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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Top Republicans are going at it tonight on stage in North Charleston; ISIS Has Claimed Credit for Deadly Attack in Jakarta; "El Chapo" Secret Texts; Conflicting Reports Of California Lotto Winner; Sellers of Winning Tickets Score Big; Suspect Detained In Death Of American In Italy; GOP Debate Watch Party; Undecided Voters Watching Showdown At Movie Theater; Rare January Hurricane In The Atlantic; Backstreet Boys Singer Arrested in Florida; Dow Gains 228 Points; Fake Carrots Stuffed With Marijuana. 8-9p ET
Aired January 14, 2016 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[20:00:14] ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Good evening and get ready.
The top Republicans are going at it tonight on stage in North Charleston South Carolina. And almost without a doubt, there will be blood, campaign blood, at the very least. How could there not be with Jeb Bush calling Donald Trump a jerk. Donald Trump questioning Ted Cruz's citizenship and claim born in the U.S.A. in his campaign rally, similarly just to spite him and Cruz slamming Trump's New York values and Bush since polling single digits running campaign ads designed to spoil the chances of his old friend and protege Marco Rubio. With Rubio, Chris Christie, January Kasich and Carson all struggling to break through in time for Iowa, New Hampshire and, of course, South Carolina. It's hard to imagine there won't be blood on stage tonight.
Joining us from the hall in North Charleston chief political correspondent Dana Bash.
Dana, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, I mean, the gloves, do you expect them to come off? Because in previous debates they have been going after each other, once they are face-to-face, not so much.
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right. In our debate last month in Las Vegas, they had started to do it. I actually asked each of them a question about those particular topics and they both pulled back. Remember at the time Donald Trump was calling Ted Cruz a maniac and he said, never mind. So they didn't.
This is very different. This is -- the feel here is very different according to the sources I'm talking to particularly in the Cruz camp. They have shifted their mind set. They have a lot to lose now. We are just two-and-a -half weeks away from the caucuses in Iowa. They are neck and neck the two men in that state, even though Donald Trump is really very much the front runner nationally, that is the first place they are going to vote and Ted Cruz realizes if he doesn't -- and the words of one aid stand up for himself, it could be game over.
COOPER: And in terms of South Carolina, which is not only where the debate is held, it is obviously, as you said, the third state to hold its primary, how much do you think the candidates are going to be trying to play to South Carolina voters tonight?
BASH: I think a bit, no question about it. You know, all of the candidates pretty much have used the fact that they are in this person in the south primary state to kind of build campaign events around the debate. But this is an incredibly important place because you do have Iowa, let's say Cruz or Trump if things are then the way they are now and then there is the big battle in New Hampshire to see if any of the more main stream candidates do well or if Donald Trump takes it, this is going to be the next in line. This is going to be the place that will determine for example, if Marco Rubio goes on. This one I think we should really watch tonight. These will be your questions, South Carolina. Rubio campaign aides believe this is the place where he probably should win, needs to win. He spent more time here than any candidate. He has got a big operation here. So he is probably going to play to the crowd more than the others.
COOPER: All right, Dana. Thanks very much.
A lot to look forward to tonight. Keeping me company throughout the evening, the A-team. We have a lot of political correspondents and analysts. Our chief political analyst Gloria Borger is here, chief national correspondent John King, senior political reporter Nia-Malika Henderson, also political commentators Ana Navarro, Jeffrey Lord, Amanda Carpenter and Kevin Madden.
Ana is Bush supporter, Rubio's friend. Jeffrey is a Trump supporter and former Reagan advisor. Amanda is former communications director for Senator Ted Cruz. Kevin is a former senior 2012 Mitt Romney advisor -- John.
ANA NAVARRO, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: All right. Now, say that all again.
COOPER: Yes, I got a teleprompter.
John, in terms of what you expect to see on the broadcast tonight and I should point out we are going to be broadcasting afterward for post analysis so I hope everybody joins us after the debate. Do you expect - I mean, can you imagine a scenario where Cruz and Trump do not go head-to-head?
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, I can imagine a scenario where they go head-to-head and they don't go thermo nuclear. But I cannot imagine a scenario where they don't go head-to-head. The question is once they get started, each will come in knowing. Trump wants to make the point he is going to raise the citizenship question or he knows he is going to be asked about it. Why would he do it tonight? Because it's working. Because Cruz in a sense has stopped in Iowa so why not keep doing it, right? Try to stop --.
Cruz knows as Dana's point number one, you have to answer the attack. Number two, you have to show fight. Your supporters want to see you have fight come up. This man is questioning your very eligibility to be in the race. You have to manned up and go after him. Now, they could have an exchange and decide I have done what want to do. I have done what I've wanted to do and stop or it could escalate. That's the big question.
