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Washington Shooter Arcan Cetin Apprehended; Much Anticipated Presidential Debate to Air Tonight; Carol What Do Hofstra University Students Expect From the Debate? Aired 10:30-11a ET
Aired September 26, 2016 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[10:30:22] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello, live from Hofstra University where the first presidential debate of the general election gets underway in just over ten hours. You can watch it live, of course, right here on CNN.
Thanks for joining on this beautiful morning. We're going to get back to our debate coverage in just a minute, but first, the 20-year-old Washington shooting suspect will be in court today. He is expected to enter a plea at his arraignment. Police say he shot five people on Friday. He was captured after a nearly 24-hour manhunt, and now investigators are working to find out why he opened fire. Stephanie Elam live in Burlington, Washington, good morning.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. The man that is suspected of killing five people is facing five counts of first- degree murder. His name is Arcan Cetin, and what we understand is that he was apprehended in Island County, which is about 20 miles from here, in the town where he lives, Oak Harbor. That happened on Saturday evening, a whole 24 hours after everything happened here at this mall. Just to give you an idea of what that was, we understand that he entered the mall and on surveillance video you can see that he enters without a weapon. About ten minutes later, he appears on camera again with a rifle. He then entered the Macy's makeup department, and that's where he shot and killed four women and then shot a fifth person, a man, who later died from his injuries. After that, police said he fled right across this parking lot and out to the Interstate 5 freeway which is right here. At that point, he disappeared, but by looking through surveillance videos in the area and through tips, they were able to track him down in Oak Harbor and get this, there was a police officer who had just seen the bulletin on his computer. He looked down, saw the image, and then was driving along and say Cetin walking on the street, did a quick u-turn, and apprehended him. He said he was almost "zombie-like" and they brought him in without any incident.
What we know about this man is that he is a legal resident here. He immigrated from Turkey. We don't know how recently that was. We also know that he has an ex-girlfriend that used to work for Macy's, but it has now been confirmed that it was not this Macy's. We did go to the street where his parents live. We talked to a neighbor who told us that she was shocked and saddened by this, that when her kids were younger they used to play with Cetin, but she said nothing ever indicated that this could happen. She said they all seemed like good people, normal people. Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Stephanie Elam reporting live from Burlington, Washington this morning. Houston police say the suspect who opened fire in a shopping center parking lot this morning has died. He was shot and killed by police after they say he shot several people. Police say he was a lawyer who lived nearby. At least six people are now being treated at local hospital -- at local hospitals, rather. The police department's bomb squad is now searching the suspect's vehicle.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM: Hofstra, the epicenter of the political universe tonight, and imagine being inside that room. Two students and the school's president will be inside, watching the debate live as it happens. We'll talk to them next.
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[10:35:00]
COSTELLO: I love it. They're so awesome here. Some young people looking to the presidential candidates and, you know, young people say these candidates don't understand their generation, these candidates are out of touch, but it's not for lack of trying. CNN talked with a few viewers about their American dream. Here's what they had to say:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN MALE: Having a moderate job, having a family, being able to support my parents as my parents supported me when I was younger.
UNKNOWN MALE: I could be able to walk the streets without being accosted by folks who want to do me harm or cheat(ph) our law enforcement, profiling me for who I am.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Equality, opportunity, justice for everyone and not just for one person.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: All right. And my thanks to (INAUDIBLE) and also Penn State for providing us some students and of course here at Hofstra. Students galore: With me now is Elena Santo. She's a sophomore. She's a registered republican, and you're voting for Hillary Clinton?
ELENA SANTO, SOPHOMORE, HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY: Yes.
COSTELLO: All right. Jason Carola is a freshman here at Hofstra, and you are voting for Trump?
JASON CAROLA, FRESHMAN, HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY: I definitely am.
[10:40:05]
COSTELLO: And the president of Hofstra is with me, Stuart Rabinowitz. Thanks so much, Mr. President for being with me.
STUART RABINOWITZ, PRESIDENT OF HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY: My pleasure. I'm voting for Hofstra.
COSTELLO: You're voting for Hofstra. And that's it. I'm not saying anymore. So you gave up your tickets to be inside the debate hall. Why?
RABINOWITZ: Because we do this for our students. We don't do it -- I don't need to be there. I'd rather have more students there. And the purpose of this whole thing is to educate and inspire our students to be good citizens.
COSTELLO: Some might say this isn't such an inspiration election. So what do you want the students to take away from this.
RABINOWITZ: They can take away whatever their own personal beliefs are. What I want them to take away is that they have an opportunity to change things, but they have to do it by voting. Whoever you support, whatever your issues are, you must vote in the process. You know, you can be skeptical, but you cannot pass(ph) if you want -- if you want to make any change.
