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2016 Candidates Hit Soapbox at Iowa State Fair; Will Vice President Biden Enter 2016 Race?; Jesse Ventura Weighs in on Trump's White House Run; FAA: Pilot Drone Sightings on the Rise; Chemical Specialists on Scene of China Explosions; U.S. Embassy to Reopen Today in Cuba. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired August 14, 2015 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:03] SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Last night, Bush shrugged off the similarities.

BUSH: There's nothing subliminal about a psychological -- the surge worked.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MURRAY: Now the big buzz here is actually all about Saturday. That's when both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will be making their appearances at the Iowa State Fair.

And I don't want to get you guys too excited, but we can now tell you that a number of Republican sources here in Iowa confirm that Donald Trump will be arriving on his helicopter. And he's going to be giving those free rides, after all.

Back to you, Michaela.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Free rides and a butter cow? This is too much to take. Too much excitement. All right, Sara. Thank you so much.

We know one person who will not be in Iowa, though, Vice President Joe Biden. He is still weighing whether or not to enter the race. Some new reports suggest that he's playing the field with a possible eye on a promotion. White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski live at Martha's Vineyard where the president is vacationing. Break it all down for us. Hi, Michelle.

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Michaela.

Right, so Biden has been making some calls, but there's a sense that this is not just him reaching out to a few friends and chatting about this. But this is a real initial look at what the possibilities would be, the potential structure and operation if he did make that decision.

And now, everybody's weighing in. Hillary Clinton said she would respect whatever decision Biden made. Although some of her supporters have very publicly wondered whether it's not a little too late or whether this would be the best decision for him. Donald Trump wasted no time in treating Biden like an opponent by

slamming him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think I'd match up great. I'm a job producer. I've had a great record. I haven't been involved in plagiarism. I think I would match up very well against Biden.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSINSKI: So he's referring back to issues Biden had back in law school, as well as during his 1988 campaign, when he was accused of using somebody else's line during his speech.

But when you look at the latest numbers from soon-to-be Iowa caucus goers, they put Biden at third with 12 percent -- Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thank you very much, Michelle. Always like that breakdown. Enjoy yourself up there. Tough duty you drew this week.

All right. So Donald Trump, not even the nominee yet, but he's already got a running mate, sort of, an offer that is, from former Minnesota Governor and WWE legend Jesse "The Body" Ventura. He joins us now in a NEW DAY exclusive.

As I always start interviews with you, Gov, I want to thank you for many years of enjoyment early on in my life. And I'm going to treat you with respect, despite the Harvard shirt that you are wearing in my face right now.

So why do you feel so strongly, Governor, that you would want to run with Donald Trump?

FMR. GOV. JESSE VENTURA (I), MINNESOTA: I didn't -- I didn't necessarily say I want to run with him. We have differences of opinions on many issues. But I think Donald Trump is wonderful that he's shaking the system to its core.

We have a government in Washington that's broken, clearly, and it needs to be shaken up. And Trump is doing that, and so is Bernie Sanders. I look at both their campaigns, and I see great parallels to my campaign in Minnesota, where the media attacks you at every direction, but yet the people stand and support you. And look who ultimately won in Minnesota? Jesse Ventura did. Beat the Democrats and Republicans.

And so that's why I think it's wonderful what Donald Trump is doing, because he's shaking up the system. A system that badly needs it.

Let me state this, Chris. First of all, we need to pass a law that doesn't allow campaigning for an office until the year of the election. This is ridiculous. We're starting -- When will the next one start, 2017? They'll start running for 2022. It's absurd. It's a waste of money, and it shouldn't happen until the year of the election.

CUOMO: So if Bernie Sanders were to ask you to run with him, would you consider that, as well?

VENTURA: Absolutely. Either one of them. If either one of them truly wanted to grab the independent, and believe me, I am the voice of the independent voter in this United States of America. And look at the last election. The last nationwide election, 64 percent of the people chose not to vote. That is a majority, Chris. A major majority. All you've got to do is tap into that, and you'll win, like I did in Minnesota.

