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GOP Faces Uncertain Fate; Stone Trail Resumes; Americans Killed in Mexico. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired November 06, 2019 - 08:30   ET

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

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[08:30:44]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Democrats had big wins last night in the Virginia state legislature and the Kentucky governor's mansion. Does that change anything for Republican lawmakers in Washington as they grapple with the impeachment inquiry.

Joining us now is CNN's senior political commentator John Kasich. He is the former Republican governor of Ohio.

Good morning, governor.

JOHN KASICH, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Hi, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Great to have you.

Do you think that as Republicans in the Senate in Washington, D.C., on Capitol Hill wake up this morning and look at the results in Virginia and what happened in Kentucky, do you think that they recalibrate somehow their position on impeachment?

KASICH: Not really. Look, what they need to be worried about is these election results. You know, the suburbs, the areas beyond the suburbs, the turnout in the urban areas. I mean we see that it is really going strong for Democrats and Republicans are being -- are not doing well in those areas.

And if you look at Kentucky, they were swamped in the urban areas, the suburbs and the areas that just surround the suburbs. Impeachment was not an issue in Kentucky. He stayed away from it. And the message to Democrats are, if you're going to pick a candidate like -- I mean, honestly, it's my assessment, like a Warren or a Sanders are going to be out of here stripping away health care from people, their private insurance and Medicare for all and green new deal. I don't think you win that way. I just don't think you can.

But for the individual members of Congress, both the senators and most particularly House members, you've got to deal with the fact that Republicans -- you know, that Republicans are not coming out to vote. The Democrats are coming out to vote. And many Republicans are saying, I've had enough of mean. I don't want mean. And, Alisyn, I think this all started when they tried to take away

health care from about 20 million Americans. And they didn't like Obamacare but they had no -- they had no plan. And so I think that started it.

And then the bullying and the name calling and all that, the dividing. People want politicians and leaders to be hopeful. And I think that's where Bevin fell short. I give him credit. He stuck to his guns. But he did not come across as a unifying, hopeful person who didn't want to leave people behind. I think that's what people want today. And Republicans better be careful and Democrats better learn.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Is that what explains the surge in support for Democrats in the suburbs, in the excerpts (ph)? How do you explain those swings to the Democratic Party in the key demographic (INAUDIBLE) groups?

KASICH: Well, that's it, John, it's it. I mean people care about their health care. They don't want it stripped away. They care about not losing pre-existing conditions. They do not like, particularly a lot of the suburban women do not like the bullying, the name-calling. You know, I've had a principal tell me that bullying is up in the schools because somehow when you see the leader of the country bullying people, other people say, well, then it must be OK. I mean that -- you can't be mean in politics. Republicans want to fix this.

Let me tell you how, in my opinion, a Republican congressman from Cincinnati with these suburbs down there, how you fix it, you need to start being positive about things. You need to show people that you have plans to help them. Doubling down on the rhetoric and calling names, I don't buy -- I don't think it works. You've got to have some independence. Just hanging on to the president, to me, it's not the smartest thing to do. I wouldn't.

CAMEROTA: Well, I mean, that's my point. It' not that impeachment is a big issue around people's dining tables at night. And that's what they vote on. My point is, do Republicans on Capitol Hill suddenly feel like, huh, maybe this support for President Trump isn't as rock solid as we had thought.

KASICH: Oh, yes. Yes, that's for definite -- that's definitely true. And, Alisyn, I don't want to belittle impeachment. It's just that, to me, the Democrats, they set this whole thing up the wrong way. It looks like a partisan -- you know, a partisan attempt. You know, secret hearings.

CAMEROTA: What could they have done differently?

KASICH: Vote on it up front. Give the Republicans massive, you know, rules that help them to be able to show fairness. That's what they should have done. They didn't do it.

Now, with the public hearings, with the public hearings, could that change? Yes, I think it could change. I don't know that it will change. But we'll have to see. A lot of people that I talk to say, oh, well, you know, yes, all the

presidents do is this quid pro quo. Of course they don't all do it, but that's kind of the sense of what I hear out here. But that -- that concern about impeachment is going to grow.

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How big it's going to grow and will it turn into a fire -- you know, some kind of a prairie fire that really scares Republicans, it's had to say. We have to see how the hearings go.

BERMAN: You know, it's interesting because you said the Democrats have done this the right way. Now they have released some of the transcripts and Senator Lindsey Graham says he's not going to bother reading them. He doesn't need to read them. He doesn't want to read them.

What do you think of that response?

KASICH: Yes. Yes, I -- yes, I -- look, I don't want to attack Lindsey. I've known him a long time. That's -- I -- that, to me, I think he wishes he could take that back. That's my sense about that.

