Return to Transcripts main page

New Day

Trump Pulls Away from Field in New CNN Poll; Biden Stepping Up Public Events; Coroner: Slain Officer Killed by Single Gunshot Wound; U.S. Warns Russia Over Its Military Buildup in Syria; Typhoon Floods Devastate Japan; Rain Pummels Northeast. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired September 10, 2015 - 06:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When Donald Trump is good, he's very, very good. But when he's bad, he's bad.

[05:58:42] CARLY FIORINA (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Maybe, just maybe I'm getting under his skin a little bit, because I am climbing in the polls.

DR. BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Humility and the fear of the lord. I don't get that impression.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We need a strong immigration plan. If he doesn't like it, he doesn't understand it.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Former tennis star James Blake says as many as five plainclothes officers tackled and handcuffed him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What would you like to hear?

JAMES BLAKE, FORMER TENNIS STAR: An apology.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Potential downpours in Japan, days of furious flooding sweeping away houses.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've seen people that had to climb onto their rooftops, clinging to light poles, trying to wave at the military helicopters.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota and Michaela Pereira.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: That looks nice.

All right. Good morning. Welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Thursday, September 10, 6 a.m. in the east. The reason we're saying breaking news is that we have new numbers for you that show that Donald Trump continues to defy the laws of politics.

A new CNN/ORC poll out just now shows Trump widening his lead over the entire field. He's got the backing now of 32 percent of GOP voters. It's the biggest number in any national poll to date. Remember, many said he would never crack 20 percent. Now he's over 30 percent.

Look at No. 2, Ben Carson. Also picking up steam and at a high rate. Guess what? He and Trump are butting heads now on a holy level.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: And once again, Trump finds himself in hot water for comments he's made about a woman. This time it's his Republican rival, Carly Fiorina.

So let's get the latest from CNN's Athena Jones. She is live in Washington. Good morning, Athena.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn.

The big question of the campaign season so far has been at what point will something Trump says actually hurt him with voters? So we'll see if we get an answer to that soon.

The other question folks have been asking lately is whether Trump and Carson, who as you saw there, hold the top two spots in polls, will begin to attack each other.

Well, we now have an answer to that question, and it was Carson who threw the first punch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONES (voice-over): This morning the Donald still sitting high atop the pack. In the new CNN/RNC poll, GOP voters say they think Trump is most likely to win the Republican nomination.

But in an interesting twist, more voters would be satisfied if retired brain surgeon Ben Carson actually wins the nomination over Trump, Carson leading by 9 percent.

The mild-mannered candidate surprising some by taking a jab at the GOP frontrunner Wednesday, going after Trump's faith.

DR. BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life. And that's a very big part of who I am. I don't get that impression with him. Maybe I'm wrong.

JONES: To which Trump shot back on Twitter, "Wow, I am ahead of the field with evangelicals and virtually every other group. And Ben Carson just took a swipe at me."

But Carson didn't stop there, critiquing Trump's immigration policy, as well, though not mentioning him by name.

CARSON: If anybody can show me how you can actually round up these people who aren't necessarily going to be cooperative and how that's not going to jam up the court system and cost enormous amounts of money, I'm perfectly happy to listen. JONES: Trump sticking it to Carson, too.

TRUMP: He doesn't understand it, and he's wrong.

JONES: As Carson makes gains on Trump, a controversial new profile of the billionaire hitting the newsstands in this month's issue of "Rolling Stone" magazine. The magazine quotes Trump insulting rival GOP candidate Carly Fiorina while watching her on TV, saying, quote, "Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that?"

Fiorina responding on FOX News.

FIORINA: I'm not going to spend a single cycle wondering what Donald Trump means, but maybe, just maybe, I'm getting under his skin a little bit, because I am climbing in the polls.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: Now Trump's campaign hasn't yet commented on that "Rolling Stone" piece or on Fiorina's response to it. But we're waiting to hear what they have to say -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Athena, thanks so much.

