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Donald Trump Threatens to Bring Up Bill Clinton's Infidelities in His Campaign; No Fortune 100 CEOs Yet Backing Trump for President; Aleppo, Syria, Under Attack; Hillary Clinton's Effort to Gain Support of Millennials Examined; "Saturday Night Live" Season Premier to Feature Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired October 01, 2016 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00] JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: -- first time "SNL" hired someone to play a politician during an election year.
SARAH PALIN, (R) FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: You can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska.
MOOS: Tina Fey twisted that line.
TINA FEY, COMEDIAN: And I can see Russia from my house.
(LAUGHTER)
MOOS: How deeply can "SNL" impersonations infiltrate our minds?
Who said "I can see Russia from my house"?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sarah Palin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, that was Palin.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sarah Palin.
MOOS: Tina Fey actually.
HAYES: Tina Fey, she didn't say that.
MOOS: Will Alec Baldwin's lines be mistaken for Trump's? Mimicking the Donald is nothing to sniff at.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, boy, it is going to be good stuff potentially. All right, the next hour of the CNN Newsroom begins right now.
Hello again, everyone, and thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
Donald Trump launching fresh attacks at Hillary Clinton and threatening to focus on Bill Clinton's sex scandals. He told "The New York Times," quote, "She is nasty but I can be nastier than she ever can be," end quote. This as Republican leaders urge Trump to get back on message after his widely panned debate performance, which Trump blamed partially on the microphone, saying it commanded 50 percent of his thought process.
We should note, the Commission on Presidential Debates has said there was an audio issue in the hall.
Trump also trying to shift the focus from an early morning Twitter rampage, where he ripped into the media and a former Miss Universe. The Clinton campaign quickly pounced.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I mean, really, who gets up at 3:00 in the morning to engage in a Twitter attack against a former Miss Universe? I mean, he hurled as many insults as he could. Really, why does he do things like that? I mean, his latest Twitter meltdown is unhinged, even for him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So for more, we're joined now by CNN's Chris Frates in Washington. So Chris, many within the Republican Party really want Donald Trump to get past these issues.
CHRIS FRATES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Fred. And let's not forget, it was a bad week for Donald Trump, right. He had a widely panned debate performance. He got into this Twitter war with a former Miss Universe. He's been dogged by bad headlines and largely on the defensive.
So this "New York Times" interview was a chance for Trump to go on the attack. And as you point out, he called Clinton nasty, but then he said he could get nastier and then went on to get pretty nasty. He is attacking Clinton for what he says was her role in her husband's sex scandals.
I want to give you a quote. I want to show it on the screen here if we can. He said "Hillary Clinton was married to the single greatest abuser of women in the history of politics. Hillary was an enabler and she attacked the women who Bill Clinton mistreated afterwards. I think it is a serious problem for them and it is something that I'm considering talking about more in the near future."
Now, as for his own extramarital affairs, Trump told "The New York Times" that he never cheated on his wives. But when the paper asked him, well, what about your affair with Marla Maples? Of course that was the stuff of New York legend, Trump deferred and said I don't talk about that. And this week it was a week that even Trump's biggest supporters doling out a little bit of tough love. Take a listen to what Newt Gingrich had to say last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH, (R) FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think what Trump has got to understand is he's either got to sing "I've got to be me" or he's got to get on a new song, "I've got to be president." They're not the same song. He has got to become much more disciplined. For a while there I thought he had really turned a corner. This last week I think has been frankly a lost week, a week which has hurt him, which has shaken his own supporters. And you can't tweet at 3:00 in the morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRATES: So some blunt criticism from one of his top supporters there, Newt Gingrich. Fred, we'll just have to see if he actually takes the advice this time.
WHITFIELD: We shall see. All right, thank you so much, Chris Frates.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump is facing other headwinds, this time the release of deposition tapes of the presidential candidate under oath during his candidacy. The recording is part of a lawsuit between Trump and a restaurant group that backed out of a deal with Trump after he called some Mexican immigrants rapists. Here now is CNN's Sunlen Serfaty.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Newly released video of Donald Trump testifying under oath. The normally animated and bombastic GOP nominee taking a more serious and somber tone. This part of a deposition Trump made in June in his lawsuit against celebrity chef Geoffrey Zakarian.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's see what this beautiful pantry has to offer.
