Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Report: Post-Election Trump Bull Market Continues; Former Astronaut John Glenn Dies; Biden Says Embarrassed by 2016 Campaign; Judge Denies Mistrial for Church Massacre Suspect. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired December 08, 2016 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00] MANU RAJU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just in a few moments, Brooke, Hillary Clinton will be here on Capitol Hill making some remarks about Harry Reid on his final days here in office, Brooke.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN, ANCHOR: We will listen for that, Manu, thank you so much for now.

Meantime, Wall Street continues to rally a full month after Donald Trump was elected the next President of the United States. There appears to be no end to the post-election bull market you're seeing. This graph gives you a great overview of how much the Dow has rallied since election day. CNN Money correspondent Paul La Monica is with me. You talk about the record highs and write about the Trump bump. What's the story?

PAUL LA MONICA, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: It's stunning to think before the election you had so many people worried about all the volatility that a President Trump could create.

BALDWIN: Wrong.

LA MONICA: And that's gone. Even though he hasn't necessarily changed, he's tweeted attacks against big businesses like Carrier which is owned by United Technologies and Boeing and yet both of those stocks have gone higher because everyone expects more defense spending. You've seen energy stocks soaring because you expect now that there's going to be even more drilling for oil in the United States. Bank stocks weren't -- everyone was criticizing Hillary Clinton for her ties to the big banks, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan Chase, they expect Trump to cut back on financial reforms President Obama put into place.

BALDWIN: How long does it last, my friend?

LA MONICA: I think until the end of the year you can still have people realizing that they need to lock in gains, get out of bonds which have been losing money, get back into stocks but in 2017 once he's in office --

BALDWIN: And enacts policies --

LA MONICA: That's when all bets are off. I think investors will take more of a skeptical tone than they have now. Now is the honeymoon.

BALDWIN: What's your biggest question about all this?

LA MONICA: Is he really going to govern the way that he has been so far acting as President-elect? He can't keep tweeting like this -- at least we hope not, for the next four years. That would create so much market volatility, right now everyone is writing it off but if he keeps doing this that could become a problem.

BALDWIN: What has seen the biggest boost?

LA MONICA: Energy stocks have been among the bigger winners because I think everyone now expects that he is going to be more pro U.S. oil, pro coal, that's why you're seeing railroad stocks surging but what's interesting is that consumer stocks, retailers are on fire because everyone thinks the U.S. consumer, now that the election mess is over, they'll keep spending.

BALDWIN: Forgive me. I'm getting breaking news, thank you so much, Paul La Monica, on this Trump -- some sad news. Sad news that we have now confirmed and as a space geek it's a sad, sad, sad to report John Glenn, the first American to orbit the earth and a long-time senator has died. John Glenn was admitted to the James Cancer Hospital at Ohio State University more than a week ago. He was 95 years old. Here is Martin Savidge with a look back at his life.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John Glenn, one of seven men known as the Mercury Seven, chosen to take part in the United States' first attempt to put men in space. He already made history in 1957 by breaking the transcontinental speed record flying from Los Angeles to New York in three hours and twenty-three minutes. In 1962, the military test pilot became the first American to orbit the earth. As Glenn lifted off in his "Friendship 7" capsule, fellow astronaut Scott Carpenter and mission control uttered some of the most memorable words in U.S. history, "Godspeed, John Glenn."

Three revoltions, four hours and 55 minutes later he returned an instant legend. He was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor and New York threw him one of its signature ticker tape parades. Later in life, Glenn would poke fun at the risk.

JOHN GLENN, U.S. ASTRONAUT: We used to joke about in the past when people would say, what do you think about on the launch pad? The standard answer was "How do you think you would feel if you knew you were on top of two million parts built by the lowest bidder on a government contract?"

SAVIDGE: Until Glenn's flight, the Russians led the space race. Glenn's success bolstered the American spirit and gave credence to John Kennedy's pledge to put men on the moon. Glenn would not be one of them. JFK ordered NASA not to fly him again. He was too valuable as an American figure. He resigned from NASA in 1964. In 1983, the Mercury 7 were immortalized in the movie "The Right Stuff."