So after months of weighing a presidential bid and mourning in private, Vice President Joe Biden is beginning to go public. He had a meeting with Jewish leaders Wednesday. And he will appear on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" tonight.

So for the latest on everything happening on the Democratic race, let's get to CNN senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny.

Good morning, Jeff.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn.

You're right. Vice President Joe Biden is increasing his visibility, and he's hitting the road again, traveling to New York for four separate stops today as we still works through whether he's going to jump into the 2016 presidential race.

Now he's going to renew his call to increase the minimum wage. also attending a fundraiser for Democratic Senate candidates. And as you said, he's set to appear on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." This will be his first interview since he first started speculation about running for president.

Now I can tell you the Clinton campaign is watching this with great interest. As Hillary Clinton, her schedule, she's traveling to Ohio and Wisconsin today to attend fund-raisers of her own. But she's also speaking out in strong support of the Iran nuclear agreement, saying in a speech yesterday this presidential campaign has serious consequences.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My approach will be

distrust and verify. We should anticipate that Iran will test the next president. They'll want to see how far they can bend the rules. That won't work if I'm in the White House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: So Clinton is trying to put controversies behind her by delivering more speeches like that. And appearing in interviews of her own. She sat down with Ellen DeGeneres earlier this week. That interview airs today.

One interesting point: She talks about her granddaughter Charlotte so often. So Ellen asked what she'll call her. She said, "I'm fine with Grandma. I'm fine with Madam President. I mean, whatever" -- Chris and Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: That's great. OK, Jeff, stay with us, if you would, because we want to bring in now contributing editor for "New York Magazine," Jason Zengerle to break down all the new polling.

Good morning, Jason. Let's start with what we've just reported, that Donald Trump is at the highest point we've seen yet at 32 percent. Let's see what happens. This is with Republicans and the all-important independents. So let's see what's happened in terms of the change between July and now with all the candidates.

[06:05:12] Donald Trump has almost doubled his support. In July he had 18 percent. Now he has 32 percent. Look at what's happened to Ben Carson. He's more than quadrupled his support, up to 19 percent. Everyone else has held steady or actually fallen somewhat, other than Carly Fiorina, who has also increased her support. What do you see here, Jason?

JASON ZENGERLE, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK MAGAZINE": Well, obviously, the Republican field, you know, is favoring outsiders right now. And that would be -- that would be Trump and Carson. I mean, I think that the way Trump has just been able to defy political gravity has really been kind of fascinating. You know, his inevitable demise keeps on getting pushed off. I think everybody thought it was going to be by the end of the summer that he'd implode. Then it was going to be later this fall.

I think now Republican elites are resigning himself to the fact that he's going to be around through New Hampshire, though Iowa. And, you know, eventually he'll falter, but they're looking to sort of, you know, April, May, June.

CAMEROTA: But how do you know -- I mean, how do you know they'll be a demise? How do you know he'll eventually...

CUOMO: Inevitable; he's falter. He falters plenty. And there's -- that's the only thing that' inevitable, is that he will falter. But it doesn't hurt him in the polls. He goes the opposite direction.

Jeff, weigh in on this. I mean, is it time we've been saying for a while, "Hey, don't write him off." But in a more profound way, that he may be representative of something that people want right now. What makes you feel otherwise?

ZELENY: Sure. He's definitely tapping into this interest. I don't think we should write him off at all. We should write him in. Now he's becoming more of a serious presidential candidate. So now everything he says is going to be looked at in a slightly different way.

Those comments about Carly Fiorina, I promise you, or at least I predict to you that will come back during the debate next week here on CNN. And she can be standing on that stage looking him in the eye and said, "Donald, you don't like my face?" Things like that that are magnified before a big audience eventually will be part of this whole information packet that voters have.

Some voters won't care about it, but some voters certainly will care about it. So the fall always becomes a time for voters to take a new look at the race here. So he now is a serious presidential candidate. He'll be treated like one, and we'll see what voters think about it.

