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Erin Burnett Outfront
Sources: Friend Says He Built Pipe Bombs with Killer; Divers Scour Lake For Killers' Missing Hard Drive; U.S. Warns ISIS May Have Passport Printing Machine; Awaiting Trump Rally in Des Moines. Aired 7-8:00p ET
Aired December 11, 2015 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:09] ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Next, breaking news, the friend of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook admits the two built pipe bombs together. This as the FBI searches a lake tonight for crucial evidence.
Plus, ISIS, dangerous new weapon in the terror war. A passport printing machine.
And Donald Trump speaking live in this hour. And my guest, the top official from the RNC, does the party have a secret plan to stop Trump? Let's go OUTFRONT.
OUTFRONT tonight, breaking news, a stunning admission from the friend of San Bernardino shooters Syed Farook. CNN learning Farook's longtime friend Enrique Marquez told investigators he and Farook made pipe bombs together. Marquez is the same man who supplied Farook with the rifles used in the terrorist massacre that killed 14 people. He told the FBI that he and Farook were hobbyists to a experimenting with building bombs. But he insists he had nothing to do with the actual bombs found in the shooter's home.
Also today, FBI divers continuing to scour a lake bed near the site of the San Bernardino massacre looking for anything the shooters may have tossed into the murky water, including a hard drive.
Kyung Lah is OUTFRONT. Kyung, what more is Marquez telling investigators. I mean, this is pretty stunning. He's saying they were hobbyists that built pipe bombs together?
KYUNG LAH, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is piling on to a very curious look at this man. He is someone who came into the picture because he purchased those two high-powered rifles that were eventually used in this massacre. Also, married to one of Farook's relatives. But now this very stunning statement that he and Farook built pipe bombs, that even though he says that these were not bombs that were used in this massacre, that they were not built for that purpose but that they were hobbyists, it's certainly is very curious. It's very pertinent here because when authorities did search the Farook home in the garage, they found 19 pipes. These were pipes, the FBI says, that could very easily have been turned into bombs. So a very stunning admission. But remember, Erin, when he first started to talk to authorities, when he waived his Miranda rights, authorities cautioned us, that they were trying to verify everything he said. BURNETT: So, Kyung, it is the second straight day where you are
right now, that they have been scouring that lake behind you to try to search for something possibly crucial, maybe that missing hard drive. Are they making any progress? You've been watching them the whole time.
LAH: What we saw is that yesterday they were combing the area a little close to where I'm standing, right at the edge of this manmade lake. They have been moving closer and closer to that foot bridge that you see over my shoulder. And what you're seeing now is this lake is quite still. The divers in just the last couple of minutes or so have left this lake. They've pulled out of the lake and as far as we know this doesn't look like something that they are going to abandon. The FBI says that they are going to be here for days. And what they are looking for is a very meticulous search.
They are scouring the very bottom of this lake. They are looking for items that were missing from the Farook home. You mentioned the hard drive. It's a hard drive that was missing from the computer inside the home. They are trying to find electronic evidence that helps them build a case, that helps them understand the picture here, the reason why Erin this lake is so important to them, is that there was a report that the two killers were here on the day of the massacre -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Kyung Lah, thank you very much. And, you know, ISIS now has an extremely dangerous new weapon in its arsenal. We are learning tonight that the terror group has the capability to create fake passports, passports reportedly so good they are considered virtually undetectable from the real thing, according to officials. It's a tremendous concern for intelligence officers because fake passports were used by two of the bombers in the Paris attacks.
Rene Marsh is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RENE MARSH, CNN GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): A new intelligence report warns ISIS has the capability to create fake passports for international travel.
SEN. ANGUS KING (I), SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Part of the territory they took over had a building that where the Syrians processed passports. They have blank passports and they have the means to print them and fake them. So, this is obviously another level of concern that we have to pay attention to.
MARSH: U.S. officials are also concerned ISIS may have access to biographical data and fingerprints for Syrian citizens that could be used for phony I.D.s.
JAMES COMEY, FBI DIRECTOR: The intelligence community is concerned that they have the ability, the capability to manufacture fraudulent passports, which is a concern in any setting. MARSH: Following the Paris attacks, investigators found
fraudulent Syrian passports on two of the terrorists. The U.S. government has since expanded its efforts to flag to other countries suspected documents terrorists could exploit to travel. A Syrian refugee in Paris told OUTFRONT just how easy it is to obtain a fake Syrian passport.
SAKHER EDRIS, SYRIAN REFUGEE: It would cost you about 700 Euros.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Seven hundred Euros.
EDRIS: Or less maybe, it depends on negotiation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I could have one of these --
EDRIS: By your name, even American name, even an Arabic name or any name.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anything I want?
