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Clinton Apologizes for E-mail Scandal; Tough Concessions from Trump, Bush; Obama May No Longer Have to Veto Anti-Iran Deal Measure; Poll: Biden Rising as Clinton Hits New Low; Kentucky Clerk Released from Jail; Players Say Ref Used Racial Slurs Before Being Tackled. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired September 09, 2015 - 07:00   ET

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

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And I think about her a lot. I miss her a lot. I wish she were here with me. And I remember that.

[07:00:10] And I don't want to just fight for me. I don't -- I mean, I can have a perfectly fine life not being president. I'm going to fight for all the people like my mother who need somebody in their corner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Now, she's talking more about her mother than ever before on the campaign trail, to help tell the full story about her own biography.

Chris, it's an intentional reminder to voters that she's not only a former first lady and part of a political dynasty. But in that Facebook message last night to supporters, I was struck by this. She said I'm not taking anything for granted. That is another sign her candidacy is in such a different place than only a few months ago.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Good insight. Jeff, thank you very much for the reporting. Appreciate it.

Also ahead, big admissions from Jeb Bush and Donald Trump. Bush called out his brother's fiscal control, and he did it on a late show with Stephen Colbert. And for Trump, he stopped his exile or whatever you want to call it, from FOX News, and when he went there, said that he would actually roll out the welcome mat for some migrants escaping Syria. Now you've got to remember: we want to set that up against what he said about immigrants in the past.

So let's get the latest from CNN's Athena Jones, live on Capitol Hill. How do you see it, Athena?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Chris. Good morning.

This was an unexpected response from Trump on that migrant crisis. He's also doing something else unusual today. He's pairing up with another Republican candidate for a rally right here outside the Capitol. Meanwhile, Jeb Bush is trying to show his funny side and his fiscal

side on late-night comedy. All this as the post-Labor-Day pre-debate push gets into full swing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW ": Governor Jeb Bush.

JONES (voice-over): Governor Jeb Bush making his late-night debut on the premiere of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."

COLBERT: In what ways do you politically differ from your brother, George?

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm obviously younger.

COLBERT: You're younger.

BUSH: Much better looking.

JONES: Zeroing in on his self-touted forte, the budget.

BUSH: I think he should have brought the hammer down on the Republicans when they were spending way too much. He didn't bring order, fiscal restraint. They call me Veto Corleone in Florida, because I vetoed 2,500 separate line items in the budget.

JONES: Later today, Bush is set to unveil his tax-reform plan during a speech in North Carolina, laying out the details in a new op-Ed in "The Wall Street Journal," saying his tax overhaul will unleash 4 percent economic growth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Having trouble sleeping at night?

JONES: Meanwhile, Trump releasing yet another slam ad on Instagram Tuesday, doubling down on his attacks that Jeb Bush is, quote, "low energy."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Too much energy? Need some low energy?

BUSH: They have an HSA in some companies; some companies don't. I think the norm ought to be...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jeb, for all your sleeping needs.

JONES: Trump also planning to join forces with Ted Cruz later today, protesting President Obama's Iran deal. In his own op-Ed in "USA Today," Trump blasts the deal, calling it, quote, "amateur hour." A sentiment he echoed Tuesday night on FOX News.

TRUMP: I will re-negotiate that deal, and I will make it -- and that's what I do. That's what I do in life.

JONES: Trump also weighing in on the European migrant crisis.

TRUMP: I wonder, you know, where all these people are coming from exactly and do you have people from ISIS in that group?

JONES: His response to the possibility of these migrants being welcomed in the U.S.? A stark difference from his tough talk on immigration.

TRUMP: I hate the concept of it, but on a humanitarian basis, with what's happening, you have to.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: A very different response there.

As for that rally Trump and Ted Cruz are having, it's quite rare to see two rivals for the nomination pairing up for such an event.

