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Obama Tweaks Speech; Election Day 2013; Michele Knight Speaks; Barely Able to Walk or Speak after War

Aired November 05, 2013 - 09:30   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

President Obama is now busy tweaking his message, understandable, since many Americans are angry that the president insisted more than once they could keep their insurance plans despite Obamacare. Now we know that's not true. Still the president cannot deny what he's been saying for nearly four years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor under the reform proposals that we put forward. If you like your private health insurance plan, you can keep it.

If you like the plan you have, you can keep it. If you like the doctor you have, you can keep your doctor, too.

We will keep this promise to the American people. If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor, period. If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan, period.

If you like your doctor, you'll be able to keep your doctor. If you like your health care plan, you'll be able to keep your health care plan.

If you've got health insurance, you like your doctor, you like your plan, you can keep your doctor, you can keep your plan.

If you like your plan, you can keep your plan. If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: As I said, there's some spinning going on as the White House tweaks that message. Senior White House correspondent Brianna Keilar tells us what it is.

Good morning, Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol. I think you got a pretty good sense there of what the very simple promise was that President Obama made as he was touting health care reform. Take a listen to what he said last night. This was at an OFA event, which is really his former campaign apparatus, which is now a nonprofit advocacy group. Here's how he changed things up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you have or had one of these plans before the Affordable Care Act came into law and you really liked that plan, what we said was you could keep it, if it hasn't changed since the law has passed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: If it hasn't changed since the law passed. That is what he added. And today, Carol, Republicans are seizing on this, saying that President Obama didn't have that caveat on there before. And it's true, he didn't have that caveat on his statement before. We've seen some messaging changes at the White House and with President Obama. Initially it was those little sound bites that you played, the, "if you like your plan, you can keep your plan." Then we heard last week President Obama saying, if you liked your substandard plan that was in place before, you know, Obamacare passed and you want to keep it, you can keep it.

But what's obviously changed is that even though some of those plans were grandfathered in, Carol, when the law passed in 2010, if an insurance company made a change to one of those plans, what's considered a significant change -- so that under the law is opened to obviously some interpretation. If they made a significant change, then the plan does have to go by the wayside and insurance companies have to provide another one. So what you're seeing right now is a lot of people who have gotten these cancellations.

Now, the White House will say a lot of people, yes, but it's really just a small sliver of people who are purchasing their insurance and that these are people who haven't been served well by the individual insurance market before. But at the same time, they are getting cancellations. And the huge problem here for the White House, for President Obama, is that they can't necessarily take their cancellation and say, OK, well, what are my other options, because the federal marketplace for purchasing insurance, Obamacare, is such a mess that they can't obviously - they can't as easily just turn to see maybe what their other option may be, Carol.

COSTELLO: It's all - it's just all so confusing for Americans and that's really the saddest part.

KEILAR: It is.

COSTELLO: Brianna Keilar reporting live from the White House this morning.

From a political powerhouse in New Jersey, to a Colorado proposal that would allow 11 counties to leave the state, election day 2013 is shaping up to be an intriguing one.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO (voice-over): In New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie is expected to be re-elected governor by a wide margin. It would be a big win for Republicans in a Democratic state. The big question is, though, how long will Christie stay governor?

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: I can do this job and also deal with my future and that's exactly what I will do.

COSTELLO: Will today really be the start of a Christie campaign for the White House?

KEN CUCCINELLI (R), VIRGINIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: We need you all to finish this out.

COSTELLO: The polls are a lot tighter in the Virginia governor's race.

TERRY MCAULIFFE (D), VIRGINIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Are you ready to go?

COSTELLO: Democrat Terry McAuliffe holds a six-point lead over Republican Ken Cuccinelli.

CUCCINELLI: Tomorrow in Virginia is a referendum on Obamacare.

COSTELLO: Some polls have a wider lead for McAuliffe, the former head of the Democratic National Committee who's called in the big guns recently on the campaign trail.