EDRIS: Your photo, your name, anything you want.
[19:05:33] MARSH: State Department Spokesman John Kirby said the department has been tracking the terror group's ability to make passports.
JOHN KIRBY, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: We have been aware of reports, not just in the press, that they may have maintained this capability. Honestly, it's something that we take very seriously.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARSH: Erin, these individuals cannot just travel to the United States using a passport alone. They'd need a visa and in order to get a visa, they'd need to be screened by the State Department, which includes finger printing. So there are checks and balances in place. That said, a passport is a fundamental travel document. And anytime you have fake documents being used to circumvent the legal process, that's a major concern -- Erin.
BURNETT: A very major concern. And of course, you know, in the case of the European, the Paris attacks, they came in with groups of refugees where they were getting obviously much less screening.
OUTFRONT now, our law enforcement analyst and former Navy SEAL and FBI special agent Jonathan Gilliam and our counterterror analyst, former CIA counterterror official Phil Mudd.
PHIL MUDD, FORMER CIA COUNTERTERROR OFFICIAL: Yep.
BURNETT: Phil, this is a pretty stunning development. I mean, you know, I've been with Syrian refugees and they've said, look, I can get you, you heard right there, 700 Euros, get your Syrian passport, I can get you a British passport which obviously is terrifying as well. But now we're hearing like a passport factory sort of a thing. That's pretty scary. MUDD: It is. The clock is ticking Erin, this is a simple
indication of maturation of ISIS. Even as late as last summer, we would have said, what ISIS is trying to do is focus its attention on the fight of the battlefield at Raqqa, focus its attention on Northern Iraq and possibly encourage supporters in places like Europe or California to say, go conduct operations. We saw in the Paris attacks that they had trained some people in some basic ways to shoot up various venues, now we're seeing a passport factory. The reason I say the time is ticking, as ISIS maintains a safe haven in a place like Syria, those passports given potentially the capability to build their own cells of people who can re-enter a place like Paris or London or New York and conduct attacks that may be orchestrated not just inspired but orchestrated from Syria. Unless we can answer the problem of Raqqa, we're going to have this for months, years to come.
BURNETT: Which is a pretty terrifying thing.
MUDD: Yes.
BURNETT: What happened in Paris and how that is different on a planning level from what happened in San Bernardino.
MUDD: Yes.
BURNETT: Jonathan, you say though you were actually not surprised by the fact that there's a passport factory?
JONATHAN GILLIAM, FORMER FBI SPECIAL AGENT: Right. I'm not surprised. I mean, this is just proof of the logistics and the efforts that they're making to move their personnel around. And, you know, there's nothing new. I hate it to break it to everybody, but there's nothing new here. We've been talking about this since the days of red sell back in the '80s where S.E.A.L. Team Six Founder Richard Marcinko created a group that functions as a terrorist unit targeting military bases. They were creating, getting the machines that military I.D.s were made of and creating their own I.D.s. When I was in 2002 to 2005, when I was a part of a group similar to that, we did the same -- we found the same things as vulnerabilities.
BURNETT: It's pretty scary. And Phil, you know, we're talking here Syrian passports. Obviously, you know, Rene Points out, there's additional screening from Syria and now perhaps even more coming through Congress. But there's the ability to come in, you know, using the -- saying you're a refugee, maybe not easy but if you got a Syrian passport, that would be the easiest way to do it if that's the passport you had. What about the risks of getting other passport stuff? You know, I was told by Syrian refugee, you can get a British passport and they don't make you pay until you actually get into the United Kingdom. You know those people who have done it. So, it actually works on a very sophisticated passport that is supposedly a security built in.
MUDD: That's right. I think this is an indication that they are looking for a passport capability that goes beyond just helping a refugee get into Europe. I think the commentary this evening is -- this is not a surprise. I think that's dead-on. The hardest thing to understand, Erin, in this world is what is the adversary thinking though. Not a surprise that they are trying to build the paper capability to make false passports. What it tells us is, though, they are intending to build the capability against the west for years to come. It tells us mindset. It doesn't tell us capability. A lot of terror groups try to come up with false documents. It tells us what they want to do though and that really is something we would not have anticipated the year ago, this kind of capability.
BURNETT: Jonathan, we wouldn't have anticipated it a year ago but now the question of course in light of the controversial statement by Donald Trump about temporarily banning Muslims until, in his words, they figure it out, do you do anything about it? Do you shut the borders? I mean, are these proposals simply crazy or not.
[19:10:15] GILLIAM: Well, they are not, they're definitely proposals that we should at least look at. I mean, just saying that something is crazy, we shouldn't even look at it, that's kind of ridiculous. We have to have forward thinking when it comes to fighting an enemy that seems to, whenever they'd be a step ahead of us, we have to get ahead of them and start forward thinking. Policy makers need to start letting people who understands how terrorists think and help them set policy.
