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Trump Surges to Big Lead in GOP Field; Will Trump's Comments on Communion Anger the Faithful?; U.N. Moves to Lift Sanctions after Iran Deal; Turkey Blames ISIS for Terror Attack. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired July 21, 2015 - 07:00   ET

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

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I supported him. I raised a lot of money for his campaign against President Obama. And certainly, if there was a misunderstanding, I would totally take that back. But hopefully, I said it correctly.

[07:00:12] DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Even for the bombastic Trump, who appears to crave controversy, the bipartisan backlash from his weekend remarks about McCain's five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam was intense.

TRUMP: He's not a war hero. He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured. OK?

Perhaps he's a war hero, but right now, he said some very bad things about a lot of people.

BASH: Still, a new national poll shows Trump isn't just leading the crowded GOP presidential field, but leading big at 24 percent with second place Scott Walker and third, Jeb Bush, trailing by double digits.

But that same survey may signal trouble for Trump. He got 28 percent on three consecutive nights. But on Sunday, after his controversial comments, his support dipped.

McCain himself is determined to take the high road. But McCain's son Jack, a fourth generation McCain naval officer currently on active duty, didn't hold back about what he thinks.

JACK MCCAIN, JOHN MCCAIN'S SON: My father, he's a public figure; he's a politician. He's open to attack. But prisoners of war, in general, I mean, Donald Trump has to understand that he's running for -- to be the commander in chief of the United States military. If an individual gets rolled up, becomes a prisoner of war, then is he going to abandon them simply because he doesn't like people that are captured?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH (on camera): Today will be his first campaign event here in the first primary state of the south, South Carolina. There are very important pockets of the Republican electorate here. One is the military. So we'll see how his comments about John McCain plays or doesn't. But another, Alisyn, are evangelicals. Two-thirds of Republican

voters here tend to be evangelical and a maybe less reported statement he made over the weekend about not asking for forgiveness, but also calling the communion, the holy Eucharist a cracker, saying, "I eat a little cracker" has not gone over well with that part of the electorate.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: We can imagine, if that's true. And we're going to be talking about his comments on religion in the next hour, as well. Dana, thanks so much.

So while Trump dominates the headlines, Ohio Governor John Kasich will try to steal some of the spotlight later this morning when he announces his bid for the GOP nomination. He will be the 16th Republican to enter the race.

CNN's correspondent, Athena Jones, is live in Columbus, Ohio, to preview that. Good morning, Athena.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn.

That's right. Governor Kasich is adding his name to the already long list of people who are running for president. Here he is in a preview of today's announcement, making the case for why he should be elected. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R), OHIO: What are we going to do about America, and how did we end up with 20 people running for president? And I think about who is it that has the experience to balance the federal budget. It's very hard to do. You know, I was one of the chief architects of balancing the budget. The first time we did it since man walked on the moon. We haven't done it since.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: And so the governor's resume seems like it's tailor-made for a run for the White House. He spent 18 years in Congress. He was on the budget committee, on the Armed Services Committee. He was later a commentator on FOX News. And perhaps most importantly, he's serving his second term as governor for this crucial swing state. It's a state that Republicans historically have to win if they want to win the White House. And he won re-election with nearly two-thirds of the vote, performing very well among independents, moderates, women, even winning a quarter of the black vote and a quarter of Democrats.

So he looks like someone who we should be paying attention to, but he has very low name recognition. The challenge for him is going to be breaking through in this very crowded field. He's polling in the low single digits right now. We'll see if he gets a boost from today's announcement -- Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: He needs to start a fight with Trump and fast, Athena. OK. Let's bring in somebody who's very important, period, but

especially in the Iowa caucuses. He has backed the last three winners. His name is Bob Vander Plaats, and he's president and CEO of The Family Leader. It's a conservative advocacy group in Iowa that hosted the Family Leadership Summit this weekend. Now, that is where Donald Trump was when he made the controversial comments about Senator McCain and, perhaps more relevantly, about religion.

Bob, very good to have you on the show. Thank you, sir.

BOB VANDER PLAATS, PRESIDENT/CEO, THE FAMILY LEADER: Chris, I'm glad to be here with you.

CUOMO: The idea of having someone who is a person of faith and devout, why does that matter in an elected leader?