Fight night is usually you have the under card and then a main event. They are all on the same stage tonight. And this Cruz-Trump is the main event without a doubt because they are the leaders right now and they are far away from everybody else if you look at Iowa and then Trump in New Hampshire right ahead.
But the under card, who is the establishment fight? That's going to be fascinating as well because there are questions of the survival of the just about everybody. Rubio is third. Everyone says he's doing great right now. Third is not great. You know, he is got to do better than that, but you can be sure Jeb Bush who is fighting for his life is going to go after Rubio again. So Trump-Cruz, Bush,-Rubio, strapped in.
[20:05:02] GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: You know, Rubio really has a lot at stake here tonight as John was saying. This is an opportunity for him to move his numbers. He is the candidate who has got one foot in the establishment and one foot in the tea party conservative lane and he has been plateaued kind of because of Cruz's rise. And he's a great debater and we've seen that in Republicans.
COOPER: But nationally given a bump to the poll.
BORGER: Exactly. So tonight he has to find a way to distinguish himself so he can take advantage of the organization Dana was talking about in South Carolina.
COOPER: Amanda, you worked for Cruz as spokesperson. Do you think these attacks by Trump on the eligibility question have damaged him?
AMANDA CARPENTER, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR SEN. TED CRUZ: I think some people -- listen, Republicans want to win the White House more than anything. The fact that Donald Trump is questioning his eligibility to be president does need to be answered. I think it very likely that Donald Trump makes the decision what I'm doing is working, I don't need to bring it up, but the challenge for Cruz.
COOPER: He still going to be asked about it.
CARPENTER: Yes. But the challenge for Cruz is a way to build Donald into having that conversation on stage, I think. They need to settle it. I would like to see Cruz have a man to man moment. We are going to talk about this. We are going to resolve it because we as a party need to win. But we shall see what happens.
KEVIN MADDEN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: The main damage is it got Cruz off the message.
COOPER: In critical days.
MADDEN: I mean, we got 17 days until voters start to make their decision in Iowa. And here he is talking about birth - he is talking about his whether or not he is eligible for the presidency. He wants to be talking about health care -- I'm sorry, he wants to talk about immigration. He want to be talking about national security. And getting off that message has been at a crucial time has been a problem.
NAVARRO: And I think one of his problems is that, you know, Ted Cruz has been approaching this question and answering it from a legal perspective. He is a lawyer. He is a very good lawyer, but he hasn't answered it and addressed it from a political perspective. He has got to shut it down. That he has not been able to do.
JEFFREY LORD, FORMER REAGAN WHITE HOUSE POLITICAL DIRECTOR: And now we have this Goldman Sachs story, the loan, et cetera, and "The New York Times."
COOPER: Which Cruz is fighting back hard on.
LORD: Right. But again, to Kevin's point, it takes him off message. And he doesn't want to be answering this kind of stuff, either. We got to get into the weeds on this and there will be people saying well he should have done this and you should have done that, all of this as his time begins to ooze away from.
BORGER: All he has to take on "The New York Times", honestly.
(CROSSTALK)
NAVARRO: I think he did that all right.
LORD: Yes.
COOPER: He's already - I mean, that's what his thing -- in fact, he's trying to raise money on it saying this is a last-ditch attempt by "The New York Times" to derail this campaign.
KING: But every breath of this counts. Because Cruz was pulling away in Iowa. And now Trump in here, a dead heat. Trump's big challenge is to turn out new voters from the polls. If Trump can get non-past participants to show up, then he is going to have a descent caucus night and have a chance to win. But right now you're in a dead heat. And Cruz was starting to pull away. It looked much more like a traditional like the Santorum coming behind against Romney. Mike Huckabee pulling away in 2008. It looked like Cruz was going to get that and get the space to almost guarantee.
(CROSSTALK)
NAVARRO: I'm very interested in seeing what happens between Christie, Kasich and Jeb Bush.
NAVARRO: Because you got those three big dogs eating out of the same bowl, the mainstream Republican bowl in New Hampshire. And who comes out first out of the three of them is very important and Cruz -- I think Marco needs to define himself tonight because this is a party that wants definition. And he is being very subtle and he wants, and somehow wants to be the candidate that bridges the gap. But I'm not sure that the Republican party of 2016 is ready. NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Yes. And I
think Christie has been wanting to really take Marco Rubio on a debate stage. He I think is probably the second best, maybe the first best debater on the stage. He always looks like he is having fun on stage. And he has been essentially saying Marco Rubio isn't ready. Marco Rubio is weak. And I think that's going to be a really interesting --
(CROSSTALK)
CARPENTER: There is Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio here. So he needs to find a way to get into those conversations but also save off all these other attacks. I think Marco Rubio in many ways is the big man in the middle because he has much more --
(CROSSTALK)
BORGER: And you know what? There will be attack against Chris Christie too because he is moving up in New Hampshire. And all those governors who would like to move up in New Hampshire and the governor lane are going to be looking out and attacking Cruz.
