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Large Earthquake Rattles Italy; Trump Pitches to Minorities; Advancement to Regain Mosul Resulting in Over Packed Refugee Camps; Heroin Overdoses in Ohio and Indiana Overnight; N. Korea Test Fires Sub-Based Ballistic Missile; FBI Investigates Suspected Russian Cyber Attack on The New York Times. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired August 24, 2016 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:50]

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: More than 1,000 people have been displaced. The 6.2 magnitude quake demolished an entire town and badly damaged others. The region where this quake struck is filled with summer tourists and vacationing Italians. Rescue workers, survivors, search dogs all combing through the rubble looking for anyone still alive. But relentless aftershocks are making their work difficult.

Crews are having a hard time getting heavy machinery into this mountainous area. Rescuers from the Italian Red Cross are joining the desperate hunt for survivors. Tommaso Della Longa is a national spokesman for the Italian Red Cross and he joins us now on the phone from Italy. Welcome Tommaso.

TOMMASO DELLA LONGA, NATIONAL SPOKESMAN, ITALIAN RED CROSS (via telephone): Hi, hello, thank you very much.

COSTELLO: Our hearts go out to the people there. Can you tell us what you're seeing?

LONGA: Well actually I'm just arrived like half an hour ago in Amatrice (ph). That is one of the city much more destroyed. It's a very sad scenario. It remembers me what I saw in L'Aquila in 2009. Mainly more than half of the city is completely destroyed.

And there are obviously our search and rescue team and lots of other ambulances of other organization are around trying to find people still alive. And then on the other side we are taking care of people that are safe, but obviously they're shocked. So it's a very sad and difficult situation.

COSTELLO: We can see from the video that we are getting in to CNN that there have been rescues. Can you, can you tell us about some of them?

LONGA: I mean there were several people, there were several people rescued. We are working around the clocks since the beginning to find people alive. Obviously the situation it seems minute by minute.

At the beginning we were here with the search and rescue team, and ambulances now, we are also deploying other volunteers. We are almost deployed more than 200 Italian Red Cross volunteers.

Also to take care of the people that were get out alive but they don't have any more house (ph). They are shocked and some of them, they also have a parent or a friend that was killed by the earthquake.

So even the psychological team support of the Red Cross now is really fundamental for the dignity of people and for their -- I mean to help them to help them understand what happened. Because I'm sure that it was a nightmare to be waken up by an earthquake that last for 142 seconds. That is really a long one.

COSTELLO: Wow. I know that the homes built in these little towns, they just crumbled because they're not earthquake-proof. And I know some of the roads are very narrow in these small towns. So are rescue workers using their hands to try to dig people out?

LONGA: Yeah, at the beginning, yes. Surely yes. We have the history of our delegate (ph) in Amatrice. It was waken up like the other citizens by the earthquake. He took his family away from the building that was collapsing. And then right afterwards, he started with other local Red Cross volunteers to dig with their hands to save people.

Then afterwards, the other teams were arriving from all across the region and then from all across Italy. But still logistic in this emergency is a very big issue. Because you have to understand that this part of Italy is between mountains and valley. There are several small villages and tiny city all around. So, and some of them are rich areas.

And you have now to think that, for example, for instance, to enter in Amatrice there is only one tiny road, now that is full of trucks and ambulances, and all the emergency cars. And it's this -- it pose a problem and could continue to be a problem.

COSTELLO: All right, Tommaso Della Longa from the Italian Red Cross. Our hearts are with you and thanks for taking the time to talk with us this morning. Still to come in the Newsroom, new campaign leaders, and now a new strategy. Donald Trump comes on strong with a pitch to minorities. But is it too late?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:38:48]

COSTELLO: What do you have to lose? Donald Trump's message for black voters and how he's got to reach -- now he's got a new plan to reach out to them besides just that. The Washington Post says the GOP nominee will visit urban areas including churches and schools. And tomorrow Mr. Trump will meet with black and Latino activists at Trump Tower in New York.

Dr. Ben Carson who is supporting Mr. Trump, is defending his former rival's pitch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DR. BEN CARSON (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I believe the message that he's trying to get across is that for several decades now, particularly in many of our large cities, we've had a political class in power that purports to be the saviors of the African-American community. And yet, what has happened?

You see income going down, you see incarceration going up. You see 73 percent of babies being born out of wedlock. Families being torn apart. And just general misery in a lot of areas. Now this is not to say that that's the case for all or even most African-Americans. But our inner cities are an important part of who we are as a nation. And if they are suffering, there's going to -- it's going to be very difficult to strengthen the nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So let's talk about this. Joining me now is Tracey Winbush, host of Tracy and Friends radio show. She's also Treasurer of the Ohio Republican Party. Welcome.

TRACEY WINBUSH, TREASURER, OHIO REPUBLICAN PARTY: Hi, how are you?

COSTELLO: I'm good. So you well know that Mr. Trump does not have -- well he has 1, to 2, to 3 percent at the most support among African- Americans. So what does he need to say to build trust in the African- American community?