And, John, look, what I'm saying is, don't dig yourself in the hole off the bat. When the country's so divided, you know, don't get yourself out there where people can accuse you of selective leaks and secret testimony and all that. Get it in the open.

Now, you put yourself in the hole. Can you get out of the hole? Yes, you might be able to get out of the hole, but that's a challenge for the Democrats to look as though they're -- and to actually be even and fair handed as they proceed with the public testimony. We have to see how that goes.

CAMEROTA: Governor John Kasich, great to talk to you. Thanks so much.

KASICH: All right. Thank you, guys. Thank you.

BERMAN: All right, but wait, there's more.

Just hours from now we could see opening statements in the Roger Stone trial after some unusual courtroom drama. We'll have the details, next.

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BERMAN: In less than one hour, jury selection will resume in the trial of longtime Trump political adviser Roger Stone. He is charged with lying to Congress, obstruction and witness tampering. The trial began on Tuesday with some drama, frankly, in the courtroom.

CNN's Shimon Prokupecz is live at the federal courthouse in Washington.

You know, Roger Stone, you knew there was going to be drama.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Always is around him. This time it was his stomach. His stomach causing quite a stir here in the courtroom. Twice the judge needing to take a break so that Roger Stone can go to the bathroom. She herself even noticed that at one point Roger Stone wasn't feeling well, was putting his hand over his head, closing his eyes. At one point she even offered him Imodium. And then finally the judge said, you know what, maybe it's best for Roger Stone to go home for the day. She excused him for the day and then they continued with jury selection.

But that wasn't the only drama here at the courthouse. There were arguments outside of the courtroom between an ally of Roger Stone and someone else. An audience member, someone seated in the audience, passed out. An ambulance had to come. That briefly delayed the proceeding.

All in all, the day did continue finally. They did seat some additional jurors. And today we expect them to perhaps finish with jury selection and then we can have opening statements and maybe even one of our first witnesses here.

We expect some very interesting characters certainly to take the stand here. Some of the people we know, like Steve Bannon and others, Rick Gates, people who worked for the president. So this could be a very interesting first day of testimony should that happen.

And, obviously, every day certainly going to be interesting here as this case gets underway, John.

BERMAN: All right, Shimon, we'll be watching that very closely. Thank you so much for being there.

Now here is what else to watch today.

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9:00 a.m. ET, Impeachment depositions scheduled

3:00 p.m. ET, President Trump speaks at White House.

8:00 p.m. ET, President Trump speaks in Louisiana.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: We are learning more about the nine Americans, three mothers and six children, who were ambushed and brutally killed in Mexico. Their family members speak to us, next.

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CAMEROTA: Mexican authorities have arrested a suspect in the mass murder ambush that killed nine Americans, three mothers and six children, in northern Mexico by what authorities say was a drug cartel. The family members were part of a Mormon community that has lived in this area for generations.

And joining us now are Lafe and Chantel Langford. They are family members and neighbors of the victims.

Lafe and Chantel, we are so sorry that you have lost your loved ones in this sickening attack. And everyone here is just struggling to figure out how and why this could happen.

Lafe, have you gotten any answers? Do you understand how this and why this would happen to your family members?

LAFE LANGFORD, FAMILY MEMBER OF MEXICO ATTACK VICTIMS: We're still looking for answers and praying for answers. We -- we're calling on our governments and our sovereign countries to help us and provide answers.

These kinds of injustices and atrocities should never be -- this evil should never be tolerated in these nations, in our countries, by our leaders and by our -- by people in general. A lot of details of still surfacing and forthcoming. We've been learning a lot of facts and truths and incredible stories from the survivors as they're recovering in the hospitals. The details that are coming from them are just -- they're just hard to hear the heroic actions of these kids that -- the loneliness that they felt in those mountains for hours and hours all shot up and wounded, carrying each other in their arms.

And just the effort by these six children to survive and come home to their father is something that we just want the world to feel with us. And, you know, understand that these things have happened to people throughout Mexico for years and they've never had a voice. They've never had the support that we've had. And we're very overwhelmed and grateful for the support. And we're just blessed to have survivors.

CAMEROTA: Can you tell us more about the 13-year-old boy, Devin Langford, who we've heard about who walked 14 miles, we understand, it was six hours. He helped some of your relatives, his cousins and siblings, be hidden in bushes and he then walked for help.

[08:50:07]

How does a 13-year-old have the wherewithal to do all of that?

