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Claire McCaskill's Memoir; Trump Dominates Media Spotlight. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired August 12, 2015 - 08:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:32:15] MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, here we go with the five things to know for your NEW DAY. At number one, Hillary Clinton informing the Justice Department that she will turn over her private e-mail server that she used as secretary of state.

Donald Trump says his campaign will be releasing specific details on policy in the coming weeks. The lack of specifics isn't slowing him down. New polling shows him leading the Republican field in Iowa and New Hampshire.

A Mississippi couple charged with allegedly plotting to join ISIS. Their alleged plan unraveled after they spoke online about linking up with the terrorists in Syria to undercover FBI agents.

Police in Missouri releasing surveillance video they say shows 18- year-old Tyrone Harris pulling a gun from his waistband before officers shot him. Police say he shot at them. The incident happening near protests marking the anniversary of Michael Brown's death.

Abuse allegations surfacing at the upstate New York prison where two murders escaped. More than 60 complaints emerging. Inmates claiming severe physical abuse at the hands of guards after the killers broke free.

And for more on the five things, be sure to visit newdaycnn.com for the latest.

Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump, Mic, says that he would be the best candidate for women. Would he be able to sway women in a race with, say, Hillary Clinton, if they both become their parties picks? We have powerful, powerful perspective coming from you in the form of this senator. Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill is here. She's going to take on the issues of the day and she has a heck of a book to tell you about. Stay with us.

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[08:37:38] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've always been good to women and there will nobody be better to women as a president, because I'll take care - when I talk about health issues, I will take care of women like nobody else can. I will be so good to women. I cherish women. I will be so good to women. I will work hard to protect women.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: Are you a woman or do you know someone who knows one? Well, if so, you just heard why front runner of the GOP Donald Trump says he is for you. Women's issues will likely be at the forefront of the 2016 election, especially if the Democratic nominee is Hillary Clinton. Is that true? Is that fair? Let's discuss. Democratic senator from Missouri, Claire McCaskill, she has a new memoir out called "Plenty Ladylike." I happen to have it here in my hand, well marked, going through, trying to get gotcha questions against the senator. Not as easy as I thought.

SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL (D), MISSOURI: Although there's probably some in there.

CUOMO: Oh, yes. Oh, I'm bringing the heat. Don't kid yourself, senator.

MCCASKILL: It's not - it's not a book of somebody who's running for president. I tell way too much.

CUOMO: My first question is this, too soon, too soon. You're still - you're in your second term as senator. You're still living life at the fullest. This is for like at the end days. Why now?

MCCASKILL: You know, I think the reason I did it now was because the 2012 election, I was the one running against the guy who said legitimate rape, you know, pregnancy couldn't happen, we had a magic uterus that shut down pregnancy if you raped. And I had - before he said that, I had helped nominate him in the Republican primary. And -

CUOMO: A very interesting tell on that in the book about how you have tried to engineer an opponent -

MCCASKILL: Right.

CUOMO: That would be better for you to run against.

MCCASKILL: Right. So I - I wanted to tell the story of that election. And the people who bought the book said, Simon & Schuster, said, no, I think you ought to tell book end of 30 years of what you've kind of maneuvered around in an effort to make women feel comfortable with their ambition and strategy.

CUOMO: Ambition and strategy, because you need to be strategic. One of the - what would we call it, one of the biases against women would be that they don't think strategically enough. Not true, but it is one of those stigmas you have to deal with, yes?

MCCASKILL: Well, and I think strategy also involves high risk. And so what I'm trying to do is give young women - when I was young, I was told I wasn't ladylike because I talked too much. Todd Akin said I wasn't ladylike - CUOMO: What did they call you motor mouth or something like that in school?

MCCASKILL: Motor mouth McCaskill. And a teacher told me boys weren't going to like me because I talked too much and -

CUOMO: And what did they say when you knocked on doors early on when you wanted to run for office?

MCCASKILL: Go get a husband. Slammed the door in my face. Said, you're too young, they're going to eat you alive in politics, go find a husband and he slammed the door.

[08:40:03] So I'm really trying to - you know, and Todd Akin said I wasn't ladylike in my debate. I want women to realize that being hyper strategic and ambitious is incredibly ladylike and that's why it's called "Plenty Ladylike" and hopefully it - by being very candid about my personal life and the problems that I've encountered on a personal basis, that maybe it will inspire a few women. I hope.