[14:05:00] SERFATY: The restaurateur who backed out of opening a restaurant in Trump's new D.C. hotel after Trump he said this about illegal Mexican immigrants at his presidential announcement.
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists, and some, I assume, are good people.
SERFATY: Trump says the controversial comments in his speech were planned.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you write the statement in advance? Was it written?
TRUMP: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And did you plan in advance what you were going to say?
TRUMP: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, did you talk to other people about it?
TRUMP: No. SERFATY: But it's that statement that Zakarian says caused him to
reconsider his arrangement with Trump and backed out of the deal. Trump admits Zakarian's decision hurt his business.
TRUMP: We had a lot of bad publicity because of the way they handled it. They grandstanded.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And how has that harmed you?
TRUMP: Just a bad day of press, a bad few days of press. I think, you know, I don't know how I can quantify it, but I think we were hurt by the way they did it.
SERFATY: Still, Trump said his campaign's success justified what he said.
TRUMP: It's not like, you know, like I've said anything that could be so bad, because if I said something that was so bad they wouldn't have had me go through all of these people and win all of these primary races.
Donald Trump's lawyers did not want this video released, arguing it could potentially be used politically, like popping up in campaign ads, saying, quote, "Videotapes are subject to abuse." After CNN and other media outlets filed a motion for the judge to release the tapes, the D.C. superior judge decided against team Trump, releasing the footage despite opposition from the Trump campaign to keep the tapes under lock and key.
SERFATY: And with under 40 days to go, having it out there certainly serves as a reminder of one of the most controversial moments of his campaign, a moment the Trump campaign likely doesn't want to revisit to put that out there fresh in the minds of voters this close to Election Day.
Sunlen Serfaty, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: OK, so let's talk more about this deposition, the release of it, with our CNN legal analyst Danny Cevallos and Paul Callan. Good to see both of you. So Paul, you first. We've heard in Sunlen's piece that the Trump camp didn't want it released, but that it was released, is that in violation of any kind of court order?
PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: It's probably not in violation of any kind of court order, but by custom and tradition, in civil cases, this stuff is usually done behind closed doors and it's kept secret. The reason for that, Fred, is that usually lots of embarrassing things come out at depositions, the kind of stuff that you couldn't get into evidence at trial. So the parties, usually both sides, really don't want it released, and then it is quietly settled and the public never hears about it. But hey, we're in the middle of a presidential campaign, so the normal rulebook obviously has been thrown out the window. WHITFIELD: So Danny, this case is still ongoing. That the
deposition, his deposition was released, how potentially damaging is it to the case as it moves forward?
DANNY CEVALLOS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: As someone who has done a ton of depositions, and Paul too, the very idea of depositions being released is terrifying for any litigant because, as Paul said, the scope of discoverable information in a deposition is so much broader than that at trial that, like Paul said, lots of very embarrassing and damaging things could come out during deposition testimony, and there is nothing that the defending lawyer can do to stop it.
And we're seeing in the last year, whether it be in Cosby or other cases, there is a growing trend to take these depositions, which used to be held secret as a matter of practice, now being released. And I have to wonder going forward, are candidates like Trump and just regular civilians, what chilling effect that might have when they come into a deposition swearing to tell the truth, will they decide not to do so because it is so potentially damaging?
WHITFIELD: So Paul, Donald Trump is the one who is suing this restaurateur, particularly this chef, Zakarian, because Zakarian pulled out of this deal in the midst of this campaign, as a result of, you know, Donald Trump using the association of Mexican and rapists, we're talking about the hotel there in the nation's capital. And so, Paul, speak to how Donald Trump perhaps had options. If you're going to pursue this kind of lawsuit, would you want to, or is it necessary that had to be in the midst of his campaign as opposed to waiting, so that potentially it wouldn't be as interesting to release a deposition?
