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New Day

Pope to Address Americans from White House; Trump and Carson Under Fire for Anti-Muslim Rhetoric; Trump Reignites War with FOX News. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired September 23, 2015 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Ed, very quickly, your thoughts?

ED O'KEEFE, POLITICAL REPORTER, WASHINGTON POST: You know who was having problems like this a month ago? Scott Walker. And look where he is now. The scrutiny that becomes with being a national presidential candidate is intense. Dr. Carson is beginning to learn that as he surges in the polls.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

O'KEEFE: There's an old Yogi Berra express that applies to Mr. Carson this morning, I never said half the things I really said.

CAMEROTA: There you go. The perfect way to wrap it up.

Patricia Murphy, Ed O'Keefe, thanks so much. Great to see you.

What's your take on all of this? Tweet us #NewDayCNN or post your comments on Facebook.com/NewDay.

Also, one quick programming note: Donald Trump will join us live on NEW DAY tomorrow morning. You don't want to miss that when we put all of those questions to him.

All right. Let's go out to Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Alisyn.

We keep using the word history. No question this is an historic trip. But the fact that it's Pope Francis' first one is the least of the reasons. He could completely change the dialogue we're having with politics and inclusion.

So, what are the potential surprises? That have politicians on both sides of the aisle nervous? We're going to tell you when NEW DAY continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:35:23] CUOMO: Very exciting. The pope is going to be speaking right behind us this morning. But Washington is really pretty occupied with what's going to happen tomorrow. That's when the pope will be the first pope ever to address Congress. Politicians on the right are nervous about global warming and some social issues. But there's already a Democrat who's boycotted the address and members of the left may have reasons to worry as well.

Let's have Congressman Ben Ray Lujan, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, attending today's ceremony.

It is good to have with us, sir.

REP. BEN RAY LUJAN (D), NEW MEXICO: It's good to be with you today.

CUOMO: So, let's talk about first what the upside is, from a personal pride perspective, what does it mean to have this pope here? And from a political perspective, how could it play to advantage?

LUJAN: Well, Chris, I think for me personally, the pride that I carry is the pride that so many people across this country carry. My mom's with me here today like many moms across the country. My dad sadly passed away a few years ago. It was always a dream for my mom and dad to go and visit the Vatican, to see the pope, growing up with a picture of President Kennedy and the pope on the wall. I think the pope calling for us to find the greater good within us, challenge us to make a difference every day, asking us if we've made that difference.

So, I just see the importance of him coming together to bringing the country together, and I hope and pray to bring the Congress together, to find the greater good in each and every one of us.

CUOMO: Well, the timing couldn't be better for that message, right, the campaign is somewhat exacerbating the tensions. The Puerto Rican part of the Cuomo clan doesn't even call the pope El Papa, they call him El Primero, because he's, you know, the first Latin American.

But there's a little bit of pressure on you from the left as well then, right, because when he comes here, what's he going to say? You should have done more. You should have done better. The mandate is clear.

That's going to play as a challenge to the left every bit as much as the right. So, how do you deal with that?

LUJAN: Well, I think the message is welcome, Chris. We want the pope to challenge us. We should all be looking for that reflection within.

But also in our responsibilities as members of Congress to best represent our communities. And we can always do more. So, I think the more the pope can challenge us, the better off we are not only as say Congress, but a country to be able to help the least amongst us.

CUOMO: Now, what do you think of the state of play in Congress right now where more and more, the GOP bubbling up saying he better sticks to matters of faith. If he talks about politics, he's as open to scrutiny as anybody else. That's not really the job of a pope.

Are you surprised there's that type of potential aggression coming out even before we know what he says?

LUJAN: Well, whatever the pope may share with us. Whatever the message of Pope Francis shares with us, it may make some members comfortable, some members uncomfortable, depending on what's going to be said. But it's a learning experience. And we should welcome that message and treat him with that respect and dignity that he deserves and commands.

And so, I'm just hopeful that whatever the pope challenges us with, that we're able to learn from it, listen to him and God willing put things into practice.

CUOMO: Now, we got ears inside the Vatican, right? And it was interesting to hear from them down in Cuba. They say, you know, the way we see the situation with immigration in your country, we blame the Democrats as much as the Republicans. They've had eight years. Obama got into office, President Obama saying he was going to change something. Nothing has change.

