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New Day

Green Room Complaints; Human Factor: Changing the Perception of Beauty; On the Front Lines of Battle Against ISIS. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired October 28, 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] BAKARI SELLERS, ATTORNEY & FMR. MEMBER, SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSE OF REP.: Treat her this way? Why did the girl who videotaped it - why did she get in trouble? I would have stood up for her. And all you can say is that, you know, we love you, we hold you up you mean the world to us. And let her know that - you know, teach her about making the right decisions and just every day telling these young people that you love them, making sure they have someone out there that loves them, that holds them up, that adores them. And that's all I know how to do as a father and I pray that that's good enough.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Keep on doing it, Bakari. And, Samantha, you too. Thank you so much for joining us today. Thanks for telling your story of your son and wish him our best.

SAMANTHA: Thank you.

PEREIRA: Thanks for joining us here on NEW DAY.

Alisyn, I'll send it over to you.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: OK, Michaela.

Well, the third Republican debate is tonight. So who will steal the spotlight? And what's the deal with the candidate's green rooms? Wait till we show you the pictures.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: Well, the stage is set in Boulder, Colorado, for tonight's third Republican presidential debate. And there is no shortage of drama among the campaigns, including a fight over the size of their green rooms. Here with a preview is Sean Spicer. He's the chief strategist and communications director for the Republican National Committee.

[08:35:06] Good morning, Sean. Great to see you.

SEAN SPICER, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, RNC: Good morning.

CAMEROTA: I read that you said, "every single one of these debates takes five years off my life" in terms of negotiations. And last night sounds like it was no different. What went wrong with the green rooms?

SPICER: Nothing went wrong. It's all good. We basically - we're here at the Coors Event Center in Boulder. It's an absolutely unbelievable facility. But, obviously, it's used for sporting event. We've got 14 amazing candidates who are going to take the stage tonight. And so when you have 14 people, you have to utilize every piece of real estate that's here.

CAMEROTA: OK.

SPICER: That's changing rooms, training rooms, locker rooms, referee rooms. And so they're not - this is not like going to a facility where you can have identical rooms. And some of them didn't like the size or whatever. We worked through the night. The team at the RNC found new rooms, got everybody happy and so we're good to go. We're ready to focus on the debate tonight.

CAMEROTA: Let me just show our viewers who missed the negotiations some of the pictures. Rand Paul was not happy because on the left is Carly Fiorina's green room. I has a Jacuzzi in it. On the right is Rand Paul's green room that looks like a jail cell. Then he tweeted out - the next was Trump's green room, which looks like a beautiful, you know, flat screen TV. A home theater it looks like. And then on the right you see Rand Paul's toilet, basically. You see a nice shot of that. And then here's the piece de resistance, Marco Rubio's green room, he said, was an actual theater. So Rand Paul was upset about these accommodations, as you point out, and then this is what the RNC ultimately came up with, and that's the green room that you ended the night by giving him is much more spacious. Wow, Sean, there is a lot that goes into these debates.

SPICER: That's right. But, you know, that's what we as a party want to do. Chairman Reince Priebus set out earlier this cycle to really get the party involved, to advocate for our candidates. So something as minor as this, we sit there, the team at the RNC works through the night to make sure that our candidates have what they need so that they can focus on the debate and lay out their vision for America. But those are the kind of things that go behind the scenes.

CAMEROTA: OK, let's talk about the ever changing trends in terms of all the Republican candidates and what we might see tonight. This is the latest national poll trends - this is from "The New York Times" - and it shows what's happened with Carson, who has seen a pretty meteoric rise over the past, you know, basically three to four months. Trump, as you can see, just now dipping slightly for the first time. Rubio slowly climbing. Jeb Bush up and down. Carly Fiorina, as you know, has done well after the debates. So what do you think we're going to see tonight?

SPICER: Well, I think there's going to - I mean obviously tonight's debate is focused on the economy and jobs, talking about how to put people back to work. And so each of those candidates lays out their vision. Again, I think you're going to see more volatility in the next 95 days leading up to the Iowa caucuses. When people become more and more focused, tonight's our third debate, really start to engage more in the process, look at their candidates, who they think is best for them, who will represent them best in the Republican process. I think, you know, you're going to have more of that churn. But that's generally how the process has worked historically and I don't think this year will be any different. CAMEROTA: Donald Trump will still be in center stage because he's

still leading the, sort of, when you crunch all the numbers together of the polls. We've recently heard how Jeb Bush's family, in particular former President George H.W. Bush, is feeling about this campaign and the campaign that Donald Trump has launched. Let me read to you what he has said according to "The New York Times." "Jeb Bush's brother Neil has vented privately about how bad Mr. Trump is for the country. And their father has been highly irritated by Mr. Trump's ridicule. He is throwing shoes at the TV when his son gets attacked and insulted by our favorite candidate." Jeb Bush using some sarcasm there. So what do you think is going to happen tonight, Sean, in terms of Donald Trump's tone and whether or not he will go after the other candidates as we've seen in the past debates?

