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Republican Presidential Candidates Campaign in Iowa; Interview with Rick Santorum; Interview with Kay Bailey Hutchison. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired August 14, 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] MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: He's facing backlash for defending his brother's policy in Iraq. CNN's political reporter Sara Murray live in Des Moines with the very latest for us and all the weekend's activities. Sara?

SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Michaela. It's starting to smell like fried dough and bacon out here. That's how you know the Iowa fair is really getting under way. And yes, it is Jeb Bush's time in the spotlight. Let's take a look at what we can expect today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE HUCKABEE, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Welcome to the first day of the Iowa state fair. Let me begin with a recommendation -- pork chop on a stick.

MURRAY: Bring out the butter cow and abandon your diet. the Iowa state fair is officially underway. There's 70 varieties of foods on sticks and at least 20 varieties of presidential candidates, making their pitch to Iowa caucus goers and taking swipes at their rivals.

HUCKABEE: This time 17 Republicans are coming to Iowa to ask for your vote and support in the caucuses. Hillary is probably not going to come. She'll e-mail in her appearances.

(LAUGHTER)

MURRAY: GOP frontrunner Donald Trump heads to the hawk eye state this weekend. And for second tier candidates like Martin O'Malley with just one percent support in our CNN-ORC poll in Iowa, it's a chance to lay the groundwork. Telling CNN's Jeff Zeleny his moment will come.

MARTIN O'MALLEY, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's not a doubt in my mind that people are looking for a new leader, not a doubt in my mind. I think that's true in both parties. And after we get done rolling around in our summer of anger here, people are going to look at the candidates and evaluate which of us is actually that new perspective of a new generation that can actually govern and get things done.

MURRAY: Today Jeb Bush takes his turn on the soapbox, trying to revive his sagging poll numbers and move beyond another muddled answer on the war in Iraq. This time he defended his brother George W. Bush's policy, saying --

JEB BUSH, (R) FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: I'll tell you, though, that taking on Saddam Hussein turned out to be a pretty good deal.

MURRAY: Adding that after the troop surge, the mission was accomplished, a strikingly similar comment to his brother's premature mission accomplished declaration in 2003. Last night, Bush shrugged off the similarities.

BUSH: There's nothing subliminal about it or psychological. The surge worked.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MURRAY: Saturday is actually shaping up to be one of the biggest days here. That's when Hillary Clinton will be here along with Donald Trump. I know you guys are really disappointed because it sounded like Donald Trump's helicopter rides were not going to happen. But now operatives here on the ground have confirmed Trump has in fact found a different site and he will be offering free helicopter rides tomorrow. Back to you, Michaela

PEREIRA: Things will be popping in Iowa and CNN will be there. Sara, thank you so much for that.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden not officially a candidate but his presence certainly is being felt in the race. There is word that he's putting out feelers about another run.

CNN White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski live at Martha's Vineyard where the president is vacationing and has the latest for us. Michelle?

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Michaela. The feeling at this point is this is much more than Biden just reaching out to friends and having a chat about this, but this a real feeling out of the possibilities for structure and operation if he were to make that decision. Now everybody's starting to weigh in. Hillary Clinton said she'll respect whatever the decision is. Although some of her supporters have very publicly wondered if it might not be too late or if this is the best decision for Biden right now. Donald Trump wasted no time in treating Biden as an opponent with this slam.

(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: That is a reference to issues Biden had back in law school as well as his 1988 campaign when he was accused of using somebody else's line during a speech. But you look at some interesting new numbers, a poll of potential Iowa caucus goers, they have Biden at number three with 12 percent. And of course he hasn't even announced anything yet. Chris?

CUOMO: All right, Michelle, thank you very much, appreciate it.

Here's another person, a name in the news running for president, Rick Santorum. Remember him? You should. He won the Iowa caucus back in 2012. This time around he is struggling in the polls. He's set to speak at the state fair this weekend, joining us now on NEW DAY. Very good to have you with us. The most important number coming out of the caucus polls in Iowa is probably this one -- 66 percent haven't made up their mind. That's certainly the number you're looking at. And what does it mean to you?

