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Search of Killer's Car Reveals Getaway Plan; Erika Poses Threat to Southeast U.S. Coastline; Interview with Senator Rand Paul. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired August 28, 2015 - 06:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:31:27] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Did the madman who killed two journalists plan to kill more and escape? A search of his car turning up several license plates, a wig, a lot of ammunition, and other items suggesting he did plan to get away and maybe a shooting spree. Fortunately, he killed himself before he could murder anyone else.

Funeral arrangements are now set for Tuesday for cameraman Adam Ward. We do not have plans yet for reporter Alison Parker.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Florida is on alert this morning as tropical storm Erika gained strength. It's already pounded the Caribbean, leaving four people dead in a path in a path of destruction on the island of Domenica. Several people are missing at this hour. The storm forecast to reach Florida's East Coast on Monday, possibly as a hurricane.

CUOMO: Boy, the dangers. See how fast it is coming in? Barely time to get away.

All right. So, just a few hours from now, jurors are going to resume deliberations in that rape trial of prep school graduate Owen Labrie. The jury deliberated three hours after getting the case Thursday. Now, he is accused of sexually assaulting a then, 15-year- old student last year at the elite St. Paul's School in New Hampshire.

The defense claim is the encounter was consensual and the two never had sex.

CAMEROTA: Now, Chris' favorite story, he may be the fastest man, no, not Chris Cuomo. The Usain Bolt.

But he cannot outrun a camera man on a rogue Segway.

CUOMO: That was rogue.

CAMEROTA: The Segway took Bolt's feet right out from under him as he celebrated his win in the 200 meter sprint in the world athletic championships. Both men went crashing down. Bolt, being the world class athlete, did a somersault and then bounce back up on his feet and continued his victory lap.

CUOMO: Head never hit the ground because of superior athleticism and core strength. Look at that. If that happened to me, I would still be rolling.

CAMEROTA: Backwards.

CUOMO: I am fascinated by human speed. I think it is the most raw form of athleticism. Yes, guys can cheat and all that, but he was amazing to watch.

CAMEROTA: It is amazing to watch, I agree. And those (AUDIO CLIP) so strong they like propelled him back up.

CUOMO: So incredible.

CAMEROTA: All right. Meanwhile, some writing off Rand Paul as a presidential candidate. But despite the Kentucky senators low poll numbers, he seems to have plenty of fight left in him for the campaign trail. What is his next secret strategy?

We'll talk to Senator Paul to find out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:37:52] CAMEROTA: Wednesday's shooting in Roanoke, Virginia, has reignited the debate over gun violence. The father of Alison Parker, one of the journalists killed, vowing to launch a crusade to make sure his daughter's murder was not in vain. What do the presidential candidates plan to do to curb violence like this?

Let's bring in Senator Rand Paul. He joins us from Idaho.

Good morning, Senator. Thanks for being on NEW DAY.

SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thanks for having me.

CAMEROTA: Let's start with this terrible tragedy we have seen in Roanoke, Virginia. We interviewed the father of Alison Parker here on NEW DAY. And he feels the way so many Americans feel today, and that is something has to change, as a result of this.

So, let me play for you what he's saying.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDY PARKER, ALISON PARKER'S FATHER: If I have to be the John Walsh of gun control and -- you know, look, I'm for the Second Amendment, but there has to be a way to force politicians that are cowards and in the pockets of the NRA to come to grips and make sense and have sensible laws so that crazy people can't get guns.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Senator, he feels as though politicians have been cowardly on this topic. What do you think has to change?

PAUL: You know, my heart goes out to him. I'm a father. I have three kids. I can't imagine, you know, how sad it would be to lose a child in the prime of her life. So, I mean, I just can't imagine what kind of grief he's going through. I understand that grief.

I'm not so sure that there is an easy answer for this. Obviously, a lot of the crimes that have been committed are people that have been mentally ill. I don't know about this particular thing. There seems to be workplace problems with this guy.

But, obviously, something was -- a screw was loose mentally for this guy. Some of the mass murders that we've had have come from young men who are obviously mentally deranged. The first thing we learn of it is with their first crime. Some of the guns that have been used in many instances have been registered and purchased illegally (ph).

[06:40:00] I wish there was an easy answer. And like I said, a great deal of sympathy is apparent for this father, but I don't know what the answer is.

And I think that, typically, people who commit crimes don't obey laws to begin with. I'm not sure additional laws for those of us who are law-abiding necessarily stops these people from having weapons.

CAMEROTA: And, sure. I mean, there is no answer obviously or we would have done something. I mean, that that part is clear.