CUOMO: All right. So let's take you on as a potential candidate. You come with a little bit of baggage. Not only your own record in Minnesota, but what happened with your current lawsuit? You did something that was very controversial. You took on someone who was being billed as an American hero, Chris Kyle of "American Sniper" fame. You say that he defamed you; it went to trial. It came out in your favor. Tell us about it.

VENTURA: Well, I didn't say he defamed me. He did defame me. He lied about me. He wrote a whole chapter that was a complete fabricated lie. The only way I could prove it, I was backed into a corner. I did it the way you should, in a court of law, where people have to get up, raise their hand, take an oath, and tell the truth. And it was an overwhelming victory.

[07:05:08] Imagine: I took on this alleged, dead war hero and his grieving widow. How much evidence must there have been for the jury to have overwhelmingly sided with me as well as the federal judge?

But it doesn't end there now. Now, 32 or 33 major media conglomerates have entered this at the court of appeals, wanting my verdict overturned. They want the ability to defame people and make money at it and not be held responsible. They want to be able to profit from wrongdoing. And they should not be allowed to profit from wrongdoing.

CUOMO: People may attach some significance to what you're saying about the potential corporate intentions in situations like this. But there was a sensitivity issue. Do you feel that it was worth it to, you know, for lack of a better phrase, go after the estate?

VENTURA: I had to.

CUOMO: Why?

VENTURA: I didn't go -- I didn't go after the estate. Kyle tragically died. And anyone that knows anything about law then knows that the suit shifts to the estate.

CUOMO: Right.

VENTURA: That's the natural progress of what happens. That's all I did.

I had to clear my name. If I wouldn't have gone into federal court, they would have had that lie in the movie, wouldn't they? They would have put -- because I boosted the whole thing.

This book had a $4,000 presale. When he went on with O'Reilly and all that stuff on television, it jumped $100,000 in one day. So don't tell me I wasn't the catalyst that propelled that book to the stardom it got.

And people need to look at the facts of this case. The guy -- he may be -- have been a great sniper. He maybe killed a lot of people in Iraq, but he also was a liar.

CUOMO: All right. Jesse Ventura, appreciate your thoughts on the lawsuit and why it mattered to you, and also on the election that's coming up.

So just to be clear, is there anybody who you would not accept as a running mate in the upcoming election?

VENTURA: Well, who I -- I don't necessarily want to run. Let's make that straight. All I did, I was talking to Roger Stone on my Ora.TV show, "Off the Grid." And I just threw it out for fun, saying, "Gee, do you think Donald would ever pick me as a running mate? Can you imagine the turmoil that would send through Washington?" And it kind of went ballistic, and here we are today. And I'm talking to you, Chris. You know, there's no indication that I'm...

CUOMO: Well, I'm going to push back.

VENTURA: ... really, truly going to get back into politics.

CUOMO: I'm going to push back on you, mainly because we're not -- I'm going to push back on you, though, mainly because we're not in person, so I'm not afraid of you picking me up and slamming me on the ground. You know, you said that you would consider doing it.

VENTURA: I don't behave that way.

CUOMO: But I do. So you never know what's going to happen. Especially with a guy in a Harvard T-shirt.

VENTURA: All right.

CUOMO: You said you would consider it. Why do you think the American people should really consider Donald Trump? You didn't run a campaign the way he is right now. You ran this staunchly independent, we need to do better than the system, but you didn't go around beating everybody else up and taking everybody else on personally. Do you support those kinds of tactics by Donald Trump?

VENTURA: Well, Donald is going to run his own campaign and do what he decides to do. I can't sit here and tell you what's the pattern of right and wrong. He'll do what he wants to do. He's a very independent man and always has been. I consider him a friend. We've known each other now for going on about 25 years.

And I just threw it out there, just having fun, because could you imagine the Republican Party with a candidacy of Trump and Ventura, the ultimate independent, joining forces? I mean, that would be very, very interesting. And that's all I threw it out there for, was food for thought.

Do I really want to be the V.P.? Ask me next year when the election really should take place, instead of this year.

CUOMO: Governor, some say that ticket...

VENTURA: You know, this is all being done -- wait, this is all being done for you people so that you get ratings. You promote this ahead of time so that you can all make money. Let's be honest about it.