BURNETT: Phil, we do have a breaking news right now, the State Department just a second actually issuing a report -- against any travel at all by Americans citizens to Lebanon in light of a terror threat. There was an ISIS mass suicide attack there within the past few weeks. These alerts are being put out but it seems that there's a lot of question about what the intelligence really is. Are they really able to see what people are doing, even in San Bernardino, right? They are still not sure what that electronic trail was.
MUDD: Well, there's a couple of differences, Erin. A week or two ago, we saw global alert issued by the State Department. In my judgement, that was a reaction to Paris, the State Department which has the responsibility for issuing these alerts --
BURNETT: Yes.
MUDD: -- saying what any of us would have said, be careful when you travel. When you get specificity about a country though that indicates there is more intelligence behind this. The simple story here is, Lebanon is the country that is supporting the militias that are backing Bashar al Assad. We saw a major attack in Lebanon sponsored by ISIS --
BURNETT: Right.
MUDD: -- just recently and the state is now saying there's going to be more of that. Don't go there. I think they have got something more than just a general concern about what's happening in Lebanon.
BURNETT: All right. Well, I thank you both very much for being with me.
MUDD: Sure. BURNETT: OUTFRONT next, we're waiting live remarks from Donald
Trump in Des Moines as the fight between him and Ted Cruz gets a lot uglier.
Donald Trump threatening to run as an Independent. Ben Carson threatening to leave the Republican Party altogether. A top RNC officials answer to that OUTFRONT next.
And my guest tonight, Fareed Zakaria on why Trump's proposed Muslims band is personal.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:15:22] BURNETT: Right now we're waiting for Donald Trump to take the stage in Des Moines. These are live pictures from his rally in Iowa tonight. The big question is whether he will take a swing at his one-time ally Ted Cruz.
Already today, Trump's slamming Cruz on twitter and that was because Cruz questioned Trump's judgement. How ugly will this fight get?
Well, Jeff Zeleny is OUTFRONT with the Trump campaign in Des Moines.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: The bromance between Ted Cruz and Donald Trump may finally be breaking.
TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you and God bless you.
ZELENY: As every other Republican has challenged Trump, Cruz has watched in silence. Coming to Trump's defense again and again.
CRUZ: I like Donald Trump. He's bold, he's brash.
ZELENY: But it's a different story behind closed doors. As Cruz talks privately about overtaking Trump and Ben Carson in a recording of Cruz given to the New York Times.
CRUZ: People are looking for who is prepared to be a commander- in-chief. But that's a question of strength but also a question of judgment. And I think that is a question that is a challenging question for both of them.
ZELENY: Trump pouncing in a tweet. Looks like Ted Cruz is getting ready to attack. I'm leading by so much, he must. I hope so. He will fall like all others. Will be easy. Forcing Cruz to quickly downplay his remarks tweeting, "The establishment's only hope Trump and me in a cage match. Sorry to disappoint. Donald Trump is terrific." The latest squirmish comes as Republicans worry whether they can stop Trump. Party leaders discussed making plans for a contested convention this week in Washington. The Republican National Committee said there was no reason for worry. But the Cruz/Trump tussle is a sign the race is entering a new and volatile phase. Until now, their relationship has been a mutual admiration society.
CRUZ: I'm very glad Donald Trump is in this election. I like Donald Trump.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, that is a little bit of a romance. I like him. He likes me. He's backed me 100 percent.
ZELENY: In September, the two rivals were even seen embracing at a rally against the Iran nuclear deal. And in July, a private meeting at Trump tower. But all along, Trump was waiting for a fight.
TRUMP: He's been so supportive but at some point he's going to have to hit me. Right? It is going to be a sad day but we will hit back. I promise.
ZELENY: That day may be nearing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZELENY: And that is one of the dynamics that we're going to be watching at that republican debate next Tuesday in Las Vegas. Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. But don't expect Ted Cruz to take on Donald Trump aggressively during that debate. He knows that that's a big prime time audience, a lot of Donald Trump's supporters might not be the best time and Ted Cruz also has enough challengers on his own. Marco Rubio is going after him. So, the debate may not change the dynamic of this. But look for it to happen in those small rooms like we saw Ted Cruz talking there. That's where the real business is being done in this republican primary campaign -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Jeff Zeleny, thank you.
And OUTFRONT now, Sean Spicer, the chief strategist and communications director for the Republican National Committee. Shawn, you just heard Ted Cruz saying, Trump doesn't have the judgment to be president. Is he right?
