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Latest Polls Show Clinton Ruled the Debate; War of Words Heats Up Between Trump and Bush; House Republicans Still to Elect Speaker; New Violence Hits Southern Israel; Intense Manhunt for El Chapo; Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired October 19, 2015 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:00] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Did you hear the Lions won?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: I did hear the Lions won. We have no more teams in the NFL without a win. Congratulations.

COSTELLO: Yes. Thanks, Coy. I appreciate it.

WIRE: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, new polls say Hillary Clinton won the debate and compliments from her husband.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That's the highest praise that I can ever get.

COSTELLO: But Sanders holds steady and this "SNL" impression? The talk of the town.

LARRY DAVID, ACTOR: I don't have a super PAC. I don't even have a backpack.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Here is the joke. My name is Larry David and Bernie asked me to do this.

COSTELLO: Plus, Trump says he could have stopped 9/11 and Bush fires back.

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: For him it looks as though he's the actor playing a role of a candidate for president.

COSTELLO: And they almost had him. Fugitive drug kingpin El Chapo escapes an arrest attempt, alive but injured. How long before the law catches up?

Let's talk live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

Bernie Sanders may have gotten all the buzz after last week's CNN debate, but he's apparently not getting much of the love. Despite all the social media chatter declaring him the unheralded champion of the showdown, Democratic voters say Hillary Clinton won hands down. That's according to a new CNN-ORC poll, the first since the debate. More than 60 percent of Democrats say Clinton turned in the best performance.

Still, she didn't much of bump but she gained three percentage points among Democrats. Sanders in fact picked up five points, but still languishes a distant second.

Brianna Keilar is CNN senior political correspondent. She joins us with more from Washington. Good morning.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Joe Biden is weighing whether to jump into this race. Some really interesting numbers about what would happen if he decides to stay out of it. The advantage would very much go to Hillary Clinton. Check this out. 45 percent of those polled say that Clinton is their pick for the nominee, but if Biden is out of the race, that jumps up to 56 percent.

You can see the advantages is not much for Bernie Sanders. 29 percent say he should be the nominee. That only jumps up four points to 33 percent without Biden in the race.

Look at Hillary Clinton's favorables. This is really interesting following this debate. 46 percent have a favorable view of Hillary Clinton. This is all Americans who have -- this would represent all Americans. All of those who have been polled. That's up from 44 percent back in August. But her unfavorable at 50 percent, so it's down three points. You see she's still under water there on her favorable-unfavorable.

Take a look at the candidates on the issues, though. This is pretty fascinating because Hillary Clinton has an advantage over Bernie Sanders on a myriad of issues, from foreign policy to health care to race relations. He does come close to her on income inequality, but that's really it. And then when you pit Hillary Clinton against the Republican frontrunners, this is also significant what happens here. Among all voters, statistically she is tied with Ben Carson. You can see that they're running neck and neck there.

She beats Donald Trump by five points. And there's a margin of error, a plus or minus three points. So that's pretty significant there that she would be besting Trump. And I think the question is -- or really, you know, we're seeing that Hillary Clinton may not have gotten a bump from her debate performance. That's pretty significant, but at the same time, you're seeing less Democrats, Carol, who want Joe Biden in the race.

And as he's weighing this decision, it makes you wonder if he's looking at these numbers that more Democrats say he should not run for president than say he should. COSTELLO: Interesting. Brianna Keilar reporting live from

Washington, thank you.

When it comes to the Republican race for president Donald Trump is standing strong on controversial comments he made about 9/11. The Republican frontrunner insists he's not blaming former president George W. Bush for the attack but says 9/11 would not have happened on his watch because he's so tough on immigration. Listen to what he told "FOX News Sunday."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I would have been much different. I must tell you, somebody said, well, it wouldn't have been any different. Well, it would have been. I am 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 would have been in the country. So there is 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 VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: All this as rival Jeb Bush takes aim at Trump with a new ad mocking Trump's ability to lead the military.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[10:05:07] CHUCK TODD, MSNBC ANCHOR: Who do you talk to for military advice right now?

TRUMP: Well, I watch the shows. I mean, I really see a lot of great -- you know, when you watch your show and all of the other shows --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He has said publicly that he watches cable news and that's one of the ways that he bones up on our national security.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Trump says he, quote, "always felt that I was in the military despite never serving in the military and draft deferments during Vietnam.

