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Father of Benghazi Attack Victim Speaks Out Against Hillary Clinton; Rio Still Facing Big Issues Ahead of Olympic Games; Trump Continues To Criticize Media Outlets; Pope Francis Exploring Possibility of Female Deacons. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired August 02, 2016 - 10:30   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Losing a child under any circumstances, especially in this case.

[10:30:00] Two State Department employees, extraordinary men, both of them. Two CIA contractors gave their lives protecting our country, our values. I understand the grief and the incredible sense of loss that can motivate that. As other members of families who've lost loved ones have said, that's not what they heard, I don't hold any ill feeling for someone who, in that moment, may not fully recall everything that was or wasn't said.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: With me now is Charles Woods. He's the father of a U.S. Navy SEAL, Tyrone Woods, who was also killed in the attack on the consulate in Benghazi. Thank you, Sir, for being here.

CHARLES WOODS, FATHER OF BENGHAZI VICTIM: Good morning, thank you.

COSTELLO: Good morning. When you hear Hillary Clinton saying what she just said, what goes through your mind?

WOODS: Well I know what she said, and it has nothing to do with faulty memory. As you know, I've shown this book to many people. I keep my brains in my pocket. And for years I write down the important things that happen during the day. And this was written down right after we met with Hillary. And so it has nothing to do with a faulty memory.

And I'll read to you exactly what the conversation was that I had with Hillary. This is just a couple days after what happened in Benghazi when the bodies came out.

"I gave Hillary a hug and shook her hand. And she said, 'we are going to have the filmmaker arrested who is responsible for the death of your son.'"

Now, not only did I write that down, she also told that to other family members. And then about a half hour, 45 minutes later, she went on national T.V. at the casket ceremony and she repeated the same untruth.

She said, as I recall, rage was directed towards the American embassy. As a result of the awful film that we had no part in. So she not only lied to the American people, she also lied to myself and to other family members. So there's two options ...

COSTELLO: What, Sir, would you like Hillary Clinton to say?

WOODS: What would cause that? There's two options, one ...

COSTELLO: No, no, I'm asking you, what, Sir, would you like Hillary Clinton to say?

WOODS: Well I would like really, for her to come clean and to tell the truth. I would like to know, personally, why there was no rescue attempt made. If there had been a rescue attempt, my son would still be alive.

COSTELLO: And as you step by and you look at all that is transpiring now in the political arena, especially surrounding gold starred families -- you know, families like you who've made the ultimate sacrifice for our country -- what goes through your mind?

WOODS: Well I have a lot of empathy for all gold starred families. I know one family in particular who's been in the spotlight recently. And that was Khan. And he was definitely a patriotic, American citizen, who was also a moderate Muslim. And we need to think about these moderate Muslims who are American citizens.

They have the same national security concerns that all of us do. And what we have to realize is that ISIS and other radical terrorist group, they not only kill Jews, Christians, gays, they also kill moderate Muslims who do not agree with their radical jihad, and their interpretation of Shiite law.

And I'm sure when the election comes out next year, they're going to have to make the decision, who should they vote for, based upon who will do the best job of defending this country.

COSTELLO: Right.

WOODS: And I think the whole reason ...

COSTELLO: Do you, do you think, Sir ...

WOODS: ... Clinton proved at Benghazi that she was incapable of protecting 35 of her own employees. So how could she possibly protect 330 million Americans at home?

COSTELLO: Do you think that Mr. Trump should apologize to Mr. Khan?

WOODS: You know, I really don't know what's been said. I haven't seen a T.V. set since last Monday or Tuesday ...

COSTELLO: Well he has not apologized.

WOODS: I've been camping with my daughter and taking her to a rodeo, so I'm not really sure what he said.

COSTELLO: Well he has not apologized. He actually said that he has sacrificed because he has built buildings, and created jobs. And I can actually play a bit of what his son, Eric Trump said on CBS this morning, about how exactly his father has reacted to the Khans. Let's listen.

[10:35:10]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NORAH O'DONNELL, CO-ANCHOR, CBS THIS MORNING: They want an apology. Would your father be willing to apologize and move on?

ERIC TRUMP, SON OF DONALD TRUMP: I think that's a great question for him. And I think he has by calling them a hero. In terms of the one question, whether you've made a sacrifice, I think my father has. No, that's certainly not the ultimate sacrifice. The ultimate sacrifice is a soldier dying for this nation, and dying to protect the three of us, there's no question about it.

GAYLE KING, CO-HOST, CBS THIS MORNING: Is it difficult for him to apologize, Eric, on anything? You know him, you know him probably better than anybody.

TRUMP: Well my, my father's a fighter. My father's a fighter. And I think this country needs a fighter. And I think he was attacked the other day, and he was attacked viciously. And by the way, that's politics, you're going to get attacked.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So Eric Trump is saying that his father sort of apologized by calling Khan's son a hero. And that Donald Trump has also sacrificed for this country.

WOODS: Well I would agree with what Mr. Trump said, definitely Khan was an American hero. He was a patriotic American, and he was also a moderate Muslim.

