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Who Scored Points in Style, Performance in Debate; Fiery Back and Forth at Debate over Gun Control; Lamar Odom Found Unresponsive in Brothel. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired October 14, 2015 - 14:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:33:52] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: "Poise, passionate, polished," just some of the words to describe Hillary Clinton's performance in last night's CNN debate. What about the four men who were hoping to steal some of the spotlight from the Democratic front- runner? How did they do?

Emory University debate director, Ed Lee, joins me now live from Atlanta.

Ed Lee, you have to enjoy these debates so much. And I know we've talked to you about pick something of your favorite moments, favorite for good reasons and maybe not so great reasons.

Let's just go there, beginning with Lincoln Chafee and his response. This is when Anderson was talking about his vote to deregulate banking.

Roll it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, DEBATE MODERATOR: Governor Chafee, you've attacked Secretary Clinton for being too close to Wall Street banks. In 1999, you voted for the very bill that made banks bigger.

LINCOLN CHAFEE, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Glass Steagall was my very first vote. I had just arrived. My dad had died in office. I was appointed to the office. It was my very first vote --

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: Are you saying you didn't know what you were voting for?

CHAFEE: I just arrived in the Senate. I think we get some takeovers. That was one of my very first votes. It was 92-5. It was --

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: With all due respect, sir, what does that say about you, that you're casting a vote about something you're not too sure about.

CHAFEE: I think you're being a little rough. I had just arrived at the United States Senate. I had been mayor of my city. My dad had died. I had been appointed to the governor. It was the first vote and it was 90-5.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:35:12] BALDWIN: So my heart goes out to him, Ed, but was that one of the worst debate responses you've ever heard?

ED LEE, DEBATE DIRECTOR, EMORY UNIVERSITY: Yes, absolutely. There is this huge conversation that was going on about trustworthiness and whether or not politicians have integrity. And one must wonder whether this was such a thing as being too honest as a politician. And I think that we definitively have come to the conclusion of yes. Lincoln Chafee was far too honest about what led him to make that particular vote. You have to be able to improvise. You have to be able to explain away poor votes and explain away poor decisions. Hillary Clinton did a fantastic job all night doing that, and I thought that maybe Lincoln Chafee could have learned a little bit before he got to that answer.

BALDWIN: From Lincoln Chafee, let me ask you about Jim Webb. We'll call him the time guy. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: First ever all --

JIM WEBB, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER SENATOR: Can we just have a discussion at some point? Trying to get into this conversation for about 10 minutes. I've been waiting for ten minutes. Unless somebody mentioned my name, I can't get into the discussion. There hasn't been equal time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: I understand the man knows the rules. He wants more time. He's frustrated. But should he have pointed that out, like, 17 times last night?

LEE: The most amazing part about this is it was 10 minutes every time.

BALDWIN: Right.

LEE: No. You have to be able to figure out how to insert yourself into the conversation without being the bully. It felt like Jim Webb was simultaneously being picked on and at the same time bullying the moderator and explaining why it was Anderson Cooper's fault that he couldn't control the room and couldn't express himself, when in fact it's the debater's responsibility. It is his responsibility to figure out the appropriate time to insert himself in the conversation. And he failed miserably.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: I kept thinking about the "Saturday Night Live" sketch writing itself before our very eyes on that one.

Highlights, Ed. How about that big gift, a standing ovation moment in the hall last night, the enough about the damn e-mails, the hand shake with Hillary Clinton?

LEE: It was fantastic for both of them, but I think it was clearly a tremendous win for Hillary Clinton, that she humanized herself. It showed a tremendous amount of humility. And it was great for the party also. It indicated that the two top candidates at this point had a place in which they can come together in the name of debate, deliberation, and giving the public what they want, issues and policy- based discussions.

BALDWIN: But was it good for Bernie Sanders?

LEE: Yes. I think it was because he had the notion of being sort of cantankerous, someone who is hyper aggressive and mean. And it showed that he was willing to not for the sake of winning political points but for the sake of doing what is in the best interest of the public to try to move the conversation forward. So I thought it was great for him as well.

BALDWIN: Final question, staying on Senator Sanders, how do you think he did with the question, how do you explain to the American people why they should elect a self-proclaimed Socialist?

LEE: I think I may have found this a little more attractive than some being a debate coach. But being able to control the narrative of your audience in defining the terms of engage am, he defined the notion of socialism in a way that most Democrats would agree with. Let's give health care. Let's reduce poverty in the country. Let's have more economic equality. And understanding socialism or Democratic socialism in that way, it sounds far more palatable than the way most Americans would understand it. So I think he did a fantastic job as a debater controlling the terms of engagement.

BALDWIN: Ed Lee, from Emory University, our favorite go-to debate coach. We'll see you next go-around, Ed. Thank you for being here.

LEE: Thank you for having me.

