Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Four Killed, Dozens Injured At Oklahoma State's Homecoming Parade; Hurricane Patricia Now Heading Toward Louisiana. New Video Released Allegedly Shows U.S. Raid To Save Hostages in Iraq; Rubio Defends Skipping Senate Votes; Trump: "I Will Be A Great Unifier"; Carson Compares Abortion To Slavery; Sanders, Clinton Vie To Energize Iowa Democrats. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired October 25, 2015 - 14:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[14:00:13] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now in the NEWSROOM.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The car hit me as I was stopping and then I rolled over some strollers.

WHITFIELD: A time of celebration shattered.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Never think someone could hurt people like this.

WHITFIELD: The homecoming parade at Oklahoma State University, a scene of terror when a driver crashes through the crowd. Four killed, dozens injured, and a woman behind bars. Today the community wants to know why.

Plus, dramatic new video purportedly showing that U.S. raid to save hostages in Iraq. One American soldier killed in that daring rescue. We'll take a closer look at what these new pictures show.

And a revealing interview with Tony Blair about the war in Iraq.

FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST, FAREED ZAKARIA GPS: Was the decision to enter Iraq and topple this regime and the state?

TONY BLAIR, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: You know, whenever I'm asked this I can say that I apologize for the fact that the intelligence we received was wrong.

WHITFIELD: NEWSROOM starts now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Hello, everyone. And thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

One of the strongest U.S. allies in the Iraq war is now plying for the bad intelligence that led to the 2003 invasion. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair admits that the decisions and mistakes made back then ultimately played a role in the rise of ISIS and other extremists. But in an exclusive interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria, Blair said removing Saddam Hussein from power was still the right thing to do.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZAKARIA: Given, however, that Saddam Hussein did not prove to have weapons of mass destruction, was the decision to enter Iraq and topple his regime a mistake?

BLAIR: You know, whenever I'm asked this, I can say that I apologize for the fact that the intelligence we received was wrong because even though he had used chemical weapons extensively against his only people, against others, the program and the form we thought it was did not exist in the way that we thought. So I can apologize for that. I can also apologize by the way for some of the mistakes in planning and certainly our mistake in our understanding of what would happen once you removed the regime. But I find it hard to apologize for removing Saddam. I think even from today in 2015 it is better that he's not there than he is there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. With us right now from San Francisco is Matthew Doyle, former spokesman and adviser to Tony Blair both when Blair was prime minister and afterward. Good to see you.

MATTHEW DOYLE, FORMER ADVISOR TO TONY BLAIR: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: So how do you interpret this apology?

DOYLE: Well, this isn't the first time that Tony Blair has apologized for both the failures in the intelligence and the failures in the planning that there clearly was in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. But what's important is also to listen to what he says about the reality of he just doesn't believe that you can argue that the country would be in a better place or the region would be a safer place if Saddam was still in power today. So therefore he isn't apologizing for the Iraq war itself. He won't do that because he doesn't believe that that's true.

WHITFIELD: But he does believe that there's a connection between the 2003 invasion and the rise of Islamic extremist. In fact, this is what he told our Fareed Zakaria.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZAKARIA: When people look at the rise of is, many people point to the invasion of Iraq as the principal cause. What do you say to that?

BLAIR: I think there are elements of truth in that, but I think we've again got to be extremely careful otherwise we'll misunderstand what's going on in Iraq and in Syria today. Of course you can't say that those of us who removed Saddam in 2003 bear no responsibility for the situation in 2015. But it's important also to realize, one, that the Arab spring which began in 2011 would also have had its impact on Iraq today. And, two, ISIS actually came to prominence from a base in Syria and not in Iraq. And that lead me to the broader point, which I think is so essential when we're looking at policy today, which is we have tried intervention and putting down troops in Iraq, we've tried intervention without putting in troops in Libya, and we've tried no intervention at all but demanding regime change in Syria. It's not clear to me that even if our policy did not work subsequent policies have worked better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:05:07] WHITFIELD: So, Matthew, is it clear to you, whether Tony Blair is saying that Saddam Hussein remaining in power in Iraq would promote a better outcome than Saddam Hussein no longer being there? The region in large part is destabilized. So how do you interpret what he's saying?

