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New Debris Possibly from Missing Malaysian Airlines Plane Found; GOP Presidential Candidates Prepare for Upcoming Debate; Interview with RNC Chairman Reince Priebus; Man Goes on Shooting Rampage in Nashville, Tennessee Theater. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired August 06, 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] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to your NEW DAY. We begin with a potentially huge break in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370. We've been told new debris has been discovered and this could come from inside a plane, and that would make a huge difference.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: This come from Malaysia's transport minister saying it's seat cushions, windowpanes, and aluminum material were found on Reunion island, and that's the same place where part of a Boeing 777's wing was found just a few days ago. CNN's Andrew Stevens is following the very latest for us live from Kuala Lumpur. What have you learned, Andrew?

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I've been speaking to senior people inside the transport department, Alisyn, and they are confirming what you just said there. That is debris from an aircraft, they are quite confident this is from an aircraft. They are not saying at this stage whether it is 370 or not, but they do say it is from an aircraft.

That debris, as you point out, it's parts of a window. It's aluminum material. No more information on that material. And it's a cushion. And so they're the three pieces of debris that have been identified.

What we don't know, what we're still working to confirm is when this debris was actually found. Now, we know it's not in the last 18 hours or so, because we're being told by police on Reunion that no new debris has been handed in. We also don't know at this stage whether it has left Reunion for Toulouse. Toulouse is the center of the investigation into material which could be related to MH370. It's where the flaperon now is.

I've also spoke to the transport officials about why the Malaysian government has been so confident to link the flaperon which we know about, the part of the wing, to 370. And they say critically that there is a seal on that flaperon which is an MAS seal. MAS stands for Malaysian Airlines System. That is the old name of the airline. There's So there is that. This is also matching paint as well, Alisyn.

So the Malaysians are sticking by their story even though the French have backpedalled a little bit on whether or not this is actually firmly linked to 370. But this new debris, as you say, coming from inside an aircraft could prove crucial, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Absolutely, Andrew. Please let us know if you get any more developments and check back.

Meanwhile, let's talk about politics because the first Republican debate of the 2016 presidential election is tonight. Ten candidates preparing to take their podiums, seven who missed the cut are preparing for an earlier forum. So how will the candidates make their mark? We'll speak with the chairman of the Republican National Committee in just a moment. But first CNN's debate coverage begins with political reporter Sara Murray live in Cleveland. Tell us what's happening there at this hour.

SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn. The big day is here. And there is no doubt that this is going to be a high stakes evening. Like you said, this is a crowded GOP field and everyone is looking for that moment that sets themselves apart from the rest of the competitors.

But campaigns are also telling, this is the first debate and the reality is their candidates are a little bit nervous. Let's take a look at how they're preparing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MURRAY: It's debate day, the biggest day in the campaign so far when 10 Republican candidates make their case to voters and possibly score political points against their rivals. Marco Rubio spent the night before the frit GOP debate in a bar in Cleveland.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO, (R) FLORIDA: I came in early today trying to convince LeBron James to come back to Miami. Just wanted you to know.

(BOOS)

MURRAY: Ahead of tonight's debate the candidates are deploying all kinds of tactics to prepare and to shake off their nerves. After a couple of political stumbles this week --

JEB BUSH, (R) FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: You could take dollar for dollar, although I'm not sure we need a half-a-billion dollars for women's issues --

MURRAY: Jeb Bush will spend the morning going to mass. And Scott Walker is kicking off his day at the Wisconsin state fair before hopping a flight to Ohio.

But the man who is overshadowing them all, Donald Trump, is laying low. He's expected to land in Cleveland this afternoon, debate, and depart the very same night. His rival campaigns say they don't have much interest in taking on Trump on stage, a strategy that would be high risk.

MICHAEL COHEN, SPECIAL COUNSEL TO DONALD TRUMP: If you attack Donald Trump, look what happened to Lindsey Graham -- not even in the debate. Look what happened to him. Rick Perry, not even in the debate. You attack Donald Trump, he's going to come back at you twice as hard.

