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Iran Arrests American Businessman; James Clapper on Vladimir Putin over Syria; Rubio Back on Campaign Trail, Jeb Bush Reassures Donors; ; Fugitive Dies in Gunfight After Shooting Cop; 17 People Injured When Plane Catches Fire; GOP Campaigns Plot Challenge to RNC Debates. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired October 30, 2015 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00] CUOMO: Make the crew do something that could take under.

PEREIRA: Keep our eye on your. How about that?

CUOMO: What is that exactly? Is it the face that's an eye? You know it's an improvement. To be honest.

CAMEROTA: Time now "NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello.

PEREIRA: Happy Halloween.

CUOMO: Oh, Carol. Scary mask.

PEREIRA: Come on.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: You know, Ashleigh Banfield dressed up earlier this morning but she refuses to be seen on camera. Yes. But she looked interesting.

(CROSSTALK)

PEREIRA: I'm going to her office now.

COSTELLO: Have a great day. NEWSROOM starts now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, an American executive in prison in Iran this morning. Why? His family doesn't even know. And his arrest coming as America negotiates with Iran about what to do in Syria.

Also Jeb Bush trying to smile through headlines about a weak debate performance, low energy and dipping poll numbers.

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's not on life support. We have the most money. We have the greatest organization. We're doing fine.

COSTELLO: This morning a leaked memo gives us an insider look at his plan of attack. And knives, guns, blood and fear. New surveillance video of a biker

brawl that left nine dead, 177 arrested, 480 weapons found, and still no one has been charged with murder.

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. We begin with breaking news.

Right now an American businessman is reportedly being held behind bars in Iran. Here is what we know. According to reports Siamak Namazi was taken into custody while visiting his family in Tehran. It's believed Namazi, who holds dual citizenship between both countries, was detained by Iranian Security Forces. He's now the fourth American to be in prison there.

Namazi is reportedly being held in the same prison as the American journalist Jason Rezaian. The big question, why was he detained? All of this escalating tension -- all of this escalating tension played out on the world stage.

For the first time Iran meets with American diplomats to discuss the worsening crisis in Syria. The goal as Secretary of State Kerry says, "chart a course out of hell."

We're covering all of this like as CNN only can with our team of experts. Let's begin, though, with CNN senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen. He's in Vienna where those peace talks are playing out.

But, Fred, first tell us about the latest developments surrounding this American businessman.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely, Carol. Some major developments and it is certainly something that is playing out here in Vienna as well. In fact, there was a meeting last night between Secretary of State John Kerry and the Iranian foreign minister. And the State Department later then put out a release saying that one of the things they had talked about was the continued detention of American citizens in Iran. Of course it is a big issue.

Now about this new case, for this American executive, there isn't really very much information that we're getting from the Iranians, which on the one hand has to do with the fact that on Friday is generally all of their judiciary, all the public offices are closed. But also something that we've seen in the past is that they generally give out very little information about cases like this one. They don't have press releases. They don't even say if this person has been charged what he might have been charged with. Very difficult to get information.

But as you said, from the reporting that we've been seeing so far it seems as though he's been detained about two weeks ago and also that his passport was confiscated prior to his detention. There are some sources within Iran that say that this could be something playing out with the hard liners in Iran who were very much skeptical of the nuclear agreement that was reached between the Iranians and the U.S. They're trying to play hardball now with the moderates in Iran and showing that they still wield a lot of power.

But at this point it is very much unclear. But it's certainly something that's being talked about here in Vienna as well as these several parties come together and try and hammer out some sort of agreement to try and put the violence here in Syria, too. And of course the big stumbling block there is going to be the future of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. What happens to him?

The Iranians, who've been taking part in the format like this for the very first time, are saying they could live with some sort of political transition but they do believe that Bashar al-Assad should be part of that transition. The Russians feel the same way. The Americans of course and their allies say Bashar al-Assad has to go. So that's the big stumbling block here.

No one really believes, Carol, that there is going to be some resolution to all of this at the meeting here, but senior diplomats that we've been saying if this meeting doesn't completely collapse, if they decide to keep talking, that in itself will already be progress, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Fred Pleitgen, reporting live for us this morning.

[09:05:01] Those peace talks coming as the civil war in Syria worsens and the death toll rises. Earlier today more than 50 people were killed after government strikes hit a market in the city of Duma. 200 others were wounded.

These pictures show the aftermath of that marketplace. The street filled with piles of debris. Although those peace talks in Vienna are a world away, they come at a critical time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: This is a human catastrophe unfolding before our eyes in the 21st century.

