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GOP Candidates Discuss Faith in Public Life; Bush-Trump Feud Escalates; More Attacks in Jerusalem; Bernie Sanders Saturating Iowa; Hillary Clinton To Testify Thursday To House Select Committee About Benghazi; Student Senate At University Of Mississippi To Vote On Whether To Remove State Flag From Campus; Tracy Morgan's Official Return To Comedy With SNL Hosting Gig. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired October 18, 2015 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:03] TRACY MORGAN, COMEDIAN: As my friend Thomas Bartlett once said --

UNIDENTIFED MALE: Boring!

UNIDENTIFED MALE: Good god, Tracy.

MORGAN: I'm back and better than ever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, welcome back, Tracy Morgan.

All right. The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM begins right now.

Happening now in the NEWSROOM --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Across the spectrum of foreign policy, Mr. Trump talks about things that as though he's still on "The Apprentice."

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not blaming George Bush, but I don't want Jeb Bush to say "my brother kept us safe." Because September 11th was one of the worst days in the history of this country.

BUSH: Does anybody actually blame my brother for the attacks on 9/1. If they do, they're totally marginalized in our society.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): The political punches keep coming. Jeb Bush firing back at Donald Trump today in an exclusive interview on "STATE OF THE UNION."

BUSH: I don't think Trump's going to win the nomination.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: NEWSROOM starts now.

All right. Hello again and thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

An increasingly feisty Republican presidential race. Today no fewer than six GOP candidates are attending the Faith and Freedom Forum at a Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. A chance for each of them to talk about the role Christian beliefs play in their public lives.

Front-runner Donald Trump however is not there. Our Athena Jones is at the event. So Athena, how important is an event like this for these candidates, many of whom are struggling to gain some traction.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. You're absolutely right. A lot of the focus all summer and now into the fall has been on the GOP front-runner Donald Trump. He won't be here. These six candidates will be here to make their case to evangelical voters, to Christian conservatives or, more broadly, to social conservatives who are a very important part of the Republican primary electorate. Very important in states like Iowa and South Carolina, a couple of the early voting states but also states like right here in Texas and all across the south. This is a huge mega church, 40,000 members in there. It's jampacked inside there. We're told between 7,000 and 8,000 total between the worship center and the overflow.

They're going to be able to make their case to voters about how their own beliefs affect their views on public policy. We're going to hear from Carly Fiorina, Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum and Ben Carson. So this is a big deal for them, Fred.

WHITFIELD: So what's the format? Is this kind of a monologue type of setup? Or will these candidates be revealing their views with a conversation with someone?

JONES: It's more of a conversation. So each of them will take the stage. They'll have about ten minutes to deliver remarks, then they'll spend another ten minutes in a Q&A right there on stage, center stage with the pastor here, Pastor Jack Graham who has really highlighted this event as an opportunity for them to come forward and show, talk about issues that are of importance to Christian conservatives. Issues like religious liberty when it comes to same- sex marriage or for instance contraception coverage and issues like abortion.

I expect we'll hear a lot of talk about abortion, possibly planned parenthood which has been at the center of the fight on Capitol Hill and among Republicans really highlights that group in attempts to defund it because of its work on abortion. Those are the kinds of issues we expect to hear brought up at this forum. Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Athena Jones, thank you so much, in Plano, Texas.

The Republican front-runner Donald Trump and rival Jeb Bush are stepping up their attacks. It's pretty personal. In an exclusive interview with Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" Bush fired back at Trump for suggesting his brother, then-president George W. Bush, was partially to blame for the 9/11 attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": So what are you objecting to about Mr. Trump's remarks about 9/11 and your brother?

BUSH: Look, my brother responded to a crisis and he did it as you would hope a president would do. He united the country. He organized our country and he kept us safe. There's no denying that. The great majority of Americans believe that. I don't know why he keeps bringing it up.