DOYLE: Look, I think there's two separate parts to this. First of all, you can look at the rise of ISIS, and the fact of the matter is that the ideology behind the rise of ISIS didn't suddenly spring up as a result of the invasion in 2003. The ideology behind ISIS has been around for decades, and unless it's tackled ideologically will be around for decades to come. There is this narrative which is based on a perversion of the faith of Islam that has to be tackled and has to be confronted and that is the real threat.

Now, at the same time, it's in a sense a statement of the obvious to say that you can't say what happened in 2003 has had absolutely nothing to do with what's followed. But I believe, and I think Tony Blair believes based on what he said there, that in reality, if you look at the roots of ISIS, it's got more to do with our failure to intervene in Syria than it does with what happened in Iraq.

WHITFIELD: Right. And we heard him say that ISIS not necessarily being born out of Iraq but out of Syria. So then, what is your view and what do you believe the former prime minister's view is on how the U.S. and how great Britain should or should not be involved particularly with Iraq right now to help stabilize it?

DOYLE: I think if you look across the region, then there's no question that this isn't a conflict that we can stand idly by in. Now, that doesn't necessarily always mean military intervention. As I say, ultimately what this needs to be solved by is tackling the narrative that is behind the rise of ISIS, and that is a battle that people within the region are far better placed to do than those outside the region. But we need to wake up and shape up to the reality of the threat that is phased, and at times that will require us to provide military intervention and support.

What Iraq teaches us, however, is that when you do remove a regime from power, you have to, and this is probably the biggest acknowledgment based on the 2003 intervention, you have to be aware of the forces that will be unleashed. And we've seen that in Iraq. We've seen it in Libya. And obviously we've seen it in a different form in Syria today.

WHITFIELD: So it sounds like you would be in agreement with defense secretary Ash Carter who says there will be more raids similar to what we saw this past week, which ended the life of one U.S. military man, 70 hostages were rescued there in Iraq because it is believed, and we have the video we are going to be showing later on today, that ISIS was holding these hostages at this compound and a large amount of intelligence was gathered. So you're in agreement that there should be more raids similar to this and the U.S. in part play a supportive role?

DOYLE: Look, I'm not a military expert. I don't know about the specifics, but in general terms, yes, absolutely. I think you have to look at the capacity that we have within Special Forces to support those that are on the ground that are taking the fight to is directly at the same time as having the ideological campaign that needs to be one to win the argument against ISIS within the broader most Muslim population, because we have no doubt that obviously ISIS is an extreme minority view.

But what I don't agree with and, for example, that Donald Trump said to Jake Tapper earlier today on CNN, what I don't agree is with Donald Trump's argument that somehow the world would be a better place if Saddam and his two sons were in power.

If you just imagine what would have happened with Saddam in power come the Arab spring, the brutal repression that you would have seen of the people in Iraq would have been nothing compared to what we're seeing in Syria today. And so for that reason I do fundamentally believe that the region is better off without Saddam and his two sons in power.

WHITFIELD: All right. Matthew Doyle, thanks so much. Of course, later on in this hour we will have more from that interview. He referred to Jake Tapper's interview. As well as we'll also help show and explain some of the images, the newest images of that raid that took place in Iraq just days ago.

Meantime, tomorrow night, don't miss Fareed Zakaria's special "the long road to hell." That's Monday at 9:00 p.m. eastern time.

All right. Back here at home now, 17 people are still in the hospital today. Five of them critical following a tragedy at Oklahoma State University's homecoming parade. Four people are dead including a 2- year-old child when a driver suddenly plowed through the crowd at high speed. This afternoon we're hearing from eyewitnesses who described just how horrible it was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[14:10:05] KAILEY CARTER, HIT BY CAR: So I stopped and ran, and the car hit me, like, as it was stopping, then I flew over some strollers. There was bodies obviously laying there. My roommate was like do not look, do not look, because they're putting bags over people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Our Nick Valencia joins us with more on this. We've obtained some new video of the crash. This is a horrible sight. NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The locals say that this is

supposed to be one of the most wholesome events in the country. It was anything but on Saturday afternoon.

We just obtained cell phone video shot by one of the spectators and it showed the moment 25-year-old Adacia Chambers plowed through into an unmanned police motorcycle and preceded into packed crowd. We have to warn you that the video you're about to watch is disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA (voice-over): You can hear the horrific screams from the crowd as a car barrels through a homecoming parade in Oklahoma. The cell phone video captures just how fast the driver was going on Saturday afternoon when she crashed into the celebration filled with unsuspecting victims.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People were here having fun, and literally they don't know what hit them. I mean, it just came 40, 50 miles an hour.