COSTELLO: But should Mr. Trump apologize?

WOODS: You know, like I say, I don't know what he originally said, and I don't know what he's said since then. I -- I know who should apologize, and that would be Hillary Clinton, for lying to the American families who lost their loved ones, as well as to the American public. You know, she's ...

COSTELLO: Do you ...

WOODS: ... in fact, she's even doubled down and called us liars. Which is not appropriate at all. Because like I said, either she's lying ...

COSTELLO: Who are you, who are you ...

WOODS: ... or she has a bad memory.

COSTELLO: Who are you endorsing this election?

WOODS: Well my son would still be alive if Mrs. Clinton was performing her job properly, as Secretary of State. So in good conscience I cannot vote for the person who was directly responsible for the death of my son. There is only two choices, and obviously I support Donald Trump.

And the main reason is because national security, as well as the economy, are the two most important issues that voters are going to have to decide upon next November.

COSTELLO: And just the last question I'll ask you, do you wish that Mr. Trump would stop talking about the Khans now?

WOODS: I -- like I say -- I haven't watched the T.V. set since either last Monday or Tuesday, so I'm not really sure what Trump has been saying.

COSTELLO: He's continued to double down on Mr. Khan.

WOODS: You know, when Hillary Clinton on several occasions, has called the Benghazi victims' families liars, would that be -- should she apologize for that?

COSTELLO: Thank you, Sir, for your time this morning. I do appreciate you stopping by.

WOODS: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Charles Woods.

WOODS: Thank you very much.

COSTELLO: I'll be right back. You're welcome.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:42:35]

COSTELLO: The official opening of the Rio games is just a few days away. Officials have already started beefing up security. Rio is receiving 14,000 security officers. Now these officers will be joining the 85,000 officers already in place to keep the city safe. But security is just one of the many concerns surrounding this year's Olympic games.

A doping scandal, polluted water, hotels that are unfit to host athletes, and the threat of Zika. CNN's Sanjay Gupta has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You're looking at an image from just last month. Body parts on Copacabana Beach. It was a scene that couldn't have been predicted seven years ago. When Copacabana Beach erupted.

The games were to be a legacy for Rio. In its bid, Brazil promised to clean up at least 80 percent of the sewage that was flowing into the city's notoriously dirty water.

LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF BRAZIL (via translator): This is a challenge for us. And you can be sure that we will not waste this chance at history.

GUPTA (voice-over): In fact, some of the city's most dilapidated quarters have been turned into green spaces. Here, public art is being spray painted on walls. But the rest of the world is more concerned about this break (ph).

GUPTA: We know that Brazil is the epicenter of the Zika epidemic. And as the numbers continue to increase in Florida, experts are continuously looking here to try and find some answers. For example, we know that more than 1,700 children have been born with Zika- associated microcephaly, a birth defect.

We also know that 150 public health experts called for the Olympics to either be delayed or moved because of concerns about Zika. But I want to be clear about something, the weather is starting to cool here. Even as it warms up in the United States. And as a result, the threat of infection is pretty low.

According to the University of Cambridge Study, out of the hundreds of thousands of tourists who are likely to visit the Olympics, there will probably only be one or two infections. But that still hasn't kept some of the athletes from dropping out of the games.

TEJAY VAN GARDEREN, AMERICAN CYCLIST: Honestly, if my wife wasn't pregnant right now, I would be going to Rio. My biggest concern is for the baby on the way.

GUPTA (voice-over): Now remember, even if he went and then didn't show any symptoms, Van Garderen could still be infected and potentially pass the virus on to his wife. After all only 20 percent of those infected have any signs of the disease.

But when it comes to athlete health, the concerns here are not just about Zika. Those promises of clean water? Not in Guanabara Bay. Where sailors will be competing for gold, and where trash and sewage continues to litter the surface.

HEIKO KROEGER, GERMAN PARALYMPIC SAILOR: Everytime you get some water in your face, it feels like there's some alien enemy entering your face. So I keep my nose and my lips closed.

GUPTA (voice-over): His teammate, Eric Heil (ph) believes the waters are the source of the multiple infections he contracted last year after racing in an Olympic qualifying event. Just last month, Brazilian scientists detected the superbug, CRE, in these waters.

MARTINE GAEL, BRAZILIAN OLYMPIC SAILOR (via translator): Very little has been done. And the measures that were taken were not done the way we would have liked them.

GUPTA (voice-over): Brazilian officials say the waters have met international standards. But then just one month ago the WHO said that athletes may become ill from this water. And U.S. Olympic doctors are prepping their teams for such a situation.

DR. CLIFTON PAGE, U.S. SAILING MEDICAL ADVISOR: We have a number of medications that they can take prophylactically to avoid those illnesses. And then also to take to treat the illnesses, as well.

GUPTA (voice-over): And doctors on the ground have another concern.

UNKNOWN MAN: If there were a big catastrophe, an attack, or a brawl, we don't have the infrastructure to deal with it.

GUPTA (voice-over): Political and economic crisis have burdened local hospitals. Even under normal circumstances, waits for emergency surgery can be as long as six days. But Rio's mayor says the game's legacy will not be a shadow on Rio.

