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Wolf

Finding Survivors after Major Earth Quake in Mexico; Trump Addresses the United Nations; Jimmy Kimmel Criticizes Bill Cassidy, Graham/Cassidy Bill; Trump Goes After Sen. Rand Paul on Health Care Bill; Trump Makes Decision on Iran Nuclear Deal as Iran Warns Against Scrapping Deal; Interview with Sen. Rand Paul. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired September 20, 2017 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00] MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): -- that they are on to something there because every few minutes, they ask for silence and then they begin digging again. Then it's silence and digging again. Hope is silence in Mexico today -- Wolf?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Dozens of buildings in central Mexico collapsed. At least 225 people have been killed in the 7.1 magnitude earthquake. Where you are, 21 elementary school students found in the rubble of a collapsed building. But as you've been pointing out, there's hope maybe one young little girl is still alive. That's what they're searching for so desperately.

We'll get back to you and update us hopefully with some good news.

Miguel Marquez is on the scene for news Mexico City.

I want to bring in Chad Myers, our meteorologist.

Chad, it's pretty extraordinary. Two earthquakes, an 8.0 magnitude earthquake, a couple weeks ago. and now this 7.1 earthquake. Pretty close together for huge quakes like this, right?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEROLOGIST: Yes, but likely not from the same fault line and not from the same real reason, one being a slip-strike fault, the other a seduction fault. Here's Mexico City here. Here's the earthquake here.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Hold on one second. Hold on one second. I want to get right back to you.

But President Trump is speaking at the United Nations right now. Just want to hear what he's saying.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- Senegal, Uganda, and South Africa. I want to thank President Conde representing the African Union.

Thank you. Thank you.

In this room, I see partners for promoting prosperity and peace on a range of economic, humanitarian, and security issues. We hope to extend our economic partnerships with countries who are committed to self-reliance and to fostering opportunities for job creation in both Africa and the United States. Africa has tremendous business potential. I have so many friends going to your countries trying to get rich. I congratulate you. They're spending a lot of money.

But it does. It has a tremendous business potential. And representing huge amounts of different markets. And for American firms, it's really become a place that they have to go that they want to go.

Six of the world's 10 fastest growing economies are in Africa. Increasing American trade and investment across diversity industries, including agriculture, energy, transportation, health care, travel, and tourism, will further transform lives throughout the continent.

Secretary Tillerson and the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation are already considering an investment worth hundreds of millions of dollars in Coast Ivory, which has made impressive economic reforms. Done a tremendous job. We hope that African firms like the company Sasol consider making investments in the United States. Sasol, as an example, is building a $9 billion petrochemical plant in Louisiana, which will bring new jobs to the state and really hard-working Americans will be manning those jobs.

But we cannot have prosperity if we're not healthy. We will continue our partnership on critical health initiatives. Uganda has made incredible strides in the battle against HIV/AIDS. In Guinea and Nigeria, you fought a horrifying Ebola outbreak. Namibia's health system is increasingly self-sufficient. My secretary of Health and Human Services will be traveling to Africa to promote our global health security agenda.

Yet, we know that our prosperity depends, above all, on peace. The United States will partner with the countries and organizations like the African Union that lead successful efforts to end violence, to prevent the spread of terrorism, and to be respond to humanitarian crises.

I commend your troops currently serving in the field, very brave. Very, very brave.

What they're going through. As you well know, too. People are suffering from conflict in Africa. In the Central African Republic, the Congo, Libya, Mali, Senegal Malia, and South Sudan, among others, they're going through some very, very tough and very dangerous times. Terrorist groups such as ISIS, al Shabaab, Boko Haram, and al Qaeda also threaten African peace. The United States is proud to work with you to eradicate terrorist safe havens to cut off their finances, and to discredit their depraved ideology.

[13:35:21] And a number of you have told me, actually last night, that we've been doing a very good job over the last six or seven months in particular.

We're closely monitoring and deeply disturbed by the ongoing violence in South Sudan and in the Congo. Millions of lives are at risk and we continue to provide humanitarian assistance. But real results in halting this catastrophe will require an African-led peace process and a sincere, really sincere commitment of all parties involved.

And I know you're working on that and you're working on that very hard.