CALLAN: You know, Fred, it is as odd as him sending tweets at 3:00 in the morning about, quote, "crooked Hillary." I think most people, if they stood back and looked at it, they would say you know, maybe I should wait until the election, and then start the lawsuit to get damages for what this guy did to me.
[14:10:03] But instead, Trump sort of acts instinctively and aggressively. And obviously he said to his lawyers, sue the guy. And look at it. It's June, and there he is under the glare of the deposition camera. And by the way, the lighting is horrible. It is a one camera set-up. Everybody looks bad at these depositions. And he had to know that. But, you know, Trump is just being the aggressive Trump who always comes out swinging. And I think tactically, it was a mistake in this case.
WHITFIELD: And Danny, if you were, you know, his counsel, what would you have recommended in terms of timing, doing this, you know, trusting whether, you know, the deal would be good, that this deposition would not be released during your candidacy?
CEVALLOS: My heart goes out to his attorneys, because in any deposition when you're defending, most of the war is won at preparation, before the deposition. And the general rule is tell your clients to keep your answers to a minimum, a few words, maybe one word if you can do it. And you can see in this deposition, Trump going on and on, his musings, his thoughts, just sort of, just talking casually, which is the scariest thing for a defending attorney at a deposition is a client who sort of meanders on and chats with the deposing attorney.
CALLAN: Fred, can I just add one thought on this?
WHITFIELD: Yes.
CALLAN: The most amazing thing, I thought was, he said this famous statement that he made about Mexicans in his presidential campaign announcement was ad-libbed. He didn't write it out. I mean, the man is announcing for president, and usually this is a carefully scripted speech, and Trump says in the deposition, no, I didn't write it down. It was -- so he was ad-libbing what maybe has become the most famous comment in a presidential announcement. Very, very interesting piece of trivia about this campaign.
WHITFIELD: All right, Danny, Paul, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
CALLAN: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: So more about Donald Trump and the campaign ahead. He is threatening to now dig up Bill Clinton's past infidelities in the next presidential debate just eight days away. So would that resonate with women given his own marital history? That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:15:20] WHITFIELD: The Trump campaign is threatening to focus on Bill Clinton's sex scandals for round two of the presidential debate. But is that wise? Not only does Trump have a checked marital history, he is surrounded by men who have also led complicated lives. Here's CNN's Kyung Lah.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: I do cherish women. I love women.
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Trump's critics question if that is really true. It's not only Trump who is facing scrutiny. Some of his closest advisors are as well.
STEVE BANNON, TRUMP CAMPAIGN CEO: We need to have a fight in the Republican Party for the soul of the conservative --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I agree with you.
LAH: Campaign CEO Steve Bannon -- in 1996 he faced misdemeanor domestic violence charges. His ex-wife in the Santa Monica, California, police report alleging he grabbed her, an incident that the officer says left red marks on her left wrist and the right side of her neck. Those charges were dropped.
The man behind FOX News, Roger Ailes, is now an unofficial Trump campaign whisperer, although Trump won't officially acknowledge his role. FOX News ousted Ailes after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment, most prominently anchor Gretchen Carlson who receiving a $20 million settlement from FOX.
GINGRICH: You're not supposed to gain 60 pounds during the year.
LAH: That's former speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, speaking this week, defending Trump's comments about Alisha Machado's weight gain after she won the crown. Gingrich is now a Trump advisor. He and Trump have both been married three times, both accused of infidelity. In 2012, Gingrich's second wife recalled this about her former husband to ABC News.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was asking to have an open marriage, and I refused.
LAH: Then there is Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor and Trump backer. After Monday's debate, Giuliani spoke to reporters, bringing up Bill Clinton's affair, criticizing not just him but Hillary Clinton.
RUDY GIULIANI, (R) FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: She attacked Monica Lewinsky. And after being married to Bill Clinton for 20 years, if you didn't know the moment Monica Lewinsky said that Bill Clinton violated her she was telling the truth, then you're too stupid to be president.
