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New Video from Biker Shootout; Interview with Jeb Bush on Debate Performance; John Boehner, Paul Ryan Comment on House Speakership. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired October 29, 2015 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:16] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Remember that deadly biker shootout at a restaurant earlier on this summer left nine people dead, 177 others under arrest? Now CNN has obtained this exclusive video that shows the moments the situation began to unfold. You see bikers drawing their weapons, ducking, running for cover as shots begin to ring out.
CNN's Ed Lavandera shows us a side of the story like you have never seen before.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This was the scene inside the restaurant in May just before the violent shootout that killed nine people and ended up in the mass arrest of 177 bikers. A fight and shootout erupts just off camera between a group of motorcycle clubs called the Bandidos and the Cossacks. The reaction tells the story of the chaos and horrific scene that unfolds as the gunshots start exploding.
Members of the Cossacks club are sitting on this patio. They duck for cover. Some grab other weapons. One biker is seen on the video running through the patio and firing a shot toward the parking lot. Dozens of bikers rush inside the building, hide in bathrooms and the restaurant kitchen.
John Wilson is the president of the Waco, Texas, chapter of the Cossacks motorcycle club. He was on the Twin Peaks patio that day.
JOHN WILSON, CHAPTER PRESIDENT, WACO, TEXAS, COSSACKS CLUB: The whole incident probably didn't last more than 90 seconds. It seemed like an hour when you're laying there and people are getting shot around you and bullets are whizzing by you.
LAVANDERA: In dozens of police interviews, Cossacks and Bandidos bike club members blame rivals for starting the melee. After it was all over crime scene photos capture the nightmarish scene. Bodies left in the parking lot by toppled motorcycles, hundreds of weapons all over the place. Handguns left hidden in the restaurant toilets.
CNN has obtained more than 2,000 pages of documents, crime scene photos, many too graphic to show, and surveillance video of what unfolded last May.
Waco police and prosecutors have consistently defended the mass arrests of the 177 bikers that day all charged with organized criminal activity.
SGT. PATRICK SWANTON, WACO, TEXAS, POLICE DEPARTMENT: I think you can see by the number of weapons that we have recovered from here today they didn't come here to eat and have a good time with their family. They came here for a reason we think part of that reason was a criminal activity.
LAVANDERA: But many of the bikers and their attorneys say investigators and prosecutors overreacted by carrying out mass arrests. Some say videos show the vast majority are innocent of the criminal charges.
SUSAN ANDERSON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: They just arrested everybody before they determined who was involved.
LAVANDERA: These are just some of the videos investigators are using to piece together what happened that day five months ago, a shootout that one witness said looked like the gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Ed Lavandera reporting from Waco, Texas. Ed, thank you.
Next here on CNN, Jeb Bush took on his fellow Floridian Marco Rubio head on last night in an attack that, by all accounts, missed the mark. We'll talk to a Florida political reporter who has followed these two. What did he think of the matchup?
And Dana Bash talked to Jeb Bush after the debate. How he responded to one of his biggest supporters who was disappointed with how he did.
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[14:33:00] BALDWIN: After last night's presidential debate, a lot of people in the Republican Party wondering if this is the end for Jeb Bush and his campaign. The Florida governor struggled to dominate and stay ahead of rivals but says he remains hopeful.
CNN's chief political correspondent, Dana Bash, talked to Jeb Bush about his performance, about the attacks on his political protege, Marco Rubio, and his thoughts on how the debate was moderated.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEB BUSH, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: They didn't control the debate, plain and simple. It was not a fair debate in that regard. But look, we're all --
(CROSSTALK)
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: He said there were gotcha questions. Do you think that's true? BUSH: Of course, there were. Yeah. There were gotcha questions like
they have been in the other debates as well.
BASH: Except the CNN debate.
(LAUGHTER)
BUSH: OK. Am I laughing out loud?
(LAUGHTER)
BASH: There was a lot of buzz that your moment where you went after Marco Rubio turned out to be a moment for Marco Rubio and not you.
BUSH: We'll see. The simple fact is that he has the worst attendance record in the United States Senate, plain and simple. He now has an unprecedented editorial of a major newspaper saying he should resign and continue his campaign. If he's not going to resign, he needs to show up and e vote. I believe that's the way we should be doing this. He got elected. I supported him when he got elected to serve the people of the state of Florida.
BALDWIN: Your friend and mine, Ana Navarro, said she's feeling glum tonight because of the performance that you had, and the performance of Marco --
(CROSSTALK)
BUSH: I'm running for president of the United States.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: How do you win them back?