To assist in these efforts, I'm sending Ambassador Nikki hilly to Africa to discuss avenues of conflict and resolution, and most importantly, prevention.

Lastly, I want to discuss our partnership against a global challenge. Today, the world faces an enormous security threat from North Korean regime. We must all stand together and be accountable in implementing United Nations sanctions and resolutions in response to North Korea's hostile and menacing actions. We believe that a free, independent and democratic nation in all cases is the best vehicle for human happiness and success.

Thank you for joining me for this critical discussion of the challenges and the opportunities facing our nations.

Africa, I have to say, is a continent of tremendous, tremendous potential. The outlook is bright. I look forward to hearing from you and your advice during the meal. I thought rather than just eating, we'll have long discussions. And I look forward to that very much. But I also look forward to getting to know so many of you. And so many of you I do know. And it's an honor. It's an honor. And I really want to congratulate you. Growing very fast, economically, and in every other way. You've done an electric job. You've had some tremendous obstacles placed in your path. But have you done really an absolutely incredible job. I want to thank you and I look forward to our discussion.

Thank you. Thank you all very much.

(APPLAUSE)

BLITZER: President Trump speaking at a luncheon with African leaders at the U.N. This is the week of the U.N. General Assembly. He's making the rounds. You see his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson right there next to him. They're continuing their diplomacy.

We're following two major natural disasters, very, very closely right now. The earthquake in Mexico, Mexico City, outside of Mexico City. This is a school where we've been having extensive coverage, lots of children already found dead. But there is hope that one young girl may still be alive at this elementary school. They're working desperately to rescue this young girl. Our own Miguel Marquez is on the scene. We'll go back there live shortly and get an update.

We're also following Hurricane Maria that is now pummeling as we speak Puerto Rico. We'll go there live, as well. A category 4 storm. This is a monster that's hitting Puerto Rico.

Much more of our special coverage right after this. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:41:59] BLITZER: Following breaking news. Battle lines are draw on the health care fight here in washington as Republicans move ahead with their next effort to try to end Obamacare.

One of the cosponsors is Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, who is now being called out by late night comedian, Jimmy Kimmel. Listen to there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE: This guy, Bill Cassidy, just lied right to my face.

Do you believe that every American, regardless of income, should be able to get regular checkups, maternity care, et cetera, all you have those things that people who have health care get and need?

SEN. BILL CASSIDY, (R), LOUISIANA: Yes.

KIMMEL: So, yes, is washington for no, I guess.

(LAUGHTER)

This is a bad bill. But don't take my word for it. Here are just some of the organizations that oppose this Graham/Cassidy bill: the American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, the Arthritis Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis, ALS association, March of Dimes, Multiple Sclerosis Society, Children's Hospital of L.A. Basically, any group you've ever given money to thinks this is a bad idea. Do you trust them or do you trust?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: You heard Jimmy Kimmel.

This morning, our Chris Cuomo asked Senator Cassidy about Jimmy Kimmel's criticism. Here's his response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASSIDY: I'm sorry he does not understand. Under Graham/Cassidy, more people will have coverage. We protect those with pre-existing conditions.

Our bill gives the governor responsibility, which she or he may not want. That's the best way to get people covered.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: At the same time, there's this from the president of the United States. He's going after Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul, who is on the record against the new effort by Senate Republicans to repeal Obamacare. So today, President Trump went on the record against Senator Paul tweeting this, "Rand Paul is a friend of mine, but he is such a negative force when it comes to fixing health care. Graham/Cassidy bill is great. Ends Obamacare."

Senator Rand Paul joins us now live from Capitol Hill.

So let me get your response, Senator, to what the criticism you're receiving from president.

SEN. RAND PAUL, (R), KENTUCKY: You know I still think I'm a very positive force, and actually positively working with the president on different ideas. The idea I've been working with the president for about six months on is much better than Graham/Cassidy. That would be allowing people to buy across state lines, insurance through a group. If you're a carpenter or plumber, you get to join a big association, and through that association get cheaper insurance, and get some of the protects people want from their insurance. I continue to work with the president on that.

