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Carson Ramps Up Attacks on Media; Obama, Netanyahu to Meet in Washington; Missouri Football Players Strike Amid Racism Protest. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired November 09, 2015 - 07:00   ET

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

CAMEROTA: He says no other candidate is getting the media scrutiny he's facing and it's working for him. In just the last week, he has raked in millions of dollars in campaign donations.

[07:00:04] CUOMO: Well, you know who's not buying it? Donald Trump tossing a little fuel in the fire. He says Carson's stories about his violent past are disturbing even if they're as true as Carson says they are.

Now, Trump himself is coming off a very highly-rated hosting gig on "Saturday Night Live," and he says all the media attention could actually spell the end for Ben Carson.

Let's bring in CNN national correspondent Suzanne Malveaux, live from Washington. Good morning.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Thanks. Good morning, Chris.

Well, it's pretty clear that GOP candidates who want to get some things out before tomorrow's Republican debate in Milwaukee. For Dr. Carson, of course, it's about going from defense to offense, regarding stories about his past.

For Rubio it's about providing more information about his finances. And for Trump, well, it's about getting in those digs at both of them, hoping that their troubles will stick.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The burden of proof is not going to be on me to corroborate everything that I've ever talked about in my life.

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Over the weekend, Dr. Ben's Carson's attacks on the media intensifying, the GOP presidential contender unleashing a firestorm of verbal attacks on reporters who've challenged his stories about his past.

CARSON (via phone): Show me somebody, even from your business, the media, who is 100 percent accurate at everything that they say.

CARSON (on camera): "Well, you said this when you were in kindergarten." Give me a break. MALVEAUX: Recent reports in "Politico" and "The Wall Street Journal,"

calling into question aspects of Carson's life story published in his book. "Politico" wrote that Carson's campaign changed their version of a story about receiving a full scholarship from West Point. The military academy doesn't charge tuition.

In response, Carson's campaign clarified that he never applied nor was granted admission to West Point.

CARSON: I said it was offered. I didn't say I received it.

MALVEAUX: Carson saying he's facing harsher scrutiny than any other presidential candidate, because he's seen as a threat.

CARSON: I have never seen this before. And many other people who are politically experienced tell me they've never seen it before either.

MALVEAUX: GOP rival Donald Trump calling it the beginning of the end of Carson's campaign.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (voice-over): When you say, though, hitting your mother over the head with a hammer, when you're talking about hitting a friend in the face with a lock, padlock, and you know, you're talking about stabbing someone, that's a serious statement when you say you have a pathological disease. Because as I understand it, you can't really cure it.

(on camera): Look at this guy.

MALVEAUX: Meanwhile, Trump was all laughs as host of "Saturday Night Live."

TRUMP: Enrique.

BECK BENNETT, CAST MEMBER, NBC'S "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": I brought you the check for the wall.

MALVEAUX: Garnering the highest ratings the show's had in years.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: And "SNL" didn't pull any punches. The cast tackled most of the criticism regarding Trump, including accusations of racism, his immigration policy, and questions around President Obama's birth certificate.

We also learned this weekend in Jon Meacham's biography of George H.W. Bush, that Trump was interested in the V.P. slot. What Trump said on "STATE OF THE UNION" this weekend, it was the other way around. Senior advisor Lee Atwater came to him and said he'd be great. Didn't go much further than that. That's what Trump said, but if you can imagine it, a Bush/Trump '88 ticket -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Suzanne, you've given us a lot of material to chew on. Thanks so much for all of that.

So let's bring in now Armstrong Williams. He's Dr. Ben Carson's business manager and close friend.

Armstrong, thanks so much for being with us this morning.

ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS, DR. BEN CARSON'S BUSINESS MANAGER: Always. Good morning, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: We've heard Dr. Carson's frustration over the last several days with journalists asking questions and delving into his past and his stories, and he and I, as I'm sure you know, had a bit of a heated exchange on Friday in an interview that we did here on NEW DAY.

What was it, exactly, Armstrong, that he objects to? What question did I ask or have any journalists asked him that he thinks are unfair?

WILLIAMS: Alisyn, this is a -- this is a new process. Dr. Carson was a celebrated theatric neurosurgeon by the media, by institutions all over the world. And you know, they just loved him.

