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Troubling Texts From LAX Shooter; Celebrities Help Promote Obamacare; Policies Carry High Deductibles; Governors' Races In National Spotlight; November Elections; Dolphins Suspend Lineman

Aired November 04, 2013 - 13:00   ET

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

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting today from Washington. More now on the investigation into the fatal shooting over at the Los Angeles International Airport. Twenty-three- year-old Paul Ciancia, police say he's the shooter. He remains in critical condition today, unable to speak with investigators. But we are starting to learn more about Ciancia and possibly some of his motives. We're also learning more about what happened just before the shooting from someone who knew Ciancia and his roommates.

(VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He asked one of the roommates if he could have a ride to the airport. He said that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why did he need a ride?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said that he was going back home, either that his dad was kind of sick and that he had to deal with some family issues.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did anyone ever see a ticket?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. He also didn't mention what day he had to leave. So, that morning, yes, he doesn't knock, just opens the door and says, I need to leave. Can you take me now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he ever express any hatred toward the government or toward the TSA?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All the NSA findings that, you know, came out this year that he was very upset about it and he also thought that TSA abused their power.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Well, let's bring in Stephanie Elam. She's covering the story from Los Angeles. Stephanie, were police actually close to stopping this before it happened? There are these suggestions they were pretty close.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pretty close, Wolf, indeed. What we're understanding now is that at some point Friday morning, Paul Anthony Ciancia texted his family in New Jersey, reportedly telling them that he planned to commit suicide. The father then reached out to the police chief in their town in New Jersey, who then called out to Los Angeles P.D. to make sure that they would go do a welfare check. They got to the apartment some 45 minutes after Ciancia had left for the airport with one roommate. At that point, they handcuffed the other roommates, questioned them and from what we can tell, they have discerned so far that they believe Ciancia had acted alone. But if they had gotten there earlier, perhaps we'd be telling a very different story at this point -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Why was he supposedly act -- aggressively targeting TSA officers? What do we know about this part of the -- of the whole tragedy?

ELAM: Well, we know that he had a note on him, a handwritten note that reportedly FBI agents recovered here at the airport after he was shot, where he was talking about the TSA. He was talking about the NSA. And that he said he wanted to instill fear in the TSA agents for the way they conduct themselves. Now why he got to the point that he was so angry at the TSA, that's a question we still don't know. And we don't know if we'll ever get an answer, because at this point, Ciancia is still unresponsive. He is in a hospital but if he does come to, he does face two felony charges based on what he did do -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thanks very much. Stephanie Elam on the scene for us at LAX. We're also learning more about the TSA officer killed in the shooting. Gerardo Hernandez was what's called -- was what's being called a behavior determination officer at LAX. He had been at the airport for three years. Hernandez leaves behind a wife and two children. And was a week away, only a week away from celebrating his 40th birthday. Two other officers, James Speer and Tony Grigsby, they were wounded. They have been released from the hospital. A local schoolteacher, Brian Ludmer, was also wounded. He's still in the hospital.

Now, there are some calling for all TSA officers to be armed at airports. Coming up at the bottom of hour -- at the bottom of the hour, I'll speak with HLN law enforcement analyst, Mike Brooks, about that option. Is it serious? Is it realistic? And would it have prevented this attack? Mike Brooks joining me later this hour.

Other news we're following. If you're thinking about applying for Obamacare in the middle of the night on the east coast, think again. A message on HealthCare.gov says the online application will not be available from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Eastern every night, obviously Central, Rocky Mountain, Pacific time zones earlier. It's being taken down for repairs. The administration is working to fix problems that have plagued the site. Officials have promised it will be functioning well for most users. The vast majority, they say, by the end of the month.

President Obama goes on the road this week to make another pitch for the Affordable Care Act. Last week it was Boston. This Wednesday the president travels to Dallas. He'll thank local volunteers for helping consumers enroll in health care plans. The president also getting some help from Hollywood. Elizabeth Cohen has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Celebrities helping promote the Affordable Care Act. On funnyordie.com, Actress Olivia Wilde plays a game called Obamacare or shut up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you're under 26, you can stay on your parents' insurance.