SEAN SPICER, CHIEF STRATEGIST, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: That's not up to me to decide. It's up to our voters. Each of these gentlemen and women are going to make the case to the voters in the states and they will decide whether the issue, the visions, the judgment, the temperament is what they are looking for in a candidate and at the end we'll have a nominee.
BURNETT: And you'll have a nominee however you get there. It might be pretty difficult. I mean, according to "The Washington Post," I want to quote them on this very issue. They say, "Several longtime Republican power brokers argued that say that if the controversial billionaire storms through the primaries, the party's establishment must lay the ground work for a floor fight in which the GOP's mainstream wing could coalesce around an alternative." When we talk about a floor flight, we're talking about a convention. You don't have a nominee by the convention, and you have a brokered convention or giant fight on the floor. That would be an incredible moment in American history. Is that a plan you support if Donald Trump does storm through the primaries?
SPICER: Okay. Well, there's three things there. Number one, you need 1,236 delegates to win our nomination. If Donald Trump or any other candidates has those delegates, they'll be our nominee. That's it. Plain and simple. Second, if the candidate doesn't have that number of delegates, they'll be a contested contention and the delegates that the voters have selected will decide it and that's how the process works. It's the delegates that are selected by the voters that will decide this. No one in Washington, no one at the RNC. This is a decision that voters make. But last, if I can just dial back some of this intrigue that occurred, that "The Washington Post" reported and you're alluding to, there was a dinner that occurred this week.
There is a regular dinner of political-type people that get together, that talked about politics and legislation, topics of the day and halfway through a two-hour dinner, the discussion turned to, let's talk about the rules of the nomination process. What's changed the cycle? What's difference between a hybrid state and a proportional state? All sorts of inside baseball, discussion about how the process works, the rules of the committee and that's basically what this was. A dinner conversation.
[19:20:35] BURNETT: Sean, a new poll shows 54 percent of Republicans support Donald Trump's proposed temporary ban on Muslims entering America. Do you respect your voters, your GOP voters' wishes? Their support on this issue.
SPICER: What I support is the fact that I think there are a lot of people in this country that have grown increasingly scared about their security. The number one job of any commander-in-chief is to protect this country and I think Americans are fearful. You look at the threat that it has posed overseas with ISIS and now the threat that we're seeing in San Bernardino last week between France and that, I think rightly so, Americans are scared and they need leaders that are going to put America's security first and foremost. So, I think in lieu of a plan, that's what you're really seeing in these polls, people are scared of what's going on and they want to know that the next president of the United States is doing that.
BURNETT: But specifically they do so 54 percent of them support, right. But of course, the chairman of the RNC, Reince Priebus, you know, you worked with them, condemn Trump's comments, he said, quote, "I don't agree. We need to aggressively take on radical Islamic terrorism but not at the expense of our American values." So, he came out against what Donald Trump had to say. But it doesn't sound like you are -- I mean, 54 percent of your Republican voters now --
SPICER: No, no, no. Hold on. No, no. What I'm saying is the chairman understands the context that those comments were made in, which is trying to protect America. He doesn't agree that constitutionally we can ban a particular religion from entering this country. But I think the bigger point in all of this is under the current administration, there's a lack of a feeling that there's a plan to protect this country and the chairman was saying, simply put, I don't necessarily agree with Donald Trump's particular proposal. But he understands the context that right now Americans are craving someone to come forward and lead our country with a plan to make it secure. That's not occurring. So, while we can disagree about the particular plans and tactics, I think all of the Republicans that will take the stage on Tuesday agree that the current plans laid out by this administration are not sufficient to protect America and we need a commander-in-chief that puts America's security first and foremost.
BURNETT: Sean, Donald Trump has felt that he has not been treated fairly in many ways by the Republican establishment. He says that if he keeps feeling that way, he would leave the GOP ran as an independent, if he doesn't get the respect he feels he deserves from party leaders like yourself. Do you care if he decides to leave? If one day he said, I'm just going to leave? Would you care, knowing, of course that most likely, it would cost the Republicans the election?
SPICER: Of course I care. Because of exactly what you just said. Every single Republican -- and first of all, I listened very extensively to what you said to your colleague Don Lemon, he was very clear that he has no intention to leave, the he is going to run as a Republican and he intends to win and unless he's treated unfairly, he's being completely treated fairly, as if all of the candidates are. I fully expect him to continue to run as a Republican. He is a very, very smart man as all of our candidates. And understand, as all of them do, that if we are not united as a party, we are basically handing Hillary Clinton the keys to the White House and that it's one thing that every single Republican understands is paramount to why we are running. So, there's no question, in my mind, that Donald Trump would remain a Republican because we would treat him fairly as we will all the candidates. We will be united as a party and we will take back the White House this November.
