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Greek Parliament to Decide on Bailout Package; U.S.-Iranian Nuclear Talks Reaching Deadline; Mexican Drug Kingpin Escapes Prison; Gov. Scott Walker To Join Crowded 2016 GOP Field. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired July 13, 2015 - 08:00   ET

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


[08:00:00] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: So now the ball is in Greece's court to pass those required reforms. Parliament is expected to decide as early as tomorrow. Let's go live to Athens to CNN's Isa Soares with all the latest. Good morning, Isa.

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn. After 17 hours of marathon talks, it seems Alexis Cyprus, the Greek prime minister, has swallowed his pride and accepted a deal put on the table by the European creditors, a three year bailout, the third bailout in three years totally $96 billion. That's roughly $17 billion more than what was being discussed.

But with this bailout deal comes very strict, very stringent measures, a corset almost of measures they have to push through. More tax reforms, pension reforms, and also stream ling the VAT. That has to be done in 48 hours by this Wednesday.

Now the ball clearly in Alexi Cyprus' court. Will he be able to pass the measures? We believe he will get 251 votes to pass this, but already there is huge dissent within his own party, many saying they don't support austerity, that was not what he was brought in power for. So we're hearing that it will probably be around 20 voices that won't support it. But the opposition parties have been telling us one of the special leading parties yesterday said they'll back Cyprus because it's the best deal for Greeks.

At the same time Greeks waking up this morning completely dazed and confused about what it will mean. Will the ECB, the European Central Bank, put more money in Greek banks. That's the authority for ordinary Greeks.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: The big question there. We await the answer. Isa, thank you very much.

So another big deadline, an Iran deal, when is that going to happen? It could just be hours away. There was major progress made over the weekend, so let's get to our team coverage beginning with CNN's senior international Nic Robertson live in Vienna. That's with the talks are ongoing. The latest?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Chris, good morning. The issues that have been holding this up, this nuclear deal, Iran's demand that an arms embargo should be lifted, its demand that not all sites inside Iran, including military sites, would be open to the U.N. weapons inspectors who go in to verify a deal. We've heard from all sides this weekend that it's just a couple of issues to be narrowed down but the decisions are beginning to be made. We heard that from Secretary Kerry yesterday. Pretty much signs of hope.

Today we're being told right here that the deal looks more likely than less likely. But even having said that, we heard from the Iranian side saying they don't expect an extension, but they say it requires political will on the other side. They've been going through the 100- page document, 20 pages of agreement, 80 pages of annex there are bits that have to be decided. It seems to be coming down to the wire.

And the Chinese here today, the Chinese foreign minister saying that no deal is perfect, perhaps that is a message for everyone. He also went on to say that future negotiations cannot and should not be prolonged, an indication that maybe not everything is quite nailed down yet, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: "No deal is perfect," that seems to be the motto of what is going on there. Thank you so much, Nic.

So if an agreement is reached and announced today, the deal is still not done, at least for not for President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry. They have to sell any deal to a skeptical Congress. CNN's White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski is live for us with that note. What are they saying there, Michelle?

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Alisyn. With things like this, it's not over until it's really over, and Congress does have a say in this, though, as you can imagine, it's not necessarily going to be something quick.

We've been hearing a lot from members of Congress, especially Senate Republicans, who are strongly opposed to a deal. And among other things, they feel that Iran shouldn't be left with any nuclear capability.

So according to the bipartisan bill that became law back in May, here is what Congress can do. Once a deal is finalized, Congress has 60 days to review it. During that time the administration has certain obligations. They have to provide Congress with all kinds of information. They can't lift particular sanctions. And then Congress can vote to approve or disapprove, not the deal itself, but on whether Congress will lift sanctions against Iran that were originally imposed by Congress. So even though it's not technically an up or down vote on the Iran nuclear deal, you can see how it could have the affect if Congress were to refuse to lift sanctions that have been so pivotal to making this deal happen in the first place.

However, you know that the White House is going to veto a move like that, and then to override the veto Congress would have to have a two- thirds majority in both houses. And that could be difficult if not a no-go. Chris?

