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Lindsey Graham on Politics; CNN Money Now; U.S. Officials: Hostage Rescue Attempt in Iraq; Mexican Officials: Six People Arrested in 'El Chapo' Jailbreak; Pediatricians: No Alcohol During Pregnancy. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired October 22, 2015 - 08:30   ET

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

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[08:33:48] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Republican presidential front runner Donald Trump continues to dominate the field. But in the key state of Iowa, new polling out today shows the other Washington outsider, Ben Carson, taking the lead. Republican presidential candidate and South Carolina senator, Lindsey Graham, joins us now to talk about the GOP field and so much more.

Senator, thanks so much for being here. Nice to have you on NEW DAY.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Good morning.

CAMEROTA: Before we get to the polling, I want to start with what happened on Tuesday morning. You were watching NEW DAY, as you do every morning, and you heard Donald -

GRAHAM: Every day.

CAMEROTA: That's right. And Donald Trump was our guest. You heard him say something about foreign policy that you considered so wrong-headed that you felt compelled to speak out about it and you've been tweeting about it, et cetera, ever since then. So let me remind our viewers what Donald Trump said about getting involved in Iraq and then also about what to do in Syria. So listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (voice-over): Number one, they had no weapons of mass destruction. I think Bush wanted to do that for his father maybe. You know, because - actually his father did a good job. He went and he knocked the hell out of Iraq but he didn't go in. He didn't go into the quagmire. You know, that whole Middle East is a quagmire. Anybody goes in, you're in a quagmire there, you can't get out, and it's not going to change. And it's not going to change with Syria either, by the way. It's not going to be changing - it's like a quagmire. It's like - it's like being in quick sand, you can't get out. In the meantime, we have to build our own country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:35:12] CAMEROTA: Senator, isn't he right? Isn't Syria a quagmire? GRAHAM: Well, I think what he doesn't understand is that Syria is the

next launching pad for another 9/11. It sounds like he's closer to Ron Paul foreign policy than Ronald Reagan. Syria is the home of ISIL. That's where their headquarters exist. ISIL is a direct threat to the homeland. They want to do three things, purify their faith, destroy Israel, attack us. Al Baghdadi, the head of ISIL, was an in an American prison of war camp in Iraq. When we turned him over to the Iraqis, he turned to the American colonel who turned him over and said, I will see you in New York.

The bottom line is that now Donald Trump says he will allow the Russians to fight ISIL. We're going to get out of Syria. We're going to leave the place alone. So this is a new low for me in this whole primary process. Our leading candidate is now suggesting that we allow Russia to destroy ISIL, that we're outsourcing the defense of the American homeland to Putin. That's beyond crazy.

CAMEROTA: But yet, senator, here's the problem, and that is in terms of your foreign policy vision is that more people, more voters appear to be agreeing with Donald Trump. I'll put up the latest poll numbers for you. Donald Trump is again - once again the dominate favorite. He has - let me put these up for you. Well, I'll show you what we were talking about with Iowa. Let's start with that. In Iowa, Ben Carson has leapfrogged Donald Trump. He's at 28 percent. But that's just Iowa.

GRAHAM: Yes.

CAMEROTA: Donald Trump is leading in all of the national polls. He's still at 20 percent. And you, senator, are at less than 1 percent. In other words, Americans are bonding with whatever you call his vision more than yours.

GRAHAM: Well, here's what I would suggest, that our homeland is very much at risk from radical Islam. That Obama's policy to destroy and degrade ISIL is not working. It's the right goal. And that Donald Trump has no idea about this war. He said one week he would not have gone into the Afghanistan after 9/11. You caught him a couple of days ago where he completely flip-flopped. But he said the only reason he would have gone into Afghanistan is because Pakistan had nuclear weapons. No, the reason you go into Afghanistan after 9/11 is because the Taliban harbored bin Laden, provided sanctuary to the people who attacked us. The reason you stay in Afghanistan is to prevent a -

CAMEROTA: Donald Trump, by the way, Senator, just to - just to - just to correct - I mean he issued a statement saying that he didn't understand Chris' question when he originally asked about Afghanistan -

GRAHAM: Oh, please.

CAMEROTA: And that he does believe that he would have gone into Afghanistan. But again, I mean, the point is, is that why aren't voters then bonding with your vision? You lay out the strategy. It sounds like Americans don't agree with you. GRAHAM: I think most Americans believe that radical Islam will hit us

over here if we don't hit them over there. I'm not worried about a poll. I'm worried about the rise of ISIL in Iraq and Indiana. They hold land the size of Indiana, excuse me, in Iraq and Syria. They're getting stronger, not weaker.