I'm just not with him on Graham/Cassidy because Graham/Cassidy keeps most of the Obamacare spending and it sort of reshuffles it. So instead of Obamacare funding going to California, it gets reshuffled to Republican states. And so I see it really more as sort of petty partisanship. Hey, let's reshuffle the deck and give the money to the Republican states but let's keep the Obamacare spending. My concern is the debt. We have a $700 billion debt. How are we going to pay for all this?

[13:45:08] BLITZER: But as you know, there's a deadline, September 30th. After September 30th, under the complex rules of the U.S. Senate, you can't just get anything passed with 50 votes, you need 60 votes. In other words, you'll need Democrats, as the 52-48 Republican majority in the U.S. Senate. And on some of the other specific legislation that you want like being able to buy health insurance across state lines, you definitely need 60 votes for that. Do you have -- is it realistic at all to think you will be able to achieve what you're calling for?

PAUL: The interesting thing is we've been working with the Trump administration on this for six months now. We think they can do it through presidential pressure, interpretation of existing law. There was a law based in the 1970s that allows groups to form across state lines. Many corporation do this. This is the one area of the insurance market where premiums have been really flat. We think the administration is going to, in the next week or two, issue a ruling saying individuals are going to be able to buy across state lines. We think they can do it without a newt bill or legislation from Congress.

Here's the thing. My proposal I'm working with on the president will cost zero dollars. The Cassidy/Graham bill is going to spend a trillion dollars. It keeps the Obamacare spending but just reshuffles who gets it. That is not what I promised voters. I promised repeal. I didn't promise I would keep most of it and reshuffle who gets the proceeds.

BLITZER: What I hear you saying, Senator, is if this legislation doesn't pass, the president will begin using executive orders, executive decisions to change the current Obamacare law. Is that what you're suggesting.

PAUL: Not really. It's more complicated than that. We don't think it has anything to with the Obamacare law. The law did not prevent from buying across state lines and forming associations. It actually is a 1974 law, an ARISA law. We think that the law has been misinterpreted and could be reinterpreted by the Trump administration to allow many people -- maybe you join a credit union, maybe you join the Restaurant Association, and maybe people who work in the fast-food industry, a lot of whom don't have insurance now, could get it by buying it through one of these co-ops because they could get inexpensive insurance.

But my point is, I'm offering freedom of choice. Cassidy and Graham are offering just a big-government variation of Obamacare that sticks it to the Democrat states and takes the money and gives it to Republican states but really keeps most of the Obamacare spending. And that's not something I'm for.

BLITZER: Is there any wiggle room at all in this legislation, in this Graham/Cassidy bill? Are there any changes that potentially that could make between now and next week that would result in a yea vote from you?

PAUL: There are several things in it I would agree to. If they take the things good in it, we could keep expansion of the health savings account. Getting rid of mandate taxes and penalties and Medicaid reform, I'm for all three of those. I'm not for the spending proposal, not for saying, hey, let's keep a trillion dollars-worth of the Obamacare spending package. I'm not for the spending. That's my main objection to the bill. If they want to make it less about spending and more about repealing, I'm for repeal.

BLITZER: Paul Ryan says whatever the Senate passes, the House will pass next week without change and send it to the president for his signature. What's your message to the speaker of the House, Paul Ryan?

PAUL: The speaker's been wrong many times before on counting votes. I would have him ask everybody in California, every Republican, there are 14 Republican Congressmen, are they happy with the fact that the new formula will take $27 billion from California? Look, there's a lot of Republican Congressmen in New York and California, about 25 of them. They're in very competitive districts. Are they willing to go home and say I just voted for a bill that will take billions of dollars from California and New York and give it to Mississippi? It's a formula fight. It's a food fight over money. We're going to reshuffle the deck but it is not a principled repeal of Obamacare.

BLITZER: But you understand by your opposing Graham/Cassidy, and maybe let's say two other Republicans also oppose it, Obamacare stays the law of the land. That's what is angering the president right now, in effect, you're supporting Obamacare. Very quickly, your response.

PAUL: I would say I think voters are smart. The Republicans in my state know that nobody's been a louder voice for repealing this, and they know that seven Republicans, who said they would repeal, voted for repeal in 2015, and then changed their mind. So when I go home I don't expect people will look for me, I think they'll look at the seven Senators who weren't from Kentucky, who were Republicans, promised to repeal, voted to repeal and then switched their minds. If anybody wants to blame anybody, there's a lot of blame to go around there.