How much of the onus do you put on yourself?

LUJAN: Well, I think that we all have the job to get the job done. But when Speaker Boehner and House Republicans refused for a piece of House of immigration reform to come to the floor, there's nothing that we can do as Democrats to change that. We hope and we pray that Speaker Boehner -- maybe he'll listen today, the House Republicans will listen today.

The votes are there. If only a bill would come to the floor, I believe in my heart of hearts, the numbers show it, Democrats will pass that bill in conjunction with our brothers and sisters of the Republican Party to do what's right for the country and pass comprehensive immigration reform.

CUOMO: Immigration maybe the pope will take to your advantage. What about Planned Parenthood, respecting the lives of the unborn? That will play to the disadvantage of many on the left. How do you deal with that?

LUJAN: Well, again, I have my faith and my faith is important to me. But that decision belongs to a woman, her God and her doctor.

CUOMO: That's not what the pope says.

LUJAN: We're going to -- well, we're going to hear all kinds of important messages from the pope today. But, again, today I think is to hear the grander message. He'll ask all of us to reflect, all of us to look within, and again, help those amongst us that need the most assistance.

CUOMO: All right. Now, here's the big question, OK, how do you get mama to be with the pope?

LUJAN: Well, mom's been lighting votive candles and she's been praying. And we're just here today. I think here with all the people that have come from all over the country to be with Pope Francis, we're just happy with this opportunity.

CUOMO: Ben Ray, that works as a political answer. But that's not going to work with mama. You better be working those connections to get her close, at least to get a handshake.

LUJAN: Thank you so much. Thanks for being here, covering this. This is just incredible, to feel this energy is incredible.

CUOMO: Enjoy it. Hope it has a positive effect on everybody for the right reasons.

[06:40:01] LUJUAN: Absolutely.

CUOMO: Ben Ray Lujan, thank you very much. Enjoy the morning.

Mick, over to you.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: You know what? It's infectious. We can feel it from here, Chris. Thanks for sharing that with us. We'll be back to you in a moment.

But, first, here we go again, Donald Trump taking aim at FOX News anchor Megyn Kelly again, calling her highly overrated and a lightweight. Why is the Republican front-runner reigniting this feud with FOX? We'll take a look at this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: In about two hours time, Pope Francis will be welcomed to the White House before he and President Obama speak directly to the American people. The pope is expected to make even more history tomorrow. He'll become the first ever pontiff to address a joint meeting of Congress. When asked about his politics, he told reporters he doesn't lean left or right but simply follows the social doctrine of the church.

CAMEROTA: Questions about Muslim-Americans still swirling around the top Republican candidates. Dr. Ben Carson reversing position, insisting now he could support a Muslim candidate for president if that candidate puts the Constitution above their religion. And Donald Trump refusing to apologize for not correcting a supporter who went on an anti-Muslim tirade.

[06:45:03] And when Stephen Colbert asked him where the president was born last night, Trump refused to answer.

PEREIRA: The CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals agreeing to lower the price of a drug that treats infections in HIV and cancer patients. Martin Shkreli backed down after blistering criticism for drastically increasing the price. He hiked the price of Daraprim more than 5,000 percent, from $13.50 to $750 a tablet from one day to the next after buying the drug in August. Shkreli said he will lower the price to make it more affordable while still allowing the company to make a profit, however, there's no word yet on what that new price will be.

CAMEROTA: What was he thinking?

Meanwhile, let's talk sports. My favorite subject.

PEREIRA: You and I love it.

CAMEROTA: If you like scoring goals, then this next highlight is for you.

A German soccer player has the game of his life. Andy Scholes is here with this morning's bleacher report.

Hey, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, guys.

You know, it's not often we get German soccer highlights in the bleacher report but Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski has four-star hand. He came as a sub, but his team down a goal. And then Lewandowski goes to score not one, not two, not three, not four, but five goals and he did it in under nine minutes. It's the fastest anyone has scored five goals in Bundesliga history. Byron beat Wolfburg by the final of 5-1.

All right. The battle for the AL East between the Yankees and Blue Jays continuing last night in Toronto. Bottom nine, Yankees up by one when Dioner Navarro takes Andrew Miller deep to tie the game. He would go the extra innings.