OLIVIA WILDE, ACTRESS: Obamacare.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, correct. Anderson Cooper's giggle is adorable.

WILDE: Shut up.

COHEN: In Jennifer Hudson's parody of the T.V. show "Scandal," Obamacare solves everything.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My company's health care, it doesn't cover mammograms.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The ACA covers preventative care for women's health.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Girl, go find (INAUDIBLE.)

COHEN: Lady Gaga wants you to get covered. The "Vampire Diaries" Nina Dobrev took her top off for Obamacare. The president is making the pitch, too, on Fusion, a network aimed at young Latinos.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you're between 18-34 right now, about half of the people can get high-quality health care for less than 50 bucks a month. Less than your cell phone bill. Less than your cable bill.

COHEN (on camera): So, there's one caveat with these $50 policies, they tend to come with huge deductibles. Let's say, for example, you live in Seattle, Washington and you get sick. You would have to spend $5,000 of your own money before your insurance would kick in. So, you're covered for a catastrophe, but for routine care, you're pretty much on your own. Now, some people aren't going to like that. They're going to say, you know what? I'll pay the penalty instead. It's relatively small, only $95, or 1 percent of your income. It's way cheaper than signing up. Those penalties get much steeper in following years, but, still, if enough young people opt not to buy in, Obamacare simply won't work.

ELIZABETH BANKS, ACTRESS: Hi, I'm Elizabeth Banks. And if you need health insurance, you can find affordable coverage at the new health insurance marketplace at HealthCare.gov.

COHEN: Affordable is in the eye of the beholder. And some young people might scoff at the price tag. No matter how popular the celebrity. No matter how hilarious the video.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Elizabeth is joining us now. Elizabeth, the president said about half of the uninsured single young adults would qualify for these $50 a month plans. What kind of income does someone need to qualify at that rate and what age are we talking about?

COHEN: Wolf, pretty low income. And the exact income level would be dependent upon where you live. So, for example, in Seattle, if you're let's say around 25 years old, you of to earn $23,000 or less to qualify. So, you can't earn too much money. If you do, then you'd be paying more.

BLITZER: What about if they were not making that kind of money? What is the requirement to get free health insurance through Medicaid? Because a lot of young people are discovering that if they sign up for Medicaid under these new proposals, they won't have to pay a penny.

COHEN: Right. That very much, Wolf, depends upon what state you live in. So, about half of the states have expanded Medicaid and about half of them don't. So, for example, in Washington if you start earning less than $23,000, if you get less and less than that, then you can qualify for the expanded Medicaid and then just for the regular Medicaid. But, again, there are these in states that have expanded Medicaid, there are these various levels. You can get Medicaid. You can get help from the government in terms of tax credits or you can get no help at all.

BLITZER: Elizabeth Cohen with good, useful information that she always provides us. Thank you.

COHEN: Thanks.

BLITZER: Tomorrow is Election Day and two races for governor are getting a lot of national attention, generating some big-name support. We're taking a closer look at what these contests could mean for the 2016 presidential race. Gloria Borger is standing by to join me live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: She says she hasn't decided whether she's running for president again, but Hillary Clinton is already picking up endorsements in the 2016 presidential race. The New York senator, Chuck Schumer, threw his support behind Hillary Clinton in an Iowa Democratic dinner over the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: It's time for a woman to be president. And so, tonight here in Iowa, and I won't get this opportunity again, I am urging Hillary Clinton to run for president. And when she does, she will have my full and unwavering support.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BLITZER: Hillary Clinton's office issued a statement saying, among other things, Senator Schumer is an old colleague and even older friend and what he said about her is very flattering. Ultimately, though, this is a very personal decision that she hasn't made. That statement coming from Hillary Clinton's office.