LORD: We need not to get too carried away, (INAUDIBLE). A fair share of people who want Iowa and never got nominated and people that lost Iowa, Ronald Reagan didn't won who then went on to beat president. Bill Clinton --
Lost both Iowa and New Hampshire. So we need to be careful with this. I mean, I understand our urge here, but until this gets a little down the road and I think this could go away.
NAVARRO: Yes, but you know, Trump has been leading for so long in Iowa and by so much now that if Ted Cruz somehow manages to knock him off that mantle, it's all of a sudden David versus Goliath.
COOPER: But I mean, to Kevin's point about Cruz is now talking about the eligibility issue at a time when he wants to talk about others and now this Goldman Sachs issue, he may be fundraising on it. He may be able to use it as an attack on "The New York Times", which he will no doubt try to do in front of crowd which will be, obviously, very popular. But is it, Dana, I mean, he's been going after Donald Trump as having New York values. Goldman Sachs is the heart --
[20:10:01] BORGER: Well, and he is the populace - well, he's an anti- elite. Let me put it that way. The graduate of Princeton. The graduate of Harvard law. The Supreme Court law clerk. Somebody who worked for George W. Bush. He has been portraying himself as anti- elite. That's a pretty elite resume. And so, I think more than anything else, the loan from Goldman Sachs, wife works at Goldman Sachs, not that he was shown favorability in this loan or anything else, but I do think that that plays against the type that he is trying to portray on the campaign trail and that could damage him.
CARPENTER: -- and I have seen this in people really adores Ted Cruz. They know all this about him, but they like him because he still has conservative principles even going through all those circles. He has a very fine pedigree. But he has remained true to conservative --. MADDEN: I would disagree that. I think for a lot of voters in Iowa
this is new information and that's the big risk is that for those voters looking that are looking for a tea party purest, the idea of an association with Goldman Sachs --
LORD: The bailout. Right.
(CROSSTALK)
LORD: It is one thing to talk about New York values which is kind of big. It is another think to put an exact name on it and a big Wall Street firm. Then you have a problem.
(CROSSTALK)
NAVARRO: And I think the challenge here is not to get into the weeds, not to get into legally when he answers this question about Goldman Sachs. But to somehow be able to portray himself as consistent with the persona he has created. If he comes across as a hypocrite, he has a problem.
(CROSSTALK)
KING: Anything that costs you a point or half a point matters. This is -- I don't think this is a huge deal for Ted Cruz. It does points to the biography a little bit, what makes it harder and again, any time he is not talking about, you know, I will investigate Planned Parenthood on day one. I'm the consecutive you want. As president, I will stand up. And any second he's not doing that is a second --
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: Amanda?
CARPENTER: To put a bow on story about the loan, this is actually I think could be a positive for him. He had no wealthy campaign donors. He and his wife bet on his candidacy by taking a loan against their assets. He got himself when no one else would. And he paid it back in full. And you look at the loan problems that Hillary Clinton had, bankruptcy problem that Donald Trump has had and Marco Rubio has, nobody else --.
COOPER: But talking about getting money from Goldman Sachs. I mean, Hillary Clinton, it gets a little more directly.
MADDEN: And Amanda is right. He needs to simplify. I mean, having work from the 2012 campaign was trying to explain private equity in vain. It can get very difficult. When you get into the weeds you have a difficult problem. So he needs to - he absolutely needs to simplify.
(CROSSTALK)
MADDEN: This is --
BORGER: Flip it right back. MADDEN: Seventeen days away, this is closing argument time. You do
not want your closing argument to be about whether or not you're a natural born citizen and you are eligible for the presidency or loans that you took two to three years ago.
COOPER: So to John's point about, you know, where I at the stage where this could be the make or break point obviously after Iowa, soon in New Hampshire where people start dropping off, if those lower tier candidates do drop off, do we know yet where those voters go, who that benefits? Because the gamble by Rubio, the hope certainly of the Bush is that, you know, as the field dwindles down, the more middle of the road candidates get those people.
BORGER: Well, if you look at some of these polls, some of them will show that Cruz like 25 percent, he is their second choice. Some of them will show Rubio is their second choice at this point. So I think that those two candidates would have the most benefit if the field kind of starts to shift a little bit because they seem to be the least objectionable to the most people who are either undecided or committed to somebody who might not win.
KING: As complicated as we try to make this sometimes so we can cash our paychecks, politics is pretty simple. It's about arithmetic, pluses and minus. So I think number one, some we haven't talked to Dr. Ben Carson whose campaign is still in a free fall from his staff perspective. He is holding nine or ten percent of the vote in Iowa. If that starts to go away, you assume Cruz is the first choice for some of those people. Maybe Trump, because of the outsider. But that is a basket of eggs or the basket of votes that's important to watch because again, with 12 candidates on the ballot, that piece matters.
