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Republicans Compete For House Speaker Job; McCarthy Takes Heat Over Benghazi Comments; Relative Of Oregon Senator Killed In Massacre; "SNL" Pokes Fun At 2016 Candidates. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired October 05, 2015 - 07:30   ET

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

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news in flood-ravaged South Carolina. The death toll now stands at six this morning, as first responders resume search-and-rescue operations at first light this morning. Hundreds of daring water rescues were carried out over the weekend. Governor Nikki Haley calling that historic flood a thousand- year event.

[07:30:04] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Doctors Without Borders expressing outrage at the bombing that leveled its hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, killing nearly two dozen staffers and patients. The group says the attack amounts to a war crime and is demanding an independent investigation. The Pentagon admits the U.S. may have inadvertently struck the facility. Doctors Without Borders is now pulling out of Kunduz.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Syrian ruler, Bashar Al Assad has given his first interview since Russia started intervening in his country. He claims Russian air strikes are, quote, "essential to securing the peace." President Obama says Russian air strikes will only bring more stability. This as the "New York Times" reports the American-led coalition is opening a new front in Syria that will put pressure on ISIS' capital of Raqqa.

PEREIRA: A Florida teen got the scare of a lifetime. He was surfing with friends at Volusia County Beach when he came across a large black tipped shark. The 14-year-old tried to get away, but was bit on left hand. He then punched the shark. That's what experts say you're supposed to do. He did paddle to shore. He suffered lacerations that required surgery, but fortunately, he is OK.

CAMEROTA: Punch the shark. Now I know. That's what I'll do.

CUOMO: What's plan "B?"

PEREIRA: I don't know.

CAMEROTA: Slap him.

CUOMO: You need an expert to tell you.

CAMEROTA: Punch a shark? I didn't know that.

PEREIRA: The fact that he did, I would have freaked out and screamed which is not effective. CUOMO: Right. I think you're going to hit. I've been sitting next to you for some two years and three months. I think you'd hit somebody if they bit you. I know it's happened to me when I tried it.

CAMEROTA: Now to politics, the battle for the speaker of the House. Congressman Jason Chaffetz is officially throwing his hat into the ring and he is not alone. Joining us now is Florida Congressman Daniel Webster who is also running for speaker of the House. Good morning, Congressman.

REP. DANIEL WEBSTER (R), FLORIDA: Good morning.

CAMEROTA: OK, why do you think you are more qualified than Kevin McCarthy or Jason Chaffetz?

WEBSTER: My battle is not necessarily with individuals. My battle is with the process and how the House works. I think the American people are asking for transformation and that's what I could offer.

I want to push down -- there's a pyramid of power where a few people make all the decisions. I want to push down that pyramid of power, spread out the base so every member has an opportunity to be successful. I did that in the Florida House when I was speaker there and it is transforming -- we transformed the way things work.

CAMEROTA: OK.

WEBSTER: That's the key. Get the membership involved.

CAMEROTA: You are going to have to run against Jason Chaffetz and Kevin McCarthy, who have said that they want the job. So what makes you better than them, more qualified?

WEBSTER: Well, number one, I think everyone knows, American people certainly are demanding that we have change in Washington. And we need transformation and I've done it before. That's what makes me qualified. I changed a system that took up the most important bills last and the least important first.

I turned it around and started taking them up first so that we can get done with the appropriation and other items as opposed to passing CRs every couple of months.

And in the end, what we did was we ended every day at 6:00. We got our work done early. There were no deadlines that we pushed against. We finished with a cheer from both the house and Senate members and also from the public.

CAMEROTA: A cheer, that does sound good. That does sound different, Congressman. Let's talk about Kevin McCarthy. He's been in the spotlight for seeming to suggest that the Benghazi committee that he helped put together was designed to bring down Hillary Clinton. So listen to what he said on Fox News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA), HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? But we put together a Benghazi special committee, a select committee. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping. Why? Because she's untrustable, but no one would have known any of that had happened had we not thought --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's something good. I give you credit for that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Congressman, what do you think of those comments?

WEBSTER: They may be unfortunate. I was in the race before those happened. To me, I believe, like I said, there was a cheer at the end. I want to tell you about. When we adjourned on time at 6:00 in the evening in the Florida legislature, both House, Republicans and Democrats, leaped to their feet and cheered.

They weren't cheering for me. They were cheering for the fact that this power based system was done away with and we replaced it with a principled based, member-driven process. To me, that is the key.

CAMEROTA: But do you think that Kevin McCarthy has become disqualified or disqualified himself because of those comments?

WEBSTER: Look, I have a faith I try to abide by. I don't try to judge other people. That judgment will be left to the members of our caucus and we'll see what happens there.

[07:35:11] But in the end, what I want to do is offer an opportunity to transform the House. I know we can do it. I've done it before and I think it's the right thing to do.

CAMEROTA: Were you personally comfortable with his comments?