It doesn't show he's a serious person when it relates to being commander in chief and being the architect of a foreign policy. Across the spectrum of foreign policy Mr. Trump talks about things as though he's still on "The Apprentice." Literally talking about Syria saying ISIS should take out Assad, then Russia should take out ISIS as though it was some sort of board game and not a serious approach. This is just another example of the lack of seriousness. This is a serious time. We're under grave threats again and I think we need a president with a steady hand.

TAPPER: To play devil's advocate, do you think it's possible that your loyalty to your brother, while admirable on a personal level, might be a policy liability blinding you to mistakes he made?

[16:05:07]

BUSH: No, I mean, so next week Mr. Trump is probably going to say that FDR was around when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. It's what you do after that matters. And that's the sign of leadership. It's not the -- does anybody actually blame my brother for the attacks on 9/11? If they do, they're totally marginalized in our society. It's what he did afterwards and I'm proud of him and so are a bunch of other people. You don't have to have your last name Bush to be able to understand that. It just calls into question Mr. Trump's credibility as a commander in chief and an architect of the next generation foreign policy. Which we desperately need in this country right now.

I have great doubts, to be honest with you, and it's only because of the things he says. It looks as though he's not taking the responsibility, the possibility of being president of the United States really seriously. For him, it looks as though he's an actor playing the role of a candidate for president, not boning up on the issues, not having a broad sense of the responsibilities of what it is to be a president.

In his own words, it gives me great concern for sure. And a lot of other people will as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Not to sit silent, Trump also went on television today to clarify what he said. But he certainly didn't back down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFED MALE: Question, do you blame George W. Bush for 9/11?

TRUMP: Look, look, Jeb said we were safe with my brother. We were safe. Well, the World Trade Center just fell down. Now, am I trying to blame him? I'm not blaming anybody, but the World Trade Center came down. When he said, we were safe. That's not safe. We lost 3,000 people. It was one of the -- probably the greatest catastrophe ever in this country, if you think about it, right?

UNIDENTIFED MALE: What would you have done?

TRUMP: Well, I would have been much different. I must tell you, somebody says it wouldn't have been any different. It would have been. I'm extremely, extremely tough on illegal immigration. I'm extremely tough on people coming into this country. I believe that if I were running things, I doubt those families would have -- I doubt that those people have been in the country. So there's a good chance that those people would not have been in our country.

With that being said, I'm not blaming George Bush, but I don't want Jeb Bush to say "my brother kept us safe" because September 11th was one of the worst days in the history of this country.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: With me -- back with me now from New York, Republican strategist Brian Morgenstern and columnist Ellis Henican. All right. Good to see you guys again. OK. This stepped-up war between Bush and Trump. It does seem like it's reached a whole new level. But who stands to gain from this potentially? Ellis.

ELLIS HENICAN, COLUMNIST: Listen, Trump got the better of it, right? He's the one that got under Jeb's skin there. Jeb responded angrily as, well, you can understand. I mean, no one likes someone saying that kind of stuff about your brother. But at one point in that clip Jeb said, "I don't understand why he's doing this."

I'll tell you why he's doing it, to get under your skin. And it seems to be working.

WHITFIELD: Because Brian, it doesn't necessarily move the ball forward, does it? It just kind of acts as an irritant.

BRIAN MORGENSTERN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Yes, that's exactly right. And as I said, following the Trump formula. But I noticed something different about Trump who is admired for his chutzpah and just saying what's on his mind and being a truth teller or so his opponents or so his supporters say rather. He just said "I'm not blaming Bush for 9/11" but it wouldn't have happened if I were president. That's some forked tongued politician talk, if I've ever heard so.

WHITFIELD: So is the advise from this point forward, I mean, to not even necessarily take the bait. I mean, if that's what Trump is doing, he's tossing the bait out. And at this moment Jeb Bush decided to kind of take the bait to kind of clarify, but in the end, does he find himself in a place that he can't kind of get out of, meaning Jeb Bush?

HENICAN: Listen, well, listen, that's why it's so tough. You just put your finger on it, Fredricka. There's no right answer.

WHITFIELD: Right.

