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Army Veteran Battles ISIS in Syria; GOP Candidates Unite in Blaming Media; Plane Catches Fire Before Takeoff. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired October 30, 2015 - 06:30   ET

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

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: -- a warning though for other Americans who might want to join him.

[06:30:02] CNN senior international correspondent Clarissa Ward now with this exclusive interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Randy Roberts has spent much of the last seven months on the front lines.

The former U.S. Army specialist who deployed twice to Iraq was studying graphic design in the U.S. when he decided to join the fight against ISIS.

RANDY "RED" ROBERTS, U.S. ARMY VETERAN: I felt like I could, given my past military experience, that I had been to this region before, that I could contribute and I could actually help the cause.

WARD (on camera): How did you get guidance as to how to get here, who to link up with?

ROBERTS: Well, Google.

WARD: Google? That's how you planned your trip to come and fight ISIS?

ROBERTS: Believe it or not, yes. I just -- I simply looked up Westerners who had come over here before me.

WARD (voice-over): Roberts is one of more than one of 100 Westerners who have come to Syria and Iraq to fight with Kurdish forces.

The Internet is full of slickly produced YPG propaganda videos featuring American volunteers.

There's even a Web site selling ISIS hunting kits and offering packing lists on what to bring.

At a small training camp in northern Syria, we watch some new recruits, among them, two Americans. Most did not want to show their faces. Unlike Roberts, few had any military experience.

ROBERTS: You also meet a lot of people who think this is going to be the gaming experience, "Call of Duty". They think because they understand how to pull the trigger on a control, they know how to do it in real life.

Elbows in and tight to your body.

WARD: Roberts believes the most valuable gift he can offer Kurdish fighters and his fellow volunteers is training.

ROBERTS: So, when you need to reload, take a knee behind cover, mag out, up, stock in here.

WARD: While some Kurdish fighters welcome western volunteers as a morale boost, others have dismissed their presence as a nuisance.

(on camera): Do you think you have helped?

ROBERTS: I believe, yes, I have.

WARD: But some people would say this isn't your war. This isn't your business.

ROBERTS: It's better to stand up and do something if you think you can help than to sit back and watch. Hey, it's on the other side of the world, not my problem.

WARD (voice-over): Certainly, the risks are real. One American, Keith Brumfield, died fighting along side Kurdish fighters this past summer in Syria. And Roberts has seen for himself how tenacious an enemy ISIS can be.

ROBERTS: Outside of the mines that they emplaced to keep us from advancing on these villages, they also have little wadis and trenches that they hide in. So, then they pop up machine gunfire.

WARD (on camera): Has it ever crossed your mind you could get killed?

ROBERTS: Yes, yes.

WARD: That's a price you'd be willing to pay?

ROBERTS: Yes. If I got to the end of my life and I hadn't come -- and I looked back on this and I had to choose not to come out, then it would have bothered me. Like it would have bothered me for the rest of my life.

WARD (on camera): For Randy Roberts, being here is a moral duty.

Clarissa Ward, CNN, northern Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Wow, what an interesting insight into the challenge on the ground there and what the nature of helping is there. That's a volunteer.

Thank you, Clarissa Ward.

All right. Let's take a quick break. Big question, is the Republican race about to get all shook up? Certainly seems like the momentum shifted. But now, let's discuss why the polls may or may not reflect this new mood, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:37:51] CAMEROTA: Well, the GOP field appears to be reshuffling after that CNBC debate. Is the race entering a new volatile phase as it's called?

Joining us now, Michael Smerconish. CNN political commentator and host of CNN's "SMERCONISH".

Michael, great to see you this morning.

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN HOST, "SMERCONISH": Thank you.

CAMEROTA: So, give us the big picture. How do you think the field is re-aligning today?

SMERCONISH: I think the big picture is that if you haven't been paying attention and you suddenly tuned into this week's debate, you'd have a very difficult time believing that Donald Trump and Ben Carson are the front-runners, because they were largely nonentities in that debate. All of the action as you've been describing was among Marco Rubio, among Jeb Bush and not in a good way and certainly Ted Cruz, and I would put John Kasich in that category as well.