But there has to be a place to start. Let me tell you a few facts we know about this. We believe that this gunman bought the gun legally in Virginia. He used a Glock 19. Many people, as you know, call that an assault weapon, similar to the one used in the Virginia Tech massacre.

In Australia, after a terrible mass murder there in 1996, Australians passed a law to ban semiautomatic weapons. They did not have another mass murder since then.

Is there something to be done about getting these particular types of weapons out of people who shouldn't have them?

PAUL: Well, the sad thing about people who are sort of convicted to have a homicidal rage and kill people is people kill people with a variety of different means. Unfortunately, we have seen it in Japan and China and different places people killed with clubs, people killed with knives and I think --

(CROSSTALK)

CAMEROTA: But they can't do quite the damage. Without a semiautomatic weapon, they can't do quite the damage they can with a gun with 100 rounds of ammunition.

PAUL: Yes, I know. But I think there are many instances which a bow and arrow, a knife, a club, somebody with their bare hands. I mean, the thing is, is that it's a horrible tragedy. And I think in the moment of a tragedy, we should be concerned with the victims.

But I think to have a debate over how to stop violence, I don't think removing guns or placing obstacles in front of law-abiding citizens works. I do think that, you know, insanity, craziness, mentally insane, there has to be a way to try to prevent guns getting in the hands of those who are insane.

I am for more sharing of information from those who are criminally insane. They should never have weapons. But we do have the ability to try to deter that. But like I said, unfortunately, a lot of times, the first time a person commits a crime is the first evidence they are criminally insane.

CAMEROTA: That is interesting, Senator, coming from you as a doctor, to hear that you would be comfortable with sharing of records and medical records to flag somebody that someone is insane.

I do want to move on to the political news of the day, and that there is a new poll, let me put it up for you. It shows where everybody stands now. Trump is still leading. He's at the highest mark thus far with 28 percent. His closest competitor behind him is Ben Carson at 12 percent.

And then, Senator, you in this latest Quinnipiac poll are at 2 percent.

What do you think is not resonating with voters?

PAUL: Well, you know, I think it depends on which poll you look at. When you look at my candidacy poll against Hillary Clinton, we actually do quite well.

So, in many polls, we leave Hillary Clinton in the purple states, these battleground states and Donald Trump lags far behind. I think Donald Trump tapped into anger with Washington. That's why I ran for office, because I was angry with Washington and, in fact, I was angry with fake conservatives who promise to be conservative and weren't.

I think Donald Trump is one of those fake conservatives. And I pointed out that even with something so precious to conservatives as property rights, Donald Trump is a big believer that eminent domain should be used to take someone's property. (INAUDIBLE) house was taken so Donald Trump could build a limo parking lot for one of his casinos.

That's not my conception of property rights and I don't think most conservatives agree with that. So, I think as more conservatives find out that Donald Trump is a fake conservative, I think those numbers will shift, but we're very early and most of the polls that are being cited, when you ask people, are you decided, two-thirds of the people in all of these polls are really undecided on who they are going to vote for yet.

CAMEROTA: I mean, before you get to the match up with Hillary Clinton, you, of course, have to win the GOP primary. Are you going to change anything about your strategy going forward?

PAUL: I think part of what you have to do is sell that you are the best candidate to beat Hillary Clinton. I think that is true.

One of the interesting things is I hear the poll and wonder about them the same as everybody else does. I have been traveling throughout the West and we get 500 to 1,000 people at every speech. Our crowds are bigger than they have ever been. So, if I weren't reading any of these or seeing these polls, I would think we are doing better than we ever have.

So, all I can do is continue to talk about the fact that we should get rid of the tax code, that we should have a flat tax, one single rate for everybody, 14.5 percent for everybody, that I think government should be smaller. And that we need more personal freedom, we need to get rid of the government, collecting all of our phone records.

That's my message. It is my message. I hope it resonates. And we'll find over time.

[06:45:00] CAMEROTA: Senator, you have been traveling not just throughout the country, but you have gone to Haiti. I know you want to tell us what you did and saw there.

PAUL: Well, I went with the University of Utah, the John Moran Eye Institute, and they have done 80 missions around the world. I have been part of their mission trips the last two years. I went to Guatemala last year and to Haiti this year. And we did about 200 cataract surgeries.

And, you know, you think politics can be frustrating, you are absolutely right. But in medicine, the amazing thing is, we all unify around a goal, someone is blind, we remove the cataract and they can see again. There's probably nothing more rewarding than seeing that smile.