My friends, the challenge that we face in Syria today is nothing less than to chart a course out of hell.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: That hell perhaps worsened by Russia's escalating military intervention in Syria.

CNN's chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto sat down for an exclusive interview with the director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, to talk about that. Jim joins me now live from Washington.

What did he say, Jim?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Carol. Well, it's interesting. This is a guy who's been in intelligence for decades and he says one of the most difficult things he's got to do is try to judge the intentions of foreign leaders and he says that's particularly difficult with Vladimir Putin because he has such a tight circle of advisors advising him or challenging him on these decisions. He called it a decisional bubble. And -- but he's a guy who's been in intelligence a long time. He's got a lot of skill in measuring up people.

He said, in his terms, that Vladimir Putin he finds opportunistic, impulsive, and he says a great example of that is in Syria where he says Vladimir Putin being opportunistic there and really doesn't have a long-term plan. Here is how he put it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES CLAPPER, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: We're expected to know that a decision has been made by a foreign head of state before he makes it. Putin's case in point. I think he's very impulsive. Very opportunistic. I -- it is a debate but I personally question whether he has some long-term strategy. And I think his intervention into Syria is another manifestation of that.

Those things are hard to predict when there is a very, very -- in this his case a very, very small cloister of people around him. Unlike our president, he is not subjected to a steady stream of bad news. That's not a good thing for his intelligence services to do. So he's very much I think in a sort of a decisional bubble. And he makes these decisions on pretty much on his own.

SCIUTTO: Do you think he has a plan for Syria?

CLAPPER: What his long term plan is? I'm not sure he has one. I think he's kind of winging this day to day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Kind of winging this day to day. It certainly doesn't bode well for the progress in those peace talks when you have that added military intervention.

I will say, Carol, I asked him about whether U.S. intelligence, whether he, whether the president was surprised by Russian military action in Syria. He said no. He said that they saw it coming. They informed the president. They were aware of this in advance.

COSTELLO: Fascinating. Jim Sciutto, reporting live for us. Thank you.

The risk of a government shutdown has been reduced after the Senate approved a two-year deal on this federal budget. In a 64-35 vote, lawmakers backed the package which will suspend the nation's debt limit through March of 2017. It will also increase federal spending for domestic and defense programs by more than $80 billion over the next two years.

The bill now goes to President Obama. And in a statement this morning the president said in part, "This agreement is a reminder that Washington can still choose to help rather than hinder America's progress. And I look forward to signing it into law."

Among the senators voting no on the budget deal, Marco Rubio, the Florida lawmaker who's come under heavy scrutiny for skipping votes while he runs for president, heading to Iowa today. But not before returning to Washington to make his voice heard on a deal he called, quote, "severely flawed." Recent polls in Iowa show that even though Rubio is not the top choice for caucus goers he has now climbed into double digits. And that was before he got strong debate showing earlier this week.

And Marco Rubio won't be the only Republican in Iowa today. For more on that I want to bring in CNN Politics reporter Sara Murray.

Good morning, Sara.

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Now today Marco Rubio's campaign is stressing that his decision to go back for that vote has nothing to do with the flak he caught over the debate. He just said it was an important vote. He wanted to be there to vote no on the debt ceiling increase.

But like you said, plenty of other candidates in Iowa today. Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina, Rick Santorum and all of them are jockeying, to improve their performance after the debate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BUSH: It's not on life support. We have the most money. We have the greatest organization.

[09:10:02] MURRAY (voice-over): Jeb Bush promising to be more forceful after an underwhelming debate performance. Bush reaching out to reassure skittish donors.

BUSH: Look, we've got eight more debates. I'm going to have to do what other candidates do, which is rudely interrupt, not answer the questions that are asked. And hopefully the debate moderators will ask substantive questions as well. It's going fine.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Who saw the debate last night?

MURRAY: Donald Trump declaring victory.

TRUMP: And who won the debate?

MURRAY: Once again touting online surveys deeming him the winner.

TRUMP: We won every online poll. We won Drudge, Time magazine, every week every time we have it. MURRAY: While on Twitter attacking his critics, calling Politico

losers after the news outlet declared his debate performance, quote, "downright demure."

But some candidates are calling for changes to upcoming debates.

DR. BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Debates are supposed to be established to help the people get to know the candidates. And what it's turned into is a gotcha.

MURRAY: Several Republican presidential campaigns will meet on Sunday in Washington in hopes of gaining more control over the debate process.