HENICAN: If you ignore the guy, he keeps kicking you in the teeth every day. If you fight with the guy, he just slimes you even worse. It's really why, as long as Donald is at the center of this thing, all the opponents are in a very kind of subservient role to him. I got to tell you there's no easy way out of it that I can see.

WHITFIELD: So it's the morning talk shows. We see the candidates there. Now we're also seeing on social media because, you know, Trump was on twitter saying this, "Jeb Bush should stop trying to defend his brother and focus on his own shortcomings on how to fix them. Also Rubio is hitting him hard." Then he also had this tweet, "Jeb, why did your brother attack and destabilize the Middle East by attacking Iraq when there were no weapons of mass destruction? Bad info?"

So Ellis, does this kind of exemplify where the campaigning is going? Or is this going to be, I guess, an avenue that could potentially backfire?

[16:10:04]

HENICAN: I just think it's going to continue. It's clearly no good for the party, right? They're saying horrible stuff about each other. It's getting very personal. It's alienating people that they need to have support them, November, a year from now. But it seems like it's going to keep going a while.

WHITFIELD: So Brian, what are you -- I mean, what's the landscape when you look at the way in which campaigning as evolved or devolved, you know, particularly as it pertains to the Republican candidates -- it's the attacking this way, it's the use of social media. Does it kind of take the polish or the shine off a race for the presidency?

MORGENSTERN: Well, maybe. I choose to look on the bright side which is that so many more people have been drawn in by the reality show stuff, by Donald sniping at everybody and everybody trying to craft the funniest or most effective response. I mean, in the first debate, I was here in New York in a debate watch event which had people -- they couldn't even fit in the room. They were four and five deep on the sidewalk, watching it from the windows. This is bringing people, exposing them into the Republican party's message that wouldn't otherwise be doing that. It remains to be seen when we get closer to voting, whoever the nominee ultimately is, can actually unite everybody and kind of say we were just messing around. That was just politics. Now it's time to focus on Hillary or whoever the opponent is in the general.

WHITFIELD: All right. Half glass full, getting people engaged that might not otherwise have been interested at all. So that's a positive spin on it, isn't? All right. Ellis, Brian, (INAUDIBLE). Thanks so much. Good to see you.

MORGENSTERN: You too.

WHITFIELD: Oh, wait, I'm going to see you again.

HENICAN: Oh, cool.

WHITFIELD: Don't go far.

HENICAN: We'll hang around.

WHITFIELD: We're going to take a break and we're going to get back to you.

We're talking about what's happening on the democratic side. Hillary Clinton weighing in on her main opponent, Bernie Sanders, and her so- called Republican enemy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:15:03]

WHITFIELD: All right. On the heels of the first televised democratic debate, Hillary Clinton sat down for an exclusive interview with my colleague, Jake Tapper. She was very candid about her biggest competition for the democratic presidential nomination, Senator Bernie Sanders.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have the highest regard for Senator Sanders, and I think he is raising issues that the electorate, not just Democrats everybody needs to be thinking about, and he has put forward his plans with passionate intensity. And I have put forth mine.

He has a very ambitious and expansive view about what he thinks should be done with respect to free college and other of the policies that we both are trying to tackle. I believe that my approach, for example, on college, I call it the New College Compact because I think everybody should have some skin in the game including students who I say should work for part of their education. Maybe it's because I did and my husband did, but I think it's something that you want young people to feel really committed to. It's the difference in approach.

The difference between us is nothing like the difference we all have with Republicans. I want the American people to be part of the debate and to hear Senator Sanders' perspective and what he's proposing, to hear mine, to make up their mind, and then to remember that we're not peddling the same old failed policies of trickledown economics and let the corporations do what they want and cut taxes on the wealthy which is the answer to everything that the Republicans put forth.

TAPPER: At the debate, you were asking the enemy of which you are most proud. Among your answers were Republicans. That's about half the country, Republicans.