VALENCIA: The suspect, 25-year-old Adacia Chambers, walked away from the crash in handcuffs. She's been charged with driving under the influence. More charges are possible. Littered throughout the scene debris from the crash that killed four people, currently five until critical condition. In all, at least 47 were hurt. Kailey Carter was one of them.

CARTER: I'm never going to forget that in my mind. You know, it's going to replay over and over.

VALENCIA: She says there were bodies everywhere.

CARTER: I just stopped and look. I mean, I didn't know what it was first. And so, I stopped ran and the car hit me like as it was stopping and then I flew over some strollers.

VALENCIA: At the Oklahoma State University homecoming, a moment of silence. Players kneel to honor the victims. Among those killed 2- year-old Nash Lucas. Late Saturday his father posted a message on Facebook. "Miss you so much, buddy."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA: Just so terrible there. Seventeen people remain hospitalized. Eleven of these are in critical condition. The majority of them under 13 years old. Chambers expected to make her first court appearance sometime on Monday.

WHITFIELD: Oh my God. This is a terrible tragedy.

VALENCIA: Just to see that little boy. He's really -- tugging on the heartstrings of so many people in social media really reacting to this 2-year-old Nash Lucas. He is among those who have killed.

WHITFIELD: And still unclear, influence of what. Under the influence of what? VALENCIA: We did reach out to authorities trying to figure out

exactly what she was (INAUDIBLE) by as alleged for being (INAUDIBLE). We don't know.

WHITFIELD: All right. Nick Valencia, keep us posted. Thank you so much.

VALENCIA: You got it.

WHITFIELD: All right. Straight ahead, new video of that raid that rescued nearly 70 hostages from ISIS and left an American soldier dead. More on the terrifying scenes from that night next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:15:54] WHITFIELD: All right. New to CNN today, dramatic video of a U.S. commando raid last week on an ISIS compound in northern Iraq. It happened on the border of Kurdish territory in the town of (INAUDIBLE). Freshly drug graves nearby indicated the hostages were about to be killed. Army master sergeant Joshua Wheeler was killed. The first U.S. combat death in Iraq in four years, but 70 hostages were rescued. Here's how the daring raid went down among constant gunfire. Take a look.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

WHITFIELD: All right. Incredible body camera images you can see of the many hostages that were simply filing out of the prisons.

Let's bring in now CNN military analyst Rick Francona, retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. air force. All right, good to see you.

So what strikes you when you look at these images of these hostages, some of them wearing, you know, these robes, bloodied, dirty, they're running out, there's a lot of confusion. You can hear in that video both some English and you can also hear some Arabic. So how do you decipher what was happening here?

RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, it looked to me -- the parts that I saw they were bringing the hostages out. And you're right, they look pretty -- in pretty bad shape. And of course, we know they were going to be executed. So I'm sure that they were just trying to get out of there.

What I saw was an orderly withdraw of these people out of there. This raid looks like it was done very well both by the Kurds and the Americans. And the part I saw, I saw a lot of American activity there. So I'm not sure how they were defining this an advice and assist. These guys looked like they were involved in that. So I think it was well done and very orderly. And you could tell from the video who was who in there, the Americans versus the Kurds. So, I think we saw a lot of direct U.S. action here.

WHITFIELD: So after something like this happened, we heard from defense secretary Ash Carter saying a lot of intelligence is gathered in situations like this, documents, computer, et cetera, but what we don't see is what happens afterwards, particularly for these hostages. How are they returned to their families, what happens? What would be the U.S. involvement in all of that, the cleanup of this compound that was raided?

FRANCONA: Well, like the secretary said, there's going to be a wealth of intelligence information. The first thing you do is get in there, you eliminate the opposition, you secure the hostages, and then you clean up the site. You take everything you think is of value there. And once you own that site, you can do this pretty methodically and take all documents, computer, phones, everything, and that is all's going to be exploited by us and the Iraqis jointly, and the Kurds will play a role in that as well.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Just looking at the new images now, you can also decipher that not only were, you know, earlier you are talking about the orderly manner once they were running out of their cells or rooms. But now, you see each is being patted down, because while there's a presumption there they're all hostages at the same time, these forces, you can't really be sure. So help explain what's going through the minds of these soldiers while they're trying to, you know, free and also time to be careful.