Meanwhile, Ben Carson, the former brain surgeon who was also surging in the polls right alongside Trump is now facing questions about a Carson/Trump or a Trump/Carson ticket. His response: all things are possible -- Michaela.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Interesting idea. All right, Athena. Thank you so much for that.

Opponents of the Iran deal are not going quietly, but congressional support for the deal is in place. The president now has enough support that detractors may not even get a vote.

CNN senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta has more for us this morning -- Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Michaela, good morning.

Donald Trump and Ted Cruz will fire up the conservative base later today, but they won't be able to stop the Iran deal. The president has all the support he needs for the nuclear agreement. But for good measure, the White House issued a veto threat yesterday against a GOP measure of disapproval of the deal.

On top of that, the remaining undecided Senate Democrats have weighed in on a deal, and all but Joe Manchin have decided they will support the agreement. That gives the White House 42 votes, one more than what they need to filibuster any GOP efforts to block the deal, a procedural victory the White House is now defending. Here's what White House press secretary Josh Earnest had to say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It would be a little ironic for now Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to express concerns about a tactic that he, himself, employed on countless occasions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:05:08] ACOSTA: Now, as for that other battle brewing between the White House and Congress over the prospect of a government shutdown that is looming on September 30, House GOP leaders plan to begin listening sessions today to hear from members threatening to shut down the government to defund Planned Parenthood.

But the White House is also toying with brinkmanship, insisting the president won't sign a budget that leaves forced budget cuts in place. Still, there are three weeks to work something out, Alisyn. That is a long time in Washington. We'll have to see how it goes.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thanks so much for monitoring that, Jim.

We'll see you soon.

Meanwhile, a new national poll shows Vice President Joe Biden's support growing while Hillary Clinton's lead shrinks. Could support for the vice president in a key primary state give him the motivation to get into the race?

Let's ask longtime supporter of Joe Biden and a supporter of the "draft Biden" movement, Democratic South Carolina state representative, James Smith.

Mr. Smith, thanks so much for being here. Why does South Carolina love Joe Biden so much?

STATE REP. JAMES SMITH (D), SOUTH CAROLINA: Well, because he's Joe Biden and because the long-standing roots and connections that he has with our state. And I think people in South Carolina appreciate leaders who are genuine, who have a strength of character. And, you know, Joe Biden has had a lifetime of service and showing that in the way he's served his state and certainly our nation.

CAMEROTA: Do you believe that there is some strategy by which the vice president could skip emphasizing on Iowa and New Hampshire, focus solely on South Carolina, parachute in late and get the nomination?

SMITH: Well, I don't think that's the vice president's strategy, if he does pursue that.

I think this. South Carolina is -- there's a lot of support for the vice president here in our state. You can already see a very strong organization. We have staff on the ground working every day. We've got key endorsements already in place. I guess yesterday in the Politico story, you had the long-time mayor of Charleston, Joe Riley, make a strong statement in support of the vice president.

So I don't think he's going to take for granted or skip any state. But in South Carolina, he can win. And if he wins South Carolina, I believe he'll win the nomination. If he wins the nomination, I think he's our next president.

CAMEROTA: Let me look at the latest polls with you. This is from Monmouth University. This is from the beginning of September. And it shows Clinton at 42 percent. It shows Joe Biden at 22 percent, and it shows Bernie Sanders at 20 percent. That's within the margin of error of each other. But what's significant is that Hillary Clinton's support has slipped.

Joe Biden's support has gone up. Have you talked to the vice president about this?

SMITH: Well, not about this specific poll. But recently...

CAMEROTA: No, but his interest and whether or not he's going to get in?

SMITH: Sure. Yes, absolutely. I mean, that's a discussion that we've had on a number of occasions. And what we've tried to do is show him that, if he will go into this process and make the decision to run, that there's a support here for him. We're ready when they're ready. That's been our message.

But I think if you look at those polls, it certainly gives a lot of encouragement to those that support the vice president and some real concern about, ultimately, who is going to be able to win a general election when that time comes.