BURNETT: Sean Spicer, thank you.
SPICER: Thank you, Erin. Have a great weekend.
BURNETT: And OUTFRONT next, this live rally. This is in Des Moines, Iowa. Donald Trump is expected to be speaking at a town hall there any moment. And why this man's message is resonating with Americans across the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let there be no mistake in what I'm about to say, the only thing that stop the bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:28:22] BURNETT: Right now, Donald Trump about to take the stage at the campaign rally you see on your screen, it's in Des Moines, Iowa. These are live pictures in this key first voting state of the rally. We'll hear what Trump will say about the controversy over his proposal to temporary ban Muslims from entering the United States, a proposal many Republican leaders are slamming. But according to a poll today, 54 percent of republican voters support.
Jeff Zeleny is OUTFRONT from the rally. And Jeff, you've been talking to voters there. What are they telling you about why they support the plan?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Erin, when you talk to voters here, you really get a sense of the disconnect between the Republican base and Republican Party leadership. To a person, the voters here we've been speaking with this evening either support the plan or say they are not troubled enough by the plan to make them turn away from Donald Trump. Now you can see behind me here, he's going to be taking the stage momentarily. A bit of a different set up here. He's going to be sitting on a stall, kind of a round and taking questions from voters. More of a town hall setting. He does that very little. So, we'll see if any questions actually come up on this proposal. But the enthusiasm for Donald Trump here is very significant.
Most of the voters we're talking who said, he is their top choice but others say there are still looking around at other alternatives and the other name that comes up again and again in conversations is Ted Cruz. There's no question that Ted Cruz has been gaining here. He's rising here. He may even be on the cusp of overtaking Donald Trump. So for the next month of this campaign, the next 52 days of this campaign, it will be at least it looks right now, a Donald Trump Ted Cruz match here in Iowa. And Erin, there will be a fascinating campaign to watch, those two making their distinctions on policy as well as style and electability.
BURNETT: It is going to be an incredible showdown. Thank you very much, Jeff Zeleny. Of course, as we're awaiting Donald Trump. Trump's visit to Iowa comes as Ted Cruz is rising and he is it within striking distance of Trump in Iowa.
OUTFRONT now, the president and CEO of the Family Leader, Bob Vander Plaats, national spokeswoman for the Donald Trump campaign, Katrina Pierson, and CNN political commentator and host of "The Ben Ferguson Show", Ben Ferguson.
Bob, let me start with you. Donald Trump has been the Republican frontrunner nationally and in Iowa for months. Voters liked it. You didn't, though. You endorsed Ted Cruz.
You just heard Jeff Zeleny saying to a person, the people he's seeing tonight, they're at a Trump rally, OK, that's crucial -- but they support his plan on banning Muslims or it doesn't turn them away. Even though there are people who say the other person they've looked at, Ted Cruz -- would be Ted Cruz.
What made you choose Cruz, not Trump?
BOB VANDER PLAATS, CONSERVATIVE LEADER ENDORSING CRUZ: Well, first of all, Ted Cruz is a comprehensive conservative. He's a principled leader. I think everybody would say he has a titanium spine, he delivers a very clear message, and the more people listen to him, the more people are drawn to him. That's why you're seeing conservatives unite around Ted Cruz,
you'll continue to see that in Iowa and I believe across the country. So, we look forward to this race and this is not against Trump. This is for Ted Cruz.
(CROSSTALK)
BURNETT: But there has to be something about Donald Trump you didn't like, Bob. What was it?
VANDER PLAATS: It wasn't about what I didn't like about Donald Trump. I think -- Donald Trump is a great friend of mine, but it's what I really like about Ted Cruz. I believe Ted Cruz is the leader that we need at this -- these uncertain times, especially when you throw in Paris, San Bernardino and others. National security, border security, they want somebody to deliver a clear message and who knows what's going on when he takes the position of president.
BURNETT: So, Katrina, do you get worried when someone as influential as Bob is in the conservative community says those are the issues he cares about and he chooses Ted Cruz when those are the issues that Donald Trump has made as the core of his campaign?
KRISTINA PIERSON, DONALD TRUMP CAMPAIGN SPOKESWOMAN: No, not at all. And I'm thrilled that it's Ted Cruz and Donald Trump because those are the two most hated by the Republican establishment, so they are both in good company, in my opinion.
But I think there is this division. You do have a lot of conservatives who are supporting Senator Cruz because he's a strong conservative who can move legislation. Many people like the fact that he's a lawyer and is good on policy.
And then there's a flip side, where someone is looking for a war time commander, someone that has global experience, business experience, someone that signs tens of thousands of paycheck, and understands what it means to feed a family, and Donald Trump has all of those aspects. So there is a divide there.