In the tenth, two on for Greg Bird and he's going to go yard. This is the third straight game. He's hit a home run. The Yankees win 6-4, they trail the blue jays by 2 1/2 games with 12 to go. Michaela, no reason to panic for Yankees fans. They have a stronghold on one of those spots.

PEREIRA: Back to that soccer player. It's a great metaphor for life. You're a sub, go in there and score.

CAMEROTA: Score lots in nine minutes.

PEREIRA: In nine minutes, efficient.

All right. So much for that truce between Donald Trump and FOX News. The GOP front-runner targeting once again anchor Megyn Kelly on Twitter. What is his gripe now? We'll take a look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:51:42] PEREIRA: Donald Trump's relationship with FOX News appears to be on the rocks again. Trump took to Twitter to criticize Bill O'Reilly. In fact, the whole network thinks he was treated unfairly. Social media and TV have been a boon to Trump's campaign and probably vice versa.

So, why has he reignited this battle?

Let's bring in CNN senior media correspondent and host of "RELIABLE SOURCES", the one and only Brian Stelter. Bill Carter is here, he is CNN contributor and author of "The War For Late Night."

I'm going to do this to save us energy. I'm going run through the Twitter storm that he essentially unleashed this Monday.

"Do you ever notice lightweight Megyn Kelly constantly goes after me, when I hit back it's totally sexist. She is highly overrated." And then follows up with, "I think Megyn Kelly should take another 11-day unscheduled vacation."

Then he aims his sights at O'Reilly. "O'Reilly Factor was very negative to me in refusing to post the great polls that came out today, including NBC. FOX News is not good for me."

And then takes aim at some of the booking. "Why don't you have knowledgeable talking heads on your show for a change instead of the same old Trump haters. Boring."

And the piece of resistance, "I'm having a hard time watching @foxnews."

This sounds like the kind of stuff parents trying to tell their teenage kids not to do, which is take to Twitter and live out your frustration, Bill.

BILL CARTER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: He's kind of like a reflex. You hit him and he hits back. Automatically comes back.

And I think he -- it's worked for him before. He went after FOX before. Remembered? It kind of worked. It looks like it's a go-to tactic for him now. Oh, I'm having trouble, they're talking about Carly Fiorina.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Right, right.

PEREIRA: Is the timing curious, though?

STELTER: That's the view over at FOX, is that because he seems to have lost a little bit of momentum, that maybe that's why he's firing back right now.

PEREIRA: That's maybe what we're seeing. It's really interesting because it seems if you just look at it from a 30,000-foot level, it's a bit like one of those dysfunctional relationship we've seen and witnessed, on again, off again, on again.

But the two need each other. These two entities need each other.

STELTER: There's a mutually beneficial relationship here, but I think what we're seeing the divide within the conservative movement is playing out on television as well. Trump and FOX should be allies. They should be -- in the past, they would have been seen as mutually beneficial. In this case, it's more complicated to see a divide within the moment.

CARTER: You know there's something going on at FOX, they're uncomfortable with him as the front-runner. They don't like it. It's probably not great for the brand or great Republican future maybe if he's the candidate. I think they would prefer --

STELTER: If you believe Roger Ailes, the head of FOX News, if you believe he wants a Republican in power, in office, Donald Trump might not be the ticket.

CARTER: That's what I think is the concern.

PEREIRA: It's been interesting to watch how FOX management and the executive suite has been managing this thus far.

STELTER: For two weeks, they blacked him out. They had no Trump interviews on the network for two weeks, as a sort of punishment. Now, the Trump campaign says we didn't have time for the interviews.

(CROSSTALK)

CARTER: By the way, Trump is important to them. He drives ratings like he drives ratings for everybody else.

The guy is not letting up. He's a master at getting attention. Let's face it. He's all over the place. He was on with Colbert last night. That was an effective appearance for him. He was lighthearted. He didn't look crazy.

You know, if FOX doesn't put him on, he moves somewhere else.

PEREIRA: He knows ho you to work the media. That's what everybody says, even the people critical of him, will come and say, that he knows how to use effectively media of all sorts.

[06:55:05] It's not just, you know, TV and this network but social media as well.

STELTER: He's doing "60 Minutes" this weekend. He did a Twitter chat a couple days ago. There's something honest I really appreciate about what he does when he fires back on social media.

