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Candidates Campaign in Iowa; Jury Decides Sentence in Gallagher Case; Team USA beats England; Hospital Closes Operating Room after Mold Problem. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired July 03, 2019 - 09:30   ET

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

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[09:30:23] JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Several of the 2020 Democratic candidates are planning to spend the Fourth of July holiday campaigning in Iowa. From Sioux City to Waterloo, presidential hopefuls will make their pitch to voters. Look at them, they're all over the state there. This comes as former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris top the latest post-debate polls. Harris is surging both nationally and in Iowa after her performance in last week's debate.

CNN's senior national correspondent Kyung Lah is in Des Moines, Iowa.

So tell us what they're up to today?

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a very Iowa day for these candidates. They're doing everything from picnics, to barbecues, to house parties, to a town hall. So they're going to try to get out and there do what is very Iowa and what works in this caucus state is meeting as many people as possible.

And I want you to take a look at that map one more time that you pulled up earlier, Jim. Take a look at all of these candidates. They are all here, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, Beto O'Rourke, Tim Ryan, Amy Klobuchar. They all know that they need to try and have a strong showing in Iowa if they want to keep going. And this is part of the week that they're going to try to get out there and meet them.

SCIUTTO: You know, Iowa's a funny state in presidential elections where sometimes a candidate who doesn't do well say in New Hampshire can surprise on the positive side in Iowa.

Which candidates think they have a special in there, that this could be their state to make -- to make their campaign?

LAH: Well, if you ask them, they're going to say all of them, right?

SCIUTTO: Of course.

LAH: They each say that they have their own way to get in.

What you hear from Biden is that he has the reputation, he has the history, he has the ability to speak to Iowans at a different level than anyone else does. What a newcomer, such as Kamala Harris, or someone who's a little less known in the state, like Elizabeth Warren, they believe that they have the vision of the future. So it's very much an argument of where does this party want to go, what do Iowans want their Democratic Party to look like?

And, you know, really it is about trying to get out there and shake hands, Jim. I mean, you know this, you can't come to Iowa and not try to meet people, not just once, but twice and, in some cases, three times.

SCIUTTO: Iowans -- Iowa caucus goers, they pride themselves on being very well versed in the policies, specific questions. They want specific answers. When asked which candidate had the best policy ideas, Warren, she's currently at the top of the list with 31 percent.

As you've been in the state there, who do voters say to you knows the most, knows the most about the issues they care about?

LAH: You keep hearing that name over and over again, Elizabeth Warren, on this policy plan, on the, I have a plan, that comment you keep hearing from people. Actually, as I was flying in to Iowa, a woman even brought her up out of the blue to me just as part of a natural conversation. She didn't know I was a reporter. And she said that the reason that Elizabeth Warren appeals to her so much is because she wants to have those simple questions of what bothers her, what is bugging her about the Trump administration. She wants those questions answered. And she feels that Elizabeth Warren has every single answer covered. So that's part of the reason why Elizabeth Warren is so appealing.

But then you talk to another person about what they find appealing about Joe Biden, and it's his connection to Obama, the stability, the ability to beat Donald Trump. And if you look at all of these polls, the one thing that you keep hearing from Democrats, whether you talk to them in Iowa, whether you look at the polling, is that the number one issue that will get them to the polls, that they will vote on, is who has the ability to beat Donald Trump. And repeatedly Joe Biden's name keeps coming up.

SCIUTTO: Yes, that's the unifying issue in what has been at times a divided -- a divided race.

Kyung Lah, great to have you on the ground there. Thanks very much.

Later this week it is a CNN exclusive interview. Former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, they're going to sit down with my colleague Chris Cuomo. As the competition surges, how does the 2020 Democratic frontrunner stay ahead of the pack as his lead shrinks. Friday morning, 6:00 a.m., and 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time only here on CNN. It's going to be a great interview and an important one.

[09:34:45] Today, a jury in San Diego will decide the sentence of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher. Why he might not have to spend any more time behind bars.

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SCIUTTO: Hours from now a jury in San Diego is set to deliberate the sentencing of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher. He was found guilty just of posing for a photo with a dead ISIS fighter, but Gallagher was found not guilty on several much more serious charges, including premeditated murder of an ISIS detainee.

CNN's Nick Watt, he's been following the story. He is outside the courthouse in San Diego.

Nick, I suppose one question is, is what happens to Gallagher now? Is his career over?

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, he is probably going to retire quite soon anyway. He's already been in the service for nearly 20 years.

But, listen, this is a man who was potentially looking at life behind bars, but no more. He was found not guilty on six of the seven charges that were laid against him. As you mentioned, not guilty of stabbing a wounded ISIS detainee to death, not guilty of three different counts that involved allegations that he'd fired indiscriminately at civilians, and also not guilty of pressuring his fellow SEALs not to turn him in, and not guilty of retaliating against those who did. He was only found guilty of posing with the corpse of that dead ISIS detainee. And that carries a maximum sentence of four months. And Gallagher has already served -- well, already been detained for nine months during the pretrial period. So he will not see the inside of a jail cell again.