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm here because this race matters well beyond the state of Virginia.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Had I conducted myself in the manner in which you conducted yours, my job would have been gone.

COSTELLO: The race for New York mayor was, shall we say, one of the most interesting races of the year. But now the polls indicate it may be a landslide for Democrat Bill de Blasio. If that happens, he will be the first Democratic mayor in the big apple since David Dinkins in 1989. His closest challenger? Republican Joe Lhota.

In Colorado, there is one question on the ballot, do you want to stay part of Colorado?

SEAN CONWAY, WELD COUNTY COMMISSIONER: We're tired of being ignored. We're tired of being politically disenfranchised.

COSTELLO: Voters in 11 northern counties being asked if they want to secede from the state. It's nonbinding. And even if it passes, it's doubtful that it will really happen, but approval would send a message of conservative anger to Denver's Democratic establishment. And a year after deciding to legalize recreational use of marijuana, Colorado voters will decide on imposing a 15 percent excise tax on pot sales to help fund school construction and a 10 percent tax for law enforcement.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Joining me now to talk about this is CNN's senior political analyst David Gergen.

Good morning, David.

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hello, Carol.

COSTELLO: Thank you so much for joining me.

First of all, I want to take a closer look at the New York City mayor's race because it's fascinating this year. Recent polls show Democrat Bill de Blasio is poised for a blowout. Some observers say de Blasio's political skills are not the only reason for his success though. They're also crediting what's been called a candidate's modern family. A family on full display in this ad featuring de Blasio's biracial teenage son Dante.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANTE DE BLASIO, BILL DE BLASIO'S SON: I want to tell you a little bit about Bill de Blasio. He's the only Democrat with the guts to really break from the Bloomberg years, the only one who will raise taxes on the rich to fund early childhood and after school programs. He's got the boldest plan to build affordable housing and he's the only one who will end a stop and frisk area that unfairly targets people of color. Bill de Blasio will be a mayor for every New Yorker, no matter where they live or what they look like. And I'd say that even if he weren't my dad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: David, as you well know, that ad has received more than 280,000 views on YouTube. We were trying to think of another political family that looks like de Blasio's and we couldn't come up with one.

GERGEN: I don't think you'll find one easily. Listen, Bill de Blasio, to most people, is not entirely un-American (ph). And now as his son, Dante, pops up and he's an African-American with an afro. How different could you be? And I think that did help to propel him to the front of this race. And it -- New York City is, as you know, Carol, is an extraordinarily diverse city. I think there's something like 140 languages spoken in Queens alone. And so this - there -- people are embracing de Blasio partly because of this kind of ethnic appeal.

But I want to say, there's something else going on here that's also going on in Boston where there's a very close race. I'm in Cambridge here, near Boston, today. And that is, there is an urban populism emerging in both these cities, so that both in de Blasio and possibly in Boston, we're going to have a candidate elected who's going to come in with strong, strong support from the unions and want to go up against the status quo and reject a lot of what the Bloomberg and Giuliani administrations' built in New York City. That is somewhat new to our politics. It's an important driving force. It could change the face of a lot of our cities. So urban populism.

COSTELLO: Well, it's fascinating because over in Colorado there's a ballot initiative that would allow 11 conservative counties to secede from the state because of anger over liberal measures like gun control and gay rights. So how does that fit into all of this?

GERGEN: Well, this is a divide - the urban/rural divide in this country is as old as the republic itself. It even predates a lot of the conservative/liberal kind of arguments we're having today. And in Colorado, what you have is these 11 counties that feel very much disenfranchised by an urban-based population that has the control of the state legislation on issues like guns and renewable energy and that sort of thing and they're rising up. I - I, you know, in the end of the day, I don't think it's going to happen because you have to -- if they want to secede, it's got to go through the legislature and the Congress, U.S. Congress. That ain't going to happen. But it is another straw in the wind about how splintered we are becoming as a people.

COSTELLO: You're not -- it just brings up the whole New Jersey race and Chris Christie.