So, all of a sudden, that's where the momentum has shifted to. The question is, if Trump and Carson begin to fade, I believe that they will, who benefits? And that's a more complicated picture.

CAMEROTA: Hmm.

CUOMO: Well, let's see how complicated it is. If there is a move in the polls, we don't know that's going to happen. By the way, Donald Trump says an online poll said he won, 62 percent of respondents, and he said that the media says his reviews were very strong.

So, I don't know what you're talking about Smerconish. Trump has a different reckoning of how he did in that debate than you did.

But if it's going to be anybody, it has to be Marco Rubio that gets a pop, doesn't it?

SMERCONISH: Well, if Ben Carson fades, if Donald Trump fades, I would argue that the beneficiary is going to be Ted Cruz, and that if there's volatility by Jeb Bush or someone else in that establishment category, those votes go to Rubio.

Chris, I still see this as mavericks and establishment types. The mavericks are Trump, Carson and Fiorina. They've never held elective office. The others are establishment.

Ted Cruz kind of straddles the turf. But Rubio is in that establishment category. So, I don't see Carson having difficulty necessarily benefiting Rubio.

CAMEROTA: Hey, Michael, somehow we got ahold of your handwritten --

CUOMO: It was leaked with the Jeb thing.

CAMEROTA: Leaked post-debate notes.

[06:40:01] They are fascinating.

SMERCONISH: That's fine.

CAMEROTA: Let's take a look at what you scribbled down.

CUOMO: We crossed out all the expletives.

CAMEROTA: In your diary. Here it is.

You put Kasich right at the top. You thought he had a really strong performance. It's interesting the people you thought were half and half, including Chris Christie there that a lot of people thought had a good debate performance.

However, let me read to you yesterday what the "New York Times" decided to do about Chris Christie. They believe it is time for him to get out of the race. They wrote an editorial saying, "The point is that New Jersey is in trouble. And the governor is off pursuing a presidential run that's turned out to be nothing more than a vanity project. Mr. Christie's numbers are in the basement and he's nearly out of campaign cash. This is his moment, all right, to go home and use the rest of his term to clean out the barn as speaker John Boehner would say."

Is that premature, Michael?

SMERCONISH: It probably is premature. But let me explain. I've done this for each one of the debates. And in this case, I did it because I was about to go on with Anderson, I don't want to get swayed.

We have so many people who are on CNN who I find compelling and sometimes there's a temptation, you sit there and all of a sudden you change your mind.

So, I like to lock myself in before I hear what anybody else has to say. And those are the views as I recorded them in real time.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: It's very open-minded of you, by the way, Michael.

I thought Christie had a decent night. I thought Christie had a decent night but I didn't think it was a breakout night. Kasich, John Kasich, it didn't matter what the first question was going to be, he came loaded for bear and he wanted to enter a new phase of his campaign. I think he achieved that.

CUOMO: So let's talk about what's going on with the media right now. By the way, like "The New York Times," that's going to be dismissed out of hand by the Christie people. They are going to say, who cares what "the New York Times" says.

CAMEROTA: Some people thought this was a strong debate, if that's what they came out with.

CUOMO: And he'll say they are trying to hurt me because they have a lefty agenda. And that is back with a roar in the GOP.

SMERCONISH: Yes.

CUOMO: This, the media is all lefty, and all that -- I mean, you heard it up on the stage. It's resonating through the campaigns. We're getting it in the spin cycle, seeing it on social media.

What will be the effect?

SMERCONISH: Interesting that as the evening built, someone fired off a remark at the media. It was probably that Ted Cruz comment, the others fed on it, I think better than half of the candidates who are on that stage ended up saying something negative relative to the media.

Here's the danger: my view on those debate questions for what it's worth is that all of the subject matter was entirely appropriate. The tonality of some of the questions I thought was problematic.

