Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
One Dead, Eight Arrested in Oregon Militia Standoff; Trump Supporters Speak Out; Michigan Governor to Address Flint Water Crisis; Kerry Presses China on North Korea; New Zika Virus Cases in the U.S.A. Aired 10:30-11a ET
Aired January 27, 2016 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:32:51] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The FBI has shut down key routes in and out of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge trying to end a weeks'-long standoff with armed occupiers on federal land. This move coming on the heels of a violent arrest late last night as militia leader Ammon Bundy and four of his supporters were arrested during a traffic stop.
One protester was shot and killed. That would be Occupation spokesman Robert "Lavoy" Finicum. I spoke with Finicum just a few weeks ago. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT "LAVOY" FINICUM, SPOKESMAN: The first thing that we're taught as kids is do not point guns at people. And so I have no intention in pointing guns at anybody that are not pointing guns at me.
So let's just be neighborly. Let's be kind. Let's be civil. Please don't point guns at me and I shall not point guns at you. How about we leave it at that?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Exactly how Finicum was shot and killed is a little cloudy this morning. Sara Sidner is in Burns, Oregon. She has more on this story. Good morning.
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
The Oregon State Police nor the FBI are saying exactly what happened there if there was gunfire between the two or if it was just police who ended up and killing Finicum and also wounding one of the Bundys, Ryan Bundy.
We did however hear from Ryan and Ammon Bundy's father, Cliven Bundy, who was of course, not here. He is on his ranch. And here's what he said that his son told him when he called him some time after the altercation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CLIVEN BUNDY, FATHER OF AMMON BUNDY: He said that there was like
five of them that had been arrested. My son Ryan had been shot in the arm. Lavoy Finicum -- they cold-blooded killed him. He said he was out, had his hands in the air, said he wasn't armed. He hadn't -- he wasn't any threat. And they cold-blooded just killed him. They shot him several times I guess. But anyway, my son said that's what happened.
I believe in God.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: So that was Cliven Bundy and he says he spoke to his son and that's what he believes happened. Of course, he was not there. We have not heard from police as to exactly how this shooting went down and why Mr. Finicum was killed. He's the father of 11 children and has been out here for many weeks.
[10:35:10] There are also other folks who are still here and they are not leaving they say. They have been out here on the Malheur Wildlife Refuge which is just over there, the headquarters, taking over those buildings there and some of them just are not leaving.
This gentleman here showing off his pistol that he has with him. At this point, we still have not heard from police exactly how this turned violent. But we do know that they have blocked off some of the area and we do not have word as to what they are going to do but there's going to be a press conference a little bit later on today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They murdered an innocent man.
COSTELLO: All right. We're going to break away. Sara Sidner -- many thanks to you.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, from his snubbing of politics as usual to his lack of political correctness, Donald Trump supporters tell CNN why media mogul and Republican frontrunner has their vote.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:40:13] COSTELLO: Donald Trump defying conventional politics yet again, announcing he will skip tomorrow night's Republican debate and escalating his war of words with the host of the debate -- one of the moderators. That would be anchor Megyn Kelly.
Will this latest controversy only bolster his popularity though with his die-hard supporters? The CNN Politics team spoke to more than 150 Americans in 31 cities asking the question, why are you voting for Donald Trump? Here's what some first-time voters had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TURNER EAKINS, TRUMP SUPPORTER: 18-year-olds, we really value action and who's going to come through and, to us, that's Trump. I mean he walked out -- we're not going to take it. DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Look at all of these
kids. I've got kids -- it's crazy. Look at them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Being an 18-year-old, being younger, the fact that Donald Trump just doesn't care about the quote/unquote political correctness.
TRUMP: She was going to beat -- she was favored to win and she got schlonged.
EAKINS: Ordinary citizens say stuff like that and I wouldn't say that any of us are sexist for using any of those terms or making those comments. But that's what -- if you take that away, then you lose the authenticity. Then you lose the fact that he's speaking from his heart.
TRUMP: There's a movement going on which is totally beautiful.