[08:05:00] CUOMO: Thank you for laying that out for us, Michelle, very helpful, because we have our eyes on what happens if they get it done in Vienna. What happens when it comes back here.

Let's talk to a man in the middle of the process, Senator Ben Cardin. He's the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee and cosponsor of the bipartisan deal for Congress to review any nuclear agreement. Senator, good to see you here on NEW DAY. What do you think happens if the deal, as we currently understand it, kind of, makes its way to Congress? Do you think it gets through?

SEN. BEN CARDIN, (D) MARYLAND: Good morning, Chris. First, we need to read the agreement. The devil is in the details. We still don't know exactly about the inspection regimes. That's going to be a very important part for many members of Congress. We've heard about arms embargo issues. We need to know how that has been resolved. The sanction relief is also a matter of incredible importance, what research Iran will be permitted to do. So there's a lot of questions I think members of Congress want to know the details before they decide whether they can support or not this agreement.

I can tell you we're well-prepared for the review. We've been getting briefings over the last month. We've met with the administration, we've met with our negotiators. So we're prepared if an agreement is reached to do our responsibility, and that is to review the agreement.

CUOMO: Think it takes 60 days?

CARDIN: I don't think it will take 90 days but it certainly will take some time. We need, first, to be able to get through the documents. We need to have our briefings, both open and closed briefings. And then we need to have some discussions among ourselves. We want to have as much open process as possible. We want the American people to understand this. Our bottom line is Iran needs to be prevented from becoming a nuclear weapons state. We don't trust them, so we have to be able to inspect and see if they're cheating and we have to have time to take action to prevent them from becoming a nuclear weapon state if they do not comply with the agreement.

That's our objective. If that's achieved, the diplomatic process by far the preferred process. But a bad deal is worse than no deal at all. That's the standards we'll be using.

CUOMO: When you say "our" and "we," who are you talking about, because how much of the opposition do you think is just reflexively anti-president?

CARDIN: Well, there's certainly members of Congress who have already made up their judgment on this without seeing it. There's no question about that. But I think the majority of the members of Congress really want to see this agreement. They want to understand it before they make a decision about it.

There are concerns, there's no question about that. There are concerns about the framework agreement. There's concerns as to whether the framework is going to be incorporated into the final agreement. These are legitimate concerns. So -- but I think most members recognize that we have a responsibility. The objective is for us to do what is right for this country. And we're always stronger when we can have as much unity as possible, and I know a lot of us are going to try to work for that.

CUOMO: What is your take on how this ultimately resolves if there is acrimony. The conventional thinking is, the Congress says you reject it. And you say we don't like the deal. The president says too bad. You say, you're not going to fix the deal? Then we're not going to lift the sanctions. And you pass that, you vote on that. He vetoes that because that is the legislative process. You don't get the two- thirds. Then is it over and the deal goes forward?

CARDIN: Chris, let me remind you when we're taking up the oversight statute, that's how most people predicted the process would go forward. In the end we were able to reach an agreement. I think this country is always stronger when we speak with unity.

So Senator Corker and I are going to do our best to provide as much harmony as possible. It doesn't mean there is total agreement. I believe there won't be total agreement on this. But we want this country to act with strength, and that means we have an independent Congress. Congress has a specific role to play, not only in reviewing an agreement but also in implementing it. You can't implement it fully without Congressional approval. So it's going to require the administration and Congress to work together, and I can tell you we are going to do everything we can to carry out our responsibilities the way we need to.

CUOMO: So it's not true if the president vetoes the legislative bill determination that you're not going to lift the sanctions? If he vetoes it is and you can't override his veto, then he gets to go forward the way he wants, doesn't he?

CARDIN: The agreement will take affect does not require action for a potential agreement to take effect. And if we try to as a particular bill, a resolution, and we can't get it done, the agreement goes forward. But Congress needs to be engaged in this. The sanctions can only be permanently removed by Congress. So there's going to be a requirement for Congressional involvement here. So our hope is that we can find a path forward. Let's see, first, if there's an agreement. Whether it will be one that we support the president on the agreement or not is too early to tell.