Here's what I mean. Some A-list celebrity, some TV news anchor saying I don't read the press about me. No. Donald Trump is sitting there. He's watching FOX and he's live tweeting FOX.

There's something I respect about that. Maybe it is a detriment to him in the long run.

CARTER: He seems to have a lot of time on his hands.

PEREIRA: He does seem to have a lot of time on his hands.

CARTER: He's paying so much attention to everything being said about him. You would think at this point, he might back off a little bit just because people are saying, well, you don't know enough about policy.

But it works for him. This is his thing, this is his brad. He's out there with everybody.

PEREIRA: But do you think this strategy and this tactic can last? Is this a long game kind of approach to have?

CARTER: It's dangerous.

PEREIRA: Especially as you get closer to the nomination period.

CARTER: You can't stay in the spotlight all the time.

PEREIRA: Oversaturation.

CARTER: You're over-saturating. I do think he's at the risk of that.

But then, I see him doing things like the Colbert thing and Fallon and going on "60 Minutes." I think, boy, the guy is playing his cards very effectively.

PEREIRA: All right. Well, Bill, Brian, I feel like we'll have a chance to talk about this in coming days, months, maybe even years.

All right. We're following a whole lot of news this morning. Let's get right to it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: Pope Francis will become the third pontiff to visit the White House.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The pope is traveling not as a politician but as a pastor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A cast of thousands, tens of thousands behind the scenes to keep this pope safe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The implied threat is significant.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Each one of these buildings, someone from the service is going to visit.

BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't want them to be the president of the United States.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The problem in this country, it's Muslims?

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, like everything else, you have people where there are problems.

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: National polls don't matter right now. What really matters is what happens in New Hampshire.

STEPHEN COLBERT, COMEDIAN: Let's talk about immigration for a second.

TRUMP: We have to have a wall. In that wall, we're going to have a beautiful big, fat door.

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

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: Good morning. Welcome to your NEW DAY. Alisyn and Mick are in New York. And we are coming to you live from the White House.

This is history is about to be made here at the White House. In just about two hours, the Holy Father, Papa Francisco, will speak directly to the American people. He's going to join President Obama on the South Lawn. People have been getting here for over an hour now. They're waving their flags, their Vatican flag and the U.S. flag.

The big question is, when the Holy Father speaks, what will the message be? Remember, he's an immigrant himself. He's from Latin America himself. So, what is he going to say about immigration? Certainly close to his heart. How will he use this worldwide audience? Who will it please, who will it displease? Certainly, it will create controversy.

So, let's begin our comprehensive team coverage with chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto. He's on the North Lawn of the White House.

You have all the politics. You have the religiosity. But you also have the practicality, Jim -- securing a pope and a president, no small task.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESOPNDENT: No question. And as we've been talking about, this is a trip of firsts -- the pope's first visit to the U.S. not just as a pope but ever in his life. The first time a world leader has been greeted not just by the president but by the vice president as well.

But also later this morning, that first address directly to the American people by the pope. We know this is a pope who communicates with gestures. We saw that yesterday as he rode from Andrews Air Force Base in that tiny compact car, speaks to his personal. But in another gesture when he speaks to the American people, later today, that will be in English, not a language he is comfortable with but a way for him to better connect with the American people.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO (voice-over): For the first time, Pope Francis is waking up on U.S. soil this morning, marking the beginning of a nearly week-long visit that millions of people of all faiths have been anticipating. Today, 15,000 visitors are expected on the White House south lawn to witness day two of the pope's visit.

Pope Francis and President Obama will speak to the world, then Obama will present Pope Francis with a customary gift and hold a one- on-one meeting with only translators present. It remains unknown what the two leaders will likely discuss.

VALERIE JARRETT, WHITE HOUSE SENIOR ADVISER: With two men of this caliber who share ideals and who share values about human decency, respect for human differences, I think that it's going to be a really, really positive visit.

SCIUTTO: The moment the pontiff touched down in Washington Tuesday afternoon, he made history.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So glad you're in the United States.

SCIUTTO: Never before had both a sitting American president and vice president and their families welcomed a foreign leader.

The people's pope leaving Andrews Air Force Base not in a limo or Popemobile, but in a relatively inexpensive and compact Italian- made Fiat.

It's a historic visit requiring an equally historic amount of security.