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Donald Trump's Children Involved in the Family Business; 19- year-old Pulled Alive from Debris in China; Rep. Cindy Gamrat Held News Conference. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired August 14, 2015 - 15:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:34:43] KAYE: Well, it seems that everyone in America has an opinion about Donald Trump and that includes "Breaking Bad" star Bryan Cranston. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRYAN CRANSTON, ACTOR, BREAKING BAD: There is something so refreshing about shaking up that world that is all about being handled and here comes this loose cannon who has terrible ideas. And would be a horrible president. But there's something great about his I don't give a (bleep) attitude.

[15:35:14] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

CRANSTON: That really kind of keeps others honest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: I want to bring in CNN political commentator and host of CNN's "SMERCONISH," Michael Smerconish. I saw you chuckling a little bit.

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN HOST, SMERCONISH: Well, I hear that from radio listeners. I mean, that is exactly -- the entertainment value, this is like a summer novel. The entertainment has been almost as good as "Breaking Bad" was. You're waiting on your seat for the next episode to play itself out.

KAYE: So you asked your listeners today on the radio, why is the media affording Trump such privilege? And I guess the question is do you think that Trump, is he getting a free pass?

SMERCONISH: Randi, I absolutely do, but not because of bias. If you were to say, well, he's getting a free ride, you would think, because the media are for him? No. It's because he's a living, breathing sound bite. The free wide that he is getting is that he is not being held feet to the fire in follow-up questions for policy specifics. And the reason he's not is because you can ask him the serious question. But what comes in response two, three or four is the kind of stuff that "Politico" today came out with the list 199 Trumpisms. It's just incredible sound bites and the sound bites come from whatever he's about to rattle off in the follow up. So you're trying to be a good journalist. You ask the appropriate question but then you sit back and let it happen.

KAYE: But what about supporters who have come out and said, I don't care about specifics. I just like this guy.

SMERCONISH: Like Bryan Cranston, right?

KAYE: Sure.

SMERCONISH: But I wonder when push comes to shove, how many of them are truly prepared to vote for him to be president. I mean, it's nice in mid-August of 2015 with so much time left on the clock to have this kind of conversation, you tell the pollster, OK, I'm going to be for him. But when the field (INAUDIBLE), when it narrows and there aren't 16 on the stage and now we're down to two, three or four, and assuming he is one of them, I can't see him winning any of those head to heads.

KAYE: You talked to Chuck Todd about interviewing him?

SMERCONISH: I did. Because he has a sit-down with him this weekend for "Meet the Press".

KAYE: What did he say?

SMERCONISH: We discussed exactly this issue of how do you hold his feet to the fire. He said that he intends to treat him like the Will Ferrell character in the Austin Power movies where he is just going to ask the same question two, three, four times if that is what it takes to get an answer.

KAYE: Will he get an answer, though?

SMERCONISH: I will tell you he'll get in the process. He will great sound bites and ratings. I mean, don't overlook the ratings value for the media in talking about the Donald.

KAYE: Absolutely.

Let me ask you about something Glenn Beck said. He came out and said that he doesn't understand why conservative pundits support Trump. Do conservatives start truly believe in his chances, do you think?

SMERCONISH: No.

KAYE: Can he go all the way?

SMERCONISH: No. I think it's all about the entertainment value. I think there's an underlying question here of whether the conservative commentators, really, are seeking good governance or are they seeking to stir the spot and the disrupted influence?

And so, if you fall into the latter category, if you believe that they really exist to be a disruptive influence and I adhere to that, by the way. I think that's where they are coming from, well then, this guy is from heaven, right? He's exactly what the typical caller to an AM talk radio program wants to hear.

KAYE: Right.

SMERCONISH: So, it's all about business. It's about drawing eyeballs, ears, and clicks on a computer program.

KAYE: So the last debate Trump said I won, he made sure to tell everybody he won. If he's still leading in the next debate, does he do anything differently or what does he have to do?

SMERCONISH: Great question. So, when it's September 16th and it's now CNN and it is the Reagan library, should we expect a different Donald Trump? I don't think so. It's working for him so far so why not just continue down the same path? A different question might be, what about his competitors? Are they going to handle him or manage him any differently? I don't think they have any idea as to what they should do to try and reign him in.

KAYE: I bet Jeb Bush doesn't want to stand next to him again. That's for sure, right?

SMERCONISH: That's probably true.

KAYE: All right, Michael Smerconish, thank you so much. Great to see you. And don't miss "SMERCONISH" tomorrow at 9:00 and 6:00 p.m. eastern time.

