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New Day
Hurricane-Ravaged Bahamas Faces New Tropical Threat; Undecided Iowa Voters Weigh In On Democratic Debate; Disappointed Trump Voters In Rust Belt Slam Trade War. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired September 13, 2019 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:30:00]
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: -- at the moment. People -- some pundits are saying that they felt like there were rehearsed lines and that that doesn't necessarily work.
Do you have any thoughts on that?
ELAINA PLOTT, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I mean, it's a primary debate.
CAMEROTA: And you're supposed to rehearse it.
PLOTT: Of course, there are going to be rehearsed lines. I think it's silly to kind of focus on that as just like a huge black spot of the evening. I mean, it's a presidential campaign.
JOE LOCKHART, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: The best lines throughout the history of presidential debates are rehearsed.
JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes.
LOCKHART: -- but they're delivered in a way that they don't seem to be. I thought she was fine.
PLOTT: Totally.
LOCKHART: I thought it was her best -- her best performance to date.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Joe Lockhart, all I can say is you're no John Kennedy -- all right.
(LAUGHTER)
LOCKHART: And that was rehearsed.
(LAUGHTER)
BERMAN: Thank you for being with us.
Coming up on NEW DAY, we're going to talk to five of the Democratic presidential candidates who were on the stage last night. There they are -- Sen. Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar -- they take it down every time I'm saying it and the force me to try to remember who's here. Five of them are here and we're excited to talk to them all.
CAMEROTA: They're really gaslighting you this morning.
LOCKHART: Oh, they're back.
BERMAN: Here we go. Julian Castro, Beto O'Rourke, Amy Klobuchar --
CAMEROTA: Now they're going to move it.
BERMAN: -- Kamala Harris, and Cory Booker.
PLOTT: They just come after you all.
BERMAN: I remember what is said two minutes ago.
PLOTT: It's misremembering, you know?
CAMEROTA: Wow. All right, now to this.
Two weeks after being ravaged by Hurricane Dorian, the northern Bahamas are facing another tropical threat. There are watches for Florida's east coast as well. So, Chad Myers will be here to track the storm for us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:36:11]
CAMEROTA: OK, breaking overnight, the northwestern Bahamas -- that's the area that was ravaged by Hurricane Dorian -- is now facing a new threat. A tropical storm is forecast to impact the islands there tomorrow, as well as Florida's east coast. That is on alert as well.
So, CNN meteorologist Chad Myers is tracking all of this for us. Hi, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Alisyn.
It will be called Humberto and that will be the storm that will affect this area. I've circled, really, the islands that were hit so hard. Right now, most of the convection is well on down toward the southeast of there, but it will get itself stronger.
It will be a stronger storm as it makes its way over those islands, with at least four inches of rainfall. They could use no rainfall at all, but four inches would really be kind of a backbreaker there. And then, the rainfall does head up the East Coast.
Two completely different model solutions today and I'll show you what the Hurricane Center is thinking in just a second.
We do have tropical storm watches all the way from Daytona, all the way down to about Jupiter Inlet for the U.S. But the American model over the land and then, the European model well over water -- way out to sea, but a much bigger storm here. Really, the U.S. model is only maybe a 30-mile-per-hour storm, where the European model could be a 100-mile-per-hour storm because it's in the water, not on the land.
Now, the Hurricane Center kind of took it right down the middle and said OK, it's going to be close. We'll see by Sunday -- that's Saturday night -- Sunday at 2:00 a.m., 50 miles per hour near Jacksonville. By Sunday night, Monday morning somewhere around 60 miles per hour. So, not a hurricane but still too close.
And the models are still very young at this. This is not even a developing storm with a big center yet. We're going to have to wait for a couple of more runs. We know how that went with Dorian.
BERMAN: Sure.
MYERS: I couldn't figure things out for a while. It will get better as we get closer, John.
BERMAN: Not a hurricane, not pleasant, and not in an area that needs it.
MYERS: That's right.
BERMAN: Chad Myers, thanks so much for being with us this morning.
Also, for those who look at the map, not going over Alabama.
All right, you have heard from the pundits this morning -- the analysts -- what they thought about the debate last night. But what did actual voters think? Who do they think had the biggest night on that stage? We'll tell you, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:42:50]
BERMAN: All right. This morning, we're getting our first reaction from actual voters to last night's Democratic debate, and not just any voters -- voters in Iowa. The ones who will get to vote first in this election just five months from now, coming very soon.