CUOMO: Well, good. It's a good read. We - we - we're happy to have it on the show.

Now let me hold you to account for what's going on.

MCCASKILL: Sure.

CUOMO: Your party, Hillary Clinton could make history if she's the nominee. She'd be the first woman if she were to become president. True. True. This e-mail thing, turning over the server, people in your party say, well, this will end it. People - some people in your party, and a lot of people in the other party say, no, it's just the beginning. How big a problem?

MCCASKILL: I - I don't - I mean everybody's going to attack Hillary Clinton. She is, I think, showing enormous strength in the face of incoming from everyone. She is the target of a whole lot of powerful billionaires in this country right now and I think that she is weathering it well. I think the fact that she's turning all this over is a good thing. And I do think that there is a lot of smoke being done this way by the Republicans, but there's no fire.

CUOMO: They found top secret e-mails on there. They want the server.

MCCASKILL: I don't know about top secret. I think that there are some that they are now saying are classified at the time she in fact looked at those e-mails, that information was not classified. So I think a lot of it is in the deals of legality that I think have gotten glossed over in the effort to try to make her look bad.

CUOMO: The inspector general's using the words "top secret," though. That's why people were asking for it sooner.

MCCASKILL: That's a technical classification. But I - I think once everyone sees what is there and what isn't there, it will reassure them that she was not only a good secretary of state, that she handled herself appropriately.

CUOMO: Is it true that you find yourself oddly drawn to the appeal of Donald Trump as a candidate because he keeps on talking about all women as a group? That he - there you like being grouped into all women as a - you all want the exact same thing and you're becoming a little bit of a Trump (INAUDIBLE)? True or true?

MCCASKILL: The only part - the only part of your question that I agree with is that he's odd. I agree with that. This is a very odd guy. I have never -

CUOMO: Top of the polls.

MCCASKILL: Yes, but he is -

CUOMO: Resonating with people.

MCCASKILL: He has not yet said anything of substance. I'm going to take -

CUOMO: Doesn't make him unusual as a politician.

MCCASKILL: Oh, I don't know about that. I'm going to take care of the women, that's it? Well, great.

CUOMO: He cherishes them.

MCCASKILL: Yes, but -

CUOMO: He says he pays women in his company as much or more than men at the top in similar positions and he says he can prove it.

MCCASKILL: Well, they - time - time will tell.

CUOMO: What if he does, though? What if he puts out proof?

MCCASKILL: So far he has not shown anything other than bluff or bluster.

CUOMO: Then why's he so high?

MCCASKILL: Because people are really aggravated at the government right now I think on both sides. There is a lot of people that are just going, really? You guys can't get anything done. You - all you do is fight. There's all this money washing around. This is a billionaire that doesn't need the money. Or Bernie, who is railing against the money every day. I think there is a huge amount of cynicism and frustration with the government writ large. And I get that.

CUOMO: Are you feeling the Bern at all or no?

MCCASKILL: Oh, listen, I love Bernie. I love Bernie.

CUOMO: How can you not?

MCCASKILL: You can't - CUOMO: I mean just unlike, you know, in a vocular (ph) level.

MCCASKILL: Well, sure, you know, he's -

CUOMO: But his policies, they're very polarizing, certainly within your party. A big test is how far will Hillary Clinton have to move to the left to match the momentum? This is not Donald Trump crowds. These are tens of thousands of people coming out to see Bernie. Got to mean something.

MCCASKILL: It's terrific that so many people are feeling the need to speak out and get engaged and I think it's a good thing. And many of the things Bernie is talking about we agree on. Hillary Clinton agrees with him. I agree with him. But Bernie takes it to a different level in terms of his vision for this country. And I think at the end of the day we want an America where you don't get paid the same as everyone else, where there is a chance to get ahead. I think capitalism is an important part of our national ethos. And I think we can level the playing field, but without maybe going as far as Bernie might want to.

CUOMO: Is Carly Fiorina as attractive a candidate as Hillary Clinton, or is that just making it about both of them sharing the same gender?

MCCASKILL: They don't agree on anything. She's strong and smart. I admire her for putting herself out there. I think she accomplished things in the private sector and she certainly is a woman that I think can be admired for her strength. But I don't agree with her on anything and I don't think Hillary Clinton agrees with her on almost anything, other than the fact that it's important to hear women's voices.

