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Erin Burnett Outfront

Jeb Bush Holds Town Hall Amid Debate Criticism; Marco Rubio in the Spotlight After Strong Debate; Trump Tweets "They All Said I Won The Debate." Aired 7-7:30p ET

Aired October 29, 2015 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:15] ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: OUTFRONT next, Jeb Bush reeling George W. Bush running to his rescue late today, will it work?

Plus, fireball in the runway, a Boeing 767 engine explodes. More than 100 on board. An eyewitness is OUTFRONT. And shocking footage, a wild shootout leaving nine dead in a suburban American strip mall. An exclusive report. Let's go OUTFRONT.

Good evening, I'm Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT tonight, W. to the rescue. George W. Bush wrapping up a meeting moments ago with donors, you see him here trying to save his brother's floundering campaign. The former president leaving a fundraising event in Washington just moments ago. As you can see those pictures coming out. Meeting reports and some fans. Now, this comes as Jeb Bush is about to speak at a New Hampshire town hall. He will be speaking and taking questions at this town hall in just moments. The biggest one tonight is, will he stay in the race? If not, the change in the polls and the donor race itself will be seismic. Critics are charging Bush's debate performance last night. Once again didn't deliver. They say his attack of Marco Rubio failed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Marco, when you signed up with this, it's a six-year term and you should be showing up to work.

MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Someone has convinced you that attacking me is going to help you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Bush has fallen sharply in recent polls. And he's cutting staff salaries and expenses. He needed to stand up performance last night. His campaign promised that's what would happen. They say it would be a relaunch of his campaign.

Brianna Keilar is OUTFRONT tonight covering Jeb Bush in New Hampshire. Brianna, what is the campaign saying tonight after that debate performance?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Erin, they are insisting that their campaign has the funds, that they have the ground game. Those folks on the ground in these key early states. But what we saw today here in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, was a frustrated Jeb Bush. It's certainly a humbled Jeb Bush and as you have Republicans who have long wanted him to be the nominee, they have been supporting him, he's insisting that he still has the organization, the money and perhaps the most importantly the heart to see this campaign through.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR (voice-over): Jeb Bush is back on the trail today trying to convince voters his campaign is not on life support.

BUSH: It's not about the big personalities on the stage. It's not about performance. It's about leadership.

KEILAR: Now, some political observers are concluding that Bush's presidential prospects are doomed, even as he tries to project confidence he can make a comeback.

BUSH: There are two types of politicians. They're the talkers and they're the doers. I wish I could talk as well as some of the people on the stage, the big personalities on the stage. But I'm a doer.

KEILAR: This, after critics including many Republicans are panning his third debate performance.

BUSH: I'm running with heart. I'm not a performer. If they are looking for an entertainer in chief, I'm probably not the guy.

KEILAR: Bush, the once presumed front-runner, whose raised $25 million for his campaign and is back by a Super PAC is holding more than 100 million has had to cut payroll cost by 40 percent. And has dropped sharply in the polls. Wednesday, Bush struggled to make a mark and gave Marco Rubio a huge opening.

BUSH: Marco, when you signed up for this, this was a six-year term and you should be showing up to work. I mean, literally, the Senate, what is it, like a French work week? You get like three days where you have to show up? You can campaign or just resign and let someone else take the job.

RUBIO: I don't remember you ever complaining about John McCain's vote record. The only reason why you're doing it now is because we're running for the same position and someone has convinced you that attacking me is going to help you.

KEILAR: In exchange that must have stumped even more coming from a man Bush mentored and helped get elected to the Senate.

BUSH: The most principle centered leader I know, Marco Rubio.

(END VIDEOTAPE) KEILAR: I've been talking today, Erin to Republicans who back a

Jeb Bush run and right now their perspective is that he really has money in his favor in the way that other candidates don't have. He insists that he's good to go for the long hall and, you know, a lot of them are saying he may not be popping right now in October or November but it really matters in January right before the Iowa caucus, the New Hampshire primary. But at the same time, they also admit, Erin, that he needs to have a moment, a big moment that resonates. He needs to have a good debate performance here and really in the near future.

BURNETT: Right. And of course, we've got that coming in nine days. Brianna, thank you very much for that.