When it comes to the establishment guys, I think Rubio and Bush because of the animosity, even though they are friends, the animosity pairing off from the past debate and new Jeb Bush super pact ads including there is whether ad that said Marco Rubio flip-flops, there were a number of calls last night into the Bush campaign saying stop, you're going too far. That's too much. That shows you how desperate you are into his campaign. The Bush campaign says go away, this is right, we'll continue to do it. But there is a sense in the establishment that, you know, that the Bush campaign in the view of many, even Bush friends have crossed the line with that. And so there is blow back.
And one more quick point, Bush right now is in very sensitive negotiations trying to get the endorsement of Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina senator who dropped out. And the fact that the negotiations continue tell you something. Lindsey Graham hasn't said yes. And so there is an interesting moment here and I would say that, you know, Bush is going to stay in at least through New Hampshire.
[20:15:03] COOPER: You think Bush is on the curve?
KING: His name is Bush. He raised $100 million. He is running, I think, fifth in Iowa and right now he is running fourth or fifth in New Hampshire.
(CROSSTALK)
NAVARRO: Out of everybody, you know, in those three names that we have talked about, Bush, Kasich, Christie, the only one who has a team on the ground in South Carolina whose got resources whose been working it hard out of those three, the only one that can survive to go on there is Jeb. If Chris Christie does not come on top in New Hampshire, he doesn't have the momentum to go to South Carolina.
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: Jeffrey, and then we got to go.
LORD: There has to be some passion here. The Trump supporters have fashion. I think The Cruz supporters have passion. The question is these other folks, how much passion is there if they get out of the race, are these other folks --
NAVARRO: I can tell you when these other folks, i.e., Kevin and me, when you know, what we see Trump or Cruz win Iowa, we're going to be passionately running with our head on fire.
MADDEN: I'll be sitting on the curb clapping.
COOPER: All right. We are going to return to our campaign coverage shortly.
There is some breaking news tonight including conflicting reports about a possible Powerball lottery winner.
Also, stunning revelations about texts between El Chapo and the Mexican actress and the secret surgery he had.
Plus, another ISIS attack, the third this week. What we are learning about their global reach and new details about the suspected planner. We will have the latest from the scene when we continue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:20:13] COOPER: There is breaking news tonight, ISIS has claimed credit for another deadly terror attack, this time in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. At least two people were killed including a Canadian. Two dozen people were wounded. The attacker struck at the heart of the city's commercial center outside a Starbucks. It is the third coordinated attack this week alone that ISIS has taken credit for. An attack yesterday outside a Pakistan consulate in Afghanistan killed seven Afghan military force, a suicide bombing two days ago in Istanbul, killed ten German tourists.
Our senior international correspondent Ivan Watson joins us from Jakarta with the latest.
So what do we know now about this attack?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, the Indonesia authorities say the suspected mastermind of the attack that began with the suicide bomb attack against that Starbucks right there is a man they called (INAUDIBLE). They say he is Indonesian. That he was arrested in 2010 and convicted for possessing ammunition. Served at least two-and-a-half years in prison. And after he was released in 2014 they say he traveled to Syria, joined ISIS and is now based in Raqqah there, the ISIS stronghold.
They say their intelligence says that he sent orders here to his network in Indonesia to carry out attacks before Christmas and around New Year's Eve. The security forces stepped up their security and then it wasn't until Thursday that this attack was carried out here. And the attackers moved into -- you can see how busy this is, the rush hour here. They also attacked this police booth over here, severely wounding a police officer, two civilians killed in this attack. One of them was an Algerian-born Canadian citizen, the other an Indonesian.
COOPER: Also, Ivan, there are reports that a blog belonging to the man who plotted the attacks has been found. Do we know what was on that?
WATSON: Yes. They have been linked this blog to this man (INAUDIBLE). And it said to include advice basically on how to carry out terror attacks. So some of what we have seen here did kind of copy some of the formula of attacks that we saw in Paris by ISIS for example. Fortunately, this was not a mass casualty attack. The amount of explosives here were not huge and part of that could be because the police were able to quickly as the police chief says neutralize the attackers.
Then they said they found at least six unexploded devices that could have caused a great deal more carnage, perhaps closer to the scale of death that we saw in Indonesia in Al-Qaeda linked attacks a decade ago. The police chief of this city, Anderson, he says Isis is far more dangerous than Al-Qaeda because their ideology allows them to kill fellow Muslims, something that the Al-Qaeda linked groups of a decade ago, something they were not allowed to do - Anderson.
COOPER: Ivan, thanks very much.