FRANCONA: Absolutely. And you remember when Sergeant Bergdahl was released. They patted him down as well because you don't know what's planted on them. You don't know who they are. So it is better that you have to err on the side of caution because your first responsibility is your own security.

[14:20:03] WHITFIELD: Alright, Colonel Rick Francona, always good to see you. Thank you so much for your perspective. Appreciate it.

FRANCONA: Sure thing.

WHITFIELD: All right. Up next, the rain that causes major flooding in Texas. And right now it's over Louisiana. Ryan Young is there - Ryan.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The major rain is moving through. You can see we are in neighborhoods talking to people about the conditions they have been experiencing over the last 24 hours. I will have live report coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:24:10] WHITFIELD: Remnants of what was hurricane Patricia and another system are now heading toward Louisiana, and that's put more than six million people under a flood watch in that area. Meanwhile, Texas is expected to see some relief after being soaked with more than 20 inches of rain in the past day or so. In Houston, authorities are monitoring several highway ramps into the city that had to be closed because of the rising water.

CNN's Ryan Young made his way today from Texas and is now in Lake Charles, Louisiana. So Ryan, we saw a lot of water building up behind you. What's going

on?

YOUNG: Well, we did see a lot of water earlier. Look. We started our day around 3:00 this morning and we were out in Texas with all that rain. Weed made our way here, and look, it's not that bad here. We're not seeing the steady rain. In fact, people tell us this is almost the normal level for this canal that comes through here. They have a gate that controls the levels.

But we wanted to show you the measurement that is just across the way. You can see it's not that high. We are not experiencing the same kind of water that we did from the rains in Texas. In fact, we will show you some of that video because people there had to deal with different situations. In fact, we saw several submerged cars in the Houston area. In fact, they closed almost 50 roads at one point. They're expecting six to 12 inches of rain at one point.

But now that system is moving through and that is the good news. People here, of course, on the coast are used to dealing with these waters. With that storm being so big, they were expected to blow through with all that power. The good news so far, though, is as we stand here, you can see the rain starting to lighten up. In fact, we haven't seen a lot of flooding in the areas we've been driving through.

[14:25:41] WHITFIELD: All right. Well, that is good news. I know the folks there are much relieved. But you know, nobody's out of the woods just yet, right? All right, just be cautious.

All right, Ryan Young.

YOUNG: Not just yet.

WHITFIELD: All right. I appreciate it. Thanks so much from Lake Charles, Louisiana.

All right still ahead, Republican presidential candidate and Senator Marco Rubio is facing strong criticism for missing nearly a third of the Senate votes this year. Hear how he defended that in an interview with CNN next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:29:17] WHITFIELD: All right. Hello again and thanks for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Marco Rubio is defending himself today against criticism that he has skipped Senate votes and that he's too big on immigration. According to the latest Quinnipiac university poll, Rubio is polling third after Carson and trump. Rubio sat down today with CNN special correspondent Jamie Gangel on "STATE OF THE UNION."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMIE GANGEL, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: He hits you and Carson over and over again. He says you're weak on immigration. Is he more in tune with the Republican Party on this issue than you are?

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No. His rhetoric is a little louder, but if you think about where he was six months ago, his position on immigration six months ago was nothing like what he's saying now. And even what he is saying now is borders on the absurd. He's going to deport all these people then allow back in the ones that are good. His plan makes no sense.

JAMIE GANGEL, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: Marco Rubio criticism over and over again that you keep missing votes on the Senate floor, 43 percent of the votes. I know you say you're campaigning for president. But Bernie Sanders, Rand Paul, they've missed fewer than 10 votes. You're up at 59 or 60.

RUBIO: Everyone needs to run their own campaign. I can tell you that in the history of presidential politics, when they've been running for politics in the Senate they've missed votes. I'm not missing votes because I'm on vacation.

This is lower than what other people have missed. I'm running for president so the votes they take in the Senate are meaningful again. A lot of these votes won't pass and if they did the president would veto it.

GANGEL: You got up on the Senate floor and you said federal workers who don't show up should be fired.

RUBIO: That's not what I said.

GANGEL: What did you say?

RUBIO: I said federal workers that aren't doing their jobs, not performing at their jobs should be able to be fired, held accountable for not performing.

GANGEL: Someone might say you're not showing up, you're not doing your job --

RUBIO: Not true. Not true. Because voting is not the only part of the Senate job. The most important thing a senator does is constituent service. We have eight offices in Florida open on a 9:00 to 6:00 basis five days a week helping to process the cases of thousands of Floridians that come to us with their issues every day. We're still involved in looking out --

GANGEL: Votes aren't important --

RUBIO: Of course, they're important.

