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New Day

Carson Leading Polls; Fight Against ISIS; Disabled Man Left to Crawl Off United Airlines Flight. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired October 27, 2015 - 08:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:31:00] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news. Dr. Ben Carson in a big CBS polling move ahead of Donald Trump national - nationally for the first time. Again, CBS/"New York Times" poll. The latest numbers show Carson leading Trump by four points. What is more impressive is the trend. How Carson is growing, and especially in Iowa, the neurosurgeon quadrupling his support among Republican voters since August.

So what explains this surge? How seriously should we take it? What does it mean? Let's talk to somebody who understands the GOP as well as anyone. John Sununu, former governor of New Hampshire, former chief of staff to President George H.W. Bush.

Governor, a pleasure to have you on the show.

JOHN H. SUNUNU (R), FMR. GOVERNOR, NEW HAMPSHIRE: It's nice to be on the show. Thank you.

CUOMO: So, when is your Ben Carson pin? It seems as though he will be your next nominee. Obviously I say it with a smile on my face. But when you see Trump and Carson not just ahead but way ahead of the rest of the field, how do you see it?

SUNUNU: Well, there's two headlines that go along with those - the polls that we're looking at now. Number one, it's Ben Carson's turn to be king of the hill. And, number two, the Trump numbers are beginning to crumble. And I think what you're seeing is, is the cycle, which people have been talking about, parallels what happened last time when we went from Herman Cain to Gingrich and so on. Voters are now - just now beginning to look at issues and I think in the Trump case they're beginning to see, oh my gosh, this guy really does support single payer healthcare, federally supported. This guy really is in love with eminent domain. All these issues that the conservative Republican base can't stand. There will be a lot more of that happening and there'll be, I think. the shifting take place over the next month or two.

CUOMO: Trump will say, first of all, this is just one poll. I'm ahead in all the others. So I'm still on top. And let's give him the benefit of that. And then look at what it means for the party because, yes, you're right, it's still kind of early, but it kind of isn't. We've been covering this intensely for months. And what does this say about where your party is? Do we even understand where the electorate is right now. SUNUNU: Look, this is a - this is a - if this doesn't change, I

acknowledge it's a real problem for the party. And it's a real problem because either Trump or Carson have no real sense of what the presidency is. They would be, in my opinion, another Obama. They would come to the presidency with seductive rhetoric, without understanding the responsibility, without understanding the role of the United States as the last superpower, without understanding how to cope with the difficult issues internationally, and we would have a second disastrous presidency. And I think the Republican electorate has to begin to understand that leading in public is not the same as leading in the private sector. And - or leading without experience.

We had a terrible presidency that we're going through now. It would be a disaster for the country and a disaster for the party if they don't come to their senses and select one of the experience candidates to be the nominee.

CUOMO: Well, let's lead to the side, the majority of the country that wanted Obama to be president for two terms, which is why he is President Obama, and let's just deal specifically with the GOP. These are your people, governor. They are saying in Iowa specifically right now, whether they're moderate Republicans or evangelical - religiously driven Republicans, they want Ben Carson. And not only do they want Ben Carson and then second right now Donald Trump, but they don't want any of the rest of you. So what is the message to the field there, Jeb Bush with all his money and his recent meetings, Marco Rubio, Kasich, these big names?

SUNUNU: Look, I go back to the point I made. This is a conversation that has to continue. The candidates have to start talking about issues. The public has to start moving away from seductive rhetoric to evaluating issues and capacity to serve. That happens in an election process. That's part of the process.

[08:35:15] We've got about 100 days to the first vote in Iowa. That's an eternity politically. And at the hundred day mark, we've had President Giuliani and President Cain in the past. And so let's - let's have this conversation on the steady basis between now and Iowa. But m most importantly, remember, Iowa picks corn and New Hampshire picks presidents.