And now, the executive editor for CNN Politics Mark Preston. Mark, what are your sources telling you about the future of Jeb Bush's campaign tonight?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Well, Erin, I spoke to one of his top advisers and there's an acknowledgment that the conversation about Jeb Bush right now is toxic. We have to cite that toxic right now amongst the national reporters but his adviser says and rightfully so, in some ways that this election is going to be one and lost in the early states. We saw Jeb Bush in New Hampshire today but the adviser tells me that they do need to refocus the campaign. They do need to grind it out. They do need to do better in the upcoming debate. Now, I also spoke to a longtime New Hampshire republican who's not affiliate with the Bush campaign who thought Jeb Bush was going to walk away with the nomination. After last night's debate, this republican told me just a short time ago that this is the first time I think that Jeb Bush might not actually win the GOP nomination.

[19:05:38] BURNETT: A lot of people asking so many questions tonight. Mark Preston, thank you very much. We hear with sources are telling Mark.

Let's go now to Republican strategist Rick Wilson, a former field director for George H.W. Bush's presidential campaign. And Mac Stipanovich who was a Jeb Bush supporter. Okay. Good to have both of you. Rick, let me start with you. George W. Bush coming to the rescue tonight trying just moments ago meeting with donors. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Mr. President.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: Thank you. God bless you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

G.W. BUSH: Don't put that on eBay.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BURNETT: All right. A light moment there, Rick where he's

signing some autographs coming up from meeting donors. Saying don't put this on eBay. The question is, though, he's immensely popular, obviously nearly 90 percent of the republican electorate have a favorable opinion of him. Can he save Jeb Bush right now?

RICK WILSON, WORKED ON PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W. BUSH'S CAMPAIGN: Well, I think the only person that can save Jeb Bush is Jeb Bush. And I do think there is a sense right now in the commentary that's probably a little too panicked. And I think Jeb has probably not been enough panicked in the last few weeks. And I think W is a very popular figure and great president and Republicans do love him. And he can certainly help keep the fuel in the tank of the Bush operation going forward by helping to raise some of those hard dollars on the campaign side.

BURNETT: So, let me ask you Mac, the reviews for Jeb Bush are grim and "The Tampa Bay Times" obviously home state paper as of last night was the beginning of the end. The Washington Post said, Bush needed to debate touchdown and didn't come close. Our republican consultants said his campaign is now on life support. You heard Mark Preston reporting that -- somewhere in his campaign says, the conversation about it is toxic. I mean, is it time for him to drop out as so many are now openly discussing?

MAC STIPANOVICH, JEB BUSH SUPPORTER: Well, actually, that's -- the suggestion is ridiculous. You know, to believe that last night one of many debates was in any way dispositive or game changing, you have to, one, want to believe it about Jeb Bush. And then two, you have to ignore the evidence with a bunch of yes buts. I mean, you could say, well, the debates matter all that much, and Carly Fiorina would have been at center stage last night. Can you detrain that away but saying, yes, but. But if you said, well, poor performances, then you say, well, then Carson wouldn't even be on the stage. Yes, but. Sharp exchanges like Jeb had with Marco last night that didn't work out. If they were fatal to your campaign, Trump would be out of the race. Fiorina (INAUDIBLE) like the great blonde whale. So this is just a lot of talk because we have to talk after these debates but it's not going to change the course of the race. Blocking and tackling is going to change the course of the race.

BURNETT: Rick, do you think this will change the course of the race? I mean, you know, yes, the media obviously has an opinion of how this went and didn't go well for Jeb Bush and it's not just the media. I mean, Jeb Bush's own campaign manager last night was banging on the production door for CNBC demanding his candidate to get more time. I mean, that seems like a rather panicked move.

WILSON: Well, look, I think that -- as Mac said correctly, no single incident is going to be dispositive in this campaign. But Jeb does need to show with the donor community progress and sort of reorientation on how he can win in this current political environment and he needs to be showing a consistent progress over time if the donors are going to maintain their confidence in him.

BURNETT: So, Mac, that moment with Marco Rubio last night, I mean, when it happened, I was just walking into the kitchen briefly and I stopped dead in my tracks. It was painful to watch it. Because Bush has been his mentor, his friend, it was hard to watch it. And let me just play for you why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: It's nice to see a young man who was passionate about these foundational beliefs and Marco Rubio speaks better than anybody I've ever met about these things.

Marco would bring incredible energy. He's the most articulate spokesman for conservative principles I think in America today and he's my friend.

I have special place in my heart for him. I just, it's hard to describe the pride, you know, I feel for his incredible success and how well he has moved into the job of being United States senator.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: And Mac, you know, the attack in Rubio obviously didn't work last night. It came off as either over prepared or desperate, whatever you want to use. Obviously you're backing Bush. You do think though that didn't work?