MURRAY: Instead candidates like Chris Christie and Scott Walker are hoping for a chance to take Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton to task on her support for the Iran deal to her support for Planned Parenthood. You can get everyone candidate on that stage is looking for a breakout moment. But for now they're keeping their strategies close to the vest.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: All right, so it really begins tonight. And we have the man at the center of the debate, the chairman of the Republican national committee, Reince Priebus. Thank you very much, Reince for being with us. Pleasure to have you on this big day.

[08:05:04] REINCE PRIEBUS, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Good morning, Chris.

CUOMO: You're taking heat about the format. You're taking heat about how the selection process was done. Justify the decisions that were made to have the 10 at primetime, the other guys before.

PRIEBUS: You're right, I'm taking heat from maybe a couple people, but for the most part people have been pretty thrilled with what we've done.

And, look, you know, Chris, we've got 17 people on the stage. And CNN is working on it as well. You have to figure out a way to give everyone an opportunity, which we did, and still put on a production that people can watch and feel like they're getting the interaction that they need.

So, look, one thing that people don't understand, Chris, is that we're not a staging organization, meaning the Republican National Committee. And so we did a lot of things. Number one, we're not going to have 23 debates. People didn't think we could do that. We're only going to have eight or nine or maybe a few more than that.

We wanted to have some say over who the moderators were. People didn't think we could do that. We did that.

We wanted to make sure that our candidates had a schedule of debates. And obviously we did that, too.

The one piece that we can't do is become a staging organization under the Federal Election Commission. And if people want me to violate FEC laws and start dictating to network what is they can or cannot do with their air time, then I'm just not willing to do that. So it's actually gone very well. People are just thrilled with how it looks in there. It's going to be an exciting night. And CNN's debate is going to be great, too, in a month out at the Reagan Library.

CUOMO: Everybody says the next debate is really the debate to watch, by the way, I'm sure. I know you've been telling everybody that.

(LAUGHTER) CUOMO: Thanks for throwing my name in there as to who should moderate. Appreciate it. You've been very good to ushere.

Now, one thing you do control, Reince, is what your party is going to be about in terms of what it's going to speak with its platform. I want to tell you about these two proposals that were just rejected. One had to do with being taught in classrooms where homosexuality is addressed. Tell me about that one and why you rejected these proposals and what it says about your party.

PRIEBUS: You know what, Chris, we have a gazillion resolutions that get proposed and only a few actually get through our resolutions committee. I wasn't even in the meeting. I'm not on the resolutions committee. So only if you make it out. And I think the two you're talking about weren't ready yet to be introduced to the floor. So to get a resolution through the RNC, imagine there are three people from every state and six territories and you've got to survive multiple layers of scrutiny before something gets through. So it just didn't get through. And I'm not part of that committee and I wasn't at the meeting.

CUOMO: So you're saying it could be as much procedural as it is substantive. So we'll see what else comes out in the platform.

Now, with Donald Trump, the man, I know you've had your dealings with him and trying to figure out what he means for the party and not to friction because you don't want distraction. But what did you get wrong about what people in your party wanted that led to the rise of Donald Trump?

PRIEBUS: Well, I think there's a little mistaken premise there. It kind of connotes negative-ness. And I don't think so. I think that look at tonight. We're probably going to have 12 or 15 million people in this country tune into a Republican only debate in August. And I think in some ways it can be very helpful to our party.

And so I've had great conversations with Donald Trump. We actually talk pretty regularly as I do with almost all the candidates. So he's not -- I just don't see his mind set where people think it is. I think he wants to be the Republican nominee. And he knows if Hillary Clinton is going to get beat or Joe Biden is going to get beat, they're going to get beat by a Republican. And so I think that's where he's at.