LAH: But Giuliani should be able to relate to marital strife. Married three times, he announced his separation to this second wife at a press conference before telling her. This divorce and affair playing out publicly on New York tabloid front pages.
Trump's closest advisors are not all male. His campaign manager is a woman, Kellyanne Conway, and another person who has his ear is also a woman, his daughter, Ivanka.
Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And Hillary Clinton is bringing up big names to try to attract young voters. Her new push to win over millennials, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:21:49] WHITFIELD: Hillary Clinton is struggling to get support from younger voters who helped fuel President Barack Obama's path to the White House. So lately she has been dispatching some high-powered surrogates, trying to make inroads with millennial voters. Now in the homestretch of this election, are her efforts paying off? CNN's chief political correspondent Dana Bash hit the road to find out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN'S CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: At field offices and 280 college campuses, millennials work the phones for Hillary Clinton.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was wondering if you would like to come out and do some voter registration or a phone bank with us this weekend? BASH: Young voters fueled President Obama's wins. He got 60 percent
of 18 to 29 year olds in 2012, a demo that was nearly 20 percent of the vote and now could be growing.
HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Young people could represent 25 percent of the vote.
BASH: Team Clinton is putting such a premium on millennials they hired youth directors in key battleground states. Lillie Catlin runs North Carolina, and says social media is key.
LILLIE CATLIN, NORTH CAROLINA VOTE DIRECTOR, CLINTON CAMPAIGN: We can't necessarily knock on every door because voters move every year. And so it is, you know, having those kinds of conversations, but through our text list or through Twitter.
BASH: Still, polls show Clinton is underperforming with millennials, so the campaign is deploying high profile surrogates. Bernie Sanders is lobbying his army of young supporters.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I) VERMONT: It is imperative that we elect Hillary Clinton as our next president.
BASH: Chelsea Clinton is hopscotching college towns.
Why has it been so hard to get your mom to do that, to get people your age behind her?
CHELSEA CLINTON, HILLARY CLINTON'S DAUGHTER: Dana, thank you for including me in the millennial demographic. I'm just at the older end. If we think about the younger millennials, we thing only about 55 percent of 18 to 24 year olds were even registered to vote at the beginning of 2016. So that says to me we just need to be doing a better job collectivity on making the case of what's at stake in this election.
BASH: At East Carolina University in North Carolina, we heard why it has been so hard.
What is your experience in getting your friends on the Hillary Clinton train?
ANNIKEN WILLIAMS, VICE PRESIDENT, COLLEGE DEMOCRATS OF NORTH CAROLINA: Well, it has been pretty difficult, especially because a lot of young people especially were for Bernie Sanders.
BASH: One Sanders supporter challenged Chelsea directly, saying the primary was rigged for Clinton.
ZACHARY PATE, STUDENT, EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY: What moral ground does Hillary Clinton have to stand on to continue running as the Democratic nominee?
CHELSEA CLINTON: I would hope as someone who clearly is a passionate supporter of Senator Sanders that you'll listen to him directly and not rely on me to make the case. BASH: He really came to protest and walked out holding a sign for
Green Party candidate, Jill Stein.
You don't really think Jill Stein can win, do you?
PATE: I think that we're going to establish party power and relevance for the Green Party by doing what we're doing.
BASH: Losing millennials to third party candidates is a dire concern for Clinton.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you vote for someone other than Hillary or if you don't vote at all, then you are helping to elect Hillary's opponent.
[14:25:00] BASH: For some, that's working. Erick Jenkins was a Sanders delegate who told us Clinton's college affordability plan convinced him.
ERICK JENKINS, STUDENT, EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY: Leveling out the cuts in colleges in states, and also making the federal government match it fourfold.
BASH: But stroll through campus, it is clear Clinton has work to do.
Who will you vote for?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jill Stein.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hillary Clinton.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm undecided.
BASH: Dana Bash, CNN, Greenville, North Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And a reminder, coming up tomorrow we'll talk with presidential candidate Gary Johnson tomorrow at 2:00 eastern, live right here on CNN.