CAMEROTA: Let me play for you what Hillary Clinton just said about Joe Biden last night when she was asked what she thinks about him getting into the race. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: Well, I like Joe Biden a lot. I think he is a great vice president. If he gets into this election, there will be lots of time to talk about, you know, what he wants to do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would he make a good president?

CLINTON: Well, you know, I think he could be a good president. There's no doubt about that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: I mean, how awkward would it be for these, you know, former colleagues and friends to be running against each other?

SMITH: Well, I think, you know, the two of them are certainly both individuals that would be prepared to be president. I think it will be good for our party to have that kind of debate between the two of them. And it would be good, ultimately, I think, for the election and the electoral process.

So there's a lot of mutual respect between, you know, the vice president and the former secretary. They have certainly worked together on some very important issues facing our nation. And I think that would be a debate that voters would like to see.

CAMEROTA: Hillary Clinton, as you well know, also apologized for the first time for using a private server. Let me play that for you, as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CLINTON: I know it was allowed. I should have used two accounts, one for personal, one for work-related e-mails. That was a mistake. I'm sorry about that. I take responsibility. And I'm trying to be as transparent as I possibly can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Do you think that that now puts the e-mail question to rest or do you think that this is still an opening for Joe Biden to get in?

[07:10:06] SMITH: Well, I'll say that the e-mail controversy has little to nothing to do with, I think, the vice president's decision to run or not.

What it does, I think, is it's given him certainly some time. There's no pressure to make a decision.

But I think this apology, if you will, is an acknowledgement by the campaign that this issue is really hurting. It's hurting her electability, and I think it's causing some doubt in the minds of Democrats of whether or not she can go the distance.

But look, I think, if the vice president decides to run, it's going to be based upon his own belief that he is in the position to help our country, move forward and face -- face the challenges that we all have today.

CAMEROTA: OK. South Carolina state rep, James Smith, thanks so much for being on NEW DAY.

And remember, one week from today, watch the CNN Republican presidential debate. It is Wednesday, September 16, at 6 and 8 p.m. Eastern. Tomorrow, we will know for sure who exactly will be on that stage -- Chris.

CUOMO: Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is celebrating the release of Kentucky clerk Kim Davis. He walked by her side as she left jail.

But her release comes with a warning: Don't interfere with the issuing of same-sex marriage licenses. So what happens next?

We have our man on the ground, CNN's Martin Savidge, following developments in Morehead, Kentucky. What do you see, Martin?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Chris.

For most of us, we worry it's the boss watching to see if we show up for work. For Kim Davis today, there are a lot of people watching to see if she shows up for work.

And the real question is, what is she going to do when she gets here?

You know, yesterday's events were a surprise to everybody. But probably most surprising, Kim Davis herself. You can tell that when she stepped out of that detention center, faced that massive crowd and got the reception she did where she was treated like a hero. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIM DAVIS, KENTUCKY LAW CLERK JAILED FOR FAILING TO ISSUE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE LICENSES: I just want to give God the glory. His people have rallied. And you are a strong people! We serve a living God who knows where each and every one of us is at. Just keep on pressing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: She was actually able to upstage two presidential candidates, what you notice she did not say in those comments was what does she intend to do now? Because the judge has put this specific order upon her, which is that she cannot interfere in any way with the marriage licenses that now are being put out by her office. She had objected to putting her name on those associated with same-sex couples.

And her attorneys are insinuating that that attitude has not changed and implied that when she comes back to work, well, we may go through this all over again.

And there's one other thing to point out to you, Chris, and that is it may not be spiraling beyond just Kim Davis. Because Kim Davis, in the minds of many Christian conservatives, is not just a name. She has become a cause. And you heard yesterday many people saying don't just stand up with Kim Davis. Stand up like Kim Davis. And that suggests this kind of action could spread across the country in other ways, Chris.

CUOMO: That would be very interesting to see whether or not people see if their public servants -- right, because remember, that's what Kim Davis is. It's not about her ability to believe these things. It's can put their belief on everybody else as a public servant? So let's see what other public servants do.