WINBUSH: The strategy that I think he should take is a more of a grassroots strategy. Making sure that his messages gets out and not depending on the media to do that. There are churches, but then there are civic organizations. And people need to hear what he has to say about economic development, empowerment, as well as social issues. I think that would touch their heart a whole lot more.

COSTELLO: What about him appeals to you?

WINBUSH: He's going to break the system. I think the system has been very, very impartial to those who are at the top, no matter who's in office. And I think that he is going to break that system and allow middle-class to grow. And let those who are under, in the underclass, grow into the middle-class. Because if we don't have a strong middle- class, America loses.

COSTELLO: Many African-Americans don't share your view about Mr. Trump. In fact, when he said "what the hell do you have to lose, vote for me," many of them felt insulted by that. We went out in Texas and interviewed some African-Americans and here's what they had to say.

[10:41:30]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN WOMAN: He's brought up some points that are very, very valid regarding African-Americans, crime, and death rates and things like that. I mean, he does say he will make it better. We'll have to see. All politicians say some of the same things. We'll still have to see. UNKNOWN MAN: He'll make a good point and then he'll just take it way

too far. And that's the biggest issue we have in politics right now. Is that you have people going who have to feel like (ph) they have to play to an extreme. As the realists think (ph) make some important points. I think most of the people in this room, you talk about these issues, they all agree what the issues are but when you're going too far, either left or right, it becomes absurd.

CNN REPORTER: When he talks about African-Americans being shot in their neighborhoods when they walk down the sidewalks, is that insulting?

UNKNOWN MAN: Absolutely. I mean I realize that that's something that is happening in our communities. But I think it's insulting because he's using it for political points. He's trying to score political points with African-American voters when he's made no outreach to African-American voters. He's been running since June 2015.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: OK so you heard what those people have to say. So ...

WINBUSH: You know, Jack ...

COSTELLO: ... what can Donald Trump do at this point?

WINBUSH: You know, Jack Nicholson said it best. You can't handle the truth. And sometimes the truth really hurts. It is true, we have some problems in our community, and I think it deals with the policies of the Democrat Party, who have given us crutches and not helped us out of the situation that we're in.

I would've done things a little bit differently but I'm glad that he's at least speaking out. And he's actually going after the vote. It's important that African-Americans begin to get involved and be engaged in the vote of America. Because it's important to them. We are Americans, we have issues, and we think that that -- the government needs the infrastructure that's going to help us get over.

COSTELLO: Right, right. I think, I think that, though ...

WINBUSH: ... That's not going to happen if we lose.

COSTELLO: I think that many African-American voters think that Mr. Trump is talking at them, not to them. He likes to hold these large rallies in front of largely white audiences. And then he says, you know, I'm sure that African-Americans are watching television and they're hearing me. That just doesn't cut it for a lot of voters.

WINBUSH: But it's -- and my question is, if he came into the city of Detroit and threw a rally, would African-Americans show up?

COSTELLO: Why not give it a try? Why not walk through the community, why not shake hands, why not go to a church service in the morning?

WINBUSH: But now he's already said that he's going to start doing that. He's already said that he's going to start going down to the grassroots level. But we have to understand, if he had come in -- to -- inside of an inner city, how many people would be in there at this present time? Because they have already put in, put in their mindset that they're not welcome. And they are welcome. We want them to come and to listen to what we have to say, as Republicans and as Trump supporters. Because it's important to their future.

COSTELLO: And I, and I ...

WINBUSH: They've got to get engaged in this.

COSTELLO: And I, and I hear you. But is is too late for Mr. Trump to demonstrate that he really does care about them by going into these African-American communities? We're 74 days out from the election.

WINBUSH: It's never too late. It's never too late, because the fat lady doesn't sing until November the 8th. It's important that they begin to listen, they begin to hear, and they begin to advance their own personal agenda. Because we are Americans also. And we have to make sure that we get what we need in our own communities so that we provide (ph) that we can grow, and we can have the American dream, like everyone else.

COSTELLO: Tracey Winbush, thank you so much for stopping by, I do appreciate it. Iraqi military forces fighting to take control of the city of Mosul back from ISIS. Thousands of Iraqis near the front lines of that battle are running for their lives. Up next, we'll take you to the battlefield.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:48:59]

COSTELLO: Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces are trying to push ISIS out of Iraq's second largest city, Mosul. We have brand new pictures to show you, near the front line. As Iraqi and Kurdish forces close in on the decimated city, panicked civilians in surrounding villages are trying to escape.

Many are filling refugee camps nearby. CNN's Arwa Damon live in Erbil in Iraq. She joins us now with more. Hi Arwa.

