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Donald Trump Sticks to FOX Boycott; Nancy Pelosi Weighs in on Democratic Race; GOP Rivals Seize on Trump's Debate Boycott; WHO Director: Zika Virus is "Spreading Explosively". Aired 9-9:30a ET
Aired January 28, 2016 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:05] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Need a lot of Bobbies right now.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: That's right.
CUOMO: But also a recognition. Can you believe that these people in this modern age need to live with bottled water for months to come.
CAMEROTA: Right. It's crazy. Thanks goodness for Bobby. Time now for "NEWSROOM" Carol Costello.
Hey, Carol.
CUOMO: Thank goodness for Carol.
CAMEROTA: Thank goodness for Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: OK. I appreciate that. You guys have a great day.
CAMEROTA: You too.
COSTELLO: NEWSROOM starts now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, Bill tried. Will Trump cave?
BILL O'REILLY, FOX NEWS HOST: Just want you to consider it. You owe me milkshakes. I'll take them off the ledger if you consider it.
COSTELLO: So if FOX's debate is a no-go, what about the offers from his rivals?
SEN. TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm going to propose a venue. We already have it reserved.
COSTELLO: Also forget "Thelma and Louise." How about Bernie and Susan? The Hollywood star hitting the campaign trail for the Democratic candidate and she's talking to me.
Plus, the potential of an explosive pandemic. Why U.S. scientists say we need to learn from the Ebola outbreak and act fast. Let's talk. Live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And good morning, I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. Donald Trump doubles down. FOX News tries to patch things up but the billionaire is refusing to budge on his boycott of tonight's Republican debate. Not even FOX's Bill O'Reilly could coax him back onto the stage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: You have in this debate format the upper hand. You have 60 seconds right off the top to tell any of the moderators you're a pin head. I'm trying to convince you that your tact is wrong because it's better for the folks to see you in debate format. That's right.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Equally unfair was the question that Megyn Kelly asked me in the last debate.
O'REILLY: Well, I don't think so.
TRUMP: And everybody said I won that debate and I gave a great answer. I mean, believe it or not Rosie O'Donnell was very good for me in that --
O'REILLY: OK, so -- so what's beef?
TRUMP: The only time Rosie has ever been good for me. But frankly I think I gave a great answer.
O'REILLY: All right. Wait, wait, wait.
TRUMP: And everybody --
O'REILLY: You're making my point.
TRUMP: So it's not that.
O'REILLY: You're making my point. You gained in that. You gained in that. You are making my point. But I'll tell you what --
TRUMP: Also had to do with attitude of FOX. This also had to do with the stupidity of FOX and what they did.
O'REILLY: Number one Kelly's question was within journalistic bounds. All right. Number two --
TRUMP: I disagree.
O'REILLY: OK. And that's good. That's good. You made your case. You won the debate. That is what America is about. Robust debate.
TRUMP: OK. That's fine.
O'REILLY: Don't walk away from it. (END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Trump is holding a rival event, though, at the very same time. And this morning he says he will not be alone. Trump tweeting, quote, "Wow, two candidates called last night and said they want to go to my event tonight at Drake University."
CNN's Phil Mattingly is in Des Moines ahead of tonight's debate with more.
Good morning.
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Good morning, Carol. The ink is dry. That's what one Trump campaign ad -- aide said about the venue tonight. There's no going back now. It looks like Donald Trump definitely will not be attending the debate behind me and then going ahead and attacking the debate on Twitter in the middle of a tweet storm today, tweeting out, "The debate tonight will be a totally disaster. Low ratings with advertisers and advertising rates dropping like a rock. I hate to see this."
Now, Carol, worth noting, advertisers probably locked in their rates a long time ago and likely aren't pulling out any time. But underscoring right now that Donald Trump is on the attack and it's very frustrating for other campaigns.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Donald Trump only hours from hosting his, quote, "special event," to raise money for veterans at Drake University in Des Moines. The televised affair airing the same time as FOX's Trump-less prime time debate.