GERGEN: Yes.

COSTELLO: You know, kind of like distancing himself from Tea Party conservatives and saying, I'm a Republican, but I'm a Republican that can reach across the aisle and really make it work. So in that instance, if he does run for president, conservatives may be left out of things.

GERGEN: Well, this is - it's extreme - but there are two big races today that speak to us about the 2016 presidential race. And New Jersey is certainly the first one. A big win by Chris Christie will make this the first day of his presidential campaign for 2016. And he's clearly running as someone who wants to return to the center right, is rejecting a lot of the kind of social issue conservatism that the party has been displaying, has walked away from the Tea Party and he's going to be a rallying point for the more moderate forces, such as they are, in the Republican party. There are many pros who think that in this party (ph) he would be an underdog to get the nomination, but a big thumping victory in a place like New Jersey will help him.

But, Carol, I might point out, in Virginia, too, there are implications for 2016. And that is if Terry McAuliffe wins this race - and he's been ahead for a long time now -- as a Democrat. It really has shown the power of the Clintons. Hillary and Bill Clinton came in there. They raised a lot of money for him. They put a lot of spark into the campaign. And this is a critical state. If Hillary Clinton were to run for president, it would be a big, big swing state. To have Terry in there as governor while she makes a run would be a big - I think it's an important step for her. It's part of her quiet campaign that seems to be underway and it's working pretty darn well.

COSTELLO: Well, I guess. I think it's pretty loud myself.

GERGEN: Yes. Well, I mean but she hasn't declared, so I mean - so it's got all these you can - she's having it both ways. Well, I'm thinking about running, but I'm not really running. I'm really here for my friend. But, in fact, she's laying the groundwork. You know, it's politics.

COSTELLO: Thanks, David. Appreciate it, as always.

GERGEN: OK, Carol. Take care.

COSTELLO: You, too.

In her own words, which at times are brutal to hear, Michele Knight talks to Dr. Phil about the hell she lived through at the hands of Ariel Castro.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. PHIL MCGRAW, PSYCHOLOGIST: What did he tie you up with?

MICHELE KNIGHT, KIDNAPPING SURVIVOR: One of those orange extension cords. I was tied up like a fish.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Coming up, you'll hear more of her sit-down interview.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: More than a decade of rape and torture, Cleveland kidnapping victim Michelle Knight speaking out in a rare sit-down interview with Dr. Phil. In that interview she sheds new light on the brutal conditions inside the house of Ariel Castro and talks about the terrifying moment when she realized she had become his prisoner.

Here is more from CNN's Martin Savidge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Michele Knight she was lured into Cleveland's so-called house of horrors by Ariel Castro, telling Dr. Phil about the moment she realized she was his prisoner.

DR. PHIL MCGRAW, TV PERSONALITY: Did you fight him at the time?

MICHELE KNIGHT, KIDNAPPING SURVIVOR: At the time, no, because I was shocked.

MCGRAW: Panicked, just froze?

KNIGHT: Yes. And the only thing I can do is cry, begging him let me go back to my son.

MCGRAW: What did you say to him?

KNIGHT: I said please don't do this to me. And he said he can't take me back. And then he threw money at me.

MCGRAW: What was the significance of him throwing money at you?

KNIGHT: He was obsessed with prostitutes and also he thought I was a 13-year-old prostitute. When he found out my real age, he got mad.

SAVIDGE: It is the first time that Knight has spoken in detail about the decade of rape, deprivation and torture she suffered inside Castro's home. What happened in the home was known from police reports but to hear Knight recount it herself is almost unbearable.

MCGRAW: What did he tie you up with?

KNIGHT: One of those orange extension cords. I was tied up like a fish, an ornament on the wall. It's the only way I can describe it. I was hanging like this. My feet. And I was tied by my neck and my arms with the extension cord running like that.

MCGRAW: Oh, my God. So he tied your hands and feet and also around your neck and hung you?