CLINTON: Well, it was a little tongue in cheek. But it's clear I think to anybody who has been around for a while, you know, they do seem to enjoy coming after me, but then once I'm in office they have always worked with me. And I expect it will be exactly the same. It's funny to me. When I was secretary of state, I had very high support and approval from Republicans not just the Republican voters but Republican office holders. As soon as I got into this presidential election, all of that collapsed again. I'm just reminding people that, you know, you can be an adversary in politics, but then you do have to come together and figure out how to solve problems.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, they are back. Ellis Henican and Brian Morgenstern. OK. So this is the polar opposite from what we're talking about earlier, instead of candidates going after each other, cutting each other down, we're seeing Clinton and Sanders kind of showing deference, even respect. So, Brian, how do you explain this contrast?

MORGENSTERN: Well, Hillary's using Reagan's 11th commandment on the Democrats' side and not speaking ill of a fellow Democrat. And generally speaking that's been a pretty good strategy because at the end of this process, whichever one is the nominee is going to need the other supporters to hop on their back and head into the general. So it makes sense that she's doing that. It also makes for less exciting television. You know.

So I don't know how many more viewers are going to tune in or if she's going to really change people's minds by doing that. And for the general election, it's good for Republicans because they can point out, look, this is the same thing as Bernie just repackaged. So look out. We don't want a socialist. That kind of a message. Down the road there could be a down side.

WHITFIELD: OK. So Ellis, this week Hillary Clinton will be testifying before the Benghazi Committee. One has to wonder whatever is said, how much that might change the strategy, whether it be of Bernie Sanders to incorporate that into his campaigning against her or whether Republican candidates will use that testimony to their advantage.

HENICAN: Well, she's just been so lucky, hasn't she? I mean, the debate performance was nice, but my gosh, watching that Benghazi Committee implode, all the self-inflicted wounds of other Republicans saying that the thing is just really a political scam has played right into her hands.

I think it's highly likely that the Republicans on the committee this week are going to have to be much gentler with her, much more reasonable, seeming much more serious and, frankly, do less damage than they would have been able to do had it been a couple of weeks ago before Congressman McCarthy and others began pulling the veil back on this. I think she'll slide right through this. WHITFIELD: All right. It will be an interesting week both on the

campaign trail and on Capitol Hill. All right, Ellis Henican, Brian Morgenstern, always good to see you. Now it's see you later.

OK.

All right. A new deadly attack in Israel. This one at a bus station. We'll have more on the escalating violence there in a live report from Jerusalem, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:23:48]

WHITFIELD: We're following a developing story out of Israel. One person is dead and nine others injured after shots were fired at a bus station in southern Israel. Authorities also said one of the suspected attackers was killed and another apprehended.

The shooting follows five separate knife attacks this weekend in Jerusalem and the West Bank. Meanwhile, the U.S. is getting more involved. U.S. secretary of state John Kerry is scheduled to meet with both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian authority president Mahmoud Abbas in the next few days.

Violence has erupted over access to a site considered holy by both Muslims and Jews. CNN's Oren Liebermann is in Jerusalem with more on today's shooting and what may happen next.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what may happen next here is always very difficult to predict. We had thought that it could be a tensely quiet day in Jerusalem, the West Bank and in Israel. And then this shooting coming here fairly late this evening.

Israeli police say that a Palestinian attacker went into the central bus station in a southern Israeli city of (INAUDIBLE) that had, up until now, been insulated from these attacks. Police say the Palestinian attacker opened fire, sending at least nine to the hospital and killing an Israeli. That Israeli, according to police, a soldier.

[16:25:00]

Police say the Palestinian attacker was killed at the scene. Initially there were reports of two attackers. But police have now updated that to say one attacker. The second suspect they say may have been a bystander. As I said it was a tensely quiet day up until now, this attack putting an end to that. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: How has this string of violence really impacted people's day-to-day lives?

LIEBERMANN: Well, there are very heightened security measures, not only in Israel but especially in and around Jerusalem, the old city, east Jerusalem, police have been checking and border police have been checking Palestinians, checking IDs, stopping cars, checking cars and these restrictions have made it very difficult for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in east Jerusalem to move around.