SPICER: Far be it for me to predict what Donald Trump or any other candidate is going to do tonight. I think each of them is going to come with their own strategy and figure out how to advance their campaign. But, look, as to your previous comment, that's the natural feeling of any family. I think if your wife or you husband, father, daughter, really was invested in this you're your campaign for president, they're going to feel passionately about all of the candidates and their desire to win and any candidate that's taking pot shots at them, they're going to not like as much.

CAMEROTA: All right, Sean, we will be watching tonight. Let's hope you get some rest and relaxation tomorrow after all of this. Thanks so much for taking the time for NEW DAY.

SPICER: There's plenty of time. We got - we've got a full twelve days until the next one. We're ready to go.

CAMEROTA: There you go. Don't rest on your laurels. Thanks, Sean.

SPICER: Thanks.

CAMEROTA: All right, so what's your take on all this? You can tweet us using #newdaycnn or post your comment on facebook.com/newday. What did you think of those green rooms?

Pass it over to Chris.

[08:39:57] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, the World Series off to an historic start. The longest game won ever. An epic 14 inning battle. The game went off the air. They lost the broadcast signal. There was a surprise finish. We're breaking down the fall classic between the Mets and the Royals, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: All right, here we go with the five things to know for your new day.

At number one, Republican candidates heading into their third presidential debate tonight in Boulder, Colorado. For the first time, Donald Trump is not the frontrunner. Ben Carson now leading nationally by four points. Defense Secretary Ash Carter says the U.S. will be increasing air

strikes and special operations raids on the ground against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. The White House still has to sign off on this strategy.

The South Carolina school officer caught on tape, as you see, violently arresting a teenage student will find out today whether or not he still has a job. In the meantime, the FBI and the Justice Department are investigating.

[08:44:58] The L.A. - or the Los Angeles City Council unanimously passing a new law requiring gun owners to store firearms in lock boxes or secure them with trigger locks when not in use. This measure is designed to reduce gun accidents involving children.

The Kansas City Royals taking game one of the World Series but not before a protracted battle with the New York Mets. 14 innings. Final score, 5-4. Game two tonight in Kansas City.

You can always get more on the five things by visiting newdayCNN.com.

Chris?

CUOMO: All right. Are you ready to meet a truly super super model? Well there is a young Australian woman with Down syndrome and she is hitting the catwalk to make a point.

CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has this story in today's "Human Factor."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There's almost nothing Madeline Stuart won't try.

ROSANNE STUART, MADELINE'S MOTHER: She's been indoor sky diving, zip lining in Hawaii. She's been scuba diving.

GUPTA: So when her 18-year-old daughter wanted to model, Rosanne Stuart wasn't about to stand in her way.

STUART: I'm a realist. I know my daughter has Down syndrome but it doesn't mean that you can't do different things.

GUPTA (on camera): Like Maddy, half of all children born with Down syndrome have some type of heart defect. So in Maddy's case, the blood that was going into her heart wasn't getting enough oxygen before then going out. So when she'd cry, she'd turn blue and pass out.

(voice-over): Maddy almost didn't survive to see her first birthday. At two months old, she had heart surgery.

STUART: The doctors said she had 13 percent survival rate.

GUPTA: You would never know that by looking at this spirited teen today. STUART: She does sports seven days a week. She's so energetic. It

just exhausts me.

GUPTA: And there is no rest in sight. Maddy's modeling career is taking off. She walked the runway during Europe Fashion Week this fall and won a contract to be the face of lipstick company Glossy Girl, all of which her mom says is giving hope to others with disabilities.

STUART: Madeline isn't going to be the president of the United States. Because she's Australian. But if she was American -- you know, she's not going to be a brain surgeon or an astronaut. But she's changing the world.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:50:42] CUOMO: Welcome back to NEW DAY. We have passed the rubicon, my friends. Defense Secretary Ash Carter announcing the U.S. will immediately begin direct action on the ground. That means U.S. boots in Iraq and Syria. The motivation? The recent success of Kurdish fighters in northern Syria and a move to have U.S. forces give them a boost.