BURNETT: So, Ben, you've got Ted Cruz surging in Iowa and he was doing it before endorsed him. But that's obviously significant endorsement. So, is Iowa now Ted Cruz's state to lose?
BEN FERGUSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I don't think it's necessarily his to lose. I think it's certainly it's his to win at this point. Look, it's going to be a very big, intense battle if things stay the way they are. I mean, Donald Trump goes after anyone surging, will do everything that he can to beat them right back down to where they came from, we saw this with Ben Carson.
BURNETT: Well, he's been remarkable, he's successful with that. Whether it's coincidence or --
(CROSSTALK)
FERGUSON: Yes, and with Carly Fiorina as well. Yes. And so, get ready, if you're Ted Cruz and Ted Cruz campaign, you're about to get the wrath of Donald Trump coming after you.
The question is, with the voters in a smaller place where they really pay attention like this, will Donald Trump, if he comes down so hard close to an election day, will that turn voters off to Donald Trump?
And I think that's going to be a much harder, you know, test for him than beforehand when we were so far away from a voting day. These voters have been paying attention and when they get down to it, if you cross that line with decorum, if you cross that line with respect, I think that could backfire for Donald Trump in a big way.
BURNETT: All right. So, Bob, in 2008, you endorsed Mike Huckabee. In 2010, Rick Santorum. So, here's the good, they both won Iowa. So, you're influential and you called the state and you got it right. Of course, the problem is, neither one of those people got the nomination.
So, does that suggest that Iowa Republicans are getting it wrong, that Iowa does not reflect the nation and Iowa obviously is not going to be the indicator for the nomination?
VANDER PLAATS: Not at all. I think it's an indicator that Iowa got it right. I think Huckabee was a better candidate than McCain. I think Santorum was a better candidate than Romney. In both cases, in Huckabee and Romney, what they lacked is the -- Huckabee and Santorum, they lacked the resources to really go the distance.
Everybody knows that Ted Cruz is a disciplined. He's a very focused candidate. He's got the infrastructure. He's got resources, not only to win Iowa but I believe to do extremely well in the early states in the SEC primary. I think he could really build this to be the nominee.
BURNETT: So, Katrina, can Donald Trump afford to lose Iowa? You know, obviously, Bob making a good argument there. But if whoever wins Iowa is in the past doesn't win the nomination, does it matter to Donald Trump if he loses?
PIERSON: Well, if Donald Trump wants to win Iowa, and I think Donald Trump will win Iowa.
[19:35:02] Ted Cruz, just as we heard, is a very good politician and has a great political platform. But I think Donald Trump is going to win Iowa and the thing about Donald Trump, he's far, far ahead in New Hampshire. He's ahead in South Carolina, Florida, you name it. Senator Cruz has to win Iowa to stay viable.
BURNETT: Ben -- yes, go ahead.
FERGUSON: I don't think he has to win to stay viable. When you set yourself up every time you walk on stage to talk about how great you are in the polls and how you're leading every poll and every poll shows that you're the guy and every poll is telling everybody that you're amazing, and if you lose the first one coming out, there's no one to blame but yourself for setting that expectation level so high up for the Cruz campaign.
I don't understand why he's been doing that, because most candidates lose at some point in a primary. And if you are always talking about how you're always winning and you are this amazing above everyone else candidate and then you lose, it could take the wind out of your sails in a serious way.
BURNETT: It's going to be the incredible campaign to watch, I have to say. Everyone is --
FERGUSON: No doubt.
BURNETT: All right. Thanks to all.
And next, our Fareed Zakaria's take on Trump's proposal to ban Muslims.
And, can a, quote, "good guy" with a gun make a difference against the terrorist?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's time to stop reacting and instead proactively engage anyone who threatens harm through terrorism or mass killings.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:40:29] BURNETT: CNN's Fareed Zakaria taking a stance against Donald Trump's latest ideas, from proposing a Muslim registry, to a travel ban against Muslims entering the United States. His new column in "The Washington Post" in which he writes, "I am a Muslim. But Trump's views appall me because I am an American."
Fareed Zakaria is OUTFRONT.
And, Fareed, you also wrote, and I want to quote this, this is the real danger of Trump's rhetoric. It forces people who want to assimilate who see themselves as having multiple identities into a single box, Muslim-Americans. They're more fearful, will isolate themselves more. The broader community will know them less, trust them less, a downward spiral of segregation will set in.
What repercussions could this have?
FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST, "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS": You know, when I've traveled around the world, when I grew up in India, I saw this. So, you look at the Balkans in 1990s. You look at Iraq before the civil war, these communities that live together very peacefully, you know, there would be occasional problems.
