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U.S. Pentagon Suspends Program Arming Syrian Rebels; Bill Cosby to Testify Under Oath; The Success of Donald Trump Explained by "Dilbert" Creator. Aired 11:30-12p ET
Aired October 09, 2015 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:30:00] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: New this morning, the U.S. is suspending their program, the Pentagon is suspending its program to arm Syrian rebels and will look for other ways to battle ISIS.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Defense Secretary Ash Carter says the United States will now provide equipment and weapons to a group of vetted Syrian rebel leaders to try to help them reclaim some territory controlled by ISIS.
Now, coalition air strikes on ISIS strongholds will continue. The Pentagon, you probably might remember, had originally allocated through Congress $500 million to train these vetted Syrian rebels. In July, the defense secretary really shocked everyone when he said in testimony that only 60 rebels had been qualified and vetted for training.
BERMAN: It's important to note here, this is the Pentagon operation, which is separate than the CIA, the covert CIA operation, which was arming and training some anti-Assad groups, which were going on before, during, and will continue after the Pentagon operation.
BOLDUAN: This is a separate program, absolutely.
Coming up for us, Bill Cosby has remained silent for months but today he'll be forced to testify under oath about one of his alleged sexual encounters -- assaults. All of this as one of his former cast members is coming out to defend him.
BERMAN: Donald Trump says Hispanics love him. She says she loves him. This is a moment you will not want to miss.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want Donald Trump!
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:35:45] BERMAN: It could be happening right now. Bill Cosby under oath, testifying in a sexual assault case. The accuser, Judy Huth, says she was sexually molested by Cosby at the Playboy mansion when she was only 15. The questions Cosby faces, they come from famed attorney, Gloria Allred. You can bet they will be tough. We will not know maybe until December if parts of this testimony will be made public.
BOLDUAN: A lot of this has been very secretive, this whole process. In the past few months, dozens of women have claimed America's favorite dad, as he was once called, had raped them, and charges Cosby across the board vehemently denied.
Let's talk about what's happening today and going forward. Let's bring in Jean Casarez, who has been following this case; and also Chris Witherspoon, CNN analyst and entertainment editor of thegrio.com.
Chris recently interviewed Keshia Knight Pulliam, the girl who played Rudy on "The Cosby Show."
Jean, this process has been very secretive, the deposition is sealed. What do we know? What is he going to face today? What could happen?
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think we know quite a bit. It's historic in a sense because he will be in a room with his accuser. She will be there, too, because she has a right to be there. And Gloria Allred is the attorney for the plaintiff. It will be a sworn deposition. The questions will be very pointed in regard to Judith Huth. It was 1974 and she says that she was --
(CROSSTALK)
BERMAN: It could be hours.
(CROSSTALK)
CASAREZ: Oh, hours, yes. I question if it will be finished in a day. Because under California law, even if he doesn't give an answer, he has to say that to every single question that's asked. In 1974, when she was 15 years old, she went to a park with a girlfriend -- so potentially is a witness right there --and a movie was being filmed, and it was with Bill Cosby. It went from there. The next weekend they were invited by Bill Cosby to go to a tennis club, a home, and ultimately the Playboy mansion where she says she was sexually assaulted.
And she had to go through hoops to bring this civil suit because it was so many years ago. Since she was a child and it would be childhood sexual abuse. A clinical psychologist at UCLA assessed her and determined that he believed she had been abused as a child. That really allowed this case to go forward. But Cosby is saying, wait a minute, years ago you tried to take your story to a tabloid so you now aren't just discovering and comprehending what happened to you as a child, because that's why, in California, the statute of limitations can be extended. Sometimes it takes a while for a child, then AS adult, to fully appreciate the abuse.
BERMAN: That argument aside, he's under oath. Questions from Gloria Allred, who is tough. When will we know what is said, if ever, inside this room?
CASAREZ: A judge determined just this week it will be sealed until at least December 22nd. And so if answers any questions, we may know then what he says, but I think even before that, there's going to be a lot of objections, trust me. So, a judge will then determine if he has to go back and answer questions. But it may be a while.
BOLDUAN: A while for sure.
All of this, as you, Chris, you have the opportunity to speak with Rudy from the show --
(CROSSTALK)
CHRIS WITHERSPOON, CNN ANALYST & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR, THEGRIO.COM: Keshia Pulliam.
BOLDUAN: Exactly. About how she feels about all of this.
Let's listen to part of your interview, and I want to get your take on it. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KESHIA KNIGHT PULLIAM, ACTRESS (voice-over): You can't take back the impact it's had on generations of kids and is continuing to take -- and continuing to have such a positive impact on them, regardless of how many -- like, that's just not who I know. I never had that interaction with him so I can't speak to it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: "That's not the man I know. That's not any interaction I ever had." She was so young at the time, obviously, when the show was on. Did that surprise you in how she reacted?