But I'll tell you what I've been doing. I've been going back through the transcript of the first debate, which was a FOX debate, the second debate, which was a CNN debate and then CNBC. And I would submit to you, that if you look at the questions only, there's frankly not much of a difference between debates one, two or three, including FOX, which is, of course, the great oracle of the RNC.

CUOMO: Style matters. How a moderator does their job is important. It's good that people get that. That's not a given.

And let's not forget -- Megyn Kelly was asking an appropriate question in terms of what Trump said in the past. But how it came across wound up creating a combative dynamic --

CAMEROTA: But also with CNBC, the expectation was that it will be more economy driven and it was going to be less sort of pop culture water cooler stuff. But we'll talk about that coming up in the next segment.

Michael Smerconish, great to see you.

Be sure to check out "SMERCONISH" on Saturdays, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern on CNN. You can also hear him weekdays on SiriusXM, also at 9:00 a.m. Eastern.

Michael, thank you.

CUOMO: So, as we've been mentioning, conservative politicians and the media, they haven't been the best of friends. But now, it's looking more like war after this week's debate. Why now? And what will it do to the election?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[06:48:06] SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is not a cage match. And if you look at the questions, Donald Trump, are you a comic book villain? Ben Carson, can you do math? John Kasich, will you insult two people over here? Marco Rubio, why don't you resign? Jeb Bush, why have your numbers fallen?

How about talking about the substantive issues people care about?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: All right. That moment for Ted Cruz made his night and also set off a new wave of politicians against what's called mainstream media. So, several candidates now are planning a revolt against the RNC, the party itself, unless the debate process is changed to their liking.

What do they want and will debate moderators feel pressure to bend to their demands?

Let's discuss with people who know. CNN politics executive editor Mark Preston, and CNN contributor and author of "The War for Late Night", Mr. Bill Carter.

Mark, I understand you have reporting for us. What can you do to advance our understanding of these machinations?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Well, I tell you what, Chris, if it says to be calling people at this early hour, I've been on the phone with several folks involved in the meeting.

Now, a couple of things -- this is an inside baseball story that is going to have greater ramifications for viewers and voters all across the country. The candidates are already frustrated about how the debate process is running. However, they're not unified on their frustration. We saw Ben Carson yesterday say that he wanted more speaking time so to speak. And more time to talk about policy. Candidates that are polling at 1 percent, Chris, they're telling me that they want to be in the primetime debate.

So, what they're going to do is these campaigns are going to come together here Sunday in Washington, D.C., they're going to try to hash things out. But as one person told me just a short time ago, this is not natural for campaigns to be working together. They don't see how they can actually come to some kind of an agreement, specifically when it comes to the editorial content because there's too many disagreements.

[06:50:05] Bottom line, these campaigns are competing against each other. So, even though they're going to meet together, it's like bringing together all the families in the Mafia so-to-speak oftentimes, there's not much agreement.

CUOMO: Well, first of all, thank you for advancing the reporting and our understanding of this, Mark.

But it does speak, Bill, to this is an unusual year. You have so many campaigns that are baffled at why they're not getting traction. And maybe them coming together isn't the most bizarre thing so far we've seen in the race.

But give us some perspective on this. What's going on right now? How surprising is it to you?

BILL CARTER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It doesn't surprise me at all. It's always happened, particularly in the Republican campaign, because the bashing of the media plays well with the base.

I remember when I first started at "The New York Times." Clinton was running against Bush. He was going to win. All around town they stuck stickers on newspaper boxes saying "Annoy the media, vote Bush." People don't vote because of the media, that isn't what they do. But it gets the base riled up. It's Halloween candy for them.

Cruz is effective, he did it well but he was basically throwing out red meat they're going to chew on. It's not going to determine the race though. People are going to say, oh the media is unfair, it's unfair. But at some point, you got to say what you're for. You can't just be against the media.

CUOMO: Well, that is true. At some point you'll have to impress the voters with what you'll do for them, not what you're saying about everybody else.

