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GOP Debate; Mystery of Flight 370; "The Hunt" for Fugitive Spiritual Leader; Celebrating the Many Faces of Jon Stewart. Aired 10:30-11a ET
Aired August 07, 2015 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:29:32] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.
Donald Trump was the star of the first primetime Republican debate. No doubt about that. But there was another name mentioned a lot and she wasn't even on that primetime stage. That would be Hillary Clinton.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If I am our nominee, how is Hillary Clinton going to lecture me about living paycheck to paycheck?
GOV. SCOTT WALKER (R-WI), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Unlike Hillary Clinton who has a radical position in terms of support for Planned Parenthood.
BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If Hillary is the candidate, which I doubt, that would be a dream come true.
CARLY FIORINA (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I didn't get a phone call from Bill Clinton. Maybe it is because I hadn't given money to the foundation or donated to his wife's senate campaign.
JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're not going to win by doing what Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton do each and every day -- dividing the country.
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A person who has been filled with scandals and could not lead. And of course, I'm talking about Hillary Clinton.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: With Hillary Clinton, I said be at my wedding and she came to my wedding. You know why? She had no choice. I didn't know her money would be used on private jets going all over the world. It was.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So let's talk about that.
Chris Kofinis is here. He's a the Democratic strategist and former communications director for John Edwards. Good morning and thank you so much for being with me.
CHRIS KOFINIS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Good morning.
COSTELLO: Good morning.
So Carly Fiorina had perhaps the most biting critique of Hillary Clinton. She called her a liar and that certainly resonated. Fiorina, by the way, is trending big on Twitter. As a Democrat what do you make of that?
KOFINIS: Well, she clearly did well and I think part of that had to do in an ironic twist, because she wasn't in the primetime debate. She actually I think was able to get more attention and more time and she was able to -- and she took it seriously. And she stood out. I guess credit to her campaign.
Now, whether that -- you know, what that bodes for her actual candidacy I think is still too early to tell. But she is clearly making a race here to try to position herself to potentially be I say more of a VP but if she keeps putting debates like this on the table, then she could be doing really well a few months down the road.
COSTELLO: She seems to be the best, most effective critic against Hillary Clinton. Why do you think that is?
KOFINIS: Well, you know, watching the Fox News debate, you had ten gentlemen up there and when they were talking about issues, in particular about women's issues. And I remember the exchange between Donald Trump and Megyn. It was just so insensitive and it came across so misogynistic that I think it's a terrible image for the Republican Party. I think Miss Fiorina, I think has, obviously being a woman, has a better understanding of how to talk about these issues.
Now, she was biting. I think her criticisms were completely unfair and outrageous, but her style and approach makes it come across softer. And that does have an impact on voters.
COSTELLO: Interesting. So Hillary Clinton, herself, was tweeting during the debate, apparently she was watching. And I want to put up some examples of Hillary Clinton's tweets. One of them said "Watch the GOP debate. Bet you feel like donating to a Democrat right now."
And there was this one, too. "If GOP attacks on Planned Parenthood feel like an assault on women's health it is because they are."
Oh, by the way, Kim Kardashian posted this tweet. I just thought this would be fun to show. She attended a Clinton fundraiser last night with her husband Kanye. So there you have it. A tweet with Kim Kardashian.
But my question is does it help or hurt Clinton that everybody on that stage mentioned her name and none of the other Democratic contenders? KOFINIS: Well, I think in a weird way, it helps because
obviously it makes the focus about Secretary Clinton. The reality is, the Republicans are not going to switch over and focus on any other candidate unless the dynamics of the race change. And that doesn't seem to be happening.
So you're going to have basically I think almost kind of this strange firing squad where they're going to be, you know, shooting at hitting Secretary Clinton. And at the same time ironically, you know, Donald Trump. The two names I think you heard either directly or indirectly more in those two debates were Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Kind of ironic twist.
COSTELLO: Yes. OK. So let's just -- I don't know -- concentrate for just a second on because there will be Democratic debates believe it or not, really there will.
KOFINIS: Eventually.
COSTELLO: But they won't occur -- eventually -- but they won't occur until October. And that made Martin O'Malley, you know, the former Maryland governor really angry. He says why wait until October. Why are there only six Democratic debates? Why can't we be on that stage now?
KOFINIS: You know. I'll tell you I don't have a good answer to this one. Personally I think there should be debates and there should be debates early. This is, I mean I think Secretary Clinton is an incredibly, you know, accomplished candidate. She's going to be in my opinion the nominee.
But, you know, the mechanics and the process by which you go about nominating do matter. For whatever reason, I think the party has chosen to push debates until October. It makes no sense.