TRUMP: It's what we have going. And it's really important. It's a movement. It's not like a normal situation.
MATTINGLY: But the GOP frontrunner's decision to stick it to FOX by dropping out is not without irony.
TRUMP: I was not treated well by FOX.
MATTINGLY: Trump appearing on the network last night. FOX News anchor Bill O'Reilly failing to coax him back to the stage.
O'REILLY: Just want you to consider it. You owe me milkshakes. I'll take them off the ledger if you consider it.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: I told you up front, I said, don't ask me that question because it's an embarrassing --
O'REILLY: And of course -- but I'm not going to listen to anybody. Right. But I'm not going to listen to any political person tell me don't ask me anything.
MATTINGLY: O'Reilly repeatedly asking Trump to debate tonight.
O'REILLY: I'm asking you to reconsider it.
TRUMP: A lot of milkshakes.
O'REILLY: If you don't want to it's up to you.
MATTINGLY: In Trump's absence Texas Senator Ted Cruz, running number two in the polls, is likely to be pushed to center stage. Now Cruz is doubling down on his challenge for a one-on-one debate with his biggest rival.
CRUZ: I'm going to propose a venue, Western Iowa Tech, Saturday night in Sioux City. We already have it reserved.
MATTINGLY: Cruz's super PAC offering $1.5 million to vets groups if Trump agrees. And Carly Fiorina, upping the ante, offering $2 million to debate Trump at Drake.
[09:05:04] The media spectacle? Rubbing the rest of the GOP pack the wrong way.
SEN. RAND PAUL (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't think he'll be missed. In fact, I really don't think Donald Trump is a conservative.
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Ninety-percent of their coverage is on this whole thing. This is not a show. This is serious.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY: All eyes tonight, Carol, that aren't on Donald Trump likely to be on Ted Cruz. Now Donald Trump has not said that he will take Ted Cruz's one-on-one challenge but for Ted Cruz this is an integral last four days. Crucial if he wants to not just place well in Iowa but actually defeat Donald Trump. Tonight expect the attacks to be pointed directly at Ted Cruz on that stage and expect Ted Cruz to be throwing bombs at Donald Trump even if Donald Trump isn't in attendance -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right. Phil Mattingly, reporting live from Des Moines, thank you.
The people put in the middle of this political squabble are America's heroes. Wounded veterans. A super PAC supporting Ted Cruz is now offering $1.5 million to wounded veterans if Trump will debate Cruz. In the meantime Carly Fiorina via tweet offered to donate millions to veteran's groups if she could be part of that debate.
Some veterans groups are appalled by this. VoteVets.org, a liberal veterans group said, quote, "Trump, you're looking to use veterans to protect you from facing Megyn Kelly's questions. You're a loser. You're a third rate politician who clearly doesn't understand issues." And this tweet from the founder of the Iraq Afghanistan Veterans of America. Quote, "If offered the IAVA will decline donations from Trump's event. We need strong policies from candidates. Not to be used for political stunts."
So let's talk about this. I want to bring in our political panel this morning. I'm joined by CNN political commentator and the "Blaze" contributor Tara Setmayer, along with CNN political commentator and host of the "Ben Ferguson Show," Ben Ferguson.
Welcome to both of you.
BEN FERGUSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning.
TARA SETMAYER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Thank you.
COSTELLO: Good morning. So in fairness, Mr. Trump has turned down Cruz's super PAC offer calling the money, quote, "dirty money." But, Ben, what do you make of this?
FERGUSON: Look, Donald Trump has decided that he's going to use veterans and their tragedy for his political advantage. And the most vile part about this is the fact that he was asked a question by -- with his own quotes by Megyn Kelly that started all of this. And he said, I'm not going to answer to people that ask me tough questions, and when I don't like how you treat me, and when I can't bully the media into giving me what I want, I will then have an event and then claim I'm doing it for the greatness of our veterans when in reality all he's doing is using these veterans for his own political gain.