TRUMP: There's nobody bigger or better at the military than I am.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald trump is causing the race toward the bottom.

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: It's delusional. Mr. Trump did not have a firm grasp of what was really going on.

TRUMP: I will be so good at the military, your head will spin.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: Joining me now, CNN military analyst, Lieutenant General Mark Hertling.

Welcome, General.

HERTLING: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: Did you like your cameo in that political ad?

HERTLING: Well, the cameo surprised me a bit, truthfully, Carol, because as you know I'm trying to be as apolitical as possible, and to see yourself appear in an ad is a little bit disconcerting but it was what I said in a public forum so I guess anyone can use it.

COSTELLO: It's happened to me, too. So just get used to it, General, because it will probably happen again.

HERTLING: Sure.

COSTELLO: So let's talk about what Trump said and Jeb Bush's response because Jeb Bush hit back against at Trump on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION". Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: He organized our country and he kept us safe. And there's no denying that. The great majority of Americans believe that. And I don't know why he keeps bringing this up. It doesn't show that he's a serious person as 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 thing as though he's still on "The Apprentice."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So did President Bush keep America safe, General?

HERTLING: Well, I won't comment on that. I think he did. I certainly think we reacted well to the attacks of 9/11. But, Carol, you know, what I'd say is I'm not a political operative. You know me as a military analyst and attempting to be as apolitical as possible. I'm judging the candidates on the three areas where military people judge leaders. Their character, which is the kind of values they uphold and do they do the right things for the right reasons. Their presence, do they instill confidence in other people when they talk and when they act.

And finally, their intellect. Do they have a depth of understanding of the issues and do they know what's going on? And those are the three areas I'm judging the various candidates on, most of my military brothers and sisters are doing the same because we see this as a requirement for commander in chief to be a great leader.

COSTELLO: OK. So let's go back to Donald Trump then. He says his immigration policy would have prevented 9/11. And a reminder for our viewers, all 19 hijackers from 9/11 were originally let into the country on temporary visas. Some of them overstayed their visas and were then of course in the United States illegally. But here's what Trump plans to do, here's why he's so tough on immigration and why he would have prevented the 9/11 attacks.

He plans to build a wall on our southern border to keep illegal immigrants out. He wants to increase fees on -- he wants to increase fees on temporary visas. He wants to triple the number of ICE officers and birthright citizenship.

So could this immigration policy have kept those terrorists out of the country?

HERTLING: I doubt it. And first of all, those immigration policies, truthfully, in my view, go against the values of who we are as Americans. We've always had that lady in New York harbor who's inviting people to our shore. Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses. It doesn't say, hey, I'm going to build a wall and keep everyone out. That's one of the challenges I have with -- in particular, in Mr. Trump in this area.

Could it have prevented 9/11? I don't think so. And truthfully, when a presidential candidate proclaims that he or she might stop all evil from happening, it's just a lack of understanding of what leaders are asked to do and how leaders are required to react to crisis.

COSTELLO: But it would be nice to think that somebody could have prevented such a tragedy but not --

HERTLING: Yes, well, I think a lot of Americans are looking for very simple solutions. And one of the hallmarks of Mr. Trump and some of the other candidates is they like to give simple solutions. But we live in a very complex world with a very good society linked to American exceptionalism, Carol. And I think it's very difficult to say that you would prevent all evil in the world. And that's, in effect, what I think Mr. Trump is saying that he would do.

COSTELLO: OK. Well, let's move on to Ben Carson because he said if George W. Bush had used oil as leverage, we would have caught Osama bin Laden much sooner. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN CARSON (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I think they would have been extremely concerned if we had declared, and we were serious about it, that we were going to become petroleum independent because it would have had a major impact on their finances and I think that probably would have trumped any loyalty that they had to people like Osama bin Laden.

[10:10:09] GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS: But they didn't have any loyalty to Osama bin Laden. The Saudis kicked him out. He was their enemy.

CARSON: Well, you may not think that they had any loyalty to him, but I believe otherwise.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: Sound like a good plan?