VANDER PLAATS: Well, what we're looking at is, what is the core of the person? You know, what kind of character do they have? Can we trust them? Do they understand that they're serving a larger purpose just themselves in being president of the United States? This is a big job that they're applying for. So we want to find out, you know, what makes them up? What's the core?

[07:05:01] CUOMO: If someone says they are devout about religion and their belief in God, but does not believe in asking God's forgiveness, what does that say to you?

VANDER PLAATS: Well, you know, obviously, a tenet of our faith is that we all need forgiveness. We're all equal at the foot of the cross. But we're all fallen human beings. And that's why God is God, and we are not. And we need a savior in order to get into heaven. And so it's only by his grace that we get there. And so forgiveness is just a cornerstone of who we are and, you know, for us, as Christians, we ask God forgiveness every day and multiple times per day.

CUOMO: Everybody is talking about what Trump said about POWs, specifically John McCain. That's not your bailiwick. But when he said, "Do I do things that are wrong? I guess so. If I do something wrong, I try to do something right. I don't bring God into that picture."

If that's his answer when he asks about the need for God's forgiveness, do you accept him as a man of faith?

VANDER PLAATS: Well, you know, that's -- our other part of our faith is that we are not to judge. And so, a lot of that is, you know, between Mr. Trump and God.

Now, for us, again, we go back to the tenet of our faith. You know, we're supposed to love the Lord, our God, with all of our heart, our soul, our mind, love our neighbor as ourselves, you know. And then we try to do the best we can. But we first seek his kingdom and his righteousness and then all those things get added unto us.

CUOMO: How did it play to the faithful there, the congregation when he said that, and when he said, "I go to drink -- I go to a church. I drink my little wine. I have my little cracker," a reference to the communion wafer, the transubstantiation sacrament. "And I guess that's a form of asking for forgiveness." How did that play?

VANDER PLAATS: Well, first of all, you have a very forgiving audience. If you're asking for forgiveness, you have a very forgiving audience. And I really believe they just thought, you know, Mr. Trump was not ready for that question. He was probably surprised by that question, so he probably didn't handle it the way he probably could have handled it and probably the way he should have handled it. But I think they're willing to give him a pass on it. The only thing -- the issue that's...

CUOMO: Why? I thought this was about character, though, Bob? That's what I don't get. If it's about character, and he's saying these kinds of things about religion, why does he automatically get a pass?

VANDER PLAATS: Well, I'm not saying he's going to get the ultimate pass, saying, you know, "We're going to vote for you to be president." They're probably giving a pass that he just wasn't ready for the question. And he'd probably be better the next time he's asked that question.

I think we all know as human beings that we need forgiveness, that we are not perfect individuals.

I think the other question, the one that's dominating, you know, the headlines right now, the comment that he made about John McCain. You know, I was stunned by his answer. I think Frank Luntz was stunned by his answer. The audience was stunned by his answer. And frankly, I think Donald Trump was a little bit stunned by, you know, the comments that he made.

And so we do respect veterans, especially we respect prisoners of war. And John McCain is a war hero. And that's why he went back to saying that John McCain is a war hero. If I was advising him, I'd say apologize for the comment and then move your campaign forward.

CUOMO: What did you think about the content of his character after the comments that he made, taken in the whole, about John McCain, POWs, about faith, about wine and crackers?

VANDER PLAATS: Well, you know, it was a tough 20 minutes for Donald Trump. There's no doubt about it. And that's why he's dominating the headlines.

The unfortunate part about it is that you had nine other candidates on that stage who did a -- who really did a great job. And you know, they're getting no coverage whatsoever right now.

So -- but I think, for Donald Trump, I don't think he wants that comment to dominate his campaign. I think he wants to be able to move forward. Because he is tapping into a sentiment that Washington is broke; it needs leadership. It needs leadership from the outside. That's why you see his poll numbers doing so well. But he does not want the comment about Mr. McCain to define his campaign. CUOMO: I would think you'd be more concerned about what he said to

the congregation about his faith and how he sees it. Last question for you, sir, is do you...

VANDER PLAATS: We are always concerned about a person regarding their faith and how he views it, but we also believe that is a journey and a process, and we're willing to walk that journey with him.

CUOMO: "The Des Moines Register" saying he should get out of the race, saying he's a blowhard, saying he's feckless. In other words, that he doesn't have any ability to affect things in a good way. Do you accept that?