RICK SANTORUM, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes. I look at the numbers. Our favorable rates here in Iowa are around the 60 percent mark, which is really great. I was in Henry County last night, had about 150 people there, and the response was terrific. A lot of people signed up to help us out. We're doing the same old thing we did four years ago. Four years ago at this time a poll came out yesterday that had Rick Perry at almost 30 percent and I was tied for last at one percent. And four months later I won the Iowa caucuses. So these summer romances and other types of things that go on during the summer I'm not really worried. Staying the course and talking to voters.

[08:05:10] CUOMO: What do you think will turn the tide for you? What will help you distinguish yourself?

SANTORUM: I'm sorry.

CUOMO: The truck went by.

SANTORUM: Yes, I couldn't hear you. Sorry about that.

CUOMO: Was the truck carrying corndogs? If so, chase it for me. But what do you think will turn the tide for you?

SANTORUM: It looks like high fructose something. I don't know.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: What do you think will turn the tide for you this time you think?

SANTORUM: I think the fact that we're out there talking about jobs and putting people to work. I'm making my stand. We're going to make America the number one manufacturer in the world. We're going to put people back to work. We've going to put people who have been stiffed by both political parties in job creation and wage growth. We're going to put those folks -- we're going to have an economic plan. In fact part of it has been released. We're going to release the rest of it in September that's going to make America the place to do business again and making things. And that's going to put a lot of hard working people, 93 million of which are not in the work force right now, back to work in good paying jobs. And that I think is the difference-maker for us. CUOMO: Some of your opponents have taken to going at Trump directly,

if nothing else then to grab a piece of the media cycle. Do you think that that is the best way to capture his fire? Or do you think this race will be won on who has the best plans for achieving the promises?

SANTORUM: I would say the latter, Chris, because in the end I know here in Iowa, the voters here actually pay attention to the issues. They want to know what you're going to do. All the rhetoric can get a lot of attention and get some interest early on in a race like this. But in the end what I found was people want to know what you're going to do and whether you have a track record to be able to make that happen.

Immigration is probably a classic example. Trump got a lot of attention on some of his comments on immigration. But now as people are starting to drill down they're realizing Rick Santorum has the policy that is the most pro-worker immigration, someone who has ideas and is actually going to do something about lifting wages of all Americans, putting a plan in place that's actually going to keep us safe, whereas the other candidates, including Donald Trump, don't have very strong positions on immigration. The rhetoric is tough, but if you look at their plans, we're the only one rated by the immigration groups with an A rating. Almost everybody else is rated with Cs, Ds and Fs. So again, all of that starts to come out as people start to focus more. We're going to do a lot better.

CUOMO: Meat on the bones is what you're talking about, as opposed to meat on a stick, which is why I were with you in Iowa right now.

SANTORUM: Plenty to do here.

CUOMO: You're in the right place this weekend, no question about it.

Let me ask you, though. Some of the issues aren't about the plan necessarily. They're about strictly the position and the morality behind the position, the law behind the position. And of course I'm talking about abortion. I want to play something for you that Dr. Carson just said. He is valued as a pure position person when it comes on this issue. But listen to what he said and I want you to parse it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why did you change your decision about whether to use fetal tissue or not?

DR. BEN CARSON, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: To not use the tissue that is in the tissue bank regardless of where it comes from would be foolish.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you ban this now if you're saying it's not essential?

CARSON: That's a very different thing from killing babies, manipulating them, taking their tissues, selling them. That's a very different thing. To try to equate those two things is absolutely ridiculous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: If Rick Santorum was doing research, would he use fetal tissue given how you feel about where it comes from?

SANTORUM: No, I wouldn't, because one of the things you saw in the planned parenthood tapes was that a lot of women are told, hey, look, if you have an abortion, good things are going to come from it. You know, we're going to be able to use this tissue for a lot of reasons. And so it is used in some cases to, I wouldn't say coerce, but certainly make women feel more comfortable about having abortions. And I think that is something I would not want to participate in.