SAVIDGE: Noticeably absent from the interview were Knight's co- captives, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus. Together those two have decided to speak out in the form of a book slated to come out next year. Knight was also the only one to speak at Castro's sentencing in August.

Dr. Phil talked to Anderson Cooper on "AC360".

MCGRAW: She says that she was referred to as the unbreakable one. She fought him every step of the way. She would fight back. She would challenge him. She would argue with him and she would pay the price for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Martin Savidge joins us now. And I'm going to watch the interview. But it's just -- it will be difficult to hear but part of me wants to hear her story.

SAVIDGE: Yes.

COSTELLO: And I admire her for wanting to share her story.

SAVIDGE: I'm with you.

COSTELLO: But I do wonder how Dr. Phil managed to get the interview and -- and how that all came about.

SAVIDGE: Right. Well, I mean we've all been trying, of course, to talk to these young women and made many overtures. The decision was made by the attorney and by, of course, Michele Knight. Dr. Phil was asked whether there was money that was exchange in return for this interview he said absolutely not.

What was done was that there is trust fund that was set up for Michele's behalf. It's anticipated the viewers are going to contribute to that because of what they see on television. And he said that their television organization was the first to commit a donation.

COSTELLO: I guess the part of it that bothers me most is the promotions running around the interview and how Dr. Phil wants to tell viewers how Michele Knight has affected him. And in my mind it should be all about her.

SAVIDGE: Right. I will -- you know I will say this. And I get what you're -- what you're saying, where you're coming from. When you are in the presence of Michele Knight, which I have been a couple of times, she has this remarkable impact because she is so petite. She has been through such hell and yet she can communicate with you intelligently, she speaks -- so you know she's interested in you. It's not a one-way conversation.

You look at this woman and say, my goodness, how can she even breathe considering what she went through. You really are uplifted it's something about her. And I think that's really what she wants to do with the rest of her life, is serve as an inspiration.

COSTELLO: And she wants to help other victims of crime, right?

SAVIDGE: You bet, yes. And I think she could be extremely effective.

COSTELLO: Good for her. Martin Savidge thanks so much. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In honor of Veteran's Day next week, CNN's photojournalist turn their lenses on the brave men and women who have served this country. Men like bronze star recipient Nick Colgin. He was barely able to walk or speak after coming home from the war. But now, now he's reaching new heights.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM O'NEIL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/PARADOX SPORTS: This is legendary historic climbing area. The reason we're all here is because a part of us likes risk. When you go climbing, it takes you out of what would be your conventional element and forces you to come to terms with fear.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kind of like you're being in the military, you always got to be ready.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nick first came into our programming about a year ago.

SPC. NICK COLGIN, U.S. ARMY: You mind if I have this little piece right here?

What Paradox does is it takes us vets and then they pair us with just regular civilian disabled individuals --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I prefer you not delay (inaudible). COLGIN: -- that have been enduring for years what I've just been used for the first two years or three years since I've been back from Afghanistan.

Climbing is just my way of dealing with transition. Dealing with life and death, risk, kind of the closest thing I have to being in the military now.

I was fortunate enough to earn a bronze star for saving the life of a friend soldier, but unfortunately I was injured as well. I suffered a traumatic brain injury. I came home in 2008 and couldn't spell my own name, I couldn't walk without a cane and I could barely speak.

You come home and everybody thanks you for your service, but they really don't understand what you went through. And it's hard to convey that.

And this gets the heart pumping. It's good practice for these vertical walls that come in life. When you're on a rock wall and you come up to a problem and you just don't know if you can get through it, you're sweating and your heart is beating and you just want to give up, but then when you keep trying and you end up getting to the top, it's the best feeling in the world.

This is really getting hard at the top. Feels good. Feels good. It lets you know that you can feel again, you're not numb.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good job.

COLGIN: That there's something inside you that's still alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Make sure to tune in to CNN next Monday Veterans Day 2:30 Eastern for our special "Veterans in Focus: Service, Struggles and Success."

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)