Donald Trump has a history consistently of being not exactly the biggest supporter of veterans. Let's not forget he tried to het veterans kicked away from his own properties because he said they were bringing down the property value and they were a nuisance with they had special permits to sell products to make a living in New York City. He's never held a campaign event to raise money for veterans. And so now when he gets himself in a corner, he says, I'm going to have an event for veterans and it is going to be amazing, when in reality this is all about him saving face and him not being able to answer tough questions from journalists he didn't like.
I mean, you even heard there against Bill O'Reilly last night saying, I told you not to ask me that question. Since when do you get to decide who gets to ask you what when you're running for president? If you want to be a reality TV star, then by all means do it. If you want to get into ad sales, then by all means do it. And when you say that they're going to lose all this money tonight. And if you want to be about ratings then go back to "The Apprentice." But if you're running for president, don't use our veterans as cover when it's convenient for you.
COSTELLO: Well, Tara, the money thing. You know, Donald Trump keeps saying, oh, FOX News will have a terrible debate. They are going to lose money because I'm not there and their ratings will stink. Debates really aren't about that. I mean, we live in a democracy where you appear on that debate stage no matter, you know, what FOX is going to gain from it or not, because you're imparting an important message to the American people, the voters.
SETMAYER: Well, absolutely. But this has never been about that. This entire campaign has been about Donald Trump. What Donald Trump wants and when he doesn't get it he throws a hissy fit, and he calls people names. He insults women. He insults military guys. I mean, you know, he insults John McCain, a war hero.
This is what Donald Trump does because he's an entertainer. He's a snake oil salesman and he's able to do this because he knows how to manipulate the message. He knows how to manipulate the media and he continues to garner this level of attention. No matter what he does or says, we're still talking about Trump. And we're not talking about the other candidates, what they are offering, and real issues that the voters care about. This is not Jerry Springer. And this is how Donald Trump conducts himself.
And I have to agree with Ben. I saw Ben's shootout with Katrina Pearson earlier on CNN this morning.
[09:10:04] And I've got tell you some of the things that Katrina Pearson said disturbed me. She kept saying, well, it was a TV character. When Ben brought up the fact that Donald Trump's own words, Megyn Kelly used his own words against him about women. And she said well, that was a TV character. Was it? So what do we have now? Is this a TV character running for president of the United States? Because that's what it seems like.
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: Yes. But that TV character's name was Donald Trump.
SETMAYER: That's what I mean. I'm saying it was a -- it was a TV character.
FERGUSON: Well, and that's --
SETMAYER: So what is it? Is he in character now? Is he in character then? Which is it? They need to make a decision but the fact that we're even having this conversation about a potential president of the United States should concern everyone.
COSTELLO: You are going to say, Ben. Do you think, Ben --
FERGUSON: Yes.
COSTELLO: -- a lot of veterans groups will come to Donald Trump's event tonight?
FERGUSON: Look, some of them will. There is no doubt. But a lot of veterans that I've heard from, I had several calling to my show yesterday. And one of them said, you know what, I went to Iraq and I lost a leg in Iraq. Others have said, I'm in a wheelchair now. I'm a quadriplegic. I'm paralyzed. And Donald Trump wants to use my battle wounds for his own political cover when it's convenient.
Again, remember what he said about John McCain. He said I don't -- he's not a war hero. He's not a war hero. I don't like people that get captured. That's not a hero. He tried to get veterans who were trying to make a living kicked away from his properties, his building, including in New York City because he said they were a nuisance to his property. How do you say that and --
SETMAYER: Ben, can I --
FERGUSON: -- then now say, I'm going to save the veterans?
SETMAYER: May I add something really quick to that?
COSTELLO: Sure.
SETMAYER: Also Donald Trump has not put his money where his money is this time. OK. Because he -- from 2009 until the 2013 "Forbes" magazine documented this. His charitable foundation only gave $57,000 to direct services for military veterans and Donald Trump personally did not donate to his own foundation during that time period. So -- so now veterans are his big priority? But he hasn't donated hardly anything as a billionaire. He brags about how much money he has? Where has that been? Where is that consistent support -- financial support for our veterans, Ben, when the cameras weren't in front of him and when it wasn't politically expedient?
