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North Korea Orders Troops to Be Ready for War; Obama's Poll Numbers Drop Slightly. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired August 21, 2015 - 07:00   ET

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

FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER: ... now in four places in my brain.

[07:00:02] DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: This is one of the more challenging cancers to treat. Certainly, regardless of your age.

CARTER: Hope for the best and accept what comes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota and Michaela Pereira.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome back, everyone, to your NEW DAY. We do begin with breaking news for you on the escalating tensions between North and South Korea. North Korea's state-run media reporting leader Kim Jong-un has ordered frontline troops to be ready for war after both sides traded artillery fire over their border.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: South Korea is vowing to strongly retaliate if there's additional provocation from the north. Could this all this rhetoric wind up pushing both countries to the brink of war? And what does this mean for the U.S.?

We have this story covered the way only CNN can. We begin our team coverage with CNN's Will Ripley. He is live in Beijing this morning. Will, what do you know?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The North Korean ambassador here in China, Chris, issuing some very strong words, saying that if this deadline for South Korea to stop broadcasting anti-North Korean propaganda over the border, if this deadline of tomorrow morning Eastern time isn't met, he says the peninsula is inching closer to war.

I want to read you one of the things that he said. Quote, "If the enemy ignores our final warning, it is inevitable to reply with a strong response. Our army never says empty words."

Now we do know that North Korea has threatened war many times in the past. But right now, this is an especially sensitive time because of what has been unfolding beginning on August 4, when two South Korean soldiers were injured when land mines exploded, land mines that the south says were planted there by the North, a claim the North denies.

Then on August 10, South Korea started broadcasting that propaganda across the border. On Saturday, North Korea threatened indiscriminate strikes. Then on Thursday, they sent a warning letter to South Korea. And then on Thursday afternoon, that's when both sides traded fire.

North Korea apparently launching a rocket towards the South Korean propaganda speakers and missing. South Korea then firing back 36 artillery rounds.

Today Kim Jong-un saying that his army will mobilize, will be in a wartime state. And also today, South Korea warning to strike back if there's any provocation from the North.

I visited the DMZ back in May. They have nearly a -- more than a million troops in their standing army. Three quarters of them stationed near the border. The ambassador here saying that all of those troops are now along the Demilitarized Zone, and they are ready to launch surprise attacks if that deadline isn't met.

Back to you, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, Will. Thanks so much for all that.

South Korea vowing to retaliate against provocations from the north. Will the south concede to the North's deadline to stop broadcasting by tomorrow morning? CNN's Kathy Novak is live near the Demilitarized Zone in South Korea. What do we know at this hour, Kathy?

KATHY NOVAK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alisyn, South Korea is refusing to stop those propaganda broadcasts, and so it is preparing for a further escalation when that deadline hits tomorrow. This is exactly what the defense ministry is saying.

It says, "South Korea will strongly retaliate if there is additional provocation from North Korea." South Korea not backing down. It says these propaganda speakers are in retaliation for those land mine attacks. Two South Korean soldiers badly injured. One lost part of both his legs. The other lost a foot.

Now, if it seems strange to respond to land mines with speakers, remember, this is North Korea. This is a regime that tells its citizens what to believe. This is a place where saying anything bad about the leader is considered treason, and Pyongyang says it considers this an act of psychological warfare on the part of South Korea, an act of war.

So Pyongyang is very angry about this. The other thing Pyongyang is very angry about is the joint military drills that are still going on between the United States and South Korea -- Michaela.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Kathy, thank you for that. Obviously, the U.S. is monitoring very closely all of this tension that's happening between the Koreas. Let's bring in CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr with that part of the story -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Michaela.

The challenge at this hour for U.S. military intelligence is to figure out what is happening on the ground. Now the U.S., of course, does not fly any planes over North Korea. But U.S. satellites can monitor all of this. They are going to look for signs, indeed, of North Korean troops shifting around, moving closer.

But most importantly, any signs, any intelligence that North Korean troops are moving into any kind of combat-ready position. Are those artillery pieces pointed south? Are there all the logistics in place: food, fuel, ammunition resupply, all the things that would keep the North Korean military able to pose a credible threat to the south?