CUOMO: Well, I think the honest truth is you're trying to make the race as attractive to the voters as you can. And you brought this up, not me. That's why we're here today.

But I'm also encouraged to talk to you about the lawsuit. And I know that's important to you, and clearing your name was, as well. So Governor, thank you for being on with us.

VENTURA: Sure.

CUOMO: Good luck going forward.

VENTURA: Thank you, Chris. Always a pleasure. Oh, by the way, and tell Anderson Cooper he still owes me an apology.

CUOMO: OK. I'll tell him. I think he probably just heard you -- Mick.

PEREIRA: All right. Some more news for you here this morning. The FAA is sounding a warning about the growing number of dangerous drone encounters being reported by pilots. Hundreds of sightings recorded already this year, some of them at altitudes approaching 10,000 feet. Fears are mounting that a deadly collision could be imminent.

Let's bring in CNN aviation correspondent Rene Marsh. There's been such an uptick in these.

RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Michaela, the number of close calls reported have more than doubled. And now both the FAA and pilots are expressing concern.

So far this year, the FAA has received more than 650 drone sighting reports from pilots. Compare that to 238 in 2014.

Now, despite FAA rules that forbid flying above 400 feet, near commercial planes or near an airport, hundreds and hundreds of drone operators have essentially gone rogue.

Now part of the problem is anyone can buy one of these drones online or at the mall for a couple hundred dollars. They don't need any training or aviation experience. Drone lobbyists, they're blaming the FAA, saying the agency needs to get more aggressive going after these rogue operators. We do want to point out, the -- although the FAA says it could be

catastrophic if a passenger plane crashed into a drone, they have not done any testing to see exactly how much damage could be done.

Back to you, Chris.

CUOMO: All right. Thank you very much for the reporting this morning.

Moving on, ISIS may be using chemical weapons. How do we know? Well, officials at the Pentagon are investigating credible reports that terrorists used mustard gas or some other blistering agent against Kurdish fighters in Iraq. This is the first indication ISIS possesses or maybe even is manufacturing banned chemical weapons.

PEREIRA: The death toll in the massive explosion -- explosions in Northern China is rising: 56 people killed, 21 of them firefighters. Hundreds of chemical specialists are now in the port city of Tianjin as China launches a nationwide inspection of those toxic chemicals that were in the facility.

Will Ripley has been on the ground since this story broke, and he joins us now with the latest -- Will.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Michaela, there are thousands of people right now who are homeless as a result of this tremendous explosion. You can see the line of volunteers here in Tianjin, who are trying to help these folks. It has become -- this area really has become the center of activity on the humanitarian side.

But of course, on the investigative side, there are hundreds of biological and chemical experts here right now, trying to figure out exactly what caused this dangerous mix of chemicals to ignite and create an explosion so powerful it was heard for miles and created severe damage, displacing thousands of people in a radius of more than a mile from around the crash [SIC] site, making entire apartment complexes are unlivable.

The situation with the ground water, unknown whether that's safe. There's concern that, if it rains here, that that could further contaminate the atmosphere. So we have a thousand firefighters who are on the ground, and they're -- what they're doing is they're dumping sand onto these hot spots to try to get this situation contained. But the long-term environmental impact still unknown.

And when you look at the numbers, the death toll as you mentioned, going up: 56 people dead; 721 people in the hospital right now, 25 in critical condition, 33 severely critical; and dozens of people still missing, including many firefighters.

Chris, there is one piece of good news to report. A 19-year-old firefighter was found alive this morning, rescued from the blast zone. We don't know much about him, but we know that he is a true hero for heading towards such a clear danger to try to -- to try to save the thousands of people who ended up being in the path of that series of explosions. CUOMO: Well, you take good news where you can find it in a situation

like that. But obviously, the urgency and the emphasis is on answers for those families and answers to why this happened and making it stop. Will, thank you. We'll check back with you.

So do you remember the religious freedom laws that were going on and continue to in a big case that centered around a bakery? We have a development. A Colorado bakery, the one in question, in fact, does have to make a wedding cake for a gay couple.