Now, to the secret texts that weren't so secret after all and may have played a role in capturing Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. The drug lord apparently didn't know authorities were monitoring his communications with the Mexican actress Kate Del Castillo when he was still on the run. She helped set up the meeting between actor Sean Penn and El Chapo back in October.
Tonight, we have details about what they talked about in the texts. And we are also getting information about a secret surgery. Brian Todd joins me now - Brian.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, tonight we have learned from a Mexican official that some weeks before his secret meeting in October with actress Kate Del Castillo, El Chapo traveled to a facility in Baja state Mexico and had sexual enhancement surgery. The official tells us the surgery was to improve blood flow. Now, it's not clear if there's any connection between the surgery and El Chapo's meeting with Del Castillo. But we have learned tonight some new details of texts messages between Del Castillo and the drug lord's text which may well have led to his capture.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): The decidedly unglamorous leader of the largest drug cartel in history allegedly responsible for thousands of deaths comes across as strangely kind and caring even paternal as he bantered with this glamorous TV actress.
Newly released transcripts of text messages between Joaquin El Chapo Guzman and actress Kate Del Castillo before the drug lord's secret meeting in October with her and actor Sean Penn suggests that kingpin was infatuated with her.
In one of the exchanges published in a Mexican newspaper (INAUDIBLE), El Chapo uses the code name Papa. He says he is eager to meet her and that quote "you are the best of this world. We will be great friends. I will take care of you more than my own eyes." Del Castillo replies, I'm beyond moved that you say you will care for me. No one has ever taken care of me.
A Mexican official tells CNN, the Mexican government was aware of Del Castillo's communications with the drug lord before the secret meeting at one of his compounds that Mexican authorities intercepted their texts.
CARL PIKO, FORMER DEA SECRET AGENT: Once you step out of routine like sending the texts to her, it's absolutely very, very feasible that this led to his capture.
TODD: CNN has learned that the drug lord who twice escaped from authorities using elaborate tunnels wanted to make a movie about his owned life and was obsessed with the gangster films "the Godfather" and "Scar Face." And when he wasn't planning his movie, he was telling the attractive actress about his plans to drink tequila and dance with her.
IOAN GRILLO, AUTHOR, GANGSTER WARLORDS: Chapo Guzman is a guy from a poor village in the mountains, so perhaps the idea of being with a woman on this level, sophisticated, beautiful, that really enticed him.
TODD: It appears Del Castillo wasn't above enticing El Chapo either. Texting him after their meeting quote "I haven't been able to sleep much since I saw you. I'm very excited about our story, it's true. It's the only thing I can think of. El Chapo replies let me tell you that I'm more excited about you than the story my friend. She texts, ha ha ha, knowing that makes me really glad. You make me blush.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: I mean, it is fascinating to hear these text messages. I mean, it seems like kind of flirting over text. El Chapo is now being held at the same prison where he famously escaped from. Do we know much about precautions that are being taken to avoid the same thing happening again? TODD: We have some addition details, Anderson, tonight. A Mexican
official tells us that while he is still being held at the same prison from where he escaped, El Chapo is being constantly moved among eight different cells with no set schedule. The officials says El Chapo has got two guards watching him 24/7. There are reinforced steels and concrete grids two-feet thick in the walls and in the floors of his cell. And we are told there are armored vehicles and helicopters patrolling outside. They are taking extraordinary precautions.
COOPER: It's also kind of amazing, Brian, that of all the kinds of surgery he could have had while he was on the run, I mean, surgery, you know, to change his identity or something like that, that's the surgery he seemed so intent on having.
TODD: It is pretty extraordinary. We are told by various people that we talked to throughout the story from Mexican officials to former DEA agents that his -- El Chapo's history with women, that he is quite prolific, Anderson.
Also, you know, he is not above taking risks to have these procedures. It was a risk for him to go to Baja state, certainly as it was a risk for him to meet with Sean Penn and Kate Del Castillo.
COOPER: Fascinating. Brian, thank you very much.
Just ahead, breaking news. Has a Powerball winner actually been identified or not? We are going to bring you conflicting reports with all that money, of course, at stake. And you will meet the store clerk who looks just as happy for selling a winning ticket as you or I might look for buying one.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:31:52] COOPER: There's more breaking news tonight. There are local reports that a winner has been identified in California in last night's record breaking, $1.5 billion powerball drawing.
The California lotto officials are skeptical of those reports. Three winning tickets were sold. One in Chino Hills, California, the others in Munford, Tennessee and Melbourne Beach, Florida. Kyung Lah now joins me with more. So, what's the latest on this controversy?
KYUNG LAH, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'm standing in front of a nursing home here in Pomona. And Anderson, you know about all the frenzy, the lines as people were buying these tickets hoping for that $1.5 billion.