[08:10:00] CUOMO: Senator, thank you very much for helping us understand what the questions are and the process, very helpful.

CARDIN: Thank you.

CUOMO: Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: Chris, now that massive manhunt in Mexico for the notorious drug lord known as "El Chapo." Joaquin Guzman broke out of a massive security prison this weekend through a mile long tunnel leaving American officials fuming. CNN's Polo Sandoval is live outside of the prison in Mexico with the latest. What do we know at this hour, Polo?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Alisyn. At this hour the search continues. Joaquin Guzman considered a dangerous, ruthless, and also very much a wanted man, not just here in Mexico but also north across the border in the United States, as you mentioned.

And at this hour, the search continues. Perimeters have been set up not only around the prison facility here outside of Mexico City but also in several towns, but so far no sign of the cartel kingpin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: This morning a massive international manhunt for one of the most powerful and deadly drug trafficking kingpins is underway. Joaquin Guzman, known as "El Chapo" and a major supplier of heroin, cocaine, and marijuana in the United States staged a brazen escape from this Mexico prison. It's his second escape, and this time he busted out of a maximum security federal prison just west of Mexico City.

Prison officials said guards at the prison performed a routine check of camera feed and noticed Guzman was missing Saturday evening. At five foot-six, authorities believe El Chapo, Spanish for "shorty," fit through a 20 by 20 inch hole located in the shower of the cell, beyond that a vertical passenger with stairs leading to a tunnel stretching nearly a mile.

The escape infuriated U.S. law enforcement officials who pushed for Chapo's extradition at to the United States last year. They cited fears of corruption and questioned the ability of Mexican officials to keep him behind bars.

TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: It's estimated he may have murdered or ordered the murders of more than 10,000 people. So this is not somebody that is playing around with prison officials. He pretty much controls what he wants to do and they go along with it. They look the other way to keep their families alive.

SANDOVAL: Guzman got out by way of an elaborate underground escape route complete with electricity, lighting, and tracks for a motorcycle, and even ventilation. Investigators swarmed a half-built house at the other end but Guzman was nowhere in sight, the now two- time escapee broke out of prison in a laundry cart back in 2001, on the lam then for more than a decade. A break in that case came in 2013 when investigators discovered seven houses in Mexico that were connected by an intricate web of secret passage ways, Guzman evading authorities.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And there are still so many questions in this case. They're looking to the possibility that he may have possibly fled to his home state of Sinaloa, Chris. Meanwhile I can tell you that it is likely that Guzman had help from the outside but now, there's concern he may have had help from the inside. In fact at least 18 guards here have been sent to nearby Mexico City where they are being questioned by federal authorities this morning. Chris?

CUOMO: All right, that's going to be an interesting development there. Polo, thank you very much. So Pope Francis back in Rome this morning after an eight-day tour of

South America. He finished his trip by visiting a slum in Paraguay. The Pope's trip ran the gamete of poor areas and prisons to meeting with presidents and Catholic leaders during his stops in Paraguay, Ecuador, and Bolivia.

CAMEROTA: Firefighters forced to stop fighting because a California brush fire from the air because a recreational drone was interrupting their air space. No word yet on who was operating that drone in question. No injuries as a result of the fire but a handful of homes have been evacuated.

CUOMO: We're about to get our first ever close up look at Pluto. NASA officials say their New Horizon space probe is now on final approach for fly-by of the icy place tomorrow. It's only taken nine and a half years to go 3 billion miles.

CAMEROTA: Three billion miles.

CUOMO: Pluto they might be p.o.-ed when they get there, being kicked out of the planetary system.

CAMEROTA: Out of the planetary system. We'll find out. We'll have the live interview for you.

CUOMO: See what the people of Pluto have to say about this.

CAMEROTA: I can't wait for that.