[09:40:42] Now, it is unclear, though, he may get bussed down in rank, which would affect his pay, which would affect his pension. We don't know that yet. We will find that out soon.

Also, Gallagher has been very tight-lipped during the entire proceedings. Just one word answers on his way in and out of court. But this morning he spoke to Fox News. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF PETTY OFFICER EDDIE GALLAGHER, DEFENDANT: They tried to frame me as a criminal from the get go. But, you know, we knew the truth the whole time. We knew I was innocent of these charges the whole time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: And so Eddie Gallagher, as I said, is about three weeks away from that 20-year mark. His family has already moved to Florida, where we imagine he will go and join them. He is not going to jail, Jim. He will be free for the Fourth of July.

SCIUTTO: Nick, military court martial, they work differently than civilian ones in that you don't have to have a unanimous jury opinion. Do we know if the jury was split on this at all?

WATT: We do not. Yes, you're right, there were seven people on that jury. They only needed five of them to reach a guilty verdict, and they only did that on one of those counts.

I mean this case has raised many, many interesting questions. One of them raised by the president himself. He said, you know, we train these guy to be great fighters, to go and do terrible things, and then we sometimes treat them unfairly. It's interesting, you know, where do you draw the line. And also, how do you prosecute a case like this? I mean that was one of the great problem for the prosecution is, there were no forensics here. This was a battlefield miles away, inaccessible, there were no forensics, there was no body, there was no autopsy, and that was an uphill battle. It was all about eyewitness testimony and the jury believed those SEALs who said that Gallagher didn't do it, that Gallagher is a good guy.

Jim.

SCIUTTO: Well, they're trained for combat, but they've got to follow the laws too.

Nick Watt, thanks very much.

No Rapinoe, no problem. U.S. women's soccer advances to its third straight World Cup final, but will Team USA have one of its biggest stars for the title match. More coming up.

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[09:47:17] SCIUTTO: Team USA is now just one win away from repeating as World Cup champions. The U.S. beat England 2 to 1 Tuesday to advance to its third straight World Cup final. That's one of the goals. Clearly a header. They did it without, though, one of their biggest stars, Megan Rapinoe. Rapinoe sat out because of a hamstring injury we found out later, but she says she will be good for the final on Saturday. The U.S. plays the winner of today's other semi-final between The Netherlands and Sweden.

For more let's bring in Julie Stewart-Binks. She's the host of "CBS Sports HQ."

So, I mean, first let's talk about the game yesterday because they're just such a deep, talented team with a lot of threats, right?

JULIE STEWART-BINKS, HOST, "CBS SPORTS HQ": They are. Yes, well, that's what they pride themselves on. And we saw, you know, Rapinoe going out, but Christen Press, who would be a starter on literally any other team in the World Cup, comes in and almost tactically benefitted them because she's so quick, she has such a great work rate. She came in and there were concerns about England -- one of England's outside backs, Lucy Bronze. Well, there was no problem. You know, in the tenth minute she's able to connect on that header. And she did dedicate it to her mother, who tragically just passed away.

SCIUTTO: Oh, really?

STEWART-BINKS: But the fact is, this team's so deep. You mentioned things like going out for dinner, think you're going to order the pasta that you always want and then they -- they're out of it, but you order the fish instead. And it might be the better decision.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

STEWART-BINKS: So it proved them well in this game.

SCIUTTO: I feel like Press is sort of an unheralded hero on the team.

So Rapinoe says she'll be back for the final. So we think this was a relatively minor hamstring injury?

STEWART-BINKS: I mean they say minor hamstring injury. The fact that Jill Ellis didn't start her means that it had to be pretty significant. She scored four goals. And you have to think, in an elimination game, you also have to think about penalties. And that's your biggest spot kick taker. And you don't have her in. So -- but the fact is they have depth. So they're able to play around with a couple different pieces.

But I do expect Rapinoe -- we know she has been the leader on and off the pitch for them.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Yes.

STEWART-BINKS: She is going to be playing in this World Cup final.

SCIUTTO: Helps give this team this identity, including this very public spat with the president.

I want to show the celebration that we saw after Alex Morgan's goal there because that caused a bit of, you know, I don't know if roar is the right word but certainly reaction. Have a look, this celebration after her goal where -- well, first of all let's look at the goal, because it was awesome.

STEWART-BINKS: Yes.

SCIUTTO: And then she runs to the sideline and sips a cup of tea. So was that a shot at the British team, the British crowd?

STEWART-BINKS: I mean, it has to be. You know, no matter how you look at it, and she was asked after the game, what was with the celebration. She said, oh, you know, Megan Rapinoe is always asked about her celebration. I wanted to keep it interesting. And the British media and the British fans on Twitter said, oh, you know, this was a little distasteful, but it -- you know, it is very British. She's the queen of England everyone's saying now because they owned England in this game. I think it's just fun. It's cheeky. It's a little spicy, but it's all in good fun.

