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News Poll Puts Hillary Clinton in The Lead in Iowa; Michigan's Governor, Other State Officials Now Subpoenaed in Ongoing Flint Water Crisis; Six Police Officers in Cleveland Fired in Connection With a Car Chase. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired January 26, 2016 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: Indianapolis police saying the deceased is an adult and there's four to five students injured after they were hit by this bus. As soon as we get more information, we'll pass it along.

Six days and counting to the Iowa caucuses. New CNN/RNC poll has Marco Rubio a third, but a distant third behind Trump and Cruz. But today, Senator Rubio won an endorsement from a former Republican rival, former New York governor George Pataki. Pataki sending his support via twitter saying this quote "I took a look at all the candidates and Marco Rubio is the best person to bring us together. That is why I'm endorsing him."

CNN's Manu Raju is in Iowa with the Rubio campaign. Rubio hitting on the "bring together" theme, crisscrossing Iowa today.

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Yes, that's right, Brooke, really, he's trying to showcase himself as the one candidate who can bridge that divide that we have seen for so many years that tea party versus establishment divide conservatives versus the establishment. He is trying to say that look, I can be the person who can get support from conservatives, can we get support from the party establishment. We had just talked to him earlier today. We asked him about some of his rivals. One of which was John Kasich who actually is surging in New Hampshire. He would not criticize, but he wasn't afraid to take a whack at another one of his rivals, Ted Cruz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think ted is under a lot of pressure over the last few days in what people are learning more about his record and it's hurting him. He is dropping in the polls. He is losing to Donald. I can tell you, though, I don't think this election is about who can beat up on other Republicans the best. Ultimately, we're going to have to bring this party together at the end of this process. And if we have any chance of winning, and we have got to bring new people into the conservative movement and I believe deeply that I am the only one left running that can unite this party, attract new people to the conservative movement. And I know if I'm the nominee, we will beat Hillary Clinton and we will reverse the damage Barack Obama has done to America.

(END VIDEO CLIP) RAJU: Clearly, Rubio is trying to pull support away from Ted Cruz, who has a very good chance of winning here in Iowa next week. You know, Rubio is viewing this races as something of a long game. He thinks that this nominating contest is going to last for weeks and weeks. Potentially past Super Tuesday. And that eventually Ted Cruz will fall apart and it will be him potentially against Donald Trump. And he can present himself as that unity candidate, get the center right behind him and pull some support from conservatives who backed Ted Cruz. Now, that is, of course, a very risky strategy, along ball strategy. We'll see if it works. And it also depends on whether or not any of these other establishment favored catch fire, like I mentioned before, John Kasich, or who know, maybe even Jeb Bush, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Who knows? See you in Iowa in a couple of days, Manu.

Manu Raju, thank you so much.

From the Republicans, we go next to the Democrats. Candidates taking on their biggest critics in a CNN town hall days before the Iowa caucus. We will break down their strategies, their performances, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:37:15] BALDWIN: You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thanks for being with me.

Let me say it again, six days to go before Iowa voters will let us know if the polls have been correct leading up to the first in the nation caucuses. Check this out with me. This new FOX News poll puts Hillary Clinton in the lead in Iowa with Bernie Sanders trailing very closely behind. Last night, the top two Democratic presidential candidates answered questions directly from voters at a town hall in Iowa. Both hit back against criticism and attacks that have been levelled against them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Throw all this stuff at me and I'm still standing. But if you're new to politics, if it's the first time you have really paid attention you go, oh, my God, look at all of this. And you have to say to yourself, why are they throwing all of that. Well, I'll tell you why. Because I'm been on the front lines of change and progress since I was your age. I've been fighting to give kids and women and the people who are left out and left behind the chance to make the most out of their own lives.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have been attacked and, in effect, this is an issue that Hillary Clinton has, you know, focused on and that's politics and that's fine. Some of you might recall that back in 2007 when she was running against Barack Obama, she also focused on that issue, but she thought that Obama was too strong on gun issues. You may remember him referring to her as Annie Oakley. All right. Today, Hillary Clinton is running a lot of advertisements on gun issues, interestingly enough, she's running most of the them in New Hampshire, where she thinks it will work, not running so many them in rural Iowa. Well, you can form your own judgment as to why that is the case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Let me bring in Wolf Blitzer, host of "the SITUATION ROOM" in Washington.

Wolf, how do you think they did last night? Do you think they did enough to sort of quiet their critics?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, THE SITUATION ROOM: Well, obviously critics all along, but I think among the liberal progressive democratic constituency, I think both of them did well. I think they fired up their own respective supporters. They got a hold their respective supporters. Make sure from Hillary's standpoint, she doesn't lose support to Bernie Sanders and vice versa. So I think from that perspective, they held their own. I'm not sure they made a lot of inroads against each other. But they were both pretty much at the top of their game in answering the questions. Then had some fumbles. There were some inconsistencies, if you will. But I think by and in large they both did well.