CNN's Gary Tuchman watched the debate with a group of undecided voters in Iowa City.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eight Iowa Democrats, all undecided about who to support in the first-in-the- nation Iowa caucuses. We've watched all three sets of debates with them. The consensus winner the first two times, Elizabeth Warren. This time --
TUCHMAN (on camera): Who do you think did the best?
ED CRANSTON, IOWA VOTER: Warren, followed by Booker.
TUCHMAN (on camera): Temple?
TEMPLE, IOWA VOTER: Warren and Booker.
TUCHMAN (on camera): Scott?
SCOTT, IOWA VOTER: Oddly, Warren and Booker.
TUCHMAN (on camera): Leslie?
LESLIE CARPENTER, IOWA VOTER: Booker and Warren.
TUCHMAN (on camera): In that order? OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought Buttigieg and Booker tied for me.
TUCHMAN (on camera): Buttigieg and Booker?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Warren and Klobuchar.
RAQUISHIA HARRINGTON, IOWA VOTER: Warren and Booker.
JANICE WEINER, IOWA VOTER: Warren and Klobuchar.
TUCHMAN (on camera): Now, how many of you said Warren was your first choice? So that's one, two, three, four, five, six of you. So, once again, Elizabeth Warren did very well among this group.
How many said Cory Booker as their first choice?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A tie.
TUCHMAN (on camera): Two, OK. So it seems like Cory Booker came in second place among this group.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Everyone in this group tells us they like the fight of Elizabeth Warren.
CRANSTON: She's done this and she's done a lot in the past successfully. And she wants to be in the fight and she's ready to go.
WEINER: She's very clear, she's articulate, she has plans, and she gives details.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Names conspicuously absent when we asked our group who else they wanted to praise, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.
HARRINGTON: To me, Bernie seems like he's yelling at you when he's articulating what he's trying to get out.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Everyone in this group disappointed in Julian Castro taking a poke at Joe Biden's memory.
Leslie Carpenter says she met Castro a few weeks ago and advised him against that kind of attack.
CARPENTER: I told him that we didn't like it when there were personal attacks, but we liked it when they were talking about issues and elevating the conversation.
TUCHMAN (on camera): So do you think he wasn't listening to you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A courteous debate.
CARPENTER: Apparently, and it made me sad.
TUCHMAN (on camera): The final thing I want to ask you. You're all undecided voters. Any of you ready to make a decision about who you're going to support after this debate? Anybody?
[05:45:04]
You are, Temple?
TEMPLE: Yes.
TUCHMAN (on camera): OK, so who are you ready to support?
TEMPLE: I'm going to caucus for Elizabeth Warren.
TUCHMAN (on camera): So you are no longer an undecided voter?
TEMPLE: Correct.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Among this group in Johnson County, Iowa, the debates have been very good to Elizabeth Warren.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Iowa City, Iowa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CAMEROTA: Always interesting to get the pulse of the people.
So, the 2020 Democrats took turns attacking President Trump's trade war. And we traveled to one Rust Belt town -- it's been struggling for years. Have President Trump's policies helped them?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG (D), SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When I first got into this race, I remember President Trump scoffed and said he'd like to see me making a deal with Xi Jinping. I'd like to see him making a deal with Xi Jinping. Is it just me or was that supposed to happen in, like, April?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[05:50:03]
CAMEROTA: Well, the 2020 Democrats hammering President Trump on trade at last night's debate. Polls show more Americans are starting to worry about the economy. And voters in the Rust Belt told CNN that the trade war with China could be the final nail in the coffin in this one particular town.
So, CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN GOLOMB, RETIRED STEELWORKER: I'm going to look at the mill because I've got so many memories.
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS REPORTER (voice-over): It's been 32 years since John Golomb worked in this steel mill in Monessen, Pennsylvania. Once the lifeblood of this town, now it's gone. He still wears his jacket to remember.
GOLOMB: But this is all I have left after all those years I had with the mill. I gave them my heart and soul and there's many men and women who did the same as I -- and especially in Pittsburgh -- in the Pittsburgh area -- and it's like we were spat upon.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): Which is why this Democrat voted Republican for the first time after then-candidate Donald Trump came to town.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, (THEN-CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES): Many of these areas have still never recovered and never will unless I become president.
