make of how he's doing, the state of state and also the fact that you are calling out the head of an Obama appointee at the EPA?

FOURNIER: Yes, look, I have - I have faith that he's a decent man who wants to get it right, just like I have faith that Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George Bush, other politicians I've covered are decent people who want to get it right. But they fail. And when they fail, what we've got to do, as a leader, you step forward, take accountability, be transparent about your mistakes, and then you take action. You could argue that he has finally shown some contrition and shown some empathy. He's now talking about some transparency, releasing his e-mails. Now, I would like to see him actually waive the exemption that the governor has in Michigan, because otherwise there's no penalty for withholding e-mails. So he's got to do that.

And then the proof is in the pudding. Does Flint really get the resources it needs from the state to replace the infrastructure and to - and to - reparations for the decades of damage that's going to be imposed on these - especially these young people in Flint who have been poisoned by every level of our government.

BALDWIN: Do you think, based upon what you know, do you think the governor was complicit in the cover-up?

FOURNIER: I don't know. There's no doubt that his appointees, people who he put in the Department of Environmental Quality, certainly were. They covered it up. They were arrogant about it. They were dismissive about the public's concerns and they covered up their lack of putting in the anticorrosion material that had to be in the pipes.

We also know that the EPA knew for months, maybe even before the Michigan State Department of Environmental Quality, that there was an excessive amount of lead in the water and they sat on it as well. So there's no doubt there was complicity below level. What I don't know is if it rolls all the way up to the governor, and I don't know if it rolls all the way up to the president, although I really doubt it would have gotten to the president's office.

[14:25:20] BALDWIN: Many levels, though, as you point out. Ron Fournier with "The National Journal," thank you so much.

FOURNIER: Yes.

BALDWIN: It hits home for you and understandably so.

FOURNIER: Thank you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Thank you.

Coming up next, one of the freed American prisoners, "Washington Post" reporter Jason Rezaian, speaking out for the very first time. What he says is the first thing he wants to do with his new found freedom.

Plus, American troops getting legal authority to attack ISIS in a location that is not Syria, nor Iraq. Details and why this is a bad sign against the war against the terrorists.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:30:03] BALDWIN: Freed for the very first time in more than 500 days, veteran "Washington Post" reporter Jason Rezaian walked out of a hospital in Germany, giving the world its first glimpse of his freedom after languishing in an Iranian --