EAKINS: Politics is supposed to be boring so when three 18-year- old kids are driving out 30 minutes to go to a Trump rally, I mean that's a movement.
TRUMP: I love it.
TATE MOYER, TRUMP SUPPORTER: At first, I did like Rubio, too, because he has good (inaudible) -- really good at public speaking. But when it gets down to the nitty-gritty, who I actually want to support and who I agree with all their policies would have to be Trump.
EAKINS: I'd say I'm more solidified that I'm going to vote for Trump. I don't know what it would take for me to not vote for him but as of now, absolutely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: All right. Let's talk more about this, live from Des Moines, CNN Politics reporter, M.J. Lee and Sara Murray. Good morning.
M.J., I want to start with you because you interviewed quite a few Trump supporters. Tell me more of what they had to say.
M.J. LEE, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Well Carol, Sara and I and several of our other colleagues at CNN, we have spent a lot of time over the last six months or so traveling the country with Donald Trump, going to his campaign rallies. And during that time, we have really gotten to know the supporters that are turning up to Trump rallies and ask them questions like, why are you supporting Donald Trump? What are the issues that you feel most passionate about? What are the issues that are making you angry?
And we wanted to sort of present the Trump phenomenon, an understanding of the Trump phenomenon through the eyes of the Trump supporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This country is so dang politically correct. I mean you can't say anything -- I mean I'm afraid to say what I really feel, you know, because it's not politically correct. But sometimes you've got to stand up and say, hey, this is wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you like his not being politically correct?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I absolutely like it. I think this country better go back to some of those values.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEE: This is the kind of sentiment that we're hearing a lot on the road at Trump rallies. People love the fact that Trump doesn't speak, you know, in a way that's politically correct. It's a little rough around the edges. People find that really refreshing and reassuring. And I think this is what has been helping to drive the Trump phenomenon and the support for this unlikely candidate.
COSTELLO: So help us understand politically correct. Because it's fair to say -- Megyn Kelly won't be fair to me in the debate. I don't think she's a good journalist. It's a different thing when you say Megyn Kelly is a lightweight and a bimbo. What exactly is political correctness and what are people really afraid of being able to say?
LEE: look, I think in a large field that is crowded with senators, governors, former governors, I think voters really just like seeing Trump behave in a way that is just so different from what they are used to seeing on the debate stage, on the campaign stump and in campaign speeches.
When Trump goes out there and says, you know, potentially offensive things, inflammatory things, whether they're about Megyn Kelly or somebody else, a lot of voters are inclined to say, look, this is just who he is and this is what makes him different.
Yesterday when Trump announced that he is going to boycott this week's Fox News debate, I spoke to some voters at an Iowa city Trump rally and a lot of them sort of shrugged their shoulders and said, look, we're kind of amused. We're not really surprised that Trump is doing this. This is the kind of thing that he does.
[10:45:08] COSTELLO: All right.
So Sara Murray, I want to know what you found out because actually often you've been a target of Donald Trump but I know you probably don't feel comfortable talking about that. But you did talk to other supporters. What did they tell you?
SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Well, Carol, I think you know the video you saw there at the beginning of the 18-year-olds who are excited about Trump shows you the lighter side of people who are just sort of tickled to see this candidate who doesn't behave like a politician, who rides in on a jet and sort of says things that cause a stir.
But, there's also a darker side that we see at some these Trump events. We've seen protesters who are roughed up. We've seen people who are hurling racial slurs. And we've seen a lot of genuine fear and angst about the stasis of our country, about Muslims who are coming to America.
And remember, before Donald Trump came out with a plan to ban all Muslims temporarily, he came up with an idea to put them on a watch list. Here's what one woman said to me about that plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you're a law-abiding Muslim, why care if you have nothing to hide? But as someone said 999 of them could be good people. It only takes one terrorist to blow this whole place up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MURRAY: And Carol, this is a sentiment we've heard from voters about all kinds of different races. They are nervous about immigrants coming into the country and stealing their jobs. They are nervous about Syrian refugees. They're nervous about Muslims because they don't feel like they don't share the same kind of core American values that many of these voters who are turning up at Trump events share.
