Return to Transcripts main page
New Day
Benghazi Hearing; Strongest Hurricane in History; New Episode of "Parts Unknown" Focuses on Ethiopia. Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired October 23, 2015 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:30:00] CUPP: I think all of that came out yesterday if you were inclined to sort of already - already think that about her.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Uh-huh. Yes. People have said that, it has cemented their views perhaps.
CUPP: Yes.
CAMEROTA: It might not have changed some views.
S.E., Paul, thank you.
CUPP: Yes.
CAMEROTA: Great to talk to you guys.
BEGALA: Thanks a lot.
CUPP: Thanks.
CAMEROTA: Donald Trump gearing up for his hosting duties on "Saturday Night Live," but the appearance is coming under fire. We will ask an Hispanic member of Congress what he thinks about Donald Trump's appearance.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, the Benghazi hearing has been criticized by many Democrats as a partisan investigation meant to sink Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Let's dig into those claims with Democratic Congressman Luis Gutierrez, who is a supporter of Hillary Clinton.
Congressman, thank you so much for being with us.
REP. LUIS GUTIERREZ (D), ILLINOIS: Any time.
BERMAN: I imagine you think that the secretary did well yesterday. I imagine you think that the panel in and of itself is partisan. So let me ask this a different way. Do you have no questions about what happened in Benghazi? Are you satisfied that you know everything you need to know about the attacks that left four Americans dead?
GUTIERREZ: I think we have a tragedy. Four Americans dead given a terrorist attack. And I think, unfortunately and sadly, John, it's been turned into a political football. And I think that's unfortunate.
[08:35:12] Look, I'm a member of the Select Committee on Intelligence. We did our investigation. We did our review. There have been many reviews. Are you ever satisfied completely with all of the facts? But I think we know enough about what happened in Benghazi that we can move forward.
BERMAN: Do you - do you know - do you know why so many requests for more security were not responded to or turned down?
GUTIERREZ: Look, I think that there are many times failures, failures of systems, which are tragic. I mean I like to ask the question all of the time and we asked the same question after September 11th, right? But I didn't go around demanding hearings about why George Bush didn't prevent the attacks on September 11th. We did our investigation. We took measures. And I know that we have taken more measures in order.
Here's what I would say. That it just seems to me a little ironic and a little bit of a contradiction that the same Republicans that cut the very funding for more security at embassies across the globe are the same ones that are now clambering for more security and why wasn't it put in place.
Look, we know what happened. I saw Hillary Clinton there for 11 hours. And do you want to know something? I saw somebody that I'd like across the table from Putin. I saw somebody who could be commander in chief. I saw somebody poised.
It's been a lot. They still want to talk about the e-mails. It's not - I'm not saying - look, your question is great, John. Is there anything more I can know? Trey Gowdy, the gentlemen from South Carolina, I have a great degree of respect for him. I have even more respect for him after yesterday because when he was asked, what is it that we learned after 11 hours, and he's a really smart guy, he said, nothing new on the record after 11 hours.
BERMAN: Well - well, we did learn yesterday that - that Hillary Clinton sent an e-mail to her daughter on the night of the attacks within an hour of the release where she said that some people have blamed the attack in Benghazi on a video. She did send an e-mail to her daughter, which we had not heard, which said that this attack appears connected to al Qaeda terrorists. That was new.
GUTIERREZ: Does it - does it - does it - does it change really fundamentally? We've reviewed it in the intelligence committee. Look, I was there. This was the best estimate of the intelligence committee. Do you really expect the secretary of state to know everything about what happens at every second and to be - you know, when I send - when you send an e-mail to your daughter, I send one to my daughter, I'm pretty sure we're not as circumspect about what it is we're saying because they're our kids. We're talking to them in another language, in another vein.
Look, this wasn't an official communication of the standing of the American government. I'll tell you, I think a lot of actions in Congress of the United States has sent a lot of e-mails to my kids. You wouldn't want - I certainly wouldn't want to be judged by the e- mails I sent to my kids in terms of where it is because I know I'm going to have dinner with them. I know they're my children and I want them (INAUDIBLE).
BERMAN: I understand. I understand. The question is - the question is, and I don't think we're going to make new ground here, is, did it contradict what she was saying in public.
But I do want to move on to another issue I know you care passionately about.
GUTIERREZ: Sure.
BERMAN: It's the Republican national frontrunner - no longer the frontrunner in Iowa, by the way - but Donald Trump, leading in the polls nationally -
GUTIERREZ: Sure.
BERMAN: Who has been invited to appear on "Saturday Night Live" on November 7th I think the day is. You've written a letter to NBC which says -
GUTIERREZ: Yes, I have.