However, there also becomes the question, guys, of what is it to be tested to be president of the United States? It's not just any job. Now, listen to what Ben Carson said that his problem is. He deserves voice on this, because he is in first or second place in most polls.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Debates are supposed to be established to help the people get to know the candidates and get to know what's behind them and what they're thinking process is and philosophy is. And what's has turned into is a gotcha. That's silly, and that's not really helpful for anybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: Now, ironically, Ben Carson will have just established a new gift there with that gotcha thing. We'll see it all over the Internet, I promise you that.

But is it a fair criticism of Carson's criticism, Mr. Preston, that he has not done well, in the debates? He does not like being tested and this is reflection of that, not the process being unfair?

PRESTON: Well, a couple things. One is -- he's right, it's not about gotcha questions. It shouldn't be about gotcha questions. And quite frankly, just like the media doesn't lump all Republicans together or all Democrats together, the political party shouldn't be lumping all journalists together.

So, what they might have been frustrated about two nights ago, they shouldn't be lumping us all together. If you look, there were two debates beforehand. And Jake Tapper did very well for us in our debate and, of course, FOX as well was praised for their debate. To Ben Carson's point, his adviser was on our air and acknowledged that Ben Carson doesn't do well in debates. It doesn't play to his strength.

To the point of what voters are looking for, they're not looking for policy but they're looking to see how quick you can think on your feet. I think if you looked at the other night and saw Marco Rubio, there wasn't a whole lot of substance in that debate, no doubt about it, but Marco Rubio really proved to voters, he can think quickly on his feet. And I think as commander in chief, that is a huge attribute.

CUOMO: And one of the things that pops Marco Rubio, Bill, is his ability to take testing. How he takes a question and answers it directly, or does not, how he chooses to deflect or not, what he counters with you, what his tone is when he does it.

Aren't these meaningful things? Anything that happens that doesn't go well for you when I ask a question is a gotcha.

CARTER: And I think what they're also saying is you don't press us. I mean, this getting together, do they want to vet the questions? What news organization is going to agree to a debate to do when it's all set up in advance --

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: How about Donald Trump asking that you not have expressed party affiliation as a journalist but it is Republican Party? Any chance of that?

CARTER: Who's going to do that? What would be the value of doing that? You have a bunch of people speaking the same things to each other. Oh, we like what you're saying. They have to be challenged or it's worthless.

But I have to say -- yes, the other debate had a lot of mistakes, the tone was all wrong. To ask a guy at the beginning, are you running a comic book campaign? Who would put that in a question? That's just a bad strategy and they weren't prepared. All of that is wrong.

But you can't then go the other way and say, let's have a debate where everything is all established. We know what we're going to get and we aren't thrown at all. You have to challenge these guys.

CUOMO: I think this is good for the media in one way. One, it allows us to have a discussion we don't usually have. I got to tell you, people have been trying to kill me online, Mark Preston, for saying that you just said, don't say the media is biased. That's absurd. There's bias in every facet of every system in society. We don't lump them all together.

So, it's certainly empowering the base. The question is this, what is it really going to matter, Mark, one, two weeks from now, this anti-media dynamic? Can it last? Can it sustain?

[06:55:01] PRESTON: Well, it's whoever is most successful in proffering it. And, I think Bill is absolutely right. This is has been a talking point for conservatives who think that the media is against them, is an agent of the Democratic Party.

But to your point, we're not agents of the Democratic Party. And I do believe that the likes of Ted Cruz who scored some big points and certainly Marco Rubio who scored big points with it, that is going to help their campaign because the Republican primary certainly, in states such as South Carolina, Iowa, to an extent in New Hampshire, are social conservatives. They distrust the media. And if they see a fighter such as Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz coming out there, that's going to help their standings in the polls.

CARTER: And another big thing is they raise money off this.

CUOMO: Yes, we heard that in Marco Rubio's campaign, it's like drinking from a fire hose, a hydrant, something like that, something that's high pressure.