Now, North Korea keeps artillery pieces very close to South Korea. They can launch an attack at any time. They are masters at deception and mobility. These are all the things that the U.S. is going to be looking at, trying to parse out what is political war theatre by the North and what is the military reality on the ground?

Back to you guys.

[07:05:12] CAMEROTA: Sounds like it's going to be a tense day at the Pentagon. Barbara, thanks so much.

Well, the Friday night lights set to shine on Donald Trump tonight in Alabama. What's expected to be the biggest campaign rally of the race, so far, has now been moved to a football stadium.

This comes as new numbers from Quinnipiac University show Trump gaining ground over Jeb Bush, especially in Bush's home state of Florida. CNN's Athena Jones here with more.

Good morning, Athena. What's expected tonight?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn.

Well, a huge crowd. You know, Jeb Bush is getting some help now from his big brother. The former president sent a fundraising e-mail, telling supporters Jeb has a tough road ahead but that, quote, "With his strength and your support, he will succeed." That fundraising help comes as Jeb is facing his biggest hurdle yet, a hugely popular Donald Trump drawing massive crowds.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's the summer of Trump. You know, they're calling it the summer of Trump.

JONES: The Donald Trump tour is making its way from the northeast...

TRUMP: Thank you. Thank you. JONES: ... to the south today. The Trump campaign hosting a

Friday night pep rally in Mobile, Alabama, possibly boasting its largest crowd, yet.

TRUMP: They're going to end up being 30,000 to 40,000 people in Alabama.

JONES: The bombastic billionaire has been known to exaggerate his numbers.

TRUMP: And outside, sadly, we have thousands of people that can't get in.

We have a lot of people outside, hundreds and hundreds of people standing outside.

JONES: But perhaps this time, the proof is in the tickets. So many claimed that tonight's event has been relocated, twice. It was first set to take place here in this civic center theater, occupancy 1,900. Then the center's larger arena, occupancy 10,000. But now, after the campaign says at least 35,000 have claimed tickets, the pep rally will kick up the turf here at this high school football stadium, capacity 43,000.

Meanwhile, one of Trump's leading rivals getting some unwanted questioning after using a phrase many consider offensive in a radio interview this week, "anchor babies."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor, do you regret using the term "anchor babies" yesterday on the radio?

BUSH: No, I didn't. I don't. I don't regret it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't regret it?

BUSH: No, do you have a better term?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not -- I'm asking you.

BUSH: You give me a better term, and I'll use it. I'm serious.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor -- governor...

BUSH: Don't yell at me behind my ear, though.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sorry about that.

BUSH: Jeez.

JONES: Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton's suggestion instead: "How about babies, children or American citizens?" An uncharacteristic defense for Bush, strikingly similar to Trump's unapologetic use of the phrase on Wednesday.

TRUMP: What else would you like to say?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Child -- the American-born child of undocumented immigrants.

TRUMP: You want me to say that. OK. I'll use the word "anchor baby." Excuse me, I'll use the word "anchor baby."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: And one more point about that term, "anchor baby." The center-right Hispanic Leadership Network, which lists Jeb as one of its advisers, said in a 2013 memo to avoid using that phrase, because it's offensive.

Back to you, Chris.

CUOMO: All right, Athena. Thank you very much. A good example of how Trump is shaping the race, not just on his own part but what other candidates are going to have to do, as well.

Let's go back to these big stories that we have going on this morning, starting with North and South Korea on the brink of war, potentially. And we have great perspective on that.

Bill Richardson, former governor of New Mexico, a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and energy secretary. He's been to North Korea a number of times.

Gov, good to have you with us. Thank you. Very important this morning, is what we're hearing, to your ear hype and inflammatory talk, or do you think there is a chance of war?

BILL RICHARDSON, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: Well, this is a very dangerous, worrisome situation. Both sides are trying to out-macho each other.

So in the last five years, this is the biggest escalation I've seen. In the past, these escalations have involved small arms. This time, it's rockets. It's artillery shells.