BUSH: I'm running for president of the United States. I'm running with heart. I'm not a performer. If they are looking for entertainer in chief, I'm probably not the guy. If they are looking for someone with a proven record of results, 32 years in the business sector and eights years, the most reform-oriented conservative probably in the last 30 years in the country, I'm their guy.
BASH: You seem quite frustrated.
BUSH: Not frustrated.
BASH: No?
BUSH: No. I wish I had gotten questions on -- got to answer questions about things that are on the minds of people, entitlement challenges, the debt. I got fantasy football. It's important I guess.
[14:30:04] BASH: The reason I ask about you being frustrated is today's environment when your performance is the name of the game when you have to sort of come across on TV in a certain way, that's what I meant by being frustrated, getting that message for people to hear it. BUSH: I don't follow Twitter. I don't worry about it. I'm going to
control the part I can control. I got that -- I try to interject as much as I could. I was asked three questions, I think, or something like that. And I'm going to continue to work hard. And when you travel, as you have done, to see me campaign, you see how people connect with a message that's much more hopeful and optimistic than what we have today.
BASH: Before we let you go -- I know you have to go -- what do you say to people, like not just Ana, but others who support you and love you and want you to be president but just are maybe, not frustrated, but concerned that you're not getting over the hump when it comes to the campaigning part?
BUSH: It's a long haul.
Ana, hang in there, girl. It's a long haul, baby.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Well, the long haul that Governor Jeb Bush is alluding to appears to include going after his team by the looks at the whole debate last night's strategy.
Adam Smith is joining me, political editor at the "Tampa Bay Times." He's been covering politics in Florida for 20 years.
Adam, thank you for being with me.
You're in Florida. You are in the weeds on both Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, their careers. What, from what you say, you pointed out that tensions started the moment they walked out on stage, no handshake.
ADAM SMITH, POLITICAL EDITOR, TAMPA BAY TIMES: Yeah, that was just such a striking interview with Dana Bash. He's not a performer and that's part of the problem. Politics is performance. Governing effectively is communicating and getting the message across. It's not happening. He is optimistic, but he seems anything but joyful.
BALDWIN: I was about to ask you do you buy that he's not frustrated? He kept saying, no, I'm not frustrated.
SMITH: He looks miserable. And Marco Rubio looks like he just makes it look easy. It's not easy for Jeb Bush. It seems to be a lot easier for Marco Rubio.
BALDWIN: I read that you say Jeb Bush's candidacy has always been flawed. How do you mean?
SMITH: Well, I don't know that it's always been flawed. There's sort of a disconnect between his image nationally and in Florida. In Florida, he was viewed as truly a bold conservative governor who got things done, pushed an agenda, had a ton of energy. Nationally, partly because the party has changed so much, he's viewed as sort of a tired guy, out of step with where the party is today and just not quite able to connect with people in a way that Marco Rubio is. BALDWIN: Was Jeb Bush really strong and sharp in the Florida debates?
SMITH: He's never been a great debater, but that's the other thing with this race. Jeb has kind of had it size. He had one tough race way back in 1994 and he lost that race. And then he had a very easy election race, outspent his o opponent. So he's not used to this level of political competition. Maybe he's not up to it.
BALDWIN: Marco Rubio, you say he's the guy that makes it look easy. Obviously, had a strong night last night. What do you think he needs to do to truly break out as the establishment candidate, or has he pulled that off already?
SMITH: Well, I think what Marco Rubio has going for him, and again, those of us that have watched these guys know that Marco is not somebody that is going to make a mistake. He's very unlikely to do something stupid, make a gaffe, be clumsy in a way that Jeb is. At some point he has to win. He has a sweet spot where he makes the establishment comfortable and reaches over to the anti-establishment because he's a fresh face, even as a Senator. But at some point, he doesn't look like he's got a great chance to win Iowa. Not a great chance to win New Hampshire. At some point, he has to be the first choice, not everybody's second or third choice.
BALDWIN: It was the Bush advisers who want to label Marco Rubio as the GOP Obama. Do you see the comparisons in terms of here's this young, rising too fast, ambition, lack of experience?
SMITH: Yeah, it's an absolutely valid comparison. A fairly new freshman Senator who wants to immediately jump over the White House. You do hear that concern from a fair number of Republican primary voters that say, look what happened when we did that with Obama. On the other hand, Obama won two presidential elections. Obama excited a lot of people. Obama looked like somebody who was going to turn the page from the politics of the past. To compare to Obama is not necessarily the worst comparison in the world for Marco Rubio.