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi Carol. And you know, a lot of the focus lately has been on the military advances. The successes in pushing ISIS out of territory as the Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga do move forward. But what is the fighting doing to the civilian population? Where are they going? Here's a look at the lives they are now trying to lead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON (voice-over): The desert winds whip across the fields. The heat is thick, suffocating. And the sand sticks to everything. Children's matted hair is shades lighter than it should be. Their faces caked in dirt. Nearly impossible to clean, even if there was water. DAMON: Inside this tent is a mother and her baby, who we met a short

while ago, who is one of the cases that's really struggling here.

DAMON (voice-over): Baby Armut (ph) is 9 months old. He has diarrhea, is dehydrated, and listless, his mother tells us. The only drinking water they have from a well is making everyone sick. It's been more than a month since they got here, after walking for hours. Diswa (ph) clutches a photo of her dead son. Killed by ISIS two years ago for being in the Iraqi Special Forces.

DISWA (ph), IRAQI CIVILIAN REFUGEE (via translator): He's dead and they took everything. They left me and Ranna (ph). This is the martyr's daughter.

DAMON (voice-over): People are thirsty, unbearable especially for the children in this heat. Food is lentils and beans twice a day. There have been promises that international organizations were coming, that Iraqi government would be helping. But this attempt to preposition shelter and humanitarian aid is providing no relief.

As the front lines move toward Mosul, people are making a run for their lives along different points. This group, three sisters-in-law, and other male relatives, saw the opportunity when the Kurdish Peshmerga pushed forward.

DAMON: There are very, very few details that they're willing to disclose publicly because of the sheer risk involved to their family members that are still inside Mosul. But there's also supposedly a very buoyant (ph) moment here. Because two (ph) of these women were pregnant when ISIS arrived and their husbands had to flee. And very shortly, their littlest children are about to meet their fathers for the first time.

DAMON (voice-over): They don't want us to follow them to film that. But making it out does not mean an end to the hardships people continue to endure.

ELISABETH KOEK, NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL: We are not able to provide them with the kind of services that they need because we simply don't have the land.

DAMON (voice-over): And there is the issue of funding. $284 million was allocated during a flash appeal last month. But the money has not yet been released. Already established camps have exceeded their maximum capacity. The DEBAGA camp in Iraqi Kurdistan has mushroomed to five times the size it was in May.

Even with the expansions under construction in DEBAGA, it's barely enough for the current backlog. And the offensive has not yet begun in Mosul itself.

KOEK: We have a rough estimate, it can be anywhere between a million and up to a million and a half other people coming out of the corridor for Mosul. So we're incredibly concerned and trying our best to deal with what might be the humanitarian catastrophe of the century. DAMON (voice-over): A catastrophe because we know this is coming. And preparing for the humanitarian disaster in the making should be as big a priority as preparing for the battle, itself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[10:53:13]

DAMON: And Carol, if those preparations are not made, it potentially means that tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people are going to be left without food, water, sanitation, medical assistance, shelter, after having been through what is presumably a horrific, unimaginable experience. They will be left to their own devices.

COSTELLO: Arwa Damon reporting live from inside Iraq this morning, thank you. Cyber attacks believed to be the work of Russian hackers. The target? The New York Times. But why?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:58:00]

COSTELLO: Checking some top stories for you at 57 minutes past. 20 people overdosed on heroine, some of it laced with elephant tranquilizers, in Cincinnati last night. So far no one has died, but at the same time last night, just across the state line in Indiana, officials treated nearly a dozen people for the same thing. Police are of course investigating whether the cases are related.

North Korea has test fired a submarine-based ballistic missile. It is similar to the one the country tested back in April. This time the missile flew some 300 miles and reached Japan's Air Defense Identification Zone for the first time. The launch comes amid the annual joint military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea, which kicked off Monday.

The FBI says Russian hackers have a brand new target. Officials are right now investigating a series of cyber breaches at The New York Times, and other U.S. news outlets. CNN's Evan Perez in Washington with more for you.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Some U.S. officials say what's going on here is a type of undeclared cyberwar. Law enforcement officials tell us that suspected Russian spies have been targeting reporters at The New York Times, and reporters at other U.S. news organizations.

Now, U.S. investigators believe that this is part of a broader Russian intelligence operation. A spokeswoman for The New York Times said that the paper hasn't found any evidence of a breach of its internal systems. But that there was an unsuccessful attempt to breach its systems in its Moscow bureau.

U.S. intelligence officials believe that these hacks are similar to other recent ones. And that includes cyber attacks against the Democratic National Committee, and other Democratic Party organizations. As well as think tanks here, in Washington.

Now the concern about hacking reporters is that Russian spies could obtain not only information about who reporters are talking to in the U.S. government, but also details of their communications. And perhaps even stories that have not been published yet.

Now there is some debate inside the Obama administration about what to do about all of this. Some officials want to publicly call out the Russians, and others are concerned about escalating the situation. Carol?

COSTELLO: Evan Perez reporting in Washington. Of course we'll be keeping an eye on the situation in Central Italy, 73 people so far have died there in a major earthquake. Thanks for joining me today, I'm Carol Costello. "AT THIS HOUR" with Berman and Bolduan starts next.