CAMEROTA: Jason, let's talk about whether or not voters care about faith, because Ben Carson said yesterday, in going after Trump, he basically said that Trump does not have -- that he does not think that Trump has humility and the faith is not a very big part of his life. Does this matter to voters at this point?

ZENGERLE: It doesn't seem like it does so far. I mean, this is not necessarily a new thing to say about Donald Trump. I mean, you know, he clearly doesn't know the difference between the Old Testament and New Testament. He -- it seems he likes "The Art of the Deal" almost as much as the Bible. And yet, his standing among evangelicals has increased.

When he was out in Iowa, he basically insulted them, and it doesn't really seem to make a difference.

CUOMO: So put that together for us, Jason. If you are dealing with a voter group that cares about their faith and it being taken seriously, especially the Bible -- we're talking evangelicals here -- more than perhaps anything else, he is about the opposite of what they would want on paper. And yet they're choosing him first. Synthesize.

ZENGERLE: I think that, you know, he's clearly -- he's stroking a cord. And there's something about his willingness to be politically incorrect, his willingness to say things others won't say. His -- his focus on immigration. I think in the poll, the fact that you know how a majority of Republican voters being concerned about illegal immigration, that has to be of great concern to the rest of the Republican Party.

Because I think that, even if Trump does inevitably falter, he will have changed the shape of the race by forcing other candidates to go through the round (ph) on immigration in a way that might really harm them in a general election. CAMEROTA: Well, let's look at that.

ZELENY: If I can jump in here for a second, the evangelicals in Iowa, I'm telling you: this is a big deal. This: what Ben Carson said yesterday is going to be the most interesting attack on him. We'll see if it works or not.

But social conservatives, evangelicals in these Iowa caucuses, very important. That's who Ben Carson was talking to in his speech in California. I think this is one of those that may stick among some of those evangelical voters in the Iowa caucuses.

CAMEROTA: We should mention that we are going to have Donald Trump on NEW DAY at 7:30 Eastern this morning. So everyone should stick around for this. We'll put all these questions to him.

But also speaking of the positions that voters think are important, let's put this up. This is a new CNN poll just out this morning, and it asks, "Most important reason why you support Donald Trump?" Twenty-one percent say are on-the-job experience. They believe he's an experienced negotiator and businessman. Seventy-one percent say position on the issues. And then -- look at that -- the next one is 5 percent, don't like other candidates. So it's not a protest vote, Jason.

ZENGERLE: No, it's -- well, you know, it's a protest vote in the sense that, you know, the idea that they think that he has experience, you know, the issues that he's focusing on are not necessarily issues that anyone else is focusing on before.

I mean, I think that you can't say that it's not a protest vote in the sense that he's just -- he's just completely different than the rest of the field in the fact they are gravitating to Carson.

CAMEROTA: Sure. I mean, you're right. Against Washington is the protest vote. I get that it's not his fellow candidates, or Jeb Bush, necessarily.

[06:10:04] ZENGERLE: No. Although Jeb Bush is -- you know, although he's obviously not from Washington, he's saddled with the Washington label. He's saddled with the establishment label. Just anyone who is at all associated with -- with Washington and with actually having been in office at this point, that's a strike against you. So...

CUOMO: Jason, let's end...

ZENGERLE: ... Carson has that going for him.

CUOMO: Jason, let's end here with a little beer politics. At what month do you believe that Donald Trump will no longer be first in the polls?

ZENGERLE: March. I would say now.

CUOMO: March. All right. We've got a beer on it. Mine will be non-alcoholic. We have to keep politics serious.

CAMEROTA: Wow. I've never known you to suggest that.

CUOMO: Sober-minded, sober-minded.

CAMEROTA: Suggest such a thing. All right, Jeff, Jason, thank you very much.