Martin, thank you very much.

Now, somebody who was a public servant, very much wants to be a public servant again is GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. He, of course, was behind that rally for Kim Davis. He's going to join us here live, as you see, coming up 8 a.m. Eastern -- Mick.

PEREIRA: The NTSB is sparking -- investigating, rather, what sparked that fire on a British Airways plane on the runway in Las Vegas. It happened shortly before the plane took off for London Tuesday. Look at that. You can see the thick smoke pouring from the aircraft. One hundred seventy-two people on board were evacuated using emergency slides. Thirteen people suffered minor injuries. An FAA spokesman says the left engine caught on fire.

CUOMO: Those two Texas high school football players may face criminal charges over the brutal video that you've probably seen, and if not, watch this. Highlighted the ref. Boom, one, and then two. Obviously, come right at the ref. Now, why did they target this referee with a blindside hit and then

the second guy dive on him helmet first on the ground? Here's the new claim. The ref directed racial slurs at their team. Now the ref tells a different story.

So let's get CNN's Ed Lavandera, live in Dallas. Ed, what's the story?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Chris. Well, everybody knows high-school football across the country, especially here in Texas, comes with great passion and intensity. But clearly, the video that you see here crossed a very dangerous line.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Under the Friday night lights of Texas, this game ends with a stunning shot. One player from San Antonio's John Jay High School spears a game referee in the back, and then a second player strikes.

The video clips have been watched online millions of times in just a few days.

DR. BRIAN T. WOODS, SUPERINTENDENT: The incident is shameful to us and is deeply troubling to all of us, who, for many years, have been associated with athletics and with extracurricular activities in our school district.

LAVANDERA: The video was so shocking that the local prosecutor in Marble Falls, Texas, where the game was played, is considering filing assault charges against the two players. Both have been suspended from school.

But the jarring video doesn't appear to tell the whole story. School district officials said some players were not happy about the officiating throughout the game. And they say it's possible that one of the school's assistant coaches, Mack Breed, might have influenced the players' behavior by telling some players that the, quote, "refs should pay for cheating us." Breed has been put on administrative leave.

STAN LAING, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NISD ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT: Maybe the emotions got the best of him, based on, you know, his opinion on officiating and alleged comments. You know, and that's what's very difficult for us to be able -- because that's not what we're all about.

LAVANDERA: According to school district officials, the two players, a sophomore and a senior, also alleged that the game's ref directed two different racial slurs at the Jay football players during the game.

The game umpire has been identified as Robert Watts. He reportedly told TexasHighSchoolFootball.com, "I like to keep my officiating quiet. Libel and slander have been committed against me. I will be contacting the appropriate people soon, and any statement from me will come at a later date." (END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA: So Alisyn, here, a lot of questions still remain exactly what will happen with these students. They could be expelled from the school, suspended. And also, the state governing body that oversees athletics in high schools across the state is convening an emergency meeting to determine what exactly to do next.

So everything very much up in the air. But one thing school officials did say yesterday, they will not cancel the team's season -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, Ed. Thanks so much for all that background.

CUOMO: Well, good. Glad they're not going to cancel the season.

PEREIRA: It's shocking to see that happen. And there's almost no excuse, you think, for any kind of action like that purposely against anyone.

CAMEROTA: You don't have to take physical action against someone if they've insulted you.

(CROSSTALK)

PEREIRA: No. Let's have a conversation.

CUOMO: I mean, look, they're just kids. I don't mean that as an excuse.

PEREIRA: No.

CUOMO: It just is a factor in this. I said when we first showed this video to you, there are going to be criminal charges in this case. This is clearly outside the bounds of the game.

Even if everything they say is true, they did the wrong thing.

PEREIRA: Right, absolutely.

CUOMO: And they're a far way from proving what they say about this ref.

And the coach, that's a no-brainer.

PEREIRA: Got to find out what the role of the adults was.