Although it has led to that tense quiet here. Everyone still remaining very much on edge. Jerusalem having been fairly quiet the last couple of days. Israel says these measures are necessary for security after this wave of attacks. Palestinians say Israel's using too much force here and that all of these checks are dehumanizing for Palestinians. The latest example of these security measures, a concrete barrier between a Palestinian neighborhood in east Jerusalem and a Jewish neighborhood in east Jerusalem. Israel says it's necessary to prevent molotov cocktails from coming over at Jewish homes. Palestinians say it's Israel using too much force.

WHITFIELD: And how is this expected to impact the direction of the dialogue between Kerry, Abbas and Netanyahu?

LIEBERMANN: Well, that dialogue sorely lacking right now. Kerry's trying to spark that dialogue, to get these two sides talking even including Jordan here which is in charge of the holiest site. They're known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as (INAUDIBLE) and has been the source or the origin of the tensions that has led to the attacks, that has led to the clashes.

So the question for Kerry is can he get these two sides talking or will it be more politicians, Israeli and Palestinian blaming each other for the violence, for the incitement. The hope is that even a little bit of dialogue, a little bit can ease the edge off the tensions and perhaps restore some sort of calm here in Jerusalem, West Bank and Israel.

WHITFIELD: All right. Oren Liebermann, thank you so much, in Jerusalem.

All right. Back in the U.S., on the campaign trail, Bernie Sanders maybe shifting strategy on the campaign trail today.

Next, we'll get a live report from one of his events in Iowa City and find out how he plans to build on his momentum.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:30:33]

WHITFIELD: All right, Senator Bernie Sanders is focusing his campaign on Iowa today where he has a jammed-packed schedule. Right now he is in a barbecue in Iowa City and tonight he holds a town meeting, but earlier he spoke at a smaller house party where he was asked if he was trying to make his campaign events more intimate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I-VT) DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And we're going to do some very large rounds. I think they're going to some larger events this weekend, but also small events like this where a few hundred people come out, where you can have the opportunity to answer questions and chat informally. I love doing it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, our Sunlen Serfaty is in Iowa City at the barbecue event. Sunlen, what's the explanation behind making it smaller?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's interesting, Fred. It seems to be a big awareness on behalf of the campaign here that they're entering a new phase in the campaign. Top Sanders strategists tell me they're moving from the so-called enthusiasm events, the big booming rallies and now putting the focus really on what they're calling persuasion events. That's not to say they won't continue to have these big booming rallies that have attracted so big crowds, but they're really dig in especially here in early states, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, holding events where the candidate Bernie Sanders can really be seen one on one with voters.

He kicks off a two-day swing here in Iowa today where he's holding smaller, more intimate events like a barbecue that's gathering right now, house parties, town hall meetings. Really the emphasis on entering this new stage making, sure that he as a candidate is really speaking one on one with voters, convincing them on why he can be a viable general election candidate.

WHITFIELD: So he's got the support from his supporters. How does Bernie Sanders go about you know trying to chip away at perhaps the support that Hillary Clinton has been gaining?

SERFATY: Well, this is the big question that has always been the challenge for Bernie Sanders as he moves through this campaign. It will be interesting to watch how he weaves this strategy. There are some small hints that he's really making steps to do just that in the debate, it was very notable that in his opening statement he made specific mention to unemployment rates among youth and the high incarceration rates. That certainly was an appeal to the minority voters really trying to make a broader appeal to bring more people in, people who have been in part, more drawn to Hillary Clinton's campaign, but again this is going to be the big challenge for Bernie Sanders to appeal to people that wouldn't necessarily be initially drawn to him, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Sunlen Serfaty thanks so much.