LANGFORD: It -- I want to tell his story because I called his older brother last night before this interview and spoke to him. And he was with his siblings. And Devin is an incredible kid. He was also -- he was also joined with his incredible sister, who's also -- I believe she's 14 years old. I believe Devin is 12 and she's 13. I'm not sure. But together they -- together they -- their heroic actions led their siblings, they took turns carrying Cody, who was just all shot up and couldn't walk.

And what Devin has told us is that the -- one of the three vehicles was shot up and then set ablaze. And then the two vehicles that went further on ahead, Christina was driving in front. And when our Aunt Dawna and her nine children came up to Christina's vehicle, she was already lying on the ground, lifeless, and these children witnessed this.

And as soon as Aunt Dawna saw Christina, she turned around and yelled at all her children to duck down immediately, and they started grabbing the babies and putting them under the dash and trying to hide them and all of a sudden bullets just rained from above, from on top of a hill down on top of them. I mean the -- what they went through, what they experienced, I don't

-- we don't have the capacity just to imagine what these children went through. But once the firing stopped, these men came off the mountain and pulled all these kids that were still alive -- just pulled them out of the vehicle and they don't -- they understood some of what they said, but they basically told them to get out of here.

So they immediately started walking towards home and taking turns, these precious children were taking turns carrying their brother Cody and they were just -- I mean the -- they had gun wounds, bullets, just on all parts of their bodies.

CAMEROTA: Oh, my God.

LANGFORD: And they made about a thousand feet away from the vehicles and the older sister, I believe her name was Kylie, she said to Devin, she said, Devin, we're not going to make it. We have to stop. So they immediately ran off the road and down into an area where Devin was able to hide them. And then Kylie said -- Kylie and Devin decided that he needed to go on home and try to get help.

CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh.

LANGFORD: And away he went. And he walked for hours and hours and -- and --

CAMEROTA: And then he set off for that six hour journey.

And -- and --

LANGFORD: Yes, and in the process, it -- they -- the situation of just helplessness and loneliness became so severe. Nightfall was coming. Little McKenzie (ph) got up and said, when is Devin coming back? And she said, I got to go find him. And so she had a bullet through her wrist, but, nevertheless, she was probably in the best shape to walk at that point. So away she went.

And we found her by her little footprints. She took the wrong road six hours later and we saw that her footprints had a shoe and then a bare little foot because she had to take her shoes off and her feet were just swollen and covered in blisters when they found her at 9:30 at night. And the first thing that came out of her mouth when she saw her uncles was, we have to go back. We have to go back. My siblings, my brothers and sisters are dying. They're bleeding. They're shot. We have to go rescue them. And that's all she cared about. It was just incredible.

CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh. Thank God -- I mean thank God for that. And --

LANGFORD: But Devin -- also Devin, before her, had made it home. CAMEROTA: Yes, and that -- and that you found her. I mean she was lost for those hours. Thank God that you were able to find her and trace those footsteps.

LANGFORD: She was lost for those hours. And, you know, we endured a lot through this crisis. First of all, the unknown of what is happening. And no help. We were just -- the fathers and brothers and uncles and -- just the community was on the outskirts of the town just praying and saying, what can we do? Hours later, we finally -- we finally found out and confirmed Juanita had been burned with her children in her vehicle. And we finally -- and we still did not know where Dawna and Christina and all their children were.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

LANGFORD: And finally, at 6:30, 7:00 in the afternoon, some of the men said, we're going up there.

[08:55:04]

We're just going to go put our lives on the line and go -- and go up there. No one else will. And in -- on the way up there they found Devin, who had just come out to the main road.

CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh.

LANGFORD: And they picked him up, rejoicing, and he told them what the situation was. He told them where the -- that he had the children hidden up there. They -- at this point they didn't know McKenzie had gone looking for Devin.

And, you know, so, once again, knowing the children were up there was the worst part of what I think these families went through once they realized that the mothers were dead. There were six -- there were seven wounded children that were alive. At the time they thought -- believed Christina's baby was dead, which, when we found -- when we found Christina, she was outside of her vehicle and, can you imagine, our joy when we -- she had -- she had saved her baby by pulling it off the seat and tucking it down on the floor, and she covered her baby up with a blanket. And how her nursing infant stayed there for eight, nine hours or something is a miracle.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

LANGFORD: We can't imagine. It's just --

CAMEROTA: No, it's unimaginable. Everything that you've just described, Lafe, is unimaginable. And I know that you don't have enough answers right now and you don't know why your family would be the victims of this. I know that investigators are working on it. Obviously, we will follow your story until you get answers.

Lafe, Chantel, thank you very much. We know this is a really painful time and we appreciate you sharing your family's personal stories with us.

We'll talk to you again.

LANGFORD: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: And NEW DAY will be right back.

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