The presidential race is three years away but tomorrow's Election Day here in the United States and people will be voting in several key races. Two races for governor are attracting national attention. In New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie holds a sizeable lead over the Democratic challenger, Barbara Buono. In Virginia, the race between Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Ken Cuccinelli is a whole lot closer. Vice President Biden campaigns for McAuliffe later today. Yesterday, it was President Obama's turn in Virginia. Our Chief Political Analyst Gloria Borger is joining us right now. Gloria, Chris Christie, he seems to be campaigning as if this is a neck-and- neck race. He holds a commanding lead, 20 or 30 points in some of these polls. But beyond winning tomorrow, he's clearly looking ahead.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Right. I mean, he's clearly looking towards 2016. And he wants to get as big a margin as he can just like George W. Bush did when he ran for governor of Texas and then ran for the presidency. And I think if you look at the Republican Party, they're going to have to take a look at someone like Chris Christie who is winning in a blue state by appealing not just to the base of the Republican Party but actually appealing to those independent voters that have been so elusive to Republicans in the past.

And so, the party has to kind of make a decision about that because if you look at the state of Virginia, which you were just talking about that, the Republican candidate who seems to be behind is a Tea Party candidate. And so, you know, these are the sort of two flip sides of the Republican Party. At some point, they're going to have to make a choice about what they can win with in 2016.

BLITZER: That Virginia race is a whole lot closer, McAuliffe in the polls --

BORGER: Right.

BLITZER: -- slightly ahead. But you know what? That race could wind up pretty tight.

BORGER: Well, I think the race could wind up tight. I mean, look, Terry McAuliffe has it -- brought in every big gun in the Democratic Party there is. Bill and Hillary Clinton, old friends. He's a big funder of theirs. In the last week or so of this race, there's some estimates that he's outspent Mr. Cuccinelli by about 25 to one, Wolf on the air waves. You know, a lot of money being spent there.

But if you look at the state of Virginia, it's an important state for Democrats to hang on to. It would be great for Hillary Clinton, for example, if she were to win to have such a good friend as the governor of that state. You know, this is a state that President Obama won twice. So it's really important for them if they want to win again in 2016 to have a Democratic governor there.

BLITZER: Now, so between the New Jersey contest, the Virginia contest, whatever happens, we're going to be looking at the results tomorrow night wondering, first of all -

BORGER: Right.

BLITZER: What they mean potentially for mid-term elections in 2014?

BORGER: Right. And, you know, we always like to draw these big conclusions. And sometimes, for example, when I look at the state of New Jersey on what it may portend, I'd have to say that Chris Christie is a very special candidate. And the most important thing we might be able to learn about Chris Christie, if he wins, as we expect he will win, is even not so much as politics, but the way he portrays himself as a candidate, Wolf. He's a truth-teller. He's somebody who says, you know, I'm just going to tell it like it is. And we have an American public right now that is sort of sick and frustrated with Washington. They're fed up. And you look at a guy like Chris Christie and the way he behaves as a candidate, whether you like him or you don't like him, the way he behaves as a candidate is one who says, you know, I'm not like the rest of those guys in Washington. I'm just going to tell you the truth. And that may be the most far-reaching thing we can learn from his candidacy is how he behaves as a candidate.

BLITZER: Good point. All right, Gloria, thanks very much. See you later in "The Situation Room" as well.

BORGER: Yes.

BLITZER: Here's something we're following. Bullying - yes, bullying in the NFL. It's hard to imagine those big guys couldn't just stand up to it. What's going on? How serious is this problem? The Miami Dolphins, as you probably know, they have now suspended a player as the league investigates bullying among players. We're finding out that financial bullying is actually pretty common.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: On its surface, it's hard to imagine anybody bullying a big, bruising, NFL lineman. But a member of the Miami Dolphins is now taking a leave of absence, hinting that it's a problem in the locker room. The team has suspended fellow lineman Richie Incognito for what management calls conduct detrimental to the team. He denies bullying Jonathan Martin. If anything else, the whole incident puts pro football in an entirely different light. Mike Freeman is joining us now. he's the NFL lead writer for "The Bleacher Report."