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The people of New Jersey have determined I'm successful. They elected me twice.

MURRAY: This as an editorial in the "New York Times" is calling for Governor Chris Christie to drop out. Telling him to go home and focus on troubles in New Jersey rather than his, quote, vanity project presidential run.

CHRISTIE: "New York Times" can say what they want. I'll tell you this. I take a deep bow. If the "New York Times" hates me that means I'm really getting some place.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MURRAY: Now of course, they've been talking a lot about how Jeb Bush is looking to regroup after the debate. "U.S. News" dug up a document from the Bush campaign. It gives us a better sense of how he's going to do that. Part of it is going after Marco Rubio but another part quieting those noisy and unhappy donors. In one slide, they called out a donor for saying, you know, without using his name, that the Bush campaign was on a debt spiral. The campaign says that discipline matters so they're looking to avoid dust-ups like that in the future, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Sara Murray reporting live for us. Thanks so much.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, passengers are sent scrambling off their flight after their plane burst into flames and the whole thing is caught on camera. We've got a live update on those injured.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:16:33] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A six-day manhunt is over and a dangerous fugitive is dead. Floyd Ray Cook, a 62-year-old convicted rapist who shot and killed by police, he was on the run for allegedly attempting to murder a cop.

CNN's Boris Sanchez is following the story.

Good morning.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Descended as you might expect with gunfire, police confirming this morning that Floyd Ray Cook is dead. The 62-year-old is a convicted rapist and robber, also indicted earlier this summer for tracking methamphetamine. He allegedly shot at a Tennessee police officer on Saturday, Ahscari Valencia, before he took for Kentucky. In Kentucky, he had another altercation with police, also shooting at the police officer there before taking off on foot.

Eventually, he made his way to a home and asked a couple for a ride believe it or not. They fortunately immediately recognized him and called police. I should tell you, we're looking at picture of the Ahscari Valencia, he was wearing a bullet proof vest. So he is OK.

Getting back to that couple, they immediately called police and then early this morning, just after midnight, he was spotted at an embankment off of Highway 61. He apparently had a handgun and fired at two Kentucky state troopers and the U.S. marshal. And they returned fire eventually taking him down.

Officials said that while they're glad this ordeal is over, this isn't exactly the way they wanted this to end.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TROOPER BILLY GREGORY, KENTUCKY STATE POLICE: Ultimately, we hate that this ended regardless of who he was and what his history was. He hate that it ended this way. That's not what we want, ever. And so, I think it's important to know that. But I would say that -- that there is a feeling of relief that it is over, that the community is safer now, just because we found him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Now, we showed you a picture earlier just a few moments ago of a man and woman. Those are actually two accomplices of his, Troy Wayne and Katy McCarty, I should say. Both will face serious charges. They also had their own altercation with police, where they try to run off in their car, eventually slamming into a tree. They both got out on foot and eventually both of them got caught. You could imagine a lot of relief in that community today, Carol.

COSTELLO: Absolutely.

Boris Sanchez, thanks so much.

In less than an hour from now, we will hear from officials who are looking to what caused a plane to burst into flames on a South Florida runway. The incident caught on camera.

Dynamic International Airways Flight 405 was being taxied for departure when another plane noticed a fuel leak. Moments later, the plane was on fire, forcing 101 people on board to escape. Officials say more than a dozen of them were taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries.

CNN's Alina Machado live from Fort Lauderdale airport with more.

Good morning, Alina.

Alina, can you -- we're having technical difficulties with Alina's live shot. But she did prepare a taped story. So, let's watch that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MACHADO (voice-over): Terrifying video capturing flames and smoke shooting out of Dynamic Air Flight 405, just before takeoff. Passengers forced to escape the burning plane down evacuation chutes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard a loud bang, turned around, saw the lights. Saw flames, ran to the front of the aircraft.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just saw the fire. People started freaking out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Screams and people crying and I didn't know how to react.

MACHADO: Now, NTSB investigators trying to determine why the Boeing 767's left engine began leaking fuel just before takeoff, bursting into flames.

[09:20:06] A pilot trailing Flight 405 was the first to spot trouble.

PILOT WITNESS: Dynamic is, out of the left engine, it looks like it's leaking a lot of -- I don't know if it's fuel. There's fluid leaking out of the left engine.

MACHADO: Moments later.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Engine's on fire! Engine's on fire!