[19:10:09] STIPANOVICH: Yes. I would agree with that. I think it was poorly conceived and was poorly executed. That moment will come but last night was too early. They weren't officially patient. My feeling is at the end of the day this will shake out with there being a champion of the angry man wing of the Republican Party. Looks like it maybe Ted Cruz and then either Marco or Jeb will be the champion of the mainstream wing of the Republican Party. One day the two of them will have to post up but not when there's 11 candidates. And so I think that there's need to be a little more patient and wait for the right moment.

BURNETT: So Rick, next debate, less than two weeks away. I mean, much closer than we've had so far. Right. Very little time to prepare. How significant does that mean it is? I mean, especially if you're Jeb Bush? You know you have failed and now all of a sudden the stakes are even higher. That often is not a situation where people are successful.

WILSON: Well, I think that the pressure of debates in quick succession is something that these guys have to become accustomed to. And I think in the case of all these candidates on this stage, you know, look, Jeb is extraordinarily bright. Marco was extraordinarily fluent in these things. I think you are going to see some more dust up, some more sparks. You know, but as Mac says, you don't flag your ambush ahead of time for your opponent. And I think that's what happened here. That the Jeb folks put out that they were going to raise the stakes and bring this big attack. And so, Marco was completely ready for it. And it's really, it's something they can't afford to do that, that particular mistake again.

BURNETT: All right. Thanks very much Rick, Mac for your time. And OUTFRONT next, Marco Rubio. Many say of course he trounced Jeb Bush. Now, with solid debate performances rising poll numbers, is Marco Rubio for real? We're going to take a hard look at Rubio's record.

Plus, Donald Trump claiming victory in last night's debate. Will that be enough to push his poll numbers back over Ben Carson?

And shocking video, a deadly showdown in this suburban street mall. And OUTFRONT exclusive at this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:15:24] BURNETT: You're looking live right now at pictures out of New Hampshire. Jeb Bush there as I said live holding a town hall with voters. We're watching to see if he continues his attack on Marco Rubio after last night's debate and what questions those voters asked him. Many say Rubio turned in the strongest performance of the night. The first term senator delivering a damning blow to Bush firing back at Bush's criticism. But does Rubio have what it takes to last in the spotlight and dethrone the frontrunners? Donald Trump and Ben Carson.

Suzanne Malveaux is OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let's see how her Super PAC helping her out, the American mainstream media.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Marco Rubio setting the third GOP debate on fire leading the media, Hillary Clinton and even his former mentor now rival Jeb Bush scorched.

RUBIO: My campaign is going to be about the future of America. It's not going to be about attacking anyone else on this stage.

MALVEAUX: His performance widely seen as a win that could be his breakout moment.

ADAM SMITH, TAMBA BAY TIMES: I think he appeals to everybody on all sides of the spectrum. You know, there is something maybe Kennedy-esque. He's a young, dynamic guy. He has got an inspirational family story. He makes you feel good about voting for Marco Rubio and maybe for good about the country in the same way that Obama did for a lot of people.

MALVEAUX: The son of hardworking Cuban immigrants with a compelling life story. His father, a bartender and his mother a hotel maid, Rubio put himself to a college, married a Miami Dolphins cheerleader and together they had four children. When he ran for city commissioner at the age of 26, he received a $50 donation from none other than Jeb Bush. As the years passed, the former Florida governor became Rubio's close friend and mentor presenting him with a sword when he became statehouse speaker.

RUBIO: And I have been watching this on TV for years on C-span. Now I'm actually on it. So it's pretty good.

MALVEAUX: But even as Rubio's political stock is on the rise, he faces potential hurdles. One Florida newspaper called on Rubio to resign for missing Senate votes and committee hearings.

RUBIO: Let me say, I read that editorial today with a great amusement. It's actually evidence of the bias that exists in the American media today.

MALVEAUX: And then there are his personal finances which Rubio was also pressed on during last night's debate.

BECKY QUICK, CNBC ANCHOR: Senator Rubio, you yourself have said that you've had issues. You have a lack of bookkeeping skills, you accidently intermingled campaign money with your personal money. You faced foreclosure on a second home that you bought and just last year you liquidated a $68,000 retirement fund, that's something that caused you thousands of dollars in taxes and penalties. In terms of all of that, it raises the question whether you have the majority and the wisdom to lead this $17 trillion economy. What do you say?

RUBIO: You just listed a litany of discredited attacks from Democrats and my political opponents and I'm not going to waste 60 seconds detailing them all.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: And finally, there are the Obama comparisons, his lack of experience which many Republicans see as a weakness. One of Rubio's strength however is that many political watchers note is his ability to tap into the anger of the GOP base while at the same time presenting himself as hopeful and optimistic -- Erin.