But what happens is when politicians come and start stoking the differences, reminding people that there's a minority, be suspicious of them, what happens is neighbors start suspecting each other. The tensions start to build, the communities separate, and then all it takes is a spark to create some kind of, you know, violence or -- it's a very nasty process when you take groups that have lived together and rather than helping them integrate, you actually rip them apart, exactly.
BURNETT: The House passed the bill. President Obama supports this bill. It would bar anyone from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, or anyone who's visited those countries in the past five years from coming to the United States without a visa. They would be getting extra screening.
The bill does not say Muslims specifically but that's the point of the bill. So, it doesn't say Muslims like Trump does, but isn't that the same thing cloaked in more politically correct wording?
ZAKARIA: So, this is a special program where people get in without visas and it's fair to say that maybe, you know, people from war zones shouldn't have made that blanket exemption. But the core issue here is this -- a lot of the people who are going to flee the conflict in Syria or Iraq are Christians, are minorities who have been persecuted, are Muslims who are fleeing ISIS because ISIS is killing them or their families because these people don't like ISIS.
So, these are hardly the most suspicious people in the world. Now, of course, there should be a vetting process and because there's a special issue here where they don't have the visas, maybe it's appropriate. I haven't seen the details of this, but the whole idea of lumping all of these groups of people together as if we don't have the ability to vet, strikes me as strange. We do a lot of vetting.
The IRC, the International Rescue Community's head, David Milliband, says the U.S. does the gold standard of vetting. We do it best for refugees in the world. We do it very well for visas. Ask anyone who tries to get a visa, you have friends abroad. Getting a visa into the U.S. is hard even applying for the recent waivers is hard.
So, there's a way for us to do this without alienating large groups of people, especially as I say, in this case, you're talking about persecuted Christians who are going to be trying to come in.
BURNETT: If you're not going to make it about religion, though, let me just ask you about some numbers you cited in another recent column. You wrote that, you know, 48 million Muslims could be subject to radicalization. You're citing some numbers on that.
Now, as you point out, that's only 3 percent of Muslims worldwide. It's a very small number in a percentage basis, but in an absolute basis, it's huge. It's 48 million people and Muslims in this case.
So, if you're not going to make it about religion at all, if it's only going to be about behavior, do you fear that that is being too politically correct or not?
ZAKARIA: Well, again, you talk to national security professions. You talk to people, for example, at customs who have had to deal with these kinds of issues, and they all say the same thing, if you use racial religious profiling, you're casting too wide a net. There are so many -- 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, it's the second largest religion in the world.
If all Muslims are suspect, you start with a group of 1.6 billion people. You're much better off saying let's look at where they have traveled is absolutely fair game. You know, whether there is evidence of radicalization. You know, we do have metadatas and know people have made phone calls and such.
Those kinds of things are much more successful at actually finding terrorists. Again, you talk to the Israelis, the Israelis will tell you that the way -- I'm not saying profiling is bad, but profiling based on suspicious behavior is much more effective than profiling based on race, ethnicity, religion.
[19:45:03] BURNETT: All right. Well, Fareed Zakaria, thank you very much.
ZAKARIA: Pleasure.
BURNETT: And OUTFRONT next, in the wake of the San Bernardino massacre, more Americans are saying that you are your own best line of defense in a mass shooting. Our special report.
And a whole new episode of the CNN "Quiz Show", Morgan Spurlock on why he is twerking and what question totally stumped him.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:50:06] BURNETT: Americans are more fearful of a terrorist attack now than at any other time since September 11th. That's according to a new poll which shows that 79 percent believe an attack is very or somewhat likely to happen in the next few months. One outspoken Florida sheriff has a controversial idea about how to tackle the problem.
Alina Machado is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHERIFF WAYNE IVEY, BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA: The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.
ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A Florida sheriff with a video that's gone viral.
IVEY: It is time to stop reacting and instead proactively engage anyone who threatens harm through terrorism or mass kills.
MACHADO: Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey is the man behind the video, which has had more than 4.5 million views since it was posted on Facebook Sunday. His message, echoed by other top cops around the country.
SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO, MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZONA: Stop the killing before cops arrive. SHERIFF CHRIS BLAIR, MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA: To have someone
there to bring the fight to the attacker will help save lives.
MACHADO: All of those sheriffs reacting to the recent mass shootings in Paris and San Bernardino. On social media, some are praising Sheriff Ivey's video, writing, "This is the best, most honest message I've heard from the head of a police agency. Sheriff Ivey, you're a stand up guy keep up the good work."
Others seem skeptical, "Seriously, you want citizens to take up arms? We do not need vigilantes to keep the peace in Brevard County."