[13:50:09] BLITZER: Senator Rand Paul, of Kentucky, thank you for joining us.

PAUL: Thank you.

BLITZER: I should point out, like Senator Cassidy, you also are a physician, so you've dealt your whole professional career in these issues involving health care.

Thanks very much for joining us.

PAUL: Thank you, wolf.

BLITZER: We're staying on top of the breaking news, the race to find survivors right now after a devastating earthquake that hits Mexico, with young children among the victims.

CNN's live coverage will continue in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: President Trump says he's made a decision on whether or not to scrap the Iran nuclear deal but he won't say what his decision is. Meanwhile, Iran's president says it would be a big mistake for the U.S. To pull out of the agreement. He also criticized President Trump's remarks at the United Nations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HASAN ROUHANI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): It will be a great pity if this agreement were to be destroyed by rogue newcomers to the world of politics. By violating its international commitments, the new U.S. administration only destroys its own credibility and undermines international confidence in negotiating with it. We are unmoved by threats and intimidation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Let's bring in our CNN national security commentator, Mike Rogers, former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

So what's your reaction to President Rouhani's comments?

MIKE ROGERS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY COMMENTATOR: Expected. Iran right after the nuclear deal and when they did get a new infusion of cash into Iran didn't use that money internally, they used it to promote terrorism in places like Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and around the region. And that destabilization factor is why I think it was met with certainly condemnations from Iran of the benefit they have gotten from the deal, but very positive from Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-led nations in the region, who were thinking, hey, it's about time. So it was an interesting time for this speech. There were good things and bad things in the speech, I think. But what it did is try to realign our allies in the Middle East, which was really were chafed under the whole Iran deal, Sunni versus Shia, Iran versus the Arab League partners that we have. And so that realignment I think happened a little bit in this speech. It reinforced the United States' position to our Sunni allies in the region. At the same time, certainly poked Iran a little bit.

BLITZER: But the other allies, like Britain and France, that worked with the U.S. in achieving this nuclear deal during the Obama administration, they want it to go forward. And so far, at least twice, the president has authorized the secretary of state to certify Iran is in full compliance with the agreement. They have to do it again by October 15th. Do you think the president is going to scrap it and risk the wrath of the other allies who worked to put this deal together?

ROGERS: Well, I wouldn't scrap it if I were the president of the United States if I didn't have my allies on the Security Council with me.

BLITZER: They're not on board, Congressman.

ROGERS: Well, at least, that we know of.

(CROSSTALK)

[13:55:10] ROGERS: If he's not doing this without that background, back-room diplomacy trying to get some support for a few changes in the agreement, then he's going to make a big mistake. And I think we'll regret just an out-and-out pullout without our allies on board. That's a tall order. They have lots of economic benefit coming out of their relationship. Iran -- excuse me, France and other nations, Germany, other nations are dealing with Iran in a pretty significant way, economically. So they have different pulls and tugs on why they don't want it to go forward. But they would all agree, I will say, Wolf, they will all agree that Iran is acting irrationally in the neighborhood.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: That's not directly related to the nuclear agreement.

ROGERS: That's correct.

BLITZER: And the concern is that if the U.S. pulls out, then the Iranians immediately start with the centrifuges and they resume their entire nuclear program.

ROGERS: It is. This is an interesting diplomatic conundrum. If they pull out of the diplomatic agreement as well, Iran, they lose their allies, which means we get right back into the same spot.

BLITZER: Very complicated issue. The president says he's made a decision, won't tell us what it is, but we'll know soon enough, definitely by October 15th.

ROGERS: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Mike Rogers, thanks very much for that.

Coming up, we'll get back to the breaking news. Praying for a miracle. A scramble to find survivors after a major earthquake hits Mexico. Elementary school children among the victims. You're looking at live pictures.

Plus, direct hit. Hurricane Maria makes landfall in Puerto Rico as a category 4 monster storm. A look at the ferocious winds and rain. Millions of people are taking shelter. We'll go live to the island.

(COMMERICIAL BREAWK)

[14:00:01] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, there. I'm Brooke Baldwin. You're watching CNN.

We've got this frantic search under way for survivors from this magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Mexico City. These are live. And chilling --