Also straight ahead, Donald Trump has been touting his business background for months. Yet as of now, not one CEO of a fortune 100 company has endorsed the Republican. We'll discuss the significance of that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Hello again and thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. So Donald Trump is campaigning in Pennsylvania this evening, a state that has become a key battleground for him. Trump's business experience may be working among some voters, but in states like Pennsylvania, it doesn't seem to be resonating with many of the country's top CEOs. As of today, not a single CEO of a fortune 100 company has endorsed Donald Trump. That's compared with Mitt Romney four years ago who picked up support of almost one-third of the leaders on the list.
Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, has received support from 11 CEOs in the top fortune 100.
So I want to bring in Charlie Spies. He has served as CFO and counsel for Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential campaign and calls himself an undecided, lifelong Republican. Good to see you, Charles.
CHARLES SPIES, FORMER CFO FOR MITT ROMNEY'S 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: OK, so IS this the year that you are no longer going to vote Republican? If you're lifelong Republican, but you're undecided, help me understand what that means.
[14:30:05] SPIES: It means that I'm not a Hillary Clinton supporter. I'm horrified by hearing what I have about the FBI investigation. And her chief of staff --
WHITFIELD: But the Republican nominee is Donald Trump. So are you voting for Donald Trump?
SPIES: I hope he can win me over in the next 35 days.
WHITFIELD: With your vote?
SPIES: With my vote, yes. With the attacks --
WHITFIELD: So then you are not undecided. I just want to make that clear. I was a little confused of being undecided lifelong Republican. So you're not undecided. You are voting for --
SPIES: Why are you saying that -- I don't understand that argument. I'm saying I'm not a Hillary Clinton fan, but I haven't decided if I can vote for Donald Trump.
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK. I thought you just said you were voting for Donald Trump. So you're not.
SPIES: No, I did not. I'm sorry.
WHITFIELD: OK. So let's move on to this fortune 100 list then. Why is it Donald Trump is not winning support by fellow businessmen and women who are in the fortune 100 list?
SPIES: Well, the "Wall Street Journal" interviewed one of those business leaders this week who has always voted Republican, and he said that Mr. Trump's temperament is the major issue, that the attacks on the disabled, women, Hispanics, make it very hard for him and his colleagues to publicly support Trump, and I think that's the prevalent sentiment.
Having said that, you have seen some of the most influential Republican donors in the past week funding -- that were on the sidelines, now coming on board and funding an effort to keep Hillary Clinton's numbers down so that we can maintain control of the Senate, which is going to be critically important as a bulwark against either one of them if they become president.
WHITFIELD: Is it odd that someone who business prowess and his track record as a billionaire for a very long time, being in the public as a very successful businessman for decades, that he wouldn't be winning support by fellow very successful business people who are on a list of the, you know, top 100 of the fortune list?
SPIES: When you see the list of lawsuits against his companies and how he conducted his business, it is not surprising. But I think an important point is that doesn't mean that they support Hillary Clinton's policies. It is more of a temperament issue. So other --
WHITFIELD: At 11, as we understand, 11 of the top 100 CEOs are backing Hillary Clinton.
SPIES: So 11 percent I don't think is a great number.
WHITFIELD: Will anything change within the next 38 days in your view?
SPIES: I think before the debate Trump was doing a good job of making it acceptable for people like business leaders to come on board with him. Things pretty much collapsed over the past week with the poor debate performance and then the tweet storms. And don't underestimate, if you are a public CEO, you're have public scrutiny, you have shareholders to respond to. And when somebody is attacking Miss Universe and making very offensive attacks, it makes it hard for you to come on board with supporting him.
WHITFIELD: And so, Charlie, you worked with Mitt Romney campaign. As I mentioned, he won about a third of the support of the top 100 fortune group. How do you compare and contrast, you know, the record, the business record of Mitt Romney and Donald Trump?
SPIES: There is no comparison. Governor Romney, even Democrats admit that he was a phenomenal businessman and groundbreaking with his work at Bain Capital. Trump's business record is rife with bankruptcies and failed ventures. So you don't see the same sort of respect there.