GANGEL: Intelligence committee hearings aren't important?

RUBIO: We do all the intelligence briefings. I was there this Tuesday and got fully briefed and caught up on everything that's happened in the world. We get constant briefings. Votes of course are important, but unfortunately too many of them today are not meaningful. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk more about Rubio's potential to win the nomination. I want to bring in Rachel Campos-Duffy, the national spokeswoman for the LIBRE Initiative, a nonprofit that supports the U.S.-Hispanic community. Good to see you.

And CNN political commentator, Patti Solis-Doyle, is the manager of Hillary Clinton's 2008 political campaign. Good to see you as well.

Those votes won't mean anything. Rachel, when he says he's skipping votes because they won't mean anything and there are other responsibilities, how does that translate to most people?

RACHEL CAMPOS-DUFFY, NATIONAL SPOKESWOMAN, THE LIBRE INITIATIVE: Well, if they're thinking hard about it, it makes sense. Until we get a conservative president in the office, these bills are just going to get vetoed at the president's desk.

So I understand his rationale. Maybe it looks unseemly to the average voter, but he's actually making sense, because everything does die in the Senate.

WHITFIELD: So Patty, this is excusable, good rationale?

PATTI SOLIS DOYLE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Look, I do agree with him that he says everybody who runs for president misses some votes. Hillary Clinton missed some votes when she was running. However, what was it, 43 percent? That's a lot.

That is an awful lot. And I think it feeds into the perception that Washington is just not doing its job. So, no, I don't think this is going to serve Marco Rubio well at all.

WHITFIELD: OK, so let's move on Donald Trump. He was on "STATE OF THE UNION" today. Let's play some of what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A lot of people think well I'm sort of a tough guy and I'm going to do it. I actually think I'm a really nice person, but some people say he's tough. I'm going to unify. This country is totally divided.

Barack Obama has divided this country unbelievably. It's all hatred. What can I tell you? I've never seen anything like it. I'm going to unify the country. Sometimes they'll say that people that know me, and I'm talking about some of the biggest people in the world, they call up, they say it is right, I've seen it.

One of the big knocks on me was that over the years I've gotten along with Democrats and I've gotten along with Republicans, and I said that's a good thing.

As a businessman, I had an obligation to do that to myself, to my family, to my company, and to my employees. I get along with everybody. I will be a great unifier for our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, so will his criticism of his fellow contenders on their intelligence, on religion, on their policies, does that make him a great unifier, Patti?

DOYLE: No. When you hear him say it, it's almost laughable. Donald Trump doesn't like to lose, and when he lose, he attack, as we saw with the poll that recently came out showing him, he's losing to Ben Carson in Iowa.

First he attacks the polls themselves, calls the "Des Moines Register", the premier newspaper in Iowa, a third-rate liberal rag, and then he calls "Bloomberg," the entire organization that he writes about because they hate him apparently.

[14:35:06] Then he goes after Carson, who is beating him in Iowa, going after his religion. So it's just laughable when he says I'm going to unify the country when he is -- his rhetoric is so divisive.

WHITFIELD: So Rachel, what do you think he means when he says that?

CAMPOS-DUFFY: I don't know. He's actually correct that Barack Obama has been the most divisive president in recent history. Whether he's the antidote do that, there's a lot of questions about that.

What I think is this is a strong field and not just a strong GOP field that's competing and fighting to see who comes out on top. It's the most racially diverse field in the history of America.

If a candidate is not a minority, they're married to a minority. I think there's a lot of opportunity here as these debates unfold for us to find who is that conservative unifying candidate, that person will rise to the top.

We're seeing ups and downs. I think it's so exciting. The Democrat primary is quite a bore because it's a coronation.

WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk about another Republican, Ben Carson, on NBC's "Meet The Press" today. Listen to what he had to say about his beliefs on abortion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In the ideal situation, the mother should not believe that the baby is her enemy and should not be looking to terminate the baby. You know, things are set up in such a way that the person in the world who has the greatest interest in protecting the baby is the mother.

We have allowed the purveyors of division to make mothers think that that baby is their enemy and that they have a right to kill it. Can you see how perverted that line of scrimmage of thinking is?