CUOMO: So the candidates, as part of the CNN commitment to cover the race, we're going to have people everywhere today. OK? As we mentioned, you're going to get a dose of the Donald in the next hour here on NEW DAY. You're going to get to feel the Bern with Bernie Sanders joining Wolf Blitzer at 1. And Jeb "better looking than my brother" Bush, speaking with Jeff Tapper on THE LEAD at 4 p.m.

CAMEROTA: Also, be sure to tune into the big Republican debate right here on CNN. That is Wednesday, September 16, 6 and 8 p.m. Eastern. And tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern on "AC 360," you will find out which candidates will be on the main debate stage -- Michaela.

PEREIRA: All right. Let's get to some other news now. New details are emerging this morning in the death of Illinois Police Lieutenant Joe Gliniewicz. The coroner in Lake County says a single devastating gunshot wound killed him. No one is in custody, and now that case may be going cold.

Let's turn to CNN's Rosa Flores with more for us, live in Chicago.

Good morning to you.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Michaela.

"The Chicago Tribune" quoting the Lake County coroner is quoted saying that Lieutenant Gliniewicz died from one devastating gunshot wound. Now, he won't go into the details. He won't say how many times, where he was shot, if there were other wounds or even the manner of death, saying that he doesn't know where the bullet came from. And also adding, quote, "Right now all unnatural deaths are up for suggestion. That means homicide, suicide, accident, undetermined."

Now, I've covered a lot of crime scenes, and I've got to give you some context here, because a few things really stand out.

First of all, the investigation from the get-go has been looking for three suspects. Very early on in that investigation, they stopped doing the door-to-door geographic grid-like search with lots of officers on the ground.

Now, after that, we have the commander who's in charge flubbing, calling this case first a murder and then correcting himself and saying, quote, "I'm sorry, killed."

And then you've got this surveillance video that authorities were so focused on, saying that it had three suspects. Well, they talked to those suspects, and now they say that those individuals are not persons of interest. They are not suspects.

And here we are with very little information, Chris, and a lot of questions in the killing of this lieutenant.

CUOMO: But you've got an entire force and, really, a big part of the city there looking for answers. We'll stay on this story. Rosa, thank you very much.

Also important for you to know this morning, the U.S. and NATO expressing renewed and intensified concerns over a Russian military build-up in Syria.

Let's get right to CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr with the latest.

Barbara, what do we know?

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Chris.

A confrontation essentially brewing between Moscow and Washington. Secretary of State John Kerry now making a second telephone call in a week to his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, asking what the Russians are up to in Syria. There is a lot of concern about a Russian military build-up.

Listen to what the State Department has to say about this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KIRBY, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: But if true, and if borne out, those reports would be -- could lead to greater violence and more, even more instability in this area.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Now what the U.S. has been noticing, the build-up is all about, they are seeing Russian infantry, naval infantry, the equivalent of U.S. Marines going into Syria. They are seeing dozens of Russian vehicles, some armored vehicles beginning to appear on the ground there. Russian transport planes bringing in more and more equipment.

What do they think is happening? The U.S. theory is at this point, is the Russians are building up for possible airstrikes against rebel forces challenging Bashar al-Assad. That is exactly not what Washington wants to see. They want Assad to go. They don't want to see the Russians propping him up and the violence being extended even further.

CAMEROTA: That is so troubling. Barbara, thanks so much for the update.

Also breaking news right now. At this hour, there's desperate rescues underway during an unprecedented downpour in Japan. It's causing violent flooding and forcing more than a hundred thousand people to evacuate. Look at the rescue right there. CNN's Will Ripley is in Tokyo for us with the latest. What's

happening, Will?

[06:15:05] WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alisyn, two feet of rain since Monday evening in some parts of Japan has led to what are seeing unfold right now, these dramatic rescues along the Kinugawa River. These are people who had almost no notice to evacuate from their homes as the waters rose so quickly they had to run upstairs to their balconies, to their rooftops.