We have CNN senior international correspondent Clarissa Ward. She has spent several days on the front lines of the fight. She's joining us now live from Erbil, Iraq.

Clarissa, it is good to see you. I hope that you are keeping you and the crew safe. What is the sense of being on the ground and the need for U.S. troops?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Chris, good morning. We spent time in areas that have recently been liberated by ISIS. But you actually won't find people really celebrating there. And that is because the scale of the devastation that has been left behind by the fighting is enormous and people are still very uncertain about what the future holds.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WARD (voice-over): Weeks ago these dusty plains were held by ISIS. This is what's left of its presence now. The charred remains of a training camp hidden in a pine forest. It is where ISIS trained an elite unit of suicide bombers that attacked Kurdish positions with devastating effect. Kurdish fighters, known as the YPG, took this entire area from ISIS in August. But holding it along a front line more than 400 miles is a huge challenge.

In the shadow of Mount Abdulaziz, Commander Zinar told us that he had lost thirty of his fighters in a recent battle when ISIS came down from the mountain. CHIEF ZINAR (through translator): The enemy attacked us with a large

number of fighters using heavy weapons. They took control of three villages and after that the clashes lasted for hours until we were in control again.

WARD: Zinar is a battalion commander, but this is the size of his battalion. A handful of poorly equipped men. The nearest friendly forces are miles away.

The cost of pushing ISIS out has been enormous. Streets here are draped with the flags of fighters killed in battle. Along desolate roads, through abandoned villages, we saw scene upon scene of devastation. The wreckage of months of fierce fighting and relentless coalition airstrikes.

(on camera): Dozens of villages like this one that were liberated from ISIS months ago are now still completely deserted. That's partly because the ISIS militants, before they retreated, planted land mines and booby traps all across this area, but it's also because many here aren't convinced that ISIS won't be coming back.

(voice-over): In the tiny village of Mekhelouja, we met Wadha who has lived here all her life. She told us she was too afraid to leave home when ISIS was in control, that they beat and killed people and brought misery upon the community.

WADHA, RESIDENT OF MEKHELOUJA (through translator): There were no airstrikes before they arrived and then the strikes started. There was one next to me. We were scared of everything, not just ISIS.

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD: Are you still afraid, I ask? She says not, but glances wearily at the Kurdish YPG fighters with us. The Kurds question the loyalty of many of these villages claiming they harbor ISIS sympathizers. The killing may have stopped but there is no peace here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: All right, so Clarissa, let's talk about the military first and then the larger battle. What do you see in terms of the need and the potential for effectiveness of U.S. forces on the ground?

WARD: Well I think it really depends what type of engagement you are talking about, Chris. Certainly if you talk to those YPG fighters who we spent time with on the front lines, they are separate for more American support. They want heavier weapons, they want armor piercing weapons. They need superior training, they need equipment, they want more sharing of intelligence.

But the one thing, Chris, that you will not hear them asking for is boots on the ground. And that is a universal theme with all the different rebel groups that I have spoken to inside Syria. None of them want to see U.S. boots on the ground. And that is partly because they understand that a visible U.S. military presence in this region would be incredibly polarizing. [08:55:11] Now if we're talking about more of the sort of convert

raids that Secretary Carter seemed to be indicating, that could be a different story.

CUOMO: Very interesting distinction. Clarissa Ward, thank you for the reporting. Please stay safe.

All right. So we're going from war to "The Good Stuff." Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: "Good Stuff." October is anti-bullying month. Take note.

CAMEROTA: Okay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was always made fun of. Any time they got a chance to.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like wow, maybe I am what they said I was.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: No you're not, baby.

CUOMO: Well we all say bullying is bad and that we don't like it, right? But what do we do to stop it? So much of it these days takes place online, right, messages, cell phone. So software developer Michele Joel, she was bullied herself as the kid, and she just created what's truly the good stuff. It's called My Social Sitter. It's an app. So if a kid tries to send a hateful tweet, text message, whatever, this happens.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELE JOEL, SOFTWARE DEVELOPER: It instantly sends it back to you if it is not appropriate. So if it is appropriate, then it sends out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Hm. Interesting.

CUOMO: (INAUDIBLE) advise the parents about the message.

CAMEROTA: Wow.

CUOMO: Not only stops messages sent, filters them out.