All right, speaking of Hillary Clinton, she will be testifying this Thursday to the House Select Committee investigating the 2012 Benghazi attacks which left four Americans dead. But the committee itself has come under fire accused of being partisan in targeting Clinton. Just this past week, a house Republican who is not on the committee, Richard Hannah, of New York said, "big part" of the Benghazi investigation was set up to go after Clinton. But today the Chairman of the Benghazi Committee fired back at the critics saying, "They don't have any idea what the facts are." Representative Trey Gowdy of South Carolina said his committee is only interested in Clinton as a witness because she was Secretary of State when the attack happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. TREY GOWDY (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: What I want to know is while violence was going off in Libya, why was our security profile going down? It wasn't even staying the same. It was going down. And in the past, John, she has said I had people and processes in place to handle that. Well, you also had people and processes in place to handle -- drivel that has produced -- Sidney Blumenthal, but that made it to your inbox. I want to know why certain things made it to your inbox, Madam Secretary, but the plaintiff pleadings of our own ambassador that you put in place for more security never bothered to make it to your inbox. I think that's a fair question.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, so with me right now from Los Angeles is CNN Senior Political Analyst Ron Brownstein, all right, good to see you, Ron. So Representative Gowdy revealed that his committee now has an email trail from Ambassador Chris Stevens saying that he requested security nearly days after taking his post. And that there is new evidence, in fact, of showing that more could have been done. What might Gowdy have?

[16:35:01]

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, first of all, it is striking that the focus in this conversation is returning to Benghazi itself. I mean the committee has almost been completely subsumed by the issue of Hillary Clinton's email server, which was discovered as part of the inquiry but kind of ate -- consumed the original investigation. And I think that to the extent that the house Republicans can shift the focus back during the committee hearing to the questions of how the State Department responded to this request, how the State Department handled the concerns about security, they will be on stronger ground, I think, in terms of the public believing they are investigating issues that are fundamental.

WHITFIELD: So we've heard from the criticism from at least two Congress people, and then someone else who used to work with that committee to say that the committee is partisan and that it was designed, some of the investigating was designed to take down Hillary Clinton. How does this committee now ask questions of Hillary Clinton given that that has been so publicized? Will that change the tenor of the Q&A during this testimony?

BROWNSTEIN: I'm guessing that it will, in fact. These are serious blows to the credibility of the committee, particularly with Democratic audiences. I don't think the revelations of two members of Congress and the former staffer plus Bernie Sanders' comments in the debate, they probably don't end this as an issue in the general election, but they have enormously suppressed it in the Democratic primary, and I think you know made this less of a high stakes showdown for Hillary Clinton than it appeared several months ago. My instinct, this is not going to be decisive event one way or the other in the campaign nearly as much as we may have thought.

But I do think that the committee has been put to some extent on the back foot. They will have to be very careful and conscious of showing that this is a legitimate inquiry. And as I said, I think there are legitimate questions on both fronts, on the Benghazi security front, on the email front. Lots of Americans are uneasy with the judgment that Hillary Clinton displayed on both those issues. But to the extent that this is seen as a partisan investigation, it is simply easier to discount.

WHITFIELD: This morning on Face the Nation, Gowdy had this to say about his critics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOWDY: I have told my own Republican colleagues and friends, shut up talking about things that you don't know anything about. And unless you're on the committee, you have no idea what we've done, why we've done it, and what new facts we have found. We have found new facts, John that has absolutely nothing to do with her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So the pressure is on, though, right, for this committee to be able to produce something different because there have already been hearings, there have been conclusions, and now here we go again. So what does the committee need to present this week to show that this isn't a witch hunt, that there is a serious probe under way trying to get to the bottom of new answers?

BROWNSTEIN: That's a great question. I think first, as we said before -- is the focus on the actual security issue in Benghazi. I think second it is to present new information that you know Hillary Clinton and other Democrats are fond of saying this has been investigated and investigated by multiple committees. This committee has been going on for over a year and a half. Ultimately, to justify that level of effort and to have it not -- have the verdict of Kevin McCarthy not stand, and it is ultimately an effort to diminish her poll numbers, they do need to produce new information that is relevant to the underlying issue of the security of American embassies abroad, particularly looking forward.