BURNETT: All right. Suzanne, thank you very much.

And OUTFRONT now, republican strategist and former chief of staff Senator Mitch McConnell, Josh Holmes, along with our political commentator and former special advisor to President Obama, Van Jones. Josh, let me start with you. What Suzanne is just reporting there. Marco Rubio is 44 years old, he's a first-term senator. Is he ready, really ready to be president?

JOSH HOLMES, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF TO SENATOR MITCH MCCONNELL: Yes. You know, I think that's kind of an interesting attack. If you look at, for example, Barack Obama in 2008, I mean, his experience at that point makes Marco Rubio look like an original signer of the declaration of independence, by contrast.

BURNETT: Well, I mean, they were both first-term senators. It's actually pretty similar on a government experience.

HOLMES: Sure. But he was a speaker of house in Florida which is not an insignificant amount of experience and you look at the stage on Wednesday night. I mean, look at the front-runners. Right? Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz. I mean, Marco has got more experience than all of those guys. So, I think it's an attack that's actually been tried time and time again over the course of history and it doesn't really stick all that well.

BURNETT: Van?

VAN JONES, FORMER SPECIAL ADVISER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, listen, I actually have to agree I think he's got enough experience to run for the office. I think the problem is he presents himself now as like this poor kid, the bartender's kid. Sure, I've made some mistakes with my money but, you know, I'm just a poor kid. The problem is, you over made that -- and it's so easy to start punching back. The reality is, he had almost a million dollar book deal on the table. He's making $300,000 a year. He commingled money with his campaign, he got fined. His wife was involved.

BURNETT: Right.

JONES: So, you can't do this Boy Scout thing over and over again and I expect to get hit on that staff going forward.

[19:20:12] BURNETT: So, Josh, what do you say to these issues of finance? I mean, the questions that Becky raised, you know, commingling the campaign money, using money to, you know, from his book deal for purchases, whether it be a boat or a car. A lot of people can relate to that but it does raise questions for some about his readiness, his wisdom, his discipline.

HOLMES: Well, I mean, I think if selling books was a crime, we wouldn't have any presidential candidates at all. But the issue with Senator Rubio, best I can tell, the attack was that he bought a fishing boat. Which, you know, I think most Americans kind of find refreshing that they've got somebody whose finances they can relate to. If they wanted to only vote for a millionaire, they have a heck of a lot of an opportunity to do that in this race both in the Republican side and the democratic side.

BURNETT: Van, what do you say? I mean, people might be able to relate to him but will they really want someone who might have challenges paying his bills just like they do in the Oval Office?

JONES: I mean, it's going to be tough. He actually agree that he is relatable on this point. I mean, a lot of people in America are going to say, look, I've had some financial troubles this past five or ten years after the Bush recession. I've had problems. But I think the question -- he's got to deal with the money -- how it impacts the rest of his life. For instance, he has got this one billionaire backer that has, you know, given him money personally, has put his wife on the payroll, has giving him what. So, a part of thing is, what Trump, he can say, nobody can buy me.

With Rubio, he's more relatable but then when he has one or two very close backers, they're not going to squeeze around independents. So, this money question is going to keep coming up for him because he keeps making his modest beginning a part of the biography. OK. Well, there's a good side of that. But the bad side is, you don't handle money well, you're too close to a couple of key billionaires and, I'm telling you, I knew the moment was coming that he was going to break out. This guy unbelievably talented. But you can oversell yourself on how, you know, what a Boy Scout or and every time the answer can't be, I'm going to attack the media. That's going to wear thin very quickly.

BURNETT: Yes.

JONES: But I knew this breakout moment is coming. This guy is unbelievably talented but he's got to be careful.

BURNETT: All right. And Josh, I'll give you a quick, final word. I mean, one thing about Marco Rubio, he's also is young looking which is great and refreshing but he is also young looking. He's one of those guys, well, maybe if he were president he'll get gray and haggard like happens to everybody. But it does have a baby face.

HOLMES: Yes. No. I think that's why we're seeing a lot of the attacks about inexperience and relative usefulness. I mean, he's the same age as Ted Cruz, right? We're not talking about that and it's within the same ballpark as Obama when he was elected. So, yes, I think because he looks young and frankly he's pretty relatable to awful lot of Americans who are looking for some youthful exuberance in their government right now.