CAMEROTA: Senator, I mean, you are helping people who can't see see again. Do you ever feel as though maybe you can, more directly impact people's lives as a doctor than even as president?

PAUL: Well, I definitely miss it. I still practice medicine in Kentucky for those who don't have money or don't have insurance. I do it around the world. I do miss it. I wish I could do it more often. It is more directly rewarding in the sense you can see the results of what you have done.

And so, yes, I want it to continue to be a big part of my life. I am concerned about our country that if I sit back and do nothing, I think we are being swallowed by an ocean of debt and someone has to speak out about it.

CAMEROTA: And, Senator, if you become president, will you still do eye surgeries?

PAUL: Yes, jokingly, I said we are going to turn the Lincoln bedroom into a surgery suite. No, I will. I will continue to do that. I have enjoyed doing that. I am already looking forward to the next trip. I'm thinking about going with the John Moran Eye Institute to operate with on some of our Indian reservations next year.

CAMEROTA: You may have a distinction as the only presidential candidate who has left the campaign trail to go and perform surgeries. I know that makes you feel good.

PAUL: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: Senator Rand Paul, thanks so much for being on NEW DAY. Always great to talk to you.

PAUL: Thanks for having me, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Chris?

CUOMO: All right. It's good to get to where his head is right now, looking at the polls and what matters to him. Good. Hopefully that helps you decide who is for you in this emerging race because you have to hear a voice other than Donald Trump's, even though his rhetoric is big and coming under fire.

Why? He has brought back the term on your screen now, "silent majority". It means different things to different people. He says it's just everybody out there who wants to make America great again. But there are groups clinging to it for reasons he may not like. Decide for yourself.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:51:54] CUOMO: Donald Trump wants you to know he is reviving an old political term, the silent majority. It dates back to a Maine speech that Richard Nixon gave in 1969. Some say it's racially charged. Nixon said it was a way to get the Americans to support him.

Now, what is Trump say, he says he's trying to energize everybody who wants to make America great.

Let's bring in Katrina Pierson, spokesperson for the Tea Party Leadership Fund, and Errol Louis, a CNN political commentator and political anchor for New York 1.

Errol, I'll start with you.

My thread on social media is abuzz because I brought up what is a fact. And a lot of people support Trump and conservatives don't like it, which is he says silent majority, he says it doesn't have any racial undertone. Actually, he hasn't said that yet. He says I'm just doing it everyone who makes America great.

Hate groups have come out saying, we like what Trump says. They also say he will not like that we support him probably. Not just David Duke, other groups.

Using this phrase, could it backfire? There is no suggestion he wants groups like that to support to him. But is there a price for bringing it back?

ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, look, bringing up racial politics is the underlying problem that you refer to. Will this phrase do it? It didn't strike me as something that was going to trigger that, because I'm old enough to remember when Nixon talked about the silent majority.

And, you know, I mean, it's a clever phrase, and for somebody who's polling at 28 percent, to talk about a majority, it's clearly aspirational. It gets people thinking that, hey, maybe there's more of us than we think and maybe we need to be more active. He's pushing people along.

Where he does play racial politic that is will backfire or come to light is that he's never disavowed this birtherism nonsense that he indulge in. The fact that he's said publicly, there won't be another black public for generations because of Obama's performance.

This is not something people are going to forget. He throws off a lot of this kind of comments.

CUOMO: The way he talked about immigrants smacked to many people as if not, you know, playing on ethnicity, playing --

LOUIS: He said things like go back to Univision, this sort of the thing. I mean, it's going to be remembered. He doesn't have to have political consequences for him in the short term. But is he playing racial politics, there's a good case to be made that he is?

CAMEROTA: Katrina, you don't hear the term silent majority at all as racially charged. What does it say to you?

KATRINA PIERSON, TEA PARTY LEADERSHIP FUND SPOKESPERSON: No, Alison, it's just two words. He is talking about the million of Americans sitting out because they are tired of politicians who are constantly out there with their talking points, making promises they don't keep. And, on the back end, making a real big deal in Washington, leaving the taxpayer behind.

But racial undertones, really? You have a Democrat Party in 2011 that voted to keep an original Jim Crow law on the books. And you had Joe Biden out there saying change things like, "put y'all back in chains", racial undertones? Everyone laughs when Biden says it. Donald Trump says "silent majority", I guess, they're just trying to find something that sticks because nothing else has.

CAMEROTA: Errol, you know, there is a common thread between Donald Trump and Richard Nixon, and that is Roger Ailes. They both had Roger Ailes, conversations with Roger Ailes.