You know look, people are going to make judgments about Hillary Clinton's personal judgment that she's displayed both in the underlying issue and the email. In the end, I do not believe this will be a disqualifying issue for a majority of American voters if she becomes the nominee. It's a head win for her no doubt, is it going to disqualify her from the majority, I don't think so. So for the committee to really be relevant, I think the real question is what can they say that would improve the way we secure our embassies going forward and deal with these kinds of threats, I don't know if that's where they're going to go but I do think that is probably the most meaningful ground they can ultimately address.

WHITFIELD: And the as for Clinton, do you expect we are going to see a different tone coming from Clinton especially after the criticism of the committee?

BROWNSTEIN: Yeah. Yes. And I think she has to be careful here, too. I think her natural inclination she feels the wind at is at her back now and she can be very aggressive in pushing off against this committee. But I do think that she needs to remain cognizant as well that there are legitimate underlying issues. Now whether the committee is going to examine those in a fair manner is another, but that is not to say there are no questions here worth examining. And I think she has to appear -- more than appear, I think she has to be responsive to the legitimate concerns both about the security issues around the embassies, but also to her choices in using the email server.

[16:40:04]

WHITFIELD: Interesting. All right, Ron Brownstein thanks so much. It will be indeed an interesting week. All right, appreciate it.

All right, straight ahead, a historic challenge to one of the most tradition-bound universities in the U.S. Can students at the University of Mississippi force the school to remove the State Flag because of its confederate symbolism, a live report from campus, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. At the University of Mississippi where tradition is revered and change often comes slowly, student leaders are challenging the status quo. On Tuesday, the student senate votes whether or not to remove the Mississippi State Flag from campus. It's the only State Flag that in the country that still uses the confederate battle flag in its design. Tuesday's vote is nonbinding but it carries a lot of symbolism no matter what the outcome. Our Nick Valencia is on the Ole Miss campus. So Nick, how much support is there for this proposal to remove the State Flag?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Fred, good afternoon. Earlier I spoke to Allen Kuhn who is the Student Sophomore Senator who introduced this resolution. He said by Tuesday evening, he expects to have the votes to get this resolution passed, but he also did express some disappointment with university officials here saying he wished that the student government did not have to bring forth this issue. He wanted them to act unilaterally.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: In the charming southern city of Oxford, Mississippi, relics of the confederacy are pervasive. This week, the University of Mississippi associated student body senate will vote on a resolution to try and remove one of those symbols, the Mississippi State Flag, the explanation of why lies largely in the past.

ALLEN COON, UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI STUDENT SENATOR: We are forever tied to the horrors of our past.

VALENCIA: Twenty-year-old Sophomore Senator Allen Coon introduced the proposal to take down the flag.

COON: We've flown this symbol of oppression, we've defended it, we fought for it, and it's time to recognize that that was a mistake.

VALENCIA: Would we be having this conversation if nine people weren't killed in a church in Charleston?

DR. JENNIFER STOLLMAN, THE WINTER INSTITUTE FOR RACIAL RECONCILIATION: Boy, I think it escalated the conversation.

VALENCIA: Over the years, Dr. Jennifer Stollman with the Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation has chronicled the complex on campus history.

STOLLMAN: They're creating the best and most inclusive campus that they can and they're navigating some old narratives with new expectations.

VALENCIA: Last year, a spasm of race-related episodes jogged painful memories here on campus including a noose that was hung from the statue of James Meredith, he is the first black student to attend the university here, desegregating it in 1962. Even still, at least one student senator says there's more to be proud of here than not, which is why he's opposing the resolution to bring down the Mississippi State Flag. Student Senator Andrew Sofer wrote in a change.org petition, removing symbols, flags, and monuments will do nothing to change the way people feel in their hearts. Ole Miss Students and my fellow Mississippians rise up and push back on political correctness, and support the State Flag. The school is deeply rooted in tradition. A vestige of southern history and pride and has historically been combative to change.