WITHERSPOON: I'm not surprised. I think ultimately "The Cosby Show," the Huxtables, prior to the Obamas, they broke the stereotype of what black folks could be. So I get that she stands by the legacy. She told me that she's been approached a lot since this big scandal has broken out by folks that still come to her and say, this show's changed my life. I went to college because of "The Cosby Show," because of watching the family.
Theo Huxtable, Malcolm Jamal Warner, spoke out yesterday. He said it's a bad situation all around for Cosby, the families, the women, their families and the legacy of the show. Bottom line, we have to realize the legacy of this show is not more important than people's lives.
[11:40:18] BERMAN: Look, I think people mistake it if they say they're going after the show. They're just questioning what Bill Cosby did or did not do. Keshia Knight Pulliam perhaps would be surprised by that activity. She didn't affirmatively say it didn't happen for a fact, did she? WITHERSPOON: It's the question I think most actors from that show --
it's a huge ensemble of factors that they are uncomfortable talking about it. They don't know how to unpack it. She said she didn't experience it but can never say it didn't happen. No one can say that. We'll find that out in this deposition. It's one of those questions we need answers to. Also at this point, Bill Cosby's silent is doing more damage to the legacy of this show than anything else.
BOLDUAN: Doesn't look like he's going to change that any time soon. Not really speaking to the media. One of the attorneys --
(CROSSTALK)
BOLDUAN: We'll see if we can learn more if this deposition is unsealed at any point.
Great to see you, guys. Thank you so much.
BERMAN: The science of Donald Trump. He's not just winning, he's not just a wizard, he is a master wizard, according to one man. The success of Donald Trump explained by the creator of "Dilbert," who joins us live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:43] BOLDUAN: What a moment in Las Vegas. Donald Trump on stage with a Latino supporter who loved him and he clearly loved her back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CHEERING)
(SHOUTING)
DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: Where are you from?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm from Colombia.
TRUMP: Colombia.
(SHOUTING)
TRUMP: And is this a setup? Did I ever meet you before?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm Hispanic and I vote for Mr. Trump! We vote for Mr. Trump!
(CHEERING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes! Mr. Trump! We love you! We love you! All the way to the White House!
TRUMP: I swear to you -- I think she's totally beautiful and great. I never met her before. I swear. I just -- this all started with "People" magazine. So I love this story. They couldn't have been nicer. Nice story. Right? Couldn't be nicer.
But I don't know what happened. They played with my nose. I don't want touching.
(LAUGHTER)
I don't want touching. So, I'm looking.
Now, you'll tell me, how's my nose. It's fine, right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's beautiful and perfect!
TRUMP: I have a wart on the end of my nose. Can you believe it?
(LAUGHTER)
And I said --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: There's a whole lot going on there. Just too much fun.
So, did you hear there Trump saying how beautiful and great she is, how nice "People" magazine is, how he cracks jokes about himself.
At least one person thinks it's all part of Trump's almost hypnotic mastery of words, a strategy that could carry the man straight to the White House.
That person making that prediction, if you will, Scott Adams, the man behind the hugely successful comic strip "Dilbert," and the author of "How to Fail Every Time and Still Win Big."
Scott Adams is joining us now.
Scott, thank you for joining us.
SCOTT ADAMS, CREATOR, DILBERT CARTOON & AUTHOR: Thanks for having me.
BOLDUAN: Your take on this is absolutely fascinating. Let us play some of the things that Trump has said and you highlight. Then we want to get your take. Take a look at mash-up of Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Jeb Bush is a very nice man. I think he's a very low-energy person.
Excuse me, one second.
JEB BUSH, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: No, the simple fact, Donald --
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Jeb -- (CROSSTALK)
BUSH: -- you can not take --
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: More energy tonight, I like that.
Carly has given me a little hard time, even though her poll numbers are horrible.
Ben Carson, he's a nice man.
We're going to have a wall. I'm good at walls, believe me.
(voice-over): I'm whining and whining until I win and I'm going to win for the country and I'm going to make our country great again.
(on camera): I will build up the military so big, so strong, nobody's going to mess with us.
I will have the finest team that anybody's put together and we will solve a lot of problems.
I'm a man that made a great fortune. I'm going to make our country rich and I'm going to make our country great.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Scott, you call Donald Trump a "master wizard" when it comes to kind of his persuasion tactics. One of the things you pointed out and some of what we heard right there is what you call the "linguistic kill shot." Please tell us what you mean.
ADAMS: Yeah. First of all, I'm a trained hypnotist myself and have studied persuasion all of my life. I've never seen a better persuader than Donald Trump. And the techniques he use are pitch perfect in terms of the framework of persuasion, even though it looks like it's clown behavior and somewhat random. If you take what he's done with his competitors, he's literally turning them in your mind into the seven dwarfs. Here are the names of the seven dwarfs. He has a sweaty, robotic, low energy, nice, lightweight, major security risk, and plenty of material. So, those are the labels he's put on people.