I think all of the fetal tissue research that we've seen, there was a big push on that about 20 years ago. You really don't see a lot of that work being done anymore because most of that research has gone to dead ends. But even before that, the morally suspect nature of how that tissue is gathered to me would say that you simply shouldn't participate in that kind of research.

CUOMO: Do you think when you poll on this issue -- Carson is at the top of it in terms of having a position that conservatives like. But do you believe that this shows an inconsistency that people should know about as well?

SANTORUM: One of the things I say about political campaigns is eventually you get to dig down into what the depths of these positions are and how firmly held a lot of these positions are by folks. And when you start to see some of these cracks I think it may show whether the person is really someone who's going to take on an issue and be strong on it when they get into the very difficult position of being president of the United States.

[08:10:08] CUOMO: Rick Santorum, former senator, thank you very much for joining us on NEW DAY. You know the invitation is open to discuss ideas and plans as the election continues. Good luck to you, sir, this weekend.

SANTORUM: Thank you very much. It's a pleasure to be on.

CUOMO: All right, take care, sir.

For all your political news, go to CNNpolitics.com, please. Michaela?

PEREIRA: The Pentagon is confirming there are credible reports indicating that ISIS is using chemical weapons against Kurdish forces in Iraq. It is the first real evidence that the terrorists possess banned agents like mustard gas.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is tracking these latest concerning developments, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Michaela. It is mustard gas, a blister agent that the Pentagon now believes ISIS has. Two attacks they are looking at, one several days ago, one earlier this week. The evidence is pointing them, they tell us, towards ISIS having mustard gas, although they haven't confirmed it, in the most recent attack in a town near Erbil near northern Iraq.

When you talk about chemical weapons, a lot of history for Americans when it comes to Iraq, so the Pentagon, the intelligence community being very cautious, trying to look at all the evidence before they come to a conclusion.

Mustard gas may not be an agent of mass death, but it is a weapon of fear, and that may be one of the reasons they are using it. One of the big questions now is where did ISIS get it? Did they get it from old stocks in Iraq? Did they get it from undeclared old stocks in Syria that Bashar al Assad may have had hidden? Or did they possibly make it? All of these questions on the able, all things that the administration is urgently looking into this morning. Chris?

CUOMO: Barbara, thank you very much.

So just some two hours from now history is going to be made in Cuba. For the first time since Eisenhower was in the why is, the U.S. flag will be flying over the American embassy in Havana. We have CNN's Jake Tapper there this morning as the two nations try to end decades of bitter hostilities. Buenos Dias.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST, "THE LEAD": Buenos Dias, Christopher. It's going to be great. That's what Secretary of State John Kerry said this morning as he made his way to his plane to take him down to Havana, Cuba, being the first U.S. secretary of state to walk on this land since 1945 even before Eisenhower ended diplomatic relations in January, 1961. We know that the three U.S. marine who took the flag down that day will be here for the ceremony.

Some of the signs that things might change. We've seen Wi-Fi hot spots pop up all over the city in the last few weeks. And of course the grandma, which is the communist party daily, the headline today is "A New Beginning."

On the other hand, the dissident community very upset here about the Obama administration not demanding more in terms of concessions to human rights before reopening this relationship. Also the dissident community not invited to the opening ceremony, which is rankling many people here Cuba as well. We don't know if Secretary of State John Kerry will be meeting with either the Castro brothers, Roul or Fidel, who just turned 89. We do know he will meet with his foreign minister counterpart and also with the local cardinal. Michaela?

PEREIRA: All right, lost of developments. We'll be watching with you. Thanks so much, Jake, for joining us from Havana this morning.

To China now, where hundreds of chemical specialists are at the site of these huge explosions that left the port city of Tianjin in tatters. The death toll from that disaster continues to rise, 56 dead, 21 of which are firefighters, 6,300 locals are at shelters as police begin to clear the devastation.

CUOMO: Can you tell me how to get to HBO, a controversial move for "Sesame Street," the long-running kids show moving to the cable channel. New episodes will air on HBO first, then nine months later on PBS. Sesame Workshop says it will help expand offerings, but many people are giving the deal a thumbs-down, fearing it will create a divide when only people who choose to pay for HBO get early access to episodes. HBO, like CNN, is owned by Time Warner.