An appeals court in the state rejected Masterpiece Cake Shop's argument that its religious freedom is being violated. The owner says he never refused the couple service, offering to sell them anything else but a wedding cake. The court did not buy that apparent end run around a refusal of service, upholding an earlier ruling that Masterpiece must make anything for anybody, retrain its staff and file quarterly reports proving it does not discriminate.

PEREIRA: Wow. Interesting development there. Good follow-up for us, too.

All right. It may be just a Friday to you and I, pay day for some people, but you know what? It's an historic day for Cuban-American relations. After more than half a century, the U.S. embassy reopens in Havana. We're going to take you there live after the break.

CUOMO: Cuba.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:18:03] PEREIRA: Quite a significant day. After more than half a century of icy relations with Cuba, the U.S. embassy in Havana reopens today. Secretary of State John Kerry is headed there for the flag raising, putting stars and stripes above the Cuban capital for the first time since 1961. A real step in restoring ties or is the significance merely symbolic?

CNN's Jake Tapper took the job of traveling to Havana ahead of the ceremony. I won't even ask about the mojitos, because I'm a little green with envy.

So talk to us about today and the significance. Talk to us about the plans for Secretary Kerry.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR, "THE LEAD": Well, Secretary of State John Kerry will be the first American secretary of state to set foot in Cuba since 1945. And, of course, as you noted, this will be the first time that the American flag has flown at the embassy behind me here since January 1961, when President Dwight Eisenhower ended diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States.

Secretary Kerry is expected to meet with top government officials. There will be a formal ceremony at the embassy, as well, when they raise the flag.

It's a little controversial, because none of the dissidents here in Cuba were invited to that official ceremony. We spoke with one of them who was very upset about the fact that he thought that this was kind of whitewashing over the human rights abuses by the Cuban government.

But in addition, Secretary of State Kerry told Telemundo the other day that he hopes to get in a walk through historic old Havana. This morning, as he made his way to the plane, he was asked how he was feeling, what he thought the day was going to be like, and he gave a thumbs up and said it's going to be great.

I think the Obama administration is very excited about today and the symbolism and the substance going on here. Obviously, it is more controversial with others, including the dissident community here in Cuba, Michaela.

PEREIRA: Clearly, there's more work that needs to be done on that level, the human rights abuses, the dissidents, et cetera.

You talked about the government officials. Any word of Fidel Castro?

[07:20:00] TAPPER: No, not right now. There is some time blocked off in the secretary's schedule, and it's unclear whether he's going to be using any of that time to meet with President Raul Castro or his brother, Fidel, who just celebrated his 89th birthday the other day. It's unclear.

Fidel did write an essay in the Communist Party newspaper, "Grandma," saying that Cuba is owed hundreds of millions of dollars in restitution because of the embargo on this country, the trade embargo. But, as of now, we do not know of any meetings between Castro and Kerry that are scheduled.

PEREIRA: You had a chance to talk to people, been around Havana in the time that you've been there. We've talked about the dissidents. What are -- what are other Cuban people saying about this occasion, about the change in Cuba that they're feeling and seeing?

TAPPER: Well, there's a lot of hope, obviously. Just an example: there is really no Internet here on this island. So, the idea that because of this, in the last few weeks, the Cuban government has been putting up little Internet hot spots, three dozen or so every night.

And people gather around in these parks and log on and check out the Internet, check out information, maybe have a web chat with relatives in other parts of the world, in Miami or Spain or wherever. That seems to indicate some sort of thawing. So there is a lot of hope.

On the other hand, there are still dissidents and protesters who are being arrested. There are still political prisoners. So it's a mixed bag. People excited to see what it might mean, though.

PEREIRA: Yes. The "might" is so important, right?

TAPPER: Yes.

PEREIRA: So one of the other things that I wanted to mention today, because I think it's interesting symbolism and poignant. The three Marines who, back in the day, were involved in taking that flag down will be on hand for the ceremony today. I mean, that's a full circle kind of moment. I can't imagine that they ever thought they'd see this day happen.

TAPPER: No. It's remarkable. And I can't imagine what it would be like for those three Marines, leaving this country in the heat of the Cold war in 1961. Obviously, the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban missile crisis happening just on the heels of that.

For them to come here -- they're not going to be raising the flag. They're a little up in age, a little long in the tooth now to be doing that sort of thing. But they will be here, coming full circle, as it will -- as it were.