BURNETT: All right. Thanks very much to both of you, both youthful and exuberant. I appreciate your time.

HOLMES: Thank you.

BURNETT: And OUTFRONT next, Ben Carson's right-hand man is OUTFRONT, responding to a major criticism about his candidate tonight. You don't want to miss that.

And terrifying video. This plane caught fire just as it was about to take off with 101 people on board. The crew evacuated. Some passengers down the wrong side of the fiery wreck. We're going to go live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:27:24] BURNETT: Tonight, Donald Trump is touting his debate performance. Here is what he just told a crowd of thousands in Nevada.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So who saw the debate last night? And great book. And who won the debate?

(Crowd): You did!

TRUMP: We did well, everybody. I mean, I think there were a few people that really did well last night. And we were given good credit. It's hard to get credit from the press. You know, when you get credit from the press, you know you really did well because boy do they not want to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BURNETT: Sara Murray is OUTFRONT where from Sparks, Nevada where

the Trump rally was held. And Sara, obviously hearing a little bit there of what Trump had to say, what else did he have to say?

SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, no surprise Donald Trump believes that Donald Trump won the debate last night. That's not what the immediate reaction or the reviews were saying. Now, a lot of people felt like last night was actually a breakout moment for Senator Marco Rubio. Even for Senator Ted Cruz who is further out in the wings of the debate stage. What was interesting now was watching Trump navigate that today. He was actually very complementary towards his rivals. He was even talking about Senator Rubio's performance on stage saying that the senator did a great job navigating tough questions. So, a little bit of a friendlier Donald Trump on the stump today than we are used to seeing.

BURNETT: To that point, lately it's been going aggressively after Ben Carson. But I believe where you are today, it was again kind words for Ben Carson.

MURRAY: There were kind words for Ben Carson. Trump started sort of joking when an audience member asked him, who would be his VP. A number of people in the crowd screamed out Carson and Trump was saying, look, you saw how well we get along on stage yesterday. We were winking at each other. We were chatting at each other. That is a sharp change in tone. You know, he's been pretty tough on Carson in the past week, ever since the polls are showing that Carson has been leading in Iowa. A poll showed Carson leading nationwide. But I think when Trump walked into this room, he saw a lot of people who also liked Carson as well as himself. And so, he played it a little bit safer tonight and that's what you've got to do if you're one of these Republicans who are competing against each other to win over the same pool of voters.

BURNETT: Thank you very much, Sara Murray as we said live from Sparks, Nevada, where Trump appeared before a Trump-like audience.

There were thousands there. Ben Carson adviser joins me now. Armstrong Williams. And Donald Trump supporter Jeff Lord who served as political director for President Reagan. And now, both of your candidates, gentlemen, as you know, were taking hits today on their debate performance. Not uniformly but they are. People said, they expected him to be the winner and all the talk is about Marco Rubio.

Jeff, let me start with you. Donald Trump thinks he did well last night. The reviews from the conservative press, though, the conservative press -- I want to make that point -- are not that way, the National Review. It's no longer the Trump show, "The Wall Street Journal." Trump gets overshadowed. Did he need to do more last night, Jeff?

JEFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I hate to say this about my brethren, but neither my friends at "The Wall Street Journal" or my friends at "National Review" are Trump fans. So, I do think there's a sort of predisposition at "The National Review" to knock him to begin with. I thought he did perfectly fine. I mean, the attention of Marco

Rubio, that comes because of the fight that Jeb Bush tried to pick with him and got smacked. So I understand that. But I do think that Donald did very well here in all of this.

And, you know, while we're on the subject of fights and I know you have Armstrong there, Dr. Carson, who is a lovely guy, says that he doesn't want to get down in the mud pit, he doesn't fight, this is a bit of a paradox, I think, because one of the criticisms of Mitt Romney and John McCain by Republicans and other Republican moderate presidential candidates over the year is that they don't fight back.

Mitt Romney, who was a good soul and upstanding family man and all of this, was portrayed as a responsible for murdering a steel worker's wife in an ad because he didn't give her health care, they were really atrocious things. And I do think that there's a problem here if you're basically saying I'm not trying to fight, because if Dr. Carson were to be the nominee, let's just be honest here, Hillary Clinton and these folks are going to come at him hammer and tong and saying he doesn't want to get into the mud pit isn't going to cut it.

BURNETT: What do you say to that?

ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS, BUSINESS MANAGER AND ADVISER TO BEN CARSON: Hello, Jeffrey. Good try, by the way.