PEREIRA: Yes, that's the big beef that many people are having is the fact that it's a premium channel that you'd have to pay for to get access. But then you also know there's that other side of the interwebs where they're having fun mashing up Sesame Street characters with HBO characters.

CUOMO: I've seen them. I like it. It's funny. However, were you a Sesame Street person, an Electric Company person?

PEREIRA: Sesame Street.

CUOMO: Or a Zoom?

[08:15:00] PEREIRA: Sesame. I'm all about the --

CUOMO: I would have seen you as a Zoom.

PEREIRA: Really? You have much to learn, Christopher.

CUOMO: True, true.

PEREIRA: All right. So, we've been talking a whole lot of Donald Trump, right, huge right now, or at least, he keeps telling us that, a growing of imitations are popping up. But which Donald imitation Trumps the rest?

You know, Jeanne Moos has the answers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Everyone's doing Donald. Not that Donald. The Donald.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was fantastic. The rates were huge.

MOOS: We're not just talking professional comedians like Kyle Dunnigan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gandhi?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Loser.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mother Teresa?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Idiot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jesus Christ?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hippie loser.

MOOS: Non-comedians likewise can't resist doing Trump.

MEGYN KELLY, FOX NEWS: Rosie's a loser. She's been a loser for a long time.

MOOS: Even presidential candidate Rand Paul made a lame effort at imitation.

SEN. RAND PAUL (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, I must smart. I'm rich.

MOOS: While actor Brian Cranston barely bothered with the voice.

BRYAN CRANSTON, ACTOR: I actually like his candor. You're an idiot. I'm a winner. You're a loser.

MOOS: One of the Trump impressions actually helped fuel the Rosie O'Donnell feud.

Impersonators have even posted thousand videos.

ERIC HARTHEN, VOICE ACTOR: You always see those bottom teeth, those bottom front teeth.

MOOS: Some limit themselves to the Donald's face.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Make your Donald Trump face.

MOOS: The Donald doesn't seem to mind being imitated. He's even mentioned a couple of impersonators he find funny. For instance, Darryl Hammond.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I tell you who would be a loser on any team, that sasquatch Rosie O'Donnell.

MOOS: Trump also likes Frank Caliendo.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm so excited I think my hair just moved.

MOOS: While Conan show's impersonator John D. Domenico to do the voiceover on a bit featuring the Donald Trump ovulation kit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're a loser. Your eggs are losers.

MOOS: But this baby's a winner. After being egged onto give Donald Trump lip.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PEREIRA: Can't compete with a baby.

CUOMO: I tell you, I would have never imagined that we would be where we are right now in the election cycle with Donald Trump being where he is. I would never have imagined that he would run. He has tapped into something that has people talking, not just about him, but they're talking about things that usually this early on they're not. He's going to push the field.

PEREIRA: How many days? Four hundred --

CUOMO: We've got like seven million days.

But the point is this, the man on your screen, the man who's often imitated is not being imitated in the polls, because he's got a really big lead among Republicans. He's going to the Iowa state fair this weekend. What does it mean for him? We're going to ask a former senator. He's got some valuable insight for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:21:49] PEREIRA: On this Friday, we look at new polling in Iowa that's pointing to a common thread. Outsiders are the current darlings of the GOP. Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina all picking up steam ahead of appearances at the Iowa state fair over the coming days. The big question, can Donald Trump hold his lead with his campaign?

Joining me to discuss all of this, the weekend ahead, is former Republican senator of Texas, Kay Bailey Hutchison. She's now senior counsel at Bracewell and Giuliani.

Senator, thank you so much for joining us on this Friday.

KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON (R), FORMER SENATOR, TEXAS: You bet, Michaela. Good to be with you.

PEREIRA: All right. Let's dig in and look at some of this polling. CNN/ORC polling in Iowa, it's very fascinating to look at how these so-called outside outsiders are doing. The candidates that are non- career politicians, Carson, Carly Fiorina, and, of course, Donald Trump leading the pack.