I think it's disgusting that he's using our veterans as political pawns in a chess game like. And I really don't like the idea that the other campaigns are throwing money out like, well, we'll donate this. We'll donate that. I know their hearts are on the right place, but let's not do that with our veterans.
COSTELLO: All right.
SETMAYER: This is not -- I don't think this is becoming at all. This has turned into a parlor game and it shouldn't.
COSTELLO: All right. I have to leave it there. Tara Setmayer, Ben Ferguson, and by the way, we will have a Trump supporter on in the next hour of NEWSROOM, Jeff DeWitt will join us.
Democrats fighting to squeeze into the Trump-dominated spotlight. They, too, are racing the clock to Monday's caucuses. And the miles are piling up. Take a look at this ma. Showing today's events across Iowa for Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. Bill Clinton also holding four separate events for his wife.
CNN Politics executive editor Mark Preston live in Des Moines with more on the Democrats.
Good morning.
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Hey, good morning, Carol. Yes, Democrats right now trying to suck up any oxygen they can that Donald Trump has taken out of this race. As you said Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders several events today. Crisscrossing the state and they brought in Bill Clinton -- the Hillary Clinton campaign has -- to try to add to that firepower. But yesterday we saw the highest ranking Democratic woman in the House of Representatives weighed in on this presidential race. She weighed in on the discussion of the single-payer healthcare plan. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), MINORITY LEADER: What Bernie said was, I'm going reduce the cost of healthcare and it may involve some people paying a tax. We're not running on any platform of raising taxes. He's talking about a single-payer. And that's not going to happen. I mean, does anybody in this room think that we're going to be discussing a single-payer?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PRESTON: And there you have Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader talking about Bernie Sanders' plan about raising taxes.
Let's put this in perspective very quickly for you, Carol. One, Nancy Pelosi has not endorsed in the presidential race, although many people think that she'd be for Hillary Clinton because Hillary Clinton is a woman and Nancy Pelosi would like to see a woman elected president. But more importantly Nancy Pelosi has her own elections to deal with heading into 2016. We've been talking all about the presidential race but the fight for Congress is very much on line right.
The House of Representatives and the Senate, Nancy Pelosi trying to provide some cover for her Democratic candidates who are out on the stump right now were being asked, are they willing to raise taxes, Carol.
COSTELLO: All right. Mark Preston reporting live for us this morning. Thank you.
Bernie Sanders can add another big backer to his long list. That would be actress Susan Sarandon. I'm talking to Sarandon in just about 15 minutes why she's on board with Bernie and helping to get out the vote in Iowa.
Also to come in the NEWSROOM, if Trump is taking himself out of the debate, who's going to take all the heat on that stage?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:18:46] COSTELLO: OK. Well, we saw this one coming. Late night taking aim at Trump's debate boycott.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SETH MEYERS, HOST, "LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS": Donald Trump's campaign released a statement announcing he will boycott tomorrow's debate, saying Roger Ailes and FOX News think they can toy with him, that Mr. Trump doesn't play games. A statement that would carry a lot more weight if Trump hadn't literally hosted a game show.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
COSTELLO: All jokes aside. Trump's boycott plans drawing sharp criticism from his rivals. Senator Rand Paul speaking out on the decision to CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think Donald Trump's main addition that he's brought to the debate this year has been silliness, bombast and empty rhetoric and, you know, calling people names. And so, I don't think he's added much of substance the whole year. So, I don't think he'll be missed. In fact, I really don't think Donald Trump is a conservative. I think he's a fake and a charlatan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Joining me now to talk about this, Carole Simpson, the former ABC News anchor who in 1992 became the first women and African American presidential debate moderator. That happened back in 1992.
Good morning, Carole.
CAROLE SIMPSON, FORMER ABC NEWS ANCHOR: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Thanks for coming back. I appreciate it.
[09:20:01] SIMPSON: Thank you. Good to be here.