(LAUGHTER)

WILLIAMS: Listen, there's a difference in fighting against your Republican brothers, the harshness of the media, the public, I mean, as much as they fight out in the public and with the media, the last thing Dr. Carson wants to do is fight with them and argue with them on stage.

Dr. Carson has shown where he's defended his position about Muslim as president, and about guns, at any of the opposition that he will fight. He will stand tall. Whether it was the national prayer breakfast which launched a thousand ships for him, he stood up to the president and talked about what he actually thought about affordable care, which gives rise to his candidacy today.

So, it all depends on where you pick the fight, Jeffrey. We just don't want to fight with Mr. Trump. We don't want to fight with the Republicans, but are willing to fight with everybody else who doesn't stand for the best interest of our great country, the United States, that we all love so dearly.

BURNETT: So, Mr. Armstrong, I want to ask you about --

LORD: Armstrong, that sounds like a good vice president to me.

BURNETT: Armstrong, I've got to ask you about Dr. Carson's most memorable moments last night, the question about his relationship with that nutritional supplement company. You know, it claims its products could cure things from cancer to Down syndrome's. They paid millions to settle deceptive marketing claims about that. Ben Carson denied that relationship in the debate. Here's what

he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That is total propaganda. It is absolutely absurd to say that I had any kind of relationship with them. Do I take the product? Yes. I think it's a good product.

MODERATOR: To be fair, you were on the home page with a logo over your shoulder.

CARSON: If somebody put me on the home page, they did it without my permission.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: And, Armstrong, let me just play for you the Mannatech promotional video which includes Dr. Carson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARSON: The wonderful thing about a company like Mannatech is that they recognize that when God made us, he gave us the right fuel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Now, Armstrong, why would Dr. Carson deny a relationship there?

WILLIAMS: Because it's the truth.

BURNETT: How is it the truth? Can you explain? Because they obviously -- he takes the products, he says he likes the products, he's in a promotional video about the product.

WILLIAMS: Well, that was in Brantford (ph), Missouri. Dr. Carson just launched his book, "America the Beautiful" and Dr. Carson was giving a speech in Brantford, Missouri, Dr. through the Washington Speakers Bureau and it just so happened that Mannatech was one of the sponsors of the event, and one of the things they wanted him to do in the speech was to promote the product and which Dr. Carson did not do, he only talked about his personal story and he talked about other things. He did not talk about Mannatech.

And when Dr. Carson was coming off the stage, the Mannatech CEO, Sam Caster, put a grab on him and said you didn't mention it, you know, we want you to be part of what we're doing for these orphanages in Africa where we give these nutrient supplements and could you just do a video, could you say something on the video?

The problem is Sam was trying to coach him about what to say and Dr. Carson was not comfortable with it, and so, Dr. Carson said what he said. And he left the event. What we found out when we saw it posted on YouTube and edited Dr.

Carson's video. I'm sorry about that. They edited Dr. Carson's video and manipulated it to make it seem as though he was endorsing the product.

[19:35:00] BURNETT: Huh. So, is Dr. Carson going to sue them? What is he going to do about it?

WILLIAMS: You know, listen, this is a speaking engagement. It was set up by Washington's Speakers Bureau. Dr. Carson came on the stage. He decided to go and do the video based on the orphanages in Africa. It was something that really was soft to his heart. And they exploited him. They took advantage of it. He moved on.

BURNETT: All right. Well, thank you very much. It's a very detailed explanation. We haven't gotten that yet, and I appreciate you taking the time, Armstrong, responding to that.

And, Jeffrey, always good to have you with us. Talk to both of you soon.

LORD: Thanks, Erin.

BURNETT: And OUTFRONT next, an exclusive video of a mass shootout. Our exclusive report on a deadly gunfight between heavily armed gunmen in a suburban American strip mall.

And this Boeing 767 leaking fuel when the pilot frantically radioed the tower.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Emergency. Call the fire trucks!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: You know, two dozen people are injured, a Boeing 767 bursting into flames on the runway in Ft. Lauderdale, catching fire just moments before that plane was set to take off.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Dynamic, out of the left engine, looks like it's leaking a lot of -- I don't know if it's fuel.

[19:40:05] Yes, it's fluid leaking out of the left engine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Engine on fire! Engine on fire!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: And tonight, the NTSB is on the ground trying to figure out what went so horribly wrong.

I'm on the phone now with Mike Dupuy.

And, Mike, thank you for being with us. I know you're on another plane. You saw this jet catch fire. We're going to look at the video. This is video that you filmed while sitting on the plane nearby.

I mean, what did you see?