HERTLING: Not to me, Carol. Again, I go back to the three areas of leadership -- character, presence and intellect. Mr. Carson is a very smart guy. He wouldn't be a brain surgeon if he wasn't smart, but, you know, sometimes international engagement is a lot like brain surgery but it requires a whole different skill set than the medical professional.

But I think, you know, his comments about what might happen if this or that occurred purely -- it's wrongly based. And I think it's playing amateur -- and I think so the connection between Saudi Arabia and the terrorists, it's living in an alternative universe. It doesn't work that way in international relations.

COSTELLO: And just a final question because I don't want to leave the Democrats out. Is there anyone on the Democratic side that you think has a great plan to solve our country's military problems at the moment?

HERTLING: Well, I'm not sure what military problems we have. We certainly are being challenged in different parts of the world but that's -- those are all global issues and they're all very different no matter where you look. And again this takes a depth of knowledge and understanding of the patterns of what's going on globally. You can't just say one solution will solve all problems. And truthfully, I think our military is in relatively good shape except for the fact that the Congress has not passed a budget to help them out.

So I think we are defending our country well, but we are challenged all over the world with strategic implications that are going to require a true depth of understanding by our next presidential candidate. I didn't ask -- answer your question of who on the Democratic side. Maybe that's something for a much longer conversation because I'm evaluating them in the same areas of character and intellect as I'm evaluating the Republicans.

COSTELLO: All right. We'll certainly have you back for that.

General Mark Hertling, thanks so much.

HERTLING: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: You're welcome.

Lawmakers are trickling back into Washington today after a week-long recess, but there may have been a little -- but there may be -- there may have been a little relaxation for House Republicans because they face this deepening concern over GOP infighting and finding a new speaker who can keep them united.

Today Paul Ryan is facing heat to decide, is he the person to lead the House?

CNN senior political reporter Manu Raju live in Washington with more. Good morning. MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Now Paul Ryan, Republicans are growing very anxious about what Paul Ryan will do. He spent the week in Janesville, Wisconsin, with his family, laying low, avoiding the spotlight and taking a lot of phone calls from members, people who are urging him to seek the speakership.

Now Wednesday is a day in which he'll have the first time to really sit down behind closed doors and meet with Republicans who -- as they weigh what to do about their further and their leadership vacuum. And a lot of people are weighing in on what this may mean for Paul Ryan's future, including Mitt Romney. Here's what he had to say yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY, FORMER REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I see Paul as one of the people coming along that has the potential to lead our country. And if he became speaker of the House in the near term, that's also a crucial role.

We need Paul in two spots at once. You know, there haven't been a lot of people that have gone on from speaker to the White House, so I hate to lose him as a potential contender down the road for the White House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Clearly that's going to be one of the things that he weighs on how speakership would affect his future. Of course he's only 45 years old and has a long career ahead potentially in politics. But if Ryan passes on this bid, and I'm hearing that he'll either make a decision this coming week or could extend into next week, and if he did decide to pass on this, it could delay the consideration over the next speaker for several weeks.

There are upwards of 10, maybe 12 other candidates who are looking to get in. None of whom have 218 votes on the House floor at this point to become speaker. And as a result John Boehner could be in the speaker's chair for an indefinite period until Republicans figure out who to select. And on top of all this, Carol, you have all these major fiscal issues heading this fall, particularly raising the debt ceiling November 3rd. So there are major decisions that Republicans need to make and what Paul Ryan will do is on top of that list.

COSTELLO: Manu Raju reporting live, thanks so much.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, the manhunt for drug kingpin El Chapo turns bloody. How close did Mexican Marines come to nabbing him anyway?

[10:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: More Israelis and Palestinians killed and injured in another bloody weekend of clashes. Security video captured the panic of people running from Sunday's shooting spree at a bus station. According to Israeli officials, a 17-year-old Israeli soldier was the first to die in this attack. He was shot at close range. The attacker was later killed along with an Eritrean migrant who apparently was misidentified as a second attacker.

CNN's Ben Wedeman has more on the root cause of the conflict in the region.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[10:20:05] BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Pull up your pants, pull up your T-shirt, turn around, show your I.D. That's the only way residents of the East Jerusalem- Palestinian neighborhood of Isawiya can get to the center of the city, under tough new security measures imposed by the Israeli government in the wake of a spate of stabbing attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly accused the Palestinian Authority, Hamas and others of inciting the violence. But ask the Palestinians at the checkpoint what's behind it all and they seem to say the same thing -- the Israeli occupation.