BALDWIN: You remember looking at 2008, you know, then senator Barack Obama in Iowa, what happened there, and just today, CNN was talking about Bernie Sanders and asking him about how he's doing, his momentum and he said, you know, I will not be hitting the mark that Obama did then. Do you think that was a charmingly honest answer or purposely setting expectations low?

[15:40:11] BLITZER: Well, normally, I would say it's purposely setting expectations low, lowering those expectations. But I have known senator Bernie Sanders for a long time. He is a very blunt guy. He is a very honest guy. He tells you how he feels. There isn't usually a whole lot of spin with a lot of other politicians. He's very direct, very forceful. And he will He'll tell you exactly what he thinks. I think in this particular case, he is probably telling us what he believes. He is not going to do as well as then senator Barack Obama did. But he is hoping to do well. He is, to a certain degree, he is trying to lower expectations. But he's very, very candid usually. And I don't think he minces a lot of words.

BALDWIN: Wolf Blitzer, thank you very much. We'll see you at 5:00 on "the SITUATION ROOM."

BLITZER: Thank you.

BALDWIN: And you know CNN will be the place for complete coverage of the Iowa caucuses. We will have coverage all day, Monday, as the first votes of the 2016 presidential race are cast.

More on our breaking news. That school bus that has hit several students in Indiana. We know one person, one adult, has been killed. We are getting the first images here from this tragic scene. New information next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:45:32] BALDWIN: Michigan's governor, other state officials have now been subpoenaed in this ongoing Flint water crisis. The papers were served by attorneys representing clients in the class action lawsuit. The filling request, all communications related to the city's lead contamination going all the way back to January of 2011.

Meantime, state's attorney general who just appointed a special prosecutor to this investigation said it is an outrage that people are still paying for dirty water.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL SCHUETTE, MICHIGAN ATTORNEY GENERAL: I would certainly not bathe a newborn child or a young infant in this bad water. If you can't drink the bad water, you shouldn't pay for it.

BALDWIN: There is some help on the way. Walmart, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nestle, they're all donating nearly seven million bottles of water of Flint students for the rest of the year. They joined a host of celebrities and crowd funding campaign sending much needed clean water to the city, Cher, (INAUDIBLE), Flint natives Michael Moore and Sandra Bernhard are all stepping in to help. Add to the list, court TV's judge Mathis. The Detroit native is hosting a community forum at a church in flint this Saturday. He joins me now.

Judge Mathis, nice to see you back here sir. My goodness, I mean, you know, Flint is your backyard, born and raised, Detroit. This is personal for you.

JUDGE GREG MATHIS, HOST, TV'S JUDGE MATHIS: Yes, it is, very much so. This Saturday at Quinn AME in Flint, we are going to have a legal forum where I'm bringing in a team of lawyers to vet some of the other lawyers who have converged on the city. You know, one of the biggest frustrations the citizens of New Orleans experienced when Katrina came about was lawyers converging and many of the people were taken advantage of and they did not receive the justice they deserved. And we want to make sure.

So I have gotten a group of lawyers and -- at the Mathis community center, we are going to be taking calls for those who want to find out whether their lawyers are the lawyers that would do them justice. Some of these lawyers are coming from out of town. Many of them have disciplinary problems of the past. And we want to make sure that these folks aren't taken advantage of. So that's one of the reasons. Of course we're bringing water as well with us.

BALDWIN: But I mean, I had read you were bringing an attorney, you were taking legal questions from some of these folks in Flint. But that's pretty extraordinary. And you bring up a great point, vetting lawyers as well. Sort of want to get in on this, so to speak.

Let me just ask you. We mentioned the subpoenas here. And then, you know, alleged transparency, sort of depends who you ask as far as looking at these emails. And I'm looking at you and I'm thinking, you are a judge, right, it's your job to be fair. It is your job to hear all different sides. I mean, this could potentially be a criminal case. How do you determine what the most damning piece of information would be?

MATHIS: Well, one of the things you look to is how negligent the party was with the knowledge they obtained. Whether they had the power to make a decision on their own and implement that decision. Whether they were honest in their conversations with the public officials and the various departments, the governor's staff, were they being honest with the Michigan quality control- I'm sorry Michigan quality control agency. Were they being honest with the EPA? Were they neglectful in the time frame in which they were to react?

Then there's intent to misrepresent some of the facts. That, indeed, could be fraudulent and criminal. So those are some of the things you look to when you see the exchange of communication.

BALDWIN: We mentioned you are headed that way, Saturday. You have been there a bunch of times since this whole crisis began. What is it like just to be in Flint? What have you noticed, talking to families, talking to children?

MATHIS: Devastation. They're devastated and they feel left behind. It's almost like Katrina hit. You know, I view this akin to really a terrorist attack quite frankly. One of the things the homeland security prepares for and looks out for is the poisoning of our water by terrorists. And here we have the water poison as a neglect of our governmental bodies. And so quite frankly, a lot of them feel so devastated and left behind. They think no one cares particularly the government. This reinforces some of the things that our folks believe and some of the reasons some of our candidates who are running for president are benefiting so much from the anti-government sentiment. And so that's how they feel. And I try and let them know there's help on the way, not only with those who want to bring water, and that's fine, we need water, but those who are there to look out for their interests from those who would otherwise prey on them. And that's why at Quinn AME this Saturday 11:00. We are going to hold a forum to make sure those folks get their legal rights.