Some people were stuck in their cars or clinging onto light poles, waiting for the Japanese military to come and rescue them.

More than 170,000 people received emergency evacuation orders. Many of them are staying in some 100 evacuation centers which are set up right now.

But what is still unknown at this hour, exactly how many people may still be trapped in some of those flooded-out buildings. Some of those buildings we've seen from aerial photographs washed away by the strength of those rising waters.

And in nearby Fukushima prefecture, home to the crippled nuclear plant, there's another troubling situation unfolding. Contaminated radioactive water that's being stored outside has been spilling at times during this rain event into the ocean.

The power provider, Tepco, says that there were several tons of radioactive water that spilled over a period of three hours. They say that leak is now contained, but they continue to monitor the radiation levels in the area, which they say are normal, at least for now -- Michaela.

PEREIRA: All right. Thanks so much for that update. We'll watch with you. You let us know when there are more developments.

Meanwhile, back here stateside, a tropical storm is churning in the Atlantic. Rain is expected to hit the northeast today. In fact, I think it's hitting us right now. Let's turn to meteorologist Chad Myers for a look at our forecast, how things are shaping up, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's going to be shaping up slow across the northeast today. If you're going to be traveling by car or even rail, for that matter, it could be a little bit slow because of the very heavy rainfall. Now, we're not talking the kind of rainfall that they're getting in Tokyo and points north of there, but still some significant rainfall.

And yes, Henri is in the Atlantic Ocean. So heavy, heavy northeast rainfall, two to four inches of rain in some spots.

Here we go, moving ahead all the way to 8 p.m. tonight. See, the rain continues over the area for hour after hour after hour. This is 2 a.m., 3 a.m., 4 a.m., and it's still raining. Two to four inches possible from New York City all the way down to South Jersey. Other than that, cold air coming in. It's going to feel like

fall for the next couple of days as two low-pressure centers, two cold fronts start to really cool down the northeast. In fact, we'll only be in the 70s today and up to 80, we'll just muster barely 80 tomorrow and even cooler for Sunday and Monday as we move you ahead.

And yes, you said Henri. And I know we've had a very slow severe weather or circulation season here. Cyclone season, severe weather, tropical storm season very, very slow this year.

But today is the peak of the season. We are not over. We are just only in the beginning of the peak. And then we start to go down. So half the hurricanes after now, half the hurricanes before now. So it is not over. We'll keep watching it for you.

Guys, back to you.

CAMEROTA: OK, Chad, thanks so much.

Also...

CUOMO: I like when you talk with the show me. Continue.

CAMEROTA: Move your lips.

More now on those concerns that we just heard about. A Russian troop build-up inside Syria. The U.S. warning that this could lead to an escalation of violence as you just heard from our Barbara Starr. But the Russians claim they're only there to fight ISIS. What is really going on?

CUOMO: Also, remember, Donald Trump is on the show this morning at 7:30. He's got big things to answer for and explain. Some good, some not. So tune in for that. The questions will be asked.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:22:45] CUOMO: Russia is building up a troop presence in Syria, says Secretary of State John Kerry, warning his Moscow counterpart that Russian troops could escalate violence there. Russia says those troops are there only to fight ISIS. Is there any proof of that? If not, what is the true motive and can anything be done?

Thomas Pickering is a man to ask for answers, former U.S. ambassador to Russia, Jordan and Israel. Joining us now, he's currently the vice chairman of Hills and Company.

Mr. Ambassador, thank you very much. CNN reporting that two Russian amphibious ships are at a port in Syria. Their satellites seen over 100 naval infantry troops -- you know what that is -- to coordinate action. They say it's about fighting ISIS. Is it as likely that they are there to help Assad? What's your take?

THOMAS PICKERING, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA, JORDAN AND ISRAEL: I think they are there to help Assad. Fighting ISIS may be a good reason. Assad is fighting ISIS, but we have a very complicated multi-cornered conflict going on in Syria.