CUOMO: Right. Again, I'm not trying to put it on him, although as you know he likes to tell as many members of the field as possible complete losers. But the people who are part of his base of support are saying that's why they like him, because they do think the other people are losers. They do think the party has let them down. They do think the government has let him down and he is the voice of their truth. How do you get those people to support the party and not just supporting the rejection of the party as personified by Donald Trump?

PRIEBUS: Well, I mean, it's up to us to make sure we put our best foot forward. Containment is the key word here, too, Chris. When you have 17 candidates, you want to able to have that balance between allowing some jabs back and forth and some elbows, but not total destruction. So "containment" is the word that's in my head all the time, Reagan's 11th commandment.

[08:10:00] But, you know, look, I think Donald Trump has tapped into something where people are tired of the veneer and the plasticized politics that we get. So people gravitate to that. But obviously if he countries to do well, we'll see where it goes. And otherwise those people tuning in today are going to see Donald Trump and nine other candidates on the stage. And I think it's up to us as a party to always put our best foot forward.

CUOMO: Reince, this kicks it all off tonight. Good luck to you. We hope you have a fruitful discussion that leads us in the right direction. Thanks for coming on NEW DAY. We look forward to having you back.

PRIEBUS: All right, you bet.

CUOMO: All right, so let's inspect what it's going to be like, who is going to pop, who won't pop. We're going to have former Mitt Romney advisor and former New Hampshire governor John Sununu here. He knows what this game is about and the implications. And how about Rudy Giuliani? He knows what it's like to be in the middle of a debate. He knows what works and he knows that doesn't. He's going to tell us.

CAMEROTA: Meanwhile, we do have other news to tell you about because new information has come in about the troubled past of the Tennessee man who went on that rampage inside a Nashville movie theater. CNN's Nick Valencia is tracking the latest developments live for from in Nashville. What have your learned, Nick?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn. This is the second theater shooting in the United States in the last two weeks, a fact not lost on people here in Nashville. What happened here yesterday at this theater behind me completely unsettling and unnerving for this community. The people that we have spoken to are praising the police's quick response for preventing something that could have been much worse.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This shady looking guy stood up with what liked two bags and he walked toward the back of the theater.

VALENCIA: A frantic 911 call released this morning reveals the chilling moments inside the Nashville, Tennessee, theater.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He pulled out like a hatchet and started attacking this family. And then he pulled out a gun and we all ran out of the theater.

VALENCIA: And 29-year-old Vincent David Montano stormed into the 1:00 theater showing of "Mad Max" Wednesday wearing a surgical mask, armed with an air soft gun, a hatchet, and cans of pepper spray.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We heard screams coming from another theater. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We thought it was a scary movie.

VALENCIA: Montano attacking this father, slicing his shoulder with the axe, causing an injury, his wife and child doused with pepper spray.

"STEVEN," VICTIM OF THEATER ATTACK: I'm eternally grateful, excuse me, for the Metro Police Department for their fast response today and the fact that no one else got injured.

VALENCIA: Racing to the scene, two officers working the car crash right in front of the Nashville theater.

DON AARON, NASHVILLE POLICE SPOKESPERSON: The officers stopped what they were doing and immediately ran to the theater. Our response to the theater was probably 60 to 90 second.

VALENCIA: At first Officer Jonathan Firth, a six year veteran, ran inside. Montano raised his gun and Firth fired, backing out of the theater. Minutes later the SWAT team converged into the theater donning gas masks when the suspect tried to escape. A firefight ensued.

AARON: The gunman tried to go out through a rear door. There were other officers waiting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA: Montano was believed to have been homeless. On Monday his mother filed a missing persons report with the Texas Rangers, saying her son was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and, quote, "had a hard time taking care of himself." Police are still working on trying to figure out a motive. Chris?

CUOMO: It's going to lead in the direction of what we've been seeing too often, Nick, as you know well covering these stories. This man had a mental illness. It was not treated properly. The family couldn't do anything to help him, and he wound up where he is now and it's something we have to look at closer. Nick, thank you very much for the reporting.