And all of a sudden he has decided to enter this thing called a presidential race. And what he has to understand is that, when you enter a presidential race and you don't have a legislative record, the only record you have is your personal biography and extraordinary record as a pediatric neurosurgeon, then people are going to come through everything that you've said, everything that you've uttered. And they will challenge it.

It's not an issue of whatever they're trying -- whatever they're to prove, for those of us that know Dr. Carson, and we've know them for a long time, we know that he's honest; we know that he's decent. We know that he's good, and we know that he's well-meaning. That's in a vacuum. Not everyone knows that.

CAMEROTA: That's right.

WILLIAMS: Not everyone knows Dr. Carson is being vetted.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

WILLIAMS: And you know what? I know you're going to be surprised to hear this. I think it's a very good thing that Dr. Carson is being vetted, that Dr. Carson is being tested, that Dr. Carson is having to answer to these questions. Because in my opinion and the opinion of many others...

CAMEROTA: Yes.

WILLIAMS: ... it's best that Dr. Carson address these issues early on and get them out of the way.

CAMEROTA: Well...

WILLIAMS: Instead of when the real race began in January and February.

CAMEROTA: Sure. Well, Armstrong, it is interesting to hear you say that. Because it -- you feel that way. But it doesn't appear that he feels that way.

Are you telling him that this is the process, this is what journalists do? They don't just accept stories as the gospel truth. They attempt to verify them. They go and source them. And that his objection to this is, you know, his sort of casting journalism in the light of being unfair. This is what our job description is. What doesn't he understand about that?

WILLIAMS: But Alisyn, Alisyn, in all fairness, some journalism and some reporting is unfair. Even CNN had to debunk the political story, saying that Carson's campaign admitted that he fabricated a story, which was absolutely false.

CAMEROTA: No, no, hold on a second. Hold on, Armstrong. CNN has -- if you're talking about...

WILLIAMS: They debunked -- I said they debunked the story.

CAMEROTA: Are you talking about West Port? I mean, are you talking about -- West Point?

WILLIAMS: "Politico," what "Politico" said about General Westmoreland. And Dr. Carson never said that he was accepted at West Point and that he never applied. It was in his book.

CAMEROTA: Yes. Didn't he say that he was offered a full scholarship to West Point?

WILLIAMS: And he was.

CAMEROTA: OK. Because there is -- that's open to interpretation.

WILLIAMS: No, it's not. I don't think so. Let me address that.

CAMEROTA: All -- all the students who go to West Point...

WILLIAMS: May I address that? May I address that?

CAMEROTA: ... get it paid for.

WILLIAMS: Thank you. Let me address that.

CAMEROTA: Go ahead.

WILLIAMS: Let's go back 40 or 50 years, Alisyn. Here you have a young kid who happens to be an American black kid with incredible grades, high scores. And it comes to the attention of General Westmoreland and others while they were at this Detroit banquet. You know without a doubt they wanted this kid at West Point.

And the fact it may have been a wink, wink, this 14-year-old kid believed, as they said to him, "If you apply, you will get the full scholarship."

CAMEROTA: Yes.

WILLIAMS: Dr. Carson never applied, because he only had $10 for one application. His ambition was always to become a medical doctor.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

WILLIAMS: There is no doubt anybody in that position, 50 years ago today, wouldn't have believed that they would have gotten a full scholarship. So he told the truth.

CAMEROTA: OK. So Armstrong, let me move on to something. Because I know that Dr. Carson prides himself on his tone and temperament. And in fact, that's what voters say they respond to about him. And he has said that he doesn't want to engage in sort of the schoolyard taunts that Donald Trump has in this campaign.

So let me play for you a portion of our interview from Friday and get you to respond on the other side. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARSON (via phone): All you have to do is look at what's happened since, you know, the Great society programs of Lyndon Johnson.

You have to be kind of stupid to look at that and not realize that that's a failure and to say we just didn't do enough of it. Are you honestly telling me that you didn't know what I was talking about when I said that? Are you honestly telling me -- because if you are, you might fit in that category.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Now, Armstrong, Donald Trump likes to call people stupid also. How is this any different?

WILLIAMS: Listen, I watched the interview. I heard the remarks. And sometimes when you're someone like Dr. Carson who is very calm, I mean, look, the guy is fighting for his good name as anybody would fight for it.