COSTELLO: So let's talk about change. So, Elena, you're going to be inside that debate hall.
SANTO: Yes.
COSTELLO: Do you know where you'll be sitting?
SANTO: I don't find out yet, but I'm excited. Anywhere is a good spot to sit in there.
COSTELLO: What do you think the mood will be like in there?
SANTO: I think tension's will be high, but hopefully everybody will be able to still be fun and have a great time. On the student side, I think everybody's just going to be super excited to be in there with such a great atmosphere.
COSTELLO: So you're not allowed to cheer or make any noise right?
RABINOWITZ: Oh no.
SANTO: Yes, no.
COSTELLO: No clapping.
SANTO: No.
COSTELLO: No cellphones.
SANTO: Nothing.
COSTELLO: Nothing.
SANTO: Nothing.
COSTELLO: So that'll be like agony for you. SANTO: I know. It's a change.
COSTELLO: But seriously, though, young people really aren't attracted to either candidate, so what might they say on that debate stage that will -- that will electrify young people? Is there anything either candidate can say?
SANTO: I think they need to start talking more about the policy to really get students engaged, because right now it's just bickering back and forth and it think everybody's kind of had enough of that. We all follow them on Twitter, we get it. Like, we get that you're going to argue, but, I think a lot of people are looking for some real change. I think every student can connect to at least one aspect of, like something they could vote on. And neither candidate has really talked or dove into their opinion on it. So I think they really need to get into the policy talk.
COSTELLO: So, Jason, when you sit back and your generation looks at these candidates and looks at the political scene these days, tell me the truth, what do they think?
CAROLA: As a whole - as a whole, I feel like this election specifically is turning the younger generations off of politics. I feel like it's the constant media spin on things, that it's the doom and gloom and it's all fighting, and no one's really focusing on the policies or the good things coming out of this election.
COSTELLO: So why are you guys -- I know, I'm sorry Mr. President, but, so both of you are going to vote. So if you're so turned off of politics and it's such a vicious season and it's the media spin and you don't know exactly where the candidates are quite coming from yet, why are you bothering to vote?
SANTO: I think it's still important even if you don't strongly support one person, you still need to have a voice, and you still need to say -- you need to find a reason to vote. Like, personally there's a few issues that I think every single person can really relate to and I know that I'll take those issues and see who provides the better answers, and that's who you end up voting for. Even if you're not passionate about the whole candidate, you have to find certain parts that you can connect to.
COSTELLO: Is it just because you're not so cynical yet that you're going to go and vote, because I know adults that say, "Why should I vote" or "I'm going to vote for Gary Johnson because I don't like those two candidates," like, what is it with you?
CAROLA: I'm not going to vote for Gary Johnson because I want my vote to matter, but I'm not quite jaded just yet. I still have some hope for the future, and I think once you see past all of the media bias, I believe Trump's message for America is a message of hope.
COSTELLO: So what do you tell students about this election, because I do hear from a lot of young people that this is just -- this is just soul sucking? RABINOWITZ: Well the -- well I would just point out, and not being on one side or another, is that George W. Bush was elected by 573 or 583 votes in Florida. So if not, Al Gore would have been the president, so it's -- you can't say your vote is irrelevant. But it's more than that. I think the only way to become part of the power structure in America is to exercise your democratic right, which is so precious, and which so few countries really have, to vote and a democratic election.
[10:45:00]
COSTELLO: But here's the thing: We as older Americans, we're setting the tone right now for the younger generation, and it's not a great tone. So how do you say to your students on this campus, you know what? It isn't always going to be like this. Things are going to change. These candidates will go away and this political climate will change and the sun will rise again?
RABINOWITZ: Yes it will. And the thing is, this generation of college students, from my experience, are fantastic. They're public spirited, their generous and altruistic, they care about the community, they're completely in favor of inclusion not exclusion, and once this generation grows up and gets their seat at the table, things will look good again. Look, I grew up during the Vietnam protest areas, you know, and everybody thought the country was falling apart, but it didn't fall apart. It -- we got over Vietnam and things got better. And they always will in this country, especially with students like these people running the show.
COSTELLO: So how excited is your generation to take over?
SANTO: Pretty excited. I think right now there's such a disconnect between the generations, so within the next couple of years hopefully we start seeing some real change when our generation gets a little older.
COSTELLO: I can't say I disagree with you. Elena, Jason, and President Rabinowitz, thank you so much for being with me this morning.
SANTO: Thank you.
CAROLA: Thank you for having us.
COSTELLO: And everybody -- you're the envy of the nation right now. Uh oh, she has tickets.