During slavery, and I know that's one of those words you're not supposed to say, but I'm saying it, during slavery, a lot of the slave owners thought they had the right to do whatever they wanted to that slave, anything that they chose to do.

And what will if the abolitionists had said I don't believe in slavery? I think it's wrong? But you guys do whatever you want to do. Where would we be?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitively, do you want to see Roe v. Wade overturned?

CARSON: Ultimately, I would love to see it overturned.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, so that was Ben Carson. So he is enjoying a lead until two Iowa polls. I wonder, Rachel, these comments, does that help him maintain his lead or does that help him lose it?

CAMPOS-DUFFY: It sure doesn't. It helps him gain. First of all, I'm going to speak to not as a spokesperson but as a mother, a Latina mother of seven. I will tell you that, you know, the argument that the people who enslaved black Americans during that era, they were powerful groups over another -- taking control over another weaker group and saying they weren't sufficiently human.

These are the same arguments used on abortion. What he said about people standing on the sidelines during that time, during our history of slavery, there were many people who said that this was an injustice, but I'm not going to tell other people what to do.

Then there were the brave abolitionists who stood up against this human injustice. I think that's what he's speaking about. I think he's speaking about it from the heart. I think it will speak to the GOP base. And I think he does it in a way that's gentle and nonjudgmental and I think it resonates very much.

WHITFIELD: And Patti?

DOYLE: Speaking also as a Latina woman and a mother of two, I disagree. I think a woman's right to choose is an innate right and a woman's right to choose with what to do with her body is an innate right. And while maybe it will help them with the GOP nomination, these comments will not help him win a general election.

WHITFIELD: Do you see him -- do you, then, Rachel, see him as the ultimate unifier?

CAMPOS-DUFFY: Again, I don't know. It is so early. I would be a fool right now to tell you if I could predict this race. What I do think is he is growing as a candidate. He is becoming much more articulate on his points of view, much more I think aware of the track out there in the media and he's really improving. I think they all are.

This is an exciting race. The Republican Party is the free market party. Talk about free market and competition. This thing is going to end. I don't know how, but the best candidate will rise to the top.

WHITFIELD: And Patti, what's fascinating is Ben Carson isn't really campaigning. He's on his book tour, but, you know, he seems to be either gaining traction or at least getting the attention of his sentiment even while he's on this book tour.

DOYLE: Right. What I think is going on really in the Republican Party is a primary within a primary. There's the race for the anti- establishment candidate and there's a race for the establishment candidate.

[14:40:03] Right now he's running against Donald Trump. That's who he's running against. The styles are so dramatically different between Trump and Carson that I think that his natural style, his soft-spokenness, his collegiality is playing better in places like Iowa than Trump.

CAMPOS-DUFFY: And what I think is also interesting is that these candidates are being authentically them. Love them or not. Trump is being Trump. Ben Carson isn't trying to out-Trump Trump. He's just being Ben Carson. I think you're seeing that with Marco Rubio and other candidates, they're being themselves and we're going to watch this unfold and have plenty of debates to decide upon.

WHITFIELD: All right, we'll leave it right there, Ladies. Rachel Campos-Duffy, Patti Solis Doyle, thank you so much.

All right, straight ahead, Bernie Sanders, well, he's taking his hardest stand yet against Hillary Clinton. His fiery speech at a key event last night coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, checking our top stories, the NYPD believed they have found the gun used to kill one of their own officer. Randolph Holder was shot to death Tuesday in East Harlem. A scuba team recovered the 40-caliber Glock in the East River around 3:00 this morning.

Tyrone Howard is in custody for the murder. A vigil was held for Officer Holder Saturday. His funeral service is scheduled for Wednesday.

Some of you might find this next story difficult to watch and you may want to look away. Fishermen off the coast of Turkey are credited with saving the life of a young Syrian refugee.

[14:45:09] The baby wearing a life jacket was plucked out of the Aegean Sea after a boat he and his family were on was taking on water in Greece. The good news, that baby is said to be in good health as a result of those heroic efforts and he has been reunited with his mother.

And damages being assessed across coastal and Central Mexico today following record strong Hurricane Patricia. The Category 5 storm hit Mexico's west coast, uprooting trees and causing power outages but sparing populous areas from any major damage. Emergency officials warn there's still a threat of serious flooding and mudslides.