And Governor Romney also articulated a conservative vision of pro- growth economics. And I don't think there is a belief that Donald Trump is necessarily up to speed on what it takes with the economy.
Having said all of that, there is a real discontentment with voters and with the business community that think it is rigged against them, and if Donald Trump can go back to that change of Washington message and point out that Hillary Clinton's part of the corrupt system in Washington, that's the winning message that he still can win over business leaders.
WHITFIELD: All right.
SPIES: But he has got to stick to that and make it possible for people to support him.
WHITFIELD: All right, we'll see what happens perhaps in eight days for the second presidential debate. Charlie Spies, thank you so much, appreciate it.
SPIES: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: And as a reminder, this Tuesday, first we have to get to the vice-presidential debate. Senator Tim Kaine and Indiana Governor Mike Pence will be facing off in this debate you will see right here live on CNN. Our coverage starts at 4:00 eastern time.
[14:35:04] And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: In Syria, the largest hospital in the rebel held part of Aleppo was bombed earlier today for the second time in four days. The bombing comes as some 10,000 government troops are gathering outside Aleppo. They are apparently preparing for a final assault on rebel fighters in the city.
Meanwhile, there appears to be dissent in the White House over the handling of the crisis in Syria. In an audio recording obtained by CNN, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told a group at the United Nations that he wanted a more forceful intervention against the Assad regime.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: Four people in the administration who have all argued for use of force, and I lost the argument. I've argued use of force. I stood up. I've the guy who stood up and announced we're going to attack Assad because of the weapons.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Kerry also criticized Congress for not authorizing a vote to strike more heavily against Assad's forces.
So let's talk more about this. I'm going to bring in retired Major General Spider Marks. He is a CNN military analyst and a former commanding general at the U.S. army intelligence center, good to see you, and senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman in Baghdad. So Ben, you first. You've been talking to forces inside Aleppo about the hospital bombing. What are they saying to you?
[14:40:04] BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a hospital that's known as M-10. It's run by the Syrian American Medical society. This morning according to officials with that organization, it was hit by two barrel bombs, two cluster bombs, and a missile. And at this point this hospital is out of service.
There are only at this point about five hospitals taking care of about 250,000 people in the eastern part of the city that is controlled by the rebels and now completely surrounded by the regime. There are only about 30 doctors left in Aleppo. And keep in mind, this is not a normal situation -- 250,000 people under almost constant air and artillery bombardment desperately need medical help. But we understand medicines are in short supply. Medical supplies,
fuel, food, and there's no running water at this point. And this hospital in particular, just a few days ago, took 160 casualties in one day, and they were so stretched, so short of everything, supplies and staff, that they had to set up a triage system where those that were severely wounded simply had to be left to die.
We spoke to an activist today who said in the last week about 1,500 people have been wounded in eastern Aleppo, and that the World Health Organization is worried that if these people are not evacuated, many of them will simply die from their wounds. And this is going on at a time when as many as 10,000 Syrian led troops are preparing for a ground offensive against Aleppo. So an already extremely dire situation can become absolutely nightmarish if it goes ahead. Fred?
WHITFIELD: And then General Marks, all of this happening as we hear this audio tape of Secretary Kerry saying that he was a proponent of more force but he was met with resistance on that. So does this reveal how complicated the U.S. involvement is in this conflict?
MAJ. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, Fred, you know, it does. Frankly, what it reveals is several things. One is the fact that United States has initially, if you will recall, determined that our engagement in Syria was in fact a red line, Assad's use of chemical weapons or weapons of mass destruction was one that would cause us to get involved. We chose not to get involved.
As a result of that backing away -- and we should never draw a red line anyway. That boxes us in. But the fact is we made this stand, we backed away from it. Russia now has gotten involved tremendously and we are at complete opposite ends in terms of a desired outcome in Syria. Russia is backing Assad. Assad is not going anywhere as long as Russia is engaged and the United States desperately wants Assad to disappear. So cooperation with Russia ends up with stalemates like we're seeing here.