But here's the thing, these are not random insults. These are cleverly crafted to kind of already agree what you're thinking, which is entirely different than a random insult. If you look at Jeb Bush, for example, he looks low energy. If you look at Fiorina, she looks a little robotic. These insults are things that stick to them and cannot be washed off.
BERMAN: I like what you're doing here. You're not trying to dismiss Donald Trump or saying you support Donald Trump. You're trying to explain what is going on here, a reason for his popularity.
You talked about the linguistic kill shots. You talked about his vagueness. Mainstream media says Donald Trump doesn't have any meat on the proposals, he says, I'm going to hire the best team ever, they'll solve everything. But you think vagueness is a strength?
[11:50:16] ADAMS: Vagueness is a technique. It's part of the persuasion toolbox. I use it myself. If you look at the "Dilbert" comic strip, his boss does not have a name so people imbue the property with what they like best, and you don't give them a reason not to like him. So people will like things if you give them a chance to, fill in the best image of what that thing is.
BOLDUAN: And one of the things that you point out, and one of the most amazing ways that Donald Trump has handled himself in the candidacy, is turning a negative into a positive in a way that we have never seen a politician do in the past. You describe it as judo.
ADAMS: Yes, the linguistic judo, where you take the accusation, and rather than refuting it, which just gets you into a "he said/she said" kind of a fight, he takes it and embraces it and goes further. So when he was called a whiner, as he was in a recent interview, you're a whiner, you're a whiner, he doesn't say, no, I don't, he says, I'm the best whiner of all and the best voice of change. So not only does he embraces it, but takes it to the next level in your mind to their realm of change. Everybody likes change, especially right now, and so he is shifting the argument to where he is strongest, and it is really brilliant. And I would say that the master wizard hypothesis, which says that he is doing all of this intentionally, fits, because he is the first quadruple wizard in our history. And what I mean by that is that, if you think of the influences, we had the Norman Vincent Peele, "Power of Positive Thinking," as a minister when he went to church. That was actually who he learned from as a kid. So all of this, the world will be great is great, is persuasion. It's part of a method. And even the exaggerations and stuff are all part of the "Power of Positive Thinking," which is well tested and has a successful rate.
But he's expert at negotiating and literally wrote the book with the co-author and he says he knows psychology. And he has combined the best science of persuasion, which is complete at this point. But he has also a branding expert, and this is the same thing. He has 50 years of experience. And he has the Trump persona that lets him change his mind when he wants to, and say outrageous thing. And nobody has ever had that combination. He is going into the stick fight with a flame thrower, and people are going to say, how long is this guy with the flame thrower going to the last in a stick fight. It is not close. He has the greatest persuasive ability, other than Tony Robbins, who he has worked with, and has probably worked with him, than anyone I have ever seen.
BOLDUAN: And when you put it that way, it is going to be fascinating to think how he can go. But it scares me to think we might be being hypnotized by you and by Donald Trump.
ADAMS: Wait --
(CROSSTALK)
BOLDUAN: I am just playing, Scott, just playing around. (CROSSTALK)
BERMAN: Scott Adams, thank you so much.
(CROSSTALK)
BERMAN: Great to have you with us. It's a perspective that we have not had on this. It perhaps explains some of what is going on.
Thank you so much, sir.
BERMAN: Great to see you. Thank you.
And coming up for us, Congress in chaos. Who can reunite the party? The scramble, the mad scramble to the find the speaker of the House, ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:53:14] BERMAN: CNN is proud to announce the top-10 "CNN Heroes" of 2015 and you will get to decide who is going to be the "CNN Hero of the year."
Anderson Cooper shows you how.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, A.C. 360: Now that we have announced the top-10 "CNN Heroes" of 2015, I want to show you how to decide who can be CNN Hero of the year and receive $100,000 for their cause.
Go to the CNNheroes.com to find out more information on all of them, and each will be honored in "CNN Heroes, An All-Star Tribute" in December, and only one can be hero of the year. That is where you come in with your votes.
Down here, you will see photos of the top-10 heroes to where you will have a page to the watch their important work, and then a vote page comes up, and then select the person who inspires you the most. I will pick someone randomly, such as Jim Withers here, and once you select his or her photo, then it shows up down here under your box in the section, and then enter the e-mail address and type in the security code and click on the vote box to cast your vote. It is easier to vote on Facebook and make your selection and click over here. You will see this thank you page where you can share your choice on Facebook or Twitter to encourage your friends to vote as well. There is a link to where you can make a tax-free donation to the cause.
Remember, you can vote once a day everyday through Sunday the 15th with your e-mail address through Facebook or using the CNN app.
We will reveal the 2015 hero of the year in the "CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute," a CNN tradition that promises to inspire.
(END VIDEOTAPE) [12:00:01] BOLDUAN: Now, you can vote once a day everyday at CNNheroes.com, and all 10 are going to be honored at the "CNN Heroes, An All-Star Tribute." That will be airing December 16th. We hope you can join us.
Thank you so much for joining us AT THIS HOUR all this week.
BERMAN: "Legal View" with Ashleigh Banfield starts now.