And the biggest question, Chris, is what is Kim Jong-un, the new leader, facing his first border crisis, going to do? We know very little about him. His father, we could almost predict. You escalate, and then in the end you tamp things down.

But the worrisome part here is that this is a very strong escalation, at a time when the United States and South Korea are having their joint military exercises, which we should continue. We should stand with South Korea. But some kind of mediation, some kind of cooling things off needs to happen.

CUOMO: Well, let's look at that from the U.S. perspective. How can the U.S. pull it off? And what is the chance, you think, that the U.S. winds up getting involved militarily here against North Korea?

[07:10:00] RICHARDSON: Well, if there's a major escalation, we have to get involved under the treaty. We have 28,000 troops there. A joint treaty with South Korea. So we want to avoid that. We want to avoid a tinderbox situation. The best-case scenario is for the North and the South, through

their own secret negotiations that have happened in the past, tamp things down.

The second opportunity would be China, which likes to talk a big game about escalation. They have major leverage over North Korea. They can play a role in tamping down North Korea.

But the big question we're going to get is Kim Jong-un. We don't know much about him. We know that he's unpredictable. He's worried about his status as leader of North Korea. We don't want him provoking something.

On the good side, is the artillery shells, the rocket launchers, they could have hit some of those loud speakers, but they didn't. It was more of a warning shot. But it's a very delicate, worrisome situation. And we've got to watch it very closely.

CUOMO: And the Chinese supposedly not as influential with this current leader in North Korea as they have been in the past. So we'll watch that play out. As we get more information, we'll come back to you.

Other topics, though, Gov, "anchor babies." You dealt with the immigrant problem on the ground in real time in your state as governor and beyond in your work as an ambassador. Do you think that term, "anchor baby," is fundamentally a lens into a perspective on the issue and a pejorative?

RICHARDSON: Yes. It's offensive. It's offensive. I mean, the 14th Amendment guarantees the citizenship of those born in the United States.

I like what Hillary Clinton said, "These are babies. These are American citizens."

We should not bring this campaign in a cruel fashion. And that's what Donald Trump is doing. He's -- he's trying to get his -- his campaign into a mode that he is incessantly covered. It's like a fix. His fix is more attention. And that is wrong. And I hope Republican candidates repudiate that.

CUOMO: Hillary Clinton. I almost mispronounced her name to include the word "email," because that's what we say every time we say her name right now. But I've got to tell you, in my hand, I have a report from a federal judge who says that she violated federal policy. She violated government policy by storing official messages on a private server and that we wouldn't be here today if this employee had followed government policy.

Do you take this judge at his word that we're dealing with a situation not where Hillary Clinton did nothing wrong, but that she did do something wrong?

RICHARDSON: Well, I'm not going to question the judge. The fact is that previous secretaries of state have used the private e-mail accounts. At the time, 2009, she was following government policy. It was tightened later.

Now, look, I'm not casting judgment. I'm just saying, Chris, look, she's come out with a lot of good policies on the economy, on climate change, not drilling in the Arctic, immigration. You know, let's talk about the issues.

I mean, you just said it. Email is synonymous with Hillary. I mean, with Trump, it's the same thing. It's all this bombastic stuff. Let's get down to the issues. That's what I say.

CUOMO: Right, but you know one of the reasons that you were successful in politics is that people felt they could trust you on what you said and how you conduct yourself. She's taking a beating on trust, relative to her other number, and people believe it is a reflection of this issue. How you handle tough questions is part of how you'll be a leader. Isn't that a fair basis of criticism?

RICHARDSON: Well, yes. And look, probably this whole issue should have been handled a lot better. But my point here is that she is claiming -- and she was the secretary of state -- that there was no classified information in the emails. I mean, she should know; she's the one sending them and receiving them. So I trust that.

I mean, there has to be some element of trust in your leaders. And I know that's not very popular right now.

But you know, at the same time, Chris, if I'm a secretary of state, and I'm worried about WikiLeaks, I'm worried about leakers, you know, I probably, too, if I had the option, would turn to a private server. And that's what she thought. I'm not getting into her head. I don't know what her decision making was. But you know, you don't want all of your secret negotiations out in the public the way WikiLeaks did. We kind of forgot about that.