CUOMO: Well, that is true. OK, you're making a - the context for that is that even if you win Iowa, not since George H.W. Bush have you become president. Understood in terms of -

SUNUNU: It's not - not since George W. Bush, it's only George W. -

CUOMO: Only H - George H.W. Bush. That's right. But so we haven't seen it since him and he was an outlier in that regard as well.

SUNUNU: Right.

CUOMO: I understand the context. And yet you do have to take it somewhat seriously here right?

SUNUNU: I do. I do. CUOMO: When you're - when you're looking at what's happening with them

because, look, Jeb Bush just had this big, you know, reconnection meeting with his sponsors. What can he do to get back into this?

SUNUNU: I think what you're going to see now is not just Jeb Bush. You're going to see the serious candidates like Kasich and Rubio and Christie. They're going to start understanding that in order to compete with the free media that Carson and Trump have been getting because they are really entertainment at this point, the serious candidates are going to start pumping up their advertising, talking about their background, talking about their positions and eventually, I believe, the Republican electorate is going to understand that this is an election that is important, that we can't make a mistake, that we've got to nominate someone. And that if we do nominate someone that has the capacity to be a president, they will go ahead and beat Hillary Clinton.

CUOMO: And under you right now on our screen is a banner that reads seven in ten Republicans have not yet made up their mind. And, obviously, you're relying on that to believe that there still could be a change in sympathies within the party.

Governor, thank you for your perspective. We look forward to having you back. Nobody will discuss the issues in this campaign more than CNN, certainly here in the morning on NEW DAY, so please come back, sir.

SUNUNU: Thanks for having me.

Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: OK, Chris.

A big story in the fight against ISIS. Kurdish fighters in Syria laying the groundwork for a possible attack on the home base of ISIS. CNN takes you live to the frontlines, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:41:26] CAMEROTA: Big development in the fight against ISIS. The White House considering a plan to send U.S. troops closer to the frontlines in Syria and Iraq. A decision could come as early as this week. Meanwhile, Kurdish fighters plotting a possible attack on the terrorist headquarters in Raqqa.

CNN's senior international correspondent Clarissa Ward has been on the frontlines in Syria. She joins us live from Irbil, Iraq.

Tell us what you've seen, Clarissa.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn. Well, just a few weeks ago, the U.S. air dropped 50 tons of ammunition to a newly formed coalition of Kurdish and Arab fighters fighting against ISIS on the ground in Syria. And we spent time with the main group, the Kurdish YPG, and they told us that is not going to be enough for them. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WARD (voice-over): These men are at the core of America's latest strategy to defeat ISIS. Manning positions along a vast and desolate frontline with ISIS entrenched in villages just through the haze. Their fighters with the YPG, a force of roughly 30,000 Syrian Kurds which backed by coalition air power has dealt decisive blows to Islamic State militants across northern Syria.

Commander Bahu (ph) is in charge of this frontline position in the city of Hasikka (ph), which the YPG took from ISIS in August after months of fierce clashes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, (through translator): They tried to attack us again ten days ago. We were prepared, so they didn't reach their target.

WARD (on camera): But they keep trying. ISIS has control of the next village along, which is just over a mile in that direction. But the men at this base tell us that ISIS fighters often go at night to that building just over there so that they can launch attacks on these positions.

WARD (voice-over): The U.S. hopes the YPG will soon move from defense to offense, taking the fight to ISIS' stronghold in Raqqa. But at makeshift bases across the frontline, the fighters we saw were lightly armed, poorly equipped and exhausted by months of fighting. And senior Commander Lawand knows the battles ahead will be even tougher.

WARD (on camera): Can you take Raqqa without heavier weapons from the coalition?

COMMANDER LAWAND, YPG (through translator): The weapons we have are not high quality. For this campaign, we'll need new, heavy weapons.

WARD (voice-over): The most important weapon they do have but don't want to talk about is this device, which helps the YPG get exact coordinates for enemy positions. Those coordinates are sent to a joint U.S./Kurdish operations room and, minutes later, fighter jets come screaming in.

Rezwan told us he was given a week of training before using the device.

WARD (on camera): Who trained you how to use this?