And then for the secretary of state to get into a room with Syrian resistance leaders and indicate that he alone in the administration is trying to push their position forward is an act I think of leadership cowardice frankly. If the administration has decided that it's not going to get involved, it is his job to explain that they're not going to get involved, not to position himself as a potential savior for this outcome. I find it extremely unusual that he has been able to do that and is still a part of this administration.
WHITFIELD: All right, General Marks, Ben Wedeman, thanks so much to both of you, appreciate it.
MARKS: Thanks, Fred.
WHITFIELD: And we'll be right back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:47:29] WHITFIELD: A powerful category four hurricane is on the move in the Caribbean. Hurricane Matthew is now packing winds at nearly 140 miles per hour with a potential to drop up to 25 inches in parts of Jamaica and Haiti and produce life threatening flash floods and mudslides. Matthew is barreling towards Jamaica and also has Cuba and the Bahamas in its path.
Florida and the entire east coast, in fact, will be on guard in the coming days as we watch this powerful hurricane and try to determine where it decides to go.
After a presidential election, all attention is focused squarely on the winner. But what about the loser? CNN's chief political analyst Gloria Borger tells a story that has never been told before in her special report "Almost President, The Agony of Defeat." Four former candidates, Mitt Romney, John McCain, Michael Dukakis, and Walter Mondale open up about their successes and failures in running for the highest office in the land.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor, can you give us the word?
MITT ROMNEY, (R) FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE:: What is difficult is going into a campaign and becoming extraordinarily focused day after day, speaking to large groups of people, getting to know individuals one-on-one, learning their experiences, dealing with the media. That's what is difficult.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Dealing with your mistakes.
ROMNEY: Dealing with your mistakes. That's what is difficult. One of the interesting things about campaigns today, unlike probably 25 or 30 years ago, is that everything you say is being recorded.
BORGER: You try to become the perfect candidate.
ROMNEY: Don't make any mistakes. Be perfect. Be perfect. And the funny thing is everyone says be spontaneous. Don't act like you're been crafted. You just got to be very, very careful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So CNN's chief political analyst Gloria Borger joining me now. So Gloria, it's interesting to hear a candidate say that it is difficult, that's the challenged, to just be normal, like this is an ordinary day on the campaign trail.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, it is really hard for these candidates, because, as Mitt Romney was saying, you're under the microscope every minute. And what was interesting to me was that all of these candidates in reflection were pretty honest about the mistakes they had made, Fred. Not on the larger issues, you know, John McCain still says he did the right thing in picking Sarah Palin, but he said to me, you know, after I messed up I a debate, I would go back to my room and I would replay it in my mind, and I would blame myself and blame myself, and he said, you know, that's just something candidates do. [14:50:07] WHITFIELD: So did they reflect on these things with ease
or did it take arm-twisting on your part to say talk to me about your vulnerabilities, talk to me about the high points?
BORGER: I think the interesting thing about people who lose is that they're pretty reflective about why. Politicians generally, as you know, are not the most reflective people in the world. And given the time and the distance, I think they were all able to kind of open up and reflect about what it is that really went wrong. And the stunning thing to me is that even Walter Mondale, who is now 88 years old and in great shape, didn't forget a minute of the campaign, didn't forget a moment of his difficult debates with Ronald Reagan. And they all kind of see it as a moment in their lives that they would, first of all, do all over again. And secondly, Fred, they're not over it.
WHITFIELD: So because they'd do it all over again, really speaks to they don't necessarily, I guess, harbor on any regrets?
BORGER: Well, I think they, you know, they have some regrets they didn't win, because all of them to a person believe they would have made a better president than the one that got elected. But they like to look back on it and think they made mistakes. I mean, Mitt Romney talks about the 47 percent remark. But they all believe that they ran the best campaign they were capable of running. It just didn't turn out the way they wanted.
WHITFIELD: All right, Gloria Borger, thank you so much. Look forward to seeing all of it. And of course you can see "Almost President, The Agony of Defeat" right here on CNN 8:00 p.m. eastern time.