You are much better off having debates early to allow the candidates, if you will, all of them, to have opportunities to speak to voters because let me tell you something. Because I have been in situation where I have been advising candidates during debates. If you have one mistake and regardless of who you are and it is too late in the process, it can be incredibly damaging. So I think some people in the party may think they're helping. They're actually hurting.
COSTELLO: Interesting. Chris Kofinis -- always great to have you. Thanks so much.
KOFINIS: Thank you.
[10:35:01] COSTELLO: A reminder: The Republican presidential contenders will debate right here on CNN next month on Wednesday, September 16th to be exact. The Democrats, as I said, will also hold their first debate right here on CNN. You can catch that on Tuesday, October 13th.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, searchers claim they found more debris related to Flight 370. So why are only two parts being looked at?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:39:47] COSTELLO: Despite stepping up search efforts, French officials say only two objects believed to be from a missing Malaysia airline flight are being investigated inside a French lab. A source telling CNN, Paris officials have not received any other relevant objects related to MH-370 besides that wing part and that suitcase. This after Malaysian investigators stuck to their guns this morning this morning insisting they have found more debris including a seat cushion.
On top of that confusion depending on who you ask, this flaperon is without a doubt part of the missing flight that took off more than 17 months or maybe not. Malaysia says it is a piece of the plane. The French say hold on, we're conducting more tests.
Saima Mohsin is in Toulouse, France with more on this. Hi -- Saima.
SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi -- Carol. Yes, you've just hit the nail on the head. There two very different ways of dealing with releasing information here. The Malaysians very keen from the start really, Carol. I was there when the plane first went missing. They would release every bit of information they had as and when they got it because they believe that that proved their transparency and willingness to share with the families and, of course, the media.
On the other hand, the French are doing this strictly with their procedures in mind. They are dotting the i's and crossing the t's. They will not release all the information until they're satisfied that everything has been done, all the tests need to be carried out before they release information.
So very disparate (INAUDIBLE) here and very disparate information coming to us. What I think has happened is that the Malaysian experts, there were experts and local people searching on Reunion Island right now. The Malaysian experts have found this debris.
Let's remind everyone it is what they said -- the Malaysian transportation ministry told CNN he believed it to be window panes, aluminum material and even seat cushions. So all interior material from an aircraft. He confirmed he believes it from an aircraft, but not crucially MH-370.
Now, they handed it in to the police on Reunion Island. The police on Reunion Island are collecting it, but they're not sending it straight to this lab. They are waiting for confirmation. They're going to go through it and what they told us -- a source close to the investigation and in a press conference earlier today they said look, we're going to go through this. And until Paris says yes, send it to us, we are not sending it.
So right now, we believe that debris is still on the island. And of course, it is local people searching, it's experts searching -- Malaysian experts we know. But also, Carol, the search has now been stepped up. 30 by 50 nautical miles -- that's quite an expanse of sea, of ocean area to the east of Reunion. They've employed a Cassa (ph) aircraft, a number of helicopters and they are pointing out that all they are doing now is they're going out to sea and they're looking around. There are 13 people on board the Cassa aircraft alone. Searching for debris that might be floating. They don't have underwater expertise. But they're doing their best to find more debris that may be relevant to this investigation to be brought to this lab in the south of France -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right. Saima Mohsin reporting live from Toulouse, France. Thanks so much.
Checking some other top stories for you at 42 minutes past. Good news for the economy. The July jobs report shows 215,000 jobs were added last month. The unemployment rate holding steady at 5.3 percent. That's a seven-year low.
New York City's health department is ordering the testing of all buildings with water cooling towers. This comes as two more people die from Legionnaires' disease. The airborne bacteria now has killed 10 people, at least 100 have been infected.
Still to come on the NEWSROOM, the hunt for a religious guru suspected of molesting children. What is being done to track him down -- next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:48:02] COSTELLO: This week on "THE HUNT", the leader of the religious sect uses his power to commit acts of evil. This Texas swami has been on the run for more than four years. In 2011 the spiritual leader failed to appear in court after he was convicted of 20 counts of child molestation.
I want you to be advised. The following clip contains disturbing content.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was very affectionate with everybody. And then the kids he was really like cuddly. He'll give you hugs and kisses that just felt like a grandpa. But then sometimes his kisses got weird.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was about 12 years old.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was between 12 and 14 years old.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was 11 years old when the abuse started happening.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The first time that he put his hand on my shirt, I remember I felt like it was exactly what I thought it was. I thought it was inappropriate touch. And it was pretty devastating to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: With me now to talk about this case and the upcoming episode of "THE HUNT" is forensic scientist and CNN contributor Dr. Lawrence Kobilinsky. Welcome.
DR. LAWRENCE KOBILINSKY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning.