Well, the president Republicans president field getting ever more crowded. Will Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker change the dynamic in the race? Our political panel is here to analyze it.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[08:18:23] GOV. SCOTT WALKER (R), WISCONSIN: America needs new fresh leadership, with big bold ideas from outside of Washington, actually get things done. The Republican field, there are some who are good fighters. They haven't won those battles. There are others who won elections but haven't consistently taken on the big fights. We showed you can do both.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: All right. There you have it, Scott Walker increasing the Republican field for 2016 to a whopping 15 candidates. How will he set himself apart from the ever growing crowd?

Let's bring in our CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist, Paul Begala. He's also a co-chair of a pro-Hillary Clinton super PAC. And CNN political commentator and Jeb Bush supporter Ana Navarro.

Great to see you guys.

PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning.

ANA NAVARRO, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning.

CAMEROTA: Paul, I was interested to hear that you now separate the Republican candidates into categories, establishment and insurgent.

Which one does Scott Walker fall into?

BEGALA: Yes, you know, my buddy Carville and I were trying to come up with brackets, as if this were the NCAA basketball tournament. I do think there's an establishment bracket and an insurgent bracket. I was seeding Scott Walker in the establishment bracket with some of Ana's friends, Lindsey Graham and Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, every impressive establishment candidates.

I think Scott Walker switched brackets, though. He was very establishment. He was for Common Core education reform, he was for immigration reform and the pathway to citizenship. But he's switched on all those issues. He's now, I think, trying to run an insurgent wing, the maybe slightly angrier, slightly more conservative wing of the party.

I don't know if he can pull it off. He's got a lot of talent. But that's a tough switch.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Ana, why is Jeb Bush better than Scott Walker?

[08:20:03] NAVARRO: Well, he's taller. Can we start with that?

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: Strong point, strong point.

NAVARRO: Listen, I think Paul is right, and I think we can break the candidate as establishment and insurgent. Hillary Clinton is establishment. Everybody else on the Democratic side is insurgent.

I think Scott Walker now makes it 15. How does he set himself apart? It's getting harder and harder. I almost think we need to embrace the Kinsey saying (ph) and just have a choreography and poofy dresses and have a dance off and see who does best at this point.

CAMEROTA: I like that!

NAVARRO: You know, he comes in with national ID -- national name ID from his fights, his recall fights in Wisconsin. He comes in trying to straddle both sides of the insurgence and establishment to use Paul's words.

He's got an advantage in Iowa. He won in there early. He gave some good speeches and made a good impression. As you know, you get one chance to make a good impression. He used it well and he's got a lead there. He's the front runner there. And, frankly, we've all been expecting him to jump in. This is not a surprise for anyone. We were just waiting for the budget issue to finish up in Wisconsin which did yesterday. He's jumping in now.

CAMEROTA: Yes. Paul, you know, he changed his position or modified it, I guess he would say, on some major social issues like gay marriage, even abortion.

Does that hurt him in Iowa?

BEGALA: You know, well, he's moving toward the position that activists and the conservative wing of the party want in Iowa. So, maybe they will, you know, accept him.

It didn't seem to work for Mitt Romney. Romney had been a very moderate, maybe liberal Republican governor of Massachusetts. He switched and took some very, very conservative -- he said, I'll be severely conservative, in fact. And I guess it did work. He won the nomination.

But I think he was seen --

CUOMO: What's so wrong with switching? People switch, they grow, they evolve. All right?

I mean, Hillary Clinton did it on gay marriage. The president did it. People evolve. They change.

BEGALA: Absolutely, absolutely.

CUOMO: I heard the other day, Ana, about Jeb Bush, that they said, well, if he was ever for a path to citizenship, he's not for it anymore. What is that under the category of like the potentially partially thing that we just heard from Trump guy?

NAVARRO: I think, you know, I know Jeb Bush quite well, and I think Jeb Bush is a guy who is very responsible about what he promises. What I saw him do in Florida is make some specific promises and deliver on that. Work hard to deliver on that.

So, I think he's shooting for what he thinks is realistic. He's been consistent in that, in being what is the scope of reality.