CARTER: So, there is advantage in that. You bash the media then raise money.

CUOMO: And it's a reflection of it. Let me ask you, let me get both of your heads on this, Mark Preston, are we going to see a change in the polls that is meaningful? Are we going to see position swaps? Are we going to see a big jump after this? What do you think?

PRESTON: So, listen, there are polls in the field right now. I think that Trump and Carson will still stay on top. Their lead is so big. I don't think you're going to see much movement from others other than Marco Rubio. He'll move up a few points. He did well. Jeb Bush might come down a few points.

And I'll make a bold prediction. I could be wrong but that's what predictions are. I think John Kasich might move up a point or two. A lot of people thought he had a terrible debate and looked angry, but I think people are mad as hell, and John Kasich showed that the other night.

CUOMO: And John Kasich has reasons to be frustrated objectively. I mean, he is so qualified on paper in terms of being someone legitimately considered, whether you like him, whether he wins or not.

CARTER: Which is why he needs a debate to make noise, but remember --

PRESTON: Right.

CARTER: -- Carly did well, her poll went up but then it didn't last. So, there's a flash to this and you have to see how they settle.

CUOMO: But she got stink on her after the debate as well, what empowered her first rise, then got questioned with the Planned Parenthood stuff and what he attached herself to, she's very defensive about that now.

CARTER: And Rubio will face some of that, too. Some people will say that he didn't answer that question about his personal finances really and someone will look into that and maybe that will hurt him if it gets to be exposed.

CUOMO: If Rubio doesn't get a significant pop in the polls, it's going to really throw a wrench in my understanding of what's going on with the electorate right now, because I don't know what else you could want in terms of moving him up, whether or not he becomes a nominee, who knows?

But, Mark Preston, thank you for the reporting and the perspective. Bill Carter, as always, started working at the "The Times" for 1992, they hired an 11-year-old for an election. That is very unusual.

A lot news this morning. Let's get right to it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The pilot declared the emergency. His left engine was on fire.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just saw the fire, people started freaking out. .

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The chute opened to this --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What happened?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you feeling?

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have the most money. We have the greatest organization. We're doing fine.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to continue to serve the people of Florida and we're going to run for president aggressively.

REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: We are not settling scores. We are wiping the slate clean.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're not here to drink beer and eat barbecue. They came with violence in mind.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The moment rival motorcycle clubs unleash a deadly melee.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was pretty horrific. There were guys getting hit, falling.

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

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: Good morning, everyone. Welcome back to your NEW DAY.

We do begin with new developments surrounding that dramatic passenger plane fire on the runway, just minutes before takeoff in Fort Lauderdale.

NTSB investigators trying to figure out why one of those engines of Dynamic Airways Flight 405 burst into flames.

CUOMO: A hundred and one people were on board. They all went scrambling to get out. More than a dozen of them were injured and sent to the hospital. When you look at the pictures it's amazing it wasn't worse. The airline safety and maintenance records are now under scrutiny.

For that, let's get to CNN's Alina Machado live at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport. She has the latest.

Alina, what do we know now?

ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Chris, there are still a lot of questions surrounding this incident. The investigation into what went wrong here is still in the very early stages. What we do know this incident unfolded very quickly and that authorities say they're just thankful this did not turn into a disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MACHADO (voice-over): Terrifying video capturing flames and smoke shooting out of Dynamic Air Flight 405, just before takeoff. Passengers forced to escape the burning plane down evacuation chutes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard a loud bang, turned around, saw the lights. Saw flames, ran to the front of the aircraft.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just saw the fire. People started freaking out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Screams and people crying and I didn't know how to react.

MACHADO: Now, NTSB investigators trying to determine why the Boeing 767's left engine began leaking fuel just before takeoff, bursting into flames. A pilot trailing Flight 405 was the first to spot trouble.

PILOT WITNESS: Dynamic is, out of the left engine, it looks like it's leaking a lot of -- I don't know if it's fuel. There's fluid leaking out of the left engine.