Donald Trump didn't need an introduction when he decided to run for president. The name Trump was already a well-recognized American brand. In fact, three of his five children are visibly part of that public persona, but two are still up in commerce. Here's what you need to know about the Trump heirs.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE (voice-over): Five children from three different women, Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany and Barron.

ERIC TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S SON: I think being Trump than having the Trump kinetics. We wanted to be in this family business really since, you know, almost we were born.

KAYE: Eric Trump, the youngest son of Donald and Ivana attended Georgetown. Today, he is executive vice president for his father's company. He is married and owns and operates Trump winery. He's also raised millions for St. Jude's children research hospital through his Eric Trump foundation. At this foundation event, twisted sister rocked out with the Donald and his kids.

Donald Trump Jr., the oldest son, was just 12 when his father and Ivana was divorced. He is fluent in Czech like his mom and spent summers outside prov (ph) with is grandfather, hunting and fishing. He earned a degree in finance and real estate from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School. Donald Jr. is also an executive at the Trump organization.

DONALD TRUMP JR., DONALD TRUMP'S SON: My primary job not to build building with the Trump. My job for this is to be the caretaker of, you know, that annuity of kind of making sure not to kill the golden goose.

KAYE: Donald Jr. met his wife at a fashion show. The couple now have five children.

Perhaps the most well-known with Trump's children with Ivan is daughter Ivanka. She oversees acquisitions for the family business, but also has her own jewelry and accessory lines. Ivanka who in 1997 graced the cover of "Seventeen" magazine also graduated from the Wharton school. She later created this online venture for working women.

IVANKA TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S DAUGHTER: It is a Web site that has, I think, really compelling and inspiring to narrative to encourage these women to pursue their dreams.

KAYE: Ivanka married into another real estate family. The couple has two children. While all of them were successful on their own right, Trump's hit show "the Apprentice" really propelled his three oldest children into stardom.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Don and Eric will be my advisers. Ivanka, how will they be judged?

I. TRUMP: I will be judging this --

KAYE: With his second wife, Marla Maples, Trump saw the birth of his daughter Tiffany in 1993. Tiffany talked to Oprah in 2013.

TIFFANY TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S DAUGHTER: My relationships with my brothers and my sister are getting stronger with my father, of course.

KAYE: Unlike her siblings, Tiffany is pursuing a career in fashion and music. Big sister Ivanka reportedly helped her get an internship at "Vogue." IN 2011, she had her first single "like a bird."

The baby of the family is 9-year-old Barron, born to Trump's third wife Melania. When he was just five, his mother told Joy Behar, Barron spoke both English and Slovenia.

MELANIA TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S WIFE: And he talks with my parents Slovenian and he's a very mature 5-year-old. He's bossing everybody around.

JOY BEHAR, TALK SHOW HOST: Really?

M. TRUMP: He has fired nannies. He fired housekeepers.

BEHAR: He's taking after the Donald.

M. TRUMP: He does. And it's very cute, you know.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Straight ahead, an historic moment as the American flag is raised in Cuba for the first time in more than five decades. What this means for tourists, next. Plus, a Michigan lawmaker is apologizing after an alleged affair with

a fellow lawmaker. But the really bizarre part, one of those lawmakers made up a fake scandal about a prostitute to cover it up. That is straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:47:34] KAYE: A miraculous rescue among the rebel in China. A 19- year-old pulled from the debris alive. Incredibly, there are still survivors nearly two days after the tremendous chemical plant explosion. This is new video of the blast. Rescue crews are still searching for the many still missing. Dozens are dead, hundreds more injured.

CNN's Will Ripley reports from the front lines of that blast.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right now there are thousands of people who are homeless as a result of the explosions that have rocked this city but there's also a tremendous amount of help that's coming in. These are volunteers lined up to work the overnight shift at a shelter, one of 12 emergency shelters set up throughout the city for the thousands of people who are going into the weekend without any possessions, for the most part. They are needing everything from food and water and medical treatment to blankets and beds for them and their children to sleep on.

When you look at the video of the explosion and you see how powerful that series of blasts truly were, it's incredible how many people were able to get out of it alive even those who are in close proximity.

But perhaps, the most incredible story is a 19-year-old firefighter who was rescued earlier in the day after surviving for 31 hours in the blast zone. Listen to what one of the firefighters said thinks helped pull him through it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I think it's a strong will which helped him to hold on. When talking with him, I could feel his strong inner power and we also kept tapping him up urging him to hold on and telling him the ambulance is arriving.

RIPLEY: As he makes his recovery along with more than 700 others who were in the hospital, 33 in extremely critical condition, the search continues for many of the firefighters who are still missing and there are many who are missing.