GLENN: I didn't care for that movie. I thought it was dramatic enough without Hollywood doing its number on it. We had no control over that at all.

SAVIDGE: He learned to fly as part of a college course and went on to join The Marine Corps in 1943. Glenn flew 149 combat missions in World War II and the Korean War before becoming a test pilot. After leaving NASA he spent the next decade as a businessman but in 1974 he ran for and won a U.S. Senate seat from Ohio. When he announced, he'd retire at the end of the 105th Congress, Glenn had served for 24 years. He was regarded as an effective legislator and moderate Democrat. Not everything went perfectly for Glenn, however. In 1984 he ran for President.

[15:35:00] GLENN: With the nomination of my party, I firmly believe I can beat Ronald Reagan.

SAVIDGE: John Glenn never gave up on his dream of one day returning to space. He got to be, as he often called it, a willing guinea pig once again at the age of 77. He flew on a nine-day space shuttle mission. The mission was to learn more about the aging process in space. The flight proved once again Glenn was a man who embraced a challenge. In 2012 President Obama recognized that and all of his accomplishments by awarding the former astronaut and senator the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. For most people, fame is fleeting, for John Hershel Glenn, it lasted a lifetime.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: I want to talk more about John Glenn with Ken Bowersox, former NASA astronaut on the phone with me. This is such a loss for just NASA that the space world, Ken, I understand you actually got to meet John Glenn once.

KEN BOWERSOX, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT: I remember when I met Glenn, he would be at the astronaut gym and working out and I was amazed somebody his age could be doing the exercises he was doing, but I got to meet him and tell him he was a big reason that I joined the astronaut program. Back when I was seven years old, I heard about him going in orbit around the earth and I said "that's what I want to do someday."

BALDWIN: I might have gone to space camp once or twice. This is just a name growing up in this country you know and look up to. Tell me about -- what imprint has he left.

BOWERSOX: Well, he made a tremendous impression just by being willing to get on the rocket and orbit the earth, he did that for his country and it was something that was important for the country at the time. And I know that when he came back to fly the second time, when people at NASA saw him in the hallway, it just lifted their spirits. It made them want to work harder and do more and made them think about how all of us as humans are trying to work to leave our planet and someday move out into the solar system forever.

BALDWIN: When you say fly again, I think it's important to remind everyone not just what he did on the "Friendship 7," but he was 77 when he got to go back into space. BOWERSOX: Yes, that's right. On his second flight aboard the space

shuttle. He was quite a bit older than on his first flight. I think he was too precious to let fly again so soon after his first flight and it took a while before folks found a way to fly him into space again. We astronauts talk about flying, of course, when you're in orbit around the earth we're not really flying, you're not supported by air but that's the way we describe it when you're in a spacecraft.

BALDWIN: Ken Bowersox, appreciate you picking up the phone as an astronaut mourning the loss of one of your own here, John Glenn passing away at the age of 95. We'll be right -- 95. We'll be right back.

[15:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: After getting an emotional tribute from both sides from the Senate floor here, Vice President Joe Biden is giving moving testimony. Honest Joe, this is why people love the vice president. This is what he talks about today at New York University about what he's gleaned over the last eight years, and he was quite candid when he was talking about what he thinks went wrong for Hillary Clinton.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I find myself embarrassed by the nature and the way in which this campaign was conducted, and so much for the shining city on The Hill. But the fact is that I -- I know there's a sense in the country that maybe things are worse off than they really are. There's a sense that the country -- that our institutions aren't working and maybe we can never get them to work. For a lot of folks, it feels as if we're more divided than we've ever been in our history. And that the election brought out the worst in the political system. But you know I think this is a time to bring perspective.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:45:00] BALDWIN: Let me bring in Jake Tapper who interviewed the vice president, we'll be listening to a piece of that exclusive interview next hour on "The Lead" but, Jake, what we heard from him today at NYU, listening to prominent Democrats trying to make sense of what happened on November 8. What did you make of his words?