[15:50:33] BALDWIN: Good on you. They need all the help they can get.

Judge Mathis, thank you.

MATHIS: Yes. Thank you.

BALDWIN: Got it.

Coming up next, his death led to a massive manhunt and hero's funeral. But then it turned out Illinois police officer (INAUDIBLE), has staged an elaborate suicide to hide decades worth of indiscretions. Find out we uncover the in ace personnel file as part of the CNN's special report.

Plus, more on our breaking. A school bus, hitting several children, one adult has been killed here. This is Indiana. New information next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:55:17] BALDWIN: Just in, we are learning that six police officers in Cleveland have been fired in connection with a car chase. Can we continue forward there? Just in, again, six police officers in Cleveland connected to this car chase ended in officers firing 137 bullets into a car killing two people. Happened back in 2012. One of the officers allegedly fired nearly 50 of the shots, including 15 from the hood of the car. That officer was acquitted of manslaughter last year. The head of the police union has vowed get the officers' jobs back.

The death of Lieutenant Joe Glinewicz (ph) absolutely stunt the nation, part of that massive manhunt for his supposed killers. In the days after, found dead, multiple gunshot wounds Gliniewicz was hailed a hero. Northern Illinois, on edge, over the violent death of a man they referred to as G.I. Joe, who drew thousands of hours encouraging people to become officers and soldiers. But as investigators (INAUDIBLE), his hero image started to crumble.

And as Pamela Brown reports the community should have known the truth much sooner.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The file is 264 pages thick, full of accolades, and shocking information.

GEORGE FILENIO, COMMANDER, LAKE COUNTY, ILLINOIS MAJOR CRIMES TASK FORCE: Let me put it to you this way, if I knew about the personnel file and I was a parent I wouldn't put my child in the explorer program under his tutelage.

BROWN: In May of 1988, FOX lace police sergeant James Bush stated he was called by a sheriff's deputy who found officer Gliniewicz passed out in his truck on the side of the road, with the engine running full throttle with his foot on the gas. Sergeant Bush wrote he was summoned because the deputy couldn't wake Gliniewicz, and this was not the first time something like this has happened.

In 2003, a FOX Lake radio dispatcher claimed Gliniewicz joked about putting bullets in my chest. Three weeks later, she claimed he brought a gun into the dispatch room, I don't appreciate someone cocking a gun, or whatever he was doing, making clicking sounds with it, especially when that someone just recently joked about putting bullets in my chest. And there's more.

LEE FILAS, REPORTER, DAILY HERALD: 2009, some anonymous officer sent former Fox Lake mayor Cindy Irwin letters saying they had, you know, a list of grievances against Gliniewicz.

BROWN: Among the many accusations, various members of the department approached by bouncers from different establishments, and advise that lieutenant Gliniewicz had been escorted from the establishment in a highly intoxicated condition. The letter goes on that claimed that Gliniewicz did not pay a bar tab, in excess of $300. That he took his on vacation to Wisconsin in his squad car and that on several occasions, he inappropriate touched women, grabbed their breasts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: That was CNN's justice correspondent Pamela Brown there.

So, as part of this whole piece, you know, you mentioned that personnel file here, what -- you found some pretty stunning information, I would take it?

BROWN: That's right. Not only the personnel file, but also, Brooke, from his cell phone. The FBI was able to recover 6500 messages that lieutenant Gliniewicz had deleted from his cell phone. And the information found in those text message is what cemented the belief that this was in fact suicide, that he took his own life.

He apparently, according to texts, stealing from the explorer account, the explorer group a group of kids he trained to become law enforcement officers. He was stealing from that account for seven years. He has alleged to have set up a sham marriage with his son.

But what really struck investigators the most is the fact that he talked about putting a hit out on the village administrator. She's the same person the day before his death who asked for inventory of explorer equipment and then the next day he has believed to have committed suicide. They should remember, Brooke, the very beginning, this is being treated as a homicide investigation, thousands turned out to his funeral. And so, it was very stunning, once investigators reached this conclusion.

BALDWIN: It is incredible. It is incredible the unraveling of one's reputation in a community. And as you talked to that person, you know, how they all sort of wish they had known the truth way sooner. Pamela Brown, we will be watching full CNN Special Report, "the secret life of G.I. Joe." That is tonight, 9:00 eastern right here on CNN.

Thank you so much nor being with me on Tuesday afternoon. I'm Brooke Baldwin in New York. We are going to turn this to my colleague, Jake Tapper. The "the LEAD" starts right now.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Brooke.

Ted Cruz, warns Republicans if Trump wins in Iowa, he will be unstoppable. I'm sure the Donald might agree.

"The LEAD" starts right now.