We are following breaking news out of Louisiana, a manhunt underway for a man who gunned down a Shreveport police officer. The officer was responding to a report of a suspicious person inside a home and that's when he was shot. The unidentified officer was hit several times. Doctors tried to save him at a hospital and could not. We'll keep you posted on the developments.

CAMEROTA: President Obama tried selling the Iran deal to Congress in his most aggressive speech on the issue. He said rejecting the deal is a vote for war. Let's get right to White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski for more. Hi, Michelle.

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Alisyn. Yes, President Obama hit all those same points about the deal that we've heard it seems like a million times from the administration now. But he framed the whole thing this time in a much tougher argument than we've heard before. Republicans most rankled by this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's those hardliners who are most comfortable with the status quo. It's those hardliners chanting "death to America" who have been most opposed to the deal. They're making common cause with the Republican caucus.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:15:00] MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that was

pretty surprising. You heard that from the crowd too.

But, you know, the administration has brought this up before to some extent, because remember, it was Republicans in the Senate who wrote that open letter to Iranian hard liners before this deal was finalized.

But, we have to say, you know, some Democrats out there didn't love the fact that he said that, feeling like they too were lumped in there just because they're undecided and they're looking for more answers to questions. Also that the president once again framed this in terms of it being a decision between diplomacy and war, that there's no intermediate ground. And he also said, you know, if you're making an argument that this could have been a better deal, then you're essentially either ignorant and lying. And that seemed to hit people in both parties as well, Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Aggressive language. But, Michelle, you know, this issue doesn't fall neatly along party lines. So, how do the votes look right now in Congress?

KOSINSKI: That's a question that's been out there, but nobody seems quite ready to answer that yet. You kind of have to read the tea leaves. Every day, there's a few more on the yes side, and a few more on the no side. And the White House has to speculate.

What we do know is that it would be very tough for Congress to override a presidential veto because there have to be so many Democrat votes on that side as well. But that's still an open question at this point and there's still some time and Congress takes it up starting the debate on this in the Senate on September 8, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK. Michelle Kosinski, thanks so much for all the information.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Here's one to watch: Pope Francis making a move. He is now calling for more compassion for divorced Catholics who remarry. As you may know or may not, there's going to speculate now -- there's going to be speculation that he may be easing the ban on communion for couples who marry without an annulment. That's how it works in the Catholic Church. When you get divorced, the church doesn't believe in divorce, so you can't receive communion, which is the center of the practice of the faith.

Now, the timing is also relevant. Cardinals from around the world are preparing to gather at the Vatican for an assembly on family this October. And, of course, he's coming to the United States. We're going to cover it extensively. We're doing a documentary about who this man is, Francis, because it will inform you about everything he's been doing. It's all consistent.

CAMEROTA: I mean, you know we've been studying this, and he does seem consistent, certainly on his message of compassion.

CUOMO: Absolutely. Look, can he change the rules? Yes. Will he? Probably not. Why? A million reasons.

But what he can do is almost effectively shame those practitioners of the faith into doing it the right way. So it won't be the what. It will be the how. And that could make as much of a difference in many ways.

CAMEROTA: Fascinating to watch.

All right. Meanwhile, these ten men are prepping tonight like prize fighters. They are figuring out their tone, their tempo, their zingers. We have people who've prepared for their own debates on what these guys need to be doing. Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:21:14] CAMEROTA: In case you haven't heard, the Republican candidates are facing off in the first debate of the season tonight, 459 days before the presidential election. I've been keeping tabs.

So, who has the most to lose and who has the most to gain tonight?

Joining us is the newest member of our CNN family, CNN political commentator Jeffrey Lord. You used to be known as a former aid to President Ronald Reagan.

JEFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: That's right.

CAMEROTA: Now, you're a CNN political commentator.

LORD: Somewhere he's amused.

(LAUGHTER)

CAMEROTA: That's hilarious.