REZWAN, YPG FIGHTER (through translator): Believe me, I can't say. When you finish the training, it's a secret. But they weren't speaking Kurdish.

WARD (voice-over): A mystery, as is so much of the unfolding U.S. strategy in this critical corner of Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WARD: The main reason the U.S. is being so circumspect about its support of the YPG is because the group works very closely with its Turkish counterpart, the PKK. And the PKK is technically designated a terrorist organization.

Alisyn.

[08:44:58] CAMEROTA: So, Clarissa, given all of that mystery, what can you tell us about the new reporting this morning that President Obama is weighing moving U.S. troops closer to the frontlines in Syria?

WARD: Well, I can't say exactly what's going on in the White House, but on the ground in Syria, I can tell you that the feeling wee got on the frontlines was that these frontlines, for the moment, are very much static and the YPG don't have the ability or the will yet to push ahead to take on an offensive like Raqqa. So certainly it would take some very dramatic type of development, such this possibly, in order to try to push along and get real some momentum for some serious offenses against ISIS's strongholds.

CAMEROTA: Of course, Clarissa, everything going on where you are has created this terrible refugee crisis. We understand it's getting worse. What have you seen on the ground?

WARD: Well I think what was most striking, Alisyn, was not seeing refugee camps or displaced people, but driving through entire villages that are now completely deserted. The people there, some of them fleeing ISIS who have put land mines all over the place and rigged the entire towns with IEDs and booby traps. But also many people are fleeing the coalition airstrikes which have left some neighborhoods entirely flattened. But whatever reason they have left, we don't know where they've gone. But we can say that they are part of the nearly 50 percent of Syrians who are no longer living in their own homes.

CAMEROTA: Clarissa Ward, thanks so much for the reporting. Great to have you on board at CNN.

Let's get over to Michaela.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Alisyn. United Airlines is now apologizing after a man who required a wheelchair to get off a plane ended up crawling off that plane. That man, D'Arcee Neal, joins us next. We're going to ask him if an apology is enough.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:50:25] PEREIRA: Well, United Airlines is issuing an apology to a young man with cerebral palsy who was forced to crawl off a flight. Disability activist, D'Arcee Neal, was flying from San Francisco to Washington when a mix-up at the gate meant there was no wheelchair there to help him deplane. Neal waited for over 35 minutes before he made the decision to crawl off the plane by himself.

D'Arcee Neal joins me now. My friend, my friend, you sure have made headlines, haven't you?

D'ARCEE NEAL, FORCED TO CRAWL OFF UNITED AIRLINES FLIGHT: Yes, I have. Thank you (ph).

PEREIRA: It sure is a pleasure to see you this morning. OK, so not to be indelicate, but I understand that the reason that you were sort of urgently trying to get off the plane was that you needed to use the facilities. You needed to use the restroom. With your disability it is not easy to use the one on the airplane, correct?

NEAL: Yes. That's correct.

PEREIRA: And you waited for everybody to get off the plane and were supposed to wait for the wheelchair to be brought on to the plane to help you deplane, but that didn't happen. Did they alert you to what the problem was?

NEAL: Not really. So standard protocol is that when airplanes land I wait about 15-20 minutes as everyone deboards and then immediately after they are supposed to bring in the aisle chair with the staff. That didn't happen. And the flight attendants were doing their job, I guess, by telling me just wait, it will be here. We're talking to them. They are on their way. But obviously, that wasn't the case.

PEREIRA: And then at some point you said, OK, I gots (ph) to go. And you weren't making a fuss. You just kind of quietly got down on your arms and crawled out to the jetway. Correct?

NEAL: Yes. Essentially I had told them I had to use the bathroom. And I told them two or three times and he asked many why I couldn't use the bathroom on the plane and obviously, having cerebral palsy, I'm not able to stand, so that's virtually impossible. And yeah at that point I asked him where my wheelchair was, he said it was on the jetway. So I was like OK, well then I'm just going to leave. It was interesting because I expected them to ask me, you know, how can we assist you? Like what is the best way?