BERMAN: "Having Donald Trump as a guest on ever news and entertainment program is one thing, but allowing him to host 'Saturday Night Live' is another. It is a level of endorsement that says to America that every hateful and racist thing Donald Trump has said since the moment he launched his campaign is acceptable and no big deal."
What do you intend to - to do to NBC to force their hand on this?
GUTIERREZ: Here's what - here's what we're saying to NBC. Look, this is not a boycott. Just so you know, I'm a Comcast subscriber. I'm going to pay my bill. I'm going continue to watch NBC. But the executives at NBC shouldn't say something to the American public. I mean Comcast NBC Universal, John, said, we no longer want a relationship because of the derogatory statements, because it doesn't reflect the values that we have as a corporation.
John, I guess my question is, what happened between June and July? Did I miss the Donald Trump saying I'm sorry? Did I miss when he said I misspoke? That I didn't really mean it? Where was this act of contrition?
Look, one - I guess, John, I wish for one moment you could come to Chicago. I visited five high schools, talked to over 2,000 seniors. You know what they asked me about? They said, congressman, am I going to lose my citizen - is the 14th Amendment going to be revoked? Congressman, what are you going to do about that? Are my parents safe? Is he really going to round us all up? Do you know what high school kids should be asking a member of Congress? How am I going to get into college? Where is it that I get financial aid? Can I get to West Point? Those should be the conversations I'm having instead of conversations about fear that are engendered by the kinds of statements that he makes.
[08:40:07] You know, there are kids whose parents came from Mexico. And when you take a whole community of people - and you know what, Donald Trump shouldn't only worry about the ones that just recently crossed the border. He should worry about people like me that are citizens of the United States, 47 million strong, because we really, really, really take offense to the kinds of derogatory statements that he makes.
BERMAN: Congressman Luis Gutierrez, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.
GUTIERREZ: Thank you, John.
BERMAN: Alisyn.
CAMEROTA: John, we do have that breaking news about the strongest hurricane ever recorded. It will make landfall today in Mexico. We're tracking the storm, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CAMEROTA: We're following breaking news for you right now. Hurricane Patricia is a monster storm. It is the most powerful hurricane in recorded history and it is bearing down on the Pacific Coast in Mexico. Let's bring in CNN's meteorologist Chad Myers.
What are you seeing, Chad?
[08:44:52] CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I don't think you can put your mind around stronger than Katrina, stronger than Andrew, stronger than Camille, stronger than the Labor Day hurricane. It's hard to fathom what 200 miles per hour around the center of an eye that's only about seven miles around. So you go from winds at 200 miles per hour one way, into the eye and then 200 the other way just tearing up the Mexican coast later on this afternoon.
Some of the rain is already on shore. There will be a major flood event with this but I think the big event will be the wind tearing up the coast north of Manzanillo, south of Puerto Vallarta. Not a hugely populated area. There's some good news there, if there can be any good news. It isn't going to be over a big tourist destination with a lot of tourists trapped. But there you go. Manzanillo will take the brunt of this with a storm surge maybe could be 30 feet deep as the water pours on shore and there will be waves on top of that as well.
Some of this will also produce rainfall in the mountains, flash flooding. We could see two feet of rain and all that has to come back down into the ocean and then eventually, John, some of that moisture could even get into North America, into the U.S., as we start to see some rainfall into parts of Texas, maybe even Louisiana on Saturday or Sunday. But it will be really -- A lot of this storm will be taking the stuffing up because of the mountains that are here with maybe a foot or two of rain.
BERMAN: Yeah. Not until it hits though, perhaps, is the strongest hurricane in recorded history.
MYERS: Absolutely.
BERMAN: We'll keep our eye on that all day. Chad Myers, thanks so much.
Want to turn now to this year's top ten CNN Heroes. Kim Carter turned her life around after spending more than a decade fighting addiction and homelessness. So she knows firsthand how hard it is for women in similar circumstances to reclaim their lives.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIM CARTER, CNN HERO: What options does a woman with nothing have to start over? You have no money. You have no ID. You have no family. You have no friends and you are just out there walking the streets, lonely, with nothing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: So how does she help other women through this? Through her "Time for Change" foundation. She has an amazing story. You will find it at CNNheroes.com. And while you're there, vote for your CNN Hero of the year. You can do it once a day every.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[08:51:13] ANTHONY BOURDAIN, CNN HOST, "ANTHONY BOURDAIN: PARTS UNKNOWN": This, this stuffing of food in your fellow diner's face, is called 'gursha' and it's what you do to show your affection and respect. Try this at the Waffle House sometime and prepare for awkwardness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Gursha, in my family known as shutting your mouth up. That's a clip from season six of CNN "PARTS UNKNOWN." Anthony Bourdain visits Ethiopia this Sunday with acclaimed chef Marcus Samuelsson and his wife, Mya.