[14:45:19] BALDWIN: Adam Smith, love getting a political Florida voice. Political editor at the "Tampa Bay Times." Thank you so much.
SMITH: Thanks, Brooke.
BALDWIN: And let's get another voice in here. How about that of Hillary Clinton? She has now weighed in on the Republican debate moments ago. Here she was.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Any of you see the Republican debate last night? Yep. You know, I watched it. And I was waiting for the discussion to turn to what people talk to me about. I heard a lot of insults and a lot of back and forth between the various candidates. You would have been better off watching the World Series because the debate, in my view, was a swing and a miss.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: In the meantime, Carly Fiorina last night saying she would be Hillary Clinton's worst nightmare. We have more on that ahead.
Also ahead, we're watching and waiting for Donald Trump, getting ready to hold his first rally since last night's debate. I'm sure he will have some words about not only Hillary Clinton, but Jeb Bush and possibly others. Packed house there in Sparks, Nevada, Nugget Casino.
Also, ahead, more on our breaking news, a plane catching fire in Florida. Several people injured.
You're watching CNN.
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[14:50:46] BALDWIN: Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan is now officially the new speaker of the House of Representatives. He's succeeding John Boehner who shed his final many tears on the House floor, picking up a box of tissues on his way up to the podium, using that imagery as he often has. The son of a Cincinnati bartender, with a big American dream, expressed his gratitude today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R-OH), FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I have described my life as a chase for the American dream. That chase began at the main drag in Ohio outside of Cincinnati. Top of the hill was a small house with a big family, a shining city in its own right. The hill had twists, the hill had turns, and even a few tears. Nothing wrong with that. If you falter, and you will, you can just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and go do it again. Because hope always springs eternal. And if you just do the right things for the right reasons, good things will happen. And this, too, can really happen to you.
God bless you and God bless our great country.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Also emotional, as his first moment here as speaker of the House, Paul Ryan encouraged Congress to embrace their differences and work across the aisle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PAUL RYAN, (R-WI), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: We will not always agree, not all of us, not all of the time. But we should not hide our disagreements. We should embrace them. We have nothing to fear from honest differences honestly stated.
(APPLAUSE)
RYAN: If you have ideas, let's hear them. I believe that a greater clarity between us can lead to greater charity among us.
REP. JOHN CONYERS, (D), MICHIGAN: Do you, sir, solemnly swear or affirm that you will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that you take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you are about to enter, so help you, God?
RYAN: I do.
(APPLAUSE)
RYAN: Thank you. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Now to this. A young Australian woman with Down's syndrome is challenging the perception of the word "super model" with each step she takes.
CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, shares her inspirational journey in this week's "Human Factor."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(SHOUTING)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There's almost nothing Madeline Stuart won't try.
ROSEANNE STUART, MOTHER OF MADELINE STUART: She's been sky diving, zip lining, scuba diving.
GUPTA: So when her 18-year-old daughter wanted to model, Roseanne Stuart wasn't about to stand in her way.
STUART: I'm a realist. I know my daughter has Down's syndrome, but that doesn't mean you can't do things.
GUPTA (on camera): Like Maddie, half of all children born with Down's syndrome have some type of heart defect. So in her case, the blood that was going into her heart wasn't getting enough oxygen before then going out. So when she'd cry, she'd turn blue and pass out.
(voice-over): Maddie almost didn't survive to see her first birthday. At 2 months old, she had heart surgery.
STUART: The doctor said she had a 30 percent chance survival rate.
(SHOUTING)
GUPTA: You would never know that by looking at this it spirited teen today. STUART: She does sports seven days a week. She's so energetic it
exhausts me.
GUPTA: And there's no rest in sight. Maddie's modeling career is taking off. She walked the runway during New York's fashion week. And won a contract to be the face of lipstick company, Glossy Girl.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MODEL: Like your smile.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: All of which, her mom said, is giving hope to others with disabilities.
STUART: Madelyn isn't going to be the president of the United States -- because she's Australian, but if she was American. She's not going to be a brain surgeon or an astronaut, but look at how she's changing the world.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[14:55:11] BALDWIN: How great is that?
And now some live pictures here from Sparks, Nevada. We're waiting for Donald Trump to appear behind that podium, getting ready to hold his first rally since the debate. I'm sure he will have words for those candidates, perhaps Jeb Bush, Hillary Clinton.
Also ahead, much more on our breaking news here of that plane catching fire in Florida. Several people hurt. New details there out of Ft. Lauderdale, coming up next.
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BALDWIN: Hi, there. I'm Brooke Baldwin.