PEREIRA: Right. And they didn't ask that.

NEAL: No, they didn't.

PEREIRA: Well it's interesting, because afterwards I understand one of the flight attendants reported it to the airline and they reached out to you and you tweeted your thanks, and I think we have that tweet. You thanked United Airlines for their support. "I'm grateful to United for their quick response and for decisive action. Now let's get ADA seats on planes."

So an apology has come, but you say an apology is good but you want more done. You have some ideas how they could change things on planes. Give us a quick couple of ideas.

NEAL: Yes, absolutely. One of the biggest issues is that airlines do not have ADA seats. And their protocol in place is antiquated and is completely inefficient. So I think that if they were to allow ADA passengers in the first three rows, one seat on either side, it would speed up the process immensely and you can get a person on and off the plane in a couple of minutes, letting people with disabilities board first and exit first, it would just make the entire process much easier.

PEREIRA: Can I just talk about the great irony. Fellow, why were you in San Francisco? You were meeting with who about what?

NEAL: Yeah, I had actually flown over to talk with a transportation company, Uber, about accessible transit and about the issues surrounding it. So this is very ironic.

PEREIRA: Might you be ready to sit down with many some of the airlines and have a similar kind of discussion? It seems to me, as an activist, this seems like a perfect conversation and a perfect anecdote to use.

NEAL: Absolutely, Michaela. I think, like I said, you know, I'm not expecting them to rip out seats out of a plane because I know for safety concerns that that is not appropriate. However, cordoning off seats in the front of a plane is an easy thing they can do. They can do it tomorrow if they want. So if they want to have a conversation, I'm very open to the possibility.

PEREIRA: His name is D 'Arcee Neal. You can find him on Twitter. We encourage the airlines and other transportation officials to sort of be in on this conversation because you made a very good point, we need to make sure that people are being treated with the dignity and respect and being helped where they can.

D'Arcee, thanks so much for this and thanks for being an activist for a very important community.

NEAL: Thank you for having me.

PEREIRA: All right. You can get in on the conversation by tweeting your comments or jump on Facebook.com/newday.

[08:54:51] "The Good Stuff" coming your way next, if that wasn't good enough for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Little "Good Stuff." Little healthy bit of outrage. This is Zach Hoagland. He's a high school cross-country runner from Iowa. Real good, too. Just won his district meet.

PEREIRA: Well done.

CUOMO: So he wins, he spots a competitor 150 yards from the finish line grab his chest and collapse.

CAMEROTA: Oh my gosh.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZACH HOAGLAND, CROSS-COUNTRY RUNNER WHO HELPED COMPETITOR IN NEED: I was like, is anyone going to help him? And no one said anything or no one did anything so I just jumped in and started walking beside him and I gave him a push into the finish line.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: Isn't that nice? Showing that, you know - help him get through it, this kid was trying hard too. Isn't that great? The other runner is going to be fine.

PEREIRA: Oh, thank goodness.

CUOMO: But guess what? Zach disqualified because it is against the rules to help or receive help from another runner.

CAMEROTA: Oh my gosh.

CUOMO: People pleaded with the officials to reverse the call, but of course, if I'm doing this story, it means they didn't budge.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

BUD LEGG, SPOKESPERSON, IOWA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION: It's an unfortunate occurrence, but there's no wiggle room.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

CUOMO: The good news is Zach's team advances to the state where Zach will run. Cheering him on? The runner he helped and his entire family.

PEREIRA: That's what I'm talking about.

CAMEROTA: That's great.

PEREIRA: Shame on the officials.

CAMEROTA: Yeah.

CUOMO: Right?

CAMEROTA: No wiggle room? There's always wiggle room.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: (INAUDIBLE) is the purpose of the rule. The purpose of the rule, in the little bit of research I had time to do this morning, is to stop you from winning the race with assistance.

CAMEROTA: Of course!

CUOMO: You didn't do it by yourself. I helped you. This kid didn't win.