COSTELLO: All right. Sara Murray, M.J. Lee -- thanks so much.
Be sure to tune today at 1:00 p.m. Eastern when Ben Carson joins Wolf. What does Carson think about Trump's boycott, about his prospects in tomorrow's debate? Coming up in just a few hours, 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
I'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:51:03] COSTELLO: In less than an hour, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder will address Flint's toxic water disaster. Governor Snyder is adamantly denying claims that race and poverty played a factor in the crisis. This, after a tweet from the NAACP, the president of the NAACP cited environmental racism.
According to the U.S. Census, Flint is 57 percent black, 37 percent white, 4 percent Latino and 4 percent mixed race. Right now, more than 41 percent of Flint residents live below the poverty line.
Jean Casarez has been following what is happening in Flint. She has more for us.
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, today is going to be a really important day for the people of Flint, Michigan because the governor will be speaking directly to them along with the mayor of Flint. And there was a press release yesterday from the governor's office so we have an idea of what he's going to touch on. And one of the things would be expanded medical services for anyone that is under 21 years of age in Flint.
Also asking for increased community involvement and based resources for the community. And when you're talking about Medicaid, it looks like he's going to ask for expanded Medicaid eligibility and then also on the federal level asking for federal Medicaid to actually match the lead abatement. And his office says that very soon they are going to go to the Department of Health and Human Services to ask for that.
Now meanwhile, the EPA is conducting water testing at homes all over Flint and they are taking it to independent laboratories and they will alert those homeowners immediately.
I think that's one of the most important things because filters have been put on the systems, also some cartridges to filter out the water. But what is the true lead level? And everyone in the community is being encouraged to go to their own physicians so their children can be tested for lead levels. The Department of Health is doing that, also.
And lastly, a brand-new lawsuit today was filed, a federal suit filed by the National Resources Defense Council asking a federal judge to force the state and local government to make this water healthy and safe for people to drink. The governor, I'm sure, would say we're trying to do that right now.
COSTELLO: So is there any way to know how many children have been affected in Flint?
CASAREZ: I think that the basis of this was when a pediatrician found lead levels that were much higher than should be in children. But I think as far as totals, I think they are just scrambling to try get the systems clear of lead and to see how much is in the systems of children. But as far as actual children affected -- let's not forget the senior citizens. I mean they have immune systems that are compromised, too.
COSTELLO: It's just a terrible situation. Jean Casarez -- thanks.
CASAREZ: Thank you.
COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, new Zika virus cases reported in the United States. What the president wants all Americans to know next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:58:07] COSTELLO: Checking some top stories for you at 58 minutes past:
North Korea's claim to have tested a hydrogen bomb was at heart of a tense meeting today between Secretary of State John Kerry and Chinese leaders. The U.S. wants China to back tougher U.N. sanctions against North Korea and use its own influence to dissuade North Korea from pursuing nuclear weapons. Kerry emphasized it is in North Korea's best interest to change course.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KERRY, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: If Pyongyang will instead choose a different path, it can open the door to sanctions relief, economic cooperation, energy and food aid, more direct humanitarian assistance and a whole range of other possibilities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Kerry also repeated that the U.S. will never accept North Korea as a nuclear state.
A massive building fire in New Orleans has shut down part of the French Quarter. The four-story building on Canal Street set off alarms at a neighboring hotel. One witness says flames were shooting 40 feet into the air.
An elementary school principal is being remembered for a selfless act that took her life but saved her students. Susan Jordan was killed after being struck by a school bus outside of her school on Tuesday. The bus driver says Jordan was hit after pushing several students out of the way. Jordan had been the school's principal for 22 years.
President Obama calling for speedy research to stop the spread of the mosquito-born Zika virus in the United States as new cases are reported in southern California and in Arkansas. The infection, which typically has no symptoms, appears to be been linked to a recent spike of serious birth defects in Brazil.
Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello.
"AT THIS HOUR" with Berman and Bolduan starts now.
[11:00:08] PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Hello. I'm Pamela Brown. Great to have you along with us today.
And we begin with another stunner from Donald --