Welcome to the family.

And one of our other favorite members, Ana Navarro, CNN political commentator and Jeb Bush supporter.

Great to have both of you. Jeffrey, let me starts with you.

All eyes on Donald Trump to see how he's going to perform. Are you in touch with the Trump people?

LORD: I have been on occasion. Not in the last day or so. But, yes.

CAMEROTA: How do you think -- he, what's he doing today?

LORD: I think he's being himself. This is somebody that's not going to be moved from being who he is. And I'm sure there are lots of people saying, Donald you should do this and Donald you should do that. Donald is going to be Donald. And I think he'll be polite and he'll be respectful, but he'll pointed and fight back if the occasion rises.

CUOMO: And isn't true that unlike, let's say, arguably everyone else in the debate tonight, this man knows his own mind better than most people who arrive at the position he's at. They're usually craving outside insight into what they should do, right?

LORD: Right.

CUOMO: For nothing else, to have someone to blame. That's not how he is.

LORD: He doesn't run his life that way. He doesn't run his business that way. I mean, the name of that building is his. He's very conscious of that.

He doesn't do polling, to the best of my knowledge. He goes with his gut. He's a pretty smart guy. I mean, I constantly hear this thing with people I think are underestimating him and saying, oh, well, you know, he's bizarre or he's a clown and all this kind of stuff. I mean, that is so far off the mark, you know, it's stunning to me.

CAMEROTA: Ana, one of the people that, a lot of our pundits have said that they're going to be keeping a very close eye on Jeb Bush. We know you spent some time with him yesterday. What he's doing to prepare?

ANA NAVARRO, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, I think right now what he's doing is clearing his head. It's a little late to be preparing ten hours out. He has been doing a lot of preparation. I think most of the candidates have been doing a lot of preparation, which for most people means beefing up on policy, it means learning the debate rules, knowing how to answer in concise, tight answers, because there is a strict time constraint, knowing how to make a rebuttal in 30 seconds is harder than it may seem, having some quick witty lines that you may be able to pull out at some point.

Right now, I think Jeb is in a good place. He's clear headed. He is relaxed. I know he's going to be going to mass today. I know he's going to be working out. And I know he's going to be spending time with his wife and just putting his head in the right place -- CUOMO: What's he playing on his iPod, do you think? What do you

think? Do you think he's got "Eye of the Tiger" on or he's got Barry Manilow? What kind of guy --

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

NAVARRO: I don't know, Chris. You know, I -- you know, I think he's much more of a reader than he is an iPod listener.

CUOMO: Let me ask one other thing, though, Ana, while we have you here, his preparation for tonight -- is there a chance that we will not hear him say the name Donald Trump tonight because of what that triggers on the clock for rebuttal?

NAVARRO: Well, you know, I don't know if he's going to say it or not. It's hard to predict. Every candidate has got a limited amount of time. We've got ten guys up on that stage. And if he starts talking about Trump, they give Trump 30 seconds rebuttal time, you know, that comes of the clock.

So, I think what I hope Jeb does -- what I hope every candidate on that stage, including Donald Trump does, is focused on themselves and what they have to offer, their policy statements, their policy positions.

[08:25:11] What I expect is for Jeb to come out and talk about his record as governor. It's what he has to offer, that he has done things when he was governor of Florida and people should know what those things are.

CAMEROTA: Jeff, Ana brings up what some people think will be the Achilles heel of Donald Trump, and that is keeping it to tight answers and timing, that buzzer may be going off on him because he's not used to having to speak in 30-second snippets.

LORD: He'll find a way, I think, to turn that to his advantage. He's not going to approach this, I'm sure, in a traditional fashion. In a traditional debate fashion, he'll -- remember too he's a television performer, you know?

CAMEROTA: Good point.

LORD: So, I would not underestimate him on that. He was on that television show for a long time. He has very good television skills.

CAMEROTA: Right. So, he is used to the red light.