[09:50:00] SCIUTTO: Do -- now some of the other teams have said that the U.S. team -- they've bristled at their confidence, their bravado, and I'm sure that this kind of adds to that sense. I mean is that fair criticism? I mean this is really damn good team.

STEWART-BINKS: It -- they are a very good team. They are worthy of being a good team. They have just dominated their competition. I think maybe that comes on the heels of the celebrations against Thailand, which people had differing views about. But they are the best team in the world. They're also from one of the biggest countries in the world. So some of the younger nations, some of the smaller nations -- that -- and England in particular, this is their second time they've missed out on the World Cup final. There's feelings of bitterness in their mouth. You don't want to see --

SCIUTTO: Yes. Yes. Because the men's team -- the men's team, right, last year, they were in the semi -- semi -- didn't make the finals, yes.

STEWART-BINKS: Yes. Yes. And the last World Cup, too, England scored an own goal against Japan and they missed out not going to the finals.

SCIUTTO: OK.

STEWART-BINKS: So it -- you know, you feel -- you don't want to see someone win all the time.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

STEWART-BINKS: It's tough. But the U.S. proved that they are the best, and they are the World Cup favorites right now to win the final.

SCIUTTO: Well, it will be the Netherlands or Sweden on Sunday. I'll definitely be watching.

Julie Stewart-Banks, thanks very much.

STEWART-BINKS: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: As we wait to learn what caused the sudden death of Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, his teammates were back on the field yesterday playing in his honor. Last night's game was the team's first since Skaggs was found dead in his Texas hotel room just on Monday. The Angels picked up an emotional 9-4 win over the Rangers. Before the game there was a moment of silence, you're hearing it there, for Skaggs. He was just 27 years old. His teammates held up his jersey. Afterwards, most of the team gathered in the press room to pay tribute to Skaggs.

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MIKE TROUT, ANGELS OUTFIELDER: You know, we're getting -- we're close, you know. All these guys in here, you know, I see -- I see these guys more than my family, you know. And, you know, to lose, you know, somebody like him -- it's tough. You know, my first at-bat, I get up there, and I can't -- all I do is think about him, you know?

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SCIUTTO: Such a sad moment for his family and for those guys as well. An autopsy for Skaggs was done yesterday. His family has requested that no details about the findings be released until a full report is complete in October. The same dangerous mold that shut down operating rooms at Seattle Children's Hospital also killed one patient and sickened several more. We're learning a lot more, and that's coming up.

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[09:57:11] SCIUTTO: All 14 rooms, operating rooms, at the Seattle Children's Hospital are closed this morning after a patient there died from a mold infection. The patient was one of six to develop an infection since 2018. The hospital is blaming an air quality problem.

CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us now live from the CNN Center in Atlanta.

So, Elizabeth, tell us how this happened and what the origin of a mold like this could be.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, the mold is everywhere, Jim. It's in the air that we breathe. It's very common. And it's not a problem unless you have an open incision. And that's what happened here is that six patients became infected, three last year and three this year. And that can be very, very dangerous. I mean, as we saw, one patient died. And so they've closed these operating rooms.

Now, you asked, how could this happen? You know, something went wrong with their air filtration system. Operate rooms are supposed to have these very sophisticated systems. And the hospital said we are sorry about this, we are saddened by this, and there were gaps in our filtration system.

And, Jim, something that's interesting is, they haven't explained why did it take six infections for them to take this action. Why didn't they figure this out after one infection?

SCIUTTO: Are -- there are supposed to be protocols, I imagine, in place to prevent this from happening. I mean if it's an air quality issue, that, of course, gets to the whole HVAC system and so on. I mean how do they manage that kind of thing?

COHEN: Right. They're supposed to manage it with these systems that are supposed to filter out the spores. These are, you know, specifically four operating rooms. All operating rooms are supposed to have them. And they did have them. But they said that something went wrong. They're not being specific.

They also didn't say what went wrong with their monitoring system. I mean, did they have a monitoring system to catch this kind of thing? And that's what they're -- you know, they said they're going to look into this. They're going to figure it out. And they said now they have all those systems up and they're testing them so that they can eventually reopen these operating rooms.

SCIUTTO: Understood. Elizabeth Cohen, thanks very much.

COHEN: Thanks. SCIUTTO: Top of the hour. I'm Jim Sciutto. Poppy has the morning off.

The breaking news, acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan, calls for an immediate investigation into, quote, completely unacceptable social media posts allegedly made by sitting current border patrol agents.

Meanwhile, government investigators have exposed new details and images from their unannounced visits to detention centers in mid-June. Hundreds of migrants -- you can see the pictures there -- crammed into overcrowded rooms. Some of them standing room only.

And for the first time, heartbreaking drawings -- look at these -- from young migrants recently released from CBP custody. Children drawing themselves in what looked like in those illustrations in cages.

[10:00:03] Nick Valencia has been covering it all. He joins us now live from the border in El Paso.

And, Nick, we're hearing this now.

END