And Pope Francis scolded church elders at the close of a historic meeting today urging bishops to show God's mercy. The three-week summit ended without consensus on two issues -- divorce and same-sex marriage. Bishops did open the door to relaxing strict rules on allowing divorced Catholics but did not change their tone towards gay and lesbians.

Legendary actress, Maureen O'Hara has died. Born in Ireland, O'Hara first stepped foot in Hollywood in 1939. During her lengthy career, O'Hara starred in "The Parent Trap" and "Miracle on 34th Street."

(VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: In 2014, O'Hara received an honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement. The family statement says O'Hara passed away in her sleep listening to music from her favorite movie "The Quiet Man" where she starred with actor, John Wayne. She was 95.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:51:29]

WHITFIELD: Democratic presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, exchanged veiled shots at each other on the campaign trail. Sanders implied Clinton was an inconsistent progressive while Clinton took subtle jabs of her own suggesting Sanders wasn't electable as a candidate.

It all culminated at key Democratic fundraising dinner last night. CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. It was the most aggressive we've seen Bernie Sanders challenge Hillary Clinton yet. He tried to remind Democrats that he's been with them all along on some of these issues that have been not so popular among Democrats, gay rights, the Iraq war, Wall Street reform.

But Hillary Clinton held her ground and all but ignored her Democratic rivals. She's trying to make the case that she is the strongest Democratic nominee to take on the Republicans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZELENY (voice-over): Fireworks in the presidential race. Democratic rivals descending on Iowa 100 days before the first votes of the 2016 primary. Hillary Clinton seizing on the star power of Katy Perry.

KATY PERRY, SINGER: Fight on, 2016 is right around the corner!

ZELENY: And the political power of Bill Clinton in his campaign trail debut.

FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON: I've never been the warm-up act for Katy Perry before! But I'm well aware I am the warm-up act!

ZELENY: The biggest week yet of the Democratic presidential race ended in Iowa where Clinton had plenty of company and competition.

Senator Bernie Sanders has become a Democratic star of his own. His campaign chartered a plane to fly over their dueling rallies, calling for a revolution before marching side-by-side with his followers.

SANDERS: This is a march which will end up in a year when you will join me in the White House.

ZELENY: A festival of politics coming to a full boil at the Jefferson-Jackson dinner, a marquee event for Democrats. It was at this dinner eight years ago where Illinois Senator Barack Obama jump- started his presidential campaign.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: If we are really serious about winning this election, Democrats, then we can't live in fear of losing it.

ZELENY: Sanders said history could repeat itself.

SANDERS: About eight years ago, all of the political experts talked about how another Democratic candidate for president just couldn't win. He was unelectable. Do you remember that guy? What is his name? It's President Obama!

ZELENY: Sanders presented himself as a principled progressive, drawing a sharp contrast to Clinton's vote on Iraq, gay rights, and Wall Street reform.

SANDERS: I will not abandon any segment of American society just because it is politically expedient at a given time.

ZELENY: Former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley said it's time for a new generation to lead.

MARTIN O'MALLEY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: New leadership was the same old battles of our past, actions or words? Do we want to get things done or with do we just want to keep kind of shouting past each other?

ZELENY: But Clinton argued her experience makes her the party's strongest nominee.

CLINTON: It's not enough just to rail against the Republicans or the billionaires. We actually have to win this election.

ZELENY: In Iowa, Clinton has an edge in the polls, but Sanders is capturing the enthusiasm, a sign this Democratic race is not yet settled.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[14:55:10] ZELENY: With 100 days to go before the Iowa caucuses kick off the 2016 road to the White House, there's no question that Hillary Clinton is in the Democratic driver's seat. She leads Bernie Sanders here in Iowa, but it's a different case in New Hampshire, the first primary state. That's why she's campaigning there later this week. A two-day campaign swing trying to loosen the grip that Bernie Sanders has held on that state. She's trying to win over these Democrats, some undecided, some not with her yet, trying to tell them that she'll be the strongest Democratic nominee -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Jeff Zeleny.

All right, coming up, new video showing that horrifying moment when a car crashed into a crowd of people at a homecoming parade at Oklahoma State University. Four people were killed including a 2-year-old boy. The latest on that story plus that new video right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Hello again and thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Seventeen people are still in the hospital today, four of them critical following a tragedy at Oklahoma State University's homecoming parade.

Four people are dead including a 2-year-old child when a driver suddenly plowed through the crowd at high speed. This afternoon we're hearing from eyewitnesses who describe just how horrible it was.