VANDER PLAATS: Well, "The Des Moines Register" doesn't have the right to call Donald Trump out of the race, and they're not going to get Donald Trump out of the race. That's a Donald Trump decision and an American people decision.

But I will tell you this, Chris: in an Iowa caucus, if "The Des Moines Register" tells you to get out of the race, that's probably going to bump him up some more in the polls.

CUOMO: Right now do you feel good suggesting Donald Trump to the faithful as the candidate who represents your faith interests?

VANDER PLAATS: I think what we're looking for is we're looking for a bold and courageous leader. They happen to exist in this field. We want somebody who has -- who casts a very pro-family vision and who's willing to get this country on the right track.

And there's a lot of game left to be played. That's the coach in me. Let the process play out. We'll make our decision before the Iowa caucuses take place.

CUOMO: Does the coach in you put Donald Trump at the head of the depth chart in his position, or is he second string or third string?

VANDER PLAATS: He -- well, I probably won't get into that right now. But he's definitely in the mix. He's somebody that people are going to have to deal with.

But there are several good candidates in this race, several great alternatives to the leadership that we currently have in the White House. And I think America will be better for it when they select the right leader.

CUOMO: Bob Vander Plaats, thank you very much. Appreciate it. Look forward to seeing you again on the show.

VANDER PLAATS: Thank you, Chris.

CUOMO: Michaela.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: With the 60-day clock now ticking for Congress to review the nuclear deal with Iran, the U.N. Security Council has given its seal of approval, the first step toward lifting economic sanctions against Iran. How is this going to impact the debate in Congress, though? CNN's Jim Acosta is live at the White House for us.

Good morning, Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Michaela.

President Obama will be pitching his nuclear deal with Iran once again later this morning at a speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Pittsburgh. It's likely the president will repeat his argument that the only alternative to this agreement is war to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons.

Now, the president came under heavy criticism yesterday when the United Nations Security Council, as you said, voted in favor of this agreement weeks before Congress will have a chance to weigh in. That infuriated lawmakers from both parties. And House Speaker John Boehner called it a bad start for a bad deal.

Administration officials have contended that that -- there is no other way to push off the U.N. vote until the end of the 60-day congressional review period that is currently under way. And White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the U.N. vote is proof that much of the world is uniting around this deal. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The unanimous approval of that agreement by the U.N. Security Council, I think, is a testament to the success that the international community had in staying unified to confront Iran. This will further our efforts to prevent Iran from -- to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: But the entire international community is not united around this deal. Today, Defense Secretary Ash Carter is meeting with a fierce opponent of this agreement. That is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And then for Carter, it's on to Saudi Arabia where leaders are also very skeptical of this agreement.

Michaela, back to you.

CAMEROTA: I'll take it, Jim.

ACOSTA: Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Thanks so much for all of that.

So we are learning more this morningn about the gunman who killed those five service members at two Chattanooga military facilities last week. A friend telling CNN that the 24-year-old thought ISIS was, quote, "a stupid group, completely against Islam." This as old anti- American writings reveal that the shooter was unhappy with the U.S. government, particularly its war on terror.

CUOMO: We have new details for you about the planning that led to last month's prison break in upstate New York. And it comes straight from recaptured killer David Sweat's mouth.

According to "The New York Times," Sweat told investigators the plan started in earnest last winter. That's when he cut a hole in his cell and Richard Matt's cell with a hacksaw blade. Sweat says he then explored the tunnels under the prison for months, almost nightly, between 11:30 p.m. and 5:30. That's when the guards were sleeping, he said. After a three-week manhunt, officers shot and killed Matt, of course, and captured Sweat.

PEREIRA: A new report painting a grim picture of how children are living and growing up in America. Twenty-two percent of children live in poverty. That's about 2 million more than during the 2008 recession.

The new Casey Foundation study out this morning also shows a third of children in the U.S. live in a family where neither parent has a full- time job. Minnesota taking the top spot of best states to raise a child. New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Iowa and Vermont rounding out the top five. The worst, at 50, Mississippi.

Also interesting to note and probably no surprise: Black, Hispanic and American Indian children two times as likely to live in poverty than Caucasian children.

CAMEROTA: It's so interesting when you look at the statistics through children, because that removes...

PEREIRA: The health of the future, right?

CAMEROTA: Right, the health of the future, and it removes from the politics form it. They didn't make any choices. They're not voting for anyone. They're children.