Let's just remember that eight years ago, Hillary Clinton who is now, you know, wagging her finger at Jeb Bush on the immigration issue -- eight years ago, she was against driver's licenses for undocumented. Just last year, she was one of the first voices calling for the minors at the border to be immediately repatriated.

And now, she's trying to paint herself as a patron saint of undocumented immigrants. Well, OK, I know she's evolved on gay marriage, I know she's evolved on immigration, I know she's going to evolve on capital gains taxes. So, I guess evolution is the world of the day.

CAMEROTA: Ana, I want to stick with you one second on Hillary Clinton and then we'll let Paul have that, as he's chomping at a bit to do. But, Ana, today, Hillary Clinton is giving what is being billed as her first policy speech. It is on the economy, or what she would do, I guess, on the economy. What do you want to hear from her?

NAVARRO: Some specific proposal. I want to hear anything from her, Alisyn. I mean, we haven't heard anything but dodging and weaving from Hillary Clinton for the last six months. So, frankly, anything that we can analyze and dissect, I'd like to hear.

I want to hear from her more than how the weather is in Iowa. Give me some specific proposals.

CAMEROTA: OK.

CUOMO: Well, but, Paul, she's laying out an actual agenda, right? And what's going to be in it?

BEGALA: Well, from the published reports, you said I advise the super PAC, so I can't coordinate with her campaign. But the public report was taken --

CUOMO: Take a guess then. Just take a flyer, what do you think? What's your big guess?

BEGALA: Here is the thing, how you define the problem points you to the solution. So, you talk to some Republican leaders and I'll tell you, the biggest problem facing America is the debt. OK, that leads you to some (INAUDIBLE). Others Mr. Trump, others would say Mexico. We hate Mexicans. Others would say gay marriage is a terrible threat to America.

Hillary is saying the biggest single challenge America has is raising the wages of middle class Americas. Stagnant wage in the middle class. I think she's right. If we can raise the pay of middle class and families then the economy will boom.

Frankly, I worked for a guy who happened to have a same name as Hillary Clinton's last name. He did that. And if she makes that the focus of her campaign, I think she'll win.

CAMEROTA: Ana, Paul brought up Donald Trump. So, let's go there.

NAVARRO: Oh.

CAMEROTA: Rupert Murdoch sent out the tweet yesterday afternoon saying in response to what Trump has said about illegal immigrants.

[08:25:01] Rupert Murdoch says, "Mexican immigrants, as with all, have lower crime rates than native-born. As an example, El Paso safest city in the U.S. Trump wrong."

Of course, Rupert Murdoch is no bleeding heart liberal. What do you make of him tweeting that?

NAVARRO: You know, Rupert Murdoch, as I think everybody knows, has a long record as being for immigration reform. He's been one of the big advocates for it behind the scenes. It's something he speaks about to candidates that show up and knock on his door all the time.

So, I think -- you know, I'd say bravo to Rupert Murdoch. I think he's letting folks know that Donald Trump does not speak for everybody in the Republican Party. He certainly doesn't speak for Rupert Murdoch. He doesn't speak for me. He doesn't speak for a lot of other Republicans.

He's speaking certainly to a segment of Republicans, but let's not paint all Republicans with a Trump brush. For the love of God, I beg you on a Monday morning.

CAMEROTA: On that --

CUOMO: Silence, too.

CAMEROTA: Yes. I did.

BEGALA: When she appeals to the love of God, it's sort of -- you know, it's above my pay grade.

CAMEROTA: Good point. On that note, Ana, Paul, great to see you guys. Thanks for your time.

BEGALA: Thanks.

CAMEROTA: See you soon.

For all of your political news, go to CNNPolitics.com.

CUOMO: All right. So, he is one of the most beloved characters in American literature. Maybe we didn't know Atticus Finch like we thought. Or maybe we did. Is he really a racist?

That's what the new book from the same author just popped on your screen, Harper Lee -- there's a new book out. And he is depicted differently. What does it mean?

We'll tell you.

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