COSTELLO: OK, let's talk about something novel. That would be actual voters. Is all of this debate drama good for democracy?
SIMPSON: I don't think so.
I think what we have discovered now -- at least what I think I've discovered is that there is a chink in the armor of Donald Trump. He's turned this. He's diverted it into a fight with FOX News.
But I think he really was done in by a pretty blond woman. He who is all powerful, all seeing, all knowing who can solve all of the problems of the world is really afraid of Megyn Kelly. He doesn't know what she might ask and how he might respond. And so now, he's turned it into a fight with FOX.
But I think he's really afraid of Megyn Kelly. And I'm glad of that.
COSTELLO: Maybe he's just not used to -- I don't know, to women not loving -- being attracted -- I was trying to figure that out myself, Carole, and I couldn't.
SIMPSON: You couldn't figure out it.
Well, she's a smart woman and he calls her a second rate reporter, whatever. And he's trying to denigrate her. And I'm so glad she asked that question that started this whole thing. And I would hope if he were there tonight that she would ask it again, because he didn't answer it.
COSTELLO: I enjoy that question myself. It was a great question.
OK. Still Donald Trump is getting his way. He's sucking the air out of the room. He doesn't have to answer hard questions or policy questions. So, in the end for him, is this a stroke of genius?
SIMPSON: I think to his supporters, it is. But I think that to other people that do not support him, they are thinking that he's a little bit on the run. He's so braggadocios. And I won the debates and I am leading in the ratings and I am the best most wonderful thing in the world.
I don't know when the American people and his supporters are finally going to get a little tired of that. And it's like, you are going to do all this. But how? He hasn't told us how.
So, I don't know if it's a stroke of genius. So, FOX loses ratings. Is this about ratings? No, it's about electing a president.
COSTELLO: So, let's talk about the debate itself. How do you think that FOX should handle Donald Trump's absence?
SIMPSON: I think it should be ignored. This whole thing of leaving a podium on the stage, I think, is only drawing more attention to him. And I would just hope that they would just act as if he wasn't there. He's not there. And he wasn't supposed to be there and we just aren't even thinking about him.
COSTELLO: But you know the other candidates on the stage will bring up Donald Trump.
SIMPSON: They will. And I, again, he just manages to suck oxygen and attention away from everybody else but himself. He's the most narcissistic candidate. I've been covering candidates since 1968 and I've never seen a candidate like this, or a primary season like this.
He's just -- he's an odd ball.
COSTELLO: We're going look at pictures from your moderating days. Very cool pictures. It's so different from today, when it is a big grand production now, debates on television.
Do you think that Donald Trump though has changed the way candidates will run their political campaigns in the future?
SIMPSON: Oh, God I hope not. Oh dear.
It's always been my belief that people would tire of him. Something is going to happen. And they are just going have had enough of -- I'm the greatest, I'm the richest, I'm -- this.
So I don't think people are going to model his campaign in the future. I think it's been awful.
COSTELLO: All right. I have to leave it there. Carole Simpson, thanks for stopping by.
SIMPSON: You are welcome.
COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM: she's best known for her roles in film like "Thelma and Louis", "Bull Durham" and "Dead Man Walking", now, Susan Sarandon is embracing a new role. Bernie Sanders supporter. I'll talk to her next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:29:17] COSTELLO: "Spreading explosively around the Americas," those words from the head of the World Health Organization speaking about the Zika virus this morning -- the level of alarm now extremely high. Happening now in Geneva, the organization is holding a virtual press conference about the virus. Zika is linked to devastating birth defects at even death in babies.
CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is with me now with more.
Good morning.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
Yes. This is a stern sort of announcement from the WHO -- different in some ways what we heard from WHO on Ebola. Remember, there was a lot of criticism that WHO wasn't fast enough. This time, using some very frank language, saying the level of alarm is extremely high, talking about the fact that it has spread pretty considerably and will likely continue to spread. And also the fact that, you know, there wasn't a lot done with Zika virus for a long time.