Well, now that there has been some sort of a winner announced, but we know that there is a winner who purchased a ticket in Chino Hills, California, well, we spent the day doing is following the frenzy. There is an insatiable appetite, right now. On social media, among the press that try to figure out who is this winner.
So, this is the latest story. We followed what look like a very promising lead to this nursing home. The administrator of the nursing home in fact came out, spoke with the news. Held a press conference and said that a nurse who was employed here and who is been employed here for five years danced from one end of the nursing hall to the other because she believed that she is the winner.
Here is the catch. We checked with the California lottery and the California lottery says as of this moment, no winner has stepped forward to claim the prize. But they have seen an image associated with this nursing home.
And they say that the ticket wasn't purchased in Chino Hills at the 7- Eleven where the winning ticket was sold. But it traces back to another grocery store elsewhere. So, at this point, the California lottery extremely skeptical saying that there is a very strenuous process of verification. It has not taken place. As of now, Anderson, no winner has stepped forward to accept the prize here in the Chino Hills, California part of the lottery.
COOPER: So, one of the things I didn't realize is the vendor who sells a winning ticket in California in this case, they also get a million dollars but that's not the case in Florida and Tennessee, is that correct?
LAH: That's right. Every state has different rules. But, here in California -- these rules do change. But, here in California, you get half 1 percent, up to $1 million and I can tell you just from spending all the day with this family that owns this 7-Eleven franchise, they are ecstatic. They love that they are able to have this money that they're going to be able to share it with their employees and it does vary. What the California lottery says is this is their way of saying thank you to the people who work selling the tickets.
COOPER: All right. Kyung, thanks very much. Just as we said, the winning ticket holders aren't the only ones who hit the big money last night which explains this scene today. Take a look.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKERS (In Unison): Chino Hill. Chino Hill. Chino Hill.
COOPER: That was a clerk Muzaffar Faroqui who sold a winning ticket at the 7-Eleven in Chino Hills, California as Kyung reported. The store received a check for $1 million.
Earlier, I spoke to him along with the owner of the 7-Eleven franchise.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[20:35:04] COOPER: So, Balbir congratulations. How does it feel? I mean, did you ever think your store would actually be the one to sell one of the winning tickets?
BALBIR ATWAL, FRANCHISE OWNER OF STORE THAT SOLD A WINNING TICKET: I feel great. Actually, I do feel always like just like that if somebody going to have been from here, me or some of my lucky customers so it did happen.
COOPER: And when did you find out the great news? ATWAL: Well, I was home and my friend was calling me and he say oh, somebody won from Chino Hills and you knew if it was your store? And I say like I really don't know. The next thing I was watching T.V. and my store was in the news, so that's the time I learn oh, somebody won from my store.
COOPER: And Muzaffar for you, we have that video of you from last night. What was that like for you?
MUZAFFAR FAROQUI, 7-ELEVEN CLERK WHO SOLD THE WINNING TICKET: Oh, I'm really excited. I'm shocked. I heard the news. Some news channel guys call me first. I thought someone joking with me. After then, all my regular customers and a lot of big crowds come in the store. Everyone celebrate then I call to my boss, yeah, all the families come and celebrate last night. They are very huge.
COOPER: Yeah, a lot of people high-fiving you. Balbir, I understand your store will get some money from this, as well. What do you want to do with the money?
ATWAL: Well, like, I'll be like, you know, giving to some charity and sharing with my employees and help for my family and friends.
COOPER: Is there anything you're going to buy for yourself?
ATWAL: Yeah. I will.
COOPER: And Balbir just lastly, did you play, as well? Did you buy a ticket for yourself?
ATWAL: Yes, I do.
COOPER: Well, I'm sorry you didn't win the ticket but I'm glad you sold one of the winning tickets so I know you'll share in the celebration. So, Balbir and Muzaffar, thank you so much.
ATWAL: Thank you.
FAROQUI: You're welcome, sir. Thank you.
ATWAL: Thank you.
COOPER: Very happy day all around for them.
Next, major new developments in the murder of an American woman in Italy. Italian authorities now have a man in custody. Physical evidence in the theory of what happens they say. We'll show you what they think it adds up to when we continue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:41:13] COOPER: Italian police have suspect in custody in the murder of the American woman in Florence, Italy. The chief prosecutor in the case is sharing a lot of details in the investigation to the death of Ashley Olsen everything from the cause of death to an alleged DNA match. And now a cell phone has become a key piece of evidence. There are still questions, though, Randi Kaye tonight has the latest.
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RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the man Italian investigators say killed American Artist, Ashley Olsen. His name is Jake Diaz a 27- year-old undocumented immigrant from Senegal. Who authorities say entered Italy just a few months ago. The chief prosecutor says Diaz left Florence as Monte Carlo the nightclub with Olsen sometime before dawn on Friday morning. Investigators say security camera footage shows the two leaving the club and walking in the direction of her apartment. That's where police now say they had consensual sex.