Mike, you know, very often it's -- it's something about money and it's called the rookie tax. A lot of folks, including NFL fans, don't really know what we're talking about. What is going on here?

MIKE FREEMAN, BLEACHER REPORT NFL NATIONAL LEAD WRITER: Well, basically it's a really simple thing where a good example is, a team like in Chicago, their players, their rookies, their first-year guys will come into the league and they'll buy dinner for the other players. They'll pay for dinner. Or they'll make sure the doughnuts are all there for the players. They'll pay for that. It's usually very, very small things and very simple things. It's not bullying. Players don't feel intimidated. It's a really simple thing.

But then what the Miami Dolphins did, Wolf, was they -- some of those players just took it to an entirely new level and really took it to a place where it hasn't been in the NFL, in my opinion, in a long, long time. They went way too far in Miami.

BLITZER: Well, you know, because you hear a lot, you know, rookies, they're hazed by some of the veterans when they go into the, you know, the preseason and the training and all of that. That's been going on as long as I know. And so this --

FREEMAN: A long time.

BLITZER: But what you're saying is that this is just a whole lot worse because of the - of this specific Miami Dolphin experience?

FREEMAN: Yes. What happened in Miami was, instead of having like those small, little dinners that I talked about where a rookie will come in and pay, say, a couple thousand dollars for dinner, what happened in Miami was the rookies would pay a lot more, you're talking $15,000, $30,000 for dinner. And it went on for a longer period of time. I think that's the main issue with some of this stuff in addition to some of the other more serious allegations that are coming out now.

One of the basic things that the Dolphins players did to the rookies that to me and to many others and the NFL is investigating, is they took this stuff to a longer period. So instead of just a couple of months and a couple of incidents, it went on for an entire season and longer. So you -- some of these rookies were accumulating bills for what I'm told tens of thousands of dollars, which to an NFL player may not seem a lot, but it's still a great deal of money and the veterans on the Dolphins team still went too far.

BLITZER: Is this unique to the Dolphins locker room or are other NFL teams involved in this kind of stuff as well?

FREEMAN: Well, Wolf, one of the things the NFL has done a good job of over the last, I would say, decade or so, even maybe a little longer, is they've eradicated a lot of the harsher bullying. So in the NFL, a lot of this stuff that used to take place, as you mentioned, 40, 50 years ago or even sooner, is gone. So most of the NFL is pretty -- some of this stuff still happens, but it's still not as bad as it's been. In Miami it was worse. And I don't think around the sport, I don't think you -- what you see in Miami is common at all. I think it happens very rarely. And that's why this story has gotten so big, because this is something you just don't see all the time in the NFL any more. It harkens back to an era where this just didn't happen - where it did happen and now we're -- we thought it was gone and bow it's here again and it's some very ugly, disturbing stuff is happening.

BLITZER: Yes, you see two players, two players for the Miami Dolphins, one walks away because of the alleged bullying, the other forced to take a leave of absence because of the alleged bullying. That's something you don't hear every day, but I'm sure we're going to get to the bottom of this sooner rather than later.

FREEMAN: Yes, I think the NFL is going to come to a decision on this very quickly. They're investigating it. There are some really, really crazy things that are being alleged.

BLITZER: Yes.

FREEMAN: So some of the stuff happened --

BLITZER: And I don't want to start talking about some of the allegations because we haven't confirmed them.

FREEMAN: Yes.

BLITZER: But I've read all those reports and you are absolutely right. Let's leave it like that for now.

FREEMAN: Yes.

BLITZER: Mike Freeman, thanks very much. Mike Freeman from our "Bleacher Report."

FREEMAN: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: In the wake of the Los Angeles International Airport shooting, there are now new security questions for America's airports. Should TSA officers, for example, be armed? We'll take a closer look when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)