MIKE DUPUY, WITNESS TO PLANE FIRE (via telephone): Yes. So it was kind of crazy. We were on the taxiway about to take off and we were right behind the plane that caught fire. We heard a couple screams on the plane, looked out the window and saw billows of smoke coming from the left side of the plane.

BURNETT: And did you see the flames? Did you see the fuel leaking? It sounds like you were fairly close there from the pictures you took.

DUPUY: Yes. We were right behind the plane. What we saw was tons of smoke and we saw people evacuating from the right side of the plane. That's what we were focused on.

We were very nervous, of course, but also looking onward and making sure that everyone was able to get off the plane. I did see EMS and fire response come very, very quickly and start to spray down the left side of the plane with water.

BURNETT: And from what you were seeing, obviously you had a very good visual there. So, you know, how fast was the plane going and did you have any warning whatsoever or did it suddenly just explode?

DUPUY: You know, I'm not really sure how fast it was going. We were getting ready to take off ourselves and we were following this plane on the runway and then, all of a sudden, after the screams on the plane we looked out the window and just saw the smoke just pummeling out and saw the passengers start to evacuate on the ride side.

BURNETT: How did you see the passengers getting off? Did they have the slides or how did that go, from what you could see?

DUPUY: You know, what we were looking at, there was some sort of mechanism or a ramp that the passengers were exiting from the right side -- the left side. We couldn't even tell if it was flames. If there were fire there because it was so much black smoke coming from the engine on that left side.

BURNETT: All right. Well, Mike, thank you very much. I'm glad you got safely to your destination. Thanks for coming OUTFRONT.

And next on the show, video you will not see anywhere else. This is a wild shootout. Nine left dead in suburban strip mall right here in the United States. We have an OUTFRONT exclusive report.

And on a lighter note, Jeanne Moos with George and Amal Clooney, one of the world's most beautiful couples, adding to their family.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:46:42] BURNETT: Exclusive video tonight of a wild and deadly shootout. The surveillance footage shows that the minute bullets start flying, nine people killed, 18 others at least injured. In the video, you can also see people ducking and running for their lives.

We want to warn you that what you are about to see is graphic.

Ed Lavandera has the OUTFRONT exclusive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The showdown was like the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. You don't have to hear the eruption of gunfire to feel the chaos the moment rival motorcycle clubs unleash a deadly melee. This video takes you inside the Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco, Texas, where nine bikers were killed and the parking lot was turned into a raging war zone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God. This is crazy.

LAVANDERA: CNN has obtained more than 2,000 pages of documents, crime scene photos, many too graphic to show, and surveillance video giving us the most detailed accounts of what unfolded last May. Some of the very evidence that a Texas grand jury is using to possibly indict the 177 bikers arrested and charged with organized criminal activity.

Restaurant surveillance cameras show the patio area filled with the members of the Cossacks club waiting for an early afternoon biker meeting to start. They had already been there for more than an hour.

The Bandido crew rolls in as police and SWAT teams anticipating violence are watching from a distance.

John Wilson is president of the Cossacks Biker Club chapter in Waco. He's sitting on the patio when the Bandidos arrive.

JOHN WILSON, COSSACKS BIKER: I looked out and I was watching. He deliberately stared into one of our prospects and hit him. I mean, he wasn't going to go real fast. But he deliberately ran into him with a motorcycle, enough to knock him down.

LAVANDERA: The man Wilson is talking about is Clifford Pearce. He refused our interview request and has not been charged. But in a police report, an investigator wrote Pearce said he did not get his foot run over but may not have gotten out of the way fast enough.

It didn't matter. The Cossacks believe the Bandido ran into one of their guys and the fight was on.

(on camera): Who fired first isn't clear. One witness told police a Bandido fired a shot into the ground. Another witness says a Cossack fired first. And in dozens of police interviews, the rival biker clubs point the finger at each other or claim they didn't see anything.

(voice-over): Clifford Pearce says he hit the dirt and was shot. A bullet hits his spine, leaving Pearce paralyzed from the waist down.

WILSON: At that time, it was pretty horrific. There were guys getting hit and falling and I realized that I need to get away from where I was, and I looked at the guy to my right, my left, a good friend of mine, and I told him, we've got to get off the sidewalk or we're going to die here, you know.

LAVANDERA: Mayhem ensues. A biker running across the patio fires a gunshot caught on camera towards the fight scene in the parking lot. He then stashes the gun. A number of Cossack bikers take cover. Some slide hand guns across the ground to each other.