It is interesting to think that they were talking about the other day -- to some of -- to some people in the media about the people in Cuba who didn't want them to go, who were asking that they stay in this country. Of course, it was not up to them. We'll see if this new approach, being pushed by President Obama, is the -- is the ticket, is what the people of Cuba need.

PEREIRA: We'll have to wait and see. You better watch yourself. Those Marines -- once a Marine, always a Marine. They might get after you for calling them long in the tooth now, Jake Tapper.

We'll be watching with you today, of course, on CNN. Thanks so much for joining us on NEW DAY this morning.

TAPPER: Thank you, Michaela.

PEREIRA: Chris.

CUOMO: All right, Mick. So this provocative question coming up in politics. Will we soon be ridin' with Biden? It's a hashtag, but is it a reality? It's tantalizing, but is there truth to it? John King gives us the straight dope on "Inside Politics," coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:22:17] CUOMO: Hundreds of chemical specialists are at the site of those huge explosions that left the port city Tianjin in tatters. China is now launching a nationwide inspection of toxic chemicals and explosives. But this situation is still very much ongoing. Over 1,000 firefighters are involved. The death toll rising, about 56 now; 21 of those are firefighters. And again, it's not over: 6,300 locals are sheltering as police begin to clear the devastation.

PEREIRA: Here's a little something that some Australian tourists probably didn't think they'd do on vacation: help save a man's life. A truck went up in flames following a crash in New Jersey. The victim running from the cab, his leg on fire. You can see him there on the road. Three tourists rushed to his aid and put out the flames. The driver was treated at the hospital for his burns.

CUOMO: In case you missed it, here's a look at the spectacular light show in the sky. That's a meteor shower peaking Wednesday into Thursday morning. The video was shot in western Montana -- big sky -- where the dark sky made for ideal viewing. Scientists say there were as many as 90 to 100 shooting stars an hour.

PEREIRA: A friend of mine on Facebook, a college friend, high school friend, was in Hawaii. So they got nice dark sky there at night, too. And apparently, it was just like (MAKES SNAPPING NOISE).

CUOMO: Really?

PEREIRA: Can you imagine? What a treat.

CUOMO: It is a treat. You know what also is a treat? Segue.

PEREIRA: Oh, John king.

CUOMO: There it is, "Inside Politics" on "NEW DAY" with Mr. John King.

PEREIRA: He called you a treat.

JOHN KING, CNN HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": This is why you two start our day with the -- you know, the flagship morning show. Because just brilliance. Brilliance.

PEREIRA: How it is.

KING: I love that. That's what it is.

PEREIRA: Double snap.

CUOMO: "The Addams Family."

KING: (HUMS FIRST BARS OF "THE ADDAMS FAMILY THEME SONG")

It is. All right. Back to you guys in a minute.

Busy day to go "Inside Politics." I was going to start with the Trump/Ventura presidential ticket. But no, that will keep him shaking his head. With me to share their reporting and their insights, Ed O'Keefe of "The Washington Post," Jackie Kucinich of "The Daily Beast." No.

Let's start with -- let's start with some substance, and also it's very political. Dianne Feinstein, the ranking Democrat in the Senate on intelligence matters -- she was once the chairwoman of the committee -- issuing a statement yesterday in the middle of this whole dust-up about Hillary Clinton and her private e-mail server and if secretary of state, was sensitive and classified top-secret information mishandled?

Dianne Feinstein issuing a statement in the middle of this, saying, "First, none of the e-mails alleged to contain classified information were written by Secretary Clinton." Meaning, she was not sitting on a private server writing classified material.

"Second, none of the e-mails alleged to contain classified information include any markings that indicate classified content."

So Dianne Feinstein is essentially saying here, sure, we need to investigate this. Sure, we need to see if sensitive material was mishandled. But don't blame Secretary Clinton, or at least don't think she was knowingly in an environment where she was mishandling or not treating this information seriously.

JACKIE KUCINICH, "THE DAILY BEAST": But is it OK that she didn't know? It's still her team. And I think the damage has been done. And it can only get worse if it does turn out that maybe some of these -- maybe she did know about some of these e-mails.