CAMEROTA: Yes. But I mean, implying...

WILLIAMS: And there are sometimes when you say things, it's not always intentional to offend or to hurt.

I love the fact, as many others of Dr. Carson, that you brought out the fire in his belly. You brought out the fight. You brought out a man defending himself, defending his reputation, for so many years, his credibility. So sometimes when you're in that line of fire, those are the kind of things that are often said.

CAMEROTA: OK. But implying that an interviewer is stupid for asking a question, is that the tone of civility that we can expect from Dr. Carson?

WILLIAMS: Alisyn, to us it was not uncivilized. I mean, this is what happens when you use your network around the clock, in his opinion, to sully his reputation. And he has an opportunity to come on your show, obviously, you cannot expect it to be a picnic. CAMEROTA: No. But Armstrong, using a network to sully his

reputation, there again, I think that we have a difference of opinion about what journalism is.

Is Dr. Carson not expecting journalists to go back and look through what -- as you pointed out, he didn't have a political record. So we go back and look at his life record. It's on display in his autobiography and elsewhere in interviews. Is he expecting us to ask questions or is that out of bounds for his campaign?

WILLIAMS: Look, Alisyn, I think what Dr. Carson asked, and he asked you about the process and how you're going to do this. If you're going to go and speak to nine people, you want to make sure that those nine people were there and could be testimonial to exactly what he's advocated in his book.

I saw something that BuzzFeed sent us last night, where they sent me this doctor, Dr. Robert Prince from Hopkins University, who told a story 30 years ago they were in the operating room, examination room. it was 3 a.m. in the morning. And he asked Dr. Carson, "So how did you get to this point of becoming a neurosurgeon?"

And he said Dr. Carson told him the exact story about the knife and the belt buckle. You know, you would seem to think that if CNN is trying to corroborate some of these stories -- you'll corroborate with people who are legitimate, because this was 30 years ago. He had no political ambition. These people I think -- it's just interesting that people you select to corroborate and give credibility to the story that you're pursuing.

CAMEROTA: Armstrong, there you go. You just gave us the first name, OK? You just gave us the first name of someone who might have the same story from 30 years ago as today.

But as you know, our reporters called you and called the campaign and said, "Hey, we'd like to look into the book. Can you help us?" They started with you, but you wouldn't give them any help.

WILLIAMS: Alisyn, I respect you. You didn't hear me. I got it from BuzzFeed. They sent it to me. They sent me the 5:19 clip. I listened to it early this morning. I just heard it. If BuzzFeed and others can find this, why can't your reporters do the same?

CAMEROTA: Look, as you know, our reporters went back to Dr. Carson's hometown. They tried to find people. They spoke to 10 people. They didn't say that it was definitive. They didn't say that he actually was fabricating anything. They said they couldn't find anyone who remembers his accounts. That's fair. That's truth. They couldn't find anyone.

But they also were open to hearing from you and from Dr. Carson if there was an avenue they should be pursuing. That's what journalists do.

But Armstrong, listen, I know that we're in agreement about this and that you believe that he is -- we should vet him and that we are asking fine questions.

WILLIAMS: Listen, he needs to be toughened. He needs to know exactly what is expected. Because this right now is just a walk in the park. It is going to be more intense. And Dr. Carson has to show that he has the fortitude, he has the courage and the character to withstand all the scrutiny.

And hopefully, what everybody is hoping before is you will start vetting him on what really matters to the American people on policies that he's advocating.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

WILLIAMS: So we can go knee deep into his policies, so if he does win the GOP nomination, and if he does win the White House, how does he expect to govern and how does he separate himself from everyone else?

CAMEROTA: There you go. Armstrong Williams, thanks so much. We appreciate you being on NEW DAY. We'll talk more about this next hour with Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie.

Let's get over to Chris.

CUOMO: All right. We have breaking news in New York City. Police are investigating a deadly shooting near Penn Station in midtown Manhattan. This is a live look at the scene right now.

Here's what we know. Three people shot; one person died. Two others injured. One was shot in the leg, the other the stomach. The stomach, obviously, a more -- far more serious wound. The status of the shooter or shooters unclear right now. We'll bring you more information as it becomes available.