Restaurant patrons and Twin Peak waitresses are stunned and trapped.

[19:50:00] The scene plays out in gory detail. You can see a group of bikers pummeling one man just outside the patio area. Crime scene photos later show a biker's body left dead in that exact spot.

This biker runs towards the camera with a bloody face. Another group pulls a wounded man into the patio and they appear to be trying to revive him. He's then carried away.

Several defense attorneys tell CNN the videos show that most of the bikers there that day were innocent bystanders.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Y'all going to put us in jail?

POLICE: Yes, everybody is going to jail.

STEPHEN STUBBS, FORMER BANDIDO ATTORNEY: The way they handled it with the mass incarceration of people with million dollar bonds, flies in the face of justice and flies in the face of fairness. It's ridiculous.

LAVANDERA: After it was all over, the scene was chaos. Dozens of bikers had run inside the restaurant to hide in the bathrooms and the Twin Peaks kitchen. Police SWAT teams move in to round up the crowd. They're escorted out with hands up, weapons litter the crime scene, knives, brass knuckles and more than 150 firearms everywhere, some even hidden in toilets.

(on camera): It's been more than five months since the twin breaks brawl and all of the bikers are out of jail, out on bond. They were charged with engaging in organized criminal activity, but not one of them has been indicted by a grand jury yet and no one has been charged with murder.

In fact, it's still not clear who killed whom.

(voice-over): One police report says at least three officers fired into the crowd and one officer wrote he heard suppressed fire from what I believe to be SWAT officers with suppressed rifles. Several defense attorneys say it's likely some bikers were hit by

police bullets, but as far as we know, ballistics reports have still not being completed to determine that conclusively. Police and prosecutors have refused to answer questions about the investigation citing a gag order, but Waco police have defended their actions since the beginning.

SGT. PATRICK SWANTON, WACO POLICE PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER: This is a criminal element that came in here yesterday and killed people. They are not here to drink beer and eat barbecue. They came with violence in mind and were ready for it.

LAVANDERA: These images of the Twin Peaks brawl tell the story of pandemonium.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All these bikers started shooting. They put us in a freezer.

LAVANDERA: It was Wild West style shooting in broad daylight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: That's incredible footage, Eddie. I mean, six months later, and you were showing that and you could see one of the shooters and put it in slow motion you can see his face. No one has been charged in the deaths of these nine bikers.

I mean, why not?

LAVANDERA: Well, obviously, it's a very complicated case. You know, 177 people arrested and making sense of it all is extremely complex. You know, we got a sense of that by poring over these documents.

So, there is a great deal of work and, obviously, there's been a lot of questions about how the entire process has played out, and 177 people essentially waiting to hear what their fate is going to be, waiting for this grand jury to make its ruling.

BURNETT: All right. Eddie, thank you very much.

Stunning footage.

And OUTFRONT next, Jeanne Moos on George and Amal Clooney. The gorgeous pair now happy parents after a quiet adoption. The first photos, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:57:38] BURNETT: It is national cat day, more proof that dogs have masters, while cats have staff. But some lucky dogs just have the best masters.

Jeanne Moos explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For cat people --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really?

MOOS: -- every day is national cat day, but instead of staying home and clipping your cat, imagine watching cat clips.

A hundred of them at the Berkeley Performance Center in Boston. We're talking masterpieces like the cat and the lamb, or the cat trying to catch its tail. Where is it? And then falls off the couch looking for it or cat versus printer.

Most of the clips are Cinema Verite style, now better known as YouTube videos.

But give the impression cats might not care about national cat day or us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Come on out.

MOOS: I mean, come on, who wouldn't want to shell out 12 bucks for a ticket to see action like this? Or to hear a cat say in Portuguese while getting a shower "it hurts".

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(LAUGHTER)

MOOS: These videos were first screened at the International Cat Video Festival, from hover cat to the existentialism of Henri, the black cat.

And though cats may be top dog this week, that didn't stop George and Amal Clooney from adopting her, meet Millie Clooney.

The couple stopped by San Gabriel Valley Humane Society unannounced. They had spotted Millie on pet finder and brought along their other sheltered dog to see if the two would get along. Millie went from being rescued scrounging for food outside a restaurant, to being a basset whose only worry is being hounded by the paparazzi. Ain't that, the cat's meow.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: I'm sure they will be wonderful to that little dog. What a little lucky dog she is. And paparazzi will follow her around.

All right. Thanks so much for joining us. Be sure to set your DVR to record OUTFRONT, so you can watch us at anytime.

"AC360" starts right now.