CUOMO: Will we learn things about you that we never knew before?

MCCASKILL: Oh, yes.

CUOMO: Should people read this if they want to get better, whether they're a man or a woman?

MCCASKILL: I think so. I think fathers - I appreciate the fact that my father told me it was OK if boys didn't like me in high school and college, that eventually the smart ones would figure it out. He was right. And I think the more young women that hear that, the better we're going to be off in this society because more women are going to strive for higher things. So I hope fathers fight for their daughters.

CUOMO: The more strong women we have, the better off we are.

MCCASKILL: I think so.

CUOMO: Senator, thank you very much.

MCCASKILL: Thank you so much.

CUOMO: Appreciate you being on NEW DAY.

MCCASKILL: You bet. Thank you for having me. CUOMO: Good luck with the book.

Ana.

ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Chris, thank you so much.

[08:44:57] The Donald Trump presidential campaign has been untraditional to say the least. It's been a unique mix of politics, entertainment and, of course, controversy. Media circus unlike anything you've seen before. What's the appeal? We'll get some perspective from a couple of media giants, next.

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HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know it makes great TV. I think the guy went way overboard, offensive, outrageous, pick your adjective.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: That's Hillary Clinton on Donald Trump's now infamous remarks about Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly. Trump's lead in the polls, however, has continued and he's still a target of all the other candidates on the subject of intense media coverage. His campaign has been anything but traditional.

Let's talk it over with a couple of guys who offer unique perspective in this conversation because they know Trump pretty well from his entertainment past.

Joining us, CNN contributor Bill Carter. He was a long-time TV critic for "The New York Times" and the author of several books on the television industry. Also with us, Larry Hackett, the former managing editor of "People" magazine. Thanks to both of you for joining us and being part of this conversation. Curious to hear your thoughts.

Let's start by showing some of the numbers. Let's take a look at this new poll out of Iowa where Trump is now leading for the first time. And this is after his controversial remarks in the debate about Megyn Kelly, the ongoing battle that we've heard and all these other people criticizing him. And yet, Larry, he's still drawing all the attention and it seems to be positive attention. Is he, in some ways, sucking all the oxygen out from the other candidates? Or is he breathing life into the debate and the political conversation?

LARRY HACKETT, FORMER MANAGING EDITOR, PEOPLE MAGAZINE: I think he might be doing both. Look, Donald Trump is a very interesting character. There is no reporter out there who has ever called Donald Trump and not gotten a call back.

[08:50:01] He provides all the television networks with what they need. He gives them information. At the same time, I'm not entirely sure the media is taking him seriously enough. If the coverage of him - if it's about what he says and Megyn Kelly and things like that, which it should be -- but I think there needs to be more detail about this guy, whether it's his businesses or his past. Treat him like a real candidate and not just like a circus act.

There was this kind of push-pull where you'll have him all over the television on Sunday morning but then you don't really want to take him seriously and you think he's going to fade away. I don't think the media can do that.

CABRERA: Bill, to that point, you've, you know, written a lot about "The Apprentice" and his longevity that he's had, being able to keep that show going for over a decade. You know, a lot of candidates in this race have said Trump is just entertainment, this is a passing fad that's going to come and go. What do you think?

BILL CARTER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Look, he's proved that that sort of expectation is wrong. He's sustaining this for much longer than most people thought. I think most of the predictions about him have been way off base because they're not getting at what the appeal is.

What they need to examine is who are the people he's speaking to. They're clearly reacting to him. They don't mind that he's on the attack all the time. They don't mind that he went back after Megyn Kelly. In fact, they seem to be celebrating that. There is some anger in the Republican base and he's tapping into it. And I think the media has to really look at that, who is that group and why they're responding that way.

HACKETT: I think Bill is absolutely right. There needs to be just real, on the ground, you know, reporting about this like there is on all the other candidates. Who are the people at his rallies? Why do they - What is he appealing to? And I think that's absolutely just kind of shoe leather reporting that needs to be done here, instead of people sort of pontificating about how it's all unpleasant and isn't he a clown. There are people out there who are taking him seriously now. It's August. I think things will change. But what I think is not important. Reporters need to go out there and do their jobs and figure out what it is he's tapping into.