COSTELLO: First of all -- good morning -- a Texas swami? How are these girls involved? First of all explain to us what a swami is? Was it like a cult or something?
[10:49:56] KOBILINSKY: Absolutely. It was a fellow who came to Austin, Texas and built an asram (ph) which is a place to live and pray. Collected about 100 people who were his devotees. He was the center of their universe. They wanted to understand the mysteries of Hinduism and they sat at his feet.
He was like their god. Their saint. Anything he wanted, they got. They gave up all their worldly possessions. This is what they did. This is what made them happy.
COSTELLO: There was an investigation and this swami was arrested and then what happened?
KOBILINSKY: Well, he was charged with 20 counts and he was actually convicted. But I don't understand why, but law enforcement lost sight of him. After he was convicted, he returned to the asram and disappeared. Nobody really knows. They don't have a really good track of what happened to him. Although, law enforcement believes that he crossed the border into Mexico.
COSTELLO: Because some people think he's in India, right?
KOBILINSKY: That's correct. They think some place in Mexico. He hopped a flight to India and he is in a town, they think, Masouri (ph). They will need the Indian police to locate him. That way the marshals can go after him and track him down and bring him back to justice.
COSTELLO: Well, I hope we can help. Dr. Lawrence Kobilinsky -- thank you so much for being with me this morning. You can catch an all new "THE HUNT" this Sunday 9:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN.
I'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:56:00] COSTELLO: Checking some top stories for you. A scary sight at the international airport this morning. A Sky West plane operated by Delta catching fire right on the tarmac. An airport spokesperson telling CNN the fire extinguished itself as soon as the engine was cut off. Passengers were escorted off the plane, the FAA is investigating.
The Coast Guard calling it the largest drug bust of its kind after seizing more than $180 million worth of cocaine off a submarine. The 40-foot long homemade vessel was found south of Mexico. The drugs on board weighing a whopping 16,000 pounds. The Coast Guard was able to remove more than half the drugs before the sub took on water and sank.
North Korea working overtime to distance itself from Japan. It's actually creating its own time zone. The country's clocks will be set back by half an hour to the time zone it used before it was colonized by Japan. The change will take place August 15, the 70th anniversary of North Korea's liberation. North Korea, by the way, already has its own calendar counting up from the birth of the founding leader.
Last night marked Jon Stewart's final time hosting "The Daily Show".
(MUSIC)
COSTELLO: Awesome -- right. Bruce Springsteen and the East Street band providing the music while countless politicians and celebrities and made cameo appearances.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have nothing else to do tonight. The nightly show got bumped.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you want to leave the show, man?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're like the brother I never had.
I'm Nate Cordery. I'm your brother.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Could you give me like 20 more minutes?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course, I did. It's your 70th birthday -- Huh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, Jon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And now Jeanne Moos says "so long" to the many faces of Jon Stewart.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Who needs actual language when a comedian has so much body language?
These are the faces of Jon Stewart that many of us will miss.
JON STEWART, COMEDY CENTRAL: Oh, yes.
MOOS: From stroking his chin to -- placing a finger to his lips, a la Dr. Evil. And of course --
STEWART: Shut up. MOOS: Exploding in false outrage for instance over how Donald
Trump eats pizza.
STEWART: Are you eating it with a fork? A (EXPLETIVE DELETED) fork?
MOOS: But the face we'll really miss is the signature stare.
The stare that was there coming out of the video.
Sometimes startled stare that preceded the joke or replaced it.
CHUCK TODD, NBC NEWS: I wonder if suburban women were turned off --
MOOS: OK. Not everyone is smitten by Stewart's signature stare. Tweeted one critic, "Jon Stewart, mugger of faces, was never funny. #boring."
STEVEN CROWDER, FILMMAKER: Plus, he makes funny face so we know when to laugh. Ha-ha-ha.
MOOS: Stewart himself said the other day that the staff had a running joke he could do the show without saying anything.
STEWART: That I could just make stupid faces and grunt.
MOOS: That's what he did for more than 3:30 minutes.
Stewart came face to face with his own face when actress Melissa McCarthy showed up in a kimono. Plastered with Stewart's mug.
STEWART: I am all over you like a cheap suit.
MOOS: Jon Stewart and his mannerisms are going out with a bang. Make that a --
STEWART: Boom. Boom. Boom.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos --
STEWART: Boom.
MOOS: -- CNN --
STEWART: Boom. Boom.
MOOS: -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Boom.
Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello.
"AT THIS HOUR" with Berman and Bolduan starts now. JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: Donald Trump at DefCon 1. The debate is
not over until he says it is. And this morning, he is lashing out the debate moderators who --
[10:29:32] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so mu>