GOLOMB: And then we had Donald Trump come here and profess about reviving American steel, and that's just what all of us steelworkers wanted to hear. Then when he was elected he pulled a Houdini on us -- he disappeared.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): Monessen was a thriving steel town but it has lost half its population since the mill closed in the 80s. Today, it's coming apart at the seams. The poverty rate is 60 percent higher than the national average and now, what little business remains is being threatened by the trade war.
YURKEVICH (on camera): But all from China.
BUZZY BYRON, OWNER, B&D FIREWORKS, MONESSEN, PENNSYLVANIA: They're all from China, yes.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): Buzzy Byron also worked at the steel mill but he's found new life in his fireworks shop and spots apparel store in town. Both will be hit with a 15 percent tariff.
BYRON: Nobody wants to see the price go up -- I don't care what it is. You don't want to come in here this year and spend 10 bucks for this and then come back next year and spend 15. And I feel bad because I know all of these people and I don't -- you know, I feel bad that where I'm not going to let you pay that bigger, higher price.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): The trade war is expected to cost American families $1,000 more each year.
MAYOR MATTHEW SHORRAW, MONESSEN, PENNSYLVANIA: That is something that residents that are already struggling can't afford. We need jobs here, but we need jobs that fit the 21st century. We were founded to help supplement what Pittsburgh was doing with steel and I think that we could play that role again.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): While the mayor sees opportunity, Golomb has lost hope. He says voters in the Rust Belt, like him, believed President Trump had their backs, helping to elect him. Now, he feels lied to.
YURKEVICH (on camera): If you had an opportunity to see the president again --
GOLOMB: Oh.
YURKEVICH (on camera): If he came back to Monessen, Pennsylvania, what would you say to him?
GOLOMB: He wouldn't speak to me. He wouldn't speak to me --
YURKEVICH (on camera): Why?
GOLOMB: -- because I'd have to tell him the truth. Where are your promises?
YURKEVICH (voice-over): Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, Monessen, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: Really interesting perspective. I'm also interested to see who is connecting with some of these voters right now, if any of the candidates are reaching them.
You are in for a treat this morning. Many of the late-night shows were live last night after the debate. What did the comics have to say? That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:57:44]
BERMAN: All right. The late-night comics actually stayed up late last night. They did their shows live so they could talk about the Democratic debate.
You're in for a treat. Here are you "Late-Night Laughs."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, CBS "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": Joe Biden made a very bold proposal gaffe.
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And nobody should be in jail for a non-violent crime.
COLBERT: To which one non-violent criminal said, "Oh, thank God -- Joe 2020. I'm too pretty for jail. Gotta go with Joe." JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, ABC, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE": Some of the outliers made waves tonight -- most notably, the businessman Andrew Yang.
ANDREW YANG (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm going to do something unprecedented tonight. My campaign will now give a freedom dividend of $1,000 a month for an entire year to 10 American families -- someone watching this at home right now.
(Clip from "THE PRICE IS RIGHT)
If you believe that you can solve your own problems better than any politician, go to yang2020.com and tell us $1,000 a month will help you do just that.
KIMMEL: It's like a radio station contest. It's thousand-dollar Thursday. That might be the most ridiculous proposal I've ever seen on this network and I've watched every episode of "THE BACHELORETTE."
COLBERT: Mayor Pete weighed in on America's overseas wars.
BUTTIGIEG: The best way not to be caught up in endless wars is to avoid starting one in the first place.
COLBERT: Wait a second. You were asked about getting out of Afghanistan and you're proposal is not to have started the war? Do you have a time machine because that would make sense?
I mean, for Pete's sake, Doc Brown is right there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: I didn't see the Doc Brown thing coming.
CAMEROTA: I knew there was going to be some age punchline there. That was funny.
All right, moving on. Who had the strongest moments last night? Who made you cringe?
NEW DAY continues right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Americans don't want to pay twice as much as other countries. What people want is cost- effective health care.
BIDEN: There will be a deductible in your paycheck. That's not a bad idea if you like it. I don't like it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Julian Castro just blows himself up by attacking someone that all the voters watching have pretty good feelings about the guy.
JULIAN CASTRO (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This was a disagreement about health care policy. I respect the vice president. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In previous debates, she tore into him. This time, she tore into Trump.
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He reminds me of that guy in the "WIZARD OF OZ" -- you know, when you pull back the curtain it's a really small dude.
SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The differences amongst us Democrats on this.
END