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: It's interesting. Two things the vice president did not bring up when he was talking about the election. He did not blame the Russians and he did not blame FBI Director James Comey. He talked about white working class voters. These are the voters for whom he has long had appeal. A group he identifies with. He was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. That's in Lackawanna county, Pennsylvania, a county he and President Obama won by 30 points and barely won this time around.

He talked about how the Democratic party explaining what they are trying to do to help working class and middle-class voters. He also did talk about how he thought this election was disgusting and that it was a battle of personalities and scandals and controversies and not much about policies or ideas which he kinds of blames the media for, though he said at the end of the day when there are so many controversial things going on he understands why the media would cover them.

BALDWIN: You know, he was someone who had considered running himself and decided not to. Did you ask him about his own future?

TAPPER: Of course, I did! You think I sat down and didn't ask him?

BALDWIN: And what did he say?

TAPPER: Well, he made it very clear that he intends to continue to be part of the conversation and part of policy debates going forward. That he's not going anywhere. That there will be -- he did talk about what he thinks will come next in addition to his work on trying to push forward and help a cure for cancer, help scientists and doctors develop a cure for cancer. But he also talked about wanting to be part of the conversation, he acknowledged that four years from now is a lifetime in politics so who can predict but he certainly didn't rule anything out.

BALDWIN: He didn't.

TAPPER: I asked him, 78 years old in 2020, is that too old? He said he wasn't sure.

BALDWIN: Amazing, amazing, what about -- I can't wait to hear more of that in your interview but I want to ask your thoughts, Jake Tapper, on the Dana Bash reporting about this relationship that's been evolving between the President and the President-elect and how according to Dana that Obama is seeking to be the quote/unquote "educator in chief" to President Trump and I'm wondering what you make of this relationship?

TAPPER: Well, what I know from conversations with officials in the Obama administration is they're all shocked and this is not the outcome they wanted but second of all, they feel like they have an obligation as members of the United States government for there to be a successful transition and a successful administration for President- elect Donald Trump. I don't think I'm talking out of school when I say not many people on the Trump campaign expected they were going to win and they didn't have a tremendous amount of resources and attention devoted to the transition since they weren't sure.

BALDWIN: He even said yesterday morning at the breakfast that he and Melania were going to go on vacation.

TAPPER: They did not think they were going to win. So now there is a big learning curve getting up to speed, there were a lot of mistakes made early on in the transition and the team is trying to deal with those mistakes and people in the Obama administration want to -- they're horrified but at the same time they want to make sure that this is as successful as possible so they're trying to do what they can and obviously, President Obama is trying to convince President- elect Trump to keep as much of his legacy intact as possible -- Obamacare, the Iran deal, et cetera. [15:50:00] BALDWIN: Jake Tapper, always great to have you on. We'll

watch for your big interview with the vice president at the top of the hour on "The Lead." Just another plug for Jake. Watch much more of this exclusive interview on Sunday on State of the Union.

Coming up next, jurors in the trial of the suspected Charleston church shooter watched surveillance video today of the moments leading up to this mass shooting. This after a judge denied a motion for a mistrial. Details from within the courtroom coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: There will be no mistrial for man accused of killing 9 Charleston church goers who had welcomed him in to join them in prayer. A South Carolina judge rejected the defense's request for a mistrial on just the second day of trial here. The defense complaining the gut-wrenching testimony from a survivor was unfair to the defendant. Let me bring in Joey Jackson our CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney. It's awful, the details that are coming out.

[15:55:00] Felicia Sanders lost both her son and her aunt. Described the gunman as evil as can be. Connect the dots for me on the defense wanting a mistrial.

JOEY JACKSON, CNN, LEGAL ANALYST: Oftentimes during a trial the defense will say, we want a mistrial, judge. What does that entitle you to? It doesn't mean your guy is innocent it means you get a new trial. Why do you do it?

Because the defense claims there is something that so impairs the proceeding and so makes the jury so tainted that they cannot reach a fair verdict that we have to start again. The judge said no. The reasoning behind it, Brooke, is that you are not allowed, if you are a regular lay witness to give opinion testimony. And not only did this witness say what you said in terms of evilness, but also said he belonged in the pit of you know where, the place downstairs.