And it doesn't look like Mr. Assad has been doing well, particularly lately, and the Russians may want to keep their hand in for a combination of political and strategic reasons. Particularly if the situation in Syria begins to shift.

And I suspect that Secretary Kerry has that very much in mind. The U.S. position has been that Assad has to go. And anything that buttresses Assad, even it helps against ISIS, seemingly at least, is at the center of U.S. concerns and may be a greater revelation of the reason why Russia's interest in buttressing its own position so that it can play a role, should the situation shift in one way or another, or to keep it from shifting so far against their guy, Assad, that they end up at the conference table with no cards to play.

CUOMO: What is your best bet on where Putin's head is on doing this? We saw something similar in Ukraine. Obviously, there was a much more naked play. There was a huge Russian population. There was a lot of sympathy there, and there was a power flex. What's going on here?

PICKERING: My best bet is that Mr. Putin is difficult to predict, and that's one of his tactical -- put it this way -- virtues, if you can use that word. But that I think he's continuing to play, on the Russian scene, a game to promote his own popularity, his own strong position in Russia and to buttress that to the extent that he can.

[06:25:13] Playing a card in Syria that looks like Crimea Light, if we can call it that, may well be a part of that process, based on an exultation of Russian nationalism, a Russian role in the region. It's now extended beyond the former Soviet Union in a more strong way in Syria. And an effort, obviously, to protect what assets he believes he has there. And I think those are all important questions.

I wish I could tell you I knew for certain what Mr. Putin was thinking and how far he goes, but that's one of the questions that he tries to exploit in his own tactical game in playing in these areas.

CUOMO: And obviously, it matters on so many fronts, but many believe, Ambassador, that without Russia's help, Assad would have fallen already. And that takes us to the question of what the allies can do about Mr. Putin.

Yes, he was one of the P5+1 at the table with Iran. But it seems that, whether it's Ukraine or now in Syria, he does not care what the U.S. threatens. The U.S. has no leverage over him whatsoever. Is that going too far?

PICKERING: Not quite. Iran also plays in that game, and the Iranian position is also significant, whether they stick with Assad and stick in an anti-ISIS position. And in the end, whether Russia and Assad and Iran believe that they have a real capacity or they're in a defensive situation to keep things from getting worse is importantly. Second, both Bulgaria and Greece, I'm sure with the persuasion of

the U.S. State Department, have begun to deny Russia overflight rights, even though the Russians complain that these planes are carrying humanitarian assistance.

The presence of the amphibious ships in Latakia (ph) is an interesting indication that there's more than humanitarian stuff going on here. Whether Turkey would be willing to block shipping or not is a more open question. And that's under the Montreux Convention in which Turkey controls the states but it has -- the straits, I'm sorry -- but it has certain obligations. And we don't know yet where the lawyers would be on that.

But Russia is hanging out on the end of a fairly long string here. And whether, in fact, they have much of the same capacity they had in the Crimea is, in my view, open to question, particularly if one looks at some of the military balance issues here.

However, I am quite sure that neither Russia nor the United States want, in Syria, a Russian/U.S. confrontation. And that is also a card that I think Secretary Kerry is playing and playing very hard. And I think wisely in this particular situation.

CUOMO: Mr. Ambassador, we thank you very much for helping us understand the state of play. As developments occur -- and it seems like they will -- we'll come back to you for some perspective on what should happen next. Thank you, sir.

PICKERING: Thanks, Chris.

CUOMO: All right -- Mick.

PEREIRA: Former tennis star James Blake slammed to the ground, handcuffed by New York City Police in a case of mistaken identity. You're going to hear his story. Then we're going to talk to New York's police commissioner about that incident. We're also going to ask him whether it's time to reinstate the city's controversial stop- and-frisk policy.

CAMEROTA: And Donald Trump widening his lead in the new CNN/ORC poll. We will talk about it with the Republican presidential candidate himself, Donald Trump, live at 7:30 Eastern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)