WEBSTER: Well, I would not have made those, however, the point is this. I'm not personally comfortable with the way the House runs. That's my problem. I think the American people are saying, they're not comfortable with the way the House runs. That's why our nebs are around 11 percent, 12 percent approval.

Everybody else doesn't really like us. That can change. I know it can change. The numbers flipped right side up after we made significant changes, changed to a principle-based, member-driven process where every person gets to be a player. It helps everyone.

It produces great public policy because we have an opportunity to actually debate, discuss, amend and present ideas that would be laws in the future. But it's done not with a few people. It's done with everyone.

CAMEROTA: Congressman, speaking of public policy, we want to ask you the question on the minds of so many Americans today as well as politicians. What is the solution to stopping the types of school shootings and mass shootings that we have seen all too often? What's your idea?

WEBSTER: Well, again, a lot of things because of the way our system works have pushed aside solutions. I believe Dr. Tim Murphy, who is a member from Pennsylvania, has an excellent bill which I've co- sponsored with him, that deals with mental health. That's a huge problem.

If we don't address that, we're not going to get to the root of the problem. There are a lot of surface answer, but no root problem solutions. His bill does that. I hope when I'm speaker we'll be able to take that up, one of the first bills we take up.

CAMEROTA: We are familiar with that bill. We talked about it a lot on NEW DAY. What about gun control? Do you have any sense that any laws need to be tightened?

WEBSTER: Not from the federal level. No, I do not. I believe that the gun laws that we have in place today are sufficient. We need to enforce them. In a lot of cases, we don't, but I think Tim Murphy's bill is probably the most important single issue that we ought to deal with when it comes to mental health and gun control.

CAMEROTA: Congressman Daniel Webster, thanks so much for being on NEW DAY.

WEBSTER: Great to be on.

CAMEROTA: Michaela.

PEREIRA: One of the victims of the Oregon shooting, Rebecka Ann Carnes remembered by her family including Senator Jeff Merkley. We'll speak with him and ask him what he wants to come out of this tragedy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:41:42]

PEREIRA: The community of Roseburg, Oregon is in mourning after nine of their people were gunned down on a college campus last week. One of the victims, Rebecka Ann Carnes was related to Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley who grew up in the area. Senator Merkley joins us now.

I can't imagine what it must have been like for you, Senator, to learn of the shooting in your state, your home state, a place where you grew up, called home, to then also learn one of the victims is related to you. This was your cousin's great granddaughter.

SEN. JEFF MERKLEY (D), OREGON: Yes. Initially, of course, my stuff pulled me aside when I was in D.C. and said you have a tragedy in Oregon. It's a tragedy in Douglas County. Douglas County is where I come from. I lived in myrtle creek and Roseburg as a toddler.

I had no idea a family member had been a victim until I'm driving down to Roseburg. I get a call from my mother, having been called by another cousin. Of course, when it's in your state it has an impact. When it's in your county, hometown, but when it's your family, it just brings home the incredible numbers across America have become very personal. This cousin, Rebecka, 18 years old --

PEREIRA: Just graduated from high school.

MERKLEY: Graduated from high school and on her cap she wrote the words and so the adventure begins. And she was looking forward to an exciting life. She had a wonderful summer and she had come back to start community college and pursue a nursing, perhaps a nursing degree and just cut short. That is the story on --

PEREIRA: Countless victims.

MERKLEY: We've had more than 45 school shootings in 2015.

PEREIRA: So let us talk to you as a man who represents that area, as a citizen and somebody who called that area home. What are we to do? What are you hearing from the people first of all in Roseburg? Obviously they're in grief, mourning and it is raw. What are they telling you as a lawmaker they want to see happen?

MERKLEY: I can tell you what I heard time and time again, we have to make it harder for disturbed individuals to access guns. Realize Oregon has a very strong second amendment gun culture, very strong hunting and target shooting culture, people embrace individual ownership and I support individual ownership. But when people have felony records or when people are deeply disturbed, it should be harder to access weapons.

PEREIRA: Do you think it is a mental health issue or do you think it is a gun control issue or a terrible confluence of the two?

MERKLEY: It is both. For example, mental health is -- our system is not readily accessible when it needs to be. That matters. Those who talk only about that are ignoring the full spectrum issues here. We have, for example, a background check system.

Oregon by even though as a strong second amendment state it voted to have, backed by initiative, background checks on gun sales. Just this year, the legislature voted to close the craigslist loophole.

[07:45:00] There are other problems with the background check system. You've had experts on. They pointed out the three-day provision that often means that somebody who should have been stopped by the background check system isn't because they can't access the records in time.

PEREIRA: If not for the background checks, then what? What is it going to take? What is it that you and your colleagues in the Senate and all of the politicians in D.C., what is it they can get their hands around to actually make a change? We know that on each side of the aisle, there are strong stances.

MERKLEY: Yes.

PEREIRA: How can we find some sort of consensus to protect 18-year- old high school graduates from being killed?