PEREIRA: Overnight, Israeli police fatally shot a woman they say was trying to attack a security check point in the West Bank with a knife. It came a day after seven Israelis were wounded in stabbings at three separate West Bank locations. One of the incidents captured on video -- you'll see it here -- shows a Palestinian woman pulling a knife from her bag -- you'll see it happen in a second -- and attacking an Israeli guard.

CAMEROTA: Well, all of those violent stabbings are sure to come up today when President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet at the White House. It will be their first face-to- face in more than a year and the first since clashing over the Iran nuclear deal.

Here with the latest is CNN senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns.

Joe, what are we expecting?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn.

The visit of Prime Minister Netanyahu here to Washington being seen as an opportunity to get back to issues of common ground after his last visit here, that very contentious visit, including a controversial speech before Congress.

So what is on the agenda? One of the big things, of course, is aid to Israel and whether that number that exists right now, probably around $3 billion, might be raised. Not a lot of hints from the administration as to how far up they might go.

Second, obviously on the list is that big issue of the two-state solution, Palestine and Israel co-existing.

The third, of course, something that's been going on here in Washington. The issue of the Syrian crisis and how to handle it.

Three big issues, many others to be discussed. This is a time where the administration is trying to emphasize the notion that there is common ground. And anytime Israel and the United States have differences, they always come back together.

[07:15:03] So we do expect to see the prime minister here at the White House around 10:30 Eastern Time. Of course, this will be a visit that does not have all of the bells and whistles that often accompany a state visit.

Very sensitive time here in Washington. The prime minister also expected to address the American Enterprise Institute and some other groups trying to reach across party lines and, perhaps, heal some wounds.

[07:25:28] CUOMO: No question this is a critical point. Let us know what happens. Appreciate it.

So top U.S. officials are growing ever more confident, they say, that a terrorist bomb took down Flight 9268. One official tells CNN they are now 99.9 percent certain of that.

Meantime, Russian forces are arriving at Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh Airport. They're going to conduct their own security checks. That's only the beginning, they say, as well. More security experts are leaving Moscow to check all major airports in Egypt.

PEREIRA: Racial tensions are boiling over on the University of Missouri campus, dozens of black football players joining a student protest, refusing to play unless the university's president is out. We'll take a closer look at what's going on, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: Racial tensions are running high at the University of Missouri. The school's football players are boycotting games as calls grow louder for the school's president to step down or be fired.

I want to bring in CNN sports correspondent Coy Wire. Marc Lamont Hill is also here. He's a CNN political commentator and host of BET News.

[07:20:06] Coy, I think it's important to talk -- give a little bit of context to folks of what's been happening here at Mizzou. There's been a number of incident on campus this year involving students and some racial tension. Give us a little bit of a primer here.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you're talking about a school with approximately 35,000 students. Only 7 percent of that population is African-American.

And in recent weeks, as you have mentioned, there have been some disturbing occurrences of racial discrimination at one point there was a swastika written with feces in a dorm. Clearly disturbing.

And there are students protesting the actions and inaction of the school's president, Tim Wolf. They're out on campus in tents. There's one student who's been on an eight-day hunger strike so their voices can be heard.

And now with the football team stepping in and saying that they're not going to play or practice until something is done about this. And furthermore, that president resigns. That's a big, bold statement, and they're clearly being heard now.

CAMEROTA: Marc Lamont Hill, we know that there's a 10 a.m. emergency meeting of school officials scheduled for this morning. What does that president need to do? Do you think he needs to go or can he repair this situation?

MARC LAMONT HILL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I've been part of many actions as a student myself. For 20 years I've been an activist. And when we make a list of demands, this group made eight major demands. Sometimes you want all eight met; sometimes you only expect to get six or seven met.

I wouldn't be surprised if the president's resignation was something that was high on the list but was something that was ultimately negotiable. Can the president get out of it? Perhaps. But he probably needs to meet all seven of those things in dramatic fashion. I mean, really talking about systems of oppression, really talking about the type of resources he's going to devote to repairing the damage that's been done. If he does those sorts of things, he may have a chance.

PEREIRA: I do have the list of demands here, and among them, "We demand the immediate removal of Tim Wolf as U.M. assistant president." Up until yesterday he was saying he was not going anywhere.