The judge said that's not an opinion, it's a religious statement. In light of that I'm not going to declare a mistrial. Judges don't like to declare mistrials because it's a major waste of money and efficiency of the proceedings. You can give a curative instruction by telling the jury, you know what, you make up your own minds as to whether he is guilty and if so, what the appropriate punishment should be.

BALDWIN: I was in Charleston in June, and we talked to the now- pastor. I talked to the one woman who he wanted to save so she could go tell the story, just to remind everyone how incredibly emotional this is. Here is part of our piece.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ESTER LANCE, DAUGHTER OF ETHEL LANCE, SHOOTING VICTIM: Whoa. That's my momma church. BALDWIN: Ester Lance was among other family members and friends

gathered around the block in a hotel, waiting to hear the fate of their loved ones. When you knew something was wrong at the church, did you know your mom was there?

LANCE: Yes.

BALDWIN: In that bible study?

LANCE: Mm-hmm. I said listen, tell me the truth. Is my momma in that church?

BALDWIN: What did you say to the family members behind closed doors?

GREGORY MULLEN, CHIEF, CHARLESTON POLICE: We explained to them we had had a situation in the church as they were aware of and that at this point nine people were deceased.

LANCE: All I could see is the body bag.

BALDWIN: Ugh.

LANCE: I knew my momma gone. My heart telling me this.

BALDWIN: You knew.

LANCE: Yes.

NORVEL GOFF, REVEREND, PRESIDING ELDER, EDISTO DISTRICT: We were in the throes of planning nine funerals, home-going celebration.

JOSEPH RILEY, FORMER MAYOR, CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA: So, then they deduced that was their brother, sister, father, cousin, friend, and all the ranges of weeping, crying, wailing, moaning, sobbing -- oh!

MULLEN: It was a gasp that I'll never forget when we -- when we told them that. And at that point Reverend Goff broke out into a song, and everybody was singing together.

BALDWIN: Holding hands and praying.

MULLEN: Holding hands and praying.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Everyone in Charleston touched by that. To think that everyone is now just going back through it. This man faces 33 federal counts, including hate crimes. Faces the death penalty.

JACKSON: That's right.

BALDWIN: How do you defend him?

JACKSON: With great difficulty. It must have been a very emotional couple days for you as you did the interviews. Think about the impact. The defense here has pretty much conceded guilt. What they're saying is that he is the person who did it. I think they're planting the seeds for what the penalty should be.

So, I think what they are doing is focusing on do not execute him. Yes, he is guilty, and they're doing so by suggesting that there was something amiss, something off about him, in a mental perspective, that otherwise would what we call as lawyers mitigate, not excuse, but sort of explain why he did what he did. I think it's a largely uphill battle.

That community has been loving and forgiving and been nothing but gracious. Even in terms of how the incident occurred, Brooke. You go in and murder parishioners who welcome you to pray. There is a major emotional component. But purely on the facts of the case, the deeds he engaged in, the premeditation in terms of bringing the weapon in there, discharging the weapon and killing all of them.

BALDWIN: Knowing when the bible study was. Allowing him in there for an hour.

JACKSON: Targeting the church. The significance the church held to the African American community. The defense is trying to spare his life. There is no way he is walking out of there.

BALDWIN: I have you for one more minute. Who will we be hearing from?

JACKSON: I think you'll continue to hear from, as you did yesterday and today, people who arrived at the scene to talk about the carnage that was there. Counting bodies. We have one, no. We have two, three and more. I think you will hear from some of the victims in terms of what they witnessed at the scene. I think some family members will say, you know what, my mother didn't come home that day. It will be emotional, compelling and difficult for the jury to hear just as it was difficult for you to hear when you interviewed the community.

[16:00:00] BALDWIN: It was excruciating, and to know the moment they closed their eyes in prayer in that room. I stood in that room. It was when they closed their eyes in prayer that he started shooting.

JACKSON: That's right. As a result of that, I think they'll put together their case. And after guilt is established they'll go into the other phase. That's the big question. Will he get death.

BALDWIN: Joey Jackson. Thank you very much. We'll send it to Washington.