BALDWIN: You've got it.

Coming up next, some pundits are saying, seven years ago, Democrats wouldn't dare challenge the National Rifle Association during a debate. And, well, by watching last night, that may be changing. We'll speak live with the parents who lost their daughter who were mentioned by name during a fiery debate over gun control.

Plus, Ivanka Trump breaking her silence, weighing in on her father's controversial presidential campaign. Hear why she says it's complicated about whether she can say she's happy her dad is running. Brand-new interview with CNN. Don't miss it, ahead.

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[14:43:50] BALDWIN: Bernie Sanders is about as liberal as they come on most issues, except guns. Last night, he explained at the debate why he voted to protect gun shops from lawsuits related to mass shootings.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I), VERMONT & DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Do I think that a gun shop in the state of Vermont that sells legally a gun to somebody and that somebody goes out and does something crazy that that gun shop owner should be held responsible? I don't. On the other hand, where you have manufacturers and where you have gun shops knowingly giving guns to the criminals or aiding and abetting that, of course, we should take action.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So that was Senator Sanders last night.

But then you also had former Senator Martin O'Malley specifying names in that audience responding with a very specific example of who this law hurts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTIN O'MALLEY, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER GOVERNOR OF MARYLAND: Here tonight in our audience are two people that make this issue very, very real. Sandy and Lonnie Phillips are here from Colorado. Their daughter, Jessie, was one of those who lost their lives in that awful mass shooting in Aurora. Now, to try to transform their grief, they went to court where sometimes progress does happen when you u file in court, but in this case you want to talk about a rigged game, Senator? The game was rigged. A man had sold 4,000 rounds of military ammunition to this person that killed their daughter, riddled her body with five bullets, and he didn't even ask where it was going. Not only did their case get thrown out of court, they were slapped with $200,000 in court fees because of the way that the NRA gets its way in our Congress, and we take a back seat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:45:35] BALDWIN: He just mentioned their names, and here they are joining me from Las Vegas, Sandy and Lonnie Phillips. Following their daughter Jessica's death in Aurora, they have made it their life's mission to travel the country and make progress on gun violence prevention.

Thank you both for joining me. Welcome.

SANDY PHILLIPS, DAUGHTER KILLED IN GUN VIOLENCE: Thank you.

LONNIE PHILLIPS, DAUGHTER KILLED IN GUN VIOLENCE: Thank you for having us. BALDWIN: Before we get to your case and what Governor O'Malley

specifically said, I want to hear from you two. Why did you want to be there in that debate hall last night?

SANDY PHILLIPS: Well, we've been pushing for this topic to be part of the debate since 2012, and nobody would discuss it. So when we saw that Governor O'Malley was pushing for good commonsense gun laws and that Hillary was getting on board, we really wanted to be here and support that. And when Governor O'Malley called and said, I really would like you to be my guests, it was like, we'll be there. We're there.

BALDWIN: I think, sadly, everyone is aware of what happened in Aurora, but I think not as many people are aware of what happened to you all with regard to this case. You sued one of the Aurora shooter ammo dealers but not only did you lose the case and lose your daughter, but you owe $200,000 in legal fees.

LONNIE PHILLIPS: We were hit by two laws, the federal FICA law, which was enacted in 2005, which forbids the suing of ammunition and gun manufacturers and retailers. If you sue them, then it's going to be thrown out because of that law. And then Colorado has a law that says if you have a dismissed case under that law, that you have to pay the opposing attorney's fees. That, of course, was meant to keep anybody from suing and pricing lawsuits out of the market. We're not rich people so what it does is take away our civil rights by not allowing us to sue because we don't have the money to sue. So that law is, in our opinion, and if it ever makes it to the Supreme Court, which we hope it will and soon, will be declared unconstitutional.

BALDWIN: And that's what a lot of that exchange was over last night. I just wanted to make it crystal clear to people who are watching. And sitting in that debate hall in Las Vegas watching those five candidates on stage, I know you were invited by Governor O'Malley, but who in your opinion is strongest on gun reform?

SANDY PHILLIPS: Well, out of the group, Governor O'Malley is. And I think he's been successful in pushing the other two to at least discuss the issue. That's what we're thrilled about because it's never been discussed before on a national stage. So, you know, the Republicans have the NRA agenda as part of their platform so this is really great to be able to say the Democrats are on the side of gun violence prevention in this country. And that's important for the American people to hear. It's not about taking guns. It's not about banning guns. It's about having safety measures in place so the wrong people can't get their hands on guns to begin with and we'll start seeing a reduction in gun deaths.

PHILLIPS: But we just had a win, a big win, in a badger case in Milwaukee where -- proves that if our law had not been -- if our case had not been dismissed, that we could have won, just like the badger case was successful. So we need to get rid of these laws that keep people from suing gun manufacturers, gun dealers, ammunition sellers.