[06:55:02] And this is a messaging that -- I've worked for Roger Ailes -- that I recognize. Silent majority is sort of a FOX messaging. Give voice to people who feel they haven't had a voice for a while. It could be as easy as that.

LOUIS: There's the other Roger, Roger Stone, another adviser, sort of a Nixon guy. They have every right to do that. You know, people who feel they are disenfranchised because there's a working class and white and conservative doesn't mean you write them out of the political system. You do want to sort of bring them into the political system if you are bringing votes. That, of course, is what Donald Trump is trying to do.

On the other hand, there's a responsible and irresponsible way to do it. That's the concern.

CUOMO: That's the point.

PIERSON: A politically correct way to do it.

CUOMO: No, no, no. See, Katrina, I think you have to be careful with that phrase. I got in trouble with it on this show because I put too much weight on what people say, not enough on what they do, and that can be one of the ills of political correctness.

But this is different. He wants to be a leader. I am with you. I do not think when he says silent majority, he's trying to divide America and create hate groups. When they resonate with your message and say we like what Trump is saying, does he have a duty to say I don't care what you like, I'm not about you, I'm about other Americans.

Do you think that's part of his responsibility?

PIERSON: Well, I don't know. I think he might do that. Trump never said I don't like you people other than we have to get illegals out of the country, which is, you know, the law.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: I don't think you just gloss over that, Katrina, because when you say all 11 million of you have to go, and the rapist stuff and all the other aspersions that were put on those group of people --

(CROSSTALK)

PIERSON: When you take little sound bytes like that, it sounds really bad. When you talk little sound bytes, it sounds bad.

CUOMO: Say it in a way that's good.

PIERSON: But we can't keep saying, we have to enforce the laws, except deportation, considering that is part of the law. He's just talking what the law is. You don't have to like it, it's the truth, and that's why he's resonating.

CUOMO: If you think that all he's doing is talking about the law and holding law, then he would have everybody on his side because nobody says --

PIERSON: That's not true.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: Nobody says that.

PIERSON: You can't please everybody all the time.

CUOMO: The most liberal person in the world on this issue doesn't say it should not matter if you break the law or not. That's not a viable position.

PIERSON: Well, letting everybody stay with no penalty is saying that.

CUOMO: What's gotten him in deep with people is he seems divisive on the issue. You understand that, Katrina. The question is, with silent majority, should he correct that perception that it's divisive in any way and use it the way he may well intend it, which is just everybody wants to make America great?

PIERSON: If people want clarification, Trump will give it. How he gives that will be totally up to him.

CUOMO: That was a good non-answer.

CAMEROTA: I think that it's interesting to have this debate with you guys.

Katrina, Errol, thanks so much for the lively discussion.

Be sure to tune in for the next Republican debate, where you'll hear a lot more debate on this subject and more. This is September 16th. It's on CNN. Set your dials now.

CUOMO: New things going on in politics, new things going on with the investigation into the death of those journalists in Virginia. Let's get to it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police found disguises in his car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Evidence of an apparent get away plan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a cold and calculated and planned attack.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to celebrate a life well lived. We just had a light and a fire in him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not going to rest until I see something get done here.

TRUMP: You have a silent majority in this country that feels abused, that feels forgotten, that feels mistreated.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is a great reality TV show, isn't it? In between him insulting everybody.

PAUL: Donald Trump is one those fake conservatives.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If he becomes the nominee, it will ruin our party.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look like a movie set of an Armageddon scene.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The tenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: An American city dark and underwater.

This is a city that's slowly, unmistakably moving forward.

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

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: Good morning, everyone. Welcome back to your NEW DAY.

New details in the works for the killer that shot and killed two news crew members. A search of his car has turned audiotape items and they suggest that the shooter was not planning on taking his life after the attack.

CUOMO: Now, after the initial grief, there was a call to action, specifically from the father of slain reporter Alison Parker. He is now ready take on anyone standing in his way when it comes to better gun control.

In just a few minutes, we are going to be talking to the WBGD anchor who was live on air when the shooting happened. It has family and friends are planning to say good-bye to Parker and cameraman Adam Ward. We want to give you a sense of what's going on in that community.

So, let's get to CNN's Polo Sandoval beginning our coverage live in Roanoke.

Polo, how is it there this morning? It's still very early. But what have you been feeling on the ground?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Chris. It's still early.

But the case is coming together for investigators. You have the evidence that the process, the witnesses that they've spoken to, and also that very chilling suicide note that was left behind. It all now seems to paint a clear picture of who Vester Flanagan likely was and what may have to lead to commit such a terrible act.