CUOMO: Joe Biden, do you think the vice president gets in the race? If he does, do you think he could be successful against Hillary?

RICHARDSON: Well, I don't think he'll get in the race because of the personal situation. I know he's evaluating that. He's a wonderful politician, a wonderful vice president.

Yes, if he gets in the race, it will be a race, because he has credibility. He's run twice for president. He has labor support. He has progressive support. Yes, he'd be a major player. He would be a strong contestant.

[07:15:09] I still think Hillary Clinton, in the end, because of her strength with minorities, with women, with progressive elements, outside of Iowa and New Hampshire, in the long run, her fundraising, her name I.D., that she will prevail.

CUOMO: We got lucky here this morning. We had somebody who could give us perspective on all the major stories that we're handling. Thank you for being with us, Governor. Always a pleasure.

RICHARDSON: Thank you, Chris.

CUOMO: All right -- Michaela.

PEREIRA: All right, Chris. President Obama's approval rating is taking a hit. According to a just-released CNN/ORC poll, Americans aren't happy with President Obama on several key issues. Sunlen Serfaty is live at the White House taking a look at it for us.

Hi, Sunlen.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Michaela. Good morning.

Well, this is a real negative shift in feelings about how President Obama is doing his job. This new CNN/ORC poll finds that 51 percent of Americans disapprove of the president. That's an increase from just last month.

And if you look at the issues that the president is handling right now, it revealed some big discontent on an issue-by-issue basis. For instance, he received his lowest marks for his handling of the terror group ISIS. Sixty-two percent of people disapprove.

And the big issue that the White House is really focused on right now and has been for the past year is selling this nuclear deal with Iran, getting it through Congress. This poll shows that 60 percent say that the president is mishandling this.

This is certainly not good news for the Obama administration. They have invested a significant amount of political capital in getting this deal through Congress. And they president is out with a new letter to Congress this week, really targeting those skeptical Democrats, Chris, who have still not signed onto the deal.

CUOMO: All right, Sunlen. Thank you very much. A lot of work to be done there for the president, to be sure.

So another story this morning. Folks in central Washington forced to evacuate as another wildfire is picking up steam. Officials ordering people in the town of Tonasket to leave their homes immediately. Firefighters are having a hard time containing the flames. Why? Gusty winds, for one. For the first time, officials in Washington are asking for volunteers to help fight the fires.

CAMEROTA: Two shark attacks on children in two days. One in South Carolina, the other in Florida. In the South Carolina incident, a local station says a 15-year-old boy was bitten on the leg and hand in chest-deep water. This was near Myrtle Beach. His injuries are said to not be life-threatening. And in Jacksonville, police say a young girl was bitten by a three-foot shark in just two feet of water on Wednesday. She suffered several large lacerations to her right leg.

PEREIRA: The military is looking into use of the Ashley Madison website by government employees with sensitive jobs. The Associated Press is reporting the list released by hackers includes government addresses for at least two assistant U.S. attorneys and employees in the White House, Justice Department and Homeland Security Department. In the meantime, disgraced reality star Josh Duggar also admitted he had an account. The former star of "19 Kids and Counting" now calls himself, quote, "the biggest hypocrite ever."

CUOMO: Donald Trump looking for support tonight in the Deep South. How might his brand of antiestablishment politics go over in Alabama? Well, judging by how many people want to see him, well. But we're going to talk to the state Republican chairman, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:22:16] CAMEROTA: Donald Trump heading to Mobile, Alabama, tonight for a rally predicted to draw tens of thousands of supporters. What is Trump's allure in the Deep South? Let's bring in chairman of the Alabama Republican Party Terry Lathan. She joins us now.

Good morning, Ms. Lathan.

TERRY LATHAN, CHAIRMAN, ALABAMA REPUBLICAN PARTY: Good morning, Alisyn. Thank you for having me.