SANDY PHILLIPS: I think if most Americans realized that for someone to be able to buy 4,000 rounds of armor piercing bullets by a click of a mouse that doesn't even require a license, doesn't even require any I.D., that's not good for any of us.

BALDWIN: Sandy and Lonnie Phillips, great to see you all last month in Washington. Thank you so much for taking the time today. I truly appreciate it.

SANDY PHILLIPS: Thank you, Brooke.

LONNIE PHILLIPS: Thank you.

[14:50:01] BALDWIN: Thank you.

We have some breaking news out of Las Vegas. Not at all related to politics. It's about this guy, former NBA player and Kardashian star, Lamar Odom found unresponsive at a brothel. We are getting new details about his condition and what happened moments before he was found.

Plus, the interview we have been waiting months for. Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump's daughter, sits down with my colleague, Poppy Harlow, today to discuss her dad's campaign. We hear from Ivanka herself. Stay with us.

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[14:55:12]BALDWIN: By the year 2100, there could be more than 10 billion people living on the planet, and more people means a bigger strain on resources like food. But tech entrepreneur, Elon Musk, is not worried. He thinks pond scum could be part of the answer.

Rachel Crane shows us how.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELON MUSK, CEO, TESLA & SPACEX: When you have an inverted Democratic permit, the social safety net will not hold. If the full gravity of this is not well understood but will become a severe, severe issue in the next few decades.

RACHEL CRANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Which is why the need for alternative food sources has never been greater. A possible solution? Edible algae oil.

PETER LICARI, CTO, SOLAZYME: When the population continues to grow, we're going to need new sources of protein and we can start from a single cell and generate hundreds of these vials so we have an endless supply of oil from a single cell.

CRANE (voice-over): So you don't have to worry about the quantity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right. So we have a bunch of different products which is made from microalgae. Some is just dried algae. It's a beautiful yellow color.

CRANE: It's not green.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not green. CRANE: When I think of algae I think green.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's yellow because it contains lutein. We're trying to replace food and empty calories with great nutrition.

CRANE (voice-over): In order to reach those who need great nutrition, Solazyme will have to jump to hurdles, one, settle up the algae fermentation tanks in remote areas of the world and, two, get people to find algae oil appetizing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Innovation in food is very, very rare. With these ingredients we can up the nutrition value. If you're looking at billions more people, you need a step change or breakthrough ingredient. This is the world's oldest source of nutrition, being repurposed today to solve today's problems.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Former NBA star, Lamar Odom, now at a Nevada hospital. The former L.A. Lakers and sixth man of the year was found unresponsive inside of a well-known legal brothel in Nevada. The owner of the Love Ranch said staff members dialed 911 after finding the 35-year-old laid out in his private suite.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DENNIS HOF, OWNER, LOVE RANCH: We came in, called 911. 911 said put him on his left side. And they did, started throwing up. He was still alive. Ambulance came. Police came. Took him to the Pahrump, Nevada, hospital. They immediately said this is not looking good, and we need to get him air-lighted into Las Vegas to Sunrise Hospital.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Former L.A. Lakers teammate, Kobe Bryant, reportedly rushed to that hospital. The team was in Vegas last night on exhibition. Fans and other NBA players have been flooding social media with worry. Odom's ex wife, reality TV star, Khloe Kardashian, is at his side.

Our national correspondent, Kyung Lah, is following this for us.

Kyung, what are you hearing as far as how he's doing?

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What his condition is we're not exactly getting a specific word from the hospital where he's being treated. He's still in the hospital. But we are getting some details from the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who visited him today. Brooke, according to what Reverend Jackson saw, he isn't able to communicate yet. He isn't able to speak. He is breathing with the assistance of machines. He has a tube in his throat. And as far as how he's doing versus yesterday, Jesse Jackson said, compared to how he was yesterday, he's a bit more responsive. That's what he's hearing from the doctors. So there is a bit of better news -- Brooke?

BALDWIN: Do we know why he went to this brothel ranch? LAH: From what we hear, Brooke, everything we're getting is from the

owner of the brothel. And what he says is that he was reached by Odom on Saturday and that Odom said he just wanted to get away and that his health was quite good. He had been there for several days, and it wasn't until yesterday about 6:00 a.m., according to the brothel owner, that he fell asleep, the people who were with him, the employees in the brothel who were with him, left. They returned hours later, some nine hours later, that's when they found him unresponsive and that's when 911 was called.

[14:59:37] BALDWIN: Kyung Lah, thank you so much in Los Angeles.

Top of the hour. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

I want to begin with the most-watched Democratic debate ever. We now have the numbers. More than 15 million people tuned in to CNN as these five presidential candidates duked it out there on the stage at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas.

And as often happens in Las Vegas, the one with the shortest odds comes out on top. And many observers, including Donald Trump, are declaring front runner, Hillary Clinton, the winner.