MAYOR EDUARDO PAES, RIO DE JANEIRO: Don't come here expecting that everything will be perfect. We live in a country that has economic crisis. A country with lots of inequality. We have all the problems that we've seen. But the city will be much better than it was when we got the games.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: So you can hear, Carol, that because -- I think in part because of the cooler weather -- Zika probably not as much a concern right here now as it has been in the months past. The water, as you saw there, that's a more significant concern. And I'm on top of a hospital right now, ten minutes or so away from the venue, which is designed to take care of a mass casualty incident. Which is something that they're always preparing for, as well. A few days left, Carol, and those preparations still ongoing here.

COSTELLO: All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta reporting live for us this morning, thank you. Still to come in the Newsroom, why Donald Trump is lashing out against the media again. But first let's take a quick check of the market. As you can see, it's not all sunshine today. 99 points down. Hopefully things will improve later. I'll be right back.

[10:47:35]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:50:40]

COSTELLO: Attacking the media is not anything new for Donald Trump. In fact, most days he uses it as a rallying cry for his supporters. He openly bashes news outlets, claiming they're bias. He's revoked the Washington Post press credentials. And now he's taking issue with ratings.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Oh, by the way, did you see the Nielsen ratings came out? So my final speech against Hillary's final speech, not even a contest. Won by four or five million (ph) people. Now the press doesn't report that ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: All right, hopefully you could understand that. Let's bring in CNN Senior Media Correspondent and Host or "Reliable Sources," Brian Stelter. Good morning.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. I would say when the going gets tough, Trump gets tough with the media. And that's what we're seeing right now. An especially strong period of media bashing by Donald Trump.

He knows that he gets a lot of retweets for it. He knows it gets his crowds very energized. But I would say, when I hear it, I remind myself, "why is he talking about us and not about policy? Why is he talking about us and not Hillary Clinton?"

Let me show you something he actually said about Clinton and CNN yesterday going on a tweet storm of sorts. Donald Trump posted almost a dozen messages against this network. One of them said, "CNN will soon be the least trusted name in news, if they continue to be the press shop for Hillary Clinton."

Now of course, Carol, CNN's tried very hard to have a lot of balance in this network. Including from your panel discussion earlier this hour. Pro-Trump supporter, pro-Trump commentators, pro-Clinton commentators. And that'll of course continue.

He's also criticized the New York Times. Here's something he said on Sean Hannity's show last night. Saying the Times does not cover him well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The New York Times is so unfair. I mean they write three, four articles about me a day. No matter how good I do on something they'll never write good. I mean they don't write good. They have people over there, like Maggie Haberman and others. They don't, they don't write good ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STELTER: So Donald Trump saying he does not get good coverage from the New York Times. Kind of a funny grammatical error there. He's been getting mocked by journalists. But what's most important here is that the media ...

COSTELLO: Well that's kind of low. Come on, that's petty.

STELTER: ... Yeah well that's right. What's most important here is no matter what Trump is saying here, positive or negative, as long as the press strives for fairness, we will come out of this election looking good.

COSTELLO: All right, Brian Stelter, thanks so much.

STELTER: Thanks.

COSTELLO: Don't forget to watch "Reliable Sources," Sunday, 11:00 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN. Still to come in the Newsroom, what -- and what could be a -- well it is a first, Pope Francis is considering the possibility of allowing female deacons to the Catholic Church.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:58:20]

COSTELLO: Pope Francis is taking the first steps toward allowing female deacons in the Catholic Church. The Vatican just announced the creation of a commission made up of seven men and six women to study the possibility. Pope Francis created the commission after intense prayer, and mature reflection. That's according to the Vatican's Press Office.

So let's head to Rome and CNN's Delia Gallagher. OK I am stunned over this, Delia.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN FAITH AND VALUES CORRESPONDENT: OK Carol well, let's take it one step at a time. Because what the Vatican has announced is the setting up of a commission to look at the historical role of women deacons in the early church.

I emphasize this because Pope Francis himself, back in May, he was asked by a group of nuns to set up this commission, he said yes, he can do it. The next day the headlines came out that he was opening the door to women deacons. And he specifically told the journalists on the airplane coming back from Armenia, that he was a bit angry to see a headline that he was opening the door to women deacons. Because all he had agreed to was setting up this commission.

So that being said, this commission is going to look at the role of women deacons in the early church. There were women deacons. But the question hinges on ordination. Deacons are an ordained minister in the catholic church. That is why they are male. If the commission comes back and says "yes, actually, women in the early church did the same thing as ordained deacons today," then it would be revolutionary. And Francis would have an opportunity to say, "OK let's have ordained women deacons."

But let me emphasize that that's a long way off at the moment. The commission's work is still a -- probably at least, conservative estimate -- a year away. And then the Pope will have to decide. Carol?

COSTELLO: All right, Delia Gallagher, many thanks. And thank you for joining me today, I'm Carol Costello. "AT THIS HOUR" with Berman and Bolduan starts now.