We've got Tony Bourdain with us. Tony, always great to have you with us.
BOURDAIN: Good to be here.
CUOMO: So it is never just about the food. It is always that it is then kind of a pathway into a culture. And this is even more special because of who you go with it. Tell us about it.
BOURDAIN: Marcus Samuelsson. Great chef. Long time friend with a very interesting personal history. His (INAUDIBLE) tuberculous epidemic, walked out of the desert with his mom and sister as an infant and was adopted by a Swedish family, raised in Sweden and then later America, and in this episode returns to Ethiopia with us to meet his birth father and return to his home village and Maya's home village as well. Two very different communities within the country. So we're looking at a very complex and beautiful country with a very -- from a very personal perspective.
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Absolutely. Food plays such a big part of things, as we were seeing. Tell us more about this tradition.
BOURDAIN: Gursha.
PEREIRA: Tell us more about gursha. That would take a foreigner by surprise, I'm sure.
BOURDAIN: It literally does take you by surprise. Something you have to be prepared for. Because at any moment during a meal the person next to you will suddenly shove a big wad of food in your mouth.
PEREIRA: Allergies be damned.
BOURDAIN: And it's a sincere expression of affection and camaraderie. But the larger the mouthful, the more sincere the affection. So you've got to be prepared.
PEREIRA: Oh my.
CAMEROTA: I've been to an Ethiopian restaurant in Washington, D.C. and that custom of eating with your hands and with the sort of tortilla- like -
BOURDAIN: Injera bread. Yes.
CAMEROTA: Yeah, the bread. But what was it that you were eating?
BOURDAIN: Probably a -- in this case, a big wad of raw meat with some spices.
CUOMO: I think he doesn't know all the time.
CAMEROTA: I think that might be.
CUOMO: I've been watching this for years.
BOURDAIN: It is very likely.
CUOMO: Do you always know? Or are you just - sometimes you're like, let's just go with it, I'll figure out later?
BOURDAIN: I have no clue much of the time and I don't -- you know, I'm as interested in who's working and why they are doing what they are doing as what's cooking. I was a chef for30 years and I'm a bit of a food nerd. But food is -- it is not everything. I don't obsess over their ingredients. It is more -- There is a bigger and longer story behind everything that we eat. We eat what we eat - every culture does -- for a reason and it is often the end of a long story.
PEREIRA: So will we learn some of that about Ethiopia? Because I think it's a place that may be unknown to many of us.
BOURDAIN: I think people will be surprised by - it's an exploding economy. Very complex and diverse culture. Amazing history. Incredible music. And a lot like so many places in the world, a place that is changing very, very quickly.
CAMEROTA: You went, as you said, with your friend, Marcus Samuelsson, well known chef. Had he never met his birth father?
BOURDAIN: He had. It is a very -- it is a complex relationship. And it's tough. You know, Marcus has to ask himself constantly when he's there, you know, how African is he? He may have been born there, but he grew up in Sweden and he doesn't really fit in any of those places fully. So it is a very personal -- very personal show.
PEREIRA: What a terrific journey. And we've got all sorts of other great surprises in store for us in season six. Always a pleasure to talk to you, Tony.
BOURDAIN: Thank you.
PEREIRA: Thanks for bringing us some delicious dishes - at least on TV.
[08:55:00] CAMEROTA: I know. You made me hungry.
PEREIRA: I know. We're going to try that. We're going to try the gursha.
CAMEROTA: We'll feed each other.
PEREIRA: Yeah, let's just mostly feed him.
CUOMO: Yeah - I don't think it. I grew up like that. So did Tony. I'm tired of people shoving a lot of food in my mouth. I've been living through that for the last 20 years of my entire life. I can't take it. But I can take as much of you as we can get. Congratulations on the success, as always.
BOURDAIN: Thank you.
CUOMO: And Tony's right. It is never just about the food. The food is just a pathway into a real journey and you can catch "ANTHONY BOURDAIN: PARTS UNKNOWN" this Sunday at 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN.
"Good Stuff" coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CAMEROTA: It's "The Good Stuff." Remember this? These are brothers of the Delta Sigma Phi from Pennsylvania University. Their video going so viral that Tay Tay Swift herself noticed, as she sent the gentlemen free tickets. And I do mean gentlemen because...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well we all got two tickets so we thought this is
something. This is just a gift and it would be a shame to not do something good with it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: That's right. Instead of taking their girlfriends to the concert, they gave the extra tickets to their local Big Brothers Big Sisters (INAUDIBLE). How great is that?
BERMAN: Good for them. And that's why they will be going solo to all the dances in the next future.
CAMEROTA: Very funny. Time now for "NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello.