UNINDENTIFIED MALE: Because of the analysis of biological evidence we found on a condom and a cigarette butt as well as of evidence found on the body of the girl with show consensual sexual intercourse.
KAYE: Authorities also say he stole her cell phone and replaced her SIM card with his. He had the phone with him when he was arrested on suspicion of aggravated homicide. But the case may not be clear cut it sound. Olsen was found wearing just her socks with bruising on her neck. Investigators have said she was strangled with a rope or cord but now in a bizarre twist, they are suggesting a new theory, that the suspect may have unintentionally strangled Olsen when he was trying to revive her after a deadly fall in her apartment.
How and why she fell is still unclear. But her cranium was fractured in two places from blows so violent the prosecutor says they alone could have killed her. After that, though, he says she was strangled, perhaps when the suspect grabbed her neck to try to wake her. According to NBC who spoke Diaz attorney, Diaz admitted under questioning that he had physically fought with Olsen after a night of drugs and sex. But that he never meant to kill her.
The associated press reports Diaz have admitted pushing her to the ground where she banged her head but denied strangling Olsen insisting she was alive when he left. The prosecutors said the two weren't exactly lucid.
UNINDENTIFIED MALE: We have collected very serious evidence of his guilt.
KAYE: Still the investigators have walked back their original theory that perhaps this was a case of auto erotic affixation gone wrong. Now they say it does not appear the two were playing any sort of sexual game.
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COOPER: Randi joins me now. So they have the guy's DNA according to police but he says he never meant to kill her. How strong is the case against him? Do we know?
KAYE: Well, Anderson he's in some trouble, no doubt. I mean not only do they have his DNA from the condom and cigarette but the also have his DNA we learn from under Ashley Olsen's fingernails plus the prosecutors says witnesses saw him enter her apartment in the early morning hour on Friday. So there is really no denying he was there. In fact he's not even denying he was there according to his attorney but here is the thing, those two cranial fractures were enough to kill her but the autopsy specifically determined that it was strangulation that killed her. So that really puts it on him, whatever happened after the fall, after he pushed her down, he's going to have to explain and defend.
And in Italy, Anderson, he maybe in jail for quite sometime. A suspect as you may recall can remain in jail in Italy for up to 12 months before being charged. We saw that with Amanda Knox she was in jail for a year before she charged so this could take awhile. Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Randi, thanks for the update. Back to the Presidential Sweepstakes, when we come back. We'll take you where South Carolina voters are getting ready to get the frontrunners a close look to see if any of them wins over on stage this evening.
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[20:48:49] COOPER: With the main event about to get started, our Gary Tuchman has the best seat in the house watching the debate with about 120 local Republicans at our watch party in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. He'll be there all night for us.
Gary joins us now. So, have the folks there told you if they're looking for anything particular from the candidates tonight?
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, they are looking for breakout moments from the candidates they support. And this is the Cinebarre movie theater in Charleston County, South Carolina, close drive to where the debate is taking place tonight but it's not a theater tonight, it's a political laboratory. 120 dedicated Republicans. This is part of the local Republican committee's programming.
Is everyone looking forward to the debate tonight? These are your likely voters in important states South Carolina, the first primary off to New Hampshire, the 20th of February from Republicans, 27th for Democrats.
The third time we've been here, because we're trying to get a constant idea of how these voters were so important. Two debates ago, they supported Carson, they thought he won that debate, last debate they thought it was Cruz
Let me ask you right now before the debate starts in alphabetic orders. Who's supporting Jeb Bush?
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER (In Unison): Boo.
TUCHMAN: OK. It doesn't boat well for Mr. Bush. How about Ben Carson?
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER (In Unison): Yeah.
TUCHMAN: Chris Christie?
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER (In Unison): Boo.
TUCHMAN: Ted Cruz?
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER, (In Unison): Boo.
TUCHMAN: John Kasich?
UNIDENTIFED feMALE:
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
TUCHMAN: Mario Rubio? Marco, right I said, I think (inaudible) I don't know, sorry about this, these are Democrat. And also Donald Trump?
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER (In Usion): Yeah.
TUCHMAN: OK, we have a lot -- we have a lot of Trump support. You could see over here, right over there, that's the line for the pizza. There's pizza. There's popcorn here.
Who are you supporting, folks? Who are you supporting?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trump.
TUCMAN: What do you think Donald Trump has to do to impress the people who cheer for Donald Trump when I said the names in alphabet?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he's be honest and tell like it is.
TUCHMAN: OK. Well, he's been telling it like it is but a lot of people who don't support Trump don't necessary think he's been honest.
Who are you supporting here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm really undecided so far.
TUCHMAN: You're undecided. This debate maybe very meaningful for you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.