Twenty one firefighters confirmed dead so far amongst the 56 fatalities so far confirmed in this blast. There's a team of chemical and biological experts on the ground here. They are trying to figure out exactly what chemicals were in that factory and if there is any more danger to the public. You have a thousand firefighters who are putting sand and foam on the hot spots. But if it rains here, many of the people sleeping in these emergency shelters are fearful. They are fearful that there will be another chemical reaction and perhaps -- that perhaps could contaminate the environment once again. In fact, one mother tells us she's trying to get her daughter to a safer location.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I asked my in-laws to take my daughter home. I don't want them to stay here. I'm worried. I heard it is going to rain later and that would make the air toxic.

[15:50:05] RIPLEY: The owners of the industrial factory where all of these chemicals were being stored, they are being questioned and could potentially face charges if it turns out that there was criminal wrong doing. That's the word from the Chinese government. They want to know why firefighters in the initial response were not aware. They did not have the list of chemicals that were being housed when that fire first ignited. Some of those chemicals could have had an explosive reaction if water was used in the firefighting efforts. So that is key part of this investigation into this, this tragic event. But the urgent needs right now, making sure that all the people who are homeless are cared for, searching for the missing, and also making sure that the environmental impact is mitigated. They are testing the air. They are testing ground water and the seawater, wanting to make sure that all the people who remain here are safe.

Will Ripley, CNN, Tianjin, China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Will Ripley, thank you very much.

Coming next, a political sex scandal like no other. A lawmaker accused of trying to cover up his secret affair by devising a smear campaign targeting himself. Well, the plan back fired and now his alleged mistress, a fellow congresswoman is speaking out for the first time. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:50:40] KAYE: After the 1992 L.A. riots, a Hollywood editor wanted to make a difference for young minorities in his community so he started an organization to help them break into the movie business. Meet CNN hero, Fred Heimlich.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRED HEIMLICH, CNN HERO: In the film industry, there are very few people of color. I think people are shut out.

As an editor for over 40 year, picks up the pace and makes it more exciting.

I thought I'm going to help the people who need the help the most.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Growing up, I love film and television, but my childhood was mostly taking care of my dad. He was pretty ill. I really didn't have like the opportunities to pursue my dreams.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You always say yes, yes to everything.

HEIMLICH: We bring industry professionals to teach low-income minority youth, and how to make films. The training we provide is hands on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to shoot everything you can from that angle.

HEIMLICH: Screen writing, directing, camera, editing, producing, casting. It's necessary that they learn all these skills.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are trying to make emotionally impacting films here.

HEIMLICH: Students who graduate find jobs through contacts with studio personnel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't even imagine the world without the program. Words can't say much about how much appreciation I have for Fred. When my dad passed away, like, he has given me good advice.

HEIMLICH: We're looking for a more diverse future for our students in Hollywood, and they're achieving that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: To nominate a hero in your community, just go to CNNheroes.com.

Tears and a public apologize from a Michigan state lawmaker.

First, some background. Two state lawmakers in Michigan allegedly having an affair, each married to others. Nothing really out of the ordinary here, but then the male lawmaker accused of trying to conceal their cheating by distributing a bogus email reporting he had sex with a male prostitute. Rep. Todd Courser reportedly held, the truth that he was having an extra marital affair with a woman wouldn't seem so bad. A short time ago, the other person in this reported twist, Rep. Cindy Gamrat the news conference and she is not resigning and so far her husband is at her side. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. CINDY GAMRAT (R), MICHIGAN STATE LEGISLATURE: I hold our state legislature in the highest regard, and it's a tremendous privilege and honor to serve my district. Sorry.

I want to apologize for the negative attention this has brought. For that, I am truly sorry. Months before this broke, my family and I had already been working through this together privately. My husband and I had been receiving counsel from family, close friends and marriage counselors.

I know that I made some poor decisions in (INAUDIBLE) to my personal life that do not line up with who I am or what I believe, and I know that over the weeks and months to come I will have some hard decisions to make.

One of the things you learn in a moment like this when you reflect on past mistakes, when you reconstitute yourself in your faith and your family, is that you can accept being held responsible and accountable for your actions. And I am sincerely sorry that I disappointed so many by my actions.

And on a personal note, I just want to thank my family, and my husband is here, Joe, and I have three children, sorry, and they are amazing and everybody who knows know that. They are great. So they don't deserve what has come upon them. I take full responsibility.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: And Gamrat also denies participating in the entire email scheme.

"THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper live in Cuba starts right now. Thanks for watching everyone.