CUOMO: You also see a shift in the country going on. It used to be that the big states dominated those lists because of obvious economic exigencies. You don't see that anymore. You see that they're the smaller states around the country that are developing their own vibe, their own lifestyles that people are finding much more family friendly. Big cultural shift going on.

PEREIRA: Lots of work to be done.

CAMEROTA: Meanwhile, Turkish officials claim that ISIS is behind a bombing at a rally that killed nearly three dozen people. Will this change Turkey's policy on fighting terror? We'll explore that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:18:29] CAMEROTA: Turkey is blaming ISIS for a deadly terror attack at a rally in the town of Suruc. This happened just miles away from the Syrian town of Kobani, which ISIS, as you know, has been trying to take for months. We are about to show you the moment of the attack. And we want to

warn you, it is very disturbing. But CNN has decided to show it, because it captures the scope and the cruelty of the attack on innocent protesters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CHANTING)

(EXPLOSION)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: We want to bring in now Michael Weiss. He's a CNN contributor and co-author of "ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror."

The attack video is just sickening to watch. And it -- these are people who were actually collecting toys for the children of Kobani.

MICHAEL WEISS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Right.

CAMEROTA: They were going to send there in an effort to try to help rebuild this city. What makes everyone think that ISIS is behind it?

WEISS: The Turkish government came out quickly and said, "Although we -- we can't yet confirm it, we suspects strongly that this is ISIS. And the reason for this is Turkey's policy with respect to ISIS has been one of wait and see. Let's not pick a quarrel with them. Our real beef is with the Assad regime. That's our priority. Want to see his overthrow.

In the last two weeks, however, Turkish police have been rounding up what they call whole networks of ISIS operatives who are operating inside Turkish territory, in addition to which they've been dispatching military personnel and materiel to the border. The supposition was they're actually trying to preempt any establishment of a Kurdish state at their southern doorstep. They say, "No, no, no. Actually, we're quite worried about ISIS now."

[07:20:08] So it seems that Turkish policy has shifted against ISIS, and this attack may have been retaliation for that.

CAMEROTA: I see. So -- so this is, in itself, not a game changer. This is retaliation for what they already had begun doing.

WEISS: What the Turkish government is saying, yes.

CAMEROTA: So what is Turkey now going to do?

WEISS: Well, look, they have a real mess on their hands. And a lot of this blame, I think, falls on Ankara, because of this policy, again, of wait and see or benign neglect. For the last several years, they have allowed their borderlands to be completely taken over by these jihadis. Anyone who wants to come into Syria, fly from Saudi Arabia, from Yemen, from Tunisia. You go to Istanbul to Ataturk Airport. Then you catch the connecting flight to Hatay and you cross the border.

CAMEROTA: You can go from the United States through Turkey. I mean, we've seen that route.

WEISS: You can go from the United States. Look, as a journalist, I crossed that border once myself, and I saw how easy it was. The Turkish gendarme doesn't ask very many questions. This policy has to change. They have to start implementing border security. And I think this may be the wake-up call that Turkey has needed, unfortunately.

CAMEROTA: There is a report out this morning from "The New York Times" that the leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is taking steps to plan for the possibility of his assassination or death.

WEISS: Yes.

CAMEROTA: What's he doing?

WEISS: Well, I mean, this is just standard protocol for any jihadist organization. Right? If you take out the leader, who's next in line?

So Baghdadi, given that he's now in an active war zone, there were reports, although unconfirmed, and the U.S. government says this isn't true, that he had actually been injured in an airstrike several months ago, unintentionally. The U.S. didn't know that they got him. So he is putting in line, if you like, the next successor.

The difficulty with this is the people that he has alighted upon, one of them is a former special forces operative in the Sudan Hussein regime, which is a whole sort of welter of complications in terms of how can you be an Islamic fundamentalist if you come from the Ba'ath regime? Another guy, al-Afri, who's a former physics professor, a physics teacher, he's a Turkmen. So he's not an ethnic Arab. And you cannot really be the caliph, if you like, of ISIS without having ethnic Arab lineage, and also descended from the house of the Prophet Mohammed. He hasn't got that.

CAMEROTA: But isn't this just as interesting from the U.S. side of policy, which is that, if the monster sprouts tentacles...

WEISS: Yes.