MERKLEY: Well, when people say it really should be much harder for disturbed individuals to access them, they're talking about making the background system work, which is not now. A lot of the information never gets into the computer on the front end and processed and available in a timely basis.

The compromise that was stuck in America is that this system would be quick, not involve a substantial delay. We have to work it making that system work a lot better. There are other ideas that have been put forward and really I want to see the presidential candidates really immerse themselves.

They're each coming forward with comments. Let's see some leadership and debate on the Republican side about how to address this. Just talking about mental health is not enough.

PEREIRA: We know often times these things hit home, when they hit home, ignite a fire in us even more so. Do you feel because of how close to home this hit for you that it will give you more cause to pick up the phone and call some of your colleagues, rattle some cages in D.C.?

MERKLEY: Yes, absolutely. I think the president when he said it's not enough to say our hearts and prayers are with you, there's a moral responsibility. I have supported measures to strengthen the background system before. I've supported shrinking the size of magazines.

It's not that there's any one thing that's a perfect answer but little things can contribute in different situations. What if a smaller magazine upon reloading occasionally a mass murder can be interrupted or tackled.

So small things that protect the right to own guns for responsible Americans but make it more difficult for disturbed individuals or felons to get their hands on them.

PEREIRA: Again, our condolences to you and your family. Please send our prayers to them. Thanks for joining us today to share your thoughts.

MERKLEY: Thank you, Michaela.

PEREIRA: Chris.

CUOMO: All right, the news is heavy, even the weather is heavy. How about a little bit of funny? Want something funny other than my face? Me, too. We have late-night humor that will get you going when we come back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump, isn't he the one that's like?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:51:44]

CUOMO: Saints quarterback, Drew Brees picked the perfect time to throw his 400th career touchdown. Let's get the latest from Coy Wire, a.k.a. the perfect head. He has more on the overtime thriller in this morning's "Bleacher Report." What do you have for us?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Look, going into last night's game, the Saints had lost six straight home games. The Cowboys had won nine straight road games. Both streaks are now over. Dallas tied the game with under 2 minutes to play sending it in overtime. Drew Brees gets the first crack at it and he attacks.

Second play in OT, Spiller, that guy is fast, fast forward, maybe, but Brees serves up a game-winning touchdown pass, the 400th of his career joining Manning, Farve, Marino and Brady throwing for 400 or more.

The Giants running back, Rashad Jennings, I used to hate playing against this guy so strong and fast, and he runs with bad intentions, 51 yard touchdown. Look at this stiff arm. He emasculates Rambo. Down goes Frazier. The Giants win, 24-10. Both now teams at 2-2.

We have six undefeated teams, Packers, Broncos, Bengals, Panthers, Falcons and Patriots. According to 538.com, your Jets have a 44 percent chance of making the playoffs and 1 percent chance of winning the Super Bowl.

PEREIRA: Congratulations.

CUOMO: First of all, why did you have to bring the Jets into it? Jennings looked great, but did you see what Williams did to him on the tackle?

WIRE: Good stuff. Getting the goose bumps, Chris.

CUOMO: Tossed him like a child. You should look up the play online. I'll explain the metaphors to you.

PEREIRA: In the meantime, let's look at some laughs that Hillary Clinton served up during the season premiere of "Saturday Night Live" over the weekend. Here are some highlights.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't say outrages things just for poll numbers. I speak from heart.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really, OK, because I hear your numbers go down a little this week.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mexicans are stealing our children.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You see? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I get in there. Taxes go down, everybody gets a job. Salaries go way up, rebuild a wall. It's huge. Over in China, they're going to say, now, that's a wall.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All anyone wants to talk about is Donald Trump.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump? Isn't he the one that's like, you're all losers? Do you think he'll win the primaries?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He must. I want to be the one to take him down. I will destroy him, and I will mount his hair in the oval office.

CLINTON: Maybe you should take a vacation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did you say?

CLINTON: A vacation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did somebody say vacation? My God, they're multiplying.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[07:55:04] PEREIRA: I thought it was hilarious. It was great.

CAMEROTA: So great to bring him back, too.

PEREIRA: We need the laugh.

CAMEROTA: Wonderful. Meanwhile, back to our top story this morning, there are catastrophic flooding ravages South Carolina this morning. Rescue crews scrambling to find people who are trapped in their homes. We have the latest on this dire situation at the top of the hour for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They made a mistake. There he goes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have not seen this level of rain in 1,000 years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every ambulance in the city is out attending to emergencies.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have lost everything. What I got on my body is what we have.

CAMEROTA: Hillary Clinton proposing new gun control measures overnight.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He shot the professor and he started shooting everybody. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you want the gun laws to change?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It has to change. It has to change.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you look at Libya, look at what we did there. It's a mess. Iraq is a disaster.

CLINTON: I wish you could be president.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Me too.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: Good morning. Welcome to your NEW DAY. It is October 5th, 8:00 in the east. And we do have breaking news, the death toll on the rise in South Carolina. It's now at six, but that number is early.