CABRERA: Well, I think that's what we've been doing. I think that's why he's taking a lot of the conversation - and, you know, journalists, we've been trying to get to the bottom of who is Trump, what are the policies. That's why - And he's had so many conversations with our crew here.

HACKETT: I disagree a little bit. I think the coverage ends up being about whether or not the comment about blood was really about menstrual cycles. And that ends up eating up more of the time than about what is he really like as a businessman. Is he really as successful as he claims he is? The people who go to these rallies, what are they going for? What is he tapping into? Is it just amusement?

Look, when he shows up and rallies in Michigan, there is probably a lot of people who go there because Donald Trump is in town and it's amusing. But is it deeper than that? And if it's deeper, how long will it last? I think that's what political reporting on the ground needs to - I think both things need to happen. When he calls up here, you're going to put him on, understandably, and you should. At the same time, I think there's always been reporting politically independent of what a candidate says as to what his or her appeal is.

CABRERA: Well, Bill, I see you shaking your head and I want to get your thoughts, but first, you know, you talk about his treatment by the media and maybe some have argued that he gets special coverage in some way because of his relationships with TV network execs. For example, he's always calling in as opposed to showing up and being on camera. And I want to play a soundbite on that for you first.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SETH MEYERS, LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW HOST: Is there anyone who calls into more shows than Donald Trump?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joining me on the phone is the man at the center of it all, the Republican frontrunner, Donald Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm joined now on the phone from New York by Donald Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On the phone, Donald Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump on the phone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump joins us by phone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Donald Trump joins us on the phone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump joins us on the phone.

JOE SCARBOROUGH, MSNBC CO-HOST, "MORNING JOE": We have a phone call from somebody. Let me see who it is on the phone.

MIKA BRZEZINSKI, MSNBC CO-HOST, "MORNING JOE": I'm concerned.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Good morning, darlings.

(AUDIENCE LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Of course, that was Seth Meyers poking a little fun at the media. But the truth of the matter is he is on the phone a lot of times. Do you think he's treated differently than other candidates?

CARTER: Well, what he's doing is using his celebrity effectively. People want to hear what he has to say in the media because he's driving ratings and if he gets on the phone, it is like access to him. He can't be on TV across the board, but he can be on the phone across the board. It's pretty effective. Right now the media wants to hear what he has so say because they think there's great interest in it. I think it's an effective thing for him to do and it's always superficial. You don't really get much by a quick phone conversation. He's really in - pretty much in control of the narrative when he does that and that's what he wants to do.

CABRERA: He avoids the face-to-face interaction, I suppose, especially on some of the heated topics.

CARTER: Of course. Exactly. And that's important to him. But I think you also have to remember, he's on the attack most of the time. And right now people who are going after him are getting such blowback that it's going to -- I believe that there's going to be less attack on him now because of what happened with Megyn Kelly. She went after him, she got tons of praise for it and then she got this huge blowback and I think - Look at Fox News. They sort of had a - let's back off because we need him on the air. They want his presence on the air.

CABRERA: We'll have to leave it there. Bill Carter, Larry Hackett, thanks to both of you for your time. We appreciate it. Good to see you.

[08:54:59] "The Good Stuff," next.

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CUOMO: This is going to be Mickey-lala-weep (ph) alert. You ready? An entire town gets together to make sure a lost veteran finds his way home. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OSCAR EHRHART, WWII VETERAN: I got so much further away from home than what I wanted to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: He's 92 years old. He's a World War II vet. His name is Oscar Erharrt. There he is when he was back in - in the service, in the Navy. He made a wrong turn leaving his house in Pennsylvania. He ended up 200 miles away in New Jersey. It got so late and so dark, he pulls into this stranger's driveway and he says, hey, can I sleep in my car here overnight? They weren't having it. They say you got to have our guest room. He declines. He didn't want to impose. They couldn't convince him. So they call the cops. They didn't arrest him. They booked him in the last room in the Hampton Inn.

So get this. The officers say we'll pay for it. The hotel says no way. We're paying for it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EHRHART: I'll never forget them. I was very appreciative of what they done for me. They know, too, as well as I do. There are not many of us World War II veterans left anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: And that's why we are so appreciative of you, sir. Thank you for your service to the country and thanks to all the people who came together to do the right thing. He does say, Mr. Ehrhart, he's going to avoid the interstate from now on.