MACHADO: Emergency responders arriving at the scene within minutes, dowsing the engine with foam and extinguishing the fire. Passengers on planes nearby capturing the chaos. Seventeen people injured in the melee were hospitalized, including one child and a trauma patient.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most of them are musculoskeletal. Ankles, knees, elbows.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Abrasions. Fractures. In general, everybody was very nervous and shaken up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Attention at the airport. Attention at the airport.

MACHADO: The incident closing Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport for hours, leading to 219 flight delays and 43 canceled flights.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: That is Alina Machado reporting. And as I told you, at the top of the next hour, airport officials will

holds a news conference. You see the microphones are ready to go. And, of course, when that event starts, we'll take you live.

Still to come in THE NEWSROOM: Bloody and horrific don't even begin to describe it. Inside a chilling biker gang shootout that left nine people dead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:25:40] COSTELLO: GOP campaigns are plotting a challenge against the Republican National Committee. They blame the RNC for CNBC's much criticized debate. In case you're wondering, the RNC works with the networks to come up with debate rules.

Ben Carson is in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We'll be reaching out to all the campaigns, everybody that was on that stage. And specific things we're looking for are first of all moderators who are interested in actually getting the facts and not gotcha questions. And we're looking for an opportunity to actually be able so explain what your program is, what your philosophy for leadership is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: While the Republican candidates have called out CNBC, they have also called out FOX. Who can forget Donald Trump's criticism towards Megyn Kelly?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The questions to me were not nice. I didn't think they were appropriate. And I thought Megyn -- I think Megyn behaved very badly personally.

REPORTER: It's a question about women, you didn't like that?

TRUMP: I thought it was an unfair question. They didn't ask those questions from anybody else and I thought it was an unfair question. But you know what? The answers were good obviously because everybody thinks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Word is that representatives from various campaigns will meet Sunday in Washington to rest control over debate formats from the Republican National Committee.

Bill Carter is a CNN contributor and media reporter for "The New York Times."

Good morning.

BILL CARTER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning.

COSTELLO: So, in your mind, who should control how to debates are structured? The campaigns? The RNC? The networks.

CARTER: Well, I don't see how it can be the campaigns? The campaign will only want, you know, their own picked moderators, they probably want to vet the questions. And I don't think any reputable news organization would go along with that.

So, to me, it has to be the national committee and the networks together deciding how they are going to handle it. I think there is a justifiable complaint about this debate. It was unprofessional. A lot of the questions did seem very frivolous.

But you can't then say, oh, now, the candidates are going to take over the debate format. It just won't work.

COSTELLO: Yes, and I can't CNN at any point saying, you know, what we'll ask whatever yes questions you want us to. No problem. It's just not going to happen.

CARTER: Who would think that's valuable to anybody?

COSTELLO: Not many people. Although Ted Cruz did suggest only Republican moderators should ask Republican candidates questions. Is that feasible?

CARTER: I think that's another thing. I mean, you know, if you want that, you can get that all the time. They wind up being guests on their own media, they have their own, there is that conservative media. They can appear on that if they don't want to reach a wider audience.

But they want to reach a wider audience, so you can't just have your own people asking questions.

COSTELLO: Well, there was a FOX debate too. And I just pointed out, Donald Trump had problems with the questions that came from FOX moderators, too.

CARTER: Exactly. In the FOX debate the moderators took it very seriously and asked for pointed questions, not just of Donald Trump but of all the candidates. They really didn't let up on anybody. They asked, you know, serious challenging questions. They are supposed to be challenged.

It's not just, oh let's give your position paper. You know, we want to press you on things that maybe have come out in the press. Maybe you have said something we need to question. Maybe there is something in your plan that doesn't work out, or numbers don't add up.

You have to ask those things.

COSTELLO: So, can you envision a day though when candidates will get tired of these gotcha questions and say, you know, what we're just not going to participate? CARTER: Well, think about this -- what else is happening. There are

o candidates who weren't on the main stage. And they just want to get on the main stage. They'd love to be asked a gotcha question as long as it was in prime time. They don't want to be in earlier debate.

So, the opportunity to do well is going to draw people into the debates. Do you think Marco Rubio is disappointed he showed up for this debate? I think he felt he did himself a lot of good.

So, I think the candidates do see an opportunity but they all want to work the referees. It's like any other contests. They want to work the referees.

COSTELLO: All right. Bill Carter, thanks for your insight.

CARTER: Great to be with you, Carol.

(MUSIC)

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

It was one of the deadliest days in U.S. biker history. Nine people dead. More than 100 arrested after a shootout between rival clubs at a Waco Texas strip mall. Months later though, no charges in those deaths.