CUOMO: When you're working with kids, you've got to be an adult. Right? That's just how it is.

Now, this is not going away, this story. So we're going to have more on these players who are accused of targeting a defenseless referee. Should the students be charged or is this just part of the game? I think you know the answer to that question. It's what do you do about it? We're going to talk to a former NFL official about the video and what can often happen during and then outside the realm of the game.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:21:52] CUOMO: So, here is the situation. Two Texas high school football players could face criminal charges for allegedly targeting a ref. they claim, now, that he used racial slurs against them.

Now let's take a look at the video. Shows the ref. There he is highlighted. He's play -- he's reffing the game; that's what he's doing. On of a sudden, on the snap of a ball, one safety, and then another safety, those two kids come over. One smacks him, blindsides him, and the other dives on top of him.

Now, the referee is saying, "I said what? That's libel. That's slander. That's not true."

Let's talk about this with Jim Daopoulos. He's a former NFL rep and a former supervisor of NFL officials. He's now a rules analyst for ESPN on "Monday Night Football."

Great to have you. I'm a big fan. But I have you in here to be objective today about this. First, have you ever seen anything like this before?

JIM DAOPOULOS, FORMER NFL REFEREE: Chris, in over 45 years of my officiating experience, never. Never have I seen anything as what occurred last weekend at this football game, ever.

CUOMO: It is a violent game at every level. I played it my whole life. There's no question about that.

However, do you believe that actions such as these, taken even by high schoolers, deserve the consideration of criminal behavior?

DAOPOULOS: Absolutely. As an official, you work the game and you expect to be bumped. You expect to be hit once in a while, you know, during the game. But you never expect to be blindsided by -- by players that target you for something that, you know, for some reason. And it's just not possible that they should not be charged with something like this.

CUOMO: You don't think their age exempts them? Their coach may be encouraging them to take retaliation, exempts them?

DAOPOULOS: I think they need to take responsibility for what they did. You know, whether the coach -- now if the coach precipitated this by telling the players, we need to get even with this official for cheating us, then I believe the coach needs to be punished severely. The players did this, and they need to accept responsibility for what they did.

CUOMO: If they find out that the coach somehow had a hand in this, because it's almost impossible to believe how they came up with this plan, these two. They had to know, especially playing in such a big place like Texas, that it was all going to be on video. It's a naked hit. There's no subtlety to it. If somebody put them up to it, should that person face criminal charges? DAOPOULOS: Chris, I believe so because, again, this is something

that, had this occurred out on the streets, would criminal charges be brought up against these individuals? You know, there's no difference.

And on the football field or on any athletic facility, you expect to be protected. You know, there are issue that are going to occur during the game. But you never expect to be blindsided as this official was.

CUOMO: Now I'm going light on the allegations of the players, not because that's outside the realm of fairness. But we don't have any proof that should have elicited any response, let along the ones they -- the actions that they took. And even if he did, what they did still wouldn't have been justified.

[07:25:08] But let's talk about it in the culture of the game. Is there something going on here in the culture of the game? Is there an increase in aggression that you're seeing with players, against themselves, against referees? Is this the window into that?

DAOPOULOS: Not necessarily. You know, it's a violent game, and the players are very aggressive out there. But you see a lot of instances that go on during the game. But very seldom, you know, is it taken to this level. You just don't expect an official to be attacked in this type of situation.

This isn't Europe where they play soccer and they go after the officials during the game. This is the United States. And this is something that I have never, ever seen in my years of officiating.

CUOMO: All right. Ref Daopoulos, thank you very much for giving us your take on this. We'll follow the case through to its end and hopefully have you back if it seems to take a twist. Thank you very much, sir. Appreciate it.

DAOPOULOS: Thank you for having me.

CUOMO: All right. Mick.

PEREIRA: The White House may have secured enough votes to make the Iran nuclear deal Senate safe. But Republican opponents still plan to have their say. We are going to speak to the head of the House Homeland Security Committee, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)