IVEY: We're not asking anybody to be a vigilante. We're asking you to be prepared to respond to an attack.
MICHELE LOWELL, FIRST TIME GUN BUYER: I've been in a video game store before I'd be some place like this.
MACHADO: Michele Lowell decided to buy her first gun and then saw Sheriff Ivey's video.
LOWELL: It made it feel like a smart move. It made it feel like a proactive move, rather than an aggressive move.
MACHADO: Lowell isn't the only one looking to buy a gun. The FBI is on track to conduct a record number of background checks for guns this year, about 20 million, suggesting an increase in sales. Several gun shops in Florida tell CNN many of the customers they are seeing are people who have never owned a firearm.
JEREMY BOOSKA, MANAGER, BLACKSIDE TACTICAL GUNSHOP: Mostly, they are just afraid and, you know, they are afraid that they may have never wanted to buy a gun before. They had no intention of ever buying a gun and now, it's something that is high on their mind.
MACHADO: Lowell, a single mother of two teens, has never fired a gun or even been to a shooting range. Still, she says she has an idea of what she might buy.
LOWELL: Little pink handgun that will empower me personally and help me to protect my family. I'd rather have the ability to do something if faced with that horrible situation than to simply duck.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACHADO: Lowell plans to take her first shots at a range similar to this one as part of a beginner's course so she properly learns how to use her new gun. The sheriff's office meanwhile is offering an advanced gun training course and they have so much interest after Sheriff Ivey's video posted that they had to add sessions early next year -- Erin.
BURNETT: Wow, that's incredible. Alina, thank you very much, just a stunning story.
Next, our new quiz show, you'll see what happens when Morgan Spurlock is asked about famous Americans. See if you know the answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:57:32] BURNETT: Do you know all the names of the Kennedy children? Well, this Sunday, six a familiar CNN faces will test their knowledge if they miss Americans in a new edition of the CNN "Quiz Show". Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBIN MEADE, HLN ANCHOR: Let the other people think that they have a chance at winning but then, boom!
MORGAN SPURLOCK, CNN HOST: What if nobody expects to be good or win?
MEADE: Boom!
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: We either win.
MEADE: Boom.
BOLDUAN: Or we sabotage.
(CHEERS)
KAMAU BELL: I'm the dumb one.
SPURLOCK: Sure Berman, like, what, won two times?
BOLDUAN: No one wants John Berman to win again.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: No.
BOLDUAN: No one.
BELL: I think our best chance with Berman is some sort of Tonya Harding/Jeff Gillooly situation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: CNN's "INSIDE MAN", Morgan Spurlock, was one of the six quizzed and he's here with me now.
All right. This is stressful. I did it once and once was enough for me because it's kind of terrifying.
SPURLOCK: Yes, you watch game shows like that's easy, I'll go on the show, that's great. I'm going to do so -- I'm going to kill this show. It's going to be fantastic.
BURNETT: No. And then you get there and you're like there is only downside here. But let me ask you, was there anything that stumped you?
SPURLOCK: No, the worst part, when you watch the show, here is the best part, you see the moment something my brain decides to stop working and the question I was stumped on is I couldn't remember Sarah Palin's name. And it's Sarah Palin.
BURNETT: The nervousness. You go, I know that, I know that. I know that.
SPURLOCK: It's like my brain isn't giving it to me. You can see on the show where my brain stopped. It was unbelievable.
BURNETT: One more thing I just want to share. We do have some video.
SPURLOCK: Do we want to see this?
BURNETT: Yes.
SPURLOCK: That's me getting my quiz show funk on right there. Kamua and I are getting ready. We're working it, we're twerking it, we're getting ready. That's how -- this was right before my brain gave in. This is before my brain said, no, that's it, we're done, we're done. Not working for you.
BURNETT: This is right before the Sarah Palin moment.
SPURLOCK: This is right before my Sarah Palin moment, yeah. And he gave a great clue. His clue was crazy Alaska and so I should have -- my brain went I know who that is, I seen who that is. I can't tell you who that is.
BURNETT: The final take away is Anderson Cooper.
SPURLOCK: Anderson Cooper --
BURNETT: He gets to sit there and ask the questions and laugh at other people and judge other people. You know what, Anderson, one day.
SPURLOCK: That's right. One day, you'll get your --
BURNETT: One day, you're get your --
SPURLOCK: One day, wait and see, Cooper.
BURNETT: All right. Morgan, thank you.
All right. You can test your knowledge of famous -- look at him smiling like the Cheshire cat, Anderson.
Don't miss CNN's "Quiz Show". It's a great show.
Thanks for joining us. Be sure to set your DVR to watch the show at anytime.
"AC360" with Jim Sciutto starts right now.