LORD: Yes, sure.

CAMEROTA: You're right. He'd be very cognizant of time.

CUOMO: He's not used to people going after him.

NAVARRO: I think something that's very interesting is that this time you're turning the tables around. He's used to being the one that's giving the instructions and asking the questions at "The Apprentice", whatever it is, 10, 12 whatever people it is in front of him, having to perform, according to his instructions.

This time, he's on the other side of the table. There's debate moderators who are going to be asking him questions and asking him to perform and putting him to task. So, I think it's going to be interesting to see how he does.

CUOMO: You learn more about who they are than what they're about in these things, how they reveal. I mean, I keep going back to Benson and Quayle. Quayle not looking at Benson, which is damning as what came out about, you're no Jack Kennedy out of Benson's mouth.

LORD: Right.

CUOMO: To that point, tonight, you're going to learn who wants it. Do you think Trump want this is more than he wants to control his own reputation? Because that's the risk for him tonight in going forward.

LORD: I think he want this is. He would not have done this.

CUOMO: It's been easy for him in a lot of ways so far. He hasn't bled yet.

LORD: Right, right. I mean, I think they've tried to make him bleed.

CUOMO: But at some point, you're going to bleed. You know you don't get there.

LORD: Right, right. I'm sure he is aware of this and ready to rumble. I really do. I mean, when you read his books, not to mention when you talk to him, he believes in fighting back. So, if he thinks somebody is taking him on, he will not hesitate to do it. I'm sure he'll try to be as respectful as possible, but he'll come back at them. I mean, he's already shown that willingness and he's not going to hesitate.

CAMEROTA: Ana, beyond Donald Trump and Jeb Bush, who should we be keeping an eye on tonight? Who might be able to move the needle for themselves?

NAVARRO: I think we should keep an eye on that first debate. There's a lot of very good people, some very entertaining people with a lot of experience like Rick Perry, like Senator Lindsey Graham who are participating in that first debate. And I think people should watch, should follow that on Twitter, because we might see some very good moments that we're not expecting come out of that first debate where there isn't the Trump factor.

I think, you know, on the stage today you should keep an eye on Chris Christie, I think on all of them and see how it develops. I think there's a lot of excitement here. For those of us who are political junkies, this is like a class reunion that happens every four years where you get to see your friends, you get to see some of your enemies, you get to see the candidates. You know, you run into them at restaurants.

It's -- you know, the games are here. Get your motor started because we're about to begin this race.

CUOMO: Same question to you that I asked of Jeffrey. Do you believe that Jeb really wants it right now? How is he weathering, you know, getting the hits, being called a gaffer? Being said that he can't deal with his family? He's been getting hit with the same blows for a while. What is it doing to his resolve? Because you know there's speculation about it.

NAVARRO: You know, I think he is absolutely resolute on doing this. He wouldn't have taken the moves that he's made. Remember, he has cut off all his business ties. He is into this 24/7.

I see him becoming a better candidate. He's made mistakes. He will continue to make mistakes. But I think he's learning lessons from that.

And, you know, he kept saying before running that he wanted to do this joyfully. I kept thinking that sounded rather corny and didn't understand what it meant.

But I will tell you that when I see him and I was with him yesterday, the guy is joyful. He's joyful and he's skinny. He's lost 40 pounds. I'm going to call it the Republican candidate diet book in nothing else, beginning to irritate me. I told him, if you lose one more ounce --

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: Not a healthy way to lose weight, Ana.

CAMEROTA: It's joy. He's losing through Joy.

Ana does not tolerate corniness. We know that.

Ana Navarro, Jeffrey Lord, Great to have you. Thank you so much. We'll be watching your takes tonight. Thanks so much.

CUOMO: And, look, because it is such a big deal and this really is the jump off of the campaign, even though NEW DAY is the longest show on CNN, it ain't enough time. So, we're going to have extended coverage tomorrow morning of what happens at the debates tonight.