CAMEROTA: I know you like to go by Chairman Lathan, so I'll call you that. We can't help but notice the beautiful elephant broach on your collar. You're proudly wearing your party symbols.

LATHAN: I am. Always an elephant at heart and very proud to show that to everybody.

CAMEROTA: OK. So let's talk about what's going to happen in your hometown of Mobile tonight. What do you think this is going to look like?

LATHAN: Well, we welcome Mr. Trump into Mobile and also to tell you the truth, we have four presidential candidates rolling into the state of Alabama next week, too.

So I'm not in Mobile at this moment, but I understand there's a lot of excitement. And they've had to move the venue. I think this is their third trip around. So that's a message. And it sounds like my Mobile friends are going to show up at a big old football stadium and welcome Mr. Trump, top presidential candidate, to our state.

CAMEROTA: He predicts that he is going to get upwards of 40,000 Alabamans to turn out tonight to this football stadium. What do you think it is about Donald Trump that your state found -- finds so appealing?

LATHAN: Well, I think Mr. Trump has a very unfiltered way of speaking with people. And if you look, America is looking at all of our 17 candidates. And he seems to be resonating with them. There's no question about that.

But ultimately, the candidates are the ones that have to make their pitch to the people. And he seems to have the nation's ear right now. CAMEROTA: You've been on the Alabama Republican Committee for 20

years. You've been very active in organizational and fundraising efforts. What do you think of Donald Trump's campaign?

LATHAN: Well, Mr. Trump is absolutely welcome to be a candidate in the Republican Party. And that's an important point, too. We have so many. Our bench is very, very deep. We're glad that he is bringing up some of the issues that he has. But all the other candidates are, as well. And it's their opportunity, and it's their responsibility to share what they think with the voters in the state of Alabama. And we are ready and willing to listen to them all.

CAMEROTA: So it sounds like you have not made a decision in terms of who you support, yet.

LATHAN: Well, as the party chairman in the state of Alabama, it's very important for me to help get the tools that the voters need in our state so they can make the decisions on election day. And for me, no, I will not be doing that at all. I will allow the voters in the state of Alabama to be the ultimate decision makers.

CAMEROTA: As you know, your governor in Alabama, is not a Donald Trump supporter. He is a John Kasich supporter. He endorsed him. What do you think -- basically, what he says is that he was impressed with Kasich's record as governor in Ohio, and that that speaks most to him.

[07:25:28] Do you think that that is important for a candidate, to have a record in government? Or do you like the outside approach of Donald Trump?

LATHAN: Well, I personally think it could go either way. I think business people bring a very new and fresh look to politics. I also think that if you've been in the system for a while, that at times that can be a very advantageous point for you, as well. Because you've been there, you understand the ropes.

Maybe America is looking for someone that maybe has a balance of each one right now.

CAMEROTA: We understand that the Alabama Republican Committee was not involved, at all, in any part of the planning of Donald Trump's event tonight. Shouldn't you have been?

LATHAN: No. That is not the position of the party to do that. The primary is for each candidate and each campaign to make their story to the voters. And that's exactly what Mr. Trump is doing. That's what the other four that are walking into the state of Alabama are doing this week. And that way the voters can sit back, watch how they all react, how they come to us and how they say, "We want to earn your vote; we want to earn your trust. And we will come to you, and we will make that offer." And that's what they're doing.

CAMEROTA: Will you be there to watch him tonight?

LATHAN: I will not be there personally. I have a big event, actually in Talladega tomorrow, so I will be with the Alabama Republican State Party in Talladega. But I certainly will be watching.

CAMEROTA: And we will be watching, as well, from here. Chairman Terry Lathan, thanks so much for coming on NEW DAY.

LATHAN: Thank you, enjoyed it.

CAMEROTA: What's your take on what's going to happen tonight? You can tweet us using the hashtag #NewDayCNN or post your comment on Facebook.com/NewDay. You can also find me on Twitter -- Michaela.

PEREIRA: All right, Alisyn. Former president, Jimmy Carter announced this week that his cancer has spread to his brain. We're going to talk to Dr. Sanjay Gupta about President Carter's condition and about his prognosis. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)