For any person wanting to be commander in chief to suggest that we will let Russia deal with ISIL when they are a direct threat to our homeland is beyond bizarre. I am not going to let the Russians defend the American homeland. Mr. Trump has no idea what he's talking about. I don't care what the polls say. I know what's going on in Iraq and Syria. The whole place is falling apart.

The Russians are now moving into Iraq, trying to join forces with the Iraqi government and form an alliance with Russia, Iran and Iraq. This is a nightmare in the making. Mr. Trump has no idea what he's talking about. He's the most unprepared person in the entire field to be commander in chief. And over time, I think that will matter. Americans better wake up is my pitch to the American people that there is an eminent attack coming to this country because of the failed foreign policies of Barack Obama. Better wake up, it's coming.

CAMEROTA: You - that - that's an ominous prediction. You and Donald Trump, of course, have been trading barbs throughout this entire race so far. He, just yesterday, was on the air talking about you. Let me play that for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: When you have people that were supposed to be really good and they're down to 1 point or they're down to 2 points and some are down to nothing. You look at a few of them, they have zeros. I don't know why they keep running. To be honest with you, I don't know why they keep running. Perhaps they think it's good for the brand.

You look at Lindsey Graham. It's very sad. Lindsey Graham, he's a sitting senator, he's at zero. And you have a number of zeros. And I would think they should get on with their life and go back home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Senator, I know it's not fun to hear - to hear those things. You and Donald Trump going back and forth. But what about what he says? I mean how - how long can you go being where you are in the polls?

GRAHAM: Sure. I'm very pleased with what we're trying to do in this race. And my - I've been to Iraq and Afghanistan 35 times since 9/11. I've spent 140 days on the ground as an Air Force reservist, 30 years in the military. I understand what's going on in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and it's very dangerous four country and I'm trying to put a vision out for the Republican Party that says, we will actually take the fight to radical Islam before they come here. And I am going to grow over time as it - we get closer to voting as who is ready to be commander in chief on day one really begins to matter. I'm going to grow in terms of appeal to my voters. [08:40:36] But the one thing I can tell you is that Mr. Trump's

statements about Afghanistan, his statements about ISIL, are chillingly dangerous to me. This man is naive about the war on terror and how to win this war. I have a plan to win this war and I think that the American people are soon going to be looking to somebody that can protect this nation. And Mr. Trump has no idea how to protect this nation. And I do.

CAMEROTA: Senator Lindsey Graham, we always appreciate you sharing your vision with us on NEW DAY. Thanks so much.

GRAHAM: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: Let's get over to Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, speaking of the Middle East, we have breaking news into CNN about a hostage rescue attempt in Iraq. There is a live report coming up.

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CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Christine Romans with "CNN Money Now."

Donald Trump's billionaire friend will spend $150 million to fight Congress. Takeover king Carl Icahn announced he will use his substantial fortune to form a political action committee. He wants major corporate tax reform so companies will stop moving their headquarters overseas and will bring back profits held abroad. Icahn is one of Trump's biggest supporters and potentially his pick for Treasury secretary if elected.

YouTube launching an ad free subscription service. "Red" will cost $10 a month. Subscribers will get exclusive access to new, original shows, plus music streaming and offline video viewing. The service will compete will Hulu and Netflix.

Back in a moment.

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[08:46:00] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

CUOMO: All right. We want to welcome our viewers around the world. We do have breaking news just into to CNN. An attempted hostage rescue operation in Iraq by U.S. special operations.

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

Barbara, what do we understand?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Chris. The information just coming in and it is sketchy. These are first reports. But multiple U.S. officials telling CNN overnight, U.S. special operations were involved in a hostage rescue attempt in Iraq. We are told it was an attempt to rescue some Kurdish hostages. The Kurds, of course, mainly are in northern Iraq, a group that the U.S. military has been working with very closely.

We don't know why the U.S. was in the effort to rescue Kurdish hostages. We do not know at this hour who the hostages were or how many there were. But -- and this may be the most crucial thing -- we are told by multiple U.S. officials they are now looking at reports that some of the U.S. troops may -- it may not have gone very well for them.

Again, sketchy information. There may be one U.S. military fatality or injury. But this is very initial information. The U.S. -- the Pentagon often very reluctant to release advanced information on fatalities or injuries because of course they want to get in touch with the families of those military members, make sure they are the first one to hear about the fate of their loved one.

So right now, no official word from the Pentagon. No official word from the administration, but in fact multiple officials now saying indeed there has been a hostage rescue attempt overnight in Iraq.

Chris.

CUOMO: Barbara Starr, obviously contemplating the worst case scenario there. Especially when there is such a high bar for limiting fatalities in special operations. We know you'll stay on it and we'll get the information to everybody else when we have it confirmed. Thank you.

Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK. More on international news. Mexican officials saying that they have arrested six people suspected in helping "El Chapo's" prison break. So how close are they to the notorious drug lord?

CNN's Martin Savidge joins us from Mexico with the latest developments.

Martin, what do you have?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Morning, Alisyn. Dawn is just breaking here in this part of northwestern Mexico which means the search effort is once again going to be ramping up. And it will be interesting to see that after the arrest, this mass arrest, really, of people who were involved in the escape of "El Chapo." One of them is the brother-in-law who has been detained, So you would figure he might have a lot of information as to the potential whereabouts of where "El Chapo" is now.So what we'll be looking for today is any indication that there is a change in the direction or focus of the search efforts.

Meanwhile, we went looking into some of the remote areas where know the military has already been. And these are extremely small villages. And in fact, the villagers there say that the military has come in with a rough hand. They report that there were helicopters landing very close to their homes, damaging them. The soldiers came in, kicked in the doors, threw all of their meager items out into the yard and then proceeded to take food. Now, this is according to the villages. The military denies all of this. They say that they have been acting in a very proper fashion, even though they are conducting a major manhunt. So far, though, not since about the beginning of October, October 8th, 9th, that was the last sighting that we have seen so far of "El Chapo." But the search continues.

Back to you.

CUOMO: Martin, thank you very much.

So if you have got a bun in the oven, put down the booze. That is what your doctor will say. They probably won't say it any way like that, but it is a very strong message that even a sip of alcohol does potentially pose a danger to your baby.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta is here to explain. He will say it differently, but the point will be the same.

CAMEROTA: That was not scientific, what you just said.

[08:49:54] CUOMO: It is. It's in the books.

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CAMEROTA: A strong message for pregnant women this morning from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Do not drink any alcohol. Not even a drop.

Here to help us understand, our own chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Sanjay, great to see you this morning.

Why now suddenly is this unequivocal message coming when OB-GYNs don't exactly say it that strongly?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, I think the obstetricians, at least the organized body of obstetricians, they say the same thing. They say that you should not be drinking. But to your point, Alisyn, I think a lot of people have been hearing different messages for a long time. And some doctors saying, look, it's probably okay to have a little bit and not being unequivocal on this. So I think that's what prompted this in so many ways, the American Academy of Pediatrics saying -- The vast majority of women probably already know this, but you should not drink any alcohol at all during your pregnancy.

I'll show you quickly, women do continue to still drink. We know that -- If you survey women who are pregnant, about 1 in 10 women will say that they had a drink within the last 30 days or so. And at -- 1 in 33 women say that they still will binge drink, even, at times during pregnancy. So it's still happening. The American Academy of Pediatrics saying, despite what you have heard, despite maybe the mixed messages that have come to you in the past, no amount of alcohol is safe. Even a small amount can get concentrated into a very small fetus across the placenta and cause problems. So that's the message. CAMEROTA: See, Sanjay, that is what's so interesting is because some OB-GYNs do sort of say, well, you know, you can have a glass of wine if you want every so often. And they have always said that they don't know exactly what the amount is that will affect the fetus. But what are the possible effects? Just so everyone hears them this morning.

[08:55:02] GUPTA: Well, yeah - And so there are distinct possible effects, and we're talking about causation here. Cause and effect as opposed to just correlation. An important point scientifically. I'll put up a list of some of the things that alcohol can do to the fetus and when a child is born can have these hearing, vision, heart problems, bones, kidney, neural development.

Think about alcohol basically affecting the fetus as it is developing. So all of these organ systems are developing, at the same time some of them. So the alcohol can interfere with some of that development. And again, a small amount. You think it is just a small amount. The problem is it gets amplified in a very, very small fetus again and can have those concerning effects.

CAMEROTA: And Sanjay, you know, just to be clear, sometimes women don't know they are pregnant for the first few weeks. So is your advice for them not to drink even if they are trying to get pregnant?

GUPTA: No doubt that happens - you know, but I think -- the people who don't know they are pregnant still drinking. But the concern is that if you think you might be, obviously you should not. And again, there is no magic with regard to the advice here, Alisyn. What I would say is this. There are some women who probably will drink and continue to drink and have absolutely no problems with their pregnancy and their baby. Others will drink a small amount and have problems. We don't know which woman is which. So if I tell you I don't know that you are not for sure going to have a problem if you can't to drink, I think that is an important message for women to hear. I could be okay, but am I willing to chance it?

CAMEROTA: There you go. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much for the warning.

All right. Meanwhile, "NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello will pick up right after this short break. Thanks for watching.

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