The occupation sleeps on our chests, on our stomachs, says 63-year-old Khaled Farouk (ph).

Says this woman, occupation is oppression. Oppression, subjugation.

Since the June 1967 war more than half a million Israelis have settled in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, often on confiscated Palestinian land.

Israel set up an extensive network of roadblocks and checkpoints across the West Bank and now walls and concrete blocks have gone up in East Jerusalem.

URI ZAKI, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: Occupation means that you have approximately 2.5 million Palestinians living for almost 50 years now under military administration.

WEDEMAN: The Palestinian Authority set up after the 1993 Oslo Accords has little authority beyond the confines of Ramallah.

ZIAD ABU ZAYYAD, PALESTINIAN ANALYST: One occupation is the major incitement of the people. People want to live normal life. They want to feel free. I did nothing wrong.

WEDEMAN: Former Palestinian Authority minister, Ziad Abu Zayyad, warns that stopping the violence without addressing its causes won't cure the ills of this unhappy land.

ZAYYAD: If you have cancer, do you think that Advil can help you? It can be a pain relief for a short while, but it's not -- it will not cure you. You need real medicine to cure you. And the real medicine here is the end of the occupation.

WEDEMAN: The clashes here in Hebron and elsewhere in the West Bank continued. The attacks on Israelis also continued. (On camera): The last 30 years there have been two major Palestinian

uprisings, before, in between and after there have been many more flare-ups like this one going on right now. And in the absence of a final resolution to this problem, more flare-ups and more uprisings aren't likely. They're inevitable.

(Voice-over): Expect more of the same, only worse.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Hebron, on the West Bank.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Mexican officials say they almost caught the notorious drug lord known as El Chapo but he managed to escape with injuries to his face and leg. The dangerous fugitive has been on the run since escaping prison this July.

CNN's Rafael Romo joins us now live with more. Good morning.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: Carol, good morning. The Mexican Marines launched a massive operation by air and land targeting several villages in the rugged mountains of northwest Mexico. Their goal, capturing Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel and one of the most wanted men in the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROMO (voice-over): New video emerging in the intense manhunt for fugitive international drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, burnt- out vehicles riddled with bullet holes, the gritty aftermath of massive military operations carried out in several small villages where the elusive Sinaloa Cartel leader was suspected to be hiding.

Federal authorities confirming that the notorious drug lord suffered injuries to his face and leg while making a hurried escape but once again evading capture. Marines storming several small towns in the rugged borderlands between Sinaloa and Durango, known as the golden triangle.

Shell-shocked residents describing a rain of bullets as their homes came under fire. Hundreds of terrified villagers forced to flee and seek shelter in neighboring towns.

Mexican authorities say they're closing in on one of the world's most wanted men, who has been on the lam since breaking out of the maximum security prison and escaping into an elaborate underground tunnel in July.

A new clip with audio emerging of the now infamous grainy prison surveillance video, broadcast on the Mexican network Televista. It reveals loud hammering noises were being made in Guzman's cell before walking toward his private shower and virtually disappearing into thin air. The video's time stamp indicates the prison guards didn't check on El Chapo until about 30 minutes after he had already vanished from his cell. And it took about 10 more minutes for prison authorities to enter the cell and follow the drug lord into the tunnel, arguably giving one of the world's most sought-after criminals a big head start to freedom.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[10:25:16] ROMO: And the U.S. government is offering a $5 million reward for his capture. Mexico is offering an additional $3.8 million.

This is the second time, Carol, El Chapo has escaped from a maximum- security prison. Back to you.

COSTELLO: All right, Rafael Romo, reporting live for us. Thank you.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, a 3-year-old boy fatally shot by his 6- year-old brother. The boy's father now in jail. We'll talk about that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

In Chicago, another tragic incident of a child finding a loaded gun and accidentally killing someone. This time a 6-year-old killed his 3-year-old brother in a game of cops and robbers. The little boy found the weapon on top of the refrigerator --

(END)