Coming up next in the NEWSROOM: As Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump prepare for their very first matchup, we take a look back to see what these candidates can learn, especially when it comes to the triumphs and blunders of past White House hopefuls.
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[10:50:00] COSTELLO: A high stakes night ahead for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, potentially 100 million sets of eyes and lots of ways to mess up this make-or-break moment. That sounds insensitive and cold -- you could sound insensitive and cold and mess things up like Michael Dukakis did back in the day.
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UNKNOWN MODERATOR: Governor, if Kitty Dukakis were raped and murdered, would you favor an irrevocable death penalty for the killer?
MICHAEL DUKAKIS, PAST PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No I don't, Bernard, and I think you know that I have proposed the death penalty during all of my life.
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COSTELLO: You could forget a key part of your policies like Rick Perry did.
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RICK PERRY, PAST PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's three agencies of government when I get there that are gone: Commerce, education, and the -- what's the third one there? Let's see. The third one I can't, sorry. Oops.
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COSTELLO: Or sometimes, as we say with George Bush and Al Gore, it's a matter of personal space.
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FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, GEORGE W. BUSH: It's not only what's your philosophy and what's your position on issues, but can you get things done? And I believe I can.
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COSTELLO: OK, so let's talk about this. I want to bring in Alan Schroeder, a journalism profressor at Northeastern University and author of Presidential Debates: Fifty Years of High-Risk Television. Welcome, Allen.
ALAN SCHROEDER, JOURNALISM PROFESSOR, NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY: Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: OK, so you say 50 years of high-risk television, what do you mean by that?
SCHROEDER: Well, just the fact that this is live TV, no script, the candidates are away from their usual choreographed settings, and as you just showed in those clips, it's really easy to make a mistake and when you make a mistake you're making it in front of 10s of millions of people. So it's a -- however we feel about the candidates politically, I think we have to admire their courage in being willing to do this.
COSTELLO: You know, you're absolutely right about that. We sometimes forget the candidates are actually real, live, breathing human beings. Let's talk about this (--)
SCHROEDER: Yes, I wouldn't want to be either one of them right now.
COSTELLO: I wouldn't either. I'm with you. So let's talk about mistakes, because you could have the greatest debate in the history of man, but if you make one small mistake, does that mean you lose?
SCHROEDER: Well, it means you lose the debate. It may not mean you lose the election. But the problem with the mistakes is there are all kinds of different types of mistakes. I mean, you just showed a good range there. There are visual mistakes like what Gore did there, there are content mistakes like what Perry did, and there are mistakes of tone such as the Dukakis example. So there's all kinds of ways to mess this up and a lot fewer ways, I think, to get it right.
COSTELLO: So what are the pitfalls that Donald Trump should look for?
SCHROEDER: Well, I think for him it's a question of, you know, he's been on TV a lot, he's been on live TV a lot, but that doesn't necessarily translate into a debate format, so I think he needs to pay real careful attention here to the format; to the length of this thing, the 90 minutes; to the fact that you've got 15-minute open- ended discussion periods; and understand that this is not Celebrity Apprentice, this is some totally different thing that, frankly, he's never done before.
COSTELLO: And how about Hillary Clinton?
SCHROEDER: Well, I think for her the challenge is to sort of figure out, you know, what -- whose rules are we playing by here? What version of Donald Trump is she going to be reacting to? And she's probably not going to know that until the debate is underway. So it'll be really interesting to watch and see how she can adjust for whatever he brings to the table. Because I do think he's in that driver's seat of kind of setting the tone. She's going to be reacting, but she has things she can do within that reaction to help her as well.
COSTELLO: So as you're sitting back and watching the debate tonight, what specific things will you watch for?
[10:54:41]
SCHROEDER: Well, you know one thing I always like to watch for is how do the candidates treat each other. Because I think that tells us a little something about them as human beings. Are they responsive to the questions on the table or are they just talking about whatever to kill the time. I think those are a couple of things to watch out for. And also just from more of a technical standpoint, how well do they use the time? You know, 90 minutes is a long, long time. Do they hold up? Do they get tired? Do they make mistakes, you know, because you're at a late point in the debate? How do they use those initial 15 to 20 minutes. I think that's going to be an interesting thing to observe.
COSTELLO: OK. Thank you so much for your insight, Alan Schroeder, and thank you for joining me today. I can't wait for that debate tonight either. I'll be watching along with, oh, 100 million other people in America. Be sure to watch CNN's live coverage of that debate tonight, 9 p.m. Eastern. And thank you so much for joining me this morning, live from Hofstra University. I'm Carol Costello. "AT THIS HOUR" with Berman and Bolduan after a break.
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[11:00:00]
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: This could change everything.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: One of the most anticipated political showdowns of all time.