Already, at least three of the state's public universities do not fly the State Flag. But will the State Flag ship university be next. Coon says it will be a hard-won triumph if his resolution passes.

COON: Why can't we get behind this? Why can't we understand that this affects people every day when they go to class? So that flag is coming down -- if it isn't passed, we'll find a way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COON: It is no secret that historically Ole Miss has been a lightning rod for race-related issues, but in recent years they have done much to change that. On Friday, they did release a statement regarding this controversy, which read, as a university committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive campus for all students, we continue to join other leaders in Mississippi to encourage our government to change the State Flag, Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, Nick Valencia, thank you so much there, from Oxford.

All right, Comedian Tracy Morgan makes a triumphant return to comedy hosting Saturday Night Live, but he wasn't alone. We'll show you the friends that showed up for him as well.

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[16:50:31]

WHITFIELD: All right, if there's one show that we can count on to keep it real, it would have to be Saturday Night Live. No one is safe, not even us, as they kick off the show last night with a little presidential debate of their own, one of the highlights, Larry David as Bernie Sanders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm the only candidate up here who's not a billionaire. I don't have a super Pac. I don't even have a backpack. I own one pair of underwear. That's it. Some of these billionaires, they got three, four pairs. And now, if you don't mind, I'm going to dial it right up to a ten.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go right ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're doomed. We need a revolution, millions of people on the streets. And we got to do something. And we got to do it now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Larry David nailing it.

All right, but the biggest news of the night was Tracy Morgan's official return to comedy. Last night, the comedian returned to host Saturday Night Live after recovering from near-fatal injuries in that car crash last year. Joining him to celebrate his homecoming were a few of his former co-stars from 30 Rock, our Brian Stelter has more, Brian.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred, this might have been the most emotional night on SNL in many years. This had been expected for many weeks as Tracy Morgan was announced to be returning to the show, such a triumphant moment because he was a cast member on the show from 1996 to 2003. And then part of the NBC family as well with the sitcom 30 Rock. He is co-stars with Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin. He was a key part of that cast playing the character Tracy Jordan. But that car crash last year almost killed him. It did kill one of his friends. It's been a very long road to recovery ever since. And he acknowledged that in his opening monologue, he joked about people wondering if he would be ready to return.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRACY MORGAN, COMEDIAN: People are wondering can he speak. Does he have 100 percent mental capacity? The truth is I never did. I might be actually be a few points higher now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STELTER: Yes, he did seem he was back 100 percent, maybe even better than ever. Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, others returned to wish him well, appeared with him in sketches and he also reprised some of his famous sketches in the past including the Brian Fellows sketch. You know in an interview months ago -- of his first interview since the accident, he said he wondered if he'd ever be able to be funny again. I think that's something that a lot of people can relate to, people that have been through traumatic experiences. They wonder if they can get back to being themselves, get back to being the person they used to be. And that's why this was such a special night for Morgan. He was getting back to who he was. You know he's also been performing stand- up comedy again.

He was spotted at a club here in New York a few days ago. He's truly literally getting back on his feet. The ratings are in. The ratings were up over the prior week and the prior year, so there was clearly a lot of interest in seeing this homecoming of sorts for Tracy Morgan, Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, everybody's glad he's back. Thanks so much, Brian Stelter.

And we'll be right back.

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[16:59:01]

WHITFIELD: All right, CNN's top ten heroes have been announced, and now it's up to you to choose the hero of the year. One finalist Richard Joyner is a Pastor at a North Carolina town where the nearest grocery store is ten miles away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD JOYNER, TOP TEN CNN HERO: So our mind-set was that we're in a food desert, we're chronically ill with diet, and then we found out that growing food caused us to work together. So it gave us the opportunity to create something that united us. And that we could feel good about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, Joyner created a community garden that produces 50,000 pounds of food a year. And you can find out more about all of the top ten heroes and vote for your favorite once a day every day at CNNheroes.com.

All right, that's going to do it for me. Thanks so much for being with me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Poppy Harlow is up next with more NEWSROOM.

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