CAMEROTA: ... then what's the point of taking out the head? I mean, all of the energy of the U.S. seems to be these drone strikes targeting...

WEISS: Yes.

CAMEROTA: ... Baghdadi and the head, the certain heads of the operation. But, if he's delegating responsibility, then what's the point?

WEISS: Well, in a sense, Baghdadi is sort of sui generis for these jihadi organizations. I mean, he even trumps Osama bin Laden in the fact that he has a Ph.D. in Islamic studies. He's a proper cleric. He's not a pretender. He's not a sort of bloviator who's winging it. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the founder of al Qaeda in Iraq, he was a jail

bird from Jordan, a total thug, had no immersion in the faith, no kind of scholarship backing him up. Baghdadi has got that. And with that comes a sense of authority.

So it's not that he's irreplaceable, but if they were to get him, you know, he's both the leader of ISIS at a military and political level but also the spiritual guide of ISIS. They would have to then...

CAMEROTA: They will take a hit.

WEISS: ... find someone who could do double duty.

CAMEROTA: It would affect the organization?

WEISS: Yes, it would. It would be a huge morale dampener if they took him out, for sure.

CAMEROTA: Michael Weiss, thanks so much for all the information.

WEISS: Sure. No problem.

CAMEROTA: Let's get over to Chris.

CUOMO: So Alisyn, Donald Trump takes a shot at POWs and John McCain and says he's not into God's forgiveness so much while addressing a group of evangelicals and still surges in the polls. Why? John King will tell you on "Inside Politics."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:27:34] CUOMO: We have an Iran deal update. Congress is supposed to start debating the deal imminently. Defense Secretary Ash Carter is trying to help those D.C. talks by heading to Israel, because that's where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is, and he is strongly against the deal.

The rest of the world, as represented by the U.N. Security Council, already voted unanimously to endorse the deal and begin lifting sanctions against Iran.

PEREIRA: Turkish officials are blaming ISIS for a deadly terror attack along the Syrian border. The video is graphic, but it is important for us to show.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CHANTING)

(EXPLOSION)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: Thirty-one people were killed, more than 100 others wounded in that apparent suicide bombing at a rally organized to help rebuild the town of Kobani, just across the border of Syria. Kobani was the scene of intense fighting last year as Kurdish forces drove ISIS out of town.

CAMEROTA: Well, the father of Kate Steinle, the woman allegedly murdered by an undocumented immigrant, testifies before a Senate committee Tuesday -- today, I should say. Jim Steinle's 32-year-old daughter died in his arms as they walked along San Francisco's waterfront earlier this month. Prosecutors say she was shot by Juan Francisco Lopez Sanchez, who was deported five times on drug-related felonies, but somehow got back in and remained in the U.S.

CUOMO: All right. You ready? You need to watch this. The beauty of sport is watching those who make the difficult seem easy, and Cincinnati Reds second baseman. Ooh, Brandon Phillips beauty in motion. Gloves it, hands it, flips it all in one play.

PEREIRA: Another guy catches it with his bare hand, too.

CUOMO: Yes, that's... you know.

PEREIRA: Really?

CUOMO: No, this is about what the shortstop did.

CAMEROTA: Was that supposed to happen? It was just beautiful to see.

CUOMO: The second baseman. Working together beautifully is a beautiful part of that game.

CAMEROTA: Teamwork.

CUOMO: That is about as tough as it gets.

PEREIRA: That was awesome. We won't be as fluent, by the way. We hope to be.

CUOMO: No. We're just hoping that you recognize what sport it was.

CAMEROTA: Watch this toss. Let's get to Inside Politics on NEW DAY with John King.

PEREIRA: No glove.

JOHN KING, CNN HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Listen, I just watched my Red Sox lose four out of the all-star break. They are done for this year; it's over. It is nice to see that, because that's baseball. I've been watching the Red Sox, and I'm not sure what sport it is.

CUOMO: A true Red Sox fan.

KING: That was baseball. That was real baseball.

CUOMO: Goes bad on his team at the first sign of problems.

KING: I keep -- I keep watching on the West Coast, and I stay up late and I watch it, but it's kind of discouraging. But that was quite the play. That was all right. All right. A lot to talk about. Our favorite baseball player in

politics. We'll talk about it. To go "Inside Politics" this morning. With me to share their reporting and their insights, "The Atlantic's" Molly Ball; CNN's Nia-Malika Henderson.