They also want to see more conversations being had and an active plan to be in place to increase diversity, and awareness and acceptance on campus.

It's really interesting, Coy, because when you look at what's happening with the team, the coaches who are white, predominantly, and even the white players, they're publicly supporting. In fact, we have a tweet from the coach -- Pinkold is the coach of the team, sort of saying the Mizzou family stands as one. We are united. We are behind our players. But I've understood there's some ESPN reporting of some dissension among the ranks that some of the players are not real happy about this boycott. WIRE: Well, I could imagine there's some who are unhappy if they're

not going to be able to play in football games. And look, it's important to them, right? That's one of the main reasons they wanted to go to school to become a football player.

But the bottom line here is that the coach, not only the head coach of the team publicly supporting his student athletes, the entire athletic department also released a statement saying that they stand behind their student athletes, as well.

Why is this significant for the football team? We talked about that 7 percent of the entire student population is African-American. Well, 42 of the 64 football players, 65 percent, are African-American. They are making a bold statement about something that needs to clearly be done.

PEREIRA: Let's talk about the fact that there is a lot of money on the line, too. We know how much college football brings into a school. They're saying that if they miss this game on Saturday, that's $1 million of lost revenue, potentially, for the school.

So obviously, this has financial ramifications, as well, which is very interesting to see the football players come in and say, "No, Marc, we're going to -- we're going to make a stand." It's very interesting to see social issues coming up in a locker room.

HILL: No, it absolutely is. And that says a lot about the campus community. Oftentimes football players are seen as being kind of disconnected from the political and social life of a campus.

But it seems that these students are very much tapped into it. And it's a very bold and courageous move. It's a high-stakes move for their careers, for their scholarships, but also for the campus itself.

But Michaela, that's part of what makes the removal of the president seem like a curious demand to me. I support their action. But it seems to me that if what's at stake is the campus losing money, the school losing money, them losing potential donors and all this bad stuff, that doesn't affect the president if he resigns. The president has no incentive to do this stuff.

PEREIRA: Good point.

HILL: If another demand is that he resign after he does it. So I would like to see that demand be bracketed and the other ones be supported, not because I have an investment.

PEREIRA: Be supported. Yes.

HILL: Just because it will get done.

PEREIRA: Coy, last question for you, where are the repercussions here for some of these players on the team? I mean, I've been hearing there have been calls for them, some of them to lose their scholarships. Is there a concern that's going to affect their futures? WIRE: I don't think that's the case. When you have the head coach

coming out and supporting his players and also, again, the entire athletic department. I think they're OK.

But you mentioned those numbers, Michaela. How about two years ago the athletic department as a whole brought in $76 million for the school. Last year that rose to 83 million. The football department accounting for well over 30 million of that.

So this is big dollars we're talking. This is very important to this school. And as Mark brought up, a great point, the entire student body as this affects the school and its operations.

PEREIRA: Well, and when you have a lot of dollars and cents on the line, it gets people's attention and quick.

[07:25:05] Coy, Marc, always greet to have your -- your voices in our conversation. Thanks for joining us.

And you can always join the conversation on social media.

I'll send it back over to Alisyn and Chris.

CUOMO: All right, Michaela. Important conversations to be having, and we will continue to have them.

Coming up next, Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill, she obviously represents the state where Mizzou is. She went there herself. She put out a statement. Does more need to be done?

We'll also talk politics. As you see on your screen, McCaskill is all in for Hillary Clinton. Thinks Bernie Sanders is unelectable. Why? We test it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: No question, Hillary Clinton is dominating the latest national polls on her side of the fence. Twenty-five-point lead over Bernie Sanders.

Meanwhile, a prominent senator has gone so far as to call Clinton's competition unelectable. Who's that? Not me. Senator Claire McCaskill.

Now just as important for this morning's conversation, she is an alumna of the University of Missouri. She's obviously the senator, the senior senator in that state. So we want to talk about that, as well.

Senator, thank you for being here this morning.

SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL (D), MISSOURI: Thank you.

CUOMO: Let's talk about Missouri.

MCCASKILL: Right. CUOMO: Obviously, it's a little bit of a flash point. Do you believe that you and other electeds need to do more to fix what's going on on that campus?