TUCHMAN: What's you're hoping to see in this debate?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some clear clarification between like Rubio and Cruz like a distinction between the two of them where they stand.
TUCHMAN: So, you're interested to Rubio and Cruz?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pretty much.
TUCHMAN: OK. Marco Rubio not Mario Rubio. Did you hear me say that? That wasn't good.
New voters right here, high school voters. Who are you guys supporting really quick down the road?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trump.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chris Christie.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Trump.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Marco Rubio.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll give it to Marco.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, Marco Rubio.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Carly.
TUCHMAN: Carly? So you have a -- we got a good variety. So, we're going to watch the debate with this people. When it's over, Anderson, we will come back to you, get an idea who they think are going to take the straw pull who they think won this debate.
Back to you.
COOPER: Gary, thanks very much. Yeah, as soon as the debate is over, come back over to CNN and we'll have a lot of post debate analysis, complete analysis. And if you're not watching the debate, we'll show you a lot of the prime, most important moments from the debate tonight.
Amara Walker got a "360 News and Business Bulletin". Amara?
AMARA WALKER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Anderson, Hurricane Alex is on the move in the Atlantic Ocean. Yes, we're talking about a hurricane. A winter storm of this magnitude, it hasn't happened in nearly four decades.
Alex has sustained winds of 85 miles per hour. The hurricane is expected to dump up to seven inches of rain on parts of the Azores Island.
Backstreet Boys, singer Nick Carter was arrested and charge with misdemeanor battery and he left Florida. Police take Carter and his -- a friend of his gave a bartender a hard time were asked to leave a bar and sucker punched a bouncer.
A big rally on Wall Street, the Dow gaining 228 points making this the best day since early December. The S&P and NASDAQ also rose.
And drug smugglers sure love their veggies in Port Texas U.S. Custom and Border Protection officials say, nearly 2,500 pounds of marijuana was found stuffed into fake carrots mixed with the real deal. The loot was from Mexico and the estimated street value of the pot is nearly $500,000. Wow.
COOPER: Amara, thanks very much. Up next, "The RidicuList" and microphone malfunction on the campaign trail.
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DONALD TRUMP, (R), 2016 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This mike is terrible. This stupid mike keeps popping. Don't pay them. Don't pay them. You know, I believe in paying. But when somebody does a bad job like this stupid mike, you shouldn't pay the bills, right? Terrible. Terrible.
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[20:57:13] COOPER: All right. Time now for "The RidicuList" and with our political team here. Tonight, we're talking about Donald Trump's latest nemesis which happens this time during none in opponent or journalist, but, an inanimate object.
At a rally in Florida, Trump was reminded that sometimes the intuitive gears of the campaign train can be derailed by something as small as a slight audio problem.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: $505 billion. We're going to lose that. $505 billion. And by the way, I don't like this mike. Whoever the hell brought this mike system, brought the son of a bitch that put it in. I tell you.
This is stupid. So, this mike is terrible. Stupid mike keeps popping. Don't pay him. Don't pay him. You know, I believe in paying. But when somebody does a bad job like this stupid mike, you shouldn't pay the bastard. Terrible, terrible.
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COOPER: Now of course, this isn't the first time a microphone in who was or wasn't going to pay for it and has had a role in presidential politics.
In 1980, Ronald Reagan's campaign ended up bank rolling a debate in New Hampshire. There was some tension about who would be allowed to speak leading of course to this famous moment.
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RONALD REAGAN, 40th U.S. PRESIDENT: Where this on man, please turn Mr. Regan's mike off and then. Is this on?
REAGAN: Mr. Green, you turn on like the...
(CROSSTALK)
REAGAN: I am paying for this microphone.
(END VIDEO CLIP) COOPER: I am paying for this microphone became an iconic line of course for Ronald Reagan. Time will tell whether the same thing will happen for Trump, saying that his mike sounded like boom, boom.
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TRUMP: You got to be tough with your people because they'll pay. They don't care. They'll pay. So, we're not going to pay. I guarantee you, I'm not paying for this mike. Every two -- every two minutes, I hear like, "Boom, boom."
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COOPER: So, who knows why the microphone wasn't working. For all we know it got dropped. It happens.
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BARACK OBAMA, U.S. PRESIDENT: Now is not the time to make school more expensive for our young people.
JIMMY FALLON, TALK SHOW HOST: Oh, yeah. That is how we slow jam the news.
OBAMA: Oh, yeah.
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COOPER: The thing that makes Trump's mike problem especially disappointing is that the rally started out some magically with a tune courtesy of the songwriter who apparently had a keyboard. But the base line reminiscent in a blond each hard of glass and an American Dream. The song was performed by some very talented young ladies.
[21:00:12] Welcome panel, to the next eight years of your life.