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[14:55:37] WILL FARRELL, COMEDIAN: The field of Republicans out there is so messed up, I figured it makes you miss me, doesn't it? And that's saying a lot.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right, that was Will Farrell, bringing back great memories playing former president George W. Bush on "Saturday Night Live." And just hour from now the late night show is set to unveil Alec Baldwin as their new Donald Trump. The idea coming from another "SNL" alum, Tina Fey. Senior media correspondent host of "Reliable Sources, Brian Stelter looks at what impact the show has for the race on the White House.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. This year comedy is serious business, with lots of liberals in Hollywood saying the comedians have to do their part to step up and speak out against Donald Trump. Of course, Hillary Clinton also provides lots of fodder for jokes. And tonight, "Saturday Night Live" is finally back for its season premiere, planning a reconstruction of the most watched presidential debate in history.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Live from New York, it's almost Saturday night as "SNL" prepares to raise the curtain on its 42n season, it is Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton versus Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump. This year "SNL" actually pushed its season opener until after the first debate. Now the sketch everyone is waiting for could help shape the narrative of this election. Will there be Trump sniffles? A vigorous chugging of water? Jokes like that can break through in a powerful way.
DEAN OBEIDALLAH, "THE DAILY BEAST" CONTRIBUTOR: These things go to define people and inform them. So I think comedy could be the key to winning this election.
STELTER: As Election Day nears, left leaning late night hosts like Seth Meyers and Sam Bee are ratcheting up their anti-Trump jokes.
SETH MEYERS, LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW HOST: Donald Trump supporters are claiming that Hillary Clinton used a secret device Monday night to boost her debate performance. We have a picture of it right here.
(LAUGHTER)
SAMANTHA BEE, LATE NIGHT SHOW HOST: Don't snort your way through the debate like Jean-Pierre's prized truffle pig.
(LAUGHTER)
STELTER: Pointed comedy can turn off some viewers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm aware that that probably happens.
STELTER: But it impresses other viewers, and during election years people need to laugh. Some past "SNL" impressions are unforgettable, like Tina Fey playing Sarah Palin.
TINA FEY, COMEDIAN: I can see Russia from my house.
STELTER: And Will Ferrell's George W. Bush.
WILL FARRELL, COMEDIAN: Strategery.
(LAUGHTER)
STELTER: The portrayal of Al Gore as sighing and stiff and devastating.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would put it in what I call a lockbox.
[10:55:02] STELTER: And who can forget Chevy Chase as a bumbling Gerald Ford?
CHEVY CHASE, COMEDIAN: No problem.
STELTER: Last year, McKinnon's Clinton impression helped win her an Emmy.
MCKINNON: I cannot wait to be your next president, if I'm elected, of course. I'm not getting ahead of myself in public. In private, I've been president for 15 years.
STELTER: And Darrell Hammond took on Trump.
DARRELL HAMMOND, COMEDIAN: Jeb, you're a nice guy, but you're a lightweight. And I know for a fact that you pee sitting down.
STELTER: Both candidates also appeared on the show, something we could see again later this season. But tonight, political junkies are eagerly awaiting "SNL's" take on the first debate to see if the not ready for primetime players can once again make their mark on the nation's psyche.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STELTER: Now, I'm sure those writers at "SNL" are feeling the pressure right about now. And Alec Baldwin too. But, of course, Baldwin is a household name. He has been on television for decades, including on the NBC series "30 Rock." He is no friend, no fan of Donald Trump. But they're both famous New Yorkers, so it will be interesting to see Baldwin's impression for the first time. Fred, back to you.
WHITFIELD: All right, thank you so much. Lots of good material.
All right, that's going to do it for me. Thanks so much for being with me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. We have so much more straight ahead in the Newsroom with Poppy Harlow.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everyone. Top of the hour, I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. So glad you're with us. First up, fighting words from Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, with a new line of attack on rival Hillary Clinton in a new interview with "The New York Times," declaring, quote, "She is nasty, but I can be nastier than she ever can be."