What does that say to you and do you see it as a problem for your party?

HUTCHISON: Well, I think it makes it more interesting. I think the Republican field has caused so much interest in the politics and the primaries and the issues, because it's very dynamic and there's so much going on. I also think it shows that people are fed up to here with Washington, with the bickering, with the back and forth that never gets anywhere. They're saying we want something new and they're taking a look.

PEREIRA: We look at some other polling that we have of Trump's lead over his closest rivals and some of the big issues. He really has a commanding lead over his opponents among voters on who would be best to change Washington, issues like economy, immigration and terrorism.

So, clearly, as you mentioned he has hit a nerve. He is tapping into sort of a feeling in society. The question is that some are wondering -- and I wonder your thoughts -- is he good for your party?

HUTCHISON: Well, I think the question is, will he have staying power? I think he has caught the imagination and the electorate in the polls right now. I think -- does he have staying power? And it looks like he's doing some of the things that will be necessary getting a ground game in Iowa.

You can't win without a ground game in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, those early state primaries. And so he's beginning to do those things to probably try to consolidate that lead. So, I think whether there's staying power and whether it all lasts for any of these candidates is going to be the real test. Is there staying power?

PEREIRA: Yes, 451 days to go. Certainly, there's a fair amount of road ahead of us.

So, you can't win by alienating, what, 53 percent of the electorate. If you look at his numbers, Donald Trump's numbers in terms of support by gender, that 15 percent has to got to be getting the attention of his campaign, yet he maintains he loves women, he will do right by women, in fact, he's the best on women's health issues.

Do you -- as a woman and a female politician, do you think that gender gap is going to hurt him in the long run?

[08:25:07] HUTCHISON: Oh, I think any gender gap will hurt any candidate. I think what you said is absolutely right. You can't offend half the population. I think that appealing to women in the way that they want to be appealed to, to talk about the issues that they care about and to show an absolute respect and empathy for the plight of women who are single moms, who need extra help or health care, all of that is going to be very important going forward.

And so, I think that making sure you're talking in the right tones and talking about the right issues.

One thing, Michaela, in the poll that y'all have just run that I thought was interesting is, in Iowa voters the first thing they're going to look at is the economics of our country. So I think people are also putting forward job creation and I think that's been an advantage for Donald Trump. Carly Fiorina, they've had business experience. Ben Carson, real professional experience. And I think people are looking for jobs and good wages and building our economy through creating more opportunity.

PEREIRA: One of the other things we've heard from Donald Trump the candidate is -- and he even said it right here on our air on NEW DAY. That if he was not treated fairly by the GOP, he would keep up the prospect of running as an independent. As a card carrying member of the GOP, how does that sit with you?

HUTCHISON: Well, I think if you're running to lead the Republican Party, you need to say right now that you are Republican, you want to build the Republican Party, because that's going to be important for governing.

So, I think he needs to take the pledge right now that he will be a Republican, he's running as a Republican and he's not hedging bets. I do think that's a fair request to be the nominee of the party.

PEREIRA: I believe back in March, you put your support behind Jeb Bush. Let's talk about your choice for candidate right now a little bit. What do you think he needs to do going forward?

HUTCHISON: Well, I think he is very solid. I think he is a person who has had business experience as well as a great record as governor of Florida. And I think other candidates are doing very well also. And I think that having the kinds of choices that we have is very good on the Republican side. I think having someone who knows how to govern, who really knows the issues in depth, but also has had business experience is a great combination.

PEREIRA: Kay Bailey Hutchison, Senator, thank you so much for joining us on this Friday. You have a great weekend.

HUTCHISON: Hey, thank you, Michaela. Thank you very much.

PEREIRA: All right. Chris?

CUOMO: All right, Mick.

More proof that ISIS is about nothing good. The terror group said to be kidnapping girls and also women and forcing them to be sex slaves for their fighters. The group then says that rape is their right and it's righteous. A really perverse story, but insightful, coming up.

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